KHODIYAR MAA
Womb & Fertility

When looking at the Goddesses in Tantra, we notice that their stories point to energetic principles. A Goddess is a whole world of energetic principle made manifest. The work of a Tantric practitioner is to condense and concentrate their forces into a focussed point and to align with the world of the Goddess behind her archetypal representation.

When we align to a Goddess, we bring vast movements to our lives. It takes work and focus and is no flimsy affair of wishful thinking and good intention. The Vajra is the concentration of electrical force. In any branch in life the focus of force is a law for creation. This law holds true in Tantra as it does in any other field.

Tantra is a practical subject that magically accesses the Goddess energies through concentrated techniques and ritual applications. The techniques are not random, but work with a scientifically detailed system of aligning to astral and lunar currents. 

Mudra and Mantra become a doorway that links our lives to the energies of the Goddess. By opening doorways, we can bring much healing and flow into our lives. Just as there is a herb for every ailment – there is a Goddess principle for all our human trials and tribulations.

The goddess we shall be working with is Khodiyar Maa. Though she is not a vastly known Goddess, she is highly honoured by Tantrics. Having a wider appearance in Gujarat and Rajasthan which lay over 7000 Km apart from each other .

Khodiyar Maa is worshipped by Tantrics on her Jayanti, the half rising Moon, which this year falls on the 20th of February.

KHODIYAR MAA RITUAL

Khodiyar Maa is linked to the womb and to childbirth, and the marriage between the base and sexual Chakras. She is a Goddess who shows us how to unite the energies of Earth and Water – first and second Chakra themes are her speciality.

Working with her ritualistically, can help those wishing to conceive a child. Khodiyar Maa is a powerful Matriarch to those who have interest to work with the sexual energy and its healing.

Khodiyar Maa is a Goddess who addresses physical handicaps and impediments. Indeed her name means ‘the Goddess who hobbles and limps from an injury’, as she herself has an injury that causes her to limp.

She is a fearless Goddess 
who will ride deep 
into the bowels of the underworld 
to bring about healing.

She addresses emergencies and is a profoundly helpful force that will stop at nothing to address the problems of life and living.

HER STORY & ITS MEANING

There exist a few variations of her story, some assign her to an actual historical figure. The outer variations of the story in the inner essence are the same. It is a Tantric teaching story that embraces pivotal themes of love, sex and birth.

Here follows an account into the birth of Khodiyar Maa…

Once upon a time there was an unhappy Man and his wife. They were unhappy because they were Baanjh (childless). They engaged in much ritual, and sexual Tantric practices to call upon Shakti and Shiva for help.  Though they were devoted and focussed in their rituals, it seemed that nothing happened. They grew so desperate and thought that offering their lives was the only option left, they were so stricken by their barren plight that they came to the very edge.   

As they reached the very pit of despair, Shiva appeared before them and said: “let’s travel down to the deepest and most beautiful world – where the most precious jewels are to be found”. Deep into the bowels of the earth they journeyed for 7 days and 7 nights, until they came to Naaga Lokh, the deepest 7th subterranean portion of the Patala (underworld ) – the place where the seed and origins of things are to be found.

Shiva introduced them to Naagaraja – the King of the Snakes.

The couple related their childless situation as the King of Snakes listened on. The youngest daughter of the king of snakes was moved by their tears and laments and slithered in to help. Taking charge of the situation, she hatched a plan along with her 7 siblings.

Whispering in snakey tones they reassured the couple that all would be well.

The snake princess told the couple to return to their world and prepare their lives as if they were expecting 8 babies.

The couple climbed back up to the Earthly plane and went about preparing all the necessities for 8 babies. Clothes were sewn, little cribs were made and all the supplies that are required for babies were brought into their home.

And on one 5th Lunar night, when the moon is in the snake constellation of Ashlesha Nakshatra… a miracle happened.

