7
Tripura Sundari “Tripurasundari” redirects here. For Nepalese village, see Tripurasundari (village). “Lalita” redirects here. For the gopi, related to Krishna worship, see Lalita (gopi). Tripurāsundarī (त्रिपुरा सुंदरी - “Beautiful (Goddess) of the Three Cities”) or Mahā-Tripurasundarī (“Great Beautiful (Goddess) of the Three Cities”), also called Ṣhoḍaśhi (“Sixteen”), Lalitā (“She Who Plays” [1] ) and Rājarājeśvarī (“Queen of Queens, Supreme Ruler”), is one of the group of ten goddesses of Hindu belief, collectively called Mahavidyas or Dasha-Mahavidyas.She is the foremost and the most important in Dasha- Mahavidyas.All other Mahavidyas concludes in her vidya i.e. Sri Vidya. Her consort is Maha Kameswara.She is the highest aspect of Goddess Adi Shakti.Parvati is the complete incarnation of Lalita Maha Tripura Sun- dari.Tripurasundari is the primary goddess associated with the Shakta Tantric tradition known as Sri Vidya As Shodashi, Tripurasundari is represented as a sixteen- year-old girl, and is believed to embody sixteen types of desire. Shodashi also refers to the sixteen syllable mantra, which consists of the fifteen syllable (panchadasakshari) mantra plus a final seed syllable. The Shodashi Tantra refers to Shodashi as the “Beauty of the Three Cities,” or Tripurasundari. [2] There is a very popular saying among Sri Vidya tradition is that one has to be verily Shiva him- self or in one’s last birth to get Sri vidya. Since we are not Shiva, it has to be the last birth or when we get it, it be- comes our last birth [3] and One can worship Lalitha only if she wishes us to do so 1 Etymology 'Tripura' means 'the three cities,' and 'sundarī' means 'beautiful,' specifically a beautiful female. There- fore, her name means 'Beautiful (Goddess) of the Three Cities’.Etymologically, “Lalitha” means “She Who Plays”. In the root form (vyutpatti), the word “Lalitha” means “spontaneous” from which the meaning “easy or easy to attain” is derived and implicitly extends to “play”.She plays with her devotees just like mother plays with her child.Also the concept of maya(illusion) is re- ferred here.She is also called Maha Maya 2 Story Shiva is one of the trinity of Hindu pantheons, in charge of destruction. He married Sati, the daughter of Daksha. Daksha and Shiva did not get along and consequently Daksha did not invite Shiva for one of the great fire sac- rifices that he conducted. However Sati went to attend that function in spite of Shiva’s protest. Daksha insulted her husband and she jumped into the fire and ended her life. Consequently, at the behest of Shiva, Daksha was killed and later resurrected with a goat’s head. This inci- dent i.e. death of his wife upset Shiva and he entered into deep meditation. Sati reincarnated as Parvati, the daugh- ter of Himavat, king of the mountains, and his wife, the apsara Mena as a result of a boon given to them by Adi Para Sakthi (un-manifested form of Lalita Tripura Sun- dari or Nirguna Brahman). Naturally, Pārvatī sought and received Shiva as her husband. The devas faced an enemy in Tarakasura who had a boon that he could be killed only by a son of Shiva and Parvati.So for the purpose of begetting a son from Shiva and Parvati, the devas deputed Manmatha, the God of love.Manmatha shot his flower arrows to Shiva and Parvati in order to induce severe sexual feelings in them. Shiva in anger for being tricked, opened his third eye which reduced the God of love to ashes. The Devas and Rathi Devi, the wife of Manmatha requested Shiva to give life to Manmatha. Heeding their request Shiva stared at the ashes of Manmatha. From the ashes came Bhandasura, who made all the world impotent and ruled from the city called Shonitha pura. He started troubling the devas. The devas then sought the ad- vice of Sage Narada and Trinitys, who advised them to seek the help of Nirguna Brahman,the ultimate god head which is unmanifested i.e. Sat-Chit-Ananada (Truth- Consciousness-Bliss) .Nirguna Brahman took the shape of Maha Sambhu and Adi Parasakthi(who were unman- ifested and beyond the manifest Brahmanda) and ap- peared before them.Maha Sambhu and Adi Parasakthi agreed to take the form of Maha Kameswara and Lalita Tripura Sundari for the benefit of the universe.For this a maha yajna is made where the entire creation i.e. man- ifest universe is offered as the oblation and from the fire rose Maha Sambhu and Adi Parasakthi as Lalitha Tripura Sundari and Kameswara.Lalitha Tripura Sun- dari and Kameswara re-created the entire universe as it was before.She created Brahma and Lakshmi,Vishnu and Parvati,Shiva and Sarswati.Thus Vishnu came to be known as the brother of Parvati (i.e. incarnation of Lalita 1

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Sri Lalita TripurasundariForm of Moola prakriti - The supreme Mother Divine!

