Category: LS

We mediate the forms of the Divine in mainly two different ways.

From the Divine Feet up to the Head (Padadi Kesha),
From the Head to the Feet (Keshadi Pada).
Masculine forms are usually described from Keshadi Pada and feminine forms in Padadi Kesha. But in Lalita Sahasranama, since Devi is the supreme aspect of all divinity, Devi cannot be attributed to any gender. Hence we could see the description of Devi as Keshadi Pada (from Head to Feet), unlike other feminine forms.

Lalita Sahasranama describes Devi as Om anavadyāṅgyai namaḥ whose body is worthy of worship., on whom we cannot find any faults.

Devi is also praised as Om sarvābharaṇa bhūṣitāyai namaḥ [who is resplendent with all types of ornaments.]

Normally the person gets benefitted from wearing ornaments. But for Devi, that is not the case. Amma often says ”Do we need to decorate a golden pot?”. Devi doesn’t need any ornaments. By adorning ornaments, the lustre of the ornaments is increased not Devi’s. Even though Mother doesn’t need any ornaments, for the sake of Her children, for others to enjoy and meditate on Her form.

As told earlier, in LalitaSahasranama, Devi’s form is being described from head to toe starting from Om campakāśoka punnāga saugandhika lasat kacāyai namaḥ [whose hair has been adorned with flowers like campaka, etc.] and ending with Om śiñjāna maṇi mañjīra maṇḍita śrī padāmbujāyai namaḥ [whose auspicious lotus feet are adorned with gem-studded golden anklets that tinkle sweetly.]

Devi’s hair is adorned with flowers like champaka, asoka, punnaga. She is wearing a beautiful crown named Navamani Mukutam (the crown studded with 9 gems), the crown has a crescent moon. She is wearing a tilak and a bindi on Her forehead. The earrings, various necklaces, finger rings, ornaments worn on the hips, ornaments on the feet and fingers, weapons on Her various arms. 26 types of ornaments were seen various scriptures adorned on Devi. It is not the ornaments that gives lustre to the Mother but the other way round. Thus making all Her children happy, the mother dwells resplendent with all types of ornaments.

Lalita Sahasranama describes Mother’s smile as Om manda smita prabhā pūra majjat kāmeśa mānasāyai namaḥ [who submerges even the mind of Kamesha (Lord Shiva) in the radiance of Her smile.]

This is an everlasting smile. Mother is always smiling. Lord Parameshwara likes to see Mother smiling always. Sri Sankara poetically describes this in a story.

Devi’s garden had many chakora birds (the legendary birds that lived off consuming only the moonlight from a full moon day). Devi used to visit the garden sometimes and play with the chakora birds. On a very rare occasion, Devi came to the garden. The chakora birds who were contemplating only on the full moon saw the soft smile radiating from Mother’s face. It is said that when compared to Mother’s smile, the resplendent moonlight was nothing for the chakora birds.

When go for a feast, if anyone consumes more sweet pudding, will result in a nauseating feeling. This will be neutralized instantly when you consume the sour ginger-tamarind pickle. In a similar way the chakora birds, by seeing Mother’s smile entered a an eternal blissful state. For them, seeing the full moonlight became like having the ginger pickle in between an amazing feast.

स्मितज्योत्स्नाजालं तव वदनचन्द्रस्य पिबतां
चकोराणामासीदतिरसतया चञ्चुजडिमा
अतस्ते शीतांशोरम्रुतलहरी अम्लरुचयः
पिबन्ति स्वच्छन्दं निशि निशि भृशं काञ्जिकधिया
Soundarya Lahari 63

The Chakora birds, feel that their beaks have been numbed, by forever drinking, the sweet nectar-like light emanating fromMother’s moon-like face, and for a change wanted to taste something sour. Thus, they have started freely drinking, the white rays of the moon in the sky, night after night, thinking that is is sour rice gruel.

