Saundaryalaharī (1-10)

Saundaryalaharī consisting one hundred verses was composed by Ādi Śaṁkarācārya in praise of Supreme Goddess Śaktī. Saundaryalaharī has two parts. The first part has 41 verses and this part is known as Ānandalaharī and the next part consisting of 59 verses is known as Saundaryalaharī. Ānandalaharī deals exhaustively with the Bliss attained while worshipping Her and the next 59 verses dwell on Her physical description that can be explained both grossly and subtly.

Verse 1

Śivaḥ śaktyā yukto yadi bhavati śaktaḥ prabhavituṁ
na cedevaṁ devo na khalu kuśalaḥ spanditumapi|
Atastvāmārādhyāṁ hariharaviriñcādibhirapi
praṇantuṁ stotuṁ vā kathamakṛtapuṇyaḥ prabhavati||
शिवः शक्त्या युक्तो यदि भवति शक्तः प्रभवितुं
न चेदेवं देवो न खलु कुशलः स्पन्दितुमपि।
अतस्त्वामारध्यां हरिहरविरिञ्चादिभिरपि
प्रणन्तुं स्तोतुं वा कथमकृतपुण्यः प्रभवति॥
 Śivaḥ - tāntric Śiva i.e. God Himself; yadi - if; yuktaḥ - joined with; Śaktyā – Śakti; bhavati – becomes; śaktaḥ - capable of; prabhavituṁ - manifesting; (but)  ced – if; na - He is not; evam - thus (i.e. if He is not united with Śakti); devaḥ - Śiva;  na khalu  api - is certainly not even; kuśalaḥ  - able; spanditum - to vibrate; Atas - For this reason; katham – how; akṛtapuṇyaḥ  - is the one who has not accomplished meritorious acts;  prabhavati - able to; praṇantuṁ  - bow; vā – or; stotuṁ – praise; tvām  - You; ārādhyām  - who are to be worshiped; api – even; by hari -Viṣṇu;  hara - purānic Śiva; viriñca – Brahmā; api – etc.
Meaning of this verse: Śiva becomes inert without Śaktī. When Śiva is not united with Śaktī, He cannot manifest the universe. Because of Her functional nature, Divine Mother becomes supremely important. Even gods and goddesses find it difficult to bow before Her and sing Her praise.
Śiva is Self-illuminating.  Without His existence, the universe will be plunged into darkness. Śiva is present in prakāśa (illuminating) form.  Prakāśa can be explained as visible, shining, universally noted, brightness, lustre, splendour, etc.  Śaktī is His vimarśa form.  Vimarśa can be explained as reasoning, knowledge, consideration, reflecting etc.  In spite of Śiva being the grandeur amongst the cognized existences, He cannot realize His own incomparable splendour without something that is able to reflect His grandeur.  This is like a human not able to see his own form without an object that is capable of reflecting his image.  Śaktī acts like a reflecting mirror where Śiva is able to realise His Reality, like a mirror reflecting the image of a person who stands before it.  Pure consciousness is Śiva and realizing the Pure Consciousness is Śaktī.  If Śiva is not present, the consciousness itself does not exist.  If Śaktī is not present, the presence of consciousness cannot be realised.  In the state of prakāśa ‘I’ and ‘This’ stand united and in the vimarśa aspect ‘This’ is separated from ‘I’.  Therefore prakāśa aspect is ‘I + This’ and vimarśa aspect is ‘This’ alone.  ‘I’ is the origin of the universe and ‘This’ is the expansion of the universe. Śiva is cit and Śaktī is citi.  Cit means foundational consciousness and citi means the consciousness that brings about cognitive operations. Śaktī segregates I and This.  Without Śaktī this vital segregation cannot take place. Śiva causes the initial pulsation for creation that is carried forward by Śaktī.  Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad describes this Supreme Consciousness as ekātmapratyayasāram and the worldly process as Prapañca.
Śaktī pushes forward the throb created by Śiva through different principles or tattva-s (thirty six, where Śiva is tattva one and Śaktī is tattva two) and sustains it through Her māyā or illusion.  Māyā is the sole factor that separates a soul from the Brahman.  She is the manifested conglutination of Śiva and Śaktī and therefore She is both the seed and the sprout.  This also drives home the point that for creation, two objects are required.  For example, a soul alone cannot be born on its own.  It has to come into contact with prakṛti or Nature in order to manifest.  Procreation is not possible without conjugation of masculine and feminine energies. 
Moving on from the perceptible to subtle, a lot more is said about Their subtle conjugation.  They are referred as two bindu-s (dots), white and red, denoting Śiva and Śaktī respectively.  These two bindu-s in mutual conjunction expand and contract.  When they expand, the creation takes place by means of vāc (word) and artha (lit. meaning).  Vāc means the Śabda Brahman and artha means thirty six  tattva-s or principles.  These two bindu-s which enter one another are known as Kāma-Kāmeśvarī.  Śiva, the Supreme is in the form of the first alphabet of Sanskrit A (अ), is the cause of all sounds of Veda-s.  He attains the form of a bindu after having entered His own vimarśa form, Śaktī, in whom the entire universe is dissolved.  Like prakāśa form of bindu entering the vimarśa form of bindu, vimarśa form of bindu also enters prakāśa form of bindu, which is already within it.  As a result of this conjugation, a third bindu called as miśra bindu is born.  Miśra means combined.  Now there are three bindu-s, white, red and miśra.  These three bindu-s form a triangle, red and miśra are below and the white bindu is placed above them causing a perfect triangle.  The miśra bindu has all the tattva-s or principles within itself and is the cause for further creation.  This is the innermost triangle of Śrīcakra.  When these three dots are connected, the three connecting lines represent all the triads such as three guṇa-s, three stages of consciousness, icchā, jñāna and kriyā śaktī-s, etc.  This triangle becomes the cause for creation beginning with Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Rudra.  These three dots are also referred as sun (top), moon (right) and fire (left).  There is an inverted triangle below the three dots.  The three connecting lines of this lower triangle represent three kūṭa-s of Her Pañcadaśī mantra (nāmā 89).
Śiva and Śaktī together are known as Paramaśiva. Śiva alone has got independent power of autonomy, known as svātantraya śakti, which comprises of cit, ānanda, icchā, jñāna and kriyā śakti-s. These five śakti-s are known as Consciousness, Bliss, will, knowledge and action.  Śiva transfers His exclusive and independent power of autonomy, comprising of these five powers to Śaktī. Śiva always prefers to remain alone in a state of Bliss. He carves out His svātantraya śakti and transfers it to Śaktī. As He has transferred His Power to Her, this verse says that He cannot act without Her. It must be remembered that whatever power She has, they represent the Powers of Śiva only. She acts on behalf of Śiva alone. There is nothing in this universe that is not Śiva. Therefore, unless one understands Śaktī, he or she cannot realize Śiva, the Ultimate. She alone can reveal Śiva, says Lalitā Sahasranāma 727, Śivajñānapradāyinī.
In the process of creation, there are so many energies in action. For example, creation is taken care of by Brahmā, sustenance by Viṣṇu and death is caused by Rudra. These three are only the primary acts of the Divine. There are many other innumerable energies and every such energy is represented by a deity, either a god or a goddess. For example, water is under the control of Varuṇa, fire by Agni, etc.  All these acts are overseen by Śaktī. Without Her command, none of these gods and goddesses becomes active.
She is worshipped in Śrīcakra, where the Divine Couple, Śiva and Śaktī are seated in the central bindu (dot). Before worshipping Them in this bindu, all other gods and goddesses are worshipped in various coverings known as āvaraṇa-s. Only after obtaining the blessings of all other gods and goddesses, the Divine Couple can be worshipped. This concept is symbolically represented through Śrīcakra worship.
Lalitā Sahasranāma adores Her through 1000 nāma-s. This Supreme Sahasranāma was composed by eight Vāc Devi-s and these nāma-s highlight all Her activities. If one needs to understand Her, he or she should first understand the meaning of these nāma-s. For example the first nāma adores as the Supreme Mother and the last nāma reveals Her name as Lalitāmbikā. In between these nāma-s, She is adored for each of Her quality. Nāma 250 adores Her as pañca-brahma-svarūpiṇī. Pañca-brahma refers to Her five primary acts – creation, sustenance, death, annihilation and re-creation.
To sum up, this verse adores the Supreme Mother, who is ever compassionate, carrying out all the activities to sustain the universe. Those who have good karmas accrued over past births alone become capable of seeking Her through various forms of Her worship. When it is not easy for Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Purānic Śiva to worship Her, the kind of good karmas one needs to worship Her through Śrīvidyā Upāsana is subtly explained in this verse.

