Lalitha Sahasranama

Lalitha is the joyful, dynamic, and scintillating expression of the Self. A free consciousness, without craving and aversions, well-founded in the Self, is naturally joyful and vibrant. This is the space of Lalitha.

In the Lalitha Sahasranamam, we chant a thousand names of the Divine Mother. Names have a special significance. If we think of a sandalwood tree, we carry the memory of its perfume. Similarly, each name of the Divine in the Sahasranama refers to a different quality or attribute of the Divine. 

Lalita Sahasranama (thousand names of goddess Lalitha) is an old Sanskrit text praising the temperances, perspectives, significance and appearances of Mother Divine. It is accepted whenever recounted with commitment Sri Lalitha, the Mother Divine satisfies both otherworldly and material goals, and offers Karya Siddhi (fortune of completing beneficial things effectively).

There is no petition like this one, which would give both delight and salvation. For ones presenting these thousand names get the two delights just as salvation. It can likewise be recited considering a particular longing. At the point when recited by a woman, it has an exceptionally beneficial outcome on the family unit and the family connections.

Etymology and Structure

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 Lalita Saharanama is one of the only sahasranamas that does not repeat a single name, and has exactly 1000 names, which cannot be found in other Sahasranamas of gods like Vishnu, Shiva (where the total names are either lesser or more than 1000)

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 vaag devis (Vasini, Kameshvari, Aruna, Vimala, Jayani, Modini, Sarveshvari, and Kaulini) upon the command of the goddess Lalita herself. The sahasranama says that "One can worship Lalita 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. At the request of Agastya, Hayagriva is said to have taught him the thousand holiest names of Lalita. The temple at Thirumeeyachur, 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.

How does chanting of the names help?

Our needs and desires change at every stage of our life – from infancy to adolescence to youth and so on. Along with it, the quality of our consciousness undergoes a sea change. When we chant each name, it enlivens those qualities in our consciousness and they manifest in us according to the need of the hour.

Along with enlivening the qualities within us, chanting a thousand names of the Divine gives us the ability to cognize and appreciate them in the world around us. This leads to a fuller and more prosperous existence.

We are grateful to our ancient seers for showing us the way to lead a full life by worshiping divinity in all its diverse qualities.

Chanting the Sahasranama is a ritual by itself. It purifies the mind and uplifts the consciousness. These chants capture our wandering mind. Even if it is only for half an hour, the mind is one-pointed and focused on one divinity and its attributes; it stops wandering. This is a natural form of relaxation.

What is remarkable about the language of the Lalitha Sahasranamam?

The Saharasnama has bhasa saundarya. The language is beautiful and has, both, a deeper meaning and laukika (transliteration). For example, lotus-eyed signifies a beautiful and pure vision. A lotus grows in the mud. Yet, it is beautiful and pure. The lotus-eyed one can live in this world and see beauty and purity in spite of all its challenges.

Lalitha aims to share with the reader an insight into the different qualities described in the Sahasranama with a glimpse into both layers of meaning. The various references to a particular quality have been threaded together. This will help to present multiple dimensions of each quality in continuity.