Part XXI — Nāmas 898–948 (Ślokas 167–174): Actionlessness, the Referent of “That Thou Art,” and the Priceless State of Aloneness
ॐ श्रीमात्रे नमः · oṃ śrīmātre namaḥ
Actionlessness, the referent of “That thou art,” and the priceless state of aloneness
Part XXI traverses fifty names — eight ślokas — through a stretch rich in the highest Vedānta and the soberest Tantra. It opens with the heroes' assembly and the great name Naiṣkarmyā — actionlessness, the Gītā's teaching that the wise one, though acting, is the non-doer; she is that very actionless ground. She is the form of nāda (the primal sound), the unfolding of vijñāna, the skilful, the clever, the seated-on-the-bindu. The next śloka rises to one of the hymn's summit-names: after Tattvādhikā (transcending all the tattvas) and Tattvamayī (comprising them), she is Tattvam-artha-svarūpiṇī — “whose own form is the meaning of tat tvam” — the non-dual reality denoted by the two words “That” and “Thou” in the Upaniṣadic mahāvākya “Tat tvam asi,” “That thou art.” The whole edition's tat-tvam-asi through-line comes to a head here. She loves the Sāma-chant, is gentle, and is the consort of Sadāśiva. She abides on both paths (the right-hand and left-hand, the samaya and kaula — a great sober naming on which this commentary takes no side); she wards off every danger; she is self-abiding, sweet by nature, steady, worshipped by the steady. She is worshipped with the offering of consciousness, fond of the flower of consciousness (the inner worship in which awareness itself is the offering); ever-risen, ever-content, rosy as the young sun. She is the South, worshipped by the southward-facing; lotus-faced with a gentle smile; the Kaula's-Absolute, and — beautifully — the giver of the priceless state of kaivalya, absolute aloneness-in-freedom. She loves hymns of praise, is herself praise, her glory sung by the Veda; high-minded, noble-minded, the great Sovereign, of auspicious form. She is the World-Mother, the Bearer of the world, wide-eyed, and the Dispassionate; bold, supremely generous, supremely glad, of the nature of mind. The movement closes with the names of supreme rule and the great five-fold images — sky-tressed, throne in the celestial car, thunderbolt-wielder, Lady of the Vāmakeśvara-tantra, fond of the five sacrifices, reclining on the couch of the five corpse-gods (the great Śrī-Vidyā throne-image of the five Brahmās as her bed).
॥ श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम् ॥
The Thousand Names — Ślokas 167–174 (Nāmas 898–948)
Śloka 167
वीरगोष्ठीप्रिया वीरा नैष्कर्म्या नादरूपिणी ।
विज्ञानकलना कल्या विदग्धा बैन्दवासना ॥ १६७॥
vīra-goṣṭhī-priyā vīrā naiṣkarmyā nāda-rūpiṇī |
vijñāna-kalanā kalyā vidagdhā baindavāsanā ǁ 167 ǁ
This śloka holds one of the hymn's great Vedāntic names — Naiṣkarmyā, “actionlessness” — the Gītā's teaching that the realised one is the non-doer even while acting. Around it stand the heroes' assembly (Vīra-goṣṭhī, a Kaula term held with sobriety), the form of nāda, and the bindu-throne (the central point of the Śrī Cakra).
898. वीरगोष्ठीप्रिया — Vīra-goṣṭhī-priyā
Translation: Fond (priyā) of the assembly (goṣṭhī) of heroes (vīra); (in Tantric usage, the gathering of vīra-class practitioners).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “fond of the heroes' assembly.” The apavāda: goṣṭhī is a gathered company; the vīras are the spiritual heroes (recall Vīrārādhyā, 777; Vīra-mātā, 836) — those of courage and discrimination; she delights in their gathering. In the Tantric tradition the vīra-goṣṭhī is the assembly of the Vīra-class practitioners for collective worship; the precise ritual sense belongs to the parampara. The open meaning: the company of the spiritually courageous is dear to her.
Śrī Vidyā: Vīra-goṣṭhī-priyā is fond of the assembly of heroes (the company of the spiritually courageous; in Tantra, the vīra-class gathering for collective worship); the open meaning held here, the precise ritual sense in the parampara (cf. Vīrārādhyā, 777).
899. वीरा — Vīrā
Translation: Vīrā — the heroine; the valiant; courage embodied.
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Vīrā — “the heroine,” valour embodied. The apavāda: the supreme is the great hero (recall Mahā-vīrā; Mahā-vīrendra-varadā; the war on Bhaṇḍāsura); courage is herself — and the seeker's courage, the vīrya by which the inner battle is won, is her gift and her presence. The heroism of the spirit is the Goddess in action.
Śrī Vidyā: Vīrā is the heroine, valour embodied; the Goddess as the great hero (cf. Mahā-vīrā; the Bhaṇḍāsura war) — the courage by which the inner battle is won, her gift and presence.
900. नैष्कर्म्या — Naiṣkarmyā
Translation: Naiṣkarmyā — actionlessness; the state beyond action (niṣkarma); free of all karma.
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Naiṣkarmyā — “actionlessness.” The apavāda: this is a great term of the Bhagavad-Gītā and of Advaita (Sureśvara's Naiṣkarmya-siddhi bears its name) — naiṣkarmya is not inaction but the state of the one who, having known the Self as the non-doer, is untouched by action even while the body acts (the Gītā: “he who sees actionlessness in action… is wise”). She is that very actionless ground — the unmoving Self in which all action arises and subsides without binding it (recall Niṣkriyā, the actionless, śloka 49; Sākṣi, the witness). Karma does not touch her, and to know her is to be freed from the bondage of action.
Śrī Vidyā: Naiṣkarmyā is actionlessness (the Gītā / Sureśvara's Naiṣkarmya-siddhi); the Goddess as the unmoving Self that is the non-doer even amid action (cf. Niṣkriyā, śloka 49) — karma not touching her, freedom from action's bondage her gift.
901. नादरूपिणी — Nāda-rūpiṇī
Translation: Nāda-rūpiṇī — of the form (rūpa) of nāda (the primal cosmic sound/vibration).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “of the form of nāda.” The apavāda: nāda is the primal sound, the first stirring of vibration out of the silent Absolute (recall Nāda-rūpā, śloka 70; the sequence bindu → nāda → the manifest, in the Tantric cosmology of sound); she is its very form — the cosmos as it first arises as vibration. To hear the inner nāda (in nāda-anusandhāna, the yoga of inner sound) is to approach her. (The śabda-brahman, the Absolute-as-sound, is herself.)
Śrī Vidyā: Nāda-rūpiṇī is of the form of nāda (the primal cosmic sound); the Goddess as the śabda-brahman (cf. Nāda-rūpā, śloka 70) — the first vibration out of the silent Absolute, approached by the yoga of inner sound (nāda-anusandhāna).
