For the Love of Yoga with Nish the Fish

Who is Cāmuṇḍā?

Nishanth Selvalingam Season 8 Episode 70

First, we take a look at the Caṇḍi (Devī Māhātmyam) to see all the different forms of Mā:
1. Mahākālī from chapter I who is described as being blue like a jewel with ten hands holding various weapons, ten legs and ten heads ,
2. Kālī who springs forth from Parvatī in Chapter 5, Verse 88 after the aparājita hymn and of course,
3. Kālī who springs forth from Ambika's furrowed brow, a personification of her rage, in Chapter 7, in verses 7-27 to slay two demons named Caṇḍa and Muṇḍa thereby receiving the moniker Cāmuṇḍā, who is Herself one of the Aṣṭa Mātrikās (The 8 Tantrik Mothers) which you can learn more about here.

And then we ask this question:

In what way are all these forms of Kālī in the Devī Māhātmyam related if at all? How is Kālī different from Durgā/Ambika? And in what way are these Kālīs different from or the same as 
4. Dakṣiṇā Kālī? 

To answer it, we offer the Tantrik theory of sarvākara nirākara: the Absolute Reality is formless and without attributes and therefore She can include ALL forms and attributes. Ultimately, I make the argument that all these aspectsa and forms that we see in Tantra are not themselves different Goddesses but just different sarees that the One Being, Pure Non-Dual Consciousness, wears to play! 

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