Metaphysics of Maya - Part 2 - Sri Vidhya Concepts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KI1weN7fsLA

Just to recall our observations in Part 1, please peruse the following words of Kanchi Komakoti Peetam on Saaktham, as found in their website:

அம்பாள் வழிபாடே சாக்தம் என்பது. ஒவ்வொரு பெண் வடிவம் உயிருள்ள பெண் தெய்வம். இந்தியாவில் மட்டும் தான் உயிருள்ள ஒரு பெண்ணை சக்தியின் வடிவமாக கன்யா பூஜை அல்லது சுகாஸினி பூஜை என்று வணங்கி வழிபடுகின்றனர். 

ஆதிசங்கரருக்கு முன்னால் காளி வழிபாடு வெகுவாக நரர்களை, மிருகங்களை பலியிடுதல் என இருந்துவந்தது. காளி மிகவும் உக்ரமானவள் என நம்பப்பட்டது. ஆதி சங்கரர் தேவியினை அன்புள்ளவளாக விளக்கி ஸ்ரீ சக்கரத்தில் பிரதிஷ்டை செய்து வழிபடும் முறையினை வகுத்துக் கொடுத்தார். தற்சமயம் இந்த முறைதான் நடைமுறையில் உள்ளது. 

தாய் உலகம் அனைத்திற்கும் அன்னை என்பதில் இருகருத்துக்கு சிறிதேனும் இடமில்லை. தேவி பாகவதம் தேவிதான் முழுமையான பராசக்தி என்கிறது. தேவி பிரம்மா, விஷ்ணு, சிவன் ஆகிய மூவரையும் படைத்தார். தன்னுடைய ஸத்வ, ரஜஸ், தமஸ் அம்சங்களை பிரதிபலிக்கும் வகையில் சரஸ்வதி, லஷ்மி, பார்வதி ஆகிய மூவரையும் படைத்தார். இந்த மூவரையும் மூன்று கடவுளர்கட்கும் அவரவர் படைப்பு முதலான தொழிலினை செம்மையாய் செய்ய அனுசரணையாக இருப்பதற்கென திருமணம் செய்து வைத்தார். படைப்புத் தொழில் செய்பவரான பிரம்மாவிற்கு சரஸ்வதியையும் காக்கும் கடவுளான விஷ்ணுவிற்கு லக்ஷ்மியையும் அழிக்கும் கடவுளாகிய சிவனுக்கு பார்வதியையும் மணம் முடித்து வைத்தார். 

சிவன் பார்வதியுடன் சேர்ந்து இல்லை எனில் தன்னுடைய தொழிலை சரிவர செய்யமுடியாது என்றும் அவள் இல்லையெனில் சவத்தினை ஒத்தவர் எனவும் சௌந்தர்ய லஹரி கூறுகிறது. சக்தி மூன்று கடவுளர்கட்கும் தேவையானது. இது அவர்கள் மூவருக்கும் பொருந்தும். இது எல்லா உயிரினங்களுக்கும் பொருந்தும். ஒரு மனிதனின் வெற்றிக்குப் பின்னால் ஒரு பெண் இருக்கிறார் என நாம் சொல்லவில்லையா? 

தேவிக்கு என எல்லாகோயில்களிலும் தனி சன்னதி உள்ளது. ஒவ்வொரு சிவன் கோயிலிலும் சக்தியினை அவரின் பலவித புகழ் வடிவிலே ஏதாவது ஒரு வடிவில் காண்கிறோம். 

தற்காலத்தில் தாயின் வழிபாட்டிற்கு சிறந்த முக்கியத்துவம் இருக்கிறது. இன்றைய உலக கஷ்டமான நிலையில் தேவியின் வழிபாடுதான் சுகத்தையும் அமைதியையும் கொடுக்க வல்லது. 

Getting back to the basics, any work on Shakti worship would be incomplete without dwelling into all the aspects like, Mantra, Yantra and Tantra forms of Devi, all three put together are known as Sri Vidhya Upasana. The following pages contains basics of these important components as contained in Saktham texts. Listen to the magnetic Sharada Stuthi by Sri Vidushekara Bharathi Swamiji of Sringeri Peetam, before we step into the basics:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdgS_HQsDjA

Sri Vidhya is a very powerful tool for devotees in realising their goal, if and only if they can understand the concept properly and faithfully follow the dictums. This book is written with this objective of providing a condensed version. It is such a vast realm that we could cover only its essence in following pages.

Mantra is the sonic vibrations in praise of the Goddess, uttered usually in Sanskrit language. Mantra can also be recited mentally in silence, as in a state of meditation in any language of devotee's choice. Following is an example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUYlK7P1PKo

Yantra, as Sri Chakram, involves giving a sacred geometrical shape to Goddess worship, using dots, lines, squares, circles and triangles. All Gods and Goddesses have their own Mantra and Yantra. Sri Chakram is considered as the main abode of Devi, or to be precise, it represents Devi Herself. It has nine enclosures (avaranas or praharams) after passing through which, a devotee reaches the divine Mother’s abode, the central Bindu. I will explain this in detail in later pages.

"Yantras are tools to enhance our life in different dimensions. They are made for specific purposes and different types of yantras reverberate in different ways. Looking at the kind of energy that is to be created, we can create that kind of yantra.” – Sadguru.

Tantra is related to yoga, the art of uniting with the universal consciousness through specific postures of the body and a trained mind. 

Tantra, as detailed in Agama Sastra, is the esoteric and ritualistic practices, which developed into a complete yogic sciene, often referred to as “Yoga Sastra”.

Several hymns explain in a stunningly uniform and detailed manner, this concept of Sri Vidhya, the worship of Mother. Some of them are:

-Lalitha Shahsranamam text (1000 names of Devi),

-Music exponent Muthuswamy Dhikshidars Nava-avarana krithis, 

-Poetic mother Avvayar’s “Vinayagar Agaval”, 

-Saint Thirumoolar’s “Thiru-manthiram”, 

Tantra or Yoga path is an important wing of Shaktham, which believes in “what is up there, so it is below”. It equates the creation of the universe (through five elements of Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth), with the creation of human beings through body-chakras. It further conceives that Shakti, after creation, rests still & potent in the lowest chakra point, Muladhara, as a coiled-up snake, the Kundalini force. When aroused through proper yogic experiences, this Kundalini force raises up through subtle central Nadi inside our spine and rushes upwards to unite with Lord Shiva in the Sahasrara Chakra located just above our head. 

