Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 832: Shri Prana datri (ōṃ prāṇadātryai namaḥ)

The Divine Mother gives vital breath to all in this universe.

She, essentially, grants life to all universal beings. From body heat or temperature and breathing, we judge that the body has life. Even without speech or in unconscious state, breathing and body heat will be maintained to determine that the human still has life.

During deep winter, trees, plants and leaves all seem to have their life. They are in such a deep sleeping stage, still holding their life. When spring comes, those seemingly dead trees plants start to grow, confirming the life tattva. Similarly, the snakes and insects living within deep earth during winter come out to the surface to move around. Many animals hibernate during winter. There are some insects living within a stone, yet they cannot come out. The Divine Mother provides for their lives to go on; as such She is called the Prana datri.

She provides the breathing ability or prana or life to all in the universal beings. She is the life provider.

Prana has many different meanings which we have discussed in earlier Namams. All those meanings are applicable to this Namam also.

       The Divine Mother gives life to all in this universe.

 

C N Nachiappan

Singapore, 05 May 2022; updated 13 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.