Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 844: Shri Chandah sara (ōṃ Chandaḥsārāyai namaḥ)

The Divine Mother is the essence of all the Vedas.

She is also in Upanishads forms, which are the essence of Vedas. From the trees of Vedas, the Upanishads the fruits have been created. The Vedas contain the universal matters which are understandable through our five senses. Upanishads cannot be visualized by our senses. Those who understand the Vedas, aim to get the Upanishad written knowledge. In the trees, fruits grow and ripe from very small to full fruit level, before leaving or taken from the tree; similarly, the soul grows with all the issues in this universe before it can attain the Brahman, by leaving this worldly life, by the grace of the Divine Mother. This principle is explained in “Chandah sara.”

She is the essence of the Vedas. Gayatri mantra, twenty-four based meter is the essence of three Vedas, from which 15 syllabled Pancadasi mantra was derived. The Divine Mother is in both mantra forms of Gayatri and Pancadasi. Upanishads are the explanations of the Vedas. The Divine Mother is in Vedas and resultant Upanishads. She spreads wide in them. Chandah means poetry, or grammar, or a book which explains growth. Chandah give valuable information. The Divine Mother is in Chandah form as well.

Some elders, like Durvasa, who focused on the Divine Mother worship made their minds same as the Divine Mother’s mind. If we notice their actions, we can see that they did not follow dharma and adharma rules in their life. They focused on the Divine Mother’s ways of thinking. As they follow the Divine Mother’s rules, they are following dharma means. They are free to follow their free will, which are same as the Divine Mother’s rules.

Chandah is also Iccha shakti relating to desire or Kama. It also means Vedas, meters like Gayatri and will or desire (Iccha). Sri Narayan Guru salutes the Divine Mother as the “bejeweled lamp of the four Vedas.” Chandah also means unrestricted motion (of the mind). The implication here is that all motions of the mind should be directed towards the Supreme.

Sara means essence, and strength or constancy. The Divine Mother is the embodiment of the constancy of will power (Iccha Shakti).

Fourteen methods have been mentioned for attaining knowledge. The Vedas are the most important part and in them, the Gayatri mantra is the foremost element. Gayatri mantra has two forms, one that may be repeated by all, and the other is completely concealed. Even the Veda Purana (Veda personified) mentions this only in symbolic terms such as Kama, Yoni and Kamala (Varivasya Rahasya, the secret of worship).

The Divine Mother is the essence of all the Vedas.

C N Nachiappan

Singapore, 17 May 2022; updated 14 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