Severe yogic practices are necessary to achieve the results of exaltation through this arousal of Kundalini and to taste the Nector (Amruth). Controlled breathing (Pranayamam) coupled with postural re-alignment and complete mental control are practiced by yogins. 

Both the Sri Vidhya (Sri Chakra) and the Tantra (Yoga) Cults are razor sharp and are to be tried only after getting thorough knowledge and blessing of an experienced Teacher (Guru) and should never be tried for fun or for curiosity learning, as it may bounce back, if not properly handled, and may cause permanent damage to our bio-systems. However, there is no harm in learning about these paths to understand the wisdom of our ancestors. 

We can’t but wonder at the cogency and the clarity with which all these concepts fall in line with main principles of Hinduism, though on the face of it, they appear to be far apart. There is certainly a unifying factor underlying the different Hindu concepts, which will come to surface, if one exerts dedicated efforts to understand them. Such amazing clarity in explaining the mystics in detail, though difficult to understand, have often made even the philosophers and open minded researchers abroad to dwelve into the depths of Hindu texts. 

We recall the works of mathematics prodigy and iconoclast physicist, Brian Greene’s efforts to unearth the theory of oneness and his efforts to prove the “Theory of Everything”, which would contain one grand “master equation” to explain all the forces such as gravity, weak and strong nuclear and electro-magnetic forces. He is now a professor at Columbia in its Institute for Strings, Cosmology and Astro-particle Physics.

His books throw more light on the space-time concepts developed based on Einstein’s Theories of Relativity and on the Big Bang theory of evolution of the Universe. It is worth reading his works like The Elegant Universe, Hidden Reality, Parallel Universes etc. He is very fond of supporting the Indian thoughts on “The Science of Absolute” and looks for the pearl in the Indian Shell.

Sir John George Woodroffe, (1865-1936) a British Orientalist, also known by his pseudonym name as Arthur Avalon, whose work helped to unleash in the West, a deep and wide interest in Hindu philosophy and Yogic practices, is known for his works on Magna Mater, “The Great Mother of India” and “Prima Materia” (Moola Prakriti), through a series of books which devotees should never miss reading. His famous book, “The Serpent Power” explores the Kundalini coiled up as a snake, while his other books on Shakti worship, like “The Garland of Letters” explores the mantra aspect of vedic language, Sanskrit, and its relevance to Saaktham. 

         

His work “Shakti and Shaktha” emphasises that Tantra shastras are repository of Mother-worship. Other books like “The Word as Power”, “Hymns to the Goddess and Hymn to Kali” and “The Great Liberation” also equally contribute to our knowledge on Saaktham.

  

Paul Deuessan, a German, has contributed immensely in his work “The Systems of the Vedanta”, about the Upanishads of India.

The contributions of Tamil saints called Siddhars and others to Shaktham deserves mention here. Thirumoolar’s poetic text called “Thiru Mandhiram” and Carnatic music composer, Muthuswamy Dhikshidar’s “Nava Varna Kriti” are tributes to Shakti concepts.  

With these words, let me take you around the corridors of Shaktha philosophy, if you will walk with me, to unfold the secret treasures gifted by saints and sages. 

Shakti, the Invisible Force of Brahman

The mighty oceans provide a variety of wealth to its guests. It offers fish for those looking for it at the surface. For those aggressive seekers, it offers more wealth, secretly kept in its depths, such as pearls. When one is inclined to understand the roots & fruits of Saaktham, it is essential for one to dive deep into the ocean of knowledge and explore fully the principles and practices of worship of Shakti.

Any Hindu worship normally starts with description of the deity from foot to the top (Paadhadhi-kesam), while the worship of the Goddess Mother usually starts from top to toe (Kesadi-paadam). It is explained that since Sakthi rose from SidAgni, the Homa Fire, She is praised accordingly, when the face emerges first and then the rest of Her body.

“Soundarya Lahari”, a devotional hymn sung by the great saint & philosopher, Sri Adi Sankara, provides perhaps the best description ever of the “Flow of Beauty”. “Lahari” means flow. Being a poet and an exponent of the Sanskrit language, he uses difficult Sanskrit words to describe Her beauty in as many as 100 verses. 

Each Sanskrit word has several meanings attributed to it and such a divine language gets deprived of its sanctity when it lands in the hands of the uninitiated curious devotees, who tend to wrongly interpret the profound ideas of the hymn in indecent ways either ignorantly or intentionally. If one wants to realise the true meaning of the hymn and obtain the grace of Goddess, a proper initiation through a Guru is, therefore, essential. 

We have several Gurus or Teachers who came forward to decipher the correct meanings of the Hymn and here we decided to rely upon one such explanation given by Senior Pontiff Sri Chandrasekara Sarawathi Swamigal of Kanchi Mutt in Tamilnadu, South India, considered one of the authorities.

It is felt necessary to understand the principles behing this great poetry before we even attempt to decipher the easoteric meaning in these verses. In the following pages, you would find this initiation into the realm of Saaktham, the expanse of the Goddess. We later take you to the very meaning of these Sanskrit verses of Soundarya Lahari towards the later part. 

Of Names and Forms…..

We believe that some information on Her complexion would be found very useful to those who wish to meditate upon Her “nama rupa” (name & form). The image of the Goddess, in such a glorious original form, as identified by the sages of India, would no doubt be a soul stirring experience, if meditated upon with complete concentration.

Colours have been the topic of curious study for many centuries and great men such as Leonardo da Vinci, Sir Issac Newton, Johann Goethe, Michel- Eugene Chevreul, the Bauhaus school have all made significant contribution to this study. 

Colour exerts powerful influence in our moods and choices in everyday life. Since colours are known to emanate certain energy, they are used in therapy for healing by practitioners. Hindu texts, including Vasthu Shastra (Indian Feng Shui), details how colours improve harmony in our lives.  

