Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 413: Shri Aprameya (ōṃ apramēyāyai namaḥ)

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

The Divine Mother is not measurable by our senses. 

The Divine Mother far beyond our understanding; She is not measurable by any standards. Essentially the devotees have to understand the glories of the deity they are worshipping. Depending on the level of the worship, the devotees get to understand the deity they are praying to. However the devotees, Yogins and Devas will not fully understand the glories of the Divine Mother who is spreading through the universe. She is not a measurable element by any standards . With the limited knowledge, one cannot measure such widely spreading the Divine Mother. We can use a tumbler (say 250 to 500 ml capacity) to measure the water used in a household vessel but that same tumbler cannot be used to measure the total sea water. Likewise, the Divine Mother is spread the universe and her glories cannot be determined through anybody’s prayers. But Shista (Her disciples or devotees) can understand correctly, a few of her glories. The devotee who uses his full mind and knowledge is doing a good worshipping of the Divine Mother. The instrument used to measure the depth of the sea becomes part of the sea. Likewise, no one can measure all the glories of the Divine Mother to understand Her fully. 

In other ways, She is non-measurable. We can visualize Her, from our earlier experiences; we can only estimate some portion of Her glories that way.  Generally all humans cannot get such earlier experience with the Divine Mother. The Vedas are presuming but yet the Divine Mother cannot be understood by our mind, knowledge or words. There are no other means to measure the Divine Mother’s glories and or in any forms of Her. 

For example, when a small bird is hatched the following sequence is taking place: 1. When in embryo (within the shell), the whole universe is within the shell for the small bird. 2. When it is hatched, the universe is the nest for the small bird. 3. When the small bird grows up, some more, its universe is the tree where the nest is there. 4. When the bird starts flying, the universe is much bigger than the tree; size is un measurable Akasa and other environment around the tree, to the small bird. 

The syllable “a” stands for Brahma, Vishnu and other Gods; Prameya is “to be known”. She is to be known only to those deities meaning by syllable “a”. 

a +prameya is the one who lives in water; She lives in sacred rivers like Ganga. The sacred rivers are invoked to sanctify water before bathing or using in puja: “O Ganga, Yamuna, Godawari, Sarsvathi, Narmada, Sindu and Kaveri kindly grace this water by your presence!”

Aprameya, the  Divine Mother.

C N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 13 March 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.

The Lalitha Sahasranamam published in Tamil by Shri Ramakrishna Thapovanam, Thiruipparaithurai, Trichy District, Tamilnadu, India with commentary by Shrimath Swami Chithbavandar