38) Ratna-kiṅkiṇikā-ramya-raśanā-dāma-bhūṣitā
Adorned with a lovely girdle of jeweled bells around Her waist.
Lalitā wears a row of bells made out of jewels round Her lower waist. There is a lovely story how this came to be. Manmatha once aroused the passion in Śiva, the supreme yogi with the help of Pārvatī. When Śiva realized his plight, he emitted fire from his eye, and burnt away Manmatha, the God of Love. Now, Manmatha is a great devotee of Lalitā, he is in fact the seer of Her mantra. Ratī Devi, Manmatha's wife then appeals to Pārvatī along with all the gods, for without love no world would be a place worth living. Pārvatī prevails on Śiva to give life to Manmatha. Manmatha then requests Devi to grant him the boon of sweet revenge against Śiva. Devi grants him this boon that he lives in the tinkling sounds of the bells She wears on Her lower waist and feet, which laugh at the defeat of Śiva whenever Devi is enjoying with Śiva. Since Śrī Devi is forever enjoying with Śiva, Manmatha is laughing away to glory all the time as the tinkling sounds of Devi's waist bells.
39) Kāmeśa-jñāta-saubhāgya-mārdavoru-dvayānvitā
Whose velvety yoni and thighs are known intimately by Kāmeśa.
Kāmeśa, husband of Lalitā, knows the velvety softness of Her saubhāgya (yoni) and Her thighs. Lalitā was not happy with occupying only one half of Śiva's body; She soon arrogated to Herself the right of occupying the whole of his body, so that the entire form of God looks like Her only. So Kāmeśa knows Her both thighs completely as his own!
40) Māṇikya-mukuṭākāra-jānudvaya-virājitā
Whose knees shine like two crowns made of ruby jewels.
Śrī Devi's knee caps shine like two crowns cade of red jewels called māṇikya.
41) Indragopa-parikṣipta-smaratūṇābha-jaṅghikā
Whose calves resemble the red arrows of Smara kept in a flower-quiver.
Śrī Devi's calves are like the red arrows of Smara (Manmatha) held in a flowers quiver.
42–43) Gūḍha-gulphā & Kūrma-pṛṣṭha-jayiṣṇu-prapadānvitā
Whose ankles are fleshy and whose feet surpass the tortoise-backed form.
Her leg joints are fleshy and Her upper part of the foot is hemispherical like the back of a tortoise. The tortoise is a symbol for withdrawal of the mind from the sense objects. Since Śrī Devi's feet win over the tortoise, the implication is that the devotee who grasps Her feet, i.e., who follows Her way, gets over the withdrawal symptoms of incompleteness in the ascetic, to lead a life of fullness including sensual enjoyments without at the same time losing the yoga. Like Janaka, Kṛṣṇa, and Śiva who are perfect yogis without relinquishing the embraces of women, Lalitā's feet give to Her devotee both bhoga and yoga. It is said about Śrī Devi thus:
yā devatā bhogakāri sa na mokṣaya kalpate
śrī-sundarī-sādhana-tat-parāṇāṁ bhogaśca mokṣaśca karastha eva
This means: That God or Goddess who gives enjoyments does not give liberation, nirvāṇa. But those who worship the feet of Lalitā get both the pleasures of this world and liberation even this very life.
This is because of the peculiar mode of worship of Devi upāsana. No Devi upāsana is complete without the embrace of a woman, in whom the Goddess is invoked. Thus a sanyasi is not a complete upāsaka of Devi, because he forbids for himself or herself sexual union which is a necessary ingredient of Devi worship. The ascetic can only be a Śrī Vidyā Upāsaka in the astral plane with Kuṇḍalinī as the opposite partner. Such an upāsana is called Samayācara, the word samaya meaning time, or the source of manifestations and creativity, the Devi as consciousness.
It is important to stress at this point that there are basically four modes of upāsana of Śrī Devi, called Samaya, Dakṣiṇa, Kaula and Vama. Their essential characteristics can be summarised as follows:
Among these the Samayācara is the exclusive domain of ascetics, and such of those who are unable, in spite of their proclamations of the oneness of all living forms as God, to get over their class distinctions. It cannot be recommended to everyone on the following grounds: it is difficult because there are no external props, it maintains a distinction between thought, word and deed, it eschews action altogether leading to turning away from life altogether, advocates strict brahmācāryam even with one's own wedded partner.
Dakṣiṇācara is the vaishnavite tradition based on bhakti or devotion but in the service of Śiva! Śiva is a rebel, the chief of thugs, whose function is destruction; the only way he can be approached is through the notions of identify in contrast to Viṣṇu, the maintainer of law and order who insists on śaraṇāgati, or total self surrender, which maintains a distinction between the worshipper and the worshipped.
The Kaulācara is meant for those who are materialistically oriented, who are still interested in samsara, but are sincere in their approach to the ultimate knowledge which leads to the union with God and nirvāṇa, escape from the process of births and deaths. It combines sensual bliss and nirvāṇa.
Vama mārga is recommended for those who cannot make it any other way. But it must be realized that the Vama mārga can lead to a great degradation before sufficient vairagya develops to balance the sensuality. The need for a proper Guru is vital there, as, without a proper Guru, or with a pseudo Guru who poses as one, there can be much harm done. Self realization can become then self deception instead of the glorious thing it is. With a proper Guru, any acara yields derived fruit.
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