Śrī Dvādaśārdhāmbā Tryakṣarī Mahāmantraḥ

(श्री द्वादशार्धाम्बा त्र्यक्षरी महामन्त्रः)

 

Source – Āmnāya mandāraḥ.

Initiation – Required.

Purpose – Karmic cleansing leading towards self-realization.

Note – This mantra consists of the six yoginis namely - Hākinī, Sākinī, Kākinī, Lākinī, Rākinī and Ḍākinī activating the Saḍcakras (six cakras) in our body. The word ‘dvādaśārdhā’ means “half of twelve” leading to six. The Divine Mother Śrī Dvādaśārdhāmbā activates the saḍcakras leading us towards self-realization and ultimate liberation. The mantra is an extension to the Śuddha vidyā mantra with the six yogini bījas prefixing each of the Śuddha vidyā mantra bījas. The Divine Mother Śrī Dvādaśārdhāmbā and Śrī Śuddha Vidyāmbā belong to the Pūrvāmnāya transmission of Śrī Vidyā.

  1. Viniyogaḥ (विनियोगः) -

asya mantrasya ।

paramānanda bhairava ṛṣiḥ ।

gāyatrī chandaḥ ।

dvādaśārdhāmbā devatā ।

hsklrḍaim̐ bījaṃ ।

hsklrḍīm̐ śaktiḥ ।

hsklrḍauḥ kīlakaṃ ।

mama sakalavidyā prāptaye puruṣārtha catuṣṭaye siddhyarthe śrīguror anujñāye mahāmantra jape viniyogaḥ ॥

अस्य मन्त्रस्य ।

परमानन्द भैरव ऋषिः ।

गायत्री छन्दः ।

द्वादशार्धाम्बा देवता ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डैँ बीजं ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डीँ शक्तिः ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डौः कीलकं ।

मम सकलविद्या प्राप्तये पुरुषार्थ चतुष्टये सिद्ध्यर्थे श्रीगुरोर् अनुज्ञाये महामन्त्र जपे विनियोगः ॥

 

Meaning - This prayer/mantra japa is to invoke Śrī Dvādaśārdhāmbā in our heart, perform mantra japa to obtain Her complete grace in all aspects, including the four puruṣārthas – dharma (following own nature), artha (wealth), kāma (desires) and mokṣa (liberation) and all desires that one may seek from the Divine. The sage who visually saw this mantra (ṛṣiḥ) is Paramānanda. The meter (chandas) for the mantra is Gāyatrī of twenty-four syllables and its variations. The deity is Śrī Dvādaśārdhāmbā devata. The seed (bījaṃ) is hsklrḍaim̐, the power or śakti is hsklrḍīm̐. The key (kīlaka) to pin the purpose of the mantra is hsklrḍauḥ.

                By the grace and command of our guru and the guru lineage, we pledge to undertake the mantra japa in full earnest.

 

  1. Ṛṣyādi nyāsa (ऋष्यादि न्यास) -

S.no.

IAST

Devanāgari

Procedure

1

Paramānanda ṛṣaye namaḥ śirasi ।

परमानन्द ऋषये नमः शिरसि ।

Open the right palm and touch the top of the forehead with the ring and middle fingers joined at the top of the head.

2

Gāyatrī chandase namaḥ mukhe।

गायत्री छन्दसे नमः मुखे ।

Now touch the lips of the mouth with the four fingers in the right palm, excluding thumb.

3

Śrī Dvādaśārdhāmbā devatāyai namaḥ hṛdi ।

श्री द्वादशार्धाम्बा देवतायै नमः हृदि ।

Touch the heart with the right index, middle and ring fingers

4

hsklrḍaim̐ bījāya namaḥ guhye ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डैँ बीजाय नमः गुह्ये ।

Touch the genitalia with the right ring finger and thumb joined together.

5

hsklrḍīm̐ śaktaye namaḥ pādayoḥ ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डीँ शक्तये नमः पादयोः ।

Touch the feet with the right ring finger and thumb joined together.

6

hsklrḍauḥ kīlakāya namaḥ nābhau ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डौः कीलकाय नमः  नाभौ ।

Touch the navel area with the right ring finger and thumb joined together.

7

mama sakalavidyā prāptaye puruṣārtha catuṣṭaye siddhyarthe śrīguror anujñāye mahāmantra jape viniyogāya namaḥ sarvāṅge ।

मम सकलविद्या प्राप्तये पुरुषार्थ चतुष्टये सिद्ध्यर्थे श्रीगुरोर् अनुज्ञाये महामन्त्र जपे विनियोगाय नमः सर्वाङ्गे ।

Run both the palms all over the body.

