The 10 Mahavidya (also Dus Mahavidya) are a group of ten Hindu Tantric goddesses. Their names are Kali, Tara, Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshwari, Chinnamasta, Bhairavi, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi, and Kamala. They are manifestations of Goddess Shakti. All these Mahavidyas reside in Manidweepa (the eternal supreme abode of Shakti).
Meaning of Mahavidya:
The word Mahavidya is comprised of two words, viz. Maha and Vidya. Maha means great, and Vidya means knowledge. Therefore, Mahavidya means “great knowledge”.
The Origin of 10 Mahavidya:
Goddess Sati was the daughter of Daksha Prajapati, who was a staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu but he hated Lord Shiva. Because of Sati’s insistence, he agreed to marry her to Lord Shiva, but he continued to hate him. Once, he organized a significant yajna and invited all gods except Lord Shiva and Goddess Sati. When Goddess Sati came to know about this, he was very upset with his father and left for the venue of Yajnaa. Lord Shiva knowing the consequences stopped Sati from going there.
But Goddess Sati was the mother of the universe and thought that Lord Shiva was looking at her like an ordinary woman and not like the mother of the universe. Therefore, she assumed the form of Mahakali. Because of the fierce form of Kali, mountains started shivering, volcanoes erupted, and many natural calamities began. Seeing this, Lord Shiva started moving in a different direction, but Goddess Sati assumed another form and stood before him.
Thus, the 10 manifestations of Goddess Sati blocked 10 directions and did not allow Lord Shiva to cross over. Thus, the 10 Mahavidyas were born.
10 Mahavidya:
Kali:
Goddess Kali is the 1st of 10 Mahavidyas. She is also known as Mahakali. She is considered the most superior of the 10 Mahavidyas. Kali is the goddess of death, time, and destruction. She has a very dark complexion and wears a garland of the skull around her neck. Her tongue protrudes out of her mouth and is red. She killed the demon Raktabija.
Tara:
Goddess Tara looks similar to Kali. She is the 2nd among 10 Mahavidyas. Her skin is blue, and her tongue protrudes out of her mouth. She has three eyes and wears tiger skin around her waist. Tara is standing on a corpse. She is the goddess of salvation. Tara is also worshiped in Buddhism, although in a different form.
Tripura Sundari:
Tripura Sundari means the most beautiful woman in the three worlds. She is a master of 16 arts. Tripura Sundari has five heads. She is worshipped to gain happiness as well as salvation. Her worship helps to gain control over the mind and body. She is the 3rd among 10 Mahavidyas.
Bhuvaneshwari:
She is believed to be the ruler of the universe. Bhuvaneshwari is the protector of the universe and resembles Tripura Sundari in many aspects. She has three eyes and bears a crescent moon on her head. She killed the demon Durgamasur. Therefore, she is called Durga. She is also known as Shakambari. She is the 4th among 10 Mahavidyas.
Bhairavi:
She is the fifth among 10 Mahavidyas. Bhairavi means terrible or formidable. She resembles Bhairava, which is an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Bhairavi is also called Chandi because she killed the demons, Chanda and Munda. She is fearless and makes her devotees free of any fear. People worship her to get rid of evil spirits and physical problems.
Chinnamasta:
Goddess Chinnamasta is a symbol of self-control over sexual desires. Her image is quite fearsome as she holds her severed head with disheveled hair in her left hand and a scimitar in the other. Three jets of blood spring out of her neck and are drunk by her severed head and two attendants. She is the 6th among 10 Mahavidyas. She is generally worshiped by Tantrics but common people also worship her to destroy their enemies.
Dhumavati:
She is the 7th Mahavidya. She resembles Goddess Alakshmi. Goddess Dhumavati is depicted as an old and ugly widow riding a crow. She is generally associated with inauspicious qualities. She is worshiped to get rid of severe poverty and diseases.
Bagalamukhi:
She is the 8th among the 10 Mahavidyas. She is the goddess of Stambhan Shakti (the power to stun or paralyze an enemy into silence).
Once a great storm started destroying the universe. Therefore, Lord Vishnu performed austerities to appease Goddess Parvati. Therefore, Goddess Parvati took the form of Goddess Bagalamukhi and calmed the storm. She is also known as Pitambara. Yellow is her favorite color. She is worshiped mainly to calm/destroy the enemies.
Matangi:
She is the 9th of the 10 Mahavidya. Matangi is the tantric form of Goddess Saraswati. She is the goddess of speech, hypnotism, music, and knowledge. Matangi is the master of many kinds of magic, like Indrajaal, etc.
Kamala:
Kamala is the 10th and the last of the 10 Mahavidya. She is generally compared to Goddess Lakshmi and is also considered one of her forms. She is also known as Tantric Lakshmi. Kamala is associated with prosperity, happiness, children, etc. She likes cleanliness and purity. She hates darkness and stays only where light is there.
Association with Dashavatara:
The Guhyati-guyha-tantra associates 10 Mahavidya with 10 avatars of Lord Vishnu.
1. Kali – Lord Krishna.
2. Tara – Lord Rama.
3. Tripura Sundari – Kalki.
4. Bhairavi – Narasimha.
5. Bhuvaneshwari – Varaha.
6. Chinnamasta – Parashurama.
7. Matangi – Buddha.
8. Bagalamukhi – Kumbha.
9. Kamala – Matsya.
10. Dhumavati – Vamana.
For Further Reading: Tantric Visions of the Divine Feminine: The Ten Mahavidyas