Verse 181 [Śakti’s worship helps transcend bond of Ṣaḍadhvā]

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English commentary of verse 181:

वर्णमन्त्रपदजृम्भया सम याः कलास्तदनु तत्त्वमण्डलम् ।
यानि तत्र भुवनानि चण्डिके तत्र कृत्स्नमपि गृह्यते स्थितौ ॥ १८१ ॥

varṇamantrapadajṛmbhayā sama yāḥ kalāstadanu tattvamaṇḍalam |
yāni tatra bhuvanāni caṇḍike tatra kṛtsnamapi gṛhyate sthitau || 181 ||

Comparative analysis of commentaries and excerpts in English:

[Śakti’s worship helps transcend bond of Ṣaḍadhvā]

Ṣaḍadhvā consists of three Vācakādhvās—

1. Varṇa,
2. Pada and
3. Mantra;

And three Vācyādhvās—

1. Kalā,
2. Tattva and
3. Bhuvana.

Varṇas are 50. Padas are 81. Mantras are 11.

Kalās are 5—

1. Nivṛtti,
2. Pratiṣṭha,
3. Vidyā,
4. Śānta and
5. Śāntyatīta.

Tattvas are 36. Prominant among them are 11—

1. Śiva,
2. Śakti,
3. Sadāśiva,
4. Īśvara,
5. Śuddhavidyā,
6. Māyā,
7. Kalā,
8. Vidyā,
9. Rāga,
10. Kāla,
11. Niyati;

And the rest of 25 start from Puruṣa to Pṛthvi. Bhuvanas (Planes of existence) are 222 as per Saiva-Sākta Āgamas. Ṣaḍadhvās are the cause of bondage^[1] and hence they have to be transcended by tracing back towards the very source of emanation. They emerge out of Śakti to assert their effect during Sṛṣṭi and Sthiti. Śakti Upāsana and the grace of Śakti assist the Seeker in the right direction of identifying the Self with Cit.

Notes and Sanskrit references:

[1] Cf. [Kramaprakāśikā] p 111 [Cidgaganacandrikā] 181.—

yaduktaṃ jayarathena vivake—“adhvā bandhasya kāraṇam” ||