Tripura Sundari and Cosmic Wisdoms

PART 1
THE ESSENCE OF BEAUTY IS GOD
The third Great Cosmic Wisdom is known as Tripura Sundari or Shrividya Tripura. Generally speaking, this Goddess manifests three fundamental aspects of the Divinity, which may be extended to the level of the whole creation.

Furthermore, in the Tantric tradition there are many other forms that reunite these three aspects in one, such as Trishakti (referring to the three fundamental energies of God in manifestation: iccha shakti – the energy of will, jnana shakti – the energy of knowledge, and kriya shakti – the energy of action) and Trilingam (referring to the three aspects of the universal lingam, which are: svayambhu lingam, bana lingam and itara lingam).

From an etimological point of view, ” tri “ means Three, and “pura” means city, or citadel. Thus Tripura may be translated as “the one comprising all three citadels”, referring to the three worlds or gigantic spheres of God’s creation: the physical world, the astral world and the causal world.

Due to the perfect likeness between the structure of the human micro cosmos and the macro cosmos, these three citadels are usually associated to the three “bodies” of the human being: the physical body, the astral body and the causal body.

From a different perspective, the significance is placed on the sovereignty of the goddess, on matter, energy, and thought at the level of the whole creation.

Furthermore, this grandiose manifestation of the Great Cosmic Wisdom Tripura Sundari also refers to the three fundamental states of the human being: the state of awakening, the state of sleep with dreams and the state of deep sleep without dreams, symbolized in Tantra as the light of the fire, of the Moon and of the Sun.

Consequently, Tripura Sundari is the bright, gigantic sphere of divine consciousness that pervades all experiences of the three worlds of the Creation, but at the same time transcends them completely. The first “city-citadel” of the goddess is the state of awakening, in which the human being experiences various states of spirit mainly through the five senses.

In this case, the Tantric tradition asserts that the location of the individual consciousness is at the level of the right eye, or in the area of the forehead, in between the eyebrows.

The second “city-citadel” of the goddess’ is the state of sleep with dreams, associated with vishuddha chakra, in which the individual consciousness is centered in the mind.

The third “city-citadel” of the goddess’ is the state of deep sleep, associated with anahata chakra, in which the individual consciousness becomes united with its divine nature.

As the sovereign goddess of these three principal states of consciousness, Tripura Sundari also represents the fourth state of consciousness (turiya), which transcends all other three and which is associated with the state of ecstasy (samadhi) and spiritual freedom.

TRANSFIGURATION IS THE MAGICAL KEY
According to Tantric beliefs, from the perspective of the universal principles, it is known that the feminine principle represents Gods manifestation in the aspect of names and forms while the the masculine principle signifies the transcendent aspect of God.

Therefore, feminine nature is always associated to beauty. We may ask ourselves: where can one find supreme beauty? Tantric teachings urge us to seek this beauty inside ourselves, because exterior beauty can only reflect the ineffable inner beauty, which transcends all forms.

Literally, Sundari means “beauty” and this Great Cosmic Wisdoms worship represents in fact following the path of beauty and ecstatic bliss through manifestation until one reaches the Divine Absolute.

Normally, we imagine beauty as the perfection and harmony of our exterior surroundings and what is found in them, like a beautiful woman or a pretty flower.

However, regardless of their beauty, if we analyze them closer, we will discover certain less appealing aspects. Furthermore, as a direct consequence of our experiences in this life, we know that all external beauty will eventually fade and even disappear. This thing happens because form may only embody amazing beauty for a while, but fortunately, beauty is and means more than any form.

On the supreme level, genuine beauty is eternal, and it is reflected only to a certain degree in the changing forms of things and beings in the universe. From this point of view, Tripura Sundari represents more than the formal beauty (which is mainly the attribute of Kamalatmika, the tenth Great Cosmic Wisdom), Tripura Sundari is the very indescribable beauty that allows you to perceive the divine perfection.

This is the reason why beauty should never be considered as inherent to objects, as it appears from the unwrapping of the divine consciousness light that irradiates from every single thing and being.

PART 2
THE PURE MIND MIRRORS THE TRUTH
In order to resonate with this euphoric state of perception produced by beauty we need to eliminate any preconceived ideas, about what we know or what we can remember.

In other words, we truly need to “cleanse” our mind so that the magnificent and glorious light of the Divine Self can reflect itself. If we do not fulfill this condition, the residues of our thoughts and emotions will obstruct, as a dark lens the divine beauty that surrounds us.

Essentially speaking, Tripura Sundari represents the supreme beauty of pure perception that appears when we are capable of “seeing”, of “envisaging” inside of our being the whole manifestation as a direct reflection of Gods consciousness.

Thus, the Great Goddess appears to us as the beauty of the whole creation, but this perception is performed in the terms of the indestructible divine unity, in the sense that the whole macro cosmos is Brahman or the Heavenly Father and that there is nothing outside His consciousness.

