Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 766: Shri Japaa puspha nibhakritih (ōṃ japāpuṣpanibhākṛtayē namaḥ)

The Divine Mother has a form like a red hibiscus flower.

The Divine Mother has a deep reddish complexion like a hibiscus flower. She functions as the universe. She is in all universal beings.

There is greatness in flowers being used for the Divine Mother. The flowers blossom one day and will wilt the next day. We worship the Divine Mother with such flowers. The poets and great sages enjoyed the divine nature of the flowers. When a devotee sees a reddish hibiscus flower, he is reminded of the Divine Mother and is happy. Showers of the flowers are used for praying to the Divine Mother.

She has the hibiscus flower redness in Her body structure. Red has many grades or varieties; the Divine Mother’s colour is seen in all such red varieties.

The hibiscus flower or China rose is used for Japa. In meditation verse for Shri Lalitha Sahasranam recitation, the Divine Mother is described as “Sinduraruna Vigraha”, with the meaning that Her body is red like saffron.

According to Baskaracharaya, the name may be taken as Ajapapuspanibhakrtih and then split into two names, ajapa and puspanibhakrtih. Any mantra or portion of the mantra that is not  voiced is called ajapa. The name means the Divine Mother is in the form of that mantra.  Puspanibhakritih indicates that the Divine Mother is the one whose body is as soft as a flower.

Puspa may also be interpreted as Puspaka, the vehicle of Kubera, which can go anywhere at will. It has no barriers whatsoever. The Divine Mother has a form that can go anywhere like Puspaka. Her form is indeed one that is subtler than the subtlest and grosser than the grossest.

The Divine Mother has a body like a red hibiscus flower. 

 

C N Nachiappan

Singapore, 01 March 2022; updated 14 May 2025.

 

 

 

 

References:

1.   The Thousand Names of the Divine Mother published in English by Mata Amritanandamis AparnaSan 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