Category: LS

We are now looking at the important spiritual principles or truths embodied in the Lalita Sahasranama. Devi is “kṣetra svarūpā, kṣetreśi, kṣetra kṣetrajña pālini, and kṣaya vṛddhi vinirmuktā, One who is free from growth and decay. We have seen that “Kshetram” has many meanings, as the manifest universe, as the great temples, and also as our body.

The Vedas speak about this principle or truth of the indestructible, all-pervasive self. The Puranas, also called the Upapramanas are written for those who are not able to directly experience this truth. The Puranas also convey the same truths. The Puranas make it clear to us, the concepts that we find indecipherable in the Vedas.

Veda says “Satyam vada” and this is depicted through the example of the story of the King Harishchandra in Puranas. The highest state of spirituality is propounded in the Vedas and it is the same absolute reality that is described in the Lalita Sahasranama.

Kalidasa has written the following verse.

किं न सिद्ध्येद्वपुः श्यामलं कोमलं चन्द्रचूडान्वितं तावकं ध्यायतः
तस्य लीलासरोवारिधिः तस्य केलीवनं नन्दनं, तस्य भद्रासनं भूतलं,
तस्य वाग्देवता किङ्करी, तस्य चाज्ञाकरी श्री स्वयम् – Shyamala Dandakam

What is not accessible or achievable to the devotee who meditates on your beautiful dark blue form sporting the crescent moon on the head? For him the ocean is the pool for water sports, the Nandana vana is the forest where he can play, his seat is the entire earth, the Goddess of speech is his handmaid and Goddess Lakshmi waits for his orders. (Shyamala Dandakam)

For those who meditate upon the form of Lalita Parameshwari in her bewitching beauty, all sidhis are within their reach. The universe can be owned by him. The three worlds become his own. (Heaven, Earth, Hell)

Goddess Sarasvati will be present in his words, his words will have beauty and wisdom. He will be served by Mahalakshmi. He will become prosperous in life. In Lalita Sahasranama Devi is praised as

kaṭākṣa kiṅkarī bhūta kamalā koṭi sevitā
(who is attended by millions of Lakshmis who are subdued by Her mere glances)

Lalitambika is adored by different names, “Lalita, Lalitamba, Para-Hanta-Swaroopini, Para Bhattarika, Chidroopini”. All her names are different ways of describing the absolute reality. The Universe is suffused with Devi.

Now we are entering the domain of the subtle from the gross. The next part of the mantras that we are going to take up are

Om viśva rūpāyai namaḥ
(who has the whole universe as Her form.)
Om jāgariṇyai namaḥ
(who assumes the form of the jiva who is in the waking state.)
Om svapantyai namaḥ
(who assumes the form of the jiva in the dream state.)
Om taijasātmikāyai namaḥ
(who is the soul of the jiva in the dream state.)

Om suptāyai namaḥ
(who assumes the form of the jiva experiencing deep sleep.)
Om prājñātmikāyai namaḥ
(who is not separate from the jiva in the state of deep sleep.)
Om turyāyai namaḥ
(who is in the state of turya.)
Om sarvāvasthā vivarjitāyai namaḥ
(who transcends all states.)

The different states of consciousness are described here.

Devi is of the form of the universe. She is of the form of the universe in the waking state. She is called “Thaijasa” in the dream state. In the state of Sushupthi or deep sleep, Devi is called “Prajnan”. Devi is also the fourth state of “Turiya” She is also beyond all four states called “turyatheetham”. This is the general meaning of the above mantras.

“Jagarini” is the state in which our mind and sense organs are awake and alert in its interaction with the world. In the Vedas, this state is called “Vishwan”.

“Swapanthi” – Only the mind remains active, the sense organs are inactive, the body lies asleep, still as a corpse. This is the stage when dreams occur. Even though we dream of all the multifarious objects and activities of the world, they are purely creations of the mind. This state is called “Thaijasan”

We go into a deep sleep. There are three factors here. The feeling that I slept well along with the perception of “I” that is accompanied by ignorance and unawareness. We experience happiness in deep sleep, we say that “I slept well”, but this state is not a means for attaining jnana or enlightenment. If it was so, all of us would have attained enlightenment through deep sleep. It is not possible. It is called “Prajnan” .

“Viswan, Thaijasan, and Prajnan” these three names denote the waking, dream, and deep sleep states in the Lalita Sahasranama. Ideal saadhaks (spiritual aspirant) go beyond these three states to reach the fourth state of “Turiyam” or the highest state of spiritual enlightenment.

They experience the fourth state of “Turiyam”. “Turiyam” is not tainted with the ignorance and unawareness present in the other three states of Jagrath. They have become enlightened. This is called “Turiyam”.

There is another state beyond these four states, it cannot be described by mere words. It is called “Turiyatheetham”. Those who have attained this state, even though they resemble ordinary human beings their words, actions, movements, breath and thought come from a realm that cannot be described in words or grasped by the intelligence.

It is with the constant establishment in the state of “Turiyam” that man can go beyond it and attain the Absolute reality. It cannot be called a state of consciousness. It transcends all states.

It is the goal of every human life, the attainment of oneness with the pure self. It is the bliss continuously experienced by those who have been liberated from the cycle of birth and death, while still in their human bodies.

This cannot be defined as a state, hence in Lalita Sahasranama Devi is called, “sarvāvasthā vivarjitā” – One who transcends all states. “viśva rūpā – jāgariṇi ” – The one who is called Vishwan in the. “svapanti- taijasātmikā” – The one who is called Thaijasan in the state of dream sleep.

“suptā – prājñātmikā ” – The one who is called “Prajnan” in the state of deep sleep. “turyā and turyātitā”, – the fourth state and one who transcends all states, are all the different aspects of Devi.