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  • Tripura Sundari

    Tripurasundari redirects here. For Nepalese village,see Tripurasundari (village).Lalita redirects here. For the gopi, related to Krishnaworship, see Lalita (gopi).

    Tripursundar ( - Beautiful (Goddess)of the Three Cities) orMah-Tripurasundar (GreatBeautiful (Goddess) of the Three Cities), also calledhoahi (Sixteen), Lalit (She Who Plays[1]) andRjarjevar (Queen of Queens, Supreme Ruler),is one of the group of ten goddesses of Hindu belief,collectively called Mahavidyas or Dasha-Mahavidyas.Sheis the foremost and the most important in Dasha-Mahavidyas.All other Mahavidyas concludes in her vidyai.e. Sri Vidya. Her consort is Maha Kameswara.Sheis the highest aspect of Goddess Adi Shakti.Parvati isthe complete incarnation of Lalita Maha Tripura Sun-dari.Tripurasundari is the primary goddess associatedwith the Shakta Tantric tradition known as Sri VidyaAs Shodashi, Tripurasundari is represented as a sixteen-year-old girl, and is believed to embody sixteen types ofdesire. Shodashi also refers to the sixteen syllable mantra,which consists of the fifteen syllable (panchadasakshari)mantra plus a final seed syllable. The Shodashi Tantrarefers to Shodashi as the Beauty of the Three Cities, orTripurasundari.[2] There is a very popular saying amongSri Vidya tradition is that one has to be verily Shiva him-self or in ones last birth to get Sri vidya. Since we are notShiva, it has to be the last birth or when we get it, it be-comes our last birth[3] and One can worship Lalitha onlyif she wishes us to do so

    1 Etymology

    'Tripura' means 'the three cities,' and 'sundar' means'beautiful,' specifically a beautiful female. There-fore, her name means 'Beautiful (Goddess) of theThree Cities.Etymologically, Lalitha means She WhoPlays. In the root form (vyutpatti), the word Lalithameans spontaneous from which the meaning easyor easy to attain is derived and implicitly extends toplay.She plays with her devotees just like mother playswith her child.Also the concept of maya(illusion) is re-ferred here.She is also called Maha Maya

    2 Story

    Shiva is one of the trinity of Hindu pantheons, in chargeof destruction. He married Sati, the daughter of Daksha.Daksha and Shiva did not get along and consequentlyDaksha did not invite Shiva for one of the great fire sac-rifices that he conducted. However Sati went to attendthat function in spite of Shivas protest. Daksha insultedher husband and she jumped into the fire and ended herlife. Consequently, at the behest of Shiva, Daksha waskilled and later resurrected with a goats head. This inci-dent i.e. death of his wife upset Shiva and he entered intodeep meditation. Sati reincarnated as Parvati, the daugh-ter of Himavat, king of the mountains, and his wife, theapsara Mena as a result of a boon given to them by AdiPara Sakthi (un-manifested form of Lalita Tripura Sun-dari or Nirguna Brahman). Naturally, Prvat sought andreceived Shiva as her husband.The devas faced an enemy in Tarakasura who had aboon that he could be killed only by a son of Shivaand Parvati.So for the purpose of begetting a son fromShiva and Parvati, the devas deputed Manmatha, theGod of love.Manmatha shot his flower arrows to Shivaand Parvati in order to induce severe sexual feelingsin them. Shiva in anger for being tricked, opened histhird eye which reduced the God of love to ashes. TheDevas and Rathi Devi, the wife of Manmatha requestedShiva to give life to Manmatha. Heeding their requestShiva stared at the ashes of Manmatha. From the ashescame Bhandasura, who made all the world impotent andruled from the city called Shonitha pura. He startedtroubling the devas. The devas then sought the ad-vice of Sage Narada and Trinitys, who advised them toseek the help of Nirguna Brahman,the ultimate god headwhich is unmanifested i.e. Sat-Chit-Ananada (Truth-Consciousness-Bliss) .Nirguna Brahman took the shapeof Maha Sambhu and Adi Parasakthi(who were unman-ifested and beyond the manifest Brahmanda) and ap-peared before them.Maha Sambhu and Adi Parasakthiagreed to take the form of Maha Kameswara and LalitaTripura Sundari for the benefit of the universe.For this amaha yajna is made where the entire creation i.e. man-ifest universe is offered as the oblation and from thefire rose Maha Sambhu and Adi Parasakthi as LalithaTripura Sundari and Kameswara.Lalitha Tripura Sun-dari and Kameswara re-created the entire universe asit was before.She created Brahma and Lakshmi,Vishnuand Parvati,Shiva and Sarswati.Thus Vishnu came to beknown as the brother of Parvati (i.e. incarnation of Lalita

