LALITHA SAHASRANAMAM 429 - 441

Nihsima-mahimna (429) Her greatness has no boundaries, as the Brahman is omnipresent. Nitya-yauvana (430) She is eternally youthful, as she is beyond space and time. Mada-shalini (431) She is in the stage of ananda, the stage of bliss. Normally, bliss is a stage where one’s thoughts are totally unified with the Brahman. But being the Brahman Herself, possibly she is in the stage of bliss by associating Her thoughts with Her spouse and creator Shiva. Though She is in the stage of bliss, She continues to perform Her duties of creation, sustenance and dissolution. This is a typical example of karma yoga that Krishna talks about in Bhagavad Gita. The effects of this bliss on Her person is described in the next two namas. Mada-ghurnita-raktakshi (432) Her eyes have natural red tinge. This tinge is due to the reflection of redness associated with Her. This nama says that Her eyes are red due to the bliss. Our eyes will also turn red after a deep meditation. This naturally happens due to the heat generated in the body during meditation. Drinking plenty of water and consuming fresh fruits always help in controlling this heat. By transforming this heat into energy, one can develop healing abilities. Mada-patala-kanda-bhuh (433) Because of Her blissful state, Her cheeks blush with red colour. If a person regularly meditates, his body turns into golden sheen. This is because, during a good meditation, the consciousness detaches from external objects and focuses internally, with intense power (beginning of the process of knowing self-illumination) making the skin glow. Chandana-drava-digdhangi (434) Her body is smeared with sandal paste. Sandal paste is said to cool down the internal body heat. Chameya-kusuma-priya (435) She is fond of champaka flower. Her liking for this flower is already mentioned in nama 13. Kushala (436) She is skillful. Because She handles all the three acts of divinity with such an ease. Komalakara (437) She has beautiful and tender body. She has a graceful form. Kurukulla (438) Kurukulla is a goddess who dwells in Sri Chakra between the boundaries of ego and consciousness. The Bhavano Upanishad considers goddess Varahi as father and Kurukulla as mother. This is based on the principle that our body consists of sensory organs along with flesh and blood that cause the feeling of bodily lust. The physical description of Kurukulla is terrifying, probably indicating that lust is one of factors that form a stumbling block to the ultimate spirituality. Kuleshvari (439) She is the ruler of the triad ‘kula’. The triad consists of cognizer, cognized and cognition (the psychological level of perception). She controls this triad. Kulakundalaya (440) Kulakunda is a small orifice in muladhara chakra, where She takes rest. Soundarya Lahari verse 10 also says ‘You sleep in the hollow of the kulakunda’. A practitionner’s spiritual pursuit begins from kula kunda that transcends upwards to turiya and turiyatita stages where bliss and salvation take place. Kaula-marga-tatpara-sevita (441) She is worshipped by those who follow the ‘kaula’ tradition. This nama means that She is worshipped through the methods followed by one’s lineage. The worship differs based on the rituals followed. In Her worship there are three main paths called samaya, kaula and mishra. Samaya path follows the teachings of Vedas. Kaula way of worship is purely based on tantric rituals. This is considered as the lower level of worship as it advocates the five Ms that we have discussed earlier. However, this worship has its own tough rituals. The third is mishra or the mixed way of worship, consisting of both vedic and tantric rituals.