Verse 70 [Pralayāgni]

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English commentary of verse 70:

लीढभानुशशिमण्डला स्थितिर्लम्भिता प्रलयवह्निना त्वया ।
प्राणधाम्नि दशसप्तधा सती मूर्तिराश्रितगुरुक्रमा शिवे ॥ ७० ॥

līḍhabhānuśaśimaṇḍalā sthitirlambhitā pralayavahninā tvayā |
prāṇadhāmni daśasaptadhā satī mūrtirāśritagurukramā śive || 70 ||

Comparative analysis of commentaries and excerpts in English:

[Pralayāgni]

Siddhā says Sivā is the fire of deluge (Pralayāgni) devouring Sun and Moon.She resides in the house, supported by the mental form or body, as 10 and 7, the sense group of knowledge and action of ten and Pañca Prāṇās with Mind and Buddhi as seven, conceived in the wake of the order of the Guru.^[1]

Mahākālī shines as 17 forms in Samādhi within the abode of Prāṇa

In the Sabīja samādhi state when the external thinking is stopped, as per the instruction of the Preceptors, Śakti acting as the Pralaya fire consumes the actions of Prāṇa and Apāna. The Sādhaka gets the flash of the Seventeen images at this state.The Seventeenth is the creative and destructive force Buddhi, who is the eternal Mahakālī in the macro level. The other sixteen being Manas, five Prāṇas and ten Indriyas^[2].

Similarly the Seventeen forms of worship of Mahat is described thus.

In the Gaṇapati-Āvaraṇa, (first Āvaraṇa) Śakti as Srī projects three images:

1. Girija,
2. Ratī and
3. Mahī.

In the second Āvaraṇa—Śakti as Ṛddhi projects seven images—

1. Samṛddhi,
2. Kānti,
3. Madanāvatī,
4. Madadrava,
5. Drāviṇī,
6. Vasudhāra and
7. Vasumatī.

In the third Āvaraṇa six deities of the limbs^[3] are not mentioned for they are not the deities of full form.

Caturtāvaraṇa—Śakti being Brāhmī projects seven images—

1. Maheśvarī,
2. Kaumarī,
3. Vaiṣṇavī,
4. Varāhī,
5. Māhendrī,
6. Cāmuṇḍā,
7. Mahālakṣmī.

As the fifth Āvaraṇa deities are the guardians of the directions,^[4] they are excluded in the count. The upāsana that is done in the line of teachings of Gurus leads the Sādhaka to realise the worshiped deities.

Notes and Sanskrit references:

[1] Cf. [Divyacakorikā] p 135-[Cidgaganacandrikā] 70.—

vedyavedakaprakāśānandacakrātmanotsūryacandrayorantaraṅgatāyāmunmanīnādanavakamahākālīvahni mūrtau saṃhārepi mahāsaṅkarṣaṇāgnimartivilāse nādanavakasvaravarṇāsāṃkhyayoga sāmarasyakhaṇḍacakramapi gurukramātmanā mūrticakratripuṭīsthitiṃ darśayati.

[2] Cf. [Kramaprakāśikā] p 43-[Cidgaganacandrikā] 70.—

sabījasamādhau sarveṣāṃ bāhyaviṣayāṇāṃ bhasmīkaraṇena pralayavahnirūpayā dhyātayā śaktirūpayā tvayā grastaprāṇāpānamaṇḍalā yā sthitirlambhitā dhyātuḥ, sā prāṇarūpe dhāmni (adhiṣṭhāne) daśasaptadhā satī āśritagurukramā tava mūrtiḥ sphurati |

[3] (i) hṛdaya-śakti, (ii) śiraḥ-śakti (iii) śikhā-śakti (iv) kavaca-śakti (v) netra-śakti and (vi) astra-śakti–iti ṣaḍaṅga śaktyaḥ

[4] (i) indra [iṃdraḥ], (ii) agni [agniḥ], (iii) yama [yamaḥ], (iv) naiṛtī, (v) varuṇa [varuṇaḥ], (vi) vāyu [vāyuḥ], (vii) kubera [kuberaḥ], (viii) īśāna [īśānaḥ]–iti aṣṭa dikpālāḥ