The goddess Kamala is one of the 10 Mahavidyas known as the goddesses of wisdom. She is also the Hindu goddess of consciousness and creation. The goddess Kamala is depicted as a beautiful woman adorned with golden skin and sitting or standing on a lotus. She is also seen holding two more lotuses that symbolize both fertility and purity.
The goddess is accompanied by huge elephants pouring jars of nectar over her. Kamala is considered the Mahavidya form of the goddess Lakshmi, who represents wealth and beauty. As one of the ten Mahavidyas, the goddess Kamala represents the development of inner consciousness in the richness of creation.
The name Kamala, meaning“She of the Lotus Flower,” is also seen as Kamalatmika.
1. Origin of the goddess Kamala
She is associated with the story of Samudra Manthan or Churning of the Ocean. Once, gods and demons gathered to churn the ocean to obtain various gems that would make both gods and demons powerful. Among these gems, ‘Amrit’, the nectar or elixir, is the most significant.
During this churning process, they obtained eighteen types of gems, seventeen of which are her or the goddess Kamlatmika, and they were given to Lord Vishnu and those who married. Even so, she is only Kamlatmika, not ‘Shri or Lakshmi’, the main ‘Shri’ is only one, known as Sri Vidya, Tripur Sundari.
She worships Shri Vidya, Tripur Sundari, to obtain unity from her. As a result of her faith and worship, she became happier and more satisfied and was given a place in Mahavidya and received the name ‘Shri and Lakshmi’ and was blessed to be famous by this name. She represents the power of Satwa Guna, as she is Vaishnavi Shakti (those who follow the path of truth and purity) and is associated with Lord Vishnu.
She is known for her eight main forms as:
- Saubhagya Lakshmi, Vhairav: Narayan
- Maha Lakshmi, Vhairab: Vasudev.
- Tri Shakti Lakshmi
- Samrajya Lakshmi, Vhairav: Hari
- Sidha Lakshmi
- Sri Vidya, Lakshmi (Goddess Sri Vidya Tripur Sundari)
- Raj Lakshmi (Goddess Kubjika)
- Dhyna Lakshmi (Goddess Annapurna).
With these eight forms, she creates the family of Asta Laksmi.
She is strongly associated with Kuber (the god in charge of treasure) and Indra (King of all Gods). Kuber, who is in charge of treasure, protects and gives wealth, which was given to him by the goddess Lakshmi. Indira, who is the king of the gods, rain, and the sky, has a kingdom adorned with all luxury items, wealth, prosperity, and delight, where royal authority and fertility are central. The goddess Lakshmi is the giver of all this royalty.
On Kartik Amavasya (new moon day of the month of Kartik in the Hindu calendar), also known as the festival of lights, she is worshipped in every Hindu home, except in the Bengali, Assamese, and Odia communities. In these communities, she is worshipped on the full moon day of Aswin (month of the Hindu calendar). Lakshmi or Kamla is symbolized through three themes in society. The first is prosperity and wealth, the second is fertility and crops, and the third is being blessed with good luck.
2. Description
Kamala has an elegant golden complexion. In her four hands, she holds two lotuses and is seen bestowing blessings and giving security to her devotees. She wears a dazzling crown on her head and is dressed in a silk dress. She also wears a kaustibha gem and has a smiling face.
The goddess is seen sitting on a lotus in a lotus posture. As the goddess of material and spiritual wealth and beauty, Kamala is worshipped in difficult economic times. She is a benign goddess who blesses her devotees with good luck, power, wealth, and security.
“Kamala as the Lotus Goddess also represents the development of the person by maintaining the dharma of keeping the seven chakras open. She upholds sadhana. She is the goddess of the lotus and is the goddess of progress. That is why she, like Shree or Lakshmi, is called Shakti of Shiva.
3. Physical Appearance
She is beautiful, with a smiling and charming face and golden complexion. Groups of elephants bathe her with nectar from golden pots. She holds the lotus in her two hands and makes a gesture of giving blessings and assurances with her other two hands.
She wears a shining golden crown with precious gems and a beautiful silk sari, adorned with various valuable ornaments and Kaustiva Mani (a precious gem, taken by Lord Vishnu in the churning of the ocean).
She was seated on the lotus above the ocean and surrounded by lotus flowers. She has three lotus-like eyes and a bright moon disc on her forehead.
4. Legend
The goddess Mahashakti had created the entire universe, but her task was still incomplete even though the universe was complete, but it was unfinished due to the absence of grace.
She had transformed herself into the goddess Kamala to manifest all kinds of wealth and prosperity in the world. Only by appearing as Kamala would the world be prosperous, so she manifested herself to provide prosperity in the world.
5. Iconography
In Hindu and Buddhist iconography, the lotus is considered very auspicious because the lotus is rooted in mud, which is dirty and hingeless, but its flowers are untouched by the mud and remain sanctified. Its association with the lotus symbolizes a certain perfection.
The iconographic association also depicts her being bathed by four large elephants, which pour jugs of nectar over her. She also has four hands. In two hands, she holds two lotuses, and her other two hands are in gestures that give security and confer blessings, respectively. She is shown sitting in the lotus position on a lotus flower, which symbolizes purity.
6. Goddess Kamla or Kamlatmika
Kamla means “one related to the lotus.” She is also known as Tantric Lakshmi and is associated with wealth, prosperity, good luck, and fertility. Because of these natural properties, she is known among all Hindus.
The lotus flower is strongly associated with her; she worships lotuses, her eyes resemble lotuses, she is surrounded by lotuses, and she is seated on a lotus. Saubhagya Lakshmi, who was surrounded and worshipped with lotuses and elephants (symbolizing royalty), is also famous under her other name, Shri, but the central or main Shri is the goddess Shri Vidya, Tripur Sundari.
She is closely related to purity and hygiene, complete with her auspicious, benign, and desirable qualities. She is completely opposed to the goddess Dhumavati or Alakshmi with regard to her traits. Therefore, it is mandatory to be orderly and clean, hygienic, and to take care of purity if one wishes to obtain wealth and prosperity.
She resides only in auspicious places. Her role among the Mahavidyas (The Power of Wisdom) forms a minor part of her worship. She is an ancient and extremely popular goddess in the Hindu religion and is worshipped by gods, humans, yakshas, and demons. This goddess is also closely related to the Lotus, she sits and sleeps on lotuses, this is due to the purity and auspiciousness of the lotus.
