Yoginis

yogapITha-kramodaya

The yogapITha-kramodaya, one of the earliest surviving yoginI-kaula tantra-s, has an abhichArikA rite, performed in the cemetery, which is related to the terrific essence-sucking yoginI rites of the bhairava-srotas. The center of this yAga of 7 yoginI-s one named kusumamAlinI (= hAkinI based on her mantra). She is surrounded by the six yAkinI, shAkinI, kAkinI, lAkinI, rAkinI and DAkinI (some names corrupted in the Nepalian manuscript). These are none other than the dhAtunAthA-s or the “tissue-yoginI-s” of the dakShiNAmnAya associated with chakra-s of the spinal kula-patha (ekavR^ikSha: suShumNa) and the 7 dhatu-s. These, according to the YPK, corresponding to each of the 7 in the above order, are: semen, bone, connective tissue (sinew), muscle, marrow, blood, and skin. In the rite, they are called upon to afflict the respective tissues of the enemies.

These yoginI-s reappear in the traipura stream of the dakShiNAmnAya in maNDala of vArAhI known as the kirichakra (an association not found in the YPK). Their mantra-s are similarly deployed in the apotropaic rites centered on vArAhI. In the bhaNDAsura war, they appear as warrior goddesses, keeping with this ancient nature of theirs.

mAhAmAtR

The list of “mAhAmAtR^i-s” according the bauddha ma~njushrIya mUlakalpa: brahmANI mAheshvarI vaiShNavI kaumArI chAmuNDA vArAhI aindrI yAmyA AgneyA vaivasvatI lokAntakarI vAruNI aishAnI vAyavyA paraprANaharA mukhamaNDikA shakunI mahAshakunI pUtanA kaTapUtanA skandA

Has some archaisms and clearly retains the links to the old kaumAra tradition.

The rudra-mAtR^i-s according to the mahAvairochana tantra -

The club of Yama should be drawn
resting within a wind mandala.
That of the Lord of Death (Rudra) is a bell,
Kālarātrī’s sign is a pennant,
Raudrī’s is a triśūla,
Brahmī’s is a lotus,
Kaumārī- is a śakti,
Vaiṣṇavī’s is a cakra,
and that of Cāmuṇḍā is a hammer.
Kauberī’s is a human skull.
These should all be placed
within wind mandalas,
and be completely encircled
by crows, eagles, dogs and vultures.
Whoever wishes to accomplish the actions
should draw them as prescribed.

While this list differs from the one found in H tantra-s, it is possible that it preserves some archaisms. The presence of kauberI is clearly an archaism going back to the skandopAkhyAna of the mahAbharata. The absence of indrANI could be an oversight. The presence of kAlarAtrI at the head of the list is notable and aligned with shaiva sources where aghoreshI heads the list. kAlarAtrI is given as one of the names of the rudrashakti in the nishvAsa of the saiddhAntika-s. This was the foundation of the rite of the mAtarAjin in Japan that took a life of its own. However, this mAtarajin depiction from Japan suggests further transmissions:

A Japanese mantra manual (matarajin: the mAtR^ikA rite) depicting vArAhI flanked by mahAlAkshmI & kaumarI. After the connection with the Indian sources vaned, the names of the mAtR^ikA-s got jumbled in the prAchya texts, but the J retained a memory of some of the iconography.

kaula-JNAna-nirNaya

The descent of yoginI-kaula scriptures as per the kaula-jnAna-nirNaya: How should this presentation of the kaula-jnAna-nirNAya of matsyendra be understood in light of its name and apparent authorship? According to its own tradition, in each yuga the scripture was incarnated (revealed) by the inspiration of shiva. In the kali it is called matsyodara, implying it was obtained from the belly of the fish by matsyendra. However, rather than calling itself as matsyodara, its colophon goes thus: jnAna-nirNaye shrI-yoginI-kaulam-mahach-ChrI-machChaghna-pAda+avatArite. This may be taken to mean that it saw it self as the teaching of the original jnAna-nirNIti but as the version brought down (incarnated) by matsyendra; hence, probably the matsyodara.

