Introduction to Srividhya

Why Sri Vidya is a Supreme Science (Tantra Part 3) In the undertaking of any tradition, we should ideally have faith that our tradition is a supreme one. I want to say superior but it is important to respect all traditions. Nevertheless there is something very, I would say extremely, special about Sri Vidya. This article will address why I believe that to be the case. Why have faith in our own tradition and why is faith so important? The Parasurama Kalpa Sutra in chapter one tells us "through sampradaya and faith comes every fulfillment". In other words if we have authentic lineage or sampradaya, we have the power behind us of every practitioner that has gone before us, carving out the energetic pathways of mantric energy that bring us forward in our practice. Having faith in this strengthens our minds and our belief systems, our view, that is the foundation of directed energy and power. Faith strengthens our will. Will carries us forward to do what needs to be done and bring success to our practice and our lives. In stating the supreme nature of Sri Vidya I should state once again the words of the Parasurama in terms of my first comment, "no criticism of any system of philosophy". All systems must be respected because ultimately faith in any system will prompt the soul forward in its work and as the Bhagavad Gita states "in whatever way men/women come to me, in that way I will receive them." That being said, once we begin to practice the Sri Vidya tantra, we want to feel the depth and the power of what this system is. We want to feel in our deep hearts that this is THE system for us. We don't meet it halfway. We engage with it directly, with it fully. The PK Sutra also states "tenacity of attitude leads to fulfillment of all-round knowledge." So once we have the conviction, we are set forward and become unstoppable in our endeavor of the path. This is so critical to understand because it provides the power and the framework for our entire sadhana. To help us have this conviction let us look at why Sri Vidya is such a powerful science. In the Soundaryalahari, a beautiful song composed by Shankaracarya (sometime towards the end of his life when he had left behind the patriarchal old ways and had had a direct vision of the Goddess), verse one states "If Siva is united with his Sakti (power), he is able to create, if he is not thus, he is not even able to stir." The saying goes "Siva is not able to lift one finger without Sakti." In other words, the Consciousness principle or the Divine Light Prakasha by itself is useless in this world without its divine Vimarsha, without its wonderous power and reflective nature. In other words, the Male principle is nothing in this world without the Female. Devi or the Goddess or the Divine Feminine, the Sakti, the Spanda, the Divine Throb and pulse of this universe is what creates, exists and then withdraws. This is also stated in the first 3 names of the Devi in Lalitha Sahasranama: "Shri Mata Shri Maharajni Shrimatsimhasaneshvari". "O Divine Mother, O Divine Great Queen, You who sit on the Lion Throne." The Mother is the creator, the Queen is the sustainer, and the Lion symbolizes the destructive nature which withdraws all back into itself. In other words all forms, names and manifestations are the Devi herself. She is Mother Earth, Mother Prakriti, the World, the Body, Life, Energy, Movement, Pulsation. One is bound and freed by Her alone. Even if one tires of this life, this samsara, it is only Devi who brings about the decision to do the sadhana which brings one back to her. This above paragraph is important to understand because the way of tantra and Sri Vidya is very different from traditional patriarchal religions and systems in which matter is set against spirit, in which the emphasis is on trancendence and escape from this world of samsara. Sri Vidya embraces ALL, both matter and spirit, the world, male and female, white and black. There is nowhere the God/dess is not. This is why in our tradition Mother Lalitha is shown seated atop Siva and the throne itself is supported by the Patriarchal Gods of Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, and Isvara. She is superior. She is the ruler. By taking this way we approach God through the reflective nature of whatever is in front of us. We see God everywhere. The Great Lalitha Tripurasundari is the prime Devi/Goddess of Sri Vidya. Her mantra is the great 15 syllabled mantra Pancadasi, which symbolizes on one level the 15 phases of the moon, encompassing all time and cycles. This mantra has many deeper hidden meanings and there are few mantras greater than this one, and those that are all belong to Her.

Lalitha's Yantra is the great Sri Yantra, also called Sri Cakra which contains within it the entire universe seen and unseen. The human body itself is the Sri Yantra, thus our bodies contain within it the entire universe. This follows the Western hermetic principle of "as above so below, as below so above". This principle is described in detail in the Bhavanopanishad and several other important texts. So our body truly is a temple. A divine temple. Hrim is the divine mantra of creation and maya, that movement that takes us out clockwise from the bindu of the yantra through the phases of creative evolution. Shrim is the divine mantra which takes us back counterclockwise into the bindu. Life is not a bindu alone though remember. Life is the fullness of the yantra itself and the bindu only holds the whole display together. We could say that this bindu is simultaneously at the center and also everywhere. Lalitha Tripurasundari's form shows many powerful symbols in addition to the ones described already. She wears the sun and moon as earrings, emphasizing the fact that astrological forces are mere adornments to her. In her 4 arms, she carries the 5 arrows of the elements and the senses, the sugarcane bow of the mind, the noose of desire and attraction, and the goad of anger. So the entire world of the elements, senses, and mind are her instruments. The twin forces of attraction and repulsion/aversion are her instruments as well. All powers of the universe are Hers. These things described serve to enhance our faith in this powerful tradition and to remind us that this world is sacred, that it is all God's play. It helps us to lighten up, to not be so concerned with "liberation" and to remember that we are Her. She is us. Our world is divine.

Sakta Vidyas By Shankara Bharadwaj Khandavalli

Sakta vidyas have grown in practice in the past millennium. It follows from a famous saying that in Kali Yuga the most effective forms of worship are Devi and Ganapati (kalau Candi Vinayakah). There are many sakta vidyas, but two schools of them are most popular – Lalita Sampradaya and Candi Sampradaya. Devatas like Lalita, Bala and Rajarajeswari are worshiped in Lalita sampradaya and devatas like Durga and Candi are worshiped in Candi Sampradaya.

Contents [hide]

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1 Philosophy

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2 Sri Vidya

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3 Candi Vidya

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4 Dasa maha Vidyas

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4.1 Tripura Sundari

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4.2 Bhuvaneswari

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4.3 Kali

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4.4 Tara

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4.5 Chinnamasta

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4.6 Bhairavi

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4.7 Dhumavati

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4.8 Bagala Mukhi

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4.9 Matangi

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4.10 Kamalatmika

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5 Other Major Sakta Vidyas

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5.1 Durga

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5.2 Saraswati

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5.3 Varahi

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5.4 Pratyangira

Philosophy Sakta Vidyas acknowledge Advaita Vedanta. However Sakta view of Advaita differs from Sankara Advaita or Vivarta Vada.

Sri Vidya Main article: Sri Vidya

The most popular vidya in Sakta is Sri Vidya. The devata of this vidya is Tripura Sundari. Tripura Sundari as the name suggests, is the most beautiful of all the devatas.

There are many vidyas/variants under Sri Vidya. Two major ones are Pancadasi (mantra with 15 syllables) and Shodasi (mantra with 16 syllables). Of these, Shodasi is counted under dasa maha vidyas. The original seer of Pancadasi is said to be lord Dakshinamurthy Himself. There are 12 variants in Pancadasi called Manu vidya, Candra vidya and so on. The seers of these include Agastya, Lopamudra, Durvasa and others.

Pancadasi is said to be the Gayatri of Sri Vidya. The distinct feature of this is the 15 syllables are classified into three groups of 5 syllables each, called 3 kutas/khandas. These are Agni, Surya and Soma khandas (this is the reason she is called Tripura Sundari, as she presides over these three transcendental worlds). The mantra is said to be the sound-form and the body of the Mother Goddess, with Agni khanda as her head, Surya khanda as her trunk and Soma khanda as the lower half. Thus realizing the total essence of the mantra is realizing the Mother. The story of Lalita Tripura Sundari narrated in Brahmanda Purana symbolically explains the entire vidya, in which Devi kills Bhandasura, the king of Asuras. The three devis that wage this battle against the powers of ignorance, Lalita, Syamala and Varahi preside over the divine powers of Will (Iccha), Knowledge (Jnana) and Action (Kriya) and represent these three khandas of the Pancadasi.

The yantra used in Sri Vidya is called Sri Cakra, which is said to be the sakta model of entire universe. The yantra is worshiped as the Mother. It has 9 levels or avaranas.

Texts

The Sri Suktam of Rig Veda. It has fifteen Riks, equal to the number of beejas in Pancadasi. Adding Sri Gayatri it becomes 16 Riks, equal to the number of beejas of Shodasi.

Lalita rahasya nama found in the Brahmanda purana, is said to be the compendium of all sakta vidyas, though primarily the text for Sri Vidya. It is a consciousness overview and is called Yoga Sahasra. Lalita Trisati, which has a commentary by Adi Sankara, is thestotra form of Pancadasi.

Sri Vidya is found in tantras like Rudra Yamala.

Upadesa and alternative

The Sri Vidya needs initiation. However Lalita Sahasra nama, can be read as a stotra without initiation. Namavali, where each name is used as a mantra for worship, can be done only by one having initiation into the vidya.

Usually the initiation of Pancadasi happens after an initial initiation into another Tripura Sundari mantra like Bala. Lalita and Bala are the Saguna and Nirguna versions of the vidya respectively. Hence the former also has nama mantras.

Candi Vidya Candi is the other most popular Sakta vidya. Candi is also worshiped as Durga, Camundi, Mahisha mardini during the nava ratris for Vijaya Dasami.

Candi navakshari (9 syllables) is the primary mantra of this vidya, though there are many vidyas as part of this. Devi Mahatmya ofMarkandeya Purana, which is also called Candi Saptasati, narrates the story of the Mother slaying Mahishasura. She assumes 9 different forms on nine days to eliminate the Asura along with his army.

Texts

Durga Suktam of Taittiriya Aranyaka.

Candi Saptasati, though in sloka form, is treated as mantras and is used for Homa. Besides, Ratri Suktam, Devi Atharva Seersha are also used.

Candi vidyas are found in tantras like Rudra Yamala.

