Samayāntasthā समयान्तस्था (97)

She is centre of samayā doctrine.  Samayā means internal or mental worship, while kula means external worship. Mental worship is more powerful than external rituals.  The internal worship has been emphasized by five great sages - Vāsiṣṭhta, Śuka, Sanaka, Sanāndana and Sanathkumāra.  They have prescribed procedures for internal worship and their writings are called tantra-pañcaka meaning five tantra-s.  This nāma underlines the equality between Śiva and Śaktī.  This equality is classified under five heads.  Śiva is called Samayaḥ and Śaktī is called Samayā as per Sanskrit grammar.  The five fold equalities are:

1. In terms of equality of place of worship such as worshipping both of them in Śrī Cakra or in Liṅga form.  In the bindu, the centre point of Śrī Cakra, both of them are worshipped.  In psychic cakra-s of kuṇḍalinī also, they are worshiped – Śaktī uniting with Śiva at sahasrāra. Śrī Cakra worship is mostly external and kuṇḍalinī worship is always internal.

2. In terms of functions such as creation, sustenance and dissolution.  Since there is equality between the two, their functions remain the same.  They are called father and mother of the universe.  They cannot be separated under any circumstances. 

3. In terms of actions such as dancing.  The significance of dancing by them will be dealt with in later nāma-s.  When a woman dances, it is called nāṭyā and when a man dances it is called tāṇḍavā.  Śiva tāṇḍavā is well known. 

4. In terms of names such as Bhairava and Bhairavī; Parameśvara and Parameśvarī; Rājarājeśvara and Rājarājeśvarī; Śiva and Śiva (Lalitai is called as Śivā in nāma 53); Kāmeśvara and Kāmeśvarī etc. (When one says Śiva Śivā it does not mean Śiva alone.  The second Śiva is pronounced as Śivā with an extra a (a + a = ā).  Śiva the Supreme means fortunate, happiness, welfare, liberation, final emancipation, auspicious. Śivā means the energy of Śiva personified as His consort. Therefore when one says Śiva Śivā it means both Śiva and Śaktī. She alone holds independent Power of Autonomy (svātanraya śakti) and He has given a Power of Attorney to Śaktī permitting His Power of Autonomy to be used by Her.

5. In terms of forms such as their complexion, their weaponries, etc.  In terms of complexion both appear as red.  Lalitai is red in complexion.  Śiva is pure white like a spatika (crystal).  The specialty of spatika is that it gets reflected with the colour of the properties nearby. When Lalitai sits by the side of Śiva or on the lap of Śiva, His translucent crystal complexion also appears as red.  The gods and goddesses who witness this glorious scene compare this to the rising sun.  This scene could lead to an inference that Śaktī is more potent than Śiva as Śiva only reflects the colour of Śaktī.  Both of them hold the same four weaponries.   

It is always ideal to worship both Śiva and Śaktī together.  They should never be separated either in worship or in meditation.  In worshipping Viṣṇu, Lakṣmī should never be separated from Him.  Lalitai sits on the left thigh of Śiva and Lakṣmī is in the chest of Viṣṇu (śrīvatsa).  There is yet another form of Lakṣmī sitting on the lap of Viṣṇu known as Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa.

{Further reading on kula and kaula: Kula means race, community, etc.  Those who worship Śaktī are called kula.  They are also known as śaktā-s, their tenets being contained in the, tantra-s. Their rituals are of two kinds, the impurer called vāmācāra, and the purer dakṣiṇācāra. Kaula generally rferes to those who worship Śaktī and in particular the followers of vāmācāra.}