Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 523 Shri Shadanana (ōṃ ṣaḍānanāyai namaḥ)

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

The Divine Mother as Hakini yogin is residing in the Ajna chakra in two-petaled lotus. She has six faces. 

Ajna chakra is considered the sphere of intellect. With Her six faces, Hakini Devi represents six sastras or branches of knowledge. 

Six faces form the base for all six chakras in living beings. When these six plus one jnana senses are joined together, we get pure Shiva rupam. When six jnana senses are together, they represent a matured soul. In each jnana sense different types of souls are placed. Plants have the sensitivity as only with one jnana sense. They live through one such attribute and achieve large results. Sensing using the nose to smell, and eating are the jnana capacities for the ants, and they live happily. Face here represents a tattva implication. Bees have taste, light, moving, noise, and smell are the five jnana senses. Birds and animals have five senses and live happily. The humans have intelligence as their sixth jnana sense and are qualified to reach the Brahman. 

How six jnana knowledge or six faces are used to reach Brahman is explained by six faced Lord Muruga worshipped in most part of India now; Muruga as in southern parts of Indai; Kartigeya or Subramaniya in northern parts of India. Great Poet Kalidasa had written “Kumara Sambhavam” on birth of Lord Muruga have six faces  to represent what have been discussed earlier.  Lord Muruga’s mother, the Divine Mother also has six faces as in Hakini Devi. 

Ajna chakra is the place for mind. The five elements Akasa, Vayu, Fire, Water and Earth plus mind are explained in six faces here. Ajna chakra is the leading chakra in all the chakras. So there the Divine Mother functions with six faces.

           The Hakini Devi with six faces representing the Divine Mother in Ajna chakra.

 

C N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 01 July 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.