Katyayani

Katyayani

Indian goddess. She is the sixth among the Navadurgas, the nine forms of Hindu goddess Durga who are worshipped during the festival of Navaratri. 

There are many origin stories of this goddess. At the time of the killing of Mahishasura, the gods were first defeated. They became very sad. On this occasion Katyayanamuni hear about this defeat, he called all the gods to his hermitage, gathered all their effulgence and mixed with it the effulgence of his penance, he produced a goddess for demons ends (Daityavadha).  That deity was named Katyayani.  Because she was produced by Katyayanamuni.  The form of this goddess is similar to Dashabhuja Durga and her vehicle is lion.

Katyayani goddess have three-eyed, quadrilateral holding and shankh-chakra-khadga-trishul.  It is said in Vidyanarnava Tantra that it should be Simhavahini. The Matsya Purana says that she should be ten-armed and sited on lion when she kills Mahishasura.

In search of Mahishasura, Goddess Katyayani came to Vindhyachal mountain, Ashtabhuja also came to Vindhyachal mountain, settled and took the name of Vindhyavasini.  Goddess Durga came to investigate on Mount Vindhya itself and killed the remote demon.  From these stories, one can infer that when the Aryas moved down from North India to South India during their migration, it was only then that they had to contend with the earlier Anaryas.  At that time, the need for Shaktidevata was more felt.  Many shakti deities must have been created around this time.  Chandamunda was also an Aryan descendant living on the south side of Vindhyachala.  If we can say exactly what this period is, then the time of origin of many gods can be definitely understood. 

 

The name of this goddess is included in the first four Shaktipeeths.  Udiyan, Kamagiri, Kamakhya and Jalandar are the first four Shaktipeeths, of which Katyayani Devi was established in Udiyan.  At that time there was an independent kingdom in Udiyan and a king named Indrabhuti was ruling there.  This period should be after the Mahabharata and between the Buddhist period.  Eventually this area came under the Yavani rule and this Peetha was destroyed. This goddess has a place in the list of 51 shaktipeeths.  In Vrindavan or Kesjal Peetha, Sati's hair fell and hence it got the name Kesjal.  Bhootesh or Krishnanath is the Bhairava of this place.
 

As another origin the demon Mahishasura established his power over all the planets.  Not only this, he also took away Indrapada from Indra.  Naradamuni told this news to Kartikswamy.  Swami created a woman with his effulgence and asked her to destroy Mahishasura.  Kartikswamy gave birth to her so named Katyayani.

रमश्या

रमश्या उतरायचा ढगासारखा
रहदारीच्या मधोमध ठोकायचा पाल
थाटायचा ऐरणीवर संसार.
रमश्या पंचाई.आडनाव कधी कळलं नाही.
मायबाप डेऱ्यावर सोडून, बायको पाठी घेऊन
तो प्यायचा असं बारा गावचं पाणी.
तो विळ्याला धार लावायचा
कुऱ्हाडीला पाणी द्यायचा
पास आणायचा पट्ट्यात.
गावातल्या आभाळभर हिरवाईला
रमश्या द्यायचा धगधगून सोबत.
बचत बँक म्हणून तो रोवायचा
पालाच्या मधोमध प्लास्टिकचा डबा
कसायचा आधाराच्या कसकसून दोऱ्या
सजवायचा तांब्या जर्मनची भांडी.

लांबला मुक्काम ढगांची वाट पाहत की
रमश्या होऊ पाहायचा सेक्युलर
दिसाव्या अशा पोझमध्ये लावायचा
नजरेसमोरचं देवाचे फोटो
नाचायचा गणपतीत अवघडून
उधळायचा गुलाल नीळ वैगेरे.
उसन्या चेहऱ्याने जपायचा माणसे
लग्नात घुसायचा ,जेवायचा, वाढायचा.
कुणाला दाजी ,कुणाला मामा. काका म्हणायचा.

कधी कधी घुसमटून यायचं
नको असलेलं गणगोत बायकोभवती
रमश्या सोसायचा,राख करायचा.
आणि बरोबर घ्यायचा तंतोतंत
हातोड्याच्या आणि एरणीच्या मध्ये
अशी माजूर्डी भावना.

ढग येत राहायचे जात राहायचे
रमश्याही येत राहायचा ,जात राहायचा .
अलीकडे  असा रमश्या मला इतरत्र कुठे दिसत नाही
अदृश्य झाल्यासारखा वाटतो.
मी विचार करत राहतो
रमश्याच्या प्लॅस्टीकच्या बँकेबाबत
त्याच्या सेक्युलर अवघडलेपणाबाबत
आणि एकाएक दाटून येतं की
रमश्या आपल्यातच तर नाही ना दडून बसलाय ?
आपणही हिंडतोच आहोत की पोटापाण्यासाठी
बारा गावाचं पाणी पीत.

डॉ. जगतानंद भटकर