Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 395: Shri Prasiddha (OM prasiddhAyai namaH)

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

The Divine Mother is universally known, worshipped and celebrated for all Her divine attributes by Her devotees. 

Siddhi means is to achieve; Prasiddhi means fame. 

The Divine Mother is displaying Herself for the eyes of Her devotees. There is no other suitable Namam to describe Her presence in this universe than this Namam. “Whole Universe is You” is the implication of this Namam. There is nothing different to Her in this Universe. Through our five sense, we are experiences Her form. When these five sensory elements are calm, we can understand our presence in Her. We need not ask anyone as to “I” or “Her”. We get our soul from the Divine Mother (from Brahman, She is part of Lord Shiva by owning half the body with Him) and we understand that clearly. All universal beings are the Divine Mother’s forms. The sea waves are not against the sea; likewise there is nothing in the universe against the Divine Mother. 

In ancient India, often learned people tried to avoid or be side tracked by others. The great sages like Shri Ramakrishna prayed to the Divine Mother for change of that Pashanda (cold hearted) approach. He even went to the slum areas and cleaned the places to show that was also a prayer to the Divine Mother. This Namam is the proof of that service to the needy is service to God. 

The Divine Mother is well known to all beings in this universe. She, the Prasiddha, is a full form even before we understood Her. There may be argument that there are people saying that they or “I” do not understand or know the Divine Mother. That “I” what they are saying, represents the Divine Mother. Everybody understands self “I” but may not understand the “I” of the Divine Mother. As She is understood and felt by everyone, She is Prasiddha. 

The Divine Mother is celebrated as “Thou alone am I”. There is no one who is aware of “I”, the Divine Mother. Malayalam Poet Ezhuttacchan points out that the sense of “I” may be of two kinds (one on soul level and another on the Divine Mother; both are same.). “O Lord Narayana, Who art Consciousness Bliss itself, Beloved of the Gopis, let there not be sense of “I” in me; and if it is there, let it be that everything is “I”, which is you”. 

As the initial “I” sense (egoism) disappears, the devotee sees everything as oneself. The subject of this sense of “I” in everyone is Universe, which She represents; She is Prasiddha, famous and celebrated.

The Divine Mother, the Prasiddha.

C  N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 23 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