Tripurasundari Ashtakam 2

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Jaya Jaya Shankara !

 

Third Shloka :

"Arrayed we be in the panoply, by her Kadamba forest abode,

by the garland gracing her massive bosom, by her bosom rivaling

mountains, by the splendid flow of her surpassing grace in the form

of Guru's grace, by her cheeks ruddied by wine, by her melodious

musical voice, by her cloud-like blue, by her inscrutable play ".

Here, Acharya invokes the Devi's abode, garland, breasts and

dark blue complexion that they shall shield us from every evil. Once

Her grace descends upon us, no evil will befall us.

Once again, Kadamba forest abode signifies the entire

universe in the macrocosm or the sahasraara chakra in the microcosm.

Or it simply means the hearts of the devotees.

Garland is a symbol of auspiciousness. She is hence ever

auspicious. Also mantra is something that protects the chanter. Now

devi's garland is nothing but the varnamaala or the alphabet from

which all sounds and mantras arise. She is thus sarvamantrasvaroopini

and who better can ward off evil than her?

The Devi is the mother of all. In the form of Annapoorna, she

gives food, spiritual as well as physical, to all her children.

Instances are many of her suckling small children and of their

blossoming into spiritual giants. Eg. Tirujnanasambandhar who was fed

by Ambal Abhiraami. Her massive mountain like breasts represent her

cosmic motherhood and her eagerness to nourish the entire creation.

Now, srimadacharya also speaks of her surpassing grace. Of

all kinds of love, the mother's love is so well known to be the best

that any further explanation will be redundant. For the spiritually

less evolved, it is through Her grace that the noumenal incorpo-real

Brahman becomes phenomenal corporeal Ishwara. It is she who shows up

and brings the quality-less Supreme Being within our reach as the

mortal mother shows first her child its father. The great mother

Mahatripurasundari blesses us not only with enjoyments but also with

Moksha. No doubt thus, that her grace is peerless, surpassing. It is

splendid for it dispels our ignorance and brings us enlightenment.

The word Guru here means heavy or abundance. Her grace is heavy and

abundant.

Guru also means spiritual preceptor and gurukripa, his grace.

It is known to samayacharins that through Sadguru's grace ( in the

form of sambhava mahavedha ), Paraamba suddenly appears in the

Manipura from where she has to be lead to the crown. Without the

Gurupaaduka mantra, it is said that srividya gives no results at all,

on the contrary, it leads to Yogini Shaapa. This clearly points to

the absolute necessity of Guru's guidance. However, I would also like

to tell here that in Rudrayamala, Bhagvathi assures that she herself

will be the preceptor to the sincere and devoted sadhaka par

excellence. Since Aatma-Guru-Srichakra-Srividya-Sridevi are all one

without an iota of duality, grace is all the same whether we say

Gurukripa or Devi's grace. In satashloki, the great Acharya brings

out the uniqueness of Guru's grace by drawing a parallel between it

and the philosophers stone. He says ` For the venerable preceptor who

bestows the liberating knowledge, there is no known comparison in the

three worlds. Even the philosopher's stone, can only turn iron into

gold ; it cannot transmute it into another philosophers stone. On the

contrary, the venerable guru makes his disciple who has taken refuge

at his feet, his own equal. Peerless nay, transcendent is He !"