Upadesa and alternative

The Candi/Durga vidyas, including Candi Saptasati need initition from a guru. The stotras like Mahishasura mardini Stotra, Durga Astottara, Durga Sahasraa can be read without initiation (not as namavali).

Dasa maha Vidyas Vasistha Ganapathi Muni deduced the origins of all the sakta mahavidyas to the Veda Samhita, in his “Mahavidyadi Sutra granthavali”.

The smarta-srautas follow the procedures laid down in Kalpa, epecially the Srauta Sutras. Tantrics follow the procedures laid down in the Agamas. These practices overlap, and are not exclusive. The seed mantras too, overlap.

There are three systems of worship, samaya madhyama and kaula. While samaya acara is smartaacknowledged, the other two are tantric. Kaula marga involves is more of vamacara tantra. Tantra texts like Rudra Yamala and Kularnava Tantra deal extensively with these vidyas, their philosophy, prayogas, austerities and results.

Worship is to be done according to the taste and the nature of the worshiper. The austerities one should follow will also follow these to a good extent. Devotion is primary and one does not have to impose impossible austerities on himself to please devata. Devi is praised as sukharadhya, one who could be worshiped with bliss.

However dasa maha vidyas is more of a conceptual classification and we do not find these clearly in the Tantra texts themselves. They overlap into each other.

There are different stories that tell how the ten vidyas came, in Devi Bhagavata, Siva Purana and Tantra Texts. According to the one in Devi Bhagavata: when Sati devi wanted to attend her father Daksha’s yajna, Siva did not like it. When she insisted, He got angry. Then Sati took even more terrible form and Siva got afraid and started running. Then Sati assumed ten forms and stood in all ten directions so he cannot runaway. These ten forms are ten maha vidyas.

The brief of these vidyas is given below. We can consider an example for the nature of symbolism, in the description of Kali that follows. Devi is actually worshiped as Agni-sikha and Agni kunda samudbhava, who emerged from fire altar. While male deities are to be worshiped from feet to head, Devi is to be worshiped from head to toe. Agni khanda as seen above as the first of triad in sakta vidyas is indicated here. Her feet are said to be the abode of bliss, and the goal of all sadhana. Agni vidya thus is inherent in all sakta sadhana. Agni of Veda is found as the combination of Agni and Sarpa in Purana (KumaraswamySubrahmanya). Another common feature is that all vidyas speak of devata as having three eyes, the third eye standing for transcendental knowledge emerging from chit/tapas. Moon-adornment is another common

feature. The Agni-Aditya-Soma is picturized here – Agni as the sikha or hair, Soma as adornment and Aditya as the face of Devi Herself.

In fact Yoga Sastra is combined with mantra sastra in all these vidyas. There are primary beejas in each vidya. Tripura Sundari

Tripura Sundari as the name suggests, is the most beautiful form of all devatas. The mahavidya of Tripura Sundari is called Shodasi, the 16 letter vidya. This is the most comprehensive vidya in Sakta.

She is the most pleasant form of Sakti and is hence called Lalita. She is said to live in Mani Dvipa along with Kameswara the Lord, the glorious celestial Island that is beyond the reach of men, manes and gods. The Island is located in the midst of the ocean of immortality (sudha sindhor-madhye). Sri Cakra is said to be the model of Universe, which represents the Sri Vidya worldview. Thus Devi is called Sri Cakra Sancarini, the one that dwells in Sri Cakra. In fact the Sri Cakra is worshiped as Devi Herself. The worship is elaborate, and involves worship of Devi along with her major associates, and is comprehensive.

Tripura Sundari is the most famous vidya and is been practiced by men like Adi Sankara. The seer of this is said to be Lord Dakshinamurty Himself. This vidya uses Lakshmi, Bhuvaneswari and Bala beejas. Bhuvaneswari

Bhuvaneswari as the name suggests, is the presiding deity of all the worlds. Apart from being a Maha Vidya, Bhuvaneswari is the principal beeja of Sri Vidya, in fact of all Para Vidyas in Sakta. (There are different beejas for different worlds, and the one for Adityaloka is referred here.) Aditi, the Mother of Gods praised in Veda, is the same deity.

Bhuvaneswari is a pleasant form of Sakti, and is praised as having Moon adornment, three eyes, ever smiling, holding varada (boon-granting mudra), abhaya (fear-dispelling mudra), pasa and anuksa. Bhuvaneswari is the supreme Goddess, beyond all worlds. Bhuvaneswari loka, is praised similarly as Mani dweepa, as unreachable to men manes and gods. This is a Sakta worldview and there is no presence of any other man there – there are lakhs of goddesses serving Devi. Devi Bhagavata describes these worlds. One can enter those worlds only by the grace of Devi Herself, and the moment one enters one becomes female, meaning one cannot enter a state of seeing Devi unless he transcends gender-consciousness.

Kali

Kali is ferocious and terrible form of Devi. Kali is the feminine of Kala, and the sakti of Kala. She is worshiped as laya karini, the one causing dissolution of universe.

While Kali is praised in multiple forms, common attributes in those are that She is dark in hue, wearing a skull garland, naked, with a smile and extended tongue, standing on (life-less) Siva.

However since Devi is devata and not literally a person these are not to be taken as physical attributes and are quite symbolic. For instance the word used for nudity is digambara, which means having the directions for Her clothes. This not only speaks of nudity but indicates the infinity of Her form that is covered only where directions end. Wearing skull-garland too, is interpreted in multiple ways – one is that Brahma is beheaded at the end of creation life cycle and the skulls in the garland are as many as the mahakalpas that elapsed so far. There is a yogic interpretation, that Devi wears the skulls of Her devotees, implying She always resides in the skulls of Her devotees. Usually these representations are only picturized differently in case of different devatas. In case of teevra devatas skull is shown and in case of satvic devatas bowl is shown. For example Gayatri Devi is shown as holding bowl and her description says kapala/skull. The same concept is shown differently in different cases to suit the context. Standing on Siva is also symbolic, of the state in which all manifestation is dissolved in the unmanifest.

Kali is found as mantra in Veda while Purana has different stories. The most famous is in Candi Saptasati of Markandeya Purana. Durga created Kali on the day she fought Raktabeeja. Raktabeeja bas a boon that his clones emerge from every drop of blood that spills down. So Kali spread her tongue on the entire land so there is no blood spilling down. Thus Raktabeeja was slain. Kali vidya uses Kali beejas. Tara

Tara is from the word-root meaning float, cross. Tara or Taresi is the goddess that causes bhava tarana (as she is also called bhava tarini) or crossing the ocean of life/causal transformation/transmigration.

There is an opinion that Tara is primarily a Bauddha vidya, and was practiced more in China. One can get the siddhi of the vidya more easily when practices there. A unique aspect about this vidya’s practice in India is that its initiation should be given only bywomen. In occasions when a man has to do the upadesa to another man, it should be given indirectly through a woman.

Tara is worshiped in multiple forms, like Neela Saraswati, Ugra Tara, Smashana Tara. Tara is said to be the presiding deity for knowledge and wisdom. Tara vidyas use Bhuvaneswari and Tara beejas.

Chinnamasta

Chinnamasta is said to be the most terrible form of Devi. As the name suggests, the head of this form is separated from the trunk. She holds her head in a hand. There are fountains of blood gushing out of the neck, the middle one drunk by her head, the other two by her two associates. This is a profound yogic significance and separation of “head” is indicative of a great siddhi where one fully transcends his grosssubtle sheaths of consciousness.

Chinnamasta is called vajra Vairocani, the sakti of Vajra-weilding lord of devatas - Indra. Indra is the supreme lord of deitiesaccording to Veda, and Chinnamasta is thus seen evidently as developed from Vedic vidyas.

Kavyakantha Vasistha Ganapati Muni traces Chinnamasta back to the Puranic story of Renuka. Chinnamasta is said to be Renuka, the mother of Parasurama and wife of Jamadagni.

Chinnamasta is a teevra devata and its initiation is not to be given easily. One would get great siddhis through the upasana, however the consequence of mistake too would be serious. Vasistha Ganapati Muni is said to have attained Kapala Bhedana as well as Swarna Siddhi through the worship of Chinnamasta. Improper practice of powerful Mantra Vidyas especially of Teevra Devatas can have devastating effects, right from mental derangement to destruction of families. Kamya, para and astra siddhis all are possible in this vidya. The primary beeja is of ferocity, anger, strength and nourishment. Bhairavi

Bhairavi is from the word-roots bhaya (terrifying) and rava (voice), meaning having a frightening tone. She is the feminine form ofBhairava Siva.

Bhairavi is an ugra devata, but is picturized as ever smiling. She is worshiped in many forms. Bhairava too is worshiped in many forms, like Asitanga, Ruru, Bhishana, Samhara, Bala, Kala, Naga. Bhairavi sadhana involves Naga vidya and snake-hiss is the primary beeja. Dhumavati

Dhumavati is the only widow-form of all devatas. She is visualized as ash-hued, sharp and terrifying looks, long nose, with no kunkum/Tilaka on her forehead and ever interested in quarrel. She is a teevra devata and is described differently in different allegories. She is worshiped as Jyestha Devi or Tamas, Vriddha Kali, Katyayani, Dhumra Varahi (boar faced), Nisa (night) Devata.

Dhumavati vidya involves many prayogas along with upasana. This vidya is associated with crows and it is said that towards siddhi one can see crows giving the message of success. Smoke-flaring is the primary beeja of this vidya (the name itself suggests this, Dhuma means smoke). Bagala Mukhi

Bagala mukhi means having crane-like face.

She is praised as golden-hued, wearing yellow clothes and holding various weapons. Bagala Mukhi is picturized as holding the tongue of the enemy, implying she presides over stambhana (blocking the enemy’s actions) vidyas.

