1

JOURNEY TO RI CAKR
This is our journey to ri Cakr. We stand miles away from ri Cakr. We are able to see
three huge mountains and another mountain (the fourth one) which is much bigger than the
other three. The highest mountain, known as Mah Meru (Supreme Mountain) is in the
middle, which is the Abode of Parakti. Towards its eastern side, there is Brahma loka,
(world of Brahm) marked as C in the diagram. Towards southwest, there is Vis n u loka
(world of Vis n u) marked as D in the diagram. Towards northwest, there is Rudra loka (world
of Rudra), marked as E in the diagram. B and A in the diagram refer to ri Nagara and ri
Cakr respectively. Dotted lines represent the route we take, for our journey to ri Cakr. Out
of the four mountains, we are able to see Mah Meru glittering, as it is made up of gold. All
the constructions in Mah Meru were planned and executed by Vivakarman, divine creative
architect. He is also referred in Vedas. Rg Veda (X.81.2) says, ..the universal architect,
seeing all, creates the earth and creates the heaven with His might.
Now we are standing near Brahma loka (marked as C in the image), which is situated in the
east of Meru Mountain. We begin our journey from here. First we worship the world of
Brahm, but we do not enter this world, as we will be worshipping Him in ri Nagara.
Standing before the world of Brahm, we worship Mah Meru
from its eastern side. Now, we move towards southern side of
Mah Meru and worship Mah Meru from its southern side. Then
we move towards southwestern side, known as nir ti (nir ti means
destruction, dissolution, calamity, etc). Here we see the world of
Vis n u. Without entering into the world of Vis n u, we continue
our journey towards west. We worship Mah Meru from its
western side and proceed towards northwestern side, known as
Vyu cardinal, where we are able to see Rudra loka, the world of
Rudra. We do not enter into Rudral loka. After worshipping Rudra loka, we proceed to the
point where we have commenced our journey, the eastern side of Mah Meru, where Brahma
loka is situated.
We now enter ri Nagara, which has twenty five forts (marked as B in the chart). We can
reach ri Cakr only after passing through these twenty five huge forts, running into several
thousand miles each. There are forests between any two forts, where many gods and
goddesses perpetually worship Parakti. First we enter through the huge entrance gate of the
fort made of iron. (Description of length, breadth and all other measurements are omitted.)
When we crossed the iron fort, we reach the huge exit gates of the iron fort, we are able to see
huge bronze fort, several miles away. Once we exit through the exit gates of iron fort, we see
a huge forest consisting of fruit bearing trees, flower trees, etc. We are able to see huge fruits
hanging from the trees and the fragrance of flowers grown in trees and shrubs give us divine
feeling. We are also able to see a lot of birds like peacocks, parrots, etc. We listen to the
hissing sound of several types of bees. In the midst of this dense forest, there are several
rivers and lakes, where several varieties of lotus flowers have fully blossomed. On the side of
these huge rivers, we are able to see huge palaces. Out of many palaces, we are able to see a

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huge palace and we walk towards that palace with great reverence. We walk through the main
gates of the palace to reach the middle of the palace where, we are able to have daran of
Mahkl embracing Bhadrakl, who is dark blue in complexion. We worship both of them,
take their blessings and proceed towards the entry gate of the bronze fort.
We now enter the bronze fort, whose length is beyond description. After walking through this
fort, we reach the exit gates and come out. Once we stand in the open, we see a huge fort
made of copper, several miles away. Before we proceed to the entry gates of copper fort, we
go around the forest garden situated between bronze and copper forts. This forest/garden is
known as forest of kalpavr ks a-s, the forest of divine tree known as kalpavr ks a. There are a
number of long and broad rivers and lakes. In the midst of this forest, we see
Vasantar tunthan, the one who presides over vasantar tu (r tu means bi-solar months based
on seasons and one year has six r tu-s, each comprising of two solar months). He is seen with
his two wives Madhur and Mdhavar. Vasantar tunthan (he presides over spring season)
holds an astra (weapon) made of flowers. After worshipping him, we go around this forest
and come to the entrance gates of the next fort, the copper fort.
We enter the copper fort, which is the third fort from the beginning. This fort is also equally
lengthy and after walking through this fort, we reach the exit gates and pass through them to
come to another open space. From here, we are able to see a huge lead fort several miles
away. Between the copper fort and the lead fort, there is a medium sized forest. This forest
has infinite numbers of sandalwood trees and this forest is known as candanavt ik, the
forest of sandalwood trees (candana means sandal and vt i means an enclosure). This forest
has a number of bees, doves, etc. This forest is extremely hot because of intense heat of the
sun. In this enclosure, we are able to see Grs m
ar t unthan (god presiding over summer
season, known as grs m
ar tu) and his two wives ukrar and Sucir. After worshipping
them, we proceed to the entrance gates of the next fort, the lead fort.
Lead fort is the fourth fort and is equally lengthy like any other forts. We walk through this
fort to reach the exit gate. After passing through the exit gates of this fort, we see the brass
fort, situated miles away from the point, where we are standing. We are now entering the
forest area between the lead fort and the brass fort. This forest too has sandalwood trees and
this forest is known as haricandanavt ik. Haricandana trees are one of the five trees of
paradise. The other four trees are Prijta, Mandra, Samtna, and Kalpa. Haricandana trees
are yellow in colour and are different from candanatrees and produce yellow coloured sandal.
In this forest, there are a number of cuckoo birds, which sing in chorus. Inside the forest, we
are able to see Vars ar tunthan (god presiding over rainy season) along with his wives
Nabhar and Nabhasyar. After worshipping them, we now proceed to the main gates of the
brass fort.
Brass fort is the fifth fort and as we walk through this fort, we reach the exit gates and enter
into an open space. From the exit gates of this fort, we are able to see the fort of pacaloha
(combination of five metals copper, brass, tin, lead and iron; there are other versions as well
by including gold, silver, etc). We now enter into the forest area between brass and pacaloha
forts, which is known as mandravt ik. This is full of coral tress that can be seen only in

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heavens. This is one of the five trees of heaven and cannot be seen in other worlds. The
flowers of these trees are highly fragrant. When we go around this forest, we see
aradr tunthan (god presiding over autumn season) along with his wives Iar and rjar
constantly worshipping Parakti with fragrant flowers. After worshipping them, we now
move towards the entry gates of pacaloha fort.
We walk through pacaloha fort and reach its exit gates. After crossing the huge exit gates,
we are able to see another huge fort made of silver (seventh fort), situated miles away. We
now enter the forest area between pacaloha and silver forts. This forest is full of prijta
trees and this forest is named after these trees as prijtavt ik. This flower is also one of
the five tress of heaven and its flowers are large crimson flowers. This forest has very cold
weather. Here too, a lot of cuckoo birds sing in chorus. As we walk through prijtavt ik,
we are able to see Hemantar tunthan along with his two wives Sahar and Sahasyar. After
worshipping them, we now reach the huge entry gates of silver fort.
We walk through this silver fort and after exiting from the fort, we are able to see another
huge fort made of gold (eighth fort), which is glittering and shining. We now enter another
forest area by name kadambavipinavt (vipina means thick and this forest is very dense)
situated between silver and gold forts. Parakti is extremely fond of this forest. Lalit
Sahasranma (60) says, Kadambavana-vsin, which means that She lives (sojourns) in this
Kadambavana. This forest is different from the previous ones. The flowers in this forest are
highly fragrant in nature and have a large quantity of pollen. As a result, a lot of honey is
produced and there is a huge falls in which only red coloured honey flows. While we are
awestruck with the beauty of this forest, we also see iirar tunthan along with his wives
Tapar and Tapasyar. We worship them and reach the main entry gates of the gold fort.
When we are standing before the huge gates of gold fort, we find there is a huge palace,
surrounded by divine fragrance of kadamba flowers. We go towards this palace, which has
gold steps and a huge hall built with precious rubies (one of the precious gems). There we
find a huge throne fully studded with precious gems. On the throne we find Mantrin i Dev
seated majestically. Immediately, we recollect Lalit Sahasranma 75, Mantrinyambviracita-viagavadha-tos it. We request our Guru who is guiding us in our journey to r
Cakr, to explain about Mantrini Dev.
Now Guru explains; Lalitmbik was delighted with the destruction of demon Viagavadha
by Mantrin Devi, who is also known as ymal Devi). She helps us in attaining super
natural powers and also eradicates evil influences on us. Mantrin Devi represents the
potency of mantra-s. Mantrin Devi destroys evil desires of the devotees of Lalitmbik.
Mantrin Devi has her own chakra, which consists of bindu, innermost triangle, five-faced
angle, inner eight petal lotus, outer eight petal lotus, sixteen petal lotus and outer square. This
chakra is known as Geyacakra and this is explained in Lalit Sahasranma 69, which says
Geyacakra-rathrd ha-mantrin -parisevit. The chariot in which she travels is also known as
Geyacakra ratha. She is one of the important ministers of Lalitmbik. There is one more
nma in Lalit Sahasranma (786) which says, Mantrin-nyasta-rjyadhh . Mantrin i is the
feminine gender for minister (mantri). ymal Devi presides over all the alphabets of

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Sanskrit. If we worship Her, mantras will fructify easily. She is also known as Rja-Mta g
and Rja-ymal. Let us now worship her and take her blessings, as without her permission,
we cannot go anywhere near Lalitmbik. After carefully listening to Gurus explanation, we
go near her to worship.
She appears in multi coloured complexion like the wings of peacock. She is wearing ear studs
made out of palm leaves. Her mouth chews betel leaves which emit pleasant fragrance. Her
lips are deep red in colour. She has embellished saffron paste all over her body. She is
wearing a crown with radiating moon. Her feet are red in complexion. She has a melodious
voice. She is wearing red and white coloured garments. She is wearing a beautiful garland
made out of kadamba flowers that are grown in kadamba forest. She is also wearing another
garland of basil leaves. Her hair is falling on her left shoulders. She has four arms. She holds
a parrot in one hand and a lotus flower in another hand. With other two hands, she is playing
a veena, a stringed musical instrument and she appears overwhelmed with the melody of her
tune. Since, she is so fond of music, she is also known as Sa gta Mtr k (mother of music).
We now stand before her seeking her blessings to have personal daran of Lalitmbik. When
she sees such a good gathering of great devotees, headed by the right Guru, She blessed all of
us without any hesitation and told us that all our afflictions, such as sorrow, anguish and
distress now stand eradicated. With tears of joy, we now move to the next fort.
We now move to the entrance gates of gold fort (fort number 8) and walk through the fort and
reach the other end of the fort. By walking through exit gates, we once again see huge open
space. This place is very well lit by the next fort (fort number 9) made of pus parga (topaz.
Wearing this stone is said to give wealth. It is worn, when Jupiter is afflicted). When we walk
through this open space, we are able to see Siddha-s (Self-realised persons, who constantly
affirm ivoham I am iva - meditating on Lalitmbik. When we go around this space, we
could see a number of well known Siddha-s. All of them keep their eyes closed. When we go
past them, we have goose bumps (goose bumps are possible when divine energy enters into
our body). Every one of them appears radiating and this place is not only lit by the effulgent
pus p arga fort, but also by the presence of great Siddha-s, from whom radiating light
emerge. They also recite S od a and Pacada mantra-s apart from reciting ivoham. After
paying our obeisance to the great Siddha-s, we now move to the next fort, pus parga fort.
We stand before the entry gates of pus parga fort (fort number 9) and walk through this fort
to reach the other end of the fort. On exiting this fort, we find another open area where
cran a-s sing in praise of Lalitmbik. Cran a-s are those who have surrendered to Her
totally. They have got this name because they have made aran gati to Her. aran gati means
taking refuge in Her. They are complexly purified from all their sins and they take care of
maintaining r Nagara. They are very fond of true worshippers of Lalitmbik. After paying
our respects to them we now move to the next fort padmarga fort.
We now stand before the gates of padmarga fort (fort number 10, made of ruby) and enter
the fort, only to exit through the other end. We now enter into another open area, where we
see many young bachelors known as Vat uka-s. All of them are meditating on Lalitmbik.
Along with them live certain types of yogin-s (yogin-s are female demons attending on

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Goddess Durg). They also worship a goddess by name Sakars in After paying our
obeisance to Sakars in, Vat uka-s and yogin-s, we move towards the next fort.
We now proceed towards the entrance gates of the eleventh fort made of gomedaka (known
as zircon. It is said to alleviate the evil effects of Rahu. It is also believed that by wearing this
gem, one will get rid of all his sins source: Maniml, an ancient treatise on gems). When
we leave this fort, we now enter into another huge open space. From the point where we are
standing now, we are also able to see the next fort made of vajraraman i (known as
thunderbolt gem, a type of diamond), which is extremely glittering. In the open space that
exists between the forts of gomedaka and vajraraman i, there are a number of huge flower
gardens, rivers, lakes and several beautiful palaces. In this beautiful place live divine damsels
like Ramb, rvas and others. They sing and dance in praise of Lalitmbik. There is a
rivulet by name Vajr (vajra means thunderbolt). It is also said that the river is invisible.
Water is gushing through this rivulet making a thundering sound. In quiet area of this rivulet,
there are swans. On the banks of this river, there is a goddess by name Vajre. She is adorned
with diamond ornaments. She is worshipped by Indra, the chief of gods. (Vajre referred here
does not mean Vajrevar, nma 468 or Vajrin , nma 944 of Lalit Sahasranma. Both of
them are the names of Lalitmbik). After worshipping Vajre, who constantly worship
Lalitmbik, we proceed towards vajraraman i fort.
Vajraraman i fort glitters like blinding lights. We walk through this fort to reach the other end
of the fort. When we exit this fort, we enter into a huge garden. There are a number of well
crafted palaces in which live eight huge serpents like Ananta, Vsuki, Taks aka, Karkot aka,
etc. Apart from these gigantic nga-s, some devoted demons like Bali (he was humiliated by
Vis n u ). After paying our respects to them we move on to the next fort.
This fort (fort number 13) is made up of vaid rya (cats eye). We walk through this fort to
enter into another open space. When we stand at the exit gate of vaid rya fort, we could see
another huge fort resembling the sky and it is difficult to distinguish between the colour of
the sky and this fort. We are now in the open space between this fort and vaid rya fort. In
this place, there are a number of huge palaces. This place is meant for those who never
deviated from dharma. In this place live Manu, Bharata, etc. All of them worship only
Lalitmbik. After paying our obeisance to them, we move to the next fort, fort number 14,
which is made of indranla (sapphire) gems. We are now at the entrance gates of indranla
fort.
We are now standing before indranla (sapphire) fort. At that time, Guru, who is leading us in
our journey to r Cakr told us that we did not have daran of an important goddess, who
resides in this area (between vaid rya and indranla forts) by name todar (Lalit
Sahasranma 130). She is known by this name because of her thin waist (todara means thin
waisted). We are also able to see a number of great kings paying respects to her. After
worshipping her, Guru gave us small lecture about this sapphire fort. Sapphire is a highly
auspicious stone. It is often compared to the colour or Bhramara (literal meaning black
bee), an analogue to Manmatha (Cupid) of ancient mythology. His complexion is said to be
beautiful grey. This gem is available in other colours like the throat of iva (blue in colour) or

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the complexion of Kr s n a (dark blue, more towards black). Depending upon the nature of the
stone, it has the ability to augment ones wealth, fame and prosperity in the family. It is the
favorite stone of planet Saturn. Those who worship Lalitmbik only for material wealth, get
their wealth from this fort. After listening to Gurus description about sapphire stone, we
walk through this fort and reach a huge open space.
This space is really huge and beyond our comprehension. To whichever side we turn, we see
only beautiful trees with flowers and fruits. We are able to see very huge glittering palaces.
The whole place is reverberating with Divine energy. We have not experienced this kind of
feeling so far. The length and breadth of this place is too vast to describe. Guruji told us that
eight gods who are presiding over eight cardinals live in this place and they are known as
as t adikblaka-s. We now proceed to have daran of as t adikblaka-s and we begin from
eastern side, where Brahmaloka (marked as C in the image in part I) is situated outside ri
Nagara.

