Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 976: Shri Tripurambika (ōṃ tripurāmbikāyai namaḥ)

The Divine Mother is the Mother of the Tripura (Three cities).

In Sri Chakra Eighth Chakra, the leader (of yognis) Tripurambika Devi is residing. The Devine Mother is in that Tripurambika Devi form. Waking, dreaming, and sleeping are three states. Youngness, adulthood, and old age are three life stages for everybody. Gross, subtle, and casual are three types of bodies. These are called the three Puras. All these are created by Vama, Jestha, and Rout Hri, three mothers; the Devine Mother is in all these three Mothers forms.

The Divine Mother as Tripura Devi is in three Maya forms and three states of waking, dreaming, and sleeping. Tripura means the three states. Since the Devine Mother is the creator of three states, She is called Tripurambika. The three bodies gross, subtle and casual are also known as Tripura or the three cities. The Devine Mother is the Mother to them also. The Sruti says soul plays in three cities (Puras). This refers to the soul that plays in three body conditions gross, subtle, and casual.

Sri Chakra has nine chakras, from Trailokya Mokena to Sarvodaya Maya as described in earlier Namams. Each Chakra starts with a triangle. There are five triangles pointing downwards known as Shakti triangles (Shakti konas) and four triangles pointing upwards, known as Siva Triangles (Shiva konas). From Shakti konas the five elements arise. From Shiva konas, the four tattvas, maya, Sudha Vidhya, Maheswaran and Sadashiva arise. The universe takes the shape from these nine tattvas. Also, from the Shakti konas, skin, blood, flash, fat, and bone arise. From Shiva konas marrow, semen, life breath and soul arise. Each triangle has a Tripura Devi; Each Tripura Devi has a mudra. These Tripuras are namely Tripura, Tripuresvari, Tripurasundari, Tripuravasini, Tripurasri, Tripura Malini, Tripura siddhi and Tripurambika. She is the eighth deity among these. This Namam implies that the Devine Mother is in the form of Tripurambika Shakti.

The Divine Mother is the Mother of the Tripura (Three cities).

C N Nachiappan

Singapore, 26 September 2022; updated 03 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.