    1

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripurasundari_(village)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gopihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaishnavismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaishnavismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalita_(gopi)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_mythologyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahavidyahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahavidyahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Vidyahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_Shaktihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parvatihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Vidyahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shodashihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shodashihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shivahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shivahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sati_(goddess)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakshahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parvatihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himavathttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarakasurahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shivahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parvatihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shivahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parvatihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manmathahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manmathahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shivahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parvatihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnuhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parvati
  • 2 5 BHANDASURA

    or Adi Para Sakthi )

    3 Physical Description

    She is described as extremely beautiful, having dark thicklong hair with the scent of Champaka, Asoka and Pun-naga flowers. She had the musk thilaka on her forehead,eyelids which appeared as if they were the gate of thehouse of the God of love, and having eyes like fish play-ing in the lake of her face. She had a nose with studs thatshone more than the stars, ears with the sun and moon asstuds, cheeks which were like the mirror of Padmaraga,beautiful rows of white teeth, and she was chewing Tham-boola with camphor. She had a voice sweeter than thesound emanating from Veena of Sarswathi, and havingsuch a beautiful smile that Shiva himself could not takehis eyes off her. She was wearing Mangala soothra andnecklaces, with beautiful breasts which were capable ofbuying the invaluable love of Kameswara,having wisps ofbeautiful hair raising from her belly, her stomach havingthree pretty folds, and she was wearing red silk tied with astring with red bells. She had thighs which steal the heartof Kameshwara, knees which looked like crowns madeof precious gems, voluptuous legs, upper part of the feetresembling the backs of tortoises, feet which resembledlamps made of gems which could dispel worries from themind of devotees and a body with the golden red color.She was given in marriage to Kameshwara by Trimurtisas priests of the wedding, Varhai and kurukulla stands inthe position of her father andmother, Vishnu stands in theposition of her brother and made to stay in Nagara(city)at the top of Maha Meru Mountain.Thus Vishnu came tobe known as her brother and Varhai and Kurkulla devi asher parents (literally, as she has no father & mother i.e.self-born)

    4 Abode

    Her abode,also called Nagara(city) had 25 streets circlingit, made of iron, steel, copper, and lead. An alloy made offive metals, silver, gold, the white Pushpa raga stone, thered Padmaraga stone, onyx, diamond, Vaidoorya, Indraneela (topaz), pearl, Marakatha, coral, nine gems and amixture of gems and precious stones. In the eighth streetwas a forest of Kadambas. This is presided by Syamala.In the fifteenth street lived the Ashta Dik palakas. In thesixteenth lived Varahi alias Dandini who was her com-mander in chief. Here Syamala also had a house. Inthe seventeenth street lived the different Yoginis. In theeighteenth street lived Maha Vishnu. In the nineteenthstreet lived Esana, in the twentieth Thara Devi, twentyfirst Varuni, the twenty second Kurukulla who presidesover the fort of pride, twenty third Marthanda Bhairawa,twenty fourth the moon and twenty fifth Manmatha pre-siding over the forest of love.

