Katyayani

Katyayani (Sanskrit: कात्यायनी, romanized: Kātyāyanī, lit. 'she who is of Katya') is a form of the Hindu goddess Mahadevi, venerated as the slayer of the tyrannical asura Mahisha. She is the sixth of the Navadurga, and is worshipped on the sixth day of Navaratri.

In Shaktism, she is associated with the fierce forms of Shakti or Durga, a warrior goddess, which also includes Bhadrakali and Chandika.

Iconography

Katyayani is typically depicted with four hands, riding a lion, and holding a sword and lotus flower, with her other two hands in abhaya and varada mudras, representing protection and granting boons. She is often shown with a radiant golden complexion, fierce eyes, and adorned with divine ornaments, While fierce, her face also carries a compassionate and protective expression, highlighting her role as a mother and protector of devotees.

She is traditionally associated with the colour red, as with Parvati, the primordial form of Shakti, a fact also mentioned in Patanjali's Mahabhashya on Pāṇini, written in 2nd century BCE.

In Hindu traditions like Yoga and Tantra, she is ascribed to the sixth ajna chakra or the third eye chakra, and her blessings are invoked by concentrating on this point.

Origin

Katyayani is first mentioned in the Taittiriya Aranyaka part of the Yajurveda. The Skanda Purana mentions her being created out of the spontaneous anger of the gods, which eventually led to slaying the asura, Mahisha, mounted on the lion. This occasion is celebrated during the annual Durga Puja festival in most parts of India.

Her exploits are described in the Devi-Bhagavata Purana and Devi Mahatmyam, which are part of the Markandeya Purana attributed to sage Markandeya, who wrote it in Sanskrit ca.