verse 2

तनीयांसं पांसुं तव चरण पङ्केरुहभवं
विरिञ्चिः संचिन्वन् विरचयति लोकानविकलम्।
वहत्येनं शौरिः कथमपि सहस्रेण शिरसां
हरः संक्षुद्यैनं भजति भसितोद्धूलनविधिम्॥
tanīyāṁsaṁ pāṁsuṁ tava caraṇa paṅkeruhabhavaṃ
viriñciḥ saṁcinvan viracayati lokānavikalam|
vahatyeanaṁ śauriḥ kathamapi sahasreṇa śirasāṁ
haraḥ saṁkṣudyainaṁ bhajati bhasitoddhūlanavidhim||
This verse further explains the Supremacy of Śaktī in upholding the universe, through various energies. Each of these energies is worshipped as gods and goddesses. For example, fire is worshipped as Agni, water is worshipped as Varuṇa, etc. All these energies function out of fear for Her. Kaṭha Upaniṣad (II.iii.2) says “The Brahman is like a thunderbolt (vajra) about to strike.” She strikes those who are delinquent in performing the prescribed duties. The sun shines fearing Her, the air blows fearing Her. Kaṭha Upaniṣad (II.iii.3) explains this; “From fear of Brahman, fire gives heat. Out of terror, the sun shines. Afraid of It, Indra, Vāyu and Yama rush to perform their respective duties.” Every action that happens in this universe is headed by a god or goddesses and when they do not perform their duties, as prescribed, She wields Her thunderbolt. This establishes Her supremacy.
These gods and goddesses perform their duties out of specific powers given by Her. For example, Varuṇa presides only over water and water bodies and he cannot control Agni or fire. Though She assigns duties to different gods and goddesses, She being omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient, knows what is happening around Her. Hence, She is feared for. No action in this universe can take place without Her knowledge. This is the exclusive quality of the Brahman.
This verse specifically adores Her feet. Her feet (caraṇa) are compared to a lotus flower. Generally eyes are compared to lotus. Here, Her sacred feet are compared to a lotus, not merely because of the beauty, but also for the rosy complexion of Her feet, which also means presaging good fortune. In Śrī Vidyā cult, great importance is attached to Her sacred feet. She is worshipped in the bindu of Śrīcakrā. Before reaching the central point of Śrīcakrā, which is the bindu, one has to worship different goddesses known as āvaraṇa devi-s. These devi-s’ feet are worshipped before reaching Her, who is worshipped as Parābhaṭṭārikā in the bindu as “śrīlalitā mahātripurasundari-parābhaṭṭārikā śrīpādukāṁ pūjayāmi tarpayāmi namaḥ श्रीललिता महात्रिपुरसुन्दरि-पराभट्टारिका श्रीपादुकां पूजयामि तर्पयामि नमः”
This verse is full of poetic parlance. Śaṁkarācārya while composing this verse probably was having Her direct vision, particularly Her sacred and radiant feet and would have overcome with Bliss. He says that the gods of creation, sustenance and destruction – Brahmā, Viṣṇu (Śauri) and Śiva collect the dust on Her feet. Here dust (pāṃsu) means pollen grains of the flowers She wears. She is fond of kadamba flowers, says Lalitā-Sahasranāma 323. {There are said to be five types of sacred trees and kadamba tree is one among them.  These five sacred trees represent the four components of antaḥkaraṇa viz. mind, intellect, consciousness and ego and the fifth being the heart where the soul is said to reside (Some modern interpretations point out that the soul resides within the pineal gland, the gland of divinity).  The aroma of these flowers is compared to the modifications of the mind.} 
By collecting these dust particles, Brahmā creates fourteen worlds (seven upper and seven lower), Viṣṇu sustains the universe and Śiva causes death and destruction. Dust particles can also be explained as infinite individual souls, the cause for all that exists in the universe. Without soul a body cannot exist. Therefore, it is implied that these three God heads create, sustain and dissolve the beings by collecting the souls from Her feet. Further,  Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva should not be taken as gods but as the symbols of the triads. She is present in all the triads.  There are many triads - past, present and future; Brahma, Viṣṇu and Rudra; creation, sustenance and dissolution; the three letters of ॐ a, u and m; the three types of karma-s prārabdha, sañcita āgāmya or kriyamāṇa; three guṇa-s – sattva, rajas and tams; icchā, jñāna and kriyā śaktī-s, etc. Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa (21.36 – 38) says “In You reside the three mātra-s of time (short, long and medium), O Goddess, all that exists and does not exist, the three worlds, the three Veda-s, the three sciences, the three fires, the three lights, three colours, the three qualities, the three sounds and the three āśrama-s, (house holder, anchorite and sannyās) the three times and the three states of life, the three types of pitṛ-s (Vasu, Rudra and Āditya), day-night and the rest.  This trinity of standards in your form Oh! Goddess”
When the third person (nara or a human being), the second person (Śaktī) and the first person (Śiva) are used together, simultaneously there is the absorption of the lower into the higher because it is the higher that contains the truth of the lower.  This means that Śiva aspect prevails in Śaktī aspect and Śaktī aspect prevails in nara aspect.  Thus Śiva aspect prevails all over.  Nara-rūpa (rūpa means form) first rises to Śaktī rūpa and then to Śiva rūpa. Nara rūpa cannot rise to Śiva rūpa, leaving aside the intervening Śaktī rūpa. This is the reason that Śiva always addresses Devi in the second person. This is known as Trika philosophy. Śiva is known as Prakāśa, Śaktī is known as Vimarśa and their sāmarasya (equipoise) is known as identity in difference, the living beings. This is the reason for adoring Her as the Supreme Mother.
All triads (tripura) are derived drom Ādi Śaktī.  Ādi Śaktī is the sum total of all the energy forms, the cause of material creation.  Time to time, this divine energy manifests itself in various forms and shapes that we are able to construe.  The entire universe is filled either with matter or with energy.  In other words, what we call as void is filled with gravitational force or electromagnetic fields.  It has been proved scientifically, that the universe was much smaller than it appears today and will expand further leading to the complete collapse known as annihilation.  The expansion of the universe stops at some point of time and the universe begins its contraction.  When the contraction is complete, the universe reaches its original state of Big Bang. Śaktī as the kinetic energy and as the Supreme administrator causes the conception, expansion and contraction, the three primary acts of Śaktī, hence She is known as Tripura Sundarī).  The kinetic energy is derived from the static energy or the original source of the Big Bang, known as Śiva.
To sum up, through this verse Śaṁkarācārya conveys the importance of triads that hold the universe together. All the triads are presided over by Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva. Śiva does not mean Her consort Paramaśiva, who passed on His unique and independent power of authority to Her. But for Paramaśiva, She Herself cannot exist. Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva contextually mean the three powers of creation, sustenance and dissolution and should not be taken as the Gods described in the Scriptures. However, these Gods control over all the triads and hold the universe as it stands today. Only because of their actions, the balance in the universe is maintained. When imbalance arises due to some destructive forces, the universe is annihilated by Paramaśiva, for which action, She alone stands as a witness. This is discussed in Saundaryalaharī verse 26. Lalitā-Sahasranāma 571 adores Her as Mahā-pralaya-sakṣiṇī महा-प्रलय-सक्षिणी.

verse 3

अविद्यानामन्तस्तिमिरमिहिरद्वीपनगरी1

जडानां चैतन्यस्तबकमकरन्दस्रुतिझरी।

दरिद्राणां चिन्तामणिगुणनिका जन्मजलधौ

निमग्नानां दंष्ट्रा सुररिपुवराहस्य भवती2॥

avidyānāmantastimiramihiradvīpanagarī

jaḍānāṁ caitanyastabakamakarandasrutijharī |

daridrāṇāṁ cintāmaṇiguṇanikā janmajaladhau

nimagnānāṁ daṁṣṭrā suraripuvarāhasya bhavatī ||

Variations in texts:
1. nakarī नकरी
2. bhavati भवति
This verse is an extension of the previous verse, as it continues to discuss about the dust particles in Her lotus feet. This verse says that the dust particles remove the darkness of spiritual ignorance. They are compared to the sun which dispels darkness. The fragrance emanating from the dust or the nectar from the pollen grains causes spiritual enlightenment. For the poor, these dusts are like gems. For those who are deeply immersed in the ocean of the material world (saṁsāra or transmigration), She is like the tusk of Varāha, the third incarnation of Viṣṇu.
Śaṁkarācārya says that even the dust in Her feet can offer liberation or mokṣa. For the spiritual aspirants it is easier to visualize Her feet than Her whole form, which is described in detail through 59 verses in the second part of Saundaryalaharī. The aspirant who studies and understands the first part becomes perfectly fit to contemplate on Her entire form in the second part. 
Advaita Vedānta says spiritual ignorance or nescience is known as avidya, caused by illusion known as Māyā. However, there is a difference between avidya and Māyā. Philosophically, avidya or illusion is known as ajñāna, which has two functions. One is concealment, known as āvaraṇa and the other is projection known as vikṣepa, the latter always follows the former. Āvaraṇa or concealment has five types of veils and they are ignorance, ego, attachment, hatred and tenacity. They can be removed only by negations as described in Upaniṣad-s and if one contemplates on Her lotus feet, one gets Her Grace so that he can negate them through his mind. Vikṣepa is the power of projection, projecting the Self as the material world due to the effects of Māyā. Oft cited example is wrongly identifying a rope as a snake in darkness. This is illusionary projection or deceptive projection. When the illusion is removed, truth is realized. In the same way, when one understands that the material world is nothing but the illusionary projection of Brahman, he realises the Self.
Māyā is not something that is considered as evil. Māyā is inherent in creation.  It is also Brahman’s own power. Māyā can be removed only by spiritual knowledge and repeated affirmations.  An aspirant has to negate māyā and only his own intellect can do that. Intellect is not our birth right.  Intellect is to be acquired. One has to learn to negate the illusionary aspect of the Brahman in the form of māyā and go past it to realize Him.  There is no other way the Brahman can be realized except by transcending His own projecting power of Māyā.  When one wants to go past Māyā, the first thing that he should do is to get rid of attachments and bondage. These two make an aspirant to get engrossed in gross forms.  When one is so attached to the gross forms, he gets deluded by the gross forms.  We call them as our father, mother, wife, daughter, son, friend, foe, etc.  They are the results of the projecting power of Māyā.  Their real form, the Self is concealed from us.  If one chooses to ignore the gross shapes and forms and look beyond for the inner Self, he is bound to transcend Māyā and at this stage, he has crossed the greatest hurdle in your spiritual path to become a Yogī.  The final liberation for this Yogī is not far away from this point.
When one contemplates on Her sacred feet, such illusions are removed by Her Grace and the aspirant understands the Truth, which is nothing but Her pervasion throughout the universe. The whole universe, both sentient and insentient, reflects Her form.  This is spiritual knowledge. Even a tiny pollen grain in Her feet is capable of endowing this knowledge to the aspirants. Minimum effort from the aspirant is only to contemplate on Her feet. The pollen grains in Her feet are compared to the sun, which dispels darkness. A perceivable comparison is drawn between Her feet and the sun. Though the sun shines only at Her command, to make the aspirant understand the sanctity and power of Her feet, Śaṁkarācārya uses this comparison. When the spiritual knowledge dawns spiritual ignorance fades away, thereby, making the aspirant to pursue the spiritual path with dedication and sincerity.  
Material world is compared to the ocean, whose fathom is not known. When one gets attached to the material world, which is compared to the ocean, there is no escape for him from the pains and sufferings of transmigration. There is no escape for him from transmigration, as he goes on accumulating his karmas, both good and bad. As long as one has balance in karmic account, transmigration continues. For everyone, life is painful, but the intensity of the pain and suffering differs according to his or her karmic account. Karma ceases to accumulate only if one surrenders to Her through his or her mind.
She is compared to Varāha avatar of Viṣṇu. This comparison can be explained in two ways. Varāha lifts Mother Earth from the depths of ocean. This is an act of compassion. While rescuing the Earth, Varāha also kills a demon by name Hiraṇyākṣa. This is an act of destruction. Those who are immersed in the ocean of saṁsāra, She lifts them up from the depths of their ignorance and make them to pursue the spiritual path. Alternatively, She destroys those who are too deeply indulged in material life causing hindrance to others who follow the path of virtuousness. They are called demons and are invariably destroyed to uphold the universe.  
By worshipping Her lotus feet, She gives what one desires. Those who seek material prosperity, She gives them material wealth. For those who seek liberation, She offers them liberation. Those who seek knowledge, She gives them spiritual knowledge. Those who seek material wealth have to undergo further transmigration. Those who seek liberation, subject to their karmic account, are freed from the pains of further transmigration.
This verse talks about four types of men - those with spiritual knowledge; spiritually ignorant men; poor men seeking material prosperity; and those who are totally immersed in the material world with no intention to get liberation. Since She is the most compassionate Mother, She helps them to attain liberation through different ways. A known comparison is a human mother meeting the demands and tastes of each of her children.  
The next verse also speaks about the Supremacy of Her Sacred Feet.

