Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 816: Shri Muni manasa hamsika (ōṃ munimānasahaṃsikāyai namaḥ)

The Divine Mother is the swan in the Manasa Lake in the minds of sages. In pure hearts of the sages, the Divine Mother sports around like a swan in Manasa Lake. Muni is a sage, who controls his five senses, does not have any desire for external things and has no attachment.

She is swimming like a swan in the hearts of sages. If the water is dirty in a lake, we cannot see the bottom of the lake. When there are waves on the surface of the lake, the nearby trees and the Chandra in the sky cannot be seen as clear reflections. In a clear lake, we can see such reflections and the bottom of the lake. Bottom is the basis for lake formation. Likewise, for our mind, the base is the soul. If our mind is dirtied, due to continuing thoughts, the pure soul is not visualizable.

Manasa lake is on the south side of Mount Kailash. This is a good example of purity of the minds of sages. We can see the white sand at fifty/sixty feet below in this lake, when there are no waves at the top. We can see the reflected image of Mount Kailash. There, the swans are playing which are like the Divine Mother residing in the hearts of the sages. Without fault, the Brahman, or the Divine Mother is spreading all over and She sports in pure hearts of the sages. Sun’s light is falling equally on all universal things. We can see the reflection of sun’s rays through a lens. The pure hearts of the sages are like such lenses, wherein we can visualize the Divine Mother’s presence.

Manasa is the mind. Manasa lake is in Mount Kailash and has been compared to the pure hearts of the sages. Swans like clear and pure water. The Divine Mother is also like the swan, and sports in pure hearts of the sages. She never leaves their hearts. She cannot get a much better place than pure hearts of the sages. She resides there as sages desired to visualize the Divine Mother. For those used to outside light, they cannot see clearly what is inside the dark cave, but with focused difficult effort, inside the cave things can be seen. For seeing such great brilliance of the Divine Mother within us, we should reduce our desires for outside things. The Divine Mother lives in such pure hearts of the sages and Her devotees.

Now splitting the Namam, as Muni plus Mana plus Sahamsika, we get the meaning that She dances wearing anklets in celebration of the proud and dedicated life of the sages. Mana is pride; Sahamsika or the anklets She is wearing, which are usually prepared or used for dancing.

The Divine Mother is the swan in the Manasa Lake in the minds of sages. 

 

C N Nachiappan

Singapore, 19 April 2022; updated 06 July 2025.

 

References:

1.   The Thousand Names of the Divine Mother published in English by Mata Amritanandamayis Aparna 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 Sithbavandar

 

                                                

                    

Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 815: Shri Anitya trupta (ōṃ anityatṛptāyai namaḥ)

The Divine Mother is the source of all universes. However, all Her creations are perishable and may be withdrawn into Her any moment. She is ever satisfied with all Her perishable creations.

She is happy with perishable offerings by Her devotees. There is no basic difference in human’s feelings or mind; with wooden blocks, we cannot satisfy a razing fire. Likewise, human’s desires or Kama needs cannot satisfy his mindset. When he satisfies one desire, many other desires come to his mind. The human mind may hold desires for perishable things and new needs will lead to new desires. If one uses his desired items for the Divine Mother’s worship, his new and excessive desires will get reduced.

Humans are fond of and have desires to consume various dishes, which go through their system and turn into human waste. When such food is offered first to the Divine Mother, it becomes purified. Likewise, the human with whatever perishable items is available to him, should offer to the Divine Mother to reduce desires for such perishable items. He will get more happiness in this process.

Humans desire all universal things, all perishables. They will undergo suffering for getting them. When they offer such perishable items to the Divine Mother, their happiness increases.

We know the Divine Mother is always fully satisfied with devotees’ offerings; we have seen in earlier Nama 566 “Nitya trupta” with the meaning that She is eternally contented. Here we get confirmation that She gets satisfied even with perishable items offerings. If we say that the Divine Mother is satisfied by only worship, we can say that She is Nitya trpta. If we say that She is not satisfied by these of the forms of worships, we can call Her as Anitya trpta. She is always satisfied by the devotees’ pure devotional worship and any form of offering. This is implied here.

The Divine Mother is pleased by our pujas and sacrifices using perishable things. There is a well-known verse in Gita, lX.26L “Whoever offers Me with devotion a leaf, flower, fruit or water, that offering by the pure minded, made with love, I accept. That is why a leaf, or a flower or water becomes dear to the Divine Mother.

Devotion is the most important ingredient in worship. Rituals without devotion do not please Her.

This Nama may be interpreted as aniti + atrpta. Aniti means Jiva or soul, (literally prana or vital breath) and atrpta is “one who is not satisfied.: She is not satisfied just by living alone, according to Bhaskaracarya. The Kata Upanishad, I.ii.25, describes Brahman thus: “For whom Brahmanas and Kshatriyas, even death itself, is a condiment, how can one know that, Atman!”. The Divine Mother is still devouring; surrendering the vital breath alone is not enough to satisfy Her, How can one without the proper inner transformation, know the Supreme in which all distinctions of class and creed vanish and in which even death is swallowed up?

  The Divine Mother is satisfied even by our imperishable offerings. 

