·CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
PORVA-BHAGA
NYA SA AND DHYANA
TEXT
TRANSLATION
NOTES
NAMAVALI
PHALA-SRUTI
Pages.
1-45
i-vi
vu-vili
47-65
66-104
105--122
123--147
148–156
+
..
I.

·TO
THE MEMORY OF HER
WHOSE FAITH AND SUFFERING LED ME
TO
THIS FAMOUS LITANY

·PREFACE It will be scen from the Dedication that this book is for me a work of picty. Otherwise I would not have undertaken to translate a Stotra which is couched in such a difficult literary form as the Sahasranāma As far as I know, there is nothing like it in English. I have, however, tried my best to make the translation as readable as possible, not by taking any undue liberties with the text, but by grouping the names into paragraphs and sections In the interpretation of the names I have mostly followed the traditional commentary of Bhaskararaya And, in giving a bnef historical account of the Devi cult in the Introduction, I found the works of Das Gupta, Radhakrishnan, Woodroffe and Farquhar helpful My grateful thanks are once again duc to my old and esteemed friend, Prof M. R. Rajagopala Aryangar, who has helped me in this book, as he did in almost all my previous books I am also very thankful to my friend, Mr S Ramaswam of Presidency College, Madras, who took a keen personal interest in the book throughout and saw it through the press In this edition, in addion to the text and translation of the Sahasranama, I have also given the pūrva-bhāga, nāmāvalı, nyasa, dhyana and phalaśruti I hope this will considerably enhance the value of the book MADRAS, rum DSS 25—7—1961

·OTHER BOOKS BY THE AUTHOR
A Primer of Hinduism
What is Hinduism ?
l'he Tales and Teachings of Hinduism
The Prince of Ayodhya
The Master and the Disciple
The Bhagavad Gita-Text and Translaljon
Lectures and Essays on the Gita
Gandhu Sutras
The Father of the Nation
The Hindu Standpoint
Hinduism through the Ages
The Upanishads-An Anthology

