goddesses of India and of Nepal

goddesses of India and of Nepal

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pp. 39-70 Adelheid Herrmann-Pfandt : "The Good Woman’s Shadow".

pp. 58-61 transformations of lover / spouse into beast, according the the Katha-sarit-sagara

p.	K-S-S	*adultress*	*adulterer*	*transform*	*de-tranform, into human*
58	7:37:97-137	Bandhu-datta	Soma-svamin	by Bh-d : S-s into monkey	by a female ascetic
58-9	7:37:150-71	ks.udra-s`akini Soma-da	Bhava-s`arman	by -d. : Bh-s` into ox	by siddha-yogini Bandha-mocini
60-1	12:68:33-70	s`akini S`as`i-prabha	cowherder	by S`-p : husband Vama-datta into mahis.a (buffalo)	by a yogini

pp 62-63 12:71:260-81 retributive transformation into animal

*by agent __*	*mechanism*	*trnnsformee*	*into __*
Bhima-parakrama	victim ate bewitched barley-groats	s`akini in Ujjayini	goat
dus.t.a-yogini	victim had bewitched bond tied around neck	Bhima-parakrama	peacock

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pp. 71-104 Fabrizia Baldissera : "Terrific Goddesses in the Katha-sarit-sagara".

pp. 77-78 goddesses rescuing persons about to be murdered

K-S-S	*goddess*	*rescuee*	*prospective murderers*	*means of rescue*
1:3:41	Vindhya-vasini	king Putraka	paid ruffians	deluding spell
5:3:140-56	Can.d.ika	brahmin S`akti-deva	Nis.ada-s	dream sent to N.
7:3:43-9	Eka	merchant Nis`caya-datta	Turks	dream causing chains to disappear
9:5:220-4	Vindhya-vasini	king Kanaka-vars.a	S`abara-s	chains break
10:5:160	Can.d.i	jealous man	Bhilla lover of his wife	ropes loosen
12:34:300-15	Ambika	prince Sundara-sena	Pulinda-s	P. king is caused to set him free

pp. 78-80 goddesses halting suicides about to occur

K-S-S	*goddess*	*rescuee*	*reason*	*means of rescue*
1:6:78sq.	Vindhya-vasini	a poor brahmin	hunger	divine garden devi-kr.ti in Prati-sthana
4:2:65-70	Can.d.ika	a S`abara chief	substitute for Visn.n.u-datta
7:8:165-75	Vindhya-vasini	a prince	restore health to elder brother	divine voice
9:2:155-65	Vindhya-vasini	Jiva-datta	to resuscitate his beloved	magic sword to conquer her : she was a vidya-dhari
9:3:105-81	Can.d.ika	brahmin Vira-vara	for prosperity to the king	divine voice
9:4:160-210	Vindhya-vasini	ks.atriya Yas`as-varman	bereft	dream offering boon
12:11:20-105	Can.d.ika	king S`udraka		divine voice; resuscitation of Vira-vara
12:13:25-50	Gauri	a washerwoman	for husband & for brother	instruction on how to revive the 2 men
12:23:70-80	Gauri	widow Malya-vati	for love	revived her dead husband Jimuta-vahana
15:1:104-5	Kala-ratri	Nara-vahana-datta	to placate goddess K-r (p. 81)	divine voice; restored consciousness to his troops

p. 81 goddesses who demand human sacrifice

K-S-S	*goddess*	*demand*	*purpose*
3:4:157-63	Katyayani	young princess	power of pra-vrajaka
9:3:130sq.; 12:11:41sq.	Pr.thivi	7-year-old son of brahmin Vira-vara	hinder immediate death of king

7:4:50-70 from Ku-bera Pra-pan~ca-buddhi was, by human sacrifice, to obtain power of flying

spiritual powers awarded by goddesses

p.	K-S-S	*goddess*	*awardee*	*power*
99	1:5:140-1	S`aran.ya	Vara-ruci	dharan.a (technique) of fire to burn one’s body while living, and thereby reach the heavenly abode
99-100	9:2:259-60	Vindhya-vasini	Jiva-datta	to burn accumulated evil of 8 lives
101	12:1:64sq.	Kala-samkars.in.i (fn. 6)	son-in-law of yogini	kala-samkars.in.i vidya, the science that can prolong life

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pp. 105-122 Silvia Schwartz Linder : "The Lady of the Island of Jewels".

p. 106 7^th tale of the Vetala-pan~cavims`atika

*V-Pv*	*Apokalupsis of Ioannes*
Underwater city [as if there were no sea ]	21:1 "there was no more sea."
visited by Sattva-s`ila :	2:2 "And I Ioannes (John) saw the holy city"
"This city glistens with gold	21:18 "the city was pure gold"
and gems, and	21:19 "garnished with all manner of pretious stones"
the four seasons can be enjoyed simultaneously".

