Bagalamukhi is the Eighth Mahavidya
Bhagwati Bagalamukhi (बगलामुखी), Bagala or Maa Pitambara (माँ पीतांबरा) is the eighth Mahavidya in the famous series of the 10 Mahavidyas.
The word "BAGALA" is a distorted form of Valga, meaning that bridles or reins, like horses, are placed in and around the mouths of animals to control them. Mukha means face. BAGALAMUKHI is thus understood as the one who canShe has a golden yellow colour and is therefore also known as Pitambari or Pitambara Maa. Pita is yellow).
Expounding the good power of the Goddess Baglamukhi the text Mantra Maharnnav (मन्त्र महार्णव) states -"The Mantra of the Goddess has the facility of the divine weapon Brahmastra instilled in it and the Goddess simply strikes terror in and paralyses the enemies of her Sadhaks. Repetition of her Mantra is enough to prevent even a tempest."
Bagala (the Goddess who seizes the Tongue): She is identified with the second night of courage and is that the power or Shakti of cruelty. She is described as the Devi with three eyes, wearing yellow clothes and gems, the moon as her diadem, wearing Champaka blossoms, with one hand holding the tongue of an enemy and with the left spiking him, thus do you have to meditate on the paralyser of the three worlds.
She rules magic for the suppression of an enemy's gossip. These enemies even have an inner meaning, and therefore the peg she puts through the tongue could also be construed as a peg or paralysis of our own prattling talk. She rules deceit which is at the guts of the foremost speech. She can during this sense be considered as a terrible or Bhairavi sort of Matrika Devi, the mother of all speech.
According to "Todala Tantra", her male consort is Maharudra. Seated on the proper of Bagala is that the Maharudra, with one face, who dissolves the universe. The pulling of the demon's tongue by Bagalamukhi is both unique and significant. The tongue, the organ of speech and taste, is often regarded as a lying entity, concealing what is in the mind. The Bible frequently mentions the tongue as an organ of mischief, vanity and deceitfulness. The wrenching of the demon's tongue is therefore symbolic of the Goddess removing what's in essentiality a perpetrator of evil.
Bagalamukhi has Hypnotic Powers.
Bagala may be a Goddess of speech, and intrinsically is said to Tara and considered a sort of her. When sound becomes manifest as light, Tara becomes Bagala. When the brilliant light of speech comes forth, then Tara gains the effulgence of Bagala and cause all things to become still. Bagala is thus the stunning radiance that comes forth from the Divine Word and puts the human or egoistic word to rest.
Bagala gives an influence of speech that leaves others silent and grasping for words. She gives the decisive statement, the irrefutable conclusions, the pronouncement of ultimate truth. Hence she is propitiated for fulfilment in discussions and debates. No one can defeat her because she has the true power of Self-nature.
The weapon that puts an end to all or any conflict and confusion is that the weapon of spiritual knowledge, the weapon of Brahman (Brahmastra). The highest sort of Brahmastra (ब्रह्मास्त्र) is the question "Who am I?" or "What is the Self?"
Bagala turns each thing into its opposite. She turns speech into silence, knowledge into ignorance, power into impotence, defeat into victory. She represents the knowledge whereby each thing must in time becomes its opposite. As the still point between dualities, she allows us to master them. We contact her grace once we see the other hidden in each situation and are not any longer deceived by appearances. To see the failure hidden in success, the death is hidden in life, or the joy hidden in sorrow are ways of contacting her reality. Bagala is that the secret presence of the other wherein each thing is dissolved back to the Unborn and therefore the Uncreate.
Bagala is another of the frightening sorts of the Goddess. Her colour is yellow. She is clad in yellow clothing and is adorned with yellow ornaments and yellow flowers (particularly the champak flower). With her left, she catches hold of her opponent's tongue and together with her right, she strikes him on the top together with her mace. She sits upon a golden throne surrounded by red lotuses. By some accounts, she wears the crescent moon as a jewel on her head.
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