In Bhagavad Gita the lord explains the word Kshetram thus

महाभूतान्यङ्ककारो बुद्धिरव्यक्त मेव च |
इन्द्रियाणि दशैकं च पञ्च चेन्द्रियगोचरा: || – Gita 13.6

The field of activities is composed of the five great elements, the ego, the intellect, the unmanifest primordial matter, the eleven senses (five knowledge senses, five working senses, and mind), and the five objects of the senses.

इच्छा द्वेष: सुखं दु:खं सङ्घातश्चेतना धृति: |
एतत्क्षेत्रं समासेन सविकारमुदाहृतम् || – Gita 13.7

Desire and aversion, happiness and misery, the body, consciousness, and the Will—all these comprise the field and its modifications.

The great elements: egoism, intellect, and also unmanifested nature, the ten senses and the mind, and five objects of the senses. Desire, hatred, pleasure, pain – altogether there are 24 tattvas are called ‘Kshetra’.

God is the indwelling consciousness. Bhagavad Gita interprets ‘Kshetra’ and ‘Kshetrajna’ like this. This is how Kshetra and Kshetrajna are presented in Bhagavad Gita.

When we understand that our body is the residence of God when we understand that the goal of our life is to know the indweller, then we will never misuse this body, we will never commit mistakes and the immoral actions that we do knowingly or will never drink alcohol.

We will use our body, mind, and senses in the right manner. We will go to temples, meet spiritual masters, listen and live according to their teachings, listen to scripture, use your limbs to prostrate, and do service to the spiritual masters.

Like this, we use our bodies in the proper way. By doing this we will achieve our goal of God-realization. The whole matter in the universe is Divine Mother. She is the ruler of all matter. We observed that She is the divine presence in each being.

The next mantra is
kṣaya vṛddhi vinirmuktā
(who is free from growth and decay.)

The general meaning of this mantra is “The Divine Mother is free from growth and decay”. We take notice of two things in this universe. That which is potent and that which is inert. This is briefly explained in Lalita Sahasranama as
cicchakti – cetanā rūpā – jaḍa śakti – jaḍātmikā

Everything that has pure consciousness is the Divine Mother. Everything that is inanimate is also the Divine Mother. Divine Mother is the object of cause and object of effect. She is both the inherent cause and the instrumental cause. To understand better, I will discuss it briefly.

A pot is made up of mud. Pot is the effect and mud is the cause. We see ornaments. Ornaments are the effect and gold is the cause. Mud, gold all these are objects of cause. Suppose we made a Cloth. The cloth is the effect and thread is the cause.

Now we understand that mud, gold, thread – all these are objects of cause and pot, ornaments, and cloth are objects of effect. The divine mother is the object of cause and the object of effect. She is both the creator and the creation.

Amma says that this is not two. This is the cause for dispute among all the religions. Nobody is bothered about the inert objects. All potent objects are one, they are not two.

Shankaracharya also said the same thing. But he did not say one, he used the word – “Advaita (non-duality)”, that is ‘not two’. What we see in the outer world, river, mountain, men, and other living beings all these we consider separate, with different names and forms.

But he made it clear that the living force, the consciousness, the individual soul, and the supreme self that is present in all these is one. At the same time, people like Madhvacharya argued that this can never be one. They proposed that God and the living beings are different.

We usually see the universe in three forms. In the projected world everything is different, the names and the forms are different. We call them accordingly. The world that we know through our senses can be compared to seeing objects in dim light.

When we see a rope in the dim light we may mistake it for a snake. In the light we will not have any doubt, we understand it as a rope. In darkness (of ignorance) there is nothing to be mistaken. Because we do not see anything, confusion happens only in between.

When we look at the world, we feel that everything is different this is unreal. But in truth, for God Realized persons, and for us also, when we have the eye of wisdom, we will understand that in reality, everything is one. This is the principle that Shankaracharya has established.

At the same time, masters like Madhvacharya had another opinion. Suppose we have an unbroken coconut. We call it coconut. But when we remove the fiber and seed is separated, now the seed is called coconut.

When the shell of the seed is broken, the water inside is separated. Now we have coconut water and coconut is still there, next we scrap the meat out, now there is a shell and still, there is coconut.

Madhvacharya wanted to establish that in the projected world the names and forms are different. Once when he was asked about this he asked for some water somebody brought water. He took it in a spoon it had as much water as it can take.

Next, he took it in a vessel. He could fill it with as much water as it can take. If you take in a pot you can take it to the fill. A pond can hold as much as its size. In the river, there will be much more. Thus it should be determined according to the size of the vessel. He propagated his theory that as long as one cannot see it as one, better see it as two.

Now the mantra, “kṣaya vṛddhi vinirmuktā” the meaning of the mantra is ‘She who is free from growth and decay’. We usually talk of the six forms of changes- birth, existence, growth, transformation, decay, and death. This happens to everybody.

The Divine mother does not have these six forms of change. Because there is no other matter in this universe than the Divine Mother. There is nothing apart from the Divine Mother. So the Divine Mother does not have the state of growth and decay.

Consciousness and lifeless, both are Divine Mother. So she has no growth or decay. The next few mantras illustrate this principle of Self. We will discuss the principles and the glory of the Divine Mother in the coming days.

The next important topic in Lalita Sahasranama is the form of the goddess composed of five Brahmas. There are two mantras –

pañca pretāsanāsīnā
(who sits on the seat formed by five corpses.)
pañca brahma svarūpiṇi
(whose form is composed of the five Brahmas.)

pañca yajña priyā
(who is fond of the five forms of sacrifices)
pañca preta mañcādhi śāyini
(who reclines on a couch made of the Five Corpses)

pañcami
(who is the fifth)
pañca bhūteśi
(who is the Goddess of the five elements)
pañca saṅkhyopacāriṇi
(who is worshipped using five objects of worship)

pañca kṛtya parāyaṇā
(who is devoted to the five functions (mentioned in the mantras above).)

There are several mantras indicating the five organs of actions and the entire cosmos consisting of the five elements.

