Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 949: Shri Panca bhutesi (ōṃ pañcabhūtēśyai namaḥ)

The Divine Mother is the Goddess of the five elements, namely, Akasha, Vayu (air), Fire (Agni), Water and Earth.

She created them and is the leader of these five elements. When She is seen as total universe, She is taking the five elements’ forms.  She is ruling these five elements. The actionable part is the Shakti. Its base is Shiva as we have seen in earlier Namams. So, for any action, a base is needed. A base without any action is not useful.

Shiva is said to take the following forms: In Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India as earth, in Thiruvanaikkaval as water, in Kalahasthi as air, in Thiruvannamalai as fire, and in Chidambaram as sky or akasha. There is nothing against the Shakti or the Divine Mother. All visible things in this universe are to be treated as the Divine Mother and worshipped as ideal Mahavishnu, who is supposedly the brother of the Divine Mother. The Divine Mother gets the Pancha ratha malai (with Pearl, Ruby, Indira Neelam, Diamond and Jade) from Her brother Mahavishnu. Indra Neelam (a blue-black gem) from earth, Mauktika (pearl) from water, Kaustubha from fire, Vaidurya (lapis lazuli) from air, and Pusparaga (a red gem) from the Sky.  As can be seen these five gems have originated from the five elements. The Divine Mother is celebrated as Pancha bhutesi.

All five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and sky) are joined to form Eesvari, these originate as five and are of five kinds, they stay as five; they are all the Divine Mother’s forms.

Pancha bhutesi also means things that originate from the five elements. The Divine Mother wears an ornament decked with these gems as Vaijayanti.

There is a belief that wearing a chain or ring bearing gem like Indira Neelam is auspicious.

Bhuteshu means in all beings or in all living entities and is a Sanskrit word derived from bhūta (being, entity, existence).

The Divine Mother is the Goddess of the five elements

 

C N Nachiappan

Singapore, 30 August 2022; updated 25 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.