Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 440: Shri Kula kundalaya (ōṃ kulakuṇḍālayāyai namaḥ)

In Namams 381 to 474, the Divine Mother’s Jnana Yoga worship methods are discussed in details. 

The Divine Mother resides or abides in Kulakunda. 

Kulakunda is the bindu at the centre of the Muladhara (lotus). The Divine Mother resides there. 

The Divine Mother has a temple in a place called Kulakundam. In human body, the soul or Kundalini starts from Muladhara and moves upward to reach the Sahasrara. Even if the hole is closed, the Kundalini, like a serpent is sleeping in Muladhara. Tantra and yoga means help the Kundalini move upwards. Soul has Muladhara as its place of residence; it is sleeping there like a serpent meditating on Lord Shiva and Shakti combined rupa. It is the devotee’s aim to make sure that meditation completes through Brahmachariya means. Due to good discipline the jada shakti turns into cit shakti. 

The Divine Mother has a residence in Kulakunda. Muladhara is Kulakunda akula cakra. That is also called Akula Sahasrara. The Divine Mother has that Kulakunda which is a temple or place of residence, where the Kundalini shakti rests by sleeping. Kudalini after going through Sahasrara and having the nectar, returns back to Muladhara to sleep like a serpent with three and half turns coiled up. 

The Kundalini sleeps in the bindu (Earlier Namam 99: Muladharaika nilaya with the meaning the Divine Mother or Kundalini’s principal abode is Muladhara.)

Adi Shankara describes the Divine Mother in Soundarya Lahari verse 10: “O Mother after bathing the universe and the nadis (nerves) of the worshipper in the ambrosia flowing from the middle of your feet, You return from the Sahasrara which is the form of radiant Moon’s disc, back to Your abode in the Muladhara and there You sleep in the pericarp with its minute hole in the form of the serpent in three and half turns.” 

The Divine Mother.

C N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 09 April 2021.

References:

1.       The Thousand Names of the Divine Mother published in English by Mata Amritanandamayi Center, San Ramon, California, USA, with Commentary by T. V Narayana Menon

2.       Shri Lalitha Sahasranama Stostram published in Tamil by N. Ramaswami Iyer charities’ societies, Trichirapalli, India, with Commentary by C. V. Radhakrishna Sastry.

3.       The Lalitha Sahasranamam published in Tamil by Shri Ramakrishna Thapovanam, Thiruipparaithurai, Trichy District, Tamilnadu, India with commentary by Shrimath Swami Chithbavandar.

Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 439: Shri Kulesvari (ōṃ kulēśvaryai namaḥ)

In Namams 381 to 474, the Divine Mother’s Jnana Yoga worship methods are discussed in details. 

The Divine Mother is the ruler of the Kula. 

Kula identifies a triad (a group or set of three related people or things).Kulaguru means the teacher for a set of students. Kuladeivam is the special deity for the said triad. Kulapathy refers to the leader. All above are rising from this Namam Kulesvari.  In this universe, there are many triads as divided by the Divine Mother; the nature safeguards each triad. Butterfly has many thousands of varieties, yet they are in one kula. Similarly, universal creatures walking, flying and moving in the earth with their body are all saved by the nature. If there is mixing, then their beautifulness will be lost. The Divine Mother as Kulesvari is saving them all. 

Measuring instrument, measuring item and measurement are also called kula. Someone’s smaller knowledge is hidden in other’s bigger identifiable knowledge. The Divine Mother is in such knowledge big and small. 

Kula refers to triad which is also triputi; same as the knower, the known and knowledge. Upanisads declare the truth: “The light, which is the consciousness that shines when the triputi filling the three words to their limits finally breaks, is not visible to a false yogin”. The Divine Mother is the controller of that triad. 

Kulesvari can mean the Kundalini Shakti. Kulesvara is Shiva and Kulesvari is His consort. Another interpretation is that Kulesvari is the ruler or presiding deity of the Muladhara cakra. Kula refers to Muladhara because the earth element (Ku) is contained or dissolved (la) in that cakra.

 

The Divine Mother.

C N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 08 April 2021.

References:

1.       The Thousand Names of the Divine Mother published in English by Mata Amritanandamayi Center, San Ramon, California, USA, with Commentary by T. V Narayana Menon

2.       Shri Lalitha Sahasranama Stostram published in Tamil by N. Ramaswami Iyer charities’ societies, Trichirapalli, India, with Commentary by C. V. Radhakrishna Sastry.

3.       The Lalitha Sahasranamam published in Tamil by Shri Ramakrishna Thapovanam, Thiruipparaithurai, Trichy District, Tamilnadu, India with commentary by Shrimath Swami Chithbavandar.

Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 438: Shri Kurukulla (ōṃ kurukullāyai namaḥ)

In Namams 381 to 474, the Divine Mother’s Jnana Yoga worship methods are discussed in details. 

The Divine Mother is the Kurukulla Devi or Shakti. 

Sricakra is the symbol for the universe wherein each section explains different tattva. Cit and Ahan-kara are included in these tattvas. Kurukulla is the root Devi for cit and ahan-kara, which are playing a role for the advancement of the soul. Usually Vedanta means are used to eliminate these two which is very difficult. These two if are thought as the form of Divine Mother which makes it easy to eliminate them. Starting and ending, good and bad are some of the dualities in this universe. All these are to be considered as the Divine Mother’s form to make the worship to Her. So the devotees find this type of worship beneficial to them. 

Kurukulla shakti resides in Vimarsa stream in the Sricakra, between the walls of cit and ahan-kara. The liquid here is same as the nectar flowing through the Susumna (Namam 99 Muladharaika nilaya with the meaning that the Divine Mother’s one of the principal abode is in the Muladhara). Kurukulla is said to be in-charge of the stream of nectar. Tantraraja (Chapter 21) describes this deity in detail.

The Lalitastavaratna praise Kurukulla as follows: “I meditate always on the Devi Kurukulla, who resides in Kuruvinda ruby, whose waist is bent and whose body is smeared with red paste.”

The Divine Mother.

C N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 07 April 2021.

References:

1.       The Thousand Names of the Divine Mother published in English by Mata Amritanandamayi Center, San Ramon, California, USA, with Commentary by T. V Narayana Menon

2.       Shri Lalitha Sahasranama Stostram published in Tamil by N. Ramaswami Iyer charities’ societies, Trichirapalli, India, with Commentary by C. V. Radhakrishna Sastry.

3.       The Lalitha Sahasranamam published in Tamil by Shri Ramakrishna Thapovanam, Thiruipparaithurai, Trichy District, Tamilnadu, India with commentary by Shrimath Swami Chithbavandar. 

Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 437: Shri Komalakara (ōṃ kōmalākārāyai namaḥ)

In Namams 381 to 474, the Divine Mother’s Jnana Yoga worship methods are discussed in details. 

The Divine Mother is tender and ever graceful in form. 

The Divine Mother has beautiful body structures and form. She is ever young and looks graceful. Young lives all have certain beautifulness. She is eternally young and has soft, slim and beautiful body forms. Her beauty is much praised. We can see in the universe beautiful objects always; She is the universe.

 The Divine Mother’s gracefulness is an expression of quality like humility and good conduct, which She has in abundance. She has attractive gestures and expressions. 

 

The Divine Mother is ever graceful.

C N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 06 April 2021.

References:

1.       The Thousand Names of the Divine Mother published in English by Mata Amritanandamayi Center, San Ramon, California, USA, with Commentary by T. V Narayana Menon

2.       Shri Lalitha Sahasranama Stostram published in Tamil by N. Ramaswami Iyer charities’ societies, Trichirapalli, India, with Commentary by C. V. Radhakrishna Sastry.

The Lalitha Sahasranamam published in Tamil by Shri Ramakrishna Thapovanam, Thiruipparaithurai, Trichy District, Tamilnadu, India with commentary by Shrimath Swami Chithbavandar

Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 436: Shri Kushala (ōṃ kuśalalyai namaḥ)

In Namams 381 to 474, the Divine Mother’s Jnana Yoga worship methods are discussed in details. 

The Divine Mother is skillful, being the bench mark for any universal skill, with highest achievement. 

Between creation, sustaining and dissolving the universe, Her skills are evident. The smooth functioning of the universe is the best evidence. 

Sala means Moon; ku means inferior; kumasa is an inferior person. In the same thinking of these meanings, Kusala comes as defeated Moon; Moon has beauty, coolness etc but in front of the Divine Mother, Moon is totally defeated. The Divine Mother is far more superior in all attributes. 

Any badness cannot near Her; She is released from all the bad nesses; She is skillful to handle minute things. She is continuously doing and those too smoothly three functionss of creation, sustaining and dissolving of the universe, while controlling all its activities. She has far better attributes and skills than the Moon or any other in this universe. 

Kusala refers to a discipline that cuts kusa grass that he has discovered and bring it, before the Sunrise, for the Guru’s puja. Kusala is an adjective that is used to describe someone who has foresight and plans ahead. Kusala is the feminine form. Similarly, the Divine Mother is one who is very skillful in saving Her devotees from danger. 

Kusala also means water and la is She who accepts. The Divine Mother is keen to accept the water offered in prayer by her devotees. She accepts anything offered with bhakthi and shraddha by Her devotes, even if it is only water.

 

The Divine Mother is so beautiful that eclipse  the Moon’s beauty.

C N Nachiappun           

Singapore, 05 April 2021.