शिवः शक्त्या युक्तो यदि भवति शक्तः प्रभवितुं
न चेदेवं देवो न खलु कुशलः स्पन्दितुमपि। – Soundarya Lahari.

In the first stanza of Soundarya Lahari, it is mentioned that Shiva cannot even move without Shakti, the Divine Mother. Goddess is also devoted to the five functions – Creation, Preservation, Annihilation, Blessing & Disappearance. These five functions are carried out by Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Ishana, and Sadashiva.

The divine mother is glorified as “pañcami- pañca bhūteśi pañca saṅkhyopacāriṇi”.
The Divine Mother is ‘pañca yajña priyā’ – fond of five forms of sacrifices.

Thus, as Shankararachrya has said in the hymn Saundarya Lahari, without the blessing of the Divine Mother even Shiva will not be able to move.
śivaḥ śaktyā yukto yadi bhavati śaktaḥ prabhavituṃ
na chedevaṃ devo na khalu kuśalaḥ spanditumapi |

We are going to discuss another important area of Shri Lalita Sahasranama. We usually notice only gross things. In Katopanishad it is said ‘paranchikani vyatrinat swayambhu, thasmat paranpashyati antaratman’, the attention of almost every one of us is directed outside.

We are not very much interested in paying attention to ourselves. We never try to understand the principles of this universe. We are going to discuss the part where the principles of the universe are mentioned. There are three mantras,

kṣetra svarūpā
(whose body is matter.)
kṣetreśi
(who is the wife of Shiva.)
kṣetra kṣetrajña pālini
(who is the protector and knower of matter, thus the protector of body and soul.)

The commentary of the mantras can be compared to the commentary of the chapter ‘Kshetra, Kshetrajna Yoga’ in Bhagavad Gita. The Divine Mother is Kshetraswarupa, whose body is matter. The Divine Mother is also Kshetreshi, the ruler of the matter, the body of all beings.

She is Kshetra Kshetrajnapalini – protector of body and soul. This is the general meaning of the mantras. There are several meanings of the word, ‘Kshetra’ the most common meaning is ‘temple’. In Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna says

इदं शरीरं कौन्तेय क्षेत्रमित्यभिधीयते |
एतद्यो वेत्ति तं प्राहु: क्षेत्रज्ञ इति तद्विद: || – Gita 13.2
This body is termed as kṣhetra (the field of activities), and the one who knows this body is called kṣhetrajña (the knower of the field) by the sages who discern the truth about both.

Like I said earlier, because our attention is always to the outside, we do not notice many things. If we ask a child what is greater 8 or 9? The child will easily answer it is 9. But if we ask about greater numbers the child may get confused. Like that we do not give attention to the subtle things.

Till now we were discussing form, bhakti, upasana, mantras, and other modes of worship. We might be able to get concentration if we have devotion or perform worship or chant mantra. Chanting a thousand names lead us to the principle of deity with a form.

The most common meaning of Kshetram is the temple, another meaning is ‘field’. In Bhagavad Gita, the lord says that this body is Kshetram. When we say temple we think of the temples in Kashi, Kanchi, Rameshwaram, etc.

The spiritual energy of these temples is immense because of the greatness of those who have consecrated the temple, the systematic worship that is performed there, the power of the devotion, and the spiritual practices of the devotees. In general, we can say that the goddess in such a temple is ‘Kshetreshi’.

It can also be said that this body is ‘kshetram’ and the individual soul that is present in this is ‘kshetrajna’ (in-dweller). Our goal in life is to know the ‘kshetrajna’ (in-dweller). Our goal in life is to know the God that dwells in our hearts and the all-pervading God is the same.

‘Field’ is another meaning of the word ‘kshetram’. A farmer is toiling in the field; it will be fruitful only if what he is doing is systemic. First, he has to plough, weed, then add manure, water sow the seeds, put a fence to protect the sapling etc. If taken care he will get the yield when the time comes.

But if the order is broken he will get nothing. If at first, he sows the seed and then plough, then add water and manure and then plough again he will get only weeds as yield. Proper order should always be there.

Worship of god is a science; we have to practice it in the right way. It will not be fruitful if we do it in the way we like. The lord says in Bhagavad Gita

नेहाभिक्रमनाशोऽस्ति प्रत्यवायो न विद्यते |
स्वल्पमप्यस्य धर्मस्य त्रायते महतो भयात् || – Gita 2.40
Working in this state of consciousness, there is no loss or adverse result, and even a little effort saves one from great danger.

Spiritual practices like chanting of mantra repeating the divine names, remembrance of God, listening to scriptures, meeting God-realized persons, keeping the company of devotees, and ideal people – very little of these is enough.

भगवद्गीता किञ्चिदधीता
गङ्गाजललवकणिका पीता । – Bhaja Govindam 20
One who has studied the Bhagavad Gita just a little, drunk even a drop of Ganga water is enough. Even if this is very little, it will save us from great fear. It transforms us. It even grants us liberation.

The Divine Mother is Kshetraswarupini – That which is present in the great temples, in our mind and hearts is Divine Mother herself. She is Kshetreshi (the body of all beings) and kshetra kshetrajna palini (protector of the body and soul).

There is nothing other than the Devine Mother in the whole universe. That which is present in the great temples, in our mind and hearts, and that which pervades the whole universe is Devine Mother herself.

We will discuss the principles and greatness of the Devine Mother further in the coming days.

We are discussing the meaning of the mantra,
catuḥ ṣaṣṭi kalā mayi
(who embodies the sixty-four fine arts.)

Some interpret the word kala as Tantra. There are several medical knowledge systems like Salya Tantra, Salakya Tantra, etc. The word Tantra is also used to denote spiritual traditions. It is said that Lord Shiva has taught ‘Tantra to the Divine Mother Parvati.

Bhaskara Rayar has explained sixty-four types of Tantras in his book. Tantra cannot give liberation on its own. For example if you learn and practice music, you may not get liberation. Only if you practice it with an attitude of worship you get moksha.

