Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 353: Shri Bhaktimat kalpa latika (OM bhaktimatkalpalatikAyai namaH)

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

The Divine Mother is the Kalpa creeper or Kalpa tree to Her devotees. 

The Divine Mother’s devotees get Her Kalpa tree blessings. The Brahman is customarily called as Kalpam; any devotee can get his wish and desires easily from the Kalpa tree. Those devotees who abide by the Kalpa tree always have safer life with the Divine Mother’s grace. 

Kalpa effect can be exampled as follows: One traveler due to his tiredness takes rest in place without knowing that it is a Kalpa place. He wishes for a drinking water and gets good water to drink; he desires for food and he gets again good food to eliminate his hunger; he wishes to sleep and he gets a good bed and a fan; after his sleep, when he woke up, he does not find any one around; he feared about a tiger and he gets killed by a tiger. 

All humans get their wishes in reasonable times; but when they start to worry about death, they die. With their devotion to the Divine Mother, their death fears will be invalidated. Such liberated condition represents the Supreme State or Kalpa which the devotees are granted through the Divine Mother’s blessings. 

Kalpa means Kalpaga tree; latika means beautiful female. When male reference is made, it is called the kalpa tree; when female reference is used, it is called Kalpalata. Such Kalpa tree grants all wishes to the person; likewise, the Divine Mother gives to Her devotees, Her immense blessing and grace. 

Bhaktimats are people with full devotion. Bhatimat kalpa are the ones with incomplete devotion; also those looking like Bhaktimat but are actually not, are also called Bhaktimat kalpa. Lata is a plant which spreads and by reaching a place, like wall, it holds on to the support. The Divine Mother lets the Bhaktimat kalpas to hold on to Her, to grow their devotion to Her, the Supreme Self. 

Latika is also Kasturi tree with good fragrance which is showered on the devotees to give peace to them. This way the Divine Mother is the one pleases the Bhaktimat kalpa to help them to reach the Supreme State. 

The Kalpa tree and Kamadhenu, the sacred cow are said to have the power to grant all wishes of people seeking their help; like the Kalpa tree, this creeper yields all the wishes of the devotees. 

Bhaktimat kalpa as we have discussed earlier, are imperfect devotees; the Divine Mother gives Her imperfect devotees the chance to flourish and claim to become a perfect one, like a creeper. 

Saktirahasya makes it clear that the Divine Mother worship done imperfectly or even with incomplete devotion leads to perfect devotion in due course with the Divine Mother blessings. 

Kalpa also means musk and Jasmine. The Divine Mother showers fragrance on Her devotees.

  The Annapoorani Devi in Kasi (Varanasi) in India provides for Her devotees.

 

C  N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 12 January 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 Chithbavandar