    4.1 Center of City

    In the center of Nagara is the Maha Padma Vana (thegreat lotus forest) and within it the Chintamani Griha(The house of holy thought), in the north east is theChid agni kunda and on both sides of its eastern gateare the houses of Manthrini and Dhandini. On its fourgates stand the Chaduramnaya gods for watch and ward.Within it is the chakra. In the center of the Chakra onthe throne of Pancha brahmas on the Bindu Peeta (dotplank) called sarvanandamaya (universal happiness) sitsMaha Tripura Sundari. In the chakra are the follow-ing decorations viz., the square called Trilokya mohanam(most beautiful in the three worlds), The sixteen petaledlotus called Sarvasa paripoorakam (fulfiller of all desires),the eight petaled lotus called Sarvasamksopanam (the allcleanser), the sixteen cornered figure called Sarva sow-bagyam (all luck), the external ten cornered figure calledSarvartha sadhakam (giver of all assets), the internal tencornered figure called Sarva raksha karam (All protec-tor), the eight cornered figure called Sarva roga haram(cure of all diseases), the triangle called Sarva siddhipradam (giver of all powers) and the dot called Sar-vananda mayam (all pleasures).

    5 Bhandasura

    The devas prayed to her to kill Bhandasura. When shestarted for the war with Bandasura, she was accompa-nied by the powers called anima, mahima, Brahmi, Kau-mari, Vaishnavi, Varahi, Mahendri, Chamundi, MahaLakshmi, Nitya Devaths and Avarna Devathas who oc-cupy the chakra. While Sampatkari was the captain ofthe elephant regiment, Aswarooda was the captain of thecavalry. The army was commanded by Dhandini rid-ing on the chariot called Giri Chakra assisted by Man-thrini riding on the chariot called Geya Chakra. Jwalamalini protected the army by creating a fire ring aroundit. Lailita Tripura Sundari rode in the center on the char-iot of Chakra. Nithya destroyed a large chunk of Ban-dasuras armies, Bala killed the son of Bandasura, andManthrini and Dhandini killed his brothers called Vis-hanga and Vishukra. When the asuras created a block-ade for the marching army, Lalitha Tripura sundari cre-ated Ganesha with the help of Kameshwara to remove theblockade. Then Bandasura created the asuras called Hi-ranyaksha, Hiranya Kasipu and Ravana. She killed all hisarmy using Pasupathastra and killed him with Kamesh-warasthra. The gods then praised her. She then recre-ated Manmatha for the good of the world. This story iscontained in the first 84 names of the first 34 slokas ofLalitha sahasranama. All together it contains one thou-sand names. This is also called the Rahasya Nama Sa-hasra (the thousand secret names). Reading it, meditat-ing on the meaning of the names would lead to the fulfill-ment of all the wishes of the devotees.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champakahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asokahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padmaragahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnuhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnuhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padmaragahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onyxhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topazhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maha_Vishnuhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manmathahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhandasurahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganeshahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astra_(weapon)
  • 6.2 Structure 3

    6 Lalita Sahasranama

    Lalita Sahasranama contains a thousand names of theHindu mother goddess Lalita.[4] The names are organizedin a hymns (stotras). It is the only sahasranama that doesnot repeat a single name. Further, in order to maintain themeter, sahasranamass use the artifice of adding wordslike tu, api, ca, and hi, which are conjunctions that donot necessarily add to the meaning of the name exceptin cases of interpretation. The Lalita sahasranama doesnot use any such auxiliary conjunctions and is unique inbeing an enumeration of holy names that meets the met-rical, poetical and mystic requirements of a sahasranamaby their order throughout the text.Lalita Sahasranama begins by calling the goddess ShriMata (the great mother), Shri Maharajni (the great queen)and Shrimat Simhasaneshwari (the queen sitting on thelion-throne).[5] In verses 2 and 3 of the Sahasranama sheis described as a Udayatbhanu Sahasrabha (the one whois as bright as the rays of thousand rising suns), Chatur-bahu Samanvita (the one who has four hands) and Ragas-varupa Pashadhya (the one who is holding the rope).[6]Chidagnikunda Sambhuta (one who was born from the al-tar of the fire of consciousness) and Devakarya samudy-ata (one who manifested Herself for fulfilling the objectsof the devas) are among other names mentioned in thesahasranama.