902. विज्ञानकलना — Vijñāna-kalanā
Translation: Vijñāna-kalanā — the unfolding / impelling (kalanā) of vijñāna (discriminative knowledge / consciousness).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “the unfolding of vijñāna.” The apavāda: vijñāna is the discriminative knowing, the higher cognition (recall Vijñāna-ghana-rūpiṇī, of the form of the mass of consciousness, śloka 61; the Māṇḍūkya's prajñāna-ghana); kalanā is the impelling-forth, the setting-in-motion. She is the activity of consciousness — knowing as a living movement, the rising of discriminative awareness in the seeker. The dawn of vijñāna is her doing.
Śrī Vidyā: Vijñāna-kalanā is the unfolding of vijñāna (discriminative knowing); the Goddess as the living activity of consciousness (cf. Vijñāna-ghana-rūpiṇī, śloka 61) — the rising of discriminative awareness her doing.
903. कल्या — Kalyā
Translation: Kalyā — the able, the skilful, the hale; (also) ready, fit, auspicious.
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Kalyā — “able, skilful, hale.” The apavāda: kalya means sound-and-ready, capable, robust, and (by extension) auspicious and clever; she is the all-able, the perfectly competent — and the dawn (kalya also = daybreak), the freshly-ready (recall Kalāvatī, Kalā-nidhiḥ). The supreme is the wholly-able, ready for every act of grace, fresh as the dawn.
Śrī Vidyā: Kalyā is the able/skilful/hale (and the dawn-fresh, auspicious); the Goddess as the wholly-competent, ready for every act of grace (cf. Kalāvatī, Kalā-nidhiḥ).
904. विदग्धा — Vidagdhā
Translation: Vidagdhā — the clever, the connoisseur; refined and witty.
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Vidagdhā — “clever, refined, expert.” The apavāda: vidagdha is the cultured connoisseur, witty and discerning, accomplished in the arts of expression (recall Kāvya-kalā, the art of poetry; Rasa-jñā, knower of rasa); she is the supreme connoisseur — refined in every art, discerning in every savour. The Goddess's wit and refinement: the supreme is not dull but supremely clever.
Śrī Vidyā: Vidagdhā is the clever, the refined connoisseur; the Goddess accomplished in every art and savour (cf. Kāvya-kalā, Rasa-jñā) — the supreme not dull but supremely clever.
905. बैन्दवासना — Baindavāsanā
Translation: Baindavāsanā — seated (āsanā) on the bindu (baindava, the central point of the Śrī Cakra).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “seated on the bindu.” The apavāda: the bindu is the central point of the Śrī Cakra — the dimensionless dot at the heart of the nine interlocking triangles, the seat of the supreme Goddess (Mahā-tripura-sundarī) in the Śrī-Vidyā (recall Bindu-maṇḍala-vāsinī, dwelling in the bindu-maṇḍala, śloka 83; the Meru-apex, śloka 148). Her throne is the bindu — the concentrated point from which all the cakra emanates and into which it resolves. (The bindu is the union of Śiva and Śakti, the source-point of manifestation; the precise upāsanā belongs to the parampara.)
Śrī Vidyā: Baindavāsanā is seated on the bindu (the central point of the Śrī Cakra, seat of Mahā-tripura-sundarī); the Goddess enthroned at the dimensionless source-point (cf. Bindu-maṇḍala-vāsinī, śloka 83; the Meru-apex) — the Śiva-Śakti union-point, its precise upāsanā in the parampara.
Śloka 168
तत्त्वाधिका तत्त्वमयी तत्त्वमर्थ-स्वरूपिणी ।
सामगानप्रिया सौम्या सदाशिव-कुटुम्बिनी ॥ १६८॥
tattvādhikā tattvamayī tattvam-artha-svarūpiṇī |
sāma-gāna-priyā saumyā sadāśiva-kuṭumbinī ǁ 168 ǁ
At the heart of this śloka is the summit-name of the whole tat-tvam-asi through-line: after she who transcends the tattvas (Tattvādhikā) and she who is made of them (Tattvamayī), she is Tattvam-artha-svarūpiṇī — “whose own form is the meaning of ‘tat tvam’” — the one non-dual reality denoted by “That” (tat, Brahman) and “Thou” (tvam, the inner Self) in the great Upaniṣadic identity-sentence, “Tat tvam asi,” “That thou art” (Chāndogya VI.8-16). The recognition that the two words point to one reality is liberation itself.
906. तत्त्वाधिका — Tattvādhikā
Translation: Tattvādhikā — transcending (adhikā) the tattvas (the cosmic categories/principles).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “beyond the tattvas.” The apavāda: the tattvas are the cosmic principles or categories — the twenty-five of Sāṃkhya, the thirty-six of the Śaiva-Tantra (from Śiva-tattva down to earth); she transcends them all — beyond every category, the supreme that no tattva can contain (recall Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktā, beyond every upādhi, 708). Paired with Tattvamayī next: beyond the tattvas, and made of them.
Śrī Vidyā: Tattvādhikā transcends the tattvas (the cosmic principles — 25 of Sāṃkhya, 36 of Śaiva-Tantra); the Goddess beyond every category (cf. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktā, 708) — paired with Tattvamayī: beyond the tattvas and made of them.
907. तत्त्वमयी — Tattvamayī
Translation: Tattvamayī — made of (mayī) the tattvas; comprising all the cosmic categories.
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “made of the tattvas.” The apavāda: paired with Tattvādhikā — she transcends the categories and is composed of them; the whole hierarchy of tattvas, from the supreme Śiva-tattva to gross earth, is her body (recall Tattvāsanā, seated on the tattvas, śloka 91; Aṣṭa-mūrtiḥ). Immanent in every principle, transcendent of all — the standard non-dual pairing.
Śrī Vidyā: Tattvamayī is made of the tattvas; the Goddess comprising the whole hierarchy of cosmic principles (cf. Tattvāsanā, śloka 91) — immanent in every tattva, transcendent of all (paired with Tattvādhikā).
908. तत्त्वमर्थस्वरूपिणी — Tattvam-artha-svarūpiṇī
Translation: Whose own form (sva-rūpiṇī) is the meaning (artha) of “tat tvam” — the referent of “That thou art.”
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “of the form of the meaning of ‘tat tvam.’” The apavāda: this is the summit of the whole tat-tvam-asi through-line (recall the Tat / Tvam / Ayi three-way split of śloka 91, nāmas 425-427, “Thou art That, O Mother”). The mahāvākya “tat tvam asi” (“That thou art,” Chāndogya VI, Uddālaka to Śvetaketu, repeated nine times) declares the identity of “That” (tat = Brahman, the cosmic ground) and “Thou” (tvam = the inmost Self of the listener); she is tattvam-artha-svarūpiṇī — the very reality that both words denote, the single referent in which “That” and “Thou” are recognised as one. To realise her is to realise that the Brahman-of-the-cosmos and the Self-within are not two — the supreme teaching, named as her own form. (The lakṣyārtha, the implied identity behind the apparent difference of the two words, is herself.)
