Dark emerald Mother, Matangi, abounding in joy, auspicious let your side-glance fall on us, you who dwell in the forest of bliss.
Victory to the daughter of the sage Matanga, who has the color of a dark blue lotus, victory to the nectar of all song, victory to her who loves the playful parrot.
— Shyamaladandakam 3-4
MATANGI AS THE SPOKEN WORD
Mata literally means “a thought” or “an opinion.” Matangi is thus the Goddess power which has entered into thought or the mind. She is the word as the embodiment of thought. She also relates to the ear and our ability to listen, which is the origin of true understanding that forms powerful thoughts. Matangi bestows knowledge, talent and expertise. She is the Goddess of the spoken word and of any outward articulation of inner knowledge, including all forms of art, music and dance.
Matangi is the last of the three Goddesses who relate to the Divine Word, the other two being Tara and Bhairavi. Like Tara she is a Goddess of learning and eloquence. However, whereas Tara represents the illumined word (Pashyanti), Matangi represents the spoken word (Vaikhari), while Bhairavi is the Goddess of the transcendent and unmanifest form of speech (Para). Yet Matangi can also represent the middle form of speech (Madhyama), which governs the ideas that we are putting into words and thereby our thinking process. In her highest role, Matangi represents Para-Vaikhari or the supreme Word as manifest through audible speech, which is the direct revelation of the highest knowledge in human speech from which all true scripture arises. As such Matangi encompasses all levels of speech.
MATANGI AND SARASVATI
Matangi relates to Sarasvati, the Goddess of wisdom and the consort of Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe. Matangi, like Sarasvati, plays a vina and rules over music or audible sound in general, not just the spoken word. She is the manifest form of song. Like Sarasvati she is symbolized by the rain cloud and by the thunder, as well as by the rivers pouring into the sea. She is the vibratory sound, Nada, that flows in the subtle channels, Nadis, down through our entire body and mind.
However, Matangi and Sarasvati are a little different. Matangi is the form of Sarasvati directed towards inner knowledge. She is her dark, mystic, ecstatic or wild form. Sarasvati is often a Goddess of only ordinary learning, art and culture. Matangi rules over the extraordinary, which takes us beyond the bounds of the conventional. Matangi is an outcast or artist who goes against the norms of society, while Sarasvati represents the knowledge and virtue of the Brahmin or learned class which never departs from propriety. Matangi is that portion of Sarasvati which is allied with the transforming energy of Kali.
MATANGI AS THE GURU
The guru (spiritual teacher) instructs us through the spoken word. Hence his vehicle among the Goddesses is Matangi. Matangi represents the teachings of the guru and the tradition. She represents the continuity of spiritual instruction in the world. By honoring her we also honor the guru. Those seeking to teach others, particularly to communicate to the masses of people, should seek the grace of Matangi.
MATANGI AND GANESHA
Mata also means “wild” or “passionate.” Matangi is one who is wild or passionate in limbs or movement. Matangi also means a female elephant. In Hindu mythology the elephant relates to Ganesha, the first son of Shiva and Parvati, who was fitted with the head of an elephant. Ganesha is similarly the Lord of the Word and the Lord of knowledge as well as the remover of all obstacles. Hence mantras to him precede any teaching process, like the chanting of the Vedas, as well as the ordinary activities of life like marriage, travel, and business ventures.
Matangi is related to Ganesha and, on one level, is his consort. Generally the two consorts of Ganesha are called Buddhi, intelligence, and Siddhi, accomplishment. These same powers are represented by Matangi. Like Ganesha she can be propitiated to remove obstacles and give accomplishments, as well as to grant knowledge.
MATANGI AS THE OUTCAST
Matangi is described as an outcast and as impure. On one level, this refers to the nature of the spoken word, which is inherently limited in what it can project. Only if we look to the Goddess power, Matangi, behind the the screen of words, will we be free from the impurity inherent in trying to put anything into words. The word makes things profane. Naming often causes us to misapprehend and devalue the thing itself. Numbers, titles, descriptions, and explanations become barriers to our actual contact with the soul in things. Matangi rules over these articulations of language and gives the power to use them the right way and to go beyond them.
