Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 264: Shri Srsti kartri (OM sRRiShTikartryai namaH)

 In Namams 249 to 274, the Divine Mother’s  Five functions and Her Five Isvara forms are described. 

The Divine Mother functions as the creator. 

The Divine Mother is the creator of the universe. She is beyond Turiya or Supreme Bliss where She is the ruling the vast universe, created by Her resolve. She is always Herself; She gracefully creates the billions of creatures but She is not part of the universe Herself; due to this She is Srsti kartri. 

The soul is going through three kinds of avidya. When the soul realizes that the Brahman, it get away from avidya and enjoys turiyatita, by gaining liberation. The Divine Mother contains all these five states within Her. Avidya hides the “I” in the soul. Similarly, the Maya hides the trueness of Brahman, Vishnu Rudra, Isvara and Sadhashiva from the soul. When advidya and Maya are cleared, the soul realizes that Brahman doing the creation under the Divine Mother’s instruction is not separate from the Divine Mother Herself. So she is Srsti kartri.

The universal creation, preservation and dissolution are performed by Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra representing three gunas or attributes. Adi Sankara in Soundarya Lahari verse twenty-four explains that the thrimurthi get their sakti to do their tasks from the determination or resolve of the Divine Mother. “O, Devi, Brahma creates the world; Vishnu protects it; and Rudra dissolves it. Isvara merges these three murthies in His own body and hides the merged self from view. Taking the order, You (the Divine Mother) give by the slightest movement of Your eyebrows, Lord Shiva creates them again” Isvara does the creation when rajo guna is activated.

 

The Divine Mother as Mookambika in Kollur.

C N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 15 October 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.