Page:South-Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses.djvu/205

Rh Germs of the energy-creed may indeed be traced even in the Upanishads—the early sacred books of the Hindus—though its extreme development took place at a much later period.

Saktis may be found depicted in temples in any one of the three aspects, the calm, the terrible or the ugly, as distinguished by the particular positions in which they are placed or the circumstances under which they are worshipped. When merely represented as the consorts of the gods they are mild and pleasing in appearance and have only two hands, in one of which is held the lotus bud. More often, however, the goddesses have independent existence. The majority of these latter are Saivite in their nature, i.e., wild, fearful and destructive and are often propitiated only by bloody sacrifices. Before entering upon a description of these numerous Saivite Saktis, a word may be said of each of the milder ones associated with Brahmā, Vishnu and Siva. It must be noted that the characteristic feature in the worship of Saktis, whether Saivite, Vaishnavite or otherwise, is the association with them of mystic charms, or geometrical figures called chakras, yantras or pithas, with conventional and often mystic incantations and solemn ceremonials which make no appeal to the gentler feelings of human nature.

Sarasvatī or Vāgīsvarī, the consort of Brahmā, may be represented with two or more hands. In the former case she holds the book and the rosary, and in the latter the noose and the hook in addition (fig. 117). Vāgīsvarī, who is referred to in Mayrabhanja (Introduction, p. lxxvi) as a goddess worshipped both by the Buddhist and Hindu Tāntrikas, is described in the Pāncharātrāgama as having three eyes and four hands holding in these latter the staff, book, rosary and the water-pot, which as we have seen above, are the symbols of the creator Brahmā. Two other allied forms of Vāgīsvarī are Dhēnu-Vāgīsvarī and Saubhāgya-Vāgīsvarī, both of which are mild in appearance and beautiful, but as Saktis in essence, they display the Saivaite attributes of three eyes, the jatāmakuta