Guruji's teachings
An article from Guruji's blog on the sixteen-letter Maha Shodashi mantra: why it is guarded, two readings of its seed sounds, and how it gathers the great deities into one.
Written by Atmanandanatha. It first appeared on devipuram.com and was shared on Guruji's blog by Vira Chandra on 25 April 2016. Post title: "Maha Shodashi Mahamantra - A new view". Originally published at amritananda-natha-saraswati.blogspot.com.
The article opens with an old saying: give away your empire, even your head, but never reveal the Shodashakshari. The writer notes that the mantra is hidden in the Upanishads, in Shankaracharya's Saundarya Lahari, in the Rahasya Nama Sahasra and in Parashurama's Kalpa Sutra. It also notes that the name itself carries the number sixteen when read with a secret counting code. He adds that much of the old secrecy is gone, since the mantra now appears in printed Sri Vidya books.
The path to it is laid out. A new student usually receives the Bala mantra along with Maha Ganapati. Then comes the Panchadashi. Some South Indian lines also give a shorter sixteen-letter mantra. The Maha Shodashi comes last, at purnabhisheka. Some lines do not allow it to be spoken aloud, and the teacher gives it only once, quietly.
The article then reads the seed sounds in two ways. The older reading moves from Parashiva, to the urge to create, to the divine couples who run the world, and ends with a prayer for the veil of duality to lift. The "new view", which the writer says was revealed to Brahmasri G Venkata Narasaiah of Guhanada Mandali, reads the same sounds as a journey from still awareness, to creation, to the guru's grace, to merging again.
Next comes a meditation shared by Sri Amritanandanatha of Devipuram. It uses golden light, a red sphere and a white light that becomes the guru, who enters the student and loosens the knot of the heart. The sense of a separate body falls away like a cover, and the body is seen as the Goddess. The writer says it is very powerful and should be done slowly, once a day at first.
The last parts show how the mantra gathers the five deities of Parashurama's Kalpa Sutra (Ganapati, Sundari, Shyamala, Varahi and Para) and the ten Mahavidyas into one. The writer closes with the duty of the guru: give this mantra only to a student of high purity who already worships the Goddess deeply, and keep it from those who are not ready.
give away your empire or even your head (i.e. give up your life itself) never reveal the Sodasakshari mantra.
Atmanandanatha, "Maha sodasi - A New view", first on devipuram.com. Shared on Guruji's blog. This page is a summary with one short quote. The mantra itself is not printed here. The full article is at the link.
This article is a good example of how Sri Vidya treats its deepest mantra: as something to grow into, not to collect. The steps before it, Ganapati, Bala and the Panchadashi, are not a waiting room. They are the practice that makes a student ready.
The meditation in the article is about the guru's grace loosening the sense of a small, separate self. That is the same aim as inner worship in the Kaula way, and it is why the page does not give the mantra or a method to follow. It is received in person, from a teacher, when the time is right.
The gathering of the five deities and the ten Mahavidyas into one mantra reflects a Kaula view: the many forms of the Goddess are one power seen from different sides. The older teaching of Guruji on the Mahavidyas is linked below.
It is the sixteen-letter mantra at the top of the Sri Vidya mantra path. The article says it is kept most secret and is given last.
The texts say it should be hidden even from many initiates. The article says it is meant for a student with a very clear mind who already worships the Goddess deeply.
Usually Bala with Maha Ganapati first, then the Panchadashi. Some lines add a shorter sixteen-letter mantra. The Maha Shodashi comes at purnabhisheka.
It is a reading the article credits to Brahmasri G Venkata Narasaiah. It follows the mantra as creation, care, prayer and return to the supreme.
The article says it leads to liberation in this life, called jivan mukti in Sri Vidya, which means being free while still living.
Read the original: Maha Shodashi Mahamantra - A new view, on Guruji's blog.
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