Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 825: Shri Budh-archita (ōṃ budhārcitāyai namaḥ)

The Divine Mother is worshipped by the wise.

She is worshipped by all, but more so by the wise and the noble humans. From Jada Shakti form, the soul has matured into chit form. Depending on the level of maturity of the souls, there will be differences in their progress. Stones and grass also have life in them. Insects and smaller animals are different forms of life. Birds and bigger animals have different knowledge levels. Based on the body structure and their differences in forms, we either praise or hate them. The Divine Mother is the root cause of all these reactions. There are a few who appreciate the Divine Mother’s skills and glories. Even the various edible sweets have the same basic sugar content and yet they have different shapes and forms. The children may like one form and hate some other forms of sweets. The Divine Mother functions in many ways and forms. The yogis visualize this and worship Her. Due to ignorance, one tends to find the differences in Her various forms.

Those who have gained sufficient knowledge about Brahman and those who want to know about Brahman by reading the Vedas can be considered wisemen in this context here. With the Divine Mother’s blessings, they understand the wonders of Her universal creations and pursue further to understand Her glories. She is worshipped by such wise men.

Krishna says in the Gita, VII.16. “Four kinds of virtuous men worship me, O Arjuna, namely the distressed, the seeker of knowledge, the seeker of wealth and the jnani (the man of wisdom).”

A plain glass will not reflect the face; it must be coated on one side to turn into a mirror. Similarly, just being born as a human being does not mean that one’s thoughts will turn to God. One needs the Samskaras (rites marking major events in one’s life) or merit earned in previous births. Only such a person can stay near the fire and ward off the cold. Others will keep a distance and suffer the cold.

Budha also means the planet Mercury. Budha is considered wise and all knowing. Je blesses those who worship him with all auspicious boons. Adi Sankara (who himself a Budha) says in his Kanakadhara Stotram that those who worship Mahalakshmi will all be blessed by Budha. Budha himself is constantly worshipping the Divine Mother. Therefore the Divine Mother is Budha-archita.

The Divine Mother is worshipped by the wise

C N Nachiappan

Singapore, 28 April 2022; updated 11 August 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