𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐚 𝐒𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐚𝐬
The Seven Powerful Forms Of The Divine Mother
The Eighth Chapter of The DevīMāhātmya relates How The Divine Mother Multiplies Her Strength In the battle against demons śumbha and niśumbha By Calling Forth Seven Individual Maa “Śaktis” From the bodies of the male gods. The Seven Maa “Śaktis” Are Known Collectively As The Mātṛgaṇa (“Band Of Mothers”), The SaptaMātṛkās (“Seven Divine Mothers”) Or Simply The Mothers.
The Maa SaptaMātṛkās Are Maa Brahmāṇī, Maa Māheśvarī,
Maa Kaumārī, Maa Vaiṣṇavī, Maa Vārāhī, Maa Nārasirhhī,
And Maa Aindrī.
The DevīMāhātmya Reveals Them Not As mere goddess-consorts But As Individualized Powers Of The Supreme Divine Mother Inherent In the gods. Therefore, even though They Emerge From the bodies of the gods, The Maa SaptaMātṛkās Are Not the powers of the gods But The Diverse Manifestations Of The One Divine Mother. That is why, when The Maa SaptaMātṛkās Withdraw, It Is Not Back Into the gods from whom They Emerged, But Directly Into The Divine Mother Herself.