"Catur-darika" (5^th book of the Katha-sarit-sagara) 24-26

p.	K-S-S	parallels from the Alethe Diegemata by Loukianos
108	"he is swallowed by a fish but gets out alive"	*Is swallowed by a fish (TS1, p. 287), but escapeth alive (TS2, p. 305)*
109	"a divine tree that emerged from the ... ocean ... is host to several gigantic birds"	*"enormous kingfisher’s nest ... The female was sailing on it" (TS2, p. 345)*

TS1 = Harmon (tr.) : A True Story. 1913. http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/luc/true/tru01.htm

TS2 = Harmon (tr.) : A True Story. 1913. http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/luc/true/tru02.htm

p. 110 implements of goddess Tri-pura-Sundari , according to the Tri-pura-Rahasya

*implement*	*symbolizing __*
bow & arrows	iccha-s`akti (‘will-power’)
pas`a (‘noose’)	jn~ana-s`akti (‘knowledge-power’)
ankus`a (‘[elephant driver’s] hook’)	kriya-s`akti (‘activity-power’)

cities constructed in the model of the s`ri-yantra around the temple of a goddess

p.	*goddess*	*city*
111	Tri-pura	S`ri-pura
111, fn. 3	Kama-aks.i	Kan~ci
111, fn. 3	S`arada	S`r.ngeri

pp. 112-113 chapters 31 to 37 of the Lalita-mahatmya (final 40 chapters of the Brahma-an.d.a Puran.a)

p.	*description*
112-3	divine cities :- "here are sixteen such ... cities, nine of which are terrestrial and seven under water, *and in order to abide in each one, the Goddess adopts sixteen different manifestations, known as the sixteen nityas, thereby earning the name of S.od.as`i (the Sixteen)."*
113	defense-walls of S`ri-pura :- iron, bronze, lead, copper, silver, gold
	"Toward the centre are another seven rooms with walls of topazes, rubies, gomeda, diamonds, lapis lazuli, sapphires and pearls." Herein dwelleth Maha-kala "and the deities of the six seasons ..."

	abodes of the Holy Trinity
	*deity*	Rudra	Brahma	Vis.n.u
	*abode : of __*	pearls	corals	rubies

pp. 113-114 Devi-bhagavata Puran.a, Chapters 10 to 12 of the last book

p.	*description*

	[enumerated inwardsly] the 18 concentric defense-walls (each enclosing a divine region) of the man.i-dvipa (‘gem-island’) Sarva-loka
	#	*wall : composed of __*		*deities*
113	1^st	iron
	2^nd	"white copper" [antimony?]
	3^rd	copper (square)		god of spring season
	4^th	lead
	5^th	brass
	6^th	iron (quintuple)
	7^th	silver
	8^th	"molten gold"
114	9^th	topaz		Dik-pala-s
	10^th	ruby		64 Kala-s
	11^th	gomeda		32 Maha-s`akti-s
	12^th	diamond		Bhuvana-is`vari
	13^th	"cat’s eye" [beryl]		8 Matr.ka-s
	14^th	sapphire (16-petalled)		16 S`akti-s
	15^th	pearls (8-petalled)		8 counsellors
	16^th	emerald (hexagon)
	17^th	coral		goddesses of the 5 elements
	18^th	nava-ratna (‘9 jewels’)		10 Maha-vidya-s

	man.d.apa-s (‘pavilions’) in Ratna-gr.ha (‘Jewel-Abode’)
	*-man.d.apa*		*what is imparted there*
	s`r.ngara-		listen to divine singing
	mukti-		jiva-s are free from bonds
	jn~ana-		teachings are imparted
	eka-anta-		performance of manifestation, conservation, and re-absorption of the universe

	in Cintaman.i-gr.ha (principal hall of Ratna-gr.ha) is (fn. 5) goddess Akhila-an.d.ha-is`vari "adorned with special earrings in the form of s`riyantra".

