Maa Tripura Sundari –
Pt.Satish ShuklaKaalikaa 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 puras (bodies) are in Lord Shiva, he is called Tripura (three
bodied) and his wife is known as Tripuraa. In the Brahmanda-Purana, it is
mentioned that the Goddess Tripura sundari rules over the entire universe and
She is the supreme empress, and Brahma, VishhNu and Shiva are mere
functionaries in Her empire. The Devi Sahasranamavali portrays her as being
attended by Lakshmi and Saraswati on either side. Shankaracharya, in his
Saundraya lahiri, 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 pancha dasha akshari is composed of three kuutas (peaks). She resides in three naadi-s (nerve channels), namely sushhumnaa, pingalaa, and idaa. She is the ruler of the three Shaktis - ichchaa (will), jnana (knowledge) and kriyaa (action). 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. Sundari 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 sundari: sarvaanga
sundari (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. 