The Mahavidyas (maha great, vidya knowledge) are 10 (dasha) goddesses who are grouped together in various literary, iconographic, and mythical
contexts in India. It is a tantric grouping, though some of the goddesses are from a nontantric, nor- mative context.
In TANTRISM, a VIDYA is equivalent to a MAN-
TRA, but used for goddesses (the term mantra is restricted to devotion to male divinities). It is understood in the tantric context that the mantra or vidya and the divinity are identical. Therefore this group of 10 goddesses can be logically referred to as the 10 vidyas. Each of these goddesses can in fact grant the ultimate “knowledge” or vidya that can lead to liberation from birth and rebirth.
The 10 goddesses constituting the Mahavidyas are KALI, Tara, Tripura-sundari (Sri Lalita), Bhu- vaneshvari, Chinnamasta, Bhairavi, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi, and Kamala (LAKSHMI).
Kali is the fierce black goddess, the ruler over time (kala), who helped DURGA defeat the demons in order to restore order to the world.
Tara, known as “She who takes one across the ocean of birth and rebirth,” is more prominent in Buddhism. Iconographically, she very much resembles Kali, as she is depicted seated or stand- ing upon the supine SHIVA. She is associated with the cremation ground and images of skulls. Tara reveals, however, a nurturing aspect that is usu- ally not found with Kali. At Tarapith in Birbhum, Bengal, she is depicted nursing Shiva from her breast.
Tripurasundari is none other than Sri Lalita, the 16-year-old goddess who is the transcendent One. She is usually shown with a benign aspect, although she is in fact the incarnation of all god- desses, whether benign or fierce.
Bhuvaneshvari, who is often seen as the embodiment of the physical world, is vermilion in color, has three eyes, and wears a jeweled crown.
She has a smiling face and a crescent Moon on her brow. She can be depicted with two, six, or 20 hands holding various objects including the lotus and a bow. She is usually depicted sitting in the cross-legged, “lotus position” yogic posture and is generally shown without clothing. A god- dess described in the text Prapancasara called
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Prapanceshvari appears to be identical to Bhu- vaneshvari; this text is the fullest source for details on Bhuvaneshvari. In most aspects she resembles SARASVATI. In tantrism, her worship resembles in many details the worship of Sri Lalita.
Chinnamasta has the most startling repre- sentation of all these goddesses. She stands, self-decapitated, with her head in one hand and the large cutting instrument in the other. On two sides attendants drink her blood. She stands on the recumbent, copulating couple of Kama, god of love, and RATI, his mate. As does Kali she wears a necklace of human skulls, and, as does SHIVA she has a cobra encircling her upper body. Her body is naked, except for ornaments. One myth has Chinnamasta as a form of PARVATI, the consort of Shiva. Another sees her as Parvati in the form of CHANDI. In both myths the goddess is begged for food by her attendants and cuts off her head to offer them her blood. There are specific texts that outline the worship of this goddess with mantras and YANTRAS.
Bhairavi (the fierce goddess) is described as wearing red silk and a garland of severed heads (again as does Kali). Her breasts are said to be smeared with blood. She has three eyes with a crescent Moon on her forehead. She smiles, wear- ing a jeweled crown. She is shown with four or 10 hands. She holds a sword and a begging bowl in two of them. She is sometimes shown in sexual intercourse sitting astride Shiva. The literature often regards Bhairavi as Mahadevi, or Supreme Divinity. She is seen as supreme above even the male divinities BRAHMA, Shiva, and VISHNU. Unusual epithets call her “Fond of semen and menstrual blood” and “She who dwells in the YONI
[the vagina].” Such epithets show her transgres- sive, tantric character.
Dhumavati, the widow goddess, is a rare and unusual personage. She is seen as black in color, ugly, old, and angry. She has hanging breasts, a long nose, and dirty clothes. She rides a convey- ance that has a banner with a crow on it. She has only two arms. In one hand is a winnowing basket
and the other shows the “boon-granting” (VARADA MUDRA) gesture. (But sometimes she will hold a begging bowl made of a human skull and a spear.) Dhumavati is only rarely found independently of the Mahavidyas.
Dhumavati’s origin myths show her being born from the smoke of the funeral pyre of the prototypical self-immolated goddess, SATI. Another myth shows her as a form of Sati, forced to become a widow through a curse of Shiva. Her separate temples are few. At her temples liquor, meat, and a marijuana drink are offered in addi- tion to the usual offerings. Though her mytho- logical history seems to depict this goddess as dangerous, she is approachable in temples and offers boons and protections, as any other local goddess.
Bagalamukhi is depicted on a lion throne. She has a yellow complexion and wears a yellow dress and yellow ornaments. She is surrounded and covered with things of yellow. One myth shows this goddess as a form of Sri Lalita. In a more popular myth she stops a demon named Madan who is killing people merely by speaking. She grasps his tongue and he becomes her devotee and therefore is not killed; there are iconographic and pictorial depictions of this event. In another myth Bagalamukhi is created by a curse of Shiva upon Parvati.
