Pratyangira

Pratyangira
Pratyangira upon her lion mount
Other namesAtharvana Bhadrakali, Pratyangira, Simhamukhi
Sanskritप्रत्यङ्गिरा
AffiliationMahadevi, Chandi, Durga, Kaushiki, Lalita
WeaponTrishula (Trident), Damaru (Drum), Kapala, Pasha (rope/snake rope)
MountLion
TextsDevi Bhagavata, Kalika Purana, Atharvaveda
ConsortShiva as Sharabha[1]

Pratyangira (Sanskrit: प्रत्यङ्गिरा, IAST: Pratyaṅgirā), also called Atharvana Bhadrakali, and Nikumbala, is a Hindu goddess associated with Shaktism.[2][3] According to the Tripura Rahasya, she is the pure manifestation of the wrath of Tripura Sundari. In the Vedas, Pratyangira is represented in the form of Atharvana Bhadrakali, the goddess of the Atharva Veda and magical spells.[4]

Legends

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According to the Markandeya Purana and Shiva Purana, in the beginning of the Treta Yuga, Narasimha, the fourth among the ten avataras of Vishnu, killed the unruly asura king Hiranyakashipu by disembowelling him. Narasimha grew furious and unstoppable due to the evil energies contained in Hiranyakashipu's body that entered into him. The story ends with Prahlada pacifying Narasimha and he returns to Vaikuntha after assuming his true form as Vishnu.[5] In the Shaiva tradition, Shiva assumed the form of Sharabha, a bird-lion hybrid form with two wings of Shakti in the form of Shulini Devi and Pratyangira Devi to calm down Narasimha. Seeing this, Narasimha created Gandaberunda, a powerful two-headed bird, to fight Sharabha. Seeing that the fight between Sharabha and Gandaberunda was terrorizing the world, Pratyangira in her ugra form was released from the third eye of Sharabha. Pratyangira managed to pacify Narasimha so he could resume his Satvik form, and thus Dharma in the world was restored.[6]

The term 'Prati' means reverse and Angiras means attacking. Thus, the goddess Pratyangira is the one who reverses any black magic attacks. In the temples of South India, she is also eulogised as Atharvana Bhadrakali as the she is considered the embodiment of the Atharva Veda.[7][8]

Association

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In some images she is shown as dark-complexioned, terrible in aspect, having a lion's face with reddened eyes and riding a lion or wearing black garments, she wears a garland of human skulls; her hair stands on end, and she holds a trident, a serpent in the form of a noose, a hand-drum and a skull in her four hands. She is associated with Sharabha and she has a variant form, Atharvana-Bhadra-Kali. She is considered to be a powerful repellent of the influences generated by witchcraft and is said to have the power to punish anyone doing Adharma. It is said that when Narasimhi shakes her lion's mane, she throws the stars into disarray.[9][10]

Literature

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The Pratyangira yantra.

Prathyangira is also mentioned in the Hindu epic Ramayana. Indrajita is described to have begun to perform the Nikumbala yajna, a ritual to worship Nikumbala, another name of Pratyangira, while Rama and his soldiers were waging war in Lanka. Hanuman is described to have arrived at the site and stopped the ritual because its completion would have granted invincibility to Indrajita.[11] Consequently, Lakshmana was able to defeat and kill Indrajita in the Battle of Lanka.

Worship

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Tantra classifies deities as Shanta (calm), Ugra (wrathful), Prachanda (horrifying), Ghora (terrifying) and Teevara (ferocious). Pratyangira is considered as a teevara murti. Pratyangira worship is strictly prohibited for people who have namesake Bhakti. Pratyangira worship is only done by the guidance of a Guru who is proficient in Tantra.[12]

Worships dedicated to Pratyangira is performed at many places for the welfare of the people and for eliminating the influences of evil forces. In some temples, Pratyangira Homam is performed on the days of Amavasya.[13]

Eight kinds of Tantric acts

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Like all Tantric deities, she can be invoked for the eight kinds of acts usually performed. They are appealing, growth, increasing, attracting, subduing, dissention, repealing, and killing. Detailed information is found as to what kind of materials are to be used for the respective aim, and the number of recitations to be performed. It is further said that any act performed invoking this deity, especially the bad ones like killing and subduing, it is impossible to retract it even when the doer wishes.[14][15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ {{|url=https://temple.dinamalar.com/en/new_en.php?id=662%7C}}
  2. ^ Nagar, Shanti Lal (1989). The Universal Mother. Atma Ram & Sons. p. 71. ISBN 978-81-7043-113-8.
  3. ^ Punja, Shobita (1996). Daughters of the Ocean: Discovering the Goddess Within. Viking. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-670-87053-0.
  4. ^ Dr Ramamurthy, Sri Maha Pratyangira Devi: Holy Divine Mother in Ferocious Form [1]
  5. ^ Swami, Bodhasarananda (2016-03-02). Stories from the Bhagavatam. Advaita Ashrama. ISBN 978-81-7505-814-9.
  6. ^ Ksham Meditation by Swami Shanmuga [2]
  7. ^ Max Muller The Hymns of the Atharva-Veda: The Sacred Books of the East V42
  8. ^ Teun Goudriaan Maya: Divine And Human
  9. ^ Max Muller The Hymns of the Atharva-Veda: The Sacred Books of the East V42
  10. ^ Benoytosh Bhattacharyya THE INDIAN BUDDHIST ICONOGRAPHY
  11. ^ Dharma, Krishna (2020-08-18). Ramayana: India's Immortal Tale of Adventure, Love, and Wisdom. Simon and Schuster. p. 390. ISBN 978-1-68383-919-4.
  12. ^ Ajit Mookerjee KALI Brill Archive 1988
  13. ^ "Pratyangira Devi Homa". nanjangud.info. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
  14. ^ Max Muller The Hymns of the Atharva-Veda: The Sacred Books of the East V42
  15. ^ Teun Goudriaan Maya: Divine And Human
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