LALITHA SAHASRANAMAM - INTRODUCTION TO YOGINIS

From nama 475 to 534 (60 namas) discuss in detail about the six chakras or centers of kundalini and sahasrara. Each chakra or etheric centers is presided over by a deity called ‘yogini’ and there are seven yoginis. The seven chakras in the body (considering sahasrara as a chakra for easier understanding) represent particular body element such as skin, blood, muscle, fat, bone, marrow and semen or egg. Each yogini is described in 10 or 9 or 7 namas. It is to be clearly understood that these namas are not direct reference to Lalithambigai. Since Lalithambigai is described to be in the form of kundalini energy, and the kundalini energy has to transcend these chakras to reach sahasrara from muladhara, worshipping the presiding deities of these chakras have been undertaken vak devis. However, the order of worship neither commences from the base chakra to the crown chakra nor from the crown chakra to the base chakra. It begins with vishudi chakra, goes down to the lower chakras then to ajna and ends with sahasrara. Each of these yoginis has their own dhyan verses, japa mantras, etc. They have their own assistants and the most important among them is also referred against each of the yoginis. Their complexion, their armories, qualities, the food they like, etc have also been described. Sanskrit acoustics has 51 alphabets. All these 51 letters are placed in the six chakras. The order in which they are mentioned in this sahasranamam is based on two concepts. Each of these yogins has many faces. The yogini at vishudi chakra has one face and the yogini at sahasrara has many faces. Probably vak devis could have prioritized these yoginis based on the number their faces. Alternatively, Vak devis could have chosen this order based on the type of bodily element, each of these yoginis represents. Anatomically first we have skin followed by blood, muscle and other elements one below the other. The food that we consume is literally cooked by the internal fire in our stomach called ‘jadaragni’. This ‘cooked food’ undergoes suitable changes, modifications and conversions and infused to the respective bodily elements and the finest essence of all is converted into semen and eggs (they are sometimes wrongly interpreted as ojas) that are capable of reproduction. Bhavana Upanishad verse 4 says that father of these elements is goddess Varahi (nama 70) and mother is goddess kurukulla (nama 438).


Sanskrit has 51 alphabets that are divided into 16 vowels known as ‘letters of life’ (verbatim translation) and the balance is called ‘letters of body’. Each chakra has certain number of lotus petals and each of these petals represent a particular alphabet of Sanskrit. For example, the throat chakra or vishudi chakra has 16 lotus petals, which represent 16 vowels. The explanation provided here is nothing to do with kundalini meditation. What we are going to discuss is concerned about the presiding deity of each chakra and related narrations. For practical guidance to kundalini meditation, you can go through our e-book kundalini unravelled. We have already discussed that Her subtlest form is kundalini. With this brief introduction, we now proceed to discuss about yoginis presiding over the seven chakras (including sahasrara) in the next 60 namas.