That is why Adi Shankaracharya is giving instruction as to how these tantras are to be practiced.

चतुः-षष्टया तन्त्रैः सकल मतिसन्धाय भुवनं
स्थितस्तत्त्त-सिद्धि प्रसव परतन्त्रैः पशुपतिः |
पुनस्त्व-न्निर्बन्धादखिल-पुरुषार्थैक घटना-
स्वतन्त्रं ते तन्त्रं क्षितितल मवातीतर-दिदम् ‖ – Soundarya Lahari 31

“Pashupati at first remained satisfied after giving to the world, the sixty-four tantras which expound practices conferring only one or another of the various psychic powers and worldly fulfilments.

Afterwards, on Thy special insistence, He revealed this Thy own tantra to the world, independent of all the others and capable of conferring all the four aspirations of men-dharma, artha, kaama and moksha.”

Pashu means living beings, Pashupati is one who protects all living beings. It is said that Pashupati (Lord Shiva) formulated sixty-four tantras. But people did not get the result they expected by practicing these tantras. They could not attain liberation.

punastva-nnirbandhād akhila-puruśhārthaika ghaṭanā svatantraṃ

So the Divine Mother, with her immense love for her children insisted her consort Lord Pashupathi that he should formulate tantra which has the quality of devotion.

Thus the lord formulated the tantra called Svatantra Tantra or Sri Vidya to worship the Divine Mother. Everybody was delighted with that. By practicing this, ordinary people become good spiritual seekers. Average seekers become ideal seekers. Ideal seekers attained liberation.

Good people evolved into excellent people. It is said in the ‘Saundarya Lahari’ that Lord Pashupati had formulated the method that is suitable for all types of seekers for worshipping the Divine Mother.

We are discussing the general meaning of the mantras,
catuḥ ṣaṣtyupacārāḍhyā
catuḥ ṣaṣṭi kalā mayi
mahā catuḥ ṣaṣṭi koṭi yoginī gaṇa sevitā
(who is attended by six hundred forty million yoginis.)

We already discussed a story about this that happened in the life of Bhaskararaya.

The next mantras are
Om manu vidyāyai namaḥ
(who is the embodiment of Manuvidya.)
Om candra vidyāyai namaḥ
(who is the embodiment of Candravidya.)
Om candra maṇḍala madhyagāyai namaḥ
(who resides in the center of candramandala, the moon’s disc.)

We always say that we are very busy. We don’t have time for prayer. ‘Did you chant the Thousand Names of the Divine mother today?’ “No, no I just chanted the 108 names, I was on tour, I was busy in the office”.

We will say some excuses like this. But it is not difficult to do Hundred tasks to do one more. Out of 24 hours it takes only half an hour to chant the thousand names. If anybody says that he cannot spare even that much time, is not being reasonable.

Let us see the names of twelve devotees of the Divine Mother. Manu, Chandra, Kubera, Lopamudra, Lord Shiva himself, Skanda, Durvasa, Manmata. They all do the greatest tasks in the world.

Manu is the son of Lord Brahma. He is considered as the head of this Manvanthara. There is also a king in the same name who has written Manusmriti.

Kubera the lord of wealth is also a devotee of the Divine Mother. Lord Brahma, Lord Parameshvara (Shiva). While mentioning the unique benefits of the worship, it is observed that these devotees are immersed in the meditation of the Divine Mother chanting the 1000 names 24 hours a day.

These noble beings who perform the greatest tasks in the universe are performing this worship and are benefited. Then why can’t we chant this sacred prayer? It is a lame excuse that we don’t have time.

Manmatha is the seer of a mantra of Sri Vidya. There is a form of practice formulated by him. All these have formulated forms of practice for the worship of the Divine Mother.

People practiced these forms an enjoyed the benefits. We are discussing the mantras, “manu vidyā”, “candra vidyā”. In our scriptures, all the Divine names are not called mantras…….

Single words are called beejam (seed). We call them ‘seed mantras’. When deities in the male form are indicated it is called mantras. When the word in the mantra is more than 24 letters it is called ‘mantra mala (the chain of mantras)’.

Sri Lalita Sahasranama is a unique composition. Some mantras from this Sahasranama is used for initiation. Mantras like ‘Om Hrim Mahadevyai Namah’, ‘Om Parashakthyai Namah’ are inscribed in temples. These mantras are used by the spiritual masters for initiating their disciples.

Thus Lalita Sahasranama is a chain of mantras. We usually make garlands with flowers or gold or diamonds. Only Rich people will be able to do that. Common people decorate the Divine Mother with this garland of mantras. When we chant the Sahasranama it becomes a garland of mantras.

When the deities are in the female form, the worship is called Vidya. Adding the prefix ‘Sri’, this message is called Sri Vidya. As mentioned earlier The Divine Mother has twelve main devotees: Manu, Chandra, Kubera, Lopamudra, Agasthya, Manmatha, Agni, Surya, Indra, Skanda, Shiva, and Durvasa.

These exalted beings have visualized the mantras in their hearts. It is not right to say that they have composed the mantras, these mantras are visualized by them. The form of worship formulated by them is Vidya. Here two examples are given, Manu Vidya, Chandra Vidya.

Depending upon the qualities of the seeker one can even attain liberation by practicing this form of worship. The ordinary seeker will become better seekers, Average seekers become ideal and the ideal seeker will evolve to still greater heights. We will discuss the principles and greatness of the Divine Mother further in the coming days.

Now we are going to discuss the meaning of the mantra
Om catuḥ ṣaṣṭi kalā mayyai namaḥ
(who embodies the sixty-four fine arts.)

catuḥ ṣaṣtyupacārāḍhyā – catuḥ ṣaṣṭi kalā mayi –
mahā catuḥ ṣaṣṭi koṭi yoginī gaṇa sevitā.