The full moon in a spring season is usually considered as something that evokes happiness in everyone. But Mother’s face is considered more beautiful than that. The living examples for this were the great souls like Sri Rama, Sri Krishna, and divine beings like our Amma. You can always see a smile on their face. In Amma’s dhyana sloka, we chant Manda-smitha-sri-mukhim . The famous Swami Ramdas of Anandasram, Kanhangad use to smile always even if he is alone in his room. This is due to the overflow of the infinite bliss they were experiencing. We could see such great beings smiling and being happy whatever the situations may be.

I’m going to narrate a story of an ardent devotee who attained the glance of the Lotus Feet of the Divine Mother. This is a story from the famous Aithihyamala. There was a Namboothiri in North Kerala. He was well settled, but a sudden poverty stuck him and he was ousted from his home by relatives. He didn’t know what to do next. He walked into a nearby forest. He walked for the entire day and was tired. It was late in the evening by then and he searched for a place to rest. He found an ashram of a great rishi and thought he could take refuge there. The compassionate rishi welcomed him, gave him fruits to eat and a place to sleep. The next day morning, the sage asked his whereabouts and he narrated all his life and the problems he faced. He said “ All my relatives now hates me, I’ve been ousted from my own home and no refuge.” The rishi replied, “Do not worry. You can stay here along with me as long as you wish”.

He started to stay with the rishi. The rishi understood with his divine vision that it is because he didn’t do his spiritual practices properly, he has attained this state. He had chanted all the mantras in a wrong way all these time! The master taught him the proper way of chanting and doing the sadhana. He started to do his practices properly under his master’s guidance. He became a good disciple of the rishi.

After many years, he found that his master never sleeps in the night. Also he could hear strange sounds from the master’s room. He became eager to find out what was happening. One night, he went to the master’s room at midnight. To his surprise, he found that a lot of celestial beings are visiting his master every night and are conversing with him! He focussed on what they were talking about and could find that the devatas were inviting his master for a festival in Kailas.

The next day morning, the namboothiri went to the rishi and confessed, “I had committed a grave mistake. I peeped into your room yesterday night. I saw the devatas inviting you for a festival in Kailas. Please take me also along with you. I too have the desire to attend that festival.” Hearing this, the rishi replied “Only a very few selected and divine beings were allowed to attend such events. I don’t think you are ready yet.” But the disciple was not ready to hear that. He insisted on taking him along. He pleaded to the master to show mercy. The master replied “Ok. But there are some strict guidelines you should follow. You have to always hold to my little finger throughout our visit. Never ever raise your head, always look down. Whatever you may see, do not utter a word”. The disciple agreed.

Thus, with the divine power of the rishi, both of them went to Kailas. There were celebrations at every corner. People were chanting Vedas on one side. The sounds of conch and drums could be heard. The entire place was decorated. Celestial dancers and musicians were performing on the other side. Lord Vishnu himself is standing and receiving the guests at the entrance! Everywhere one could see great celebrations. Chantings were going on in one corner, people were debating on scriptures in other, what to say! It was a divine sight to behold. It was noontime, a special lunch was prepared to serve everyone. Our Namboothiri also went along with his master to have lunch. Lord Vishnu, Shiva and other god and goddesses themselves were serving the lunch. Devi was serving payasam and reached near our Namboothiri. As he was not supposed to look up, he could only see Mother’s feet.

LalitaSahasranama describes Mother’s feet as follows

Om gūḍha gulphāyai namaḥ
[whose ankles are hidden.]
Om kūrma pṛṣṭha jayiṣṇu prapadānvitāyai namaḥ
[whose feet have arches that rival the back of a tortoise in smoothness and beauty.]
Om nakha dīdhiti sañchanna namajjana tamoguṇayai namaḥ
[whose toenails give out such a radiance that all the darkness of ignorance is dispelled from those devotees who prostrate at Her feet.]
Om pada dvaya prabhā jāla parākṛta saroruhāyai namaḥ
[whose feet defeat lotus flowers in radiance.]

Seeing the beautiful feet of Devi, Namboothiri couldn’t resist. He looked-up but couldn’t see Mother. The Lord’s servant Nandi understood that there is an uninvited guest among the crowd and kicked him. He fell back to a pond named Peringode (in Palakkad, Kerala). People who came to take a bath in the pond the next day saw him lying in the pond unconscious and took him. Since he got the divine vision of Mother’s feet, he later became very famous. Whatever he prescribed as a medicine for ailments started to work. Everyone started to revere him as a great devotee of the Mother.

