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KOLHAPUR MAHALAKSHMI Following

All about the Supreme personality of Godhead Mahalakshmi

Daichi Sama · Following

Junior Dr. at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh (PGIMER)
(2024–present) · Jan 1

Karavīranivāsainī Śrī Ambabai : The Royal Consort of

Ranganātha
महाल ी ं महािव ां महाभयिवनािशनीम् ॥ नारायणा सं ढां िकशोरी ं कनक भाम् । अनु ां दे िह
भगव हाल ाः साधने ॥

~ O Mahavidya Mahalaxmi, the destroyer of great fears, who sits on the lap of
Narayana, ever young like jade; O Mahalaxmi, give me the grace of Bhagavan by
your mercy.

Time and time again, the haters of Shridevi have tried to sully her majestic exploits and
deny her eminence in her presence in her own kshetra Karaveerapura.

In this post, all the claims raised by the purvapaksha shall be refuted in detail.

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🔷 Mahalaxmi’s connection to Karaveerapura

The teertha named Karaveera/Kolhapura is mentioned in a plethora of texts. To explain her
connection, this segment can be divided into sub-segments.

The presiding goddess of Karaveerapura

The scriptures clearly say that Mahalakshmi is the goddess of Karaveera :

करवीरे महाल ी ।(Padma Purana 1/17/198; Matsya Purana 13/41; Skanda Purana
5/3/198/78; Devi Bhagavata 7/30/71; Tripurarahasya 1/48/72; Laxminarayana
Samhita 3/135/28 etc.)~Mahalaxmi is the deity of Karavīra.

को ापुरे महादु गा(Uma Samhita 7/127)~O Sita, you are Mahadurga at Kollapura.

ततः को ापुरं नाम गतो गयां ित । आ े भगवती य ल ीभ दाियनी ।। प न ां नरः ा ा

महाल ीं िवलो च । भु ा भोगा थाकामं भ ं च ितप ते ।।(Padma Purana 6/180/42-
43)~Then he went to Kolhāpura in Rudragayā, where revered Lakṣmī, giving devotion,
dwells. A man having bathed in Pañcanadī and seen Mahālakṣmī, enjoys pleasures as
desired, and also obtains devotion.

कोलापुरं महा थानं य ल ीः सदा थता ।(Devī Bhāgavatam 7/38/5)~ Kolapura is a great
place where Lakshmi eternally abides.

से दु गा कुबेरा ी करवीरिनवािसनी ॥ किलदोष शमनी कोलाहलपुर थताः ।(Skandapurāṇa

Sanatkumārasaṃhita Lakṣmī sahasranāma-stotraṃ)~One who saves upon being
served, who can make anyone Kubera upon a glance is residing in Karaveera. The one
who stays in Kolhapura ends all the miseries of Kaliyuga.

These references are enough to specify the intent of this post but some people doubt
about who this Mahalakshmi is. Some even claim it’s Shivapatni Parvati who bears the
name of Mahalakshmi in this kshetra. But the shaastras pretty explicitly specify her identity
:

को ापुरे महाल ी बो ा पवतक के । तथा स ितपीठ था महाल ीह रि या ॥(Dasharathiya

Tantra 2/20/5)~O daughter of mountain, Mahalakshmi is to be known in Kolhapura; in
that pitha abides Mahalakshmi, the beloved of Hari.

Infact, there is the whole lore about how Mahalaxmi herself chose to stay at Kolhapura
after her argument of Bhagavan Vishnu over Bhrigu muni…even though her eminence in
that place was from the days of yore when she slayed Kolhasura. This is clearly written :

को ापुरं समाग ि योऽिध ानमु मम् ॥(Venkatachala Mahatmya Padma Purana

34/10)~Kolhapura is the great residing place of Śrīdevī.

Vishnupatni herself clearly says to Narayana :

मदािल थले दे व ! पादे नैव जग ते । करवीरपुरं िद ं ग ािम ग ड ज ॥ इित े णा च कलहं कृ ा तु

ह रणा सह । रमा जगाम त े े करवीरपुरा यम् ॥(Venkatachala Mahatmya Bhavishyottara
Purana 2/36-37)~O Garuda-bannered Lord ! I shall go to Karavīrapura which
symbolises me. After this loving banter with Hari, Ramā arrived to her own kshetra
Karavīrapura.

Even in the Padmapurana chapter she is clearly called by names unique to Harivallabhā :

तां भजे परमां श ं सग थितलयोिजताम् । योिग ेयां ि कमले कमले कमलालये ।।(Padma Purana
6/186/18)~The yogis always worship that goddess Kamalā, the resident of lotus, who is
Parashakti and the cause of creation, preservation and dissolution.

