Mathangi (Mātaṅgī ) — the Elephant Power, the Power of Domination, the Outcaste Goddess.

Mathangi (Mātaṅgī ) - The Elephant Power, the Power of Domination, the Outcaste Goddess.

She is seated on a corpse. Her clothes and all her ornaments are red. She wears a garland of ganja seeds. She is sixteen years old and has full breasts. She holds a skull and a sword in her two hands. She should be offered leftovers [ucciṣṭa].’

She is blue in colour and has the disc of the moon on her forehead. She has three eyes, is seated on a jewelled throne, and is adorned with jewelled ornaments. She has a very thin waist, and her breasts are round and firm. She has a smiling face and holds a noose, a sword, a goad, and a club in her four hands.’

One version of Mātaṅgī’s origin is found in the Pranatoshni-tantra:

Once upon a time, Pārvatī was seated on Śiva`s lap.

She said to him that he always granted her wishes and that now she had a desire to return to her father’s home for a visit. Would he consent to her visiting her father, Himalaya, she asked?

Śiva was not happy about granting her this wish but eventually complied, saying that if she did not come back in a few days, he would, go there himself to ask for her return.

Pārvatī’s mother sent a crane to carry Pārvatī back to her family home.

When she did not return for some days, Śiva disguised himself as an ornament maker and went to Himalaya’s house.

He sold shell ornaments to Pārvatī and then, seeking to test her faithfulness, asked that she have sex with him as his payment.

Pārvatī was outraged at the merchant’s request and was ready to curse him, but then she discerned with her yogic intuition that the ornament vendor was really her husband, Śiva.

Concealing her knowledge of his true identity, she replied: “Yes, fine, I agree. But just not now!”

Sometime later, Pārvatī disguised herself as a huntress and went to Śiva’s home, where he was preparing to do evening meditation. She danced there, near Mānasa Lake. She wore red clothes, and her body was lean, her eyes wide, and her breasts large.

Admiring her, Śiva asked: “Who are you? “ She replied: “I am the daughter of a Chaṇḍāla. I’ve come here to do penance.”

Then Śiva said:— “I am the one who rewards those who do penance.” Saying this, he took her hand, kissed her, and prepared to make love to her.

While they made love, Śiva himself was changed into a Chaṇḍāla. At this point he recognized the Chaṇḍāla woman as his wife Pārvatī.

After they had made love, Pārvatī asked Śiva for a boon, which he granted.

Her request was this:— “As you [Śiva] made love to me in the form of a Caṇḍālinī [Caṇḍālawoman], this form will last forever and will be known as Ucciṣṭa Caṇḍālinī.

The regal elephant is the mount of Indra, king of the gods as well as of temporal kings. It is the symbol of the power of domination.

After the terror of the night appears the reassuring sunlight. The demons are defeated; Mātaṅgī, the Elephant power, establishes the rule of peace, of calm, of prosperity.

The day is, however, a dream, a mirage that appears in the eternal night. As a form of night, Mātaṅgī is therefore the Night-of-Delusion (Moha-Rātri).

Mātaṅgī is associated with “left-overs” and indeed prefers pollution. Those who perform sādhana of Mātaṅgī must offer her left-over food and worship her after eating without washing. Even the highly “polluting” menstrual state is said to please this goddess.

Ucciṣṭa Mātaṅgī as the embodiment of the ritually polluted is the goddess by means of whom one can directly come to terms with pollution. As such she is very empowering and liberating. She also has a strong association with forests and jungles.

Mātaṅgī Sadhana -

Goddess Mātaṅgī Sadhana is prescribed to acquire supernatural powers, especially gaining control over enemies, attracting people to oneself, acquiring mastery over the arts and gaining supreme knowledge.

Mātaṅgī Moola Mantra -

ॐ ह्रीं ऐं भगवती मतंगेश्वरी श्रीं स्वाहा॥

Oṁ Hrīṁ Aiṁ Bhagavatī Mataṁgeśvarī Śrīṁ Svāhā॥