·SRI CHAKRA ·INTRODUCTION I The Lalitasahasranāma is a sequelto the Lalilopukhyāna which forms part of the Bralmūnda Puraua. It consists of three chapters. The first is only introductory, the second gives the thousand names of the great goddess Lalitā and the third contains the usual pholaśruti. In the introductory chapter Agastya, who has been listening to the account of the deeds of the goddess given by Hayagrīva, as set forth in the Lalitopakhyana, asks the latter why he did 110t include in his narrative the thousand names of the goddess. He says: "You have narrated to me the most wonderful history of Lalità Devi. You have narrated in detail the birth of the Mother, then her coronation, and then her slaying of the demon Bhanda. You have described Sripura in all its glory and also the greatness of the Panchadasi mantra. . But you have not told me the thousand names of Lalitä Devi. Have you forgotten to do so or have you deliberately refrained? Or am I unworthy of hearing the names?" Thus questioned, Hayagriva replied, "I did not tell you, because I thought it svas a secret. Now that you have asked me with devotion, I will impart it to you." And then he gave him the thousand names, saying that they had been composed b; the goddesses of speech at the express command of Lalitā Parames. vari herself ·2 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA II The story of Lalitā to which the Lalitasahasra- 11and thus refers is briefly as follows:- When Manmatha, the god of love, was reduced to ashes hy Siva opening his third eye, the ashes were collected by Chitrakarman, one of Sia's attendants, and used for drawing the figure of a man Śiva glanced at the figure and at once it leaped into life and becanje a living person The artist now advised the person he thus created to pray to śnia and repeat the Sata- Rudriy. The person did so and Siva was pleased and blessed him with the overlordship of the world for sixty thousand years On hearing this, Brahma cried in dismay, "Bhand, Bhand," and so the person came to have the name Bhanda When Bhanda grew up, he became a great Asura and established his capital in Sontapura. He oppressed the gods and made life intolerable for them Thereupon Nārada advised Indra, the king of the gods, to do penance and seek the help of Para Cahti. Indra, accordingly, performed a great sacrifice, and out of the sacrificial fire there arose a great chakra and, in the midst of it, was the lovely figure of the Devi who embodied the spirit of the Trimu i The gods praised her and she promised to vanquish their enemy Bhandasura But Brahmä said that yeto ...น munu the proposal and assured her that her independence would in 1 Brahma.Vysnu Sivatmilām ·INTRODUCTION 3 no way suffer by her marriage Then the goddess consented and threw up a garland It fell round the neck of Siva who had assumed the lovely form of Kumesvara The marriage of the beautiful couple was celebrated by the gods with great pomp and Lalita became Kamesvari and was crowned along with her husband. After the gods had left, the goddess set out to fulfil her mission with an army of Saktis well equipped with chariots, elephants and horses. The battle between her and the demon raged for four days and at last Bhanda was kille i tvith all his kinsmen and followers, and his capital was razed to the ground The gods praised the goddess and requested her to take pity on Rati, the wife of Manmatha, who liad been burnt to death by Siva She consented and revived the god of love and then went and settled down at Srinagara This city was built for her by both Visi karma and Maja on one of the peaks of Mount Meru AD claborate description of it is given in the Purana. In the midst of this wonderful city is a palace built of precious chintamaill stones and in the centre of the palace is the seat of the Devi. Ona jewelled cot, the legs of which are formed by Brahma, Vishu, Isvara and Maheśvara and the cover let by Sadasiva, the great goddess So Lalita Devi sits in the lap of her husband, Kamesvara The Srichakra is, besides other things, diagrammatic representation of the goddess and her capital Gripura Devotees of the goddess are therefore cxhorted to worship the Srichakra, perform japan with the Panchadasaksari mantra which forms the subtle body of the Devi and repeat this litany of a thousand ·4 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA names, wlici was composcd by the goddesses of speech at the cxpress command of Sri Lalita Para- 111csvarīlerself. III The Avatar of the Bhagavad Gita says in a wellknown verse, "Howsoever men approach me, even so do I accept them." We may therefore approach God and call Him either fatlicr or inotlier. God is in truth beyond the distinctions of sex and even beyond personality, as we too often conceive it. The ineffabic Absolute is endowed by us with the highest attributes we can think of, so as to bring it into relation with us And the world we live in. Accordingly, the distinction between the impersonal Bralıman and the personal Išvara is well recognised in our philosophy. The former is God as He is in Himself, the latter is God as He appears to us, when He is viewed through luman spectacles. We may call these two views of God the scientific view and the poetic view respectively. The impersonal Absolute, when viewed through the human mind, becomes a personal God. And this personal God in His capacity as creator becomes Brahmä, as protector becomes Vişnu and as destroyer becomes Rudra. And, lastly, wlien as protector He comes down and takes a human forin to save mankind from evii, He becomes an Avatar. Thus we try to bridge the yawning gulf between the Supreme Spirit and the spirit of man. When the Absolute is thus brought into relation with us and the world we live in, we have inevitably ·INTRODUCTION 5 to think of it in actile power Hence the distinction that ve draw between the quiescent Brahman and the active isvara In Sahta theology this distinction is transferred to S117 and Sahti $117 correspond to the inactive Brohman and Sahti corresponds to the actic Isvara And as the word "Sakti 15 of feminine gender in Sanskrit, the personification results in a goddless Ś17 is Saktı, und Salt is $119 as Brabrian is Isvara and Isvara is Brnom. In fact, they are only two different 7spects of the same Reality They are the static and the dynainic aspects of the sume Spirit They are as inseparable as fire and heat or sun and sunshine But Śaktı, tlie dynamic aspect of the Reality, is more important to us, as we are caught up in this dynamic uniy crsc of crcated beings and hare in us an urge to transcend our present state If Isvara, as we said above, is a poetic conception of the Absolute, Isvarı or Saktı or Dew is certainly a more poetic onc And as we generally fear our fathers and love our inothers, the concept of a mother goddess appeals more to our hearts than that of a father- god Also in the representation of a female deity, there is more scope for grace and bejuts, and hence for greater poctry and art Accordingly in the Lalita salasranama, wlich is a stolra addressed to 1 goddess, we see poetry and romance, religion and philosophy occultism and psychology vying with one anotlier in coining names for the deity The author his embodied in this Intany not only the Puranic story of Lality and her figlit with the denion Bhanda but niso the philosophy and the ritual of Sri Vidya The most striking ·6 LALITA SAHASRANAMA feature of the hymn is the perfect balance it maintains between its pure poetry and its technical theology by meins of the genuine religious spirit which runs through it In dealing with his subject matter the author had to avoid two pitfalls On the one hand there was the danger of his litany becoming a purely secular poem like the Āgamanı songs addressed to the goddess by the Bengalı poets of a later day and, on the other, there was the danger of the hymn becoming a mere exposition of a system of theology like the Tantras of an earlier day And he has succeeded in avoiding both His poetry never ceases to be religious and his philosophy seldom becomes merely technical His admiration for the dazzling beauty of the goddess and his comprehension of all that she stands for in the hearts of men go up in fine jets of poetry, even while he is expounding abstract philosophy or complex ritual Consequently, the goddess in this hymn neither vanishes into the thin air of a mere idea nor comes down to the earth as a purely liuman figure She remains a goddess of transcendent beauty, leading a host of divinities against the forces of evil She is not a cold virgin, but a young wife passionately fond of her husband Kaniesvara She is also a mother who loves her children and takes pride in their exploits She is ever young, ever rose red like the morning sun, and the jewels she w ars rival the stars in their splendour Her breatlı has the perfume of camphor, her voice is sweeter than the vina of Sarasvati and her person fragrant with the scent of sandal passionately fond of flowers--champaka asoka pun- 1S She IS ·INTRODUCTION 7 tlaga and otliers and constantly wearstlien in her lair She herself is a flower, says the poet She shines like a china rose or like a pomegranate flower or a bandhūka blossom. But she is more fond of the flowers of the spirit (chastanya husuma priyā) She is fond of poetry, of dancing and music and the chanting of the Veda She 15, in fact, the home of all arts, tlic treasurehouse of all rasas She is the essence of all scriptures as well She is the priceless pearl, says the poet, hidden in the depths of all scriptures The Vedas bow to her and take the dust of her feet on their heads, for is she not their mother? And what do the Upani- Sads proclaun? They proclaim only lier glory. She is worshipped by the highest gods in licaven and yet she is accessible to all-even to the child and the peasant. Her grace is easily won, for hier mercy demands no merit on our part She is the light that dispels the darkness of our hearts She is the rain of nectar that falls on the parcher soil of our earthly existence She is the wind that drives away all our misfortunes She is the thunderbolt that cleaves asunder the mountains of human ills She is a Kalpataru and a Kamadhenu to all her worshippers At the same time, she is the ultimate Reality--above all faltvas and categories of thought, above all dualisms--the one indivisible Spirit, without qualities, without parts-ever free, ever purc—formless and timeless—and without a ciuse, without a lapse and without a limit IV Such a magnificent conception of the goddess is, of course, the result of a long process of evolution ·8 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA beginning probably with a crude tribal deity in the dim pre historic past There are some critics who, in judging religions and cults other than their own, invariably point the finger of scorn at their humble, inelegant origins and ignore their later developments He should judge a tree by its fruits, not by its roots The fruit may be sweet and fragrant while the roots inny be buried in stinking soil and manure It is quite probable that in the present case, as critics point out, not one but many tribal desties worshipped in different places and at different times have been fused together in the course of ages and made into a single Deity and then subjected to all the refining influences of poetry, religion and philosophy and, not the least of all, to the wonderful charm and grace of Indian womanhood Speaking of the womenof India, Ars Besant once said in her owo characteristic way, "Fairer flowers never grew on this earth” It is the idealization of these flowers of the earth that gives us this heavenly fower of Devi Lalıtı of transcendent beauty and fragrance The Lalitas, the Sitas and the Savitris of poetry could not liave come into being, had not therr creators been inspired by the Lalıtās the Sitas, and the Savitiis in real life There is no doubt that the poet of the Calstusalassanāma las dratyn as much from the life around lum as from tradition and legend, and religion and philosoplıy We should remember that he lived in a country which, even amidst the many crudities of its social life, developed the doctrine that every woman is an incarnation of the goddess and may be actually Horshipped in her place—7 dostain that should ·INTRODUCTION 9 rise in the learts of inen to for purer fcclings and sentiments than the code of chu alry thint prevailed in mediacy Europe Woodroffc quotes from one of the Tantris shich says, ' \Vhosoever ins «een the fact of upman let him or hip them as those of his guru. (Strinai adatılım dirşiya guruvid-bhavay et sadam Kubika Tantra) The process of evolution mentioned above was. similar to that earlier process by uluich the Vedic gods gave place in later times to the supreme God of a 11 onotheistic faith Visnu or 1 Sun And, first oi all, just as there were no hird il fist Imcs between one Vedic god and another, each of the gods fnding off into the others so there were no hard and fist lines between one goddess and notlicr The famous Vedic dictum, Elan Sat, vpra bahudha vodantı--(The Reality is one, the wise speak of it in different ways) applied as much to the later goddesses as to tiie ezrlier gods Also, just as Visnu is sud to have descended several times to punish the wiched Ruksasas, 1 llirinyakasipu, a Ravana or 1 Sisupilt, so in the parallel dei elopment of the Deu, we have several of lier forms arising to quell the demons of the lay-Chindı 15151ng to queil Mfahı şasura, Kali coming to hell Clianda and Dunda, and Lalita rising out of the sacrificial fire to slay Bhanda and his sons And, closely parallel to ilie famous Gita passage in which the Bhagavan er plains why He comes down as an Ayntar from age to ·10 LALITÄ-SAHASRANANA age, we have the following passage in the Dezi- Mfähoimrya: "Whenever there is trouble of this kind caused by the Dānavas, at each such time I shall incarnate myself and accomplish the destruction of the enemy." Thus in the history of our religion there have arisen two types of monotheism-one centring round a supreme God and another sound a supreme Goddess, both of whom are admittedly only symbols of the impersonal Absolute, VI In the early Vedic literature we liave no supreme Goudess any more than a supreme God. There were a number of goddesses like Uşas, Rātri, Väk, Prithivi and Sarasvati, and a number of consorts of gods, like Indrāņi, Varunānī, etc. But all of them occupy a very sullordinate position. However, before the end of the Vedic period we see signs of the emergence of a supreme Goddess as well as of a supreme God. Just as of the other goddesses, especially Väk. For instance, in a passage in the Taittiriya Aranyaka she is referred to by three different nanies Katyayani, Kanyakumari and Durgā. In the Kena Upanişad she is identified will Umā Haimavatī, who symbolizes Brahma-vidzā. And two other names which afterwards become associated with her, vid., Kāli and Karāļi, occur in the Mundaka Upanişad where they, denote two tongues of ·KE LINTA O P ise, in the moon fire This process of syncretism which begins in thic Vedic period 11scil continues in the pic period on a much larger scale, tell al InstDas worshipping sect 15 formed, cqual in status to the worstrippers of Vaşi u and Sua by the beginning of the Purinc pestou There are two liy mas in the Mahibhurt which illustrate the process They are both addressed to Durga Onc is by Yuulisthira just before thc Pandasas enter the kingdon of Virata, and anottier by Arjumpi on ille battlefield of Kuruk setia just before thic Bhagavad Gita episode Both are cudently later interpolations, for tlicy are not found in tlic best South Indian manuscripts llosescr, they afford interesting study in the earhorliymn wcarc told int the goddess is a virgin obscrsinga vow of cl17e tity Her constant abode is on the Vindly r mountains She 13 cilicd Durga, hilt and Malusasura nasını Slic takes delight in wine and inert and sacrificial victims She is identifica all the same, with Vidya Siddhi, Kann etc And, in the introduction to the hiyun, sic is described as the child of Ysod and the sister of Kri hn7—the one who ascended the skies when dashed by Kamsi on the stony ground The hymn to the goddess by Arjuna 1$ more interesting Curiously enough it is at the instance of Kristina himself that Arjuna descends from lus chariot and prays to Durga for success in battle The goddess appears before him and assures lum of victory One of tlic noteworthy features of the hymn is the number of names by which the goddess 15 addressed She is called Kumari, Kapalı Kapıla, Bhadrakali, Mahabuli Chandi Katyayanı, Karali Kausihi, Umi Sukumbliari ·12 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA as Mahini, Maya etc Here again she 15 described the sister of Krishna and as having been born in the cowherd family of Nanda Slie is adorn ed with various jewels and armed with spear and sword and shiel 1 She delights in battle and thirsts for the blood of Mahisa She lives in inaccessible places in places full of fears and difficulties as well as in chaityas and the abodes of her devotees She dwells in the nethei regions al o and conquers the demons in battle Her virginity is not mentioned On tlie other hand she is described as the mother of Skanda She is the mother of the Vedas as well and she is hailed as Brahma vıdy i among vidyas In the Visau purāna there 15, again an interesting passage on the goddess Visnu while giving instructions to his Yoga nidra as to what she should do in connection with the birth of Krishna says • Those who shall reverently invohe you morning and evening and praise you and call you Arya, Durga, Vedagarbha, Ambika Bhadra Bhadrahalika, Ksemi or Ksemankarı shall receive by my grace whatever they desire And pleased with their offerings of wine and flesh and various other kinds you shall grant the prayers of mankind By my favour, all men strall have perpetual faith in you Assured of tliis, go goddess, and carry out my orders Finally, there is a hymn in the Harivamsa which throws some light again on the origins of the goddess Here too she is described as the sister of Krishna and as living in the Vindhya mountains and in all sorts of ·INTRODUCTION 13 fearful places-caves, forests and grotes—and as being greally worshipped by $?vigc tribesSaburns, Birbiras and Pulindas But she is also described as the Sauty of the Vedas and farled as thcknowcrof Brahman and finally as supreme Braliman On these curly hymns Bhandarbar mahes the following comment in his booh, Vaishnavism, Sal. 15711 cic - • In the account here guen it will be seen that there is one goddess with a number of different namce But the critical cye will see that they are not merely names but indicate different goddesses who owed their conception to different historical conditions but who were niternards identified with the one goddess by the usual mental habit of tlic Hindus The critical cje will see liere something more than what tlie learned author las indicated It will scc not only the process of identification by whuchi 1 liost of tribal deities are brought under one supreme Goddess, but also another mental habit of the Hindus of thosc days-that of bringing all the cults and cultures of the land under the aegis of the Vedr 101 the spiritualizing influence of the Vedanta philosophy while allowing them to retain a large measure of tlıeir individurlit). For we find that the tribal deity of mountain fusinesses who is fond of flesh and wine and the sacrificil victims offered by the tribesnien is liere already being hvled as the mother of the Vedas and as the presiding deity of Brahma-vidya and even being identificd with Brahman These are thc germs which develop later ·miles away as 14 LALITÄ-SAHASRANAMA into the mighty theophanies of the Devi-Mahatmya and the Lalitasahasranama And, as this der elopment proceeds apace, the mountain fastnesses, the inaccessible places, the sacrificial victims and the spirituous liquors of the early hymns siirink into mere specks on a vast flood of spirituality For instance, the Lalita is from these odes, we still hear distinct echoes of them in its thousand names We are still told that the goddess lives in the Vindhya mountains (Vindhyachala-nıvāsını) that she is fond of mead (kadambari prijā) and that she even becomes intoxicated (varuni mada-yihvala, madhvī-panalasa). But we hardly remember these merely traditional epithets in the flood of the new subject-matter regarding the marvellous beauty of the goddess, her heroic fight with the forces of evil, her vast and varied powers and her extensive dominion in the hearts of men To take one example, while the early hymns describe lier as living in dreary deserts (kantāra-vāsını), the Lalita describes her as the swan that swims in the hearts of saints (muni-mānasa-hamsikā). VII A distinct stage in the process of development is represented by the famous Chandi-Mahatmya in the Markandeya Purana, which describes the Devi's fight with Mahisisura and the other demons, Sumbha and Nišunibhı. The very story of her birth is significant of the new developments There was once a long war between the gods and the demons The former were ·INTRODUCTION 15 headed by Indrn and the latter by Mahisa The gods were vanquished and Mahisa became supreme The vanquished gods went to Visou and Sıva and told them of their discomfiture When Visnu and Siva heard their plaints they became very angry and there issued from their mouths a great tejas And from the bodies of the other gods also there went forth at the same time great energies All these energies gathered together and assumed a female form The gods were pleased and each of them gave her a weapon or an ornament Accepting these gifts, the goddess mounted the lion which had been presented to her by Himayat and uttered a loud roar asa challenge to the enemy The demonsheard the roar and rushed to the place, headed by Mahısa Then began a fierce battle between the gods and their enemies "in which every region of the sky was illumined with Weapons, and arms were hurled in abundance". At last the goddess, who had fortified herself with a cup of wine, leapt on the Asura and kicked him on the neck with her foot, struck him with her spear and cut off his head with hersword This detail of the Devi kicking the demon half dead with her foot i important, for almost the whole of Chandi sataka of Bana is based on it Bana's poem is an ode more to the feet of the goddess than to the goddess herself After Manisa was slain the gods and risks assembled together and sang paeans of praise and thanksgiving for their deliverance They asked a boon of the goddess that, whenever they called on her for help in similar difficultics, she should come to their rescue Be it so", said the goddess and vanished from their sight ·16 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA Then the narrative proceeds to describe how on another occasion the gods prayed to her for help against Sumbha and Niśumbha who had conquered them and driven them from lieaven. While they were thus praying on the Himalayas, Parvati came there to bathe in the Ganges and asked them, "Whom are you praying to ?" At once from her own body issued forth Ambika and said, "For me is this hymn uttered by the gods who have been routed by Sumbha and Niśumbha" This new goddess was surpassingly beautiful. She illumined the whole sky with her lustre, and reports of her presence were taken to the two demons by their servants, Chanda and Mundi. Sumbha thercupon sent a message to her, offering her his hand in marriage. The goddess replied that she had taken a vow that she would marry only that hero who could vanquish her in an open fight. So if Surblia wanted to marry her, he should come at once and fight with her. This challenge was joyfully accepted by tlie demon and the fight began. The battle on this occasion was much more prolonged and fierce that the battle with Mahisa. At one stage of it, the goddess grew so dark with rage that out of lier forehead issued forth Kāļī with a terrible forni, clad in a tiger skin and wearing a garland of skulls and lolling out her tongue for the blood of the enemy. The fight now becomes most ghastly. Kali roams about on the battlefield crushing the demons or devouring them or drinking the blood of the in. She destroys Chanda and Munda and is rewarded by Ambikā svith the title of Chãmundā. After her work is over, Kaļi retires again into the body of Chandī, who thereafter single-landed ·INTRODUCTION 17 despatches the two leaders-Sumbha and Nišumbha, and the fight comes to a close. The gods sing again a hymn of thanksgiving, and the goddess vanishes aftes promising that she will take birth again and again for Vanquishing the wicked demons in the future ages. VIII In the course of this narrative we find four hymns to the Goddess, which show a great advance from the early hymns we have already considered. First of all, the very origin of the Goddess, as we said above, is significant. It indicates that Chandi is not simply a goddess with many names, but that she is the very essence of all the gods, including Brahmä, Visnu and Siva. Secondly, she is now represented as having two sets of forms-a set of gentle forms and a set of terrible forms. In the gentle form she is surpassingly beautiful and in the terrible form she is surpassingly fearful. Thirdly, it is tateresting to notice that, while in the early bymus the name Durga is explaincd as one who rescues men from dangers and difficulties, it is explained here as one who helps men to cross the dificult ocean of existence. It is also stressed that the Devi can give prosperity on earth and happiness in heaven and also emancipation from samsāra. Fourtbly, great emphasis is laid on her immanence. In one of the hymos here, there are more than twenty šlokas beginning with the Words ya devi sarvabhileşti and saying that the goddess is present in all creatuses as consciousness, as power, as intellect, as memory, as desire and so on. And finally, equally great emphasis is laid on her connection with 2 ·18 LALITA SAHASRANAMA Visnu She is not only called Visnurcājā and hailed as the sister of Krishna as in the early hymns, but is also addressed as Narayani in seventeen ślokas and identified with his Saktı which had manifested itself in the Avatars She is likewise represented as being the Sahtı of Brahma, Mahesvara Kumara and Indra Thus we have here the beginnings of the doctrine of Saktı which afterwards led to astonishing developments in the worship of the Goddess IX as The Devi cult enters on a new stage in the period which saw the rise of Tantric literature in our country. Such works the Lalitasahasranama, the Devi Bhagavata and the Saundaryalahari and the later Sakla Upanisads as well as the Tantras themselves represent this stage of development The period may be said to begin from the seventh century AD The Tantras of the Saktı worshippers, which are generally in the form of dialogues between Sıva and Saktı are treatises which, unlike the older Puranas, are wholly devoted to the philosophy and the ritual of the cult Strictly speaking, a Tantra, according to the definitions given, should consist of (1) jñāna, 1 € , philosophical doctrines, (2) yoga, instructions regarding meditation, (3) kriya, re, instructions regarding ritual, (4) charya, te, instructions regarding conduct and social duties But very few of the sixty four Tantras known to us strictly observe this regulation The Tantras are essentially sadhana-sastras Their 15 severely practical, They generally accept the philosophy of the Advaita He aim ·INTRODUCTION 19 Vedānta and suggest ways and means of reaching the goal of that philosophy, viz., self-realization. However, some of the modifications they introduce into the Vedāntic theories of the ultinate Reality and of the process of creation lead to striking innovations in the worship of the Devī. As in the Advaita, we have in the Tāntric philosophy also one ultimate Reality called here Parama Siva, who is again conceived of as being both nişkala and sakala. And, as in the Advaita, the world is considered unreal in a sense, for it owes its existence to the association of Brahman with Māyā or, to use the Tantric terms, Siva with Sakti. But, while Māya in the Advaita is anirvacaniya or that whiclı cannot be described to be either true or false, Sakti in the Tántric philosophy possesses as mucli reality as Siva. In fact, the two are identical. Thus, while the changes in the world are unreal in the sense that they are only the apparent modifications of the same identity, viz., Siva-Sakti, they are real in the sense that they are the modifications of an entity which is entirely real. The Advaita says there is no real change, but only the appearance of it. The Tantra, on the other hand, says that the ulliniate Reality is immutable in one aspect, but undergoes a real evolution in another aspect. The Advaita effects its synthesis by its doctrine of different levels of reality, but the Tantra does it by its doctrine of unity in duality and duality in unity. According to the Tantra, the ultimate Reality is neither wholly static nor wholly, dynamic. It is both. For, whilc Siva is the prakasa aspect of the Reality – thatis, pure self-illumioing thought, impersonal, inactive ·20 LALITA SAHASRANAMA and devoid of any relativity, Sakti is the vimarśaiaspect of the same Reality—that is, the inherent activity of thought Siva is pureconsciousness, Sakti is the formative energy of that consciousness That which ?ppears as thought in one aspect appears as activity in another Sakti is the power latent in pure unrelated consciousness It is the Absolute personified It is consciousness developing subject object relationship which gives rise to the world of distinctions and changes It is these ideas of Sakta philosophy that are expressed in the Lalitasahasranama through the names-Siva-saktyaikyarupını Chideka-rasa-rupını, Śiva-murtih, Siva, Svaprahasa Vimarsa-rupini, etc X In its account of the evolution of the world from $117 Saktı, the Tantra accepts the twenty-four tattvas or categories of the Sanhhya system from Prakriti down to the Mahabhutas and adds twelve more, takıng them from the Saiva system with some modifications, and makes them thirty-six And these are divided into three groups-(1) five pure tattvas, (2) seven Partly pure and partly impure tittvas and (3) the twenty four impure taltvas as in the Sankhiya The first group consists of (a) Sıva, (6) Sıktı, (C) Nada, (d) Bindu ind (C) Suddha-Vidya and it is here that we have the Tantric modifications for, in the Saiva system corresponding to these, we have (a) Siva, (6) Sakti, (c) Sadasuva (d) Isvara and (6) Suddha vidya In the Tantric 1 Vimarka' is the same as the Vedantic Iksana'.

