तवाधारे मूले सह समयया लास्यपरया
नवात्मानं मन्ये नवरसमहाताण्डवनटम्।
उभाभ्यामेताभ्यामुदयविधिमुद्दिश्य दयया
सनाथाभ्यां जज्ञे जनकजननीमज्जगदिदम्॥

tavādhāre mūle saha samayayā lāsyaparayā
navātmānaṁ manye navarasamahātāṇḍavanaṭam |
ubhābhyāmetābhyāmudayavidhimuddiśya dayayā
sanāthābhyāṁ jajñe janakajananīmajjagadidam ||

tava adhāre mūle – Your mūlādhāra chakra; saha samayayā – along with Samaya; lāsya parayā – overwhelmed with emotional dancing; nava ātmānaṁ - Śiva, expressing nine types of manifestations; manye – meditate; navarasa mahātāṇḍava naṭam – the great dance with nine types of expressions; ubhābhyām etābhyām – these Two; udaya vidhim uddiśya – for re-creating the universe; dayayā sanāthābhyāṁ - coming together due to compassion; jajñe – become; janaka-jananīmat jagat idam – like father and mother of this universe.

“I worship in mūlādhāra chakra, Śiva, who dances with nine types of expressions along with Samaya dancing with overwhelming emotions. When both of You unite out of compassion to create the universe and thus You become father and mother of the universe.”

Once again, Śaṁkarācārya, in his unique style worships both Śiva and Śakti together, as the one without the other cannot function. After worshipping both of them, in all other psychic canters, he finally worships them in the base chakra (mūlādhāra chakra). In this chakra, Śiva is in the form of “svayambhu liṅga” and Parāśakti is in the form of Kuṇḍalinī, who is described in Lalitā Sahasranāma 110 Kuṇḍalinī कुण्डलिनी. The vital energy of prāṇa is called kuṇḍalinī.  This lies in the mūlādhāra cakra in the midst of fire that keeps biological body warm.  Any modification in the intensity of this fire causes sickness.  The sound of the Kuṇḍalinī can be felt by anyone.  If one closes both his ears tightly, he can listen to a hissing sound, the sound of Kuṇḍalinī within.  The base cakra is a triangle where icchā, jñāna and kriyā śakti-s (desire, knowledge and action) form the three sides.  From these three śakti-s (potencies) the sound of OM a, u and m is generated.  Yoga-vāsiṣṭha (the compendium of teachings of sage Vāsiṣṭha to Lord Rāma) in nirvāna prakaraṇa (the last of six chapters) talks about Kuṇḍalinī.  Sage Vāsiṣṭha says to Lord Rāma “Like the coiled body of a serpent when it sleeps…like a plantain flower it is exceedingly delicate within…hissing like an angry female serpent…causing fluctuations in the mind.  All other nādi-s are connected with this.  This becomes purified only by the rays of jñāna or knowledge….thus this Śaktī rejoices in the name of puryaṣṭaka*.  Should the upward and downward actions of this Kuṇḍalinī śakti be arrested by the control of prāṇa and this prāṇa be made to rest in the heart, diseases will never affect those who have such control.” 

*{Further reading on puryaṣṭaka: (as told by sage Vāsiṣṭha to Lord Rama in Yoga-vāsiṣṭha - VI. 5).  Brahman who is without beginning or end and which is the seed of the universe, becoming differentiated is jīva (soul); subjecting itself to the idea of separateness, it becomes ahaṃkāra (ego) with manana (contemplation), it becomes manas (mind); with the certainty of intelligence, it becomes buddhi (intellect); then the five elements (sound, etc) through indriyā-s (sensory organs).  With the thought of the body, it becomes the body itself; with the thought of a vessel, it becomes the vessel.  A form (subtle body), having such a nature is called puryaṣṭaka body or eight constituents of the body.  The eight constituents are mind, ego, intellect, sound, touch, sight, taste and smell, the last five together known as tanmātra-s.}

The verse says that both Śiva and Śakti dance together to create the universe. Dance by Śiva is known a tāṇḍava and dance by Śakti is known as nāṭya. This verse addresses Śiva as Navātman and Śakti as Samaya. Navātman refers to nine types of expressive manifestations of Śiva, as explained in Soundarya laharī verse 34 and they are Śiva, Sadaśiva, Īśvara, Vidyā Māyā, Kalā, Niyati, Puruṣa and Prakṛti. If this is interpreted as vyūha (distribution or arrangement) then it means time (past, present and future), infinite numbers (referring to multitude of beings), names (identification), knowledge, consciousness (comprising mind, intellect, consciousness and ego, known as antaḥkaraṇa), nāda (sound), bindu (six psychic chakras), kalā (atom, the source of creation) and individual souls. In the same way, Parāśakti too has nine different vyūha-s such as, Vāmā, Jyeṣṭhā, Raudrī and Ambikā (representing four triangles of Śrīcakra facing upwards) and three śakti-s viz. icchā, jñāna and kriyā śakti-s, śānta and parā (five triangles of Śrīcakra facing downwards). But both Śiva and Śakti have nine common attributes that are reflected during their cosmic dance and they are love, heroism, disgust, anger, mirth, fear, pity, amazement, tranquillity and warmth. Lalitā Sahasranāma 376 śṛṅgāra-rasa-saṁpūrṇā says śṛṅgāra rasa (love) is the cause for other rasa-s.