Bagalamukhi is associated with magic and occult power. She is often approached for magical powers such as the ability to immobilize or attract people. Sometimes, as with all of these tantric deities, she is associated with sexuality and sexual intercourse. As have several of the Mahavidyas, she has aspects that belong to Kali and she is sometimes said to sit upon a corpse, often while holding on to the tongue of the demon described in her myth.
Matangi is an unusual goddess who prefers offerings that are “polluted” in the Hindu sense, food that has been partially eaten or left over, things that have menstrual blood on them or have touched the dead. She is depicted as a 16-year-old K 120 Dasha Mahavidya
girl, with blue or greenish skin and three eyes, wearing red clothing and accoutrements, seated on a corpse. She has two or four hands. In one tale she emerges from leftover food that Shiva, Parvati, Vishnu, and Lakshmi have just eaten.
Another myth calls Matangi a sister of Shiva, cursed by Parvati to be reborn in an untouchable (Dalit) family, forced to survive on leftovers and other polluted things. Matangi is also sometimes associated with the giving of magical powers.
The final of the 10 Mahavidyas is Kamala. She is identified with Lakshmi and carries Lakshmi’s typical characteristics and iconography, except that she is never shown in conjunction with her husband, Vishnu.
Further reading: David Kinsley, Tantric Visions of the Divine Feminine: The Ten Mahavidyas (Berkeley: Uni- versity of California Press, 1997); Sarbeswar Satpathy, Dasa Mahavidya and Tantra Sastra (Calcutta: Punthi Pustak, 1992.)
Datta Yoga Center
(est. 1986)The Datta Yoga Center in West Sunbury, Penn- sylvania, is a center of KRIYA YOGA practice and teaching. It was founded in 1986 by Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swami (b. May 26, 1942) as the American branch of Avadhoota Datta Peetham in Mysore, India (see AVADHUTA). The swami also founded the Datta Temple and Hall of Trinity in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1997.
As a child, Sachchidananda was fond of the religious life and became a devoted yoga practi- tioner. As a young adult he became known as a healer in his home village of Mekedati, Karnataka, in southern India.
To his devotees, Sachchidananda is considered an avadhuta, or liberated one, following in the tra- dition of Lord DATTATREYA. His teachings empha- size kriya yoga, which focuses on breath as a means of turning attention toward one’s inner self and the realization of God. The Datta Yoga Center is a nonmembership organization. Centers serve
as temples for worship services and dissemination of the avadhuta’s message of love, peace, freedom, and service and provide a place where devotees can develop spiritual values.
Music, in the form of bhajans (songs) and instrumentals, many of which have been com- posed by Sachchidananda, are a significant part of worship services. He says, “Music is my reli- gion, music is my language, music is my soul and music is my expression.” Sachchidananda has organized Music for Healing and Meditation con- certs throughout the United States and Europe.
He is also an advocate of ayurvedic medicine (see AYURVEDA) and the sponsor of a hospital for the underprivileged in India.
The Datta Yoga Center publishes books by Sachchidananda, a monthly newsletter called Bhakti Mala, and CDs of Sachchidananda’s perfor- mances of his musical compositions.
Further reading: Swami Ganapati Sachchidananda, Dattatreya the Absolute (Mysore: Sri Ganapathi Sach- chidananda Ashram, 1984); ———, Sri Guru Gita (Machilipatnam: Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Publica- tions Trust, 1988).
Davis, Roy Eugene
(1931– ) founder of Christian Spiritual AllianceRoy Eugene Davis is an American teacher of
KRIYA YOGA. He is associated with the Christian New Thought movement and teaches metaphysi- cal Christianity along with Indian thought and practice through lectures and a large publishing program.
Born on March 9, 1931, in Leavittsburg, Ohio, Roy Eugene Davis was raised on a farm.
He attended the Church of the United Brethren as a child and early on became interested in yoga through reading. In 1948, at age 18, while still in school, he read the influential book Autobiog- raphy of a Yogi by Paramahansa YOGANANDA and inwardly accepted Yogananda as his GURU. He began to take the mail-order yoga lessons offered
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by Yogananda’s SELF-REALIZATION FELLOWSHIP
(SRF). After graduation from high school in 1949, Davis went to the fellowship’s headquarters in Los Angeles and became a student of Yogananda. He relates that KUNDALINI was gradually awakened in him after meeting Yogananda. He was ordained by his guru in 1951 and appointed leader of the SRF center in Phoenix, Arizona. He initiated students into Yogananda’s practice of kriya yoga.
In 1953, after a stint in the U.S. Army Medi- cal Corps at Fort Riley, Kansas, Davis became an independent spiritual teacher and withdrew from SRF. He founded New Life Worldwide in St. Petersburg, Florida. In the early 1960s Davis worked with Edwin O’Neal and the Christian Spiritual Alliance (CSA) in Lakemont, Georgia.
