ALCHEMY LAB

THE WORSHIP OF THE GODDESS TRIPURA SUNDARI

Nowadays one of the most large-scaled current venerating Kali as well. It is concerned with the fact that Kali is ugra
the Mother Goddess in India is the cult of the Goddess Tri- (fierce) Goddess, cutting off the mundane attachments. This
purasundari. One can find a lot of information and stories is why one must perform high-quality worship of Tripurasun-
about the Goddess Tripurasundari in the multitude of pub- dari before beginning the practice of Kali especially in the
lished books. In this material I would like to acquaint you form of panchamakaras.
with the essential aspects of the theme and practice. The name «Lalita Tipurasunadari» is translated as «one
In accord with the etymology «shri» has the singnifi- who has the nature of a play» (leela or vilasa), also «splendid
cance of abudance, plenitude, splendour and «vidya» means in the three worlds». She liberates from these 3 worlds or
the knowledge which leads a jiva (embodied soul) to mukti bestow jivanmukti in them. Ususally she has the forms of
(liberation). This Tradition is mostly known by its famous Bala of 8 years old, Panchadashi of 15 years old, then of the
Shriyantra which is considered to be a Raja-yantra — the age 16 and 28 years. There are some definite mantras for ev-
queen of all yantras. The tantrics often invoke other deities ery age with the corresponding amount of bijas.
and worship them in this yantra. It is not a casual thing be- Nevertheless every of her aspects may has very diverse
cause the shakta-tantrics of Shrividya believe that the forms. For instance Bala has a standard form of the three­
Mother Goddess Tripura Sun- akshara mantra, but at the same
dari gives the birth and mani- time there are more then 30
fistation for the whole Universe types of this mantra with the
and all deities. Shrividya is the larger number of aksharas for
tradition of mantras indeed as different purposes. There is also
this tanric cult includes a really a sadhana of Bala when she is
extensive multitude of them as worshipped as Kamakhya and
well as a variety of deities. there is a special yantra, retinue
Gene­rally there are two groups of yoginis and the performance
of mantras — male and female. of puja in this case. At the same
The male one is called «man- time it is possible to worship
tra» and the female mantra — Kamakhya Balasundari with
«vidya». Mantras are supposed panchatattva. There is also an
to be the subtle body of a Deity. upasana of Bala when she turns
They may have the form of into Tripura Bhairavi and the
«bija» — a seed syllable or syllables Ha, Sa and Ra are ad­
monosyllabic mantra. Some- ded to the threeakshara man-
times mantras consist of seve­ tra. They simbolize Kameshvara,
ral bijas and in this case they Kameshvari and their Union.
are called «kutakshara» — a The Naths as well have the wor-
gathe­r ing of syllables. Mantras ship of Bala. She is depicted the
can form a subtle body of the same way like in the first vari-
Deity with the help of nyasas ant, but the mantra and practice
(depositions) inside of the body are very different, although
of a worshipper. In conse- goals are similar to Shrividya
quence of this process a practi- Tradition. It is possible to say
tioner can meditate on the one- the Naths are more prudent with
ness with the Deity. the practice of abhichara.
It is also possible to install a yantra inside of the body, for Usually the parctitioners meditate on the image of Bala
example every chakra of yantra upon a chakra of sadhaka. keeping in mind the secret sacral meaning of every element.
Such kind of depositions of a Deity or its energy may be made Bala holds in one left hand a book — the symbol of know­
on ones own body or upon other participant of the tantric ledge, other left hand shows the abhaya-mudra — the sym-
ritual. This approach is popular in the tradition of Kaula. bol of fearlessness, one right hand holds a rosary and the
This tradition is nominaly divided into Shrikula (Shrividya) other shows the varada-mudra — the symbol of compassion
and Kalikula (the cult of Kali). However these currents of the bestowing the good. She wears red clothes which symbolizes
Mother Goddess suplly each other and maintain the same Shakti, therefore the red colour is very significant for the
ele­ments. But talking about Shrikula it is to be emphasized shaktas. Her three eyes are the symbols of the Fire, the Sun
that at advanced levels of Shrividya we start worshipping and the Moon. She is adorned with the crescent on her hair