Śrī Vidyā: Tattvam-artha-svarūpiṇī is of the form of the meaning of “tat tvam” — the one reality denoted by “That” (Brahman) and “Thou” (the inmost Self) in the mahāvākya “Tat tvam asi” (Chāndogya VI, Uddālaka to Śvetaketu); the summit of the tat-tvam-asi through-line (cf. Tat/Tvam/Ayi, śloka 91) — the Goddess as the single referent in which “That” and “Thou” are recognised as one.
909. सामगानप्रिया — Sāma-gāna-priyā
Translation: Sāma-gāna-priyā — fond (priyā) of the chant (gāna) of the Sāma-veda.
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “fond of the Sāma-chant.” The apavāda: the Sāma-veda is the Veda set to melody — the sung Veda; the Lord himself says in the Gītā “of the Vedas I am the Sāma-veda” (vedānāṃ sāma-vedo'smi); she loves its chant (recall Gāna-lolupā, eager for song, 857; Sāma-gāna among her loves). The sung sacred word delights her — the music of the Veda is dear to the Goddess.
Śrī Vidyā: Sāma-gāna-priyā is fond of the Sāma-Veda's chant; the Goddess loving the sung Veda (the Gītā's vedānāṃ sāma-vedo'smi; cf. Gāna-lolupā, 857) — the music of the sacred word dear to her.
910. सौम्या — Saumyā
Translation: Saumyā — gentle, benign, mild; (also) lunar / connected with Soma.
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Saumyā — “gentle, benign.” The apavāda: saumya is the mild, the peaceful, the auspiciously-gentle (the opposite of the fierce raudra); after the fierce names (Caṇḍikā, Pracaṇḍā), the gentle face returns — she is the benign Mother, mild and cooling (and saumya = “of Soma,” lunar, cool as the moon; recall the moon-thread). And in one reading, the object of worship in the Soma-sacrifice. The cool gentleness of the Mother.
Śrī Vidyā: Saumyā is gentle/benign (and lunar, “of Soma,” cool as the moon); the Goddess's mild, cooling face (the opposite of the fierce raudra) — and the deity worshipped in the Soma-sacrifice.
911. सदाशिवकुटुम्बिनी — Sadāśiva-kuṭumbinī
Translation: Sadāśiva-kuṭumbinī — the consort / house-holder-partner (kuṭumbinī) of Sadāśiva.
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “the wedded partner of Sadāśiva.” The apavāda: kuṭumbinī is the wife as co-holder of the kuṭumba, the household — the full domestic partner (recall Sadāśivā, the feminine of Sadāśiva, 709; Śiva-kāmeśvarāṅkasthā, seated on Śiva's lap). She and Sadāśiva keep house together — the cosmic household of all the worlds; the supreme pair as the divine couple at the heart of being. (The intimacy of the image: not only consort but co-keeper of the home that is the cosmos.)
Śrī Vidyā: Sadāśiva-kuṭumbinī is the wedded house-holder-partner of Sadāśiva; the Goddess and Sadāśiva keeping the cosmic household together (cf. Sadāśivā, 709) — the supreme pair as the divine couple at the heart of being.
Śloka 169
सव्यापसव्य-मार्गस्था सर्वापद्-विनिवारिणी ।
स्वस्था स्वभावमधुरा धीरा धीरसमर्चिता ॥ १६९॥
savyāpasavya-mārgasthā sarvāpad-vinivāriṇī |
svasthā svabhāva-madhurā dhīrā dhīra-samarcitā ǁ 169 ǁ
The śloka opens with a sober naming of the two great Tantric paths — she abides on both the savya (right-hand, the samaya / Vedic-aligned path) and apasavya (left-hand, the kaula path); this commentary takes no sectarian side and defers the practitioner-questions to the parampara. She wards off every danger, is self-abiding (resting in her own being), sweet by her very nature, steady, and worshipped by the steady.
912. सव्यापसव्यमार्गस्था — Savyāpasavya-mārgasthā
Translation: Abiding (sthā) on both the right-hand (savya) and left-hand (apasavya) paths (mārga).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She “abides on both paths.” The apavāda: savya is the right-hand path (the dakṣiṇācāra / samaya, aligned with Vedic norm and inner worship) and apasavya is the left-hand path (the vāmācāra / kaula, with its distinct rites); she is reached by both — present on either road to her. This commentary takes no side in the long samaya-kaula question (recall Samayāntasthā, śloka 37; Kaulinī; Kulottīrṇā) — the precise validity, conditions, and inner meaning of each path belong to the practitioner and the parampara. The open truth: she is the goal of every sincere path, abiding on whichever road the seeker truly walks.
Śrī Vidyā: Savyāpasavya-mārgasthā abides on both the right-hand (savya/samaya) and left-hand (apasavya/kaula) paths; the Goddess as the goal of both roads — this commentary taking no sectarian side (cf. Samayāntasthā, śloka 37; Kaulinī), the practitioner-questions held in the parampara.
913. सर्वापद्विनिवारिणी — Sarvāpad-vinivāriṇī
Translation: Sarvāpad-vinivāriṇī — the warder-off (vinivāriṇī) of all (sarva) dangers/calamities (āpad).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She “wards off all dangers.” The apavāda: āpad is calamity, danger, distress; she removes them all — the great protectress, the refuge in every peril (recall Bhayāpahā, remover of fear, śloka 42; Durga-hantrī). To take refuge in her is to be guarded from every calamity; the protective Mother turns away all harm.
Śrī Vidyā: Sarvāpad-vinivāriṇī wards off all dangers/calamities; the Goddess as the great protectress, refuge in every peril (cf. Bhayāpahā, śloka 42) — every harm turned away from those who take refuge in her.
914. स्वस्था — Svasthā
Translation: Svasthā — self-abiding; established in one's own being (sva-stha); at ease, healthy.
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Svasthā — “abiding in herself.” The apavāda: sva-stha is “standing in one's own self” — established in one's own being, needing nothing outside (the very word for “health” and “well-being” in Sanskrit, for to be well is to rest in oneself). She is self-abiding, self-established (recall Nirālambā, without support, 877; Svatantrā, 723) — and the self-abidance she gives is the seeker's true health: to rest in the Self is to be well. (The supreme is well because it rests in itself.)
Śrī Vidyā: Svasthā is self-abiding, established in her own being (the Sanskrit word for health is to rest in oneself); the Goddess self-established, needing nothing outside (cf. Nirālambā, 877; Svatantrā, 723) — and the Self-abidance that is the seeker's true health.
