Matangi (Sanskrit: मातङ्गी, Mātaṅgī) is a Hindu goddess. She is one of the Mahavidyas, ten Tantric goddesses and an aspect of the Hindu Divine Mother.

“O goddess of intellect, favoured by your, one becomes a Seer; one becomes a Brahman or a knower of the Supreme. Favoured by you one becomes also possessed of riches. Favoured by you one gains manifold wealth. Being such, O goddess of Intellect, delight in us and confer on us wealth.”
– Krishna Yajurveda, Mahanarayana Upanishad, XLI.2

Matangi is the Goddess in the form of an Outcaste (Chandala), and in Tantra, represents the Ucchishtha, or leavings of the sacrifice. In this regard, the great Ucchishtha Sukta of the Atharva Veda, relates to her, similar to how the Kamasukta of Atharvaveda is relates to the Lalitavidya.

Matangi relates to the manifest Speech (Vak), and thus is also related to Ila, a form of the Goddess Saraswati as the spoken word. She is also the first mortal and gave birth to humanity. Ila is connected to Vishnu who became a beautifil woman, Mohini, as Ila was herself once a male who became female. Mohini as a form of Vishnu assumed a Green colour and in a sense is an outcaste, since he had an illicit relationship with Shiva from which Hari-Hara was born. Yet, Vishnu himself as Sadashiva is also the Cosmic Outcaste.

In this aspect, she also represents how, as the Outcaste, she is both male (Vishnu) and female (Mohini), representing the great sexless nature of the Supreme (as Ardhanarishwara), who is neither male nor female and yet both. Matangi is the great teaching behind such Puranic metaphors.

Matangi, however, is daughter of Sage Matanga, an outcaste who became a Rishi, and through his tapas (austerities), the Goddess Saraswati was born as his daughter.

Saraswati herself has outcaste forms, and the outcaste Goddess is there in Rig Veda. Saraswati is said to have commited incest with her brother or father, Brahma the creator, this defiling herself.

Indra himself becomes an outcaste for slaying the demon Vritra, and his wife he finds in degradation. This is Matangi. Yet, Saraswati herself is lauded as the Vritraghni (Slayer of Vritra) the Brahmin in Rig Veda (VI.68) – showing her also as becoming an outcaste-Goddess and form of Matangi. In this same form Saraswati is called Ghora (Terrifying) – which is the form of Matangi holding her Sword and Skull in her hands, the wrathful Saraswati as the Outcatse.

The great Seer, Ganapati Muni, cited the Saraswati mantras of the Rig Veda as the source of the Matangi vidya. A Great Vedic Rishi, he wrote much on the Rig Vedic Suktas and their relation to the Dasha Mahavidyas of Ten Great Wisdoms, as the Goddess.

Matangi has many forms. Often she is dipicted as Green or Blue, and holds a Veena (lute), Knife and a Skull. Other times she is seated on a corpse, holding a skull and a bowl of blood, with dishevelled hair – representing the personification of Ucchishtha the leavings of sacrifice. This is her Ucchishtha-chandali form.

As a form of Saraswati, the spouse of Brahma or Prajapati (Lord of Creatures) – Matangi thus grants control over all Creatures. She also like Saraswati, grants Vak-siddhi or Mystic Power of Speech, whereby the Yogi can curse, bless or whatever he says will manifest, weather again a blessing or creation of some object, desire etc. It also grants power to make all mantras efficient, as she is mantra-shakti.

Matangi as the outcaste represents the great Muni or Rishi. He lives within the World, whilst at the same time he lives in remote regions as the ‘outcaste’ of Society in Forests, Hills, Caves etc. However, he also dwells as the householder in mainstream of Society, but inwardly renouncing everything, he becomes the ‘outcaste’ to the Material or Mayaic world, as his state of Consciousness always transcends Creation.

A Good example of Matangi’s teaching is Lahiri Mahasaya, the avatar of Raja Janaka. Whilst remaining a Householder and Worker, he became a Great Yogi-Seer and Siddha (Perfected Being). He is one of the rare Muktajivas (Liberated Souls) of India, who remained an ‘outcaste’ (ie. remained in a state of consciousness transcending) to the Manifest World.

Matangi also makes us remind of the echoings of the Vedic texts which say “The Gods Love Mystery”. This is because, Matangi has the outward garb of an Outcaste, whilst inwardly is one of the great Supreme Powers in the Universe. To the unspiritual or materialist, she is rejected – but to the true Rishi, she is revered!

Another example is Vamaksepa, an 18th Century mystic of Tarapitha in Bengal. Born a Brahmin, he lost his caste due to his strange and unorthodox practices and devotion to the Goddess Tara. This is similar to how Chaitanya’s devotion also gained him the outcaste title.

