Kulāṅganā कुलाङ्गना (92)
She hails from the family of chaste women. Such women protect the honour of the lineage they hail from and protect the lineage of the families of their husbands as well. In another interpretation it is said that, such women cannot be seen much in public. Lalitāmbikā, being supreme amongst such women protect Herself with the veil of avidyā or ignorance. Saundarya Laharī (verse 9) says “in sahasrāra you conjoin with your consort Śiva secretively.” It is explained that by breaking the six psychic planes, conquering twenty five tattva-s, She, in the form of kuṇḍalinī reaches sahasrāra and there unites with Sadāśiva tattva. This union is considered as a separate tattva known as sādākhya tattva. This tattva is also known as Para-Brahman, the complete identity of Lalitāmbikā with Sadāśiva. This stage is also known as tādātmya. Such is the interpretation of Śrī Śaṁkara for chaste women.
Śrī Vidyā ritual worship is considered as the most secretive. This ritual is called navāvaraṇa pūja. If this is performed in the right way, it will surely bestow everything on earth to the person who performs this worship. Most of the navāvaraṇa pūja-s performed today is purely for pomp and vanity. Pomp and vanity have no place in the worship of Lalitāmbikā. Secondly, there are many deviations from the prescribed rituals. Any ritual not performed according to the prescribed methods does not yield results. For the sake of convenience, nothing can be compromised in rituals.
Kulāntasthā कुलान्तस्था (93)
Kulā also means scriptures. She resides in the midst of these scriptures. This nāma could possibly mean Devi Sarasvatī, the goddess of letters, as She is supposed to be the root for all scriptures. This also means the spinal cord or suṣumna and is called the path of kulā. In the triad we have seen earlier (nāma 90), that she is in the form of worthy of knowing (known). She is the object of the knowledge of kulā. Kula means Śaktī. Śaktī prevails everywhere i.e. omnipresence. This situation is well described in Kena Upaniṣad as ‘pratibodha-viditam’ which means ‘known at all levels of sādhaka’s consciousnesses.
Kaulinī कौलिनी (94)
She is the core of kaula worship. Kaula worship is a tantric worship under śākta method (methods of worshipping Śaktī is called śākta worship). Since She is the centre of this worship She is called kaulīnī. As She is worshiped everywhere (omnipresence), She is called as kaulīnī (as per triad – worshipper, worshipped and worship). Tantra śāstra define Śaktī as kulā and Śiva as akula. The union of Śiva and Śaktī is called as kaula and She is called kuṇḍalinī. This union takes place in sahasrāra. There is a reference in some tantra texts to one more thousand petal lotus, just below the thousand petal lotus, is the sahasrāra. In the centre of the second sahasrāra, Kula Devi is worshiped and in the petals kula Śaktīs are worshiped. Kaulīni also means this kula Devi, the goddess of one’s lineage. One of the Vāc-Devi-s, the authors of this Sahasranāma is known as Kaulīnī. The external worship of cakra-s, possibly meaning that Śrī Cakra is also called kaulīnī.
Kulayoginī कुलयोगिनी (95)
Kaulā means mental worship. Here it means offering mental worship to Her in the six cakra-s. Mental worship can be performed only through yoga. Kula means mūlādhārā cakra and akula means sahasrāra. The link between these can be established only by yogic methods. That is why she is called as Kulayoginī.
Akulā अकुला (96)
She does not have genealogy, hence akula. She was created by Śiva and hence no parentage. Akula also means beyond kula, the six cakra-s. Akula is beyond the six cakra-s, which means, beyond sahasrāra. Sahasrāra is not considered as a cakra. It is said that suṣumna has two lotuses at both the ends, one at top in the crown which has thousand petals and is called akula sahasrāra. Since She resides here, She is called akula. The other one is at the bottom and has two petals and this is called kula sahasrāra. Kula sahasrāra does not mean the mūlādhāra cakra that has four petals.
From nāma 90 to 96 it can be observed that how a single word kula has been used in seven contexts. The beauty of this is, nāma 90 starts by saying that She likes the taste of the ambrosia and nāma 96 ends by saying that she is beyond kula.
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