Tripura_Sundari : Significance of the name

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Names are often thought to hold hidden and mystical meanings which is

a reflections of the goddess characteristics. It also associated her

with the ideas and themes in the hindu philisphy, mythology and

spiritual practices. The names that received most attention are

Tripura_sundari, Sodasi and Lalitha. Other names are : Kamesvari,

SriVidya and Rajarajesvari.

 

Tripura_Sundari : is one of the most obvious names, which means

"She

who is beautiful in the three worlds" Various texts gave several

interpretation to this name:

 

KALIKA PURANA

a) In association with the triangle, states that She is called

Tripura _sundari because she is identical with the triangle, that

symbolizes the Yoni and that forms her Cakra ( see the picture in the

home page )

 

The Srividya cult : the triangle is a primordial form which the

creation proceeds and is clearly related to the generative power of

the Yoni

 

b) In association with the Mantra

She is called Tripura because of her mantra. It has three syllabus.

She is identified with the alphabet from which all sounds occupies a

primordial place in the tantric cosmology.

 

c) In association with expression

In her role as creator, maintainer and destroyer of the universe, She

express herself in Brahma, Vishnu and Siva.

 

KAMAKALA-VILASA

States that she is triple facet because

 

a) she represents three kinds or colours of bindu ( seed or

essence ), often associated with sexual fluids : red representing the

female, White representing the Semen, and mixed as the union of the

two. In this aspect she represents the both sexual polarities in the

universe and their ultimate union.

 

b) She has her abode in Soma, Surya and Agni, that is the moon, the

sun and fire. She is thus all pervasive and all inclusive as are

light and fire

 

c) She is identified with the three principle powers of iccha-shakti

( will ), jnana sakti ( consciousness, knowledge ) and kriya sakti (

doing, action )

 

LALITHA-SAHASRANAMA

Bhaskararaya states that the goddess is called Tripura_sundari

because

a) she is older than the three : Vishnu, Brahma and Rudra.

b) Identified with three main channels of the subtle body in

kundalini yoga that represents the cosmic totality

c) Everything that is three fold such as the three object of

human desires, three devas, thress Vedas, three fires, three

energies, three notes, three worlds, three abodes, three sacred lakes

are representation of Tripura_sundari

 

SIVANANDA says that the goddess is triple natured because she

"has

the nature of Siva, Sakti and Atma"

 

 

 

SODASI

The names have several meanings

a) "She who is sixteen".It is common to for deities to be

described as sixteen, which is considered the most beautiful and

vigorous human age.

b) "She who has sixteen ( good) qualities

c) " She who is the sixteenth" which probably refers to the

phases of the moon, the lunar tithes. The tithes are often

personified as goddesses. There are fifteen tithes in the bright half

of the lunar month ( sukla paksa ) and fifteen in the dark half (

krsna paksa ) As the sixteenth, Sodasi represents which is beyond the

phase or the rhythms of time.

 

 

LALITHA : "She who is lovely" or "the lovely one".

These names have

universal, cosmological or mystical significance.

 

a) Bhaskararaya says the name has eight meanings namely brilliance,

manifestations, sweetness, depth, fixity, energy, grace and

generosity. These are the eight human qualities.

 

b) Kama-sastra says : lalitha means erotic actions and also

tenderness, as she has all the above-mentioned qualities.

 

d) She have nine divine attendants ( as in the Sri Cakra )

 

Whatever name she is called Lalitha, Sodasi or Tripura_sundari or one

of the several other common names, she is the cosmic queen from whom

everything originates, in whom everything inheres and by whom

everything will be dissolved

 

Om ParaShaktiye Namaha