The stotra infact is pretty similar to the stuti of Ambabai by Agastya in Skandapurana.
Infact, a certain Shankaracharya in his commentary of the Gita Mahatmya of Padmapurana
clearly mentions her to be shakti of Vishnu :

~ Geeta Mahatmya commentary of Shankaracharya Ch.12

Devi Mahalaxmi is direcly said to be the presiding deity(not just resident) :

करवीरे य नमः ।(Tulasi Sahasranama Stotra)~Salutations to the goddess of Karavīra.

These pramanas pretty clearly show that Mahalakshmi of Karavīpura is none other than
Vishnuvanitā herself. The claim on the name Mahalakshmi shall be addressed in a different
post.

Karaveera as Shaktipitha

Now some objections are raised regarding this place by some people that this place is a
shaktipeetha as listed in the Matsya Skanda etc Puranas and thus the devī must be Parvati
only.

Now this point has obvious flaws because the list of Devīkshetras also says :

णी ारव ा ु राधा वृ ावने वने ॥(Matsya Purana 13/38; Skandapurana 5/3/198/76;

Devi Bhagavata 7/30/69)

णी ारव ां तु राधा वृ ावने तथा ।(Padma Purana 1/17/196)

Now we can all agree that neither Radharani nor Rukhumai are Parvati. The list also
includes Bhagavati Sītā, Haripriyā at Gangādvāra etc. too.

Objection :- These may not be about Shaktipeethas but the shloka of Tripurarahasya
definitely talks about Shaktipithas so it means Ambabai is devi Uma only.
Tantrachudamani says Mahishamardini resides in Karaveera and her bhairava is
Krodhisha.

Response : While it’s true that the verse indeed speaks of Shaktipeethas but not all
shaktipeethas where devi Sati’s parts fell need to be presided by Shivapatni. The best
example is Kapālapītha where devī Sati’s forehead fell and is presided by Devī Dadhimatī :

अथातः ूयतां व ! पीठं कपालसंि तम् । य दशनमा ेण सवपापैः मु ते । य दे ाः कपालं वै पपात

वृषभ जात् । ा कं महािद ं योिग ेयं सनातनम् ।।(Kapalapitha Mahatmya 3/1-2)~The
place where the skull of Sati, which was on the shoulder of Vrishadvaja, had fallen, that
very place became known as "Kapalpeetha", the best of all pilgrimages, worthy of
meditation by yogis, a very divine and eternally sacred place in the form of Brahma.

However the presiding deity of this peetha Mata Dadhimati isn’t Shivapatni but
Vishnupatni Mahalaxmi the daughter of the ocean :

िशिपिव ते भता िपताऽथवा मुिन व । द ऋिष व ाता िशवभ ो िनर रम् ।।(Kapalapitha
Mahatmya 6/6)~Vishnu is your husband, Atharvana rishi is your father and the constant
devotee of Shiva, sage Dadhichi is your brother.

गुण पे जग ात ा का रिण । नमो वैकु वािस ै दिधम ै नमोऽ ु ते ॥(Kapalapitha

Mahatmya 8/9)~Salutation to Dadhimati who is the mother of the world and the
creator of the universe; who resides in Vaikuntha.

महोदिधसमुद् भूते ीरसागरक के । महाल ीनामव ै दिधम ै नमोऽ ु ते ॥(Kapalapitha

Mahatmya 8/14)~Salutation to Mahalakshmi Dadhimati who is the daughter of the
milky ocean and who arose from the churning of the great ocean.

Another example is Devi Vimala in Purushottama Kshetra. She is the deity of the Vimala
Shaktipeetha but is again Vishnupatni :

तृतीयावतगामा ां श ं मे िवमला याम् ।(Skandapurana 2/2/4/9)~Lakshmi says, "My

primordial Śakti named Vimalā is in the third (turning) of the conch-shaped Kṣetra."

She is clearly different from Vimala who is a form of Shivapatni and stays in western
quarter(v.42) and thus different from the Shaktipeetha. Infact even the shakta purana
clearly dictates :

िवमला नाियका त वासुदेव कीितता ।(Kalika Purana 80/126)~Vimala is known as the

heroine of Vasudeva.

Even a trikrama shaktacharya named Vararjitanatha clearly accepts that Vishnupatni is the
deity of Karaverapura while explaining the devi peethas :

करवीरे महाल ी मादे वी िवनायके। अरोगा वै नाथे तु महाकाले महे री ॥ गजल ी करवीरनाथे वस
महालया । काशीका ा रणी त सव मा महा भा। हे मपा ं गदा चम म ुलु ं च धा रणी ।
वैकु िनवािसनी दे वी सवशा सुपूिजता॥ प फलं तुलसीं च य सव समपयेत्। वामाचारिवहीनं त ...