Apart from a lot of siddhis, Bagala Mukhi is worshiped for astra vidyas and prayogas. It is said that there is no better vidya for stambhana than Bagala. Bagala vidya uses beejas for stambhana. Matangi

It is said that when Matanga Maharsi was doing tapas to please Kali, Devi appeared to him in this form and hence came to be known as Matangi. She is also called Syamala. While Kali is a terrible form, Syamala is a pleasant form. She is praised as syama-marakata varna or light emerald colored, and holding a parrot. It is said that towards siddhi of Matangi vidya one gets to see parrots around. The places where Matangi is worshiped, and around Matangi temples we see a lot of parrots. In fact it is not a coincidence that the different kshetras of devatas resemble the qualities explained in their stories. For example one gets to see crows around Dhumavati upasakas, parrots around Matangi upasakas, monkeys around Rama temples and so on. Towards southern Tamil Nadu, which is called Kumara Kshetra we get to see a lot of peacocks, towards Bengal which is a Sakti kshetra we get to see tigers and so on.

Syamala Matangi is the mother of knowledge and arts, and is praised as jnana sakti swarupini. She is the minister of Lalita Devi, and the presiding deity for wisdom. She is worshiped in different forms, Raja Syamala, Sangeeta Matangi etc. It is said that Kalidasa worshiped Matangi for the poetic genius She bestowed on him. Matangi Vidya uses the Bhuvaneswari/Kali beejas. Kamalatmika

Kamalatmika as the name suggests is Lakshmi-form of Sakti. Lakshmi is said to be born out of the Ksheera sagara or the ocean of bliss when it was churned by Devatas and Asuras. She was taken as consort by Vishnu thereafter. Along with Her are born Soma/the Moon, Amrta (the nectar of immortality) and so on. She is worshiped for prosperity and happiness. She is also called Kamala (lotus) and that is a yogic suggestion.

According to Kavyakantha Vasistha Ganapati Muni, Kamalatmika is derived from the Vedic Madhu vidya. Kamalatmika is a pleasant form, and her grace is treated as the culmination of sadhana, as she bestows every siddhi along with desirelessness and eternal bliss (sampatti). She is worshiped as the last stage deity in all vidyas. For example She is worshiped as Siddhi dhatri in Durga Vidya, the last of nine forms of Durga. In fact She is the Sri of Sri Vidya. Auspiciousness is the primary beeja of this Vidya, though all Bhuvaneswari and Tripura Sundari beejas are used.

Other Major Sakta Vidyas Durga

Durga is a vast set of Mantra Vidyas. Durga is from the word-roots “duH” and “ga”, meaning one who cannot be reached, known, vanquished. This form is said to be the origin of all the ferocious forms of the Mother, such as Candi and Kali.

There are nine forms of Durga called Nava Durgas. They are Saila Putri, Brahmacarini, Candra Ghanta, Kushmanda (Asta BhujaDevi), Skanda Mata, Katyayini, Kala Ratri, Maha Gauri and Siddhi Datri. These are worshiped during Nava ratri before Vijaya Dasami (Dussera).

Durga is worshiped in many traditions. The two major traditions Sri Vidya and Candi, worship Durga. Durga is found in Veda, in different places. The Vedic mantras used to worship Durga are addressed to Agni (found in Rig Veda and a set of them, called Durga Sukta, is found in Taittireeya Aranyaka). The Vidya using these mantras is called Jatavedasi Durga. Similarly there are other vidyas, like Astakshari Durga, Sulini Durga, Asuri Durga, Vana Durga, Veera Durga, Jaya Durga and so on. Durga Vidyas are used as Para, Astra and Kamya, and worshiped in both smarta and Tantra traditions. Saraswati

Saraswati is worshiped in different ways in Vedic and Tantric schools. Saraswati finds mention in Rig Veda multiple times. She is praised as a Devata and also as a river (“ambi tame nadi tame devi tame Saraswati” RV). She is the ruler of Vak, the divine word. Word being the representative of eternal, Saraswati is the Devata associated with all forms of knowledge and truth consciousness. Saraswati Sukta expounds the study of Vak. She is also called Arnava the vast, Vag-devi, Vageeswari, .

Saraswati finds mention in some form, in almost all major vidyas. For example in Nava Durgas, She is associated with Kala Ratri. Saraswati is also worshiped as Neela Saraswati, a form of Tara Maha Vidya. She is one of the three forms of Gayatri (Gayatri, Savitri and Saraswati). Another form of Her, Ila is associated with Krishna (Ila pati). Vageeswara is an epithet of Hayagriva. Buddhi, Her aspect, is associated with

Ganapati. Siva is said to be the sibling of Saraswati. Jnana Prasuna is the form in which the Mother is associated with Him at Kalahasti, Saradamba at Sringeri and so on. She is also closely associated with Indra in the Rig Veda.

In Sakta Tantra, Saraswati beeja is extensively used in many vidyas like Tara, Tripura Sundari (esp. Bala) and Matangi. Varahi

Varahi is not widely practiced in the recent times. She is one of the seven Matrikas. Also in Tripura Sundari Vidya She is the general of Lalita (iccha-jnana-kriya sakti is the triplet Lalita-Matangi-Varahi, corresponding to Devi, Her minister and general respectively). She has multiple names like Varahi and Vartali. There are multiple vidyas or forms of Varahi. Pratyangira

Pratyangira is the form of Mother found in Atharva Veda. It is said that Pratyangira of Atharva Veda corresponds to Vana Durga andBhadra Kali. Dark in hue and having many hands and faces, She has a terrible form.

Besides the mantra Vidya, there are prayogas in Pratyangira. Application of Pratyangira is called Kritya.

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Sri Vidya ŚrīVidyā is one of the most comprehensive and popular Vidyās in Śāktā. In the context of Hindu spiritual practices, a Vidyā can be defined as the worship of a God/Goddess. Literally Vidyā means learning; it is from the word-root “vid” - to know. Knowledge is called Veda, and learning is called Vidyā. This includes the knowledge to be gained, different stages in the process of gaining such knowledge, the purpose of such knowledge, the procedure and practices for learning, pitfalls and corrective measures and so on. Worship of a God is the gradual process of elevating the level of consciousness of the worshipper into that of the God, realizing the God and His nature. Therefore the knowledge and worship of each God is called a Vidyā. Thus ŚrīVidyā is the knowledge and worship of Mother Goddess Śrī Devi. She is also called Śrī Māta (Mother Śrī), Tripura sundari.

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“Śrī” means prosperity, auspiciousness, divinity. Śrī Devi is the Divine Mother who bestows bliss and plentitude on Her devotees. InVeda, She is praised as Śrī. Vedic knowledge diversified and developed into different schools like śmarta (following śmritis likeDharma Śāstras), Śrauta (studying śruti or Veda), Paurānika (following śmritis like Purānṇās) and so on. Tantra is another school of practices that combines methods of worship with philosophy and theology. With these developments, Śrī Devi came to be known and worshiped in different forms. In Purānṇās, Śrī is called Laksmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. The worship of Śrī Māta or Tripura sundari, developed as ŚrīVidyā, one of the major cults in Śāktā Tantras. The kaula-practitioners of ŚrīVidyā differentiate it as Śrī Kula Tantra, while ŚrīVidyā Tantra is the general name used by all the ŚrīVidyā practitioners.

Tripura sundari literally means the most beautiful lady of three worlds. Mother Śrī is said to be the most beautiful Goddess among all God-forms. Tripura sundari is worshiped in different names and forms, like Lalita, Bāla, Rāja Rājeswari.

Contents [hide]

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1 Lalitā Upākhyāna– The Story of Lalita Tripura sundari

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2 Description of the Mother and Her Abode

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3 The Origin and Philosophy of ŚrīVidyā

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3.1 Vedic and Paurānika Concept

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3.2 Advaita Philosophy

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3.3 Sublimation and Consecration

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3.4 Aspects of Agama

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4 Yoga and ŚrīVidyā Tantra

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4.1 Mantra Yoga

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4.2 Laya Yoga

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4.3 Kundṇalini Yoga

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5 Geometry and Worship of Śrī Cakra

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5.1 Trailokya Mohana

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5.2 Sarvasa Paripūraka

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5.3 Sarva Sankśobana

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5.4 Sarva Saubhāgya dāyaka

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5.5 Sarvārtha sādhaka

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5.6 Sarva raksha kara

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5.7 Sarva Roga hara

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5.8 Sarva siddhi Māya

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5.9 Sarva ānanda Māya

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6 Practical side of ŚrīVidyā

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6.1 ŚrīVidyā and other Devatās

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6.2 ŚrīVidyā, Śāktā and Mantra Śāstra

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6.3 Some ŚrīVidyā Practitioners and Lineages

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7 Mantra Vidyās in ŚrīVidyā

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7.1 Mūla Vidyās

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7.2 Anga Vidyās

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7.2.1 Purvamnaya

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7.2.2 Daksṇinṇamnaya

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7.2.3 Pascimamnaya

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7.2.4 Uttaramnaya

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7.2.5 Urdhvamnaya

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7.2.6 Anuttaramnaya

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7.2.7 Nitya Devatās

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8 Texts

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9 Notes

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10 Bibliographies

Lalitā Upākhyāna– The Story of Lalita Tripura sundari In Brahmānda Purānṇā, the story of Lalita Tripura sundari is narrated by Lord Hayagrīva (the horse-headed form of Lord Visṇnu) ṇ to the great seer Agastya. Here is a brief of it.

There is a popular story in which Manmatha, the presiding deity of desire, is turned into ashes by the fire of Lord Śiva’s third eye. From those ashes, a demon by the name Bhandṇāsura emerges. He acquires many powers through penance and defeats the army of Gods. He lived in his capital Śūnyaka, constructed for him by Māyāśura, the architect of demons.

Unable to withstand the might of Bhandṇāsura, the gods had nowhere to go. Nārada advises them to worship Śakti, the divine Mother. The gods worship the mother and perform a sacrifice to propitiate Her. The Mother emerges from the fire altar to fulfill the wishes of the gods and to dispel their fear. Since She emerged from the fire altar, She is called Agni Kundṇa Samudbhava. As She emerged to protect the gods and to fulfill their aspirations, She is called deva kārya samudyata. She is red in hue, the most beautiful Goddess. Lord Śiva assumes the form of Kāmeśvara , and takes Her as His consort.