    6.1 Composition

    Lalitha sahasranama is said to have been composed byeight vak devis (vaag devathas) upon the command ofLalitha. These vaag devis are Vasini, Kameshwari, Mod-hinee, Vimala, Aruna, Jayinee, Sarveshwari, Koulini.The sahasranama says that One can worship Lalithaonly if she wishes us to do so. The text is a dia-logue between Hayagriva, an (avatar) of Mahavishnu andthe sage Agastya. The temple at Thirumeyachur,nearKumbakonam is said to be where Agastya was initiatedinto this sahasranama. Another alternative version is theUpanishad Bramham Mutt at kanchipuram is where thisinitiation happened.This sahasranama is held as a sacred text for the worshipof the Divine Mother, Lalita, and is used in the worshipof Durga, Parvati, Kali, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Bhagavathi,etc. A principal text of Shakti worshipers, it names hervarious attributes, and these names are organized in theform of a hymn. This sahasranama is used in variousmodes for the worship of the DivineMother. Some of themodes of worship are parayana (Recitations), archana,homa etc.This stotra (hymn of praise) occurs in the Brahmanda Pu-rana (history of the universe) in the chapter on discussionbetween Hayagreeva and Agasthya. Hayagreeva is an in-carnation of Vishnu with the head of a horse who is heldto be the storehouse of knowledge. Agasthya is one of

    the sages of yore and one of the stars of the constella-tion Saptarshi (Ursa major). At the request of Agasthya,Hayagreeva is said to have taught him the thousand holi-est names of Lalita. This has been conveyed to us by thesage Maharishi Vyasa. Lalitha Sahasranama is the onlysahasranama composed by vag devatas under Lalithas di-rection. All the other sahasranamas are said to have beencomposed by Maharishi Vyasa.

    6.2 Structure

    The slokas are organized in such a way that Devi is de-scribed from Head to Feet (kesadhi padham).There arebasically five works (pancha krtyam). They are creation(srishti), protection (sthiti), destruction (samharam), hid-ing (thirudhanam) and blessing (anugraham). Devi her-self has been described as pancha krtya parayana in thesloka and the five tasks are described as follows:This means Devi is the aspect of Brahma, while creat-ing srshti, aspect of Vishnu while sustaining sthiti, as-pect of Rudra during dissolution samhara.These five enti-ties (Brahmma, Vishnu, Rudra, Isvara and Sadasiva) areknown as pancha-brahma. Lalitha has designated thefive functions to these brahmam. Sometimes, Devi willtake away the life from these five brahmmam and makethem inactive, performing all the five tasks herself. Atthat time they will be called pancha pretam that is life-less bodies.The first three slokas are:srimata, the (greatmother) Srshti; sri maharajni the (great ruler) Sthithi; sri-mat simhasaneswari the (one who sits on the simhasanamand manages) Samharam. Here there is no direct refer-ence to samharam. But managing here includes creatingbalance between birth and death.The rest of the slokascover thirodhanam and anugraham.The next namas - chidhagnikunda sambhutha devakaryasamudhyatha tells us that devi arose from the fire ofknowledge to help devas in their task (war against asuras -bhandasura).From the namAa- Udhyath bhanu sahasrabatill sinjanamani manjeera manditha sree padambuja, allher parts like her face, fore head, eyes, mouth, tongue,voice, hands, hip, legs have been described.Thereafter,Devis place (Chintamani gruham), her war against ban-dasura, kundalini shakti, her properties (such as who canreach her and who cannot, etc.) have been described.TheGeneral picture of the Goddess depicts a Parrot anda Sugarcane stick with her. Sugarcane represents thesweetness of her mind.[7]

    7 Srichakra

    In the Shri Vidya school of Hindu tantra, the Sri Yantra("sacred instrument"), also Sri Chakra is a diagramformed by nine interlocking triangles that surround andradiate out from the central (bindu) point. It representsthe goddess in her form of Shri Lalita Or Tripura Sundari,

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stotrashttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahasranamahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deva_(Hinduism)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vimala_Templehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayagrivahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatarhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahavishnuhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agastyahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumbakonamhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanchipuramhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durgahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parvatihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakshmihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saraswatihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavathihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaktismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archana_(Hinduism)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homa_(ritual)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmanda_Puranahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmanda_Puranahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayagreevahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agasthyahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnuhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursa_majorhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vyasahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vyasahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slokashttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srishtihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sthitihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anugrahamhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhandasurahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shri_Vidyahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_tantrahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yantrahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chakrahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bindu_(symbol)
  • 4 9 ICONOGRAPHY

    The Sri Yantra in diagrammatic form, showing how its nine in-terlocking triangles form a total of 43 smaller triangles.

