– Mahamahopadhyaya Sri Gopinath Kaviraj
In the Tāntrika literature, the Mahāvidyās are usually enumerated as ten. But the number is sometimes increased by three and sometimes by six. The Muṇḍamālā Tantra names the ten Mahāvidyās thus:
1. Kālī
2. Tārā
3. ṣoḍaśī
4. Bhuvaneśvarī
5. Bhairavī
6. Chinnamastā
7. Dhūmāvatī
8. Bagalā
9. Mātaṅgī
10. Kamalā
The list of the Muṇḍamālā Tantra being taken as standard, the three and six additional names which occur in Sammohana Tantra are:
(i) Caṇḍeśvarī, Laghu śyāmā and Tripuṭā, and
(ii) Vanadurgā, śūlinī, Aśvārūḍhā, Trailokyavijayā, Vārāhī and Annapūrṇā.
This list is also found in the Cāmuṇḍā Tantra as well as in the Toḍala Tantra. There appear to be slight differences of opinion in the various Tantras in regard to the names of the Bhairavas of these Mahāvidyās. These names, as given in the toḍala Tantra, are:
1. Mahākāla
2. Akṣobhya
3. śiva
4. Tryambaka
5. Dakṣiṇāmūrti
6. Kabandha
7. None
8. Ekavaktra(Mahārudra)
9. mātaṅga(dakṣiṇāmūrti)
10. Viṣṇu(Sadāśiva)
It may be noted that Dhūmāvatī being a widow has no Bhairava. But in the śaktisaṅgama Tantra, the names of the Bhairavas 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 appear respectively as – Laliteśvara (Tripurabhairava), Mahādeva, Vaṭuka, Vikarāla(Krodha Bhairava), Kālabhairava(Ghora) and Mṛtyuñjaya.
The Vidyās may be thus classified in order of the āmnāya:
The Eastern āmnāya
śrīvidyā (with all its varieties), Bhuvaneśvarī, Tārā, Tripurā Bhairavī, Lalitā, Aparājitā, Pūrṇeśī, Lakṣmī, Sarasvatī, Vāṇī, Annapūrṇā, Jayā.
The Southern āmnāya
Bagalāmukhī, Mahālakṣmī, Bālā Bhairavī, Dakṣiṇākālī, Bhadrakālī, Chinnamastā, Tārā, Mātaṅgī, Niśeśī.
The Western āmnāya
Kubjikā, Kulālikā, Laghu Mātaṅgī, Amṛtā Lakṣmī
The Northern āmnāya
Kālī and Tārā (with their varieties), Bhairavī, Dhūmāvatī, Guhyakālī, Dhūmrā, Kāmakalā Kālī, Mahākālī, Mahāsmaśāna Kālī, Kapalinī, Kālasaṅkarṣiṇī, Mahābhīmasarasvatī, Mahārātrī, Yogeśī, Siddhalakṣmī, Siddhabhairavī
The Upper (ūrdhva) āmnaya
Kāmeśvarī, Lalitā, Bālā, Mahātripurasundarī, Mahātripurabhairavī
The Lower (adhara) āmnāya
Vajrayoginī, Pannagī, Nairṛteśvarī, Bhīmā