Lalita Sahasranama meanings per name
251. Chinmayī
Meaning – She is an embodiment of knowledge (Jnana, chit).
She fills these Brahmas with this knowledge. Using them as a medium She executes all tasks related to creation, sustenance and so on.
The three eternal aspects of Supreme are ‘Sacchidananda’ i.e. Sat, Chit and Ananda. ‘Sat’ means that which is eternal. ‘Chit’ means knowledge. ‘Ananda’ means bliss.
Chit is thus an important aspect of Parabrahma. It is the root. Everything stems from knowledge. Knowledge (Jnana) can be defined as ‘understanding, wisdom or experience’. A beautiful definition that summarizes knowledge is –
‘śwetara aprakāśara prakāśatvam jnānam’
Meaning – Jnana is that which glows purely out of its own illumination and without the support of any external illumination (prakasha).
Knowledge is self-illuminating and it causes others to glow. A truly knowledgeable person (Jnani) will have nothing left to be learnt from others.
252. Paramānandā
Meaning – She enjoys eternal ultimate bliss.
A truly knowledgeable person (Chinmayī) has no expectations and no desires and thus enjoys eternal bliss.
A person who expects (it could be anything such as money, help, appreciation, recognition and so on) can never be happy. This is because whenever the situation is not in accordance to the perceived expectation, it causes unhappiness or distress. At times, even when the positive outcome far exceeds the desired expectation, the net result could still be disastrous. For instance, a person who buys a lottery ticket with an expectation of earning some prize will be distressed when he fails to get any prize. Another person who bought the ticket with a similar intent will collapse due to excitement when informed that he has bagged the bumper prize of 5 crore rupees.
Contrary to this, is the attitude wherein a person goes on performing his/her allotted or prescribed duty irrespective of praise or abuse. There is no expectation of any reward, recognition or merit. A person with such an attitude remains eternally blissful. External events and the net results cannot destabilize him/her from this exalted blissful state.
253. Vijñānaghana-rūpiṇī
Meaning – She is the treasure house of wisdom and experience (vijnana, anubhava).
The word ‘Jnana’ refers to knowledge, ‘Vijnāna’ refers to wisdom learnt through experience. Bringing that knowledge (Jnana) to use through practical experience is Vijnāna. A Jnani selects that knowledge which is most dear to him/her and transforms it into experience. With the resultant wisdom, He is a Vijnāni.
254. Dhyāna-dhyātṛ-dhyeya-rūpā
Meaning – She manifests in the form of the triad (set of three) of meditation (dhyāna), the practitioner of meditation (dhyātr) and the object of meditation (dhyeya).
Every aspect in this world necessarily falls under the triad. The subject (the person who is desirous of procuring this knowledge), the object (the matter to be known) and the method of procuring this knowledge form the triad. They are classified as Icchhā, Jnana and Kriya aspects. Lord Dattatreya who has in Him all the 3 aspects is worshipped as a form of Trinity.
What is meant by upāsana? Upasana means that the person conducting the upasana should be able to visualize the oneness (aikya) between himself, his Guru and the mantra given by his Guru. Contemplating and understanding that all these are one and the same is known as dhyana. Dhyana is thus the process of achieving this goal. Dhyatr is the person who is undertaking this practice. Dhyeya is the object of the meditation (what is sought to be known through dhyana).
Let us understand the sequence of flow of the names in Lalita Sahasranama beginning with Mahā-yāga-kramārādhyā (name 230). This stage represents the aspirant who undertakes stringent practices, desirous of ultimate liberation. Due to this Sadhana he reaches the stage of Bhairava (become Shiva) and then worships Her (‘Mahā-bhairava-poojitā’ – name 231). The aspirant further reaches the state of complete merger (aikya) with the Almighty and this is ‘Maheśvara-mahākalpa-mahātāṇḍava-sakṣiṇī (name 232)’.
255. Dharmādharma-vivarjitā
Meaning – She is over and above righteousness (dharma) and unrighteousness (adharma). This represents the essence of the Supreme (Parabrahma tattva).
(Dharmas are the set of rules of righteousness that support and maintain the regulatory order of the universe).
Having described Her universal (composite Brahmanda or samishti) state, Lalita Sahasranama now comes to the individual (pindanda or vyasti) state.
Each living being experiences 3 states of existence- wakeful (jāgrat) state, dream state (swapna) and deep sleep (śuśupti) state. These 3 states of experience are not merely limited to humans, but to all living beings including plants and trees. The truth is that trees and plants also go through a dream state. Aren’t they living things that possess consciousness?
These three states that are experienced by the individual being are explained from here until name 263.
256. Viśwarūpā
Meaning – She takes on the form of this universe (Viśwa).
‘Viśwa’ is commonly understood to mean the universe at large. However, the term Viśwa refers to the body (the individual, pindanda). The entire world in reality exists within the individual. It is simply projected /visualized in the external world.
In the wakeful state (jāgrat avastha) the ‘being’ exists in the gross body (sthoola shareera) and is called Viśwa. It is aware of its body, its existence and is fully conscious. ‘Jāgaraṇa’ means ‘to be awake’. The seed letter (beejakshara) connected to this state is ‘A’-kaara. The trait (guna) that rules this state is the Sattva (traits of purity).
257. Jāgariṇī
Meaning – During the waking state (explained above) the Supreme Mother, who in reality exists within the being, takes on the name Jāgariṇī. She enables the being to function in this wakeful state.
258. Swapantī
Meaning – It is She who exists in the dream state (swapna avastha) experienced by the being.
In the dream state the being exists in the subtle body (sookśma shareera) and possesses predominantly rajasic traits (rajo guna). The being is still consciousness of its separate existence. The tejas (consciousness) that was experienced by the individual throughout the day in the form of thoughts, the various sounds heard, the actions and feelings have all been registered and absorbed by the subtle body. The mind, which, until then was travelling externally in its expanded form, now contracts and goes within. It continues to function and as a result of this functioning, dreams are experienced. Fictional dreams also arise as a result of some imaginations or assumptions that exist subtly in the mind. The beejakshara (seed letter) for this dream state is ‘U’ Kaara.
259. Taijasātmikā
Meaning – During the dream state, the Divine Mother who exists within takes on the name Taijasā.
260. Suptā
Meaning – She is present in the being during the deep sleep state of śuśupti (Suptā).
The mind tired after endless dreaming, drifts into a deep sleep state (Shushupti) wherein it loses its individual identity. It is actually the Divine Mother who is residing within the being at this stage of Suptā (deep sleep).
The seed letter for this state is ‘Ma’. This state is predominantly ruled by tamo guna and the being is now in the causal body (kārana shareera).
From this it is clear that all the 3 states of existence are in fact experienced by the Supreme Mother who resides within each being. This is at the vyasthi (individual) level. These 3 states total the AUM (Omkara). This mantra (Om) thus covers all the 3 stages of existence. Taking initiation of this mantra from the Guru and chanting it has endless benefits.