Śrī Lalitā Pañca-viṃśati-nāma Stotram (श्रीललिता पञ्चविंशतिनाम स्तोत्रम्) -

Prologue - This stotraṃ was recited by Lord Hayagrīva, who is an avatar of the Preserver Lord Viṣṇu, praised and worshipped as the knowledge bestower. He is said to be the composer of many hymns associated with Śrī Lalita Mahā Tripura Sundarī, including the famous Śrī Lalitā Sahasranāma Stotraṃ consisting of Her thousand attributes. The setting for this present stotraṃ, is in the theatre of war between the forces of the Divine, led by Śrī Lalita Mahā Tripura Sundarī and the war mongering evil and demonic Bhaṇḍāsurā and his vast army. The Divine Mother Lalitā is joined by the Divine Mothers Śrī Bālā, Śrī Śyāmalā and Śrī Vārāhī Devis, in the battle against Bhaṇḍāsurā.

Bhaṇḍāsurā represents the negative karma, rigidity, ignorance and other such tamasic qualities in us. The asuras Viśukra (reproductive fluid) and Viṣaṅga (venomous and uncontrolled senses), brothers of Bhaṇḍāsurā are born of the ashes of Manmatha (amorous love), who gets burnt by the third-eye (ājñā cakra signifying realization and deep understanding) of Lord Śiva (pure consciousness). Lust and control of senses, subtle and gross, are indicated in the defeat of these asuras. To ascend spiritually, the Divine Mother who represents the super-consciousness, devolves into an array of deities who can help with the ascension of our consciousness. One must realize that the very bodily existence and the world around us, is nothing but a virtual smoke screen manifested by the Divine Mother Mahāmāyā, who is described as the cosmic virtual reality. When the knowledge of our true existence and our very origin and self is recognized as nothing but pure consciousness, the spiritual journey begins. In the realm of Śrī Vidyā, it begins with Śrī Bālā who helps us gain the child like innocence that must set in, for us to inquire further in our journey to discover the Truth. Lord Mahāgaṇapati removes all the obstacles in our path and paves the path to higher learning and experience. Proceeding further, one gains the realization of the triads that encompass us and the various ways and means to ascend through them. The Divine Mother Śrī Vārāhī gives us the courage, drive and all the weapons to destroy our ignorance, obsessions and attachments. The Divine Mother Śrī Śyāmalā, aids us through knowledge, expression and creativity to overcome all our karmic influences. The Kiri cakra is associated with the piṅgala nāḍi (right spiritual channel) and the Geya cakra with the ida nāḍi (left spiritual channel) and the Śrī Cakra with the central Suṣumnā nāḍi representing the spinal cord. The alignment of the Kiri and Geya Cakras with the Śrī Cakra, can activate the Kuṇḍalini and fully energize the cakras at the same time, with the Kuṇḍalini rising from the Mulādhārā cakra to the Sahasrārā. Together with the blessings of all these deities and their subsidiary deities manifested in their respective Kiri, Geya and Śrī Cakras, we merge into the super-consciousness, which is none other than Śrī Lalita Mahā Tripura Sundarī. The war that is waged, is our own internal struggle and endeavor to realize the Truth and merge into the super-consciousness by becoming self-realized and finally attaining liberation.

This stotram is derived from the Śrī Lalitopākhyānam scripture. Reciting this stotram on a regular basis will earn the grace of the Divine Mother Śrī Lalita Mahā Tripura Sundarī, who bestows all wishes of the devotee and grants immense wealth, fame, status, health and every desire that the devotee may seek. Her grace and bestowal  is always beyond the expectations of Her devotees!

Agastya uvāca (अगस्त्य उवाच) –

[ Sage Agastya spoke thus - ]

vāji-vaktra mahā-buddhe pañca viṃśati nāmabhiḥ ।

lalitā parameśānyā dehi karṇa-rasāyanam ॥ 1 ॥

वाजिवक्त्र महाबुद्धे पञ्च विंशति नामभिः ।

ललिता परमेशान्या देहि कर्णरसायनम् ॥ १ ॥

Oh, Divine horse-faced, most intelligent Lord Hayagrīva, can you please elucidate the twenty-five attributes of the Divine Mother Śrī Lalita Mahā Tripura Sundarī, which are an elixir to our ears.

