Lalita Sahasranama meanings per name
841. Bhāvajñā
Meaning- She knows our inner most thoughts and intent. One who is aware of our thought (bhava or intent) is Bhāvajñā.
842. Bhava-rogaghnī
Meaning- She burns away the diseases (roga) of this samsara (bhava).
This life becomes a burden to him who does not possess the supreme Jnana. Such person fears old age and death. He who has the Supreme Knowledge, on the other hand, entertains no fears. To him birth and death are not bondages. He willingly seeks another birth so that he can serve the guru. To attain such a state the life given to us should be utilized wisely. In such persons, the Supreme Mother burns away the bondages and fears that entrap.
843. Bhava-cakra-pravartinī
Meaning- She is the cause of this bhava chakra (cycle of births and deaths, samsara).
This samsara is an endless cycle. It can be compared to a terrible and endlessly rotating giant wheel. We puppets can’t even jump out of it. Only he, who completely surrenders to Her can escape from it.
To those who understand Her essence and seek Her protection, She is ‘Bhava-rogaghnī’ (She burns away the samsara); in its absence She is ‘Bhava-cakra-pravartinī’ (the cause of this samsara). If She wills, She can grant peace of mind and calmness to the devotee even before the wheel comes to a halt.
Samsara together with all its entrapments emerges purely out of bhava (thoughts, intentions, feelings and emotions). For this reason pure feelings (bhava) should only be entertained. The Divine Mother is Bhāvajñā (aware of our innermost intentions and thoughts) and based on this She can either cause the bondages or give relief from it.
844. Chandaḥ sārā
Meaning- She is the essence of all the Vedas. All the Vedas speak about Her.
In the Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna states- Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo vedanta-krid veda-vid eva caham.
Meaning- All the Vedas speak about ‘Me’ alone. I am its author.
Chandas also refers to the rhythm or meter. She is also the meter/ rhythm of the Vedic hymns.
845. Śāstra-sārā
Meaning- She is the essence of all shastras. All Shastras reveal about Her.
‘Understanding the essence’ is the primary criteria behind reading Shastras. The knowledge earned and the spiritual progress achieved through reading should be assessed. Efforts should be put in to grasp the secretive essence contained within. Only then the true fruits of the reading will be delivered.
Pravruttir va nivrittir va nityena krtakena va
Pumsam yenopathisyeta tat shastra mabhideeyate.
Meaning- ‘Shastra’ means that which teaches the pravritti dharma (duty in the worldly/ external life), the nivritti dharma (duty in spiritual life, inward path), the knowledge about that which is permanent and true (nitya), and that which adopts fictitious examples (krtaka) for our understanding of the supreme truth.
She is the end result/ fruit of understanding the Shastras! She is Phalanee (Palani)- You are the fruit (phala+nee).
Lord Subrahmanya is known as Palani Swamy. The story is that Narada Maharishi once brought a fruit and offered it to Lord Shiva. Shiva in turn presented it to Parvati Devi. Seeing the fruit in the mother’s hand, both her sons Ganapati and Subrahmanya demanded the fruit in entirety. She gave the fruit to Ganapati. Dejected, Subrahmanya flew away from his home. He settled in Thiru Avinankudi (Tamil Nadu). Shiva and Parvati tried in various means to pacify him but it was of no use. Finally Shiva said to Subrahmanya, “You are the true fruit (phala nee). You are the fruit of all wisdom. You are the fruit of true understanding of Supreme essence. You are the fruit of all the Vedas, Shastras, Yoga, Nama-sankeertan and karma”. He gives the fruits of all this sadhana on to his devotees.
846. Mantra-sārā
Meaning- She is the essence of all the mantras.
Every mantra, irrespective of whether it is big or small, ultimately leads to Her. ‘Reaching Her abode’ is the goal behind the recitation of mantra (japa).
‘Ma’ kāra mananam chaivā, ‘tra’ kāram trāna uchyate
Meaning- In the word ‘Mantra, the alphabet ‘ma’ stands for manana (recitation, repetition); ‘tra’ refers to the protection that is offered to such person.
Therefore, Mantra protects the person who recites it endlessly.
847. Talodarī
Meaning-
a) She possesses very good health.
b) She retains all the Vedas in Her stomach (udara).
This name is also read as Atalodari- It then means that She protects even the 7 nether worlds beginning from Atala and is a support for them. She retains the Atala (the first of the nether worlds) in the stomach (udara).
848. Udāra-kīrtiḥ
Meaning- Her reputation and fame are infinite and vast.
849. Uddhāma- vaibhavā
(While reciting, there should be no pause between Uddhāma and vaibhavā as it is one name).
Meaning- She cannot be measured. She cannot be bound.
Dāma refers to a rope. In the ancient past, the rope was used as a unit of measurement. Once Yadhoda māta tried to tie little Krishna, who was being very mischievous, to the urn with a rope (dāma) around His waist (udara). However hard she tried, the rope would always fall slightly short. Through this incident the Lord showed that the supreme energy is beyond measurement by any unit and hence Krishna was given the name Dāmodarā. He is Uddhāma- vaibhavā.
850. Varṇa-rūpiṇī
Meaning- All the alphabets (varna, akshara) are Her forms.
This name has been re-iterated many a time in this Sahasranama. Through this, the importance of this alphabets is being stressed upon.. Alphabets are the source of all knowledge. They are eternal and are the supreme truth.