Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 794: Shri Kala mala (ōṃ kalāmālāyai namaḥ)

The Divine Mother wears a garland with all sixty-four forms of art or Kalas. She may also be viewed as wearing a garland of the sixteen phases of the Moon.

She is in the form of all known Kalas in this universe. She beautifies the sixty-four grouped and other unknown Kalas. She provides beauty and brightness to all them.

There are many arts in different areas and in different countries in this universe. Action such as walking stylishly is a Kala. Dance and its variants are other interesting Kalas. Through dance one can express all nine rasas. The nine rasas, also known as Nava-rasa, are a set of nine fundamental emotions or moods in Indian aesthetics and performance arts. These emotions are the core of human experience and are often depicted in various art forms, including dance, drama, and literature. These nine rasas are: Shringara (love/beauty), Hasya (laughter/mirth), Karuna (sorrow/compassion), Raudra (anger/fury), Veera (heroism/courage), Bhayanaka (fear/terror), Bibhatsa (disgust), Adbutha (wonder/amazement), and Shanta (peace/tranquility).  

Shiva is known for His universal dance as Nataraja, as in Chidambaram temple in Tamil Nadu, India. This temple is one of the temples dedicated to Shiva’s dance form. Other such temples dedicated for Shiva’s dance are Madurai, Tirunelveli, Kurtralam, and Thiru-Alangkadu; they are all in Tamil-Nadu, India.

Likewise, talking, singing, drawing, painting are some other key forms of art. All these are grouped into sixty-four forms of Kala. All these Kalas originated from nature or universe or the Divine Mother. Analyzing and appreciating each Kala form is a way of worshipping the Divine Mother. Mankind ought to use all these Kalas known to worship the Divine Mother.

The Divine Mother is the inner luster of all the arts in this universe. Bhaskarararaya gives the meaning, “She who possesses (la) the beauty (kala) of lighting (ma)’. To the devotee, the gift of the Divine Mother’s darshan often comes as flashes of lightning.

The Divine Mother wears a garland with sixty-four forms of art or Kalas. 

 

C N Nachiappan

Singapore, 29 March 2022; updated 15 Juns 2025.

 

References:

1.   The Thousand Names of the Divine Mother published in English by Mata Amritanandamis AparnaSan 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