The second circle

Source: here.

We had sought she who dwells in the midst of the kiri chakra. Our AchArya’s AchArya the one learned in the great atharvan lore with all its parishiShTha-s, kalpa-s brAhmaNa and upaniShads retired to live in the most picturesque land south of lATa pradesha, with forests largely inhabited by niShAda tribes. There on the banks of the Damanganga river he settled down with the forest providing him the quietude and oShadhI-s for his rites. We decided after the great battle of tIkShNa jvara to proceed to the sylvan slopes of Damanganga to spend time in tapasya and acquisition of the vidyAs of the goat-headed one and she who dwells in the midst of the kiri chakra. We got into the train that bore us on the long journey and then we used a ratha to reach the silent Ashrama on the banks of the Damanganga to go with our acts. The setting was most splendid. We found that path through which ShaShThinAtha and his wife AryamekhalA had traversed the regions infested with fierce kirATas and bhilla-s to reach the shores skirting the sahayAdrI’s. There we went to the ancient kumAra gR^iha, we as the sun was reaching the western peg. The pleasant breezes were blowing from the west and we sat by the chaitya. The amaraugha of his includes rudra, himavat’s pretty daughter, agni and ga~Nga. The mAnavaugha began with vishvAmitra and haimavatI, passing through, brahmAskanda, through ShaShThinAtha and AryamekhalA. From him to saMbhadra and divyamekhalA. Then the mAnavaugha split into the ogha of the adhoretas who moved along the paschima mayUkha and pUrNagiri pITha and ogha of the Urdhvaretas that dwelt in prAchya mayUkha and then moved to kumAra tapovana. We joined the adhoretasas, being of this world.

As we were seated there we saw the amaraugha before our eyes- it was like an immense flash of ullAsa. The amaraugha entered our mind. We then beheld the immense chaturashra: The great mantras stirred the rasArNava like the deva-s and the daityas stirring the ocean with mandhAra:
oM namo bhagavate rudrAya skandAya huM phaT |
oM namo haimvatyai vishAkhAya huM phaT |
oM raM namo jAtavedase shAkhAya huM phaT |
oM namo jAhnavyai nejameshAya huM phaT |
oM namo nandikeshvarAya |

Then the deva chakra emerged by the grace of the amaraugha. It was the supreme mantra chakra endowed with 24 spokes as it turned.

oM namo brahmaNe nandisena lohitAkSha ghaNTakarNa kumudamAlI sahitAya kumArAya svAhA namaH |
oM namo bhagavate rudrAya shata-mahendrajAla dhR^ik-sahitAya kumArAya svAhA namaH |
oM namo chitrAya chitraguptAyonmatha-pramatha sahitAya kumArAya svAhA namaH |
oM namo mahaddyutikarAya subhrAja-bhAsvara sahitAya kumArAya svAhA namaH |
oM nama oShadhipataye maNi-sumaNi sahitAya kumArAya svAhA namaH |
oM namo vaishvAnarAya jvAla-jihva-jyoti sahitAya kumArAya svAhA namaH |
oM namo .amshAyAdityAya parigha-vAta-bhIma-dahati-dahana sahitAya kumArAya svAhA namaH |
oM namo mahendrAya vajrahastAyotkrosha-pa~nchaka sahitAya kumArAya svAhA namaH |
oM namo viShNave chakra-vikrama-sankrama sahitAya kumArAya svAhA namaH |
oM namo .ashvibhyAM vardhana-nandana sahitAya kumArAya svAhA namaH |
oM namo dhAtre kunda-kusuma-kumuda, DambarADambara sahitAya kumArAya svAhA namaH |
oM namo tvaShTre chakrAnuchakra sahitAya kumArAya svAhA namaH |
oM namo mitrAya suvrata-satyasandha sahitAya kumArAya svAhA namaH |,
oM namo vidhAtre suprabha-shubhakarmA sahitAya kumArAya svAhA namaH |
oM namaH pUShNe paNitraka-kalika sahitAya kumArAya svAhA namaH |
oM namo vAyave balAtibala sahitAya kumArAya svAhA namaH |
oM namo varuNAya ghasAtighasa timi~Ngala-mukhau sahitAya kumArAya svAhA namaH |.
oM namaH parvatAya suvarchAtivarchA sahitAya kumArAya svAhA namaH |
oM namo skhaMbhAya kA~nchana-meghamAlI sahitAya kumArAya svAhA namaH |
oM namo manave sthirAtisthira sahitAya kumArAya svadhA namaH |
oM namo vindhyAyoshchitrAgnishri~NgAdri-dhritau sahitAya kumArAya svAhA namaH |
oM namas samudrAya saMgraha-vigraha gadA-dhR^itau sahitAya kumArAya svAhA namaH |
om namo bhagavatyA umAyai puShpadanta-sha~NkukarNa sahitAya kumArAya svAhA namaH |
oM namaH kAla-mahoragAya jaya-mahAjaya nAgau sahitAya kumArAya svAhA namaH |

Then we saw the devI chakra of the great goddesses led by the most splendid chatushpathaniketA, ketakI, bR^ihadambAlikA, the dolphin-faced shishumAramukhI, lohamekhalA and the terrifying ghostly goddess vetAlajananI. Then we saw the bitch-headed saramA and her companions including lohitAyanI.

The word of the amaraugha flashed through us. We saw in urdhva-trikoNa:

oM hrAM hrIM hrUM hraiM hrauM hraH sharavanabhavAya ShaNmukhAya shaktidharAya shikhivAhanAya kumArAya raktavarNAya kukkuTadhvajAya oM phAT ||
oM ShaM ShaNmukhAya vajra-shakti-chApadharAya sarva duShTAn praharaya praharaya huM phaT svAhA ||
oM krau~nchagiri-praharaNAya mahApralaya-kAlAgnirudra putrAya kaM kShaM kaM phaT ||

We went atop the hill reciting the mantra-s of bhadrashAkha: We experienced the whole spectrum and beyond. It was high truth realized through the vidyA of the gauhasphAnda. Then only mantra that came naturally was the ShaDakShari. At one moment we saw without any effort all the immense pleasures of the saMgama of the tikShNa-tripatha strI-chUDAmaNi and
the prathama-sundarI of the divyaugha. It was all within us- the second circle had been completed. Then we were burnt by the fires which were the torments of raurava and the hardships of tapasya. We enjoyed the highest foods and then we were performing tapasya eating grass and leaves. We saw the rahasya bindu in the middle– the glimpse of the mahAvidyA, the priyaM dhAman of the deva-s.