Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 123: Shri Saradaradhya (OM shAradArAdhyAyai namaH)

From Namam 112 to 131, we will see the devotion aspects in the Divine Mother worship

The Divine Mother is worshipped by the Goddess Sarada (Sarasvati, the Goddess of Speech, Arts and Knowledge). Goddess Sarasvati gets all her knowledge from the Divine Mother.

Sun rays when reflected in a mirror will give seven colours which represent seven arts. Also the basic sound has seven syllables. These arts are controlled by Goddess Sarasvati.

Saradaradhya is the one who is worshipped by the yogic scholars.

Sarad means great. It can also mean Brahma or Visnu. So Saradaradhya can mean that, one who is worshipped by Brahma and Visnu.

In Saundarya Lahari, Adi Sankarar includes Lord Shiva also as one of the worshippers of the Divine Mother. Question may arise; can the husband worship his own wife?  Shiva worships the Divine Mother inorder to gain power or sakti from Her.

The great Brahma, Visnu and Mahesvara worship the Divine Mother. This tells us that those devotees who have not earned or reached a certain merit will not have enough devotion to worship the Divine Mother.

Sarad is also autumn season in northern hemi sphere (Kanny, Thulam and Viruchiya months per Hindu calendar). The Divine Mother is worshipped during the autum Navarathri is also called Saradaradhya.

As seen in Srividya Bindu, Goddess Sarasvati and Goddess Mahalakshmi are worshipping the Divine Mother. They are also found serving the Divine mother (Namam 614 “Sacamara rama vani savya daksina sevita” which we will be discussing soon).

C N Nachiappun           

Singapore, 26 May 2020.

References:

1.       The Thousand Names of the Divine Mother published in English by Mata Amritanandamayi Center, San Ramon, California, USA, with Commentary by T. V Narayana Menon

2.       Shri Lalitha Sahasranama Stostrom  published in Tamil by N. Ramaswami Iyer charities’ societies, Trichirapalli, India, with Commentary by C. V. Radhakrishna Sastry.

3.       The Lalitha Sahasranamam published in Tamil by Shri Ramakrishna Thapovanam, Thiruipparaithurai,Trichy District, Tamilnadu, India with commentary by Shrimath Swami Sithbavandar.