915. स्वभावमधुरा — Svabhāva-madhurā
Translation: Svabhāva-madhurā — sweet (madhura) by her very nature (svabhāva).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “sweet by nature.” The apavāda: her sweetness is not assumed but innate — svabhāva, her own being, is sweetness (recall Madhumatī, the honey-rich, 717; the whole sweetness-cluster of Part XI). Not sweet by effort or for a purpose, but sweet as her very nature is sweet — the supreme is intrinsically delightful, sweetness all the way down.
Śrī Vidyā: Svabhāva-madhurā is sweet by her very nature; the Goddess intrinsically sweet (not by effort but by svabhāva; cf. Madhumatī, 717) — the supreme delightful all the way down.
916. धीरा — Dhīrā
Translation: Dhīrā — steady, firm, wise; of unshaken intellect (dhī).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Dhīrā — “steady, wise.” The apavāda: dhīra is the firm, the composed, the one of steady wisdom (the Gītā's dhīra, who is unshaken in pleasure and pain, sthita-prajña); she is supremely steady — the unwavering ground (recall Acalā; Kūṭasthā, the unchanging, 896). Steadiness is her nature, and the steady wisdom of the sage is her presence in him.
Śrī Vidyā: Dhīrā is steady/wise (the Gītā's dhīra, unshaken in pleasure and pain, the sthita-prajña); the Goddess as the unwavering ground (cf. Kūṭasthā, 896) — the steady wisdom of the sage her presence in him.
917. धीरसमर्चिता — Dhīra-samarcitā
Translation: Dhīra-samarcitā — worshipped (samarcitā) by the steady/wise (dhīra).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “worshipped by the steady.” The apavāda: paired with Dhīrā — the steady Goddess is worshipped by the steady devotee; those of firm wisdom (the dhīras, the composed sages) are her worshippers (recall Budhārcitā, worshipped by the wise, 825; Dhīra-samarcitā emphasises the worship done “with care and completeness,” sam-arcita). The worship of the steady is the steady worship — done not fitfully but with composed, complete devotion.
Śrī Vidyā: Dhīra-samarcitā is worshipped by the steady/wise; the Goddess worshipped by the dhīras (the composed sages; cf. Budhārcitā, 825) — with care and completeness (sam-arcita), the steady worship of the steady.
Śloka 170
चैतन्यार्घ्य-समाराध्या चैतन्य-कुसुमप्रिया ।
सदोदिता सदातुष्टा तरुणादित्य-पाटला ॥ १७०॥
caitanyārghya-samārādhyā caitanya-kusuma-priyā |
sadoditā sadā-tuṣṭā taruṇāditya-pāṭalā ǁ 170 ǁ
This śloka names the supreme inner worship — she is worshipped with the offering (arghya) of consciousness (caitanya) itself, and is fond of the flower (kusuma) of consciousness. The highest pūjā offers not water and flowers but awareness itself; the highest flower is the opened consciousness of the worshipper. She is ever-risen, ever-content, and rosy as the young rising sun.
918. चैतन्यार्घ्यसमाराध्या — Caitanyārghya-samārādhyā
Translation: Worshipped (samārādhyā) with the offering (arghya) of consciousness (caitanya).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “worshipped with the arghya of consciousness.” The apavāda: arghya is the respectful offering of water (and other substances) made to a deity or guest; the supreme worship offers not water but caitanya — consciousness itself, awareness offered to Awareness. This is the inmost worship (recall Antar-mukha-samārādhyā, worshipped by the inward-turned, 870): the seeker offers his own consciousness back to its source, and that offering of awareness-to-Awareness is the supreme arghya. The highest pūjā is the offering of the mind itself.
Śrī Vidyā: Caitanyārghya-samārādhyā is worshipped with the arghya of consciousness; the Goddess's inmost worship — awareness offered to Awareness (cf. Antar-mukha-samārādhyā, 870), the seeker's own consciousness offered back to its source as the supreme oblation.
919. चैतन्यकुसुमप्रिया — Caitanya-kusuma-priyā
Translation: Fond (priyā) of the flower (kusuma) of consciousness (caitanya).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “fond of the flower of consciousness.” The apavāda: paired with the preceding — among the flowers offered in worship (the japā, the kadamba, the lotus), the supreme flower is caitanya, consciousness itself, the opened bloom of awareness. The classical texts name the “eight flowers” of inner worship (non-violence, sense-control, compassion, forbearance, knowledge, peace, austerity, truth) — but the supreme flower above these is awareness itself, offered in its fullness. She loves this flower most.
Śrī Vidyā: Caitanya-kusuma-priyā is fond of the flower of consciousness; the Goddess loving the supreme flower-offering — awareness itself (above even the “eight flowers” of inner worship: non-violence, sense-control, compassion, forbearance, knowledge, peace, austerity, truth), paired with the caitanya-arghya.
920. सदोदिता — Sadoditā
Translation: Sadoditā — ever-risen (sadā + udita); perpetually arisen, never setting.
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “ever-risen.” The apavāda: udita is “risen” (as the sun rises); sadā-udita is “always-risen” — the sun that never sets, the awareness that is never extinguished (recall Sva-prakāśā, self-luminous; the imperishable light of Paraṃ-jyotiḥ, 806). Consciousness does not rise and set as the sun does; it is ever-risen, always present, the constant light behind waking, dream, and even sleep. She is that ever-present awareness.
Śrī Vidyā: Sadoditā is ever-risen (the sun that never sets); the Goddess as the awareness never extinguished (cf. Sva-prakāśā; Paraṃ-jyotiḥ, 806) — consciousness ever-present, the constant light behind waking, dream, and sleep.
921. सदातुष्टा — Sadā-tuṣṭā
Translation: Sadā-tuṣṭā — ever-content (sadā + tuṣṭā); perpetually satisfied.
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “ever-content” (deepening Nitya-tṛptā, 815). The apavāda: tuṣṭi is contentment; she is always in it — needing nothing, lacking nothing, the perfect satisfaction that is the supreme's nature (recall Pūrṇā, the full, śloka 69; Svātmārāmā, delighting in her own Self, 878). The ever-content: her satisfaction has no cause and no end, and the devotee who reaches her shares this causeless contentment.
Śrī Vidyā: Sadā-tuṣṭā is ever-content (deepening Nitya-tṛptā, 815); the Goddess perpetually satisfied, needing nothing (cf. Pūrṇā, śloka 69; Svātmārāmā, 878) — causeless contentment, shared by the devotee who reaches her.
922. तरुणादित्यपाटला — Taruṇāditya-pāṭalā
Translation: Taruṇāditya-pāṭalā — rosy-red (pāṭalā) like the young (taruṇa) rising sun (āditya).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “rosy as the young sun.” The apavāda: the rising sun, just-risen (taruṇa āditya), is rose-red, not yet white-gold — and her complexion is that rose-red (recall Aruṇā, the dawn-red; Udyad-bhānu-sahasrābhā, with the radiance of a thousand rising suns, śloka 2; Japā-puṣpa-nibhākṛtiḥ, hibiscus-red). The aruṇa-thread, the red of dawn, persists to the end of the hymn — she is the rose-red of the perpetual sunrise (and, with Sadoditā just before, the ever-risen young sun: always at dawn, always rose-red).
