The Seven Mothers ( Saptamatrika)
Early Pratihara Dynasty, 8th -9th Century AD,Kannauj Museum
The concept of the seven mothers is an interesting one in Hinduism. Initially they were seen as demonic characters who would devour children. Subsequently, it is said that Skanda, the Hindu God of War was born from seven mothers. Others claim that the responsibility of bringing up Skanda was given to these seven mothers. Thus, they were transformed from malevolent figures to benevolent one. Yet, others claim that the Seven Mothers merely represent the powers (Shaktis ) of male gods. Hence here we see, from left to right, Vaishnavi ( the power of Lord Vishnu) on the far left; 'Varahi ' ( the power of the Boar incarnation of Lord Vishnu ); 'Indrani' ( the power of Lord Indra, the God of rain); 'Chamunda'--she is not a power of a particular god, but is the most ferocious form of Goddess Durga.
These seven mothers reflect the ways the society views it's women: from being a form of evil to being benevolent persons--full of love and compassion to being the energy behind the very existence of our society and our universe. This view of woman is a universal one. In Christianity she is Eve, the cause of Man's downfall. In Islam, she is the temptress. Thus she has to be cribbed, cabined and confined. In Hinduism, she is the moving spirit, the energy which creates, maintains and destroys the universe. For the Greeks, she was Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and yet Venus, the goddess of love.
Such ambivalent attitudes towards women still create social problems in our society. Despite 5000 years of history we don't know where to place the status of woman in our society. While we celebrate Navratra, we should ponder over the problem of how should we treat our women in modern India?