Therefore, the ardent worship of the Great Cosmic Wisdom Tripura Sundari is one of the shortest and most secure path towards the revelation of the Divine Self.

When the mind is saturated with this divine knowledge, it will easily find total satisfaction in whatever we do. Our perception is then transfigured, and thus we will find joy and happiness in all that we do, even in the most common and apparently insignificant gestures and actions.

We are now free from any conception of time, space, size, distance etc. Then, any perception reveals Gods eternal and compassionate presence and thus any perception becomes a kind of small universe in itself, allowing us to intuitively know the uniqueness of the Divine Consciousness in the appearance of the myriads of forms of manifestation.

THE WORLD IS A GAME

Tripura Sundari is also known as Lalita, “the one who plays”. The Hindu spiritual tradition asserts
that the whole Creation is in fact the beautiful, charming game, or play of the Divine Mother.

To which we, as human beings are concerned, we are merely transient individualities in the Mothers gigantic game and in order to become free from its illusion we need to understand which is the primordial source of power and energy that moves around it.

• Our pain and suffering are mere illusions; they are a direct consequence of the false knowledge rooted in ignorance and the manifestation of the ego. This is relatively simple: because we stubbornly and obstinately tend to control our happiness, or we tend to “own” it from the point of view of a separate, false “self”, we practically “split” ourselves from the genuine spiritual bliss.
• As an accurate and pure image of this bliss, Lalita shows us the way to come out of this situation, that we need not deny happiness, but discover it inside ourselves.
• Lalita awakens the receptive soul to the divine happiness saturating every single thing that exists in the universe.
• Lalita is also known as the deity presiding over the Sri Yantra, the Yantra that is at the base of the whole universe, and that originated in the subtle universal sound, pranava .
• Lalita is considered as the most beautiful of deities and represents the supreme ecstatic bliss as the source of any other wonderful perceptions.
• Tradition says that She is located on the peak on Mount Meru, the so-called Cosmic Mountain, sustaining and leading movement and action in the whole universe. In the micro cosmos of our being, Mount Meru is associated with Sushumna Nadi.
• She also represents the endless divine love, which is in fact the central, essential force motivating the existence of the Macro cosmos and at the same time the initial impulse towards spiritual freedom.

LOVE IS THE GATE TO HER HEART
Tripura Sundari is also named Rajarajeshvari, or the “governess of the whole creation”, because She gives the “orders of ruling” the macro cosmos.

Tripura Sundari is also 
named Rajarajeshvari

Therefore, it is important that we think of Her and that we invoke Her grace whenever we are facing a difficult decision in life.

However, Her “orders” are not based on authority, but on the respect for the free will of each being and they are also charged with endless divine love.

Consequently, all we need to do in order to receive Her grace is to open up our hearts with sincerity, to the love she offers us unconditionally.

However, to deeply understand her way of action in the universe, we need to eliminate our selfish desires and to love in a transfiguring manner everything around us.

According to Tantric teachings, beauty and ecstatic bliss represent the fundamental energy of the universe, and the “game”, the “play” is the nature of any existing thing in the universe.

Knowing all of this, the path towards spiritual freedom and towards obtaining real happiness and fulfillment becomes easier. This is the spiritual “key” offered to us by the Great Cosmic Wisdom Tripura Sundari.

PART 3
TRIPURA SUNDARI IS REVEALED AS A 16 YEAR OLD GIRL
One of the most famous representations of the Great Cosmic Wisdom Tripura Sundari is as a 16 year old girl. This anthropomorphic vision of the goddess is known as Shodasi (meaning “sixteen”) or Bala (meaning “young girl”).

• The age of sixteen was not chosen by accident, because this is when a woman experiences the most pleasant and fascinating aspects of her personality.
• At this stage of her life, her strongest inner impulse is to experience new sensations, and to fascinate the people around her with her charm.
• This is why it has been said that her innocence and purity disarms even the darkest souls, acting as a powerful magnet for all who resonate with beauty, truth and goodness.
• Thus, just as the young girl of sixteen, Shodasi guides the aspirant with great discernment on the spiritual path, representing the innocence and ardor towards God.

SHE SPREADS THE NECTAR OF DIVINE KNOWLEDGE
When we think about the divine transcendent aspects, which imply the essential forms of God’s consciousness and energy, Tripura Sundari is associated to the indestructible reality, which is Cit – Shakti .

• In Her aspect of Pure Knowledge, She is known as Samvit, referring to Her capacity of understanding and perceiving everything (every thing, being, phenomenon); as being infused with God’s supreme consciousness.
• From this perspective, the Great Cosmic Wisdom Tripura Sundari appears as a Power of intuitive and perceptive knowledge, and less as knowledge gained from discursive analysis and reasoning.
  
