Notes: All timings are represented in 12-hour notation in local time of Seattle, United States with DST adjustment (if applicable).
Hours which are past midnight are suffixed with next day date. In Panchang day starts and ends with sunrise.
Shodashi Jayanti 2197
According to Hindu calendar, the birth anniversary of Goddess Shodashi is celebrated on Magha Purnima. Devi Shodashi, the third Mahavidya among the ten Mahavidyas, is worshiped according to Shri Kula. Goddess Shodashi is also called Mahatripura Sundari, Lalita, Balapanchadashi and Rajarajeshwari. True to her name, Goddess Shodashi is the most beautiful in all three worlds. She is also worshiped by seekers as the tantric Parvati. Her worship brings perfection to sixteen kinds of arts. Goddess Shodashi Mahavidya is also worshiped as Shri Yantra. As a result of worshipping Goddess Shodashi, the seeker attains family harmony, virility and control over the senses.
Through Shri Vidya Sadhana, both Bhukti and Mukti are attained. In various Tantra scriptures, the Goddess is described as Panchavaktra, meaning the Goddess with five faces. These five faces of the mother namely Tatpurusha, Sadyojata, Vamadeva, Aghora and Ishana are the symbols of the five forms of Lord Shiva. These faces are green, red, smoke, blue and yellow in color respectively. Goddess Rajarajeshwari exists in four forms, Sukshma, Sthula, Para and Turiya. The religious texts glorify the worship of Shri Vidya and says, " The devotees who come to the shelter of Goddess Shodashi, there is no difference between them and God. Goddess Shodashi is the power of the Shodeshwara Rudra incarnation.
Devi Lalita Jayanti Katha
Once Paramba Parvati Ji asked Lord Shiva, "O Lord! By practicing the Tantra Shastra revealed by you, we will be freed from life's diseases, sorrows, poverty and inferiority. But the pain of pregnancy and the unbearable pain of death will not be mitigated by this. Please pave the way for liberation from this terrible suffering and attainment of salvation." On the request of Paramba, who does welfare of the entire creation, Lord Shiva revealed Shodashi, Shrividya Sadhana. Adi Guru Shankaracharya had worshiped Goddess Shodashi in the form of Shri Vidya. That is why even today Goddess Shodashi is worshiped in the form of Shri Yantra in Shankar Peethas.
Once the Apsaras of heaven reached Kailasha to have Darshan of Lord Shiva. In front of them Lord Shiva addressed the goddess as "Kali-Kali". The goddess felt extremely insulted and decided that She would free Herself from Her black form and change it into Gauri form (fair complexioned form). After taking such a resolution, the goddess disappeared from Kailasha. As a result, Lord Shiva was left alone. At the same time, one day Narad Ji arrived at Kailasha. He asked Lord Shiva about the Goddess. Lord Shiva said, "The Goddess has disappeared from Kailasha, leaving me alone. Narad Ji meditated with the power of his penance and found that the Goddess was somewhere in the northern part of Sumeru Mountain. Narad Ji immediately went there and recited the Devi Stotra. The goddess was pleased with Narad's praise and asked about Lord Shiva. Narada Ji said, "O mother, Lord Shiva is ready to marry again. Please come there and stop the marriage." Hearing the words of Devarshi Narada, the Goddess returned to Mount Kailasha in a unique and extremely beautiful form in all three worlds. The Goddess reached near Lord Shiva and saw her own image in the heart of Lord Shiva. But thinking that the image belonged to someone else, the goddess started getting angry at Lord Shiva, accusing him of being ungrateful and breaking his promise.
Seeing the Goddess getting angry, Lord Shiva said, "Devi, meditate and observe with your inner eyes (knowledge vision), there is only your shadow or image in my heart." The goddess did the same and became calm after knowing that the words spoken by Lord Shiva were true. Thereafter, the goddess asked Lord Shiva about the secret of the shadow in the heart, then Lord Shiva said in that context, "You have assumed the most beautiful form in all three worlds; hence you are beautiful in heaven, mortal, underworld and all other places." You will be famous as Sundari, Panchami, Shri and Tripurasundari. Being always sixteen years old, you will be popular by the name Shodashi.
