आपाटलांशुकधरां
आदिरसोन्मेषवासितकटाक्षाम् |
आम्नायसारगुळिकां
आद्यां सङ्गीतमातृकां वन्दे ||
In śrīkula Tantra, one performs the āvaraṇa pūjā of five forms of Kālikās during five specific paurṇamī titihis. Of these, the paurṇamī of Jyeṣṭha māsa is of great significance. On this day, during the brahma muhūrta, the upāsaka performs the krama for Guhyasundarī where Mahātripurasundarī is worshiped through the Guhyaṣoḍaśī mantra as the combination of fourteen Mahāvidyās, where each letter of her mantra represents a Mahāvidyā. Instead of kādi or hādi mantras, the interesting part of this mantra is the application of sādi vidyā to represent Sundarī within the pantheon of various Mahāvidyās represented by the Mahāmantra.
Having performed śrīkrama for Guhyasundarī in the day with the attitude of Dvaitādvaita – mainly meditating on the Supreme Mother in the Anāhata padma, one performs the saparyā of Guhyakālikā during mahāniśā with the attitude of Pūrṇādvaita, and within the Mūlādhāra and Sahasrāra chakras. The prakriyā begins with performing 72 or 108 śaktyutthāpana prāṇāyāmas while concentrating on fiery red bījapancaka of Sahasrānanā Guhyakālī during the five phases of respiration. If one is unable to come face to face with the Mahāśakti through this, one does not continue with the krama, as the state of Advaita with the Great Mother has to be experiential and not conceptual or imaginary like in the case of jaḍa vedānta.
Then one begins to perform the saparyā within the śrīcakra with sohaṃ bhāva. After the sixteen pātras are established with a mix of both tritārī of Lalitā and bījapañcaka of Guhyakālī, one begins by worshiping the below deities in the thirty-six petalled lotus:
Karālī, vikarālī, kātyāyanī, pherurāvā, ulkāmukhī, bhīśaṇā, kapālinī, śmaśānavāsinī, kālarātrikā, rudrāṇī, caṇḍikā, kaulinī, ugrā, kālakarṇī, pataṅginī, jālandharī, nāgahāriṇī, śavāsanā, mahākhecarī, mahāmāyā, tāpinī, lambodarī, piṅgajaṭā, bhīmā, vajranakhā, jvālāmālinī, kṣobhiṇī, aparājitā, parāparā, virūpā, vidyujjihvā, ghoradaṃṣṭrā, meghanādā, pradīptā, kaṭāṅkaṭā and viśvarūpā.
In the thirty-two petalled lotus, the following deities are worshiped:
Kāleśvarī, bhogavatī, gaurī, bhairavī, durgā, kālikā, cāmuṇḍā, śivadūtī, māheśvarī, kauśikī, jayantī, mahāmaṅgalā, medhā, śākambharī, śāntā, ambikā, bhrāmarī, aparṇā, mahodarī, ghorarūpā, vedavatī, kṣemaṅkarī, mahānidrā, bhavānī, vijayā, umā, aṭṭāṭṭahāsinī, muṇḍamālinī, mahāpiśācinī, pūtanī, kumbhodarī and jagadgrāsinī.
In the twenty-four petalled lotus, the following deities are invoked:
Mahālakṣmī, annapūrṇā, mātaṅgī, sarasvatī, aśvārūḍhā, nityaklinnā, padmāvatī, mahiṣamardinī, bhuvaneśvarī, bagalāmukhī, śulinī, aghorā, tvaritā, vāgvādinī, dhanadā, kirateśvarī, kukkuṭī, caṇḍikā, śābarī, ucchiṣṭacāṇḍālinī, nākulī, lavaṇeśvarī, jātavedasī and śātakarṇī.