śrī hayagrīva uvāca (श्री हयग्रीव उवाच) –

[ Lord Hayagrīva spoke thus - ]

siṃhāsaneśī lalitā mahārājñī parāṅkuśā ।

cāpinī tripurā caiva mahā-tripura-sundarī ॥ 2 ॥

सिंहासनेशी ललिता महाराज्ञी पराङ्कुशा ।

चापिनी त्रिपुरा चैव महात्रिपुरसुन्दरी ॥ २ ॥

The twenty-five attributes of the Divine Mother Śrī Lalita Mahā Tripura Sundarī are –

  1. Siṃhāsaneśī (सिंहासनेशी) – She is the empress who sits on the lion throne. She is the Supreme Divine Mother lording over the entire Creation and the multi-dimensional multi-verse. She is referred to as Śrīmat Siṃhāsaneśvarī (श्रीमत् सिंहासनेश्वरी) in the Śrī Lalitā Sahasranāmam. She is also referred to as Pañcasiṃhāsana vidyā (पंच सिंहासन विद्या) referring to the five lion thrones that She sits upon and also the five stages of Creation, Preservation, Destruction, Annihilation and Resurrection, as well as all the pentads.
  2. Lalitā (ललिता) – She is the ever playful Divine Mother. The entire manifested Creation is a play enacted by Her for Her own pleasure. She is the singular reality and the omniscient Truth. Everything that we conceive, perceive and experience are nothing but the play She has enacted. Consciousness alone exists everywhere. We as well as everything around us, subtle and material, are all projections of the same consciousness, which is Lalitā.
  3. Mahārājñī (महाराज्ञी) – She is the Supreme Divine Feminine and there is no one above Her. She is the reigning queen and will always remain so. She is beyond time and matter and is pure consciousness.
  4. Parāṅkuśā (पराङ्कुशा) – She is the supreme inciter or inducer. In the conceptual sense, the Divine Mother's will is carried out as per Her wish. She stops us in our tracks when She senses we are heading in a wrong direction or if there are pitfalls and dangers ahead. She also induces bad people to carry out their tasks in bring about their ruin. Parāṅkuśā also means the highest and most powerful Siddhi of all: Prakṛti Siddhi. There is no Siddhi higher than this. Prakṛti Siddhi is exactly what I said before, that is, the power to induce any God, Goddess, Sage, Siddha, Brahman, or anything else, to do an action that you desire. Lalitā is known to be the supreme holder of this power. The Saundarya Lahari talks about this in verse 31: "The Lord of all souls, Paśupati, did create the sixty-four Tantras, each leading to only one desired power and started his relaxation. But you goaded him, mother, to create in this mortal world your Tantra called Śrīvidyā, which grants the devotee all powers over all the states in life."                                                                             [Description for this attribute is based on Shri Jothi Agaval's comment and contribution.]
  5. Cāpinī (चापिनी) – She holds a sugarcane bow in Her hands, from which emerges the Divine Mother Rāja-śyāmalā. The sweetness of the sugarcane bow is the reference to the cerebral fluid that is generated by the pineal gland during deep meditation and also when the Kuṇḍalini reaches the Sahasrāra.
  6. Tripurā (त्रिपुरा) – She represents all the triads manifested in the Creation. Such as, the stages of Creation, Preservation and Destruction, as well as the states of waking, sleeping and deep sleep, the three qualities called as guṇas, namely Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, the planes of existence such as Bhūr (Earth or material plane), Bhuvaḥ (Atmospheric and spatial plane) and Svaḥ (extra dimensional and beyond the confines of time, space, matter and the perceived three dimensions), the three bodies present in the sentient beings – physical, astral and causal, as well as all other triads. She is fully manifested in each of the triads and is therefore called Tripurā.
  7. Mahā-tripura-sundarī (महात्रिपुरसुन्दरी) – She, who is the most beautiful and wondrous in the entire Creation and all triads. She is the one who is fully manifested in the triads and also beyond them. She is the manifested super-consciousness.