Though light itself is colourless, colour is created when light strikes a surface or an object, through absorption of certain range of colours and reflection of the rest. The reflected wavelengths reach our eyes and create an image of that colour. Hue, tint, tone, value, intensity, shade, achromatic, luminance, transparence, opacity, under-tone, temperature and saturation are some of the attributes of colour. While red, blue and yellow are considered primary colours, there are also complimentary, split compliment, analogous, diad, triad, tetrad of colours.

Given the complexity of expressing the true nature of colours, if one is asked to imagine the colour “Red” and if there are 100 people around, there would be 100 different Red shades in their minds.

Goddess has no rupa or shape; yet for the sake of Her devotees, She manifests Herself in the form of Divine Mother. Saints and Poets have described Her beauty, personifying Her in different ways. It is strikingly similar when it comes to the description of Her Divine colour. Here is an account of the oneness of the opinion of various blessed souls, who, using their gnana dhrishti (intuition) could have a glimpse of Devi’s manifestations. Since this is a collective opinion of all the great souls, we can authoritatively take it as the final verdict.

Most of the Saaktham scriptures present Devi as a patron of red colour. Except a few forms like Kali, who is depicted in black colour and Meenakshi in Green, almost all other forms are depicted in red colour. Devi is fond of red colour or crimpson/majanta, the colour of the rising Sun. The twilight colour has a special central status among all other colours, as it results from the conjunction of the infra-red and the ultra-violet rays. 

Abirami Bhattar, a famous priest in South India, wrote a hymn called “Abirami Anthathi” in Tamil, which begins with this categorical statement on Ambal’s compexion, the colour of the rising sun, in its very first sloka:

   “uthikkinRa chenkathir, uchchith thilakam, uNarvudaiyOr

    madhikkinRa maaNikka, maathuLampOthu, malarkkamalai

    thuthikkinRa min kodi, men kadik kunkuma thOyam-enna

    vidhikkinRa mEni abiraami, enthan vizhuth thuNaiyE"

You can see that he further describes Her in the above first sloka as “Uchchithilakm” (Kumkum or the red dot on forehead), “Manikkam” (Coral), “Maathulam” (pomagranade), “Kungumathoyam” all of which are red in colour. In sloka 73 he refers to Her as “Semmai Ammai”, i.e., Mother in red colour and in sloka 101, reference to “mathulampoo niraththalai” (of the colour of a pomagranade fruit) further confirms this.

The famous hymn “Lalitha Sahasranama” begins with the words “Arunam Karunatarangitakshim…”, meaning that Goddess is as bright and crimpson red in colour as the early morning sun, ready to recreate yet another day. Creation (Kriya Shakti) is, after all, the prerogative of Goddess Kameshwari (Parvati) and consort, Lord Kameshwara (Lord Shiva). 

There is a Shakti Upanishad called, “Arunopanishad”, belonging to Krishna Yajur Veda, “Aruna” meaning Redness or Lauhityam. Even the name of this text indicated Redness.

Again, in Lalitha Sahasranama, in praise of thousand names of Devi, the names such as “Nijaruna prabha pura majjat brahmanda mandala”, which means that the Goddess bathes the universe in Her own colour of crimson red (Aruna) and “Udhyat Bhanu Sahasrabha”, meaning that She is of the colour of thousand rising suns, deep red and also as “Arunaruna Kausumbha vastrabhasvatkatitali”, i.e, Her clothing are also of the same crimpson red colour.  She is also compared in another name with “Japapushpa nipakruthi”, the red hybiscus flower or “semparuthi”, in Tamil.

This very same point is described by Sri Adi Sankara in the Soundarya Lahari in its 16^th sloka as “arunam-eva bhavatim” meaning that She becomes synonymous with the crimson red colour and in the 18^th Sloka as “divam saravam urvim arunimanimagnam smaratiyah”, meaning, it is this redness that is to be meditated upon. She is also praised as “Japa pushpaschaya” for her unique redness like Japa flower. 

For such of those interested devotees, we may record here that the other slokas 23, 50, 84, 92, 93 and 98 of Soundarya Lahari may be referred to, for further reference to the red colour.

Mooka Kavi describes in “Pancha sati” by adoring Her as “Kungumachayam” in verse 3 and “Tharunaruna Sampradhaya Thanulekam” in verse 23, indicating red nature. He describes Her foot as “Aruna mahasa”, of being red.

Sri Muthuswamy Dikshidar, the music composer of past century, also joins the above saints in describing Her as “Aruna varna samkshobana”, saying that Ambal appears in red colour in the third Avarana chakra called ‘Sarva Samkshobanam’ in Sri Chakram.

Great sage Durvasa, son of Athri Maharishi and Anasuya Devi, who is an ardent devotee of Sri Vidhya, in his Shakti Mahimna stotram, indicated in the first verse that Sri Mata is red like the rising sun:

‘srI maatah tripure paraatparatare devI triloki mahaa 

sawndaryaarnava manthanodbhava sudhaa praacurya varnojjvalam

udyatbhaanu sahasra nutana japaapushpaprabham te vapuh 

svaante me sphuratu trikonanilayam jyotirmayam vaangmayam’.

Sri Lalitha Trisathi, in its stanza 138 describes Ambal as “Sarvaarunaayai”, meaning that She is of the colour of the rising sun all over Her body, dress, jewels, et al. Again, in stanza 180, it says She is “harigopaarunam”, meaning She wears a red dress like the insect ‘Indragopa’.

White is the colour that includes all other colours, so also the Brahman, the Universal Consciousness, which is described as “Satva Guna”, pure white, is the one and only that contains everything else. It is said that Shakti came out of the Brahman first when evolution started in the form of a vibration (spandanam) and became the Kriya Shakti (Red rajas Guna). 

Those who have retained the knowledge of science would remember that red colour has a frequency that allows it to come out of the white light first and other colours emante after it. Red colour is indicative of creative life, as life flows through the circulation of blood, red in colour, for all creatures on earth, irrespective of caste or creed, human or animal. The Sanskrit word “Raktha” means both Red as well as Blood. Tamil word for blood is “Rattham”. 

