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RELIGIOUS SECTS
orgies amongst the votaries1. The ceremony is entitled the Sri Chakra, or Púrńábhisheka, the Ring, or Full Initiation.
It might have been sufficient to have given this general statement, or even to have referred to the similar but fuller account of Mr. WARD: his information was however merely oral, and may therefore be regarded as unsatisfactory; and as it seems to be necessary to show that the charge is not altogether wfounded, I shall subjoin the leading rites of the Sakti Sodhana, or Sri Chakra, as they are prescribed in the Devi Rahasya, a section of the Rudra Yamala.
__ SAKTI SODHANA. The object of the ceremony should be either:
नटी कपालिनी वेश्या रजकी नापिताङ्गना। ब्राह्मणी शूद्र कन्या च तथा गोपालकन्यका ॥ मालाकारस्य कन्या ऽपि नवकन्याः प्रकीर्तिताः ।
एतासु कांचिदानीय पूजयेच[छक्ति कौलिकः ॥ [The Pránatoshani in which (p. 300, b) the first 3 lines are quoted has instead of the fourth line the following:
विशेषवैदग्ध्ययुताः सर्वचैव कुलाङ्गनाः ॥ रूपयौवनसम्पन्ना शीलसौभाग्यशालिनी।
पूजनीया प्रयत्नेन ततः सिद्धिर्भवेद्धवम् ॥] “A dancing girl, a female devotee, a harlot, a washerwoman, or barber's wife, a female of the Bráhmanical or Sudra tribe, a flower girl, or a milk maid." It is to be performed ad midnight, with a party of eight, nine, or eleven couple, as the Bhairavas and Bhairavis.
महानिशायामानीय नवकन्याश्च भैरवान् । एकादश नवाप्टौ वा कौलिकः कौलिकेश्वरि।
शोधयेन्नवभिर्मन्त्रैः पूजयेत्कौलिकोत्तमः ॥ Appropriate Mantras are to be used, according to the description of the person selected for the Sakti, who is then to be worshipped, according to prescribed form: she is placed disrobed, but richly ornamented, on the left of a circle (Chakra) described
