A Garland of Forgotten Goddesses

Tales of the Feminine Divine from India and Beyond

Michael Slouber

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9780520976214
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Hinduism

Imagining the divine as female is rare—even controversial—in most religions. Hinduism, by contrast, preserves a rich and continuous tradition of goddess worship. A Garland of Forgotten Goddesses conveys the diversity of this tradition by bringing together a fresh array of captivating and largely overlooked Hindu goddess tales from different regions. As the first such anthology of goddess narratives in translation, this collection highlights a range of sources from ancient myths to modern lore. The goddesses featured here battle demons, perform miracles, and grant rare Tantric visions to their devotees. Each translation is paired with a short essay that explains the goddess's historical and social context, elucidating the ways religion adapts to changing times.

PART ONE

Demons and Battle

FIGURE 1. Bhadrakāḷī, by Laura Santi

CHAPTER 1

Bhadrakāḷī

Slaying the Demon in the Backwaters

NOOR VAN BRUSSEL

The first tale comes from the far southwestern state of Kerala, a subtropical paradise with white-sand beaches, coconut palm trees, alluring and mysterious backwaters, and fragrant hills that have produced sought-after spices for thousands of years. A rich maritime tradition with trading links all over the Indian ocean has made Kerala’s culture one of the most cosmopolitan in India.

The narrative consists of two chapters translated from The Glorification of Bhadrakāḷī (Bhadrakāḷī Māhātmya), a Sanskrit text of the “regional Purāṇa” type, which mixes local narratives and perspectives with transregional myths and themes. It tells the tale of the demon Dārika and his destined death at the hands of the fierce goddess Bhadrakāḷī. In this way, it is part of an enduring motif in Hindu myth and art: that of demons being slain by fearsome goddesses. While the text in its current version likely dates to the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries, the first reference to a fierce goddess battling a demon called Dārika already appears about one thousand years earlier, in the Tamil epic Cilappatikāram. The Hindus of Kerala developed the Bhadrakāḷī narrative into a multifaceted framework of legends, rituals, songs, and performance traditions.

The tale is arranged using what classicists call ring composition: it is framed as a conversation between two sages, Mārkaṇḍeya and Śivaśarman, who discuss the tale of a king named Candrasena, who himself goes on to hear from the sage Sutīkṣṇa the main tale of Bhadrakāḷī and the demon Dārika. Thus, it is presented as a story within a story within a story. This should not deter readers, as the main story starts rather quickly and is presented as a coherent whole.

As you read, think about how and why the story humanizes the demonic characters and the attitude of the main demon Dārika toward gender. Also pay attention to the theme of hunger and gorging, on the part of both the demons and the allies of the goddess. What cultural meaning might the gruesome descriptions of violence and death hold for the audience?

FIGURE 2. Bhadrakāḷī Māhātmya, a Sanskrit work in the Malayalam script. Font “Noto Serif Malayalam” © The Noto Project Authors.

THE GLORIFICATION OF BHADRAKĀḶĪ

Mārkaṇḍeya said, “O Brahmin, listen to me! I will now tell you of the origin of Bhadrakāḷī and her extraordinary deeds.¹ The great goddess Bhadrakāḷī was the chaste daughter of Śiva. O Śivaśarman, glorious best of the twice-born, listen to these excellent, noble, and great deeds the noble and eternal goddess performed for the worlds. In the city of Kāśmīra, there was a king named Candrasena, whose face was like the moon. He was strong, righteous, and full of happiness. This great warrior, armed with a bow and skilled in the art of hunting, mounted a chariot and entered the Daṇḍaka forest with his army.² Traveling through the forest killing many tigers, lions, and other creatures, he suddenly saw some kind of an enormous anthill up ahead. He bound his two mountain-like elephants to a nearby tree with an iron chain and sat down on top of a rock. There, the heroic king Candrasena passed the time playing dice with his ministers, paying no attention to anything else.

“Suddenly, his two gigantic elephants, in a frenzy, destroyed the anthill with kicks of their feet. Then, a terrible creature the size of a palm tree arose from it. It had a splendid body, gray like smoke, with eyes bright red from anger, laughing grotesquely. The creature grabbed both elephants with his two large hands, and devoured them in a second, laughing as if it was just for fun. Next, the beast ran toward the king and his ministers. Trembling with fear, they ran away, and he chased them. Terrified, Candrasena and the others fled further into the Daṇḍaka forest and finally reached the hermitage of Sutīkṣṇa.³ They bowed before that supreme ascetic, and Sutīkṣṇa said: ‘Where do you come from, great king! Who is chasing you? What gave rise to such terror? Tell me truthfully!’

“The king said, ‘Save us, great yogi! Some kind of creature arose out of an anthill when our elephants destroyed it. After devouring two bull elephants, he came after us. This huge and terrible creature will certainly destroy us all. O Brahmin, protect us! We have come to you for refuge.’

