Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 317: Shri Raksa kari (OM rakShAkaryai 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 the protector of Her devotees. 

The humans and other universal creatures are destroyable; they are protected in different ways by the Divine Mother’s scheme of things. In facing various natural troubles, the humans find ways to keep living in astonishing ways as assessed by modern medical means. This is true for all universal creatures. All these are the Divine Mother’s grace to protect the universal creatures. 

The Divine Mother protects from Brahma to miniature creature; She protects individually everyone in the universe. 

Raksa means holy ashes indicating that the Divine Mother is also the destroyer of universal creature to ashes; She is  the one who reduces the world to ashes. That is interpreted as that She reduces the sins and affections of Her devotees through Her grace and blessings; She is the protector of Her devotees. Also She turns the universe into ashes during the universal pralaya dissolution. 

Lord Shiva uses holy ashes over body; She is consort of Lord Shiva and thus She becomes Raksakari.

The Divine Mother 

 

C  N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 07 December 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