Panchdasi Mantra
The Pañcadaśī (Panchadasi) mantra is the foundation of Sri Chakra Puja. It is the mantra to appease and create connection to the Shri Devi (Shri Lalitha Maha-Tripura Sundari aka Shri Parvati). It is one of the most basic mantras given to the aspirant as he\she looks forward to the Shri Chakra puja. It is made up of 15 bījas (syllables letter). A bījas is not necessarily a single sanskrit letter (alphabet) as it can consists of one or more sanskrit letters (alphabets).
Pañcadaśī (Panchadasi) mantra is made of three distinct groups which in turn mutually represents three divided sections of Shri Devi’s (Shakti) body. These distinct groups are called kūṭa-s in sanskrit, which are vāgbhava kūṭa (upper body), kāmarāja kūtā or madhya kūṭa (middle body) and śakti kūtā (lower body). These three groups (kūtā) also represents sat (existence), cit (consciousness) and ananda (bliss). Hence, there has been lot of significance given to Pañcadaśī mantra as it provides a definitive path for Supreme Blissfulness (ananda).
ka e i la hrim: ha sa ka ha la hrim: sa ka la hrim
कएईलह्रीं: हसकहलह्रीं: सकलह्रीं
It is a very powerful mantra, from which an aspirant could be blessed with power, fame, health, prosperity, wealth, and bliss as long as permitted by The Supreme Divine Energy. It is surely an precious jewel, which becomes even more precious and beneficial when polished more. Hence, practising the mantra over and over with faith and devotion one can expect miraculous results lifelong. In lifetime one needs to at least recite this mantra 108,000 times either in one sitting or multiple with utmost faith and undestructible dedication.- Vāgbhava Kuta
- Kāmarāja Kuta
- śakti Kuta
- Hrllekha
- comprises of: Ka, E, I, La, Hrim.
- comprises of: Ha, Sa, Ka, Ha, La, Hrim.
- comprises of: Sa, Ka, La, Hrim.
- comprises of: H, r, I, Bindu (m), Ardhachandra, Rodhini, Nada, Nadanta, Shakti, Vyapika, Samana and Unmani.
kāmo yoni: kamalā vajrapāṇirguhāhasā matariśvābhrāmindraḥ|
punarguhāsakala māyayā ca purucyeṣā viśvamātādividyā||
कामो योनि: कमला वज्रपाणिर्गुहाहसा मतरिश्वाभ्रामिन्द्रः। पुनर्गुहासकल मायया च पुरुच्येषा विश्वमातादिविद्या॥
All the fifteen bījas of Pañcadaśī hidden can be found in the above Sanskrit verse taken from Lalitha TriShati Stotram – kāman (ka) yoni: (e) kamalā (ī) vajrapāniṛ (la) guhā (hrīṃ) ha (ha) sā (sa) mathariśvā (ka) abram (ha) indraḥ (la) punar (punar means again) guhā (hrīṃ) sakala (sa,ka,la) māyayā ca (hrīṃ) purucyeṣā viśvamātādividyā.The first kūṭa has five bījas ka-e-ī -la- hrīṃ. All the three kūṭas end with hrīṃ and this hrīṃ is called hṛllekha. A lot of importance is attached to this hṛllekha which is also called as māyā bīja. Vākbhava kūṭa is also known as agni khaṇḍa and indicates jñāna śakti of Lalitāmbikā. Ka means Brahma, the creator. e means Sarasvatī the goddess of jñāna. ī means Lakṣmī, la means Indra and hrīṃ means the merger of Śiva and Śaktī. The bīja ka is the root of kāma bīja klīṁ (क्लीं). ka also bestows peace and prosperity to the sādaka. The next bīja e prevents misfortunes to the sādaka. ī bestows wealth and all good things to sādaka. The bīja la gives victory to the sādaka. Thus, the first four bījas give peace, prosperity, prevention of misfortunes, auspiciousness and a status like Indra. This means victory to sādaka in every step he puts forward. (Indra is the chief of all gods and goddesses and is victorious in all the battles against demons).
hrīṁ is made up of twelve letters. H + r + ī + m and a bindu. Bindu is a dot on the letter m (ṁ). But this is not just a dot. This dot comprises of ardacandra, rodhinī, nāda, nādānta, śakti, vyāpikā, samanā and uṇmanī. Beginning from bindu and including these eight, is nāda (total nine). This nāda comprises of two V-s one above the other (each V has two lines and two V-s together have four lines) and four dots each at the open ends of V and one dot on the top these four dots. This is the combination of bīja hrīṁ. More than these V-s and dots, the pronunciation is important. There are specifications of length of timing for pronunciations of each bīja. The entire kūṭa should be pronounced in eleven mātrā-s (a mātrā is the time taken for a winking, possibly lesser than a second). There are guidelines for pronouncing the bījas. The pronunciation of Vākbhava kūṭas hould commence from mūlādhāra cakra and end at anāhata cakra, contemplating the entire kūṭa as the fire.
The third kūṭa which is called śaktī kūṭa, has only four bījas. This kūṭa is to be meditated upon the portion between hip and the feet of Lalitāmbikā. The four bījas are sa-ka-la- hrīṃ. The first kūṭa has five bījas, second kūṭa six bījas and the third has only four bījas. Possibly this could mean that sustenance is the most difficult act and dissolution is the easiest act. Vākbhava kūṭa refers to subtle intellect, kāmarāja kūṭa refers to preponderance of valour, wealth, fame, etc and the third kūṭa, the śakti kūṭa expands the conveyance of the previous two kūṭas. It can be noticed that two ha bījas in the madhya kūṭa is removed in this śaktī kūṭa. This kūṭa is to be pronounced in a time frame of eight and a half mātrās. The entire Pañcadaśī mantra should be pronounced in thirty one mātrās. In the case of continuous recitation of this mantra, without leaving time gap between the kūṭa only twenty nine mātrā-s are prescribed. But the time factor does not apply when the mantra is recited mentally. This kūṭa is to be contemplated from anāhata cakra to the middle of the forehead in the forms of brightness comparable to the millions of moons. There are nine stages from anāhata to the middle of the forehead. These nine stages are nothing but the nine components of nāda which was discussed under hrīṃ. This kūṭa is called chandra khaṇḍa and forms the third act of Brahman, the dissolution. The dissolution is represented by the bījā ‘la’ which means the destructive weaponries viz. vajra (thunder bolt),cakra (the wheel. Possibly meaning the Sudarśana cakra of Viṣṇu), triśūla or trident of Śiva and the gada of Viṣṇu. There are three hrīṃ-s in Pañcadaśī each representing creation, sustenance and dissolution.
Śaṃkarācārya also talks about the bījas of Pañcadaśī in a secretive manner in Saundarya Laharī (verse 32). In the second kūṭa out of the two ha bījas, Śaṃkarācārya means sun instead of ākāś element. The interpretations of the bījas differ from scholar to scholar. It is also pertinent to note that chanting of one round of Pañcadaśī mantra is equivalent to three rounds of recitation of pūrṇa Gāyatrī mantra. Pūrṇa Gāyatrī means an addition of paro rajase sāvadom as the last line in addition to the existing three lines.