KarmaVaani
Shakta tradition
ललिता त्रिपुरसुन्दरीLalita Tripurasundari
Rajarajeshwari · Shodashi · Kameshvari
The supreme goddess of the Shri Vidya tradition, the beauty of the three worlds, worshipped in the Shri Yantra.
- Abode
- Manidvipa, the island of jewels
- Consort
- Kameshvara, a form of Shiva
- Vahana
- None; she sits on a throne borne by Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra and Ishvara
- Colour
- Red, like the dawn
- Arms
- 4
Lalita Tripurasundari, she who plays and is lovely in the three worlds, is the highest form of the Goddess in the Shri Vidya tradition. The Brahmanda Purana tells how she rose from a sacrificial fire to destroy the demon Bhandasura, and how the sage Hayagriva taught her thousand names, the Lalita Sahasranama, to Agastya. She is worshipped in the Shri Yantra, and Adi Shankara's Saundarya Lahari is a hymn to her.
Mantra
ॐ श्री ललिताम्बिकायै नमः
Om Shri Lalitambikayai Namaha
Salutations to the Divine Mother Lalita.
How Lalita Tripurasundari is shown
A radiant goddess seated on a throne, crowned with a crescent moon, her face shining like the rising sun.
- Noose (pasha)
- Desire and attachment, held in her hand and not ours.
- Goad (ankusha)
- Anger and aversion, restrained.
- Sugarcane bow
- The mind, sweet and supple.
- Five flower arrows
- The five senses and their objects.
Stories
Bhandasura
From the ashes of Kamadeva, burned by Shiva's third eye, rose the demon Bhandasura, who drained the joy from the worlds. The gods offered their very bodies into a great fire, and from it Lalita arose, seated on a chariot. With her armies of goddesses she destroyed Bhandasura and his city, then restored Kama to life.