Eastern side is presided over by Indra, who is the chief of all gods and goddesses. Indra also
presides over as t adikblaka-s. We see Indra mounted on his elephant vehicle known as
Airvata (it is also known as Airvan a, which is white in colour), produced while churning
the ocean. He is seated on Airvata with his wife a. He is holding a peculiar club
(weaponry called thunderbolt) in his hand, known as vajryudha, which is his unique weapon.
Vajryudha was given to Indra by Lalitmbik. Vajryudha is made of the spinal cord of a
great sage Dadhci, who was constantly meditation on Her. Lalitmbik, in appreciation of his
penance, took him with Her by offering him liberation through Vajre, a goddess on the
banks of river Vajr, whose daran we had when we were in the open space between 11 th and
12th forts. The spinal cord of Dadhci after his liberation was given to Indra as his weapon to
destroy demons. Vajryudha is considered as one of the most potent weapons. Kr s n a talks
about Indra on three occasions in Bhagavad Gt (Chapter X). He says, I am Indra, among
gods; Among elephants, I am Airvata (Indras elephant vehicle) and Among
thunderbolts, I am vajryudha. After worshipping Indra, we now move on to South Eastern
cardinal.
South East is presided over by Agni, the god of fire. We move forward to have daran of
Agni, who is the carrier of oblations to the respective gods. He is seated on a sheep with his
two wives Svh (her body is said to consist of the four Vedas, and her limbs are the six
Aga-s; she is the carrier of offerings made as oblations in fire rituals to gods and goddesses)

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and Svadh (she is the carrier of offerings made as oblations in fire rituals to departed
ancestors). Form of Agni is dreadful. He has two faces, six eyes and seven tongues. These
seven tongues are worshiped in all fire rituals (sapta te agne samidhas-saptajihv). Each of
these tongues has a name. Agni is seen with a hand fan (used to kindle fire in the fire pits or
fire altar, known as homakun d a-s), sruk (), also written as sruc (), a large wooden
ladle, made out of pala or khadira wood, used to offer ghee into the fire as oblations during
fire rituals, sruva (same like sruc but small in size), jyaptra (a vessel to hold clarified butter
known as ghee, for offering into the tongues of fire, during oblations), tomara (a long stick)
and annaptra (a vessel containing cooked rice for offering as oblations). Guru informed us
that Agni is the best purifier. Kr s n a says in Bhagavad Gt (X.23), Among eight Vasu-s, I
am Pvaka (Agni). After praying to Agni that he should keep our mind clean, we move
towards Southern cardinal.
(Further reading on Vaus-s: Vasu-s are a class of gods who are highly benevolent. Their
names differ in various scriptures. Vasu-s are eight in number and generally known as
as t avasu-s. According to Vishnu Purana the names of these gods are pa (Water), Dhruva
(the pole star), Soma (moon), Dhava or Dhara, Anila (wind), Anala or Pvaka (fire),
Pratyua (the dawn), and Prabhsa (the light). Amongst them Anala or Pvaka is said to be
the chief.)
As we move towards South, we find darkness. This is known as Yamaloka, the world of
Yama, the god presiding over death. Since Yama is known for dharma, he is also known as
Dharmarja. That is why Kr s n a says, Among the rulers, I am Yama. He is upright in
following dharma guidelines (Law of Karma) prescribed by Lalitmbik. Though every one
of us is scared to go anywhere near this place, at the insistence of our Guru, we move forward
to have daran of Yama, the upright ruler. When we go near him, we are more scared on
seeing his form, complexion and his vehicle. He is very dark in colour and two of his teeth
are protruding outside his mouth making him look dreadful. He is seated on a wild ox, which
is darker than Yama. He is holding a club and a noose in his hand. Because he is holding a
noose, he is also known as pahasta (holder of noose). He uses this rope to take the lives of
those who are about to die. There are a number of his assistants around him, who look
terribly dreadful than Yama. He is seated on the ox along with his wife ymala. After
praying to Yama that he should bestow his grace on us to lead a meritorious life, we move on
to South West.
South Western cardinal is presided over by a demon called Nirr ti. Nirr ti meansdissolution,
destruction, calamity, evil and adversity. His vehicle is said to be human and he has dreadful
weapons made of iron such as knife, etc. He is dark to look at and he is with his wife known
as Dhrg. Nirr ti sometimes is also referred as a female form of demon. After worshipping
him, we move on to Western cardinal.
Western cardinal is ruled by Varun a, who presides over water bodies. He is bright in
complexion and is seated on a fish vehicle (sometimes referred as crocodile or sea monster).
He has a noose and is seated with his wife Kl (not Goddess Kl). In Vedic parlance, he is
explained as the one with extraordinary powers and often worshipped along with Indra. He

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has extraordinary wisdom and those who violate dharma are punished by him. He is supposed
to be presiding over immortality. After worshipping him, we move on North West.
North West cardinal is ruled by Vyu, god presiding over air. He is known for the highest
level of spiritual knowledge and is extremely wise. He is seated on his deer vehicle with his
wives, sus u mna, id and pigal, the three nd -s relating to the movement of Kun d alin,
the subtlest form of Lalitmbik. Vyu always lives amidst great yogis, the important one
being Goraks a. After worshipping them and seeking his grace for spiritual knowledge, we
move on to the next cardinal, North.
North cardinal is presided over by Kubera, god of wealth. His place is well lit, with huge gold
palaces all-round. The world of Kubera reflects every symptom of prosperity. Kubera is the
chief of yaks a-s (yaks a-s are said to be demigods, unlikeVarun a or Vyu). Kubera is also
known as Vairavan a. He is seated on a horse along with his wife Citrarekh (she is also
known as Surgan, one of the beautiful celestial women). He has only a knife as his
weapon. Kubera is often seen with another yaks a by name Mn ibhadra, who is also known
as prince of yaks a-s. All of them worship Lalitmbik with great reverence. Kubera worship
Her with his own Pacada mantra. After paying our respects to Kubera, we move on to the
next cardinal, North East.
North East is the eighth and last cardinal point from East and is presided over by na, who
is one of the eleven Rudra-s (ekdaarudra-s). na means wealthy and splendorous. This
place has many palaces constructed with gold. There are many temples in this place. na
with his wife Ktyyan is seated on a pure white bull (r s a bha vhana). na has moon in
his crown. na and Ktyyan are believed to be lower forms of iva and Prvat. The world
of na has sixteen varan a-s (like roundabouts in temples).
With this, our journey in the space between indranla fort and pearl fort (fort number 15) has
come to an end. We have reached the starting point, Indra lok, ready to move into the fort of
pearls.
Fort of pearl is the fifteenth fort in r Nagara. Once we cross this fort, we have to cross ten
more forts to reach the outer walls of r Cakra. We now cross the pearl fort and enter into a
huge open space. From this open space, we are able to see the fort of emerald (marakata). In
this place there are a lot of palm trees. Each palm tree is shining like gold. Gold pots are fixed
on the top of these trees to extract an intoxicating drink known as madhu from the fruits of
palm trees (madhu is also referred as spirituous liquor, generated from the skull that drips into
the throat during kun d alin meditation. This is referred in Lalit Sahasranma 106,
sudhsrabhi-vars in . According to this nma there is one soma chakra in the middle of
sahasrra. When Kun d alin reaches this chakra, out of the heat generated by Paraktis
presence, the ambrosia which is stored there gets melted and drips through the throat and
enters the entire nervous system). As we go around the open space, we find a huge palace
made of emeralds. As we enter into this palace, we see a massive hall with one hundred
pillars, also made of emeralds. In that hall, there is a throne, fully made of gold and in the
middle of this gold throne there is a gold lotus flower, known as mantrarjam, where we are

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able to have a glimpse of Vrhi Devi, who is majestically seated. The palace of Vrhi Devi
is in no way different from the palace of Mantrin Devi (situated in the space between forts 7
and 8). Both of them form the two front arms of Parakti (Mantrin is in left lower hand and
Vrhi is the right lower hand. Vrhi Devi is subtly conveyed in Lalit Sahasranma 11,
pacatanmtra-syak (pacatanmtra-s are sound, touch, sight, taste and smell). There are
another two nma-s (70 and 76) which speak about Vrhi in Lalit Sahasranma. Apart from
these nma-s, there are several subtle references. Vrhi Devi is seated on Kiricakra, her
yantra. Her chariot is known as Kiricakra-ratha. We now move closer to Vrhi Devi.
Vrha means boar (pig or hog). Since Vrhi has boar like face, she is known as Vrhi. She
has beautiful eyes like that of lotus flowers. Her body has lustrous gold complexion. She has
the moon on her crown. She is wearing red coloured garments. A red garland adores her body.
She has eight hands and six hands are holding six different weapons and two hands show
abhaya (removing the fears of devotees of Parakti) and varada (conferring boons) mudras.
The rest of the hands hold a plough, a dan d a (staff appearing like a pestle), a conch, a wheel,
an akua (hook) and a pa (noose). She is also known as Dan d anth because she always
carries a dan d a (staff) with her. She is dreadful to sinners. She is extremely fond of devotees
of Parakti and always blesses them. She is surrounded by Svapne, as t abhairava-s with
their consorts and others like Jambhini, etc.
Her mantra is also known as mantrarjam which has 110 aks ara-s and is considered as one of
the most potent mantras, which is reproduced here.

om ai glau ai namo bhagavati vrtli varhi vrhamukhi ai glau ai adhe

adhini namo rudhe rudhini namo jabhe jabhini namo mohe mohini namah stabhe
stabhini
namah
ai
glau
ai
sarvadust apratus
t n
sarves

sarvavkpadacittacaksurmukhagatijihvsta
bha kuru kuru ghra vaa kuru kuru ai

glau ai thah
||
thah
thah
thah
hu phat svh

(Please note: This mantra is taken from Mantramahrn avah and appears as the correct one.
There are several versions of this mantra and authenticity of these mantras could not be
verified.)
Vrh is the chief of Lalitmbiks army. Vrh has the capacity to drive away the evil
forces. If Vrh is worshiped on the 18th day of the month of s d h a (July-August), it is
believed that those who have difficulties in getting married will get married. The
Bhvanopanis ad considers goddess Vrhi as father and Kurukull as mother (we will have
her daran later in r Nagara). It says, Vrhi pitr urp kurukull balidevat mt (
).

10
It is also said Vrhi Devis 110 aks ara-s and ymal Devis 98 aks ara-s, together form 208
aks ara-s used in r Cakr navvaran a pj. ymal Devi is between forts 7 and 8. After
praying to Vrh that She should bless us in having a close daran of Lalitmbik, we move
from Her palace and reach the huge entrance doors of the emerald fort.
Emerald fort is the 16th fort. When we pass through this fort, the green colour of emerald is
very pleasing to our eyes. After exiting this fort, we are able see another fort, far away, which
is fully made of corals. Coral fort is the 17 th fort. We are now in the open area between the
emerald fort and coral fort. When we go around this open space, we find Lord Brahm in a
meditative posture. He is in charge of creation of beings and this work is allocated to Him by
Lalitmbik. He is also known as Prajpati, meaning lord of creatures. He is often called
great-grandfather of the beings, while Vis n u is called as grandfather and iva as father. We,
with great reverence move towards Brahm, who has the complexion of saffron mixed with
milk (combination of red and white), giving golden sheen to His body. After worshipping
Him from a distance, we proceed towards the coral fort.
We walk through the coral fort to reach another open space. From this open space, we are
able to see another fort made of navaratna -s (built with nine types of precious gems - pearl,
ruby, topaz, diamond, emerald, lapis lazuli, coral, sapphire, and gomedhaka, known as
zircon), which is fort number 18. We now begin to walk around outside the coral fort. We
find a huge palace built with highly precious rubies. We enter into this fort and in the middle
of the fort, we find Vis n u along with His Consort Laks m, seated on His Garud avhana
(Garud a referred here is not a regular bird, but a mythological bird, born to sage Kayapa and
Vinat. Vinat is the mother of Suparn a, Arun a and Garud a). We move closer to Him, as we
know that He sustains the universe and is always compassionate. He has the complexion of
young leaves of Tamla tree (this tree is said to be dark in colour, but blossoms in white
colour). Even from a distance, we are able to see His radiance. He is wearing kun d ala-s in
His ears (kun d ala means ear stud or ear ring). The radiance of the kun d ala-s are reflected in
His shining cheeks. His lips are red in colour and He is ever smiling. His face appears like the
moon. He has kastr tilak in His forehead (kastr means musk, naturally fragrant glandular
secretion from the male musk deer). His eyes appear like fully blossomed lotus flowers. He is
wearing garlands made of campaka flowers (fragrant yellow flowers). He is wearing pure
white silk garments. rvatsa adores His chest. (Vis n u Sahasranma 601 is rvatsavaks h
and is explained thus: rvatsa is a mark in the chest of Vis n u, which is considered as very
auspicious. Vaks as means chest. It is also said that it is the place where His consort Laks m
resides. Though the Lord Himself is an embodiment of auspiciousness, the presence of
Laks m makes His form more auspicious.) He appears exactly as described in this dhyna
verse of Vis n u Sahasranma: saaakha-cakra sakirta-kun

dala
saptavastra
sarasruheksan
nammi vin u iras
a |sahra-vaksasthala-obhi-kaustubha

caturbhujam || Meaning: I pay obeisance to Lord Vis n u with four hands, who holds conch
(Pcajanya) and disc (Sudaranacakra), who is adorned with crown and ear studs, golden
raiments, beautiful eyes like lotus flower, His chest bedecked with garlands and kaustubha, a
celebrated jewel obtained with thirteen other precious things at the churning of the ocean and
suspended on the chest of Vis n u. He is also adorned with a garland of basil leaves (tulas or

11
tuls). His Consort Laks m is sitting very close to Him. The very sight of this gives us
immense happiness. We prostrate before them and seek their blessings.
After leaving His place, we moved towards the entry gates of navaratna fort (fort number 18)
and walked through this fort to reach the other end of the fort. When we entered into the open
space after navaratna fort, at a distance, we are able to see another huge and beautiful fort
made of nnratna-s (different types of precious gems), which is known as nnratna fort
(fort number 19). We now begin to go around outside navaratna fort. We are able to see a
number of massive palaces, vast flower gardens. There are big mountains with high peaks.
While we are walking through this place, we find a large hall fully constructed with gold.
This hall has one thousand gold pillars. When we are about to enter this palace, we are able to
listen to the chants of Vedas. Vedic chants reverberate everywhere. In the middle of this gold
hall, we find a throne, fully decorated with tiger skin. In that throne is seated Rudra, along
with His consort, Bhavn. In front of Rudra and Bhavn, is seated with great reverence, a
bull known as Rs a bha. This is bull is said to be Nandi, the vehicle of Rudra. Along with
Nandi is seated Bhr gi, one of Rudras attendants. Both Rs a bha and Bhr gi always recite the
names of Rudra and Bhavn. Apart from Rs a bha and Bhr gi there are other attendants and
they are known as Rudragan a-s. We prostrate before Rudra and Bhavn and after seeking
their blessings, we move to the next fort.
(Further reading: iva attains several forms depending upon the necessity. His Supreme form
is Paramaiva. This form of iva encompasses Parakti. Both of them are in a single form.
However, this form is different from Ardhanrvara, in which akti occupies left side of
ivas body. But Paramaiva is different from this form, as akti has not yet been created as a
separate entity, but remains in Paramaiva; still She is inherent in this form. At the time of
creation, Paramaiva becomes iva and akti, as two separate entities. iva, in order to
creates modifies and expands Himself to create the universe through His various forms such
as Sadiva, vara, Rudra, etc. This is like water in a well, in a lake and in an ocean. Water is
the same and only the container in which the water is held is different. In the same way, inner
essence is always iva, who manifests in different names and forms such as Sadiva, vara,
Rudra, etc. Modification of iva into various forms depends upon the influence of akti,
known as My, on Him.)
There are six more forts before we could reach r Cakr. We can begin our journey inside
r Cakr only after crossing these six forts.
We are now standing in front of huge gates of manomaya fort (fort of mind, mental fort or
mental sheath), which is fort number 20. Forts 20, 21 and 22 form the forts of antah karan a.
Antah karan a consists of three components as per Trika philosophy (explained in this link in
three parts) and four components as per Advaita philosophy. The four components are mind,
intellect, consciousness and ego. In Trika, consciousness is not included, as iva Himself is
Consciousness. We walk through manomaya fort to reach another open vast space, which is
lustrous red in colour.

