Chapter 5 - Conclusion

The goddess as the female counter-part of the Devata has undergone a 1 lot of transformation through the ages. The churning of various ideas, association of concepts, and the surrounding belief system all led into the formation, transformation and reformation of the universal spirit that was essentially feminine for her devotees. The primitive idea of a mighty female was that of the mother spirit. The 'mighty female' was associated with motherly attributes such as the giver of birth, the one who nourishes, defender and ultimately as a protector all packed into one. The oldest reference of idol available is from the excavations at Mohen-jo-daro. The excavations unearthed nude feminine figures with prominent breasts and torso region. Among the various attributes the common and special attribute of the female as 'birth-giver' was upheld. The concept that femininity was fructified with child birth is universal. This led to the development of the concept of a female with many 'yonis" or the external representation of multiple breasts and female figurines with prominent teats. As time passed the nudity of female figurine gave way to well sculpted idols which were essentially clothed in the torso region. The idea of female figurines with well developed breasts and prominent teats seems to be upheld world wide. The reason of the popularity of the concept 1 See cf. ch.II - Major Goddess. 2 See picture of statue at Manhattan -USA

was in a social order where women were upheld and revered chiefly for their ability to give birth and suckle their off-springs. The association of a fertile female was done chiefly with the earth, animals like the pig, the cow etc... all which stood for mass-production, protecting their young and lactating for their offspring. As time passed needs too underwent a change the need of protection and defence. The female spirit now revered to as the goddess too underwent a change in role. With regard to the depiction of breasts there are three striking features are seen in idol forms³. o Female figures with well developed, fleshy breasts and prominent teats which are shown without a covering. Such forms are seen as the symbols of motherhood and seen in the forms of the goddess Parvati as a spouse of Siva. o Female figures with well developed and fleshy breasts but the teats and the breasts have a covering strip so as to it they are not visible. Such feminine forms can be noticed of the goddess Durga who is a virgin. o Female figures with drooping breasts. Such forms are seen generally of the goddess Kali or of other female fiendish spirits. The ancient concept of a female with multiple breasts gave way to a divine female with multiple hands. The goddess as per the need of hour and 3 see pictures.

the request underwent transformations and change and She is shown with multiple hands. The general opinion regarding the accessories in the hands is that they are weapons which symbolize her fierce nature. A street side attraction in downtown Manhattan Source- Sunday Indian Akhilandesvari Express 1/8/2004 'The paintings Eye'p.2 temple Akhilandesvari temple paintings. On observing the different goddess forms both carvings and sculptures one can come to the opinion that not all goddess-forms hold weapons for combat or as others put in for self-defence. Some goddess like esh Laksmi, Sarasvati, Parvati do not always hold weapons. They do not always have four hands to emphasis their super-human and divine nature. They are delicate and by the inherent gracefulness, common to femininity, they possess a soft mellowing glow. Many aspects of the goddess have been looked into in minute detail. The topic itself is so immense and time limited that some aspects had to be overlooked. The worship of the cow-goddess or

folk worship such as worshipping the goddess by invoking her on a pestle and mortar etc... could not be given due justice. The general statement of the authors and editors of secondary books on tantra literature is that in the religion preached by the tantras, there is no caste discrimination and gender bar. This however is not true. The tantras at every place and every stage mention a caste-distinction if not caste-discrimination. There is a widespread discrimination regarding the initiator, use of flowers, the initiation process and the mantra given and even in the Diksa-nama given to the sadhaka. The tantras prescribe the performance of Sandhya ritual which is vedic in origin. Women are lauded as the goddess herself in person but, such a status is not given to the women in the ritual. There are a lot of restrictions with regard to the initiation process, her caste-status etc... women is not allowed freedom and is kept dependent on men at her different stages as a daughter as a wife and as a mother. Nowhere is she given freedom to take initiation all by herself. Initiation by a female preceptor is held high. Though there is mention of female preceptors they are merely shadowy figures who are under the shadow of their spouses. So the worship of the guru and gurupatni has been translated as the honour of women as preceptors as there is no to reference of women as initiators. However, one reference in the recent years is the initiation of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa by a female tantric sadhavi known as Brahmani-Bhairavi and the mention of a kapalic girl who is in apprenticeship under Aghorananda in Bhavabhuti's classical drama the Malati-Madhavam. These references however are few and therefore were not considered as suitable for a detailed study.

The study of the yantras and the intricacies threw light on many facts. People were of the opinion that tantra form of worship is the easiest due to the use of yantras. But a study of the different yantras and the various details involving them it shattered this belief. The yantras are no longer easier in fact they are more complex than what has been written and spoken about them. Even a single triangle either more or less results in the change in worship process and results. For the first time it is revealed that there exist different types of the Sricakra. To be exact there exist nine types of Sricakra. The Meru was now thought of to be of one type, the study revealed that there exist two types of the Meru. There are many intricacies and details regarding the worship of the goddess in different mediums. The idol or figure of the goddess which is a concrete representation too is of two chief types. The idol could be either a sculpted form chiseled out of a rock or it could be a metal-cast figure. On the basis of the mediums used, the concrete figures can be distinguished in two forms as (i) Cala or Movable and (ii) Acala or Immovable. The metal cast figure is known as Cala form of the goddess which is taken out in processions during festivals and other religious observances. The stone sculpted figure of the goddess is known as the acala form of the goddess. This figure-form is immovable, fixed and permanently placed in the temple. There exists a relation between the two forms in temple worship. The goddess invoked on the stone form, and is stationed at one place moves out in the form of the metal-cast idol. This movement of the goddess within the temple premises as well as out into the settlements to meet the people and bless them is during festive occasions. The stationary goddess is generally

shown in standing pose if she is a spouse goddess and if she is an independent goddess she is shown as being seated in the Padmasana or in the Ardha-padmasana pose. As regards the cala form of the independent and predominant goddess, it is depicted in sitting pose though the standing form is an exception. The list of accessories and upacaras is so wide and long that it is only possible for the wealthy. The process was diluted to sixteen upacaras for a moderate and further diluted to five so that worship was within the reach of all. The initiation process and practice is interesting indeed. It is said that initiation should not be given or taken rashly. The reasons were not explained thus making it a mystery and branding it as a practice of unexplainable superstitions. When the study of various works of tantra and writings on the subject were read the reason was clear that initiation was done after the thorough study of the Akadama-cakra. Not only was the Akadama-cakra the only point of consideration, other factors such as day, date, fortnight, month etc. are all considered making the tantras a complete Sastra - a holistic science which studied various factors to make the process intelligent and feasible. The classification and categorization of flowers is indeed interesting as also the preparation of a Yantra by the amalgam of metal alloys for greater beneficial results. on The Supreme Goddess is infinite, her science is indeed unfathomable, and time is indeed quick for it moves at a pace which is difficult to overtake. The association of the goddess with particular nights or ratris too could not be focused on for still better understanding. There are many aspects like local customs and practices. Different temples, temple carvings and more 4 For a detailed list of the sixty four or sixteen or five upacaras see the Appendix III.

works of Tantra, Yamala, Silpasastra etc...which have to be looked into with more precision for still better understanding and realization. The goddess and her Vidya cannot be contained in the few pages of any book but are infinite and inexhaustible as well as unexplained mysteries which need more focus. The knowledge of self limitations and time constrains whatever effort under taken in the process is accepted and acknowledged as being indeed miniscule. The Supreme-Goddesses and her powers alone are significant.