    the beauty of the three worlds (earth,atmosphere andsky(heaven)"(Bhoo, Bhuva and Swa). The worship of theSri Chakra is central to the Shri Vidya system of Hinduworship. Four isosceles triangles with the apices upwards,representing Shiva or the Masculine. Five isosceles trian-gles with the apices downward, symbolizing female em-bodiment Shakti. Thus the Sri Yantra also represents theunion of Masculine and Feminine Divine. Because it iscomposed of nine triangles, it is known as the NavayoniChakra.[8] These nine triangles are of various sizes andintersect with one another. In the middle is the powerpoint (bindu), visualizing the highest, the invisible, elu-sive centre from which the entire figure and the cosmosexpand. The triangles are enclosed by two rows of (8 and16) petals, representing the lotus of creation and repro-ductive vital force. The broken lines of the outer framedenote the figure to be a sanctuary with four openings tothe regions of the universe.[9]

    In a recent issue of Brahmavidya, the journal of theAdyar Library, Subhash Kak argues that the descriptionof Sri Yantra is identical to the yantra described in thevetvatara Upanisad.[10]

    Together the nine triangles are interlaced in such a wayas to form 43 smaller triangles in a web symbolic of theentire cosmos or a womb symbolic of creation. Togetherthey express Advaita or non-duality. This is surroundedby a lotus of eight petals, a lotus of sixteen petals, and anearth square resembling a temple with four doors.[8] Thevarious deities residing in the nine layers of the Sri Yantraare described in the Devi Khadgamala Mantra.[11]

    The Shri Chakra is also known as the nava chakra be-cause it can also be seen as having nine levels. Ninecomes from Nava of Sanskrit. Each level correspondsto a mudra, a yogini, and a specific form of the De-ity Tripura Sundari along with her mantra. These levels

    starting from the outside or bottom layer are:[8]

    1. Trailokya Mohana or Bhupara, a square of threelines with four portals

    2. Sarva Aasa Paripuraka, a sixteen-petal lotus

    3. Sarva Sankshobahana, an eight-petal lotus

    4. Sarva Saubhagyadayaka, composed of fourteensmall triangles

    5. Sara Arthasadhaka, composed of ten small triangles

    6. Sarva Rakshakara, composed of ten small triangles

    7. Sarva Rogahara, composed of eight small triangles

    8. Sarva Siddhiprada, composed of 1 small triangle

    9. Sarva Anandamaya, composed of a point or bindu

    The Sri Chakra (called the Shri Yantra) is the symbol ofHindu tantra, which is based on the Hindu philosophy ofKashmir Shaivism. The Sri Yantra is the object of devo-tion in Sri Vidya.The two dimensional Sri Chakra, when it is projected intothree dimensions is called a Maha Meru (Mount Meru).

    8 References in Hindu literature

    The Lalitha Sahasranama describes her as extremelymer-ciful and leads a devotee to liberation.The Soundarya Lahari of Adi Shankaracharya deals ex-haustively about the nature of the Goddess and her wor-ship.The Lalitopakyana tells of the epic battle between herforces and the forces of the arch-demon Bhandasura.The Tripura Sundari Ashtakam by Adi Shankaracharyadescribes her as a Mother wearing a blue and red-spotteddress and holding a pot of honey[12]

    9 Iconography

    Tripurasundari is described as being of dusky, red, orgolden in color, depending on the meditational form, andin union with Shiva. The couple are traditionally por-trayed on a bed, a throne, or a pedestal that is upheld byBrahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Ishana(another form of Shiva,depicted in the Tantras) and Sadashiva forming the plank.She holds five arrows of flowers, a noose, a goad and asugarcane as a bow. The noose represents attachment,the goad represents repulsion, the sugarcane bow repre-sents the mind and the arrows are the five sense objects.Bala Tripurasundari is a goddess, depicted as an indepen-dent young pre pubescent goddess who is 9 years of age,