·INTRODUCTION 21 schemo the first two tattvas vis., Siva-tattva and Saktitattva are really one. As we have already said, the former is the static and the latter the dynamic aspect of the ultimate Reality. Then we came to Nada and Bindu. Nāda here does not mean sound, and Bindu does not mean a drop. In tlie philosophy of the Tantra they have become technical words denoting successive momenta in creation. Näda denotes the thrill of the first impulse towards creation, and Bindu, which mcans a point, symbolizes the infinite potentialities of the universe about to be unfolded. Tlie writers of the Tantra often compare it to a grain of gram (chanaka) which within its husk contains a double seed in undivided union, from which the sprout will rise and grow into a plant. The seeds are, of course, Siva and Sakti. The former is Prakāśa and the latter Vimarsa, as explained above. Prakāśa passes into Vimarsa and is reflected back into itscif and becomes self-conscious. Thought can know itself only when it is reflected in action. And when it is so reflected it becomes individualized. Thus the original Bindu, called Parābindu or Mahābindu, becomes differentiated into three--the svetabidii, the point of pure thought; the raktabindu or the point of activity which acts as a reflector and the unisrabindul, the point of the return of thought through action, resulting in the union of both under the principle of individuality. The three differentiated bindus are sometimes represented by a triangle. They are together called Kāmakalā. Here Kāma, accordiug to one interpretation, means both Kameśvara and Kämesvari, and Kalā is their manifesta- ·22 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA tion. This threefold aspect of Bindu is also spoken of as Jñānasaktı, Krijāśakti and Icchāśaktt, and figuratively described as Tripura-sundari The rest of the tattvas are the same as in the Saiva and Sānkhya systems and call for no comment It is in accordance with this theory of creation that the author of the Lalita calls the goddess Nadarūpa, Nädarūpini, Bindumandala-vāsını, Baindayasanā, Kāma-kala-rūpā, Śrimattripura-sundari, Tattvasana, Tattvamaj., Icchasahti-jñānasaktı-kriyasaktı-svarupini. XI Just as the Tantric philosophy adapted for its own puspose some of the ideas of the Vedanta, Sankhya and Saiva systems, so also it laid the Mımânsā and yoga systems under contribution The Mimamsakas believed that both sabda and artha-words and their meanings are eternal. The denotation of a word, according to them, did not depend on any human cunention, but belonged to the nature of the word itself. The word is eternal and therefore its denotation is also eternal Also, the word is not in any way different from the letters composing it, though when it is pronounced we hear only a unity of sounds The Mimamsakas, however, believed that both sabda and artha were inanımafe. The Tantra accepted the Nīmāmsakas'theory of the elernality of sabda and artha, but asserted that they were as much the embodiments of Siva-Saktı as the universe itself. In fact, they called their Parābindu Sabdārtha-Brahman instead of mere Sabda-Brahman, For it was the source of both words and things, ·INTRODUCTION 23 Sabda as well as artha-words as well as objects—are manifestations of Sakt: And, as sabda was of the nature of the varnas composing it, the Tantra affirmed that the creative force of the universe resided in all the letters of the alphabet The different letters symbolized the different functions of that creative force, and their totality was designated matrika or the Mother in miniature l'hus we arrive at the famous doctrine that a mantra is not a mere combination of sounds, but is the subtle form of the presiding Devata herself, and tliat the object of one's meditation on the mantra is to identify oneself with the Devata of the mantra Again, just as pure thought has to pass through several stages before it becomes a concrctc creative force, so it was bclicved that sound has to pass through several stages before it is actually heard by the err These stages were called para, pasyantı, madhvama and vaikhari and these were believed to be as much the phases of the divine Saktı as the stages in the evolution of the universe This theory of the eternality of sabda and artha, which the Tantra had borrowed from the Mimamsa and transformed through its own vital doctrine of Sakti, has had a remarkable development in our mantra sastra and has prodúced marvellous results in practice. The most celebrated mantra connected with the worship of the Devi is the Panchadasakşarı mantra As its name indicates, it consists of fifteen syllables divided into three kutas or sections, known as Vagbhava-kuta presided over by Agni, Kamaraja-kůta pre- ·24 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA sided over by Surya and Sakti kuta presided over by Soma The mantra, it cannot be too often repeated, is not a mere formula It is the Devi herself in her subtle form The Panch dasaksarı mantra may be called the Gayatrı of the Sahtas In his book Varivasja rahasyam Bhaskararaya the celebrated commentator on the Lalitasalsranana takes pains to point out that this mantra could, indeed be interpreted in fifteen different ways so as to establish its identity with the Gayatrı, its identity with the Devi, its identity with the Tattvas, its adentity with Sri Chakra and so on And just as the Gayatrı which is usually said to contain three feet (tripada) has also a fourth foot, which is kept secret and communicated only to a few adepts, so the fifteensyallabled mantra has also a sixteenth syllable which is kept secret When this sixteenth syllable is also taken into consideration the mantra is called sodasaksarı mantra With this background in view we are now in a position to understand in the Lalita sahasranama the significance of names like matrika yarna rupını, panchasat pitha rupını, sarvamantra svarupin, and the series-para, pasyantı madhyama vaikharı rupa The syllables of the Panchadasaksarı mantra are not given in the Sahasranaing either directly or in directly, but the three kutas of it are mentioned and identified with the face the trunk and the limbs of the goddess in the following names — srimad vagbhava kutaika svarupa mukha pankaja, kanthadhah katiparyanta madhyakuta siarupını sakti kutaikatapanna katydhobhaga dharını inula mantra ·INTRODUCTION 25 -tmikā, mūla-kūţa-traya-kalebarā, þrişodaśāk şari-vidya, trikūtä, etc. It may be observed, by the way, that while the Lalitūsahasranane does not give thc syllables of the Panchadašākşari, the Lalitātrišati, which contains only three hundred names, has fifteen sets of twenty names each, each name beginning with one of the syllables and thus gives the mantra indirectly. XII The creative world-process, according to the Tântric philosophy, is seen not only in thc production of articulate speech but also in the organization of the human body. That man is an epitome of the universe, that the microcosm is an exact parallel to the macrocosm, that conditions are the same in both piņda and brahmānda is a very ancient idea, It had found expression in various ways in the Upanişads. Tlie Tantra took up this idea and made it the basis of an elaborate system of sadliana. The creative force of the universe which was supposed to dwell in the letters of the alphabet was also supposed to dwell in the nervecentres of the human system. In fact, the creation of the external world-order, the production of articulate speech and the organization of the human body with its nerve-centres are, according to the Tantra, the nanifestations of the same primordial Sakti. The divine power divells as surely in the human body as it dwells in the sounds of speech and in the elements of the universe. The goddess is in us as surely as she is in the worlds she has created and in the mantras she has ·26 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA revealed. So one way of realizing her is to concentrate our attention on the nerve-plexuses, or chakras, as they are called, in our system, and develop the divine power latent in every one of us These chakras are described as so many symbolic lotuses, each with its oin fixed number of petals, its own presiding Saktis and its own association with various (1) tattvas, (2) varnas and (3) bhavas (or elements, letters and emotions)? The most important of these lotuses are muladhara, svadhisthana, manipüra, anälata, visuddha and ājñā. They are generally divided into three groups: (1) Mulādhāra, which is at the end of the spinal column in the pelvic region, and Svadhisthana, which is a little above the genitals, form what is known as Agnikhanda Above this group is a granthi or knot known as Brahma-granthi. (2) Manipura, which is near the navel, and Anahata, which is near the heart, form what is known as Sürya-khanda, and above them is the knot, Visnugranthi (3) Viſuddha, which is near the throat, and Ājñā, which is between the eve-brows, form what is known as Chandra-khanda, and above them is the knot Rudragranthi Above these six important cakras is the sahas- 1 There is a difference of opinion about the association of tattvas me associate manipūra with fire, others with water. The author of Sal-chakra-nidipana holds the former view, while the author of the Soundarya-laharī holds the latter view, ·INTRODUCTION 27 rāra in the head. As its name indicates, it is a lotus of a thousand petals. It is tlie seat of Siva-Sakti. According to the yoga system of philosophy, when the mind is concentrated on any tattva, say, earth, water, fire or air, the sādhaka becomes one with it and 15 able to rise through its own inner power to higher and higher tattvas, till he gaios liberation from Prakriti itself. The Tantra adopts this principle of discipline and teaches that the sadbaka should by appropriate means rouse the Kundalini Sakti which lies coiled in him like a serpent in the mulādhāra and make it go up from one chakra to another—that is, from one tattva to anotherpiercit the three granthis inentioned above, till she reaches the sahasrara and becomes united with Sisa there. The sādhaka thus attains self-realization, which is the goal of the whole sādhana." It should be noted here that, though we call these chakras nerve-centres, they are really psychological levels and not physiological plexuses, for they are unknown to modern anatomy or physiology. So what we have to understand by the practice of Kundalini-yoga, is that the sādhaka, by means of concentration of mind, has to rise from one level of consciousness to another passing through one spiritual crisis after another—for that is the meaning of a granthi-till he reaches the level of universal consciousness. Thus, it will be observed, the doctrine of şat-chakra-bheda is parallel to "This eternal union of the Jiva and Paramātman in the Sahasrara is known as going into the seventh plane." (Sri Ramakrishna.)