She then set out for destroying Bhandṇa and his armies. She is accompanied by Rāja Mātangi, Her minister on the one side. Rāja Mātangi is also called Rāja Śyāmala, Mantrinṇī and Nakuli. On the other side Vārāhi accompanied Her, the general of the Mother’s armies. Vārāhi is also called Dandanāta. They were followed by the gods and their armies.

They announced war on Bhandṇāsura’s capital, Śūnyaka, and there was a fierce battle. Vārāhi and Śyāmala started demolishing the armies of Bhandṇa and killing his generals. Bhandṇa sent his sons to arrest the attack of the divine armies, the eldest of them beingCaturbāhu (having four hands). Bāla Mahā Tripura sundari, the child-form of the Mother, volunteered to fight Bhandṇa’s sons and killed them.

After this, Bhandṇa’s brothers Visṇañga and Viśukra, who were earlier vanquished and fled from the field, came back to fight Śrī Devi’s armies. Bhandṇa also applied a mystical contrivance to obstruct the march of Devi’s armies, called vighna yantra (literally the machine of obstacles). When the Mother was merely glanced with love by the Lord Kāmeśvara , She gave birth to Ganṇeśa (this is described as Kāmeśvara mukhāloka kalpita Śrī Ganṇeśvarā). Ganṇeśa destroyed the vighna yantra much to the happiness of the divine armies. Then Bhandṇa inspired demon Gajāśura to fight Ganṇeśa, who was also killed by Him. The divine armies of Śrī Devi marched forward andVisṇañga was slain in this encounter by Mother Mantrinṇī and Viśukra by Vārāhi.

Bhandṇa faced the Mother directly, attacking Her with weapons inspired by mystical powers. Śrī Devi destroyed his weapons with weapons inspired by the ten forms of MahāVisṇnu, ṇ that emerged instantly from

the ten nails of Her hands. Weapon inspired by Pasupati (a form of Lord Śiva) demolished the demonic armies. Finally the weapon inspired by MahāKāmeśvara , destroyed Bhandṇāsura along with his capital Śūnyaka.

The Mother was applauded and worshiped along with Lord Kāmeśvara .

Description of the Mother and Her Abode The Mother is said to be red in hue (Aruna). Her abode is Manidwīpa, the island of gems and pearls. It is also called Śrī Nagara. It is not reachable even for Gods like Indra. It is through Her grace alone, that one can reach Her abode. She, along with Lord Kāmeswara, is worshiped there by lakhs of Her attendant deities. She is called Kāmakalā, the manifestation of desire. Out of desire for cosmic sport She acts. Out of desire for pleasing the Lord, and union with the Lord She plays. Ever smiling, blissful and granting the boons of Her devotees, She is praised as personification of grace, bliss and mercy. She rules the universe and all aspects are Hers. All the beings, including the gods, act by Her inspiration and mercy.

In a verse meant for meditation on the Mother, She is described as:

sindūrārunṇa vigrahām trinayanām mānṇikya mauLisphurat tārā nāyaka śekharām smita mukhīm āpīna vaksṇoruhām pānṇibyām aLi pūrnṇa ratna casṇakam raktotpalam bibhratīm soumyām ratna ghatastha rakta ṇ caranṇām dhyāyet parām ambikām

Meaning the seeker meditates on the Mother (Ambikā), who is eternal (parā), saffron-red in hue (Sindhūrāruna vigrahā), having crown embedded with gems (mānikya mauli), with Moon as an adornment over the head (tāra nāyaka sekharā), three eyed (trinayanā), ever smiling (śmita mukhi), having high breasts (āpīna vaksṇoruhā), with hands holding jeweled wine cup and red flowers (PāNibyam aLi pūrna ratna casakam raktotpalam bibratī), ever soft and peaceful (soumyā), with Her red lotus feet rested on a gemdecked pedestal (ratna ghataśta rakta caranā).

Arunām karunā tarangitākshīm dhruta pasa ankusa puspa bāna cāpām aNimādibhirāvrutām mayūkhaiH ahamityeva vibhāvaye bhavanīm

Meaning the seeker is meditating on the Mother, red in hue, colored and shining as Sun God, whose looks shower waves of grace and mercy, with hands holding noose, goad and cane-bow that shoots flower-arrows, with Goddesses with mystical powers in the outer rungs of Her palace-city.

The first verse meditates on the Mother from head to feet. It is a general practice to meditate, describe and worship male forms or deities from feet to head upwards, and female forms or deities from head to feet downwards. Also, the Mother’s feet are said to be the abode of devotee, his ultimate destination. The second verse is about the aspects of ŚrīVidyā, which are explained through the powers of Goddesses, the weapons held.

The Origin and Philosophy of ŚrīVidyā Lalita Sahasra nāma in Brahmānda Purānṇā, the hymn that praises the Mother with Her 1000 names, gives comprehensive description of ŚrīVidyā, its philosophy and methods. Besides, it is called yoga sahasra, which explains the secrets of all forms of yoga, andconsciousness studies.

ŚrīVidyā is a well developed form of Śāktā Tantra. The various constituent Vidyās are well organized and arranged in a more systematic hierarchy compared to other sampradāyas. śaundarya Lahari, a hymn composed in praise of the Mother in a hundred verses, is said to be one of the most beautiful and profound explanations of ŚrīVidyā. ŚrīVidyā is followed by śmārta as well as Tantric schools. There is no clear separation between them. śmriti followers are said to be śmārtas. They follow elements of tantra to the extent that they do not contradict śmritis.

ŚrīVidyā is found in the Rig Veda as Śrī Sukta, the hymn with 15 verses. It is said that this is fashioned after pancadāśi, the centralMantra of ŚrīVidyā. Śrī Sukta, with its application of single-syllable bījas (like īm, kām, srīm), appears more in line with the Śāktā Mantra Śāstra than the classical Rig Vedic Mantra Śāstra.

ŚrīVidyā tantra has two major Vidyās, pancadāśi and Shodaśi. Pancadāśi is the mantra with 15 syllables. Shodaśi is the mantra with 16 syllables. Shodaśi is one of the 10 disciplines of Śāktā tantra, called dasa mahāVidyās. The Vidyā is called triputi, having three parts. They are Agni (fire), Surya (sun) and Candra (moon) khāndas (parts). The Mother is said to shine in these three worlds.

Also, Lalita, Śyāmala and Vārāhi symbolize the powers of Śrī Devi’s divine will (icchāśakti), knowledge (jnāna śakti) and action (kriyāśakti). Lalita Herself is the power of divine will, her associates Mātangi and Vārāhi represent the powers of knowledge and action respectively. This is evident from their roles – Lalita is the ruler, Matāngi the minister and Vārāhi the general.

Śrī Sukta, for the same reason, praises the Mother as Suryā (Sun) and Candrā (Moon). It does not praise Her as Agni, but the Sukta itself is addressed to Agni.

Vedic and Paurānika Concept

In the Vedic theology, there are two main deities that we find: Agni and Indra. Agni is the central deity of the Veda, and Indra is the head-deity. Agni is the face of Gods, and all Vedic worship is offered to various Gods through Agni. Thus Agni is central. And the Lord of all deities is Indra, thus Indra is the head-deity or the Godhead.

We can compare this, to the way in a family the husband is head of the family and the wife is the center of the family connecting and managing the entire family.

In Saiva - Śāktā parlance, we find Śiva-Śakti dual to be similar to this. Śiva is Īśvara, the Lord. He is the guiding principle. Śakti is pervading, the principle of manifestation, causing creation, sustaining and dissolving it. She does it, inspired by and for the Lord. Vedic Indra can be seen as Īśvara and Vedic Agni, the divine will, can be seen as Śakti in Saiva - Śāktā parlance. The close association of the Mother with Vedic Agni is further explained through Her epithets like Agni Kundṇa samudbhava (discussed above), Agni Sikha (having fire for Her hair). The symbolism of Lalita Herself assuming the form of the power of divine will reinforces this idea.

Further, triputi is directly related to the Vedic theology. In the Paurānika trimurty concept, Brahma, Visṇn ṇu and Rudra preside over creation, sustenance and dissolution functions. They are representatives of Śatva, Rajas and Tamas. According to Yāska, they derive from the Vedic triplet Agni (Fire God), Āditya (Sun God) and Vāyu (Air God). The older Śāktā schools like Candi (Mother Durga) speak of this triplet. In the more recent ŚrīVidyā, the corresponding aspect of Vāyu finds a replacement with Śoma (Moon God). Both Vāyu and Soma are aspects of Rudra. However Vāyu signifies strength while Śoma bliss, and therefore the corresponding God/Goddess being worshiped have these qualities too. Thus, while Candi is representative of power and anger, Lalita is a pleasant form.

The three functions of creation, sustenance and dissolution, are further expanded into five functions. They are sr ṇs i(creation), tṇ ṇ sthiti(sustenance), laya (dissolution), tirodana (veiling of individual consciousness through māya) and anugraha (unveiling, making the individual realize the Truth beyond Māya). The Mother presides over these five functions, and hence is called Pancha Krtya Pārāyana. The representatives of these five functions are Brahma (creation), Visṇn ṇu (sustenance), Rudra (dissolution), Īśvara (veiling) and SadāŚiva (unveiling, absolute truth). All these five derive their life force, the strength to act, from the Mother. These five deities are said to form her royal chair, with Brahma, Visṇn ṇu, Rudra and Īśvara forming four legs and SadāŚivaforming the plank. Hence the Mother is called Pancha Brahmāsanāsīna. Pancha is five, āsana is seat, asīna is having sit on the seat. The five Brahmas are the five deities mentioned.

Without Her, they are lifeless corpses. That is why the Mother is also called Pancha Pretāsanāsīna or seated on the seat of five corpses. Preta means corpse.

