Bhuvaneshvari
Bhuvaneshvari is the fourth of the ten Mahavidyas, and her name simply means 'queen of the worlds' (bhuvana-ishvari). She has little narrative of her own: the tantras give her the rule of the fourteen worlds, the noose and goad that are sovereignty, and maya as her power of appearance.
Bhuvaneshvari has little independent mythology: she is the world-queen of the Mahavidya set, and her maya is the power that makes a world appear rather than a deception to be escaped - a point on which Shakta and Vedantic readings differ. The planetary, elemental, zodiacal and tarot values are a modern Western overlay; the tantras give her no Navagraha rulership.
Correspondences
- Planetary Correspondence
- Moon
Offerings
- Offerings
- Red flowersRiceCoconutSweetsFruitKumkum
Sacred timing
- Sacred Timing
Symbols and forms
- Alternate Names
- BhuvaneshwariBhuvaneswariThe World-Queen
- Gender Expression
- Feminine
- Titles
- Queen of the WorldsMistress of the Fourteen WorldsThe Space of the WorldFourth of the Mahavidyas
- Symbols
- Noose and goadBoon granting mudraFearlessness mudraCrownThree cities
Practice
- Invocation Approach
- ToneGracious sovereignAddressBhuvaneshvariQueen of the WorldsMa BhuvaneshvariRelationshipThe queen who is also the room you stand inWarningHer maya is not a deception you may use on othersResonanceThose working with space protection and the shape of the world
- Modern Practice
She is called on for the protection of a place or a household, for the widening of a constrained life, and in Sri Vidya for the meditation on space. Her practice is quiet and sovereign rather than fierce: the room, the world and the one who rules it are not different.
Nature and meaning
- Domain
- SpaceMayaThe worldsSovereigntyProtectionThe akashaCompassion
- Mythology Summary
Bhuvaneshvari is the fourth of the ten Mahavidyas, and her name simply means 'queen of the worlds' (bhuvana-ishvari). She has little narrative of her own: the tantras give her the rule of the fourteen worlds, the noose and goad that are sovereignty, and maya as her power of appearance. The Lalita Sahasranama praises her among the names of the one Devi, and she is the benign, world-shaped counterpart to the fierce Mahavidyas.
Details
- Correspondences
- ColorsRedGoldWhiteBlueScentsSandalwoodJasmineRoseCamphorMetalsGoldSilverAnimalsLionSwan
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