The Mahaswamiji of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam in Kanchipuram has an uncanny knack of explaining his thoughts in a very simple but powerful manner so that it will appeal to the common man. In one of his lectures, he explained how the combination of White and Red goes well in almost all walks of life. Here is how he goes about explaining the theory of red and white:

Let us start with the white ash smeared horizontally on the Shivite Hindu man’s forehead as compared to the red kumkum on the woman’s forehead. The Vaishnavites too wear vertical Namam consisiting of two white outer parts and an inner Sri Churnam in red.  The man wears a white dhoti on the marriage day while the bridal attaire is normally red. 

Even in nature, the blood consists of white cells and red cells; the red cells, representing the Shakti, form a veil (Maya) over the white cells and the whole blood appears red and only the wise ones know that there are white cells in our blood. It is the red cells which are very active and predominent.

In our area, when the lady decorates the frontage of the house with a kolam in white powder, usually it is outlined with red dye or “semman”. The temple walls also carry the same red and white stripes. 

White being a symbol of inactiveness, we use it in a war to signal end of the war and onset of the peace process. The red signifies high potency and hence it is used to symbolise revolution. 

Thus, the Shiva-Shakti union becomes “Raktha-Shukla-Prabha-Misram”. While Raktha signifies the ovulation, Shukla refers to dhadhu, the mix of which results in procreation.

While red represents feminine potency and power, which are rajas in nauture, white represents masculine independence, stillness or a state of withdrawal from activity. These two are opposites but when they combine, life begins to happen.

There are many such white and red combinations which one can observe in our surroundings and enjoy, such as the prasad given in temples, Sarkarai Pongal & Curd Rice and idly with chilly powder combinations. It is funny, but don’t you think, for a moment, that nature is trying to tell us a secret message in these combinations? With these very thoughts, Acharya Mahaswami of Kanchi tried to bring home the complex concept of creation through Shiva-Shakti merger.

Devotees may therefore start meditating on the power of kriya Shakti by concentrating on Her red form and be blessed.  

Theory of Colours….

(for those interested in additional reading)

With a view to aid our readers in understanding the significance of true colours, we intend to throw some light on the “Theory of colours”.

Gothe in his “Theory of colours” said that “colours are the deeds of the light” and that light itself is invisible. As per him, red is one of the primary colours, together with blue and yellow. 

To understand fully the theory of colours, we should first understand the theory of electromagnetic waves that are capable of transporting energy through the vacuum of outer space. These waves exist in a wide range of frequencies and form a spectrum. Starting from a longer wave length but lower frequency region, it extends to the shorter wave length but high frequency regions. Visible light forms a very narrow band of this spectrum range, meaning that our eyes are sensitive to only a small range of the spectrum, between the ultra-violet and the infra-red region, out of the vast range of electro-magnetic radiation. This narrow band of visible light is known as VIBGYOR, representing the order of colours in this range such as violet (V), Indigo (I), blue (B), green (G), yellow (Y), orange (O) and red (R). It was Sir Isaac Newton who passed this colourless visible light through a prism and proved through dispersion that it comprised of various colours. In this small range of visible light spectrum, violet is the shorter wavelength, Red is the longer wavelength.

We perceive white light when all the wavelengths of this visible light from Red to Violet strike our eyes at the same time. Technically white light does not form part of the spectrum of wavelength of visible light and is not part of VIBGYOR. There is no separate wavelength that can be attributed to white light, since it has no separate identity and is a combination of all the other colours.

Only the original source emits lights, while all other objects only reflect the light that is incident on them. While doing so, they absorb certain portion of the light and reflect only a specific wavelength of the incident light, which gives them the respective colour. Hence the colour of the object depends on the wavelength of light reflected by it and under different circumstances, the same object can reflect different colours and appear differently. Therefore, we can conclude that the object by itself is basically of white colour but it appears to have acquired the colour depending on the circumstances in which the perceiver sees the object.

Oxygen and Nitrogen contained in our Earth’s atmosphere scatter the sunlight and more of blue light reaches our eyes and that is why the sky appears blue. Red, orange and yellow light are lower frequencies of light and are scattered less by nitrogen and oxygen. Red is scattered the least and therefore red traverses more in the atmosphere than any other color.  It may be noted that we are not seeing the effects of reflection from an object but we are seeing the effects of emitted and transmitted light. Here is therefore the reason why the sun appears red in the morning as well as during the sun set, when the sun’s rays must travel the most distance within the earth’s atmosphere and only the red colour could make it to our eyes as it is least scattered during this long journey.

We compare the colour of Goddess to that of the morning sun, being red and not to the sun at noon. When we say that the colour of Goddess is Red, it does not mean that Ambal only appears red. She is of pure white light, like Brahman, being the original source of light, which contains all other colours in it, but we perceive her to be red since most of the time She is of rajas guna, which reflects red light. When She acts in Tamas guna, as in Kali, She absorbs everything into Her and reflects no light and hence appears black. 

Creation is explainable through colours also; it is the Brahman which is colourless or white in nature and stands alone without any other colour. From this white light, when the veil of Maya, in the form of a triangular prism, is imposed, Brahman appears to split into various colours, of which red colour emerges first, followed by other colours. At the time of dissolution or pralaya, all colours are absorbed fully (by a black body, also known as Kali - kala in Sanskrit is black) and there is absolute darkness all over. All colours are but reflections of Brahman when it falls on other objects. The fundamental particle is just one. "Brahmam okate".

Where Does She Reside?

Mythology cites several places where the Gods and Goddesses reside in their respective “Lokas” or worlds with their followers and devotees. Lord Shiva resides on Mount Kailash in the Himalayan mountain range. Vishnu has his place in Vaikunta, in the ocean of milk. Though various Shaktis resides with their consorts in their respective places, ParaShakti, the Mother of all gods and goddesses resides everywhere. 

Sage Durvasa has the following to say in His Shakti Mahimna Stotra, sloka 53:

“Mathasthwam bhoorbhuvaswar maha rasi nruthapa sathya lokaischa sooryen,

Dwaraagnacharya shukrakibhirabhi nigama brahmabhi protha shakthi,

Pranaayaadhi yathnai kalayasi sakalam manasam dhyana yogam,

Yeshamthesham saparya bhavathi sura krutha brahmathe gnathe cha”.                     