In the sixteen-petalled lotus:
Caṇḍeśvarī, caṇḍaghaṇṭā, siddhilakṣmī, mahākālasaṅkarṣiṇī, chinnamastā, ekajaṭā, bālā tripurā, mahātripurasundarī, nīlapatākā, harasiddhikā, kubjikā, rājarājeśvarī, svarṇakūṭeśvarī, anaṅgamālā, madhumatī and hayagrīveśvarī.
In the twelve-petalled lotus:
Nirmalā, kumudā, kāmukā, sthūlodarī, kulasundarī, liṅgadhāriṇī, ḍamarukā, mahāmārī, raktadantikā, lalitā, madotkaṭā and manaḥpramathinī.
In the eight-petalled lotus:
Guhyeśvarī, bābhravī, carcikā, abhayā, māyūrī, ekavīrā, tāmasī and bhīmādevī.
In the vṛtta cakra:
Asitāṅgabhairavī, rurubhairavī, krodhabhairavī, ugrabhairavī, unmattabhairavī, caṇḍabhairavī, kapālabhairavī and saṃhārabhairavī.
In the aṣṭakoṇa cakra:
Ugracaṇḍā, pracaṇḍā, caṇḍogrā, caṇḍanāyikā, caṇḍā, caṇḍavatī, caṇḍarūpā and caṇḍikā.
In the vṛtta cakra:
Brahmāṇī, māheśvarī, kaumārī, vaiṣṇavī, vārāhī, nārasiṃhī, indrāṇī and śivadūtī.
In the navakoṇa cakra:
Bhadrakālī, śmaśānakālī, dakṣiṇākālī, caṇḍakālī, siddhikālī, kālakālī, kāmakalākālī, dhanakālī and guhyakālī.
In the pañcakoṇa cakra:
Sṛṣṭikālī, sthitikālī, saṃhārakālī, anākhyākālī and bhāsākālī.
In the trikoṇa cakra:
Mahākāmeśvarī, mahāvajreśvarī and mahābhagamālinī.
In the bindu cakra, a daśakoṇa cakra is visualized and the following emanations of Bharatopāsitā Guhyakālī are invoked:
Mahācaṇḍayogīśvarī, vajrakapālinī, mahāḍāmarī, siddhikarālī, siddhivikarālī, guhyakālī, caṇḍakapālinī, aṭṭāṭṭahāsinī, muṇḍamālā, and kālacakreśvarī.
In the mahābindu, one finally worships Sahasrānanā Guhyakālī (not Bharatopāsitā ) who is seated on Mahānṛsiṃha, beyond the pañcakālāgni and beyond pūrṇabrahma and mahāśūnya.
These fourteen āvaraṇas are visualized within the sixteen āvaraṇas of the śrīcakra omitting the last two bhāsā cakras of the śrīkrama.
Having attained complete, non-conceptual oneness with Parāśakti at the level of core energy, one performs the japa of the mahāmantra of Sahasramukhī Guhyakālī till brahmamuhūrta. Then having finished morning bath and sandhyā, one assumes the attitude of davitādvaita and performs the krama for Kādi Mahāṣoḍaśī to end the entire vidhi.
This thus completes the invocation of sādi, hādi and kādi vidyās, with Guhyakālī here representing the hādi vidyā. One then offers pūjā and dakṣiṇā to ācārya, brāhmaṇa, suvāsinī, kumārī etc.
गणेशवटुकस्तुता रतिसहायकामान्विता
स्मरारिवरविष्टरा कुसुमबाणबाणैर्युता |
अनङ्गकुसुमादिभिः परिवृता च सिद्धैस्त्रिभिः
कदम्बवनमध्यगा त्रिपुरसुन्दरी पातु नः ||
Note: While this follows the highly syncretistic Badabanala Tantra and associated Pujakalpas, a similar procedure with some changes is used also by the puristic school centered around Guhyakali (derived from Mahakala Samhita and Yamalas) – here only ten avaranas are visualized with vrittas combined with other chakras. There is also a significant difference in patrasthapana and balidana. But the vidhi is naimittika in both schools and not nitya.