Aithihyamala says that just a glance of Mother’s Feet uplifted the stature of this person. Let us remember that Divine Feet of Devi.

Devi has a name Bhakta-Namra in Lalita Sahasranama. The dhyana sloka says “bhaktanamrām bhavānīm”. It has a meaning that one who prostrates Her devotees. People come to Mother and are very happy to see Her, the same way Mother is also very happy to see Her children. Everyone prostrates before Mother and Mother prostrates before everyone.

Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu derives its name from the meaning ramayah ishvarah; the lord who stands for the cause of Rama or ramasyah ishvarah; In the same way Devi can be bhaktena namra, the one who is worshipped by the devotees or bhaktaya namra, the one who worships/bow down in front of Her devotees. We can see various shades of Bhakti in different parts of Lalita Sahasranama.

Om sumeru madhya śṛṅgasthāyai namaḥ
[who sits on the middle peak of Mount Sumeru.]
Om śrīman nagara nāyikāyai namaḥ
[who is the Mistress of the most auspicious (or prosperous) city.]
Om cintāmaṇi gṛhāntasthāyai namaḥ
[who resides in a house built of the wish-fulfilling gem.]
Om pañca brahmāsana sthitāyai namaḥ
[who sits on a seat made of five Brahmas.]

What these mantras suggest is that Devi’s palace is built with the most auspicious of the materials. It is built with the Chintamani (the wish-fulfilling) gem. The Chintamani palace is situated in the middle of a garden full of Kalpataru ( a wish-fulling celestial tree). Legends say that worshipping one single Chintamani gemstone is enough to fulfil all the desires, Devi’s palace being built entirely with this Chintamani gem is symbolically stating that Mother fulfils all Her children’s wishes.

Devi is seated on a special throne held by 5 devatas which symbolizes that Devi is doing Srishti (Creation) as 1. Brahmma, Sthithi (Sustenance) as 2. Vishnu, Samhara (Dissolution) as 3. Rudra, Thirodhanam (Hiding) as 4. Eswara and Anugruham (Blessings) as 5. Sadasiva. Hence if we think about the palace, Devi’s abode, Her throne, it is very clear that we do not have to go anywhere searching for anything. She is capable of granting what we need.

Lalita Sahasranama also praises Devi as Kamakshi and Kamadayini. Once few devotees asked the Kanchi Paramacharya Sri Chandrasekhara Saraswati, “What is the reason that you propagate devotion to the Divine Mother so much?”, the Paramacharya remained silent for a while. The entire crowd around him were eagerly waiting to see what the answer is. He slowly replied “Look at what is happening now. Isn’t this alone enough to unravel the divinity of the Divine Mother? I’m a very old man, I’m not able to talk properly neither do I know how to tell jokes nor do I know how to speak in such a way that the lister becomes happy. Most of the time I’m fasting and is observing silence. In spite of all these, see all these crowds are eagerly waiting to hear what I’m saying. What can you call this if not Kamakshi’s Grace?”

There is sloka in Soundarya Lahari that goes like this
Naram varshiyamsam nayana virasam narmasu jadam,
Thava panga loke pathitha manudhavanthi sathasa
Gala dweni bhandha kuch kalasa visthrutha sichaya
Hatath thrudyath kanchyho vigalidha dhukoola yuva thaya. (SL 13)

With dishevelled hair and with upper cloths slipping from their busts, with the lock of the golden belt getting open due to the haste, and with saris slipping away from their shoulders, hundreds of young women run after those who get your sidelong glance, even though they are very old, bad looking and not interested in love sports.

What is implied is when you go after the devotees of Devi who has Her Grace, not only that devotee but those who follow him/her will also be liberated. They go beyond the body consciousness. They become one with the Mother. Each of their actions becomes the actions of the Mother.