महाकौलात् सिद्ध-कौलं
सिद्ध-कौलात् मत्स्योदरं ।
चतुर्युग-विभागेन
अवतारं-चोदितं मया ॥
ज्ञानादौ निर्णीतिः कौलं
द्वितीये महत् संज्ञितम् ।
तृतीये सिद्धामृतम्-नाम
कलौ मत्स्योदरं प्रिये ॥ ये चास्मान् निर्गता देवि
वर्णयिष्यामि ते ऽखिलम् ।
एतस्माद् योगिनी-कौलान्
नाम्ना ज्ञानस्य निर्णीतौ ॥
क्षणेन योगिनी हृष्टा
देव्या सह विनायकः ।
चत्वारः कुल-सिद्धास्तु
पृच्छमाना सुभाविता ॥
रोमाञ्च-कञ्चुका सर्वे
पुष्प-हस्तास्तु बोधिता ।
दण्डवत् पतिताः सर्वे
आत्मवादं वद प्रभो ॥

From Mahakaula [emerged] Siddhakaula, [and] from Siddhakaula came Matsyodara (fish-belly). The descent of [scripture] as per the division of the four yuga-s is impelled by me (Śiva). In the beginning, there was Jñāna-nirnīti-kaula. In the second yuga, there was that known as Mahākaula. In the third [yuga], there was that called Siddhāmrta; in the Kali, there [descended] Matsyodara, o dear. I shall describe in entirety, o Goddess, these [scriptures] which emerged from that: from that Yoginī-kaula [scripture] named Jnana-nirnīti. In an instant, the Yoginī- (s?) became delighted, along with the Goddess and Vināyaka. The four Kula-siddha-s asking questions were well-inspired. All having goosebumps as garments, with flowers in hand, were enlightened. All having fallen prostrate like staffs, [said:] “Speak the doctrine of the Self, O Lord.”

The kaula-jnAna-nirNaya sees itself as an extract of the original jnAna-nirNIta-kaula obtained from within the belly of the fish by the yuganAtha matsyendra. It is said to have descended in chandradvIpa. This was likely originally a mythical land but its earthly projection was probably what’s today Goa and the adjoining ko~NkaNa-s. From there it was transmitted to kAmarUpa in the east. The text says that there it was found in every house – one way of reading it is in the every house of the human yoginI-s who were its practitioners.

पाश-जाल-तमोघञ् च
छिन्नाद्य दुःख संशयः ।
दश-कोटिस् तथा चार्द्धं
नाम्ना ज्ञानस्य निर्णयः ॥
तस्य मध्ये इमं नाथे
सार-भूतं समुद्धृतम् ।
कामरूपे इमं शास्त्रं
योगिनीनां गृहे-गृहे ॥
निग्रह+अनुग्रहञ् चैव
सिद्धि-मेलापकं तथा ।
कुर्वन्ति सततं देवि
अस्य ज्ञान-प्रसादतः ॥
चन्द्रद्वीपे महाशास्त्रं
अवतीर्णं सुलोचने ।
कामाख्ये गीयते नाथे
महा-मत्स्योदर-स्थितम् ॥

The net of the bonds of the darkness of ignorance, doubt and suffering being cut away, [the scripture] of ten crores and a half [verses] by name, the ascertainment of [Kaula] knowledge [is established]. From the midst of that, O Lady, this essential [teaching] has been extracted. In Kāmarūpa, this scripture of the Yogini-s [is found] in each house (or: is found in the house of every Yogini). By the grace of its knowledge, they confer both punishment and favor, as well as siddhi-bestowing unions. In Candradvīpa this great scripture descended, O beautiful-eyed one In Kamakhyā it is recited, O Lady, that which was situated in the great fish’s belly.

The yoginI-kaula teaching of the kaula-jnAna-nirNaya transmitted by the yuganAtha matsyendra has 3 mahAmantra-s. Two of which have an 8-fold structure to them, related to the 8 root mAtR^i-s, who are listed by him as: brAhmI, mAheshvarI, kaumArI, vaiShNavI, vArAhI, vajrahastA, yogeshvarI and aghoreshI. Evidently, yogeshvarI, the archetypal yoginI, is a name of chAmuNDA. This is also suggested by one interpretation of the list of the mAtR^i-s in another early yoginI-kaula tantra, the yogapITha-kramodaya. As an aside, elsewhere in the kaula-jnAna-nirNaya, bhairava addresses his spouse as vIrachAmuNDA, a rare name also found in the yogapITha-kramodaya. The eight-fold vidyApadAShTaka mantra of the KJN is the root of the 64-yoginI-chakra, the yoginI-melaka. Those who understand that the eight-fold vidyA-s of the KJN will see their structural connections to major root mantra-s of the directional kulAmnAya-s, which arose from the yoginI-kaula substratum (one sees the beginnings of the pUrvAmnAya and pashchimAmnAya right in the YPK). This is quite apparent for the svara-based parA-vidyA of the pUrvAmnAya, a subset of the vidyA-s of kubjikA and the shrI-vidyA-s of the dakShiNAmnAya.

