Lalita Sahasranama(IAST: lalitāsahasranāma) (Sanskrit: ललिता सहस्रनाम), also known as the Lalitha Sahasranamam, is a Hindu text from the Brahmanda Purana.The Lalita Sahasranama is the thousand names of the Hindu mother goddess Lalita. It is a sacred text for the Hindu worshippers of the Goddess Lalita Devi, who considered to be a manifestation of the Divine Mother (Shakti), and the text is therefore used in the worship of Durga, Parvati, Kali, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Bhagavati, etc. as well. A principal text of Shakti worshipers, it names the goddess's various attributes in the form of names organized in a hymn. This sahasranama is used in various modes for the worship of the Divine Mother like parayana(recitations), archana, and homa.
The names are organized as hymns, or stotras,but are often broken into mantras to represent all 1000 names. Therefore the Sahasranama can be chanted in stotra form, or namavali form. The Lalitha Saharanama is one of the only sahasranamas that does not repeat a single name.
Generally, sahasranamas use the artifice of adding words like tu, api, ca, and hi, which are conjunctions that do not necessarily add to the meaning of the name except in cases of interpretation. The Lalita Sahasranama does not use any such auxiliary conjunctions and is unique in being an enumeration of holy names that meets the metrical, poetical and mystic requirements of a sahasranama by their order throughout the text.
Etymologically, "Lalita" means "She Who Plays." In its root form, the word "Lalita" means "spontaneous" from which the meaning "easy" is derived and implicitly extends to "play".
Composition
The Lalita Sahasranama is said to have been composed by the eight vaagdevis(Vasini, Kameshvari, Aruna, Vimala, Jayani, Modini, Sarveshvari, and Kaulini) upon the command of the goddess Lalita herself. The sahasranama says that "One can worship Lalitha only if she wishes us to do so." This stotra occurs in the Brahmanda Purana (history of the universe) in the chapter of discussion between Hayagriva and Sage Agastya. Hayagriva is an incarnation of Vishnu with the head of a horse and is held to be the storehouse of knowledge. Agastya is one of the sages of yore and one of the stars of the constellation Saptarishi (Ursa major). At the request of Agastya, Hayagriva is said to have taught him the thousand holiest names of Lalita. The temple at Thirumeyachur, near Kumbakonam, is said to be where Agastya was initiated into this sahasranama. An alternative origin is that the Upanishad Bramham Mutt at Kanchipuram is where this initiation happened.
Key Concepts
Dhyana
The start of the Lalita Sahasranama is characterized by the Dhyana, which are descriptive verses for visualization. There are four dhyana verses. It describes the yogi(the person reciting the Sahasranama) as meditating upon the form of Lalita and describes the many of the qualities of the goddess. The Dhyana is said before chanting the thousand names.
The first verse starts with "sinduraruna-vigraham" and is most likely is the verse composed by the eight Vaag Devis. The second verse beginning with "arunam karuna-tarangatakshim" is said to have been composed by Dattatreya. The fourth, beginning with "sakumkuma-vilepanam" was probably composed by Adi Sankaracharya. No known information is available on the origins of the third verse beginning with "dhyayet padmasanastham."[1] In all the dhyana verses there is a recurring theme on Devi's red complexion, which is said to resemble the sun at dawn, and her compassionate nature.