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shivahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaktihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adyar_Libraryhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subhash_Kakhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shvetashvatara_Upanishadhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advaitahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-dualityhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khadgamalahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrithttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudrahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoginihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantrahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_tantrahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_philosophyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmir_Shaivismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Meruhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalitha_Sahasranamahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundarya_Laharihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_Shankaracharyahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhandasurahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_Shankaracharyahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shivahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnuhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudrahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishanahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bala_Tripurasundari
  • 5

    also known as a kumari. She is said to be the daugh-ter of Lalita Maha Tripurasundari and Kameswara. BalaTripurasundaris mantra and yantra differs completelyfrom that of Maha Tripurasundari. The only Temple ofBala Tripurasundari Bhagawati is located at Tripurakotof Dolpa district of Nepal where Adi Shankaracharyahad prayed and worshipped due to renowned exaltationof Bala Tripurasundari Bhagawati Temple. Tripurasun-dari is also worshipped as the Sri Yantra, which is con-sidered by practitioners of Sri Vidya to be a more truerepresentation of the goddess.Tripurasundari combines in her being Kali's determina-tion and Durgas charm, grace, and complexion. She hasa third eye on her forehead. Usually four-armed and cladin red, the richly bejeweled Tripurasundari sits on a lotusseat laid on a golden throne. An aura of royalty charac-terizes her overall bearing and ambiance.

    10 Influences on Indian Historyand Culture

    The Indian state of Tripura derives its name from the god-dess Tripura Sundari.Kashmiri Pandits have a collection of five ancient hymns,collectively known as Panchastavi, that were composedages ago in praise of Tripura Sundari. These ancienthymns still remain very popular among this commu-nity. Panchastavi was translated into Kashmiri by therenowned Kashmiri scholar, Pandit Jia Lal Saraf, whichit remains popular among Kashmiris to this day.Sri Ramakrishna worshipped his wife Ma Sarada Devi asTripura Sundari during their lives.

    11 Temples dedicated to worship ofMother Tripura Sundari

    Her most important temple is the Kanchi Kamakshi tem-ple in Kanchipuram,Tamil Nadu. Kanchipuram is one ofthe moksha puris.Sagu Durvasa done intense penance inKanchipuram and the pleased Lalita Tripura Sundari ap-peared and agrees to reside in Kanchi for the benefit ofher devotees.Sage Durvasa installed the Sri Chakra in thistemple.It is also the place of Kanchi Kamakoti mandali.Her temple, the Tripura Sundari temple is located on topof the hills near Radhakishorepur village, a little distanceaway from Udaipur town and in Banaswara, Rajasthan.In West Bengal, there is a temple of Ma Tripura SundariDevi located in Boral, near Garia.In Madhya Pradesh,Jabalpur, there is Tripura Sundari temple about 12 kmfrom city on Bhedaghat road in village Tewar.In the out-skirts of Chennai, is the Shri Tirusoolanathar Tripurasun-dari temple, an ancient temple built by Kulothunga Chola

    I in the 11th century. The Trisula Nathar Temple is ded-icated to Sri Shiva as Trisula Nathar and Divine MotherShakti as Tripura Sundari Amman.[13][14]

    There are literally countless temples dedicated to TripuraSundari in India and most of them are located in SouthIndia

    12 See also Parvati

    Shakti

    Sri Chakra

    Pandit Jia Lal Saraf

    Lalita Sahasranama

    13 Notes[1] Frawley, David: Tantric Yoga and the Wisdom God-

    desses, page 89. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, reprint2005

    [2] Danielou, Alain (1991). The Myths and Gods of India.Rochester, Vermont: Inner Traditions International. p.278.

    [3] SriVidya the secret path. Retrieved May 12, 2015.

    [4] Dalal, Roshen (2010). The Religions of India: A ConciseGuide to Nine Major Faiths. Penguin Books India. p. 207.ISBN 978-0-14-341517-6.

    [5] Venkatasubramanian, Krishnaswamy (1999). The Spec-trum: festschrift, essays in honor of Dr. K. Venkatasubra-manian. Variant Communications. p. 343.

    [6] Deshpande, Madhusudan Narhar (1986). The Caves ofPanhle-Kj, Ancient Pranlaka: An Art Historical Studyof Transition from Hinayana, Tantric Vajrayana to NathSampradya (third to Fourteenth Century A.D.). Archae-ological Survey of India, Government of India. p. 108.

    [7] Tripura Sundari

    [8] Shankaranarayanan, S. (1979). Sri Chakr (3rd ed.). DiptiPublications.

    [9] Kuiper, K (2011). Understanding India: The Cultureof India. Britannica Educational Publishing. ISBN9781615302031.