These are the three mantras in the Thousand Names of the Devine Mother with the ‘Chatuh Shashti”. The word “Kala” means art. Kala also has other meanings. One meaning of the mantra is ‘She who embodies the sixty-four fine arts.

“Kala” denotes the temple art the music and dance performed in the temples. This is the meaning of the word ‘Kala’ 64 forms of arts are mentioned in India. All these 64 forms of arts are considered as secondary knowledge. By itself, none of these are able to lead us to God-realization.

These 64 forms include knowledge of 18 languages. The skill to read, write, speak to compose poems in these languages, the knowledge of the four Vedas – Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva Vedas. Knowledge of the upa Vedas like Ayurveda, Dhanurveda, Gandharva Veda.

The knowledge of wrestling, dancing, stringed musical instruments like Veena, wind instruments like flute. Like this, all that benefits us in the worldly life is included in the 64 forms of art.

Modern occupations like housekeeping can also be included in this. But by practicing this alone, we won’t be able to attain our goal of life.

To spend our lives performing these arts is not the ultimate goal of our life. Human life is not for that. When we become aware that these are the manifestations of the splendor of God, these arts are forms of worship to God. Then only we will be able to attain God-realization.

There is a story that illustrates how art is practiced as a form of worship. This happened in the life of a King Chempakasseri in Kerala. Once this King had a discussion with a person who narrates stories of Gods and Goddesses in temples (Chakyaar).

The King asked the person how long will he be able to go on, narrating the stories. He said he will be able to go on telling the story until there are oil and wick in the lamp before him. The King took it as a challenge and made arrangements to provide Oil and wick and whatever else is necessary.

The person started to narrate Ramayana- the story of Shri Rama. In the meantime, the King went for a pilgrimage to Kashi. He returned after the darshan of Lord Vishwanatha. The King had totally forgotten about the challenge.

After many days when he went near the temple, he heard a loud noise of cheers. He enquired about the reason for the cheers. Somebody told him that a person is narrating the story of Lord Rama for the past few years. That day he was narrating the birth of Rama and people are cheering in happiness.

When the King heard this he remembered the arrangements made for the person to tell stories. In the same way, when we perform an art, we are glorifying the splendor of God as if we are offering a prayer in our alter.

Whether it is music or dance or any other temple art. That is a form of worship. The purpose of performing any art is to utilize the God-given talent to worship him.

Thyagaraja Bhagavatar, Mutuswami Deekshithar, Shyama Sastri, and many others who have practiced different forms of art are persons who attained God-realization.

“catuḥ ṣaṣṭi kalā mayi” means that all knowledge that we have acquired, all the talent we got, Knowledge in the languages, ability to interpret things, knowledge of Vedas, Upavedas all these are embodiments of God. The meaning of this mantra is – All Knowledge is the glory of The Divine Mother.

We are discussing the meaning of
Om catuḥ ṣaṣtyupacārāḍhyāyai namaḥ
(who is adored in sixty-four ceremonies.) The attitude behind the worship is important.

I shall tell you the story of Poosalar Nayanaar, one of the famed Shiva Devotees. He was born in Thirunintravur near Chennai. He was one of the foremost devotees of Lord Shiva, the fifty-eighth nayanmar and in all Shiva temples, his idol can be found in the posture with folded palms.

A king named Rajendra Pallavan built a temple of granite to Lord Shiva. The temple is known as Kailasanatha Temple. It is even famous today. Rajendra Pallavan employed thousands of artisans over several years to build this temple with the aim of making it a perfect abode for the lord.

It was nearing the day of the ceremonial inauguration of the temple or “Kumbabishegam”. He had decided on the date of the ceremony. Lord Shiva appeared in the king’s dream and said that he had another consecration ceremony on the same day and hence could not be present at the king’s temple. The King thought it was all his imagination and went back to sleep.

He got Lord Shiva’s darshan again and again until he realized the truth of his darshan. “Do not perform the consecration on the day that you have decided.” The king thought to himself, let me find out where this temple is.

The lord is unable to come for his consecration in the temple that I have built with such love and devotion. The Lord had given the name of Poosalar Nayanar as the devotee. The king thought that Nayanar’s temple must be bigger and grander than his own. He went to Tiruninravur.

Nobody in that village knew the construction of such a temple. All the people that he asked said, “No such temple is being built there”. Finally, when they heard the name ‘Poosalar’, they said he is a Brahmin who lives in a small house on the outskirts of the town.” We shall go and meet him.

The king started off to Poosalar Nayanar’s house. Nayanar’s wife came out to meet the king. The King asked him where is Poosalar Nayanar”? “I hear that he is building a grand temple. where is it being built?” The wife said that she knew of no such temple.

“My husband has not come out of the house for the last couple of years. He has become introverted. I see him crying and at times laughing, often I hear him sing hymns in praise of Lord Shiva. He sits inside his room and eats sparingly. I don’t know where he has built a temple. Please come in and see him”.

The king entered the room and saw a man with a long beard and matted hair, sitting with closed eyes in the corner of the room. He was crying and laughing as the king watched him. He shook the Nayanar awake and asked him, Lord Shiva told me that you have built a temple for him”.

The Lord said that because of the consecration ceremony at your temple, he would not come to the Kailasanatha temple on the same day. Where is this temple that you are building? Tears streamed from the eyes of the Poosalar Nayaanar. He said I am building a temple inside me”.

Whenever Nayanar saw a great temple, he would want to build such a temple himself, for the Lord. He started building a temple within his heart. Since then he was planning and imagining in his heart how each aspect of the temple should be constructed, how should be the inauguration ceremony, what all rituals and pujas need to be performed, and all other details he was creating in his mind.

Poosalar Nayanar took the hand of the king and placed it on his own chest. To his surprise, the king could hear Vedic Chanting, the sounds of the conch, the percussion, and another divine music one could hear only in a temple. Later, the king constructed another temple Hridayaleshwar (God of the Heart) Temple for Poosalar Nayanar in Tiunintravur and it even stands today.