During creation both Śiva and Śakti dance together wherein śṛṅgāra-rasa is predominant. This is known as Cosmic Union. At the time of annihilation, Śiva alone dances and Śakti only witnesses His fierce mahātāṇḍava (Lalitā Sahasranāma 232 - maheśvara-mahākalpmahātāṇḍava-sākṣiṇi). As result of their Cosmic Union, universe is created. They continue to remain united during sustenance of the universe. When Śiva moves away from Śakti, it triggers annihilation. Annihilation is caused by withdrawal of gravitational force. When both of them are separated, gravitational force is lost. Hence the perpetual union of Śiva and Śakti is paramount in sustaining this universe and this is the reason for worshipping them together as a single entity. Hence they are called father and mother of the universe. Poet Kālidāsa says in his Raghuvaṃśa “jagataḥ pitarau  vande pārvati parameśvarau जगतः पितरौ  वन्दे पार्वति परमेश्वरौ” which means that Pārvati and Parameśvara are parents of the universe.

This verse adores Her as Samaya. In kuṇḍalinī meditation, which is Her most secretive worship, She is adored as Samaya. Lalitā Sahasranāma 98 says Samayācāra-tatparā समयाचार-तत्परा and is explained as follows. This will explain why She is adored as Samaya and why this kind of worship is secretive in nature.

Worshipping Lalitai in the cakra-s of kuṇḍalinī, beginning from mūlādhāra cakra is called samayācāra.  This is explained in Rudrayāmala, an ancient scripture, as told by Śiva Himself to Śaktī.  This nāma means that She likes samayācāra worship.  This worship can be done only mentally.  Initiation from a Guru is the first step in this worship.  This initiation will culminate in pūrṇa abhiṣeka (mantra bath) that will be performed by guru to the disciple.  The initiation by the guru will make the kuṇḍalinī ascend from the perineum to the six cakra-s.  Guru will guide his disciple at each level and at each cakra.  Guru will not perform the mantra bath on the disciple unless he is convinced that the disciple has attained a particular stage from where, the disciple could carryon on his own.  Guru also will not perform this ritual unless the disciple pursues the right path of Self realisation.  After this ritual of mantra bath, there is yet another ritual called mahā veda samskāra, a fire ritual.  This mahā veda saṃskāra will be done only on the day of mahā navami (ninth day of Dasara celebrations) which occurs once in a year. (After completing all such formalities, the sādhaka (practitioner) will have to go to an isolated place and commences his samayācāra meditation, i.e. meditation on the six cakra-s and the sahasrāra.  There is a prescribed procedure for this worship.

Kuṇḍalinī is aroused from the perineum and taken to mūlādhāra cakra.  She is in Her subtle form viz. mantra form in this cakra.  From mūlādhāra cakra, She is taken to the next higher cakra viz. svādhiṣṭhāna cakra.  She has to be mentally worshipped in this cakra.  She is in Her subtler form viz. kāmakalā form at this stage.  After the worship at this cakra, She is adorned with rich clothes and ornaments. Remember that everything associated with Her is red in colour. She is then taken to maṇipūraka cakra.  At this stage, changes occur in the gross body of the sādhaka.  People around him start noticing these changes.  In this cakra, She is offered arghya, pādya, etc (washing Her hands and feet) and She accepts the offerings made by the sādhaka. Then She is made to adorn the throne that has been discussed in nāma 3.  In this cakra She is in Her subtlest form viz. Kuṇḍalinī.  Kuṇḍalinī energy gets the name of Kuṇḍalinī only from the navel cakra.  From this cakra onwards, She becomes very powerful.  It is to be remembered that this is a mental worship that happens within.

Then she is taken to the heart cakra or anāhata cakra, where She is offered betel leaves (karpūra vītikā -  nāma 26).  She is then taken to viśuddhi cakra where is worshiped with ārati. Ārati means offering (showing) various types of lamps lit with pure ghee (clarified butter).  Each such ārati has its own significance.  For example pañca ārati means the five elements, ‘pūrṇa kumbha ārati signifies that everything was created out of totality and everything merges in totality.  From viśuddhi cakra, she is then taken to ājñā cakra, where is offered ‘karpūra ārati.  karpūra ārati means ārati lit with camphor.  Ārati with camphor has a lot of significance (Pure camphor is not easily available nowadays.  If pure camphor is not available, it is better to use a ghee lamp, which does not cause pollution.  The soot coming out of impure camphor affects the purity of the energy level that prevails during rituals.)  She is adorned with garlands of sweet smelling flowers and perfumes.  She is to be visualized as a bride at this stage.  She is then taken to sahasrāra where Śiva is waiting for Her.  When She enters sahasrāra, a veil is placed around them and the sādhaka awaits Her return.  Once She returns from sahasrāra, She is taken back to mūlādhāra cakra. 

This nāma means that She likes this type of worship.  Kuṇḍalinī meditation is highlighted here. Śaktī alone can take one to Śiva, the Supreme Brahman.  The Supreme Brahman is Śiva and Śaktī is māyā.  There is yet another interpretation possible for this nāma.  Kuṇḍalinī represents jīva-ātma or soul.  Soul is a dynamic energy where our karma-s are embedded.  When the soul merges with Paramātma or the Brahman, this is called Śiva-Śaktī union.  The merger of jivātma with Paramātma is discussed in this nāma.  Further it is also emphasized that emancipation can take place only if Kuṇḍalinī reaches sahasrāra.  Repeated practice of this samāyāchara worship is necessary to stay with the Brahman forever. 

As far as this verse is concerned, Śaṁkarācārya visualises both Śiva and Śakti dancing together, causing creation of the universe. It is pertinent to note that in all the six psychic centres, he visualised both of them together.

With this verse, the first part of Soundarya laharī known as Ānandalaharī consisting forty one verses is completed. The second part known as Soundarya laharī consists of fifty nine verses, describes Her beauty and elegance.