However, there is another level on which Matangi is the outcast or the residue. The Self or Atman transcends the laws of nature and is beyond good and evil. Matangi as the manifest knowledge of the Self takes us beyond such outward limitations and conventions and makes us outcasts, transcending the human world altogether. Self-realized being sometimes appear poor, crazy or in some way unusual. This is another part of Matangi, who is the visible appearance of the highest knowledge. Matangi is the highest of the Goddesses in that she allows all their powers and principles to be realized.
According to the Upanishads the essence of the human being is speech. What we express through speech is the final product of all that we take into ourselves in life. This ultimate residue and representation of who we are through speech is Matangi. This, however, is not ordinary or casual speech, but the deepest expression of our hearts.
MATANGI AND JOY
The Divine Word has power, feeling, and passion, which is not mere human emotion but Divine bliss. The Divine Word is not merely a theoretical or practical statement but an effusion of energy and delight. This joy is another aspect of Matangi. Matangi is thus a wild, playful and ecstatic Goddess.
Matangi as the manifest creative word represents the great powers of nature, wherein the Divine Word is embodied. She personifies all tire beauty, passion and power of the tropical jungle or rain forest, where she happily dwells like a mad elephant, reflecting the primal rhythms of Mother Nature. In this regard her forms are sometimes mixed with those of Sundari. She is similarly the beauty of all creation in the Self, but whereas for Sundari the inner experience of consciousness is predominant, for Matangi the outer expression gains prominence.
MATANGI AS THE MINISTER
Matangi represents the ministerial power of the Goddess. She is the counselor to Rajarajeshvari or Tripura Sundari, the Supreme Queen of the universe. As such she is called Mantrini and has power over all mantras, particularly in their vocalization and articulation. She gives us the ability to communicate with all the other Gods and Goddesses through the power of the mantra. In fact she rules over all forms of knowledge, counseling and teaching. Those seeking proficiency in these areas should honor Matangi.
LOCATION IN THE BODY
Matangi resides in the Throat Chakra, the center of speech. She also resides on the tip of the tongue, the place wherein speech is articulated and wherein we are able to taste the essences of things.
There is a special nerve or channel of the subtle body called Sarasvati that runs from the Third Eye to the tip of the tongue, which relates to her. This is the stream of inspiration from the mind to its expression via speech. Matangi represents the flow of bliss through this channel, which makes us poet-seers of the Divine with all the powers of cosmic creativity.
MEDITATION APPROACHES
The main worship of Matangi is to recite the teachings, particularly great scriptures, like the Vedas, which embody the power of sound. The power of the mantra is connected with its sound. This power cannot be received through mere translations and their recitation. Such chants should be done in their original language.
Chanting of the Sanskrit alphabet is one of the best ways to worship Matangi. The letters of the alphabet represent unmanifest sound, as opposed to the manifest differentiation of sound as various words. Chanting the Sanskrit alphabet can be allied with the petals of the chakras and used to help open them. Such chanting begins with the vowels corresponding to the Throat Chakra and continues through the alphabet down to the Root Chakra. In other words, it begins with Matangi.
Another way to worship Matangi is to reflect upon the meaning of the teachings, particularly the word of the Guru. This requires contemplation of the teachings and seeing how they relate to our own life and experience. Mantra has much more power if we understand it not merely intellectually but according to the cosmic principles by which it vibrates.
Music and song are other aspects of the worship of Matangi. She is specifically a Goddess of musicians. Yoga paths emphasizing music or the sound current, like Nada Yoga, relate to her. Meditation upon Matangi gives all powers of art and artistic expression.
Yet in her highest role we must recognize Matangi in her transcendent meaning as the silence of the Self-nature, which is the real essence and power behind all words and thoughts. Matangi is speech and art energized toward transcendence, to make the visible world, Samsara, a realm of Nirvana.
Source: David Frawley - Tantric Yoga and the Wisdom Goddess