At the beginning of Lalita Sahasranama, We have understood that the divine mother has manifested from the fire pit of pure consciousness (cid agni kuṇḍa sambhūtā). We saw the description of peerless beauty in a manner that could be understood and appreciated by everybody.

We heard that the divine mother is the queen of the most auspicious city, and sits enthroned on a seat made of the five Brahmas. We heard how She rejoiced at the valor of Her Shaktis who were fiercely destroying the evil forces of Bhandasura.

We heard her attribute as Sri Vidya, the wellspring of sacred knowledge in the sixteen syllable mantra. We listed the mantras which describes Devi as the embodiment of the Mula mantra and one whose subtle body is made up of the three parts of the Panchadashakshari mantra.

Then we listened to how Devi can be attained when the heart melts with love for Devi through purity, intensity and innocence of devotion. “bhakti priyā – bhakti gamyā – bhakti vaśyā – bhayāpahā We realized the greatness of devotion.

We listened to her formless attributes, knowing her to be the all-pervading Pure Consciousness. We saw that there is none other than Devi abiding in this universe. There is nothing unattainable for one who praises the glory of Universal Mother.

There will be no rebirth for them. They will not have to be reborn in the womb of another mother, they will not have to drink mother’s milk. There is no rebirth for the devotees of Devi.

सरस्वत्या लक्ष्म्या विधि हरि सपत्नो विहरते
रतेः पतिव्रत्यं शिथिलयति रम्येण वपुषा
चिरं जीवन्नेव क्षपित-पशुपाश-व्यतिकरः
परानन्दाभिख्यं रसयति रसं त्वद्भजनवान् – Saundarya Lahari 99

These lines from “Saundarya Lahari,” of Adi Shankaracharya details the results ensuing from singing the glory of the names of Amma. The person becomes attractive to the whole world because he will acquire the beauty of love with grace and munificence of Saraswathi he becomes a profound scholar and Lakshmi Devi assures prosperity.

They become his constant companions. He will never become tainted by lustful emotions and with a pure and tranquil mind, he will live absorbed in the bliss of immortality.

We now come to a very enchanting portion of LalitaSahasranama
mahā lāvaṇya śevadhi
(the treasure house of beauty)
mahā pāśupatāstrāgni nirdagdhāsura sainikā
(who burned the armies of the demons in the fire of the Mahapashupata missile)
mahā gaṇeśa nirbhinna vighna yantra praharṣitā
(who rejoices when Ganesha shatters all obstacles)

There are so many mantras with mahā as a prefix. Let us now look at the portions which have many mantras strung together.
mahārūpā mahāpūjyā mahāpātakanāśinī |
mahāmāyā mahāsattvā mahāśaktirmahāratiḥ ||

mahābhōgā mahaiśvaryā mahāvīryā mahābalā |
mahābuddhirmahāsiddhirmahāyōgēśvarēśvarī ||

mahātantrā mahāmantrā mahāyantrā mahāsanā |
mahāyāgakramārādhyā mahābhairavapūjitā ||

mahēśvaramahākalpamahātāṇḍavasākṣiṇī |
mahākāmēśamahiṣī mahātripurasundarī ||

All these mantras begin with the prefix “mahā”. Devi is also worshipped as – mahākailāsanilayā – mahākāmēśanayana kumudāhlādakaumudī

There are many mantras that begin with the prefix “mahā” I will explain the general meaning of these mantras. The word “mahā” means “that which is greatest”. “There is nothing greater than this”, is the meaning of the prefix “mahā”. In Katopanishad and the Bhagavad Gita, the Paramatma or the supreme self is described in this manner.

इन्द्रियेभ्यः परा ह्यर्था अर्थेभ्यश्च परं मनः।
मनसस्तु परा बुद्धिर्बुद्धेरात्मा महान्परः ॥
महतः परमव्यक्तमव्यक्तात्पुरुषः परः।
पुरुषान्न परं किंचित्सा काष्ठा सा परा गतिः ॥ – Kathopanishad 1.3.10-11

The mind is greater than the sense organs, the intelligence is greater than the mind, the great principle (the Maha Tatvam) that underlies the entire universe is greater. Prakriti (Power of Maya) is greater than the Mahat, and Purusha greater than Prakriti. There is nothing greater than Purusha.

Purusha is another word for the Paramatma (the supreme self). It is to Indicate that there is no other greater than Devi,
mahārūpā mahāpūjyā mahāpātakanāśinī |
mahāmāyā mahāsattvā mahāśaktirmahāratiḥ ||

These lines extolling the greatness of Devi is melodious to the ear. It is rendered in the ashram as a namavali of thousand names of Devi. Her names can be chanted in different melodies by the devotees.

It is a reminder to us that there is none other greater than Devi. Therefore if we take refuge in her, she will bless us with everything we need. That is the general meaning of these mantras.

Bhaskararaya, the great scholar, wrote a brilliant commentary on Lalita Sahasranama in a book entitled “Saubagya Bhaskara”.

Let me tell you about 2 incidents in his life. One day he was sitting on the veranda of a house. He was silently chanting the names of the Devi. He was absorbed in the thought of Devi and he failed to notice a sanyasi walking by on the road in front of the house. He did not as was the custom, stand up and prostrate before the sanyasi.

The sanyasi felt affronted. He spread the word that Bhaskararaya was a prideful snob. ‘He lacks humility, he is not a good man’. One day the two met each other in a temple. Bhaskararaya understood the hurt pride of the sanyasi, as he was a ‘Sarvajna’ (all-knowing).

In front of everybody, he took from the sanyasi his walking stick. He laid the stick down on the ground and prostrated before it. It is said that the stick blazed up and then was reduced to ashes. This demonstrates the strength and nobility of worshippers of Devi.