·28 LALITĀ-SAHASRANAMA that of the upāsana of the Panchadaśaksari mantra, the three khandas of the former corresponding to the three kūtas of the latter It is necessary for us to know these details of the Kundalini yoga for understanding a good number of names in the Lalitā, as the author deals rather extensively with this subject For instance, the names from No 99 to No 110 refer to the chakras and the granthis mentioned above They are as follows muladharatka-nılayā, brahma-grantha-yıbhedini, manipüranta-ruditā, vişnu granthi-vibhedini, ājñāchakranta-ralastha, rudra-granthi-vibhedınī, sıhasrarāmbujā rudha, sudhāsarabhivarsını, etc And, not satisfied with this, he devotes again about sixty names (No 475—No 534), giving a mass of rather tiresome details about the seven Saktis–Dakini, Rākını, etc, dwelling in these seven lotuses, together with their forms, colours, tastes, weapons and attendants And each of these Saktis is supposed to be a form of the supreme Goddess herself XIII The kind of symbolism by which the various aspects of the divine governance of the world are represented by merns of deities with their appropriate lokas, vahanas ayudhas, etc, is, of course, very common in our Purānas, and our sculptural and pictorial arts are mainly based Sometimes it is simply symbolism run mad The Tantra, as we have seen, adopts the same method for representing the governance of the inner world on it ·INTRODUCTION . 29 of nan and indicating the various psychological levels to be reached in his progress towards God. It goes further and employs diagrams called yantras for representing these Saktis. It is but appropriate that a Sakti, which is of the nature of force or energy, should be represented by lines and curves and their combinations. For surely a diagram consisting of mere lines and points is a more spiritual symbol of a divinity than an anthropomorphic image of it in the round or a picture of it in colours. That is why the Tantra regards yantropāsana as being superior to the older pratikopā. sana, And the greatest of all yantras, according to it, is the famous Śri Chakra, which is the central object of worship in Sri Vidya. The Sri Chakra, again, like the Pancadaſākşarī mantra, is considered a form of the Goddess. If the mantra is a revelation of the Mother in sounds, the yantra is a revelation of her in lines. And it is a symbol of the Devī not only in her true form as Siva and Sakti in one, but also in her three phenomenal forms—the universe of mabābhūtas and the tro miniature universes of the human body and the alphabet of articulate speech (varnamālā). The Sri Chakra is that rather complicated diagram of interlocked triangles with which we are all more or less familiar. It consists of a circle with a Bindu at the centre. On the vertical diameter of this circle are arranged five triangles with their apexes pointing down- 1. चकस्यापि महेश्या न भेदलेशोऽपि भाव्यते विबुधैः- Kāmakala-vilāsa.

·30 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA wards and four triangles with their apexes pointing upwards. The former are indicative of Sakti and the latter of Siva and are called Siva-yuvatis and Sri. kanthas respectively. The circle in which these nine triangles are interlocked is enclosed in two other concentric circles technically called lotuses. The first outer circle is a lotus of eight petals, and the second a lotus of sixteen petals. The circumference of the second is moreover marked not by one line, but by four lines close to one another. The whole figure is then enclosed in a quadrilateral the walls of which are forined of three parallel lines drawn close to one another. The quadrilateral is moreover provided with four openings—one at the centre of each side. The diagram thus obtained is said to consist of nine parts technically called chakras.- They are-according to layakrama, i, e., if we proceed from outside to the centre as follows: (1) The three-lined quadrilateral called Bhūgpha (2) The sixteen-petalled lotus ($ādasa-dala-padna) (3) The eight-petalled lotus (aşta-da!a-padma) (4) The chakra of fourteen triangles (chaturdasára) (5) The chakra of ten outer triangles (bahir-daśāra) (6) The chakra of ten inner triangles (antar-dašāra) 17) The chakra of eight triangles (aşta-koņa) (8) One inner triangle (trikona) (9) The central point (Bindu) There are technical names for all these parts and each part has its own colour. But it is unnecessary here to go into further details except to state that the ·INTRODUCTION 31 central Bindu is called Sarvānandamaya and is coloured red. It represents the united Kānesvara-Kāmešvari called Tripura Sundari or Lalitāmbikā. Elaborate correspondences are worked out by Writers on Sri Chakra between its nine parts and (1) the tattvas of the universe (2) the varņas of the alphabet, (3) the cakras of the human body and (4) even the tithis of the month and the days of the year. Moreover cach part is supposed to be guarded by various Avarana-devatās or subordinate Saktis having different functions. In the Bindu, for instance, there are fifteen Nityās surrounding the Devi. In the early stages of worship the sādhaka is taught to look upon these deratās presiding over the various parts of Sri Chakra as separate deities, and later thal all of thein are only fragments of one primordial Sakti which creatcd the universe and man and his speech and dwells in them, and, finally, that he himself is one witli this Sakti. Thus the Sri Chakra is a symbolic representation of all the fundamental principles of Tántric philosophy. Hence its unique place in Tántric worship. The Lalitasahasranania indicates this in the names-srichakraraja-nilaya, chakrarāja-niketanā, trikonagã and trikopāntara dipikā. XIV While the upâsana of Panchadašākşarī mantra, the practice of Kundalini yoga and the pūja and bhavana (contenuplation) of Sri Chakra form the corner-stones of Tántric sādhana, the ordinary simple emotion of ·32 LALITĀ-SAHASRANAMA bhakti towards the goddess has also its legitimate place in the system, as the Devi Bhagavata amply testifies (See especially Book VII, Chapter XXXVII) Accordingly, the Lalitasahasranīna has such names as the following, indicative of this element bhaktipriya, bhaktigamya, bhahtivasyā, bhaktimatkalpalatıka, bhakta manasa-hamsıka, bhakta-chitta-kekıghana-ghana, elc And, after all, it is these simple names inspired by genuisie piety that possess universal validity, whereas the names that embody the doctrines of an arbitrary system of the details of a Puranic story can appeal only to the members of a sect. Hence the former constitute the most enduring and valuable part of the litany. The names dealing with tle war against Bhandasura zod with the three-headed and four-headed Saktis Rākınī and Lakini that guard the chakras of the Kundalini-Yoga, and even the names describing the physical beauty of the goddess, in spite of their sonorous Language, are mere tinsel compared with the pure gold of the names that point to some aspect or other of the Teligious experience of men in all ages and countries To this superior class belong such names as the following: antarınukha-samāradhya, bahırmukha-sudurlabhā abhyāsatıśaya-jnātā, avyāja karuna-mūrtih, karunarasa sagara, vandāru jana-vatsala, sadyah-prasadını, Visva saksīnı, sāksi varjita, prema-rūpā, priyam-kari, svargāpavargadā, bhāva-jna, bhava roga-ghnī, bhavachakra-pravartini, etc ·INTRODUCTION 33 ху It has to be admitted that there is a dark as well as a bright side to the Tantrik sadhana There is unmistakable cvidence, both in history and in literature, to show that humın sacrifices obscenc rituals and orgies of licentiousness were once associated sith certain forms of Sihti sorship Wintermitz in lus Ilustory of Indian Literalurc riglitly szy. "In Sahtısm and its sacred books, the Tantras, se find the loftiest ideas on tlic Deity and profound philosophical speculations side by side with the wildest superstition and the most confused occultism, and side by side with a faultless social coclc of morality and Tigid asceticism we acc 1 cull disfigured by wild orgies, inculcating cxtremely rcprchcnsible morale" The fact seems to be that the worslup of thic Goddess which as chavc scen, included many ? tribal cult was in some parts of the country not fully assimitted to the orthodox Vedic religion And so rituals and practices winch thnt religion would have discouraged wentonunchecked and, when they invaded even the hugher classes, were sought by some to be justificd by pseudoplulosophical theories based on some strzy pissiges in the Vedic literature Tliey were tolerated by others in accordance with the Hindu doctrine of adhikara bheda The Devi Bhagavata for instance says in one place *The Brahmins are not adhiburis for those Tintrik texts that are contradictory to the Vedns sons that lave no claim to the Vedas can be adhikaris 3 Tliose per- ·2 34 LALITA SAHASRANAMA for such tests". In another place, it says, "The Vaidikas should not follow the Tantrik rules and the Tantrihs should not follow the Vaidih rules Hence arose two broad divisions among the worshippers of Sahti-those who followed the Vedic ritual and those who followed the non Vedic Tantrik ritual The former were supposed to belong to Dahsınachara and the latter to the Vamachara : Vamachara is defined in Sabdahalpadruma as vamo viparito, veda-viruddho v?, acharah There are doctrinal as well as ritual differences between the two divisions of Sakti worshippers (1) The followers of Daksinachara believe in the absolute equality of Sua and Sahtı, and they analyze this equality into equality of (1) adhisthana (abode), (11) anusthana (occupation), (111) avastha (condition), (iv) rupa (form) and nania (name) Hence their faith is called samayn mat? The Saundarya Lahari (stanza 34) puts thuis equality in a nutshell It says that the relationship of sesa and sesi subsists mutually between Siva and Sahtı During the creation and maintenance of the world the Sahtı element predominates But after pralaya, till crcation starts again, the Sıva element predominates On the other hand, the followers of 1 Devi Bhagavata VIII 39 31–32 2 Do XII 7 149–150 3 It is best to translate these terms as 'traditional' and 'independent'. 4 अत शेष शेपीत्ययमुभयसाधारणतथा स्थित सबन्यो वा ..

