Sundari is not the ordinary beauty
of form (which is more properly an aspect of Kamala). The highest
beauty does not lie in any object, though it is not apart from objects.
The highest beauty is of perception – to “hold Infinity in the palm of
your hand, and Eternity in an hour,” as the poet Blake so eloquently
wrote.
Beauty derives from the light of consciousness
that is irradiated through objects. It is never really contained
in any object. Hence beauty can never pass away but merely
has manifold forms for its revelation. The light of beauty we see
in things is thus the light of our own awareness. Discovering this
we contact the well springs of infinite delight within us. This is
part of the revelation of Sundari.
The beauty of perception occurs only
when the mind is cleansed from the known, when consciousness is cleared
of its conditioning and rests in pure awareness without any residue of
memory. Then whatever we see is irradiated with the light of eternity
and is effulgent with the glory of our own Self as the Universal Being.
Otherwise the residue of our thoughts and emotions, like a dark film, obstructs
the subtle and transparent beauty and presence in things, though we may
be able to perceive clearly their physical characteristics.
Sundari represents the ultimate beauty
of pure perception which arises when we see all the universe in ourselves,
when we see all nature as a reflection of the reality of consciousness.
Sundari is thus the beauty of nature but as seen through the spiritual
eye of unity – the vision that all the universe is Brahman – that there
is nothing but God above, below, within, without, to the north, south, east
or west, past, present or future.
Sundari thus is the Goddess of Vedantic
knowledge, which is the knowledge of the Supreme Self or Divine.
She teaches us that all is the self and that the world is Brahman
or the Absolute. From her perspective Samsara is Nirvana; the world
of illusion is merged into the Absolute. Hence she is the form of the Goddess most beloved among Vedantic Swamis and teachers. She
represents the knowledge of the Supreme Self.
Sundari is called Lalita or “She who
plays.” The entire universe exists for the delight of awareness, which
is the play of the Divine Mother. Creation arises in joy, and returns
to joy. We are but transient figures in her eternal play, who
have yet to understand the source of the energy that moves us. Our
sorrow and suffering is a delusion, a misconception born of ignorance
and the ego. Because we attempt to control or possess joy from the
standpoint of the separate self, we divide ourselves from true joy which is universal.
The Goddess, as the image of joy, shows us the way out of our error, which
is not to deny ourselves happiness but to discover the true happiness
that we seek, which is in being one with all. Lalita awakens the
receptive soul to the bliss that underlies all things.
Lalita is the deity of the Shri Chakra,
the great yantra or energy pattern which underlines the entire universe,
which arises from the mantra Om. She is the most blissful and beautiful
of all the Goddesses, as she represents the ultimate bliss at the source
of all delights. She is the deity who dwells at the summit of Mount Meru, the cosmic mountain or the mountain of the spine, and gives the orders
whereby the entire universe moves. She is the Divine love which
is the central motivating force behind the universe, and which is the original
impulse within our own hearts.
Sundari is also called Rajarajeshvari
or “the supreme ruler of the universe.” From her arise all the commands
which govern the universe, including he command which allows us to unfold
spiritually or to give spiritual teachings in the world. We must
seek her command in order to do anything significant in life.
Yet her command is not based on authority but love. To gain her approval
we merely need be open to her love. What she allows us to do is to
love her and to love everything. To discover her commands,
however, we must be willing to surrender our own egoistic desires and attempt
to control things.
Tripura Sundari is often represented
as a young girl of sixteen years age. As such she is called “sixteen”
(shodasi) or “the young girl” (bala). At this stage of a woman’s
life the delight aspect of her existence is most pronounced. Her
nature is to play, to seek new experiences, and to charm others to her.
Her innocence attracts to her all that is true and good.
Sundari is the power of consciousness,
Cit-shakti. She is the awareness of the Supreme Self, Paramatman,
as one with the supreme Reality or Absolute, Parabrahman. As true
knowledge she is called Samvit, which is the power to comprehend all things
as consciousness itself.
Sundari is thus the power of spiritual
knowledge (jnana-shakti), which is more a matter of feeling and perception
than of thought and analysis. Hence she is the form of the Goddess
most to be worshipped by those following the yoga of Knowledge. She
is the form of the Goddess who represents pure consciousness and the
bliss that flows from it. She combines the being of Kali, with the
knowledge of Tara and adds the bliss dimension of spiritual realization.
