Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 626: Shri Tripura (ōṃ tripurāyai namaḥ)

The Goddess Divine Mother is older than the three or Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu and Rudran).

“Tripura is the Supreme Power “says Laghustava.  She is the owner of the three Purams or three cities. There are three tasks creation, sustaining and dissolution of the universe which are carried out by Brahma, Vishnu and Rudran respectively. They are tasked to do these by the Divine Mother. She is beyond these three tasks and three divinities. 

Souls get rebirth based on sattva Guna; due to Rajas many actions in nature are happening; due to Tamas, the whole universal forms are created. The Divine Mother’s glories are shining beyond these three gunas. She is beyond mind, intelligence and ahankara. She is beyond Ida, Pingala and Susumna nerves used for Kundalini’s travel from Muladhara to Sahasrara. She is beyond three worlds. She is celebrated as Tripura. 

Tri means three; Pura is front (earlier than anybody). She is ahead of Brahma, Vishnu and Rudran who do the universal creation, sustaining and dissolution tasks.  She created these divinities and assigned them these tasks to them. 

Three gunas Sattva, Rajas and Taamas, three worlds, Agni, Sun and Moon three light emitting mandalas in the human body are all created by the Divine Mother. 

Puram can mean also the living place. Nerves Ida, Pingala and Susu mana, mind, cit and buddhi, triangle with three lines, three type of fire, three Shaktis (Iccha, Jnana and Kriya), the knower, knowing things and knowing process or knowledge are all in three. Dharma, Artha (wealth) and happiness are three things provided by the Divine Mother. 

 Bhaskaraya says,”the Divine Mother is called Tripura because She is older than Trinity (Brahma, Vishna and Rudran) according to Gaudapada, She is Tripura as She is the one tattva (Essential Principle, Brahman) divided into three. One Kerala poet Ezhutachin also talks about the “Essence of Omkara that splits into three”. it is chanted for peace in our body, mind and spirit. 

The syllable om is composed of the three sounds a-u-m (in Sanskrit, the vowels a and u coalesce to become o), which represent several important triads: the three worlds of earth, atmosphere, and heaven; thought, speech, and action; the three qualities (gunas) of matter (goodness, passion, and darkness); and the three. 

Tripura refers to three nerves Ida, Pingala and susu mana and to three forms of anthakarana (mind), namely mannas, citta and buddhi. The Divine Mother is Tripura as She resides in these. (Tripura Nava) the three bodies gross, subtle and causal are also called Tripura, as the Divine Mother dwells in them as well. In fact, the Divine Mother resides in everything that is in threefold such as Trinity, three Vedas, three agnis (fires), three energies of mantra, prabhu and uthsaha; three worlds, three cities (of Indra, Yama and Candra (Moon)) and three bodies. She is Tripura in all these three senses. The Trinity of father, Son and Holy Ghost can also come under this description.

                    The Divine Mother is called Tripura residing in three fold things

 

C N Nachiappun

Singapore, 12 October 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