·INTRODUCTION 35 Vamach ra bellese that Sakti is always predominant For them Siva is involsed in Sıktı They do not recognize a separate Sua tattv? This is represented symbolically by the figure of Sua lying under the feet of Sahti (2) The Samuins believe that in the kundalini joga sahasrara is the goal whereas the foilowers of Vama believe that thckundalını saktı, after reaching sahasrara and conferring blies on the sadhaha, comes back to the muladhara and sleeps there again Hence, while the Samazins worship tlic Desi internally is stationed in sahasır the Vamas korship lier externally in the tro centres of mulidhiri and si idhistliana Muladhara is otherwise called Kuli and the Desi occupying it is called Kaulini and her worshippers are called Kuulas (3) For the Samains the authoritative scriptures are the samhıtas of sanala, Sananda, Sanatkumara, Suha and Vasışta collectively known as Subha-igamapanchka Tor the Kaulas the authorities are Parasura. ma Sutris and the sixty-four Tantras (4) The Rışıof the Samayins is Daksinamurti and their devatas are called Kamcsiara and Kamestari Thic Rişi of thc Khulas is Bh717112, and their derat s are called Anandabhair, and Anandablairas (5) Thic external worship of the Samiyins 15 7ccording to the halpa cutras of the Vedic tradition, and their offerings consist of milk and fruits The worship of the hiulas on the other hand, is according to the independent Tantrik rites, insolving the worsiup of young women-cien ol nrhed nomen, and their ·36 LALITA-SAHASRANANA in offerings consist of the notorious pancha-makaras (matsya, māmsa, madya, mudrā and maithuna). The samaya-mata is thus pure and noble. It is associated with the honoured name of Sankara. The kaulamata also JS many cases inoffensive, for, generally, harmless substilutes are introduced for the pancha-makāras. Honey and ginger are used in the place of wine and a pumpkin or a coconut in the place of flesli-like pişta-pašu in some of our yalnas. It is only with the extreme section of Kaulas called Uttara Kaulas-that all those abominations which have brought Säktism into disrepute are associated. When there are tivo divisions in a sect, it is but natural that each should consider itself superior to the other. No wonder therefore that the Kaulas regard themseli es as superior to and more advanced than the Samayins, as the Samayins regard Kaulamata as something belonging to the lower classes. Tlie Kulārnava Tantſa?, for instance, arranges the main stages of Tāntrik discipline in the following ascending order:- (1) Vedāchāra (2) Vaişnavācāra (3) Saivācāra (4) Dakşiņāchāra (5) Vāmāchara (6) Siddhāntāchāra and (6) Kaulāchāra. We are told that the first three stages form, as it were, an introduction to the fourth, namely, Dakşina- 1. सर्वेभ्यश्चोत्तमा वेदा वेदेभ्यो वेण्णवं महत् । I वैष्णवादुत्तमं शैवं शैवादक्षिणमुत्तमम् ॥ दक्षिणादुत्तमं वामं वामासिद्धान्तमुत्तमम् । सिद्धान्तादुत्तमं कौलं कौलात्परतरं नहि || ·INTRODUCTION 37 chåra Vedachara in this series means some Vedic ritual as modified by the Tantra It is purely external in character The second, Varşnavachara is the path of devotion and the third, Swachara is the path of knowledge After completing these three preliminaries of kırma, bhahtı and jnana the sãdhaka passes on to Daksınachara, which means it seems, the achar which is favourable to the accomplishment of a higher sadhana These four stages belong to the Pravritti marga After completing them, thic adhahz enters upon the path of Nivrıtlı, the first stage of which is the Vamachara At this stage with the fielp of a guru he undergoes special initiation and tries to conquer lus destres-not by renunciation but by means of sublinition and consecration He has to rise by the very things by which the ordinary man falls The Kular nava Tantra says, "Vatrena pitanam druvyyıl sıddıh taireia chodita" This is the characteristic Tantrik doctrine which opens the door to all kinds of licence under the cloak of religion When 7 man is t ught that his impulses towards eating and drinking and sexual enjoyment are best subjugated by religiously satisfying them we know whrt the teaclung will lead to in practice The discipline that begins in Vamachara is said to become complete in the next two stages.Siddhanta and Kaula In these stages the sadhak? 15 supposed to become more and more free from the bonds of samsara He is attached to nothing, he hates nothing fears nothing and is ashamed of nothing He becomes free from the bonds of family, sect and society As the ·38 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA Malānırvanā Tantra puts it, “Possessing merely the form of man, fie moics about this earth for the salvation and the instruction of the world." In other words, he becomes a jivanmukta The Tantra divides all men into three classes--pašu, vira and divya—according to the three gunas, tumas, rajas and sattva. We are told that the sādhaka is in the paśu or animal stage in the first four ichāras mentioned above. He enters on the vira or lieroic stage in the Vāmáchāra, develops bimself in the Siddhānta stage and finally enters on the dır ya or divine stage in the Kuulachär. Before we dismiss all this as mere moonshine we should remember that Sri Ramakrislina Paramahainsa trod tlus path of Tantrik sadhana and reached the goal of self-realization. In this connection we should read carefully the chapter on Tantrik sādhana in this saint's biography. Obviously, it is the Vamāchira that lie practised, for he says: "The Brāhmani put me through all the exercises tiyentioned in the sixty-four principal Tantra books. Most of these were extremely difficult sadhana --50111e of then, so dangerous that they cause the devotee to lose his footing and sink into moral degradations But the infinite grace of the Mother carried me through theni unscathed" If a sādhaka like Sri Ramakrishna found tliese practices so dangerous, no wonder that many an ordinary man attempting them became engulfed and lost all his moral moorings. The Vamāchara was most prevalent in Bengal, Bihar and Assam, What havoc at ·INTRODUOTION 39 .... Fathers was causing there at one time can be known from the scathing words of one of the noblest sons of Bengal, Stvami Vivekananda. In one of his speeches in Calcutta, soon after his return from America in 1897, the Swami said : "Give up this filthy Vámäclāra that is killing your country. You have not seen the other parts of India. Wlien I see liow much the Vámáchán las entered our society, I find it a most disgraceful place with all its boast of culture. These Vamachara sccts are honeyconibing our society in Bengal of Calcutta, do you not feel ashamed that such liorrible stuff as these Vämncira Tantras, with translations too, should be put into tlic hands of your boys and girls, and their minds poisoned and that they should be brought up with the idea that these are the Shăstras of the Hindus? If you are aslaned, take them away from your children, and let them read the true Shăstras–the Vedas, the Gita, the Upanishads." How like a breath of fresh air come these words into the fetid atinosphere of degenerate Tantrik rituals! From this denunciation we should not conclude that the Swami was blind to the merits of tlie better types of Tantras. For, in a speech delivered at Dacca on 31st March, 1901, we find him saying: *Barring some of the abominable things in the Tantras, sucli as the Vámáchira, etc., the Tantras are not so bad as people are inclined to think. There are many high and sublime Vedāntic thoughts in them. In fact, the Brāhmana portions of the Vedas were ·40 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA modified a littic and incorporated into the body of tire Tantras All the forms of our worship and the ceremonials of the present day, comprising the Karmakända, are observed in accordance with the Tantras." 14 XVI in Wc are now a position to understand the references in the Lallásahasranama to the two main divisions among the Säktas, 11, the followers of Samayāchara and the followers of Kaulāchara, By calling Siva and Sahtı Kamešvara and Kameśvari in his litany and by giving the Goddess the names samajācăra-tatpasa, samayantasthā, sāma-rasya-parāyanã and dakşınāmūrti siarūpini, the author aligns himself definitely on the side of the Daksināchāra. But he tries to hold the scales even by giving full recognition to the other school also He indicates by various names that the worship by the Kaulas is equally acceptable to the Goddess. He calls her kaula-mārgatatparal-sevitā, kula-sanketa-pâlini, kaulini-kevalā, viraradhyā, vira-goste-priyā, etc, and probably refers to the secret rites of the Kaulas in the two names raho-yaga-kramärādhyā and rahastarpana-tarpitā And he refers to the two achāras together in the names daksınādaksinārādhyā, savyāpasavya-margasthă, and indicates that the Goddess could be reached by both the ways But by calling the Goddess durachăra-samani and dusta-dura lie condemos, of course, all evil ways and wicked men, ·INTRODUCTION XVII Wlien wc compire thic Lolitasahasrandma with the Chandi-mahanjo uc SCC what a great change 1175 comcoier the worship of the Goddess through thc in. fluence of the Tintrik idcas As in thc earlier pocni, schne in thc Lalita too rcfcrences to the fight of the Goddess with a demon But the war in the Lalilo. Pollyana is on a morc rclined plane, as Bhanda is a more refined Asura thrin tlıc bison-hicaded Jaliisa; and, as their ommes indicate, Lila represents thic gentle side, and Chindi fiicficrcc side, of the Goddess. Probably both the fights were meant to be allegorics. If so, Mahis would be the best in min and Blind the cgo in man, and the Deitlic divine spark in liim To realize the God in unself, min his to conquer first of all the beast in himself and, at a later stage, the cgoism in hunccli. The second fight is on a much higher level and with superior weapons astris instead of sastras. In thic cirlier fight, man resorts to laus and regulations, and in the later to prayer and contemplation. In trutlı, the uitle on both the fronts is a neier-ending one for these Asuras neser dic. Slain in one form, they rise in another and renew the attack Tor instance, if all that is suid against Vámi. chira is still true, should we not imagine thint Ilahiş?- sura has risen from tlic dead and, taking the form of a follower of the Derī, is treacherously attacking thic Goddess from behind? But, fortunately, it is the better side of the Tantras tliat his influenced the Lalitlsalasranoma. At the ·42 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA In commencement of the poem the author describes at great length the person of the Goddess and refers throughout the litany to her marvellous beauty Her jewels her flowers, her smiles and glances and her likes and dislikes are all revealed to us with such exquisite shill that we feel the gracious presence of the Devi and believe that she is really as the poet says, a maha lavanya sevadhih--a treasure house of beauty From the point of view of pure poetry, this part of tlie Sahasranama is the most artistic one But we do not read the Lalita for its poetry We read it for its religious content And from the poirt of view of religious thought, if we comprre it with the odes in the Chandı mahalınya we are struck at once with its far wider range and its greater depth and variety the earlier work, as we have seen it is the immanence of the deity that is stressed In the Lalita at is both the transcendence and the immanence that are stressed In such nimes as sat-zsat rupa dharını, saty? jñanananda iupa sachidananda rupint, mity? suddha nityz buddha niravadya, nirantara—and there are about forty five names beginning with such negatives-- we see how deeply the Istany is pervided with Vedantic thought And we observe its strong Advaitic tiend in sucli naines as nirdvaita, dvuta varjita bi ahmitmaikya svarupını, tattvamartha svarupini, jñatr-jñeya svarupini and mithya-jagad adiusthana But what nal es the Lalitasahasranama entirely different from the Devi mahát1113a and the carlier hymns to the Goddess is the predominant influence of Tantrik ·INTRODUCTION 43 philosophy and cadbana We have seen hon the three great pillars of Tantrik teaching—the Panchindaci mantra, the Kundalini yoga and the Sri Chakrstand out prominently in tliis noble and imposing structure of miny halls and apartments vluch can ghe shelter to various classes of the devotees of the eternrl Mother-Sri mata, Sri mahr-Tajo, Srimat simb isanes. vari XVIII As a literary forn, the Sahasranamı is peculiar to Sanshrit literature, like the suitry and the <7071747 Probably as a set-off against the prolivities and wild exaggerations of our popular literature, we love thes elliptical, mnemonic literzy forms from winclı every unnecessary word is remored In tlie Salinsranamn the poet has to express his religic is feelings ind lus philosophy of life, as well as his theological beliefs, through the names he coins for his deity He lins no room liere for the elaboration of luis subject, not cien for logical connection between one statement and another Topics have to be huddled together, Ithe the words in a sarrasa, without any connecting links And, in 1 Sahasranama, when samisas themselves are luddlet together without even ? conjunction, the resulting structure is like a building in which the walls are formed by neatly chiselled stones being placed one above the other without any mortar or cement between them Hence, as a literary form, the Sahasranıma lins its qwa chumus disadvantages as well as luantages liv encourages brevity and restraint, it also cncourages in- ·11- names 44 LALITĀ-SAHASRANAMA coherence and obscurity When the poet is not required to show any logical connection he easily succumbs to the temptation of not conceiving any The besetting drawback of many a Sahasranāma is that all logical thinking 1s sacrificed to the tin gods of alliteration and assonance Hence we often have more sound than sense Alliteration hias, no doubt, a special value in such a mnemonic literary form as the Sahasranama, but when it is secured at the expense of logical sequence it gives an uncomfortable jolt to the mind of the reader who is not content to be a mere parrot In this respect the Lalitasaliasra- 9101114 is much better than many other Sahasranarnas There is so much logical connection plied in the that they easily fall into sections like tliose dealing with the physical form of the Goddess, her fight with Bhandāsura, her different abodes, her manifestations in the chakras of the human body and But there are also many instances of want of logical sequence. For instance, the names (Nos 844-846) chandassara, sastrasara, mantracara are followed in the same line by talodiri-which means that the goddess is the very essence of the Vedas, the essence of the Sastras, the essence of Mantras and that she has a slender waist Similarly, the very next line when translated literally would run as follows--"Her fame is extensive, her glory is boundless and she has the form of the letters of the alphabet' Instances like these, which gie a jolt to the intelligent reader and a headache to the conscientious translator, may be multiplied. SO on ·INTRODUCTION 45 1$ ог 111 Agun, the convention of having exactly one thousand names is more a disadvantage than an advantage It is no doubt a mercy to the reader as well as to the temple priest that the line is drawn at a thousand But it is not always easy to devisc a thousand names for the god or goddess you worship without repeating yourself And repetition of a name with the same meaning forbidden by "the rules of the game" So, when the legitimate subject-matter is over in five or six hundred names the poet is forced to complete the list by something far fetched fatıcıſul, just as actual worship of the deity when all the flowers on liand are over we use coloured rice (aksata) in their stend to complete the ritual And if, by mischance, he repeats z name which has already been used, the cominentator who comes in his wahe has to rach his brains to give at a different meaning or cut it into two different bits and give some forced interpretation to each of the bits Moreover, if logical connection has no leg to stand on even when coherent material is at hand, it vanishes into the thin air amidst these insubstantial word juggleries Fortunately, there are not many instances of these defects in the Lalitasahasrastania On the whole the poet has been able to raise a very noble monument to the Goddess in spite of the exceedingly difficult literary form he has chosen to adopt here