12
In this open space, we see Amr tavpik (lake of nectar). Two banks of the lake are named as
sacala (referring to wavering nature of the mind). In this lake, we are able to see swans in
the colour of pearls (pure white), moving around. We also find many gold lotus flowers in the
lake. Apart from gold lotuses, there are other fragrant watery flowers, and bees fly around
these flowers making buzzing sound, which is soothing to our ears. In the middle of this lake,
there is a boat, built with pure white pearls. In that boat, we see a beautiful young woman
playing with her friends. She is pinkish red in complexion (sindrapt alg). She has moon
in her crown, her face appears like the full moon and her lower lip is deep red in color, like
pomegranate flowers. She has dark curly hair and her eyes are like young does (female deer)
eyes. She has bright ear studs, the reflections of which are seen in her shining cheeks. She is
being given abhis eka (sacred bath, accompanied with recitation of mantras) by her assistants,
who also travel with her in small boats. They give her bath by using gold horns (like horns of
cow). She is Tr Devi (one of the akti-s of daamahvidy). After worshipping her, we
move on to the next fort (four number 21), fort of ego.
The fort of mind is a subtle fort (though not explicitly said so). Thought processes of the
mind are explained as the banks of the pond and that is why they are named as sacala
(sacala means wavering). Gold lotuses represent material desires. Fragrance, colour,
complexion, etc refer to lecherousness. Sounds of bees are the material sounds that afflict our
minds. Sight and sound are the primary reasons, for causing lasting mental impressions in our
minds. In order to remove mental afflictions, Tr Devi is worshipped, as she is known for
wisdom and knowledge. When her grace is obtained, we begin to taste the divine nectar
(spiritual advancement).
(Further reading on Tr Devi: Tr Devi described here and in other mantra texts do not
agree. Some of the common descriptions are boat, pearl, etc. There are three types of dhyna
for her and they are s r s t i, sthiti and sahra dhyna-s (contemplation for creation,
sustenance and destruction). Based upon different acts, her dhyna verses also vary. For
example, white colour is associated during creation, red during sustenance and black during
destruction. It is also said that Brahm and Vis n u worshipped her with different
mantras. Brahm worshipped her with om tr hr hu phat and Vis n u
worshipped her with om hr r kl sauh hu ugratre hu phat

. But her common mantra is om hr tr hu phat . Her bja is tr
)
We are now standing before the gates of fort of intellect (buddhi), which is the 21 st fort. As
we walk through this fort, we reach another open space. While going around this place, we
find another lake by name nandavpik (lake of bliss), which is full of nectar. This lake has
steps made of rubies, which are deep red in colour. There is a small boat, built with rubies, in
the middle of the lake of bliss. In that boat, is seated Amr te. She has compassionate eyes
and she is well decorated with shining ornaments. She is also known as Vrun i Devi. This
Devi is explained in Lalit Sahasranma (333), Vrun i-mada-vihval, which is explained
thus: Vrun i is the extract of dates that is allowed to brew and when consumed causes
inebriation. There is a nd i (nerve) called vrun i which can be controlled by breath. This

13
nd i plays a significant role in excretion of bodily waste. If this nd i is brought under
control by proper breathing exercises, one will never feel tiredness in the body. Sages keep
this nd i under their control to cope up with longer duration of meditation. Opposite to her,
some beautiful divine damsels are seated with gold oars in their hands (to row the boats). We
pray to her that she should give us enough knowledge (higher level of spiritual knowledge
known as buddhi) to know about Lalitmbik and move to the next fort.
Next fort (fort number 22) is fort of ego (ahakra). We walk through this fort to reach yet
another open space. This space is known as malayapavamna (malaya mountain range;
pavamna being purified; this possibly indicates presence of purified air in this mountain
range). We are able to feel the breeze, filled with fragrance of newly blossomed flowers.
There are many birds in this region. There are many bees tasting the nectar from the newly
blossomed flowers. The buzzing sound of the bees is sweet to our ears. In this mountain
range, there is a pond called vimaravpik. This pond is the store house of nectar that
flows into the throat during kun d alin meditation. This is purely a Divine Grace and not
everybody is blessed with this flow of nectar.
(Further reading on the flow of nectar: This is discussed in two nma-s of Lalit Sahasranma
105 and 106, the essence of which is given here: She has now reached Her destination, the
sahasrra, where iva is waiting for Her. Sahasrra is just below the brahmarandhra, an
orifice in the skull that connects to cosmos (The existence of this orifice has not been
medically proved. Perhaps this is like the pores that exist in our skin through which sweat
comes out. But one can distinctly feel the cosmic connection through this orifice. But
according to Ayurveda, there is marma point (also known as varma point here, by name
adhipati). The union of iva and akt takes place at sahasrra. The sdhaka, who all along
was worshipping only the akt, begins to worship Her along with Her Creator, iva. There is
one soma chakra in the middle of sahasrra. When Kun d alin reaches this cakra, out of the
heat generated by Her presence, the ambrosia which is stored there gets melted and drips
through the throat and enters the entire nervous system.)
We are able to see in the middle of vimaravpik, a boat made of rubies. In the boat we are
able to see a beautiful dark green complexioned damsel. She has a well developed body. She
has beautiful eyebrows that shames Manmathas bow. She is smiling pleasantly. She is
wearing ear studs made of rubies. She is Kurukull Devi. A reference to her is available in
Lalit Sahasranma 438 Kurukull, and this nma is explained like this: Kurukull is a
goddess who dwells in r Cakra between the boundaries of ego and consciousness. The
Bhvanopanis ad considers goddess Vrhi as father and Kurukull as mother. It says,
Vrhi pitr urp kurukull balidevat mt ( ). This is based on
the principle that our body consists of sensory organs along with flesh and blood that cause
the feeling of bodily lust. The physical description of Kurukull is terrifying, probably
indicating that lust is one of the factors that form a stumbling block to the spiritual
progression.
After paying our respects to her, we move to the next fort (fort number 23), the sun fort.

14
We now walk through the sun fort to reach bhnu prkra (bhnu means sun and prkra
means roundabout), the roundabout after sun fort. Sun shines from this place and illuminates
all the fourteen mythical worlds (seven upper worlds are mentioned in Gytri mantra). As
we walk through this prkra, we find a huge hall which is constructed with lustrous rubies.
There is a lotus like gold throne placed at the far end of the hall. On the throne is seated
Mrtn d a-Bhiarava (mrtn d a refers to the sun). He is wearing a red flower garland.
Flowers in the garland are deep red in color and are very fresh (fresh flowers are specifically
mentioned to say that the flowers are not affected by suns heat). Light of the sun is known as
caks us mati, which means faculty of sight. Mrtn d a-Bhiarava has two wives and they are
Caks us mat and Chy Devi (chya means shadow). Two of his wives represent light and
shadow. Sun god, who is also known as Mrtn d a-Bhiarava, is a great devotee of
Lalitmbik. A reference to this is available in Lalit Sahasranma 785, Mrtn d abhairavrdhy, which is explained thus: She is worshipped by Mrtn d a-bhairava. He is
posited in the twenty fourth prkra of r Nagara. r Cakra is in the centre of this r
Nagara. Anything associated with Her is prefixed with r, a sign of auspiciousness. Sage
Durvsa says that he worships him with his wife Chya Devi. After worshipping
Mrthan da-Bhairava and his two wives, we proceed to the next fort.
Next fort is moon fort (fort number 24) and we move towards this fort. This place is very
cool and pure white in colour. There are many stars shining in this place. We find moon
shining like a pure white flower and is surrounded by many stars. (It is said in Scriptures that
all the twenty seven stars, that are referred in astrology are his wives.) We pay our respects to
Candran (moon) and exit through the moon fort.
On exiting the moon fort, we find a huge fort called r gra fort (fort number 25, the last
fort). r gra means erotic sentiments. Lalit Sahasranma 376 addresses Her as r grarasa-saprn , which means that She is in the form of essence of love. Like all other
abstractions, love also originates from Her. r gra fort is built with gold and precious gems.
There is a deep trench outside this fort. This trench is full of water. There are many gold boats
rowing in the trench. These boats are well decorated with precious gems. Every boat carries
pretty divine damsels. We find Manmatha amongst them! After praying to Manmatha, we
enter into the great r gra fort.
When we enter into r gra fort, we place our feet with great reverence on the cintman i
prkra, the roundabout fully constructed with the most precious of all gems, cintman i. It is
called cintman i, because it is capable of fulfilling all types of desires. After crossing this
cintman i prkra, we find a huge tropical garden with full of different types of herbs,
flowering plants, huge lotus ponds with inexplicable and beautiful lotus flowers, very tall
trees, etc and this place is known as Mahpadmt avi (Lalit Sahasranma 59 Mahpadmt av-samsth). Lalitmbik visits this forest garden frequently. In the midst of
this Mahpadmt avi, there is a very huge palace known as Cintman iGr ha, the Abode of
Lalitmbik. Lalit Sahasranma 57 says, Cintman i-gr uhntasth. In the middle of
Cintman i Gr ha is r Cakra and in the centre of r Cakra, is seatedLalitmbik.

15
From the point where we are standing now, we are able to see Cintman i Gr ha. To reach
Cintman i Gr ha, we are now walking through Mahpadmt avi. As we are continuously
reciting Lalit Sahasranma, we did not have any difficulty in standing before the Eastern
entrance of Cintman i Gr ha. At the outer side, we find huge vessels made of gold and these
are known as arghyaptra-s. These vessels contain pure water. There will be one big vessel in
which clean water is poured. There are medium sized vessels for the purpose of drinking,
washing hands, washing feet and for gargling. Every time, water is taken from the main
vessel and used for the purposes mentioned above and after usage they are accumulated in
smaller vessels. Thus we have five vessels and hence it is called pacaptra (1 main vessel
and 4 medium or small sized vessels). This gold pacaptra is held by god Agni in his hands,
who stands outside the entrance of the main gates of Cintman i Gr ha. Thus, Agni forms the
base of these vessels. The main vessel is also known as vardhan kalaa. (vardhana means
causing to increase or increase in prosperity). There is another vessel called
smnyrghyaptra, usually a conch. Water to this conch is taken from the bigger vessel of
pacaptra. Water from this is used to purify the offerings made to Lalitmbik (including
garlands, food, etc). Then there is another vessel known as vies rghyaptra (special arghya
vessel). Vies rghyaptra is the body of sun and the contents of vies rghyaptra is nectar
and this vessel is specially worshipped. There are several man d ala-s in this vies rghyaptra
and they are agni (fire), srya (sun), soma (moon) Brahm, (in charge of creation, not the
Creator), Vis n u (sustainer), Rudra (the destroyer), Mahevara (the annihilator or the one
who conceals) and Sadiva (the re-creator; the one who creates the annihilated universe by
Mahevara). These five (except fire, sun and moon) are known as the chiefs of pacakr tya-s.
This is explained in Lalit Sahasranma 274 (She is the abode of all the five functions
discussed above. Nma 250 Paca-brahma-svarpin says that She is the cause of all these
five acts. All these five acts are carried out by Her as prkaa (cit) vimara (akt) mah
my svarpin. She is also known as Cit akt. Cit means the consciousness that is absolute
and unchanging). These five gods reside inside the vies rghyaptra and their palaces are
situated beneath vies rghyaptra. It is said that all the fourteen worlds (seven below the
earth, the earth and six above the earth) are illuminated by these palaces. Preparation of
vies rghya and worshipping vies rghyaptra are important aspects in r Cakra
Navvaran a worship.
We are now at the main gates of Cintman i Gr ha. We go around Cintman iGr ha to fully
understand its grandeur. Now we are on the eastern side. Main entrance gates to Cintman i
Gr ha are situated on the eastern side. We are now facing Cintman iGr ha and to our right, is
the palace of mala Devi. We have already seen her in the space between forts 7 and 8
(silver and gold forts). This is another palace of mala Devi (this can be explained as a
palace for refreshment). To our left is the palace of Vrhi Devi. We have already seen her in
the space between forts 15 and 16 (forts of pearls and emerald). Like Mantrin Devi (mala
Devi), Vrhi too uses this refreshment.
Cintman i Gr ha has four main entrance gates, one each at the four cardinals. Each of these
main gates is guarded by mnya devata-s. Eastern gate is guarded by Bhuvaneavar
(representing mantra yoga). South side is guarded by Daks in a Kl (path of devotion).

16
Western side is guarded by Kubjik (path of tantra, the main authority being Kubjikatantra).
Northern side is guarded by Guhya Kl (path of knowledge).
As we go around, at Southeast corner, we find a fire altar, known as
Cidagnikun d a. Lalitmbik originated from this kun d a. This is explained in Lalit
Sahasranma 4, Cidagnikun d a-sambht, which is interpreted thus: {Cit + agni + kun d a +
sambhta.
Cit means nirgun a Brahman or Brahman without attributes (the foundational
consciousness). Agni kun d a means a fire altar, in which fire sacrifices are done by offering oblations.
Sambht means born. Agni kun d a or the fire altar means the dispeller of darkness. Darkness means
lack of knowledge or ignorance which is called a-vidy (vidy means knowledge). This should not be
interpreted as the one who was born out of the fire. She is the Supreme Consciousness who dispels
ignorance. She dispels ignorance through Her form of pure Consciousness, who illuminates within,
dispelling the darkness of my .} After prostrating before this fire altar and after having seen

the birth place of Lalitmbik, we move forward to Southwest, where we find Cakrarja
ratha, the chariot of Lalitmbik. This is described in Lalit Sahasranma 68, Cakrarjarathrd ha-sarvyudha-paris kr t, which is reproduced here, as reference is made to ri
Cakra in this nma.
{Cakrarja is the chariot of Lalitmbik in which She travels along with all types of weapons.
Weapons mean the ways of attaining suddhavidy or pure knowledge which is called the knowledge
of the Brahman. This chariot consists of nine tiers. There are other two chariots that accompany this
Cakrarja the details of which will be discussed in the next two nma-s. This Cakrarja is said to
mean the r Cakra, the place of Lalitmbik. Paris kr t means adorned.
A brief knowledge of r Cakr becomes a necessity to understand this nma. r Cakr consists of
nine partitions or angles broadly divided into five akt cakra-s and four iva cakra-s. The triangles
facing upwards are called iva cakra-s, and the triangles facing down are akt cakra-s. r Cakr
contains forty four triangles in which forty three goddesses (44 th is Lalitai) and seventy nine yogin-s
(demi-goddesses) live. All the gods and goddesses are said to reside in r Cakra and that is why it is
said that one can perform pja to any god/goddess in r Cakra. The nma 996 r Cakrrja nilay
confirms Her domicile in r Cakra.
Cakrarja also means the six cakra-s (mldhr to ja). Ratha means base or foundation. Ard ha
means control and sarvyudha means pure knowledge which is called suddhavidy. The six cakra-s
form the foundation to attain pure knowledge through which mind can be controlled in the sixth cakra.
The five psychic cakra-s represent the five basic elements and the ja cakra represents mind.
Therefore to control the basic elements and the mind, pure knowledge becomes essential. When
cakra-s are controlled, siddhi-s are attained.}

After worshipping Cakrarja, Lalitmbiks chariot, we move on to North western side,

where we find Geyacakra ratha, This is the chariot of Mantrin Devi who is also called
yamal Devi. After worshipping the same, we move forward to North eastern side, where
Kiricakra-ratha is situated. This chariot belongs to Dan d anth Devi who is also known as
Vrh Devi. After worshipping this chariot, we proceed to the main entrance gates of
Cintman i Gr ha.