For everyone, the veryfirst Guru is one's own mother. The

Devi , the mother of infinite number of worlds is indeed the foremost

Guru. In the form Uma, she cleansed Indra of his pride and arrogance

and taught him the knowledge of the Absolute as explained by Kena

Upanishad. The tantras define Nigama as the tantra which emanated

from the mouth of Girija, which was listened to by Maheshwara and

approved by Vasudeva. From this it follows that she has been guru to

even her cosmic consort Kameshwara. It is this great Vimarsha shakti

that gives a sense of "I" ness or identity to the attributeless

Paramashiva. He sees himself only through Her and hence she is

undoubtedly the Guru of the best of the Gurus. Bhattanaarayana

comments on the name "Nijaagnaaroopanigamaa' in the Lalita

Sahasranama

that the Nigamas (by which he means the Vedas since generally agamas

mean tantra and nigamas refer to sruthi ) are the expressions of her

eternal command. Here guru's grace, may also mean Srividya mantra

itself which is obtainable only by the highest grace of the divine

mother ( this interpretation was by H.H.Sri Srimad chandrashekhara

Bharathi Mahaswamigal, of Sringeri sarada peetham, the greatest of

yogis in the recent times). Srividya means as much the path to the

Divine knowledge as the Divine Knowledge itself. She is not only the

Divine Knowledge but also the great path of srividya leading up to it

i.e herself.

Further, Mahatripurasundari is also the spouse of world

Guru Dakshinamurthy and due to the fivefold identity that exist

between her and

The lord ( explained in the commentary to the last verse of

Anandalahari, the first half of Saundaryalahari and also in

Agamachandrika), Guru epithet is naturally applicable to Her.

Why is her grace like flow? For like water it flows down from

a higher level to a lower level. Even a tiny crack in the devotee's

heart will do for Her grace to rush in. This word kripaa is very

significant. Love for equals is Maitri, love for superiors is Bhakti

and love for inferiors is Kripa. Grace is absolutely necessary for

the less evolved to get rid of all earthy shackles and to embrace the

magnificent infinite.

Melodious voice – Needless to say a mother talks to her

children sweetly. Towards their little ones even the ferocious

animals give up the ferocity. What to say of Bhagavathi who is the

highest water-mark of grace. Moreover bliss or ananda is her very

nature. As Shyamala, she is the mother of all fine arts including

music. Shyamala is of various forms like Saahitya shyamala, venu

shyamala, shuka shyamala, shaarikaa shyamala etc. it is said by

Narayana in TripuraBhairavi stotra in Jayadrathayamala that goddesses

Saraswathi gets all her poetic and musical capabilities by drinking

the water that is used to wash the Sri Paadukaas of

Mahatripurasundari.

Anything vast partakes the color of blue e.g. the sky, the

ocean etc. The Devi is vast in as much as she is pervasive of the

entire universe. She is therefore described as Blue. She is also a

bank of clouds to the parched world. She is called blue ( though the

traditional Dhyana on Mahatripurasundari prescribes a ruddy

complexion (arunaa) to her) to indicate that she is the nectarine

cloud that showers the Kulamrita.

Her inscrutable play is the act of projecting-sustaining-

withdrawing the universe. As Taittareya sruthi says ` Yato bhootani

jaayanthe etc. `, the entire phenomenal world has its genesis in,

stays on and dissolutes into Brahman. How the finite arises from out

of the infinite is an incomprehensible mystery, called Maya. It is

absolutely wrong to say that Brahman has transformed into universe.

For Brahman is infinite and infinite is devoid of parts. Also

immutability is the essential quality of the infinite. This

completely refutes the nonsensical theories of Gaudiyas and other

sects with concepts like sukshmanu paramanu etc. the phenomen of the

universe is therefore past reasoning. It is Devi's play or Lila.

For the ordinary mortals it is well nigh impossible to

meditate upon and realize the supreme Parabrahman. For them this maya

of Devi is of immense help in bringing the formless attributeless

Brahman within their reach by investing it with a form and

attributes, which does cause limitation, but the mother's divine

grace helps one to evolve spiritually so as to transcend it.

Karanaagama says " for helping ascetics, ritualistic worshippers,

yogis, to do meditation and Puja, the supreme Brahman assumes a form

playfully' . Thus it would indeed be foolish to argue whether Kali is

better than Lalita or Tara is the best among the two. It is very sad

to see that the so-called illumined saints of the various dualistic

Vaishnavite sects have argued (and continue to argue) that Krishna is

the best and the only from of the great lord. Now, any form with

attributes can never ever be without limitations. One has to, at some

point of time cross over to the formless supreme, which indeed

happens by divine grace.

