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108 JAYA CIIGMBURKAR

YidyunmalinT, (15) Surananda, (16) Nagabuddhika. ³²

23. Thcsc goddcsscs appcar to bc diffcrcnt local goddcsscs who wcre worshippcd as dilTcrent forms of thc Goddcss Sakti. Klostcrmaicr rcmarks, “The innumcrablc names rcvcal a multitudc of local goddcsscs who coalcsced

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into thc figurc of thc Great Goddcss as eonccivcd by thc Sakti theologians of lale limes. "³³

24.    Acts Personified: Acls such as an act of crcating darkness, act of obstrucling, act of making others yawn, act of dcluding, act of paralysing have bccn personified and dcscribcd as thc goddesses AndhinT, RodhinT, JnnbhinT, MohinT, StainbhinT, respcctivcly. Thcsc have bccn dcscribcd as 'ripuksobhastambhanocciilanaksmah,' ³⁴ i. e._f capablc of crcating cxcilemcnt in thc cncmy’s camp and paralysing all his activity. The goddcss JnnbhinT could make thc army of thc demon Bhanda yawn and make them fccl drowsy; thc goddcss MohinT could delude thal army and crcatc confusion in thc enemy *s camp; whcrcas thc goddcss SlambhinT could paralysc all thc war-aclivily of thc demon. All thcsc acts could strcnglhcn thc position of thc Goddcss Lalila

and thus could bc conducivc to Her victory and hcncc they havc bccn personified

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and presented as Sakti goddcsscs.

25.    Whilc dcscribing thc war-laclics, thc Lalilopakhyana tells us that, as a rcsult of a boon from thc Sun, thc cycs of thc demons bccamc luslrous and, thcrcforc, when thc demons cast their luslrous glanccs at thc goddcsscs (on the battlc-llcld), thc goddcsscs wcrc dcprivcd of cncrgy, cnlhusiasm and bccamc inactivc. ³⁵ In order to nculrali/.c thc cflcct of thc lustrc in thc cycs of thc demons, thc goddcss Tiraskarinika is said to havc appeared on thc battlc-llcld^ł6, and dischargcd a missile callcd Andha (so callcd bccausc it could make thc cncmics blind) at thc demons.³⁷ The demons bccamc blind, their cycs closcd, ³⁸ and they wcrc not ablc to sec.³* As soon as they bccamc blind, thc sliffness and molionlcssncss of thc wcapons of thc goddcsscs was rcmovcd ⁴⁰ and thc goddcsscs rosc up to llghl with determination.⁴¹ The goddcss Tiraskarinika then killcd the scvcn demons.⁴²

26.    A tiraskariru mcans a curtain or a vcil. Herc it will bc secn that it was ncccssary to render thc lustrc in thc cycs of thc demons incffcclivc, by doing something. The act of vciling or covcring (i.e., closing) thc cycs of thc demons could scrvc that purposc. The act of vciling bccamc thc power of thc Goddcss. Herc thc impcrsonal act of vciling has bccn personified and dcscribcd as Tiraskarinika DcvT.⁴³

27. Tantric Goddesses: Somc Tanlric goddcsscs also have bccn mentioned

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here, whilc cnumcraling thc diffcrcnt Sakti goddcsscs. Thcsc goddcsscs are viz._f (1) YaksinT, (2) ŚańkhinT, (3) LakinT, (4) HakinT, (5) ŚakinT, (6) DakinT and (7) HakinT who is an aggrcgatc of all thcsc goddcsscs.⁴⁴ They have becn describcd as drinking blood and dcvouring llcsh and fal of the cncmics.⁴⁵