17
From a distance, through the Eastern gates of Cintman i Gr ha, we are able to see the outer
wall of r Cakra. We are greatly exited to get into r Cakra, for which we are awaiting for
necessary permissions from yamal Devi, Vrh Devi and Bhuvaneavar Devi. We are
now waiting outside the gate, taking rest under the huge tress of Mahpadmt avi.
While we are waiting for necessary permissions, our Guru gives a small lecture about r
Cakra (should be read as chakra).
We have reached this place after crossing twenty five forts and we are about to enter into r
Cakra. I am not going into the details of various enclosures now. There are two types of
worshipping r Cakra. One is ritualistic worshipping all the nine enclosures with flowers,
etc. There are several goddesses in these enclosures and all of them are worshipped before
reaching the innermost triangle and the bindu (the dot in the center). The inner most triangle
and the bindu are the source of creation of the universe. There is another way of worshipping
r Cakra through mind, as explained in Bhvanopanis ad (), which is based on
certain subtle conveyances of Atharvaveda. Bhvanopanis ad is in the form of stra-s
(aphorisms) and enlighten the similarity between human body and r Cakra. Bhvana means
contemplation, where only the mind is used. When you involve your mind in worship, you
are bound to have significant and instantaneous effects. You must always remember that you
can reach Her feet only through your mind and not through your sensory organs. At the same
time, you must also remember, that you cannot straight away begin mental worship, without
going through the process of ritual worship. If you do that, your sdhana will be imperfect
and you cannot achieve the desired results. Bhsakararya, one of the greatest devotees of
Parakti in recent times spoke about three stages of worship. First one is worshipping Her
with gross forms, such as having Her idol, etc. This includes navvaran a pj, Lalit
Sahasranma or Triat arcane, etc. In this kind of worship, we always consider Her as
someone different from us and we adore Her by placing Her on a higher pedestal. When one
attains perfection in these rituals, he moves on to worship Her with mantras, gradually
moving away from ritualistic worship. Initiation of mantras happens during this period. One
moves from Bl mantra to Pacada and ultimately to S od a. Even in mantra sdhana, one
begins with all types of nysa-s (touching a particular part of the body with specific fingers of
the hand, symbolically placing Parakti all over the body). Over a period of time, he
dispenses all nysa-s and concentrate only on the mantra. When he is comfortable with this
stage, he begins to move on to the final stage of his sdhana, merely contemplating Her
within. He does not need the help of pj-s and mantra recitations and he, on his own
establishes a cosmic connection with Her in deep meditation. In the deep state of meditation
(nirvikalpa samdhi or deep trance), there should be nothing, except your mind and Her
subtle form. This stage is explained in Lalit Sahasranma 254, Dhyna-dhytr -dhyeya-rp
(She is the form of a triad the meditation, the meditator and the object of meditation. This
triad leads to another triad the knower, the known and the knowledge. Higher level of
spiritual knowledge can be attained only through dhyna or meditation. Meditation is only a
process of powerful concentration. Reading books and listening to sermons are not
knowledge. Knowledge is attained through internal quest and exploration. The store house
of knowledge is not extraneous, but within. The store house is nothing but the Supreme Self.

18
Patajali Yoga Stra (III.2) explains this further. Unbroken flow of that concentration in that
object is called dhyna.)
At the initial stages, he tries to become one with Her, but he is not able to sustain this union
for long. However, he continues his practice ignoring his own form and after a long and
hectic sdhana, he realizes Her within. Now he knows that there is no difference between Her
and his own self, which thought destroys all his dualities, which in turn removes the veil of
my in his mind. This can be further explained, but this is not the place to discuss more on
this.
Concept of Guru is very important in knowing Her truly. Unfortunately, many say that they
are realized souls, which is only a myth. This is known as deceptive realization, where their
egos play spoil sport. Guru will know his disciple and will take him through the stages over a
period of time. The transition from stage one to the third stage depends upon ones devotion,
level of sdhana and willingness to move forward, without questioning the intentions of his
Guru. A true Guru knows how to uplift his disciple. A true Guru will not take much time to
shape his disciple. That is why Bhvanopanis ad begins by saying rguruh
sarvakran abht aktih || The next stra says that only because of
Guru, the disciple has nine openings in his body. In other words, the Upanis ad says that the
body of the disciple is in no way different from the body of his Guru. You will be surprised to
know that the nine openings of the body (pair of eyes, pair of ears, two nostrils, mouth,
organs of excretion and procreation- total nine) are the nine enclosures of r Cakra. This not
only establishes that there is no difference between Guru and his disciple but also establishes
that there is no difference between our body and r Cakra. Thus, there is no difference
between Guru, r Cakra and the disciple.
Each of the nine enclosures (varan a) of r Cakra is presided over by a cakrevar (presiding
goddess of that particular varan a). Apart from cakrevar, there is a yogin in each of these
nine varan a-s (navvaran a- nine enclosures). Cakrevar is not different from Parakti.
Every cakrevar represents Parakti, but in a much concealed manner. Let us assume that a
lamp is covered by eight different veils. When we complete one varan a, one of the veils will
be removed. These veils are known as tiraskaran i, who is worshipped in the beginning itself
during navvaran a pj. When we move towards inner triangle and bindu, at the end of each
varan a, one veil is removed and Parakti reveals Herself more clearly.
But yogin-s are different. Yogin-s can be explained as spiritual powers, symbolically
represented as divine damsels. Yogin is derived from the world yoke (English word), which
means union. Yoke is a word derived from yoga, which also means union. Practice of yoga
leads to the union of jvtman with Paramtman. Yogin-s play significant role in making this
union complete, by sufficiently providing enough spiritual powers to jvtman, so that
jvtman is completely purified to become eligible to unite with Paramtman. Lalit
Sahasranma 237 is mah-catuh -s a s t i-kot i-yogin-gana-sevith (Mah-catuh -s a s t i-kot i
means sixty four crores or 640 million. Yogin-gana are demigoddesses. She is worshipped
by these 640 million demigoddesses also known as yogini-s. In r Cakra, there are eight
mtr k devi-s (also known as as h ta mta-s) like, Brhm, Mhevar, Kaumr, Vain av,

19
Vrh, Indrn , Cmun d, Mahlakm. The as h ta mta-s have eight deputies called as
yogini-s which make sixty four yogini-s. Each of these sixty four yogini-s has one crore or
ten million attendant yogini-s. Thus the calculation of 640 million yogini-s is arrived. These
yogini-s attend to different aspects of administration of the universe.)
Apart from aiding the union of jvtman with Paramtman, yogin-s also cause the
intertwining of iva and akti cakra-s of r Cakra in a perfect and smooth manner. At the
end of each varan a, one mudra (finger gesture) akti and one of the eight as t amasiddhi-s
are also worshipped. Therefore, at the end of each varan a, first the concerned cakrevar
followed by one of the as t amasiddhi-s, mudra akti and finally Lalit Mahtripurasundar
Par Bht t rik (bht t rika means noble and majestic Goddess) are worshipped. While
performing r Cakra pj, it is always assumed that She is seated facing the eastern direction
and we have to enter through the western direction.
When Guru finished, Bhuvaneavar Devi (mnyy Devi) informed us that permission is
granted for us to enter Her Abode, r Cakra. We now commence our journey to the Supreme
Abode of Lalit Mahtripurasundar Par Bht t rik.
While we are waiting for necessary permissions, our Guru gives a small lecture about r
Cakra (should be read as chakra).
We have reached this place after crossing twenty five forts and we are about to enter into r
Cakra. I am not going into the details of various enclosures now. There are two types of
worshipping r Cakra. One is ritualistic worshipping all the nine enclosures with flowers,
etc. There are several goddesses in these enclosures and all of them are worshipped before
reaching the innermost triangle and the bindu (the dot in the center). The inner most triangle
and the bindu are the source of creation of the universe. There is another way of worshipping
r Cakra through mind, as explained in Bhvanopanis ad (), which is based on
certain subtle conveyances of Atharvaveda. Bhvanopanis ad is in the form of stra-s
(aphorisms) and enlighten the similarity between human body and r Cakra. Bhvana means
contemplation, where only the mind is used. When you involve your mind in worship, you
are bound to have significant and instantaneous effects. You must always remember that you
can reach Her feet only through your mind and not through your sensory organs. At the same
time, you must also remember, that you cannot straight away begin mental worship, without
going through the process of ritual worship. If you do that, your sdhana will be imperfect
and you cannot achieve the desired results. Bhsakararya, one of the greatest devotees of
Parakti in recent times spoke about three stages of worship. First one is worshipping Her
with gross forms, such as having Her idol, etc. This includes navvaran a pj, Lalit
Sahasranma or Triat arcane, etc. In this kind of worship, we always consider Her as
someone different from us and we adore Her by placing Her on a higher pedestal. When one
attains perfection in these rituals, he moves on to worship Her with mantras, gradually
moving away from ritualistic worship. Initiation of mantras happens during this period. One
moves from Bl mantra to Pacada and ultimately to S od a. Even in mantra sdhana, one
begins with all types of nysa-s (touching a particular part of the body with specific fingers of
the hand, symbolically placing Parakti all over the body). Over a period of time, he

20
dispenses all nysa-s and concentrate only on the mantra. When he is comfortable with this
stage, he begins to move on to the final stage of his sdhana, merely contemplating Her
within. He does not need the help of pj-s and mantra recitations and he, on his own
establishes a cosmic connection with Her in deep meditation. In the deep state of meditation
(nirvikalpa samdhi or deep trance), there should be nothing, except your mind and Her
subtle form. This stage is explained in Lalit Sahasranma 254, Dhyna-dhytr -dhyeya-rp
(She is the form of a triad the meditation, the meditator and the object of meditation. This
triad leads to another triad the knower, the known and the knowledge. Higher level of
spiritual knowledge can be attained only through dhyna or meditation. Meditation is only a
process of powerful concentration. Reading books and listening to sermons are not
knowledge. Knowledge is attained through internal quest and exploration. The store house
of knowledge is not extraneous, but within. The store house is nothing but the Supreme Self.
Patajali Yoga Stra (III.2) explains this further. Unbroken flow of that concentration in that
object is called dhyna.)
At the initial stages, he tries to become one with Her, but he is not able to sustain this union
for long. However, he continues his practice ignoring his own form and after a long and
hectic sdhana, he realizes Her within. Now he knows that there is no difference between Her
and his own self, which thought destroys all his dualities, which in turn removes the veil of
my in his mind. This can be further explained, but this is not the place to discuss more on
this.
Concept of Guru is very important in knowing Her truly. Unfortunately, many say that they
are realized souls, which is only a myth. This is known as deceptive realization, where their
egos play spoil sport. Guru will know his disciple and will take him through the stages over a
period of time. The transition from stage one to the third stage depends upon ones devotion,
level of sdhana and willingness to move forward, without questioning the intentions of his
Guru. A true Guru knows how to uplift his disciple. A true Guru will not take much time to
shape his disciple. That is why Bhvanopanis ad begins by saying rguruh
sarvakran abht aktih || The next stra says that only because of
Guru, the disciple has nine openings in his body. In other words, the Upanis ad says that the
body of the disciple is in no way different from the body of his Guru. You will be surprised to
know that the nine openings of the body (pair of eyes, pair of ears, two nostrils, mouth,
organs of excretion and procreation- total nine) are the nine enclosures of r Cakra. This not
only establishes that there is no difference between Guru and his disciple but also establishes
that there is no difference between our body and r Cakra. Thus, there is no difference
between Guru, r Cakra and the disciple.
Each of the nine enclosures (varan a) of r Cakra is presided over by a cakrevar (presiding
goddess of that particular varan a). Apart from cakrevar, there is a yogin in each of these
nine varan a-s (navvaran a- nine enclosures). Cakrevar is not different from Parakti.
Every cakrevar represents Parakti, but in a much concealed manner. Let us assume that a
lamp is covered by eight different veils. When we complete one varan a, one of the veils will
be removed. These veils are known as tiraskaran i, who is worshipped in the beginning itself

21
during navvaran a pj. When we move towards inner triangle and bindu, at the end of each
varan a, one veil is removed and Parakti reveals Herself more clearly.
But yogin-s are different. Yogin-s can be explained as spiritual powers, symbolically
represented as divine damsels. Yogin is derived from the world yoke (English word), which
means union. Yoke is a word derived from yoga, which also means union. Practice of yoga
leads to the union of jvtman with Paramtman. Yogin-s play significant role in making this
union complete, by sufficiently providing enough spiritual powers to jvtman, so that
jvtman is completely purified to become eligible to unite with Paramtman. Lalit
Sahasranma 237 is mah-catuh -s a s t i-kot i-yogin-gana-sevith (Mah-catuh -s a s t i-kot i
means sixty four crores or 640 million. Yogin-gana are demigoddesses. She is worshipped
by these 640 million demigoddesses also known as yogini-s. In r Cakra, there are eight
mtr k devi-s (also known as as h ta mta-s) like, Brhm, Mhevar, Kaumr, Vain av,
Vrh, Indrn , Cmun d, Mahlakm. The as h ta mta-s have eight deputies called as
yogini-s which make sixty four yogini-s. Each of these sixty four yogini-s has one crore or
ten million attendant yogini-s. Thus the calculation of 640 million yogini-s is arrived. These
yogini-s attend to different aspects of administration of the universe.)
Apart from aiding the union of jvtman with Paramtman, yogin-s also cause the
intertwining of iva and akti cakra-s of r Cakra in a perfect and smooth manner. At the
end of each varan a, one mudra (finger gesture) akti and one of the eight as t amasiddhi-s
are also worshipped. Therefore, at the end of each varan a, first the concerned cakrevar
followed by one of the as t amasiddhi-s, mudra akti and finally Lalit Mahtripurasundar
Par Bht t rik (bht t rika means noble and majestic Goddess) are worshipped. While
performing r Cakra pj, it is always assumed that She is seated facing the eastern direction
and we have to enter through the western direction.
When Guru finished, Bhuvaneavar Devi (mnyy Devi) informed us that permission is
granted for us to enter Her Abode, r Cakra. We now commence our journey to the Supreme
Abode of Lalit Mahtripurasundar Par Bht t rik.
FIRST VARANA (First enclosure)

22
We now enter the first varan a (enclosure). We find three tiers of huge square walls, white,
red and yellow in colour.
All the three walls put together is known as
trilokyamohanacakra, which is also known as bhpura. Trilokya mohana means attracting
three worlds. Three worlds can be explained both grossly and subtly. Grossly it means the
three worlds referred in three vyhr ti-s of Gyatr mantra, bhr, bhuvar and svar loka-s.
Subtly the three worlds are three states of consciousness, active, dream and deep sleep states.
There are 28 goddesses in trilokyamohanacakra.
Presiding deity of this varan a is Tripurcakrevar; An imsiddhi is the siddhi devi,
Sarvasaks obhin i mudra is the mudra akti and Prakat ayogin is the yogin. At the end of
this varan a, all these akti-s are worshipped. Lalit Mahtripurasundar Par Bht t rik is
also worshipped in each of the varan a-s. Each varan a has one specific mudra with
which Parakti is worshipped and apart from the specific mudra, She is also worshipped
with yoni mudra at the end of each varan a. As far as worshipping this prathamvaran a (first
enclosure) is concerned, first square which is protected by ten akti-s is white in colour is to
be worshipped with white flowers. Second wall or second square, which has eight akti-s is to
be worshipped with red flowers. Third and the last wall or square, which has ten akti-s is to
be worshipped with yellow flowers. Now we are going to have daran of these twenty eight
akti-s. (During r Cakra worship, the innermost triangle should be facing the practitioner.)
Numbers indicated in the chart and numbers indicated in the narration correspond to the place
of that particular akti in the wall.
First wall:
This wall has ten akti-s, which includes as t ama siddhi-s (eight akti-s representing supper
human powers) and two other akti-s (7 and 8). It is important to note that eight (1 to 8) of
them are guarding the eight cardinals; out of which four of them guarding the four entrance
gates and the other four guarding other four cardinals.
1. an imsiddhi ; 2. laghimsiddhi ; 3. mahimsiddhi ;
4. itavasiddhi ; 5. vaitasiddhi ; 6. prkmyasiddhi ;
7. bhuktisiddhi ; 8. icchsiddhi ; 9. prptisiddhi ;
10. sarvakmasiddhi .
Second wall:
This wall is protected by eight akti-s, who are commonly known as as t amtr -s (eight
mothers or as t amt-s. It is important to note that the first four of them (11, 12, 13 and 14)
are guarding the four entrances of r Cakra and the rest guarding the four corners (15, 16, 17
and 18) of r Cakra.
11. brhmmtr ; 12. mhevarimtr ; 13. kaumrmtr ;