8

iti ṛṣyādi nyāsaḥ ॥

इति ऋष्यादि न्यासः ॥

Thus ends the Ṛṣyādi nyāsa.

 

  1. Kara nyāsaḥ (करन्यासः) -

S.no.

IAST

Devanāgari

Procedure

1

hsklrḍaim̐ - aṅguṣṭhābhyāṃ namaḥ ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डैँ - अङ्गुष्ठाभ्यां नमः ।

Use both the index fingers and run them on both the thumbs.

2

hsklrḍīm̐ - tarjanībhyāṃ svāhā ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डीँ - तर्जनीभ्यां स्वाहा ।

Use both the thumbs and run them on both the index fingers.

3

hsklrḍauḥ -madhyamābhyāṃ vaṣaṭ ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डौः - मध्यमाभ्यां वषट् ।

Use both the thumbs and run them on both the middle fingers.

4

hsklrḍaim̐ - anāmikābhyāṃ hum̐ ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डैँ - अनामिकाभ्यां हुँ ।

Use both the thumbs and run them on both the ring fingers.

5

hsklrḍīm̐ - kaniṣṭhikābhyāṃ vauṣaṭ ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डीँ - कनिष्ठिकाभ्यां वौषट् ।

Use both the thumbs and run them on both the little fingers.

6

hsklrḍauḥ - karatalakara pṛṣṭhābhyāṃ phaṭ ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डौः - करतलकर पृष्ठाभ्यां फट् ।

Open both the palms; run the opened palms of the right hand on the front and back sides of the left palm and repeat the same for the other palm.

7

iti kara nyāsaḥ ॥

इति कर न्यासः ॥

Thus ends the six-part Kara nyāsa.

 

  1. Ṣaḍāṅga nyāsaḥ (षडाङ्गन्यासः) -

S.no.

IAST

Devanāgari

Procedure

1

hsklrḍaim̐ – hṛdayāya namaḥ ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डैँ – हृदयाय नम: ।

Open index, middle and ring fingers of the right hand and place them on the heart chakra.

2

hsklrḍīm̐ - śirase svāhā ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डीँ - शिरसे स्वाहा ।

Open middle and ring fingers of the right hand and touch the top of the head.

3

hsklrḍauḥ - śikhāyai vaṣaṭ ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डौः - शिखायै वषट् ।

Open the right thumb and touch the back of the head. This is the point where there is a tuft of hair.

4

hsklrḍaim̐ - kavacāya huṃ ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डैँ - कवचाय हुं ।

Cross both the hands and touch both shoulders with the palms.

5

hsklrḍīm̐ - netratrayāya vauṣaṭ ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डीँ - नेत्रत्रयाय वौषट् ।

Touch the eyes with the right index and ring fingers, with the middle finger touching the ājña cakra.

6

hsklrḍauḥ - astrāya phaṭ ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डौः - अस्त्राय फट् ।

Open up the left palm and strike it three times with index and middle fingers of the right hand.

7

iti ṣaḍaṅga nyāsaḥ ॥

इति षडङ्ग न्यासः ॥

Thus ends the six-part Ṣaḍāṅga nyāsa.

 

bhūr-bhuva-ssuvarom-iti digbandhaḥ ॥

भूर्भुवस्सुवरोम् इति दिग्बन्धः ॥

Meaning: May the directions be charmed and bound, to prevent any external obstacles from the powers residing in the triads – the Earth, atmosphere and the heavens.

 

  1. Dhyānam (ध्यानम्) -

tāreśasphāra mauliṃ trinayana vilasat-pañca-vaktrāṃ śavasthāṃ

raktākārāṃ nṛmuṇḍ-āvalikalita-mahāmālik-ālaṅkṛtāṅgīm ।

devīṃ sṛṇyakṣamālā śara-paraśu-vṛhac-chūla-pāśāgra-hastāṃ

śrīcāpodyat-kapālā bhaya-varada-karāṃ dvādaśārdhāṃ namāmi ॥

तारेशस्फार मौलिं त्रिनयन विलसत्पञ्चवक्त्रां शवस्थां

रक्ताकारां नृमुण्डावलिकलितमहामालिकालङ्कृताङ्गीम् ।

देवीं सृण्यक्षमाला शरपरशुवृहच्छूलपाशाग्रहस्तां

श्रीचापोद्यत्कपाला भयवरदकरां द्वादशार्धां नमामि ॥

 

Meaning:

        Salutations to the Divine Mother Śrī Dvādaśārdhāmbā who is adorned by the Lord of all asterism - Candra (moon) on Her forehead and is three-eyed. She has five heads and is seated upon a corpse. She is red in complexion and is bedecked with a huge garland of humanoid skulls and other ornaments on Her body. She bears in Her left arms starting from top, an elephant goad (Sṛṇi), a rosary bead (Akṣamālā), a shaft of arrows (Śara), an axe (Paraśu) and a huge trident (Vṛhad śūla). On Her right arms starting from top, She bears a rope (Pāśa), a sugarcane bow (Śrī cāpa), a lofty skull (Udyat kapāla) and displays the fear allaying Abhaya mudrā and the wish granting Vara mudrā in the lower arms.