C N Nachiappan

Singapore, 18 April 2022; updated 06 July 2025.

 

References:

1.   The Thousand Names of the Divine Mother published in English by Mata Amritanandamayis Aparna 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 Sithbavandar

 

                                                

            The Divine Mother is satisfied even by our imperishable offerings.        

Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 814: Shri Amurta (ōṃ amūrtāyai namaḥ)

The Divine Mother has no definite form. She is without any form as in Brahman.

The universe is made up of five elements; the universal beings are dependent upon their maturity to take the appropriate forms for visualization by their senses. Earth cannot always be in sand form but can show itself as mountains and valleys, Further, water may be form and formless. River water, rainwater, and when water is frozen become hard ice blocks; the same ice due to heat turns into water and steam. Agni or fire is even better, it does not have its own form, yet it takes the shape of things it is mixing with. Air and Akasha have no form. Through these five elements, humans can take various forms.

Humans can be affectionate or hateful in nature However, with the Divine Mother’s forms, we understand that such feelings have no forms. In each of the universal being, we can visualize both forms, Murta and Amurta aspects. Air is present as amurta in specific areas whereas Akasha is spreading all over representing the Divine Mother’s formlessness. The devotees ought to pray to the Divine Mother in such Murta and Amurta forms. 

Essentially, She is formless as in Brahman. There is no constriction here with earlier Namam 813, “Murta”. One is apparent reality; the other is the ultimate truth. Forms are apparent; the formless is the ultimate essence as in Brahman.

The deluded despise Me clad in a human body, not knowing My higher nature is Lord of all “beings”, says Krisna in Gita, lX.11. His real essence is the cause of the whole universe, but ignorant people mistake Him for an ordinary being in human form.

Brahman has two aspects, murta with form and amurta, without form, says Brhadaranyaka Upanisad, ll.iii.i. The form is the universe and the formless is the Self. Also, the Vishnu Purana says, “The Brahman has two forms murta and amurta, perishable and nonperishable, both are in all beings. The imperishable is ever changeless Brahman, while the perishable is the whole universe.”

That which is perceived through the senses is gross or with form, and that is imperishable is subtle or formless. The Divine Mother is there, as form-based Universe and formless Brahman.

It is recommended to revisit earlier Namam 813 write up here to understand the Divine Mother’s Murta form, and Amurta, formless states.

 

The Divine Mother has no definite form.    

C N Nachiappan

Singapore, 17 April 2022; updated 06 July 2025.

 

References:

1.   The Thousand Names of the Divine Mother published in English by Mata Amritanandamayis Aparna 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 Sithbavandar

 

                                                

                

Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 813: Shri Murta (Ohmmūrtāyai namaḥ)

The Divine Mother has a form.

In fact, She has infinite forms. The whole universe is composed of five basic elements. These five elements are the basis for us to perceive Her different forms in all living beings in the universe. All universal forms, which we visualize, are those of the Divine Mother. When the devotee realizes this concept, he need not look for a deity for worshipping. When he realizes all universal forms are of the Divine Mother, he moves towards Brahman.

Those who do not understand this and start to think the deity is a metal or stone, believe that the worshiping deity resides in the metal or stone form only. The Supreme divine has infinite form.

In temples, in Divine Mother’s Sannidhi, those who worship the Divine Mother in all directions have understood that the Divine Mother is in all forms and in all directions. Whatever we can visualize are the forms of the Divine Mother.

The Divine Mother has two basic identifications. One is visualizing forms such as Shree Rama, Shree Krishna, Durgha, and Lalitha. These are reachable through our knowledge and thinking, through our mind and senses etc. These are suitable for worshipping. So, the Divine Mother has many understandable and realizable forms such as a ‘Murtha’.

She is in these basic visualizable elements fire, water, and earth forms; akasha and air have no specific forms. From Maya and ultimately from these five elements this universe had originated. The Divine Mother is in these five elements’ forms.

She is in visualizable universe and unseen Brahman forms. Like earlier Namams Pasha Hasta and Pasha Hantri, She is in all forms. When we can visualize Her, She is Murta. We must understand though She can come to us as Amurtha or with no form, also.

The entire universe is in Vividhta form, which is the meaning of this Namam (the multitude of forms brought by Maya). This concept implies duality. The akasha is perceived through sound, the air is perceived through touch, the fire is perceived through sight, the water is perceived through taste and the earth is perceived through smell. These are all the Divine Mother’s forms. Sruti says, “All this truly is Brahman”. All is the Divine Mother Herself.

A devotee once asked Mata Amirutanadamayi, “If the Self is all pervading, should not be the life force present even in a dead body”. Her reply was, “Just because the light bulb is off or the fan stops working, we cannot conclude that electricity is off. When we put down our hand-held fan, we stop feeling the air, but the air does not cease to exist. In the same way, the Self is everywhere. The Lord is not absent anywhere. Death is just the destruction of the upadhi (imposition or limitation), the instrument, not the absence of the Self.”

  The Divine Mother has many forms. 

 

C N Nachiappan

Singapore, 16 April 2022; updated 06 July 2025.

 

References:

1.   The Thousand Names of the Divine Mother published in English by Mata Amritanandamayis Aparna 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 Sithbavandar