Cchinnamastha (Chinnamastā) — the Beheaded, the Power of the Sacrifice.

Cchinnamastha (Chinnamastā) — the Beheaded, the Power of the Sacrifice.

“Her left foot forward in battle, she holds her severed head and a knife. Naked, she drinks voluptuously the stream of the blood-nectar flowing from her beheaded body. The jewel on her forehead is tied with a serpent. She has three eyes. Her breasts are adorned with lotuses. Inclined toward lust, she sits erect above the god of love, who shows signs of lustfulness. She looks like the red China rose. Her eyes are blue.” (Chinnamastā Tantra).

[Lord Śiva said] - “I shall describe Chinnamastā. During the Kṛta Yuga on the best of mountains — Kailāśa, I and Mahāmāyā were engaged in Mahāvrata (sexual intercourse).

When I ejaculated, she appeared as Chaṇḍikā, of fearsome visage, and from her body two Śaktis emerged who became her attendants — they were known as Dakini and Varnini.

One day Chaṇḍikā with two attendants went to the bank of the Puṣpabhadrā River. At midday her hungry attendants said to Chaṇḍikā, “Please give us food.”

Smiling and auspicious Chaṇḍikā heard their request, looked in all directions [finding no feed] she severed her own head. With the left bloodstream, she gratified Dakini, with the right one, she gratified Varnini and from the centre one, she drank own blood.

After exhibiting her pastime in this way, she replaced her head on her torso and assumed her original form. At dusk, they returned home.

When I saw her anaemic appearance, I suspected that she had been abused by someone. This infuriated me. From this anger a portion of me arose and became known as Krodha Bhairava. (Pranatoshini Tantra)

Once the progress of the day or the process of world unfoldment has reached a state of stability, it continues to exist, depending for its sustenance on destruction, on burning, on consuming.

The cosmic sacrifice (yajña) expresses this process of universal metabolism, and the ritual sacrifices (yajñas) are performed with the intention of harmonising and co-operating with the cosmic process. Yajña is the exchanging of energies between differing levels.

The aspect of Śiva which presides over the cosmic sacrifice is the Headless (Kabandha). The Vedic ritual of sacrifice consists in beheading the victim — “The sacrifice is indeed beheaded.” (Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa). Hence the Shakti of the sacrifice is depicted as the “Beheaded-one (Chinnamastā).

At the end of the ritual sacrifice there is a ceremony called the “joining of the head” (siro-sandhana), in which the head is symbolically reattached to the body of the victim.

This represents the consummation of the cycle, the ultimate resurrection of all forms, without which the meaning of the sacrifice would remain incomplete.

Chinnamastā rules over the five Great- Sacrifices (pañcha-mahā-yajñas). Every human born is liable to 5 debts (runas) and our duty as conscious humans is to discharge these 5 debts at every occasion for the entirety of our lives on the planet. The five Great Sacrifices are nothing but the continual expressing of gratitude to all those who facilitate our existence.

They are: —

Pitṛi yajña — to Ancestors - parental responsibilitiesn
Deva yajña — to gods, the cosmic forces which maintain the harmony of the universe.
Brahma yajña — to Supreme through the study of the teachings of the sages.
Manuṣya yajña — to fellow human beings - societal responsibilities.
Bhūta yajña — to the animals and elements - environmental responsibilities.

The myth of beheading is also found associated with Vishnu in the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa. Vishnu’s head is cut off and it ascends into the sky to become the sun.

The solar radiation (Pravargya) is also a constant offering to the earth. The very life-essence of the sun, poured into the earth so that it and all beings upon it may live.

The solar energy is the essence of all food (anna). This outpouring of solar radiation is compared to a perpetual beheading of the sun and as such the Beheaded represents the life-giving and life-destroying power of the Sun.

In Buddhism Chinnamastā is called the Power-of-the-Thunderbolt (Vajra- yogini). Her philosophical form is Prajña-paramita, intuitive wisdom.

As a form of the eternal night Chinnamastā is the Night-of-Courage (Vīra- Rātri) when the victim is brought to the altar of sacrifice.

Chinnamastā Sadhana -

Chinnamastā Sadhana is limited to Tāntrics, Yogis and world renouncers due to her ferocious nature and her reputation of being dangerous to approach and worship. However, Chinnamastā Sadhana is done to destroy the enemy. She is worshipped to get rid of court cases, to seek government favours, to get stronghold in business and to gain good health.

Chhinnamaṣtā Moola Mantra -

श्रीं ह्रीं क्लीं ऐं वज्र वैरोचनीयै हूं हूं फट् स्वाहा॥

Śrīṁ Hrīṁ Klīṁ Aiṁ Vajra Vairocanīyai Hūṁ Hūṁ Phaṭ Svāhā॥