Bagalamukhi Sadhana

Bagalamukhi is the eighth of ten Mahavidya. There is no word in Sanskrit as baga. It is mentioned as baka, which means hypocrite. But there is also another opinion wherein valgā is the original word. Valga means a woman. But whatever be the original word, it is strange that why the word bagala was derived. It appears like a proper noun, without any significant meaning. But generally, this goddess is not worshiped much, as she is capable of causing negativities. She can turn a good person as a bad person and rich man as pauper. She is often worshipped in Tantra for various purposes such as paralysing enemies, etc.

There are three stories about her origin. It is said that there was a torpedo in kṛtayuga, the first of all yuga-s (kṛita or Satya, treat, dvapara and kali yuga). During this turbulent time, several beings were destroyed because of the torpedo. Even Lord Vishnu was so concerned about it and He meditated to find a solution. Parasakti appeared before Him and gave Him Bagalamukhi from a pond, whose water was yellow in colour. Water in the pond is full of turmeric, which is considered as most auspicious. Only Bagalamukhi could quell the storm. Since she is clad in yellow attire, she is also called Pitambara Devi (Pītambara means dressed in yellow clothes and Viṣṇu is also known as Pītambara)

There is another story which says a demon called Madan attained boon and as a result of that, whatever he said came true. People were suffering due to him and they started worshipping Bagalamukhi and by the time she was about to cut his tongue, he realised his mistake and prayed to her to permit him to stay at her feet. It is said that she granted this boon.

Third story is related to Dhuumavati. It is said that Dhuumavati was born in the place where Parvati, Consort of Shiva, immolated herself in the home fire of her father Dakṣa, by entering into the sacrificial fire. From the fire, thick smoke came and this is said to be Dhumavati. That form of Parvati before self-immolation is known as Bagalamukhi.

Bagalamukhi is known for her magical powers. It is also said that one can acquire supernatural powers by worshipping Her. Lots of things are spoken about her capability to destroy enemies. She is also said to control five praṇas in the body (praṇa, apana, vyana, udana and samana). Though she has been portrayed as a negative goddess, it is also said that she is capable of bestowing highest spiritual knowledge and consequent liberation. There are instances where she is said to be seated on the corpse. There is a particular practise called “śava sadhana” or practices with a corpse. She is also said to be chief of the army of Lalitāmbikā, probably an indirect reference to Varahi (Lalita Sahasranama 76 speaks about Varahi).

She is said to be living in the upper palate of the human body, where cerebrospinal fluid enters throat from the skull. This fluid is known as amṛta in kuṇḍalini meditation. When she is meditated upon, she protects the aspirant. She is also described as the commander of the army of Parasakti, as Bagalamukhi was created by Parasakti, only to destroy that great storm. This storm can be subtly explained as the storm of the mind, where mind fights hard to find out what is right and what is not right. A realized mind is always beyond dualities. But an ordinary mind always struggles to find a solution, leading to multiple thought processes. If she is worshipped properly, the mind is calmed.

She is often described with four hands, adorning yellow color attire (yellow not only symbolizes auspiciousness but also removal of all diseases) and yellow colour ornaments. She is described only with two hands. In her right hand, she holds a club and with her left hand, she is pulling the tongue of demon Madan. The subtle conveyance is that ego manifests in the form of speech, is to be eradicated to calm down the mind, as only in a non-turbulent mental state, Self can be realized

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