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Octad
to Goddess Tripurasundarii
“Before
we begin, let us offer ourselves at the feet of the
Divine Mother, Mahaatripurasundarii, who as Ishvara
rules the world but is none other than the indwelling
spirit (Atman) within us and which pervades all
that exists.
This introduction deals with the background on the
name of Tripurasundarii. It is one of the best
epithets to describe the Devi meaning that she is the
belle of all the three worlds. The word tripura can be
interpreted variously. The Kaalikaa Purana says that
by the will of pradhaana, the body of Lord Shiva
became triple : the upper part became Brahma, the
middle part became Vishhnu and the lower part became
Rudra. As these three pura-s (bodies) are in Lord
Shiva, he is called Tripura (three bodied) and his
wife is known as Tripuraa. In the Kaamakalaa Vilaasa
(13,14), the honored sage, Abhiyukta, mentions that
Devi created all the three forms and she is before all
(purobhava), because she is in the form of all the
three (trayiimayi) and exists even after the
dissolution of the three worlds and recreates them
again. In the Brahmanda-Purana, it is mentioned that
the Goddess Tripurasundarii rules over the entire
universe and She is the supreme empress, and Brahma,
Vishhnu and Shiva are mere functionaries in Her
empire. The
Lalitaa Sahasranaama portrays Her as being
attended by Lakshmi and Saraswati on either side.
Shankaracharya, in his Saundrayalahirii, mentions that
Brahma, VishhNu and Shiva started their cosmic
processes when the Supreme Shakti knitted Her brow for
a split second.
The Devi mantra consists of three syllables, and her
fifteen lettered mantra panchadashaakshari is composed
of three kuuta-s (peaks). She resides in three naadi-s
(nerve channels), namely sushhumnaa, pingalaa, and
idaa. She is the ruler of the three Shaktis - ichchaa
(will), jnana (knowledge) and kriyaa (action). She
pervades all the three worlds - heaven, earth and the
nether world. She is the controller of all the three
bodies - sthula (gross), suukshhma (subtle), and
kaarana (causal). She is the self which is present
through the three states of existence - jaagrat
(waking), svapna (dream), and sushhupti (deep sleep).
Though she is above all guna-s, She pervades the three
modes of energy- sattva (purity), rajas (mobility) and
tamas (inertia).
Love and joy are the inherent qualities of beauty.
Sundarii means belle and beauty. Shankaracharya, while
explaining Chandogya Upanishhad 7, 31:1, mentions that
all longing and desire is a source of pain, and in
what is finite there is no bliss. He mentions that the
Infinite alone can produce bliss. When bliss takes on
a form, it is sundarii: sarvaa.nga sundarii (lalitaa
trishati, verse 130) and Shankara comments on this
name of the Devi as the one who possesses all the
marks of beauty and has all the qualities of
perfection and is thus the source of Bliss.
May the Divine Mother guide us in our every action and
thought, and may She confer upon us the greatest gift
of all, moksha (liberation) by removing the veil of
maya which She weaves.”
Swami Vishvarupananda
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