Matangi
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In Hinduism, Matangi is the aspect of Devi (in other words, the Mahavidya) who is the patron of inner thought. She guides her devotee to the uncaused primordial sound. Matangi has a dark emerald complexion and has three eyes.
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[edit] Origin
It is said that once Vishnu and Lakshmi went to visit Shiva and Parvati. Vishnu and Lakshmi gave Shiva and Parvati fine foods, and some pieces dropped to the ground. From these remains arose a maiden endowed with fair qualities. She asked for leftover food (uccishtha). The four deities offered her their leftovers as prasada (food made sacred by having been tasted by deities). Shiva then said to the attractive maiden: "Those who repeat your mantra and worship you, their activities will be fruitful. They will be able to control their enemies and obtain the objects of their desires." From then on this maiden became known as Uccishtha-matangini. She is the bestower of all boons.
The legend of her origin stresses Matangi's association with leftover food, which is normally considered highly polluting. Indeed, she herself actually arises or emerges from Shiva and Parvati's table scraps. And the first thing she asks for is sustenance in the form of leftover food (uccishtha). Texts describing her worship specify that devotees should offer her uccishtha with their hands and mouths stained with leftover food; that is, worshippers should be in a state of pollution, having eaten and not washed. Since for Matangi worshippers make offering in a polluted state, she is known to have been offered a piece of clothing stained with the menstrual blood in order to win the boon of being able to attract someone. Menstrual blood is regarded in almost all Hindu texts and contexts as extremely polluting, and menstruating women are forbidden to enter temples or otherwise serve the deities. In the case of Matangi, these strict taboos are disregarded, indeed, are flaunted.
[edit] Symbolism
We live in a society that is very much governed by religious rules. One of these rules asserts that physical cleanliness is a must whenever performing pooja or visiting a temple. As young children, we were taught that we should have a shower before performing a pooja and wash our feet before entering the temple. These are good habits as ensuring cleanliness is a very important form of personal hygiene. At the same time, they freshen us up and make us more alert. However, does it mean that God will object to us connecting or praying to Him if we are in a physically unclean state or if its something that's beyond our control, e.g. women undergoing their menstrual cycle? Do you think that the all-loving and all-compassionate God will ever object to His female devotees from worshipping Him when they are undergoing their menstrual cycles? No. The Mahavidya Matangi teaches us that one can be in the dirtiest of state physically and still be able to connect with Her. She is not at all concerned with the external cleanliness of her devotees. She is only concerned with the state of the devotees within. If the devotees' mind, thoughts and heart are clean, they will be able to connect with the Goddess. And this applies not just to Matangi, but this applies to God in general. Just think for an instance. Will your parents prevent you from entering the house if you are having a menstrual cycle or if you are all dirty after a football game? Surely not. Then why would the all-compassionate and all-loving God prevent you from entering the temple or praying to him? Surely He won't. However, these are rules that we have been taught to obey and follow.
Of course, it is not proper to worship in an unclean state just to mock at God. That shows that the mind is unclean.
The detailed ways of worshipping Matangi, e.g. offering Her leftover food, is but a way to condition a person mentally that it is okay to worship the Divine even if one is physically unclean. Having observed rules of cleanliness for years, the best way to adopt a new thinking towards prayer and cleanliness is by physically performing an act and associating it with the thought, hence the act of offering leftover food and others described in the scriptures. At the end of the day, one has to come to the realization that the Divine is only interested in the purity of the thoughts, mind and soul, not the physical body.
[edit] Further reading
- Detailed description, discussion, pictures and links regarding Sri Matangi may be found at the Shakti Sahana Group:
http://www.shaktisadhana.org/DEVI/maatangi.html
- Hindu Goddesses: Vision of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Traditions (ISBN 81-208-0379-5) by David Kinsley.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Hinduism | Hindu mythology | Itihasa |  |
|---|---|
| Female Deities: Gayatri | Saraswati | Lakshmi | Dakshayani | Parvati | Durga | Shakti | Kali | Sita | Devi | Radha | Mahavidya | more... | |
| Male Deities: Brahma | Vishnu | Shiva | Rama | Krishna | Ganesha | Kartikeya | Hanuman | Lakshmana | Indra | Surya | more... | |
| Texts: Vedas | Upanishads | Puranas | Ramayana | Mahabharata | |