These Maharishis are examples of Matangi, who represents the Realised Soul who, transcending Creation, acts within it as a “madman” and thus an outcaste – since he has gone beyond all the Laws of the Creator, Brahma. Saraswati as wife of Brahma is his own Shakti (Power), and thus she transcends him and governs him.

Other examples of Matangi represent the forms of Paranormal Wisdom and Artistic Expression. Usually Saraswati Governs this, but Matangi is more the Outcaste form, wherein Brilliance originates.

Such examples are Mad-men such as Einstein, whose Wisdom surpassed the greatest European Thinkers of his time. Or Van Goff the great Artist who was also a heavy Drinker of Absinthe – reminds us of the Goddess Matangi who holds a bowl of Soma or Wine.

As Vak (Speech), she is also the Supreme Power by which the Gods, Demons and Mortals all use in the astral wars through mantras (sacred chants) in form of astras (weapons). Only through her grace, did Rama vanquish Ravana by the Vak-shakti which is the Goddess.

She therefore also represents the transformative power of the spoken word or Mantra. In this regard, great Vedic mantras as the Mahamrityunjaya or Pachakshara to Shiva, the Sri Rudram, the Durgasukta, Brahmastra (Aham brahmashmi) etc. are all forms of Matangi, who as the spoken word, takes us beyond to become Outcastes – ie. those dwelling in the Transcendental state of Consciousness. She thus takes us to the region of thr Moon or crown Chakra, wherin lies the Great Goddess Lalita Tripurasundari.

No wonder Matangi is her Priestess! How can we reach a Supernatural state of Consciousness (Lalita), unless through an Outcaste (ie. Supremely Realised) Guru, who represents the power of spoken word transforming our consciousness.

Matangi is hence sacred to all who wish to gain atmajnana or Self-Wisdom through the power of mantras (Mantrayoga), or success in mantra. She is the Goddess that represents the power of Chaitanya’s Hare-Krishna mantra, which also takes us to dwell with Krishna (Kameshwara) the consort of Lalita in Crown Chakra, also.

Thus, Vaishnavas, Shaktas and Shaivites can all benefit from the worship of Matangi Devi.

It is well-known that Matangi resides in the Vishuddha-Chakra or Throat, which is also the Janarloka on the Cosmological Level. But, this region also relates to the element of Akasha (Ether) – the first-born product of the Atman (Soul, in Ajna Chakra or Tapaloka) – from which all other gross Elements (Air, Fire, Water and Earth) arise, from this power of Speech.

From this we can thus see her obvious relation to Saraswati as the Creator’s consort. She thus gives power over the Subtle and Physical Worlds and also the power to ascend Higher to the Self, through the Etheral Regions of Akasha, through Mantrayoga, as explained above.

There is a special Yoga through which we can meditate on the Ether element in Vishuddha, and revere the Goddess and through these, gain mastery over the Five Elements. The Panchakshara mantra of Lord Shiva is related to this mystic vidya, as it relates to the Five Elements as the Five-syllabled Mantra. Mastery over the Five Elements is also done through matery over the Five Senses, governed by these Five Chakras, ruled by Matangi in Vishuddha.

In this respect, she is also the Five-Headed Goddess Gayatri, a form of Saraswati relating to Mantra and Creation of the Five Elements. She too, holds many weapons like Matangi.

Hence, she is also a great Goddess for Magicians and those wishing to gain entry to the higher subtle realms, or convert solids into liquids and gases etc. She is the Divine Alchemist-Goddess. As the leavings of the Sacrifice (Ucchishtha), she is also the Divine Magician and Alchemist, as the bhasma (ashes), the residue to the sacrifice is often known to have many mystic powers, for example. She does the impossible, also having the grace of the Supreme Goddess Tripura, can make enemies friends and lost lovers reunited. She can make the poor richer etc.

As the Goddess of Ucchishtha, she consumes everything that is left – meaning at the time of dissolution of the Universe. All elements merge back into Ether (Akasha), which is Matangi. By the same means, just as she creates all through Mantra or Speech – through other terrible mantras, can she render asunder all the elements and thus worlds, and merge them back into the Ethers. – hence again, she is the Mystic Power behind the Vedic Rishis!

She combines the Lustful and Material side of the Goddess Tripura-Kamala with the Wrathful and Dark nature of Kali and the Wisdom and Artistic side of Saraswati and the Transcendental Nature of Dhumawati. It is well-known that her mantra contains no set rules or purity restrictions etc. as she is the great Goddess beyond.

As such, she is the great Priestess Goddess and should be worshipped by one and all for Material gains, Vedic Wisdom, Understanding the Goddesses and Gods or Yogic Powers and also Liberation!