sundarī cakra-nāthā ca samrājñī cakriṇī tathā ।

cakreśvarī mahādevī kāmeśī parameśvarī ॥ 3 ॥

सुन्दरी चक्रनाथा च सम्राज्ञी चक्रिणी तथा ।

चक्रेश्वरी महादेवी कामेशी परमेश्वरी ॥ ३ ॥

  1. Sundarī (सुन्दरी) – She, who is the ultimate and most wondrous in the entire manifested Creation. There is none like Her and She is in everything and everything that there is, is Her.
  2. Cakra-nāthā (चक्रनाथा) – She is the ruler of all cakras present in the sentient beings. The cakras are subtle energy centers associated with the astral body that aid in the manifestation of energy and all other functions and abilities of the physical body. She is the Kuṇḍalini, that needs to rise from the root mūlādhāra cakra to the sahasrāra.
  3. Samrājñī (सम्राज्ञी) – She, who is the Divine Feminine and the Supreme Being. She is the super-consciousness and above everyone and everything that exists and doesn’t.
  4. Cakriṇī (चक्रिणी) – She, who is manifested in all the cakras and is also the constituent and the energy center of the Śrī Cakra, which is supreme amongst all other yantras.
  5. Cakreśvarī (चक्रेश्वरी) – She, who is the governess and lord of all cakras, yantras and maṇḍalās. She is the cause of all power, both subtle and material, hidden and experienced. She is the One, who simply cannot be contained or restricted in any manner.
  6. Mahādevī (महादेवी) – She, who is the Supreme amongst all the beings manifested in the Creation. She is the cause of the entire Creation and is also its ruler, as well as annihilator. She is the Divine Feminine and the eternal singular reality.
  7. Kāmeśī (कामेशी) – She, who is the cause of all emotions and is the epitome of all love. She is the fulfiller of all our wishes and desires, no matter how big or small they are. Everything that exists, is as per Her wish and desire. She is the Divine Mother who with infinite love has manifested the entire Creation, nurtures and transforms it as needed.
  8. Parameśvarī (परमेश्वरी) – The word ‘Para’ means that which is beyond any perception and is the highest state of consciousness. The word ‘īśvarī’ means ruler or governess. She is the super-consciousness, who is the origin of all consciousness. She is the destination in the evolutionary path of all beings. The soul-consciousness must evolve beyond the triads and dyads, to merge into the ocean of consciousness, which is the super-consciousness – Parameśvarī.

kāmarāja-priyā kāmakoṭigā cakravartinī ।

mahāvidyā śivānaṅga vallabhā sarvapāṭalā ॥ 4 ॥

कामराजप्रिया कामकोटिगा चक्रवर्तिनी ।

महाविद्या शिवानङ्ग वल्लभा सर्वपाटला ॥ ४ ॥

  1. Kāmarāja-priyā (कामराजप्रिया) – She is the One, who is the favorite of the Lord Kāmarāja, the god of amorous love. The word ‘Kāma’ also means all wishes and desires. The word ‘rāja’ means sovereign, the most important and crucial. The word ‘priyā’ means “loved, desired etc.” She is the most coveted desire of all sentient beings. She is all that we will ever need!
  2. Kāmakoṭigā (कामकोटिगा) – She, who is the measure of fulfillment of countless desires and wishes. She is the fulfiller of all wishes and an epitome of immeasurable love and compassion. She is the Divine Mother of the entire manifested Creation.
  3. Cakravartinī (चक्रवर्तिनी) – She, who is the empress and governess of the entire Creation! She is the Supreme Sovereign Divine Mother and the eternal singular reality!
  4. Mahāvidyā (महाविद्या) – She is the third amongst the ten wisdom goddesses called Mahāvidyās. The Mahāvidyās are ten manifestations of the Supreme Divine Mother Śakti. Each Mahāvidyā represents a path of spiritual evolution. The Divine Mother Lalitā represents a path of love, compassion and a path of family life with the fulfillment of all material and spiritual desires.
  5. Śivānaṅga-vallabhā (शिवानङ्गवल्लभा) – She, who is pure consciousness and beyond the dimensions of time, space and matter. She is the incorporeal (anaṅga) part of the Lord Śiva. Śiva and Śakti are the static and dynamic states of the super-consciousness. They are one and the same, but distinguished for our own comprehension and ease of understanding. She is Śakti, the consort (vallabhā) of Lord Śiva. She is the power of Śiva.
  6. Sarva-pāṭalā (सर्वपाटला) – She is the repository of all knowledge that is known and unknown. She is also the content, cause and the very purpose and target of all knowledge.