She pervades the seven worlds bhoo, bhuva, suvar, mahar, jana, thapa and sathya worlds and the planets Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. She resides also in the Vedas which are the personification of Brahma.

Sage Durvasa has elaborately mentioned the location of Devi’ s abode in his Arya Dvishati in more than 190 slokas. We can consider this as a correct indication of Her abode, since Durvasa is also, like Adi Sankara, a Shiva avatar. Who else but Lord Shiva Himself, can describe Her location precisely.

As per Durvasa, Devi’s city was built by Divine Architect Viswakarma upon the Meru Mountain, which is said to be situated at the north-most end of the Universe.

This beautiful city, called “Sriman Nagara”, consists of several enclosures made of precious metals and Gems and one must pass through all of them to reach Devi. The elaborate description of the city and its inhabitants is given by Durvasa in Arya Dwishati (first 160 stazas)is given below:

The first wall is made of Steel structure, followed by a second wall made of Bronze. Between these two, there is a park, where Maha Kaaleswar is dwelling with the green deity, Mahakaali. The third Fort is made of Copper. Between Bronz and Copper walls, Lord Manmatha (Vasanthan) lives with his consorts Madhu Shree (of Chithirai month) and Madhava Shree (of Vaikasai month). The fourth is the wall made of white Lead. Between Copper and Lead forts, there is a park made of one of the Kalpa trees, Santhanam. Here lives Kirishma Rithu with his consorts Sukra Shree (of Aadi month) and Susi Shree (of Aani month).

Beyond this is fifth enclosure, a Brass wall and between the Brass and the Lead walls is a park made of Sandal wood trees. Here lives, Varsha rithu with his consorts Napa Shree (Aavani month) and Napasya Shree (Purattasimonth).

The sixth one is made of an alloy of Panchalokam, which is a mixture of five metals steel, bronz, copper, lead and brass. Between this and the lead walls is a park made of Manthaara trees, bestowing a divine smell. Here lives Sarath ritu with his consorts, Isha Shree (Iyppasi month) and Oorja Shree (Karthika month).

The seventh wall is made of Silver. In between Silver and the Alloy walls, is a park made of Parijatha trees. Here lives Hemantha ritu with his consorts, Saha Shree (Margazhi month) and Sahasya Shree (Thai month).

Beyond this is eighth wall made of Gold and in the place between Silver and Gold is a park made of Kadamba trees. Here lives Sisira Ritu with his consorts Thapa Shree and Thpasya shree.

In this Kadamba park lives the great Manthrini Devi, the minister of Lalitha Devi. Manthrini has her palace made of Manikka (Ruby) stones. She is the Lord of all Manthras, made of Sanskrit Alphabets. She is Saraswathi, the Mathruka Devi.

Further down the north is ninth wall made of Pushparagam (Yellow Saphire) stones. Between this Pushparag and the Gold enclosures, the space is occupied by Siddhars.

There is then tenth fort made of Padmaragam (Pink Saphire) stones, reddenned by the hybiscus flowers. Between thie Pushparag and Padmarag enclosures, there lives the followers of Chakreswari Devi, the Saranars.

The eleventh wall is made of Komedagam (Hessenite Garnet) Stones and between Padmarag and the Komedaga walls lives Sangarshini Devi, worshipped by Vadugars and Yoginis.

Beyond this is twelfth wall made of Diamonds and the space between Komedaga and Diamond walls is filled by the divine beauties (12 Apsaras) Ramba, Oorvasi, Menaka, Alambusha, Manjukosha, Sukesi, Poorvasiddhi, Krithaasi, Krithasthalaa, Vichvasi, Punchkasthala and Thilotthama. In this space lives, Vajreswari Devi, along the divine river Vajra.

The thirteenth wall is made of Vaidurya Rathnam (Cat’s Eye) stones and the space between Diamond and Vaidurya walls is occupied by some Nagas (Serpents) and Asuras, who are devoted to Devi worship.

The fourteenth wall is made of Indraneelam (Blue Saphire) Stones and the space between Vaidurya and Indraneela walls is occupied by great kings, who were blessed by Devi.

The fifteenth wall is made of Pearl and Lord of Devas, Indra, lives in the space between Indraneela and Pearl walls. Lord Agni (Fire) also stays in this space with his wives Swaha and Swatha. Lord Yama also lives here, in Yama Loga, praising Thirpura Devi. Lord Varuna (Water) and Lord Vayu (Air) with his wives, Ida, Pingala and Sushumna and many Yogis also stays in this space. This space is also occupied by Lord of Aishwaryam, Kupera, with plenty of Yaksha devotees of the Goddess. I the north-east space lives Lord Ishanan with his wife, Kathyayani with plenty of Rudras and Rudhranis.

The sixteenth wall is made of the green Maragatham stones (Emarald) and the space between the Pearl and this Maragatha walls lies a forest of golden Palm trees, containing the beautiful palace of Varahi Devi (also known as Dhandanathai), surrounded by Bhairavas and Bhairavis.

The seventeeth wall is made of the red Pavazham (Coral) and between the Maragatha and Pavazham walls lives Lord Brahma, the creator.

Beyond this Ruby wall is another one made of nine gem stones (Navarathnam) and in the space between Ruby and Navarathna lies a beautiful palace made of Manikkam (Ruby) stones where Lord Vishnu’s abode of Vaikundam is situated.

Then it is “Naanaarathna” (made of several stones) 1000 pillared mandapam (Hall), where Lord Ishwara is housed with Bhavaani. Nandhi (Bull) is the guardian of this place.

This follows “Manomaya” (Mind) Fort and the vast expanse containing the “Amritha vaapi”, the river of Nector, in which Tara Devi plays in her gem stone boat.

Beyond this is “Bhuddimaya” (Intelligence) Fort and the space between Manomaya and Bhuddhimaya fort is filled with “Aanandha Vyapi” river, in which “Vaaruni or Amruthesi Devi” plays in her gem stone boat.

Thereafter, we can find the “Ahamkara” (Ego) fort and the space between Bhuddhimaya and Ahamkara forts is filled by “Vimarsa Vyapi” river, in which Kukrukulla Devi plays in her boat made of Ruby stones.