Verse 4

 त्वदन्यः पाणिभ्यामभयवरदो दैवतगणः
त्वमेका नैवासि प्रकटितवराभीत्याभिनया।
भयात्त्रातुं दातुं फलमपि च वाञ्च्छासमधिकं
शरण्ये लोकानां तव हि चरणावेव निपुणौ॥

tvadanyaḥ pāṇibhyāmabhayavarado daivatagaṇaḥ
tvamekā naivāsi prakaṭitavarābhītyābhinayā|
bhayāttrātuṁ dātuṁ phalamapi ca vāñcchāsamadhikaṁ
śaraṇye lokānāṁ tava hi caraṇāveva nipuṇau||

“You are the ultimate recourse of the universe. All other gods and goddesses use their two hands to grant refuge and boons to their devotees by means of two mudrā-s - abhaya and varada. But You do not use Your hands for this. Instead Your sacred feet are capable of offering refuge and boons more than what is prayed for.”

She is the Divine Mother; hence, She is adored as Śrī Mātā (nāma 1) in Lalitā Sahasranāma. The entire verse is explained through different nāma-s of Lalitā Sahasranāma such as Pañcapretasanāsīnā (249), Pañcabrahma svarūpiṇī (250), etc. All this establishes Her Supremacy over others gods and goddesses. She presides over all of them. Each god or goddess presides over a particular activity of the universe. All of them have their places of residences in Śrīcakra. All other gods and goddesses show two mudrā-s. Mudrā is the intertwining of fingers while worshipping through rituals. There are several types of mudrā-s and gods and goddesses generally use the two mudrā-s described above. They are generally known as divine mudrā-s.  One is abhaya mudrā where the right palm is kept erect with fingers facing the sky. This mudrā dispels the fears of devotees. Abhaya means refuge. Fear arises only in the minds of those who do not repose complete faith in Her. Lack of faith in Her leads to spiritual ignorance, which in turn is reflected as the fear for life, otherwise known as death. Spiritually ignorant men think that their body is supreme, as a result of which they get attached to the material world. Material world is nothing but Her own play, projecting the world as real through the power of māyā. Getting attached to the material world leads to saṁsāra or transmigration. Liberation is possible only if one reposes absolute faith in Her and understanding Her real Nature.

The other mudrā gods and goddesses show is varada mudrā. In this mudrā, left palm is kept erect with fingers facing down. Varada means granting boons of devotees. Devotees always ask for Her Grace, which alone is capable of offering spiritual evolution and finally, the emancipation. As discussed earlier, there are two types of devotees. Majority of the devotees ask for material wealth. A few alone ask for Her Grace.

But Parāśaktī, which means the Supreme Power, does not show abhaya mudrā to dispel fears of Her devotees nor does She use varada mudrā to grant boons. These two acts are done by Her sacred feet, about which the previous two verses described.

Śiva is Pure Consciousness and His power is Parāśaktī. Śiva alone has independent Power of Authority. He does not use this Authority Himself. He has transferred this Authority to Parāśaktī and She takes care of all the activities of the universe including creation, sustenance, destruction, concealment and grace. Hence, Her Grace is portrayed through this verse.

In some of the texts, it is said that this verse subtly conveys Bālā mantra - aiṁ - klīṁ - sauḥ. According to some, this verse indirectly conveys kāmakalā bīja klīṁ. She is addressed as “kāmakalā rūpā” in Lalitā Sahasranāma 322. Parāśaktī’s subtler form is kāmakalā which is known only to Śiva. Her subtlest form is kuṇḍalinī.

There is a verse in Śivastotrāvalī which says, “O My Lord! By merely touching Your lotus feet, …..let me enter Your world.”

Verse 5

हरिस्त्वमाराध्य प्रणतजनसौभाग्यजननीं
पुरा नारी भूत्वा पुररिपुमपि क्षोभमनयत्।
स्मरोऽपि त्वां नत्वा रतिनयनलेह्येन वपुषा
सुनीनामप्यन्तः प्रभवति हि मोहाय सहताम्॥

haristvamārādhya praṇatajanasaubhāgyajananīṁ
purā nārī bhūtvā puraripumapi kṣobhamanayat|
smaro'pi tvāṁ natvā ratinayanalehyena vapuṣā
sunīnāmapyantaḥ prabhavati hi mohāya sahatām||

Meaning (not verbatim): “You are the conferrer of happiness, wealth and prosperity to those who worship You. Viṣṇu, only after having worshipped You, attained the form of a woman and disturbed Śiva. Cupid also worshipped You and attained good looks and using the charm of his wife Rati and other beautiful celestial women enticed even saints and sages.”

There are two stories associated with this verse. At the time of churning the ocean by gods and demons, Viṣṇu assumed the form of a beautiful woman called Mohinī (Mohinī means causing concupiscence in living beings) and enticed demons. Śiva, who is beyond all worldly desires was agitated by the beauty of Mohinī (Nārāyaṇīyam-29.8 and 9). It is said that Viṣṇu was able to get this most beautiful form, that is capable of even disturbing Śiva through the blessings of Devi. There is a separate pañcadaśi mantra in the name of Viṣṇu and is different from the regular pañcadaśi mantra which has only three kūṭa-s as against six kūṭa-s of Viṣṇu pañcadaśi mantra. It is also said that Devi personally initiated Viṣṇu into pañcadaśi mantra.

The second story is about Manmatha, the god of love, who is also known as Cupid and Eros. He is also known as Kāma and presides over the law of physical attraction. Manmatha is a great worshipper of Devi and there is another pañcadaśi mantra in his name, which is the regular one.

It is also said that sage Nārada advised Viṣṇu to worship Devi as Viṣṇu was not able to fulfill a promise given to a group of demons. Śiva saved the world by destroying Tripura, a fort of demons constructed using gold, silver and iron in the three spheres of sky, air and earth. This fort is the most powerful one and none can ever destroy it. As the demons were frequently causing trouble, Śiva destroyed this fort and killed the demons. Demons, in order to save their lineage prayed to Viṣṇu to save a few of them from the dreadful wrath of Śiva. Viṣṇu had promised them on this. While Viṣṇu was planning to approach Śiva who was full of rage, sage Nārada advised Viṣṇu to worship Devi. As a result of Devi’s worship, Viṣṇu was able to attain the form of Mohinī and could cause the agitation in Śiva. It is also said that their union resulted in the birth of Lord Iyappa also known as Śāsta. (It is also said that if one is afflicted by the planet Saturn, worshipping Śāsta will obviate the evil effects of the planet.)

By worshipping Devi through pañcadaśi mantra, Manmatha got a boon from Devi that on whomsoever he casts his eyes, they will be induced into passion. When he tried to cast his spell on Śiva, He got furious and burnt him into ashes. Subsequently, due to the grace of Devi, Manmatha was resurrected from the ashes and was made visible only to the eyes of his charming wife Rati (Rati means amorous enjoyment).

This verse conveys more than what is grossly described here. Entire Saundaryalaharī is tantra śāstra and hence each verse has both gross and subtle interpretations. The gross interpretation of the verse is that when Gods like Viṣṇu worship Her, it is imperative that one should worship Her to get his or her desire fulfilled. The verse says that the entire world worships Her by holding Her in the highest reverence. She gives more than what is asked for to Her devotees. But the devotion that is spoken of here is not just spending time before Her image. One has to always contemplate Her. Just a few minutes of prayer will always go unanswered. On the other hand, if one always stays attuned with Her, gets his or her wishes fulfilled. Manmatha got his power of enchantment only through Her Grace. The verse asks when they worship Her, why not we?

Subtly, this verse talks about the law of attraction and consequent creation and sustenance and the inherent tussle between the good and the bad. Śiva is cit śakti (Pure Consciousness that is Self-illuminating) and nobody can go anywhere near Him. But it is the desire of Śiva to manifest the universe and this desire has been symbolically said as kāma. Saundaryalaharī is about Śakti, the all powerful Universal Mother, the power of Śiva. Śiva is static and Śakti is the dynamic energy. She alone sustains the universe. She creates both good and bad as there is always a need for contrary aspects to undo one’s karma. If everyone ceases to indulge in evil things, then the law of karma has no significance. Everyone will attain liberation and there will be none in the world to live. In such a scenario, She has nothing to do. No annihilation is necessary. Therefore, there is always a need for two opposite forces in creation, sustenance and destruction.

When Śiva burnt Kāma (Manmatha) into ashes, it is only Śakti who resurrected him. Why should She do this? She needs persons like Manmatha to test the true nature of sages and saints. There are sages who have failed in this test. They have succumbed to the beauty of Rati. They have failed in the test held by Her. They have fallen victim to Rati’s seduction. They realise their mistakes and bounce again with more purity by prolonged practice. By succumbing to the play of Manmatha, they would have completely emptied their karmic accounts. Śakti also needs Kāma for the purpose of creation. Without his play, procreation cannot happen. Śāstra-s never disallowed conjugal bliss. Unless there is creation, sustenance and destruction have no relevance. Therefore, the fundamental aspect of creation is represented by Manmatha at Her command. Nothing can happen without Her command. She used different energies to create, sustain and destroy and each energy is known by different names. For example, fire is known as Agni, who is also worshipped. Since Manmatha is not visible to anyone except Rati, he acts subtly in all the beings, by inducing them to indulge in conjugation. God of creation is Brahmā and the cause of creation is Manmatha and both of them function directly under Her control.  

