Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 455: Shri Malini (ōṃ mālinyai namaḥ)

In Namams 381 to 474, the Divine Mother’s Jnana Yoga worship methods are discussed in details. 

The Divine Mother is wearing garlands; She is fond of wearing garlands. 

As She is wearing the garlands, She is called Malini. She is holding in 51 bija (root seed letters of the Sanskrit alphabet) mantra garland. Saraswati, Bala, and Brahmini also hold this 51 bija mantra garland in their hands. They represent the Divine Mother. 

There are many varieties of garlands; some are made of flower; some are made with Rudrakha and some are made of Tulasi leaves. The sound originating from the Divine Mother, leads to 51 bija mantras, also called Malini. One of the Ganga River’s sub rivers is called Manthagini, which is also termed as Malini. 

The Divine Mother is “resplendent in a garland of red flowers” as described in Dhyana sloka for Shri  Lalitha Sahsranama recitation. 

Malini is a companion of Parvathi, the Divine Mother, at the time of Parvathi’s wedding to Lord Shiva, according to Vamana Puranam.   Malini is Ganga River, the one who wears a garland of waves; the Divine Mother is also Malini when She is accompanied by that Ganga. 

Malini is a name of a meter in Sanskrit poetry. Also, Malini is a girl of seven years old according to Dhaumya. Worship of such young aged girls during the Divine Mother’s puja is based on this tradition.

 

There are many instances of matured devotees seeing a young girl sitting on late Kanci Maha Periyavar’s lap, supposedly this Malini Devi. Such Girl sitting on Periyavar’s lap is not visible to any other normal devotees. 

          

The Divine Mother wearing garlands.

C N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 24 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.