Goddess Chinnamasta (also spelled Chhinnamasta) is a Tantric Hindu goddess who is a form of Goddess Parvati and is one of the ten Mahavidyas. She is a symbol of self-control over sexual desires. Her worship is not very common, but she is a popular goddess among Tantrics. She resembles a Buddhist goddess named Chhinnamunda.

In Shaktism, there are two main traditions, viz. Srikula and Kalikula. Chinnamasta is a goddess in the Kalikula tradition. Goddess Manikeshwari is also often identified with her.

Meaning of the Word Chinnamasta:

The word Chhinnamasta is comprised of two words, viz. Chhinna and Masta. The word Chhinna means “severed,” and Masta means “the head”. Therefore, Chhinnamasta means “the one with a severed head”.

Different Names of Goddess Chinnamasta:

There are at least 108 different names of the goddess. I am listing here some of her popular names.

1. Prachanda Chandika.

2. Jogani Maa.

3. Chinnamastika.

Iconography:

Her image is quite fearsome as she holds her severed head with disheveled hair in her left hand and a scimitar in the other. Sometimes, she is depicted as having four hands also. She has no clothes but wears a garland of skulls and a few ornaments on her body. Three jets of blood spring out of her neck and are drunk by her severed head and two attendants. She stands on a copulating couple who are Kamdev, the Hindu god of sex, and his wife, Rati. Sometimes, she sits on them but her attendants are always standing with weapons in one of their hands and a platter in another hand.

In Hindu Scriptures:

Goddess Chinnamasta is mentioned in many Hindu scriptures, including Shiva Purana, Skanda Purana, Devi Bhagavata Purana, and tantric texts.

Shiva Purana, Section 5, Ch. 50, 28-29:

“In the meantime, ten beautiful forms came out of Kali, viz. Tara, Chinnamasta, Srividya, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi, Bagala, Dhumra, Srimattripurasundari, Matangi, and Mahadevi with weapons in their hands.”

Shakti and Sakta, Section I, Ch. 6:

Some advanced members of this (in its general sense) Vāmācāra division do not, I am informed, even take wine and meat. It is said that the great Vāmācarī Sādhaka Rājā Kṛṣṇachandra of Nadia, Upāsaku of the Chinnamastā Mūrti, did not take wine.

Birth of Chinnamasta Mata:

There are at least four different stories that tell us about the birth of the goddess.

1. The Story from Pranatoshini Tantra:

This is the most popular story about the birth of Chhinnmasta. One day, Goddess Parvati, along with her two attendants Dakini and Varnini, went to Mandakini River for a bath. But while bathing for some unknown reason, she became so sexually aroused that she turned black. At the same time, both of her attendants became extremely hungry and demanded food from her. Being the mother of the world, she could not say no to them and severed her head with a scimitar and placed it on the palm of her left hand.

The three streams of blood sprang out of her neck. One spring entered her mouth and two other the mouths of her attendants. Afterward, she joined her head to her body and returned home.

This story sounds very strange, and many questions arise in the reader’s mind, e.g., how could Goddess Parvati become sexually aroused? How did her attendants become hungry suddenly at the same time?

Actually, this story is symbolic and represents Kundalini Awakening. In Tantra, many things are represented by blood, sex, wine, etc. That is why it appears disturbing to some people. Find the details in the Symbolism section of this article.

2. The Story from Svatantra Tantra:

Once Lord Shiva and Goddess Chandika were copulating in reverse posture, but she became enraged during seminal emission, and Dakini and Varnini rose from her body. The rest of the story is the same as that from Pranatoshini Tantra.

Upon her return from bathing, Lord Shiva found her to be pale. This infuriated him, and he assumed the form of Krodha Bhairava. The day of the birth of the goddess is known as Viraratri day.

3. Oral Legends:

A. Once in a war between gods and demons, demons were proving insurmountable to gods. Therefore, they asked for help from Goddess Mahashakti. After killing all the demons, she cut off her head and drank her own blood.

B. During the Samudra Manthana, when the elixir came out of the sea, Goddess Chinnamasta drank the demon’s share of elixir and then decapitated herself to prevent them from acquiring it.

Symbolism:

Symbolism is of vital importance in Hinduism. Many stories in Hindu scriptures are symbolic or allegorical. The story and iconography of Goddess Chinnamasta is a classic example of this.

Kundalini Awakening:

The serpent around the neck of the goddess symbolizes Kundalini Shakti. Kama and Rati are the symbols of sexual desire. The naked body symbolizes that the abandonment of worldly things. To awaken Kundalini Shakti, one needs to control the sexual desire and remove the ego. The goddess standing over the couple symbolizes that she has complete control over her sexual desires. Our head is the symbol of our ego. Therefore, the decapitation symbolizes that she has cut her ego off. Her two attendants represent Ida and Pingala Nadi, and her head Sushumna Nadi. When Kundalini Shakti awakens, it drinks off all the blood in the body. Therefore, the three streams of blood are shown to be drunk. After Kundalini is awakened, it is like a new birth for that person. Therefore, Goddess Parvati is reborn as Goddess Chhinnamasta.

There are many other meanings associated with the goddess, but I think the Kundalini awakening is the most appropriate one.

Mantras of Chinnamasta Devi:

1. ॐ श्रीं ह्रीं ह्रीं ऐं वज्र वैरोचनीये ह्रीं ह्रीं फट् स्वाहा॥

  Om śrīṁ hrīṁ hrīṁ aiṁ vajra vairocanīye hrīṁ hrīṁ phaṭ svāhā ||

2. ॐ श्रीं ह्रीं ह्रीं वज्र वैरोचनीये ह्रीं ह्रीं फट् स्वाहा॥

   Om śrīṁ hrīṁ hrīṁ vajra vairocanīye hrīṁ hrīṁ phaṭ svāhā ||

3. ॐ श्रीं ह्रीं ह्रीं क्लीं ऐं वज्र वैरोचनीये ह्रीं ह्रीं फट् स्वाहा॥

    Om śrīṁ hrīṁ hrīṁ kleem aiṁ vajra vairocanīye hrīṁ hrīṁ phaṭ svāhā ||

Benefits of worshiping Goddess Chinnamasta:

1. To remove obstacles in the path of success.

2. To defeat enemies.

3. For awakening the Kundalini Shakti.

4. To get control over sexual desires.

Some evil people use the worship of the goddess to cast spells on others and do black magic.

Temples:

1. Chinnamasta Temple in Rajrappa, Ramgarh District, Jharkhand.

2. Maa Chinmastike Mandir in Lerhitongri, Jharkhand.

3. Sakhada Bhagawati Temple in Saptari, Sagarmatha, Nepal.

4. Maa Chinnamasta Temple in Bishnupur, West Bengal.

5. Maa Chintpurni Temple in Chintpurni, Una District, Himachal Pradesh.

6. Maa Chinnamasta Mandir, 5P84+9JG, Kamakhya, Guwahati, Assam 781010.

7. Chinnamasta Mata Mandir, Bada Chauraha, Shiwala Rd, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208001.