In the same way Viṣṇu, the God for sustenance worships Her. Viṣṇu is known for His compassion and mercy. He upholds dharma and kills notorious evil doers. Whenever there is imbalance between dharma and adharma, He incarnates in human forms and sets examples to uphold dharma. In the process He annihilates demons, who are nothing but the embodiment of evils. They are born as demons because of their horrible karmic account. They become too powerful and celestial intervention is needed to annihilate them. She sends Viṣṇu to annihilate them and He ensures that there prevails the right balance between good and bad.

This verse conveys that one should worship Her in Śrīcakra through pañcadaśi mantra. Mantra repetition leads to proper concentration which is the basic requirement of good meditation. Through proper meditation, one can activate the dormant kuṇḍalinī, which is nothing but Her subtlest form. Through further practice with the help of a Guru, one can take the kuṇḍalinī to the top of the skull, brahmarandra, where Śiva awaits Her. Their union is called Śivaśakti aikya (Lalitā Sahasranāma 999).

There are certain remedial measures prescribed for each verse of Saundaryalaharī with certain yantras and certain number of repetitions and offerings. But they appear to be not authentic. 

Verse 6

धनुः पौष्पं मौर्वी मधुकरमयी पञ्च विशिखाः
वसन्तः सामन्तो मलयमरुदायोधनरथः।
तथाप्येकः सर्वं हिमगिरिसुते कामपि कृपां
अपाङ्गात्ते लब्ध्वा जगदिदमनङ्गो विजयते॥

dhanuḥ pauṣpaṁ maurvī madhukaramayī pañca viśikhāḥ
vasantaḥ sāmantou malayamarudāyodhanarathaḥ|
tathāpyekaḥ sarvaṁ himagirisute kāmapi kṛpāṁ
apāṅgātte labdhvā jagadidamanaṅgo vijayate||

Meaning: (not verbatim) “O! Daughter of King of mountains clad with snow! In spite of limbless Manmatha, equipped with (fragile in nature) a bow made up of flowers, its string made up of bees, five flower arrows, spring season as his minister, breeze filled with the fragrance of sandal trees as his chariot, conquers the entire world all alone, just because of Grace from the corner of Your eyes.”

The poetic parlance conceived by Śaṁkarācārya is incomprehensible in this verse and he conveys whatever he wanted to convey in an extremely subtle manner. The verse grossly expresses that concupiscence is far more powerful than the potent weaponries. Manmatha has tender weaponries such as a bow made up of flowers and whose sting is made up of honeybees that come to the flowers in the bow to drink the nectar. He has five flower arrows, which are naturally fragile. Honeybees not only come to the flowers in the bow, but also for the flower arrows. Generally, honeybees come in groups to eat the nectar in a flower.  But, Śaṁkarācārya says that these honeybees come in a line, thereby forming the sting for the flowery bow of Manmatha. Honeybees in a line, forming the sting of the bow refers to the discipline required for the spiritual aspirants. Flower bow and arrows indicate tenderness and bees mean attraction.  Manmatha does not operate in all the seasons to cast his spell but chooses only the spring season, the season of growth, when flowers bloom and whose fragrance is carried by the cool breeze that goes past the sandalwood trees.  Bees become more active because of the pleasant and fragrant breeze. Thus this stanza grossly speaks about the powerful tools at the hands of Manmatha to divert the attention of great sages and saints to the world of physical attraction. Normally, a great sage falls prey to physical attraction only due to the circumstances. The point driven home is that when great sages and saints fall prey to the acts of inducement of Manmatha, nothing needs to be said about those who are attached to the worldly affairs.

Generally, Manmatha is said to have a bow made up of sugarcane. Even many of the forms of Devi are depicted with sugarcane bow and flower arrows. What is the difference between these two weaponries – flower bow and sugarcane bow? The difference lies in the form. Only when sugarcane is crushed, one gets its juice. But in the case of flowers, only honeybees can find and taste the nectar in the flowers, not others. Further, honeybees do not go to sugarcane, though it has more quantity of juice and sweetness than flowers. The five flower arrows refer to pañca tanmātra-s or rudimentary subtle elements sound, touch, sight, taste and smell. Manmatha can operate through these five subtle elements which are extremely powerful and have the capacity to effectively crumble the mind. Therefore, it is imperative that this verse has both gross and subtle interpretations and the subtle interpretation is meant only for the highly realized souls and not for the common man. As far as the common man is concerned, the interpretation is that Manmatha acts only through the blessings of Devi. But subtly, Śaṁkarācārya cautions the highly evolved souls not to fall victim to the acts of Manmatha, as this could pull them down to the material world, causing the painful process of births and deaths.

The first thought that comes to our mind is the choice of flower bow instead of the traditional sugarcane bow. Sugarcane has harder surface and bees cannot penetrate the hard exterior of sugarcane. Bees though highly active in nature due to the enormous amount of glucose they consume in the form of honey in various flowers, yet they do not take anything except the nectar in the pollens of flowers. They stay focused only on the honey in the flowers. They do not have any secondary thoughts. Secondly, sugarcane is the gross form of nectar whereas the honey in the pollen is highly subtle in nature, which is visible only to honeybees. They leave the sugarcanes alone, and go after the invisible nectar. This clearly explains the intention of Śaṁkarācārya that not only this verse, but many other verses of Saundaryalaharī is meant only for the realized souls.  Another possibility is that he could have probably meant to mean that She can be realized subtly like the invisible honey of the pollens and this could be the reason why he has replaced sugarcane bow with flower bow.

A comparison can be drawn to Lalitā Sahasranāma 10, which is manorūpekṣu-kodaṇḍā (ikṣu means sugarcane), which says that She is having a sugarcane bow (kodaṇḍa) in Her hand. There it was explained that sugarcane is the mind and when the sugarcane is crushed, juice is obtained, where juice refers to the Self. In other words, when the mind is crushed, Self is realized. Kāmeśvarā and Kāmeśvarī both have sugarcane bows in their hands. But, Śaṁkarācārya says that there is no necessity to even crush the sugarcane to realize the essence, which is readily available in the pollen grains. Those, who have spiritual knowledge, follow the method that honeybees follow and those who do not equip themselves follow the procedure followed for extracting sugarcane juice. The difference is between rituals and meditation. In meditation, Self is realized not only quickly but also without undergoing physical pains.

Śaṁkarācārya issues a subtle warning to the highly evolved souls saying that concupiscence is not good for ultimate liberation. There were many instances, where great sages and saints were distracted by celestial women. He says that though Manmatha is invisible and operates only with his flimsy weapons and inconspicuous spring season as his minister and invisible and fragrant breeze as his chariot, he can cause irreparable damage to the spiritual life of a sage or saint as Manmatha operates subtly through the five tanmātra-s. Here, Śaṁkarācārya talks about the mind, which is subtle in nature and at the same time, can easily be afflicted with sensory pleasures. Mind always is susceptible to sensory organs and their inputs. In order to subjugate the mind, one has to disconnect his senses from the external world, which is almost impossible. Alternatively, one has to have a strong will to fight against the mind which needs to be pervaded by Her thoughts. When the mind is perpetually connected to Her, inputs from the material world are relegated, as such a person always remain the in the state of bliss. He not only sees Her internally, but also looks at all the objects as Her form. His individual consciousness is now merged with the universal Consciousness.

Manmatha is nothing but a form of māyā created by Her. She only resurrected Manmatha without form, after he was burnt by Śiva. She has decided to use him to test the will power of sages and saints. If one is able to pass this test, She takes him to the next stage says Lalitā Sahasranāma 727, Śivajñānapradāyinī. When She is pleased, She imparts the knowledge of Śiva, the Supreme. When one realizes Śiva, that is the end of his spiritual journey.  He is liberated from transmigration.

Verse 7

क्वणत्काञ्चीदामा करिकलभकुम्भस्तननता
परिक्षीणा मध्ये परिणतशरच्चन्द्रवदना।
धनुर्बाणान् पाशं सृणिमपि दधाना करतलैः
पुरस्तादास्तां नः पुरमथितुराहोपुरुषिका॥

kvaṇatkāñcīdāmā karikalabhakumbhastananatā
parikṣīṇā madhye pariṇataśaraccandravadanā|
dhanurbāṇān pāśaṁ sṛṇimapi dadhānā karatalaiḥ
purastādāstāṁ naḥ puramathiturāhopuruṣikā||

Meaning: Parāśakti’s gross form is described by Śaṁkarācārya in this verse. “O! Parāśakti, the vaunting Power of Śiva, appear before us with the melody arising from your waist girdle made up of tiny bells; with heavy bosoms looking like the head of a young elephant making you slightly flexed forward; with slender waist, with face appearing like the full moon of autumn, holding bow, arrow, noose and goad in your four hands.”

Śaṁkarācārya, through this verse prays to Her to appear in person with the above features. There are many verses describing Her gross form. Śaṁkarācārya is said to be an incarnation of Śiva Himself. Therefore, for those who are still associated with gross form of worship, He describes the gross form of Parāśakti, the Supreme Power of Śiva. She is non-existent without Śiva and without Her, Śiva too becomes inert. One may have power, but one should know how to use the power in the right way. Śiva is the static energy and His power Śakti is the dynamic energy. Though Śiva Śakti are separately described, in reality they are One and not two. Since She takes care of every aspect of the universe, She is fondly called Śrī Mātā (Lalitā Sahasranāma 1).

This verse can be explained from several angles. In fact all these descriptions are there in Lalitā Sahasranāma composed by eight Vāc Devi-s, who always remain with Her. They are Her personal attendants.  Śaṁkarācārya prays for Her divine vision not for him, but for us. As explained earlier, he is said to be an incarnation of Śiva. Whenever gross forms are described, it goes without saying that it is explained based on dualism; dualism because, She is considered as a separate entity from us. As long as worshipper and worshipped are assumed as different, it is related to duality. When worshiper and worshipped become one, it is non-dualism. Former is known as dvaita and the latter is known as advaita. All the Upaniṣad-s are based on advaita (non-dualism) philosophy. When the level of devotion is very deep, divine visions appear in deep meditative states. Such visions are possible in two ways. One is due to Her Grace, which purely depends upon the depth of devotion. Second is repeated contemplation on a particular form. Dhyāna verses rely on the descriptiveness given by great saints and sages.