23
14. vais n avmtr ; 15. vrhmtr ; 16. mhendrmtr ;
17. cmun d mtr
.
; 18. mahlaks mmtr

Third wall:
This wall is protected by ten mudraakti-s. During navvaran a pj, at the end of each
varan a, Parakti is worshipped through these ten finger gestures, known as ten mudra-s.
This is also referred in Lalit Sahasranma 977, daamudr-samrdhy. (Mudra-s are the
configuration of fingers that represent the energy of the deity concerned. They are the secret
signs of exchange between the practitioner and the deity and should never be used in public.
Mudra-s are highly powerful.) The last of these mudras can be used only by those, who are
initiated into S od a mantra.
19. sarvasaks obhin mudraakti ; 20. sarvavidrvin mudraakti
; 21. sarvkars in mudraakti ; 22. sarvavaakar
mudraakti ; 23. sarvonmdin mudraakti ; 24.
sarvamhku mudraakti ; 25. sarvakhecar mudraakti
; 26. sarvabja mudraakti ; 27. sarvayooni mudraakti
; (Lalit Sahasranma 982 is Yoni-mudr (iva says to Prvat (Todala tantra II.25)
My dear, this yoni mudra removes all illness. Oh! Goddess, without elaborating I can just
say that it destroys great diseases and Oh! Goddess, without exaggerating I can say that this
mudra causes the realisation of the mantra, brings about direct perception of one s self and
bestows on the practitioner the great liberation.). 28. sarvatrikhan d mudraakti
; (Lalit Sahasranma 983 is trikhan d e. This mudra is used to invoke Her during
rituals. Trikhann d a mudra also means the union of various triads into single entity. For
example, practitioner, his Guru and Devi or the knower, the known and the path of knowing
are triads. Merger of triads into a single entity is the supreme knowledge that the practitioner
has asked for in the previous nma using yoni mudra. It is also said that this mudra refers to
the three kt a-s of Pacada mantra. From the broader perspective, this mudra can be
termed as the Brahma mudra. The extended pair of fingers point out to creation, sustenance
and dissolution. During navvaran a pj, only those who are initiated into S od a alone can
use this mudra).
We have discussed about 28 goddesses in the first varan a, known as trilokyamohanacakra
and these goddesses guard three outer walls of ri Cakra. It is also interesting to note that
beginning from trilokyamohanacakra, there are no male gods in any of the varan a-s. Even
all the four gates of ri Cakra are guarded only by goddesses.
Bhvanopanis ad says that our body is a replica of ri Cakra and our body parts are related to
these nine enclosures. In the first wall of trilokyamohanacakra, also known as bhpura, there
are ten siddhi devi-s. The outer most wall is guarded by siddhi devi-s because, siddhi-s are to
be ignored, when one attains them. Sage Patajali says in his Yoga Stra says that these
siddhi-s are possible only if we develop the highest level of concentration and our ability to

24
connect to an element (like air, water, etc) with our consciousness. In the present day world,
attaining such siddhi-s is impossible and if one tries to practice this, with certainty it can be
said that he is only wasting his time. Now, let us understand about these ten goddesses in the
first wall.
1. An im means ability to become smaller than an atom.
2. Laghim means ability to float in the air by making the body light.
3. Mahim is the power to become huge.
4. itava is the power of creativity and the ability to rule.
5. Vaitva is the power to subjugate both living as well as insentient objects.
6. Prkmya is the ability to get any task done in no time.
7. Bhukti siddhi is not mentioned by Sage Patajali and this is out of the purview of eight
siddhi-s known as as t amasiddhi-s. It is the power to enjoy with what is attained. This siddhi
is discussed only in tantric scriptures.
8. Icch siddhi is also outside the purview of as t amasiddhi-s referred by Patajali. Some are
of the opinion that sarvakmasiddhi is icchsiddhi. We go only by the ten goddesses
mentioned in authentic texts and hence we consider icchsiddhi and sarvakmasiddhi as two
different siddhi-s. Sometimes, sarvakmasiddhi and prkmyasiddhi are considered as the
same. But tantric texts have different versions. Icch siddhi means power to attain any form
according to his will. He can become an ant and again he can become an elephant.
9. Prpti is the power to go anywhere, even to other worlds.
10. Sarvakma is fulfillment of all his desires.
(There could be certain variations while interpreting siddhi-s).
As discussed earlier, no male god can enter ri Cakra. Goddesses who guard different
cardinal points are known as siddhyab. The ten siddhyaba-s discussed above guard ten
cardinal points. For example, An im siddhyab, guard eastern cardinal, Laghim
siddhyab is guarding the western cardinal, etc and other siddhya b-s and their cardinals
can be found out from the chart attached to the previous article.
It is also said that out of these siddhya b-s, nine siddhya b-s represent navarasa or nine
emotional states. Lalit Sahasranma 376 is r gra-rasa- saprn , which is explained
thus: Lalitmbik is said to be the embodiment of extracts (rasa) of finer things in life.
There are said to be eight to ten types of rasa-s, though only nine types of rasa-s are generally
mentioned. These ten rasa-s are love (r gra), heroism, disgust, anger, mirth, fear, pity,
amazement, tranquillity and warmth.

25
In the above interpretation, only nine types of emotional states are mentioned. The tenth one
is niyati, which can be interpreted to mean prrabdha karma (that part of karma which is
carved out of the total sum of karma accumulated over past several births and known as
sacita karma; prrabdha karma is the karma meant for the present life and to be experienced
in this life itself). Niyati also forms one of the six kacuka-s (coverings) of my, as per Trika
philosophy. Niyati is not included while interpreting Lalit Sahasranma 376, because,
Brahman is beyond the concept of karma and hence not applicable to Her.
The second wall is protected by eight divine mothers known as as t amt-s. According to
tantric texts, these as t amt-s originated from eight different gods and having thus
originated from different gods, as t amt-s assist Parakti in Her war against demons
(mythical war against sinners). Demons are persistent evil doers who are unwilling to mend
their ways. Since Parakti is upholder of the universe, She has to ensure that there is a
proper balance between good and bad in the world. If bad begins to predominate, She
manifests and annihilate them. During wars against perpetual evildoers, these as t amt-s
assist Her. Now let us have a look about their origin. Serial number is their numbers in ri
Cakra and numeric in parenthesis refers to the serial order of as t amt-s
11. (1) Brhm originated from Brahm
12. (2) Mhevari from Mhevara
13. (3) Kaumr from Krttikeya, also known as Skanda. He is also known as Kaumra. He is
the son of iva and Prvat
14. (4) Vais n av from Vis n u
15. (5) Vrh from Vrha, one of the incarnations of Vis n u
16. (6) Mhendr from Indra
17. (7) Cmun d is said to have born from the body ofParakti Herself.
18. (8) Mahlaks m from Nryan a
It is also said that their consorts are as t abhairava-s. There are different versions on this.
Obviously, Mahlaks m is the Consort of Mahvis n u. This is explained subsequently.
While the ten siddhidevi-s in the outer wall represent emotional status of mind, these
as t amt-s represent skin, blood, muscle, fat, bone, bone marrow, procreative fluids and
vitality. Their places of residence in a human body are jcakra, breasts, navel, heart, throat,
face, nose and forehead. But, according ivgama, instead of Mahlaks mmtr , Can d is
named. In that case, the Bhairava consort of Can d isSahra Bhairava.
As t amt-s and their consorts as t abhairava-s are given below:
(1) Brhm - Asitgabhairava

26
(2) Mhevari Rurubhairava
(3) Kaumr - Can d abhairava
(4) Vais n av Krodhanabhairava
(5) Vrh Unmattabhairava
(6) Mhendr - kaplbhairava
(7) Cmun d - Bhs an abhairava
(8) Can d i - Sahrabhairava *
*Generally only saptamt-s (seven in number) are referred. In certain Scriptures as t amt-s
are also referred. In that case, either Mahlaks m or Can d iis named as the eighth mother. If
Mahlaks m is referred, then there is no corresponding Bhairava. In certain texts, Yam is
mentioned and correspondingly her consort is Yama (lord of death). There is no
corresponding Bhairava for Yam too.
The third wall is guarded ten mudraakti-s. We have to leave the tenth mudra, sarvatrikhan d
mudra, as this belongs to Parakti. The nine mudras represent nine types of powers and they
are (19 to 27 in the same order) power of agitation, power of fighting, power of fascination,
power of subjugation, power of insanity, power of motivation, power to connect to ariel
beings or the power to move in void, referring to higher spiritual levels and the power to
create. Trikhan d a means dividing something into three parts and here it means the union of
the knower, known and the path of knowing (sdhana). Beyond this, no further information is
available about these mudraakti-s.
Thus, if we look at the three walls of the first enclosure, we will find three planes
corresponding to the three loka-s and they are attainments (ten siddhya ba-s relating to the
mind), obstructions (as t a mt-s causing attachment to physical body) and powers (power of
fighting, etc as discussed in the previous paragraph) of normal human activates are
represented or these three stages of normal human activity originated form ri Cakra. The
latter seems to be more appropriate, as the entire universe has originated only from the central
triangle of ri Cakra and the bindu within (representing akti and iva respectively). Hence
the first enclosure is called trilokyamohanacakra and the three loka-s are attainments,
obstructions and powers as discussed above.
We are now going to enter the second varan a (dvityvaran a ). This enclosure is
known as sarv-paripraka cakra (- ). Presiding deity of this varan a is
Tripurecakrevar (presiding deity of the first varan a is Tripurcakrevar. The difference is
Tripur in the first varan a and Tripure in this varan a). Laghimsiddhi is the Siddhi Devi.
Sarvavidhrvin is the Mudrakti and Guptayogin is the Yogin. At the end of this varan a,
these akt-s are worshipped. . Lalit Mahtripurasundar Par Bht t rik is also worshipped
in each of the varan a-s. Each varan a has one specific mudra with which Parakti is

27
worshipped and apart from the specific mudra, She is also worshipped with yoni mudra at the
end of each varan a.

The second varan a is in the form of lotus petals (s o d aadala padma ) and there are
sixteen such lotus petals that form sarv-paripraka cakra. Between the first enclosure and
this enclosure, there are three circles known as trivr t ta or trivalaya, where tri refers to
numeric three and vr tta or valaya means circles. There are no akt-s in any of these three
circles guarding ri Cakra. There circles are not worshipped. These circles mean three of the
four purus rtha-s (human pursuits) viz. dharama (prescribed conduct), artha (acquiring
wealth) and kma (satiating desires). The fourth purus rtha, viz. moks a (liberation) can be
attained only if we reach the central triangle of ri Cakra.
This varan a is worshipped in anticlockwise direction, as indicated by ascending numerical
in the chart (in red ink). The sixteen lotus petals are attached to trivr tta in the outer side and
in the inner side they are attached to the eight lotus petals of the third varan a. Now let us
begin our journey in the second varan a for worshipping these sixteen akt-s. It is to be
remembered that we are now moving anticlockwise direction.
1. Kmkars in nityakaldev . (nityakaldev is to be suffixed to all the
devi-s mentioned hereafter).
2. Buddhyakars i n ; 3. Ahakrkars i n ; 4. abdkars i n ; 5.
Sparkars in ;

6.

Rpkars in ;

7.

Raskars in ;

8.

Gandhkars in ; 9. Cittkars in ; 10. Dhairykars in ; 11.

Smr tykars in ; 12. Nmkars in ; 13. Bjkars in ; 14.
tmkars in ; 15. Amr tkars in 16. arrkars in nityakaldev
.

During our journey in the previous varan a, we wound up at 28, as indicated in the chart.
This varan a is placed opposite (around 600) to 28. We have to reach 1(indicated in red ink in

28
the chart) of second varan a from 28 of first varan a, moving in anticlockwise direction.
Once we reach 1 of this varan a, we move forward only in anticlockwise direction.
These sixteen petals refer to multiple things and they are 1. Each petal has one vowel embedded in it. There are sixteen vowels in Sanskrit, a to ah (
to ). Since this s od aadala padma holds all the sixteen vowels, this cakra produces words,
their sound (pronunciation) and meaning.
2. These sixteen petals also represent the following; five prn a-s (prn a, apna, vyna, udna
samna); five jnendriya-s (organs of perception ear, skin, eye, tongue, nose); five
karmendriya-s (organs of action mouth, feet, hands, organ of procreation and organ of
excretion); and mind, thus making 16 petals of this enclosure.
3. It is also said that these sixteen akti-s represent sixteen tithi-s (one tithi is equivalent to
one lunar day). Totally there are sixteen tithinity devi-s and they are worshipped in the
innermost triangle of ri Cakra. Sixteen tithinity devi-s include Mahnitty, who is
Lalitmbik and She is worshipped in the bindu, which is the central point of ri Cakra. We
will be worshipping tithinity devi-s while worshipping eighth varan a. But, in navvaran a
pj, they are worshipped in the beginning itself.
4. These sixteen akti-s also represent sixteen kal-s of moon and these sixteen kal-s are
represented by sixteen tithinity devi-s, as discussed above. Based on this, nityakaldev is
suffixed after their names (nitya also means daily). However, names of the sixteen kal-s are
different. These sixteen kal-s of the moon are worshipped during vies rghya pj.
5. In their individual capacities, these nityakaldev-s represent the following sixteen
attributes desire, intellect, ego, sound, touch, form, taste, smell, thought processes, fortitude
(mental courage), recollections (memory), names and forms, source, the self within
(jvtman), eternity and the gross body.
In the first varan a, we worshipped 28 akti-s and in this varan a, we have worshipped 16
akti-s. Thus, we have so far worshipped 44 akti-s in ri Cakra, who take care different
aspects of sustenance of the universe.
We are now about to enter the third varan a, known as tr tyvaran am (), which is
also known as sarva saks obhan a cakra ( ). Samks obhan a means commotion
and sarva saks obhan a means all types of commotions. All types of mental commotions
originate from this varan a. This varan a has eight petal lotus, known as as t adala
padma ( ). This varan a is presided over by Tripurasundar Cakrevar (presiding
deity of the first varan a is Tripur Cakrevar, presiding deity of second varan a is Tripure
Cakrevar and the presiding deity of this varan a is Tripurasundar Cakrevar. We have to
note the minute difference in their names.) Mahim Siddhi is the siddhi Devi; Sarvkars in is
the mudra akti and Guptatarayogin is the Yogin. At the end of worshipping these eight
devi-s, above akti-s are worshipped and after worshipping them, Lalit Mahtripurasundar
Par Bht t rik is also worshipped in each of the varan a-s. Each varan a has one specific

29
mudra with which Parakti is worshipped and apart from the specific mudra (in this varan a
Sarvkars in is the mudra), She is also worshipped with yoni mudra at the end of each
varan a. Before, going into the details, let us worship these eight devi-s.

The peculiarity of these devi-s is that their names begin with anaga. Anaga means bodiless.
Worshipping varan a devi-s begin from western side as against the eastern side of the second
varan a. varan a devi-s are marked in blue ink in eight petal lotus. They are worshipped
clock wise, west, north, east, south, north west, north east, south east and south west.
1. anaga kusum dev ; 2. anaga mekhal dev ;
anaga madan dev ; 4. anaga madantur dev ;
anaga rekh dev ; 6. anaga vegin dev ;
anaga agu dev ; 8. anaga mlin dev

3.
5.
7.

