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SOME REFLECTIONS ON SAKTOPASANA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE .........
ca,
yā devi sarvabhūteșu saktirūpeṇa sansthita Mahātripurasundari granted several boons to goddess ramastasyai namastasyai namastasyi namonarnah.21 of wealth, Lakşami and among those boons, one was Sadaikatvam na bhedo' sti sarvadaiva mamāsya the concept of Sri ad from that time onward Sri became
one of the synonyms of the goddess of wealth, yo'sau sähamaham yāsau bhedo'sti mativibhramāt.22 Laksami. Now, thus Śrī has become a symbol of Ganeśajanani durga radha laksami saraswati greatness. Even great gods like Vişnu, Siva, Kāli, sāvitri ca sriştividhau prakrtih pancadhāh smrtāh.2 Durgā and great incarnations like Rāma and Krşņa Sarveśāktāh dwijāh proktah na śaivānaca vaişnavāh. are not without the prefix Śrī. Tripureśvari herself adiśaktimupāsante gāyatrim vedamātaram.24 being Brahmasvarūpiņi who is the supreme reality of
Above quotations well establish Sāktopāsanā the cosmos is known by the concept,' Sri; Sa hi and with equal force they also prove the Sairamệtā satām. By the worship of 'Srividyā' the SAKTYADVAITAVĀDA.
de votee gets both, worldly pleasures as well as In the following pages an humble attempt is emancipation : made with regard to the Upasanã of srividyā. As a Śrīsundarisevanstatparāņām matter of fact it is esoteric, Gurumukhaikamātr- bhogaśca mokşaśca karstha eva. asamadhigamyeyam vidyā; nevertheless whatever is Why is 'ŚRĪVIDYĀ IDENTIFIED WITH THE possible through available literature is given below. BRAHMAVIDYA ? Because it leads to the self
Srividyā itself is known as Lalitā, Rājarāje- realisation,' Tarati sokamātmavit. The Atharvanadśvarī, Mahā Tripurasundari, Pancadasi and Sodasi, vitiyopanişad declares in very clear words:etc. terms. These various names though connot be one reality, yet they have parent differences also.
tripurasundari tripura vāsini tripurāśristripura Among the well known ten Mahāvidyās, the malinitripurāsiddhistri purajanani tripurabh-airavi Şodasi Vidyā is Srividyā. To every devotee his or tābhyo vai namo namah .... brahmabrahher own deity is supreme. With this view kāli, Tārā mavidityetairmantrairbhagavatim yajet, ityā and Sodasi should be equal; because to every devotee bhagavān, tato devi svțmanam darśayati, his her particular deity is supreme. But Srividya does tasmadya etairmantrairyayati sa brahm paśyati, not belong to that category; its significance is real. It sa sarvam paśyati, so'mstattvam ca gacchati, ya is really supreme.
evam, veda it mahopnişat.25 Among the ten Mahāvidyās the frist three Sricakropanişad declares - Mahāvidyās are main, i.e. 1. Kāli, 2. Tärā, 3. Șodasi. vinā Saktim na mokṣo na jnanam na satyam na Out of these three there are nine Mahāvidy, and the dharmo na tapo na harirna haro na virancih. tenth is the complementary one. But the root Vidyā is s arvam Saktiyuktam bhavet.26 only one and that is Srividyā. Śrividyā is also termed Srividyātārakopanişad holds :as Brahma Vidyā or Brahmamayi rather Srividyā itself ya evam veda sa mukta bhavati sa mukto is Brahmavidyā. Let us examine.
bhavati.?? Srividyāsaparyāprakarana begins with the The concept Srividyā connotes both, offerings of salutations to the great teachers of the Śrītripurasundari hymn as well as its presiding deity tradtion of Brahmavidyā :also. Generally Śrīconnotes the goddess Lakşami but O m namo brahmādibhyo brahmavidyāsamas described in the Hāritāyanasamhitā, Brahman- pradāyakartsbhyo. vamśarşibhyo namo gurubhyah dapurā nottarakhanda and other mythical literatures sarvoplavarahitaprajnanagjhannapratyagartho and myths the chief meaning of Sri is Mahātripur- brahmähamasmi, sohamasmi,brahmahamasmi. asundari. According to a myth the goddess Laksami Närāyaṇam padmabhavam vasiştham, worshipped for a long time Mahātripurasundari.
saktim ca tatputraparāśaram ca, Pleased with the worship of goddess Laksami, vyāsam sukam gaudapadam mahāntam,
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