• She represents that form of manifestation belonging to the Supreme Divine Energy (Parameshvari) which appears to us as pure consciousness and as pure bliss.
• In an attempt of uniting these aspects, we may state that Tripura Sundari combines some aspects of the energy of activity (characteristic to Kali ) with some aspects of the energy of knowledge (characteristic to Tara ), adding to these the dimension of bliss that comes with the supreme realization.
• Closely related to the energy of spiritual beatitude, and with the presence of the divine nectar soma, Tripura Sundari also represents the Moon, as a visible embodiment of transcendent beauty and happiness.
• From a subtle point of view, Sundari represents the ecstatic experience of spreading pouring divine nectar into an aspirant, due to the process of resonance with the most elevated aspects of God’s Consciousness.
• As the very source of the subtle soma, this goddess is located in Sahasrara padma, the crown of the head.
• Through Her grace, the divine nectar that confers immortality is spread through the whole being of the aspirant, until the aspirant realizes the fact that the entire manifestation is infused with the same subtle energy of infinite beatitude.

TRIPURA SUNDARI PIERCES OUR HEARTS WITH THE ARROWS OF ECSTASY
With regards to the Goddess’ form, to be visualized during meditation, it is said to be brighter than a thousand suns, and She is said to wear a crescent moon on her head.

Tripura Sundari is represented with four arms, in which She holds a bowl of sugar cane, five arrows made from flowers, a noose and a hook.

She is usually naked in these representations wearing only wonderful jewels, bracelets on her hands and ankles, earrings, rings, necklaces, and so on.

PART 4
Her beauty is dazzling and her face and body are very young. Most of the time she is represented as sitting on a bed (which signifies the great God Sadashiva bent over His four forms: Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra and Maheshvara, symbolized by the four feet of the bed.

The bright red color in which is represented the Great Cosmic Wisdom Tripura Sundari signifies her state of ecstatic bliss, her knowledge that is illuminating and complete, as well as her compassion for all beings in the universe.

The symbolic significance of the objects she holds in her hands is the following: the bowl of sugar cane represents the mind, the arrows made from flowers represent the senses, which through her grace become like “gates” that manifest an overwhelming happiness.

Metaphorically speaking, Tripura Sundari “pierces” us with the arrows of delight and happiness, revealing to us all the forms of Creation as aspects of our inner divine nature.

The noose she holds in her third hand signifies her ability to attract sincere and devoted worshipers through her dazzling beauty. The hook held in her fourth hand represents the means through which she cuts off any attachment for the illusions of the outside world.

SHE CONTROLS AND FULLY MANIFESTS ALL THE FIVE ELEMENTS
Shiva‘s five forms on which Tripura Sundari is sitting are named “the five bodies”, because they are

absolutely inert in the absence of the energy infused by Tripura Sundari.

From this subtle point of view, these five forms symbolize the five elements (mahabhuta) of the manifested world, and the five types of Shiva’s main activities: create, preserve, destroy, conceal and grant grace.

Thus, Brahma signifies the earth element (prithivi mahabhuta) and the activity of creation. Vishnu is the water element (apas mahabhuta) and the activity of preservation.
Rudra is the fire element (agni mahabhuta) and the activity of destruction and transformation. Maheshvara represents the air element (vayu mahabhuta) and the activity of concealment, in other words Shiva’s action of hiding His essential nature.

Sadashiva is the fifth and most subtle of all the elements, the ether element, (akasha mahabhuta) and symbolizes Shiva’s grace, which frees us from the bonds of illusion and offers us the capacity of transcending it entirely.

THE REVELATION OF OUR SUPREME SELF ATTRACTS HER GRACE UPON US
The most elevated way of worshiping Tripura Sundari is to find our inner peace in the Supreme Self (Atman), or in other words to reveal our divine essence as the supreme, eternal reality of the whole creation.

The most direct method for attaining this goal is that of deep introspection on our real identity, representing atma-vichara, whose method is mainly and synthetically presented in the question “Who am I?” or the very relevant and abstract methods of jnana yoga.

The fundamental experience resulting from here is the one that makes us understand that the things around us are not separated from ourselves, because they have the same source and the same essential nature.

In this respect, the teachings of the vedantic tradition state that it is below our dignity as human beings to let ourselves be taken over by feelings of guilt, fear, worry, or anger or for that matter, any feeling incompatible with the spiritual perfection and harmony that we embody.

It is also beneath our dignity to identify ourselves with this tiny body, of bones and flesh, or with an ephemeral mental structure. It is like an insult to the Supreme Self to be identified with a limited body or a hesitating personality.

The deep understanding of these truths attracts the overwhelming grace of the Great Cosmic Wisdom Tripura Sundari, who will prepare our body, heart and mind for experiencing the eternal and infinite bliss of the Divine Absolute.