ASPIRATIONS AND AUTHORITY IN DEVIKHADGAMALA

STOTRAM
Vedavaridhi DR
C. L. PRABHAKAR
DIRECTOR, NADA VEDA ADHYAYANAKENDRA,
BANGALORE
PRESIDENT, WAVES, BANGALORE
CHAPTER, BANGALORE

Dhyayeta arunima vasanam isvarim isvarinam

(Meditate on Devi with red ,a robe who is the overlord of overlords.)
OM AIM HRIM SRIM KLIM SAUH OM NAMASTRIPURASNDARI
Vedasri K. P. Sankara Sastry and Veda rahma Gunjur Narayana Sastry of Bangalore
were my Sri Vidya Gurus who spoke great about Srividya and Sri Devi Khadgamala
Stotra. One is theory and the other is tool and so both together would be a perfect
round in the upasana marga. Sri Sankara sastry told in kannada thus: kai alli katti
irabeku(there should sword in the hand) for any positive movement. May be like the
dagger with the Sikhs, the followers guru Nanak..
Sri Pancadaskshari mantra and the Khadgamalastotra parayana become the
summum bonum of Srividyopasana.Both are done for the pleasing of Sri Lalita
Tripurasundari who is the Saubhagya vidyesvari and the other is Sri Lalita
Paramesvari the Supreme, thePpara Bhattarika. Man is filled with desires aspirations
and work couched to get the siddhi of them during his life time. Periodically one has
to be getting the grace of the deity for happiness and peace. That is the Life and
endevours of the same. We need Authority to whom appeal and appeasement could
be directed and who in turn can exercise her powers to grant the same according
as the needed levels and circumstances of the devotees. In this cue Parvati devi the
best sishya of Deva Isvara the Repository of all knowledge and applications. There is
no sap in life without aspirations and works to accomplish the same besides the
prayer Element.In Khadgamala enlists the needs and aspirations in a bhakti and
devi being the authority at each level and stage.this is the secret of the Devi
Khadgamala stotra. Here we have scope for a mala ,plentitude of khadga, the sword
to unravel and accomplish. It is true that without dhyana dhyatru and dheya nothing
is impossible as Hayagriva maharishi described to Agastya maharshi while talking
about Lalita sva svarupa. She pervades her bhakti too always. In kahadgamala it is
only awakening of the devis svarupas preoccupied in the body mind and spirit of the
humans. All humans are divine but the jnana is variant which one has to enchance
again sue to the grace of Bhagavati Sarada the visva rupinin of all

Sri chakra puja is varied and enormous. Its abridged form is the parayana repeated
of the Khadgamalastotra. This stotra is complete by itself. This stotra is the outcome
of the dialogue between Uma and Mahesvara who are the gurusisya in relation also.
Mahesvara initiated Parvati Devi with the knowledge of this stotra, She in turn gave
rise for circulation in the world popular among the Srividyopasakas. As the uma
signified u means knowledge and the world created by Lord Siva and Ma means the
work that Parvati took up to spread that knowledge all over the world and so her
name Uma just means the promulgator of secret and general Knowledge all over
the world. Uma is a Vedic name and an erstwhile name to Parvatidevi. Apart from
the religious distinction and merit, this stotra is highly knowledge based. This stotra
bears value of Eternity guidance to the Mankind of all generations. It having the
sricakradevata varnana and upasana malamantra; Its seer is Varunaadity, the rising
sun. It is in Daivi Gayatri metre and the purpose of this stotra is to get the
khadgasiddhi(khadga siddhyarthe) meaning tool to operate the
vishayas for
success. The stotra abounds in anganyasa devatas like hridayadevi Sikhadevi etc,
Divyaugha gurus like Para Paramesvari, tithi nitya devatas which are 6 in number,
there are siddhaugha gurus, seven in number. Its Devata is suddhasaktirupainin
Kamesvari devata. Further there are 30 siddhidevatas, 18 akarshana saktis. In third
avarana, we have mention of Erotic devatas 8 in number with a start name being
ananga, the cupid, god of Love. There are 14 world sampradayas. There are 11
sarva siddhi devatas. There are 11 devatas enlisted at the sixth avarana. At the eith
avarana are placed the Sarasvati rupas like vasini, Modini Kaulini etc.At the 8 th
avarana or enclosure there are 8 powerful weapons and the the Devi is holding for
divine protection, Then she is described as Banini, capini , khadgini etc. Devi is the
form of 14 devatas with name ending with Mayi. there are 9 goddesses as overlords
of 9 cakras a symbolic esoteric power packages encompassing this stotra. There are
nine goddesses listed as Tripuresi, Tripurasundari, and ultimately Devi is Tripuramba.
Further all said and described, this stotra has the Bindu sthana which is meditated
upon, Bindu is the center of the cosmic -Energy indicating the togetherness of Siva
and Parvati in unison totally (i.e., sivasaktyaika rupini devi Lalita). The Names of
Devi thus: Sarva mrutyu samani, sarva vighna nivarini sarvanga sundandari and
sarvajne and sarvakama phala pradayini. And so on .the names are self-explanatory
of her power and functions..
Though there are 18 Attraction Powers(akarshanasaktis) and coverage for
Navavarana(nine enclosures) description and the adhisthanadevatas at the
respective avaranas, the stotra contains a good deal of tantric and geometric
coverage. Further it has tantric and cosmological in significance. Among several
famous tantras, the Vamakesvara Tantra is important. This stotra is found in such an
important Tantra Text,talking about the mahat of the deity. Herein still, we find for
any human understanding, guidance has been drawn in the stotra. It is indicated
that Devi in her manifold form is the adhisthana devata. She monitors and remains
an overlord to all of them. Then
devotion to the Devi would be a matter of
fulfillment.

