Page:South-Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses.djvu/233

Rh This is, as it should be, in the case of a goddess who presides over the centres of physical life (prāna).

Svasthāvēsinī is of scarlet colour, inspires dread in those who see her, dwells amidst corpses, has three faces and two arms holding the kettle-drum and the trident, dark eyes, lean body and three braids of thick black hair. She is of the nature of forest fire.

Satruvidhvamsinī, "the destroyer of enemies," has likewise three faces, is as cruel as the flames of fire, has red eyes, fearful fangs, red hair, and a capacious belly. She is naked.

Ugra-Tārā, the goddess presiding over various diseases, stands in the ālidha posture, carries a corpse over her head and roars terribly. Short of stature, she has braids of black colour mixed with yellow and is surrounded by dreadful serpents. In a skull she holds the diseases of the three worlds together, with the object of killing them.

Dhūmrāvatī or Dhūmra-Kalī has a red body and wears a red cloth. Her ear-rings are like the trunks of an elephant and her fangs, terrible. She wears a necklace of skulls, is surrounded by devils, and holds in her hands a drawn sword and a skull.

Sūlinī with her eight arms, is likewise a goddess who inspires fear. She holds a trident, rides on a lion and is accompanied by four unmarried girls with swords and shields in their hands.

Pratyangirā has four arms and a face as terrible as that of a lion. Her hair stands erect on her head. In her hands she holds a skull, trident, kettle-drum and the noose (nāgapāsa). She is seated on a lion and by her power destroys all enemies (figs. I33 and I34).

Sītalādevī (or Māriyamma), the goddess of small-pox, is represented as riding naked on an ass with a winnow on her head and a broom and water-pot in her hands.

Trikantakīdevī has a body which is black below the navel, red between the navel and the neck and white above it. The terrible fangs protruding from her four faces are so long and crooked that they pierce out through her belly. In her four hands she holds two lamps, a conch and a discus.