Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 447: Shri Santih (ōṃ śāntyai namaḥ)

In Namams 381 to 474, the Divine Mother’s Jnana Yoga worship methods are discussed in details.The next seven Namams from 443 to 449 describe the Divine Mother’s Character, these attributes are within all universal beings which the Divine Mother grants based on the soul’s maturity level. 

The Divine Mother is tranquility or in peaceful form. 

Santi is peaceful or evenness of mind condition whether in happiness or sorrow such as in profit or loss and in victory or defeat states. The Divine Mother has such peaceful forms. Essentially the beings will have to control their mind to be stable without wandering to get the peace. 

To understand the nature and to follow nature is way of understanding the Divine Mother. The Universal Mother is fully action oriented. In an environment where one can get confused, if the devotee stays calm and peaceful, we usually praise him as Santhamurthy. Similarly in a condition if someone should get angry, but he maintains calm and peacefulness, we also praise him. The Divine Mother is eternally peaceful and calm. In this world where happiness and sorrow flow alternately, if the devotee is calm and peaceful, it is the blessing he is receiving from the Divine Mother. The devotee remaining calm and peaceful as ever is total blessing he is receiving from the Divine Mother. 

Santi is balanced mindset and the resultant calmness. When the devotee leaves his desire for materialistic things, it is starting point of his peacefulness. That represents the Divine Mother’s form for the devotee. Santi which part of the five Kalas, represent Sadashiva tattva and part of Vayu tattva. The Divine Mother with five faces represents this Kala. Praying to this form of the Divine Mother eliminates Mayamalam; it gives peaceful and calmness to the Bakta. 

Saivagama says, “Santi is part (Kala) of Vayu. That Kala dispels three types of impurities, avana, maya and karma and it is termed as Santi.” It leads the way out of struggling Maya illusions and in action contrary to one’s Karma, forsaking one’s own dharma and embracing that of someone else. (Please also see namam 354: Pasupasa vimocini with the meaning that the Divine Mother releases the ignorant from bondage.) Slipping away from one’s own dharma will not bring prosperity. It causes loss of his Santi (peacefulness).

Gita( 3.35 ) declares that, “Better is death following one’s own dharma (duty); following another’s dharma leads to fear.” This is the best way to build a righteous life.

According to Brahmaparasarasmrti, the area between fifteen fingers breadth from the tip of nose downward is the most auspicious seat of that life force. It is called Santi. It is the seat of the Divine Mother.

The Divine Mother in Her Santi form.

 C N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 16 April 2021.

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 Chithbavandar.