Further, Saundaryalaharī is said to be a master piece on tantra śāstra, which will have both gross and subtle interpretations. But, generally gross interpretations are made public and subtle interpretations are not made widely public. Even if subtle interpretations are made public, the depth of interpretations does not go deep. There are many verses in Saundaryalaharī like this.

These are the forms that we see in sanctum sanctorum of temples. First, Śaṁkarācārya (he is also called as ācārya, which means spiritual guide) talks about the tiny bells in Her girdle. The girdle is a decorative ornament that is worn on the waist of women. Why Śaṁkarācārya has chosen to mention the waistband? He could have chosen many other things that a woman wears. Waistband refers to the navel chakra from where the tejas, known as life force originates. Tejas refers to fire element. Therefore, when Śaṁkarācārya talks about Her waist belt, he subtly conveys the origin of sound from the tiny bells in the waist belt, but also talks about the origin of life in the form of fire in the navel chakra. Lalitā Sahasranāma 38 says: Ratna-kiṅkiṇikā-ramya-raśanā-dāma-bhūṣitā रत्न-किङ्किणिका-रम्य-रशना-दाम-भूषिता meaning She is adorned with girdle studded with mini bells and gems. 

After having described about the origin of fire energy at the navel chakra and the origin of sound from Her waist band, Śaṁkarācārya proceeds to discuss about Her act of sustenance. She has five fold activities relating to the universe – creation, sustenance, dissolution, concealment and finally Grace or liberation. Creation happens due to the fire energy at the navel chakra and whatever is created are to be nourished and this nourishment is subtly conveyed through the description of Her bosoms, which refer to nourishment. She nourishes the entire universe like a mother nourishing her child with her milk. Lalitā Sahasranāma nāma-s 33, 34 and 36 also talk about Her heavy bosoms. It is also said that there is a bend in Her structure due to Her heavy bosoms. This bend is due to Her compassion. She sits on the left lap of Śiva. As She is the universal mother, She bends forwards and looks down at the universe with great compassion and concern. This also subtly conveys the heart chakra, through which universal love is expressed.

Her waist is very slender. Lalitā Sahasranāma 34 and 35 also describe Her waist. Waist refers to creation due to the heat that originates from navel chakra. When it is said that Her waist is thin when compared to Her bosoms, it subtly conveys that She is more concerned with the sustenance of the universe. Every mother is naturally concerned about the wellbeing of her children. Having created, She ensures that all Her creations are properly nourished. After all, She is the most compassionate mother.

Her face appears like autumnal moon. When compared to other seasons, autumn moon is brighter. Hence, Her face is described as autumnal moon (pariṇataśaraccandravadanā). Her face is beautifully described in Śrī Śakti mahimnaḥ (verse 39) by sage Durvāsa thus: “You appear to Your devotees with face enamoured by all the sixteen kalā-s of the moon (moon has sixteen kalā-s and the moon with all the sixteen kalā-s is known as the full moon; kalā means a part) full of bliss (ānandaśakti), smile and curiosity; eyes appearing more beautiful than the fully blossomed lotus petals; and teeth resembling jasmine flowers.” This is the face that Śaṁkarācārya talks about in this verse. Since Her total beauty is reflected in Her face, Her face is the most beautiful part of Her body. After having finished the description of Her gross body, next the weaponries She holds are being discussed.

The verse says that She holds four weaponries in Her four hands (Lalitā Sahasranāma 7 - Caturbāhu-samanvitā चतुर्बाहु-समन्विता which means that She has four hands). These four hands are described in Lalitā Sahasranāma. Nāma 8 says, Rāgasvarūpa-pāśāḍhyā रागस्वरूप-पाशाढ्या Rāga means desire or a wish.  Pāśa is a type of rope used to pull an object.  She pulls all the desires of Her devotees using this rope.  There are three śakti-s (śakti in this context means power) – iccā, jñāna and kriya.  This nāma talks about iccā śakti or the desire.  She never allows Her devotees to sink with desires.  This arm is Her left lower arm. Nāma 9 says, Krodhākāraṅkuśojvalā क्रोधाकारङ्कुशोज्वला She holds an elephant hook in her right upper arm.  Krodha means hatred and akāra means knowledge.  This nāma talks about subtle body.  Knowledge is always subtle.  She uses this elephant hook to destroy the hatred if developed in Her devotees and gives them knowledge.  Nāma 10 says Manorūpekṣu-kodaṇḍā मनोरूपेक्षु-कोदण्डा Mind involves both saṃkalpa and vikalpa.  Saṃkalpa means resolve, process of thought.  Vikalpa means difference of perception.  Both are opposite to each other.  Mind is also subtle like knowledge.  Mind is reflected through the five sensory organs.  It has both saṃkalpa and vikalpa quality as it acts through the impressions received from sense organs that get fine tuned in the form of thought and finally explodes in the form of actions.  Ikṣu means sugar cane and kodaṇḍa means a bow.  She is holding in Her left upper arm a bow of sugar cane.  Why sugarcane bow?  If sugarcane is crushed, sweet and tasty juice is obtained from which sugar is obtained.  It means if one crushes his mind (controlling the mind), he gets the sweet reality of the Brahman.  Nāma 11 says, Pañcatanmātra-sāyakā पञ्चतन्मात्र-सायका Pañca means five and tanmātra-s are sound, touch, sight, taste and smell, the subtle modifications of the five basic elements ākāś, air, fire, water and earth. The earlier nāma spoke about the bow and this nāma talks about Her arrows.  She has five arrows.  These five arrows are made of flowers.  The five flower arrows represent five subtle elements. These five flowers or arrows are described differently in various tantra śāstra-s.  These five flowers are lotus flower, raktakairava flower, kalhara flower, indivara flower and flowers of mango tree.  These five flowers represent excitement, madness, confusion, stimulation and destruction.  The arrows are used in wars targeting the enemies.  Lalitāmbikā targets Her devotees with these arrows to destroy the illusion or māyā as the five subtle elements are associated with māyā.  This is Her right upper hand. 

Sage Durvāsa in his Śrī Śakti mahimnaḥ (verse 50) says that the one who meditates on these weaponries not only becomes famous but also gets rid of māyā and fear from death.

It is important to note in this verse that Śaṁkarācārya prays to the Divine Mother, the embodiment of the pride of Śiva to appear in person not for him, but for us. Since there is no selfish motive in his prayer, he is known as ācārya, the spiritual preceptor. Knowledge alone is not the criteria for being an ācārya; he should also be egoless and should have great concern for his disciples and their upliftment.

Further reading on Śakti: Śakti is the svātantrya śakti of Śiva. It is Śiva’s exclusive and independent Power. There is no other power beyond His Power. A person’s power is inherent in him and in the same way, Śiva’s Power is inherent in Him and His inherent Power is known as Śakti. Śiva is the static energy and Śakti is dynamic energy. Śiva is the masculine energy and Śakti is the feminine energy. There is no significant difference between Śakti and Śiva. They are subjectivity as against objectivity expressed through the rest of the 36 tattva-s of Trika philosophy. They represent universal “I” ness, the ultimate purity. If one really wants to find some difference between the two, it can be said that Śiva is knowledge or jñāna and Śakti is kriyā or action. The union of Śiva and Śakti is generally expressed in the form of Ardhanārīśvara (a form of Śiva with half of the body being His body and His left half is Śakti’s body). The material world is full of kriyā or action, which is nothing but the manifestation of Śakti and a lot is written about worshipping Her in the form different śāstra-s, the predominant being Tantra śāstra-s. Śakti’s manifestation can be understood only through the study of 36 tattvas. Śakti is always identified with Cit or Śiva. 

 

Verse 8

सुधासिन्धोर्मध्ये सुरविटपिवाटीपरिवृते
मणिद्वीपे नीपोपवनवति चिन्तामणिगृहे।
शिवाकारे मञ्चे परमशिवपर्यङ्कनिलयां
भचन्ति त्वां धन्याः कतिचन चिदानन्दलहरीम्॥

sudhāsindhormadhye suraviṭapivāṭīparivṛte
maṇidvīpe nīpopavanavati cintāmaṇigṛhe|
śivākāre mañce paramaśivaparyaṅkanilayāṁ
bhacanti tvāṁ dhanyāḥ katicana cidānandalaharīm||

Meaning: “The blessed ones meditate on You, full of Consciousness and Bliss and seated on the couch that appears like Śiva and Paramaśiva forming the bed in Your palace Cintāmaṇi surrounded by small sized bushes and celestial tress in the island of Maṇidvīpa situated in the middle of the nectarine ocean.”

In this verse, Śaṁkarācārya describes Her Abode. There is the cosmic ocean full of nectar (ambrosia). In the middle of this nectarine ocean is an island called Maṇidvīpa. The mythical island is called Maṇidvīpa because it is made up of cosmic gems and precious stones. In the middle of this island, is Her Abode gigantically constructed known as Cintāmaṇigṛha. Cintāmaṇi is a precious gem that is capable of fulfilling all the desires of the one who possesses it. Her entire Abode, Cintāmaṇigṛha is built with this gem. It is very rare to find this gem. The only probability is because of Her presence, all the gems have attained the status of cintāmaṇi. Śaṁkarācārya also gives reasons for this. He says that She is full of waves (laharīm) of cit and ānanda śakti-s (cidānanda tvāṁ). Waves arise in the ocean of nectar in the form of consciousness and Bliss. Cit here means the energy of Consciousness of Śiva. Consciousness is the exclusive property of Śiva. What She possesses is the energy of Consciousness of Śiva. In the same way, ānanda or Bliss is also the exclusive property of Śiva. What She possesses is the energy of ānanda, which is known as ānanda śakti. Cit śakti and ānanda śakti-s are inseparable. According to Kashmiri Shivaism, there are thirty six principles, also known as tattva-s. First principle is Śiva, who is full of cit śakti and the second principle is Śakti, who is full of ānanda śakti. When Śiva and Śakti are inseparable, cit śakti and ānanda śakti-s are also inseparable. Cit is the foundational consciousness, which is the unchanging principle of all changes. Ānanda is Bliss. Therefore, when Śaṁkarācārya says, “cidānandalaharī”, he means both Śiva and Śakti together and he does not mention Śakti alone. This can also be construed from the word laharī, meaning large waves. He does not refer to the normal waves that we see in an ocean. He talks about large waves; waves of Bliss emanating from the Divine Couple. This is beautifully expressed in Lalitā Sahasranāma 999 Śiva-śakty-aikya-rūpiṇī शिव-शक्त्यैक्य-रूपिणी, the interpretation of which goes like this:

This is the most revered, admired, perplexed, incomprehensible and secretive form of the Divine Couple, the confluence of Śiva and Śaktī.  The universe is created, sustained, dissolved and re-created by them at their will that is indentured by the law of karma. 

