Sambodhi 1978 Vol 07

Author(s): Dalsukh Malvania, H C Bhayani, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 37

“SĀMRAJYALAKSMĪPĪTHIKĀ OF ĂKĀŠABHAIRAVAKALPA: A TANTRIK ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF MAGICORELIGION'
Ganesh Thite The Sāmrājyalaksmīpīthikā* of the Ākāšabhairavakalpa deals mainly with the tāntric worship of Sāmrājyalakşmi i.e. the Goddess of wealth of Empire. The worship and other ritual in connection with the Sāmrājyalaksmi are to be performed for the sake of extending the empire and making it safe and secure. Accordingly many other subjects that are useful for an ambitious king are detailed in this text. Thus for example the text deals with the science of warfare, of archery, of horses, of elephants etc. and also prescribes the ways in which a king should behave daily. Moreover the work also prescribes many religious festivals and observances which are to be celebrated or observed during the whole year. Thus the work can be rightly described as an encyclopaedia as well as a tāntric treatise. The information on various subjects given here contains numerous details of the magicoreligious view point of Indian thinkers. Therefore like many other encyclopaedic works (e.g. Mānasollāsa/Abhilasitārthacintāmani or Śivatattvaratnakara etc.) this work is important more for the history of religion than for the history of various arts and crafts described in it. Nature and importance of Samrajyalaksmi
In the beginning, while describing the nature and importance of the Sā nrājyalaksmî it is said that this is the goddess of wealth obtained by the kings by conquering empire through good means. The kings who are favoured by this goddess, who behave according to the way prescribed in the science of polity and are religious can conquer easily other nations and cities rich in wealth and food. These kings get elephants, horses etc. as well as women adorned with ornaments and with face like moon. The religious kings like Māndhāts, Rāma, Yudhisthira obtained great empires by worshipping the Sāmrājya-lakşmi (Patala 1). The goddess Sāmrājyalaksmi is considered to be sitting on a lotus in the palace named Chintāmani situated in the city named Vijayā. This city is situated on the Svetaisland in the ocean of milk (Patala 2). Worship of the deity of empire
Om namo bhagavatyai sämrajyadāyailakṣmyai svāhā is the sacred "* formula of the deity of empire. This forinula is helpful for removing all the sins, obtaining en pire, and getting salvation. It has sixteen syllables, its seer is the Lord Sankara, metre jagati, and Mahālakṣmi who gives
* Ed. K. Vasudeva Sastri and K.S. Subrahmanya Sastri, Tanjore, 1952.