In another incident, he was performing a fire ritual of exceptional grandeur in Kashi. He was a profound worshipper of Devi, because of his profundity and grace, there were some who had harbored enmity towards him. They spread malicious slander against him.

An assembly was held, in which the main speaker was Kumkumananda Nadhar Swami, it was said that even if he put ashes or sandal paste on his forehead it would be transformed into kumkum, he was also an ardent worshipper of Devi. The assembly met in his presence.

These men who harbored animosity towards Bhaskararaya probed his knowledge with many questions. Being a profound scholar, who had mastered all the scriptural texts, Bhaskararaya had no difficulty in answering their questions.

Finally, in order to defeat him, they took the mantra, mahā catuḥ ṣaṣṭi koṭi yoginī gaṇa sevitā (who is attended by six hundred forty million yoginis). They asked Bhaskararaya to give the names of the 64 crore Yoginis, they thought that the great scholar would accept defeat.

He meditated upon the goddess, her grace and compassion flowed towards him. Each of the yoginis serving Devi appeared to him and whispered their name, form, and the weapons with which they served Devi, into his ears. Bhaskararaya started to give the names and details of the Yoginis.

The ones who were asking the questions were noting it all down, ten days passed in this manner Bhaskararaya was continuing steadily. His enemies accepted his greatness, prostrated before him, and begged his forgiveness. This is the story of the mantra.

In another incident, it is said that he went into debt and he chanted the mantra, Om aparṇāyai namaḥ (who owes no debt)

There are two meanings given to the word “Aparna”, when Parvati Devi was performing tapas in the Himalayas, as a part of penance she stopped eating for a long time she subsisted on fruits and later only ate leaves and sometime after took only water. So one meaning of the mantra denotes Parvati Devi who did intense penance and did not partake of even leaves.

The meaning of “Ṛnam” in Sanskrit is debt. apakatam ṛnam yasyah aparnā. If we worship her, the Devi who will relieve us of our debts, This is another meaning of the mantra “Aparnaye namah.” Bhaskararaya Chanted the mantra “aparṇāyai namaḥ” and was relieved of his debts.

There are some of the incidents in the life of Sri Bhaskararaya who has written the commentary for thousand names. Other wonderful stories are also there.

The mantra “ bhakti gamyā, bhakti vaśyā” describes how Devi can be attained through devotion. Devi has a form, this form is for her to bless us.

Devi is also nirguna and nirākārā (Beyond qualities and form), she is the divine consciousness that pervades the world.

stree rupam dhyayet devim
pum rupam va vichintayet
athava nishkalam devim

This says that Devi has no particular form, she pervades the universe. We need not say anything in particular to Amma as she knows everything. She is present within everyone as the divine consciousness.

She is constantly with us, She understands without needing to hear anything from us, She is nirvikara (beyond change). The LalitaSahasranama describes in detail the “nirakara rupam” of devi (beyond form).

nir guṇā – niṣ kalā – śāntā – niṣ kāmā – nir upaplavā – nitya muktā – nir vikārā – niṣ prapañcā – nir āśrayā – nitya śuddhā – nitya buddhā – nir avadyā – nir antarā – niṣ kāraṇā – niṣ kalaṅkā – nir upādhir – nir īśvarā – nīrāgā – rāga mathani – nir madā – mada nāśini – niś cintā – nir ahaṅkārā – nir mohā – moha nāśini

The formless aspect of Devi is described in the Lalita Sahasrama. Many other mantras in the Lalita Sahasranama point to the fact that Devi is not confined to her physical form. Her consciousness pervades the entire universe.

She takes on attributes to bless her devotees. Her formless self is described in detail in the Lalita Sahasranama. We shall hear more about Devi in the coming days.

We are looking at the general meaning of the mantra
Om catuḥ ṣaṣtyupacārāḍhyāyai namaḥ
(who is adored in Sixty four ceremonies.)
To serve her with love and externalize that love as worship, is what this mantra stands for.

As an example of this, we quote the example of the great devotee, Poonthaanam. One day Poonthanam stood before Guruvayoorappan, singing his praises. He sang पद्मनाभो मरप्रभू. We don’t know whether Narayana Bhattathiri heard this himself or was told of this. However, the News reached his ears that Poonthanam had recited the name wrongly.

He said “devas and gods have no death. They are without beginning and end”. Thus Bhattathiri criticized Poonthanam. The next day when Bhattathiri went to Guruvayoorappan, he heard a celestial voice, “Poonthanam’s bhakti (devotion) is dearer to me than Bhattathiri’s vibhakti (rhyme & grammar).

पद्मनाभो मरप्रभू, means all ‘Ashwatha tree and all others are me, I am this entire world’. This verse of Poonthanam, sung with love, is very dear to me. With honey, milk, water, sandal paste fragrance, and flowers, we propitiate God. But the attitude with which we pray to him is more important.

Amma tells us a story of Vidhura’s wife. Shri Krishna visited Vidhura’s house one day. He went there unannounced and without any notice. Everyone thought he would stay in Duryodhana’s house. Vidhura was not prepared for this visit. Lord Krishna thus entered the house where he was not expected. Everyone stood there, astounded. Vidhura was at a loss as to how to receive him.

Vidhura’s wife was having a bath at this time. She came running in her bathing clothes and placed an asana for the lord to sit on. It is our custom to feed the guest. So she took some bananas that were there. She peeled it and throwing away the fruit, gave him the peel eagerly. The lord smilingly accepted the offering and ate it graciously. Only when Vidhura stopped her, she realized what she was doing.

Shabari, in a similar way, bit the fruit to test its sweetness, before offering it to Lord Rama. While this angered Lakshmana, Lord Rama accepted the offering. It is the love of the devotee for him, that the lord relishes and so these ceremonies are not merely outward rituals, they depict the love for the lord and that is the most important aspect.

