Interviewer:
Gurudev, Pranam.
Gurudev:
Pranam, child.
Interviewer:
We've been hearing your insights about the Ten Mahavidyas on our Gupta Sadhak Shyama Khyapa YouTube channel. Today, we've reached the final stages. We'd like to ask you about the ninth Mahavidya, Matangi.
Interviewer:
Let me briefly tell our viewers that the ninth form of the Ten Mahavidyas is Matangi. She is dark-complexioned, has three eyes, four arms, and is seated on a throne. Her mount is an elephant. In the ashram of Sage Matanga, she emerged from the body of the sage's wife in response to the prayers of the gods, and she killed the demons Shumbha and Nishumbha. Gurudev, please tell us more.
Gurudev:
Yes, it is stated in the Puranas that Ma is the ninth Mahavidya. On one hand, she is Mahasaraswati—you'll see a Veena in her hands, she is playing the Veena. And as she sits on her throne, she is fond of wearing a Gunja garland. Do you know what Gunja is? Have you seen pomegranate seeds? A garland is made from seeds that look like those. Ma loves wearing this Gunja garland. She is Kapaalkartika, the embodiment of supreme light.
Gurudev:
It's stated in the Puranas that when the gods were at Sage Matanga's ashram, they worshipped Matangi. Pleased, she granted them a boon, saying she would be born in their ashram. Thus, she manifested from the body of Sage Matanga's wife. The sages worshipped her.
Gurudev:
Not only that, in ancient times, it was written that Ma is an aspect of Durga. She is dark-complexioned, her mount is an elephant, and she plays the Veena. Matangi is the goddess who resides at the entrance of the Homa (sacrificial fire). Many people might not know this, but when we perform a Homa, we keep Goddess Matangi before us. When the fire is lit, she is right there. We worship her before lighting the fire because she always resides at the opening of the Homa pit. She is an incredibly powerful goddess.
Gurudev:
It's said in the Puranas that when Goddess Durga was fighting Shumbha and Nishumbha, they came before her. Durga, with her eight powers, the sixty-four Yoginis, and Ma Matangi—one of the Ten Mahavidyas—fought them. Ma herself didn't kill Shumbha. It was Matangi, in her Chamunda form—which is why her complexion is dark—who lifted Shumbha into the sky and decapitated him. After Shumbha was killed, Nishumbha came forward and said to Durga, "You are fighting with so many forms, but I am alone here." Durga replied, "O wicked one, listen. Milk is one thing, but many delicious foods are made from it. I am one and indivisible. At this moment, I am drawing everyone into me. Be ready, I will kill you."
Gurudev:
This is how Goddess Matangi killed Shumbha and Nishumbha in her Chamunda form. But there's another side to it. This goddess is said to be from Tibet. She was brought from there, where she was worshipped for many years. Once, there was great turmoil in Tibet—a violent riot broke out during the reign of the king. At that time, one of our people, Krishnananda Agambagish, also known as Tara-Nath Tantrik—though actually Krishnananda Agambagish was the Great Tantrik—was there. The local people, especially the Brahmins, handed the goddess over to him. He performed many rituals and Homas for her. Given the situation there, they asked him to take her away. He brought Matangi from Nepal to India.
Gurudev:
This goddess is sometimes called Ucchishta Matangi (the one who accepts left-over food). Her food offerings aren't strictly regulated. This is what I've read. It's said that those who worshipped her either went mad or died. I read this in a Tibetan book. And it was a man from Navadvip, India, who propagated her worship. His name was Krishnananda Agambagish, the author of Agamtantra and Nigamtantra. He established her here and worshipped her at a landlord's house. But when the landlord's estate fell into ruin and the village was in turmoil, it was said that wherever this goddess stays, trouble follows. She never stays anywhere for long.
Gurudev:
One night, Tara-Nath Tantrik secretly took her away and brought her to Navadvip, placing her in a landlord's house. After some time, trouble began there too, and the landlord's family was ruined. The house was being auctioned off—the doors and windows were being sold. A young man, a friend of the landlord's son, saw the idol and liked it. The royal priest asked if he wanted it. The young man had a business dealing in old items, and he brought the idol to Kolkata and kept it in a showcase. Later, a friend of his saw the idol and fell in love with it. He asked, "Will you give this to me?" The first man replied, "I got it from a landlord's house. I'll give it to you if the price is right." The friend asked how much he had paid for it, and the man said he had received it for free. "Then give it to me," the friend said. "I want to worship her." He took her home and established her. But later, that young man went mad.
Gurudev:
Before he died, Tara-Nath Tantrik happened to visit him. Krishnananda Agambagish had come to Kolkata from Navadvip. He knew the situation and gave the young man a crystal (sphatik). He said, "As long as you have this crystal, you'll be safe. No one should worship this goddess for more than a month. You brought her on a New Moon night, and you'll die on a New Moon night." He said this out of compassion and gave him the crystal. The young man's father's friend had warned him not to bring such deities without knowing the proper rituals, but the young man didn't listen. When he became delirious, he met Tara-Nath Tantrik in a shop. Tara-Nath didn't reveal his true identity. He was eating at the shop, and the young man came in. Tara-Nath asked for some food, and the young man shared his last piece of bread. Tara-Nath then said, "You are in great danger. Take this crystal and wear it." The young man didn't quite understand. On the next New Moon, he was near death, but the crystal saved him. The next day, he took the idol and immersed it in the Ganges. It's said that even today, Ma calls out to people. Many boatmen on the Ganges in Kolkata have reported hearing her voice saying, "I'm in pain, I can't eat, take me out of the water." Whether this is true, I don't know, but that's what I read.
Gurudev:
This goddess is difficult to control. We worship her before a Homa as she resides in the fire. She is the granter of all perfections—that's from the Puranas. Many sages have worshipped her. Some mistake her for Saraswati, but she is actually a formidable aspect of Chamunda. She killed Shumbha and Nishumbha on Durga's orders.
Interviewer:
What about the mantra?
Gurudev:
I won't share the mantra. I'll share others, but not this one. You can say I don't know it, that's fine. But from her description, she is a sixteen-year-old youth, dark-complexioned, with an elephant at her feet. She sits with one leg over the other, a beautiful form, playing the Veena. She loves the Gunja garland, which looks like pomegranate seeds. She looks stunning in it. She possesses supreme radiance. Beyond this, I can't say much about Matangi, and I won't share the meditation prayer for certain reasons.
Interviewer:
Gurudev, our deepest respects to you. Friends, you've heard about Goddess Matangi from Gurudev. We request you to subscribe to our Gupta Sadhak Shyama Khyapa YouTube channel, and share and like our videos so that we can hear more from Gurudev on various important topics in the future. Namaskar.