The two prominent schools of śākta Tantra, Kālīkula and śrīkula are together composed of eighteen Mahāvidyās.
The Gauḍa Krama usually consists of twelve Mahāvidyās:
काली नीला महादुर्गा त्वरिता छिन्नमस्तका
वाग्वादिनी चान्नपूर्णा तथा प्रत्यङ्गिरा पुनः |
कामाख्यावासिनी बाला मातङ्गी शैलवासिनी
इत्याद्याद्या सकला देव्यः कलौ पूर्णफलप्रदाः ||
kālī nīlā mahādurgā tvaritā chinnamastakā
vāgvādinī cānnapūrṇā tathā pratyaṅgirā punaḥ |
kāmākhyāvāsinī bālā mātaṅgī śailavāsinī
ityādyādyā sakalā dēvyaḥ kalau pūrṇaphalapradāḥ ||
- Kālikā
- Nīlasarasvatī
- Mūladurgā
- Tvaritā
- Chinnamastā
- Vāgvādinī
- Annapūrṇēśvarī
- Pratyaṅgirā
- Kāmākhyā
- Bālā Tripurā
- Mātaṅginī
- Vindhyavāsinī
However, in the Mahāmanthāna Bhairava Krama followed in our school, there are eighteen Mahāvidyā mantras, divided into two categories of Kālīkula and śrīkula.
काली तारा छिन्नमस्ता भुवना महिषमर्दिनी
त्रिपुटा त्वरिता दुर्गा विद्या प्रत्यङ्गिरा तथा ।
कालीकुलं समाख्यातं श्रीकुलश्च ततः परम्
सुन्दरी भैरवी बाला बगला कमला तथा |
धूमावती च मातङ्गी विद्या स्वप्नावती प्रिये
मधुमती महाविद्या श्रीकुलं परिभाषितम् ||
kālī tārā chinnamastā bhuvanā mahiṣamardinī
tripuṭā tvaritā durgā vidyā pratyaṅgirā tathā |
kālīkulaṁ samākhyātaṁ śrīkulaśca tataḥ param
sundarī bhairavī bālā bagalā kamalā tathā |
dhūmāvatī ca mātaṅgī vidyā svapnāvatī priyē
madhumatī mahāvidyā śrīkulaṁ paribhāṣitam ||
Kālīkula
- Dakṣiṇā Kālī
- Ugratārā
- Chinnamastā (pañcākṣarī)
- Bhuvanēśvarī
- Mahiṣamardinī Durgā
- Tripuṭā
- Tvaritā
- Mūladurgā
- Pratyaṅgirā
śrīkula
- Tripurasundarī
- Tripurabhairavī
- Bālā
- Bagalāmukhī
- Kamalātmikā
- Dhūmāvatī
- Rājamātaṅgī
- Svapnāvatī
- Mahāmadhumatī
In Bimbāmbikā sampradāya, there is no upāsanā for Dhumāvatī, who is replaced by sa-śiva śakti, Mahāvārāhī. Also, Svāpnāvatī is replaced by Kādi Pañcamī, which over a period of time, seems to have lost its original strong foothold in Dākṣiṇātya śrīvidyā schools.
The process is to worship Lalitā along with her retinue of Mahāvidyās in sr̥ṣṭi krama during the day, with all the nine deities attaining laya within Charyānandanātha Parābhaṭṭārikā Mahāmithuna, and eventually into the Mahāpādukā of Mahāprakāśānandanātha and Mahāvimarśinyambā.
In the night, Kālikā is worshiped along with her retinue of Mahāvidyās in samhāra krama, with all the deities attaining laya in Mahākāla and Svacchanda Kālī, who further attain laya again in Mahāprakāśānandanātha and Mahāvimarśinyambā.
During the Turīyā sandhyā, the worship is combined in sr̥ṣṭi and samhāra kramas of the two deities, where the Mahāpādukā consists of nine bījas for Sundarī, three for Kālikā, six for their state of sāmarasya – thus totaling to eighteen bījas, representing the eighteen Mahāvidyās listed above. The process for layāṅga kalpanā of these deities into the Mahāpādukā during turīyā sandhyā is gurumukhaikavēdya.