There are five Astravidyās (weapons) associated with Mahāvidyā Bagalāmukhī, which are known as the Astrapañcaka:
1. Raṇastambhinī Baḍabāmukhī
2. Bhuvanatrayastambhinī Ulkāmukhī
3. Devatāstambhinī Jātavedamukhī
4. Trimūrtistambhinī Jvālāmukhī
5. Paravidyāstambhinī Bṛhadbhānumukhī
By the prayoga of Raṇastambhinī Baḍabāmukhī Mahāvidyā, the enemy’s army is immobilized, stripped of all its strength and left impotent. It is said that Paraśurāma defeated and killed Kārtavīryārjuna through the siddhi of this mantra.
Ulkāmukhī is known as Jagat-stambhanakāriṇī – capable to immobilizing the three worlds. Through the prayoga of this mantra, anything sthāvara or jaṅgama (moving or non-moving) can be immobilized. One can control the rivers, forests, mountains etc., if this mantra is perfected. It is said that Lord Subrahmaṇya destroyed the infinitely strong Krauñca (Krauñcabhedana) through the application of this Mahāvidyā.
Jātavedamukhī controls refined or transformed Prāṇa and hence is capable of immobilizing higher realms of existence such as those of Gandharvas, Yakṣas, Gāruḍas, Nāgas, Vetālas, Pretas, Brahmarākṣasas, ṛṣis, Devas such as Indra, Agni etc., Siddhas and others. Lord Dattātreya is said to have complete mastery on all these classes of beings through the siddhi of this Mahāvidyā.
Jvālāmukhī has the ultimate potency to immobilize even the trinity – Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Rudra. Lord Durvāsā who verily is the form of Mahābhairava, is known to have the siddhi of this Mahāvidyā. Hence his existence is transcendent of time and space – he continues to exist across yugas and kalpas through different cycles of creation, bringing the liberating knowledge of āgama and Tantra to seekers in every age.
Bṛhadbhānumukhī is capable of immobilizing paravidyā – the mantras and astras deployed by the enemy – it is said that even innumerable number of Cāmuṇḍā, Kālikā and Tripurā mantras cannot arrest Bṛhadbhānumukhī and this mahāvidyā can destroy all such deployments.
There is also a śatākṣarī Mahāvidyā which is generally practiced along with Astrapañcaka, called Sarvastambhinī. There is also a way to deploy the five astras together in impossible situations – this prayoga is called Bagalā Vijṛṃbhaṇāstra, the seer for which is Lord Ugranṛsiṃha himself.
In the lineage of Bhagavatī Bimbāmbikā, all these prayogas of Bagalāmukhī are countered through a combination of Guhyakālī ( Bharatopāsitā ) and the thirty-two lettered Parāṣoḍaśī Mahāmantra. The Bījas of both these Mahāvidyās are combined alternatingly in a specific pattern and each such kūṭa is affixed with a Nṛsiṃha Bīja.
We have the paintings for the five Astras as described in the Dhyana Shlokas (painted by an artist in Nepal). At this point, we are not sure we want to publish these sacred paintings which may end up on Facebook pages before an ignorant audience or sold commercially by quacks. Most so-called spiritual practitioners hardly seem to understand the utmost care required when dealing with anything associated with deities such as Bagalāmukhī, Sharabha, Pratyangira, etc.