Advaita Philosophy While Śāktā is Advaitic in nature, there is a difference between Śankara Advaita and Advaita of Śāktā Tantra.

There are three main schools that explain the relation between universe and Brahman. One is āramba vada, which says universe has a beginning and an end. Nyāya and Vaisesica follow this. The other schools hold that universe is eternal, its dissolution and next cycle of creation are linked with the continuity of the seed of creation. The second school is Parināma Vāda, which says that the universe is a transformation of Brahman, emerges and dissolves in Brahman. The way a spider’s web comes from it, the universe comes from Brahman. Brahman is the essential substantial (upādana) cause for the universe. Śānkhya, Yoga, Karma Mimāmsa follow this. The third is Vivarta vāda, which says that universe is a manifestation, an appearance over Brahman. Śankara Advaita comes under this. According to him, Brahman is the nominal (nimitta), substantial (upādana) and undifferentiated (abhinna) cause for the world. Śankara Advaita holds that Māya bounds and releases the being. World as it appears, appears because of Māya, and it is not what the world really is. The world, in reality, is Brahman only. Thus when one realizes Brahman and gets beyond the veil of Māya, then only Brahman remains, not the world. Śāktā Tantra holds that Ātman is same as Brahman, like other versions of Advaita, but the universe is real and eternal. It is not just an appearance that gets dissolved with realization. The Mother is primal rhythmic energy, Śakti and not Māya.

ŚrīVidyā is popularized by Śankara. The Vedic followers (who follow śmritis and dharma sāstras) of ŚrīVidyā go by Śankara Advaita. Ātman is always liberated, but appears to be bound because of ignorance caused by Māya over the individual soul. Here Ātman is to be called self. Soul is actually the subtle body that is constituted of subtle senses, mind and intellect. The Causal being of the universe, Īśvara, associated with His consort Māya, rules the universe. The veil of Māya is lifted through the grace of ŚādaŚiva – and the individual being identifies its oneness with Ātman which is beyond Māya.

Sublimation and Consecration The primary difference between Vedic and Śāktā Tantra philosophies lies in the fact that in Vedic philosophy desire is seen to be transcended. Though desire is not sought to be suppressed by force, it is not seen as a means to transcendence – it is sees as something that is to be grown over.

In Śāktā, Nature, whether it is desire or natural tendency or instinct, is seen as a divine manifestation of the Mother Śakti. It is through fulfillment of it, with the sense that it is divine, as a form of worship of the Mother, that one seeks to please the Mother.

The Vedic practitioners of Śāktā Tantra take a middle path, by praising the Mother as Māya who creates these tendencies to bind the being, seek to be liberated from these by Her grace.

Aspects of Agama There are two major schools of literature in Hinduism. One is the Vedic literature, consisting of Vedas, various subjects that the Vedas deal with, Purānṇās, Dharma Sāstrās and so on. They deal with theology, spiritual philosophy, procedure and philosophy of rituals, various paths to salvation, code of conduct and righteousness, world views, the subjects one needs to learn to be able to understand such as the science of chanting, grammar, etymology, astronomy and so on. There is another stream of literature that deals primarily with the methods of worship. Though some of these are found in the Brāhmana and Aranyaka portion of the Veda, Mimāmsa (inquiry into the message of Veda), Kalpa Sutrās (code and procedure for rituals), most of the elements practiced in popular Hinduism are from Agamas.

Agamas expound many aspects, including personal worship, temple construction and architecture, Iconography, worship in temple, Vāstu and so on. It is not an exaggeration to say that most of the popular aspects of Hinduism are found in Purānic and Agamic literature. Primarily Agamas are of three schools – Vaishnava, Saiva and Śāktā. They are followed by Vaishnavites, Saivaites and Śāktās respectively. Agama has three parts, Mantra, Tantra and Yantra.

Mantra is a divine word which is chanted repeatedly as part of worship. Yantra in general, is a contrivance inspired by the power of a mantra. In many cases it is a geometric shape, carved on a metal plate or stone or crystal or floor. In case of ŚrīVidyā, it is ŚrīCakra. Tantra is the entire philosophy and procedure of worship. The Tantra expounding ŚrīVidyā is called ŚrīVidyā Tantra, and is found in many Śāktā texts like Prapancha sāra and Rudra Yamala.

Uniquely to ŚrīVidyā, the name of the Vidyā or the Goddess or Yantra does not have a separate name. It is not popularly called Lalita Vidyā or Tripura Sundari Vidyā. The tantra is called ŚrīVidyā, the Yantra ŚrīYantra, the city of the Mother’s residence is called Śrī Nagara. However “Śrī” as we saw means divine and it is like saying divine Yantra, divine city and divine Vidyā, without a specific name of the deity. Every other Vidyā, is explicitly referred to, with the name of its presiding deity, Candi or Visṇn ṇu or Ganṇapati.

Yoga and ŚrīVidyā Tantra Though Yoga is a very technical subject and its discussion is mostly restricted to teacher-student disciplines, any introduction to Tantra without the mention of Yoga is incomplete.

There are three major forms of Yoga, Mantra yoga, Laya yoga and Kundṇalini yoga. The aim of all the three is the same, though the methods vary slightly. ŚrīVidyā tantra involves all these three forms of yoga and integrates them.

Mantra Yoga Sound is produced through contact, vibration and obstruction. This is called āhata. However cosmic hiss if one can hear is eternal and existent. This is called Anāhata. It is not produced by us but only heard. A yogi can hear this. In sādhana one makes the soundoneself (by doing mantra japa), in a rhythm, resonant with the vibrations of his nādis and his breath. Through this one will be able to discover the deeper vibration. This way of merging individual with cosmic is called mantra yoga.

Mantra is said to be the sound-form of Devata (god-form). One realizes Devata through the chanting of mantra in mantra yoga. Mantra yoga concentrates on nada (sound) to strike rhythm between individual and cosmic vibration, to activate the right nādis, to expose one into the cidākāsa or daharākāsa (causal space). Śabda (sound) is the tanmatra (subtle attribute) of mahābhuta (primal element) ākasa (space). And through śabda one tries to turn his vision inwards from ākasa to daharākāsa, through chanting the mantra, by producing sound to slowly listening the anāhata sound without producing it. Eventually when mantra yoga is achieved, one achieves laya yoga also, since his consciousness is directed to daharākāsa where his devata resides.

Pancadāsi, the root mantra of ŚrīVidyā is said to be the sound-form of the Mother. The mantra is divided into three kūtas or parts with five syllables each. The first is called Vāgbhava Kuta, the Mother’s head. The second is called Madhya Kūta, the trunk – from neck to navel. The third is Śakti Kūta, the part below navel.

Saraswati Sūkta of the Rigveda says that Vāk or word is of four forms – parā (eternal), pasyanti (experienced by seer in a state of deep consciousness), madhyama (when it translates as idea in the intellect) and vaikhāri (when it is verbally expressed). Realizing parā Vāk or Nāda Brahman through a regulated chanting of mantra, first externally then mentally and then finally without producing it, is mantra yoga.

Laya Yoga Meditation is the means in laya yoga. One controls mind through the control of breath, so that full concentration is possible in meditation. Through meditation, one’s consciousness merges in the object of meditation and one realizes Atman. The state, in which the difference between the one who meditates the act of meditation and the object of meditation dissolves, is called samādhi or sāyujya.

One also observes during meditation one’s own being, the different sheaths of consciousness. There are five kosas or sheaths of consciousness of being - annaMāya (physical), prānaMāya (vital-life), manoMāya (mental), vijnānaMāya (intellect-knowledge) and ānandaMāya (causal - blissful). The first is gross, next three constitute subtle and the fifth causal being. The causal being is Īśvara who resides in all beings, along with Māya His consort. She veils the unmanifest form of the divine, Brahman. The Mother is MahāMāya, who covers the world with veil of ignorance and lifts the veil out of grace, causing the entire play of creation. This is the cosmic sport She does for the Lord, Her līla. Her play, action can be seen in karanākāsa the causal space. She is the moon of that space, and is called Cidākāsa candrika.

Gross (sthula), subtle (sūkshma), causal (kārana) and absolute (turiya) are the four states in which Brāhman manifests. Realizing eternal through meditation is laya yoga. In Laya yoga one, through meditation, identifies himself progressively with the inner sheaths, and finally with the inner most being – ātman. The Mother is said to reside in and beyond the five sheaths – Panca kosāntara sthita. Thus the seeker achieves oneness with the Mother through laya yoga.

Kundṇalini Yoga In Kundṇalini yoga, one realizes divine consciousness through the activation of the hidden energy of Kundṇalini. There are six centers (cakras) in the spinal channel. Kundṇalini is said to be initially coiled up at mulādhara. She is the Mother. She passes through these six from mulādhara at the bottom of spine to ajna at the forehead, then to the crown of the head (sahasrāra) where individual consciousness fully unites with cosmic consciousness. There, the Mother is said to unite with the Lord. This involves the opening of three knots or granthis in the path, called Brahma granthi, Visṇn ṇu granthi and Rudra granthi. There is one granthi per two cakras. Mulādhara (pelvic) and swadhisthāna (navel) associate with Brahma granthi, manipura (heart center) and anāhata (midway between neck and solar plexus) associate with Visṇn ṇu granthi, visuddha (throat) and ajna (center of forehead) associate with Rudra granthi. These three are the triputi discussed above.

The worship of ŚrīCakra with nine levels is also a means to this in ŚrīVidyā. Kundṇalini is said to be completely activated, with the Mother uniting with the Lord at Sahasrāra, when the devotee reaches the bindu of ŚrīCakra.

The union of Mother Kundṇalini with the Lord is the liberation of seeker from Māya. This is possible with anugraha or grace as discussed above, and completes the cycle of births. This is the same as realizing Nada Brahman in mantra yoga, and sāyujya of laya yoga.

Geometry and Worship of Śrī Cakra ŚrīCakra is worshiped as the Mother Herself. In ŚrīVidyā, there is usually no other idol worshiped other than ŚrīCakra. Even if an idol is worshiped, ŚrīCakra is worshiped along with idol. All the upacāras or offerings are done to the ŚrīCakra.