Lalita
In Lalita Sahasranama, the beginning of the text describes the formless Lalitha with an explicit female form and along with an equally charming consort. This divine couple is named as Kameshvari and Kameshvara. Kameshvari is described as extremely beautiful, having dark thick long hair adorned with champaka, ashoka, punnaga and saugandha flowers. She had the musk tilaka on her forehead, eye-brows which appeared as if they were the arch gate of the house of the God of love, and having sparkling eyes like fish which are playing in the lake of prosperity and charm, the lake of Goddess Lakshmi, resembling her face. She had a nose with studs that shone more than the stars, ears with the sun and moon as studs, cheeks which were like the mirror of Padmaraga, beautiful rows of white teeth which resembles the Shodasakshari mantra, and she was chewing karpooraveedika and its fragrance attracted her devotees from all over the world towards Her. She had a voice sweeter than the sound emanating from Kachchapi, the veena of Sarasvati, and having such a beautiful smile that Kameshvara himself could not take his eyes off her. She was wearing a mangala sutra and necklaces, with beautiful breasts which were capable of buying the invaluable love of Kameshvara, having wisps of beautiful hair raising from her belly, her stomach having three pretty folds, and she was wearing red silk tied with a string with red bells. She had thighs which steal the heart of Kameshvara, knees which looked like crowns made of precious gems, voluptuous legs, upper part of the feet resembling the backs of tortoises, feet which resembled lamps made of gems and even with the rays emanating from her nails could dispel worries from the mind of devotees. Devi Lalitha has a body with golden red color. She was given in marriage to Kameswara and made to stay in Chintamani griha in Shri-Nagara at the top of Maha Meru Mountain.
Nagara
Nagara has 25 streets circling it, made of iron, steel, copper, and lead. An alloy made of five metals, silver, gold, the white stone (pushparaga), the red stone (padmaraga), onyx, diamond, vaidurya, indranila (topaz), pearl, marakatha (emerald), coral, nine gems and a mixture of gems and precious stones. In the eighth street is a forest of kadambas. This is presided by Syamala. On the fifteenth street lives the eight directional guardian deities. In the sixteenth lives Varahi (alias Dandini or Dandanadha) who was Her commander in chief. Here Syamalamba also has a house. In the seventeenth street live the different Yoginis. In the eighteenth street lives Maha Vishnu. In the nineteenth street lives Esana, in the twentieth lives Tara Devi, in twenty first lives Varuni, in the twenty second lives Kurukulla who presides over the fort of pride, in twenty third lives Marthanda Bhairava, in twenty fourth lives the moon and in the twenty fifth lives Manmatha presiding over the forest of love.
Center of Nagara
In the center of Nagara is the Maha Padma Adavi (the forest of the Great Lotus(es)) and within it the Chintamani Griha (The house of holy thought), in the north east is the Chid-agni kunda and on both sides of its eastern gate are the houses of Mantrini and Dandini. On its four gates stand the Chaduramnaya gods for watch and ward. Within it is the chakra. In the center of the Chakra on the throne of Pancha brahmas on the Bindu Peeta (dot plank) called sarvanandamaya (universal happiness) sits Maha Tripura Sundari. In the chakra are the following decorations viz., the square called Trilokya mohanam (most beautiful in the three worlds), The sixteen petaled lotus called Sarvasa paripoorakam (fulfill-er of all desires), the eight petaled lotus called Sarvasamksopanam (the all cleanser), the sixteen cornered figure called Sarva sowbagyam (all luck), the external ten cornered figure called Sarvartha sadhakam (giver of all assets), the internal ten cornered figure called Sarva raksha karam (All protector), the eight cornered figure called Sarva roga haram (cure of all diseases), the triangle called Sarva siddhi pradam (giver of all powers) and the dot called Sarvananda mayam (all pleasures).
Bhandasura
The depiction of Lalita
The devas prayed to her to kill Bhandasura. When she started for the war with Bandasura, she was accompanied by the powers called Anima, Mahima, Brahmi, Kaumari, Vaishnavi, Varahi, Mahendri, Chamundi, Maha Lakshmi, Nitya Devathas and Avarna Devathas who occupy the chakra. While Sampatkari Devi was the captain of the elephant regiment, Aswarooda Devi was the captain of the cavalry. The army was commanded by Dhandini riding on the chariot called Kiri Chakra assisted by Manthrini riding on the chariot called Geya Chakra. Jwala malini protected the army by creating a fire ring around it. Para Shakthi rode in the center on the chariot of Chakraraja.
