Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 254: Shri Dhyana dhyatr dhyeya rupa (OM dhyAnadhyAtRRidhyeyarUpAyai namaH)

In Namams 249 to 274, the Divine Mother’s  Five functions and Her Five Isvara forms are described. 

The Divine Mother shines as meditation, meditator and the object of meditation. 

During the dhyana, which is focused unbroken flow of thought towards an object, the devotee gets to increase his thinking power. If one’s thoughts are focused on the Supreme Being, it becomes dhyana. The one who had already merged with the Supreme is called Brahman; the one who is trying to reach the Supreme through his tapas is called yogi. The one, who performs constant dhyana towards the Supreme Being, goes up in the ladder to reach the Brahman. 

It is not right to think that everything in this universe is not part of the Divine Mother; thinking about universal things, cannot help but to reach the Divine Mother. For example thinking about food is common for humans but that cannot be part of dhyana for the Brahman if that thought is about eating one’s meal only. However, if the person preparing the food thinks that is for offering to the Divine mother as Prasad, it will become dhyana.  Focusing our thoughts on any other thing will not be dhyana. 

The thinking becomes dhyana when one considers the deities in a temple are not just stones but they are part the divinity. Cit is part of the Divine Mother. 

The Divine Mother is the Supreme intelligence (Namam 251 “Cinmayi” and Namam 253 “Vijana Ghana rupini”). In such a state to realize the Divine Mother, dhyana is the best tool available to the devotee. If something is in visible form, it will be easily understood. The Divine Mother is in formless state for most of the times; to understand Her, the dhyana is the way to go. When one understands something through his thinking that continues to be held in his mind for some time. If he can continue to hold the Divine Mother in his mind through dhyana which will increase his chance to reach the Supreme Being soon. 

Yoga Sutra (111.2) identifies “Meditation as unbroken flow of thought towards an object.” 

Dhyana is seventh of eight forms as listed in Astanga yoga, namely: 

1.       Yama (Self-control)

2.       Niyama (Control of organs)

3.       Asana (posture)

4.       Pranayama (Breath control)

5.       Pratyahara (Withdrawal of organs)

6.       Dharana (Concentrating the mind)

7.       Dhyana (meditation)

8.       Samadhi ( In serene repose) 

With all these, this Namam interprets the Divine Mother is shining as meditation, meditator and the object of meditation. 

 The Divine Mother as Sri Vidya ready to bless.

C N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 04 October 2020.

 

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.