It is said “Mahalaxmi is in Karaveera, Rumadevi in Vinayaka, Ariga in Vaidyanatha

Maheshwari at Mahakala”. Gajalakshmi, resides in Karaveer, which is her supreme abode.
There, she is also known as Kashikantarini(the savior of Kashi) and is the most supreme,
radiating great brilliance. She holds a golden pot, a mace, a shield, and a citron fruit. The
goddess who resides in Vaikuntha is worshipped as per all the sacred scriptures...there
everyone offers five types of fruits and the sacred Tulsi, and there is no trace of
Vamachara rituals.

~ Peethasahasra Vyakhya

So it’s clear that being a shaktipeetha has nothing to do with her being Shivapatni…and as
for the verse of Tantrachudamani, the place Karaveerapura there may not even be the one
in Maharashtra but in Pakistan :

Origin of Karaveerapura

Those try to dissuade the connection of Bhagavati from this kshetra fail to realize the very
origin of this place. This place was verily created by Mahalaxmi herself :

Karaveerakshetra, a sacred land established by Goddess Mahalakshmi herself, even

greater than Kashi, spanning five kroshas. This holy site is renowned for its supreme
virtue, as merely beholding it destroys all sins. It is home to sages and Brahmanas deeply
versed in the Vedas, whose very presence bestows spiritual purification. Revered as the
seat of Mahalakshmi's ultimate essence, this sacred place holds immense spiritual
significance, offering blessings and liberation to all who visit.

~ Skandapurana Sahyadrikhanda Uttarahasya Shurparakshetramahatmya 2/25–26

The very vigraha of Ambabai was the patron goddess of Agastya muni who was her
devoted worshipper as seen by Hari himself :

~ Venkatachala Mahatmya Padmapurana 11/8-12

Infact the kshetra itself is said to be Vaishnava in essence :

वाराण ािधकं े ं करवीरपुरं महत् । आ ं तु वै वं े ं श ागमसमा तम । भ मु दं नृणां

वाराण ा यवािधकम् ॥(Karavira Mahatmya 2/-29-30)~The great sacred land of
Karaveerapura surpasses even Varanasi in its spiritual significance. It is the foremost
Vaishnava Kshetra (sacred place), infused with the essence of powerful agamas. This holy
site grants both devotion and liberation to those who visit, making it even more
profound than Varanasi.

Shiva says to Vitthala that Ambabai is his consort :

तव भाया महाल ीः को ापुरे वस सौ । गदा मातुलु खेटैः हे मकु ैः सुशोिभता ॥(Panduranga

Mahatmya 37/24)~Your consort, Mahalakshmi, resides in Kolhapur, adorned with a
mace, a citrus fruit, a shield, and golden pitchers, radiantly beautiful.

Even the shakta agamas unambiguously say that Karaveerapura is residence of

Bhagavatpriya :

The daughter of Bhṛgu, seated on the lotus, is adorned with red kumkum and through
the words of Vishnu, she destroys the demon Kolhasura.

~ Chandrayamala 6/38 quoted in Mahamaya Vaibhavam

ीरसागरजया ल ी करवीरिवरािजता । कोलासुरवधा पा ैलो े र सदा तदा ।।(Indrayamala

7/172)~Lakshmi, who emerged from the ocean of milk, is stationed in Karaveera. She is
the form of the slayer of the demon Kolasura and is always the ruler of the three worlds

🔶 Slaying of Kolasura
The primary reason for this place to be named Kolapura was because a demon named
Kolasura(who also took the form of a Kola i.e. boar) established his tyrannical kingdom
here and was eventually slain by Bhagavati Shridevi who prayed to her to make the place
her permanent residence.

Note - Kolasura/Karaveerapura is an umbrella term and has many places bearing same
name as we shall see soon(also saw the one in Pakistan).

Agastyamuni praised Jagadambika Vishnupatni as the slayer of Kolasura :

ैलो ं कोल पेण ासयंतं महासुरम् । िविनह थतां त र े कोलापुरे पुरे ॥(Skandapurana
4/5/78)~ A great Asura was frightening the three worlds in the form of a boar. The
goddess killed that demon and stayed in the beautiful city of Kolhapur ever since.

पृ मेव सकलं शुिचतां लभेत मेव सकलं शुचीह ल । ाम य च सुमंगलमेव त

ीिव ुपि कमले कमलालयेऽिप ॥(Skandapurana 4/5/86)~Only the things touched by you
get purity. All the things forsaken by you are unclean, O Lakṣmī, O consort of Śrī Viṣṇu. O
Kamalā residing in the lotus, wherever your name is (uttered), auspiciousness is there.