The mere placement of words on the seven notes does not make a song. It is the emotions that enliven it. Without bhakti or devotion, the song is lifeless. This is true for any art. Great musicians like Sri Thyagaraja have said “Saṅgīta jñānamu bhakti vinā” – Bereft of devotion, knowledge of music cannot be gained.

We must constantly remember God for all 24 hours. More beautiful than this is the method of Manasa pooja, advocated by Amma. We must install the deity in our hearts. Convert our hearts into a temple. Inside the temple of our heart, perform all the ceremonies to Devi. Live in the constant remembrance of Devi. Pray to her constantly.

It is said that the ritual ceremonies are five, six, sixteen, sixty-four, and seventy-two in number. Bhaskararaya in his book has added eight more rituals to sixty-four. They are obeisance to the guru, chanting mantras, worshipping mantras-drishtas or seers, focusing on the meaning of the mantras, and so on.

Sri Sankaracharya has beautifully encompassed all these into the single hymn. “Chathushashtyupachara Puja”. Apart from describing the sixty-four rituals, he has added eight other rituals in that hymn. This is in essence, what Amma has so beautifully condensed into the Manasa puja.

Ritualistic pooja involves the ceremonial adornment of the deity in silken garments, drawing of the sacred kalam, (geometrical patterns), fragrant unguents. That is good. However, the important part is our bhakti or devotion. We must perform this pooja in our hearts.

Amma says while on a long journey, instead of being idle we must imagine our personal deity in the sky. Keep chanting your mantra constantly. Remembrance of God is the chief task of our lives. Whatever we do in our lives, we must do it while constantly remembering God. That is the meaning of this mantra

The next mantra is
Om catuḥ ṣaṣtyupacārāḍhyāyai namaḥ
(who is adored in sixty-four ceremonies.)

The word “Upacharam” is Sanskrit. “Upa” the meaning of near. When we go to the temple, we can see the lit lamps and inhale the fragrant incense. Often we do not consider the spiritual principle behind various ceremonies. We perform royal ceremonies that are done for an emperor for Devi also.

Let me narrate an incident from the life of Swami Vivekananda. Once he stayed in the palace of Khetri Maharaj. They discussed many topics. The discussion was on the topic of devotion.

Khetri Maharaj said, “Even though worship of God and Sanyas (renunciation) is commendable I have no affinity for worshipping Idols. We worship miniature idols made of copper and gold, we offer flowers and delicious food to the idols. They do not eat the food, I can find no logic or reason behind such ceremonies.”

Swami Vivekananda remained silent for the time being. The next day, Swami Vivekananda came to the palace assembly and requested the minister to bring him the picture of the king’s father. He asked the minister to spit at the picture.

The minister hesitated, Vivekananda turned to Khetri Maharaj and said, “Why does your minister hesitate to spit at the picture of your father, the former king? Isn’t this as you say, just a drawing on a piece of paper?”

The Diwan answered, “This is the father of the king. How can I insult and demean the father of the king who feeds me? I do not consider this a piece of paper; I see the face of my king’s father. He clothes me and gives a home to me and all his subjects?”

Swami Vivekananda said “In the same manner we do not see an idol as a statue made of copper or silver or gold. The idol symbolizes and is infused with the all-pervading divine consciousness.” Khetri Maharaj had said that the worship of idols was mere blind belief.

After this incident, Vivekananda said to Khetri Maharaj, “In a manner of speaking, all beliefs are blind. We get into a vehicle believing that we will reach our destination. Sometimes accidents do happen but it is our belief that leads us to actual experience.”

He said, “विश्वास अन्धा है, अनुभव ही सत्य है; Faith is blind. Experience is the truth.” Khetri Maharaj appreciated his words.

We must travel to experience through the path of faith. In the same manner, the worship of the Lord leads us to a great experience. When we ceremoniously bathe the tiny idol with milk, ghee, and tender coconut water, and offer with great devotion, delicious food to the idol, it is not for the sake of the idol, it is for the purity of our mind, to cleanse the impurities from our own mind.

The attitude with which we worship God is crucial. In temples, God is worshipped through five ceremonies, with water, incense, flower, camphor, and lit lamps. When we offer deity pure and fresh food prepared in the temple itself, it becomes the sixth ceremony of worship.

When we worship the deity by holding an umbrella and handheld fans over the idol and carrying the deity in circumambulation along the sacred pathway, it is called nine ceremonial methods of worship. We talk about the sixteen ceremonial methods of worship. It can be transformed into sixty-four ceremonial methods of worship.

Devi is woken up in the morning, by chanting the Suprabhataam by the help of auspicious instrumental music. It is followed by the ceremonial ablution of the Devi in the temple bathing the ghats, (pond) or bathing her with sacred waters, and sandalwood paste, adorning her with precious ornaments and silk garments.

Thus attired, Devi is entertained with song and dance and propitiated with sacred hymns. The four Vedas are chanted in her presence. At night, Devi goes to sleep with a lullaby. The Chathushashti(64) upacharam consists of all the ceremonies from morning tonight. Devi is accorded the customary royal honor with gifts and ceremonies usually reserved for Kings.

In addition to these customs, the attitude with which these offerings are made is most important. Normally we perform only five of these ceremonies. It is due to one’s intense devotions, that more rituals are performed, up to 16 in number. Those who spend extensive time in the ritualistic worship of Devi, extend the ceremony to their heart’s desire. They perform all 64 rituals.

They recite stories to Devi, fan her with the Chamaram and hold the royal umbrella to shield her to treat a mother as a mother, one need not learn the procedure specifically. There is no need to learn scriptures for that. Love in our hearts for Her is all we need to do what is necessary to propitiate her.

In essence, these external ceremonies and rituals only serve to strengthen and nourish the love we have for her in our hearts. Many people say they don’t have the time for ritualistic prayer or Aradhana or they don’t know how to meditate. This mantra helps make up for this lack. With whatever time we have, we may perform five, sixteen, or all sixty-four rituals. Amma is always with us. These mantras help us reminiscence about the various activities of Devi.