Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 381: Shri Raho yoga kramaradhya (OM rahoyAgakramArAdhyAyai namaH)

In Namams 381 to 474, the Divine Mother’s Jnana Yoga worship methods are discussed in details.

The Divine Mother is worshipped in secret through sacrificial rites. 

Raho can be interpreted as the secret meeting between Lord Shiva and the Divine Mother in Sahasrara. Krama is meant as stepping into. This Namam means that the Divine Mother is to be worshipped in stages of Sadhana that guide us to enter into bliss of the unison of Lord Shiva and Shakti; the Divine Mother is in Sahasrara. 

Raho can mean also without others knowing. Yoga can be said here as secretly done as speech, thinking, actions, house and helpers are all externally controlled and are covering the soul, which are burnt in Cidagni. 

The divine worships have two or more ways. External worship with all the celebrations; and the devotee can worship the Divine Mother internally without any celebration to be seen outside. This internal worship method is best suited for the devotee and the Divine Mother with Her big scheme of things. In this, She makes the devotees to reach Her in stages. For example, the sea water due to hotness of the Sun, evaporates to form cloud and into many other forms; like snow in Himalayas, later melting into a stream; or as a rain in normal land area; further runs in to a waterfall and to be merged with bigger river and later runs back to the sea. Some parts of the clouds rain directly as water back into the sea. There is no celebration or advertisement in greatness of sea water getting back to the source, the sea. Similarly, the matured devotees with internal worship reach the Divine Mother. They do not seek any advertisement or celebration in their worshipping the Divine Mother. Their focus is on their internal worship alone. 

The devotees cleaning themselves to reach the Brahman or the Divine Mother are indicated in this worshipping method in this Namam; by burning their following eight items: papa, punya, good acts, bad acts, positive thinking, negative thinking, dharma actions, adhrama actions in Cidagni (earlier Namam 4) to make them into ashes. The soul, knowledge/mind, body and dharma are controlled. Also in waking/sleeping/dreaming stages without words or actions, hands, legs, stomach, regenerative organ and all the devotee’s efforts are surrendered to Brahman, the Divine Mother. This helps one to reach the Divine Mother after burning all items covering the soul in Cidagni. The things covering the soul are removed as ashes in Cidagni, after which the soul shines as a metal like gold put through high heat furnace. The individual or the soul staying alone in seclusion and doing this secret yoga is what the Divine Mother likes best. 

Adi Sankara in Soundarya Lahari, verse 9, “O Devi, after passing the Muladhara containing the Bhutattva (earth), the Manipuraka in the navel containing the Jalatattva (water), Svadhisthana in genital area containing agnitattva (fire), Anahata in the heart containing the Vayutattva (air), Vishuddhi chakar in the throat containing akasatattva (ether) Ajna chakar between the eye brows containing manastattva (mind), thus breaking through the Kula path containing the six chakaras, You sport in secret seclusion with Your Spouse in Thousand petaled lotus.” 

There is one deviation observed from normal in this sequence mention by Adi Shankara. He talks about Svadhisthana only after passing through Manipuraka which comes higher in Kundalini’s path. The great Sage did not make a mistake, here. He is following the correct actions well known in the Upanisads, going from gross to subtle in following order; Earth, water, fire, air, ether and mind. This is why starting from Muladhra (earth), he goes to Manipuraka (water) before going to Svadhidthana (fire). 

The sacrificial fire here is the fire of consciousness, Cidagni (earlier Namam 4). The secret sacrifice is done in the fire of consciousness with the support of the Kundalini Shakti (the Divine Mother). So it is the Divine Mother’s worship internally through seclusion, by sacrificing all good and bad things covering the soul in the fire of consciousness.

 

     The Lord Shiva and the Shakti, the Divine Mother

    in unison in Saharara, a thousand petaled lotus 

C  N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 09 February 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