Self Realisation is the ultimate goal in one’s life. Eating, drinking, sleep, fear, procreation all these are seen in all living beings but humans have developed the principles of discrimination, dharma & knowledge. Using these uplifting oneself to the supreme state should be the goal of human life. There are four purusharthas (goals of human existence) 1. Dharma (Righteousness), 2.Artha (Prosperity), 3.Kama (Pleasure) & 4.Moksha (Liberation). Out of these Moksha is considered. the most valuable and ultimate aim.

Devi is Moksha Daayini (One who liberates us). Imagine one became friends with a king. The king is the custodian of infinite wealth. How would it sound when the friend asks the king Rs.500! The king is capable of giving anything. How foolish would it be to return from his palace with a cucumber from the palace kitchen! Devi is ready to offer us the kingdom of moksha. We should ask the right thing, that’s all.

Sri Lalita Sahasranama praises Devi as Vyapini & Vividhakara. This means Devi is Omnipresent and all the forms that we perceive are of Her. In another place, Devi is praised as sahasra śīrṣa vadanā (who has a thousand heads and faces.), sahasrākṣi (who has a thousand eyes.), and sahasra pada (who has a thousand feet.) In Samskritam, sahasra also means infinite. Devi is Omnipresent, the energy that pervading everywhere.

There was a famous devotee of the Mother named Abhirami Bhattar who lives in a place known as Thirukkadavoor in Tamil Nadu. One he was asked the question “Where is Devi?”.

He uses to meditate upon Devi all the time and he couldn’t answer immediately. Some people say Devi is the consort of Lord Shiva always by His side yet some others say Devi is present inside the temple, many others say Devi is present in the various chakras and others say Devi resides in our heart and some people say Devi is in the milky ocean. So, Abhirami Bhattar couldn’t reply immediately. He said, “I don’t know exactly but I feel as if Devi resides in my heart”.

This is like the story of a great healer who was once walking through a narrow street. A cow was lying across the path. He didn’t feel like crossing-over the cow, hence he took a stick and tried to scare away the cow. Since he was a healer and knew all the vital points, wherever he tried to beat the cow he saw a vital point that would result in the death of the cow. Hence he was standing there not knowing what to do.

An ordinary man approached from the other side. Seeing him the healer asked to drive away from the cow. He simply took a stick and beat the cow and it ran away.

Since the ordinary man didn’t know about any vital points he could drive away from the cow but the healer couldn’t. In the same way, when Abhirami Bhattar was asked where is Devi, he couldn’t answer immediately as he was experiencing Devi everywhere. He praised Devi in his famous Abhirami Anthadi like this

Uraiginra nin thirukkoyil-nin kelvar oru pakkamo,
araiginra naan maraiyin adiyo mudiyo, amudham
niraiginra ven thingalo, kanjamo; endhan nenjagamo,
maraiginra vaaridhiyo?- pooranaasala mangalaiye!

Abhirami! You are ever omnipresent, perfect, and auspicious. Is your abode the left- half of my father Shiva?, or is it the final truth of the Vedas or is your abode the white-moon full of Ambrosia. Is your abode the heart of this simpleton like me? or is it the sacred-milk sea? Would you condescend to tell me what your favorite abode is?

In LalitaSahasranama, Devi is also praised as
Om nija sallāpa mādhurya vinirbhartsita kacchapyai namaḥ
(who excels even the veena of Sarasvati in the sweetness of Her speech.)

In Soundarya lahari, Sri Sankara describes this as a story. The shloka goes like this

vipañchyā gāyantī vividha-mapadānaṃ paśupate-
stvayārabdhe vaktuṃ chalitaśirasā sādhuvachane |
tadīyai-rmādhuryai-rapalapita-tantrīkalaravāṃ
nijāṃ vīṇāṃ vāṇīṃ nichulayati cholena nibhṛtam ‖
(Saundarya Lahari 66)

Each of the gods and goddesses has a name for their Veena. Narada’s veena is known as tumburu, Mother Saraswati’s veena is known as Kacchapi.

One day in the court of the Divine Mother, goddess Saraswati was singing a song on stories of Lord Shiva (Pashupati) which Mother likes the most. It was sung by the goddess Saraswati who is the source of all music and knowledge, so no need to say how beautiful it would have been! Mother was enjoying this and was about to say “Sadhu”, meaning “Good” to appreciate the music.