Saundarya Laharī (verse 1) says, “Śiva becomes capable of creating the universe, only when united with Śaktī, otherwise He is incapable of even a stir (known as spanda).”  Śiva is also known as Parabrahman and Śaktī as Parāśaktī.  Parabrahman is the static energy and is niṣkāma (devoid of  desire, disinterested and unselfish) in nature.  The nature of Śiva is explained in Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad (7), which says, “It is neither consciousness of what is happening within nor the consciousness of what is happening externally.  It is not conscious of all objects and it is not unconscious either.  It is beyond perception of any organ, beyond thought and sound.  In it there is only consciousness of the Self and there is a total cessation of the world as such.  It is the embodiment of peace and all that is good.  It is without a second.” This is the typical explanation of the Brahman that is preternatural and interpenetrating. 

Śaktī is primordial and latent energy of Śiva that alone manifests as the universe, its sustentation and disintegration and recreation. The consciousness referred by Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad is nothing but the domain of Śaktī. That is why it is said that Śaktī is the primordial and latent energy of Śiva.  She exists along with Śiva and cannot be separated.  If Brahman and consciousness are discriminately differentiated out of nescience, the question of creation and existence does not arise.  In reality, such differential existence does not prevail.  But for easier understanding of the complex issue of creation, Śiva and Śaktī have been perceived as two different aspects of the same entity.  One cannot segregate the heat produced by the fire from the fire itself.  The heat of the fire is primordially present in the fire.  Neither fire, not heat can be of any use unless they subsist together.  This is a typical example showcasing Śiva and Śaktī, the one without the other remain only an inert.

Śiva is Self-illuminating.  Without His existence, the universe will be plunged into darkness. Śiva is present in prakāśa (illuminating) form.  Prakāśa can be explained as visible, shining, universally noted, brightness, lustre, splendour, etc.  Prakāśa also refers to Śiva and the Brahman.  Śaktī is His vimarśa form.  Vimarśa can be explained as reasoning, knowledge, consideration, reflecting etc.  In spite of Śiva being the grandeur amongst the cognized existences, He cannot realise His own incomparable splendour without something that is able to reflect His grandeur.  This is like a human not able to see his own self without an object that is capable of reflecting his image.  Śaktī acts like a reflecting mirror where Śiva is able to realise His Reality, like a mirror reflecting the image of a person who stands before it.  Pure consciousness is Śiva and realising the pure consciousness is Śaktī.  If Śiva is not present, the consciousness itself does not exist.  If Śaktī is not present, the presence of consciousness cannot be realised.  In the state of prakāśa ‘I’ and ‘This’ stand united and in the vimarśa aspect ‘This’ is separated from ‘I’.  Therefore prakāśa aspect is ‘I + This’ and vimarśa aspect is ‘This’ alone.  ‘I’ is the origin of the universe and ‘This’ is the expansion of the universe. Śiva is cit and Śaktī is citi.  Cit means foundational consciousness and citi means the consciousness that brings about cognitive operations. Śaktī segregates I and This.  Without Śaktī this vital segregation cannot take place. Śiva causes the initial pulsation for creation that is carried forward by Śaktī. 

Śaktī pushes forward the throb created by Śiva through different principles or tattva-s (thirty six) and sustains it through Her māyā or illusion.  Māyā is the sole factor that separates a soul from the Brahman.  She is the manifested conglutination of Śiva and Śaktī and therefore She is both the seed and the sprout.  This also drives home the point that for creation, two objects are required.  For example, a soul alone cannot be born on its own.  It has to come into contact with prakṛti or Nature in order to manifest.  Procreation is not possible without conjoining of masculine and feminine energies. 

Moving on from the perceptible to subtle, a lot more is said about Their subtle conjugation.  They are referred as two bindu-s (dots), white and red, denoting Śiva and Śaktī respectively.  These two bindu-s, in mutual conjunction expand and contract.  When they expand, the creation takes place by means of vāc (word) and artha (lit. meaning).  Vāc means the Śabda Brahman and artha means thirty six  tattva-s or principles.  These two bindu-s which enter one another are known as Kāma-Kāmeśvarī.  Śiva, the Supreme is in the form of the first alphabet of Sanskrit A (अ), is the cause of all sounds of Veda-s.  He attains the form of a bindu after having entered His own vimarśa form, Śaktī, in whom the entire universe is dissolved.  Like prakāśa form of bindu entering the vimarśa form of bindu, vimarśa form of bindu also enters prakāśa form of bindu, which is already within it.  As a result of this conjugation, a third bindu called as miśra bindu is born.  Miśra means combined.  Now there are three bindu-s, white, red and miśra.  These three bindu-s form a triangle, red and miśra are below and the white bindu is placed above them causing a perfect triangle.  The miśra bindu has all the tattva-s or principles within itself and is the cause for further creation.  This is the innermost triangle of Śrī Cakra.  When these three dots are connected, the three connecting lines represent all the triads such as three guṇa-s, three stages of consciousness, icchā, jñāna and kriyā śaktīs, etc.  This triangle becomes the cause for creation beginning with Brahma, Viṣṇu, and Rudra.  These three dots are also referred as sun (top), moon (right) and fire (left).  There is an inverted triangle below the three dots.  The three connecting lines of this lower triangle represent three kūṭa-s of Pañcadaśī mantra (nāmā 89). The upper most bindu (of the upper triangle) is the face of Śaktī (the third eye, denoting dissolution, the two lower dots represent Her bosoms (representing nourishment or sustenance) and the inverted triangle below mean Her procreative organ (representing creation).  This is known as kāmakalā and is considered as the most secretive principle of Śiva-Śaktī union.

The explanation provided in Varivasyā Rahasya, the treatise on Pañcadaśī mantra, corroborates with the explanation offered for Kāma Kalā Vilasa, yet another treatise on Śrī vidyā. Varivasyā Rahasya (verses 69 to 72) says, “Śiva and Śaktī embrace each other.  The Brahman (Śiva) with the desire to create glanced on His other half, His consort and assumed the form of a bindu (referring to male procreative fluids), into which Śaktī enters assuming the form of another bindu (representing female procreative fluids).  The mixture formed by their aggregation is known as aham or I, the ego.”  This is the subtle form of the union of Śiva and Śaktī.

One more interpretation is possible for this most secretive nāma of this Sahasranāma.  The scene goes like this.  Śiva is sitting alone meditating, His usual posture.  Śaktī enters the place of Śiva.  Śiva wakes up.  First, Śaktī sits next to Śiva.  Later on She moves to His left lap and finally occupies His entire left side, blessing the universe with their Ardhanārīśvarā form causing creation and sustenance.  When Śaktī moves away from Śiva, He starts His cosmic dance, causing annihilation.  Śaktī witnesses His cosmic dance (nāma 232 and 571).

Saundarya Laharī (verse 34) says, “I consider your pure frame to be Śiva.  Hence the relationship of the principal and the accessory exists in common among you both who as transcendent bliss and consciousness are equipoised.”

This nāma salutes Her undifferentiated form from Śiva, that is inseparable eternally.  Their union is also known as Śiva-Śaktī sāmarasya, the identity of Consciousness, where identical state prevails in which all differentiation has disappeared.”

Śaṁkarācārya talks about ocean of nectar (sudhā sindhu). Nectarine ocean is a cosmic ocean. Nectar is the result of Bliss. Lalitā Sahasranāma 61 explains the same concept as Sudhā-sāgara-madhyasthā सुधा-सागर-मध्यस्था. Sudhā-sāgara and sudhā sindhu both mean a place in sahasrāra or the crown chakra. When kuṇḍalinī reaches this soma cakra, due to the extreme heat, a liquid flows down through the throat (nāma 106).  This liquid is called sudhā as its viscosity and taste resembles nectar.  This liquid is also called amrṭavarśinī. Amrṭam also means nectar.   She being present in the middle of this soma cakra in the midst of ocean of nectar causes this nectar to flow into all the 72,000 (nāḍi-s) nerves of human body.  It is said that, if this nectar flows into our body, it does not cause death to the physical body.  However this is possible only during advanced stage of kuṇḍalinī meditation.  This is said to be the reason for long life of great sages. Sudhā sindu also means the bindu in the centre of Śrī Cakra and this bindu is mentioned in this verse in a very subtle manner.

How Śiva can become the couch for Her? The couch is nothing but the left thigh of Śiva. Dualistically speaking, She is happily sitting on the left lap of Śiva. There is always a controversy while sculpturing Her posture with regard to which foot should be down, either left or right. If She is worshipped as Rājarājesvarī (Lalitā Sahasranāma 684), Her right foot should be down. This is based on the fact that She rules over all the three gods of creation, sustenance and dissolution, Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Rudra. In all other forms, Her left foot should be down, as She keeps Her right foot folded while sitting on the lap of Śiva. In other words, in those temples where She alone is worshipped, Her right foot can be done. In Śiva temples, Her left foot should be down. However, there are other forms too.

Power of Śiva is Śakti. They are not different as Śakti is inherent in Śiva. To understand easily their unified Nature is known as Paramaśiva.  Paramaśiva is incomprehensible and hence cannot even be described. Śakti is present in Paramaśiva only as a trace. Śakti is always associated with “I” consciousness and as “I” is absent in Paramaśiva, She does not have any significant role in Paramaśiva.  He exists in all the 36 tattvas still He is not part of these 36 tattvas.