References:

1.       The Thousand Names of the Divine Mother published in English by Mata Amritanandamayi Center, San Ramon, California, USA, with Commentary by T. V Narayana Menon

2.       Shri Lalitha Sahasranama Stostram published in Tamil by N. Ramaswami Iyer charities’ societies, Trichirapalli, India, with Commentary by C. V. Radhakrishna Sastry.

3.       The Lalitha Sahasranamam published in Tamil by Shri Ramakrishna Thapovanam, Thiruipparaithurai, Trichy District, Tamilnadu, India with commentary by Shrimath Swami Chithbavandar. 

Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 435: Shri Champeya kusuma priya (ōṃ cāmpēyakusumapriyāyai namaḥ)

In Namams 381 to 474, the Divine Mother’s Jnana Yoga worship methods are discussed in details. 

The Divine Mother is especially fond of Champaka flower. 

The whole universe is the testimony of the Divine Mother’s glories. Some things specifically explain Her glory very much; flowers are such special things.  Their fragrance and beauty demonstrate Her glories. One westerner had written asking that if we cannot appreciate the stars up in the sky and flowers in the earth, what else we can look for the glories of the Lord. The Divine Mother is not fully understandable, yet She expresses Her glories through such beautiful things in this universe. Champaka flowers are one such thing; She is fond of. To appreciate the beauty and fragrance of the flowers is form of worshipping the Divine Mother. 

Champaka flowers have a special property. It is said that a bee drinking honey from Champaka flower dies immediately. Chanpaka flowers are therefore not to be contacted by bees. But the Divine Mother is especially attached to them. 

Worldly pleasures in a way are a poison. Even the family relationship of one to his wife and children is sweet at first, but hindrance to liberation as detachment grows. 

The view of yogins is described in the Gita (XV111.37), “That which is like poison at first, but like nectar in the end, that pleasure is declared to be sattvic born of the purity of one’s mind.” 

The bliss felt by mind which has pulled itself away from the sensory objects is described as nectar here. The pleasure that the mind and body drive through the senses is perishable and mortal. 

Champaka flowers symbolize those who reveling in the Self, do not touch worldly pleasures.

 

The Divine Mother is fond of Champaka flowers.

C N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 04 April 2021.

 

References:

1.       The Thousand Names of the Divine Mother published in English by Mata Amritanandamayi Center, San Ramon, California, USA, with Commentary by T. V Narayana Menon

2.       Shri Lalitha Sahasranama Stostram published in Tamil by N. Ramaswami Iyer charities’ societies, Trichirapalli, India, with Commentary by C. V. Radhakrishna Sastry.

3.       The Lalitha Sahasranamam published in Tamil by Shri Ramakrishna Thapovanam, Thiruipparaithurai, Trichy District, Tamilnadu, India with commentary by Shrimath Swami Chithbavandar.

 

Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 434: Shri Candana drava digdhangi (ōṃ candanadravadigdhāṅgyai namaḥ)

In Namams 381 to 474, the Divine Mother’s Jnana Yoga worship methods are discussed in details. 

The Divine Mother’s body is smeared with Sandalwood solution. 

It is customary to apply the Sandalwood paste on the Divine Mother’s body; the devotees in Hindu temples, after the darshan and prayers, customarily apply the Sandalwood paste on their bodies. In all auspicious occasions Sandalwood paste is offered to visitors. This worldly custom is used in this Namam to express the Divine Mother’s happiness. What humans do for themselves is also offered to the deities, here the Divine Mother who is ever happy rupa. To show to common people that their happy state of affairs, these examples are used in this Namam for the Divine Mother. This is a way to show the Divine Mother’s ultimate happiness due to drinking the bliss from Brahman. 

Sandalwood solution is used to give beauty and coolness to the body. During puja, it is customary to bathe the Divine Mother’s idol in milk, ghee, sandalwood solution and rose water. The Divine Mother had indicated this abhisaka procedure (bathing ceremony) as part of manasapuja (mental worship) which She had described. 

Sandalwood paste is diluted with water for ceremonial abhisakam.

 

Sandalwood solution is used on the Divine Mother

C N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 03 April 2021.

 

References:

1.       The Thousand Names of the Divine Mother published in English by Mata Amritanandamayi Center, San Ramon, California, USA, with Commentary by T. V Narayana Menon

2.       Shri Lalitha Sahasranama Stostram published in Tamil by N. Ramaswami Iyer charities’ societies, Trichirapalli, India, with Commentary by C. V. Radhakrishna Sastry.

3.       The Lalitha Sahasranamam published in Tamil by Shri Ramakrishna Thapovanam, Thiruipparaithurai, Trichy District, Tamilnadu, India with commentary by Shrimath Swami Chithbavandar.