All these devi-s represent Manmatha (Cupid) in some way or other. Manmatha is also
bodiless. These devi-s form flowers, girdle, intoxication, addiction, silhouette, urge, goad and
garland of Manmatha. Apart from representing and acting on behalf of Manmatha, they also
cause certain subtle modification in the mind of a human being and these modifications are
explained as psychophysical in nature. Psychophysical is explained as quantitative relations
between physical stimuli and their psychological effects. It is a sort of body-mind
combination.
There are different interpretations as to how they represent psychophysical properties.
According to one version they represent prakr ti (primordial nature), mahat (mahat means
great; according to Skhya philosophy, mahat arises from the union of purus a and prakr ti;
the Self within can be realized only due to mahat principle and this depends upon mind), ego
(non-essential ego), pacatanmtra-s (sound, touch, sight, taste and smell), five principle
elements of the universe (ka, air, fire, water and earth), ten organs of action and perception
(karmendriya-s and jnendriya-s), antah karan a (mind, intellect, consciousness and ego) and
purus a (individual soul, which is being currently discussed in Brahma Stra interpretations in
this site). Another interpretation is that these eight devi-s represent expression, apprehension,
movement, elimination, lust, rejections, attention and detachment.

30
When we move towards ri Cakra, we shed those qualities represented by different devi-s in
different varan a-s and when go near the innermost triangle, we are completely purified, as
we are about to become one with iva and akti. When we move away from ri Cakra, we
attain these qualities and attributes one by one, so that when we are born, our inner Self is
completely covered by my. The former journey is towards liberation and the latter journey
is towards creation.
We are now entering the fourth varan a, which is known as turiyvaran a (fourth enclosure).
This varan a is called as sarva-saubhgya-dyaka cakra ( -- ). All types of
prosperity originate from this varan a. Sarva-saubhgya-dyaka means giver of all kinds of
prosperity, including both material and spiritual. Presiding deity of this varan a is
Tripuravsin cakrevar, Sarvavaakar is the Mudrakti and Sapradyayogin is the
Yogin. At the end of this varan a, the above akt-s are worshipped. . Lalit
Mahtripurasundar Par Bht t rik is also worshipped in each of the varan a-s. Each
varan a has one specific mudra with which Parakti is worshipped and apart from the
specific mudra, She is also worshipped with yoni mudra at the end of each varan a. This
varan a is in the form of a triangle and there are 14 akti-s in this triangle. This is the first
triangle that we come across when we enter into ri Cakra. ri Cakra has nine triangles like
this and out this nine, four triangles are facing upwards and five triangles are facing
downwards. These nine triangles intersecting each other give rise six varan a-s and 44
triangles. All these triangles represent Divine Procreative energy. Four upward facing
triangles are known as iva cakra-s (triangles) and the five downward facing triangles are
known as akti cakra-s.
This varan a consists of 14 triangles and this is marked in the above image. When we
worship these devi-s, we have to move in anticlockwise manner.

1. Sarvasaks obhin akti

(at the end of the name, akti is to be added); 2.
Sarvavidravin ; 3. Sarvkars in i 4. Sarvhldin ;
5. Sarvasamohin
; 6. Sarvastabhin ; 7. Sarvajr
bhin

31
8. Sarvavaakar ; 9. Sarvarajan ; 10. Sarvonmdin ;
11. Sarvrthasdhin ; 12. Sarvasapattipran ;
13. Sarvamantramay ; 14. Sarvadvandvaks ayakar akti
Their worship begins from the East and proceeds in anticlockwise manner. These fourteen
akti-s are referred as the fourteen upper worlds as mentioned in Brahmagytr mantra and
these worlds are Bh, Bhuva, Sva, Maha, Jana, Tapa and Satya . It is also said that these
fourteen akti-s represent fourteen important nd -s (tubular vessels) in our body and they are
alabhu, kuh, vivodar*, vran *, hastijihv, yaovati*, payasvin*, gndhr, p,
akhin, sarasvat*, id , pigal and sus u mna. These nd -s help in excretion, procreation,
digestion, locomotion, hearing, vision, taste and of course three divine nd -s. id , pigal
and sus u mna. However, Yogacd man iUpanis a d (verses 18,19 and 20) talks about only ten
nd -s (* represent those nd -s not mentioned in the Upanis ad). There are other variations
also.
The above 14 akti-s are in charge of fourteen qualities or attributes such as mental agitation,
chasing away (evil thoughts), attraction (physical), causing happiness, delusion (my),
obstruction (in the path Self-realization), release (releasing obstructions in the path of Selfrealization), subjugation (surrendering to Her), rejoicing (experiencing Bliss), maddening,
accomplishment of desires (both material and spiritual), providing wealth (material wealth),
all mantras (to conquer mind) and dispelling all types of dualities (dispelling ). When this
varan a is worshiped, She sends the right Guru to the worshiper who will take him to higher
spiritual levels. It is also said that iva Himself appears as Guru in human form. This also
establishes the difference between Guru (imparts spiritual knowledge, leading to Selfrealization) and guru (who initiates into mantras and teaches the aspirant about performing
pj-s and other rituals).
At the end of the fourth varan a, we have worshipped 66 akt-s. (First varan a 28; second
varan a 16; third varan a 8 and this (fourth) varan a 14 totalling to 66).
We are now entering fifth varan a, which is known as pacamvaran a (fifth enclosure). This
varan a is called Sarvrthasdhakacakra (). Ten primary prn a-s originate from
this varan a and each vital breath is represented by a akti. There are ten triangles in this
varan a and each triangle is presided over by a akti. Thus there are ten akti-s in this
enclosure. By worshipping the akti-s in this varan a, Guru-disciple relationship is
strengthened. Sarvrtha means accomplishments of all our aims and objects of this life and in
particular, Self-realization and consequent liberation from the process of transmigration. This
varan a is presided over by Tripurr Cakrevar and Sarvonmdin is the Mudrakti and
Kulotrn ayogin is the Yogin. She increases spiritual knowledge through strongly bonding
Guru-disciple relationship. After worshipping them at the end of this varan a, Lalit
Mahtripurasundar Par Bht t rik is worshipped with yonimudra.
This varan a consists of 10 triangles and this is marked in the above image. When we
worship these devi-s, like in the previous varan a, we have to move in anticlockwise manner.
These devi-s are marked 1 to 10 in red in the chart above. These devi-s also represent ten vital

32
breaths - prn a, apna, vyna, udhna, samna, nga, krma, hr kara, devatatta and
dhanajaya. Each of these prn a-s occupy certain specific parts in a human body. Prn a in
the chest; apna in the navel and is the cause for procreation and excretion; vyna in nostrils,
stomach and is the cause for circulation of blood and lymph; udhna having its abode at
throat and circulates in arms and legs; samna causes digestive fire (jat hargni). These five
are primary prn a-s and the next five are secondary prn a-s and their functions are nga in
vomiting; krma in winking of eyes; hr kara in digestion; devatatta in yawning and sleeping;
and dhanajaya is the cause for subtle sounds within the body and this does not leave the
body even after death; by continuing to remain in the corpse, it makes the corpse to decay and
at the time of cremation, it escapes through the skull by breaking open the skull. It continues
to remain in the corpse that is buried and makes the corpse to decay and finally escapes
through the skull after a few days in the same manner discussed above.

1. Sarvasiddhiprad dev ; 2. Sarvasapatprad dev ;

3. Sarvapriyakar dev ; 4. Sarvamagalakrin dev ;
5. Sarvakmaprad dev ; 6.Sarvaduh khavimocin dev ;
7. Sarvamr tyupraaman dev ; 8. sarvighnanivrin dev ;
9. Sarvgasundar dev ; 10. Sarvasaubhgyadyin dev .
Their worship begins from the eastern side and proceeds in anticlockwise manner. The
difference between the previous varan a is that the former was gross in nature like material
wealth, etc and this varan a ias purely in subtle in nature and deals with invisibilities like
prn a. Apart from controlling prn a-s, these ten akti-s control the following. They are
bestowing everything, giving material wealth, worthiness (both material and spiritual),
fulfilment of all types of desires, removal of sorrow and pain, removing all pains at the time
of death and foretelling death (Birth and death are always painful, hence there is an urgent
need to get liberated in this birth itself. It is said that everyone knows very clearly, when the

33
process of death is initiated in his or her body. It is also said that process of death does not
even last for a few seconds.), removal of all obstructions both in spiritual and material life,
giving a good external appearance and good looks and bestowing both material and spiritual
prosperity. From this varan a onwards, knowledge about iva is imparted gradually.
In order to merge with iva, to whom alone an individual soul can merge to get total
liberation, one has to have complete knowledge of iva. iva here means Brahman. Such a
soul merges with iva (Brahman), to become one with Him. This can be done only by
Lalitmbik, as explained in Lalit Sahasranma 727, iva-jna-pradyin.
{Further reading on iva-jna-pradyin: She imparts the knowledge of iva, the Ultimate.
iva jna (knowledge) means the knowledge of the Brahman, which is also known as the
Supreme knowledge. To know iva, one should first know His akt, who alone is capable of
leading a person to the Brahman or iva. Rmyan a says wind can be realized through
movements, fire can be realised through heat and iva can be realized only through akt. It
can also be said that iva is the source of knowledge for Her. It is said a kara caitanyam
which means that iva is both jna and kriy. He is the sovereign, pure free will in
knowledge and action. Based upon this principle, iva Stra-s opens by saying
caitanyamtm. Caitanyam means consciousness of the highest purity and knowledge. There
is no difference between Brahman and the highest form of consciousness. But how akt
alone is capable of unravelling iva? This is answered by iva Stra (I.6) again which says
that by meditating on akt, the universe disappears as a separate entity thereby unveiling
Self illuminating iva. The process of such happening is described in Spanda Krik (I.8)
(another treatise of Kashmiri Saivism) which says the empirical individual cannot ward off
the urge of desires. But entering the energetic circle of the Self (iva), he becomes equal to
that Self. The seeker of iva becomes iva himself. This is known as iva jna and She
imparts this kind of Supreme knowledge. It is also said that iva cannot be attained without
first realising akt. She alone can lead one to iva. iva is inaccessible directly. Unless She
chooses to impart the required Supreme knowledge, none can realise iva. Hence, She is
called iva-jna-pradyin.}
We are now entering the sixth varan a (s as t hvaran a), which is known as
Sarvaraks karacakra ( ). This varan a has ten triangles as indicated in blue colour
in the chart and each varan a is presided over by a akti. On the subtle side, sarvaraks kara
means protection from the spiritual stage attained. This is presently being explained in detail
in the series on Brahma Stra. Guru-disciple relationship that was strengthened in the
previous varan a leads to destruction of duality in this varan a, which ultimately leads to
liberation. On the grosser side, these ten akti-s represent ten digestive fires. Ten prn a-s of
the fifth varan a, now transforms into ten digestive fires (ten aspects of digestion, absorption
and excretion). This varan a is presided over by Tripuramlin Cakrevar. Sarvamahku
is the Mudrakti and Nigarbhayogin is the Yogin. In this varan a also, worship is to be
done in anticlockwise manner. Now, let us worship these ten akti-s.

34

1. Sarvajdev ; 2. Sarvaaktidev ;
3. Sarvaivaryapraddev ; 4. Sarvajnamaydev ;
5. sarvavydhivinindev ; 6. Sarvthrasvarpdev :
7. Sarvappahardev ; 8. Sarvnandamaydevi ;
9. sarvaraks svarpin dev; 10. Sarvepsitaphalapraddev .
Like other varan a-s, we proceed from the Eastern side in anticlockwise manner. If we look
at devi-s in various varan a-s, we can understand that their activities become more subtle as
we proceed towards the central triangle. An aspirant who has reached this stage is further fine
tuned to make him eligible to attain Her. However, he has to be still more perfected to merge
into the Praka form iva. iva is worshipped in the bindu, the central point of ri Cakra.
Creation begins from Him and leads to the immediate next triangle, the innermost triangle of
ri Cakra. The three angles of the innermost triangle represent icch, jna and kriya akti-s.
Let us find out how these akti-s cleanse the aspirant. First devi gives him all the requisite
knowledge so that he is completely freed from my. In this stage, the aspirant begins to
realize I am That. This devi imparts this knowledge by saying, You are That. Second devi
gives him necessary spiritual energy to transform into a yog, in whom the union between the
individual soul and Brahman takes place. A yog is the one, whose individual consciousness
is yoked with Supreme Consciousness. Third devi assists him in attaining mastery over all
types of knowledge that leads him to realization. Fourth devi ensures that such knowledge
stays with him. During spiritual practices, one will not pay attention to his or her physical
body. Due to lack of physical activities, he is bound to have some disease or other (in modern
times it is about diabetes and heart ailments). He has no time or inclination to take care of his
body. Instead, this devi takes care of his body and frees him from all types of diseases (it can
be observed that those who are at highest spiritual level have paunch. This is the reason why
many ancient sages have been depicted with big bellies). Sixth devi supports all his or her

35
spiritual practices (please recall Lalit Sahasranma 659 sarvdhra. Every devi in ri Cakra
is connected to any one of the nma-s of Sahasranma. This will be discussed towards the end
of this series). When one attains liberation, even the traces of karmic imprints have to be
removed. Seventh devi does this. Parakti is an embodiment of purity. In order to go
anywhere near Her, one has to be purified. This purification process is related to mind. When
one is able to reach this varan a, it means that he has almost disowned his body. This concept
is not applicable to navvaran a pj, which is done externally. What is being discussed here
is related to Bhvanopanis at (mental worship; bhvana means contemplation).
(There is a reference about physical and mental worship. A king built a temple and fixed a
date for its consecration. He prayed to iva that He should be present personally during
consecration rituals. But iva refused and said that He has already accepted invitation from
someone else, who is also building a temple very close to kings temple and the consecration
is fixed and both these dates coincided. King was surprised and asked his men to find out this
temple. His men could not find any temple nearby. King was surprised and requested iva to
show him the temple so that he can be present to attend the consecration function. iva told
him the place and asked the king to go to that place only the next day, the day fixed for
consecration. King went to that place and he did not find any temple. But there was a hut in
that place and in front of the hut, there was a man in rags who was bursting with emotions
with tears rolling down his eyes. King called him and without opening his eyes he told the
king not to disturb him as he was performing consecration of his temple. Now king
understood why iva did not accept kings invitation and gladly accepted the poor mans
invitation. This story highlights the power of mental worship.)
Eighth devi causes Bliss. When the mind sheds all types of thought processes, mind becomes
pure. In a completely purified mind, all types of dualities are annihilated. When the mind is
pure, one experiences Bliss. This stage cannot be explained that easily. This Bliss is to be
experienced. For no reason, one becomes emotional and enters into the state of Bliss. The
only external symptom of Bliss is tears rolling down. Ninth devi protects this yog completely
(this is the stage where one cannot fall from his spiritual level attained; there are many
instances where one falls from his hard earned spiritual level. If one falls from his spiritual
level, it is virtually impossible to get back to his original spiritual level. Therefore one has to
be extremely cautious while pursuing spiritual path). Tenth devi grants his two wishes of
falling at Her lotus feet first and later getting liberated. This devi approves him to go to the
next varan a.
We are now about to enter the seventh varan a or saptamvaran a (sapta means seven; please
recall saptamat-s), which is known as sarvarogaharacakra ( ). This varan a has
eight triangles, as indicated in blue colour in the chart and each varan a is presided over by a
vgdev. These eight vgdev-s composed Lalit Sahasranma. While reciting Lalit
Sahasranma, they are worshipped as Rs i-s (in Rs ydi nysah they are worshipped
as vainydi vgdevat r s ayah
). They composed Lalit Sahasranma and

made its maiden rendition*. On the subtler side, they preside over all the 51 Sanskrit
alphabets and hence they are known as vgdev-s (this can also be written as vcdev-s). Vc

36
means to express, to speak, etc. Without sound, we cannot understand anything. Parakti has
given them powers to administer everything related to alphabets. These eight vcdev-s have
attained complete mastery over language. But for their mastery, Lalit Sahasranma, an
amazing masterpiece, would not have come into existence. Like primeval stage of vc**,
they work on the subtleties of human mind such as spiritual ignorance, mind, intellect and
ego. Subtleties of mind need through transformation in order to understand the teachings of
Guru, tat tva asi (You are That). When Guru teaches the concept of tat tva asi, the
student should affirm aha brahma asi (I am That). Merely making a statement saying
that I am Brahman is not realization. Brahman is to be experienced through Bliss. These eight
devi-s do this subtle work for those who are eligible to have this Supreme Knowledge.
Mental afflictions are called roga (sickness) and as these eight vcdev-s remove mental
sickness. This varan a is known as sarvarogaharacakra, where sarva mens all; roga means
sickness and hara means destroying. Their place of residence is indicated as 1 to 8 in red
colour. Now, let us get to know these eight vcdev-s. As in other varan a-s, they are also
worshipped in anticlockwise manner.

