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Tvarita (Sanskrit: त्वरिता, romanized: Tvaritā, lit. 'the swift one') is a goddess primarily featured in Tantric Hinduism. She is depicted to be a member of the group of fifteen yoginis called the nityas, and an aspect of Adi Parashakti.

Iconography

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Tvarita is depicted to be dark-complexioned. She has a crown on her head, which contains a peacock's tail. Her garments are made of leaves. She wears a necklace that is made of gunja flowers (rosary pea). The hem of her cloth, which is made of eight snakes, hangs down to the weight of her breasts. She is decked with armlets, a waist-chain, and anklets. She has three eyes, and has a fierce appearance. On one of her hands, she performs a gesture called the varada mudra, and on the other, the abhaya mudra.

Legend

In her early sources, Tvarita is depicted to be a goddess who was best known for saving the lives of the victims of snakebites. She was eventually assimilated and identified with the goddesses of Durga and Kali. Tvarita is conceived as a tribal woman with garments of leaves, peacock feathers, and a parasol. She is depicted in the company of eleven attendants and two door-guardians. She is offered her own Gayatri Mantra. The Jain goddess Padmāvatī has also been associated with her.

Tvarita is stated in the Lalitopakhyana, a part of the Lalita Mahatmaya of the Brahmanda Purana, as the one of protector deities of the Sri Chakra, and the slayer of the asura named Pundraketu.

According to the Shiva Purana, Tvarita joined the goddesses of Bhadrakali, Kali, Katyayani, Chamunda, Tvarita, Vaishnavi, Ishani, Mundamardini under Veerabhadra to destroy Daksha's yajna. Her puja rituals are mentioned in the Agni Purana.

References

1. Einoo, Shingo. Genesis and Development of Tantra. Рипол Классик. p. 48. ISBN 978-5-88134-784-0.
2. "mantras - Who is Goddess Tvarita?". Hinduism Stack Exchange. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
3. Olesen, Bjarne Wernicke (2015-09-16). Goddess Traditions in Tantric Hinduism: History, Practice and Doctrine. Routledge. pp. 74–75. ISBN 978-1-317-58522-0.
4. Slouber, Michael (2017). Early Tantric Medicine: Snakebite, Mantras, and Healing in the Gāruḍa Tantras. Oxford University Press. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-19-046181-2.
5. www.wisdomlib.org (2019-06-23). "Description of other inner Apartments in the Royal Chamber [Chapter 37]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
6. www.wisdomlib.org (2019-06-22). "Flight of Viṣaṅga [Chapter 25]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
7. www.wisdomlib.org (2018-09-27). "The March of Vīrabhadra [Chapter 33]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
8. www.wisdomlib.org (2021-11-13). "Mode of worshipping the goddess Tvaritā and others [Chapter 147]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
9. www.wisdomlib.org (2021-11-15). "The mode of worship of Tvaritā [Chapter 309]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
10. www.wisdomlib.org (2021-11-15). "The narration of the spell relating to Tvaritā [Chapter 310]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2022-11-28.

• Hindu goddesses
• Shaktism