Śrī Vidyā: Taruṇāditya-pāṭalā is rosy-red like the young rising sun; the Goddess's rose-red complexion (the persistent aruṇa-thread: Aruṇā; Udyad-bhānu-sahasrābhā, śloka 2; Japā-puṣpa-nibhākṛtiḥ, 766) — with Sadoditā, the ever-risen young sun, always at rose-red dawn.
Śloka 171
दक्षिणा दक्षिणाराध्या दरस्मेर-मुखाम्बुजा ।
कौलिनी-केवला ऽनर्घ्य-कैवल्य-पददायिनी ॥ १७१॥
dakṣiṇā dakṣiṇārādhyā dara-smera-mukhāmbujā |
kaulinī-kevalā 'narghya-kaivalya-pada-dāyinī ǁ 171 ǁ
The śloka closes with one of the hymn's most cherished promises — Anarghya-kaivalya-pada-dāyinī, “the giver of the priceless state of kaivalya.” Kaivalya is absolute aloneness-in-freedom, the final liberation in which the Self stands alone in its own nature, free of all conditioning; and it is anarghya, “priceless,” beyond all valuation. She gives it. The Kaulinī-kevalā name (the Kaula-Absolute) is held with the parampara.
923. दक्षिणा — Dakṣiṇā
Translation: Dakṣiṇā — the South; (also) the able/dexterous; the sacrificial gift (dakṣiṇā).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Dakṣiṇā — “the South,” and “the able/generous,” and “the sacrificial fee.” The apavāda: dakṣiṇā reads on several levels — the southern direction (linked to Dakṣiṇāmūrti, the south-facing Guru, 725); the able-and-dexterous (from dakṣa, skill); and the dakṣiṇā, the gift given to the priest that completes a sacrifice (without which the yajña bears no fruit). She is all — the South, the able, the rite-completing gift. (Paired with Dakṣiṇārādhyā next: she is Dakṣiṇā, and worshipped by the southward / by the dexterous.)
Śrī Vidyā: Dakṣiṇā is the South (linked to Dakṣiṇāmūrti, 725), the able/dexterous (from dakṣa), and the sacrificial gift that completes a yajña; the Goddess as all three — paired with Dakṣiṇārādhyā.
924. दक्षिणाराध्या — Dakṣiṇārādhyā
Translation: Dakṣiṇārādhyā — worshipped (ārādhyā) by the southward-facing / by the dakṣiṇa (right-hand) method / by Dakṣiṇāmūrti.
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “worshipped by the dakṣiṇa.” The apavāda: reading with Dakṣiṇā — she is worshipped facing south (the direction of Dakṣiṇāmūrti and of liberation-from-death), or by the dakṣiṇācāra (the right-hand method), or by Dakṣiṇāmūrti himself (the silent Guru, 725, worshipping her). The southward worship, the right-hand worship, the silent Guru's worship — all converge on her.
Śrī Vidyā: Dakṣiṇārādhyā is worshipped by the southward-facing / by the dakṣiṇācāra (right-hand method) / by Dakṣiṇāmūrti himself (the silent Guru, 725); the Goddess as the convergence of all these worships (paired with Dakṣiṇā).
925. दरस्मेरमुखाम्बुजा — Dara-smera-mukhāmbujā
Translation: Dara-smera-mukhāmbujā — with a lotus-face (mukha-ambuja) gently smiling (dara-smera, a slight smile).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: Her lotus-face wears “a slight smile.” The apavāda, as with Manda-smita-prabhā-pūra (her flood of gentle smile, śloka 11) and Dara-hāsojjvalan-mukhī (śloka 121): the faint, tender smile recurs — dara-smera, “slightly smiling,” the merest curve of grace on the lotus of her face. The gentle smile is her enduring expression — the compassion and serenity of the Mother, lightly worn. (Beauty and grace returning, as ever, amid the metaphysical heights.)
Śrī Vidyā: Dara-smera-mukhāmbujā has a gently-smiling lotus-face; the Goddess's faint tender smile (recall Manda-smita-prabhā-pūra, śloka 11; Dara-hāsojjvalan-mukhī, śloka 121) — the compassion and serenity of the Mother, lightly worn.
926. कौलिनीकेवला — Kaulinī-kevalā
Translation: Kaulinī-kevalā — the Kaula-Absolute; the Kaulinī who is also Kevalā (the sole/absolute).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “Kaulinī-Kevalā” — at once the Kaulinī (the deity of the Kaula tradition, recall Kaulinī, śloka 37) and Kevalā (“the sole, the absolute, the unmixed,” recall Kevalā, 623). The apavāda: the name joins the Kaula-aspect and the absolute-aspect — she is the Goddess worshipped in the Kaula path, and she is the Kevala, the One-alone of the Advaita (the kevala from which kaivalya, named next, derives). The precise Kaula content belongs to the parampara; the open meaning is that the Kaula's deity is the non-dual Absolute itself.
Śrī Vidyā: Kaulinī-kevalā is the Kaula-Absolute — at once the Kaulinī (deity of the Kaula path, śloka 37) and Kevalā (the sole/absolute, 623); the Goddess as both, the Kaula's deity being the non-dual Absolute itself — the precise Kaula content held in the parampara.
927. अनर्घ्यकैवल्यपददायिनी — Anarghya-kaivalya-pada-dāyinī
Translation: The giver (dāyinī) of the priceless (anarghya) state (pada) of kaivalya (absolute aloneness-in-freedom).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “the giver of the priceless state of kaivalya.” The apavāda: kaivalya (from kevala, “alone, sole”) is the final liberation — the Self standing alone in its own nature, freed of all conditioning, all otherness, all bondage (the goal of Yoga and of Advaita alike; recall Kaivalya-pada-dāyinī, 624, named earlier). It is anarghya, “priceless” — beyond all valuation, for it is the supreme good than which there is no greater, purchasable by no price (only given by grace). She gives it — the supreme gift, the state of absolute aloneness-in-freedom, bestowed by her grace upon the one who has made the offering of consciousness itself (Caitanyārghya-samārādhyā). The priceless given freely.
Śrī Vidyā: Anarghya-kaivalya-pada-dāyinī is the giver of the priceless state of kaivalya (absolute aloneness-in-freedom, the final liberation of Yoga and Advaita; cf. Kaivalya-pada-dāyinī, 624); the Goddess bestowing the supreme good — beyond all price, given by grace to the one who has offered consciousness itself.
