The ṣadanga 1. Ṛṣi, the seer. The composition of the LSN is attributed to the goddesses of speech known as Vāgdevatās, elevating it to the level of the Vedas (see The Magic of the Lalitā Sahasranāma in Chapter 1), which are “revealed” scriptures (as in, not composed by the human mind but envisioned by ṛṣis). 2. Chanda, the meter. The meter sets the

While Śrīvidyā is the name of a particular path, it also refers to the central mantra of the tradition as well as its ultimate goal—svatantra or absolute freedom through the realization of auspicious wisdom.

The Śrīvidyā Mantra Traditionally, the Śrīvidyā lineages, rituals and texts were distinguished by three matas12—kādi, hādi, and sādi.13 They are named so based on the root of the Pañcadaśi, where the mantra begins with the syllables ka, ha, or sa.