kAshI-mAhAtmya

The kAshI-mAhAtmya attached to the original vAmana purANa gives an account of the siddhayogeshvarI-pITha at kAshI thus:

अनेनैव शरीरेण सिद्धिं तत्रैव विन्दति ।
षण्मासाद् योगयुक्तो ऽपि देवीं पश्यति सर्वगाम् ।
पिङ्गला नाम सा देवी स्तूयते च महर्षिभिः ॥
With this very body, one attains perfection right there itself. After just six months, one engaged in yoga sees the all-pervading Goddess. That Goddess named Pingalā is praised by the great sages.

देव्या अग्रे महाचक्रं खेचरी-चक्रम् उत्तमम् ।
भूमौ स्थितं च पश्यन्ति आकाशे न च मानुषाः ॥
In front of the Goddess is the great wheel, the supreme Khecarī-chakra. Humans see it stationed on the ground, but not in the sky.

आकाशे यदि पश्यन्ति कदाचित् पुण्य-भाजनाः ।
तदा छिन्नं विजानीहि घोरं संसार-बन्धनम् ॥
If the meritorious ones ever see it in the sky, then they know the terrifying bonds of the phe- nomenal existence to be severed.

अस्मिंश् चक्रे स्थिता सा तु कदाचिद् वियति स्थिता । तेन नाम्ना तु तत् ख्यातां गीयते ससुरासुरैः ॥
She who is stationed in this wheel, sometimes positioned in the sky renowned and sung by gods and demons alike.
तत्र वीरेश्वरं लिङ्गं वीर-सिद्धि-प्रदायकम् । देव्याश् च दक्षिणे पार्श्वे तत्र संनिहितो हरः ।
ददाति कामिकां सिद्धिं यच् चान्यन् मनसेप्सितम् ॥
by that very name she is stationed there is the Vīreśvara linga, which grants accomplishments to the heroes (i.e, practitioners of vīrasādhana). There on the right side of the Goddess, there Hara is installed. He grants the desired siddhi and whatever else is desired by the mind.

One can see that it refers to the installation of the pUrvAmnAya’s khecharI-chakra right there on the ground. But it also says that some who have done puNya can perceive it in the sky. A memory of this seems to have survived in the modern silver casing of the vIreshvara liNga below. It has 28 faces of rudra, corresponding to the 28 lunar stations. This hints at what the celestial version of the chakra was. The text also mentions another liNga associated with the pITha, know as chandreshvara, which makes the lunar connection more explicit. The association of the yoginI-s with celestial chakra was also incorporated into a hindu system of aShTa-yoginI prognosis where the 8 maNgalA, piNgalA, dhanyA, bhramarI, bhadrikA, ulUkikA, siddhidA and sa~NkaTA are associated with 7 solar system bodies+the lunar nodes.

(ये तु प्रत्यष्टमि जनास् तथा प्रति-चतुर्दशि |
सिद्धयोगेश्वरी-पीठे पूजयिष्यन्ति भाविताः ||
अदृष्ट-रूपां सुभगां पिङ्गलां सर्व-सिद्धिदाम् |
धूप-नैवेद्य-दीपाद्यैस् तेषाम् आविर्भविष्यति || )

vArANasi once had a pITha of the trika (pUrvAmnAya) goddess siddhayogeshvarI and a key yoginI or her retinue piNgalA, which was modeled after her complex khecharI-chakra maNDala specified in siddhayogeshvarI-mata, one of the early surviving tantra-s of that school. It was a circular-style yoginI temple whose location most likely corresponded to the current kAtyAyani mandir at Scindia-ghat. The central bhairava-liNga of the shrine was known as vIreshvara.

There is an interesting story narrated in vaNgIya circles about this vIreshvara liNga which original stood in the midst of the yoginI-chakra. It is said a va~NgIya kAyastha woman performed a vrata at vIreshvara. rudra appeared in her dream and said he would give her a son imbued with his power. The son grew up to be svAmI vivekAnanda, who played a major role in neo-H revival. It is remarkable that this story parallels the sthalapurANa of the shrine which mention a rAjan installed there similarly through the power of the yoginI-s and his worship of vIreshvara.