Infact Agastyamuni has also praised her as such in his Kollashtaka :

नम े ग डा ढे कोलासुरभयंक र ।(Karavīra Māhatmya 22/13)~Salutations to you who

rides on Garuda, the terror of Kolasura.

Indra has also said the same in v.3 of Mahalakshmi Ashtaka

To know the authenticity of these both stotras and that their deity is undoubtedly
Harivallabhā, give a read to these two post :

The reality of Mahalakshmi Ashtaka & Lakshmidveshi Expose Part 2

Lakshmivrata Upakhyana of Skandapurana quoted by Acharya Ananta Bhatta shows that

Vishnupriyā had slain Kolasura in Krishna Ashtami of Bhadrapada :

~ Smriti Kaustubha pp.231–35

Similar upakhyana is present in Bhavishyottara Purana which is quoted by many acharyas

like Shankara Bhatta(in Vratamayukha), Jaisimha Kalpadruma, Vrataraja of Vishwanatha
Sharma etc etc. The relevant portions are highlighted below :

~ Vrataraja of Vishwanath Sharma

Infact Acharya Karunapati Tripathi quoted the above Laxmivrata upakhyana in his
commentary of Agastyakrita Laxmistuti of Kashikhanda(quoted above) :

Another medieval tika on Kashikhanda also quotes the Bhavishyottara Purana :

~ RORI Catalogue of Sanskrit and Prakrit Manuscripts Pt.8 pp.127

The Kapalapitha Mahatmya of Brahmanda Purana’s Kshetravaibhava khanda also mentions

that Vishnupatni had slain Kolasura :

In the past, you had slain Kolasura bearing the name Lakshmi. Salutations to Dadhimati
who protected the dharma of maidens.

~ Kapalapitha Mahatmya 8/17

In addition to these Pauranika texts, other shakta agamas(other than Indrayamala quoted
before) also mention Bhagavati being Kolasuramardini :

From the churning of the ocean of milk, Lakshmi, who bestows prosperity upon the
world and protects the three realms, was born. She resides on the chest of Vishnu. On
the eighth day of the dark fortnight of the Bhadrapada month, the mighty Matangi Kali,
who destroyed the demon Kolasura, was born on this auspicious day as Maha Lakshmi.

~ Shaktisangama Tantra 4/6/19–21

~ Agamarahasyam 6/146–47

~ Svatantra Tantra quoted in Pranatoshini 6/736

These above pramanas show that Vishnupatni who was born of Ocean had slain Kolasura
as Matangi Mahavidya.

Note :- Notice that the tithi of her Kolasuramardini avatara is stated as Bhadrapada’s
Krishnaashtami which matches the tithi mentioned in Mahalakshmivrata upakhyanas of
Skanda and Bhavishyottara Puranas mentioned before.

~ Meru Tantra 10/375–77

So we can see that Shakta agamas clearly say that Vishnupatni is Kolasuramardini. Thus,
there’s no point in opposing the Vaishnava stance.

Infact, Bhaskara Makhin(whom the purvapakshnins quote often to prove that Mahalakshmi
Ambabai is Shivapatni) himself says otherwise :

Devi is counted among the teerthas as “Mahalakshmi in Karaveera”. As Lakshmi is great,

shs is called Mahalakshmi. She is the consort of Mahavishnu. That place Karaveera is
famous as Kolapura in Kaliyuga.

~ Saubhagyabhaskara Tika on Lalita Sahasranama

So clearly even Shakti upasakas acknowledge that Ambabai is Bhagavati Sindhukanyā.

Even relatively recent Shakta scholars of 19th century like Pt. Saryuprasad Sharma have
also accepted the same :

~ Saptashati Sarvasvam 1/4

Even Pancharatra agama clearly says that Vishnupatni had slain Kolasura :

Listen that the demons Mahishasura, Chanda, Munda, Kolasura, Madhu and Kaitabha
were slain by her. She, who resides in the heart of Hari, slays all the demons and shines
as the goddess, victorious over all the asuras.

~ Siddhantasagara Samhita 12/62

Objection - Shivarahasya and Yoginitantra say that Parvati killed Kolasura so

Ambabai can be Shivapatni too.

Response : Well, as I already mentioned that there are multiple Kolapura/Karaveerapuras as

one is in Pakistan. Similarly there can be multiple Kolasuras too.

The Shivarahasya verse in context is as follows :

The city were Kolasura was engrossed in meditation was conquered by you through his
slaying. This place of great renown is called Arunadri and Vriddhadri which is my
dwelling place.