The worship of ŚrīCakra is done through Devi Khadṇgamāla (literally garland of swords, indicating energy) hymn, which enumerates the deities in each level. In an elaborate worship of Śrī Cakra, each deity at each level is invoked, worshiped and offered oblations. However in a regular worship, it can be done in a much abridged way and Goddesses at each level are worshiped together.

ŚrīCakra is a model of universe, which represents a Śāktā world view. ŚrīCakra or Śrī Nagara is said to be the abode of the Mother, and She is its ruler. It has nine levels called āvaranās. The nine levels are said to be nine levels in evolution of the seeker, beginning from the outer most to the inner most where the Mother resides. ŚrīVidyā tantra explains the Goddesses at each level (or the epithets or aspects of Mother at each level), the method of worship, and the mystical powers one attains through their worship. In the inner most level called bindu resides the Mother with Lord Kāmeśvara . The various petals or lines and their number in each āvarana signify the number of Goddesses worshiped.

ŚrīCakra is worshiped in two and three dimensional forms. Planar ŚrīCakra is called Bhu prastāra (bhu – earth, meaning flat). Three dimensional ŚrīCakra, where the outer most level is the base and each inner level is in elevation over the outer one, with bindu (the inner most triangle) as the peak, as if forming a cone, is called meru prastāra (meru is a mountain, and the name indicates that the figure is similar to a mountain/cone). In an ardha meru or half meru, some of the nine levels are depicted in the same altitude.

Further, the nine are divided into three levels of three enclosures each. The outer most three comprise śrushti Cakra (the orbit of creation). The next three comprise Sthiti Cakra (the orbit of sustenance). The inner most three comprise Samhāra Cakra (the orbit of dissolution).

The geometry and worship of ŚrīCakra is comprehensive and exhaustive. It explains the entire Śāktā world view, its enumeration of the world, its philosophy and practice. Therefore we can only give a cursory glance at it, because otherwise it would become a book by itself.

The outer most level of ŚrīCakra is square shaped, with three concentric squares and four gates on four sides. The next two levels are lotus petals, with sixteen and eight petals respectively. The next five levels are basically nine triangles drawn into each other, producing a total of forty three. These are seen as five

levels of 14, 10, 10, 8, 1 triangles as we move inwards. The inner most or ninth level is bindu or a dot. This is also counted as a triangle, making the total count 44.

In each level, the Mother is described as causing those tendencies that bind beings at that level. If one successfully transcends the binding at one level, that is, when he seeks to proceed further without limiting oneself to the powers he gets at that level, then he will move to an inner level. Though all the levels of ŚrīCakra are worshiped every time, one actually transcends or gets elevated to these levels gradually.

Trailokya Mohana This is the outermost enclosure and has three concentric squares, with four gates on four sides. It is called so because most of the apparently mystic powers can be got here. It is said that even the Gods stop here without proceeding inwards, because their desires are fulfilled by the powers achieved at this level.

The three lines represent ten Mudra, Matrika and Siddhis (mystical powers).

Mudrās are gestures, positions of fingers and hands, which are used for expressing various experiences. In case of worship, they are used as part of worship, to invoke certain experiences. The Mother is called dasa mudra samārādhya in Lalita Sahasra nāma, meaning She is worshiped through ten mudrās. They are Sarva Sankśobhini, Sarva Vidrāvini, Sarvaākarśini, Sarva Vāsankari, Sarva Unmādini, Sarva Mahānkuśa, Sarva Kecāri, Sarva Bīja, Sarva Yoni and Sarva Trikhanda.

Matrikas are the seven primordial forms of the Mother, from which all the sound forms originate. They are Brāhmi, Vaisṇnavi, Mahesṇvari, Aindri, Kaumāri, Vārāhi and Cāmundi.

There are ten mystical powers of the Mother which are personified as Goddesses. They are Anima, Laghima, Mahima, Isitva, Vasitva, Prakamya, Bhukti, Iccha, Prāpti and Sarva kāma siddhis. They include small powers like victory over hunger and sleep, to great ones like getting every wish granted, knowing things far off in distance and time.

This enclosure is also called bhupura or earthly (physical).

Sarvasa Paripūraka This āvarana is called so, because at this level every desire of the devotee is fulfilled. This level of Śrī Cakra has sixteen lotus petals. Correspondingly as this enclosure belongs to desire and their fulfillment, the Mother is praised as the one who attracts through the primal natural tendencies. The sixteen forms of desire are enumerated here. Praising the Mother as ākarsṇini (one who attracts). This is where the effect of the Mother

Māya is seen, as She attracts the beings with desire – making them bound with their senses, and other faculties. The sixteen forms are Kāma (desire in general, but specifically sexual), Buddhi (intellect), Ahankāra (ego), Śabda (sound - hearing), Sparsṇa (touch), Rūpa (form - vision), Rasa (feel), Gandha (odor), Citta (impression), Dhairya (courage), Smriti(memory), Nāma (name), Bīja (seed), ātma (self), Amrita (immortality), Sharīra (body).

Desire is the primary obstacle in detachment and liberation of being. While the smārta way is to transcend desire, the Śāktā way is to fulfill it and consecrate it as a form of worship. Thus, fulfillment of desire is seen not only not negatively but rather positively in Śāktā.

Sarva Sankśobana This āvarana is named SankŚobana because the Mother here is praised as the one who causes agitation, instability, commotion. This enclosure has eight lotus petals, named Ananga kusuma, Ananga mekhala, Ananga Madana, Ananga Madanātura, Ananga rekha, Ananga vegini, Ananga ankusṇa and Ananga mālini. It is Ananga (Cupid or Manmatha), the God of love, who agitates creatures in these ways.

This is the enclosure of mind.

Sarva Saubhāgya dāyaka In the fourth enclosure, Śakti is worshiped as the granter of all kinds of prosperity. This level of Śrī Cakra has fourteen trangles. The Goddesses or the forms of Mother in this enclosure are Sarva Sankśobhini (agitator of all), Sarva Vidravini (slayer or the one who dissolves), Sarvākarśini (one who attracts), Sarva Ahlādini (one who refreshes), Sarva Sammohini (one who mesmerizes), Sarva Stambhini (one who immobilizes), Sarva Jrumbhini (one who causes growth and expansion), Sarva Vāsankari (one who controls all actions), Sarva Ranjini (one who pleases), Sarva Unmādini (one who intoxicates), Sarvārtha sādini (one who fulfills all needs and desires), Sarva sampatti purāni (granter of all kinds of prosperity), Sarva mantra mayi (one whose forms are all mantras), Sarva dvandva ksṇayankari (one in who all dualities dissolve into oneness).

Sarvārtha sādhaka In the fifth enclosure, the Mother is worshiped as the one who grants all whishes. In fact “artha” is not just a desire but a purpose. Thus the Mother grants all that we want, we need, and we need to fulfill. This level in Śrī Cakra has ten triangles. The ten corresponding forms in which the Mother is worshiped here are Sarvasiddhi prada (granter of all powers), Sarva sampat prada (granter of all kinds of wealth), Sarva priyankari (one who grants all that pleases), Sarva Mangala kāri (one who grants all kinds of

auspiciousness), Sarva Kāma prada (granter of all wishes), Sarva dukha vimocani (absolver from all kinds of sorrow and unhappiness), Sarvāmrutyu prasamani (one who prevents all kinds of (untimely) death), Sarva vighna nivārini (one who prevents all obstacles), Sarvānga Sundari (one who is beauty personified, with each limb being perfect), Sarva Saubhagya dāyini (granter of prosperity and well-being).

Sarva raksha kara In this enclosure, the Mother is called the protector. It has eight triangles. The corresponding forms of Devi are Sarvājna (one who knows everything), Sarva Śakti (one who is all powerful), Sarvaīśvarya prada (one who grants all worldly possessions and occult powers), Sarva jnāna mayi (one who is knowledge personified), Sarva vyādhi vināsṇini (one who prevents all kinds of ailments), Sarva ādhāra swarupa (one on who rests the entire universe), Sarva pāpa hāri (one who cleanses and absolves from all kinds of sins), Sarva ānanda mayi (one who is bliss personified), Sarva rakśa svarūpini (the protector), Sarvepsita phala prade (granter of all desires, granter of the fruits of all deeds/worship/sacrifice).

Sarva Roga hara The seventh enclosure has eight triangles, and Śakti is worshiped as the one who removes all kinds of ailment. Ailment can be biological, but in Vedanta, the cycle of transmigration itself is called an ailment. The Mother, as She is called Bhava Tārini, makes one easily cross the sea of phenomenal existence, its ups and downs. The eight deities of this level are called Vāg-Devatās, who preside over speech. They are Vāsini, Kāmeśvari, Modini, Vimala, Aruna, Jayini, Sarve śvari and Kaulini.

Sarva siddhi Māya The eighth enclosure is a triangle. Here the Mother is called Kāmakala, the personification of fulfillment. She signifies the desire of Īśvara for cosmic sport. She is worshiped in eight forms in this level, with the names Banini, Capini, Paśini, Ankuini, Mahā Kāmeśvari, Mahā Vajreśvari, MahāBhāgamālini and MahāŚrī Sundari.

Sarva ānanda Māya The ninth or inner most enclosure is the bindu. It is called a dot, and also a minute triangle with edges almost falling into each other. The Mother resides here, united with Lord Kāmeśvara , and is called ŚivaŚakti-eka-rupini. Here Śiva and Śakti are united, and are undifferentiated.

She is worshiped with nine names in the bindu, Tripura, Tripureśi, Tripura Sundari, Tripura Vāsini, Tripura Śrī, Tripura Mālini, Tripura Siddhi, Tripurāmba and Mahā Tripura Sundari.

Practical side of ŚrīVidyā ŚrīVidyā is most popular in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, two of the major states in south India. There are two major schools in Śāktā, Candi and Lalita. The Mother is worshiped as Durga, Candi, Camundi in Candi tradition, and as Lalita, Bāla, Rajarajeswari in Lalita tradition.

