Pūrṇachaṇḍī – Siddhilakṣmī

 

Purnachandi

 

खट्वाङ्गाङ्कुशपाशशूलवरकृद्भीत्राणपात्रं शिरः
कुम्भासिज्वलितोद्भटैर्भुजवरैराभासमानां शिवाम् |
रुद्रस्कन्धगतां शरच्छशिनिभां पञ्चाननां सुन्दरीं
पञ्चत्र्यक्षविराजितां भगवतीं श्रीसिद्धिलक्ष्मीं भजे||

khaṭvāṅgāṅkuśapāśaśūlavarakṛdbhītrāṇapātraṃ śiraḥ
kumbhāsijvalitodbhaṭairbhujavarairābhāsamānāṃ śivām |
rudraskandhagatāṃ śaracchaśinibhāṃ pancānanāṃ sundarīṃ
pancatryakṣavirājitāṃ bhagavatīṃ śrīsiddhilakṣmīṃ bhaje||

Bhagavatī śrīsiddhilakṣmī is one of the most important deities worshiped in śrīkula krama tantra. Bhagavatī is worshiped in two forms: as Pūrṇacaṇḍī through her Navākṣarī mahāvidyā (not to be confused with navārṇa mantra) where her association is with the Kālī-kula (Guhyakālī specifically), and as Siddhīlakṣmī through her ṣōḍaśākṣarī mahāvidyā where her association is with śrī-kula (Parāṣōḍaśī specifically). During the current month, Parāmbā is worshiped as Pūrṇacaṇḍī whereas in the month of Bhādrapada, she is invoked as Siddhilakṣmī.

Parāmbā is visualized with five faces that represent five āmnāyas, each resplendent with three eyes. From the fifteen eyes emerge fifteen secret mantras of Bhagavatī. As Pūrṇacaṇḍī, Bhagavatī sports in her sixteen hands: khaḍga, bāṇa, śūla, śakti, cakra, gadā, japamālā, kartarī, phalaka, kārmuka, nāgapāśa, paraśu, ḍamaru, kapāla, varada and abhaya mudras. As Siddhilakṣmī or Mūlapratyaṅgirā, Parāmbā sports in her eight glorious hands: pāśa, ankuśa, vara, abhaya, khaḍga, khaṭvāṅga, śūla, and kalaśa. She is also depicted with ten hands at times. She appears seated on the shoulder of Mahārudra, who himself is stationed on the corpse of an asura.

Among her two chief forms, one is a cakrēśvarī and the other āmnāyanāyikā within the ṣōḍaśāvaraṇa śrīcakra. Among the sixteen Mahākumārīs, she is the fourteenth. As Pūrṇacaṇḍī, she is visualized as both the essence as well as transcendence beyond laghu Caṇḍikā who is of the form of Mahākālī, Mahālakṣmī and Mahāsarasvatī (represented in Durgā Saptaśatī of Mārkaṇḍēya purāṇa).

Parāmbā is also worshiped by Newars of Nepal of Buddhist persuasion as Yōgāmbarā ḍākinī. At Bhaktapur, within a corner of the palace, one can see a shrine dedicated to Sri Siddhilakshmi. It is said that the great Tāntric Yogin Sampūrṇānanda who guided several rulers of Nepal, had a vision of the Mother here. It is said that Siddhilakṣmī trampled Bhairava under her feet and subdued him when the wrathful form of Shiva became reckless and unleashed his fury on the creation. This is probably the reason for her identification with Pratyaṅgirā (as Mūlapratyaṅgirā). The idol of Bhagavatī remains locked in the sanctum and only initiated priests are allowed to approach her in this shrine due to her wrathful countenance.

Note: There seems to be another deity Siddhalakṣmī who is popular due to the somewhat famous Siddhalakṣmī Stotra (brāhmīṃ ca vaiṣṇavīṃ bhadrāṃ etc). That deity, popular in Southern India, is not the same, in terms of mantra, rūpalakṣaṇa, or yantra samketa.

 

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