~ Shivarahasya Upapurana 1/20/39

But we know that there is no Arunadri in Maharashtra nor anywhere near the teertha. The
only mountain having that name is in Tamilnadu.

Since Yoginitantra doesn’t mention any proper location either, we can safely reconcile that
Shivarahasya is talking about the same incident mentioned in Yoginitantra where
Shivapatni in the form of Kalika had slain Kolasura.

Padmapurana mentions a tale where Agastyamuni had created a Kritya to slay Kolasura.
Shaktas try to link it to Parvati devi but in vain as Kritya there refers to a category of deities
and not as a name. If anything, as the same Padmapurana 6/186 mentions Bhagavati
Mahalakshmi to be the deity of Kolhapura we can clearly say that the Kritya might be a
form of Haripriyā.

But such an interpretation isn’t needed cuz it’s not necessary that only Bhagavati herself
has to kill all demons named Kolasura. Infact, there is another instance in Satyayuga where
King Satyasandha had slain a demon called Kolasura by the grace of Bhagavati. This place
is called Shrikshetra and is said to be present in Uttarakhanda :

Uttarakhanda Rahasya Pt.2 pp.53

The excerpt is present in a text attributed to Skandapurana :

स एवाऽसौ समु ः कोल पी महासुरः । त ा ामेव ीिव ां समाराधय भूपते ।। चतुवग दां दे वीं ीिव ां
स केतुज । समाराधय ग ै धूपैद पैः सपु कैः ।।(Shrikshetra Mahatmya 5/42-43)~That
great demon is born in the form of a boar. Thus, O Lord of Earth, worship that goddess
Shrividya. O son of Satyaketu, worship that goddess Shirvidya, who bestows the fourfold
goals of life, with fragnant incense, lights and flowers.

Here Indra advices Satyasandha to worship Bhagavati Shirvidya with Shrichakra to slay
Kolasura. Satyasandha praises the devi as such :

वेदमाता मेवाऽिस िव ुिशवा का । सव पािभधा दे िव िव ू िनवािसनी ।।(Shrikshetra

Mahatmya 5/65)~You alone are the mother of the Vedas, of the form of Brahma Vishnu
and Shiva. O Devi, you possess all forms and reside in the company of Vishnu.

Satyasandha thus worshipped Bhagavati Haripriyā who blessed him to slay Kolasura.

So from this it’s clear that there are multiple Kolapuras and also multiple demons by the
name Kola.

Thus we can safely conclude that Bhagavati Bhārgavī alone is the Kolasuramardini of
Karaveerakshetra.

🔷 Iconography of Ambabai
The purvapakshins also allege that the iconography of Ambabai in Kolhapura is something
which is never associated with Bhagavati.

The typical iconography of Ambabai is that she holds Gada, Kheta, Shriphala and
Matulunga in her 4 hands. She has Naga, Linga and Yoni on her head and has Lion as her
mount. So let’s see the matching sources of Jagadmba having the same form.

The Ayudhabhushana iconography

Firstly, the same iconography of Bhagavati is directly present in shruti itself :

मातुलु ं गदां खेटं पाणौ पा ं च िब ती । नागं िल ं च योिनं च िब तीं चैव मूधिन ॥(Laxmihridaya
Dhyana 4)

Similarly, the iconography for Bhagavati is mentioned in the Purana shaastras :

वैकु राजमिहिष ीर नगराि ते । र नायिक भूपुि कृ े वरदव भे ॥ कोिट ािदसंसे े

कोिट ािदकीितते । मातुलु मयं खेटं सौवणचषकं तथा ॥(Skandapurāṇa Sanatkumārasaṃhita
Lakṣmī sahasranāma-stotraṃ)

प ाव ै नमः । मातुल धा र ै नमः । गदाधरायै नमः । खेया ायै नमः । पा संिव ायै नमः ।(Tulasi
Sahasranama Stotra)

िस ल महाकािल महाल नमोऽ ु ते । मातुिल गदां खेटं पानपा ं च िव ित ॥(Padmapurana

Karaviramahatmya 19/53)

गदा मातुलु खेटैः हे मकु ैः सुशोिभता ॥(Panduranga Mahatmya 37/24)

Similarly the Vaishnava agamas also mention the iconography of Bhagavati :

चतुभुजा िवशाला ी त का नसंिनभा । मातुिल गदां खेटं सुधापा ं च िब ती ॥(Laxmitantra 4/38)

दि णाधः करे पा मू कौमोदकीं तदा । वामो खेटक ैव ीफलं तदधः करे ॥(Kacchhapa Samhita
16/8)

ीफलमु दाखेटका लङ् कृतह ा महाल ीः ॥(Kalyanika Tantra 12/22)

