Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 597: Shri Tri konantara dipika (ōṃ trikōṇāntaradīpikāyai namaḥ)

The Goddess Divine Mother shines as a lamp within the triangle. 

The Divine Mother is within the triangle and shining there. Hrdaya (the heart) is the place for Sun; the triangle shaped Muladhara is the Agnimandala. The universe is the place for Srividya; likewise, the human body is also considered as the place for Srividya. Muladhara is the first Kuta with Agni (fire), the heart is the second kuta with Sun and the Sahasrara is the third kuta with Moon in there. Agni, Sun, and Moon are three lights within the human body which are the Divine Mother’s form. So, She is the Prajnana Dipika or Trikonantara Dipika. 

In Muladhara triangle in Agnimandala, the Kundalini Shakti is like a small light. Earlier Namam 596 said that the Divine Mother is shining like the Sun. This Namam is an explanation about Sun’s actions in this universe. Sun is supposedly going round the Meru or the Sricakra. In eight directions of Meru, there is Indra, and seven other directional deities are having cities. Of these eight directions, the Sun’s light falls in three directions at any one time. Like the Divine Mother is shining within the triangle, is the interpretation of this Namam. 

According to the Tantraraja, “In all beings, in Muladhara there is fire, in the heart there is Sun and in the head below the Brahmarandhra, there is the Moon. Thus, the original, eternal Pancadasi mantra is three parts, representing these three positions.” 

Vishnu Purana says that there are three worlds and three cities that form triangles.  The three worlds are heaven, earth, and nether world (hell). The three cities are the cities of Indra, Candra, and Yama. The Sun is said to rise in the city of Moon and set in the city of Yama. The Divine Mother shines in all three worlds and in three cities at the same time. Hence the present name “Trikonantaradipika. Dipika is also referred to as the “Agnimandala (the disc of Fire)”.

C N Nachiappun        

Singapore, 13 September 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 Sithbavandar