Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 657: Shri Yugandhara (ōṃ yugandharāyai namaḥ)

The Divine Mother is the Bearer of the Yugas (age or epoch). The four well established yugas are: Krtha, Tretha, Dvapara and Kali, which are vast ages of time created by the Divine Mother as part of Her managing the universe. 

She is said to be holding Yoke; to confirm that the whole universal system is controlled by Her orders. Four yugas represent the large segment of time. The Divine Mother drives properly all four yugas’ functions. She is supporting all directions and all actions happening in the universe. The inseparable nature of Shiva and Shakti is represented in yoke ideology. Milk and white cannot be separated; similarly, Shiva and the Divine Mother are the same is the interpretation of this Nama. 

As said earlier, She is holding all four yugas. To join two objects is called yoga. For two pulling forces or two horses to go in same direction are combined through yoke. Day and night follow each other, but the Sandhya kalam is the yoke for the day and the night. Two understanding couples working on the same objective have the joining hands and legs as the yoke. Likewise, to maintain this universe, the Divine Mother provides the links to four yugas to be in right sequence. She thus forms the yuga or yoke to take care of the universe well. She is called Yugandhara. 

The Divine Mother bears the responsibility of directing four yugas; hence She can be termed as “Bearer of the Yugas”. As we have seen yuga can be said to be “yoke or a pair of pulls.” Just as bull bears the yoke for the preparation of the field for cultivation, the Divine Mother, as Maya, bears the burden of creation, and is called Yugandhara. 

The Divine Mother Herself is the pair (yuga) of Shiva and Sakti. Everything in the universe is dual in nature, like heat and cold, happiness and sorrow, victory and loss. As the Divine Mother bears the pairs of opposites, She is Yugandhara. She is at once the universe which is dual in nature and on other aspect Parashakti is beyond all dualities.

The Divine Mother is the bearer of the Yugas.

C N Nachiappan

Singapore, 12 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