On the glorious path of śrīkrama Tantra, five vidyās are considered primary in our sampradāya, among the three hundred and sixty raśmis of Mahānirvāṇasundarī, and even among the ten Mahāvidyās. They are:
हादि योगान्भवेन्मेधा साम्राज्यं कादिगोचरम् |
कहाद्यन्तं दिव्यसाम्राज्यमेधादीक्षा प्रकीर्तिता ||
छिन्ना समस्तदीक्षान्ते विद्या रज्याभिदा भवेत् |
साम्राज्यपारमेष्ठ्याख्या बगला भेददक्षिणात् ||
एतद्दीक्षोत्तरं देवि नान्यदीक्षा अस्ति कुत्रचित् |
विना श्रीविद्यया देवि साधकोऽदीक्षितो भवेत् ||
hādi yogānbhavenmedhā sāmrājyaṃ kādigocaram |
kahādyantaṃ divyasāmrājyamedhādīkṣā prakīrtitā ||
chinnā samastadīkṣānte vidyā rajyābhidā bhavet |
sāmrājyapārameṣṭhyākhyā bagalā bhedadakṣiṇāt ||
etaddīkṣottaraṃ devi nānyadīkṣā asti kutracit |
vinā śrīvidyayā devi sādhako.adīkṣito bhavet ||
For a upāsaka of Kādi-krama, the worship of the following five Kālī-s listed below are of primary importance:
1. Raktakālī: Hādividyā or śrīvidyā Mahātripurasundarī (and Kāmakalākālī if the upāsaka has received Sāmrājyamēdhādi dīkṣā)
2. śyāmā Kālī: Kādividyā or Dakṣiṇā Kālī (and additionally Guhyakālī if the aspirant has a special initiation into the Uttarāmnāya)
3. Nīlakālī: Kahādividyā or Ugratārā (with her bhēdas Tārā, Tāriṇī, Ekajaṭā, Nīlasarasvatī)
4. Aruṇakālī: Chinnamastā
5. Pītakālī: Brahmāstravidyā Bagalāmukhī
Of these, in śrīkrama, Chinnamastā in an aṅgavidyā of Tārā and Bagalāmukhī of śrīvidyā:
श्रीविद्याङ्गा तु बगला ताराङ्गा छिन्नमस्तका ||
śrīvidyāṅgā tu bagalā tārāṅgā chinnamastakā ||
From the perspective of śrīkrama, the origin of Bagalā from śrīvidyā is described in the Shaktisaṅgama Tantra:
श्रीविद्यासम्भवं तेजो विजृम्भति इतस्ततः |
ब्रह्मास्त्रविद्या सञ्जाता त्रैलोक्यस्तम्भिनी मता ||
śrīvidyāsambhavaṃ tejo vijṛmbhati itastataḥ |
brahmāstravidyā sanjātā trailokyastambhinī matā ||
The greatness of this Mahāvidyā is traced back to the Mādhyandinī Samhitā of śukla Yajurvēda by Srī Swamiji Maharaj of Datia:
रक्षोहणो वलगहनं वैष्णवीमिदमहन्तं वल्गमुत्किरामि ||
rakṣohaṇo valagahanaṃ vaiṣṇavīmidamahantaṃ valgamutkirāmi ||
While Bagalāmukhī is considered as one of the ten Mahāvidyās, she does not assume the role of āmnāyanāyikā in śrīkrama, unlike Ugratārā, Bhuvanēśvarī, Dakṣiṇākālī, Navaratna Kubjikā, Triśakti Chāmuṇḍā, Kāmakalā Guhyakālī, and Bālā Ttripurasundarī. Her primary mantra where the central bīja is sthiramāyā is classified as belonging to the Dakṣiṇāmnāya. A different mantra where the sthiramāyā is replaced with bhuvanamāyā bīja is considered to be a part of the ūrdhvāmnāya as a retinue of Bālā. This less popular mantra is of greater significance in śrīkrama than the popular dakṣiṇāmnāya mantra.
On the path of śrīkrama, Yoga siddhi is not accomplished by Pātañjala practices such as Prāṇāyāma, āsana, Dhāraṇā, etc., which the Tantras reject as inferior. The four components of aṣṭāṅga yōga – āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, and dhāraṇā – are automatically accomplished by the siddhi of Bagalāmukhī Mahāvidyā. At the level of the macrocosm (brahmāṇḍa), Bagalāmukhī is associated with stambhana (immobilization) of the pañca mahābhūtas (and everything resulting from them) but is also especially associated with the stambhana of vāyu-tattva. Hence, she is credited with the power to freeze the vāk, gati, etc of the śatru. However, on the level of the microcosm (piṇḍāṇḍa), Bagalāmukhī is associated with the quietening (śama) of vāyu-tattva within one’s body and hence also the mind. She is associated with the indranādī which plays a crucial role in the practice of Khēcarī mudrā. Thus, on the path of Kuṇḍalinī yōga as conceptualized by a śrīkrama dīkṣita, significant progress can happen only with the grace of Brahmāstranāyikā. In the Southern śrīvidyā krama primarily based on the Paraśurāma Kalpasūtra, similar alchemy is accomplished by the upāsanā of Mahāvārāhī and her aṅgōpāṅgapratyaṅga Dēvīs.