Puranic Stories · Skanda Purana
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.