Chinnamasta

Chinnamasta

छिन्नमस्ता, chinnamastā

Chinnamasta or Chhinnamasta is a tantric goddess who is part of the group of ten Mahavidyas (Dasha Mahavidya). One of the most striking and paradoxical goddesses of the tantric pantheon. Chinna means "to cut off" and masta (or mastaka) means "head".

Iconographically, Chhinnamasta is usually depicted as a naked young girl of red or dark color, along with two yoginis, who greedily drink blood from the severed Chhinnamasta's head. She holds her severed head in her left hand. In her other hand she holds the sword with which she voluntarily beheaded herself, while the blood gushing out like a fountain from her neck quenches the thirst of not only the two companions of the goddess, but also Chhinnamasta herself.

Dakini and Varnini, companions of the Goddess, at whose request she beheads herself, are symbols of two energy channels – ida and pingala, and Devi herself symbolizes sushumna-nadi, in which the transformation of ordinary consciousness into the transcendental takes place, in other words unmani-avastha. The goddess and two shaktis trample under their feet the lovemaking god Kamadeva and his divine consort Rati, which usually symbolizes the control and subjugation of all base passions of the individual ego.

Chhinnamasta is often called Chandika ("Unbridled"), implying its close connection with another Mahavidya – Kali, as well as with the power of the awakened Kundalini-shakti, since it expresses the essence of the yogic process of kundalini jagaran.

Many texts say that worship of this form of the goddess is extremely dangerous and quickly brings success if the worshiper is endowed with virabhava or is a renounced yogi. Its fierce nature allows one to get rid of false and limited consciousness. She bestows all kinds of siddhis, submission and fearlessness, prosperity and stability in sadhana, perfect jnana, the ability to influence rulers and final liberation – mukti.

Chhinammasta has its analogues in the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition, where she appears before us in the form of Vajra Yogini, Chinnamunda, and also Vajravaraha.

There are a large number of myths and legends about the origin of Chhinnamasta. According to one version, during the time of Krita Yuga, while engaged in maithuna (mahavrata) with her husband Shiva, the Goddess Mahamaya became enraged during Shiva’s ejaculation and from her anger two shaktis appeared – Dakini and Varnini (Jaya and Vijaya) , which she began to feed with her own blood. According to another version, Chhinnmasta appeared to the world when the gods and demons were churning the ocean and the Goddess took the share of amrita that belonged to the asuras for herself in order to deprive the latter of immortality.