| Katyayani | |
|---|---|
Goddess of power | |
 Murti of Katyayani | |
| Affiliation | Avatar ofDurga |
| Abode | Kailasha |
| Planet | Mars |
| Mantra | oṃ devī kātyāyanyai namaḥ kātyāyanī śubhaṁ dadhyād devī dānavaghātinī |
| Weapon | Khadga (longsword) Lotus, Abhayamudra, Varadamudra |
| Mount | Lion |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents |
|
| Consort | Shiva |
Katyayani (Sanskrit:कात्यायनी,romanized: Kātyāyanī,lit. 'she who is of Katya') is a form of the Hindu goddessMahadevi, venerated as the slayer of the tyrannical asuraMahisha. She is the sixth of theNavadurga, and is worshipped on the sixth day ofNavaratri.[1]
InShaktism, she is associated with the fierce forms ofShakti or Durga, a warrior goddess, which also includesBhadrakali andChandika.[2]
Katyayani is typically depicted with four hands, riding a lion, and holding a sword and lotus flower, with her other two hands inabhaya andvaradamudras, representing protection and granting boons. She is often shown with a radiant golden complexion, fierce eyes, and adorned with divine ornaments, While fierce, her face also carries a compassionate and protective expression, highlighting her role as a mother and protector of devotees.[1]
She is traditionally associated with the colour red, as withParvati, the primordial form of Shakti, a fact also mentioned inPatanjali'sMahabhashya onPāṇini, written in 2nd century BCE.[3]
In Hindu traditions likeYoga andTantra, she is ascribed to the sixthajnachakra or the third eye chakra, and her blessings are invoked by concentrating on this point.
Katyayani is first mentioned in theTaittiriyaAranyaka part of theYajurveda. TheSkanda Purana mentions her being created out of the spontaneous anger of the gods, which eventually led to slaying the asura, Mahisha, mounted on the lion. This occasion is celebrated during the annualDurga Puja festival in most parts of India.[4]
Her exploits are described in theDevi-Bhagavata Purana andDevi Mahatmyam, which are part of theMarkandeya Purana attributed to sageMarkandeya, who wrote it in Sanskrit ca. 400-500 CE. Over a period of time, her presence was also felt in Buddhist and Jain texts and several Tantric texts, especially theKalika Purana (10th century), which mentionsUddiyana orOdradesa (Odisha), as the seat of Katyayani andJagannath.[5]
According to theVamana Purana she was created from the combined energies of the gods when their anger at the asura Mahishasura manifested itself in the form of energy rays. The rays crystallized in the hermitage ofKātyāyanaRishi, who gave it proper form therefore she is also called Katyayani or "daughter of Katyayana".[6] Elsewhere in texts like theKalika Purana, it is mentioned that it was Rishi Kaytyayana who first worshipped her, hence she came to be known asKatyayani. In either case, she is a demonstration or apparition of theDurga and is worshipped on the sixth day ofNavaratri festival.[7]
The Vamana Purana mentions the legend of her creation in great detail: "When the gods had soughtVishnu in their distress, he and at his commandShiva,Brahma and the other gods, emitted such flames from their eyes and countenances that a mountain of effulgence was formed, from which became manifest Katyayani, refulgent as a thousand suns, having three eyes, black hair and eighteen arms. Shiva gave her his trident, Vishnu aSudarshana Chakra or discus,Varuna ashankha, a conch-shell,Agni adart,Vayu a bow,Surya a quiver full of arrows,Indra athunderbolt,Kuvera amace, Brahma arosary andwater-pot, Kala a shield and sword,Vishvakarma a battle-axe and other weapons. Thus armed and adored by the gods, Katyayani proceeded to the Mysore hills. There, theasuras saw her and captivated by her beauty they so described her to Mahishasura, their king, that he was anxious to obtain her. On asking for her hand, she told him she must be won in fight. He took on the form of Mahisha, the bull and fought; at length Durga dismounted from her lion, and sprang upon the back of Mahisha, who was in the form of a bull and with her tender feet smote him on the head with such a terrible force that he fell to the ground senseless.[8] Then she cut off his head with her sword and henceforth was calledMahishasuramardini, the slayer of Mahishasura.[4] The legend also finds mention inVaraha Purana and the classical text ofShaktism, theDevi-Bhagavata Purana.[9]
Raktabīja, an aide of Kolhasura, possessed a power (siddhi) whereby every drop of his blood spilled on earth would give rise to a asura. Due to this power,Bhairava was finding it impossible to kill Raktabīja. Katyayani swallowed all of Raktabīja's blood without letting it fall on earth. She created an Amrut Kunda (tank of nectar) to rejuvenate Bhairava's soldiers, thus playing a crucial role in the war. Her temple to the South of Kolhapur commemorates this.[10][11]
The second among theshakti pithas is TuljaBhavani of Tuljapur. It is the family deity of the Bhosale Royal family, the Yadavs and of countless numbers of families belonging to different castes. The founder of the Maratha kingdom, Shivaji always visited the temple to seek her blessings. It is believed that the goddessDurga Bhavani (Katyayani) gave him a sword - the Bhavani sword - for success in his expeditions. The history of the temple has been mentioned in the Skanda Purana.[citation needed]
According toTantras, she revealed through the north face, which is one of six faces ofShiva. This face is blue in colour and with three eyes and also revealed theDevis, Dakshinakalika,Mahakali, Guhyakali, Smashanakalika,Bhadrakali,Ekajata, Ugratara (fierceTara), Taritni,Chhinnamasta, Nilasarasvati (BlueSaraswati),Durga, Jayadurga,Navadurga, Vashuli,Dhumavati,Visalakshi,Parvati,Bagalamukhi,Pratyangira,Matangi, Mahishasuramardini, their rites andmantras.[12]
In the 10thCanto, 22nd Chapter of theBhagavata Purana describes the legend ofKatyayani Vrata, where young marriageable daughters (gopis) of the cowherd men ofGokula inBraja, worshipped Katyayani and took avrata, or vow, during the entire month ofMargashirsha, the first month of the winter season, to getKrishna as their husband. During the month, they ate only unspicedkhichri and after bathing in the Yamuna at sunrise made an earthen deity of the goddess on the riverbank and worshipped the idol with aromatic substances like sandalwood pulp, lamps, fruits, betel nuts, newly grown leaves, fragrant garlands and incense. This precedes the episode where Krishna takes away their clothes while they are bathing in theYamuna River.[13][14] She is worshipped and revered on the 6th day of Navaratri. She is also considered to be sister of Surya, the sun god, and is worshipped along with him during the festival of Chhath Puja in the eastern parts of India.
The adolescent virgin goddess worshipped in the southern tip of India,Devi Kanya Kumari, is said to be theavatar of Katyayani orParvati. During thePongal (Thai Pongal), a harvest festival, which coincides with theMakara Sankranti and is celebrated inTamil Nadu, young girls prayed for rain and prosperity and throughout the month, they avoided milk and milk products. Women used to bath early in the morning and worshiped the idol of Katyayani, carved out of wet sand. The penance ended on the first day of the month ofThai (January–February) inTamil calendar.[15]
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