When Mother started to utter the word Sa, the entire court’s attention moved to the Mother and goddess Saraswati’s music lost its importance in front of the sweet voice of the Mother. Seeing this, goddess Saraswati understood that there is no more need for my music and covered the veena with the cloth so that the strings throwing sweetest music are not put to shame by Mother’s voice full of sweetness.

The above shloka in Soundarya Lahari is repeatedly chanted by music aspirants as part of their sadhana.

Devi stands as the perfect example of the art of communication. Purvavibhashi Sumukah. We shouldn’t wait for others to open a dialogue. We should open the conversation. We should speak the truth and whatever is pleasant to hear. Devi’s voice is as sweet as a veena. One should talk in a sweet and soft voice.

Madhu-kshira-drakhsa-madhurima-dhurinah phanitayah

Devi’s words are the sweetest rivaling the honey, milk, and grapes. The normal mutterings of Devi alone are enough to shame the veena of Goddess Saraswati.

Every object in ti s universe is the creation of the Divine Mother. From the smallest of the organisms to the Brahma, hence we praise in the LS as Om ābrahma kīṭa jananyai namaḥ, who is the mother of everything from Brahma to the lowliest insect. As said earlier, the syllable Sri is added to depict anything that is connected to Devi.

The abode of Divine Mother is called Sri Puram, the path of Sadhana followed is known as Sri Vidya, Sri also depicts the Purusharthas (Dharma, Artha, Kama & Moksha). Out of all these Moksha is the most suspicious and ultimate aim and Devi bestows Moksha, hence she is addressed with the syllable Sri. It is because of this great souls like Sri Sankara, Sri Ramana Maharshi, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and others considered the feminine aspect of the Divine as their own Mother.

Usually people go to their Mothers to unburden their sorrow. It is said like this in the Devi Aparadha Kshamapana Stotram composed by Sri Sankara,

āpatsumagnassmaraṇaṁ tvadīyaṁ |
karōmi durgē karuṇārṇavē śivē |
naitacchaṭhatvaṁ mama bhāvayēthāḥ |
kṣudhātr̥ṣārtā jananīṁ smaranti ||

O Mother I have sunk in misfortunes and therefore remembering you now which I never did before,o Mother, you who are an ocean of compassion, Therefore do not think of me as false and my invocation as a pretence, Because when children are afflicted with hunger and thirst, they naturally remember their mother only –

matsamaḥ pātakī nāsti pāpaghnī tvatsamā na hi |
ēvaṁ jñātvā mahādēvī yathā yōgyaṁ tathā kuru ||

O Mother, There is no one as fallen like me, and there is no one as uplifting by removing sins like you, considering thus, O Mahadevi, please do whatever is proper to save me. To praise Devi, one do not need to have profound knowledge or practices in mantra or tantra. Nor one need to give huge donations to the temples or perform Japa, dhyana and study scriptures. What she needs is the innocent pure Love. That is what we need to offer to the Mother.

She is the root cause of this universe. Like the smallest invisible seed becomes a huge banyan tree and manifests as the trunk, the branches, the leaves and the fruits. If you look into each part, each one is different from the other. The branches are different from the fruits, the fruits are different from the leaves and so on. But the root cause for all these was that minute seed. In a similar way the root cause and foundation for this universe is Divine Mother.

When we make ornaments from the gold, the bangles are different from the ear stud which intern is different from the necklace but the gold in all the ornaments remain the same. In a similar way, it is Devi who is the power of consciousness that pervades the entire creation. She is the cause for this world, Jagad Karini. Hence it is with Her one should unburden your sorrows and share your joy. In happiness or sorrow, we should remember Her.

Aapadi Kim Karneeyam?
Smaraneeyam Charanayugalam Ambaayaah!
What to do when in trouble?
Think of the Lotus Feet of the Divine Mother!

