Bhagavatī Rājarājēśvarī can be approached through various āmnāyas. The simplified approach characterized by the Dakṣiṇāmnāya (through Saubhāgyavidyā and as expounded by Paraśurāma Kalpasūtra, Paramānanda Tantra etc.) is well-known to the Dākṣiṇātyas. In the lineage of Bhagavatī Bimbāmbikā, the gateway is through the Uttarāmnāya – which is the most difficult of the āmnāyas to master, for various reasons.
The Queen of the Uttarāmnāya can truly grant Siddhi of the rest of the āmnāyas as well as propel the sādhaka upward towards the ultimate goal, which for a śrīvidyā upāsakā, is Mahātripurasundarī. This āmnāya is not merely characterized by Bhakti (Dakṣiṇāmnāya), Mantra (Pūrvāmnāya), Tantra (Paścimāmnāya), but by Jñāna arising out of the systematic upāsanā involving Bhakti, Mantra and Tantra. Here, Jñāna is not the śuṣkajñāna of Jaḍa-vēdānta but is symbolic of Shāmbhava Yoga.
औत्तराम्यायाद्यशेषशास्त्रार्थावबोधशालित्वात् ।
1. The mighty Queen of this āmnāya stands majestically with nine faces – each representing an āmnāya (adhara, dakṣiṇa, pūrva, paścima, four upāmnāyas and uttarāmnāya). Jagadambā sports eighteen hands and stands in Pratyālīḍha posture atop Mahāsvacchanda Bhairava who himself is stationed on Pañcamukha Sadāśiva.
2. At her Lotus feet is Chinnamastā, known also as Pracaṇḍa caṇḍī, the upanāyikā of Uttarāmnāya. She is flanked on either side by Dākinī and Varṇinī.
3. Stationed at her Lotus Feet also is the great Mahāmanthāna Bhairava (identified alternately as Mahākāla by Baḍabānala Tantra) atop thirty-three headed Nāgarāja, sporting ten hands.
4. Also at her Lotus Feet is Chaṇḍa Bhairava sporting four hands, seated on the Pañcaprētāsana of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra, Iśvara and Mahēndra.
5. On either side of Bhagavatī are Raktakālī and Shvetakālī, who are invoked as upāṅga vidyās.
6. On top of the ninth face of the Great Goddess is the seat of the Mistress of the transcendent tenth ūrdhvāmnāya, Mahātripurasundarī. She is seated on Pañcabrahmāsana, surrounded by her own retinue of Mahāvidyās.
7. Sixteen Yoginīs (from Mahocchuṣmā to Mahākālasaṅkarṣiṇī) stand ready to serve the Queen of Uttarāmnāya.
Thirty-two mantras of these deities (excluding Mahātripurasundarī) form the treasure-trove of Uttarāmnāya.
One should note here the significance of this āmnāya and of nine-faces indicated by Abhinavagupta:
तथा पर्यन्तवर्तिनां आम्नायानां यः पर उत्कृष्ट उत्तराम्नायः ततोऽपि षट्त्रिंशभेदभिन्नाद्यः पर्यन्तः प्रान्तवर्ती नवचक्रसंप्रदायः सोऽयं महार्थः ।
The nine faces are symbolic of Krama (prakāśa, anākhyā and so on). Of interest is also to note that the 32, 37 and 41 lettered mantras of Ucchiṣṭa Mahāgaṇapati are part of Uttarāmnāya (while rest of the forms of Gaṇapati typically belong to Pūrvāmnāya).
Note: We received several queries about the picture in this post. This is a Newar picture in the worship of our Guru Sri Harsha-ji. When time permits, we shall post similar pictures of Amnayarajnis of other Amnayas as well. This particular picture is of special significance to our Guruji as it depicts both Uttaramnaya and Urdhvamnaya in a single picture along with several main deities worshiped in our lineage. He likes this to be the first and last picture he sees every day upon waking up and before going to bed along with another picture of Nrsimha. There is a painted version of this picture in his worship as well which was gifted to our Guruji through a current member of the Royal Family of Nepal – but Guruji did not permit us to take a picture of that version. During my stay in Nepal, I do remember seeing a very similar picture, but without the retinue of anga-devatas, or the asana-devatas, in the Rashtriya Samgrahalaya at Kathmandu, painted by a Vajracharya belonging to the previous century. – Aileen.