को ापुरंिवना महाल ीयदो ते ॥ ल ीव ातदाकाया सवाभरणभूिषता ॥ दि णाधः करे पा मू

कौमोदकीं ततः ॥ वामो खेटकं चैव ीफलं तदधः करे ॥(Vishwakarma Samhita 110/1–2
quoted in Tattvanidhi)

Shrikalpa of Mahalaxmi Samhita mentions a hybrid 8 handed for Bhagavati Siddhilaxmi

which contains the mixture of 2 4-handed forms and one of them includes the
iconography of Ambabai :

मातुिल गदां खेटम मालां च िब तीम् । कौ ुभं णकु ं च प यु ं वराभयौ ॥(Shri Kalpa 37/7)

However, the independent 4-handed iconography of Siddhilakshmi from Atharvana

Rahasya is also quoted in Mantravidhana :

Similarly Mantravidhana also quotes the Laxmihridaya dhyana of Ambabai :

Similarly, Kumaris who are said to be form of Mahalaxmi are said to be worshipped in the
same ayudha roopa :

~ Markandeya Khilatantra 44/181–82

Even ancient acharyas have listed the iconography of Ambabai as that of Vishnupatni
Mahalakshmi :

~ Hemadri quoted Markandeyapurana in Chaturvarga Chintamani mentions

iconography of Mahalaxmi consort of Pradyumna Vyuha

Infact a text dedicated entirely to iconographies also gives the following as one of the
forms of Vishnupatni :

~ Rupamandana 5/59–60(quotes Vishwakarma Samhita again)

Even Rishikrita Shakta shaastras in their stutis have clearly said that Mahalakshmi is
accompanied by Vishnu :

~ Parambika Stuti(attributed to a Rishikrita Shaktagama) quoted in Paradevata

Stotravali

Here Rajogunavati Mahalakshmi(first of the Trichandikas) is said to reside with Vishnu. And
to differentiate this Vishnu with Gunavatara Vishnu, it also says that this Mahalakshmi takes
Adyalakshmi etc forms, Sattvaroopi form of Mahasarasvati who in turn creates
Vishnu(Gunavatara) Gauri Dhatri etc.

Objection - Same iconography is also mentioned for Shivapatni at various places.

Response : So what ? Even Indrapatni Shachi is stated to be possessing the same form —

अग ः तु महे प ीं चतुभुजाम् अिभन तवान् | सङ् गृ ीं णकु ं गदां खेटकं ीफलं च ॥

~ Bhuvaraha Kalpa quoted in Tantrasamuccaya

So it doesn’t matter if someone else also has similar iconography. But the following ref is
definitely misused :

This on the other hand actually proves our point. This clearly differentiates
Bhuvaneshwari(Tripurasundari) from Mahalakshmi. It says that sthula roopa of
Bhuvaneshwari(with Pasha Ankusha etc) and Mahalaxmi(with Matulunga Kheta etc) are
non-different from the sukshma roopa of Brahman. So where does it say Mahalaxmi is
Shivapatni when it clearly differentiates them both ?

Even in another Rishikrita text, she is clearly differentiated from Tripurasundari :

~ Saubhāgya Chintāmaṇi 2/9/1–4 composed by Mahaṛṣi Durvāsa

This is even more evident from the fact that Mahalakshmi is called the first avatar of
Bhuvaneshwari in a Rishikrita Shaktagma :

~ RajaśaktyārcanaDīpikā by Ambhṛṇa Mahaṛṣi

So here Mahalakshmi is called the first sthula incarntion Bhuvaneshwari. This is obviously
referring to the Rajogunavati Mahalakshmi who too is said to be Vishnusangavasini in
another rishikrita stotra quoted before.

So even Shakta agamas and shakta parampara clearly acknowledges that Vishnupatni too
has this form.

So from Vaishnava POV we’d say that the only form of Parvati who is actually said to have
this form i.e. Vajreshwari(Vajramukhi Kalpa and Anandasundari Tantra) have received it via
sarupya of Bhagavati just like Shachi in Bhuvaraha Kalpa. Even Parashuramajanani Renuka
who’s said to be avesha of Parvati in Renuka Mahatmya is said to be Lakshmi avesha in
Vishnudharmottara Purana..so the same logic applies there too.

Objection - She holds Shivalinga on her head which shows that she is Shivapatni only.

Response : Not true. Linga doesn’t always represent Shiva only lol. As per the same
Bhuvaneshwari Samhita the poorvapakshins quote, the iconography of Mahalakshmi is
explaind :

It clearly says that Linga denotes Purusha, Yoni denotes Prakriti and Naga denotes Kāla.

