Vasinyadi Vagdevatas revel in the glorious description of the different ‘angas’ of Sri Lalita Maha Tripurasundari! The descriptions are so figurative that it it is very difficult and challenging to explain them! It is only after a detailed account of the purpose of Devi and the adornments She wears, Her ‘ayudhas’,eyes,face, nose, earstuds, forehead, voice, smile, chin, neck, decorated shoulders, breasts, slender waist, and others that She is said to ready Herself for the terrible fight with Bhandasura and his train! She is fully draped in red and there is no adornment that She does not wear! “ Sarvaruna navadyagi sarvabharana bhushita.” She is seated on the lap of Kameswara, “ Siva Kameswa rankastha.” She is in the center of SuMeru and the chief of the city of Srinagara, “ Sumerusrunga madhyasta Srimannagara nayika Chintamani grihantasta Pancha Brahmasana sthita” She resides in the Chintamani home and on the pedastal of “Pancha brahmas!” She is stationed in the great lotus Forest and resides in the “ Kadamba Vana!” She is at the middle of the ocean of Amirta! She is Kamakshi the bestower of all desires! “ Maha padmatavi samstha Kadamba vanavasini Sudhasagara madhyasta Kamakshi kamadayini!” She is very proud of the praise of Her glory by all sections of Devas! “ Devarshigana sanghata sthuyama natma vaibhava!
Describing the thighs of Devi, Sri Lalita Sahasra Nama Stotra says that their softness is known to Kamesa alone! The forelegs are in the form of “ Manikya' makuta”-crown of precious stone Manikya'! “ Kamesajnatha soubhagya mardavorudwayanvita Manikya makutakara janudwaya Virajita!” She has defeated the brightness of the lotus by the radiance of Her feet! They are adorned by the jingling diamond ‘manjiras’. Her gait is royal and dignified as that of the female Swan! “ Sinjana manimajra manditha sripadambuja Marali mandagamana mahalavanya sevadhihi”
After describing how Himavan gave away his great burden and the width to his daughter Parvati and how She covered the entire world with Her ‘Nithamba’, Sankara describes Devi's thighs and forelegs. Says Sankara, “ O Mother! You have already won over the very soft elephant trunks and those of the golden banana trees by Your round and nice thighs! By prostrating again and again at the feet of Your Spouse, Your forelegs have hardened themselves so much that they defeat the hard heads of the Divine Elephants!”
Sankara compares Devi's thighs to the soft trunks of the elephants and remarks that they are softer than them! He also says that they are softer than the golden banana stems which by nature are very soft! As such no object in the world can be softer than the thighs of Devi whose nature is known to Her spouse Kameswara alone! It is duty of the wife to prostrate and worship
Her husband. By repeatedly doing so Devi's forelegs have become hardened and rough! Sankara, in exaggeration, says that Her forelegs have beaten the hardness of the heads of the eight Divine Elephants which are called the “Diggajas!” Sankara's description of Devi and Her beauty is full of metaphors and exaggerations!
Sankara refers to the eight Divine Elephants that are supposed to guard the eight directions! They are considered to be mighty and invincible according to mythology! It is believed that they hold the earth in eight directions! First of the eight ‘Diggajas’ is Airavata, the spotless white elephant that emerged from the ocean of milk when it was churned by the Devas and the Asuras! That was taken by Indra, king of Devas! The other elephants are Pundarika, Vamana, Kumuda, Anjana, Pushpadanta, Sarvabhouma, and Supratika. Their wives are Abhra, Kapila, Pingala, Anupama, Tamraparni, Subhradanti, Anjana and Anjanavati respectively!
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