Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 313: Shri Rama (OM ramAyai namaH)

In Namams 275 to365, the Divine Mother’s  many forms providing benefits to Her devotees in great details are discussed.

The Divine Mother has become the Lakshmi and Sarasvathi; She is Lakshmi who loves to dance and the provider of wealth; She is also Saravathi who loves knowledge and arts. 

When there is light, there is no darkness; where there is Lakshmi, there is no room for poverty; She lives in Mahavishnu’s left chest. Mahavishnu lives in the hearts of the devotees, so Lakshmi in effect lives in Mahavishnu’s devotees. Even if someone has lesser wealth to start with but still thinks that he has enough in life, his wealth level increases on its own; if he uses that wealth to help others, his wealth grows even more automatically. 

Rama is also attractiveness; Rama is Lakshmi and wealth; it makes one to be joyful. So with Lakshmi’s blessing one gets happiness and joy. The wealth that does not give happiness leads to poverty. Lakshmi lives in houses where good deeds are happening and wealth in that house increases. She does not stay in places where evil things are happening. 

In Devi Mahatmyam Chapter four: The prayers of Sakradi Devathas, verse 4 states: 

Yaa sree swayam sukrtheenaam bhavaneshwa lakshmi, Papathmaanam krutha dhiyaam hrudhayeshu budhi, Sradhaa sathaam kula jana prabhavasya lajja, Thaam thwaam nathaa sma paripalaya devi viswam. 

With the meaning: We salute that Goddess who is and will be in the form of wealth in the houses of holy people. She will be in the form of misfortune in the home of sinners. She will be in the form of wisdom in the heart of learned people. She will be in the form of good conduct in the hearts of good people. She will be in the form of shyness in the minds of those people born in good families. Oh Goddess, please save this world. 

Devi Mahatmyam Chapter four can also be further explained as follows:

When the most valiant and wicked Asura and his armies were slain by the Goddess, the hosts of gods headed by Indra lauded her, their necks and shoulders reverently bent, and bodies rendered beautiful with exultation. 

This is the longest and most eloquent of the Devi Mahatmyam’s four hymns. Known as the Shakradistuti (praise by Indra and the host of gods), it illumines the themes of good and evil, fate and free will, karma and divine grace. This hymn constitutes the fourth chapter of the Devi Mahatmyam. The hymn praises Durga as “good fortune in the dwellings of the virtuous and misfortune in the abodes of the wicked.” While this verse explicitly entails reward and punishment by a personal deity, implicitly it points to an impersonal balancing principle at work in the universe- the law of karma. Either ways the message is the same: our deeds have consequences. The hymn further proclaims that the Mother’s intentions are most gracious even toward evildoers. Her nature is to subdue the misconduct of the wicked. Through her inconceivable grace, even wrongdoers who have committed great evils that may well ensure them of long torments for their evil deeds are purified in battle by the touch of her weapons and are brought to beatitude. In destroying the demons the Goddess destroys the evil samskaras within us. 

Thus the supporter of the worlds was praised and worshipped with celestial flowers, perfumes, unguents and heavenly incense by devas. Benignly serene in countenance she spoke to the obeisant gods. The Devi said, “O devas, choose whatever you desire of me”. The gods responded, “Since our enemy, this Mahishasura, has been slain by you, O Bhagavati everything has been accomplished, and nothing remains to be done. And if a boon is to be granted to us by you, O Maheshvari, whenever we think of you again, please destroy our direct calamities. And, O Mother of spotless countenance, whatever mortal shall praise you with these hymns, may you, who have become gracious towards us, also be gracious to him and bless him to be fortunate, O Ambika!” Goddess Bhadrakali who was thus propitiated by the gods for their own sake and that of the world, said “Be it so” and vanished from their sight. 

The Divine Mother is provider of knowledge, arts and wealth to Her devotees.

 

The Divine Mother in Mahavishnu and Lakshmi form

C  N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 03 December 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