So we know that Parvati is heself the Yoni that supports Shivalinga. So why’d Parvati bear
herself too on her head ?

Infact, Lakshmi holding both as she is said to be the controlling power of Purusha Prakriti
and Kāla across shaastras definitely makes more sense.

As for whether she is worshipped in that form anywhere, we shall see it in Part 2.

The Simhavahini form

After the ayudha iconographical form, purvapaksha also alleges that Lakshmi generally
isn’t associated with Lion as vāhana.

This is completely untrue. She is directly called Simhavahini again in Shruti :

ीं ीं ऐं महाल ै कमलधा र ै िसंहवािह ै ाहा ।(Lakshmihridaya Dhyana 3)

The same is also quoted in Mantravidhana :

The Puranas also say that Bhagavati is Simhavahini :

मृगे वाहने दे िव सवपाप णािशिन । वरदे बु दे ामे दु श ुिवदा रिण ।।(Kapalapitha Mahatmya
8/24)~O Lion-riding Goddess ! You are the destroyer of all sins, the giver of boons, the
giver of wisdom, every-young and the destroyer of evil enemies.

स िस ः िस िस साधनत रा । अनेक पका का रनेका िसंहवािहनी ॥(Skandapurana

Rukminisahasranamastotra)~She is the one who fulfills resolutions, embodies
perfection, and is devoted to accomplishing great endeavors. She manifests in countless
forms, radiates infinite splendor, and rides a lion.

िसंहगा ा गा दे वी वायुगा वा णी नरा ॥(Karaviramahatmya quoted in Panchanga

Sangraha and Lakshmisahasranama from Sanatkumarasamhita)~She rides lion, tiger,
air.

Also several sahasranamas like Sitasahasrnama(Adbhuta Ramayana), Radha

Sahasranama(Manasa Tantra), etc

Vaishnava agamas also clerly say Bhagavati has Lakshmi as her vahanas :

कोणेषु वैनतेयं वा िसंहं वाऽिप यथा िच।।(Padma Samhita 2/29/60 and Ishwara Samhita
7/13)~ On the corner of Lakshmi install Vainteya(Garuda) and Lion which are the rides.

िसंहा वाथ ता ्या कुया णसंयुतम् ॥(Naradiya Samhita 28/37)~The vimana of Laxmi is
marked by both lion and Tarkshya(Garuda)

िसंह थां वरदानाथ कृतो ह कां शुभाम् ।।(Laxminarayana Samhita 2/162/16)~She was
seated on a lion, with an uplifted hand bestowing boons, the auspicious one.

Shakta agamas also say that Bhagavati has lion as her vahana :

दि णे वैकु िव ुं महाल ीमुपा हे । िसंहे समा ह ीं तां ि मूित जगतां पते ॥(Sarvasamrajya
Tantra 20/20)~On the right, we worship Vaikuntha Vishnu along with Mahalakshmi.
Seated on a lion, she appears as a dual form, O Lord of the universe.

ेम री वरकरी सुकरी ह र था या सौकरी भवकरी ि पुरा महे शी । वायु थता लयमयी थितमागस ा
भ ि या सकलका प रपातु राधा ॥(Rudrayamala 2/41/30)~May the darling of
Bhanga(Krishna) Radha(i.e. who loves the Tribhanga Rasalila), who embodies forgiveness,
bestows welfare upon all, grants boons, brings auspiciousness, rides a lion, is accessible
to all, gives birth to the world, is Tripura and Maheshi, resides in the air, embodies
dissolution, and guards the path of stability, who protects all, the beloved of all, protect
me.

So we can see that the iconography isn’t even an issue in this context.

As for whether Bhagavati is actually worshipped in similar iconography elsewhere, we shall

see in part 2.

🔶 Karavira Mahatmya Dilemma

So I don’t have Sanskrit version of Karavira Mahatmya yet and when I asked for one I was
namecalled as evident from the two posts references in the beginning of the post.

However, I managed to get an exclusive reference where she is directly called the beloved
of Narayana :

~ Karavira Mahatmya 19/56 quoted in Panchanga Sangraha

Another excerpt from the same text which quotes Mahalakshmi Stotra of Karavira
Mahatmya :

Now as I don’t have anymore sanskrit excerpt, I shall resort to Marathi and Telegu
renditions.

Marathi Rendition

So the Marathi rendition clearly says that Bhagavati is the daughter of Ksheerasagara :

~ Karavira Mahatmya 7/1

Objection :- Karavira Mahatmya nowhere says that Lakshmi is Vishnupatni. It says

Lakshmi is form of Vishnu and we know that Vishnu is Umaroopa. Plus Karavira
Mahatmya says that Shiva and Shakti were arguing over their kshetras and Vishnu
resides in Kashi as Shiva and in Karaveera as Shakti.