        The moon represents control over the mind and the three eyes denote the activation of the Ājñā cakra. The five heads denote the five primordial acts of Creation (Sṛṣṭi), Sustenance (Sthiti), Destruction (Saṃhāra - Laya), Concealment (Tirodhāna - Anākhyā) and Revelation (Anugraha - Bhāsā). The five acts are also denoted by Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra, Īśvara and Sadāśiva. Lord Sadāśiva rests on a sofa bed held by the other four Lords and He becomes the corpse that is the seat of the Divine Mother. The Divine Mother is the cause and power of all the five primordial acts and without Her, the entities are lifeless and powerless to carry out any acts.

        The red complexion denotes Her passion and the Rajas tattva that She puts forth as Śakti! The humanoid skull garland denotes the fifty-one Sanskrit alphabet mātṛikā śaktis. She embodies all the sound vibrations that permeate the entire Creation.

        The elephant goad binds us towards seeking Her grace and following the spiritual path, the rosary bead māla denotes the sound vibrations that constitute all mantras and prayers which She embodies. The arrows denote thoughts and queries for which She holds all the answers. The axe cuts down the deep karmic bonds and the trident denotes Her presence in all the triads diffused in the entire Creation and the power to transcend the same. The rope pulls in all the souls that stray away from the path of discovering their own true selves as drops of pure consciousness. The sugarcane bow denotes the mind that needs to be directed towards our ultimate goal of spiritual emancipation and not just material aggrandizement. The lofty skull denotes the ego, intellect and thoughts arising in the mind that needs to be ascended to find the latent consciousness within! The fear allaying and wish granting gestures provide the complete assurance from the Divine Mother that She will help us overcome all our difficulties and miseries and fulfill all our wishes and succeed in all endeavors!

        The Divine Mother Śrī Dvādaśārdhāmbā embodies the six cakras in our body (ṣaḍcakras) that need to be fully activated for the Kuṇḍalinī śakti to rise to the highest level of the third-eye Ājñā cakra through the spinal cord - Suṣumnā. By Her grace, the Kuṇḍalinī will ascend to the crown of the head – sahasrāra. The Kuṇḍalinī śakti that is laden in us and when awakened and nurtured, will activate all the cakras and lead us towards self-realization and ultimate liberation.

        The word ‘Dvādaśa’ means twelve and the word ‘ardha’ means half. A half of twelve is six, denoting the six cakras and the Yoginis associated with them and also the five primordial acts of Creation and Herself as the cause.

  1. Pañcapūjā (पञ्चपूजा) -

S.no.

IAST

Devanāgari

Procedure

1

lam̐ pṛthvyātmikāyai gandham kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

लँ पृथ्व्यात्मिकायै गन्धम् कल्पयामि नमः ।

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the little fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs.

2

ham̐ ākāśātmikāyai puṣpam kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

हँ आकाशात्मिकायै पुष्पम् कल्पयामि नमः ।

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the thumbs of both hands with the upper tip of the index fingers.

3

yam̐ vāyvyātmikāyai dhūpam kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

यँ वाय्व्यात्मिकायै धूपम् कल्पयामि नमः ।

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the index fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs.

4

ram̐ vahnyātmikāyai dīpam kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

रँ वह्न्यात्मिकायै दीपम् कल्पयामि नमः ।

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the middle fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs.

5

vam̐ amṛtātmikāyai naivedyam kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

वँ अमृतात्मिकायै नैवेद्यम् कल्पयामि नमः ।

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the ring fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs.

6

sam̐ sarvātmikāyai karpūramiśrita tāmbūlādi sarvopacārān kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

सँ सर्वात्मिकायै कर्पूरमिश्रित ताम्बूलादि सर्वोपचारान् कल्पयामि नमः ।

Hold the fingers of each palm in a folded manner with the tips of the fingers of both hands touching each other and the thumbs facing the heart, in a Namaste position.

7

Iti Pañcapūjā ॥

इति पञ्चपूजा ॥

Thus ends the Pañcapūjā.

