Rahoyāga-kramāradhyā रहोयाग-क्रमारध्या (381)

This nāma and the next one discuss about worshipping Her secretively. Secretive worship means worshipping Her internally without resorting to external rituals. Worshipping Her within is considered as a powerful tool to realize Her, as only Her subtlest forms can be worshipped within.  Her subtlest form is Her kuṇḍalinī form. In sahasrāra or the crown cakra, She conjoins with Śiva and worshipping this Śiva-Śaktī union is considered as the secretive worship. Obviously, others cannot partake in this internal worship. 

The internal worship, be it Her gross form, or Her subtler kāmakalā form or Her subtlest kuṇḍalinī form attains great importance. In the external rituals, the sādhaka or the practitioner is associated with actions. The concentration gets diverted and diffused from the focal point of the worship to the mundane form of the ritual. In the internal worship, the entire focus is fixed on Her and there are no distractions. Though distractions cannot be avoided in the beginning stages of internal worship, when the practice is intensified leading to the stage of bliss, a sort of addiction is developed by the practitioner to be with that bliss. The stage of bliss cannot be described in quotidian language and to understand it, one has to really make sincere attempts while pursuing the path of spirituality. Secondly, the stage of bliss does not vary depending upon the forms of God.  Bliss is a unique phenomenon, applicable to all forms of worship.

In Śri Vidyā cult, there are two types of worship.  One is called samayācāra worship, the internal worship. The other is kulācāra worship or the external rituals.  Saundarya Laharī (verse 8) makes a reference to this samayācāra or internal worship.  “You are seated in the middle of the ocean of nectar (sahasrāra), with Śiva tattva as the base and Sadāśiva tattva as the cushion, offering bliss.  Only the blessed ones meditate on this form of yours” says this verse. 

A question may arise, being Śiva’s wife how She can sit on a couch with Śiva as its base and Sadāśiva (the higher form of Śiva) as the cushion.  In scientific parlance, two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time.  Therefore it becomes possible to interpret that Śiva and Śaktī are no way different from each other.  That is why Śiva- Śaktī union assumes great importance. Scriptures also point out, that the state of bliss can be attained, only by those who always remain with Her thought and not by those who solely resort to materialistic living.  

Rahastarpaṇa-tarpitā रहस्तर्पण-तर्पिता (382)

In the initial stage of pursuing spiritual path and in order to control the mind, recitation and repetition of mantra-s is practiced, so that the mind does not get diverted to extraneous thoughts. Such mantra-s should be recited after understanding the meaning of the mantra.  In the case of Pañcadaśī mantra, there are fifteen bīja-s in that mantra and each bīja has different meaning and significance. This has been dealt with in the introductory chapter. Two things are important while reciting a mantra. The first one is dhyāna verse or the meditative verse that describes the form of the god or goddess.  This helps in visualizing the form of the deity.  Second is the mantra itself that infuses life to the visualized form. This situation is applicable only in the initial stages and as one progresses, further guidance is received from the concerned deity itself by way of communion. This nāma says that such mantra-s should be recited only mentally. 

There is another interpretation for this nāma. This nāma could also be interpreted as ‘secretive oblations’ offered into the internal fire (fire generated and persists at the mūlādhāra cakra to keep the body alive). The oblations consist of the thirty six tattva-s or the principles that are responsible for our karma-s, either good or bad.  In Śrī vidyā navāvaraṇa pūjā there is one separate ritual called ‘internal oblation’ or tatvaśodhana wherein all the dualities are sacrificed as oblations in the internal fire.