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Sharadiya Navratri 2026: Discover the Cosmic Ten Forms of Dashamahavidya
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News18•09-10-2026, 11:02
Sharadiya Navratri 2026: Discover the Cosmic Ten Forms of Dashamahavidya
- •Navratri is celebrated four times a year, with Chaitra and Ashwin being common and Ashadh and Magh being Gupt Navratris.
- •While nine forms of Durga are worshipped during common Navratri, the Dashamahavidya are honored during Gupt Navratri in Shakta and Tantric traditions.
- •The ten cosmic forms emerged in ten directions when Goddess Sati displayed her wrath after Lord Shiva stopped her from attending Daksha Prajapati's yajna.
- •The Dashamahavidya group includes Kali, Tara, Tripurasundari, Bhuvaneshwari, Chhinnamasta, Bhairavi, Dhumavati, Baglamukhi, Matangi, and Kamala.
- •Dashamahavidya is distinct from Navdurga, representing a separate group of ten goddesses associated with supreme knowledge and tantric worship.
Key Questions Answered
The ten cosmic forms of Goddess Sati that make up the Dashamahavidya in the Shakta tradition include Kali, Tara, Tripurasundari, Bhuvaneshwari, Chhinnamasta, Bhairavi, Dhumavati, Baglamukhi, Matangi, and Kamala.
According to tradition, when Lord Shiva stopped Goddess Sati from going to Daksha Prajapati's yajna, she displayed her cosmic form out of anger. As Shiva moved in different directions, a new fierce form of the Goddess appeared in each of the ten directions, creating the Dashamahavidya.
Navdurga consists of nine forms worshipped sequentially over the nine days of common Navratris, whereas Dashamahavidya represents a distinct group of ten goddesses primarily associated with Shakta and Tantric religious traditions.