“Sutīkṣṇa said, ‘O lord of people, do not fear this huge creature henceforth. I will stop him, as I perceive him with my divine eye.’ Addressing the demon, he said, ‘Hello, great and noble demon! You must certainly be a servant of Bhadrakāḷī. O wise one, pardon this act of the king, done out of ignorance. I salute you.’

“Thus, after hearing the excellent words of the ascetic Sutīkṣṇa, the demon bowed and left out of reverence to Bhadrakāḷī. Candrasena then questioned that best of sages Sutīkṣṇa: ‘Who is this Bhadrakāḷī? I really want to hear about the one whose powerful demon-servant is capable of devouring two bull elephants. Her power is surely immense. Please tell me her story.’ Sutīkṣṇa said, ‘I will tell you everything, king Candrasena. Listen to this account of the blessed origin of Bhadrakāḷī!’

“ ‘A long time ago, when a big war arose between the gods and the demons, the venerable Viṣṇu joined the army of the gods and smashed the skulls of all the demons with his discus.⁴ When the lineage of demons was completely eradicated, four grief-stricken young demon women hid in the underworld. Together, they made the firm decision to take revenge. Among them was one named Dānavatī and the virtuous Dārumatī. Both were prominent, married demon women and faithful to their husbands. They hastily remarked: “The two of us will appease Brahmā by practicing a severe form of religious austerity.⁵ For, if only us women of good family survive, this surely would mean the end of our race!”

“ ‘On the splendid coastline of the western ocean there was a sanctum of Śiva named Gokarna, auspicious for all living creatures.⁶ So the two of them proceeded there, and entered that prosperous temple, so well liked by all the gods. They bathed in the water of that sacred place, and then performed fierce austerities. They suffered exhaustion and insomnia, without support of any kind, although they were free of anxiety. They honored their ancestors and, sitting down in the middle of five sacred fires, undertook a terrible vow that implied total control over the five senses. In this auspicious state, they maintained their vow for forty days. Then, the honorable god Brahmā appeared before their eyes. He said, “O ladies, you both cherish a wish for a worthy son to augment the lineage of Daitya demons. You may ask for that boon now.” So, they both asked for that boon from Brahmā, the granter of wishes, and after granting them, the lotus-born god disappeared again.⁷

“ ‘Then the ladies descended into the underworld, where they greeted their husbands, and after a while both of them were with child.⁸ Ten lunar months later, two sons were born. Dānavatī gave birth to a nameless son they called Dānava (demon). Dārumatī gave birth to the victorious Dārika, yet many bad omens appeared at his birth: frightful jackals with frenzied faces cried out in all directions, winds gray with dust circled around their bodies. The clouds rained blood and big trees fell; the earth with its mountains, forests, and oceans shook. The three fires of the Vedic priests were blown out.

“ ‘Having turned into proper youths, the princes named Dārika and Dānava gradually learned from their mothers about Hari and the other gods, and the annihilation of their own lineage. They also heard about Brahmā granting wishes, and so Dānava and Dārika traveled to the distant city of Gokarna and performed excellent austerities. In the hot season, Dārika stood in the middle of five fires; in the cold season, he stood immersed in water; in the rainy season he stood exposed to the elements, with a vow to take only air as food. He hung from the branch of a tree with his head down, heated by the smoke rising up from a big fire, and at other times he assumed a difficult position touching the earth with only one foot. Nevertheless, the venerable Brahmā did not appear. The god thought, “This is a villain preparing for the destruction of the world.” Dārika’s eyes reddened with anger toward Brahmā, and seizing his sword, he said: “I will cut off my head and sacrifice that.” The moment the sword touched his throat and one drop of blood fell on the surface of the earth, Brahmā appeared. And the god said “O, great hero, when one drop of your blood falls from your throat onto the earth, a thousand excellent demons will be born from it. Through my power, they will be equal to you in courage, heroism and strength. Tell me this: What other boon should I give you?”

“ ‘Dārika said, “Give me the ability to not be killed by men, demons, or gods. I will not be opposed by Śiva, Viṣṇu, or Indra. Give me the strength of one thousand elephants and Brahmā’s staff, for the sake of my victory in war. Furthermore, present me with the two spell-goddesses, Māyāvatī and Tāmasī as well!⁹ Give me all of this, O Brahmā!”

“ ‘Brahmā said, “O hero, so be it! All this, whatever you desire, I give you gladly because of your terrible penance. I ask you, though, lord of the Daityas, why do you make no stipulation for women? Have you forgotten that the boon is about invincibility in battle?”

“ ‘Dārika said, “What?! This is ridiculous, Brahmā! Will women slay me? As soon as they lay eyes upon me, they run...

Table of contents

• Imprint
• Subvention
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Part One. Demons and Battle
• Part Two. Miracles and Devotees
• Part Three. Tantras and Magic
• Glossary
• List of Deities and Characters
• Primary Sources
• References
• List of Contributors
• Index