The Divine Mother is seated and journeys with other deities in Her celestial chariot.
Vimanams or chariots are Her vehicles. Vimanam means airplane, aero plane, or aircraft in English. Human bodies are Vimanams for the souls. The Divine Mother is residing inside human bodies and directs them through their current life. Those who accept this concept have high responsibilities. His body is not owned by him. Maturing souls occupy various human bodies temporarily during their samsara (birth and death) cycle. The Divine Mother allows such arrangements so that the souls gain vehicles like the Divine Mother. It is the responsibility of humans to safeguard it well. They ought to realize that whatever they achieve is through the Divine Mother’s grace. Due to this level of acceptance their ahankara and the ‘I’ or ‘Self’ will leave them.
The Divine Mother Safeguards Her devotees. So, human bodies are used as chariots in this sense. She takes responsibility to save Her devotees. She is managing and saving humans with all their ahankara, and Self “I”, putting in special efforts. Mature people go through a lot of troubles, but they do not consider them as trouble, as they are getting divine grace. The Divine Mother takes responsibility forever to avoid difficulties for matured souls.
Manam is the action of the mind. Vimanam is beyond all current life needs. Vimanam reflects the mindless Brahman. The Divine Mother sits beyond all these universal happenings with Her high status. With the Divine Mother’s grace, one can overcome his mind and attain ultimate Brahman, is one interpretation of this Namam.
The Divine Mother’s vehicle is called Vimanam or chariot. The vehicle that travels on the ground must follow the traffic rules. But the Akhasa vehicles have less rules to follow. Manam is an immeasurable Vimanam, can expand depending upon the number of people boarding in. The Divine Mother travels in such Vimanam or chariot in every universal being.
Vi – ma – na – stha is having special lights, chakra raja ratha, kriyaja ratha and yogaraja ratha. Vimanastha means one who resides in a special chariot consisting of light. The Divine Mother resides in them all, She is the spouse of Shiva or Shakti of the Brahman. She is in Vedas, in dharma form, and in Brahman forms.
The chariot light indicates very high speeds. The Divine Mother, who travels in such a chariot, can give comfort, and refuge to anyone in a fraction of time. Light travels 300,000 kilometers (186, 000 miles) per second. It is hard to believe that ancient sages of India had analyzed this speed of light long time ago. There is a verse in the commentary of Rigveda by Sayana, “O Lord Sun salutations to You, who travel 2202 yojanas in half an instant!’’ (One yojana is equal to 8 miles). A calculation by Professor G. Krishnamurthy of Madras (Chennai) puts this at a value almost identical to the modern value of the speed of light established.
The verge referred to here has another special meaning, the first three quarters of the verse represents physical knowledge and the last spiritual knowledge. It recalls that any physical knowledge can lead to a secure and peaceful life only if it is rooted in spiritual knowledge.
The chariot of light means a bright or radiant light. This also indicates the
chariots Kari chakra ratha and Geya Chakra ratha as described in earlier Namams.
The present Namam means that the Divine Mother travels in radiant chariots.
Vi indicates absence, mana is a measure. Then Vimanastha is one who dwells in immeasurable limitless Brahman. Mana is Pramana or mode of proof. The Divine Mother ‘s nature is knowledge. She is one who dwells in the form of knowledge in the pramans, which are the various ways of arriving at knowledge; such a pratyaksa (direct perception by the sense) anumans (inference), upamana (ananology), arthapathi (unavoidable inference from araumsfance) and anupalabdhi (proof because the opposite is absent).
She is one who resides in Vedas (Vimanas). Vimanas may also refer to the fourteen Vidyas or branches of knowledge. The Divine Mother is one who resides in them, all. The fourteen branches of knowledge are the four Vedas, the six auxiliaries to the Vedas, the Puranas taken together, Nyaya (logical philosophy) Mimamsa (a system of philosophy) and code of the justices.
The Divine Mother is seated
and journeys with other deities in Her celestial chariot.
C N Nachiappan
Singapore, 24 August 2022;
updated 22 October 2025.
References:
1.The Thousand Names of the Divine Mother published by Mata Amritanandam in California, USA, with Commentary by T. V Narayana Menon
2, Shri Lalitha Sahasranama Stostram
published in Tamil by N. Ramaswami Iyer charities’ societies, Tiruchirappalli,
India, with Commentary by C. V. Radhakrishna Sastry.
3. The Lalitha Sahasranamam published
in Tamil by Shri Ramakrishna Thapovanam, Thiruipparaithurai, Trichy District,
Tamil Nadu, India with commentary by Shrimath Swami Sith-Bavandar.
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