Appearance: Devi Shailaputri is depicted with two hands and has a crescent moon on her forehead. She holds a trident in her right hand & a lotus flower in the left. She rides on mount Nandi (bull)
BrahmachariniMantra: Oṁ Devī Brahmacāriṇyai Namaḥ
ॐ देवी ब्रह्मचारिण्यै नम
Origin:After the Shailputri form, the Mother Goddess took birth at the home of Daksha Prajapati, as his daughter, Sati, who was born to marry Shiva. This unmarried form of the Mother Goddess is worshiped as Brahmacharini.
Meaning: The word “Brahm” refers to Tapa and her name means – The one who performs Tapa.
Origin: Goddess Chandraghanta is the married form of the Mother Goddess following on from Shailputri and Mahagauri. After getting married to Shiva, Goddess Mahagauri started adorning her forehead with a half-moon(Chandra) shaped like a bell(Ghanta) due to which, she became known as Goddess Chandraghanta.
Worship Date: 3rd Day of Navratri (Tritiya Tithi)
Planet: Venus
Other Names: Chandrakhanda, Chandika, and Rannchandi
Appearance: Goddess Chandraghanta mounts the tigress. She wears the semi-circular moon(Chandra) on her forehead. The half-moon on her forehead looks like the bell(Ghanta) and hence, Her name. She is depicted with ten hands. Goddess Chandraghanta carries Trishul, Gada, sword, and kamandalu in Her four left hands and keeps the fifth left hand in Varadamudra. She carries a lotus flower, arrow, Dhanush and Japa Mala in her four right hands and keeps the fifth right hand in Abhaya Mudra.
Kushmanda Mantra:Oṁ Devī Kuṣmāṇḍāyai Namaḥ
ॐ देवी कूष्माण्डायै नम
Origin: After taking the form of Siddhidatri, the Mother Goddess started living within the Sun thereby liberating the Sun’s energy to the universe. Since then, this form of the Goddess has been known as Kushmanda, namely for her power and capability to live inside the Sun.
Meaning: Ku means little, Ushma means energy and Anda means cosmic egg.
Appearance: Kushmanda is depicted with eight to ten hands holding a trident, discus, sword, hook, mace, bow, arrow and two jars of honey (Elixir) and blood. Her one hand is always on abhayamudra from which she blesses all her devotees. She rides on a tiger.
Skandamata Mantra: Oṁ Devī Skandamātāyai Namaḥ
ॐ देवी स्कन्दमातायै नम
Origin: In her form as the mother of the God of War, Lord Skanda(Kartikeya), she is known as Goddess Skandamata.
Appearance: Goddess Skandamata mounts the ferocious lion. She carries baby Skanda in her lap. Goddess Skandamata is depicted with four hands. She carries lotus flowers in Her upper two hands. She holds baby Skanda in one of Her right hands and keeps the other right hand in Abhayamudra.
Katyayani Mantra: Oṁ Devī Kātyāyanyai Namaḥ
ॐ देवी कात्यायन्यै नम
Origin:To destroy demon Mahishasura. The daughter of sage Katyayana, who incarnated to help Devas
Meaning: The name of Goddess Katyayani is being born in the Katya tribe.
Appearance: Goddess Katyayani rides on a magnificent lion and is depicted with four hands. She carries a lotus flower and sword in her left hands respectively and keeps her right hands in Abhayamudra and Varadamudras.
Kalaratri Mantra: Oṁ Devi Kālarātryai Namaḥ
ॐ देवी कालरात्र्यै नम
Origin:This is the fiercest and the most ferocious form of the Mother Goddess, in which she manifests to destroy the demons, Sumbha and Nisumbha.
Meaning: Goddess of the Night. Also referred to as the one who is the death of time. This form primarily depicts that life also has a dark side – the violence of Mother Nature that encompasses death and destruction.
Appearance: Her complexion is dark black and She rides on a donkey. She is depicted with four hands. Her right hands are in Abhayamudra and Varadamudra. She carries a sword and deadly iron hook in her left hands.
Mahagauri Mantra: Oṁ Devī Mahāgauryai Namaḥ
ॐ देवी महागौर्यै नम
Origin: Goddess Shailputri at the age of sixteen was extremely beautiful and blessed with a fair complexion. Due to her extremely fair complexion, she was known as Goddess Mahagauri.
Meaning: The name Mahagauri means extremely white, as she was white in color and very beautiful (Maha = great; Gauri = white).
Appearance: She rides the bull, just like Goddess Shailputri. She has four arms, holding a Trishul in one of her right hands and depicts the Abhayamudra with the other right hand. She carries a tambourine or Damaru in one left hand and depicts the Varadamudra or kamandalu in her other left hand.
Siddhidatri Mantra: Oṁ Devi Siddhidātryai Namaḥ
(ॐ देवी सिद्धिदात्र्यै नम)
Origin: At the beginning of the universe, Lord Rudra worshipped the unmanifest form of the Mother Goddess, Adi Parashakti for creation. As Adi Parashakti, the Mother Goddess was pure energy and had no form. She thus appeared in the form of Siddhidatri from the left half of Shiva.
Meaning: Siddhi means supernatural power or the ability to achieve a sense of the ultimate source of creation and existence and Dhatri means the giver.
Planet: Ketu
Other Names: Ardhanarishwar
Appearance: Goddess Siddhidatri sits on Kamal and rides on the lion. She is depicted with four hands. She has Gada in the one right hand, Chakra in the other right hand, lotus flower in the left hand and Shankh in the other left hand.
