Night Nine . Meet Her
SIDDHIDATRI
The One Who Bestows
The ninth Devi is Siddhidatri. Her name gives us the first clue.
Siddhi can point toward attainment, accomplishment, or something brought into realization.
Datri means one who gives or bestows.
So Siddhidatri is remembered as: the one who bestows siddhi.
But before we decide what that means, we look.
Veda leaned a little closer.
Veda:"She has four hands."
Golu Girl noticed the flower beneath her.
Akka:"And she is sitting on a lotus."
Veda looked at Ammomma.
Veda:"What does Siddhidatri mean?"
Ammomma smiled.
Ammomma:"Her name tells us that she gives something."
Veda looked back at Siddhidatri.
Veda:"What does she give?"
Siddhidatri is the ninth form in the familiar Navadurga sequence. She is commonly shown with four arms, holding: • chakra • gada • shankha • lotus
She is often seated on a lotus, and some traditions also associate her with a lion.
Her name is especially important: Siddhidatri — the bestower of siddhi.
We will not rush to translate siddhi into a single simple word. First, we notice what her name asks us to consider: something is being given.
Her name begins with something being given.
When we meet a sacred form, we do not always have to explain everything at once. Sometimes the first step is simply to notice: her name, her posture, what she carries, and what question appears.
What changes when the final night begins with giving instead of winning?