    [10] http://ikashmir.net/subhashkak/docs/SriChakra.pdf Sub-hash Kak, The Great Goddess Lalit and the r Cakra.Brahmavidy: The Adyar Library Bulletin, vol. 72-73,pp. 155-172, 2008-2009

    [11] http://sripoornamahameru.org/downloads/

    [12] http://www.stutimandal.com/gif_adi/tripura_sundari_ashtakam.htm

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumari_(children)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantrahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yantrahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolpa_districthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepalhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_Shankaracharyahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Yantrahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Vidyahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durgahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/States_and_territories_of_Indiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripurahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmiri_Panditshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandit_Jia_Lal_Sarafhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Ramakrishnahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarada_Devihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripura_Sundari_templehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jabalpurhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennaihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kulothunga_Chola_Ihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kulothunga_Chola_Ihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parvatihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaktihttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Chakrahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandit_Jia_Lal_Sarafhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lalita_Sahasranamahttp://shaktisadhana.50megs.com/Newhomepage/Frames/messageboard/Srividya5.htmlhttp://books.google.com/books?id=pNmfdAKFpkQC&pg=PA207http://books.google.com/books?id=pNmfdAKFpkQC&pg=PA207https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-14-341517-6http://books.google.com/books?id=OGOcAAAAMAAJhttp://books.google.com/books?id=OGOcAAAAMAAJhttp://books.google.com/books?id=OGOcAAAAMAAJhttp://books.google.com/books?id=hRNuAAAAMAAJhttp://books.google.com/books?id=hRNuAAAAMAAJhttp://books.google.com/books?id=hRNuAAAAMAAJhttp://books.google.com/books?id=hRNuAAAAMAAJhttp://eb.pdn.ipublishcentral.com/product/culture-indiahttp://eb.pdn.ipublishcentral.com/product/culture-indiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781615302031http://ikashmir.net/subhashkak/docs/SriChakra.pdfhttp://sripoornamahameru.org/downloads/http://www.stutimandal.com/gif_adi/tripura_sundari_ashtakam.htmhttp://www.stutimandal.com/gif_adi/tripura_sundari_ashtakam.htm
  • 6 16 EXTERNAL LINKS

    [13] http://drlsravi.blogspot.in/2013/08/shri-tirusoolanathar-tripurasundari.html

    [14] http://www.tamilbrahmins.com/temples-pilgrimage/14934-tirusula-nathar-temple-trisulam-chennai-suburb.html

    14 References Brooks, Douglas R. (1990), The Secret of the ThreeCities: An Introduction to Hindu Sakta Tantrism,Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press

    Brooks, Douglas R. (1992), Auspicious Wisdom, Al-bany: State University of New York Press

    Kinsley, David (1997), Tantric Visions of the DivineFeminine: The TenMahavidyas, NewDelhi: MotilalBanarsidass, ISBN 978-0-520-20499-7

    books released by Sathguru sri seshadri swamigalbrindavanam trust ( regd) web site:www.seshadri.info

    15 Further reading Kinsley, David. Hindu Goddesses: Vision of theDivine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Traditions.Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998.

    Dikshitar, V.R. Ramachandra. The Lalita Cult.Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt Ltd,1991.

    16 External links Lalita Tripura Sundari Mantra Sadhana

    Ma Tripursundari

    Tripursundari Sadhana

    The Lalita Cult

    http://drlsravi.blogspot.in/2013/08/shri-tirusoolanathar-tripurasundari.htmlhttp://drlsravi.blogspot.in/2013/08/shri-tirusoolanathar-tripurasundari.htmlhttp://www.tamilbrahmins.com/temples-pilgrimage/14934-tirusula-nathar-temple-trisulam-chennai-suburb.htmlhttp://www.tamilbrahmins.com/temples-pilgrimage/14934-tirusula-nathar-temple-trisulam-chennai-suburb.htmlhttp://www.tamilbrahmins.com/temples-pilgrimage/14934-tirusula-nathar-temple-trisulam-chennai-suburb.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motilal_Banarsidasshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motilal_Banarsidasshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-520-20499-7http://www.docstoc.com/docs/73481856/Shri-Vidya-Tripursundari-Shodashi-Balasundari-Panchadasi-Mantra-Puja-Vidhihttp://www.scribd.com/doc/52852235/Param-Devi-Sukt-of-Ma-Tripursundarihttp://www.scribd.com/doc/16314718/tripursundari-sadhnahttp://books.google.com/books?id=9itsZ4JcYyoC&pg=PA1&ots=NsXt4XoDIQ&dq=lalita&sig=el4BtoXlHKFU9nkqi6neowNSFjo#PPA2,M1
  • 7

    17 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

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