Sankashti Chaturthi Mandal
The Saptamatrikas, the seven great Mother Goddesses of Hindu tradition — Brahmani, Vaishnavi, Maheshwari, Indrani, Kumari, Varahi, and Chamunda — are best known from their role assisting Shiva against the demon Andhaka and Durga against the demon Raktabija. A related, less widely known thread also connects Mother Goddesses to Shree Ganesh.
A Connection Worth Stating Precisely
Puranic literature on this point deserves a precise account: the Devi Purana describes a related group, a "Matra-panchaka" or fivefold company of Mother Goddesses, aiding Shree Ganesh in overcoming demonic forces — a genuine textual connection, though distinct from the more famous seven-Matrika episodes tied primarily to Shiva and Durga.
A Shared Family of Divine Power
Whether numbered five or seven, the Matrikas as a group are consistently depicted carrying the weapons, ornaments, and mounts of their corresponding male deities, embodying the active, protective power, or Shakti, of the gods they accompany — a pattern this smaller company shares when standing alongside Shree Ganesh.
What Devotees Seek
Devotees who study this less-traveled corner of Puranic literature find in it a reminder that Shree Ganesh's own battles against darkness were not always fought alone, but sometimes alongside the fierce, protective power of the Divine Mother in her many forms.