1. Vain vgdev ; 2. Kmevar vgdev ;

3. Modin vgdev ; 4. Vimal vgdev ;
5. Arun vgdev ; 6. Jaini vgdev ;
7. Sarvevar vgdev ; 8. Kaulin vgdev .
Apart from what is explained above, these eight vcdev-s also represent puryas t aka***
which consists of the following eight - 1) five organs of action (karmendriya-s), 2) five
organs of senses (jnaendriya-s), 3) antah karan a (four in numbers - manas, buddhi, cittam
and ahamkra or ego), 4) five prn a-s (prn a, apn a, etc), 5) five elements (ka, air, etc) 6)
desire, 7) ignorance and 8) karma.
With this varan a, worshipping of secondary deities in ri Cakra gets completed. Including
this varan a, we have so far worshipped 94 akti-s. However, fifteen tithi nity devi-s are yet

37
to be worshipped and they will be worshipped outside the innermost triangle. This will be
discussed in subsequent parts.
Below Jaini vgdev (marked as 5 in the image), three lines can be noticed. This is called
Guru Man d ala, where Guru-s reside. There are four types of Guru-s. First is Paraguru, who
is the first Guru or di Guru. di Guru is Mahkmevara. It is He, who has initiated
Mahkmevar into r Vidy. Thus iva becomes the first Guru and the first disciple of r
Vidy lineage is Parakti. Therefore di Guru Mahkmevara and His disciple
Mahkmevar are worshipped in the inner most triangle and the bindu within. If we look at
the image, above the flat end of the innermost triangle and below the triangle where Jaini
vgdevi resides, there are three horizontal parallel lines. This is the place our Guru-s live.
There are three types of Guru-s in r Vidy cult. Ones own Guru is known as svaguru. He is
the one who has initiates the aspirant into r Vidy cult. He is often called Guruji!!. He
should be a Self-realized person and should be capable of taking the aspirant beyond my. A
true Guru is the one who carefully follows up with those who are initiated and takes them to
successive higher stages, till Parakti is realized. His job does not end here. After making the
aspirant to realize Parakti, he has to make the aspirant realize iva. A Guru has to tirelessly
work hard with his students, till they are able to evolve themselves. Only this type of Guru is
considered on par with Parakti and not those who merely initiate his disciples. If the second
type of guru is considered on par with Parakti, both the guru and his students accrue huge
amount of insurmountable karma. This is to be always kept in mind before getting initiated
into r Vidy cult. Lalit Sahasranma 713**** says that Lalitmbik Herself is in the form
of Guru Man d ala.
Guru Man d a la in detail will be discussed in the next part.
{*Further reading: This scene takes us back to the situation at the time of first appearance of
this Sahasranma. All gods and goddesses are seated in Lalitmbik-s royal court. Sapta
(seven) ris i-s, other ris i-s, eighteen siddha-s and other saints are also seated. The seating
arrangement was as per the protocol. There is a huge throne made out of gold and the best of
precious stones. Suddenly, there was a divine fragrance that spread throughout the royal
court and the whole area was filled with radiating red light. Lalitmbik entered the court
along with Her assistants. All those seated got up and paid their obeisance to Her. Her form
is described in dhyna verses. She had earlier summoned Her eight Vc Devi-s and spoke to
them thus: The eight of you got the power of your vc (mastery of speech) through my
blessings. You are appointed to provide the power of vc to my devotees. You are aware of
the secrets of my r Cakra. You perpetually chant my name with great devotion. Therefore,
I command you to script a verse about me consisting of 1000 nma-s. When my devotees
recite this verse, I should derive immense satisfaction. The verse should have my name as its
cachet. She emphasized three points for composing the verse. First, it should have 1000
nma-s; second, the verse should have Her name embossed; third, She should be gratified
when Her devotees recite the verse. Bearing Her command in mind, Vc Devi-s composed
such a verse and were ready for the recitation. When Lalitmbik nodded Her head, Vc
Devi-s commenced their recitation and Lalit Sahasranma was declared to the universe. She

38
expressed Her immense happiness by nodding Her head often and smiling frequently while
attentively listening to their rendition. She also encouraged the Vc Devi-s by saying good
and excellent.}
** Please refer Lalit Sahasranma 366 to 371
*** {Further reading on puryas t aka: (as told by sage Vsis t ha to Lord Rama in Yogavsis t ha - VI.5). Brahman who is without beginning or end and which is the seed of the
universe, becoming differentiated is jva (soul); subjecting itself to the idea of separateness, it
becomes ahamkra (ego) with manana (contemplation), it becomes manas (mind); with the
certainty of intelligence, it becomes buddhi (intellect); then the five elements (sound, etc)
through indriy-s (sensory organs). With the thought of the body, it becomes the body itself;
with the thought of a vessel, it becomes the vessel. A form (subtle body), having such a
nature is called puryas t aka body or eight constituents of the body. The eight constituents are
mind, ego, intellect, sound, touch, sight, taste and smell, the last five together known as
tanmtra-s.}
****Further reading:
thus:

Lalit Sahasranma 713 is Guru-man d ala-rpin and is explained

This nma subtly conveys that the meaning and interpretation of kmakal should be learnt
only from a Guru as this has intrinsic and subtle meaning. Most of these interpretations have
already been dealt with elaborately. Guru man d ala means lineages of Guru-s. r Vidy
attaches great importance to Guru and his lineage. Whatever Guru says should be final.
Lineage of Guru is stressed because, rituals and certain procedures differ from man d ala to
man d ala (man d ala here means group) and each man d ala follows different customs and
practices. Each r vidy student will have three categories of Gurus - Guru, Paramaguru
(Gurus Guru) and Parames t h iguru (Paramagurus Guru). During navvaran a pja, all these
Guru-s are worshipped along with many other Guru-s. This nma says that She is in the form
of Guru man d ala. There is no difference between Guru and Lalitmbik, hence this nma.
The first Guru or di Guru is iva. Guru is also worshipped in sahasrra, where She
conjoins iva.
Primarily there are three types of Guru Lineages. They are for kdividhy upsaka-s, s od a
upsaka-s and hdividhy upsaka-s. Upsaka-s mean worshippers. What is described here is
the one that belongs to s od a upsaka-s. There are three types of Guru-s in each of these
lineages. They are Divyaguru-s, Siddhaguru-s and Mnavaguru-s. Let us now understand
them. Each mnya has one principle Guru. He is the one who had laid down the methods of
worship in that particular mnya. mnya means sacred tradition*. Number of Guru-s under
each group differs from tradition to tradition and similarly, the names of Guru-s also differ.
Ones Guru is worshiped in the lower most dotted line. Gurus Guru, known as Paramaguru
is worshiped in the middle line (marked in red) and Paramagurus Guru is known as
Parames t hi Guru and he is worshipped in the top line (marked in red)**. Parames t hi means
supreme. In other words, Guru would have been initiated by his Guru (who is Paramaguru for
us) and Paramaguru would have been initiated by Paramagurus Guru (who is Parames t hi

39
Guru for us). Tradition followed in this article is as per Paraurma kalpa stra, the best
authentic version of r Vidy upsan a.
**There are variations about where to worship these three types of Guru-s. The right method
would be to worship divyaguru-s in C, as they are very close to Parakti. Siddhaguru-s
should be worshipped in B and Mnavaguru-s should be worshiped in A, away from
Parakti, which means they have to intensify Her contemplation still further.
If we look at the image above, we can find three lines marked A, B and C. In A our
Parames t hi Guru is worshiped along with five other divyaguru-s. Nine Divyaguru-s are
(from 1 to 5):
1. Vyomttmb ; 2. Vyomeyamb ;
3. Vyomagmb ; 4. Vyomacrin yamb
5. Vyomasthmb
In B our Paramaguru is worshiped along with nine Siddhaguru-s and they are (from 1 to 9)
1. Unmanka nandantha ; In subsequent eight names, nandantha
() is to be added next to their names. 2. Samanka ;
3. Vypaka ; 4. aktyka ; 5. Dhvanyka ;
6. Dhvanimtr ; 7. Anhatka ; 8. Bindvka ;
9. Indrka .
In C our Guru (the one who has initiated into r Vidy cult, is worshiped along with nine
mnavaguru-s and they are (from 1 to 9)
1. Paramtma nandntha ; In subsequent eight names, nandantha
() is to be added next to their names.
2. mbhava ; 3. Cinmudra ; 4. Vgbhava ; 5. Ll ;
6. Sambhrma ; 7. Cida ; 8. Prasanna ; 9. Vivnandantha .
A Guru, either at the time of initiation or during prn bhis eka confers a dks name to the
aspirant. Method of initiation is purely Gurus choice. He can initiate either through one of
the normal procedures (verbally, etc) or by performing prn bhis eka. Mostly, normal
initiation is done first and depending upon the progress of the disciple prn bhis e ka is done
subsequently and at that time dks name is given to him. Such dks names should be used
only during Gurus presence or among the disciples of the same Guru. This name should not
be used in public except in the case of samnysin-s. The dks name given by a Guru will
also end with nandantha. Sometimes, deika and bhat t araka are used instead of
nandantha (technically it is only ntha).
Before worshipping Guru Man d ala, the three sides of innermost triangle and the bindu
within the triangle are worshipped. Triangle represents Parakti and the bindu represents
iva. Innermost triangle has three sides, left, right and top. Inside the triangle, there is a bindu
(marked in red).

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It is Mahkmevara (Paramaiva), who initiated Mahkmevar during Kr ita yuga
(consisting or 1,728,000 years). This is the first of four yuga-s. In r Vidy cult,
Mahkmevara who initiated Mahkmevar is known as Carynandantha (carya means to
be practiced or to be performed, signifying the importance of sdhana). Carynandantha is
also known by other names such as Vidynandantha and Paramaivnandantha. After
having initiated Mahkmevar in Kr ita yuga, Mahkmevara initiated Ud d nandantha
in Tret yuga (1,296,000 human years), as t hnandanta in Dvpara yuga (864.000 human
years) and Mitrenandantha in the present Yuga (Kali yuga comprising of 432,000 human
years; 2013-14 is 5115th year of Kali yuga). Thus, Mahkmevara is worshiped in the bindu
and the three Gurus who were initiated directly by Paramaiva along with three other Gurus
are worshipped in the three sides of the innermost triangle.

Mahkmevara (Paramaiva) is worshipped in the bindu with this mantra:

om ai hr r ai hr r ai kl sauh glau hskhphre hasaks amalavaray
hsauh sahaks amalavaray shauh rvidynandanthtmaka carynandantha r
mahpdukk pjaymi ||
The Gurus who are initiated by Paramaiva are worshiped on the three sides of the innermost
triangle.
On the left side of the triangle (left side of the practitioner) following Gurus are worshiped.
1. Ud d s anandantha; 2. Praknandantha ;
3. Vimarnandantha ; 4. nandanandantha .
On the top of the triangle, following Gurus are worshipped.

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1. S as t nandantha; 2. Jnnandantha ;
3. Satynandantha ; 4. Prn nandantha .
On the right side of the triangle (right side of the practitioner) following Gurus are worshiped.
1. Mitrenandantha ; 2. Svabhvnandantha ;
3. Pratbhnandantha ; 4. Subhagnandantha .
In general, in r Vidy cult, great importance is attached to Guru and Guru Man d ala. It is
also said that Paramaiva not only initiated Gurus into r Vidy, but also imparted
tmavidy (tat tvaasi or you are That, where That stands for Brahman).
At the time of initiation, Guru apart from initiating a mantra, also gives Gurupduk mantra.
Gurupduk mantra is given for the Guru who initiates, Gurus Guru (Paramaguru for the one
who is being initiated and Paramagurus Guru (Parames t hi Guru for the one who is being
initiated). During this process, dks names of all the three Gurus are revealed to the disciple.
There are three types of mantras for Guru, Paramaguru and Parames t hi Guru. A disciple has
to pay his respect to his Guru by using mr gmudra (mr g means female deer, a doe).
Further readings:
* Further reading on mnya-s
Guru and the process of initiation
Before we proceed to eighth varan a, we should know about tithi nity dev-s as they are
worshipped in the outer side of the innermost triangle. Before entering into eighth varan a
we will be worshiping Her four weaponries placed outside the innermost triangle. This will
be discussed in the next part.
Tithi nity dev-s represent fifteen digits of the moon and each digit is known as tithi or lunar
day. There are fifteen tithi-s or lunar days and each tithi is represented by a nity dev and
hence they are known as tithi nity dev-s. Technically speaking, there are only fourteen tithis and the fifteenth tithi is either full moon (prn im) or new moon (amvsy). Fifteenth
lunar day, either full moon (prn im) or new moon (amvsy) is represented by
Mahkmevar Herself. Pacada has fifteen letters and each of these letters represent one
kal (digit) of the moon. But, kal also means sixteenth part (1/16). But we have only fifteen
letters in Pacada mantra. The sixteenth kal is S od a bja r () , which is hidden and
always remains subtle. As there are only fifteen tithi nity dev-s, how to worship the
sixteenth S od a kal? Answer to this question is considered as secret, as the answer reveals
Mahkmevar. Sixteenth kal is worshiped in the bindu, the place of iva. But in the bindu,
iva is not worshiped while worshipping tithi nity dev-s, but Mahkmevar is worshiped.
This also subtly conveys the union of iva and akti. Though there is no separate procedure
for S od a upsaka-s (those who are initiated into S od a), when Mahkmevar is
worshipped in the central bindu, the above aspect is to be contemplated. It would be ideal to
worship Mahnity (Mahkmevar) in the bindu with S od a mantra for the sixteenth kal,

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though it is not explicitly mentioned; but it is implied. Texts say that while worshipping
Mahnity, Pacada mantra should be encased (samput karan a) between two ah().
Each

nity dev represents fifteen vowels from a to ah ( to ). But, those who are initiated into
S od a should use S od a mantra, instead of Pacada mantra.
It is also said that during uklapaks a (waxing moon), tithi nity dev-s should be worshiped
from 1 to 16 (anticlockwise) as shown in the image. But during kr s n apaks a (waning moon),
they should be worshiped in clock wise manner, i.e. from 16 to 1. However, one has to follow
what his or her Guru says. In r Vidy worship, one has to meticulously follow what his or
Guru says and there should be no deviation from his instructions, as he follows the traditions
of his Guru and Paramaguru. But, it should always be remembered that he should be a Guru,
who has attained mastery over the various types of worshiping ri Cakra and should remain
with Parakti all the time. Each tithi nity dev have their own yantra-s and mantra-s. They
have their own mlamantra-s, varan a pj-s, etc. The innermost triangle is formed by the
first three tithi nity dev-s, viz. Kmevar, Vajrevari and Bhagamlin, each representing
one corner of the triangle. Though as tithi nity dev-s, they do not hold the innermost
triangle, they hold this triangle as three devi-s representing three gun a-s. This will be
discussed in the next varan a, viz. eighth varan a. In fact, the innermost triangle is held by
them. However, there are other views on this, which says that Lalitmbik, Kmevar nity
and Bhagamlin nity hold the innermost triangle. But this argument cannot be accepted.
When Lalitmbik is seated on the lap of iva, obviously, She cannot be holding this triangle.
Further, She cannot be compared to other nity dev-s, who function under Her.
Following are the tithi nity dev-s and their abode is marked as 1 to 15 in the image above
and mentioned in anticlockwise manner.
Worship of tithi nity dev-s begin with the worship of Mahnity, Lalitmbik. She is
worshipped like this in the bindu, three times using the following mantra.
Om ai hr r ( ) followed by the initiated mlamantra (either Pacada or
S od a) and at the end of mlamantra alphabet ah () is recited followed by Lalit
Mahtripurasundar Par Bht t rik pjaymi (tarpaymi) namah . Tarpaymi is included
only while performing navvaran a pj. Navvaran a pj will be dealt with separately, in
due course.

