26) Karpūra-vīṭikāmoda-samākarṣi-digantarā
Lalitā loves chewing pan made out of betel leaves, areca nuts, spices, condiments, and superb oriental flavors. The odour emanating from this pan attracts the whole world from all quarters far and near.
When the mantras are repeatedly uttered, they generate divine ecstasies in the person practising, and the ability to communicate these divine graces to others. This forms the flavours which attract those far and near. The divisive, separative forces can be countered by attractive forces. That is why the power of attraction is to be sought and used, to enlighten, to reduce misery caused by attachments, and to increase happiness in the world; not to gain control to exploit the people.
Power is there for protecting the weak, but not to trample upon the weak and to enrich oneself. Selfless attractions have a very useful purpose of creating a society of enlightened souls who are constantly striving to enhance the joy in this and in other worlds by constantly giving of themselves to others. The flavour of self giving and selflessness is pervasive, it attracts people together.
Upāsana of Mātaṅgī, and Śyāmalā on the Anāhata center gives such a power of attractions; this power has to be used to bring people to Devi Upāsana, because it will enrich their lives so much by emancipating them from petty self-centered ideas limiting their spiritual growth in un-imaginably restrictive ways. Rāja Śyāmalā upāsana emphasizes the attention on the heart, that is, the region of breasts; music and literature and dance and sculpture and painting are the means to obtain the grace of Śyāmalā. In the upāsana of Rāja Śyāmalā, a consecrated partner or a group is given karpūra-vīṭika, the flavoured pan, and with attention riveted on the breasts, worship of the Devi is done through mantras, songs, dances and musical compositions called yakṣa-gaṇas. Music is the milk which oozes from the breasts of Mātaṅgī. Mātaṅgī means
Firstly, the Mother of Speech (gi - speech, mātam = mother) and
Secondly, a Caṇḍālī, which refers in tantras to the Kuṇḍalinī moving in the central canal called suṣumna, resulting in intuitive song and dance faculties, and
Lastly, [she] also refers to a woman ready to accept worship as a consecrated partner.
Source: Śrī Amṛtānandanātha Saraswatī "Sudhā Syandinī Bhāṣyaṃ" Typed Manuscript
(an incomplete commentary on Lalitā Sahasranāma)