The verse says, paramaśivaparyaṅkanilayāṁ  (paramaśiva + paryaṅka + nilaya). Paramaśiva is the Supreme Śiva, as discussed earlier; paryaṅka means sofa or cushion or palanquin and nilaya means Abode. This means that She remains with Paramaśiva in Her Abode, Cintāmaṇigṛha. There are two types of Her sitting postures that are narrated in this verse. One is on the left lap of Śiva and other posture is reclining posture with Paramaśiva. The first posture is Cit and the second posture is Bliss. Hence She is addressed by Śaṁkarācārya as cidānandalaharī.

The celestial tress and bushes are the products of māyā. Unless these blocks are removed, one cannot realize Her. These trees and bushes have fragrant trunks, leaves and flowers that induce the mind of an aspirant to get attached to the material world more intently and profoundly. Unless, the aspirant is able to go past these sense afflicting distractions, he cannot go anywhere near Her. She holds Śiva very close to Her. They are inseparable. Only She can reveal Śiva, as She alone is Śiva-jñāna-pradāyinī शिव-ज्ञान-प्रदायिनी. Śiva can give liberation only if She approves the aspirant for liberation.

Now let us interpret this verse based on the above interpretation. “You are in the form of Śiva-Śakti, full of consciousness and bliss, reclining in brahmarandra, the orifice in sahasrāra with Śiva. This subtle form of Yours can be realized only after an aspirant gets rid of māyā.” This can be attained only by meditating on Her.

Verse 9

महीं मूलाधारे कमपि मणिपूरे हुतवहं
स्थितं स्वाधिष्ठाने हृदि मरुतमाकाशमुपरि।
मनोऽपि भ्रूमध्ये सकलमपि भित्त्वा कुलपथं
सहस्रारे पद्मे सह रहसि पत्या विहरसे॥
mahīṁ mūlādhāre kamapi maṇipūre hutavahaṁ
sthitaṁ svādhiṣṭhāne hṛdi marutamākāśamupari|
mano'pi bhrūmadhye sakalamapi bhittvā kulapathaṁ
sahasrāre padme saha rahasi patyā viharase||

Meaning: mahī - earth element; mūlādhāra – base chakra; kamapi (kaṁpāka)  – water element; maṇipūr – navel chakra; hutavahaṁ sthitaṁ - the element of fire present in; svādhiṣṭhāne - svādhiṣṭhāna chakra; hṛdi – the heart chakra; marutam – the element of air; ākāśam – the element of sky; upari – above these chakras (referring to viśuddhi chakra); mano'pi – tattva of mind; bhrūmadhye – in between the eyebrows (third eye or ājñācakra); sakalamapi bhittvā kulapathaṁ - breaking the path of kula (the path of kuṇḍaliṇī); sahasrāre padme – thousand petalled lotus; saha rahasi patyā viharase – remain in solitude with Your consort Śiva.  

“You remain in solitude with Your consort Śiva in the thousand petalled lotus known as sahasrāra (crown chakra), by piercing the earth element at mūlādhāra chakra, water element at maṇipūra chakra, the element of fire in svādhiṣṭhāna chakra, the element of air in the anāhata chakra and the element of ākāśa in viśuddhi chakra, which is placed above these four chakras; the tattva of mind in ājñācakra thus transcending the entire path of kula.”

Parāśakti has three forms – gross, subtle and subtlest. Gross form is Her various forms we worship. Her subtle form is kāmakalā, discussed in Lalitā Sahasranāma 322. This form is known to Her consort Śiva and is considered as Her secretive form. Her subtlest form is kuṇḍalinī that is being discussed in this verse. Kula means the worshippers of Śakti. They are known as śākta-s.

There is a significant difference between this verse and other tantra scriptures. This verse says that water element is maṇipūra chakra; but tantric scriptures say that fire element represents maṇipūra chakra. In the same way, this verse says that svādhiṣṭhāna chakra is the element of fire; but tantric scriptures say that svādhiṣṭhāna chakra is the water element. Every chakra is associated with a bīja. svādhiṣṭhāna is represented by the bīja vaṁ (वं) and maṇipūra is represented by the bīja raṁ (रं). Each element also is represented by a bīja and the bīja for fire is raṁ and water is vaṁ. These bīja-s are placed in the middle of the respective chakras and all tantric scriptures unanimously accept these bīja-s in the first five chakras. But, as far as this verse is concerned, elements for maṇipūra chakra and svādhiṣṭhāna chakra are interchanged. All tantric scriptures go with Lalitā Sahasranāma. Therefore, in order to avoid any confusion, this verse is interpreted here based on Lalitā Sahasranāma and tantric scriptures. This ‘error’ could have happened while rewriting Śaṁkarācārya’s original verse.  

Parāśakti resides in the base chakra known as mūlādhāra, which is situated in the perineum. Perineum is located between the organs of excretion and procreation. It is also said that the position of mūlādhāra is not the perineum in women, but within the external opening of the womb. When She is activated, She ascends through the central canal of the spinal cord, which is also known as meru. Inside the meru there is another subtle nāḍī (nerve) known as vajriṇī or vajrā. Within in vajriṇī there is a subtlest nāḍī known as citriṇi, through which She in the form of kuṇḍalinī ascends to the higher chakras to unite with Her consort Śiva. These three nāḍī-s represent icchā śakti, jñāna śakti and kriya śakti.

Each of the first five chakras or psychic centres is associated with five principal elements – earth, water, fire, air and ākāśa (ether). When we look at the order of these elements, earth is the grossest and ākāśa is the subtlest. When an aspirant meditates on kuṇḍalinī, his awareness moves from gross to subtle and then to the subtlest (ājñācakra).  Taittirīya Upaniṣad says that from ākāśa, air originated; from air, fire originated; from fire, water originated; from water, earth originated. Therefore, it becomes clear from the subtlest element, gross element originated. Beginning with the grossest element earth, other elements are associated with higher chakras ending at throat chakra with the subtlest element ākāśa.

First five lower chakras have one bīja each. Mūlādhāra has laṁ (लं); svādhiṣṭhāna has vaṁ (वं); maṇipūra has raṁ (रं), anāhata has yaṁ (यं), viśuddhi has haṁ (हं); Ājñācakra has two bīja-s ha (ह) and kṣa (क्ष). Sanskrit has 50 letters and all these 50 letters are placed in sahasrāra, which has one thousand petals. Each of these petals has one letter; thus one letter is placed 20 times. There is difference of opinion on the number of letters in Sanskrit. Some are of the opinion that it is 51 and others 50.

When She ascends from mūlādhāra, She has to cross the grossest element earth. When an aspirant has properly awakened kuṇḍalinī, he begins to move away from material attachments. Immediately after awakening from the base chakra, there is a blockage known as granthi, which prevents Her upward movement. Grantha means knots like honeycomb. These knots are formed by intertwining nerves. To reach the next higher chakra svādhiṣṭhāna, this knot is to be pierced. The aspirant has to pierce this knot by practicing certain āsana-s, breathing exercises and awareness. When this knot is loosened, She comfortably crosses this granthi known as Brahmagranthi.

After piercing brahmagranthi, She reaches svādhiṣṭhāna chakra, which is the element of water (according to this verse, it is the element of fire).  This psychic center is situated at the tip of the spinal cord known as coccyx or tail bone. The consciousness of the aspirant now becomes more focused on Her, but not perpetually focused.  Then She moves towards the navel chakra, known as maṇipūra chakra, which is situated in the spine just behind the navel. Element fire is associated with this chakra (according to this verse, the element is water). There is a fire by name jaṭharāgni in this chakra, which digests the food consumed by us. Navel chakra is one of the important chakras as fetus remains connected to the placenta of the mother through umbilical cord. All the chakras open both in front and back of the body. Between maṇipūra chakra and anāhata chakra, there is another knot known as Viṣṇu granthi. This granthi has also to be loosened by āsana-s, breathing exercises and awareness as in the case of Brahmagranthi. Once this granthi is loosened, She reaches the heart chakra. Heart chakra, also known as anāhata chakra and is represented by air element. This psychic center is not placed in the biological heart, but just above the navel chakra in a straight line, next to the biological heart. If this chakra is activated, the aspirant is bound to move from limited love to universal love.

From the heart chakra, She moves to the next higher chakra, the throat chakra known as viśuddhi chakra. This is placed in the area called manubrium, where the two collar bones join together. The back portion of this chakra falls on the nape of the neck. When this chakra is fully activated, the aspirant will be blessed with oratory skills. From viśuddhi, She moves to ājñācakra, known as the third eye.

Ājñācakra is placed just above the central point of the two eyebrows. This chakra is not associated with any of the elements, as all the five elements have been covered by the five lower chakras. Ājñācakra is associated with mind. It is where the command of one’s Guru is received. Divine commune happens through this chakra. If ājñācakra is fully active, it means that the other five lower chakras are also active. From ājñācakra, She moves to the crown chakra known as sahasrāra. Sahasrāra is not a chakra; it is the Abode of Śiva. Her movement from ājñācakra to sahasrāra can happen only due to Her Grace. Breathing, mudras, particular movement of eyeballs and high level of concentration alone can help in making Her ascend towards Śiva. Before reaching sahasrāra, She passes through twelve minor chakras placed above ājñācakra. When She reaches sahasrāra, She conjoins with Śiva, not only Her consort, but also Her Lord. At this point, a nectarine substance flow from the cranium towards the throat. This is the indication of attaining perfection in kuṇḍalinī meditation. This should not be allowed to drift into the body and should be pushed back by using kecarimudra (folding the tongue to touch the upper palate).

Kuṇḍalinī meditation is not that easy, as is being practiced today. Activation of kuṇḍalinī can be done only by a Guru, who himself has attained complete spiritual perfection. He awakens the kuṇḍalinī by passing on his energy into the body of his disciple.  In rare instances, kuṇḍalinī ascends on its own due to one’s good karmas. However, perfection can be attained by breathing, āsana-s, bandha-s. mudras and intent concentration.

Lalitā Sahasranāma 98 Samayācāra-tatparā talks about Kuṇḍalinī worship. The entire Saundaryalaharī is based on Samayācāra tantra.