1. Kmevarinity (nity is to be suffixed to all the names);

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2. Bhagamlini ; 3. Nityaklinn ;
4. Bherund ; 5. Vahnivsini ; 6. Mahvajrevar ;
7. ivadt ; 8. Tvarit ; 9. Kulasundar ;
10. Nity ; 11. Nlapatk ; 12. Vijay ; 13. Sarvamagal ;
14. jvlmlin ; 15. Citr ;
Finally Mahtripurasundar Par Bht t rik preceded by initiated mlamantra in the bindu.
She is known as Mahnity.
Fifteenth tithi is either full moon or new moon and hence She is worshiped on these days. It
is also said that on full moon day, She is in the form of Pacada mantra and on the new
moon day, She is in the form of S od a mantra. There is a reason for this, which is also
considered as highly secretive. During new moon day, both sun and moon come together
signifying the union of iva and akti, which is explained in Lalit Sahasranma 999 ivaakty-aikya-rpin . Based on this principle, it is said that S od a surely gives liberation.
Though, She is the cause for liberation, merger of the individual soul with the Self happens
only with iva. For the same reason, She is addressed as is iva jna pradyin in Lalit
Sahasranma 727. Merger with iva can happen only if She is fully realized. That is why, the
knower, the path of knowing and the known should become one during contemplation.
Liberation is possible only if She fully pervades our mind. Unless we become one with
Parakti, obviously, when She unites with iva, merger of our individual soul cannot merge
with iva. Sixteenth kal is invisible and immortal. There is a reference to this in
Br hadran yaka Upanis ad (I.v.14). The Upanis ad says, Nights and days are his
(Hiran yagarbha*) fifteen digits and the constant one is His sixteenth digit. ..Through this
sixteenth digit, he permeates all these living beings on the new moon night. It is also
important to note that iva too has sixteen kal-s and it is said that ivas lunar and solar
aspects culminate.
This is the reason, why S od a is considered as the most powerful mantra and should not be
initiated to those who are not worthy of it. A Guru takes extraordinary care before initiating
someone into S od a. Literally, Guru is paving way for the liberation of his disciple when he
initiates him or her into S od a. It is often believed that a Guru does not initiate a person into
S od a without Her approval.
Many of these tithi nity dev-s are referred in Lalit Sahasranma.
* Hiran yagarbha: Vednta Paribhs a 17th century scripture explains hiran yagarbha. It says
Hiran yagarbha is the first soul to be born and is different from Brahm, Vis n u and iva.
The subtle body consisting of the five vital forces, the mind, the intellect and the ten organs is
produced from the five basic elements. This paves the way for the soul to experience the
result of actions or in other words it causes karma-s. The subtle body is of two kinds, superior
and inferior. The superior one is the subtle body of hiran yagarbha and the inferior is the

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subtle body of living beings. The subtle body of hiran yagarbha is called as mahat or the
cosmic intellect and the subtle body of living beings is called ego.
We are about to enter the eighth varan a, which is the innermost triangle. Within this triangle
is the bindu. Tithi nity dev-s were worshipped outside this triangle. Guru Man d ala was
worshiped above this triangle. This is the triangle from which, the entire universe was born.
Eighth varan a or as t amvaran a is known as Sarvasiddhiprad, which bestows all
attainments, leading to a completely transformed stage from mundane consciousness to the
highest level of spiritual attainment. This is the stage where one can experiences the highest
level of Bliss. This varan a is presided over by Tripurbcakrevar. Sarvabja is the
Mudrakti and Atirahasyayogin (atirahasya means highly secretive) is the Yogin. There are
only three Devi-s in this varan a. Before worshipping them, we need to worship
Lalitmbiks weaponries, which are placed outside this triangle. These weaponries are
marked as A, B, C and D in the image below. It is very important to note that both
Mahkmevara and Mahkmevar have the same weaponries. Both of them have arrows,
bows, nooses (pa) and hooks (akua). Now a doubt could arise in our minds, whether they
hold these weaponries jointly or individually. This doubt arises because the mantras mention
both of them. For example, let us take the mantra for bows which goes like this.
kmevar kmevara dhanurbhy namah | bn aakti pjaymi ||

This means that we worship the bows of both Kmevar and Kmevara, as usage of
dhanurbhy signifies two and not one. In reality, both of them are not different. They are
the same. What Kmevar holds is nothing but the mirror image of the weaponries, which
Kmevara hold. This subtly conveys that our inherent my has not yet been annihilated,
even at this point of time. Why our my has not yet been annihilated, though we are very
close to the innermost triangle? My can be annihilated only if we realize and merge into
Her. This has not yet happened as we are still outside the innermost triangle. Unless we enter
into the innermost triangle (innermost triangle is the place where our merger with Her takes
place), our inherent my will continue to be present. Though major portion of my has been
annihilated, still traces continue to remain even at this stage. We must always bear in mind
that Parakti is svtantrya akti of iva and is in no way different from Him. Both of them
are single entity and not two separate entities. It is due to my or delusion that they appear
as different to our mind. These details have been elaborately dealt with in differnt articles. We
now proceed to worship their weaponries.
A is their bn a, which means arrow. Both of them have five arrows. These five arrows imply
pacatanmtra-s (sound, touch, sight, taste and smell). This is explained in Lalit
Sahasranma 11, Pacatanmtra-syak.
B is their bow. This bow is made up of sugar cane. Lalit Sahasranma 10 calls this bow as
kodan d (Manorpeks u-kodan d ). This bow implies the mind.Mind involves both samkalpa
and vikalpa. Samkalpa means resolve, process of thought. Vikalpa means difference of

45
perception. Both are opposite to each other. Mind is also subtle, like knowledge. Mind is
reflected through the five sensory organs. It has both samkalpa and vikalpa qualities, as it
acts through the impressions received from sense organs that get fine tuned in the form of
thought and finally explode in the form of actions.
C is pa, the noose. Lalit Sahasranma 8 (Rgasvarpa-pd hy) speaks about this pa.
She pulls all the desires of Her devotees using this noose, which represents icc akti, the
desire. When a devotee reaches this stage, She annihilates all his desires by using this noose
and transforms him into absolute purity. This transformation happens because in the next
stage he is going to merge with Her, by entering into the innermost triangle.
D is hook or akua and this is explained in Lalit Sahasranma 9 ( Krodhkrakuojval). A
hood is a weapon to control elephants. Mind by nature, always leans towards sensory organs.
By using this akua, She ensures that the devotee gets himself detached from all types of
sensory excesses.
After worshipping these weaponries, we are freed not only from the afflictions of the mind,
such as desire, attachment, ego, sensory pleasures, but also relieved from my to a very
great extent. All types of delusions get annihilated, just before we enter into the inner most
triangle, yet the traces remain. Parakti is the embodiment of purity and before we merge
into Her, all our impurities are annihilated. These impurities will not rear their heads again,
because She showers Her Grace on us during this time. This stage can be attained only if our
karmic account permits. All our karmas should have been experienced and we should have
surrendered to Her much before entering into the first varan a of ri Cakra, which is not
merely a yantra. Ultimate goal of reaching Her is often not achieved as we merely consider
ri Cakra as an yantra. It is the point of origin of the universe. The innermost triangle and the
bindu within is the point of origin and the manifestation of the universe is complete before
the entry into ri Nagara (not ri Cakra), which has been discussed in the beginning of this
series. Therefore, when navvaran a pja is performed, one has to mentally stay connected
with Her. This is also the reason for performing navvaran a pja in as much privacy as
possible. This concept is explained in Lalit Sahasranma 871 (Bahirmukha-sudurlabh - She
is very difficult to attain for those who are not able to look within. Mind is the prime factor
to look within. Unless senses are controlled, it is difficult to control the mind. This nma
says that She cannot be attained only by external means.)

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After being purified, we are ready to enter into the eighth varan a. This is the innermost
triangle, from where the universe was born and into which the universe will merge at the time
of annihilation. There is a veil in the centre of the triangle. This veil is called tiraskaran i,
which means a veil. This is the veil of mahmya (the Divine Power of illusion). This veil
can be removed only by the three Devi-s protecting the three corners of this triangle and that
too, only on Her command.
These Devi-s are marked as1, 2 and 3 in the innermost triangle. These Devi-s alone are
capable of conferring mantra siddhi. These three Devi-s are the cause for trikhan d a mudra,
which can be used only by those who are initiated into S od a. These three Devi-s are also
worshiped in anticlockwise manner, beginning from east, proceeding to South and then to
North.
1 represents Mah Kmevar (not Parakti; Mah and Kmevar are two separate words
here) and she protects the eastern corner, the point of triangle facing down. She represents
fire, Divine creative aspect (power of Brahm), Divine energy that permeates the universe
and individual self (jvtman or individual soul). She also represents icch akti. (Lalit
Sahasranma 658, Icchakti-jnaakti-kriyakti-svarpin ). She also represents
kmagiript ha.
2 represents Mah Vajrevar and she represents the sun, antartman (antartman means
internal feelings of the mind; possibly, this could mean ones karmic account), jnaakti and
the power of Vis n u, the Divine aspect of sustenance. She also represents prnagiript ha.
3 represents Mah Bagamlin and she represents destruction, annihilation, kriyakti,
presence of the Self within the individual self, also known as Paramtma (Paramtman means
the Supreme Spirit, yet not the Self or Brahman. Brahman, also known as the Self is
Paramaiva, with whom we are going to merge in the next varan a). She also represents
jlandharapt h a.
All the three Devi-s are now satisfied with our spiritual attainment and they remove the veil
of tiraskaran i and we now become speechless as we are seeing Lalit Mahtripurasundar

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Par Bht t rik with our biological eyes. She is not seated in the bindu as we were thinking
all these days. She is seated quite a distance away from the Bindu towards West. Bindu also
remains veiled. Bindu is the seat of iva. We are awe struck. We become totally immobile for
several moments till She calls us by our names. She is fully aware of our past, present and
future. We are not able to speak. We forget all the mantras, hymns and verses that we have
been practicing till now. We fall flat before Her and by touching Her pinkish feet, we reach
the Supreme stage Bliss. Our individual consciousness is now totally lost. We forget
ourselves. We are literally unconscious now. We need nothing now. We have attained the goal
of our lives. She calls us by names and makes us to sit on Her lap. We now understand that
ivas lap is meant for Her and Her lap is meant for us. She looks into our eyes with
compassion and love. We are blessed to notice that everlasting smile in Her face. We now
understand what infinity is. We are now half dead. We are not aware of what is happening
around us. We feel the Divine Fragrance throughout this innermost triangle. We have no mind
to leave Her lap. We now fully understand the DIVINE MOTHER, about whom we were
talking about for years and years. She is the Supreme Power of iva, known as
Parabrahmaakti and presides over Mahod yn apt ha. We continue to remain in Her lap, in
spite of Her willingness to take us to iva. We dont want to leave Her lap. We do not even
want liberation. We are completely satisfied by remaining on Her lap.
Practically speaking there is no ninth varan a, which is the Bindu (bindusthna), as this is
within the innermost triangle. Ninth varan a (navamvaran a) has myriad significances. It is
also known as sarvnandamayacakra. Sarvnandamaya means Absolute Bliss, which cannot
be explained at all. It is very important to note that r Mahtripurasundar is the Cakrevar
of this varan a . This is because She presides over Bindu, where iva is seated. This subtly
conveys how meticulously She takes care of Her Consort. Sarvayoni is the Mudrakti and
Parparti-rahasya-yogin is the Yogin (Parparti-rahasya means extremely sercretive).
Nobody has access to this Bindu except Parakti. All the acts of Divine originate from this
Bindu, as only here the Divine procreative union of iva and akti takes place. The principle
acts of Divine are creation or sr s t i (LS 264), sustenance or sthiti (LS 266) and destruction
known as sahra (LS 268). There are other two acts, which are also equally important and
they are annihilation (LS 270; this is also known as tirodhna which means concealment or
disappearance) and recreation (LS 273; anugraha or recreation out of compassion). This is
explained in Lalit Sahasranma LS 905, as Baindavsan (baindava means bindu and sana
means seat.) All these five acts originate from this Bindu, go towards the outer triangle and
from there various energies are diversified and creation is completed at the entry point of r
Nagara. From this entrance point, manifestation of the universe is completed. This procedure
is with regard to creative aspect or sr s t ikrama. The reverse process is known as
sahrakrama. At this point, let us understand that sr s t ikrama refers to our birth and
sahrakrama refers to our liberation. Different krama-s will be dealt with later in this series,
as we are going to be liberated shortly.
In the ninth varan a, union of iva and akti happens. Their union varies according to the
krama. If it is sr s t ikrama (creation), their union is different and if it is sahrakrama, their
union is on different plane. Sahra here refers to liberation and now, we are only discussing

48
about liberation. During sr s t ikrama, during their union, only both of them alone remain. But
during sahrakrama, we are also present along with Her. It is like a mother holding the
hands of her child and handing over the child to the childs father. During sr s t ikrama, She
attains the form of Kmakal (LS 322 Kmakal rp) and their union is symbolized in the
form of a Liga, where the bottom portion represents akti and the upper portion represents
iva.
At the end of eighth varan a, we continued to remain in Her lap and we refused even
liberation, the ultimate goal of anyones life. But She takes pains in explaining to us the
importance of liberation. She told us about the pains of birth and death, how we have worked
hard in our sdhana (spiritual practice) to reach this level, etc. She also told us that Her
Consort will be more compassionate and more lovable to us. Reluctantly we agreed to Her
sermons. In any moment from now, we are going to be liberated.
She is now raising up from Her throne (LS 3) and by holding our hands, She enters into the
Bindu. Bindu is full of Splendorous Light and in the midst of blinding light we could not see
anything around. The place is full of Divine Fragrance. We could not move any further as the
Light was so blinding. We have read in Upanis ad-s, how this Light would be. But we have an
opportunity to personally experience this Light now. When She moves towards the Light, the
blinding white Light gradually turning red and iva is revealed to us, who is fully radiant, in
crystal complexion, extraordinary brilliance throughout His body. He cannot be explained at
all. The energy from Him is so powerful and we feel as if we are being pushed towards Him.
This is what is known as the energy of liberation, which is explained as Mah-grs (LS 752).
Kat ha Upanis ad (I.ii.25) says the best among all people are like food to the Self. Death
overcomes everyone, yet even death is a mere condiment for the Self.
Parakti is now seated by ivas side. The crystal complexion of iva now looks like the
colour of the rising moon on a full moon day. We now understand that this is the
Bindusthna, the place from which the universe originates and dissolves. As we have almost
lost our consciousness, nothing goes into our minds. We have lost our mind, intellect,
consciousness and ego. All the four components of antah karan a are already annihilated when
we entered the eighth varan a. At this point where we are now, our body, mind and soul are
completely purified. We have read that merger into Brahman cannot take place unless these
are purified. What we have read once, we are experiencing now. For any experience,
knowledge is very important and without knowledge, spiritual experiences cannot be
explained or defined.
She now asks all of us to come near Her and She makes us to sit on Her lap again. By sitting
on Her lap, we are able to have close daran of iva. He smiles at us and then He looks at
Parakti. Now She begins to move slowly towards iva and ultimately She merges with
Him. Now we understand what is really meant by iva-akty-aikya-rpin (LS 999). We are
now inside iva and we are liberated, not to be born again!
As far as ninth varan a is concerned, there is an additional procedure for those who are
initiated into S od a. The mantra for S od a upsaka encompasses everything that is possible

49
in this universe. She is worshiped as Praka Vimara smarasya rpin. Praka refers to
iva, (praka means Light, principle of Self-revelation, by which everything else in the
universe is made known) and Vimara is akti (vimara refers to that part of praka, which
makes the worldly objects visible, the state of manifestation of the universe) and smarasya is
the procreative union of iva and akti (smarasya is explained as the identity of
Consciousness, in which all differentiation has disappeared).
This completes the first section of this series. This series will be continued later, for the
purpose of understanding ritual aspects of ri Cakra and other intricacies. Contemplating our
body with ri Cakra with the help of Bhvanopanis ad will also be dealt with.

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