Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 975: Shri Purvaja (ōṃ pūrvajāyai namaḥ)

The Divine Mother is ahead of everything in this universe.

She appeared (or was there) before everything else in this universe. Mulaprakrti or original Prakrti is the source for all soul’s creation; all such souls return to Mulaprakrti, which has three gunas. Depending on the guna level, various lives are created. Tamo guna beings look more like Jada objects; Rajo guna beings are more of plants and animals; Sattva guna is predominant in humans. From micro beings to Brahma, all originated from Mulaprakrti.

The biological mother is happy as her child grows into a great person. The Divine Mother creates all souls in this universe and in the end, She submits all such souls back to Shiva in Brahman. What we see as universe and what we cannot visualize as Brahman are due the action of Mulaprakrti. It is not moving, yet it creates moving souls. The universe is created, and it disappears during pralaya; for all these, the Divine Mother ‘s shakti is the basis. From Brahman, this Mulaprakrti comes out, it is helping all living souls to mature; we praise it as Adishakti; The Devine Mother as Adishakti is the inner understanding of this Namam. It is a great form of the Divine Mother worship.

“O Saumya, the pure sat (Brahman) is indeed that which existed at first” says the Sruti. It is the same Brahman who, as the original Mula Prakrti continues the correct process. The name Purvaja means the Mulaprakrti or the original Prakrti.

Purvaja also means the first pulsation of that primeval Shakti or the first creation.

The Divine Mother is ahead of everything in this universe.

 

 

C N Nachiappan

Singapore, 25 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.