Nitya destroyed a large chunk of Bandasura's armies, Bala killed the son of Bandasura, and Manthrini and Dhandini killed his brothers called Vishanga and Vishukra. When the asuras created a blockade for the marching army, Tripura sundari created Ganesha by a mere glance of Kameshvara's face remove the blockade. Then Bandasura created the asuras called Hiranyaksha, Hiranya Kasipu and Ravana. The devi created the ten avatars of Vishnu and destroyed them. She killed all his army using Paashupathastra and killed him with Kameshvarastra. The gods then praised her. She then recreated Manmatha for the good of the world. This story is contained in the first 84 names of the first 34 slokas of Lalitha sahasranama. All together it contains one thousand names. This is also called the Rahasya Nama Sahasram (the thousand secret names). Reading it, meditating on the meaning of the names would lead to the attainment of utmost peacefulness, happiness and the way to lead your mind.
Structure
The slokas are organized in such a way that Devi is described from "Head to Feet" (Kesadi Padam).There are basically five works of God (pancha krtyam). They are creation (srishti), protection (sthiti), destruction (samhAram), hiding (tirodhAnam) and blessing (anugraham). Devi herself has been described as "pancha krtya parAyanA" in the sloka and the five tasks are described as follows:
This means Devi is the aspect of Brahma, while creating srishti, aspect of Vishnu while sustaining sthiti, aspect of Rudra during dissolution samhara, aspect of Ishvara while concealing ”thirodana”, and aspect of Sadashiva while blessing.
These five entities (Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Isvara and Sadashiva) are known as "pancha-brahma" and also “pancha-preta”. Lalitha has designated the five functions to these brahman(s). Sometimes, Devi will take away the life from these five brahmam and make them inactive, performing all the five tasks herself. At that time they will be called "pancha pretam" that is lifeless bodies.
Now the first three slokas are:
Srimata, the (great mother) Srishti; Sri Maharajni the (great ruler) Sthithi; Srimat Simhasaneswari the (one who sits on the simhasanam and manages) Samharam. Here there is no direct reference to samharam. Managing here includes creating balance between birth and death.
The rest of the slokas cover tirodhanam and anugraham.
Now the next namas - "chidhagnikunda sambhutha devakarya samudhyatha" tells us that devi arose from the fire of consciousness to help devas in their task (war against asuras - Bhandasura).
From the namAa- Udhyath bhanu sahasraba till sinjanamani manjeera manditha sree padambuja, all her parts like her face, fore head, eyes, mouth, tongue, voice, hands, hip, legs have been described.
Thereafter, Devi's place (Chintamani grham), her war against Bhandasura, kundalini shakti, her properties (such as who can reach her and who cannot, etc.) have been described.
The General picture of the Goddess depicts a Parrot and a Sugarcane stick with her. Sugarcane represents the sweetness of her mind.[2]
New Discoveries in Modern Science
The names are correlated with modern science discoveries. The ancient names are as valid today as they were at the time of their perception by Sage Agastya, half brother of the Brahma Rishi Vashita of ancient Indian lore.[3]
^Moorthy, C.S. (2019). The Thousand Names of Lalita Ambika- in a New Light. Chennai, India: Notion Press.
Further reading
S.K. Ramachandara Rao, Lalitaarchana-Chandrika, Hymns to Lalita, Form of Tripurasundari, Delhi: Devine Books, (Lala Murari Lal Chharia Oriental Series.) ISBN978-93-81218-45-7
V. R. Prabodhachandran Nayar's reader-friendly annotations of Lalithaasahasranaamam, "Kaithiri" published by Thunchan SmarakaSamithi, Trivandrum in 2011, offers word-by-word meaning of the Sanskrit scripts.
C.S. Moorthy, The Thousand Names of Lalita Ambika- In a New Light, Notion Press. Chennai, India, 2019.
