Who is Matrikas (Saptamatrika)
The Saptamatrika (Seven Mothers) are a group of seven goddesses who embody the shaktis (divine energies) of major male deities. Their earliest mention appears in the Rigveda (10.72.8-9), where the term 'Matarah' refers to divine mothers, though the full group crystallizes in later texts. The Devi Mahatmya (chapters 8-10) narrates their emergence from the bodies of male gods to assist the goddess Durga in her battle against the demons Shumbha and Nishumbha. Each Matrika corresponds to a specific god: Brahmani (Brahma), Maheshvari (Shiva), Kaumari (Kumara/Skanda), Vaishnavi (Vishnu), Varahi (Varaha), Indrani (Indra), and Chamunda (derived from Chanda and Munda, slain by the goddess).
The Matsya Purana (chapter 179) and the Vamana Purana (chapter 30) provide detailed accounts of their origins and iconography. Iconographically, they are depicted seated in a row, each with her distinctive attributes: Brahmani holds a lotus and kamandalu; Maheshvari a trishula; Kaumari a spear; Vaishnavi a shankha and chakra; Varahi has a boar face; Indrani carries a vajra; and Chamunda appears emaciated with a garland of skulls. Symbolically, they represent the protective and destructive aspects of the divine feminine, guarding the directions and warding off evil. In South Indian temple traditions, especially in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the Saptamatrika are installed in village shrines (grama devata) and worshipped for fertility, protection from disease, and prosperity.
During Navaratri, they are venerated as manifestations of the goddess. Tantric texts like the Tantraraja Tantra elaborate on their mantras and yantras, associating them with the seven chakras. In Hindu cosmology, the Matrikas are considered the mothers of all beings, nurturing creation while also wielding fierce power to annihilate demons. Their collective worship underscores the principle that all divine energies are ultimately one, manifesting through multiple forms.
Names by which the divine is addressed
What they hold
Form, mudras, weapons & vahana
Seven goddesses depicted together. Each has her own attributes: Brahmani (lotus, kamandalu), Maheshvari (trishula), Kaumari (spear), Vaishnavi (shankha, chakra), Varahi (boar face), Indrani (vajra), Chamunda (skeletal form).