Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 656: Shri Yogananda (ōṃ yōgānandāyai namaḥ)

The Divine Mother is the bliss attained through yoga; She is ever in internal bliss. She is the source and the path to achieve internal bliss. 

For a yogin, the bliss he enjoys through yoga is in the Divine Mother form.  When a yogin submits to Her through yoga to merge with the Brahman, he receives the bliss. In such a state, the yogin’s mind does not look at anything else. This condition is called Yogendra. Deep sleep is also a form of Yogendra. Once the thought of outside world disappears, jivatma or soul gets the bliss from Brahman. The Divine Mother grants such bliss, She is being in that state Herself. The unison of Lord Shiva and Shakti, the Divine Mother, is specially called Shivashakti ail yam. She stays in yogin’s mind as Shivashakti Ailaya- Rupini (name 999) and Yogananda. The whole essence of this Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam is to emphasize this Shivashakti akiya rupam, the unison of two in one to grant the Divine Bliss. 

The Divine Mother enjoys bliss achieved through yoga. Bhoga, which is due to material wealth and resultant happiness, starts in physical enjoyment and later ends up in sorrow. But yoga starts with spiritual experience/enjoyment and ends in internal bliss.  In unison with Lord Shiva, She is in internal bliss. She is in the form where the yogis enjoy the bliss of the Brahman. So, when the yogis are in yoga, they merge with Brahman. They do yoga without realizing their own self. Since all the auspiciousness and enjoyments are achieved by yogis through the Divine Mother, She is aptly called Yogananda.

The Divine Mother is in the state of Yogendra, a sleep of yoga. Deep sleep is a state of bliss. Yoga is the unison of Lord Shiva and Shakti. Some scholars interpret this Namam as ‘ayogananda’ which is ayoga + ananada; Ayoga is one who has no attachments (without yoga) and ananda is one who enjoys bliss. So, She attains bliss through non-attachment. Ayoya is further divided into ay+u+ga+ to mean “who attains Lord Shiva through auspicious steps. (aya is auspiciously, U is Shiva and ga is one who goes.) In this interpretation Nanda is Alakananda, another name for river Ganga, who attained Lord Shiva. According to Padma Purana, Nanda is the name of a sacred river near Lake Pushkara and thinking of this name is enough to wipe out all our sins.

Mahisha is ajnana or ignorance; the Divine Mother is Mahishasuramardini who slays Mahisha. She is the power of jnana. Also, Nanda is the deity worshipped on first, sixth and eleventh days of the lunar fortnight, as Nidhya deity worship to reach the Divine Mother.

The Divine Mother is the bliss attained through Yoga.

C N Nachiappan

Singapore, 11 November 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