General information

सप्तमातृस् are the seven goddesses named ब्रह्माणी , वैष्णवी , माहेश्वरी , कौमारी , वाराही , इन्द्राणी and चामुण्डी .

Origin

Some are of opinion that the सप्तमातृस् are connected with शिव . Their names reveal that they were born from the bodies of ब्रह्मा , विष्णु and such other gods. There is another story that when शिव and विष्णु joined together and tried to kill the असुर named अन्धक and failed, they created the seven mothers to kill the असुर . From each drop of blood of अन्धकासुर that fell on the ground an असुर arose. These seven मातृस् joined with योगेश्वरी , the creation of शिव , drank the blood of the असुर without allowing it to fall on the ground and so it became easy for शिव to kill the असुर .

There is a story in वामन पुराण , Chapter 56, ahout the birth of the सप्तमातृस् , as follows: In olden days a fierce war broke out between the देवस् and the असुरस् . When the fierce असुरस् चण्ड and मुण्ड were killed the famous असुर named रक्तबीज entered the battlefield with an अक्षौहिणी of army (21870 chariots, so many elephants, 65610 horses and 109350 infantry). Seeing this immense army of the असुरस् drawing near, कौशिकी , महेश्वरी and काली made a loud roaring sound. Then from the mouth of महेश्वरी , ब्रह्माणी came out seated on a swan and wearing rosary and water pot. From her eyes महेश्वरी with three eyes came out seated on a bull and wearing great snakes as bangles and ear-rings and holding a trident. From the loins came out कौमारी , seated on a peacock and holding a lance. The beautiful वैष्णवी came out from her hand, seated on गरुड , holding a conch, discus, club, sword, the bow शार्ङ्ग and arrow. From her posterior came out the horrible वाराही (Boar) with a great pestle, seated on the नाग (serpent) शेष , and furrowing the ground with her fierce tusks. From her heart came out the awful नारसिंही (woman-lion) with fierce claws, who at the shaking of her mane displaced the planets and the stars, and from her foot चामुण्डी came out. (See under Palālā) .