Sahasranama Reciting

When we say sincerely one Almighty Lord’s name, it is the starting of a prayer. So when we ask a temple priest to do an Archana, usually Lord’s 108 names are said by the priest, giving more strength just than one time saying Lord’s name. If we ask the priest to a Sahasranama Archani (Sahasram in Sanskrit means 1000) where the Lord’s name is repeated 1000 plus times, which gives more strength and vibration to the place it is said. Similarly to increase this power of reciting, temples periodically do Laksa Archana, meaning that the Lord’s name is repeated 100 thousand times or through a Kodi Archana where lord’s name would be recited 100 laksa times. This laksa  Archana and Kodi Archanas take much longer times to complete, but the benefit of vibration energy at the place of reciting increases enormously and the deity to which these Archanas are focused gets more power to it to offer to the devotees.

The effects of repeated focusing on a Lord can be explained in following two examples:

1.  In India, Thirupathi Venkatachalapathy is worshipped by millions of people every year, and their single point of focusing on this Lord gives immense power to this Lord Vankatachalpathy to offer wealth and other things to the devotees. It draws more and more people to come to Thirupathi to pray to Lord Venkadachalapathy and offer their contributions in the temple donation boxes. It is not that the Lord demands such donations, but the immense vibration power generated at Thirupathi is giving one such result for the temple.

2.  I have heard another instance like this. Pilliyarpatti in Tamilnadu, where the Lord Karpaga Vinayakar is worshipped for his showering of kindness to the devotees, used to be sleepy village. Once the temple authorities started a Veda Padasalai (wherein the school teaches Veda basics the aspiring priests), say there are 20 trainee priests in a group and they recite one mantra or the Vinayakar’s name 20 times at least in a day, meaning 20 times 20 equal to 400 times, conservatively, per day. When this learning process continues many years and the trainees recite every day at least 20 times, the vibration energy generated is very huge giving immense powers to the deity, or the Karpaga Vinaykar. Now this Pilliyarpatti is a very flourishing town with more devotees visiting to pray to Lord Karpaga Vinayakar and the optimism and other gains for the devotees are very high.

Of all these methods of Archanas for a deity, I wish to expand on Saharanama Archana, which is basically repeating the Lord’s name 1000 plus times. For Lord Perumal, in Serangoon Road Perumal temple, Vishnu Sahasranamam is recited, the benefit being it helps the devotee in many ways, especially in curing difficult health issues. For other Lords like, Pillaiyar, Murugan, Sivan, Meenatshi Ambal, Durgai and Mahalakshmi there are specific Sahranamams available. All these Sharanamams have a history behind them as to how they were written in Sanskrit language. Recently, there are attempts to translate them in other Indian languages to make it easier for the devotees to pray to the Lord as they please. In my personal experience, the reciting these Sharanamam in original Sanskrit form is more effective than using translated versions.

One such Saharanamam is Lalitha Sahranamam which focuses on the Divine Mother is said to have the highest ranking through Hindu Vedas. It is said that any one reciting the Lalitha Sahraranamam is almost in his last birth before reaching and unifying with the Almighty. Late, Kanchi Periyavar, a very learned Hindu religious Guru, had highly recommended reciting Lalitha Sahranamam to seek all the best help from the Divine Mother. As a sample of explaining the first name in this Sahranamam, I am attaching my recent write up on this namam as follows for your appreciation. Have a great day ahead with the Divine mother’s blessings.

The explanation of first name: Shri Matha in this Lalitha saharanamam:

Matha, Pitha and Guru Deivam is a saying, which is very true. Of all the Mother and Child relationship is the best for the Child. The mother holds the child within her for 10 months gives birth and takes care of the child as long as she lives. For a person may be 70 years old, like me, for my mother in her 90s, I am still her child and she shows her same kindness all through as long as she is alive. As a child she had her blood turned into milk to give it to the child. Motherly love is such a respected divine thing.

Even in other living things, they have a way of giving birth and safe guarding their own children. Right from insects, birds and strong animals like Lion have their own way of taking care of their children. I have read that for a Camel when a child is born, even before the child can help himself, the mother Camel will kick the child far apart and wait for the child to struggle to get and stand up, if the child fails, the mother Camel will keep on kicking the child until the child gets up and stands on its own. The mother Camel does it to make the child to face the adverse conditions in the forest, to run if needed to safe guard itself, as without it any strong animal can come and eat the child as food in no time. This is the way the Camel shows its motherly love to the child. In this universe, in every living condition, is a human being or other living creatures, the mother will find a way to feed and safe guard the child.

If a simple mother can take care of her child, the Divine Mother provides all the needs and safety of all living beings in this Universe. Starting with giving life to a child to mature the child further is the greatest effort by the mother; likewise the Divine Mother does the same thing for all living things under her care.

It is very appropriate to call the Divine Mother as Shri Matha and use it the as the very first name in this Lalitha Sahasranamam.

C N Nachiappun
Singapore, 29 January 2020.