He was associated with several New Thought churches, including Unity School of Christianity and Divine Science; joined the New Thought Alli- ance (INTA); and developed relationships with other teachers in the Hindu tradition, including SWAMI RAMA, SWAMI MUKTANANDA, and SATYA SAI
BABA. When O’Neal left CSA, Davis became both chairman of the board and head of the publishing house, which was renamed the Center for Spiri- tual Awareness.
Davis’s teaching combines metaphysical Chris- tianity and kriya yoga, and he continues to give kriya yoga initiation. He has published over a dozen books, primarily with CSA publishers, on spiritual development, MEDITATION, kriya yoga, and AYURVEDA. He is the publisher of Truth Journal and writes monthly lessons for CSA members. He maintains a heavy schedule of lecturing to New Thought churches around the world.
Further reading: Roy Eugene Davis, The Book of Life (Lakemont, Ga.: CSA Press, 2000); ———, An Easy Guide to Ayurveda: The Natural Way to Wholeness (Lake- mont, Ga.: CSA Press, 1999); ———, God Has Given Us Every Good Thing (Lakemont, Ga.: CSA Press, 1986);
———, Miracle Man of Japan (Lakemont, Ga.: CSA Press, 1970); ———, This Is Reality (Lakemont, Ga.:
CSA Press, 1962).
Daya Mata, Sri
See SELF-REALIZATIONFELLOWSHIP.
Dayananda Saraswati, Swami
(1930– ) teacher and scholar of advaita VedantaSwami Dayananda Saraswati has contributed greatly to the spread of knowledge of VEDANTA, by training hundreds of teachers and through his own study and teaching.
Natarajan Iyer was born on August 15, 1930, the second son of Valambal and Gopala Iyer in the small village of Manjakkudi in Thanjavar District in Tamil Nadu, India. He was raised in a tradi- tional Brahmin family who primarily made their living selling coconuts. Described by family mem- bers as quiet, reflective, dispassionate, yet daring, Natarajan helped to manage his family’s small plot of land after his father died when the boy was only eight. An excellent student, Natarajan excelled in all subjects related to logic, including physics and mathematics. He was known to be a voracious reader, harboring a large collection of books in his small home, where he regularly read until early morning.
Forced to grow up rapidly, and unable to afford college, Natarajan moved to Madras (now Chennai) to find a job that would allow him to continue his studies. He learned stenography and typewriting and began a career as a journalist with a job at a weekly, Dharmika Hind. When the paper seemed to be failing, he joined the air force as a combatant and was posted to the Ground Train- ing Station in Bangalore; after military service, he returned to journalism, with an interim period as campaign manager for an independent candidate for state assembly, when he fine-tuned his public speaking skills.
In 1952 he was still waiting for his promised position with the prestigious newspaper Indian Express, when he accidentally met Swami CHINMA-
YANANDA during a 41-day public teaching. At the end of the teachings Natrajan volunteered to orga- nize the feeding of the poor, which traditionally K 122 Daya Mata, Sri
followed a period of study and sacrifice. Swami Chinmayananda, attracted to Natrajan’s earnest- ness and organization skills, informed him that he would return the following year for further teach- ings. The 22-year-old Natrajan was certain that he was meant to pursue these teachings and thus became an active member of the newly formed Chinmaya Mission, an organization inspired by the vision of Swami Chinmayananda. His previous experience in journalism and editing put him very close to Swami Chinmayananda.
In 1957 Natarajan gave up his work to follow Swami Chinmayananda. In 1962 he was the sec- ond student to be initiated into SANNYAS (renun- ciation) by Swami Chinmayananda and was given the name Swami Dayananda Saraswati. He would later continue his development as a teacher under the tutelage of several teachers, including Swami Pranavananda of Gudiwada.
Known today as an authoritative teacher of traditional ADVAITA VEDANTA and an accomplished scholar of Hinduism, Swami Dayananda has con- ducted six three-year residential courses in both India and the United Sates, producing well over 300 Vedanta teachers around the world.
He has established three institutions: two in India, the ARSHA VIDYA GURUKULUM in Coimbatore, which offers three-year residential courses, and the Swami Dayananda Ashram in Rishikesh, a retreat center and place for continued studies, and the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, which serves as a retreat center and venue for residential courses.
Swami Dayananda is known for his scholar- ship, his depth of understanding, and his appre- ciation for Western culture, attributes that give him a wide appeal. He travels the world teach- ing in a variety of venues, including American universities and international conventions. He has presented papers at UNESCO and the United Nations, where he participated in the Millennium Peace Summit. In November 2001, in Delhi, he convened the First World Congress for the Pres- ervation of Religious Diversity, inaugurated by
the Dalai Lama and former Indian prime minister Vajpayee. Swami Dayananda also actively par- ticipated in forming the Women’s Global Peace Initiative, which convened at the United Nations in Geneva in October 2002.
In addition to teaching, Swami Dayananda emphasizes a commitment to peace and social justice. He instituted the All India Movement (AIM) for Seva, a public service organization that provides medical, educational, nutritional, and social support to villagers in remote rural Indian communities.
Further reading: Padma Narasimhan, Swami Day- ananda Saraswati (Madras: TT. Maps & Publications, 1990).