Bagalamukhi: The Goddess of Hypnotic Power by Visual Artist- Designer Swapnil

January 13, 2018

Bagalamukhi: The Goddess of Hypnotic Power by Visual Artist- Designer Swapnil

The Great Goddess Bagalamukhi is the eighth Great Cosmic Wisdom in the Hindi tantric pantheon. She, according to the praises the sages brought to her,owns (among other things) the amazing power to stop or to suddenly cease any movement or any action that occurs both at a macro cosmic and at a micro cosmic (that of a human being) level.

This extraordinary ability is related to some other aspects of life like the power to fascinate, charismatic influence, etc.

For example, a very beautiful,harmonious and vital woman can actually arouse a kind of “still state” or immobility of the senses, of the mind and even of the breath in those who see her.

In fact, the Eastern spiritual tradition asserts that the power which the Feminine Principle holds at a cosmic level has the extraordinary capacity to block,to stop or to immobilize any activity or manifestation.

This is the main aspect manifested by the Great Cosmic Wisdom, Bagalamukhi, who represents the universal hypnotic power of the Supreme Divine Power (Shakti) itself.

Etymologically, Bagala means “rope” or “rein” and Mukhi means “face” or “image”. Therefore, Bagalamukhi is the Goddess whose face has the formidable power (through her subtle radiation) to control or to rule any situation or form in manifestation.

Recognizing the Goddess

It is not only her crane face that is identified as her main feature. She is called Peetambari devi or Brahmastra Roopini in some of the northern regions of India. This is because she wears yellow colored clothes and has a golden aura around her. Her throne is also made of yellow lotuses. She has a crescent shaped moon on her head. In some images she is shown having two arms and in some she is four armed. In west Bengal her worshippers see her as a demon slaying demi goddess. She carries a club in her right hand and looks ferocious. With her left hand she is puling out the demon’s tongue. With this image one knows that the Goddess is capable of quashing her adversaries and has the ability to paralyze them completely. In a way her powers are such that a person who uses speech for evil doing is made silent. She can overturn failure into success. And in a metaphysical way she can also reveal the significance of life in death. She can transform defeat into victory for her followers.

Goddess Bagalamukhi is a perfect example of duality – the ying and yang. One can easily find peace and balance in lie following her principles. In a more metaphysical way she embodies the consummation of the unborn into the uncreated.

Legends about the Goddess

Every God and Goddess is associated with some legend. How Goddess Bagalamukhi came to earth is an interesting tale. Eons ago there was a raging storm on earth. It was so strong that it would have wiped out all creation from it. The Gods were perturbed and held an emergency council to stop the flooding and destruction of Mother Earth. The meeting was apparently held in Saurastra (western India). The storm had to be weakened. From the Haridra Sarovar emerged the form of Goddess Bagalamukhi. This event has been faithfully recorded in the scriptures of Peetambari Peeth in Madhya Pradesh. As the power of the Goddess grew she assumed responsibility for her followers. They started to dedicate temples for her.

Temples in her honor

The most important shrine of the Goddess is in Guwahati in Assam. The temple is very close to Kamakhya where high ranked tantrics meet. She is also worshipped in Newar city (Patan, Nepal), Bankhandi (Himachal Pradesh), Peetambar Peeth (Datia, MP) and Nalkheda (Shajapur, MP).

How the Goddess blesses her followers

Most of the deeper religious texts in Hinduism deal with Tantra either in the dualistic or non-dualistic forms. An ordinary mortal identifies himself as a dualistic entity. They are different from the universe or any other form of divinity. In the higher stage, the duality is no longer existent. Now there is no separation between the divine and the mortal being. They are One. The followers of the Goddess have gone beyond the stage of duality and have become One with her. The use of the potent mantra is used to silence their critics and enemies alike. The hypnotic gaze and power of Stambhana (paralysis) allows things to be balanced.

For the neophyte, non-dualistic followers the enemy is the ego. This called for ‘sadhana’ or meditation. It develops the follower into a more stronger being. With the continuous chanting of the mantra the breath is regulated and it is easier to get self-realization. This is the strength of the mantra. There are many other spiritual benefits that Her devotees get.

Benefits and Blessings

Goddess Bagalamukhi is pleased when she is respected and followed in the right manner. The correct recitation of the mantra has many benefits. It helps one to conquer the internal demons and external adversaries too. Mortal human beings suffer due to greed, lust, pride, enmity, and different attachments. Some relationships become toxic. Most humans forget that the goal of life is to get liberated eventually. Only the practice of meditation and regime of sadhana are useful to get self-realized. This way the cycle of birth and death are reduced. It is said that even Lord Krishna and his Pandava friend Arjun worshipped her.

Devotees are protected from:

1. black magic

2. curse done by others

3. legal problems

4. possibility of accidents

5. adverse incidents

6. unnatural events

7. enemy’s mal-intention

8. disease

9. poverty

Astrological significance of Ma Bagalamukhi Pooja

We seek the help of God only when we are in trouble. With the divine intervention of Ma Bagalamukhi, the troubles are reduced. When a person has a malefic intent of Mars in the birth chart or an antardasa (specific period of suffering), then they can do the pooja of this Goddess. The pooja helps in overcoming the difficulties in the form of obstacles, enemies or severe problems in personal and professional life. It is also a protective gear for accidents, unnatural events and other disastrous which are life threatening.

Mantra for the Goddess Bagalamukhi:

hring baglamukhi devyayae namah

hring bagalamukhi sarvvadushtanam vvachanmukham padam

stambhaya jihva kilaya kilaya buddhi vinaashaya hring swaha

About the Artist

Swapnil Shukla is a Jewellery designer , Design Journalist, crafts expert and Visual artist from India .She is the FIRST Jewellery Journalist and Fashion Columnist who writes and educates her readers about the most intricate subjects i.e Fashion , Jewellery and Lifestyle in 'HINDI' language.Swapnil’s work appears in a wide variety of notable Indian publications. Swapnil made her fashion columns and knowledge available to the hindi language people . As a self-confessed ‘enthusiast of beautiful things’, Swapnil is also the chief Designer and co -owner of Swapnil Saundarya Label , which is a luxury craft manufacturing firm . Swapnil has worked as Jewellery and Fashion Columnist/Journalist for many Nationalized Magazines and started the famous and highly traffic grabber fashion & Lifestyle blog ‘Swapnil Saundarya’ available in English as well as in Hindi . Swapnil has also authored three books namely ‘Gehne – The Art of wearing Jewellery’ published in 2012, Fashion Pandit published in 2014 and The Fascinating History of Indian Jewellery Published in 2017. She has launched her own Designer Jewellery brand namely ‘Swapnil Jewels & Arts’ and now with a desire to add new dimensions to the design and Art industry , she started ‘ Swapnil Saundarya Label ‘ with a motive to make everybody’s life beautiful and just like their Dream World . She has received the 'Excellence Award 2016' in Fine arts from Uttar Pradesh Art Society. Swapnil has worn several hats , Jewellery Journalist, Columnist , Designer, Fashion Consultant, Craft Expert, Writer and Painter. More recently she diversified into Handicraft Products as an experiment in her journey in design . She recently got featured on 'The Elegant Life' as young Indian entrepreneur who successfully started with almost nothing and set a milestone in her 20s.

She presently works as Director & Chief Writer of Swapnil Saundarya ezine , which is an online publication that curates articles and info. on Art, Fashion , Jewels, Lifestyle, Interiors, Health Tips, Finance, Beauty, Religion , Entrepreneurship , Interviews, History Recalls and many more.

Website :: vwww.swapnilshukla.weebly.com

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