Beyond the operation of Maya, the ways in which the Devi

bestows Her grace upon and blesses her devotees are mysterious. To

quote some of the innumerable instances :

1. The moment Devi scribed Bijaksharas on the tongue, Kalidasa, the

dunce, was transformed into Kalidasa , the great poet.

2. There is a township, Kadiramangalam by name in TamilNadu. On a

certain day there was a heavy downpour in this place. In the

rainstorm a good number of leaves flew from the thatch of the hut

occupied by Kamban, the Tamil poet. The roof started leaking and the

poet became worried that his poetical works would be destroyed. He

however fell asleep. When he woke up in the morning, he noticed to

his surprise, that the roof of his hut had been newly thatched with

the eyes of the paddy. He was filled with devotion towards his

beloved deity Durga. After this event, the entire township was called

Kadirveyndamangalam, kadir meaning the eyes of paddy and veynda

woven. He is the author of the masterpiece Kambaramayanam.

3. Rous Peter, a Briton, was the collector of Madurai in 1812. it was

his routine to go round the Minakshi temple every day on horseback

before setting about his daily duties. One night, it was raining very

heavily, accompanied by thunder and lightening. Rous Peter was fast

asleep in his apartment. He was suddenly woken up by a small girl,

unseen before, and beckoned by her to get out. So he did implicitly.

Hardly had he left his chamber, before the entire structure came

down, struck by lightening. The girl vanished right before his eyes.

He realizes that his escape was providential- due to the grace of the

supreme mother Minakshi.

 

The fourth verse :

"Seek I shelter in Mahatripurasundari , mater familias of the

three-eyed lord, who is in the middle of Kadamba forest, seated on

the golden disc, who resides in six lotuses, who is like a constant

lightening to the siddhas, splendorously mocking scarlet Hibiscus,

with cloudless moon for her crest jewel " .

As the spider remains in the center of the web ejected out of

its own person, Mahatripurasundari stays as the pivot of the universe

(Kadamba forest ) projected from her own person.

In this line there is an allusion to Kanchi Kamakshi who is

none other than Mahatripurasundari. Among the four major shakti

peethams, the supreme-most is the oddiyana peetham or the Bhuvah

puram which is situated in Kanchipuram. It is the bindu sthana of

srichakra. Lalitha Mahatripurasundari has gross-subtlle-more subtle-

and most subtle forms which are respectively Lalitha

Mahatripurasundari as kamakshi in kanchipuram, srichkara, srividya

and as Paraakundalini ( refer subhagodaya stuti and kanchi mahatmya

varnam for more reading on this topic ). Thus, Mahatripurasundari

Rajarajeshwari exists in stoola roopa only in Kanchi kamakshi

temple, which has no separate shrine for Paramashiva indicating that

Kamakshi, unlike deities in various shakti peethams, is not Shakti

but Shiva-Shakti ONE, non-dual Parabrahman. The kanchimaahaatmya and

Kamakalavilasa speak of kanchi as the navel of the world. Just as the

navel is the center of the body from which all the 72000 nerves

proceed full-fledged fashion, so kanchi, the seat of Kamakshi, the

only gross prototype of Parabrahman, is the navel of the world from

where her grace radiates.

Of all the manifested sources of energy, the sun is the most

potent. With his rising, the entire world becomes active. It follows

that Mahatripurasundari reveals herself through the living God, Sun.

This also refers to the form of the goddess residing in the solar

disc namely Gayathri. Indeed srividya is the third and the most

secretive form of gayathri. Bhasuranandanatha proves this beyond

doubt in Varivasyarahasya. This is also explained in Tripuratapini

Upanishad and also in texts like Yoginihridaya.

This also refers to the Devi radiating in the Anahata

chakra , a twelve-petalled lotus in the region of heart.as fire

shines in Muladhara, moon in sahasrara, so the sun shines in Anahata.