The man sustains in respect of aspirations to be of immense value. Man is hope less
on earth without knowing the aspirations and goals which are included in the
calendar of life of each on earth. God has granted ten decades of life .During this
time only one has to make hay and live a full life with spark (sphurana)
achievements. Here under let us enlist the aspirations. Each refers to the one or
other avarana in the build of Sricakara nagara samrajya. She is seated therein as
MahaTripurasundari.
This malastotra itself indicates the upasana with this text forms. A kind of
Srividyopasana going by the name: Malavidya, Saktimalavidya,Sivamalavidya and
Balamantravidya. As these names indicate they are all directed to get the grace and
fulfillment from Devi Lalitha. At the end of the prayer namaste Namaste namah is
tagged meaning the polite bowing down of head in reverence to her who is many in
forms and immense in the Power to grant the respective aspirations to the upasaka
which refer to the wisdom par supreme. The names are so classed that they cover
the body, mind and spirit .The aspirations to be confirmed and enhanced of their
strength when respective names of Devi are picked and japa of the same is done to
an extent that siddhi shall occur.
The stotra is highly poetical and so quite pleasant to the ears and is delightful to
heart. The experience later would be simply blissful. It has great Rhyme and rhythm
which is of top importance to produce magical effect. The stotra is decked with
words fixed well that no alteration is possible. In Dandin language it can be
described that there is visista padavali , a mark of high poetic beauty. This stotra
proves its influence to the upasakas for certain since the sruti phala lied in the
experience of many .As Sankara said it is understood only through experience
(anubhavaikavedyam bhavati).
Man is ordinarily oppressed with hurdles and dangers like Mrutyu, Vighna,
kamaprasava kamakarshanas and samkshobhas(calamities ) of varied order. Any
upasaka would be freed from these troubles and turmoil that he would enjoy the
pleasures and joys of human life on one hand and on the other he would attain the
highest placement of life and brilliance. The same we see in the expression:
tadrusam khadgamapnoti meaning that he would become samrat and
bhokta( samrat bhokta bhavishyati). Indeed it is a matter of divine grace that one
need get the authority and at the same time the scope to experience and enjoy the
derived advantages therefrom. All that is true since it is khadga mala the string of
swords, a symbolic count that unknown power of strength get filled in him.
In conclusion we may point out that as Devi is sarvaisvaryamayi( the Embodiment
of All Wealth like anima mahima..),sarva rakshakaramayi( All protective
power),sarva roga hara cakras svamini ( the authority to remove the influence of all
kinds
of
known
and
unknown
diseases
all-round),sarvasiddhi
prada
cakrasvamini( she is the decision maker par supreme in respect of the granting of
fulfillment for all sorts of actions), maha mahesvari(Far supreme controller of all

controls), mahamaha rajni,( She is Empress of all empresses)mahamahasiddhe(By

herself she is highly accomplished with many rewards and awards) and so on, In
fact ,In Ujjain we have the famous Devi temple by name Harasiddhidevi who
granted siddhis to many like Lord Siva and the Emperor Vikramaditya and more as
history testifies.
She would therefore undoubtedly attend to the targeted aspirations found enlisted
in such epithets in the descriptions of the stotra. The personality traits of Devi
Tripurasundari are mentioned a few in the stotra on a select -model. However how is
it possible for any to exhaust her mahima as Sankaracharya in Saundarya lahari
cited though Indra , Brahma and many divinities praise her nobody can exhaust
since she apara (immense in all respects highly discretional).She is typically
addressed as TUHINAGIIRI KANYA to signify that she is never exhaustible in virya,
guna and mahima. Further the rupa. Rasa, gandha citta etc are the factors which
will not allow man to raise high .Devi steps down these intensities and turns her
bhaktas docile and reaching to her and others for help and sustenance. She makes
him pure that he can shine better when these features remain under controls. When
we look at this stotra academically we are reminded of names of devi in
Lalitasahsranama stotra enunciated by Hayagriva maharshi to Agastya maharshi,
the same way the epithets describing Durga in Durga sapatasati narrated in the
Markandeya Purana and the Grand Saundaryalahari of Acharya Sankara.They only
show the Goddess as ananta vaibhava. It is hard to read all of them always and so
adopting to Deiv stotra namely the Khadga mala would definitely be a fulfillment
and the jivita gamana would be regulated and fine. As said in Yajurveda in the
camaka adhyaya the realisationof the wsiwsh
ITI S CA ME GATI SCA ME YAJNENA KALPANTAM
(Past and future of me be guarded by the stotra I make to divinity of my choice
initiated by a true Guru).
would be a truth to the devotee. After all, one should turn to be a jnani in each
janama to beget the eligibility for being the rank namely sasvata
brahmalokavaptirastu. In Gita Bhagavan Sri Krishna promises thus bahunam
janmanam ante jnanavan mam asnute In other words, attainment of Devi par
excellence. The words sayujya salokya and salokata etc would occur to the sri
vidyopasakas.
Om namo devyai mahadevyai durgayai satatam namah.