Beyond this lies Fort of Surya (Sun) and the space between Ahamkara and Sury’s fort is occupied by Lord Marthanda Bhairava with his wives Sakshushmathi, Prakasana and Chaayaa Devis. The Surya Fort also contains the Chandra’s (Moon) Fort.

Further north lies Sringara Fort, and the space between Chandra Fort and the Sringara Fort is occupied by Manamatha (Cupid).

Beyond this is “Chinthamani Griham”, made of the wish fulfilling Chintamani (Philosopher’s) stone and in the space between the Sringara and Chintamani Forts is a forest of Lotus, known as “Padmadavi”. We can find the 12 Suya Kalaas and 15 Chandra Kalaas playing around in this forest.

Chintamani Fort is surrounded by Brahma vishnu and Shiva. On the south-east side is situated, the “Chitagni kundam”, from where Sri Lalitha rose. 

On South-west is situated the divine “Chakra Raja Ratham”, the vehicle of Sri Lalitha. On the Nort-west is the “Geya Chakra Ratham”, the vehicle of Manthrini, the Minister of Sri Lalitha. On the North-east is the “Giri Chakra Ratham”, the vehicle of Vaaraahi Devi, the Commander-in-chief of Devi’s Army. All the other assistants of Devi keep reciting mantras and devagaanas (divine music) around this Chintamani fort. Manthrini and Varahi always make themselves available in the Eastern gates.

In centre of Chintamani Griha, there lies Sri Chakra platform in the form of Meru. It consists of several steps, each step corresponding to one Avarana of the Sri chakra. 

The first three steps belong to Trilokya Mohana chakram, guarded by Prakata Yoginis, consisting of ten Siddhi Devis, eight Brahmi devis and ten Mudhra Devis (dasamudhra). The Second one, Sarvaasa Paripooraha Chakram, is guarded by sixteen Nitya kalaa Gupta Yogini Devis. The third one, Samskshopakaara chakram, is guarded by eight Ananga devis. The fourth one, Sowbagya dhaayaga chakram, is guarded by fourteen Sampradhaaya yogini Shaktis. 

The fifth one, Sarvaartha saadhaka chakram has ten kulotheerna yogins. The sixth one, Sarva Rakshakara chakram, is guarded by ten Nikarpa yoginis. The seventh one, Sri Sarva Rohahara chakram, is guarded by eight rahasya yoginis known as Vagdevis. The eighth one, Sarva siddhipradha chakram, is guarded by four Paraapara Adirahasya Yoginis. 

The nineth one, Sarvvanandhamaya chakram, contains the cot made of Panchabrahmas, (Brahma, Vishnu, Rudhra, Ishwar and Sadashiva). The cot is covered on all sides by Tiraskarini Maya Shakti. Brahma, Vishnu, Rudhra and Ishwar serve as the four legs of the cot, with Sadashiva or Kameswara, sitting on the cot, holding Sri Lalitha or Kameswari, on His lap. 

Durvasa says that Devi always resides in this place along with Her devotees, protecting them happily in many ways. The place is full of luster, brilliance, bliss and prosperity, including wish yielding scented trees made of various gems, peacocks dancing all around and cuckoo birds singing in praise of Mother. 

Let us look at similar version from Lalitha Sahasranaamam, as per which, Goddess Lalitha resides in Sree Nagara, in Sri Puram on top of Maha Meru, surrounded by Siddhas, Charanas, Gandharvas, Apsaras, Kinnaras, Kimpurushas, Sadhakas, Nagas, Rakshasas, Dikpalakas, Rudras - all being Devi worshippers. Mount Meru has four peaks or sikharas where all the lokas are situated, sitting at the centre of which Devi supervises the Universeal activities. Sri Puram has seven huge prakaras or enclosures, spread over several thousand yojanas and made of several metals - steel, copper, siver, Gold etc. The place is surrounded by Kadamba vanam (forest). Many of Her subordinate deities like Syamala Devi, Varahi alias Dandini, different Yoginis, Thara Devi, Varuni, Kurukulla and others including Maha Vishnu, Eswara, Marthanda Bhairawa, Chandra (the moon) and Manmatha are housed around in this place. 

In the center of Srinagara we have the Mani Dweepam in which the Chintamani Griha is housed. And in the centre of all these is the Sri Chakra and Devi Kameswari is seated in the center of Sri Chakra on the Bindhu, on Pancha-preta-aasana, on Lord Shiva’s left lap, as pancha-brahma-swarupini. This is explained in Lalitha Sahasranamam (55 -61). She is the ‘Kameswara-prana-nadi’, the life-giving Shakti of Kameswara, without which the pancha-murthis (Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Ishwara and Sadashiva) would be treated as Pancha-pretas, i.e., mere bodies without life.

Sri Mooka Pancha Sati corroborates this view in Sloka 51 and says that the Sripuram is surrounded by Four Vedas, All Upanishads. Further Slokas 42 and 70 locates Her clearly on the Lap of Shiva, in Chintamani House. Sri Muthuswami Dheekshidar also supports this view on Devi’s location, in his Navavarna-krithi on Kamalamba, thus confirming that She lives in Sri Puram with Kameswara.

Soundharya Lahari supports this view on Devi’s abode as “sudha-sindhoora-madhye…mani-dwipe---chinthamani-grihe” in sloka 8. 

She also houses within Her, the abodes of Lakshmi and Saraswathi Devis. Both these deities are said to be fanning Her from both the sides;

 “sa-chamara-rama-vani-savya-dhakshina-sevitha”-Lalitha Sahasranamam.

It is further said that Saraswathi dwells in Her tongue and Lakshmi on Her “Seemanta”, the pure turmeric sindhoor on the central hairline of a married woman, a sumangali. For more details on Sindhoor, refer following link;

https://www.facebook.com/ombhajanbhakti/videos/606658806161743/

Other scripts also describe about Devi’s abode:

Bhavanopanishad, belonging to Atharvanaveda, states with authority that Devi is the self - the body, mind, soul and all that we are made of. It tries to draw similarity between Sri Chakra and our body chakras. 