As kundalini, she abides in the six lotuses on the way to

Sahasraara. As swami shivananda says, kundalini can be aroused from

any Chakra, though the simplest is to do so from Muladhara. The great

occultist Swami Punyananda meditated on the Devi directly in

Sahasraara and achieved Siddhi. However this may not be possible to

all. So lets stick to Moolaadhaara, for which the place of

concentration is actually the sthanam or kshetram of Aajnaa.

Saudaamini means lightening. On her way to Sahasraara, the

Devi stays for a while at Aajnaa Chakra, manifesting herself in the

form of a streak of lightening whereby the Yogi's eyes close to all

outer dualities and the inner eyes open up to the greater truths,

making him eligible to enter the higher realms of Lalaata and other

Chakras.

Also, in Manipuraka chakra, sadashiva manifests as a winter

cloud, in company with his spouse in the guise of lightening. They

are called Megheshwara and Saudamini. Mahattarayonitantra names the

cosmic couple differently as Amriteshwara and Amriteshwari.

She is also like a lightening to the Siddhas who are

accomplished beings. Now, the siddhis are ten namely :

anima,laghima,mahima,ishitva,vashitva,praakaamya,bhukti,icchaa,prapti

and sarvakaamasiddhi. (Some include garima siddhi also, but none of

the Classic tantras explain as to how this extra siddhi can be

accomadated in Trailokyamohana Chakra. Chatuhsshati shastra clearly

objects the use of Garimaasiddhi. Some versions that I have seen on

the net have included Garima siddhi in the Khadgamala mantra, which I

think is a mistake. Rudra yamala's mala mantroddhaara chapter,

Vamakeshwara tantra, Tripurarnava Tantra, Prapancha saara saara

samgraha, all these granthas have omitted Garimasiddhi. Though a

scholar tried to argue about its correctness saying some sampradayas

do include garimaa, he was unable to justify his stand. If any one

has an explanation, please go ahead. I think, the version in

ambaa.org or sambhavi.org also has this mistake).

In the course of yoga practice, when kundalini courses up to

sahasrara, the yogi acquires these supernormal powers. Being latent

in the body, these siddhis are instantly brought to light by

kundalini like a flash of lightening. Also the place of meditation

for Chinnamastaa is Aajnaa chakra. Chinnamastaa is actually the

goddess of the siddhamandala. Sadhakas of chinnamasta experience the

opening of their consciousness to various lokas of siddhas and other

higher beings to a large extent. Hence among the Mahavidyas, ( which

are all present in the Aavarana of Mahatripurasundari's Srichakra )

Chinna is placed as the Anuttara samayaambaa or the attendant to

Srimata in the Anuttara quarter referring to Aajnaa Chakra again.

There could be yet another interpretation. She reveals to

those who are in persuit of the Siddhis that compared with the

ultimate realization of the self as Mahatripurasundari, these siddhis

are as ephemeral as a lightnening. However, a second's foolish

indulgence in these may cause irreparable damage just like blinding

after being struck by lightening.

Mother is also described as having a red complexion that puts

Hibiscus flower to shame. Red signifies activity. It is the color of

Rajo guna. Here Mahatripurasundari is described as reddish to speak

of her kriya shakti and to indicate that she is the source of the

entire dynamic quality of the universe. Furthermore, she is that

primordial power which activated the qualitiless unmanifest Brahman,

resulting in the appearance of this universe. Also scarlet Hibiscus

flower is considered very sacred to the Devi in Agamas and Tantras.

She also has a cloudless moon as her crest jewel. Moon is the

sign of immortality or Amrita in tantric terminology. In the middle

of Sahasraara there is the lunar disc from which Amrita, the elixir

of life flows. Devi is not only immortal herself, but also the source

of deathlessness for others. The serene moon represents that especial

prerogative of hers. Now, does not this make mother much superior to

a philosopher's stone that we spoke about in the previous verse?

 

Contd…………..

Harshanand_16

Bangalore