Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 234: Shri Maha Tripura sundari (OM mahAtripurasundaryai namaH)

 In Namams 199 to 248, the Divine Mother’s  Saguna or infiniteness power and glory are described. 

The Divine Mother is the great Tripurasundari. 

The Divine Mother is in totally beautiful Soundariya form. To worship the beauty or the Divine Mother are the same. She is also in full universal form, which is considered as Tripurasundari. She has used all three attributes of the soul. She has created three cities; in Tripurasundari form. 

The knower, the knowledge and which is known are three cities. The devotee gets the wisdom to understand that, all three become as one. The Divine Mother has infinite wisdom; She does not treat anyone in the universe differently. This, in Her view becomes Mahatripuram, which is Her abode also. She is the beautiful Tripurasundari. 

Acharya Baskararaya considers “tripura’ as the city of three. The measurer, the measuring and the thing measured or in other words, the knower, knowledge and that is known. 

The Divine Mother the beautiful Sundari and Sakti who dwells in all three bodies; which are gross, subtle and causal. What can be more beautiful than this essence of life? The Sruti says that the self is dearer than the son; dearer than wealth; dearer than all other objects, being nearer than everything, being inside. One should meditate on the self as dear. 

This namam is for considering the three cities created by the Divine mother; She lives in all three cities. 

The question may be asked if three Devis namely Saraswathi, Lakshmi and Durgha are also termed as Tripurasundari; even though their individual strengths are needed for each of the three functions of creation, protection and dissolution of the universe at varying levels of their attributes. These three Devis are considered separately in other Namams. 

The Divine Mother is Maha Tripurasundari; She is great beauty to be worshipped.

Goddess Maha Tripursundari. 

C N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 14 September 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 Stostram 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.