विधात्रीत्यादिप्रणवादिनमोन्ताश्चतुर्थ्यन्ता मन्त्राः । एकाक्षरवदङ्गादिपीठम् । लक्षजपः । दशांशं तर्पणम् । दशांशं हवनम् । द्विजतृप्तिः । निष्कामानामेव श्रीविद्यासिद्धिः । न कदापि सकामानामिति
vidhātrītyādipraṇavādinamontāścaturthyantā mantrāḥ | ekākṣaravadaṅgādipīṭham | lakṣajapaḥ | daśāṃśaṃ tarpaṇam | daśāṃśaṃ havanam | dvijatṛptiḥ | niṣkāmānāmeva śrīvidyāsiddhiḥ | na kadāpi sakāmānāmiti
"'The ordainer' and the rest — mantras beginning with the praṇava and ending with 'homage.' The limbs and seat — as with the one-syllable [mantra]. A hundred thousand repetitions; a tenth part of that — the libation, a tenth — the fire-offering; the satisfaction of the twice-born. Only for the desireless does the knowledge of Śrī succeed — never for the desirous."
f8cafceac938 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
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The first chapter ends with a statement one least expects from it, and it is worth voicing in full. Niṣkāmānām eva śrī-vidyā-siddhir na kadāpi sa-kāmānām: "only for the desireless does the knowledge of Śrī succeed — never for the desirous." That is, a chapter consisting entirely of rites for the sake of abundance ends by saying that abundance is not given for its own sake.
This contradiction, to my mind, is only apparent, and it is worth examining how it is resolved. To ask of her is permitted; but knowledge of her — that is, the closeness which the whole chapter is about — is not given to one who has come for merchandise. The distinction here is between petition and bargaining: the petitioner accepts whatever is given; the bargainer comes for what was agreed.
The Vaiṣṇava side holds exactly this; and that asking for bread is not a fall, but stopping there is a fall, was discussed when reading the Dattātreya (2.7). Let us add what is especially worth noting here and what makes this passage strong. The statement is uttered not as reproach but as observation: it is not said "one must not ask," but "it does not succeed."
That is, this is not a prohibition but a description of how things stand; and this observation, to my mind, is true and verifiable. A person going toward wealth through a rite gets the rite; a person who has come to love gets both — and that the one who feeds the stomach nourishes all the limbs (Bhāgavatam 4.31.14) was discussed when reading the Śāṭyāyani (12).