·॥ श्रीः ॥
॥ श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम् ॥
पूर्वभागः
.
अगरस्य उवाच-
अश्वानन महाबुद्धे सर्वशास्त्रविशारद ।
कथित ललितादेव्याश्चरितं परमाद्भुतम् ।। १ ॥
पूर्व प्रादुर्भवो मातुरततः पट्टाभिपेचनम् ।
भण्डासुरवधश्चैव विस्तरेण त्वयोदितः ॥ २ ।।
वर्णित श्रीपुरं चापि महाविभवविस्तरम् ।
श्रीमसञ्चदशाक्षर्या महिमा वर्णितस्तथा ॥ ३ ॥
पोढा न्यासादयो न्यामा न्यासखण्डे समीरिताः ।
अन्तर्यागनमश्चैव पहियोगक्रमस्तथा ॥ ४ ॥
महायागक्रमश्चैव पूजासण्डे प्रकीर्तितः ।
पुरश्चरणखण्डे तु जपलक्षणमीरितम् ॥ ५ ॥
होमखण्डे त्वया प्रोत्तो होमगन्यविधिनमः ।
चक्रराजस्य विद्यायाः श्रीदेव्या देशिकात्मनोः ॥ ६ ॥
रहस्यखण्डे तादात्म्यं परस्परमुदीरितम् ।
स्तोत्रखण्डे बहुविधाः स्तुतयः परिकीर्तिताः ।। ७ ॥
मन्त्रिणीदण्डिनीदेव्याः प्रोक्त नामसहस्रके।
न तु श्रीललितादेव्याः प्रोक्तं नामसहस्रकम् ॥ ८॥

·11
श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रपूर्वभाग
तत्र मे सशयो जातो हयग्रीव दयानिधे ।
कि वा त्वया विस्मृत तज्ज्ञात्वा वा समुपेक्षितम् ॥ ९ ॥
मम वा योग्यता नास्ति श्रोतु नामसहस्रकम्
किमर्थं भवता नोत्त तन मे कारण पद ॥ १० ॥
सृत्त उवाच-
इति पृष्टो हयग्रीवो मुनिना कुम्भजन्मना ।
प्रहृष्टो वचत प्राह तापस कुम्भसम्भवम् ॥ ११ ॥
लोपामुद्रापतेऽगस्त्य सावधानमना शृणु।
नाम्ना सहस्र यन्नोक्त कारण तद्वदामि ते ॥ १२ ॥
रहस्यमिति मत्वाह नोक्तमारते न चान्यथा ।
पुनश्च पृच्छते भक्त्या तस्मात्तत्ते वदाम्यहम् ॥ १३ ॥
याच्छिप्याय भक्ताय रहस्यमपि देशिक ।
भवता न प्रदेय स्यादभक्ताय कदाचन ।। १४ ।।
न शठाय न दुष्टाय नाविश्वासाय कर्हि चित् ।
श्रीमातृभक्तियुक्ताय श्रीविद्याराजवेदिने ॥ १५ ॥
उपासकाय शुद्धाय देय नामसहस्रकम् ।
यानि नामसहस्राणि सद्य सिद्धिप्रदानि च ॥ १६ ॥
तन्त्रेषु ललितादेव्यास्तेपु मुरयमिद मुने ।
श्रीविद्यैव तु मन्त्राणा तन कार्दिर्यथा परा ॥ १७ ॥

·iii श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रपूर्वभागः पुराणां श्रीपुरमिव शक्तीनां ललिता यथा । श्रीविद्योपासकानां च यथा देवो वर. शिवः ॥ १८ ॥ तथा नामसहस्रेषु वरमेतत् प्रकीर्तितम् । यथास्य पठनाद्देवी प्रीयते ललिताम्विका ॥ १९ ॥ अन्यनामसहस्रस्य पाठान्न प्रीयते तथा । श्रीमातुः प्रीतये तरमादनिशं कीर्तयेदिदम् ॥ २० ॥ बिल्वपत्रैश्चक्रराजे योऽर्चयेहलिवाम्बिकाम् । पर्वा तुलसीपत्रैरेभिर्नामसहस्रकैः ।। २१ ।। सद्यः प्रसादं कुरुते तत्र सिंहासनेश्वरी । चक्राधिराजमभ्यर्च्य जप्त्वा पञ्चदशाक्षरीम् ।। २२ ।। जपान्ते कीर्तयेन्नित्यमिदं नामसहस्रकम् । जपपूजाघशक्तोऽपि पठेन्नामसहस्रकम् ।। २३ ।। साङ्गार्चने सागजपे यत् फलं तदवाप्नुयात् । उपासने स्तुतीरन्याः पठेदभ्युदयो हि सः ।। २४ ।। इदं नामसहस्रं तु कीर्तयेन्नित्यकर्मवत् । चकराजार्चनं देव्या जपो नाम्ना च कीर्तनम् ॥ २५ ॥ भक्तस्य कृत्यमेतावदन्यदभ्युदय विदुः । भक्तस्यावश्यकमिद नामसाहस्रकीर्तनम् ॥ २६ ।। 1. श्रीमत्सिंहासनेश्वरी इत्यपि पाठः।

·1V श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रपूर्वभाग तन हेतु प्रवक्ष्यामि शृणु त्व कुम्भसम्भव । पुरा श्रीललितादेवी भक्ताना हितकाम्यया ॥ २७ ॥ वाग्देवीर्वशिनीमुख्या समहूयेदमब्रवीत् । वाग्देवतावशिन्याद्या शृणुष्व वचन मम ।। २८ ।। भवत्यो मत्प्रसादेन प्रोल्लसद्वाग्विभूतय । मद्भक्ताना वाग्विभूतिप्रदाने विनियोजिता २९ ।। मच्चस्य रहस्यज्ञा मम नामपरायणा । मम स्तोत्रविधानाय तस्मादाज्ञापयामि च ॥ ३० ॥ कुरुध्वमङ्कित स्तोत्र मम नामसहस्रकै । येन भक्तै स्तुताया मे सद्य प्रीति परा भवेत् ॥ ३१ ॥ हयग्रीव उवाच- इत्याचप्ता बचोदेव्य श्रीदेव्या ललिताम्यया । रहस्यैर्नामभिर्दिव्यैश्वनु स्तोत्रमनुत्तमम् ।। ३२ ॥ रहस्यनामसाहस्रमिति तद्विश्रुत परम् । तत कदाचित् सदसि स्थित्वा सिंहासनेऽम्विका ।। ३३ ।। स्वसेवायसर प्रादात् सवपा पुम्भसम्भव । सेवार्थमागतास्तत्र ब्रह्माणीब्रह्मकोटय ॥ ३४ ॥ लक्ष्मीनारायणाना च कोटय समुपागता । गौरीकोटिसमेताना रद्राणामपि कोटय ॥ ३५॥ मत्रिणीदण्टिनीमुग्या सेनाथ या समागता । शत्यो विविधाकारास्तासा सहा न विद्यते ॥ ३६ ।।

·श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रपूर्वभागः
दिव्यौघा मानवौधाश्च सिद्धौघाश्च समागताः।
तन श्रीललितादेवी सर्वेषां दर्शनं ददौ ।। ३७ ॥
तेपु दृष्टोपविष्टपु रवे स्वे स्थाने यथाक्रमम् ।
तन श्रीललितादेवीकटाक्षाक्षेपनोदिताः ॥ ३८।।
उत्थाय पशिनीमुस्या बद्धाञ्जलिपुटास्तदा ।
अस्तुवन्नामसाहसैः स्वकृतैललिताम्बिकाम् ।। ३९ ।।
श्रुत्वा स्तवं प्रसन्नाभूललिता परमेश्वरी ।
सर्वे ते विस्मयं जग्मुर्ये सत्र सदसि स्थिताः॥४०॥
ततः प्रोवाच ललिता सदस्यान देवतागणान् ।
ममाज्ञयैव वाग्देव्यश्चनुः स्तोत्रमनुत्तमम् ।। ४१ ।।
अङ्कितं नामभिर्दिव्यैर्मम प्रीतिविधायकैः ।
तत् पठध्वं सदा यूयं स्तोत्रं मत्प्रीतिवृद्धये ।। ४२ ॥
प्रवर्तयध्वं भक्तेषु मम नामसहस्रकम् ।
इदं नामसहस्र मे यो भक्तः पठते सकृत् ॥ ४३ ।।
स मे प्रियतमो ज्ञेयस्तरमै कामान् ददाम्यहम् ।
श्रीचक्ने मां समभ्यर्च्य जत्वा पञ्चदशाक्षरीम् ॥ ४४ ॥
पश्चान्नामसहस्रं मे कीर्तयेन्मम तुष्टये।
मामयतु वा मा या विद्यां जपतु वान वा ॥ ४५ ॥
कीर्तयेन्नामसाहस्रमिदं मत्प्रीतये सदा ।
मत्नीत्या सकलान् कामोल्लभते नात्र संशयः ॥ ४६॥

·श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रपूर्वभागः तस्मान्नामसहस्रं मे कीर्तयध्वं सदादरात् । हयग्रीव उवाच- इति श्रीललितेशानी शास्ति देवान् सहानुगान् ॥ ४७ ।। तदाज्ञया तदारभ्य ब्रह्मविष्णुमहेश्वराः । शक्तयो मन्त्रिणीमुख्या इदं नामसहस्रकम् ॥ ४८ ।। पठन्ति भक्त्या सततं ललितापरितुष्टये। तस्मादयश्यं भक्तेन कीर्तनीयमिदं मुने ॥ ४९ ।। आवश्यकत्वे हेतुस्ते मया प्रोक्तो मुनीश्वर । इदानीं नामसाहस्रं वक्ष्यामि श्रद्धया शृणु ।। ५० ॥ ॥ इति श्रीब्रह्माण्डपुराणे उत्तरखण्डे श्रीहयग्रीवागस्त्यसंवादे श्रीललितारहस्यनामसाहस्रस्तोत्रपूर्वभागः सम्पूर्णः ।।

