Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 489: Shri Aksa maladi dhara (ōṃ akṣamālādidharāyai namaḥ)

In Namams 475 to 534 represents the Divine Mother’s Yogini forms. 

The Divine Mother as Rakini Devi is residing in the Anahata chakra in twelve-petaled lotus is wearing garlands of rudraka beads and other things. 

Rudraka is a set of beads with varying faces grown mostly in Asian countries; Lord Shiva is said to be fond rudraka beads. 

Rakini Devi is said to wear Aksamala. In that mala, all the 51 syllables from A to Sha are present; so, it gets the name as Aksamala, which is used for meditation. 

Rakini Devi has four arms; She holds in Her four arms, her weapons Aksamala, trident, club, and drum. Without a weapon, no one can really display his skills and strengths in creative and or destroying jobs. These all represent the Divine Mother’s immense shakti or power. For all universal activities, big and small, there are appropriate weapons available. 

Saubhagyabhaskara interprets this Namam differently. Aksa means “the wheel of a chariot”. Aksamala is something that bears (la) resembles (ma) to a wheel, a disc. So, the Rakini Devi wears a disc and other weapons as described in Namam 485 earlier.

                      Rakini Devi as the Divine Mother is holding weapons in four arms.

C N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 28 May 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.