Widow of Lord Shiva, Dhumavati, existing in the form of Smoke.

Niriti, Alakshmi, Jyestha, symbolized as Inauspicious in Transformation and wealth less.

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Maa Dhumavati or Alakshmi or Jyestha

Goddess Dhumavati, The Widow Goddess, Seventh in 10 Maha Vidya's

No one is indentified as her Bhairav, because she is widow, identified as 'Matasya' of Vishnu's Twenty four incarnations and belong from Aggressive or 'Ugra' category.

Goddess Dhumavati or Alakshmi, the widow goddess and in the from of smoke

She appears unaccompanied and self controller, no one is with her as her tuan, is barely known among the Maha Vidyasand She also represents the fearsome or terrifying aspect of Devi. She is related with portentousness, ungainliness in Hinduism. She revealed herself when the cosmic dissolution occurred and she was presented in the form of the void after dissolution and before creation. She resides at the home of poor people as Alakshmi (Goddess of poverty, according to Shri Sukta, praise is dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi, who is the goddess of wealth), her existence comes into being mostly during Pradosha Kal (time after sunset until dark and night ending with full sun rise). She is connected with illness or unhealthy conditions of patients and also causes other disturbances, which are concerned with both mental and physical aspects of life. In Rig Veda (earliest text book in Hindu mythology) Niriti is the one, who is related with death, bad luck, decay, unfulfilled needs or desire, anger, cowardice etc. or, in other words, all kinds of negative aspects that make our life unhappy or problematic. According to linga Puran (a mythological text book dedicated to lingam), she was born when gods and demons churned up the ocean in search of the nectar and was given to sage Dussaha as his wife. She could not bear any sound or sight related to holy or pious activities. When Sage Dussaha complained to Lord Vishnu regarding this female, Lord Vishnu advised that since she was his wife he must reside with her and should go to such kind of place which is inauspicious. She provides relief from illness and all types of grief if she is in a happy mood and destructs all happiness and prosperity if she becomes unhappy for some reason. According to Tantric text she is another aspect of Ugra Tara because she appears as Dhumra (like Smoke), and hence called Dhumavati. She represents an aggressive, assertive aspect of Sati.

Physical appearance of Goddess Dhumavati

About her physical appearance as in iconography, she appears rough and ugly, unsteady, angry nurtured, tall and wears dirty clothes. Her teeth and nose are long, eyes appear fearsome, with trembling hands and her breast hanging down, She stands with disheveled hair, looking as an old lady who is an widow. In her left hand she carries a winnowing basket and in her right hand a human skull bowl. She is very rude in nature, she is always hungry and thirsty and unsatisfied. Her complexion is black and she wears ornaments of snakes. She wears a dress made up of the rags collected from cremation ground, where she resides. She sits in a chariot pulled by crows. She is attracted to smoke as smoke symbolizes destruction. She prefers insane offerings and smoke from the pyre; she likes white flowers and clothes, liquor or wine, Bhang (hashish), cigarettes or bidi or chillam (various modes of smoking), especially salted items. She does not like the offering which is not made up of smoke.

Origin of Goddess Dhumavati

The first myth arises when Sati (Shiva's Spouse) had burnt herself. When, Prajapati Daksha (Ruler Daksha, son of Lord Brahma) was going to arrange the Yajna ceremony (rituals to offer materials to God through fire) in Kankhal, Haridwar, he had invited people from the entire Universe except her daughter Sati (Spouse of Lord Shiva). This was because, she was the wife of Lord Shiva, the emperor of cremation ground, who was severely poor, who used to apply pyre ash on his body and who used to wear a snake around his neck etc. But when Sati found people from all around the Universe were going to attend the holy Yajna, she also had an acute desire to go to her maternal home to attend the ceremony. When she told to Shiva about her desire, the lord explained that it was better not to go anywhere without getting an invitation, not even to her maternal home. Saying this, he refused her urges. Finally Sati was able to persuade Shiva to go to the ceremony. When they reached the place where Yajna was being performed, Sati's father saw her and insulted her along with her husband Lord Shiva. When she felt humiliated hearing such comments at her father's place, she prayed to the fire of Yajna to burn her. As per her request, fire burnt her and she was dead. While getting burnt, she came out of her body in the form of smoke and came to be known as Dhumavati.

Goddess Dhumavati or Alakshmi

As per the second myth, according to Swatantra Tantra, once Sati or Parvati (spouse of Shiva) sat near him in Kalilash Mansarovar (name of the mountain in the Himalayas where Shiva and Shakti and his followers resides with his family and followers), She was extremely hungry and her body racked with pain. She urged Shiva to give her something to eat as she was famishing. Shiva, told her to be patient and to wait for sometime, after which he would give her whatever she would want. Saying this, he resumed his meditation. She appealed again and again, urging him to provide her with some food. Shiva again told her to wait for a while. After urging for so long, she lost her patience as she felt like she would starve to death. Shiva also did not pay proper attention towards her prayers. She grew indignant and put Shiva himself inside her mouth and hid him. After a while, Shiva persuaded her to disgorge him, as smoke began to rise from Parvati's body. She appeared with smoke covering her whole body; this smoke was her Maya or Magical Power of illusion, Then Shiva came out of her body and reproached her harshly that she was a devil, as she had eaten up her husband. Lord Shiva pointed her as a widow and he gave her the name of Dhumavati or Dhumra. Since she had eaten Shiva, she became a widow and no one was there as her husband. She is symbolized as unlucky, unattractive, and inauspicious. She is not social, has no place to live, so she lives in inauspicious places like cremation ground, dirty and dark areas and so on. She is not fit both mentally and physically. The crow, which is the driver of her chariot, resembles her.

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More about Goddess Dhumavati

Lord Shiva seated in the form of smoke or Dhumra in Goddess Dhumavati. She represents the Goddess of inauspicious system in the Universe as, trivarna or form of three colors, Chanchala or Shaky, Galit Ambara or with dirty clothes, Viral Danta or terrifying teeth , Mukta Keshi or Scattered hair, Shurp Hasta or hold winnowing basket, Kak Dwhajini or Crow draw gonfalon, Ruksha Netra or dry eyes, Kalaha Priya or Factious. Prapanchasdrasdra Sarhgraha (a mythological text book) describes her nose and throat resembling a crow and she resides in cremation ground. In Durga Saptasati (Text book dedicated to Goddess Durga), she vows that If any one gets victorious in a battle with me, who would proud off my pledge, I would marry him. It has not happened so far, hence she is still unmarried. She is without wealth and husband.

According to Narad Panchatantra (a text-book dedicated to God's sage Narad), she is manifested as Ugra-Chandika or Ugra-Tara for her body, her voice resembles the sound made by thousands of Jackals, she had swallowed Lord Shiva which means she is without lordship, with the raw flesh of demons her incarnated followers satisfied, that is the reason of her ever-lasting hunger.