Siddhilakshmi: The Radiant Bestower in Tantric Vision
Goddess Siddhi Lakshmi occupies a unique and profound place in certain tantric streams of Hindu practice. Revered as an embodiment of grace, power, and auspicious accomplishment, she is envisioned through detailed dhyana (meditative visualization) passages that guide the practitioner in forming a living image of the divine. In the Varahi Tantra (chapter 12, verses 41–45), two dhyana descriptions present her in majestic and complex forms. This article rewrites and expands upon those passages, exploring their symbolism, scriptural context, iconography, and the deeper spiritual meanings revealed through her attributes.
Context in Tantric Tradition
Within tantric texts, dhyana verses serve a dual purpose. They guide the practitioner’s mind to visualize the deity in meditation, and they encode layers of symbolic meaning, pointing toward inner spiritual realities. Siddhi Lakshmi is one among many tantric deities who represent both outer cosmic functions and inner psychological or subtle energy processes. The Varahi Tantra belongs to a corpus that emphasizes goddess worship, ritual procedure, mantra, and visualization. In this framework, Siddhilakshmi stands as a form through which seekers connect with the power to remove obstacles, bestow spiritual attainment, and awaken auspicious forces within.
First Dhyana Vision: Cosmic Multiplicity and Benevolence
In the first dhyana, Siddhi Lakshmi is described as manifesting in as many forms as appear in the universe. This emphasizes her boundless, all-pervasive nature: nothing in creation exists apart from her essence. When she assumes the shape of a woman—focusing the mind on a central iconic form—she shows the mudras of bestowing boons (varada) and dispelling fears (abhaya). These two mudras signal her role as benefactor and protector: she grants both material and spiritual accomplishments and removes the obstacles that stand in the seeker’s path.
Visually, she is brilliant as the white moon, implying cool luminosity, clarity of mind, and soothing grace. The moon’s light reflects the idea of inner illumination that soothes the fluctuations of the mind. She has five faces, each with three eyes. The five faces can correspond to five aspects or directions (north, south, east, west, and center) or to five fundamental elements or energies. Each face’s three eyes symbolize omniscience across past, present, and future, as well as the transcendence of the three states of waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. The combination suggests a deity who perceives all dimensions of existence without limitation.
She stands upon five pretas. In tantric iconography, preta figures often represent restless, hungry energies or obstacles linked to ignorance and attachment. By standing on them, the goddess signifies mastery and transformation of these lower forces. It indicates that through her grace, the aspirant transcends cravings and disturbances. She holds many weapons together with ten sticks (dashadordanda-sahita). Weapons in tantric imagery represent the power to cut through ignorance, ego, and limiting patterns. The ten sticks (danda) may allude to disciplinary powers or the tenfold capacity to uphold cosmic order or spiritual discipline. Together, they indicate that Siddhilakshmi wields transformative power in manifold ways, yet these powers are under the control of compassionate intention.
Second Dhyana Vision: Crystal Radiance and Divine Majesty
The second dhyana presents a related yet distinct vision. Here, Siddhilakshmi stands upon a lotus and on a preta. The lotus signifies purity emerging from the world of sense impressions—her nature remains untainted though rooted in the manifest cosmos. Simultaneously standing on a preta again highlights her sovereignty over restless energies. She resembles crystal, indicating clarity, purity, and the capacity to reflect all experience without distortion. This crystalline form also points to inner luminosity and the transparent nature of awakened awareness.
Again, she has five faces with three eyes each, reinforcing her all-seeing, all-knowing nature across multiple levels. Her limbs are covered by divine clothes, suggesting that though she may manifest dazzling radiance, there remains a gracious covering—a veiling that reminds the practitioner that the ultimate cannot be directly grasped but is revealed progressively. All three worlds rejoice at her appearance: this triad often refers to the realms of earth, atmosphere, and heaven, or alternatively the realms of gross, subtle, and causal existence. Her presence harmonizes and delights every domain of life and consciousness.
She has ten arms holding distinct attributes:
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Kapala (skull cup): Symbolizes the transformation of base energies into nectar of wisdom; the skull cup often holds amrita or vital fluid, signifying immersion in transcendence.
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Spear (shoola): Represents piercing insight that cuts through illusion.
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Bow-string (tavara): May suggest the tension and readiness of will or the dynamic energy that propels spiritual progress.
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Big hook (mahapasha): Symbolizes the binding power that draws the aspirant toward the divine, or the capacity to control wandering impulses.
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Munda (severed head): Indicates the conquest of ego, the end of identification with the limited self.
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Bell (ghanta): Represents the sound of primordial creation and the awakening of consciousness; its resonance dispels ignorance.
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Katvanga (club with skull): Often carried by tantric deities; combines power and remembrance of mortality, pointing to the urgency of spiritual practice.
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Khadga (sword): Like the spear, a symbol of discriminative wisdom, cutting attachments.
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Scorpion (alaya): A less common attribute; the scorpion may symbolize hidden dangers or deep psychological toxins; holding it indicates mastery over subtle poisons of mind.
