Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 332 Shri Vama nayana (OM vAmanayanAyai 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 an attractive beautiful left eye. 

All universal beings have originated from the Divine Mother. Everyone’s beauty is in their eyes; and  through the eyes alone, all living beings exhibit their maturity level in their life cycle. The Divine Mother is acting as the eyes or subtle form in the souls. 

Vamana is to see the truth in its original form. If one visualizes the Divine Mother in everything in this universe, they are able to see Brahman and other universal creatures as they are. 

Vama can be interpreted as left side or attractive; this leads to Her attractive beautiful eyes. So She is said to be Vama nayana or one with beautiful attractive eyes. 

Vamam can also be interpreted as beautiful; nayana means eye or that which leads and shows proof. The Divine Mother’s eyes are capable of granting all the needs to Her devotees. So one can see the eternal beauty in Her eyes. Vaman can be vasana or karma; She makes the devotees to go through their karma to ultimately reach Her or Brahman. 

With the nayana meaning eye, shows the proof; this Namam means that She is the one who shows evidence or proof. 

Vama also means left side; there is left path (Vamacara) for the worship of the Divine Mother. She leads her devotees through this path. She is also the eye of Vamacarain, the devotee who follows this method of worship, and who leads them on the correct path to reach Her. 

Vama has another meaning; the fruit of negligence or the fruit of kama. Negligence leads to sinful acts (implying negligence of goodness and truth). She is the one who leads us to the unavoidable fruit; which is the Divine Mother Herself or Brahman. So She can be considered as the root of both good and bad in Her devotees. 

Vasanas from previous births, push humans towards good and evil, depending on vasana’s strength. The question may be asked here. Which come first “Vasana” or Karma; this is similar to asking which come first the tree or the tree’s seed. This leads to an endless inconclusive series of questions, an unclear state known as “anavastha” (unsettled) in Philosophy. 

Namam 999 “Siva saktyaikya rupini” with the meaning that the Divine Mother is the unison of Shiva and Sakti into one form.She is taking the left side of this rupam. 

She is Vama nayana; the One with beautiful attractive eyes. 

 

The Divine Mother is having

   Her beautiful attractive eyes. 

C  N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 22 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