Śloka 172
स्तोत्रप्रिया स्तुतिमती श्रुति-संस्तुत-वैभवा ।
मनस्विनी मानवती महेशी मङ्गलाकृतिः ॥ १७२॥
stotra-priyā stutimatī śruti-saṃstuta-vaibhavā |
manasvinī mānavatī maheśī maṅgalākṛtiḥ ǁ 172 ǁ
928. स्तोत्रप्रिया — Stotra-priyā
Translation: Stotra-priyā — fond (priyā) of hymns of praise (stotra).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “fond of stotra.” The apavāda: stotra is the hymn of praise (this very Sahasranāma is a stotra); she loves it (recall Nāma-pārāyaṇa-prītā, delighted by the recitation of her names, 732; Puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanā). The devotional praising of the Goddess pleases her — and the hymn we read is itself the very thing she loves. (A self-referential tenderness, again.)
Śrī Vidyā: Stotra-priyā is fond of hymns of praise; the Goddess loving the stotra (this very Sahasranāma; cf. Nāma-pārāyaṇa-prītā, 732) — the devotional praising that pleases her, the hymn itself the thing she loves.
929. स्तुतिमती — Stutimatī
Translation: Stutimatī — possessed of praise (stuti); she who is herself praise / worthy of all praise.
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Stutimatī — “endowed with praise.” The apavāda: she is full of praise — both the recipient of all praise (the supremely praiseworthy, recall Pūjyā, 803) and (in one reading) the very power of praise itself, the stuti that rises toward the divine. Praise belongs to her: all genuine praise of anything is, in the end, praise of her, the one excellence behind every excellence.
Śrī Vidyā: Stutimatī is possessed of praise (the supremely praiseworthy, and the power of praise itself); the Goddess to whom all praise belongs (cf. Pūjyā, 803) — every genuine praise of anything, in the end, praise of her.
930. श्रुतिसंस्तुतवैभवा — Śruti-saṃstuta-vaibhavā
Translation: Whose glory (vaibhava) is hymned (saṃstuta) by the Śruti (the Veda).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: Her glory is “hymned by the Veda.” The apavāda: śruti is the Veda (the “heard,” the revealed scripture); her vaibhava, majestic glory, is what the Veda praises (recall the Devī-sūkta, the Śrī-sūkta, the Vāk-sūkta — the Vedic hymns to the Goddess; Vedavedyā, known by the Veda, śloka 75; Sarvopaniṣad-udghuṣṭā, 852). The Veda's praise is praise of her — her glory is the very content of the highest revelation.
Śrī Vidyā: Śruti-saṃstuta-vaibhavā has her glory hymned by the Veda (the Devī-sūkta, Śrī-sūkta, Vāk-sūkta; cf. Vedavedyā, śloka 75; Sarvopaniṣad-udghuṣṭā, 852); the Goddess whose majestic glory is the content of the highest revelation.
931. मनस्विनी — Manasvinī
Translation: Manasvinī — high-minded; of noble mind; intelligent and spirited.
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Manasvinī — “high-minded, spirited.” The apavāda: manasvin is one of strong and noble mind — intelligent, resolute, magnanimous; she is supremely so (recall Manonmanī, the transcendent mind, śloka 53; Mano-mayī, of the nature of mind, to come in śloka 173). The supreme is high-minded — the noblest of intellects, the most magnanimous of spirits.
Śrī Vidyā: Manasvinī is high-minded/spirited (of strong and noble mind); the Goddess as the noblest of intellects (cf. Manonmanī, śloka 53) — supremely intelligent, resolute, magnanimous.
932. मानवती — Mānavatī
Translation: Mānavatī — possessed of honour/dignity (māna); honourable; (also) one possessed of right measure.
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Mānavatī — “possessed of honour.” The apavāda: māna is honour, dignity, self-respect, and also “measure”; she is full of dignity — the honoured, the dignified (recall Garvitā, the majestic, 856). And as “possessed of measure,” she is the measurer, the principle of right proportion. The Goddess's dignity: the supreme is supremely honourable.
Śrī Vidyā: Mānavatī is possessed of honour/dignity (and of right measure); the Goddess as the dignified, the honoured (cf. Garvitā, 856) — and the principle of right proportion.
933. महेशी — Maheśī
Translation: Maheśī — the Great Sovereign Lady (mahā-īśī); the feminine of Maheśa (Śiva).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Maheśī — “the Great Sovereign,” the feminine of Maheśa (recall Maheśvarī, 750; Parameśvarī; Nikhileśvarī). The apavāda: the great sovereign-name returns, gathering the sovereignty-thread — she is the Great Lady, sovereign above all, the supreme Īśī. (Among the many sovereign-names, the simple Maheśī sounds the keynote: she is the Great Ruler.)
Śrī Vidyā: Maheśī is the Great Sovereign Lady (feminine of Maheśa, Śiva); the Goddess sovereign above all (cf. Maheśvarī, 750; Parameśvarī) — the sovereignty-thread gathered in the keynote name.
934. मङ्गलाकृतिः — Maṅgalākṛtiḥ
Translation: Maṅgalākṛtiḥ — of auspicious (maṅgala) form (ākṛti); whose very form is blessing.
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “of auspicious form.” The apavāda: maṅgala is the auspicious, the blessed, the welfare-bringing; her very ākṛti, her form, is auspiciousness itself (recall Sarva-maṅgalā, all-auspicious, śloka 53; Śiva — “the auspicious”; Maṅgalā). To behold her form is to receive blessing; her shape is the shape of good fortune. (A fitting close to the śloka — the Goddess whose mere form is benediction.)
Śrī Vidyā: Maṅgalākṛtiḥ is of auspicious form; the Goddess whose very shape is blessing (cf. Sarva-maṅgalā, śloka 53) — to behold her form is to receive benediction.
Śloka 173
विश्वमाता जगद्धात्री विशालाक्षी विरागिणी ।
प्रगल्भा परमोदारा परामोदा मनोमयी ॥ १७३॥
viśva-mātā jagad-dhātrī viśālākṣī virāgiṇī |
pragalbhā paramodārā parāmodā manomayī ǁ 173 ǁ
935. विश्वमाता — Viśva-mātā
Translation: Viśva-mātā — the Mother (mātā) of the universe (viśva).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “the World-Mother” (recall Jananī, 823; Aneka-koṭi-brahmāṇḍa-jananī; Ambā). The apavāda: the dearest and most universal name — she is mother of all that is, the universe her child. Every being, every world, is born of her and nourished by her; the cosmos is her family (recall Sadāśiva-kuṭumbinī, the cosmic household, 911). The Mother of the universe.
Śrī Vidyā: Viśva-mātā is the Mother of the universe; the Goddess as mother of all that is (cf. Jananī, 823; Aneka-koṭi-brahmāṇḍa-jananī) — every being and world her child.
936. जगद्धात्री — Jagad-dhātrī
Translation: Jagad-dhātrī — the bearer/sustainer (dhātrī) of the world (jagat); the nurse of all.