Worshipping Lalitai in the cakra-s of kuṇḍalinī, beginning from mūlādhāra cakra is called samayācāra.  This is explained in Rudrayāmala, an ancient scripture, as told by Śiva Himself to Śaktī.  This nāma means that She likes samayācāra worship.  This worship can be done only mentally.  Initiation from a Guru is the first step in this worship.  This initiation will culminate in pūrṇa abhiṣeka (mantra bath) that will be performed by guru to the disciple.  The initiation by the guru will make the kuṇḍalinī ascend from the perineum to the six cakra-s.  Guru will guide his disciple at each level and at each cakra.  Guru will not perform the mantra bath on the disciple unless he is convinced that the disciple has attained a particular stage from where, the disciple could carryon on his own.  Guru also will not perform this ritual unless the disciple pursues the right path of Self realization.  After this ritual of mantra bath, there is yet another ritual called mahā veda samskāra, a fire ritual.  This mahā veda saṃskāra will be done only on the day of mahā navami (ninth day of Dasara celebrations) which occurs once in a year. After completing all such formalities, the sādhaka (practitioner) will have to go to an isolated place and commences his samayācāra meditation, i.e. meditation on the six cakra-s and the sahasrāra.  There is a prescribed procedure for this worship.

Kuṇḍalinī is aroused from the perineum and taken to mūlādhāra cakra.  She is in Her subtle form viz. mantra form in this cakra.  From mūlādhāra cakra, She is taken to the next higher cakra viz. svādhiṣṭhāna cakra.  She has to be mentally worshipped in this cakra.  She is in Her subtler form viz. kāmakalā form at this stage.  After the worship at this cakra, She is adorned with rich clothes and ornaments. We have to remember that everything associated with Her is red in colour. She is then taken to maṇipūraka cakra.  At this stage, changes occur in the gross body of the sādhaka.  People around him start noticing these changes.  In this cakra, She is offered arghya, pādya, etc (washing Her hands and feet) and She accepts the offerings made by the sādhaka. Then She is made to adorn the throne, as discussed in verse 8. In this cakra She is in Her subtlest form viz. Kuṇḍalinī.  Kuṇḍalinī energy gets the name of Kuṇḍalinī only from the navel cakra.  From this cakra onwards, She becomes very powerful.  It is to be remembered that this is a mental worship that happens within.

Then She is taken to the heart cakra or anāhata cakra, where She is offered betel leaves (karpūra vītikā - Lalitā Sahasranāma 26).  She is then taken to viśuddhi cakra where is worshiped with ārati. Ārati means offering (showing) various types of lamps lit with pure ghee (clarified butter).  Each such ārati has its own significance.  For example, pañca ārati means the five elements, ‘pūrṇa kumbha ārati’ signifies that everything was created out of totality and everything merges in totality.  From viśuddhi cakra, She is then taken to ājñā cakra, where is offered ‘karpūra ārati.  karpūra ārati means ārati lit with camphor.  Ārati with camphor has a lot of significance (Pure camphor is not easily available nowadays.  If pure camphor is not available, it is better to use a ghee lamp, which does not cause pollution.  The soot coming out of impure camphor affects the purity of the energy level that prevails during rituals.)  She is adorned with garlands of sweet smelling flowers and perfumes.  She is to be visualized as a bride at this stage.  She is then taken to sahasrāra where Śiva is waiting for Her.  When She enters sahasrāra, a veil is placed around them and the sādhaka awaits Her return. She becomes highly romantic here.  Once She returns from sahasrāra, She is taken back to mūlādhāra cakra. This is known as samayācāra worship.

This verse is one of the master pieces of Śaṁkarācārya. He clearly indicates that mental worship is more powerful than ritualistic worship. After ascension of kuṇḍalinī to higher chakras, the aspirant gradually transforms into a yogin. Yogin (yogi) means the one, whose individual consciousness has merged into the Supreme Consciousness. This completes the merger of jīvātman with Paramātaman. But, he continues to live as a yogin till the traces of his karmas are spent and ultimately dies not to be reborn.

Detailed analysis of each chakra is provided in Lalitā Sahasranāma 475 to 534. Complete discussion about kuṇḍalinī can be read in the label ‘kundalini’

Verse 10

सुधाधारासारैश्चरणयुगलान्तर्विगलितैः
प्रपञ्चं सिञ्चन्ती पुनरपि रसाम्नायमहसः।
अवाप्य स्वां भूमिं भुजगनिभमध्युष्टवलयं
स्वमात्मानं कृत्वा स्वपिषि कुलकुण्डे कुहरिणि॥

sudhādhārāsāraiścaraṇayugalāntarvigalitaiḥ
prapañcaṁ siñcantī punarapi rasāmnāyamahasaḥ|
avāpya svāṁ bhūmiṁ bhujaganibhamadhyuṣṭavalayaṁ
svamātmānaṁ kṛtvā svapiṣi kulakuṇḍe kuhariṇi||

sudhā dhārā sārai – continuous stream of ambrosia; caraṇa yugala antar vigalitai – flowing between Your pair of feet; prapañcaṁ - the universe; siñcana – sprinkling; punar api – again; rasa āmnāya mahasaḥ - knowledge about essence of sacred traditions; avāpya – having reached;  svāṁ bhūmiṁ - Your place; bhujaga nibha – resembling a serpent; adhyuṣṭa – three and a half; valayaṁ - circle; svamātmānaṁ - Your individual form; kṛtvā – having done; svapiṣi – sleeping; kulakuṇḍe kuhariṇi – a small cavity in the base chakra.

“O! Parāśakti! Continuous stream of ambrosia flowing between Your feet sprinkle the universe, as declared in Tantric Scriptures. Having done so, You reach the base chakra and attain the shape of a three and a half coiled serpent and sleep in a tiny cavity there.”  

This verse is yet another supreme master piece of Śaṁkarācārya. The verse has both gross and intrinsic interpretations. Only Śaṁkarācārya could use those words with different possible interpretations, as he was endowed with Parāśakti’s Grace. This verse is to be understood along with the interpretation of the previous verse. Verse 9 said that Parāśakti, by transcending six lower chakras and three knots reached sahasrāra to unite with Her Spouse Śiva. They remain in seclusion at the crown chakra. The present verse (10) talks about Her descent to Her Abode. Tantra śāstra-s say that a yogi after making Her ascend to sahasrāra to remain with Śiva should wait for Her return patiently. The Divine generative fluid secreted during their union is sprinkled on the universe, which causes the manifestation of the universe. After remaining with Śiva in seclusion, She returns back to Her Abode at mūlādhāra cakra. This is gross interpretation.

When kuṇḍaliṇī reaches sahasrāra, due to the heat and pressure in the skull, nectar like substance will be secreted that flows down towards the throat area. This is referred in this verse as sudhā dhārā sārai – continuous stream of ambrosia. The verse says that ambrosia flows down between Her feet. Feet refer to the two nāḍī-s, iḍā and piṇgalā and ambrosial flow happens through the citriṇi nāḍī within in suṣumna. Since iḍā and piṇgalā are placed on the two sides of suṣumna, which is considered as the body of Parāśakti, iḍā and piṇgalā are called pair of feet. Sprinkling of this ambrosia on the universe means entry of this ambrosia in all the 72,000 nāḍī-s of a human body. It is very important to understand the meaning of rasa āmnāya mahasaḥ. Rasa has multiple meanings such as juice, essence, etc and this word has also a very secretive meaning pertaining to Śiva; āmnāya means sacred tradition (Lalitā Sahasranāma 97 – samayāntasthā), which normally refers to tantra. Tantra means a tradition followed by a specific group, which is known as śākta tantra. Mahasa means knowledge. Therefore, rasa āmnāya mahasaḥ can be interpreted as the knowledge about essence of sacred traditions or the essence of knowledge about sacred traditions. The entire knowledge about sacred traditions has been told by Śiva to Parāśakti through a number of tantra śāstra-s. Hence the essence of knowledge about sacred tradition is more appropriate in the present context. Knowing the entire tantra śāstra-s is beyond the reach in a single human life, hence the word essence is used. All the tantra śāstra-s in some way or other follow the principles of śākta tantra. Hence it is described here as the essence of knowledge.  

Ambrosia is secreted during advanced stage of kuṇḍaliṇī meditation. According to śākta tantra, in sahasrāra there is a place known as candramaṇḍala or candraloka, the seat of Sat (existence) and Cit (Consciousness) viz. Śiva. When Parāśakti, in Her subtest kuṇḍaliṇī form conjoins Sat-Cit of Śiva, the third component bliss is realized by the aspirant. Without the presence of Parāśakti in sahasrāra, the aspirant’s spiritual journey is not complete, as Brahman is Sat-Cit-Ānanda and it is Parāśakti who gives Ānanda to the aspirant.  Therefore, when She ascends through the six chakras as discussed in the previous verse and unites with Her Consort at sahasrāra, She causes bliss in the mind of the aspirant. If this union takes place properly due to the efforts of the aspirant, the aspirant slips into the state of samādhi, also known as trance. Śiva is Self-illuminating or prakāśa and Śiva needs Śakti to reflect His Light and She is known as Vimarśa; thus they become inseparable. An improper ascension causes kuṇḍaliṇī syndrome.

Due to the presence of Supreme Śaktī, heat and pressure is felt in the cranium due to which the cerebrospinal fluid known as nectar of candramaṇḍala (brain area) melts and flows down the throat and if swallowed, it enters the 72,000 nāḍī-s, giving a luster to the whole body. Cerebrospinal fluid is again regenerated in the skull. It is also said that the ambrosia thus secreted from sahasrāra should not be allowed to enter into the digestive system and should be pushed back using kechari mudra. This is based on the principle that nectar of the moon should not be offered to the sun; and if offered, it goes waste. Heart chakra represents the sun. There is also a strong possibility that the pineal gland, the gland of divinity, just behind the ājñācakra, could also be one of the causes for the nectar.

Kuṇḍaliṇī does not remain in sahasrāra for long, even if the aspirant wants to. She begins Her descent on Her own and the descent can be made faster through yogic exercises and breathing. When She descends She again crosses the six lower chakras and reaches the base chakra or mūlādhāracakra and attains the shape of a serpent coiled three and a half times. The three coils represent three letters of OM viz. A U M and the half circle refers to the dot known as bindu. Mūlādhāracakra is also known as kula sahasrāra and the crown chakra is known as akula sahasrāra.