Siddhidatri: The Giver of Perfection

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! Dharma Katha · Season 2: Navratri · Episode 101 Nine nights ago, we began with a girl on a mountain. The daughter of the Himalaya, riding a bull, a trident in one hand and a lotus in the other. Tonight we come to the last of the nine. She is seated on a lotus in full bloom. And around her, the tradition says, everyone has come to worship: gods and sages, the celestial musicians and the forest spirits, human beings, and even demons. Everyone, from every corner of creation, is bowing to the same Goddess. Missed the previous story? Listen to Episode 97 first. Source note. Label: tradition, with one verse. Siddhidatri as the ninth of the nine Durgas is from the Devi Kavacham's list, quoted in episode sixty-nine. The dhyana verse, siddhagandharvayakṣādyaiḥ, is the widely used devotional verse, as given on hindupad.com and other sites. The eight siddhis, the Brahmavaivarta Purana's eighteen, the story of Shiva receiving the siddhis and becoming Ardhanarishvara, her four arms and lotus seat, and her worship by all beings, were read on brhat.in. The yogic centre and the customs of the day are later and living tradition, and vary. The reflections, including the walk back down the ladder, are my own. A Sanskrit reader should confirm the verse. Note: this episode is narrated with an AI voice and the script was written with AI assistance. Sanskrit verses are checked against published editions; corrections are welcome.