The Upanishad is explained by a bhashyam or the commentary written by Sri Bhaskararaya. We will briefly see the correspondence in a later chapter dealing with “Tantraswaroopam”.“Bhavana” indicates the transformation in the mind of the devotee that he and Devi are one. Sec. 27 of Bhavanopanoshad declares:

“Sadananda Poornah: Swathmaiva Paradevata Lalitha”.

(The one and only place where She resides is in the whole of my body).

She resides in my mind (“Manas-tvam”)- as per sloka 35 of Soundarya Lahari. She is the space (“Vyoma-tvam”). She is the air (“Marud-asi”) and She is the water (Tvam Apaha). She is the Earth (“Tvam- Bhumih”) and She is therefore everywhere (“Sarva- vyapakatvath”), Omni-present. She resides within the divine essence of every being. 

Many texts like Tantra-raja-tantra, Vamakeswara tantra, Rudrayamala speak volumes on Devi’s abodes. The famous Atha Tantroktam Devi Suktam explains this concept nicely as follows:

Ya devi sarvabhuteshu, Shakti rupena samsthita I
Namastastyai II Namastastyai II Namastastyai namo namaha II

Devi resides in every form of appearances. That is, all that has a name and form is Herself.

Ya devi sarvabhuteshu, Trishna rupena samsthita I
Namastastyai II Namastastyai II Namastastyai namo namaha II

She resides in the form of desire within all of us.

Ya devi sarvabhuteshu, Ksanti rupena samsthita I
Namastastyai II Namastastyai II Namastastyai namo namaha II

She resides in all of us in the form of peace. When you realize Her within you, peace will descend on you.

Ya devi sarvabhuteshu, Jati rupena samsthita I
Namastastyai II Namastastyai II Namastastyai namo namaha II

She resides in all living being who are born on earth.

Click the following link to hear the full slokam:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9YkDeTij90

There is stiff competition from Abhirami Bhattar, when he rushes to tell us where She resides. He declares that the Goddess resides in the pure hearts of Her devotees. He has no doubt about this and is categorical when he claims that though the Goddess resides in many other places including the Vedas, the Sri Chakra, and indeed, in everything in this Universe, She is happiest to be in the hearts of devotees like Abhirami Bhattar. 

As per Devi Mahatmyam, a sacred Hindu scripture, the goddess resides in all female living beings in this universe. We find in several yoga literatures that Devi is also present in male beings and lies coiled in the form of Kundalini energy and hence we can conclude that She blesses both men and women alike. 

As per a satire in Soundarya Lahari, the Devi, not satisfied with having occupied the left part of Shiva, (Vamakshi), is said to have stealthily occupied His entire body as Her abode. In Sloka 23 Sri Adi Sankara says this is proved by the third eye (Trinayanam) of Ambal as well as by the half-moon in the crown (kutila-shashti-chudala-makutam) (Taaraa-naayaka-sekaram in Lalitha sahasranamam) found upon Her, which are specific to Lord Shiva only. 

Sloka 34 further confirms this when Sankara describes Her as “Shariram-tvam-Shambhoh”, i.e., You are the body of the Lord. It is not possible to separate Her from Shiva; She is “Shiva-shaktyaika-rupini”. She is the Cosmic Body of this Universe, (its virat-swarupam), the life source of the entire cosmos; shining because of the soul of Shiva, the Brahma-Chaitanyam.

Goddess is present in various forms in several Peetams (temples), not one or two, but 108 of them, as described in ancient scripts. She has three forms, the gross, subtle and the supreme. As gross form, people see Her as having a human figure with arms and weapons. As subtle form, She resides in the Sri Yantra, the sacred geometrics of the Absolute and also in the Body Chakras, described in Tantra Literatures. As Supreme form, She resides in the Sanskrit Alphabets and mantras made thereof. Thus, She resides in Mantra, Yantra and Tantra forms and is omni-present.

Eighteen Shakti Temples 

Sri Adi Sankara, who is considered an avatar of Lord Shiva, has given us many hymns in praise of Shakthi, one of which is the Ashta Dasa (Eighteen) Shakthi Peetha Stotram. It relates to the self-immolation of Sati Devi, daughter of Daksha, when he badly insulted Lord Shiva, the consort of Sati Devi. She jumped into the sacrificial yagna fire and could not be saved. The furious Lord Shiva cut off the head of Daksha, took the charred body of Sati and went around the universe crying and dancing furiously. To save the universe from his anger, Lord Vishnu, at the instance of Para Shakti, the Mother Goddess, cut the body of Sati into various parts and these parts lay scattered around different parts of Indian sub-continent, each one of which became a Shakti peeta (Temple). 

In his Stotram, Sri Adi Sankara names the places of these Shakthi Peetas and the name of the Goddess in temples, as given below:

	Part of the body fallen	Place	Name of Shakti
1	Groin	Trimkomali(Srilanka)	Sankari devi
2	Back	Kanchi(Tamilnadu)	Kamakshi devi
3	Stomach	Praddyumnam(Gujrat)	Sri srunkala devi
4	Head hairs	Mysore(Karnataka)	Chamundeswari devi
5	Upper teeth rows	Alampur(Andhra)	Jogulamba devi
6	Neck	Srisailam(Andhra)	Bhramramba devi
7	Eyes	sholapur(Maharastra)	Mahalakmi devi
8	Right hand	Nanded(Maharastra)	Ekavenika devi
9	Upper lip	Ujjain (Madya pradesh)	Mahakalai devi
10	Left hand	Pithapuram(Andhra)	Puruhutika devi
11	Navel	Cuttack(Orissa)	Girija devi
12	Left cheek	Draksharamam(Andhra)	Manikyamba devi
13	Vulva	Gauhathi(Assam)	Kamarupa devi
14	Fingers/hand	Prayaga (Uttar Pradesh)	Madhaveswari devi
15	Head	Jwala(Himaclapradesh)	Vaishnavi devi
16	Breast	Gaya(Bihar)	Sarvamangala devi
17	Wrist	Varanasi(UttarPradesh)	Visalaksi devi
18	Right Hand	Kashmir	Saraswathi devi

  

The Sloka (hymn) goes like this:

Lankayam Shankari devi, Kamakshi Kanchika pure 

Pradyumne Shrinkhala devi, Chamunda Krouncha pattane 

Alampure Jogulamba, Sri shaile Bhramarambika 

Kolha pure Maha lakshmi, Mahurye Ekaveerika 

Ujjainyam Maha kali, Peethikayam Puruhutika 

Odhyane Girija devi, Manikya Daksha vatike 

Hari kShetre Kama rupi, Prayage Madhaveshwari 

Jwalayam Vishnavi devi, Gaya Mangalya gourika 

Varanasyam Vishalakshi, Kashmire tu Saraswati 

Ashtadasha Shakti peethani, Yoginamapi durlabham 

Sayamkale pathennityam, Sarva shatri vinashanam 

Sarva roga haram divyam, Sarva sampatkaram shubham

Click and watch the following link to virtually visit these places:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5u3iwKJKgA&t=171s

Sri Chakra Yantram is considered the dwelling place of Goddess “Tripursundari” as fully described in the “Saundarya-Lahiri”. Kanchi munivar Sri Chandrasekarendra Swami goes one step further and reminds us that it is wrong to contend that the Devi resides in Sri Chakra since Sri Chakra is Devi Herself. Goddess Tripursundari, in the form of Goddess Mahalaxmi, is said to assume the shape of Sri Yantra and bestow Her devotees with all material wealth and earthly pleasures. The following Mantra is generally recited for Sriyantra to provide us with all wealth:

“Om Shreem Hreem Shreem Kamaley Kamlalaye Praseeda Praseeda Shreem Hreem Shreem Om Mahalaxmyai Namo Namah.

The South-Indian Saint Agastyar was born of Gods, Mitra and Varuna. He was one of the ardent devotees of Sri Devi and followed Kadi Vidhya. Lopamudra was the better-half of Sage Agastya, but she followed Haadi vidhya. There is subtle difference between the three chief forms of Vidhyas, namely Kadi Vidhya (taught by Manmada), Hadi Vidhya (taught by Lopamudhra) and Sadi Vidhya (taught by Sage Durvasa).

The Lalitha Sahasranama is delivered as a conversation between sage Agastya and Lord Hayagriva and is found in the 36th Chapter of the Brahmanda Purana. Sage Agastya has several works on Shri Vidhya to his credit such as:

1. Agastya suthra


2. Tripurasundari stotra


3. Panchadasi mantra vyaakhyaa 


4. Shri Vidyaadipika

5. Purashcharanna pathala


6. Yoga Meenaakshi stothra


7. Yogoddhaara chakrabhaavanaa


8. Shakti sutra and

9. Saubhaagya kavacha                                 

In his famous Yoga Meenakshi Stothram, in praise of Goddess at Madurai Temple, Sage Agastya explains the connections between Six Body Chakras vis-à-vis Arupadai veedu, the six abodes of Lord Subramanya. 

Following are the connections:

Muladara Chakra (Earth) is identified with Thiruparankundram, Kulathupizhai, Thiruvaroor and Kanchi

Svadistana Chakra (Water) is identified with Thiruchendur, Aryan kavu and Thiruvanaikaval.

Manipuraka Chakra (Fire) is identified with Palani, Acchan kovil and Thiruvannamalai.

Anahata Chakra (Air) is identified with Swamimalai and Pandalam.

Visuddi Chakra is identified with Thiruthanigai, Erumeli and Kalahasti

Agna is identified with Pazhamudir cholai, Sabarimalai and Kasi

And Sahasrara Chakra (Space) is associated with Madurai, where Meenakshi reigns supreme. Chintamani palace is said to be housed in this Sahasrara. Chidambaram is also associated with Aakash (space).

For the benefit of our readers, we give below the Shri Yoga Meenaksi Storam given by Saint Agastyar. Recite it at least once and be blessed.

Saint Agastya’s “Shri Yoga Meenakshi Stotram”

Shivananda piyusha ratnakarastham

shivabrahmavishnvamareshapi vandyam.h |

Shivadhyanalagnam shivaj~nanamurtim

shivakhyam atitam bhaje pandya balam.h || 1||

Shivadi sphuratpa~ncha ma~njadhirudham

dhanur bana pasham kushodbhasi hastam.h |

Navinarka varnam navine.ndu chudam

parabrahma patnim bhaje pandya balam.h || 2||

Kirita.ngadodbhasi mangalyasutram

sphuranmekhala hara tata.nga bhusham.h |

Paramantrakam pandya simhasanastham

parandhama rupam bhaje pandya balam.h || 3||

Lalama.nchita snighda bale.ndu bhagam

lasannirajotphulla kalhara samstham.h |

Lalatakshnardha"nga lagnojjvala"ngim

parandhama rupam bhaje pandyabalam.h || 4||

Trikhandatma vidyam tribindusvarupam

trikone lassantim trilokavanamram.h |

Tribijadhirudham trimurtyatmavidyam

parabrahma patnim bhaje pandya balam. H || 5||

Sadabi.ndu madhollasadveni ramyam

samuttu"ngo vakshoja bharavanamram.h |

Kvanannupurobheda laksharasardra

sphurat.h pada padmam bhaje pandyabalam.h || 6 ||

Sudhasagara.ta manidvipa madhye

lasatkalpa vr^ikshojjvaladbindu chakre |

Mahayoga pithe shivakara ma.nje

sada sannishannam bhaje pandya balam.h || 7 ||

For the benefit of readers, we give below references to links for few Carnatic recitals on Goddess by vocalists:

·      Sri Chakra Raja Rajeswari:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz3ghv8E0uI

·      Himagiri Thanaye:

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qk7enruG4Y

·      Navaavarna Krithi – Vol 1

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z5TPBvhCaA

·      Navaavarna Krithi – Vol 2

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tfhr7bZ6HDI

·      Varalakshmi Namasthubyam – Bombay Jayashree

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-pks4g6-Qc

·      Akhilandeshwari - Maharajapuram

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNFRr5R-dUA

In the next Part 3, we will walk you through the Mantra form of Devi.

Listen to Sringeri Acharya's anugraha bhashanam on Mother Goddess:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlXYqvY_Qns

Ohm Shanti.