In Pañcamuṇḍī āsana, Kālī stands on Sadāśiva, the fifth part of the āsana. The yogin who identifies with this image performs the sādhanā of the dark fortnight of the kālacakra. It developed from the first night of the dark fortnight to the new moon night. This dark fortnight is associated with the yogic experience of the stages of Bindu or Ardhacandra. In the final stage of Unamanā, represented by the night of the new moon, Mind no longer exists, only the great Void or Mahāśūnya remains. The yogin can proceed this far by his own effort but finds Mahāśūnya a great obstacle. Without the grace of Mahāśakti, the yogin cannot ascend further into the kingdom of citśakti. The image of Kālī standing on the Pañcamuṇḍī āsana represents the yogic work of piercing this Mahāśūnya.
In the Navamūṇdī āsana, Paramaśiva is the āsana; he is not in the form of a corpse, but only asleep over the corpses of the five deities. Arising from the lotus born of his navel is Rājarājēśvarī or Lalitā who presides over him. In the Pañcamuṇḍī āsana, Kālī symbolizes the new moon and the yogin arrives at the foot of the Goddess, but in the Navamūṇdī āsana, Rājarājēśvarī symbolizes the full moon, where the yogin attains the lap of the Great Goddess. The Pañcamuṇḍī āsana is on this side of Mahāśūnya, but the Navamūṇdī āsana is on the other side of it. The goddess Tārā has a position somewhere between these two Great Goddesses, though Mahāmahōpādhyāya Gopinath Kaviraj has not specified her role in his writings.
We can trace the symbolism associated with these three Great Goddesses to several texts where Krama Dīkṣā is followed by the sādhanā of triśakti – Kālī, Tārā, and Srīvidyā, the three most important Goddesses among the maṇḍala of the ten Mahāvidyās. They are worshiped in succession for the sake of transcending Mahāśūnya. Kālī stands in the cremation-ground signifying the dissolution of the universe; she signifies the end of the fifteen kalās. Srīvidyā is also called ṣōḍaśī, or the stage of sixteen kalās. Tārā is between fifteen and sixteen; some say she is between the yogic experiences of samanā and unmanā. Tārā is the Goddess who leads across to the other shore beyond time; she presides over the transformative process. Tārā, then, would be associated with the coagulation and melting of samskāras, i.e., the repeated ascent and descent of mind that precedes the attainment of the sixteenth kalā as yugala.
Kaviraj specifies that there is indeed the need to cross Mahāśūnya but this is beyond the four aṇḍas of the universe. The Pañcamuṇḍī āsana is said to exist in the causal ocean which is also known as cidākāśa. Sleeping in that ocean is the kṣara puruṣa who contains within himself the five adhikāri dēvatās – Brahmā etc. Beyond him is the akṣara puruṣa who sleeps in the super causal ocean or śuddhākāśa. He is none but Paramaśiva who sleeps because he is deluded by akṣarā prakr̥ti who arises from him to create a dream-universe. The aim of Navamūṇdī āsana is to awaken Paramaśiva which will dispel that dream.
Thus, the akṣara puruṣa is the target of the Navamūṇdī āsana. His sleep is the root-ignorance which must be dispelled forever. Since creation began, the akṣara puruṣa has been separate from the līlā of Parā Prakr̥ti. If he wishes to enter that līlā, he shall have to give up his nature as puruṣa, i.e., he shall have to become a higher order prakr̥ti or Paramā Prakr̥ti Herself. This can be achieved only if he can effect a permanent union with akṣarā prakr̥ti because the union is fusion or synthesis which results in ontic transformation symbolized here as the awakening of Paramaśiva. If viewed within a certain context, we can observe that Kaviraj has homologized akṣarā prakr̥ti with Pūrṇāhantā.
Given the importance of Pūrṇāhantā as a central goal in the traditional schools of Tantra, it is striking to discover that in his discussions, Kaviraj refers to Pūrṇāhantā itself as the basic form of ignorance – it is that which blocks the attainment of collective liberation. Pūrṇāhantā is sakala mahābindu which is the śākta symbolism related to the mystic theory of kāmakalā, is called the sun (sūrya), itself the product of the amorous union of fire (Agni) and moon (Soma), or śiva and śakti. In the śākta tantras, Mahābindu is called the divine desire or aprākr̥ta kāma. The universe appears like a child in the womb of Mahāśakti due to this aprākr̥ta kāma.
If the sleeping Paramaśiva is to awaken from his dream, yōgamāyā or pūrṇāhantā as the root-ignorance must be pierced. As in all Tantra sādhanas as distinguished from darśanas such as Advaita Vedānta and Mahāyāna, ignorance is not only merely to be transcended, but also to be transformed and united with higher principles in a new integration.