पुरारातेरन्तःपुरमसि ततस्त्वच्चरणयोः
सपर्यामर्यादा तरलकरणानामसुलभा।
तथा ह्योते नीताः शतमखमुखाः सिद्धिमतुलां
तव द्वारोपान्तस्थितिभिरणिमाद्याभिरमराः॥
purārāterantaḥpuramasi tatastvaccaraṇayoḥ
saparyāmaryādā taralakaraṇānāmasulabhā |
tathā hyote nītāḥ śatamakhamukhāḥ siddhimatulāṁ
tava dvāropāntasthitibhiraṇimādyābhiramarāḥ ||
purārāteḥ antaḥ puram asi – You, the Consort of Śiva, living in the interior of the palace of Śiva, the destroyer of (three) cities; tataḥ - therefore; tvat caraṇayoḥ - Your feet; saparyā maryādā – (having) the right of worshiping; tarala karaṇānām – those with unsteady sensory faculties; asulabhā – difficult to attain; tathāhi – justifiably (in this manner); śatamakha mukhāḥ ete amarāḥ - chief of gods like Indra (who performed more than hundred sacrifices); siddhim atulāṁ - unparalleled supernatural powers; tava – Yours; dvāropānta sthitibhiḥ; remaining as gatekeepers (of Your Abode); aṇimādyābhiḥ nītāḥ - remaining with Aṇimā and other siddhi devi-s.
“You, the Consort of Śiva, who destroyed cities, live in an interior place (reserved for women only) of Śiva’s palace. Therefore, those have not controlled their sensory organs cannot worship Your lotus feet. Hence, Indra and other gods (though they have attained all supernatural powers) guard Your gates as gatekeepers along with Aṇimā and other sidddhi devi-s (who control supernatural powers).”
The verse says that those who do not excise control over their senses do not become eligible to worship Her feet. Indriya-s are called senses comprising five organs of perception and five organs of action. Indriya also means the mighty force of Indra, the chief of all gods and goddesses. Even for worshiping Her sacred feet, one needs to dissociate his mind with indirya-s, what is needed to worship Her full form is left to our imagination. Mind is the factor that controls indriya-s and liberation also happens only through mind. Hence mind is to be purified before entering the final stages of spiritual pursuit. The first symptom of purification is visible in the form of experiencing Bliss. Indra and other gods could not control their senses and hence they are stopped at the gates of Her Abode by siddhi devi-s. As we know, siddhi devi-s guard Her palace by remaining in the outermost wall (of the first āvaraṇa) of Śri Cakra. Since Indra and other gods do not have control over their senses, śakti-s of the first āvaraṇa stop Indra and other gods at the outer gates of Śri Cakra. Aṇimā and other siddhi devi-s guard the four gates of Śri Cakra and this has already been explained in the articles Journey to Śri Cakra Part 8 and Journey to Śri Cakra Part 9. They evaluate a person’s depth of devotion and love for Her and based upon their merits, siddhi devi-s allow them to enter into Śri Cakra.
When a person meditates on Her, depending upon the intensity and sincerity of meditation, supernatural powers are conferred on the aspirant (aspirant here means the one who aspires for liberation; till he reaches the state of jīvanmukta, he continues to remain only as an aspirant). When true seekers get these siddhi-s (aṣṭama-siddhi-s), many of them get themselves entangled with these aṣṭama-siddhi-s and do not continue their efforts to attain liberation, as is the case with Indra and other gods. After attaining supernatural powers from Her, (She is adored as Siddheśvarī and Siddhamātā in Lalitā Sahasranāma 471 and 473) they forget Her and with the help of these powers and get engrossed in sensory pleasures. Such types of devotees are not allowed inside Śri Cakra by Aṇimā and other śakti-s who guard the extreme outer wall of the first āvaraṇa of Śri Cakra. This means that such persons who are afflicted with sensory pleasures are not even allowed to enter into the first compound of Śri Cakra. The subtle conveyance is that they are not allowed to worship Lalitāmbikā and even if they worship Her, She will not even take notice of their worship and their worship become futile. Sage Patañjali says in his Yoga Sūtra (IV.1) clearly explains this. He says, “Success in samādhi or success in liberation or attainment is due to birth, food, mantra and self-control.
There is also another subtle conveyance in this verse and this can be interpreted on the lines of Lalitā Sahasranāma 870 and 871, which is summarised below.
Kṛṣṇa explains the concept of looking within exhaustively in Bhagavad Gīta Chapter VI consisting of 47 verses and a gist of which is reproduced here as explained by Swami Chinmayananda. Karma yoga practiced without regard to the fruits of actions, form an external aid to better meditation. The process by which lower is brought under the direct management and discipline of the higher are all together called spiritual techniques. No Guru can take the responsibility; no scripture can promise this redemption; no altar can, with its divine blessing make the lower the higher. The lower mist necessarily be trained slowly and steadily to accept and under the influence of the discipline of the higher. When a seeker has come in his life to the state explained as yogārūdāḥ, and when in that state of equipoise, the mind is held steadfast in the contemplation of the Supreme, the self-controlled one, in all serenity is capable of maintaining his consistency on meditation in all circumstances, favourable and adverse, at all levels of his personality. In the right understanding of his own self and the resulting realisation of his own Self, he becomes Self everywhere. To him, who has realised himself to be Self which is all-pervading, the entire universe becomes his own Self, and therefore, his relationship with every other part of the universe is equal and the same. For this the seeker should try to withdraw himself from his mental and physical preoccupations.
Kaṭha Upaniṣad (II.i.2) also explains this. “Immature people run after external objects and they invariably get caught in the widespread net of death. Wise people, however, know where true immortality is. That is why they reject everything in this world, knowing that these things are short lived.” She is very difficult to attain for those who are not able to look within. Mind is the prime factor to look within. Unless senses are controlled, it is difficult to control the mind. This nāma says that She cannot be attained only by external means
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