Goddess Bhuvaneshwari

In Hinduism, Goddess Bhuvaneshwari is one of the Dasa Maha Vidyas or 10 Mahavidyas and is an incarnation of Goddess Shakti. She is the fourth Maha Vidyas. Bhuvanesvari means the queen or ruler of the universe, the realm of being. She is the Divine Mother as the queen of all the worlds. The whole universe is her body and all beings are ornaments on Her infinite being. She carries all the worlds as a flowering of Her own Self's nature.

In the Vedas she is known as Aditi, the infinite or the indivisible Mother, the great origin and cosmic womb, who is space. Hence she is the Mother of the Sun. She creates space within our own consciousness to give birth to the Divine nature within us. She is the cosmos personified as a Goddess.

Worship of Her promotes a cosmic vision and free us from the narrowness of opinion and belief. She helps us to go beyond all identifications with creed, class, race, sex, nation and religion. She leads us to a universal understanding.

Goddess Bhuvaneshwari is depicted as having four hands, two of which bless the devotees while the other two holds the noose and angusam.

Goddess Bhuvaneshwari is the power of love, which creates space and gives freedom. This love does not limit or try to possess, which is the action of selfish desire. Yet the space of love is not an empty or unfriendly space. It is a space that nurtures and gives room to grow and flower. The Love of Bhuvaneshwari breaks us free from attachment and suffering by making us aware that true love accepts all forms.

There are numerous legends and folk stories associated with her. In all forms she plays the role of creator and protector. She is mainly associated with Lord Shiva and is an incarnation of Goddess Parvati - Mother Goddess Shakti.

It is clear that Goddess Bhuvaneshvari is an attempt by the human mind to give form to the formless Brahman. She has all the imaginable good qualities that human mind can think of and she is believed to fulfill all the wishes of her devotees.