Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 856: Shri Garvita (ōṃ garvitāyai namaḥ)

The Divine Mother is proud.

Pride comes due to various reasons. Someone thinks that he is born in highest caste; some others are proud of the country they are born in.; some others proud due to their beauty or wealth they have; Some others are proud of their skills or their knowledge; some others are proud due to their high-level job position or their high society association. The Divine Mother is the root cause of all these prides seen in universal beings. She knows the causes of people’s pride in various fields. Understanding that all these various prides are the creation of the Divine Mother is to be fortunate and blessed by Her. She, who created the wider universe, and its beings is proud of Her own creation. Such pride is called Garvita, which is there always. Humans’ pride will be short lived, like a bubble in water. If a devotee gets undue pride, then he ought to surrender to the Divine Mother. Such people are good devotees; they can cultivate and realize the Divine Mother within themselves. To think and be satisfied that a major achievement has happened through the blessings of the Divine Mother is equal to being proud. With such satisfaction without pride, the devotee surrendering to the Divine Mother is appropriate. Through such actions, the devotee matures to reach Brahman.

By creating the universe and later absorbing it within Her during Pralaya, She is proud of Her actions and Her own Self. Each living being’s ‘I’ is said to be the root form of Brahman. She has such high ahankara or proudness. 

Her pride comes from the creation of this universe. “Thou art at act of creation, the creator and myriad or extremely great number of people of things created; Thou, O Lord, art also the material for creation!’ says a poet.

If creation is to take place, the Divine Mother Herself must turn in as creator. This urge for creation is due to parahanta (a Sanskrit philosophical concept meaning "supreme self-awareness" or "Supreme I-ness) the state of Supreme ego.

The Divine Mothe is naturally proud of Her great beauty which enabled Her claim half the body of Shiva ” Poet Kalidasa describes the condition of Shiva, when he sees the exuberant beauty of Parvati Devi, who had come to attend Him during His tapas: “Hara with His composure disturbed a little, as in the case of ocean as the moon begins to rise, let His three eyes roam over Uma Devi’s face and her lips as red as the Bimba fruit.” As said in Kumarasambhava (III.67). Thus, Her indescribable beauty broke Shiva’s tapas and won His attention. The Divine Mother is proud of all Her beauty and Her actions of creating the universe.

The Divine Mother is proud

C N Nachiappan

Singapore, 29 May 2022; updated 18 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