4 ADESH / summer 2014

(ardha-chandra) — the symbol of the Divine Light द िव्य-ज्योत ि It is to be noticed all these
and of the Divine vision (clairvoyance) द िव्य-दृष् टि, the power of principal mantras are trans-
vision through any distance (space) दूर दर्शन शक् ति. The adorn- mitted by a Guru with the cor-
ment on the head means the Divine knowledge. Her earrings responding initiations. On
कं ु डल द्वय stand for Divine Hearing and the ornaments on her the other hand there is an in-
hands symbolize the power of catching anything even ob- finite amount of mantras in
jects at a great distance द िव्य ग्रहण शक् ति. Ornaments on her Shrividya. For instance there are
feet are the symbols of the Divine Migration (motion, dis- a lot of sorts of Shodashi and Ma-
placement). The adornment of the neck कं ठ भूषण means the hashodashi mantras, usually they are constitued by alter-
Divine voice द िव्य कं ठ स्वर. The fingers of her hands symbolize nating syllables what changes characteristic of mantra.
the Divine touch and four arms — the four aims of life परुु षार ्थ. My Guruji explains this by the following way. In the be-
In the form of Tripurasundari (Shodashi) she is enthroned ginning we worship young Balasundari Goddess of 8 years
on Sadashiva. From his navel appears a lotus. According to old. So we use the Bala mantra of three aksharas aiṁ klīṁ
Shrividya there is a para-vac in navel, so actually Lalita is sauḥ in practice. The bija «aiṁ» is the bija of speech,
manifestated from it. Sadashiva lies on the throne of Lalita «klīṁ» — Kama — wish and «sauḥ» — Shakti (mystical
which is situated upon the heads of Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra power). After the practice of this mantra the experienced
and Ishvara. For this reason the Goddess Tripurasundari is sadhaka starts the practice of man-
worshipped along with Panchabrahma Shiva — fivefaced tra of 15 years old Goddess —
Shiva from whom 5 amnayas are descended. There is also a Panchadashi mantra. It is a ha sa ka ha la hrīm
special form of Ganesha known as Kshipra Ganapati (quick symbol of the Goddess starting to
Ganapati) that corresponds with the Goddess Lalita. He is have the menstrual cycle. Her

s a
m
supposed to be quick in revealing spiritual experience. Tri- vidya is divided into 3 kutas: the

ka
hrī
purasundari is glorified by her proper respective Shriyantra first starts with «ka» ka e ī la

la
la
like a symbol of all yantras. Obviously this is the reason all hrīṁ; the second with «ha» ha sa

hrī
eī
Deities may be worshipped in Shrividya. ka ha la hrīṁ and the third one with

m
a
The whole sacred image of Tripurasundari with all its ele- «sa» sa ka la hrīṁ. These kutas are

