Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 874: Shri Tristha (ōṃ tristhāyai namaḥ)

The Divine Mother resides in three variant world forms.

Time is based in past, present, and future; past time can extend continuously with no staring point. Every second is part of the present time. This present time is there forever. The future is moving forward continuously. Like the past time not having a starting, the future has no ending. This is same as the Divine Mother is without a starting and ending. Day, night, and Sandhya periods are part of full 24 hours’ day. The Divine Mother is in all these time periods.

Early age (childhood), youth (adult hood) and old age are three main stages in human life.

There are many things happening in sets of three; the Divine Mother is in all these forms. For example, three worlds; three gunas (sattva, rajas, and tamas); yesterday, today and tomorrow are time based; Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra are the Trinity; three forms of Homa offerings; three forms of Agni (agni, sun, and moon) are giving light to the universe; waking, dreaming and deep sleep are three feeling stages for humans; night, day, and Sandhya period are three parts of a full day, and vakbha, Kamaraja and Shakti kutas. The Divine Mother is residing in more three variant forms. Third tithi (third lunar day) is best suited for the Divine Mother. Neurologically number three is associated with planet Jupiter or Guru.

The set of three related things mentioned in previous mantra (873, Trivarga Nilaya) applies here. The three goals of life, the three divisions of time and the syllables Om coming from a,u,m, the starting letter of three Vedas namely, Rg, Yajur, and Sama. Other related things or traids are three worlds, three Vedas, the Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra), and three types of fires (agni, sun, and moon) giving light, the three stage of human life namely childhood, youth, and old age, the three forms of sins (occurring through thought, word, and deed), the three ancestors in the form of day, night and twilight, the three gunas, and many other three sets of things in this universe. The Divine Mother is residing in all these three sets of variants.

The Divine Mother resides in three variant world forms

C N Nachiappan

Singapore, 16 June 2022; updated 27 August 2025.

References:

1.     The Thousand Names of the Divine Mother publiget happinessby 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