kulanāthāmnāyanāthā sarvāmnāya-nivāsinī ।

śṛṅgāra-nāyikā ceti pañca viṃśati nāmābhiḥ ॥ 5 ॥

कुलनाथाम्नायनाथा सर्वाम्नायनिवासिनी ।

शृङ्गारनायिका चेति पञ्च विंशति नामाभिः ॥ ५ ॥

  1. Kulanāthā (कुलनाथा) – She is the head(nātha) of the Śrī Vidyā tradition (kula), which is one of the traditions related to the worship of the Mahāvidyās.
  2. Āmnāyanāthā (आम्नायनाथा) – She is the head of all the different doctrines within Śrī Vidyā. There are generally six āmnāyas (ṣaḍāmnāya) and these are represented by the four cardinal direction as well as the up and down directions. There is a variance with the down direction doctrine sometimes seen as above the Northern doctrine. There are scriptures and various redactions pointing to many more sub or minor doctrines also.

Each of the āmnāyas are said to be different faces of Lord Śiva. Each Āmnāya introduces a rich assortment of deities, who are apt at fulfilling all the desires of the devotees. Each guru tradition follows one or more āmnāyas. There is also a sacred āmnāya stotram listing all the various āmnāyas and their associated deities.

  1. Sarvāmnāya-nivāsinī (सर्वाम्नायनिवासिनी) – She is not only the ruler of all the āmnāyas, She is also present in each one of them and they’re all paths that lead to Her and ultimate salvation in the form of liberation - mokṣa.                                                                                                                            
  2. Śṛṅgāra-nāyikā (शृङ्गारनायिका) – She, who is manifested in each and every form of Divinity. She is fond of all types of decorations (śṛṅgāra) and make-up. The decorations and make-up, can be referenced to Her various forms. She is present in every Mahāvidyā and all other śaktis, yoginis, devatas, asuras and every sentient being and non-sentient matter, vibrations, energies etc. that She manifests. It is only the śṛṅgāra makes Her appear in different forms. She is the one and only Śakti, the omniscient, omnipresent Divine Mother Feminine, the true eternal Truth and singular reality!

stuvanti ye mahābhāgāṃ lalitāṃ parameśvarīm ।

te prāpnuvanti saubhāgyamaṣṭau siddhirmahadyaśaḥ ॥ 6 ॥

स्तुवन्ति ये महाभागां ललितां परमेश्वरीम् ।

ते प्राप्नुवन्ति सौभाग्यमष्टौ सिद्धिर्महद्यशः ॥ ६ ॥

The one who adores the Divine Mother Śrī Lalita Mahā Tripura Sundarī using these twenty-five attributes will obtain immense fortune, fame, wealth, health and high positions of prominence in the society. All kinds of magical powers associated with the famed Aṣṭa siddhis are also obtained. There is absolutely nothing, that such a devotee cannot acomplish or attain, by Her grace.

iti śrībrahmāṇḍapurāṇe lalitopākhyāne śrīlalitā pañcaviṃśatināma stotram sampūrṇam ॥

इति श्रीब्रह्माण्डपुराणे ललितोपाख्याने श्रीललिता पञ्चविंशतिनाम स्तोत्रम् सम्पूर्णम् ॥

[ Thus ends the twenty-five attributes hymn called Śrī Lalitā Pañca-viṃśati-nāma Stotram, derived from the Śrī Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa ].