Dasha mahavidyas
[ A longgggg thread]

Dasha mahavidyas are 10 manifestations of maa adi shakti .
there are different stories on how all of them appeared.

When maa sati wanted to visit daksha uninvited lord shiva declined.

This angered maa sati and she showed her viratroop and different forms.

Lord shiva : "Who are you and where is my sati"
Maa : "All of my forms kali, tara , kamla , shodashi , bhuvaneshwari , chinnamasta , bhairavi, dhomavati , baglamukhi , matangi are me , sati only"

Kali : She is the first mahavidya. It is said mahakali is the main mahavidya and all of other forms are her only. She is dark as kajal hence got the name kali

She is the most worshipped deity specially for those into tantric Marg.
She is made happy through japa , pooja , bhakti.

Tara : Neel roop of maa kali is known as tara. She is the second mahavidya . It is said that it wa Maharishi vashithha who worshipped maa tara first.

She is also called neel Saraswati.
She can provide moksha , wisdom to her devotees.
She is also significant in tantra marg.

Tripura sundari / Shodashi : She is the 3rd mahavidya and supreme reality for those following sri kula.
She is mentioned in lalitanopakhyanam and several puranas.

She is the sri vidya and helps her devotees reach Liberation.
Her other names are Rajeshwari Lalita .

Bhuvaneshwari : She is the 4th mahavidya. She is also called mool Prakriti , She is depicted with four arms and three eyes. Two of her arms are shown in Abhaya and Varada Mudra and in rest of the two arms she holds a noose and a goad.

She is worshipped to get all worldly pleasures , progeny, wealth, knowledge and the fortune. According to mahaNivarna tantra all mahavidyas are serving her.

Tripura bhairavi : She is the 5th mahavidya. She is also shakti of kaal bhairav and is mentioned in several puranas. She has four arms and she holds a book and rudraksh in two arms

She is worshipped to get rid of bad spirits and physical weaknesses. She is also worshipped for getting a beautiful spouse, for a successful love marriage and early marriage.

Chinnamasta : She is the 6th mahavidya. She is the most fierce and The self-decapitated Goddess holds her own severed head in one hand and holds a scimitar in the other hand. Three jets of blood spurt out of her bleeding neck and are drunk by her severed head, Dakini and Varnini.

Her worship is limited to advanced and experienced Tantrikas, and world renouncers due to her ferocious nature and her reputation of being dangerous to approach and worship.

Dhumavati : As per legend mentioned in Pranatoshini Tantra, once Devi Sati due to satiate her extreme hunger swallowed Lord Shiva. Later on the request of Lord Shiva itself, She disgorged Him. After this incident, Lord Shiva told her that this form of her will remain a widow.

She is the 7th mahavidya . She is depicted as an old and ugly widow. She is thin, unhealthy with pale complexion. Unlike other Mahavidya(s), She is unadorned with jewelry. She is worshipped to make body free from all sorts of diseases and to get rid of poverty.

Baglamukhi : She is the 8th mahavidya . She is portrayed in yellow dress. She has two arms. She holds a club in her right hand with which she beats a demon while pulling his tongue out with her left hand. she has the power to stun or paralyze an enemy into silence.

her worship is done to defeat and paralyze the enemy. She is also worshipped to get success in all sorts of competitions.

Matangi : Matangi is the ninth of the ten Mahavidya Goddesses. Like Goddess Saraswati, She governs speech, music, knowledge and the arts. Hence Goddess Matangi is also known as Tantric Saraswati.

Her worship is prescribed to acquire Siddhis, especially gaining control over enemies, attracting people to oneself, acquiring mastery over the arts and gaining supreme knowledge.

She is the 10th mahavidya also known as tantric Lakshmi.she is portrayed in red dress and lavishly adorned with golden jewelry. She has golden complexion. She is depicted with four arms. In two arms, She holds lotus flowers and with remaining two arms.

She is flanked by four elephants who are shown giving Abhishekam to Goddess Kamala who is sitting in the midst of the ocean on a lotus flower. she is worshipped to gain wealth and prosperity.

Dasha mahavidyas are also known as 10 great wisdoms and tantric devis . Tho all of them are manifestations of maa adi shakti it is recommended not to randomly jump on their worship /sadhanas without any knowledge or training from a guru.

Source : Drik panchang , dasha mahavidyas by gitapress .