Lalita Sahasranama meanings per name
321. Kāmyā
Meaning – Attaining Her is the highest desire entertained by her devotees.
Of all the desires, the most-supreme desire is the desire for liberation. All other desires apart from this are worthless. Attaining Her means attaining liberation.
Kāmyā also means daylight. Vedas extol the Supreme Mother as Kāmyā i.e. daylight. Daylight dispels darkness (ignorance). This is a gentle reminder to devotees to desire liberation which dispels darkness and ignorance in entirety.
322. Kāmakalā rūpā
Meaning – She exists in the form of all intentions (sankalpas), desires (kāma) and arts (kalā). They are pre-requisites for the existence and functioning of this entire universe.
Both desires and arts (kāmakalā) are aspects of energy (shakti). Being able to have the right intention and the right desire is itself an art. The person should be able to know what to seek. This is where the demons go awry. Trying to be over-smart they seek boons that ultimately lead to their destruction. Actions originate out of intentions deeply hidden within us. Desire is said to be the root of all actions. The Vedas explain this lucidly.
For example, let us understand the meaning of the following verse from Krishna yajurveda –
Kāmokarśin namo namah. Kāmonakarishit kāmah karoti nāham karomi kāmah karta nāham karta kāmah kārayita nāham kārayita eshad te kāma kāmāya swāha.
Meaning- Desire or inner sankalpa (desire, intent) is the root for all action. It exists subtly in an invisible state deep within. It is not ‘I’ who performed the action. Desire is the karta (the doer of the action). Desire (kaama) is causing the performance of the action (kārayita). I am not the cause. Hence all these intentions and desires are offered to you (swaha) O Lord Kāma Kāmeshwara.
As a composite form of all intentions She takes on the name Kāmakalā rūpā.
Here, the Supreme Essence is being segregated into two- one as motionless Shiva and the other as energy (Shakti). This is the Ardha nāreshwara tattva (half male- half female essence) which is a step below the total united essence. Shiva or Supreme Consciousness (Shuddha chaitanya) is motionless. It is the Supreme Energy (Shakti) that causes movement in Him. She causes in him the intent to create.
323. Kadamba-kusuma-priyā
Meaning – Flowers of the kadamba tree are very dear to Her.
In the nama 60, kadamba tree and its significance was detailed. ‘Kam’ also means wind. Kadamba tree dispels wind-related disorders (vaata dosha) within the body. Hence the Supreme Mother loves this tree.
The above 3 namas ‘Kāmya, Kāmakalā rūpā, Kadamba-kusuma-priyā’ refer to the same essence and extol Her as Kāmya. The temple dedicated to this form of Mother Goddess is Kāmākhya temple in Assam. This temple is one of 18 shakti peethas of Devi.
Kadamba, Audambara (cluster fig), Tulasi (basil), Bilva, Ashwattha are medicinal and sacred trees. The Audambara leaves expel the poisons from our body. The poisons present in the stomach of the demon Hiranyakashipu, caused intense burning sensation in the fingers of Lord Narasimha who had torn apart the stomach of this demon. At such an hour, Goddess Chenchulakshmi applied a paste of Audambara leaves on to the Lord’s fingers, which cooled Him.
Basil leaves (tulasi) dispel the heat (ushna) present in the atmosphere. When taken daily, they reduce the heat within the body and increase cool temperament in the individual. Bilva leaves cause good thoughts and good intellect to sprout within us. Bilva leaves symbolize the presence of the three traits (trigunas) within us.
Offering these leaves to the Lord symbolize offering our trigunas.
Ashwattha (bodhi, peepal) is another auspicious tree. Idols of snake God are always placed beneath it. For a long time, people ridiculed the ancient custom that asked childless women to offer circumambulation (pradakshina) to this tree. There is a scientific truth hidden within this custom. Very often we come across people suffering from hormonal disorders. Hormonal disorders spring when the body lacks the required psychic energy (current); i.e. when the energy balance is not adequate.
All the leaves of the Ashwattha tree are eternally pointed towards the ground. Through these leaves, the tree constantly draws the energy from the earth into itself. Because of constant drawing of energy, this tree lives for thousands of years. When we offer pradakshina around this tree, this energy being drawn from the earth by the leaves, gets absorbed into our body. This sets right the hormonal imbalances in us. Women, who were unable to conceive due to hormonal disorders, get the capacity to bear children. For this reason, it is regarded as the king among trees.
324. Kalyāṇī
Meaning – She is an embodiment of auspiciousness. Nitya kalyāṇa samshrayāt- She is the form of eternal auspiciousness.
‘Kam’ refers to Brahma. Thus Kalyani highlights that She is none other than Parabrahma. Goddess Kalyani’s temple is located at Malayachal.
325. Jagatī – kandā
Meaning – She is the root (kanda) for the entire universe (jagat). It can also be interpreted to mean that She is the child (kanda) of this creation (jagat).
She is Bāla Tripura Sundari (the Supreme Mother in the form of a small girl).
Our scriptures authoritatively state that in those houses where good music is heard daily, or where good healthy music is practiced or heard regularly or where mantra is worshipped as a form of music, the Supreme Mother roams about as a small child. This teaches us the importance of listening to good music. Through a regular practice of listening to good music, one day the ability to listening to the inner sound from Anahata chakra will be achieved. In addition, it calms the nerves, grants good health and dispels mental stress and worries.
326. Karuṇārasa-sāgarā
Meaning – She is an ocean (sāgara) of compassion (karuna).
Among all the emotions (rasas), compassion (karuna) is the most supreme. Lord Rama was an ocean of compassion. The term ‘ocean’ symbolizes that this flow of compassion is never ending, vast and limitless.
Sāgarā also brings to memory the story of Emperor Sagar whose 60,000 sons were granted salvation by the River Ganga. Out of compassion (karuna) the Divine Mother herself took on the form of Ganga and hence She is Karuṇārasa-sāgarā.
327. Kaḷāvatī
Meaning – She is an embodiment of spiritual kaḷas (arts).
Arts (kaḷas) are of two kinds- the materialistic/ worldly arts (apara) and the spiritual (adhyātmic, para) arts which lead us towards God. She appears in the form of all these spiritual arts. The book held by Her in hand teaches this knowledge of the Supreme (para vidya).
328. Kaḷālāpā
Meaning – She is the ālāpāna in art (kaḷa) of music (ālāpāna is the melodious articulation of the notes by the singer through the usage of syllables).
With this we understand that She has a very melodious voice, She talks sweetly and that She is a form of nature (prakriti swaroopini). Her ālāpānas contain spiritual lessons. She is Mookāmbika- She removes the dumbness and dullness that exist within the beings. The Upanishads and the Vedas are Her musical renditions.
For this reason, during a music concert it is exceedingly important to listen to rāga ālāpana with rapt attention.
329. Kāntā
Meaning- In the literal sense, Kāntā means that She is exceptionally beautiful. At a deeper level, Kāntā emphasizes that She is the Vedanta.
‘Ka’ means Vedas. ‘Anta’ means end i.e. Vedānta.
Vedanta is that which teaches us about our true self (knowledge of the self). It is the supreme knowledge that takes the person on an inward journey towards reality. She is this knowledge and She imparts the same to Her devotees. This makes Her truly beautiful.
330. Kādambarī-priyā
Meaning – In literal sense, it means She loves the honey/ nectar of Kadamba flowers. The deeper meaning is that She loves those who intensely seek liberation.
The nectar obtained from kadamba flowers symbolize the results obtained from intense spiritual efforts (obtaining liberation). This is very dear to Her (priya).