Mata Vaishno Devi – Hindu Goddesses and Deities

Vaishno Devi, also known as Mata Rani, Trikuta and Vaishnavi, is a manifestation of the Hindu Mother Goddess Mahalakshmi. The words “maa” and “mata” are commonly used in India for “mother”, and thus are often used in connection with Vaishno Devi.

Vaishno Devi is believed to bestow strength to the weak, sight to the blind, wealth to the poor and bless childless couples with children. This very powerful deity, it is said, is also benevolent enough to fulfill one and all of her devotees’ wishes.

MYTHOLOGY AND LEGEND:

There are several other legends connected with the Vaishnav Devi. A popular one amongst them is the legend of Shridhar’s vision. According to the legend, Sridhar was a poor Brahmin who lived in village Hansali near Katra about seven hundred years ago. Sridhar was had no child and therefore, he ardently worshipped the goddess hoping to get a child of his own. As a part of his daily ritual he performed ‘Kanya-Pujan’ to please the goddess. One day while Sridhar was performing the ‘Kanya-Pujan’ a girl who looked did not seem from his village appeared and told him to hold a Bhandara (community meal) for all the villagers the next day. The girl assured him that by performing the same all his cherished dreams shall come true. Saying so, the mysterious girl disappeared. Sridhar was mystified by the strange appearance of the unknown girl and decided to do as asked for by the girl inspite of the fact that he was a very poor Brahmin. He invited not only every villager for the Bhandara but also Guru Gorakhnath and his disciples whom it was believed that not even Lord Indra had been able to satisfy. When the fateful day dawned, the worried Sridhar was relieved to see the strange girl again, who instructed him to ask each and every invitee to get seated in the small little hut of Sridhar. To the utter disbelief of Sridhar as the invitees started to take their place inside the small hut, there always seemed to be some space for few more people. After every one was seated the girl herself began to serve the food of their choice to everyone. Seated among the guests was a disciple of guru Gorakhnath named Bhairon Nath who on his turn asked the holy girl to serve him meat and wine. When the girl refused to provide him these items in the house of a Brahamin, Bhairon Nath tried to grab her hand. The girl immediately with her powers disappeared from the scene and proceeded to the mighty Trikuta Hills. Bhairon Nath in order ascertains the reality of this mysterious girl and to put to test her powers, started following her. The holy girl passed through Banganga, Charan-Paduka, Ardhkwari, and then reached the holiest of the holy cave situated amidst the folds of the Trikuta-hills. When Bhairon Nath continued to follow her despite the girl (who was the goddess) trying to avoid a confrontation,she was compelled to kill him. Bhairon Nath met his ultimate fate when the goddess, just outside the mouth of the cave, beheaded him. The severed head of the Bhairon Nath fell with a force at a distant hilltop. The Bhairon Nath upon death realised the futility of his mission and asked her to forgive him. The almighty ‘Mata’ had mercy on Bhairon and gave him a boon that every devotee of the goddess would have to receive his Darshans after receiving darshan of the goddess and only then would the yatra of a devotee be considered complete.

In the meantime, Sridhar was depressed by the whole episode and in a fit of despair renounced food and started fasting. One day he had a dream of the same girl who told him that she was Vaishno Devi and showed him the vision of her cave and also blessed him with the boon of four sons. Sridhar, happy once again, set out in search of the cave, and after finding it he decided to spend the rest of his life at the foot of this cave in worship of the deity. Soon the fame of the holy cave spread, and the devotees began to flock it to pay their homage to the mighty Goddess.

ICONOGRAPHY:

Vaishno Devi Mata is depicted as very beautiful and dressed in red. Her eight arms hold trident, bow, arrow, lotus, mace and sword and a hand in abhaya gesture. She rides on a tiger.

FESTIVALS AND VRATS:

Navaratri is considered the most auspicious festival to worship Vaishnav Devi.

MANTRA:

“Om Sarvteerth Samoodbhootam Paadyam Gandhaadi-Bhiryutam |

Anisht-Harta Grihaanedam Bhagvati Bhakt-Vatsalaa ||

Om Shri Vaishnavi Namah”

TEMPLES:

Vaishno Devi Mandir (Hindi: वैष्णोदेवी मन्दिर) is a very popular Hindu temple dedicated to the Hindu Goddess, located at the Trikuta Mountains within the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. More than 10 million pilgrims visit this shrine every year.

This pilgrimage is considered to be one of the holiest pilgrimages among Hindus. Popular the world over as “Moonh Maangi Muradein Poori Karne Wali Mata”, which means, the Mother who fulfills whatever her children wish for, ‘Mata’ (literally meaning mother).

The journey to the Holy Shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji is believed to start with “Call of Mata”. It is a belief that the Divine Mother sends a call to her children and once a person receives it, wherever he is, is bound to visit the Mother to receive her unbounded love and blessings. It is also believed that unless there is a call or Bulawa from Mata no one can visit the Shrine or have her blessings, howsoever high or mighty one may be.

Some traditions believe this Shrine to be the holiest of all Shaktipeeths (a place where the Mother Goddess, the Eternal Energy has her abode) since the skull of Mata Sati fell here. Others believe that her right arm had fallen here. But some scriptures do not agree with it. They do agree that at a place called Gandarbal in Kashmir, the right arm of Sati had fallen. Nevertheless, in the Holy Cave of Shri Mata Vaishno Deviji, one does find stone remains of a human hand, popularly known as Varad Hast (the hand that grants boons and blessings).