Night Nine . See Her
SIDDHIDATRI
What Is in Her Hands?
Now we look closer. Siddhidatri is shown with four hands. She holds: a chakra, a gada, a shankha, and a lotus.
She is often shown seated on a lotus. At first, these may look like four separate things. But Veda is still thinking about the question from before.
If Siddhidatri is the one who bestows siddhi… what exactly is she giving?
Veda looked from one hand to the next.
Veda:"Chakra… gada… shankha… lotus."
She counted again.
Veda:"But which one is the siddhi?"
Golu Girl looked more carefully.
Akka:"Maybe siddhi isn't one of the
things in her hands."
Ammomma nodded.
Ammomma:"Good place to keep looking."
The objects Siddhidatri carries help us recognize her traditional form. But we should not assume that siddhi is a physical object she is holding. Her name points to something deeper: Siddhidatri is remembered as one who bestows siddhi. So the next question is not only: What does she carry? It is: What does siddhi mean?
Not everything that is given can be held in a hand.
Sacred images often ask us to notice more than objects. A hand may hold something we can name. A name may point toward something we still have to understand.
Can something be given to you without being a thing you can hold?