·॥ न्यासः ॥ अस्य श्रीललितादिव्यसहस्रनामस्तोत्रमहामन्त्रस्य, वशिन्यादि वाग्देवता ऋपयः । अनुष्टुप् छन्दः । श्रीललितामहात्रिपुरसुन्दरी देवता । श्रीमद्वाग्भवकूटेति वीजम् । मध्यफूटेति शक्तिः । शक्तिकूटेति कीलकम् । मूलप्रकृतिरिति ध्यानम् । श्रीललितामहात्रिपुरसुन्दरी- प्रसादसिद्धिद्वारा चिन्तितसकलफलावाप्त्यर्थे जपे विनियोगः ।। (मूलमन्त्रेण अगन्यासं करन्यासं च फुर्यात् ।।) ॥ ध्यानम् ॥ सिन्दूरारुणविग्रहां त्रिनयनां माणिक्यमौलिपुर- तारानायकशेखर स्मितमुसीमापीनवक्षोरुहाम् । पाणिभ्यामलिपूर्णरत्नचपकं रक्तोत्पलं विभ्रती सौम्यां स्नघटस्थरक्तचरणां ध्यायेत् परामम्बिकाम् ॥ अरुणा करुणातरङ्गिताक्षी धृतपाशाङ्कुशपुष्पबाणचापाम् । अणिमादिभिरावृतां मयूखै- रहमित्येव विभावयेद्भवानीम् ।। ध्यायेत् पद्मासनस्थां विकसितवदनां पद्मपनायताक्षी हेमामां पीतवस्त्रां करकलितलसद्धेमपद्मा वराङ्गीम् । सर्यालङ्कारयुक्तां सततमभयदां भक्तननां भवानी श्रीविद्यां शान्तमूर्ति सकलसुरनुतां सर्वसम्पत्प्रदात्रीम् ।

·॥ श्री.॥
॥ श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम् ॥
N.B.—The numbers in the text below refer not to the order
of the verscs, but to the order of the names of the
Goddess.
श्रीमाता श्रीमहाराज्ञी श्रीमत्सिंहासनेश्वरी ।
चिदग्निकुण्डसम्भूता देवकार्यसमुद्यता ।।
उद्यद्भानुसहस्राभा चतुर्बाहुसमन्विता ।
रागस्वरूपपाशाख्या कोषाकारानुशोज्ज्वला ॥
मनोरूपेक्षुकोदण्डा पञ्चतन्मात्रसायका ।
निजारुणप्रमापूरमजद्ब्रह्माण्डमण्डला ॥
चम्पकाशोकपुन्नागसौगन्धिकलसत्कचा ।
कुरुविन्दमणिश्रेणीकनकोटीरमण्डिता ॥
अष्टमीचन्द्रविम्राजदलिकस्थलशोभिता ।
मुखचन्द्रकलकाममृगनाभिविशेषका ।।
वदनस्मरमाङ्गल्यगृहतोरणचिल्लिका ।
वक्त्रलक्ष्मीपरीवाहचलन्मीनामलोचना ॥
नवचम्पकपुष्पामनासादण्डविराजिता ।
ताराकान्तितिरस्कारिनासामरणमासुरा ॥
१६
tun
१८
२०

·vili
श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम्
सफुकुमविलेपनामलिकचुम्बिकस्तूरिकां
समन्दहसितेक्षणां सशरचापपाशाड्फुशाम् ।
अशेपजनमोहिनीमरुणमाल्यभूषाम्बरां
जपाकुसुमभासुरां जपविधौ स्मरेदम्बिकाम् ॥1
अथ पञ्चपूजा-लं पृथिव्यात्मने गन्धं समर्पयामि । हं
आकाशात्मने पुष्पाणि समर्पयामि । यं वाय्वात्मने धूपमाघापयामि ।
र अग्न्यात्मने दीपं सन्दर्शयामि । वं अमृतात्मने अमृतं महानैवेद्य
निवेदयामि । सं सर्वात्मने सर्वोपचारान् समर्पयामि ।।
"अरुणा" इत्यारम्य "सफुकुम" इत्येतत्रर्यन्ताः श्लोकाः
कांच मुद्रिते पुस्तके दृश्यन्ते । तस्मादिहापि ते मुद्रिताः ॥

·॥ श्रीः ।।
॥ श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम् ॥
N.B.-The numbers in the text below refer not to the order
of the verses, but to the order of the names of the
Goddess.
श्रीमाता श्रीमहाराज्ञी श्रीमसिंहासनेश्वरी ।
चिदग्निकुण्डसम्भूता देवकार्यसमुघता ।।
उद्यद्भानुसहस्राभा चतुर्षाहुसमन्विता ।
रागस्वरूपपाशाब्या क्रोधाकाराङ्कुशोज्ज्वला ॥
मनोरूपेक्षुकोदण्डा पञ्चतन्मानसायका ।
निजारुणप्रमापूरमजद्ममाण्डमण्डला ॥
चम्पकाशोकपुन्नागसौगन्धिकलसत्कचा।
कुरुविन्दमणिश्रेणीकनकोटीरमण्डिता ॥
अष्टमीचन्द्रविनाजदलिकस्थलशोभिता ।
मुखचन्द्रकलाभमृगनाभिविशेषका ॥
वदनस्मरमाङ्गल्यगृहतोरणचिल्लिका ।
क्वलक्ष्मीपरीवाहचलन्मीनामलोचना ॥
नवचम्पकपुष्पामनासादण्डविराजिता ।
ताराकान्तितिरस्कारिनासाभरणभासुरा ।।
४
६
.
१८
२०

·48
२२
1०२६
२८
श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम्
कदम्बमारीक्लप्तकर्णपूरमनोहरा ।
ताटकयुगलीभूततपनोडुपमण्डला ॥
पद्मरागशिलादर्शपरिमाविकपोलभूः ।
नवविद्रुमपिम्वनीन्यकारिदशनच्छदा ।।
शुद्धविद्याङ्कराकारद्विजपतिद्वयोज्ज्वला ।
कपूरवीटिकामोदसमाकपद्दिगन्तरा ॥
निजसल्लापमाधुर्यविनिमसितकच्छपी ।
मन्दस्मितप्रमापूरमअत्कामेशमानसा ।।
अनाकलितसादृश्यचुयुकश्रीविराजिता ।
कामेशबद्धमाङ्गल्यसूत्रशोभितकन्धरा ॥
कनकागदकेयूरकमनीयभुजान्विता ।
रनवेयचिन्ताकलोलमुक्ताफलान्विता ॥
कामेश्वरप्रेमरत्नमणिप्रतिपणस्तनी ।
नाम्यालबालरोमालिलताफलकुचद्वयी ।
लक्ष्यरोमलताधारतासमुन्नेयमध्यमा।
स्तनभारदलन्मध्यपट्टवन्धवलिनया ॥
अरुणारुणकौसुम्भवस्त्रभास्वत्कटीतटी ।
रत्नकिङ्किणिकारम्यरशनादागभूपिता ॥
कामेशज्ञातसौभाग्यमार्दवोरुद्वयान्विता ।
माणिक्यमकुटाकारजानुद्वयविराजिता ।।
३०
३२
३४
६
१०

·49
४३
४८ 20
श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम्
इन्द्रगोपपरिक्षिसरमस्तूणामजदिका ।
गूढगुल्फा कूर्मपृष्ठजयिष्णुपपदान्विता ॥
नखदीपितिसंछन्ननमजनतमोगुणा ।
पदद्वयप्रभाजालपराकृतसरोरुहा ॥
शिखानमणिमञ्जीरमण्डितश्रीपदाम्बुजा ।
मरालीमन्दगमना महालावण्यशेवधिः ।।
सर्वारुणाऽनवद्याकी सर्वाभरणभूपिता ।
शिवकामेश्वराकस्था शिवा स्वाधीनवल्लमा ।
सुमेरुमध्यशृङ्गस्था श्रीमन्नगरनायिका ।
चिन्तामणिगृहान्तःस्था पञ्चब्रह्मासनस्थिता ।।
महापमाटवीसंस्था कदम्बवनवासिनी।
सुधासागरमध्यस्था कामाक्षी कामदायिनी ॥
देवर्षिगणसातस्तूयमानात्मवैभवा ।
भण्डासुरवधोयुक्तशक्तिसेनासमन्विता ।।
सम्पत्करीसमारूढसिन्धुरबजसेविता ।
अश्वारुढाधिष्ठिताश्चकोटिकोटिभिरावृता ।।
चकराजरथारूढसर्वायुधपरिष्कृता ।
गेयचक्ररथारूढमन्त्रिणीपरिसेविता ।।
किरिचकारथारूढदण्डनाथापुरस्कृता ।
ज्वालामालिनिकाक्षिप्तवह्निप्राकारमध्यगा।
३
७
4

·50
७३
30 ७७
७९
श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम्
भण्डसैन्यवधोयुक्तशक्तिविक्रमहर्षिता ।
नित्यापराकमाटोपनिरीक्षणसमुत्सुका ॥
भण्डपुत्रवधोयुक्तवालाविक्रमनन्दिता ।
मन्त्रिण्यम्बाविरचितविषङ्गवतोषिता ।।
विशुक्रपाणहरणवाराहीवीर्यनन्दिता ।
कामेश्वरमुखालोककल्पितश्रीगणेश्वरा ।।
महागणेशनिर्मिन्नविनयन्त्रप्रहर्पिता ।
मण्डासुरेन्द्रनिर्मुक्तशस्त्रप्रत्यत्रवर्पिणी ।।
कराङ्गुलिनखोत्पन्ननारायणदशाकृतिः ।
महापाशुपतास्त्रामिनिर्दग्धासुरसैनिका ।
कामेश्वरामनिर्दग्धसभण्डासुरशून्यका ।
ब्रह्मोपेन्द्रमहेन्द्रादिदेवसंस्तुतवैभवा ।।
हरनेवाग्निसन्दग्धकामसंजीवनौषधिः
श्रीमद्वाग्मवकूटकस्वरूपमुखपङ्कजा ।।
कण्ठाधःकटिपर्यन्तमध्यफूटस्वरूपिणी ।
शक्तिकूटैकतापन्नकट्यधोमागधारिणी ॥
मूलमन्त्रामिका मूलकूटनयकलेवरा ।
कुलामृतकरसिका कुलसंकेतपालिनी ।।
कुलाहना कुलान्तःस्था कोलिनी कुलयोगिनी ।
अकुला समयान्तःस्था समयाचारतत्परा ।।
८५
८७

·51
श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम्
मूलाधारकनिलया ब्रह्मग्रन्थिविभेदिनी ।
मणिपूरान्तरुदिता विष्णुप्रन्थिविमेदिनी ॥ १०२
आज्ञाचक्रान्तरालस्था रुद्रग्रन्थिविभेदिनी।
सहस्राराम्बुजारूढा सुधासाराभिवर्पिणी ॥
तटिलतासमरुचिः पट्चकोपरिसंस्थिता ।
महाशक्तिः कुण्डलिनी पिसतन्तुतनीयसी ॥ 40१११
भवानी भावनागम्या भवारण्यकुठारिका ।
भद्रप्रिया भद्रमूर्तिमक्तसौभाग्यदायिनी ॥ ११७
भक्तिप्रिया भक्तिगम्या भक्तिवश्या भयापहा ।
शाम्भवी शारदाराध्या शर्वाणी शर्मदायिनी ॥ १२५
शाकरी श्रीकरी साध्वी शरचन्द्रनिभानना।
शातोदरी शान्तिमती निराधारा निरखना ॥ १३३
निलंपा निर्मला नित्या निराकारा निराकुला ।
निर्गुणा निष्कला शान्ता निष्कामा निरुपप्लवा ।। १४३
नित्यमुक्ता निर्विकारा निष्प्रपञ्चा निराश्रया ।
नित्यशुद्धा नित्यबुद्धा निरवद्या निरन्तरा ॥ १५१
निष्कारणा निष्कलङ्का निरुपाधिनिरीश्वरा ।
नीरागा रागमथनी निर्मदा मदनाशिनी ॥ १५९
निश्चिन्ता निरहंकारा निर्मोहा मोहनाशिनी ।
निर्ममा ममताहन्त्री निष्पापा पापनाशिनी ।।

