Source: TW
Dharmadānaparāyaṇā - A name of the old, widowed Goddess.
A very literal & simplistic meaning: She who is devoted to Dharma & Dāna (gift/charity).
A better but still very lay meaning:
She who is devoted to the gift of Dharma (righteousness)
by destroying the Adharmikas.
How a Saiddhāntika will see this beautiful name
in light of Tattvajñāna.
In the Siddhānta, Śiva’s grace, which is His inseparable Śakti,
is seen as being in contact with sentients & insentients at all times.
This is explained beautifully in Śrīmat-Mṛgendrāgama 👇🏾
Sentients are souls;
insentients are our individual karmas,
māyeyas (things made of Māyā such as bodies, cognitive instruments appended to these bodies, worlds & objects in these worlds) &
the individuated powers of mala, each 1 binding each sentient.
dharmiṇo’nugraho nāma
yat-tad-dharmānuvartanam|
na so’sti kasyacij jātu
yaḥ patyā nānuvartyate||
Thus says the Āgama.
Anugraha for a Dharmin (An existent, a possessor of innate characteristics called Dharma) is defined in the Āgama as manifesting that Dharmin’s (be it a sentient’s or an insentient’s) Dharma. What is “dāna” here?
A verse from the incomparably blissful Śrīman-Mātaṅgapārameśvarāgama.
…
The “datte” in “paścāddatte śivatve’ṇoḥ” sets up the explanation of Dāna (in the context of a sentient) in subsequent verses.
Dāna in the context of a sentient refers to the removal of all concealing layers (sakalāvaraṇanivṛttyā)
& manifesting the soul’s own Śivatva (Śivahood) from within (abhivyakti).
A sentient’s own nature is being gifted to it by Paramaśiva.
We may extend this to insentients as well.
Their own innate natures are being manifested by Paramaśiva’s grace.
The highest meaning of dharmadānaparāyaṇā now unfolds.
She who is devoted to the granting of [the manifestation of the] innate nature [of both sentient & insentient existents].
She who causes one’s own, innate Śivatva to manifest for a mature soul;
She who causes Mala’s respective,
individuated powers to strengthen for the immature souls,
blocking their realization of Paramaśiva
& their own innate Śivatva (this being expressed as Her devouring of Śiva);
She who, obscuring Śivatva, is known as the smoky one;
She who then takes hold of the bound soul’s innate, beginningless but hitherto concealed power (svaśakti)
that is associated with Mala’s binding power (this being expressed as Her appearance as an old, emaciated one);
She who graces the other insentients such as karmas & the māyeyas
& creates sukha & duḥka for the bound sentients as per Her will,
which is nothing but the will of Paramaśiva-Bhaṭṭāraka;
She whose smoky, obscuring power
is reversed for the blessed who know Paramaśiva by His sacred name, “adhūma” (अधूम),
occurring in that king of Mantras;
to Her, a Siddhāntī offers His prostrations
in line with the Siddhānta,
which has the yogyata of being Paramaśiva’s Dhyānarūpa.
This is from Śrīman-Mātaṅga with Bhaṭṭa-Rāmakaṇṭha’s illuminating commentary: …