k
ments has a large amount of meanings: her lasso symbolizes speech, wish (will) and shakti (power),
devotion, the curved knife means the power of cutting off at- in fact they proceed with what is prac-
tachments, the 5 arrows of sugar cane — the 5 arrows of Kama- tised in Bala mantra. Then sadhaka practises
deva as well as 5 senses. She is sirved by Lakshmi and Saras- the mantra of 16 syllables which is the essence
vati. It is said in «Lalita-sahasranama» that Ten Avatars of of the two previous and allows to recieve knowledge directly
Vishnu appear from Her ten nails. In fact if we study thorough- from the Goddess perceiving the Atman. The transmission of
ly «Lalita-sahasranama» we can find descriptions of numerous the 16 syllables mantra my Guru calls shakta abhisheka. Af-
symbols of the Goddess appearance as well as her diversed ter this sadhaka worships Tripurasundari with the mantras
powers. Moreover her symbolism is even deeper for those who of more then 20 syllables when the Goddess becomes like a
practise Shrividya: for example from the essential form of Tri- mature woman united with Shiva Kameshvara and from this
purasundari may be manifestated either Durga or Kali. In the moment she is Kameshvari. At this stage sadhaka is empow-
aspect of Rajarajeshwari Tripurasundari assumes the form of ered and gains authority to practise the most secret me­
Durga. Rajarajeshwari is depicted on simhasana — sitting on thods of Shrividya in the form of panchamakara-puja etc.
the lion, it is the symbol of royal authority of the Goddess This intiation is called purna abhisheka. Afterwards upasa-
साम्राज्य. We all know that Durga as well move around on a tiger. ka worships Kali and other fierce forms of Goddess. In ge­
Tripurasundari may also assume the form of Bagalamukhi, neral all these stages are considered to be the process of
Chinnamasta (Shrividya form is Vajraprastarini), etc. Kundalini awakening and realizing of her oneness with
It is to be said that in the linage of Shrividya three God- Shiva.Certainly all these stages have a lot of secrets and
desses — Kali, Lalita and Durga personify the three compo- Guru may transmit them only to tested disciples in whom he
nent elements of Panchadasha mantra. Therefore first three has a real confidence. In some currents of Shrividya other
Goddesses are very significant for Shrividya-upasana. Gurus may have different algorithm of initiation and prin-
The principal mantras of Shrividya are the following: ciples, but in this article we will explore the most famous
mantra and its meaning.
Balasundari Mantra: It is to be mentioned here that in the lineage of the Naths
aiṁ klīṁ sauḥ there is also one initiation called Upadeshi-diksha or
Panchadashi mantra:
Trikona Left side Center Right side Bindu
ka e ī la hrīṁ ha sa ka ha la hrīṁ sa ka la hrīṁ
Goddess Vama Jyoshtha Raudri Ambika
Shodashi mantra: Consort Brahma Vishnu Shiva Ishvara
ka e ī la hrīṁ ha sa ka ha la hrīṁ sa ka la hrīṁ śrīṁ Function Creation Sustenance Destruction
Mahashodashi mantra: Shakti Iccha Jnyana Kriya
śrīṁ hrīṁ klīṁ aiṁ sauḥ oṁ hrīṁ śrīṁ ka e ī la hrīṁ ha Sound stage Pashyanti Madhyama Vaikhari Para
sa ka ha la hrīṁ sa ka la hrīṁ sauḥ aiṁ klīṁ hrīṁ śrīṁ | Consciousness Waking Dreaming Deep Sleep the Fourth

ADESH / summer 2014 5

 vāgbhavakūṭa kāmarājakūṭa śaktikūṭa
ka tat Kameshvara Brahman ha tat sa tat savitur varenyam
e savitur varenyam Kameshvari (Shakti) sa savitur (three syllables = three mantra words) ka bhargo devasya dhī-
ī bhargo devasya dhī- Shiva ka varenyam la mahi
la mahi Earth ha bhargo devasya dhī- (one sound = six syllables) hrīṁ dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt
hrīṁ dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt Maya la mahi
hrīṁ dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt

Shankhadhal when Guru trasmits mantras and forms of Kama, Yoni, Kamala, Vajrapani (Indra), Guha, Hamsa, Ma-
upasana to disciples. tarishva, Abhra, Indra, Punarguha, Sakala, Maya are also
But mantras themselves and the way of Goddess Bala wor- mantras of the Mother of Universe who is the Brahman un-
ship are quite different. At the same time the image of Bala doubtedly.
is identical to Bala of Shrividya and the mantra is like a der- There are a lot of ways of decoding of this shloka, I offer
ivation from Paraprasada mantra Soham along with Threeak- the three well-known variants:
shari mantra, but with the symbolism of Sarasvati, Kali and 1. Каmа (eros) — ka, Yoni (source) — e, Каmаlа (God-
Lakshmi united in the image of Bala. dess) — ī, Vajrapani (Indra) — la, Guha (Skanda) —
The principal Panchadashi mantra of Srividya is consid- hrīṁ, Hasa (Hamsa) — ha, sa, Matarishva (air) — ka,
ered to have the origin of Atharvaveda, Shri devi atharva- Abhra (sky) — ha, Indra — la, hrīṁ, sa, ka, la,
shirsha in particular. This shloka can assume the form of Maya — hrīṁ.
bijas. 2. ka — wish, e — intention, ī — motivation, la — ac-
complishment, hrīṁ — light and realization of soul,
कामो योनिः कमला वज्रपाणिरह्गु ा हसा मातरिष्वाभ्रमिन्द्रः । ha — the Sun, sa — the Moon, ka — wish, ha — pra-
्
पनु रह्गु ा सकला मायया च परुु च्षयै विश्वमाताद ित िविद्योम ॥१४॥ na, la — accomplishment, hrīṁ — light and realiza-
tion of soul. sa — moon energy of mind, ka — wish,
kāmo yoniḥ kamalā vajrapāṇirguhā hasā la — accomplishment, hrīṁ — shakti and light.
mātariṣvābhramindraḥ | 3. ka — Shiva, e — Shakti, ī — the God of Love, la —
punarguhā sakalā māyayā ca purucyaiṣa earth, ha — the God of Sun, sa — the rays of the cool
viśvamātāditividyom || 14 || Moon, ka — the God of Love, ha — the Sky, la — In-
dra, sa — Parа, ka — the God of Love, la — Vishnu.
Derived
Vocal root Esoteric meaning
sound There is a multitude of mantras in Shrividya with the
vāgbhavakūṭa various number of aksharas similar to panchadashi where
ka kan, shine Shiva, Enlightener aksharas can have the concealed alchemical meaning. This
e in, learn learning tool, i.e. Buddhi alchemy as a rule is formulated by mutual interaction of
[ka + e point to radiant mind] different powers and energies. But most of Gurus keep it in
ī ī, fill filling of all reality secret. In some sense the alchemy of Shrividya is very al-
la + ha + superiority
lied to that one of the Naths. However it is to be noticed
rī
ṁ reason of superiority that nowadays not all of Guru manage to retain this knowl-
kāmarājakūṭa edge. In fact there are a few experts in this field of prac-
ha han, affect bravery, ha – cause of victory tice. Most of such kind of Masters prefer to teach only re-
over the enemy stricted cycle of followers selecting aspirants by extremely
sa so, enjoy or wealth, assistance in enjoy- exigent way.
su, generate ment The splitting from bindu to trikona (triangle) generates
ka kam, wish women, who are attracted by manifestation of these categories of triadic deities and en-
mantra and are objects of ergies and there are various descriptions of them in the
desire texts of Shrividya. A lot of Masters list different connec-
ha oharn, go regard to the achievement of tions and metaphisical principles of them and sometimes
courage, wealth, desire etc. they vary deeply in significance and interpretations de-
la + ha + ī, shine glory pending on a school.
rī The unfolding of the triangle starts from the left line
ṁ (rekha) of the inner triangle of Shriyantra (sarvasiddhip-
śaktikūṭa
rada) and goes clockwise. This way every element of the
sa ka la that whereby there exist
aforementioned actions symbolic triads becomes related to the lines of the triangle
hṛ hṛ, eliminate Destroyer of Universe in the center of Shriyantra. The bindu (point) is situated at
ī shine, cause of creation and the same center and symbolizes the Goddess Ambika per-
maintenance sonifying the authentic Self of a man — Atman. When the
[hṛ + ī = Mother who shines in the heart and dissolves the Mother Goddess creates the Universe the unique source in
pain, hrī – dependent determined component the form of mahabindu is divided into 3 bindus (sun, moon
(karmadhārya) with ṁ] and fire) and they are joined by the different forms of nada.
ṁ primary sound (nāda) or These three bindus symbolize the corners of Shri Yantra
knowledge triangle which is in its turn the yoni of the Goddess.