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Elephant-goad (srini): Often used to steer or guide large beasts; here, it signifies guidance of the mind and senses toward the divine aim.
These ten attributes collectively represent a wide range of powers: transformative, protective, guiding, and liberating. Each suggests an inner process: from cutting through ignorance (sword, spear) to guiding the will (goad), transforming toxic tendencies (scorpion, skull cup), binding the mind toward devotion (hook), and awakening primordial sound and awareness (bell).
Symbolism of Faces and Colors
Though specific colors are not enumerated in these verses beyond the brilliance like the white moon, traditional tantric iconography often links the five faces to colors and directional energies. Even without specifying hues, the five aspects imply: creation, preservation, dissolution, concealment, and blessing. The white lunar brilliance may hint at the peaceful, introspective quality of certain aspects, inviting the meditator to cultivate calm clarity even while engaging with powerful transformative energies.
Worship, Ritual, and Inner Practice
In tantric tradition, dhyana verses are integrated into sadhana (practice) alongside mantra chanting, yantra worship, and ritual offerings. Visualizing Siddhilakshmi in her first and second forms prepares the mind to internalize her qualities. A practitioner may recite or memorize these descriptions, meditate on each attribute and its inner significance, and cultivate trust in the goddess’s power to remove obstacles to both worldly success and spiritual realization.
Offerings may include flowers, incense, lights, and symbolic substances that resonate with the goddess’s nature—white flowers for her lunar brilliance, crystal-like objects for clarity, and items that represent transformation. The lotus seat in the second vision encourages the offering of lotus petals or images, reminding one of purity arising from the world. The preta under her feet may be visualized as energies or patterns within the practitioner that are willingly surrendered and transformed through her grace.
Relationship to Broader Scriptural Themes
While the Varahi Tantra provides these vivid dhyana verses, the themes resonate with wider Hindu and tantric concepts. The multiplicity of forms reflects the teaching that the divine transcends any single image or limit. The bestowing and fear-dispelling mudras affirm the compassionate dimension of the divine mother. Standing on pretas and holding weapons recalls common motifs in Shakta iconography: the goddess as both gentle nurturer and fierce protector. The crystal-like form parallels descriptions of the supreme self or pure consciousness in Upanishadic and tantric texts.
The ten arms correspond to the idea of ten directions (including above, below, and interior directions), indicating her guardianship of all realms. The interplay of terrifying attributes (skull, hook, scorpion) with beneficent gestures highlights the principle that profound transformation often requires confronting uncomfortable inner truths, yet guided by the compassionate will of the goddess.
Practical Guidance for Contemplation
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Sequential Visualization: Begin with the first dhyana: imagine the infinite forms dissolving into a central feminine figure of luminous white radiance, bestowing boons and banishing fears. Focus on each face and its three eyes, sensing the breadth of her awareness. Visualize her standing on pretas, feeling the security that arises as inner disturbances are subdued.
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Transition to Second Vision: Shift to the second dhyana: see her poised on a lotus, crystalline and unblemished, delighting all worlds. Notice the divine garments, as a reminder that the absolute reveals itself through veils and forms. Envision each of her ten arms: as you name each attribute, reflect on the inner faculty it symbolizes.
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Inner Reflection: For each weapon or object, pause to consider how that power manifests within your own psyche: what illusions need the sword of discrimination? Which attachments require the hook to draw them toward transformation? What hidden fears parallel the scorpion?
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Breath and Mantra: Synchronize the visualization with breath or mantra. A suitable mantra related to Siddhilakshmi may be practiced as per guidance from a qualified teacher or lineage. The breath can anchor the mind as it moves through each aspect of the deity.
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Offering and Devotion: Cultivate an attitude of devotion and surrender. Offer flowers or light to an image or yantra of Siddhilakshmi, invoking her grace to illuminate the path and grant both worldly and spiritual fulfillment.
Significance for the Seeker
Meditating on Siddhilakshmi’s forms serves multiple purposes: it awakens latent potentials for success, prosperity, and auspicious developments in life; it purifies deep-seated blocks and fears; and it guides the aspirant toward inner clarity and liberation. The interplay of benign and fierce aspects reminds seekers that divine support includes both gentle encouragement and decisive intervention when needed. Her cosmic scope—present in every form in the universe—teaches that the ultimate reality pervades all experience. By internalizing her vision, practitioners learn to see every event and aspect of life as an expression of divine energy, inviting trust and surrender.
Final Thoughts
The dhyana passages for Goddess Siddhi Lakshmi in the Varahi Tantra offer a profound map for inner transformation. Through her multiple forms, mudras, faces, stands, garments, and tenfold attributes, she embodies the full spectrum of divine power: compassionate bestower, fierce protector, luminous teacher, and guide. Visualizing her as brilliant as the white moon, crystalline, standing on lotus and preta, the seeker is invited to transcend limitations, integrate all dimensions of being, and awaken to the ever-present grace that bestows auspicious fulfilment. Though rooted in scriptural tradition, these visions remain alive and accessible: each aspirant may, with devotion and disciplined practice, experience Siddhilakshmi not merely as an image, but as a living reality within the heart.