Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 59: Shri Maha Padmatavi Samstha (OM mahApadmATavIsaMsthAyai namaH)

From Namam 52 to 63,we will be seeing the Divine Mother’s residence description.

The Divine Mother resides in great lotus forest.

Great lotus forest is a thousand petaled lotus (Sahasra dala Padma) or the thousand spoked Sahasrara Cakra in humans.

Lotus is one of the best flowers used for worshiping the Divine Mother. The Divine Mother’s reddish colour had been compared to lotus by various ancient writers including Great poet Abirami Bhatter. 

In verse 6 in Abirami Anthathi, he is recording Her reddish colour and compares Her feet to lotus flower.

 6. மந்திர சித்தி பெற

சென்னியது உன்பொன் திருவடித்தாமரை; சிந்தையுள்ளே
மன்னியது உன் திருமந்திரம்; சிந்துர வண்ணப்பெண்ணே!
முன்னிய நின் அடி யாருடன் கூடி முறை முறையே
பன்னியது என்றும் உன் தன் பரமாகம பத்ததியே.

Whole universe is filled with the Divine Mother’s presence. She is clearly making her presence felt in the thousand petaled lotus forest for making it easy for her devotees to reach her.

This lotus forest or Maha Padmatavi is located between the Cintamani house and 25 palaces in Srinagaram. The Divine Mother chooses to stay in this lotus forest. She also present in Sahasrara Cakra in humans.

The ultimate fulfillment of the worship occurs when the Kundalini rises from the Muladara and reaches the Sahasrara Cakra, thousand petaled lotuses and merges with Lord Siva there. This is another way of saying that the thousand petaled lotus forest is the Divine Mother’s residence. There is a play ground provided for movement outside Her residence.

Maha Padmam is also a celestial elephant. A forest filled with such elephants is near Thivanaikaval and Srirangam in an island between Kaveri and Kollidam rivers in Tamilnadu.

 In Thiruvanaikaval, the Lord Sivan is known as Jalakandeswarar (representing water). The Divine Mother has the name Shri Akilandeswari.

In Srirangam Lord MahaVishnu is known as Ranganathan. He is said to have come to Srirangam from Vaikundam with Renganayagi (Mahalakshmi) to help his devotees. It is the foremost place in 108 important places to worship Lord Mahavishnu.

It is said that this Divine Mother Akilandeswari was active and aggressive in defeating the evil force, Bhandasuran.  Adi Sankara had performed pooja to calm down this Akilandeswari Devi and had installed a SriCakram. Akilandeswari is said to wear that SriCakram as her ear rings now. 

What is wonderful for the Divine Mother Akilandeswari is that She gets daily fresh flowers from her brother (MahaVishnu) Renganathan’s Srirangam  garden.

Atavi is a forest or Maya. Most creatures in this universe chase the Maya due to their ignorance.

The Divine Mother is residing in Maha Padmatavi. I am praying for Her blessings to eliminate my ignorance and darkness.

C N Nachiappun

Singapore, 22/23 March 2020.