Response : Well we have already seen Karavira Mahatmya clearly showing Laksmi is
consort of Vishnu. As for Lakshmi being form of Vishnu and quarrel between Shiva Shakti…

1st get it clear that Shakti there was just Upadhi of Lakshmi as later the text clearly says it
was Lakshmi and Shiva who were arguing :

Secondly, Vishnupatni only has been called form of Lakshmi :

Here it’s clear that Shiva is differentiated from Vishnu and Lakshmi and Vishnu took her
form.

And we can see that the tridevas are said to take the forms of their respective consorts i.e
the tridevis :

Shiva dwells in the form of Mahakali, Brahma in the form of Sarasvati and Madhava in
the form of Lakshmi.

~ Karavira Mahatmya 6/52

So it’s clear that Lakshmi of the form of Vishnu is Vishnupatni only.

It also clearly says :

A woman who worships Vishnu and Lakshmi will reach Vaikuntha and like Lakshmi will
have her husband in the form of Vishnu.

~ Karavira Mahatmya 10/72–73

This is all I can manage from Marathi rendition as only 12 chapters are digitized.

Telugu Rendition

The Telugu rendition doesn’t contain the verses but the condensed translation. In this we
have quite a few explicit excerpts :

Here she is called Vishnuhridayagamini i.e. one who goes to the heart of Vishnu.

~ Karavira Mahatmya Ch.14

She is called Vishnupriyā and Padmajā(born of Lotus).

~ Karavira Mahatmya Ch 26

She is called Ksheerasamudrarajatanayā i.e. daughter of the King of Milky Ocean.

~ Karavira Mahatmya Ch.29

Mahalakshmi Shakambhari is called Chandrasahodari

~ Karavira Mahatmya Ch.30

She is called Vishnupriya again

~ Karavira Mahatmya Ch.31

These are as far as I have covered of the Telugu translation till now.

I shall keep adding things as I find more.

Tags :-

Venkatanaatha Suta Jagannātha Dāsa Śrīnivāsa Bhakta Sripriya Padmanabha Priya

Vāgīśaḥvaiṣṇava Nṛhari Sutā Ram Rasik Ram Paratva Prakash Ram Lakhan Prasad Sinha
Aditya Kunal
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Comments Recommended

Asa Kinnie · Jan 6

🎐This was OUTSTANDING!!!~ 🌟🌺🌟 The Shakta agamas & their acharayas
confirming her to be Sindhu-suta was astonishing! I’ve never come across such
unblemished info on her!! Since she is already supreme within Vaishnavism, is it…
(more)
1 Reply

Triśakti Mahāmāyā · Jan 9

Fanatics be like=saar sindhuja is parvati saar,vishnu,narayan etc are only shiva
saar,rama ,kamla,etc are name of parvati saar piliz saar🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂
😂.inke khud ke shastra inko tapli maar dete hai inka dhandha jyada din nhi
chalnewala😇.

Respect to true shaktas and bhaktas.

1 Reply

Shaiva Teenager Boy Smārta in disguise of Vaishnava forgot karavīra Māhātmya saaaaaaarrrrr

Lakshmi Suta Vivek · Jan 1

Just nailed through post u did an fabulous work ✨🙏❤
8 Reply

Aditya Kunal · Jan 1

BANGER🔥🔥

अ ेशाना िह जगतो िव ुप ी सनातनी ।यदपा ाि तं सव जग थावरजंगमम् ।🙏

8 Reply

Sri Hari Dasa · Jan 1

Daichi Sama boleto Otaku samjhe kya? Click click; Chad Vaishnava hai main🔥🔥!
~Daichi Sama. Superb answer! I have always admired you brother(although only
from one answer of urs about Sarvottamatva of Hari in Vaishnava Empire)! May…
(more)
8 Reply

PavanPutra · Jan 1
Bhaii jvalamukhi fod dia.. 🔥

Mujhe tag nahi Kiya 😢 par koi na. I have changed my name to Pavanputra
8 Reply

Daichi Sama · Jan 1

Tabhi teri id nai mil rhi thi tags pe
4 Reply

PavanPutra Koi nahi bhai ap tag kare na kare me aa jaunga. Kya post banaya he vah. Maja a…

Aditya Kunal · Jan 1

AAP KON 🚃🚃
Reply

PavanPutra Anurag K yar 😢

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About the Author

Daichi Sama
2 followers you know Triśakti Mahāmāyā and Dev (Dēva)

Junior Dr. at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh
(PGIMER) 2024–present
Studied MBBS (2020-2025) at Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata Graduated 2023

Lives in Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 2024–
present
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