Eight shakes crawled into the baby cribs and grew unto the half moon, until they took the human form of little human babies. Cries were heard through the fulfilled home and now the wife and man wept once more; this time though with tears of joy.

The eight children of the Snake God had been so moved by the sincerity of the previously childless couple that they saw the opportunity to enter into earthly incarnation.

The babies grew up with a great underworld power, 7 daughters and a single son. They dressed in jewels and wore only black as a testament to their underworld heritage. They were magnetic and had mesmerising eyes that saw into the depths of things.

Naaga Lokh is the place of deepest black. That is the place where the most brilliant jewels can shine.

Seven daughters and one son brought life to the home, each daughter wore a jewel reflecting the colour of each Chakra. They doted on their brother, day and night, but one day, destiny had it that the brother was to meet with a great misfortune. He was bitten by a snake and his life hung in peril.

Khodiyar Maa was the most ruthless of all the sisters, she wore the jewel of the second chakra that in Tantra is known as Shaktistan. The place of the Goddess.

Instinctively, she knew exactly what to do: she dove into the waters of the nearest lake and swam deep down into the underworld to obtain the life giving elixir from the Naaga world. 

Upon swimming back-up to the surface to reach her brother – who would be dead by midnight, if she did not succeed – another misfortune ensued, as she met with a vicious undercurrent that dashed her on the rocks.

She sustained a serious injury to her foot and could no longer swim. As the life of her brother and herself flashed before her, she helplessly began to surrender to an inevitable death. A Makara (crocodile) watched on and quickly swam her to safety. Upon the riverbank she emerged, limping homeward. 

Her siblings who had been waiting eagerly for her to return rejoiced as they saw her – ‘Khodiyar Maa’  they chanted in unison (Khodi means ‘injured foot’, and the girl was given this name thereafter).

‘Praise to the limping healing Mother with the Amrit, (elixir of life) they sang, ‘Here she comes limping’.

The elixir was given to her brother just in time and all was well.

MAKARA | CROCODILE POWER

In the month of Makar – the month of the crocodile – also called Magh, depending upon region, the Jayanti of Khodiyar Maa is celebrated.

The sun has moved only recently into the constellation of the 10th zodiacal house of Capricorn. This is the Crocodile constellation of Makara, that the Tantrics work with upon this ritual day and night.

Khodiyar Maa’s Jayanti is on the half ascending Moon, just as in the story when she emerges from the water unto the earth.

The two halves are mirrored in her annual Lunar day. The halves are apparent also in the symbol of the crocodile constellation that is the transition between water and earth and the dark and light poles of the year  (see also the blog dedicated to the pagan festival of Lohri )

Khodiyar Maa has temples that are often located next to rivers.

In some parts, legend has it that a real crocodile emerges from the waters to give Darshan (vision). The crocodile is an amphibious creature that moves between Water and earth.

It is the Vahaan of Khodiyar Maa. The base Chakra is linked to the earth element and the water element rules the second Chakra. The symbolism of the story shows how Khodiyar Maa transitions between these two elements with the healing elixir.

KUNDALINI

Khodiyar Maa grounds the sexual power into the base so that the Kundalini serpent can ascend from a rooted foundation. The Kundalini power must have a base, if it is to not be dashed upon the rocks of the spiritual waters of life in which we spin.

The story is a deep inner allegory with many layers of meaning.

In Tantric practice one meditates upon such stories which reveal their secrets as insight and focus develop. The seven sisters are the manifest Shakti powers of the Chakras who focus on.

The one brother that they have represents Shiva, the raw unmanifest unto which the Kundalini of the Tantric is focussed in devotion to the great mystery. Just as the story reveals, Shakti is needed to animate him into life and into our lives.

The Tantric is just like Khodiyar Maa – diving deep and fearlessly, despite dangers and fears – unto the quest of the elixir of life. 

The story shows that her motivation was Love and not power. When the motivation is raw and pure then the ally appears, just as the crocodile did in the nick of time.

Hara Ring

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