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “the world-sustainer.” The apavāda: dhātrī is the bearer, the supporter, the wet-nurse; she upholds and nourishes the world (recall Viśva-dhāriṇī, supporter of the universe, 759; Annapūrṇā, the food-full). Paired with Viśva-mātā — she not only bears the world (as mother) but sustains it (as nurse): birth and nourishment both from her.
Śrī Vidyā: Jagad-dhātrī is the bearer/sustainer of the world (the nurse of all); the Goddess upholding and nourishing the world (cf. Viśva-dhāriṇī, 759; Annapūrṇā) — paired with Viśva-mātā: birth and nourishment both from her.
937. विशालाक्षी — Viśālākṣī
Translation: Viśālākṣī — wide-eyed (viśāla-akṣī); of large, beautiful eyes.
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “wide-eyed” — viśāla-akṣī, of broad, beautiful eyes (recall Puṣkarekṣaṇā, lotus-eyed, 805; Cāru-dṛk; the long eyes reaching the ears of śloka 6). The apavāda: Viśālākṣī is also a great śakti-pīṭha deity (the form of the Goddess at Vārāṇasī / Kāśī, one of the fifty pīṭhas, recall Pañcāśat-pīṭha-rūpiṇī, 833); she is named under that beloved pīṭha-name. Wide-eyed beauty, and the Lady of Kāśī.
Śrī Vidyā: Viśālākṣī is wide-eyed (of large beautiful eyes; cf. Puṣkarekṣaṇā, 805); the Goddess also as the great śakti-pīṭha deity of Vārāṇasī / Kāśī (Pañcāśat-pīṭha-rūpiṇī, 833) — wide-eyed beauty and the Lady of Kāśī.
938. विरागिणी — Virāgiṇī
Translation: Virāgiṇī — the dispassionate; free of rāga (passion/attachment); (also, by play, the supremely coloured).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Virāgiṇī — “the dispassionate.” The apavāda: virāga is dispassion, freedom from rāga (passion, attachment, craving); she is utterly free of it (recall Nīrāgā, passionless, śloka 46; Rāga-mathanī, churner of passion). The supreme has no craving — wanting nothing, lacking nothing (Sadā-tuṣṭā). And by the play of rāga (which also means “colour/hue”), virāgiṇī can read paradoxically as “without colour” (the colourless Absolute) even as she is the rose-red (Taruṇāditya-pāṭalā) — the colourless that wears all colour. Dispassion is her freedom.
Śrī Vidyā: Virāgiṇī is the dispassionate (free of rāga, passion/attachment; cf. Nīrāgā, śloka 46; Rāga-mathanī); the Goddess wanting nothing, lacking nothing (Sadā-tuṣṭā) — and (by the play of rāga = colour) the colourless Absolute that yet wears the rose-red.
939. प्रगल्भा — Pragalbhā
Translation: Pragalbhā — bold, confident, mature; of commanding presence.
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Pragalbhā — “bold, confident.” The apavāda: pragalbha is the assured, the mature, the one of commanding and dignified boldness (in poetics, the pragalbhā nāyikā is the confident, fully-mature heroine, in contrast to the mugdhā, the ingenuous one, 868); she is both, for the supreme is at once innocent (Mugdhā) and supremely assured (Pragalbhā). The Goddess's confident maturity — bold without arrogance, assured in her own being.
Śrī Vidyā: Pragalbhā is bold/confident/mature (the assured pragalbhā nāyikā, in contrast to Mugdhā the ingenuous, 868); the Goddess's commanding maturity — at once innocent (Mugdhā) and supremely assured.
940. परमोदारा — Paramodārā
Translation: Paramodārā — supremely (parama) generous (udāra); of the highest magnanimity.
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “supremely generous.” The apavāda: udāra is generous, noble, exalted; parama-udārā is the highest generosity — she gives without limit, withholding nothing (recall Sarvārtha-dātrī, giver of every aim, 698; Vara-dā, the boon-giver; Anarghya-kaivalya-pada-dāyinī, giver of the priceless kaivalya, 927). The supreme is supremely generous — the very nature of the supreme is self-giving.
Śrī Vidyā: Paramodārā is supremely generous; the Goddess of the highest magnanimity, giving without limit (cf. Sarvārtha-dātrī, 698; Anarghya-kaivalya-pada-dāyinī, 927) — the supreme's nature self-giving.
941. परामोदा — Parāmodā
Translation: Parāmodā — of supreme (para) joy/delight (āmoda); supremely glad; (āmoda also = fragrance).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “of supreme joy.” The apavāda: āmoda is joy, gladness, and also fragrance (the spreading sweetness of a perfume); she is supreme joy (recall Paramānandā, supreme bliss, śloka 61; Brahmānandā) — and, by the second sense, the supreme fragrance, the spreading sweetness that delights all (recall Divya-gandhāḍhyā, rich with divine fragrance, śloka 126). Supreme gladness, spreading like perfume.
Śrī Vidyā: Parāmodā is of supreme joy/delight (and supreme fragrance, āmoda = perfume's spreading sweetness); the Goddess as supreme gladness (cf. Paramānandā, śloka 61) spreading like fragrance (Divya-gandhāḍhyā, śloka 126).
Śloka 174
व्योमकेशी विमानस्था वज्रिणी वामकेश्वरी ।
पञ्चयज्ञप्रिया पञ्च-प्रेत-मञ्चाधिशायिनी ॥ १७४॥
vyoma-keśī vimāna-sthā vajriṇī vāma-keśvarī |
pañca-yajña-priyā pañca-preta-mañcādhiśāyinī ǁ 174 ǁ
This śloka holds Mano-mayī (of the nature of mind) at its head (closing śloka 173's reading in some recensions; here counted as the start of the metrical unit) and rises to two great Śrī-Vidyā images: Vāma-keśvarī (the Lady of the Vāmakeśvara-tantra, a foundational Śrī-Vidyā scripture) and the famous throne-image Pañca-preta-mañcādhiśāyinī — she who reclines on the couch whose five supports are the five “corpse”-gods (Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra, Īśvara, and Sadāśiva as the bare frame of her cot, with Sadāśiva as the plank). The image teaches that all the great gods are her supports, inert without her animating presence.
942. मनोमयी — Mano-mayī
Translation: Mano-mayī — of the nature of (mayī) mind (manas); the mental sheath / the mind-principle.
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “of the nature of mind.” The apavāda: manas is the mind; mano-maya is one of the five sheaths (the manomaya-kośa, the mental sheath, Taittirīya); and she is the very principle of mind — that by which all minds think (recall Manonmanī, śloka 53; Manasvinī, 931). The mind-stuff of the cosmos and of every being is herself; to know the mind to its root is to find her. (Yet, as Manonmanī, she is also beyond the mind — the transcendent “mind beyond mind.”)
Śrī Vidyā: Mano-mayī is of the nature of mind (the manomaya-kośa, the mental sheath of the Taittirīya); the Goddess as the principle of mind by which all minds think (cf. Manonmanī, śloka 53; Manasvinī, 931) — and, as Manonmanī, beyond the mind.
