December 9, 2025
atheyamāyayau tāsāṁ kathāvasarataḥ kathā
asmān umāpatir devaḥ kiṁ paśyaty avahelayā (27)
BHUŚUṆḌA said:
In this universe there is a great divinity known as Hara who is the god of gods and who is adored by all the gods in heaven. His consort occupies one half of his body. The holy river Gaṅgā flows from his matted locks. On his head also shines the radiant moon. A deadly cobra encircles his neck, apparently deprived of its poison by the nectar that flows from the moon. His sole adornment is the sacred ash which is smeared all over his body. He dwells in cemeteries or cremation grounds. He wears a garland of skulls. His amulets and bracelets are snakes.
By a mere glance he destroys the demons. He is devoted to the welfare of the entire universe. Hills and mountains which seem to be forever immersed in meditation are the symbols which represent him. His lieutenants are goblins that have heads and hands like razors and that have faces like a bear, a camel, a mouse etc. He is radiant with three eyes. These goblins bow down to him. And, the female deities who feed on the beings in the fourteen worlds dance in front of him.
These female deities are also endowed with faces resembling various animals. They dwell on the peaks of mountains, in space, in different worlds, in crematoriums and in the bodies of embodied ones. Of these female deities eight are principal ones they are Jayā, Vijayā, Jayantī, Aparājitā, Siddhā, Rakttā, Alaṁbusā and Utpalā. All the others follow these eight deities. Of these, the seventh Alaṁbusā is the most famous. Her vehicle is the crow which is extremely powerful and which is blue in colour.
Once upon a time all these female deities assembled in space. They duly worshipped the divinity known as Tumburu (which is one of the aspects of Rudra) and engaged themselves in left-handed ritual which reveals the supreme truth. They adored Tumburu and also the deity known as Bhairava and they began to perform various rites intoxicated, as they were, by wine. Soon they began to discuss an important question: how is it that the Lord of Umā (Hara) treats us contemptuously? They made up their mind thus: ”We shall demonstrate our prowess in such a way that he does not do so hereafter.” They overwhelmed Umā by their magic powers, and separated her from her lord Hara. All the female deities sang and danced in ecstasy. Some drank, some sang, some laughed, some roared, some ran, some fell and some ate flesh. These intoxicated deities began to create disorder in the whole world.