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pp. 191-216 Niels Gutschow : "The As.t.amatr.ka and Navadurga of Bhaktapur".

p. 212

dyah.che (‘god-house’) houseth Siphadyah. (Oldeander Goddess)

p. 213 deities of musical instruments

*instruments*	*deities*
ta (small cymbals) dyah.khi (drum)	Nandin Bhr.ngin
ka~y (large thin cymbals) d.amaru (double-heads skulls-drum)	Can.d.i (Maha-kali) Maha-kala

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pp. 343-354 Brigitte Merz : "Cult of the Goddess Harati in Nepal".

goddess Harati

p.	*myth*
346	according to the Samyukta Nikaya, "she was the daughter of the Yaks.a S`ata of Rajagr.ha and married to the Yaks.a king Pan~cika of Gandhara ..."
	"In contemporary sources it is said that Harati did not merely steal other people’ children, but that she was also "feeding herself and her many sons on them" ... and that the Buddha was able to heal her from her ‘cannibalism’ "by giving her a diet of pomegranates ..."".
348	"she was even tbe Buddha’s mother in ... earlier incarnations. *... she would fly around like the yoginis."*
349	"the missing sixth child in the temple is Harati’s favourite which she keeps in hiding. ... two of the children in particular : Vasim. Bhaju, the second oldest son of Harati, and Jilam. Bhaju, her youngest son. ... Vasim. Bhaju always emphasizes that ... me mumbles badly ... He has a special liking for radishes with lots of green leaves, and he loves laddu, a round-shaped sweet. ...
	... when a medium ,,, is possessed by Vasim. Bhaju she is helped into a glittering red waistcoat and puts on a matching cap ... Vasim. Bhaju is consulted by parents with children who have speech impediments." [fn. 14 "the Elephant God Gan.es`a is also turned to for ... these reasons, and ... he too has a strong liking for laddu and radishes (mula)."]

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pp. 355-382 William Sax : "Draupadi and Kunti in the Pan.d.avlila".

according to the Rama-ayan.a bt Tulasi Das

p.	*event*
360	"it was only a "shadow" Sita who was sent to Lanka with Ravan.a, while the "real" Sita remained hidden." {cf. phantasm-woman with Paris, according to Stesikhoros}

360, fn. 10	*disease-incarnations of the shadow-Sita*
	*disease*		*identity*
	Gandika
	Can.d.ika
	Hingola
	Pingola		jaundice
	D.ankhin.i		bile
	S`ankhin.i		sore throat
	Cur.i		bamgle
	Camari
	Char.amukhi		stickface
	Patangari		flyer
	Dadura		measles
	S`itala
	Mr.ti-nagala		fatal snakebite
	Andhi
	Locar.i		whooping cough

376	6 pahar-s (watches in the night, 2 hours’ duration each), at nocturnal convocation of vulture-goddesses at huge hollow tree
	#	*pahar : of __*
	1^st	"men : the sick and the lame"
	2^nd	"ghosts : all kinds of strange ones"
	3^rd	lions
	4^th	leopards
	5^th	wind
	6^th	fire

	"It took ... months to reach ... the tree. He fired the arrow and the door opened. The tree said "... come inside my belly," so ... went inside with his horse, and the door closed behind."
	"One after another they came, in the shape of vultures. They came in their thousands and took their respective places, according to ranks, on twigs and branches. Some were like Can.d.i, some had skulls, some were bloody, some were like mothers or sisters, some ate the dead. The eldest was an old mother, and she sat in the largest chair." [!]

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pp. 417-436 Andrea Loseries-Leick : "Kali in Tibetan Buddhism".