943. व्योमकेशी — Vyoma-keśī
Translation: Vyoma-keśī — sky-tressed (with the sky, vyoma, as her hair, keśa); whose hair is space.
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “sky-haired.” The apavāda: vyoma is the sky / space; her tresses are the sky itself (as Śiva is Vyomakeśa, the sky-haired, with the cosmos in his matted locks; she is its feminine). The image is cosmic — the open sky is her flowing hair, the cosmos adorning her form (recall Nīla-cikurā, dark-tressed, śloka 50; Sahasra-śīrṣa-vadanā, the thousand-headed cosmic form, śloka 66). The sky is her hair: the Goddess as the cosmos itself.
Śrī Vidyā: Vyoma-keśī is sky-tressed (the sky her hair, as Śiva is Vyomakeśa); the Goddess whose flowing hair is the open sky (cf. Nīla-cikurā, śloka 50; the cosmic form of Sahasra-śīrṣa-vadanā, śloka 66) — the cosmos itself her form.
944. विमानस्था — Vimāna-sthā
Translation: Vimāna-sthā — seated/standing (sthā) in the celestial car (vimāna).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “in the celestial car.” The apavāda: vimāna is the aerial chariot of the gods, and also the towering shrine-structure of a temple (the vimāna over the sanctum); she is enthroned in it — coursing the heavens in her divine car (recall Cakra-rāja-rathārūḍhā, mounted on the great Cakra-chariot, śloka 26, in the Bhaṇḍāsura war), and enshrined in the temple's holy of holies. The Goddess in her celestial vehicle and in her earthly shrine.
Śrī Vidyā: Vimāna-sthā is seated in the celestial car (and in the temple's vimāna, the shrine-tower over the sanctum); the Goddess coursing the heavens (cf. Cakra-rāja-rathārūḍhā, śloka 26) and enshrined in the holy of holies.
945. वज्रिणी — Vajriṇī
Translation: Vajriṇī — the wielder of the thunderbolt (vajra); (also) the feminine of Indra (Vajrin).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Vajriṇī — “wielder of the vajra,” the thunderbolt. The apavāda: the vajra is Indra's irresistible weapon (recall Roga-parvata-dambholiḥ, the thunderbolt to the mountain of disease, 748; Vajreśvarī, śloka 97); she wields it — the irresistible power that shatters every obstacle. And as the feminine of Vajrin (Indra), she is the sovereign-power aspect; the diamond-hard (vajra also = diamond), unbreakable and all-breaking.
Śrī Vidyā: Vajriṇī is the wielder of the thunderbolt (vajra; cf. Roga-parvata-dambholiḥ, 748; Vajreśvarī, śloka 97); the Goddess of irresistible obstacle-shattering power — and the diamond-hard (vajra = diamond), unbreakable and all-breaking.
946. वामकेश्वरी — Vāma-keśvarī
Translation: Vāma-keśvarī — the Lady of the Vāmakeśvara (the Vāmakeśvara-tantra, a foundational Śrī-Vidyā scripture); (also) the sovereign of the vāma-power.
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Vāma-keśvarī — “the Lady of the Vāmakeśvara.” The apavāda: the Vāmakeśvara-tantra (with its famous section the Nityā-ṣoḍaśikārṇava, and the Yoginī-hṛdaya) is one of the foundational scriptures of the Śrī-Vidyā tradition; she is its presiding deity and very subject. And vāma means “left, lovely, reverse” — the vāma-power, the goddess-energy, of which she is sovereign (vāmā is also a name of the Goddess and of one of the Nityās). The Lady of the great Śrī-Vidyā Tantra; the precise content belongs to the parampara.
Śrī Vidyā: Vāma-keśvarī is the Lady of the Vāmakeśvara-tantra (a foundational Śrī-Vidyā scripture, with the Nityā-ṣoḍaśikārṇava and Yoginī-hṛdaya); the Goddess as its presiding deity — and sovereign of the vāma-power; the precise content held in the parampara.
947. पञ्चयज्ञप्रिया — Pañca-yajña-priyā
Translation: Pañca-yajña-priyā — fond (priyā) of the five (pañca) sacrifices (yajña).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “fond of the five sacrifices.” The apavāda: the pañca-mahāyajña are the five daily sacrifices enjoined on the householder — to the gods (deva-yajña), to the seers (ṛṣi/brahma-yajña, study), to the ancestors (pitṛ-yajña), to all beings (bhūta-yajña), and to humans (manuṣya/atithi-yajña, hospitality); she loves them (recall Yajña-priyā, fond of sacrifice, 881; Mahā-yāga-kramārādhyā, śloka 56). The whole daily life of dharmic offering pleases her — the five sacrifices that weave the householder into the web of cosmic reciprocity. (In the Tantric reading, the five may also denote the pañca-makāra offerings, whose inner meaning belongs to the parampara.)
Śrī Vidyā: Pañca-yajña-priyā is fond of the five sacrifices (the pañca-mahāyajña of the householder — to gods, seers, ancestors, beings, and humans; cf. Yajña-priyā, 881); the Goddess pleased by the daily life of dharmic offering — the Tantric pañca-makāra reading held in the parampara.
948. पञ्चप्रेतमञ्चाधिशायिनी — Pañca-preta-mañcādhiśāyinī
Translation: Reclining (adhiśāyinī) on the couch (mañca) of the five corpse-gods (pañca-preta).
Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She “reclines on the couch of the five corpses.” The apavāda: this is the famous Śrī-Vidyā throne-image — the Goddess's cot (mañca) has as its four legs Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra, and Īśvara, and as its plank (the board on which she reclines) Sadāśiva; these five great gods, in their preta (“departed, corpse”) aspect, are inert — without her animating Śakti they are lifeless, mere supports for her seat (recall Pañca-pretāsanāsīnā, seated on the seat of the five corpses, śloka 61; Pañca-brahma-svarūpiṇī). The teaching is the supreme assertion of Śakti's primacy: śiva without śakti is śava (corpse) — the great gods are inert apart from her power; she alone animates them. She reclines upon them, sovereign over all. (A fitting close to this part: all the gods are her supports, alive only by her.)
Śrī Vidyā: Pañca-preta-mañcādhiśāyinī reclines on the couch of the five corpse-gods (Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra, Īśvara as the four legs, Sadāśiva as the plank — inert without her Śakti); the great Śrī-Vidyā throne-image (cf. Pañca-pretāsanāsīnā, śloka 61) teaching that śiva without śakti is śava — the gods alive only by her, she sovereign over all.
Devanagari per the sanskritdocuments.org recension (Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa, Uttarakhaṇḍa; Hayagrīva–Agastya saṃvāda); numbering per the Bhāskararāya canonical 1000-count. Transliteration, translation, and commentary original to this edition. — End of Part XXI.
