Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 967: Shri Sumangali (Om sumamgalyai namah)

The Divine Mother is eternally auspicious; She never becomes a widow.

She is as ever in auspicious form. A lady who lives happily with her husband is called Sumangali. Shiva and Parvathi Devi are one such pair; Para shakti is a Sumangali. The Divine Mother’s  sports can be explained in many ways. We cannot explain Brahman with our words. Happiness and sorrow are mixed for all universal beings, which is part of the Divine Mother’s Lila or sport; With Her blessings this ultimately ends in happiness for Her devotees. A snake on Shiva’s shoulders is an alangaram for Him. Yet, if that snake bites an individual, it will be painful incident ending in sorrow for him. Things relating to sorrow are considered as the Divine Mother’s scheme of things for that being. Ultimately when he attains the Divine Mother, all his sorrows will turn into auspicious things.

For those who look at the universe as the Divine Mother’s form, the whole universe looks auspicious. By getting sick, humans mature. Death regenerates the souls. If we look at deficiencies in the universe, we can see more problems. The devotee and yogis see the universe as the Divine Mother’s form. They see auspiciousness and happiness in it. So, it is ideal to call the auspicious Divine Mother a Sumangali.

She is auspicious as ever. All auspicious things reach the housewives living happily with their husbands, who are called Sumangalis.

Doing only commendable deeds, avoiding all contemptible (bad) deeds, is called Mangalam (auspiciousness) by the sages. “One in whom such auspiciousness is present is Sumangali.

Mangala is a synonym for Brahman. Thus, the Divine Mother is none other than Brahman.

The Divine Mother is eternally auspicious;

       She never becomes a widow.     

C N Nachiappan

Singapore, 17 September 2022; updated 02 November 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.