All the devatas are Her control. Hence we should always remember Her feet

We often argue whether God is having a form or is She formless? Amma often says ” Don’t think whether God is with or without attributes. Both are in fact the same. Some part of the ocean freezes to become icebergs. That doesn’t make it different from the ocean. It is still a part of the vast ocean. The waters from the ocean vaporise forms clouds and come back as rains. In the same way, God can attain any form to Grace us. By attaining any form the formless principle is not being affected”. The divine being manifests in front of us as avatars just to Grace and bless us.

In India there are many popular Sahasranamas out of which those of Vishnu, Shiva, Ganapati & Lalita are considered the most famous. Ganga, Kalika, Gayatri, Saraswati, Sita, Shyamala, Rajeshwari, Bhavani, Bala, Parvati, Meenakshi, Radhika, Durga, Lakshmi, are a few among the Sahasranamas of divine mother. Among these, Lalita Sahasranama is the most famous.

The word Lalita means simple. “Laliteti Sundaram” is another definition meaning Lalita means beautiful. “Lalanat Lalita” means the one who is always with us in whatever actions we do. A child plays and walks with the mother without any fear or hesitation, in the same way, this mantra depicts the accessibility of Laita Devi, who is ever approachable for whatever needs and ready to walk alongside with us in any circumstances.

Eventhough we adore the supreme being as Nirguna (who is beyond all three gunas of nature, namely, Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas), Nishkala(who is without parts), we also praise Her as Nama Narayana pita (who is pleased by the repetition of Her names) . Even if She doesn’t have any names and forms, She takes a form and come running towards the cry of Her beloved Children. Hence the first mantra of Lalita Sahasranama is Sri Mata. There are so many names in LS that denotes the motherly nature of Devi, namely Amba, Ayi, Ambika, Dhaatri, Jagad Dhatri, Prasu, Viyadadi Jagad Prasu, Veera Mata, Janani, Jagad Janani etc.

The effort a Mother takes to give birth to a child is enormous. It is because for this reason great souls. like Sri Sankara, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Sri Ramana Maharshi etc were eager to serve their biological mothers. An ordinary mother takes care of our well being in this birth but the Divine Mother is always with us during all our births and tries to uplift us. Not only that this creation and the Mother are not different. We say it as Karya-Kaarana Bandham (Relationship between the effect and the cause). Like gold is needed to create ornaments, Gold is the cause and ornaments are the effect. Mud is the cause and pot is the effect. In this universe the Divine Mother is the cause and effect. Anything that is sentient or insentient is the Divine Mother. She sees everything as Her own and it is because of this we call her Jagad Janani, Jagan Mata etc.

We add the syllable Sri in front of LalitaSahasranama and also in front of Mata. This is the peculiarity of the Indian tradition. When we talk about Sannyasins, we usually address them as “Anantha Sri Vibhooshitha”, those with infinite auspiciousness. When a mother gives birth to a child, She doesn’t know what kind of child she is giving birth to. But by addressing the Divine Mother Sri Mata, we depict the Divine power behind the creation, the energy that had complete knowledge on this creation. In Soundarya Lahari, it is said that without the blessings of Devi, even the trinity (Brahma, Vishnu & Maheshwara) cannot perform their duties.

sivah saktya yukto yadi bhavati saktah prabhavitum
na ced evam devo nakhalu kusalah spanditum api

Without Her blessings, even the Parameshwara cannot pulsate!
Hence this creation is done with the complete knowledge unlike an ordinary mother giving birth. Devi does the Creation (Srishti), Sustenance(Sthithi) and Dissolution(Samhara) through the trinity.

There are around 321 shlokas in Lalita Sahasranama. The preface has 51 shlokas. The main crux constituting the stotra is 183 shlokas. It has 1 dhyana shloka and the phalashruti (explanation on what one can achieve by chanting the stotram) has 86 shlokas.

Amma often says “Whoever chants LalitaSahasranama daily with faith and devotion, Devi takes care of all his/her material needs. At the same, there will also be spiritual progress.”

