Udyadbhānu-sahasrābhā उद्यद्भानु-सहस्राभा (6)

Udyad – rising; bhānu-sun; sahasra – thousand or countless; abhā - light.  Lalitāmbikā appears as bright as thousand suns rising at the same time.  The colour of the rising sun is red.  The complexion of Lalitāmbikā is red as described in the dhyāna śloka of this Sahasranāma (sakuṅkuma-vilepanām).  Almost all the tantra śastra-s and ancient scriptures talk about Her complexion as red.  In the previous nāma Her prakāśa form was discussed and in this nāma Her vimarśa form is being described.  She has three forms – the prakāśa form or the subtle form, the vimarśa form or the physical form and Her parā form or the supreme form.  The prakāśa form of Her is said to be made of various mantra-s, the supreme one being mahā ṣodaśī mantra.  Her vimarśa form is Her physical form.  She is worshiped in thousands of forms.  Her supreme form is realised through mental worship.  These forms and the associated red colour are for easier contemplation.  From the next nāma onwards, Her physical form is being described.  The red colour also indicates care.  She looks after Her devotees with great care and affection like a mother. 

Kṛṣṇa says (Bhagavad Gīta II.12) “If hundreds of thousands of suns were to rise at once into the sky, their radiance might resemble the effulgence of the Supreme Person in that universal form.”

Caturbāhu-samanvitā चतुर्बाहु-समन्विता (7)

The physical appearance of Lalitāmbikā begins here.  She has four arms.  These four arms represent Her ministers, through whom She administers.  These Devi-s who assist Her are described in the next four nāma-s. 

Rāgasvarūpa-pāśāḍhyā रागस्वरूप-पाशाढ्या (8)

Rāga means desire or a wish.  Pāśa is a type of rope used to pull an object.  She pulls all the desires of Her devotees using this rope.  There are three śakti-s (śakti in this context means power) – iccā, jñāna and kriya.  This nāma talks about iccā śakti or the desire.  She never allows Her devotees to sink with desires.  This arm is Her left upper arm and is represented by Aśvārūdā Devi.

Krodhākāraṅkuśojvalā क्रोधाकारङ्कुशोज्वला (9)

She holds an elephant hook in her right upper arm.  Krodha means hatred and akāra means knowledge.  This nāma talks about subtle body.  Knowledge is always subtle.  She uses this elephant hook to destroy the hatred if developed in Her devotees and gives them knowledge.  A bīja of Kālī, kroṁ (क्रों) is hidden in this nāma.  Kālī is the destroyer of all evils.  This right upper arm is represented by Sampathkarī Devi.

Manorūpekṣu-kodaṇḍā मनोरूपेक्षु-कोदण्डा (10)

Mind involves both saṃkalpa and vikalpa.  Saṃkalpa means resolve, process of thought.  Vikalpa means difference of perception.  Both are opposite to each other.  Mind is also subtle like knowledge.  Mind is reflected through the five sensory organs.  It has both saṃkalpa and vikalpa quality as it acts through the impressions received from sense organs that get fine tuned in the form of thought and finally explodes in the form of actions.  Ikṣu means sugar cane and kodaṇḍa means a bow.  She is holding in Her left lower arm a bow of sugar cane.  Why sugarcane bow?  If sugarcane is crushed, sweet and tasty juice is obtained from which sugar is manufactured.  It means if one crushes his mind (controlling the mind), he gets the sweet reality of the Brahman.  This arm is represented by Mantrinī also known Śyāmala Devi. 

Pañcatanmātra-sāyakā पञ्चतन्मात्र-सायका (11)

Pañca means five and tanmātra-s are sound, touch, sight, taste and smell, the subtle modifications of the five basic elements ākāś, air, fire, water and earth.

The earlier nāma spoke about the bow and this nāma talks about Her arrows.  She has five arrows.  These five arrows are made of flowers.  The five flower arrows represent five subtle elements. These five flowers or arrows are described differently in various tantra śāstra-s.  These five flowers are lotus flower, raktakairava flower, kalhara flower, indivara flower and flowers of mango tree.  These five flowers represent excitement, madness, confusion, stimulation and destruction.  The arrows are used in wars targeting the enemies.  Lalitāmbikā targets Her devotees with these arrows to destroy the illusion or māyā as the five subtle elements are associated with māyā.  This is Her right lower hand.  Vārāhī Devi is represented by this hand.

Nāma-s 8,9,10 and 11 have secret bījākśara-s.  For example, eighth nāma has hrīṃ bīja which is known as māyā bīja.  The eighth nāma begins with rāgasva which is formed of ra + aga + sva.  Aga means Śiva.  The bīja for Śiva is hāṁ (हां).  This is to be taken as ha.  The next is ra (र) and this is to be taken as it is.  Sva means the letter īṁ (ईं) with a bindu (dot) on the top.  The bīja hrīṁ (ह्रीं) is thus formed by ha + ra + īṁ and pronounced as hrīṁ. Like this in the other three nāma-s such bījākaśara-s (da, ra, ka, la, ya, sa, va, ā, ī, ū) are hidden.  That is why Lalitā Sahasranāma is considered on par with Veda-s.  Most importantly, this Sahasranāma should not be recited with rāga or svara (musical notes).