\engtitle{.. tripurasundarii ashhTakaM   ..}##
 \itxtitle{.. tripurasundarii ashhTakaM ..}##\endtitles 
#indian
           tripurasundarii ashhTakam.h##
           Octad to tripurasundarii

           by shriimad.h sha.nkaraachaarya

          Introduction

The transliteration of Sanskrit terms is according to
ITRANS scheme, which is close to the pronunciation.
The translation and commentary on this text can be found in
http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/1415/tripura8##-##itx
Please direct all your suggestions and corrections to
mgiridhar@ucdavis.edu.

Before we begin, let us offer ourselves at the feet of
the Divine Mother, mahaatripurasundarii, who as Ishvara rules the
world but is none other than the indwelling spirit (Atman) within
us and which pervades us all that exists.

This introduction deals with the background on the name of
tripurasundarii . It is one of the best epithets to describe the Devi
meaning that she is the belle of all the three worlds . The word tripura
can be interpreted variously . The kaalikaa purANa says that by the will of
pradhaana, the body of Lord Shiva became triple : the upper part became
Brahma, the middle part became VishhNu and the lower part became Rudra . As
these three pura-s (bodies) are in Lord Shiva, he is called Tripura (three
bodied) and his wife is known as tripuraa . In the kaamakalaa vilaasa
(13,14), the honored sage, abhiyukta, mentions that Devi created all the
three forms and she is before all (purobhava), because she is in the form
of all the three (trayiimayi) and exists even after the dissolution of the
three worlds and recreates them again . In the brahmANDa-purANa, it is
mentioned that the Goddess tripurasundarii rules over the entire universe
and She is the supreme empress, and Brahma, VishhNu and Shiva are mere
functionaries in her empire . The Lalitaa Sahasranaama portrays Her
as being attended by Lakshmi and Saraswati on either side.
Shankaracharya, in his saundrayalahirii, mentions that Brahma, VishhNu
and Shiva started
their cosmic processes when the Supreme Shakti knitted Her brow for a
split second.

        The Devi mantra consists of three syllables, and her fifteen lettered
mantra panchadashaakshari is composed of three kuuTa-s (peaks).
She resides in three naaDi-s (nerve channels), namely sushhumnaa, pingalaa, and
iDaa . She is the ruler of the three Shaktis - ichchaa (will), kriyaa
(action), and GYAna (knowledge). She pervades all the three worlds -
heaven, earth and the nether world . She is the controller of all the three
bodies - sthUla (gross), suukshhma (subtle), and kaaraNa (causal). She is
the self which is present through the three states of existence - jaagrat
(waking), svapna (dream), and sushhupti (deep sleep). Though she is above
all guNa-s, She pervades the three modes of energy- sattva (purity), rajas
(mobility) and tamas (inertia).

        Love and joy are the inherent qualities of beauty . Sundarii means
belle and beauty . Shankaracharya, while explaining Chandogya upanishhad 7,
31:1, mentions that all longing and desire is a source of pain, and in what
is finite there is no bliss . He mentions that the Infinite alone can
produce bliss . When bliss takes on a form, it is sundarii: sarvaa.nga
sundarii (lalitaa trishati, verse 130) and Shankara comments on
this name of the
Devi as the one who possesses all the marks of beauty and has all the
qualities of perfection and is thus the source of Bliss.
The translation and commentary on this text can be found
in http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/1415/tripura8##-##itx

May the Divine Mother guide us in our every action and thought, and may
She confer upon us the greatest gift of all, moksha (liberation) by removing
the veil of maya which She weaves.

At Her feet, AUM tat.h sat.h

\onecolumn
##     tripurasundariiashhTakam.h ##Please
forward corrections to mgiridhar@ucdavis.edu.
##

kadambavanachaariNiiM munikadambakaadambiniiM
nitambajita bhuudharaaM suranitambiniisevitaam.h .
navaamburuhalochanaamabhinavaambudashyaamalaaM
trilochanakuTumbiniiM tripurasundariimaashraye .. 1..

kadambavanavaasiniiM kanakavallakiidhaariNiiM
mahaaha.rmaNihaariNIM mukhasamullasadvaaruNIm.h .
dayaavibhavakaariNIM vishadalochanIM chaariNIM
trilochanakuTumbiniiM tripurasundariimaashraye .. 2..

kadambavanashaalayaa kuchabharollasanmaalayaa
kuchopamitashailayaa gurukR^ipaalasadvelayaa .
madaaruNakapolayaa madhuragiitavaachaalayaa
kayaa.api ghananiilayaa kavachitaa vayaM liilayaa .. 3..

kadambavanamadhyagaaM kanakamaNDalopasthitaaM
shhaDamburuhavaasiniiM satatasiddhasaudaaminiim.h .
viDambitajapaaruchiM vikachachaMdrachuuDaamaNiM
trilochanakuTumbinIM tripurasundariimaashraye .. 4..

kuchaaJNchitavipaJNchikaaM kuTilakuntalaalaMkR^itaaM
kusheshayanivaasinIM kuTilachittavidveshhiNIm.h .
madaaruNavilochanaaM manasijaarisaMmohinIM
mataN^gamunikanyakaaM madhurabhaashhiNImaashraye .. 5..

smaraprathamapushhpiNIM rudhirabinduniilaambaraaM
gR^ihiitamadhupaatrikaaM madavighuuNa.rnetraaJNchalaaM .
ghanastanabharonnataaM galitachUlikAM shyaamalaaM
trilochanakuTuMbiniiM tripurasundariimaashraye .. 6..

sakuN^kumavilepanaamalakachuMbikastuurikaaM
samandahasitekshaNAM sasharachaapapaashaaN^kushaam.h .
asheshhajanamohinImaruNamaalya bhuushhaambaraaM
japaakusumabhaasuraaM japavidhau smaraamyambikaam.h .. 7..

pura.ndarapura.ndhrikaaM chikurabandhasairaMdhrikaaM
pitaamahapativrataaM paTapaTiirachachaa.rrataam.h .
mukundaramaNImaNIlasadalaMkriyaakaariNIM
bhajaami bhuvanaaMbikaaM suravadhuuTikaacheTikaam.h .. 8..

      .. iti shriimad.h sha.nkaraachaaryavirachitaM
tripurasundariiashhTakaM samaaptaM ..

##