महामनुस्तवः

THE CULT OF SRI VIDYA

The cult of Sri Vidya is so comprehensive in its scope and so all-embracing in its nature that it is said to be the highest of all Mantra Sadhanas, Srividyaiva tu mantranam. Being a Mahavidya, it does the utmost good to him who seeks the Divinity through it. Knowledge is attained and even the proverbially fickle wealth can be acquired in a permanent form; and if one is deter-mined to reach the Supreme Goal, by Her grace, the Goal is attained ultimately⁹

When a person is initiated in Sri Vidya, he may not be at the outset in a position to appreciate and under-stand the significance of the path that has come to him and its full implications. The Vidya takes upon itself the Sadhana. It educates him, gives him the knowledge at each step and grants him ultimately self-knowledge, “ by knowing which all this is known.” Similarly, each desire of the seeker is taken up and worked out. Certain wants of the aspirant drop out as they are satisfied; some other wants vanish as they give place to higher wants. This process goes on till the aspirant learns to want only the Goddess and desire only Her Desire. In fact, the Tantra categorically declares that all and each cannot hope to step into the sacred precincts of Sri Vidya. It is exclusively reserved for the elite, for the man with a mission, for the man of destiny. So much so that strict secrecy is enjoined in order that the esoteric teaching may not fall in the hands of the profane. “ It should be kept secret like the immoral conduct of one’s mother,” svamatr jaravat gopya, says the Tantra in its picturesque language. One can give away one’s kingdom, even one’s head but not the sixteen-lettered Sri Vidya¹¹

Again, the ultimate goal of the Sadhana of Sri Vidya is Self-Realisation, the realisation of one’s Self as the Goddess Herself. This is the culmination of all paths, the consummation of all transformations. After worshipping various deities, after pursuing various lines of discipline either in this birth or in previous births, by the dint of such practices, as a result of the grace of those deities, one gains entry into the sanctum sanctorum of Sri Vidya. “Some are after the name of Siva, others are fond of the name of Vishnu but very few are conversant with the names of Lalita " says Lalita Sahasranama. After traversing many paths, this Royal Road comes into sight. After paying homage to the various deities in the ascending cosmic stair of consciousness, one is able to climb up and have a glimpse of this deity at the summit. By pursuing other lines of worship, one aspires to get the famous eight Şiddhis as the culmination. ut ihese are the beginnings in the worship of Sri Vidya. In fact, these Siddhis are posited on the outermost periphery of Sri Chakra, which is considered as not different from the great Goddess and Sri Vidya. The Tantra clinches the issue dramatically by proclaiming that either one should be in his last birth or else one should be Şiva himself; only then can one get the fifteen-lettered Mantra of the Divine Mother.¹³

This does not mean that the worshipper of Sri Vidya should arrogate himself to some sort of supermanhood. Rather the weight of the Divine’s choice should lay heavily on him. He should dedicate himself exclusively to the pursuit of the Vidya and make supreme effort for progress. If he misses the valuable opportunity given to him, he becomes a bhrashta, one who has fallen in his Sadhana. His progress is deferred for the time being and he has to make again the ascent which is not easy.

Such is the greatness of the Vidya of the Divine Mother that it is mentioned without any description or attribute. It is simply called Sri Vidya, Sri being a prefix to denote auspiciousness. It is the knowledge, the only knowledge that matters. The Tantric holds that knowledge about sculpture, etc. is no knowledge at all; Sri Vidya leading to liberation, moksha, is alone fit to be called as the Knowledge.¹⁴