Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 280: Shri Padma nabha sahodari (OM padmanAbhasahodaryai namaH)

In Namams 275 to365, the Divine Mother’s many forms providing benefits to Her devotees in great details are discussed. 

The Divine Mother is Lord Vishnu’s younger sister. 

Padmanabhan (Lord Vishnu) as his name implies has close relation to lotus flower (Padmam). According to Puranas, the Divine Mother is the younger sister of Lord Vishnu. He gave Her in marriage to Lord Shiva. Due to this relationship, religious aspects of Saivam (Shiva based) and Vaihnavam (Vishnu based) are not different. For an immature individual, such relationship between saivam and vishnavam helps to keep calm. 

On the Divine Mother’s instruction, three sets of deities appeared: Golden coloured Brahma and Laksmi; Bluish coloured Vishnu and Parvati (the Divine Mother); and whitish Shiva and Sarsvathi. Brahma and Sarasvathi, Vishnu and Laksmi and Shiva and Parvti were matched in marriage based on their gunas. 

Kurma Purana and Ratratraya Pariksa by Appayya Diksitar gave the following information: The one Brahman was divided into two separate forms. One as attributes (dharma) and the other as possessor of attributes. The dharma further split into male form, Vishnu, is the material cause of the universe. The other half (the Divine Mother) became the spouse of Paramesvara. 

According to Bhaskararaya three Namams 278, 279 and 280 are to be taken together. They represent the five bijaksaras (seed syllables) namely: Ka, E I La and Hrim of the first part (vagbhava kuta) of the fifteen syllables Pancadasi Sri Vidya mantra. Bijaksaras are like electric current running through different instruments giving sound, light heat etc to become the protector and destroyer. Based on the willpower of the worshipper, bijaksaras give different results for each devotee. The Divine Mother is the embodiment of this vagbahava kuta mantra (please refer to Namam 85 “OM shrImadvAgbhavakUTaikasvarUpamukhapa ~ NkajAyai namaH” with the meaning that the Divine Mother whose lotus face is the auspicious vagbhavakuta.”)

The Divine Mother as Parvathi Devi who is known as

Padma nabha sahodari, the sister of Mahvishnu

C N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 30 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.