The Lalita Sahasranama is believed to be composed by the 8 divine Vagdevatas (or Rishis) who are the deities of speech with the following names. 1.Vasini Vagdevi; 2. Kameswari; Vagdevi; 3. Modini Vagdevi; 4. Kamala Vagdevi; 5. Aruna Vagdevi; 6. Jayini Vagdevi; 7. Sarveswari Vagdevi and 8. Koushini Vagdevi. They are believed to be the rishis of this stotram/mantras as there are rishis for every mantra. “Rishis are Mantra-drashtas or “the seers of thought”

The Lalita Sahasranama appears in the Uttara khanda (the last part) of the Brahmanda Purana in the form of conversation (Samvada) between the lord Hayagreeva & sage Agastya as the lord initiates the sage with the auspicious wisdom.

Once Lalita Devi addressed Vasini and the other Vagdevathas “I command you – who know the secrets of Srichakra, and of Sri Vidya and other Mantras to compose a hymn of a thousand names that reveal my greatness. Lead the way to let my devotees obtain My grace by chanting it!”. Accordingly Vasini and the other 7 deities of speech composed the Lalita Sahasranama consisting of the most secret mantras.

There are 51 alphabets in the Sanskrit language. The Vagdevis used the best words and letters to describe the mother and avoided the most difficult ones to ease the pronunciation thus selecting only 32 letters from the Sanskrit alphabet.

Lalita Sahasranama is said to be a combination of Bhakti, Vedanta and the Yoga Sadhana. Vagdevis are very close to the Mother and no-one else could have described mother in such an authentic and spotless way. They are the deities of speech.Who else can write it better than them!

Subsequently one day Devi sitting on her throne, gave the opportunity of her Darshan to all those who were present in the court, including countless Brahma’s, Countless Vishnu’s, Rudra’s and Sakthi’s such as Mantrini, Dandini and the other inhabitants of heaven. She gave them all the opportunity to worship her. As every one took their seats after the worship, Lalita Devi allowed Vasini and the other deities to chant the Sahasranama by visual signaling. They stood up with their palms joined in devotion and chanted “Lalita Sahasranama” in her praise.

This divine stotra was heard by Lord Hayagreeva from the Vagdevis and gave it to sage Agastya. Sage Agastya along with his wife Lopamudra spread gave it to this mortal world. In Tamil Nadu, there is a place known as Thirumeichur (earlier known as Sri Puram). It is believed that it is here where the Lalita Sahasranama was chanted for. the first time in this world.

There is a popular story. Once Adi Sankara wanted to write a commentary on Lalita Sahasranama and asked his disciples to bring the palm leaves containing the mantras. The disciples brought a manuscript and gave it to Sri Sankara. When he opened, he found it to be Vishnu Sahasranama, not Lalita Sahasranama. Sri Sankara said, “Please bring Lalita Sahasranama”. Again a manuscript was given and to the surprise when Sri Sankara opened that too was of Vishnu Sahasranama. This happened repeatedly for many times. Sri Sankara became a bit furious and asked his disciple “Why are you bringing Vishnu Sahasranama when I ask for Lalita Sahasranama?” the disciple replied, “Master, whenever I go to take Lalita Sahasranama, a little girl stands next to the manuscript library and gives me this. I couldn’t refuse!”. Sri Sankara understood what this implied using his divine vision and created a commentary on Vishnu Sahasranama. Later Sri Sankara composed a beautiful hymn on Mother named Saundarya Lahari. Lalitāsahasranāma bhāsya is a commentary (bhāsya) on Lalita Sahasranama by Bhaskararaya. This work was completed in 1728 CE. The translations of this work became popular in all languages in India.

An infant is more affectionate towards its mother than the father.
pitra nirbhalsitho balah
matreya ashwasithokhila
The father always tries to bring us to a disciplined way of life whereas the mother always tries to console us. Even if we do anything wrong, mother forgives and console us.

We praise Devi like this
Bhumau Skalitha Paadaanaam
Bhumireva Avalambanam
Thvayi Jaatha Aparaadhanaam
Thwameva Sharanam Shive
If we slip, we fall on to Mother Earth. In the same way, when we do a mistake the divine Mother forgives and with Her unconditional Love tries to correct us. This is why it is said a baby is attracted more towards its mother.

by Swami Sankaramritananda Puri