pp. 421-422 ornaments of S`ri-devi (dPal-ldan lHa-mo), which are gift to her from deities

p.	*gift*	*donor*
421	sandalwool cudgel	Vajra-pan.i
	snake (in her left ear)	snake-king Nanda (dGa-bo)
	lion (in her right ear)	Ku-bera
	sun-lamp (in her navel)	Vis.n.u
	moon-lamp (in her hair)	"
422	peacock-feather (on her head)	Brahma
	white mule (for riding on)	the gods

p. 422 female assistants in managing the white mule

*d.akini : "__-vaktra"*	*holding __ of mule*	*color of her face*	*color of her body*
Makara-	snake-bridle	white	blue
Simha-	tail	white	red

p. 423 dark square fortress of the bse daimones

*its __*	*is composed of __*
4 sides	dark onyx
pillar	blue turquoise
floor	black iron

pp. 423-424 the 4 goddesses of the 4 seasons, in Mongolian iconography

p.	*color*	*__ rGyal-mo (‘__ Queen’)*	*riding a __*	*implement; clothing*
423-4	red	dByar (Summer)	water-buffalo	hook in right hand, blood-filled skull in left hand
424	yellow	sTon (Autumn)	hind	sickle in right hand; wearing peacock-feather coat
	dark-blue	dPyid (Spring)	mule	knife in right hand; wearing human-skin
	dark-blue	dGun (Winter)	camel with white spot on forehead	holding khat.vanga; dressed in silk

p. 426 goddess Eka-jat.a, to "protect the doctrine of the atiyoga"

dark-brown, with :

1 single vajra-eye in middle of forehead

1 tooth

1 breast

hair black and producing "sparkling iron scorpions"

in right hand, 3-pointed sapphire svastika [Jain-style sauvastika ?]

in left hand, lasso made of rubies

wearing human-skin and

emerald necklaces

p. 427 triad of goddesses as tri-kaya

*dharma-kaya*	*sambhoga-kaya*	*nirman.a-kaya*
Samanta-bhadri	Vajra-varahi	Simha-mukha

pp. 428-429 goddess Simha-mukha

p.	*her traits*
428	"Her activity ... is bzlog pa, the returning of psychic aggression ... Such aggressions ... from hostile ghosts (gdon) ... are called curse (byad). Sim.hamukha ... sends them back."
429	"She is dark blue ...
	Her wrathful face is white ...
	She is wrapped in skins of elephant and human ...
	Her loin cloth is a tiger skin ..."

p. 431 Bon goddess Srid-pa>i rGyal-mo

3-headed

6-armed

riding on a black mule

"surrounded by flames on a lake of blood that is encircled by snakes moving through rocks."

p. 431 colors of mules ridden by the 4 activity-emanations of goddess Srid-pa>i rGyal-mo

*aspect of goddess*	*color of her mule*
peaceful	white
extended	blue
subdueress	red
wrathful	black

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pp. 449-482 Eveline Masilamani-Meyer : "The Eyes of the Goddess".

p. 451 cosmic eggs laid by goddesses

*egg-laying goddess*	*her eggs*
Ellamma	1^st egg -- in Naga-loka, hatched Adi-s`es.a
Ellamma	2^nd egg -- in city of Bali, hatched a Brahma-raks.asi
Peddamma	1^st egg -- became heaven & earth, stars, sun & moon
	2^nd egg -- was addled
	3^rd egg -- hatched Raks.asa-s
Ammavaru	1^st egg -- was spoiled
	2^nd egg -- filled with air
	3^rd egg -- produced heaven & earth

p. 454 Peddamma "rushed into the anthill. ... the goddess fled finally to nagaloka where she engaged the help of millions of siddhas." {cf. Tachyglossus (ET); this animal hath combined R.E.M. & non-R.E.M. sleep features (ETA), which intermediary sleep-state may be repraesented by Naga-loka.}

ET = http://animals.jrank.org/pages/2577/Echidnas-Tachyglossidae-SHORT-BEAKED-ECHIDNA-Tachyglossus-aculeatus-SPECIES-ACCOUNT.html

ETA = http://www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/abstract/16/10/3500?ck=nck

pp. 452-453 Ankal.amman the adi-s`akti, who "had two horns, three breasts and three eyes."

