Dhumavati Jayanti Date 2024: Know The Significance of the Festival – GHdays
Dhumavati, also known as “the smoky one” in Sanskrit, is part of the Mahavidyas, a group of ten powerful goddesses in Hindu Tantra. She embodies the fierce aspect of Mahadevi, the supreme goddess in Shaktism. Often depicted as an aged, unattractive widow, Dhumavati is associated with elements considered unfavorable in Hinduism, such as crows and the chaturmasya period. She is frequently shown carrying a winnowing basket on a chariot without horses or riding a crow, typically in a cremation ground setting.
At the time of cosmic dissolution (pralaya), Dhumavati is said to emerge as “the Void” existing before creation and after dissolution. Despite being linked primarily with unfavorable attributes, her thousand-name hymn portrays both her positive and negative aspects. She is described as compassionate and a bestower of blessings. Dhumavati is revered as a profound teacher, revealing the ultimate knowledge of the universe beyond illusory distinctions like auspiciousness and inauspiciousness. Through her unattractive form, devotees are guided to look beyond surface appearances and explore the inner truths of existence.
Dhumavati is believed to grant siddhis (supernatural powers), offer protection from troubles, fulfill desires, and bestow rewards, including enlightenment and liberation (moksha). Her worship is recommended for individuals not bound by traditional societal norms, such as single individuals, widows, ascetics, and practitioners of Tantra. In her temple in Varanasi, she transcends her negative associations to become a revered guardian deity, also venerated by married couples. Despite having few dedicated temples, her worship through Tantric rituals endures in secluded locations like cremation grounds and forests.
Maa Dhumavati Jayanti Date 2024: Friday, 14 June
Dhumavati Jayanti Date 2024 in India
Maa Dhumavati Jayanti Date 2024 Overview
| Name | Maa Dhumavati |
| Meaning | Goddess of strife, loneliness, unfulfilled desires and inauspicious things |
| Member of | Ten Mahavidyas |
| Affiliation | Mahavidya, Devi, Parvati |
| Abode | Cremation ground |
| Mount | Crow |
| Related Topic | Click here |
Dhumavati Mata Jayanti Date 2024
| Dhumavati Jayanti Date 2023 | Sunday, 28 May |
| Dhumavati Jayanti Date 2024 | Friday, 14 June |
| Dhumavati Jayanti Date 2025 | Tuesday, 3June |
| Dhumavati Jayanti Date 2026 | Monday, 22 June |
| Dhumavati Jayanti Date 2027 | Friday, 11 June |
| Dhumavati Jayanti Date 2028 | Wednesday, 31 May |
| Dhumavati Jayanti Date 2029 | Tuesday, 19 June |
Origins of Dhumavati Mata
Dhumavati only emerges as a significant figure within the Mahavidya group, lacking any historical references prior to her inclusion among the Mahavidyas. Danielou links Dhumavati to notions of poverty, frustration, and hopelessness, drawing connections to Nirriti, the deity of affliction and misery, as well as Alakshmi, the goddess of destitution and adversity. Another goddess, Jyestha, is also proposed by Kinsley to be associated with Dhumavati.
Nirriti from the Vedic tradition embodies themes of death, decay, ill-fortune, wrath, and destitution, with hymns emphasizing offerings to ward off her influence. Dhumavati shares similarities with Nirriti in representing unfavorable circumstances and challenges. Jyestha, an ancient Hindu goddess, bears resemblance to Dhumavati in iconography, characterized by darkness, ugliness, and a connection to crows. Jyestha is depicted as intolerant to any form of auspiciousness and resides in discordant environments, much like Dhumavati.
Desika, a commentator on the Saradatilaka-Tantra, equates Dhumavati with Jyestha. Both Alakshmi and Dhumavati are portrayed as elderly figures carrying brooms and adorned with crow emblems, symbolizing deprivation, want, and destitution. Although similarities exist between Dhumavati and the three goddesses, they do not fully encapsulate Dhumavati’s distinct attributes such as her widowhood and the explicit emphasis on her unattractiveness in texts.
The names of these goddesses are notably absent from Dhumavati’s hymns invoking her various epithets, indicating a separation between them. While the three may serve as precursors to Dhumavati, they lack her fierce warrior aspects and positive qualities within the Mahavidya context. Kinsley suggests that the concept of the ten Mahavidyas may have originated no earlier than the 12th century.
Story Behind Dhumavati Mata
Dhumavati holds the position as the seventh Mahavidya, as described in the Guhyatiguhya-Tantra which correlates Vishnu’s ten avatars with the ten Mahavidyas. The emergence of the fish incarnation Matsya is attributed to Dhumavati in this context. Additionally, the Mundamala identifies Dhumavati with Vamana in a corresponding list.
According to a tale from the Shakta Maha-Bhagavata Purana recounting the birth of all the Mahavidyas, Sati, daughter of Daksha and original wife of Shiva, feels slighted when she and Shiva are excluded from Daksha’s yagna. Despite Shiva’s objections, Sati insists on attending. Eventually, Sati, in her fury, metamorphoses into the Mahavidyas, encircling Shiva from the ten primary directions, with Dhumavati positioned in the southeast. An alternative legend substitutes Sati with Kali, Shiva’s chief consort, as the progenitor of the other Mahavidyas.
The Devi Bhagavata Purana portrays the Mahavidyas as companions in battle and manifestations of the goddess Shakambhari. In a narrative from the Shaktisamgama-Tantra, Sati tragically takes her own life by immolating herself in Daksha’s yagna, leading to Dhumavati emerging with a soot-covered countenance from the grieving pyre. She embodies Sati’s indignant and vengeful avatar, being all that remains of her essence.
The Pranatosini-Tantra elaborates on Dhumavati’s widowhood, illustrating an incident where Sati, driven by insatiable hunger, devours Shiva when he refuses to provide sustenance. Though she eventually regurgitates him at his behest, Shiva rejects her and curses her to assume the form of a widow. An oral tradition recounts that Durga enlists Dhumavati in combat against the demon duo Shumbha and Nishumbha, highlighting Dhumavati’s strategic prowess in unleashing suffocating smoke to vanquish foes.
The version presented in the Pranatosini-Tantra accentuates Dhumavati’s destructive tendencies and insatiable appetite, culminating in her consumption of Shiva, who symbolizes cosmic creation or containment. This narrative underscores her marginalized status as a widow and her assertion of independence from her spouse.
Rituals During Dhumavati Jayanti
Dhumavati Jayanti heralds the break of dawn as devout followers rise early, prepare themselves, and pay homage to the revered Goddess Dhumavati. It is essential to conduct the primary puja rituals in seclusion, setting a serene ambiance for the sacred proceedings.
The deity is adored with the aromatic essence of dhoop, incense sticks, and vibrant blooms, accompanied by the custom creation of a divine offering by the faithful devotees. Enchanting mantras dedicated to Devi Dhumavati resonate through the air, beseeching her benevolence to vanquish life’s impediments and challenges.
Following the recitations of these sacred verses, an aarti ceremony ensues, culminating in the distribution of prasad amongst kin and fellow worshippers. Legend has it that by presenting black sesame seeds swathed in dark fabric to Goddess Dhumavati on this auspicious occasion, all desires can be granted.
Furthermore, it is customary for married women to refrain from direct worship of Devi Dhumavati, instead observing her divine image from a distance as a protective measure for their husbands and sons. The jubilant festivities of Dhumavati Jayanti resonate across the expanse of India, infusing celebrants with a fervent spirit. Embracing the veneration of Goddess Dhumavati on this propitious day is believed to bestow liberation from tribulations and transgressions.