Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 266: Shri Goptri (OM goptryai namaH)

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

The Divine Mother protects the universal creatures. 

Vishnu is assigned the task of saving or protecting the universal creatures by the Divine Mother. He is sattvic in nature.  When his sattvic qualities predominate, he is involved in the preservation task which had been assigned to Him by the Divine Mother. 

Isvara with sattvic qualities does the protection to smoothly run the universe under the Divine mother’s rule. With unison with Isvara, the Divine Mother is taking the protecting role as well. 

Goptri means hiding. The Divine mother is the Mahamaya. She hides the real essence of the universe and creates the illusion of various forms and names. This namam implies that the Divine Mother is the protector of universal creatures. 

Go also becomes cow which is given divine position. In temples of importance, such as the Trupathi Venkateswara temple, in the morning Lord’s first darsan is given to a cow before He sees any other devotee. Such is the importance given to the Cow; a special in our Hindu dharma.

The Divine Mother as Govinda or Krishna with a Cow around Him.

 

C N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 17 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.