There are many common aspects in both the traditions, with minor variations. Both are navarna, worshiped in nine levels. There are nine forms of Durga and She is worshiped in those nine forms in the navratri before Vijaya Daśami (Dussera festival). In fact, Candi Vidyā itself is navarna, in the sense that the two main mantras have nine letters. The concept of nine levels of worship in Lalita tradition is visible in the nine levels of Śrī Cakra.

It can be said that Candi is an older tradition, and ŚrīVidyā is a more recent and refined form. Tantric practices were extreme in India, with animal sacrifices and similar practices. Ādi Śankara is said to have pacified those deities by installing Śrī Cakra in famous Śāktā temples through out the country, and prohibiting animal sacrifices in those places[1]. These include Śakti pīt ṇhas like Kāmakhya (Guwahati, Assam) and Jogulamba (Alampuram, Andhra Pradesh) where such practices were rampant[2]. Apart from these, he visited and installed Śrī Cakra in many other temples like Śrī Śailam, Kāncipuram, Kanyā Kumāri, Kashmir and so on.

Though ŚrīVidyā was an older school, it gained popularity with Ādi Śankara and Advaita philosophy. Today ŚrīVidyā followers go by Śankara’s Advaita[3].

ŚrīVidyā and other Devatās Though Tripura Sundari is the deity of ŚrīVidyā, most of the Goddesses like Lakśmi, Durga, Pārvati are worshiped in Śrī Cakra. Not only forms of Devi, but in general any God can be worshiped in Śrī Cakra. Besides, there are ŚrīVidyā samputikaranas (compositions of verses/mantras) for different Gods. For example, when Ganṇeśa and Dakśinṇamūrti are worshiped in ŚrīVidyā tradition, they come to be known as ŚrīVidyāGanṇeśa and ŚrīVidyāDakśinṇamūrti respectively.

In case of a Goddess, this difference is not usually maintained. That is to say, Lakśmi is worshiped in Śrī Cakra but not called ŚrīVidyāLakśmi. Durga is not called ŚrīVidyā Durga or Candi-Durga when She is worshiped in ŚrīVidyā or Candi traditions. This is because, She is either worshiped with the same verses meant for Śrī Cakra worship or with Lakśmi hymns, and not with separate verses. In case of ŚrīVidyāGanṇeśa, the worship is done with verses which are a combination of ŚrīVidyā and GanṇeśaVidyā. Same is the case with ŚrīVidyā Dakśinṇamūrti.

Though these are mainly schools of sādana, there are temples too, where those forms are primary deities. There is a temple for ŚrīVidyāGanṇeśa in Bangalore. There is another installation of ŚrīVidyā Ganṇapati in śveta Śrīngāchalam.

ŚrīVidyā, Śāktā and Mantra Śāstra Most traditions in Śāktā overlap, and ŚrīVidyā shares several mantras with other Śāktā traditions. Bhuvanesvari, Candi, Kāli, Mātangi mantras are found in ŚrīVidyā, and are independent Vidyās. Similarly ŚrīVidyā mantras are found as part of other traditions like Candi. ŚrīVidyā mantras are based on and are part of the Śāktā mantra Śāstra, its bījas and mātrikas. In turn, the Śāktā mantra Śāstra is based on and is part of the broader understanding of mantra Śāstra that is common to all the traditions including Vaiśnava, śaiva, Śrauta and Bauddha. Śāktā's contribution to mantra Śāstra is not only the variety of mātras but the foundational mātrikas.

Some ŚrīVidyā Practitioners and Lineages ŚrīVidyā is practiced by many great seers. The Purānic seers like Agastya, Durvāsa and Lopamudra (the wife of Agastya) followed ŚrīVidyā. Ādi Śankara was a great exponent of ŚrīVidyā. The Soundarya Lahari hymn composed by him, is famous and chanted even today by many devotees – both practitioners of Mantra Śāstra and followers of popular religion. There are many commentaries and translations of Soundarya Lahari, a few authors to mention - Lakśmi dhāra pandita, Kaivalyāśrama Svāmi, Acyutānanda Svāmi, Visṇn ṇuTīrtha and Narasimha Tṇhākur. Practice of ŚrīVidyā is coming down for centuries, in teacher-disciple tradition. In some cases it is imparted from parent to the eldest offspring, in others it is from another teacher. Ādi Śankara also gave a commentary on Lalita Trisati, the hymn-form of Pancadāsi.

Kālidāsa, a renowned poet and devotee of Devi, is said to have primarily worshiped Kāli and Mātangi. However his praises of the Mother include multiple forms, including Tripura Sundari – he calls Her Aruna (red in Hue, Lalita) and also Kāli (black).

Ādi Śankara established four monasteries in India, called Amnaya mat ṇhās (Amnaya means Veda, and mathā ṇ in this context is monastery). Each of these specializes in one of the four Vedas. He also installed Devi in different forms, apart from Lord Śiva in thesemathās. To this day, all these are worshiped according to ṇ ŚrīVidyā. Apart from these, he established many other monasteries like Kancimat ṇhā. Devi is worshiped according to ŚrīVidyā School, in all these. For example, Śāradāmba is worshiped in Śrīngerimathā. Kāmakśi ṇ is worshiped in Kancimathā. Besides, there are many other āśramas like Siddhesvari Pītha ṇ ṇ of Kurtalam (a monastery), Kailāsa āśram of Hrishikesh, LalitaPītha, ŚrīVidyā Vimarsana Pītha ṇ ṇ and innumerable local āśramas that primarily worship according to ŚrīVidyā discipline.

ŚrīVidyāranya Swamy of 14th century AD was a great saint and scholar of Ādi Śankara’s tradition. He gave a commentary on the Veda, along with many other works like Vedānta Pancadāsi. ŚrīVidyārnava, a compilation on the philosophy, practices and secrets of ŚrīVidyā, is said to be his work.

Bhāskara Rāya from Bijāpur area of Karnātaka was a great ŚrīVidyā practitioner in the recent centuries. He belonged to 18th century. He lived in Vāranāsi for many years, and there are many stories about his devotion and the Mother’s divine grace over him. He was famous as a practitioner and an exponent of ŚrīVidyā in his times, and later. His name marks a lineage of practice in ŚrīVidyā. To this date, many generations after his times, Bhāskara Rāya lineage is famous. Bhāskara Rāya Mandali of Chennai, are among the practitioners of his school. Bhāskararāya’s commentary on Lalita Sahasra nama is said to be one of the greatest commentaries.

Śrī Muthuswamy Dikshitar who lived in 18-19 centuries was another exponent of ŚrīVidyā tradition. He was a multi-faceted personality, a genius. He was a great musician, a devotee, a Vedāntist, expert in Mantra Śāstra and a scholar. He belonged to Dakśinṇamūrti tradition of ŚrīVidyā practice. (There are three main traditions in ŚrīVidyā, called Dakśinṇamūrti, ānanda Bhairava and Hayagriva traditions.) He called Devi Kamalāmba, and composed kritis (songs in Carnātic music) that extol the greatness of Her. Since they follow the progression in the worship of ŚrīCakra, they are called as Navavārana Kritis. Kamalāmba is the main deity in the temple at Tiruvāvur whom he worshiped during his stay there. It was during that time he composed the songs, which expound ŚrīVidyā Tantra in an unmatched way. The songs that praise the deities in each enclosure of ŚrīYantra, are composed in a separate Rāga. So, nine Rāgas were used to compose the songs. Another uniqueness of these hymns is that they have different vibhaktis [Vibhakti is the suffix added to noun, that determines the role and state of noun, such as singular/plural, subject/actor. In Sanskrit, verb/noun is self-sufficient, and does not depend on other words. For instance, Rāma, “Rāma did”, “By Rāma”, “Rāma’s”, “to Rāma” all these are independent words like Rāmah, Rāmasya, Rāmou, Rāme. And these words are formed by appending different vibhaktis to the word-root Rāma. There are eight vibhaktis and one common to all. These nine forms are used by Śrī Dikshitar in his songs corresponding to the nine enclosures of Śrī Yantra].

Another great exponent of Śāktā Tantra of the previous century is Kāvyakāntha Vasiśtha Ganṇapati. He is said to have worshiped many forms of Devi, including ŚrīVidyā, Chinnamasta and Tāra. He contributed greatly in spreading and popularizing worship of Devi, initiated thousands of seekers into these schools. His disciples have in turn done that, along with establishing āśramas for the same. He was an associate of Ramana Maharśhi of Arunācalam (Tamil Nadu). He produced great literature not only on Śāktā but on Vedic knowledge in general. His consort was a teacher herself, and was primarily a ŚrīVidyā practitioner. Kapāli

Śāstry, a disciple of both Śrī Aurobindo and Kāvyakāntha Vasiśtha Ganṇapati, was a ŚrīVidyā practitioner too. He was the author of Siddhanjana, a commentary on Rigveda.

The previous head of Kancimathā, lateŚrī Candra Śekharendra Sarasvati, was a great exponent of ŚrīVidyā. ṇ He also gave an elaborate commentary on the Soundarya Lahari hymn.

There are different levels of practice in ŚrīVidyā. Usually, practitioners are initiated with Bala mantra first. After some practice, they will be initiated to Pancadāsi or Śodasi, and Khadgamāla. Khadgamāla is the hymn, which is used to worship Śrī Cakra. It enumerates the names of deities in each enclosure of the Śrī Cakra. They are worshiped in the order they come in the hymn. Beyond, there are different stages like Pāduka dīkśa (roughly translated as the worship of Devi’s shoes). However, many will be happy in continuing their worship at one of these stages, without necessarily taking the later initiations. There are seers who do Pancadāsi, Śodasi, Khadgamāla, Pāduka dīkśa or even Bāla alone. Tādepalli Rāghava Nārāyana Śāstry and Addanki Krishna Murthy of previous century are examples of people who worshiped Bāla. There is also a practice of worshiping Devi with Śrī Sukta.