p.	*account*
452-3	"S`iva insisted on having the third eye. She gave it to him, but S`iva could not bear its heat and so he jumped into various rivers, trying to cool himself. Finally, S`akti took pity on him and in order to release him from the heat, she placed her middle breast on his head and thus cooled him."
453	[Milk from] "The third breast ... becomes, in fact, Ganga on S`iva’s head." {with this heavenly Ganga which is the Milky Way, cf. the galaxy’s originating as milk from the teat of Hera.}

goddesses having powerful eyen

p.	*eyen*
456	Macaniyamman, a ... goddess ... in the northwestern parts of Tamilnadu, is said to be lying on the ground because if she were standing up, she would burn the whole unibverse with her eyes ... Macaniyamman is ... lying flat on her back, her gaze fixed on the sky ... Her eyes are huge, protruding".
457	"The goddess Mariyamman of Celam (Salem) ... sits, she also has her eyes turned downward to diminish her power ... In Ankalammagudur (Pulivendla Taluk) in Andhra Pradesh the goddess Durga ... used to be taken out the back door of the temple and paraded through the streets backwards because she gaze would have burned the whole town."
459	"the goddess Ilal.itai ... creates the eight-eyed Brahma {cf. [Ambonese] Mata-waru ‘8 eyed’ at the bamboo-shoot (MPE)} from her right eye, the lotus-eyed god (Vis.n.u) from her left eye and the god with fire on his forehead (S`iva) from her middle eye."

MPE = http://ema-huaresi.com/documenten/flash/EmaGeografi_PelaNaku.swf s.v. "Hausasiwa"

p. 461, fn. 10 the 6 colored heads of goddess Kama-is`vari

*the __ head*	*is that of goddess __*
white	Maha-is`vari red
red	Kama-akhya
yellow	Tri-pura
green	S`arada
black	Kama-is`vari [herself]
variegated	Can.d.ika

pp. 464-467 smallpox goddesses

p.	*smallpox*
464	Bhadra-kali "fought the demon Daruka. Daruka’s wife, Manodari ... threw the drops of sweat on Bhadrakali. ... From S`iva’s ear "Ghantakarna" emerged and licked the body of [Bhadra-]Kali. Then the goddess turned away her face {cf. [Kemetian] goddess SRQt with turned head}, because it was not proper for her brother to come in contact with her face ... [Bhadra-]Kali then had the eyes of Manodari blinded and had her limbs and ears cut off. {cf. dismemberment of [Aztec] goddess Coyol-xauhqui ?} She received the name "Vasurimala" or [small]pox garland."
	*"Mariyamman ... is called "thousand-eyed" (ayiran kan.n.ut.aiyal.)"*
465	*"when a person has smallpox, ... Margosa* (nim) leaves are placed over the door to signify that the goddess is in the house."**
466	"In Kerala the healing ... goddess is the sister of the disease-goddess Putiya Bhagavati. She is the youngest sister of S`rikurumba who causes smallpox, while Putiya Bhagavati removes the disease."

pp. 468-469 goddesses converting unbelieving humans into believers

p.	*conversion-experience*
468	"The sons of a villager went to the forest where they felled trees and killed a crow. At that time Ammavaru went that way. They called her, teased her and beat her with a stick. ... She lifted herself up onto a margosa tree and laughed. The blood turned into a river and the boys were about to drown in it. ... *At that time the goddess came to the village in the guise of a fortune-teller (yerukkula)."*
469	"of the goddess Kulumayiyamman of Trichy ... it was true that the parrots on the goddesses shoulder drank the blood of the sacrificial goats."
	"the place Mayadaha. S`itala causes a wonderful palace to appear in the middle of the sea, a place in which men play with tigers, serpents with peacocks, where crocodiles and lions are together, {cf. YS^<YH 11:6 "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them."} where trees bloom out of season." *{cf. Apokalupsis* 22:2 "the tree of life ... yielded her fruit every month"}**

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pp. 513-528 Eberhard Fischer : "Osakot.hi ... in Ganjam District, South Orissa".

p. 517 goddesses with dismembered child, as seen by temple-priests

[at town of Aska, vision of the ‘pole goddess’] Khamba-is`vari "suddenly appearing with a baby cut into pieces in her arms.	t.hakuran.i Mani.ka-is`vari of Digapahandi "took away one of his children and carved it up with the kitchen knife.	[nigh Chikiti] Banka-isvari of Dimbula "was cutting the son of the priest to consume his flesh."
The old man ... slapped her, so that her face turned permanently to one side."	When the priest realized that she had killed his child, he slapped her so hard that her face turned sidewise and got stuck."

{cf. "And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other" (Loukas 6:29)}

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STUDIA RELIGIOSA HELVETICA JAHRBUCH, Vol. 2 = Axel Michaels; Cornelia Volgersanger; Annette Wilke (eds.) : Wild Goddesses in India and Nepal. Peter Lang, Bern, 1996.