Essay name: Samrajya Lakshmi Pithika (Study)
Author:
Artatrana Sarangi
Affiliation: Savitribai Phule Pune University / Department of Sanskrit and Prakrit Languages
This is a study in English of the Samrajya Lakshmi Pithika (written by Lolla Lakshmidhara) representing an encyclopedic manual for emperors. The Samrajyalaksmipithika encompasses about 3870 verses in addressing topics such as public festivals, governance, warfare (military strategy), and rituals associated with the Tantric worship for the deity Samrajya-Lakshmi.
Chapter 3 - General Ritual mentioned in Samrajya-lakshmi-pithika
251 (of 262)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
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blessing in one of the four hands and on his lap is seated
Parvati while holding a mirror and a 111Xy' (4-5).
Glory of Sivaratri :
It is said that all other forms of religious
austerities and vows fail to reach 1/16th of the merits
one gets from observance of this voew. Sins, consciously
and unconsciously committed in a hundred of lives, are
said to melt away in a moment, by dint of power, begotten
from observance of this vow (120.3-5).
Anecdotes :
In the text one finds incorporated, a number of
anecdotes in the form of Itihasa (old tales) through which
the author seeks to heighten the glory of Sivaratri
celebrations. Among half a dozen of such stories,
described by the author, the story of the voluptuous
dancing girl Saumini, who had even eaten beef and was
leading a heinous life of sheer wantoness, deserves to be
mentioned first. She is described to have escaped from the
platitudes of life by unconsciously throwing a cluster
of Bilva leaves on the phallus of Siva the leaves that
were given to her by a passing pilgrim on his way to
Gokarna ( a sacred place for Saivite pilgrims in North
Canara district of Karnataka) in the night of Sivacaturdasi.
