Sa Ham- I am She (2024 series): Many Forms of the Feminine

Devi Dhumavati from Wikimedia Commons

 (This is the fourth post the 2024 Sa Ham series. To read first post, please click here. To read the second post, please click here. To read third post, please click here.)

Narratives of masculinity and femininity are presented in the mainstream as distinct categories with clearly distinguishable attributes. For example, muscular strength, valour, protection, assertiveness is often attributed to masculinity and feminine as softness, maternal qualities, nurturing, sensual and so on.

Occasionally, it is also said that hierarchy and hunting is masculine while equality and justice is feminine. There are many other variations of these two assumed categories of life.

This is where the Goddess myths upturn the categories. If you follow through the many forms of the South Asian Goddesses, you begin to wonder about such classifications.

Unlike the homogenous modern images and paintings, Goddesses have been worshipped in many forms.  She is worshipped as primordial Shakti, Lalitha residing in Sri Chakra, a yantra. She is worshipped as Durga that we know very well. She is worshipped as a nine-year-old girl Sri Bala Tripura Sundari. She is worshipped as a mean and unattractive old woman in the form of Dhumavati. And she is worshiped as Matangi who has a thick moustache on her upper lip and eating leftovers. And as Vanaramukhi, the one with the face of a Monkey and as Vajra Varahi with the face of a boar. She is also worshipped as Chinnamasta, the one with head that is decapitated and as Kali, the dark one with garland of skulls. She is the fierce form of Bhadrakali, Chamunda and Charchika. She is also the most sensual Rathi and Kamayani. And benevolent Mahamaya, Mahalakshmi, and Uma.

Devi Chamunda from 8th century temple in Jajpur, Odissa

Many of the goddesses are supposed to be “feminine” forms of the Gods. Except when you study them, they seem to have almost all the same qualities their counterparts have and you may wonder what makes them “feminine.” Indrani as the feminine form of Indra, Narasimhi of Narsimha, Varuni of Varuna (wind), Vaishnavi of Vishnu, Agneyi of Ajna (fire),Vinayaki of Vinayaka (Ganesh), Kauberi of Kuber and so on. In these forms, she carried their weapons and their blessings in the same way.

Her attributes are diverse. She is dark at times, moon-skinned at others, red skinned too as well as gnarly skin. She is tall, crippled, hunchbacked, short. She has all kinds of hair, all kinds of teeth, all kinds of eyes, all kinds of waist girth. She is sometimes human-like, sometimes more-than-human, sometime a colour, an energy vibration, a pattern, a yantra, an element. She is fertile, pre-fertile, ultra-fertile, post-fertile.

Sometimes she is maternal, sometimes terrifying, sometimes adorable, sometimes confusing. She displays multiple emotions – love, seduction, calm, compassion, anger, possessiveness, rudeness, contempt, disgust, mischief and more.

Devi Rati with her parrot (Wikimedia)

Except for the linguistic trap of pronouns “She” “her”, the “Goddess” appears elusive, transcendent of gender traps and simply offering a different lens to worship and connect with rest of Universe.

Very much like women on earth. Sometimes dark, sometimes white, sometimes tall, sometimes short, sometimes young, sometimes old, sometimes a child, sometimes utterly sensual, sometimes menopausal, sometimes with black shining eyes, sometimes with blue sky-like eyes, sometimes with eyes that are mellow, sometimes with wrinkles, sometimes with acne, sometimes smooth and taut, sometimes angry, sometimes loving, sometimes rude, sometimes contemptuous, sometimes wise, sometimes singing, sometimes playing with water,  sometimes dancing, sometimes a mother, sometimes a daughter, sometimes fierce, sometimes serving.

Yaa Devi Sarva-Bhutessu xxx Samsthitaa |
Namas-Tasyai Namas-Tasyai Namas-Tasyai Namo Namah ||

To that Devi Who in All Beings is Abiding in the Form of X,
Salutations to Her, Salutations to Her, Salutations to Her, Salutations again and again.