Worship is done in many modes. Some worship everyday and some do collective worship on occasions. However some serious practitioners follow dīkśa, for a certain period of time. During that, they follow severe austerities, worship Devi with red flowers and kunkum (vermilion), wear red clothes during worship and sleep on the floor. Being red in hue Herself, such practice is said to please Devi.

In recent years in Andhra Pradesh there started a practice of collective worship of Lalita, chanting and worship with Lalita Sahasra Nama hymn. This is done in various occasions and regularly (weekly) in groups by many. They include Lakśa Kunkumārcana, in which a hundred thousand names of the Mother are chanted along with worship with Kunkum. (Sahasra nāma hymn having thousand names is chanted hundred times – ten times each by ten persons). While there is a general trend of rise in Śāktā practices, most of them follow ŚrīVidyā. There is also a general practice to worship Lakśmi in Śrī Cakra domestically.

Though there is a different Yantra for different Śāktā deities like Durga and Lakśmi, it came to be a practice that any form of Devi is worshiped in Śrī Cakra in ŚrīVidyā procedure. In some places both Candi Navarna and ŚrīVidyā procedures are followed, for example Kānci. The main priests of all these temples are usually initiated into ŚrīVidyā.

There are many practitioners of ŚrīVidyā today. They not only initiate many seekers into the path and guide them, but popularize the school through lucid explanations and popular discourses, collective worship. Some of the famous teachers and practitioners include Dr Śrī Vīrabhadra Mahādev and Śrī Samavedam Śanmukha Śarma. Śrī Mahādev is primarily a teacher and practitioner of ŚrīVidyā. ŚrīŚanmukha Śarma has reached out

to people through his discourses, about the practice of religion. His discourses include praises and expounding the philosophy of all the major schools, Visṇn ṇu, Devi and Śiva. He is a living example of how, having experienced the deeper reality, one can easily understand and see the same spiritual philosophy in different religions or theistic schools like Vaiśnṇava, Śaiva, Śāktā. The same holds true in case of many seers – Vasiśtha ṇ Ganṇapati, Ramanṇa Maharshi, Śrī Aurobindo, Kapāli Śāstry, Candra Śekharendra Sarasvati.

Mantra Vidyās in ŚrīVidyā There are several mantra Vidyās that are practiced as part of ŚrīVidyā worship. Broadly, there are two kinds of mantras – mūla Vidyās (the central or root Vidyās) and anga Vidyās (subsidiary Vidyās).

Mūla Vidyās There are four main or mūla Vidyās in ŚrīVidyā

(a) Gāyatri: Vedic Gāyatri, the primary Vidyā that one is initiated into, before the ŚrīVidyā mantras like Bāla or Pancadāsi.

(b) Bāla: The three lettered Vidyā. The presiding devata, Bāla Mahā Tripura Sundari, is a child. Bāla is said to be one of the most attractive and wonderful forms of Devi. Holding book and japa mala and sitting in a white flower, She presides over knowledge and bliss, and grants all the boons that the devotees ask for. It is a general practice to initiate ŚrīVidyā practitioners into Bāla before initiating them into Pancadāsi. However there are several sādakās who are happier practicing Bāla Vidyā alone and have attained salvation. There are multiple Bāla mantras, such as the Māla mantra and Bāla Hridayam.

(c) Pancadāsi: Pancadāsi is the famous fifteen lettered ŚrīVidyā mantra. Dakśinṇamūrti is said to be the seer of Pancadāsi. There are several variations to Pancadāsi. There are twelve major variations, and are called dvādasa Vidyās in Pancadāsi. First two of them are the famous “ka-adi” Vidyā (begininning with ka) and “haadi” Vidyā (begininning with ha). The remaining ten are said to be practiced by, and hence named after Manu, Candra, Kubera, Agastya, Nandikesvara, Surya, Indra, Visṇn ṇu, Śankara and Durvāsa.

The Pancadāsi is set of three putis or groups of bījas. Each puti is said to represent a level of consicousness, a kuta in mantra Śāstra, and a granthi in Kundṇalini yoga and in general a level in sadhana. Each puti ends with Māya or Bhuvanesvari bīja. Symbolically Devi is called Tripura Sundari, since there are three Bhuvanās or Puras She is ruling. Presiding Devatās of mantras with Māyabīja are usually pleasant forms, and Tripura Sundari is one of the most pleasant and beautiful forms.

(d) Śodasi: Śodasi is the sixteen lettered ŚrīVidyā. Pancadāsi with an additional bīja (usually Śrībīja) becomes Śodasi. Tripura Sundari, the presiding Devata is said to be sixteen years old. Practitioners say that there is no form of Devata which is more beautiful and pleasant than Śodasi. The very incarnation of Devi in this form is to restore desire, creation and bliss in the world.

Anga Vidyās The several subsidiary Vidyās of ŚrīVidyā are arranged into six Amnayās. Amnayā means Veda/Agama, and in Saiva there are five Amnayās. They are represented by the five faces of Śiva facing Purva (eastwards), Daksṇinṇa(southwards), Pascima (westwards), Uttara (northwards) and Urdhva (upwards). In ŚrīVidyā there is a sixth Amnaya called Anuttara. Each Amnaya is associated with a guru mandala and several Vidyās, astra kamya and parā. Besides, all the Vidyās are grouped at different levels. Some of the major Vidyās are listed below.

Purvamnaya The Purvamnaya contains Vidyās for



three gurus sva-guru, parama guru and paramesthi guru



four peethas or seats of Devi, called Kāmagiri, Purnagiri, Jalandhara and Odyana



Ganṇapati , various forms of Śyāmala, Mrityunjaya, Pratyangira

Dakṣ ṣiṇ ṣamnaya Daksṇinṇamnaya contains Vidyās for



eight Bhairavas



nine Siddhās



three Vatukās (celibates)



the two feet of Devi, the prakāśa and vimarśa



forms of Bagala, Vārāhi, Dakśinṇamūrti and Paśupata

Pascimamnaya Pascimamnaya contains Vidyās for



ten Duti Devatās (messenger Devatās)



three mandalās (the Agni-Surya-Soma mandalās representing three putis of ŚrīVidyā)



ten vīra Bhairavās or warriors



sixty four siddhas



forms and associate Devatās of Visṇn ṇu



nine grahās



Sura mantras or mantras for Devatās like Indra

Uttaramnaya Uttaramnaya contains Vidyās for



Mudra Navakam or mantras for nine mudrās



Viravāli or the five presiding Devatās of the universe (Brahma, Visṇn ṇu, Rudra, Īśvara and SadaŚiva)



Forms of Durga, Candi, Kāli etc.

Urdhvamnaya Urdhvamnaya has Vidyās for



Mālini or Mātrika varna māla (the alphabet mantras)



Guru Mandala



parā Vidyās like parā Sāmbhavi, Paramba, parā Śodasi, Khecari, Ajapa, Tvrakāmba, Niśkala

Anuttaramnaya Anuttaramnaya has Vidyās for



Catuśpāt or Gāyatri of four feet



Śodasi



Various forms of nyāsa, sankalpa and pāduka Vidyās

Nitya Devatās There are fifteen Nitya Devatās who preside over each day between a full moon and a new moon day. Each Nitya Devata is worshiped through a Vidyā named after Her. They are



Kāmeśvari



Bhāgamālini



Nityaklinna



Bherunda



Vahnivāsini



Mahāvidyeśvari



Śivaduti



Tvarita



Kula Sundari



Nitya



Nīla Pātaka



Vijaya



Sarva Mangala



Jvāla Mālini



Vicitra

Texts The Tantric texts like Rudra Yamala expound ŚrīVidyā. Khadgamāla Stotra, is the map and worship of Śrī Cakra. Besides there are several Śrī Kula texts in the oral traditions, either as compilations or as part of the mantra Śāstra texts like Mantra Mahodādhi, Mantra Mahārnava and Śāktā texts. A few of these texts are listed below -



Kāmakala vilāsa



Tantrarāja tantra



Tripurārnava tantra



ŚrīVidyārnava tantra



Jnanārnava tantra



Daksṇinṇamurti samhita



Gandharva tantra



Nitya shodashikarnava



Yogini hridaya.

Brahmānda Purānṇā has the story of Lalita slaying Bhandṇāsura. The Lalita Sahasra Nama in Brahmānda Purānṇā expounds ŚrīVidyā.Bhāskara Rvya's Varivāsya Rahasya, a commentary on the Sahasra nvma is a comprehensive text on ŚrīVidyā. Lalita Trisati, which is also found in the same Purānṇā, is the hymn form of Pancadāsi Mantra. Śrī Sukta, a hymn of Rig Veda found in its Khila part is also used in ŚrīVidyā worship. In fact Tripura Tapini Upanishad, an entire Upanishad is dedicated to Her. Ādi Śankara's prapanca sāra tantra mentions some of the ŚrīVidyā mantras. Devi Bhāgavata describes Mani dvīpa, which according to ŚrīVidyā is the Mother's abode.

Notes 1. ↑ There is no direct relation between elimination of animal sacrifice and ŚrīVidyā. However, it became a general smārta practice to worship ŚrīVidyā, and also discourage animal sacrifices.

2. ↑ This is known from the Sthala Purānṇās of these shrines.

3. ↑ There is a historic debate about Śankara's relation to ŚrīVidyā, and it is said that Saundarya Lahari, TriSati Bhasṇya are not originally authored by Śankara. It is also said that the Śankara lineages worshiping ŚrīVidyā is a practice later than Śankara himself. However, the Śankara lineages and smārtas in general do worship ŚrīVidyā.

Bibliographies 1. Śrī Lalita Devi Caritra by Jagadguru Śrī Siddheswarananda Swami, Published in Telugu by Swayamsiddha Kali Peetham, Guntur

2. Śrī Guru Samsmarana, The Souvenir on Centenary of Śrī C V Swami Sastriji