6 ADESH / summer 2014

 ka e ī la hrīṁ — Kameshvari (rajas)
ha sa ka ha la hrīṁ — Vajreshvari (sattva)
sa ka la hrīṁ — Bhagamalini (tamas)

All Shri Yantra appears, following the evo-

lutionary trends (pravritti), from the cen-
tral triangle. Panchadashi-mantra is con-
sidered to be the foundation of Shri
Yantra. Together with the central bindu
and syllable śrīṁ it appears as Shodashi.
Some tantrics also relate Pancha-
dashi-mantra to the Vedic Gayatri and
they believe that Gayatri can be trans-
formed into a form of Panchadashi bi-
jas, and that Panchadashi contains all
the Gayatri. Please find attached the
relevant tables of interrelation Gay-
atri with Panchadashi. And, even each
kutakshara is able to contain the po-
tential of Gayatri-mantra.
Panchadashi mantra is unique be-
cause it is capable to untie the three
nodes (granthas) in human body, awak-
en chakras and Kundalini. So, for exam-
ple, pronouncing ka e ī la hrīṁ, we untie
Brahma-grantha and activate the condi-
tion of fire. When we recite ha sa ka ha la
hrīṁ, so we untie the Vishnu node and acti-
vate the Sun power, while pronouncing sa ka
la hrīṁ, we untie the Rudra node and activate
the Moon power. The sixteenth bija śrīṁ allows
to open the Sahasrara — chakra, and by vibrating
bindu (anusvara) in syllable śrīṁ with mantra’s help
we can activate sukshma-chakras of dvadashanta.
Panchadashi mantra syllables are also known by their
connection with fifteen lunar days (tithi), which are asso-
ciated with fifteen Nitya Goddesses. In Indian astrology
the Moon plays a key role, while in Tantra it is believed that
the Moon contains both powers — its own and the solar one. from a, the second kuta includes consonants from ka to ta,
For example, the new moon (amavasya) is related to the lu- and the third kuta — remaining aksharas from tha. There
nar power, whereas the full moon (purnima) — to the solar are other systems that link matrikas with mantra. Sanscrit
power. In human body new moon is associated with lower aksharas have a feature: consonants contain also the vowel
chakras, while full moon — with upper chakras. If we trans- «a», which is pronounced at the end of the word. For ex-
late the word hatha-yoga, so hа means Moon and tha means ample, syllable ka has two sounds fused together such as k
lunar and solar discs simultaneously. Hatha-yoga is the bal- and а, while vowel е contains just itself and nothing else. If
ance of the lunar and solar power or Prana and Apana (as- we count the number of sounds in Panchadashi-mantra, in-
cending and descending forces), and also the union of Shak- cluding the sounds of Nada and Bindu in hrīṁ, we will get
ti and Shiva. How the mantras of fifteen Goddesses are 37 sounds. These sounds are related to the 36 tattvas, in-
associated with the outer and inner cosmos, this is a topic for cluding the 37th category Paramashiva (tattvatita) or that
another article, here I will just mention this connection. Shri Abhinavagupta called Anuttara. All the Sanscrit let-
Furthermore, the greatness of fifteen syllabic Tripura ters, from Tantrism point of view, have a deep sacred value,
Sundari mantra is also in fact that its syllables contain 36 so, for example, vowels are often seen as being associated
metaphysical categories of Being which are popular in both with Shiva, while the consonants — with Shakti. Conse-
Shivaism and Shaktism. Moreover, Panchadashi mantra has quently, all mantras consisting of compounds of vowels and
the potential of all the letters of Sanskrit, in Shaktism they consonants are the personification of the blessed union of
are considered as the Goddesses Mothers (Matrika). For ex- Shiva and Shakti.
ample, the first system a-ka-tha is connected with three
kutas of Yantra. The first kuta includes all Sanscrit vowels Yogi Shri Matsyendranath

ADESH / summer 2014 7