The Song of the Goddess: The Devi Gita: Spiritual Counsel of the Great Goddess

10. The Tantric Form of Goddess Worship and the Disappearance of the Great Goddess

119 Chapter 10 The Tantric Form of Goddess Worship and the Disappearance of the Great Goddess The Goddess spoke: 10.1. Rising at dawn, one should call to mind the radiant lotus on the top of the head, Shining like camphor. On that lotus one should recollect the form of one’s own blessed guru, 10.2. Kindly disposed, adorned with shining ornaments , conjoined with his consort. The wise person will bow to them, and then calling to mind the Coiled Serpent Goddess , will reflect: 10.3. “She shines brilliantly in her ascent; she appears like nectar in her descent; I take refuge in that woman who wanders along the middle channel in the form of bliss.” 10.4. Meditating in this manner, focusing on my form as infinite being, consciousness, and bliss that dwells in the internal flame, One should meditate on me. Next one should complete all those rites beginning with personal cleansing. 120 The Song of the Goddess 10.5. The best of Brahmins should then offer oblations into the sacred fire in order to please me. After the fire offering one should take a firm seat and resolve to complete the worship ceremony. 10.6. First one should purify the material elements within oneself. Then install upon the body the maternal powers embedded in the alphabet. One should always install next the maternal powers embedded in the Hrillekha mantra. 10.7. Fix the letter h in the Root Support Center, the letter r in the heart, The letter i between the brows, and install the entire syllable Hrim on the top of the head. 10.8. One should then finish all other mystic installations , which will be empowered by this mantra. One should further visualize within the body my sacred throne with its legs consisting of righteousness and the like. 10.9. The wise person should then meditate upon the Great Goddess, visualizing me in the breath-expanded Lotus of the heart, on my sacred resting place that is the seat of the five corpses: 10.10. Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Ishvara, and Sadashiva. These five great corpses reside under my feet. 121 The Tantric Form of Goddess Worship 10.11. They have the nature of the five elements, and also the nature of the five states of consciousness. But I, in the form of unmanifest consciousness , transcend them altogether. 10.12. Thus they have come to constitute my throne forever, according to the Tantras of Shakti. After completing the above meditations, one should worship me with mental offerings and practice recitation. 10.13. One should surrender the fruits of this recitation to me, the blessed Goddess. Then one should prepare the general water offering. Setting out next the sprinkling vessel and purifying the materials for worship 10.14. With that water while intoning the protective missile mantra, the worshiper Should secure at once the surrounding space. Then bowing to the teacher 10.15. And receiving the latter’s consent, one should focus on the external altar. Recalling that divine and pleasing form of mine visualized in the heart, 10.16. One should then summon me to that altar, using the life-infusing incantation. A seat, an invitation, a respect offering, water for washing the feet, and for rinsing the mouth, 10.17. A bath, a set of clothes, ornaments of all kinds, 122 The Song of the Goddess Perfume, and flowers, all these as is proper one should present to the Goddess, inspired by one’s own devotion. 10.18. One should duly perform the worship of the protective deities abiding in the sacred diagram; If unable to worship them every day, one should set aside Friday to do so. 10.19. One should regard the attendant deities as manifesting the splendor of the chief goddess; And one should consider the whole universe, including the nether regions, as pervaded by her splendor. 10.20. Again, one should worship the chief goddess accompanied by her surrounding deities With perfumes, fragrances and the like, including sweet-scented flowers, 10.21. As well as with food and refreshing water, along with spiced betel and various gifts. Then one should please me by reciting the hymn of my thousand names that you composed. 10.22. Recite my protective mantra and my hymn beginning “I, with the Rudras . . . ,” O Lord, Along with the mantras from the Hrillekha Upanishad, otherwise known as the DeviAtharva -Shiras. 10.23. With...