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.
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