 

 

  1. Mūlamantraḥ (मूलमन्त्रः) -

 

hsklrḍaim̐ hsklrḍīm̐ hsklrḍauḥ ॥

ह्स्क्ल्र्डैँ ह्स्क्ल्र्डीँ ह्स्क्ल्र्डौः ॥

 

The 3 lettered Śrī Śrī Dvādaśārdhāmbā Tryakṣarī Mahāmantraḥ should be recited at least 108 times. Initiation is required.

 

Meaning -

This is a three syllabled mantra with all the syllables representing bīja (seed) mantras. Six additional bījas constituting various yoginis are added to the Śuddha vidyā mantra to derive the main mantra. The Yoginis and their constituting bījas are described below –

 

  1. The bīja “hsklrḍaim̐ (ह्स्क्ल्र्डैँ)”, consists of –
    1. The Hākinī bīja ‘h’ denotes the third-eye Ājñā cakra that is also our spiritual eye. The pineal gland is activated which in turn secretes a cerebral fluid that generates an immense feeling of joy and ecstasy. The spiritual awakening and command over all other cakras in our body begins at this cakra. Foresight and intuition become well developed.
    2. The Sākinī bīja ‘s’ denotes the activation of the Viśuddhi-cakra situated in the throat. This gives what is called the Vāk siddhi that enables our speech to manifest actions to fruition. Excellent oratory skills are also obtained by Her grace.
    3. The Kākinī bīja ‘k’ denotes the activation of the Anāhata-cakra situated in the heart. Deep compassion is experienced as a result of this activation.
    4. The Lākinī bīja ‘l’ denotes the activation of the Maṇipūraka-cakra situated in the navel. Drive to accomplish all tasks as well as fearlessness is experienced.
    5. The Rākinī bīja ‘r’ denotes the activation of the Svādhiṣṭhāṇa-cakra situated in the reproductive glands. Desires and enjoyment of worldly pleasures is enhanced.
    6. The Ḍākinī bīja ‘ḍ’ denotes the activation of the Mūlādhāra-cakra situated at the bottom of the spine. Health, material wants and desires are activated.
    7. The Aiśvarya mātṛkā, Viṣṇu māyā and Sarasvatī bīja “aim̐ (ऐँ)”, dispels ignorance and bestows immense knowledge, mastery in arts and amazing creativity. It also represents abundance of fortune, not just in material terms but also in spiritual aspects. The letter 'ai' stands for Sarasvatī as well as Ugrabhairavī or Unmattabhairavī denoting knowledge, pinnacle of achievements in all arts and literature as well as shaping one's destiny and excelling in marvelous creations and ingenuity. The letter vindu 'm̐' stands for duḥkhaharaṇa, meaning removal of all miseries thereby granting immense happiness.
  2. The bīja “hsklrḍīm̐ (ह्स्क्ल्र्डीँ)” consists of the six yoginis bījas described above. In addition, Kāmakalā bīja (seed) mantra “īm̐ (ईँ)” represents ‘ī’ denoting Mahāmāyā, the cosmic virtual reality and also the energy and source of all power that helps our ascension, ‘ī’ also denotes Kāmakalā who amalgamates both the static and dynamic aspects of the super-consciousness denoted by Śiva and Śakti, evoking immense bliss, self-realization leading to ultimate liberation while still embodied in our physical form. The vindu (bindu) ‘m̐’ denotes removal of all miseries and becomes the facilitator of self-realization and ultimate liberation.
  3. The bīja “hsklrḍauḥ (ह्स्क्ल्र्डौः)” consists of the six yoginis bījas described above. In addition, the “auḥ (औः)” bīja (seed) mantra consists of the Ḍākinī Yogini ‘au’ representing the power of the yoginis. The ‘au’ is also the Vyoma and Vyāpinī bīja denoting omnipresence. The bīja ‘h’ is the Visarga denoting the culmination of the search for Truth and attaining self-realization leading to liberation.

The auḥ bīja leads to the folding of the Śrī cakra into the bindu. The entire Creation is absorbed by the super-consciousness from which it devolved. In the context of our lives, this leads to ultimate liberation while still embodied in our physical form.

 

 

  1. Ṣaḍāṅga nyāsaḥ (षडाङ्गन्यासः) -

S.no.

IAST

Devanāgari

Procedure

1

hsklrḍaim̐ – hṛdayāya namaḥ ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डैँ – हृदयाय नम: ।

Open index, middle and ring fingers of the right hand and place them on the heart chakra.

2

hsklrḍīm̐ - śirase svāhā ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डीँ - शिरसे स्वाहा ।

Open middle and ring fingers of the right hand and touch the top of the head.

