महामनुस्तवः

BASIC REQUISITES

Whatever the path the aspirant follows, there are certain basic requisites for the sadhana to be successful. The Goddess of Sri Vidya is the Mother of Beauty and Bliss, the Mother of Love and Grace. One who follows the path of Sri Vidya should be a worshipper of beauty and grace. He should reject ugliness in all its forms. He should not only shun the outer ugliness but also ugliness in thought, word and deed. He should not court squalor and poverty as part of spiritual discipline, neither should he crave for misery and suffering as a part of his martyrdom to reach the Divine. Fasts and similar self-mortifications have no place in this sadhana. The sadhaka of Sri Vidya is always cheerful and exudes cheer all around. He always looks at the brighter side of things. His robust optimism and unfailing faith in the Goddess turns difficulties into opportunities, and failures into successes. He has no lure for the lucre, but when the Goddess gives, he knows how to enjoy the riches. The path of Sri Vidya is the sun-lit path strewn with the flowers of happiness, joy, beauty, and grace. Now will be understood the Tantric saying that the Upasaka in Sri Vidya should bathe nicely, dress in fineries, eat delicious dishes, take the fragrant tamuala and with a heart full of trust and cheer contemplate on the Goddess.

The sadhaka of Sri Vidya should treat the women-folk with great consideration and respect. When the woman is ill-treated, from there the Goddess flees. In fact, the sadhaka should love the women, not with lust but as a child would love its mother. For all the women in the world are the embodiments of the Divine Mother, striyah samastah sakala jagatsu. This is the secret of suvasini puja which finds an important place in Sri Vidya worship.

Again, the sadhaka should lead a life of absolute sincerity. He should reject totally from his being all hypocrisy, cunning and deceit. For that he should extricate himself from the mire of mental life enslaved to the senses. The mind has its prejudices, preferences, preconceived notions. The mind should be quiet; sincerity leads to the openness and receptivity of the mind. Then without his volition, the sadhaka becomes the servitor of the feet of the Goddess⁴⁴