Tvaritā: Form, Pūjā and Mantra in Agni Purāṇa

Tvaritā is a supreme form of Devī Śakti. Agni-deva teaches her complete upāsanā-paddhati (method of worship) in six chapters of the Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 309 to 314. She is honoured under three names: Tvaritā, Tūrṇā and Totala. Her sādhana (spiritual practice) is praised as the quickest (tvarita) path to all siddhis (powers), to freedom from poison and disease, and to victory over all enemies.

Three names

Tvaritā has three main names. Each shows her swiftness and power.

Tvaritā: the Swift One, who gives results with unmatched speed.
Tūrṇā: the Rapid One, whose meaning is close to the first and shows how quickly she answers the devotee’s prayer.
Totala: her tantric name, under which her mūla-mantra (root mantra) is given.

All three names are honoured together at the start of her pūjā, and each gives its own fruit. The Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 309, says this.

Her form

The Agni Purāṇa describes Tvaritā’s form. She has three eyes. Her colour is dark (śyāmala). She sits on a lion-throne (siṃhāsana). Her crown is decked with peacock feathers (mayūra-puccha). She has four arms.

When Bhagavān Śiva took the Kirāta form, the form of a mountain hunter, during the Pāśupata episode with Arjuna, Devī Tvaritā went with him in her gentle, golden form. She appeared as Gaurī, the golden one, and rode beside Bhagavān Śiva in the forest. The Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 309, states that Tvaritā is Gaurī, and that she is a full form of the one Ādi-Parāśakti.

Her retinue and the arrangement of the pūjā

The pūjā of Tvaritā calls on a fixed retinue of attendants and gaṇas, each with a place in the pūjā-maṇḍala (sacred diagram). The Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 309 and 310, describe it.

Inner chamber (antaḥ-pura). Eight gaṇas are honoured in the inner chamber of the maṇḍala. They guard and serve Tvaritā at the centre. They form the innermost ring of her assembly.

Outer places.

Huṃkārī and Phaṭā are two fierce attendants who stand with bows and arrows. They form the middle circle of protection.
Jayā and Vijayā are the two door-guardian devīs at the entrance of the place of pūjā. Each holds a golden staff (suvarṇa-daṇḍa). Their names mean “Victory” and “Victory-victory”.
Barbarī and Kiṃkarī are two attendants who stand outside the main place of pūjā, in the outermost ring of the assembly.

So Tvaritā sits at the centre, with her attendants in rings around her.

Mūla-mantra

The Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 310 and 311, give Tvaritā’s mūla-mantra. It is a vidyā (sacred knowledge) passed down through the teaching of Agni-deva. The mantra begins with the praṇava (Om) and contains her three names, Tvaritā, Tūrṇā and Totala, in their seed forms (bīja). The body of the mantra is built by a system of svarakāra-praṇava, and each syllable has its own place in the body through aṅga-nyāsa (placing the mantra on the limbs).

The mūla-mantra of Tvaritā is counted as a mahā-vidyā, a great Śakti-mantra. When the sādhaka (practitioner) gains its siddhi, he receives all the fruits listed below.

Pūjā procedure

Preparatory rites

The Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 309, begins the pūjā with the drawing of an eight-petalled lotus (ashṭa-daḷa-kamala) as the maṇḍala. The worshipper does aṅga-nyāsa with her Gāyatrī-mantra before going to the central image. This puts the divine presence into the limbs syllable by syllable. The pīṭha (seat) of Tvaritā is honoured on its own, as the throne that holds up Devī Tvaritā.

The order of worship

After the nyāsa and the pīṭha-pūjā, the main offerings follow in this order: āvāhana (calling her down), āsana (seat), pādya (water for the feet), arghya (water offering), ācamanīya (water for sipping), snāna (bath), gandha (scent), pushpa (flowers), dhūpa (incense), dīpa (lamp) and naivedya (food). This follows the usual sixteen offerings (upacāra), fitted to the needs of Tvaritā.

The eight gaṇas are then honoured on the inner petals of the eight-petalled lotus. Jayā and Vijayā are called at the entrance places. Huṃkārī and Phaṭā are honoured with their bows. Barbarī and Kiṃkarī receive bali (food offering) at the outer boundary. The Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 309 and 310, give these steps.

Homa

The Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 310, gives offerings in the homa (fire offering) of Tvaritā, each matched to a fruit.

Tila (sesame) with ghee destroys enemies and removes the effects of enemy mantras.
Certain herbs named in the chapter give freedom from poison (visha-mukti).
Pāyasa (sweet rice) gives saubhāgya (good fortune) and health.
Bilva leaves and flowers give moksha (liberation) and remove disease.

The homa is done in a prescribed kuṇḍa (fire pit), and the mūla-mantra is said at each offering. The rule of one-tenth (daśāṃśa) applies. The homa is one-tenth of the count of japa (mantra repetition), and the tarpaṇa is one-tenth of that.

Tvaritā-vidyā

The Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 312, gives the Tvaritā-vidyā. It is the full teaching, in theory and practice, about Tvaritā as the presiding Devī of one stream of vidyā in Śākta tantra. It covers these points.

The exact form of the mūla-mantra and its seed sounds.
The link between Tvaritā and the wider framework of Śakti-tantra.
The dhyāna (meditation) on her form in full detail.
The order of siddhis (siddhi-sequence), the order in which results appear as the sādhaka goes through the set number of japa repetitions.

This vidyā is passed down in a line from guru to śishya (student). The text says it is essential to receive it from a qualified ācārya (teacher) through proper dīkshā (initiation) for the results to appear.

Tvaritā-jñāna

Chapter 314 of the Agni Purāṇa holds the Tvaritā-jñāna, the teaching of wisdom on the inner meaning of Tvaritā’s upāsanā. It teaches that Tvaritā’s swiftness is not only the speed of giving outer boons. It is the speed of direct self-recognition. The sādhaka who fully knows the nature of Tvaritā sees that Tvaritā herself is the highest Śakti, the cit-śakti (power of awareness) that lies under all appearances. The outer pūjā with its images, retinue and homa is the vehicle. The inner jñāna (knowledge) is the goal.

The same teaching tells of Tvaritā’s oneness with Gaurī, with Kālī and with all forms of Śakti. She is the one Ādi-Parāśakti, who appears under particular names in answer to the devotee’s approach and wish.

Fruits of worshipping Tvaritā

The Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 309, 312 and 314, give these results for those who honour Tvaritā faithfully with the right vidhi (method).

Freedom from all poison (visha-mukti): from swallowed poison, from snake-bite, and from the subtle poisons of hatred, envy and delusion.
Victory over enemies: all opponents are overcome, and abhicāra (hostile rites) done by enemies is made useless.
Freedom from disease: all vyādhis (bodily ailments), whether from imbalance of the humours or from outside attack, are cured.
All siddhis: the whole range of powers beyond the ordinary becomes open to the successful sādhaka.
Moksha: the highest fruit, for those who join pūjā with the inner jñāna taught in Chapter 314.

Sources

Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 309–314
Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 309 (three names, form, Gaurī)
Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 309–310 (retinue, pūjā order)
Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 310–311 (mūla-mantra)
Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 310 (homa)
Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 312 (Tvaritā-vidyā)
Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 314 (Tvaritā-jñāna)