3

hsklrḍauḥ - śikhāyai vaṣaṭ ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डौः - शिखायै वषट् ।

Open the right thumb and touch the back of the head. This is the point where there is a tuft of hair.

4

hsklrḍaim̐ - kavacāya huṃ ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डैँ - कवचाय हुं ।

Cross both the hands and touch both shoulders with the palms.

5

hsklrḍīm̐ - netratrayāya vauṣaṭ ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डीँ - नेत्रत्रयाय वौषट् ।

Touch the eyes with the right index and ring fingers, with the middle finger touching the ājña cakra.

6

hsklrḍauḥ - astrāya phaṭ ।

ह्स्क्ल्र्डौः - अस्त्राय फट् ।

Open up the left palm and strike it three times with index and middle fingers of the right hand.

7

iti ṣaḍaṅga nyāsaḥ ॥

इति षडङ्ग न्यासः ॥

Thus ends the six-part Ṣaḍāṅga nyāsa.

 

bhūr-bhuva-ssuvarom-iti digvimokaḥ ॥

भूर्भुवस्सुवरोम् इति दिग्विमोकः ॥

 

Meaning: May the directions get unlocked to allow ourselves to experience the grace from all the triads of the three realms.

 

  1. Dhyānam (ध्यानम् ) -

 

tāreśasphāra mauliṃ trinayana vilasat-pañca-vaktrāṃ śavasthāṃ

raktākārāṃ nṛmuṇḍ-āvalikalita-mahāmālik-ālaṅkṛtāṅgīm ।

devīṃ sṛṇyakṣamālā śara-paraśu-vṛhac-chūla-pāśāgra-hastāṃ

śrīcāpodyatkapālā bhaya-varada-karāṃ dvādaśārdhāṃ namāmi ॥

तारेशस्फार मौलिं त्रिनयन विलसत्पञ्चवक्त्रां शवस्थां

रक्ताकारां नृमुण्डावलिकलितमहामालिकालङ्कृताङ्गीम् ।

देवीं सृण्यक्षमाला शरपरशुवृहच्छूलपाशाग्रहस्तां

श्रीचापोद्यत्कपाला भयवरदकरां द्वादशार्धां नमामि ॥

 

  1. Pañcapūjā (पञ्चपूजा) -

S.no.

IAST

Devanāgari

Procedure

1

lam̐ pṛthvyātmikāyai gandham kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

लँ पृथ्व्यात्मिकायै गन्धम् कल्पयामि नमः ।

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the little fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs.

2

ham̐ ākāśātmikāyai puṣpam kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

हँ आकाशात्मिकायै पुष्पम् कल्पयामि नमः ।

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the thumbs of both hands with the upper tip of the index fingers.

3

yam̐ vāyvyātmikāyai dhūpam kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

यँ वाय्व्यात्मिकायै धूपम् कल्पयामि नमः ।

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the index fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs.

4

ram̐ vahnyātmikāyai dīpam kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

रँ वह्न्यात्मिकायै दीपम् कल्पयामि नमः ।

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the middle fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs.

5

vam̐ amṛtātmikāyai naivedyam kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

वँ अमृतात्मिकायै नैवेद्यम् कल्पयामि नमः ।

Hold the lower tip of the bottom phalange of the ring fingers of both hands with the upper tip of the thumbs.

6

sam̐ sarvātmikāyai karpūramiśrita tāmbūlādi sarvopacārān kalpayāmi namaḥ ।

सँ सर्वात्मिकायै कर्पूरमिश्रित ताम्बूलादि सर्वोपचारान् कल्पयामि नमः ।

Hold the fingers of each palm in a folded manner with the tips of the fingers of both hands touching each other and the thumbs facing the heart, in a Namaste position.

7

Iti Pañcapūjā ॥

इति पञ्चपूजा ॥

Thus ends the Pañcapūjā.

 

11. Samarpaṇam (समर्पणम्) –

 

guhyādi guhya goptrītvam gṛhaṇāsmat kṛtaṃ japaṃ ।
siddhirbhavatu me devi tvat prasadān mayī sthirā ॥

गुह्यादि गुह्य गोप्त्रीत्वम् गृहणास्मत् कृतं जपं ।

सिद्धिर्भवतु मे देवि त्वत् प्रसदान् मयी स्थिरा ॥

 

Meaning: O Lord, you are the most hidden secret of all secrets. May these mantra japa counts performed by me, be offered to you in totality. Our prayers and hope, are that your grace shall remain with us always.

 

  1. Puraścaraṇa (पुरश्चरण) -

Japa

300,000

Homa

30,000

Tarpaṇa

3,000

Mārjana

300

Bhojana

30