Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 954: Shri Shambhu mohini (ōṃ śambhumōhinyai namaḥ)

The Divine Mother deludes Shiva.

The Divine Mother with Kama makes Shiva attracted towards Her in Mohini form. Getting attracted to Kama is not the true form of Shiva, who hates Kama the Lord of desires. Shiva is the Spouse of the Divine Mother.  He is considered an enemy of Kama. The Divine Mother’s beauty (not only external, but internal as well) is enough to spark the desire even in that slayer of Kama, Shiva. To describe and glorify Her internal beauty, Poet Kalidasa wrote the fifth chapter in Kumara Sambhava.

Shambhu is doing good for all living beings, source of happiness or source of bliss. Shiva, after his patience (meditation) to control five senses, only married the Goddess Uma Devi or Parvathy Devi. Even with great divinities, Kama can come up.  We can imagine the conditions of common human beings towards Kama. Jagan Mohini, the Divine Mother, is controlling the living beings with their Kama feelings. The souls needing to reach the Brahman must fully clear their Kama. Soul holding humans must surrender to the Divine Mother to remove their Kama feelings. Humans eliminating their Kama feelings are considered full people.

Sam meaning auspiciousness, is the other name for Shiva. It is produced in a place called Sambhu which is Shiva Himself. The Divine Mother can attract even Sambhu in Mohini form is the message of this Namam.

Deluding is delivering something that is not true, here Shiva hates Kama, yet he is attracted with Kama itchai by the Divine Mother.

                    The Divine Mother deludes Shiva with Kama.           

 

C N Nachiappan

Singapore, 04 September 2022; updated 28 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.