The Triple Secret

The Sage Medhas imparts the secret of worship of the Goddess to the king and the merchant. This is described in the three secrets, Rahasyatraya.

The first secret deals with the process of creation. It is the secret about the Mūla Prakṛti who is the cause of creation. In the language of the Sankhyas, the Mūla Prakṛti is the important one, Pradhāna; hence the name Prādhānika Rahasya for the first secret. Creation takes place because of the existence of the qualities of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Mahālakṣmī is the first one existing, pervading every thing and containing in her these three gunas. When the desire for creation appears, the quality rajas necessary for doing action predominates in her. There is a movement, a throb amongst the three qualities which were hitherto in equilibrium. From the quality tamas manifested Mahākālī and from the quality sattva manifested Mahāsaraswatī. In the picturesque language of the Tantra it is said that Mahālakṣmī bears on her head the serpent, liṅga and yoni - nāgam liṅgam ca yonim ca bibhrati. The serpent is the symbol for Time and liṅga and yoni denote the male and female principles. The supreme beyond Time and beyond sex limited itself by Time and took upon it the male and female principles for the purpose of creation. These three Mahā Śaktis, independently created each a pair of male and female. Mahālakṣmī created Lakṣmī and Brahmā, Mahākālī brought forth Śiva and Sarasvatī and Mahāsarasvatī Viṣṇu and Gaurī. It will now be abundantly clear that the Mahākālī, Mahālakṣmī and Mahāsarasvatī of the Śaptasatī are not the popular Gaurī, Lakṣmī and Sarasvatī but Powers infinitely superior to them. So, in popular parlance Lakṣmī became Brahmā’s sister and shared the common characteristic of a lotus - seat. Sarasvatī became Śiva’s sister, both the repositories and givers of true knowledge. Pārvatī became Viṣṇu’s sister, which fact has become famous through the Purāṇas which are known as Bhāgavata in both the cases. For the purpose of creation, these three pairs became a different set of couples. Brahmā took Sarasvatī as his consort, Viṣṇu Lakṣmī and Śiva Pārvatī and respectively presided over the creation, preservation and destruction of the universe. This is the first secret.

In the second secret is described how the Godhead beyond change subjected itself to change, how the Mūla Prakṛti, became Vikṛti; hence the name Vaikṛtika rahasya to the second secret. The primordeal Śakti Mahālakṣmī manifested from the bodies of all the gods and became a mass Parā Śakti, for carrying out the destruction of Mahiṣāsura. From her who has eighteen hands manifest Mahākalī of the ten hands and Mahāsarasvatī of the eight hands. Mahākālī manifestated to kill Madhu and Kaitabha, while Mahāsarasvatī was the godhead that appeared to vanquish Śumbha, Niśumbha and others. The second secret describes in detail the mode of worshipping these three deities.

In the third secret, Mūrti Rahasya, the incarnations, the avatāra murtis of the goddess are mentioned. In the eleventh chapter of the text the goddess herself proclaims her future incarnations on earth for the purpose of destroying the wicked and re-establishing the Divine Law on earth. Mūrti Rahasya deals in brief with the mode of worship of these great incarnations, Nandajā, Rakta dantikā, Śākambharī, Śatāṣī, Durgā, Bhīmā and Bhramarī.