The Expansion of the Nityās (The Sixteen Goddesses)
"Now I wish to hear their names, O Śaṅkara, and the complete worship of each individual Cakra in its entirety, together with the mantras and mudrā-groups of the many deities.
To answer this very point, the blessed Bhairava spoke. What he said is as follows:
Listen, O Goddess, to the Great Knowledge, the ocean of the sixteen Vidyās; it has not been told by me to anyone, being hidden in all the Tantras. Because it is difficult to fathom, it is described here as an ocean. He says:
There, in the beginning, the first Nityā is Mahātripurasundarī.
Then Kāmeśvarī Nityā, and the Nityā Bhagamālinī, Nityaklinnā, and likewise Bheruṇḍā and Vahnivāsinī.
Mahāvidyeśvarī, Dūtī, Tvaritā, Kulasundarī, Nityā, Nīlapatākā, Vijayā, and Sarvamaṅgalā.
Jvālāmālinī and Vicitrā; such are the sixteen Nityās.
"The first" means the primary one. "Dūtī" refers to Śivādūtī. "Nityā" means she is known by that name. Regarding this:
Listen, O Goddess, first to the Great Nityā, Tripurasundarī, through the understanding of whom, O Goddess, the agitation of the universe is produced.
Now, although the Blessed Lord promised "Listen to the Nityā Mahātripurasundarī," why has he suddenly begun to describe the manifestation of the Cakra? It is like this: the Supreme Goddess, the Blessed Nityā, desiring to manifest outwardly in various forms through the greatness of her own sovereignty, first flashes forth in the nature of both the locus and the located. Since there can be no outward manifestation of the located without a locus, the Supreme Lord first sets out to define the nature of the Cakra".
[Vāmakeśvarīmata]
The following passage explains how the supreme Power (Śakti) manifests as the Nityā deities within the Śrī Chakra, corresponding to the lunar cycles:
"She, who is the Supreme Power (Parā-śakti), the embodiment of pure Consciousness, is called the Sixteenth. By the expansion of Her own rays of light, She assumes the forms of the fifteen Nityās, who are the presiding deities of the lunar days (tithis).
Just as the moon, though one, appears as fifteen digits (kalās) through the waxing and waning cycles, the supreme Goddess Tripurasundarī, while remaining the sixteenth and unchanging Light, manifests as the cycle of the Nityās starting with Kāmeśvarī and ending with Citrā.
These Nityās are the clearly manifest and distinguished powers residing in the enclosures of the Chakra, masses of consciousness-fire established upon the seat of the Bindu. Thus, She is both the One and the Many, the eternal sixteen-fold Power."
The Definition of Nityā Worship (Nityoditā Pūjā)
These lines define the eternal and daily nature of the worship as taught by ParamaŚiva:
"It is heard that sacrifice and worship are considered threefold: Supreme (Parā), Lower (Aparā), and Supreme-Lower (Parāparā). Thus, ParamaŚiva spoke to the Supreme Goddess:
'Your eternally manifest worship (Nityoditā Pūjā) is established in three divisions: Supreme, Lower, and the third, O Gauri, is Supreme-Lower. The first is established in the state of non-duality (Advaita), the sphere of the most excellent. The second is the Chakra worship, which is always performed by me. Thus, O Devi, the third, consisting of knowledge, is Supreme-Lower. The Supreme is to be known as the most excellent; now hear its method.'"
The Eternal Nature (Nityā-rūpā) of the Deity
The commentary explains the "Nitya" quality of the Goddess herself as the foundation of the tradition:
"She is Nitya-rūpā, meaning Her form is eternal and unchanging, beyond the limitations of time and space. Because She is of the nature of eternal bliss (Nityānanda), a state of massed consciousness unmixed with suffering, She is the source from which all temporal cycles arise.
This eternity is not merely a lack of end, but a state of being 'eternally present' (Nitya-sannihita). As the Rahasyopaniṣad states: 'She alone is Tripurā, and She alone grants Bliss.' This eternal state is the Fourth (Turīya), which is heard in the Śruti as immortal, fearless, and infinite."
The Rule of Daily Performance
This passage clarifies the requirement for the practitioner (Sādhaka) to remain in the "eternal" state:
"The standing rule is that only one who is initiated has eligibility for this Knowledge. For the initiated person, there exists a primary injunction that the sacrifice to the Deity must be performed by this very means.
This worship is not merely an occasional act but is Nitya (daily/obligatory), for without the constant reflection (Vimarśa) upon one’s own nature as the Goddess, the practitioner sinks into the mud of duality.
Therefore, one should worship the Goddess always and, in every way, for She is the grantor of all wishes, His own Self, who grants all wishes always and in every way."