·52
श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम्
निष्क्रोधा क्रोधशमनी निर्लोभा लोमनाशिनी ।
निःसंशया संशयनी निर्भवा भवनाशिनी ॥ १७५
निर्विकल्पा निराधाधा निर्मंदा भेदनाशिनी ।
निनाशा मृत्युमधनी निष्क्रिया निष्परिग्रहा । १८३
निस्तुला नीलचिकुरा निरपाया निरत्यया ।
दुर्लभा दुर्गमा दुर्गा दुःखहन्त्री सुखप्रदा ।। 50 १९२
दुष्टदूरा दुराचारशमनी दोषवर्जिता ।
सर्वज्ञा सान्द्रकरुणा समानाधिकवर्जिता ॥ १९८
सर्वशक्तिमयी सर्वमङ्गला सद्गतिप्रदा ।
सर्वेश्वरी सर्वमयी सर्वमन्त्रस्वरूपिणी । २०४
सर्वयन्त्रारिमका सर्वतन्त्ररूपा मनोन्मनी ।
माहेश्वरी महादेवी महालक्ष्मीर्मुडप्रिया । २११
महारूपा महापूज्या महापातकनाशिनी ।
महामाया महासत्त्वा महाशक्तिमहारतिः ॥ २१८
महामोगा महैश्वर्या महावीर्या महाबला ।
Sandea ka महावुद्धिर्महासिद्धिर्महायोगीश्वरेश्वरी ।।
२२५
महातन्त्रा महामन्त्रा महायन्ना महासना।
महायागक्रमाराध्या महाभैरवपूजिता ॥
२३१
महेश्वरमहाकल्पमहाताण्डवसाक्षिणी ।
महाकामेशमहिषी महात्रिपुरसुन्दरी ॥ २३४

·53
२३७
२४३
२५३
श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम्
चतुःषष्टयुपचाराड्या चतुःषष्टिकलामयी ।
महाचतुःषष्टिकोटियोगिनीगणसेविता ॥
मनुविद्या चन्द्रविद्या चन्द्रमण्डलमध्यगा।
चारुरूपा चारुहासा चारुचन्द्रकलाधरा ।।
चराचरजगन्नाथा चकराजनिकेतना ।
पार्वती पद्मनयना पद्मरागसमप्रमा ।।
पञ्चप्रेतासनासीना पञ्चब्रह्मस्वरूपिणी ।
चिन्मयी परमानन्दा विज्ञानघनरूपिणी ।।
ध्यानध्यातृध्येयरूपा धर्माधर्मविवर्जिता ।
विश्वरूपा जागरिणी स्वपन्ती तेजसात्मिका ।।
सुप्ता प्राज्ञात्मिका तुर्या सर्वावस्थाविवर्जिता ।
सृष्टिकी भररूपा गोत्री गोविन्दरूपिणी ॥
संहारिणी रुद्ररूपा तिरोधानकरधिरी ।
सदाशिवानुग्रहदा पञ्चकृत्यपरायणा ।।
भानुमण्डलमध्यस्था भैरवी भगमालिनी ।
पद्मासना भगवती पद्मनामसहोदरी ॥
उन्मेपनिमिषोत्पन्नविपन्नभुवनावलिः ।
सहस्रशीर्षवदना सहस्राक्षी सहस्रपात् ।।
आब्रह्माकीदजननी वर्णाश्रमविधायिनी ।
निजाज्ञारूपनिगमा पुण्यापुण्यफलप्रदा ॥
२५९
२६७
२७४
२८०
२८८

·54
२९०
२९७
३०४
३१२
श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम्
श्रुतिसीमन्तसिन्दूरीकृतपादाब्जधूलिका ।
सकलागमसंन्दोहशक्तिसम्पुटमौक्तिका ॥
पुरुषार्थप्रदा पूर्णा भोगिनी भुवनेश्वरी ।
अम्बिकानादिनिधना हरिब्रह्मेन्द्रसेविता ॥
नारायणी नादरूपा नामरूपविवर्जिता ।
हींकारी ह्रीमती हृया हेयोपादेयवर्जिता ।।
राजराजार्चिता राज्ञी रम्या राजीवलोचना ।
रजनी रमणी रस्या रणकिङ्किणिमेखला ॥
रमा राकेन्दुवदना रतिरूपा रतिप्रिया ।
रक्षाकरी राक्षसनी रामा रमणलम्पटा ।।
काम्या कामकलारूपा कदम्बकुसुमप्रिया ।
कल्याणी जगतीकन्दा करुणारससागरा ।।
कलावती कलालापा कान्ता कादम्बरीप्रिया ।
वरदा वामनयना वारुणीमदविहला ॥
विश्वाधिका वेदवेद्या विन्ध्याचलनिवासिनी ।
विधात्री वेदजननी विष्णुमायाविलासिनी ॥
क्षेत्रस्वरूपा क्षेत्रेशी क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञपालिनी।
क्षयवृद्धिविनिर्मुक्ता क्षेत्रपालसमर्चिता ।।
विजया विमला वन्या वन्दारुजनवत्सला।
वाग्वादिनी वामकेशी वह्निमण्डलवासिनी ।।
३२०
३२६
३४०
३४५

·55
३५६
३७२
श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम्
भक्तिमत्कल्पलतिका पशुपाशविमोचिनी ।
संहताशेषपापण्डा सदाचारप्रवर्तिका ॥
तापनयाग्निसन्तप्तसमालादनचन्द्रिका ।
तरुणी तापसाराध्या तनुमध्या तमोऽपहा ॥
चितिस्तत्पदलक्ष्यार्थी चिदेकरसरूपिणी ।
स्वात्मानन्दलवीभूतब्रह्माद्यानन्दसन्ततिः ॥
परा प्रत्यक्चितीरूपा पश्यन्ती परदेवता ।
मध्यमा वैखरीरूपा भक्तमानसहंसिका ।।
कामेश्वरप्राणनाडी कृतज्ञा कामपूजिता ।
शृङ्गाररससम्पूर्णा जया जालन्धरस्थिता ।।
ओढ्याणपीठनिलया पिन्टुमण्डलवासिनी ।
रहोयागक्रमाराध्या रहस्तर्पणतर्पिता ॥
सद्यःप्रसादिनी विश्वसाक्षिणी साक्षिवर्जिता।
पडङ्गदेवतायुक्ता पाइगुण्यपरिपूरिता ।।
नित्याक्लिन्ना निरुपमा निर्वाणसुखदायिनी।
नित्यापोडशिकारूपा श्रीकण्ठार्धशरीरिणी ॥
प्रमावती प्रभारूपा प्रसिद्धा परमेश्वरी ।
मूलप्रकृतिरव्यक्ता व्यक्ताव्यक्तस्वरूपिणी ॥
व्यापिनी विविधाकारा विधाऽविद्यास्वरूपिणी ।
महाकामेशनयनकुमुदाहादकौमुदी ।
३७८
३८२
३८७
३९२
३९९
४०३

·56
श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम्
भक्तहार्दतमोमेदगानुमद्रानुसन्ततिः ।
शिवदूती शिवाराध्या शिवमूर्तिः शिवकरी ॥ ४०८
शिवप्रिया शिवपरा शिष्टेष्टा शिष्टपूजिता ।
अप्रमेया स्वप्रकाशा मनोवाचामगोचरा ॥ ४१५
चिच्छक्तिवेतनारूपा जडशक्ति डात्मिका ।
गायत्री व्याहविः सन्ध्या द्विजवृन्दनिषेविता ।। ४२३
तत्वासना तत्त्वमयी पञ्चकोशान्तरस्थिता ।
निःसीममहिमा नित्स्यौवना मदशालिनी ।। ४३१
मदपूर्णितरक्ताक्षी मदपाटलगण्डमूः।
चन्दनद्रवदिग्धाही चाम्पेयकुसुमप्रिया । ४३५
कुशला कोमलाकारा कुरुकुल्ला कुलेश्वरी ।
कुलकुण्डालया कौलमार्गतत्परसेविता ॥
४४१
कुमारगणनाथाम्बा तुष्टिः पुष्टिर्मतिधृतिः ।
शान्तिः स्वस्तिमती कान्तिनन्दिनी विघ्ननाशिनी ॥ ४५१
तेजोवती त्रिनयना लोलाक्षी कामरूपिणी ।
मालिनी हंसिनी माता मलयाचलवासिनी ॥ ४५८
सुमुखी नलिनी सुम्रः शोभना सुरनायिका ।
कालकण्ठी कान्तिमती क्षोभिणी सूक्ष्मरूपिणी ॥ ४६७
वज्रेश्वरी वामदेवी वयोऽवस्थाविवर्जिता ।
सिद्धेश्वरी सिद्धविद्या सिद्धमाता यशस्विनी ।।
४७४

·57 ४७९ ४८४ ४९४ श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम् विशुद्धचक्रनिलयाऽऽरक्तवर्णा त्रिलोचना । खट्वाङ्गादिप्रहरणा वदनैकसमन्विता ॥ पायसानप्रिया त्वक्स्था पशुलोकभयङ्करी । अमृतादिमहाशक्तिसंवृता डाकिनीश्वरी ॥ अनाहताब्जनिलया श्यामामा वदनद्वया । दटोज्ज्वलाऽक्षमालादिधरा रुधिरसंस्थिता ।। कालराव्यादिशक्त्यौघवृता स्निग्धौदनप्रिया । महावीरेन्द्रवरदा राकिण्यम्वास्वरूपिणी ।। मणिपूराजनिलया बदनत्रयसंयुता । वजादिकायुधोपेता डामर्यादिभिरावृता ।। रक्तवर्णा मांसनिष्ठा गुडान्नप्रीतमानसा । समस्तमक्तसुखदा लाकिन्यम्वास्वरूपिणी ॥ स्वाधिष्ठानाम्बुजगवा चतुर्वक्त्रमनोहरा । शूलायायुधसम्पन्ना पीतवर्णाऽतिगर्विता ।। मेदोनिष्ठा मधुप्रीता पन्दिन्यादिसमान्विता । दध्यन्नासक्तहृदया काकिनीरूपधारिणी ।। मूलाधाराम्बुजारूढा पञ्चवक्त्राऽस्थिसंस्थिता । अङ्कुशादिप्रहरणा वरदादिनिषेविता ॥ मुद्गौदनासक्तचित्ता साकिन्यम्यास्वरूपिणी । भाज्ञाचक्राञ्जनिलया शुक्लवर्णा पडानना ।। ४९८ ५०३ ५०८ ५१३ ५१८ ५२३

·58
५२७
५३२
५४७
श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम्
मजासंस्था हंसवतीमुख्यशक्तिसमन्विता ।
हरिद्रान्नैकरसिका हाकिनीरूपधारिणी ।।
सहस्रदलपद्मस्था सर्ववर्णोपशोभिता ।
सर्वायुधधरा शुक्लसंस्थिता सर्वतोमुखी ॥
सौंदनप्रीतचित्ता याकिन्यम्बास्वरूपिणी ।
स्वाहा स्वधाऽमतिमधा अतिः स्मृतिरतुत्तमा ।
पुण्यकीर्तिः पुण्यलम्या पुण्यश्रवणकीर्तना।
पुलोमजार्चिता बन्धमोचनी बन्धुरालका ॥
विमर्शरूपिणी विद्या वियदादिजगत्प्रसूः ।
सर्वव्याधिप्रशमनी सर्वमृत्युनिवारिणी ।।
अग्रगण्याऽचिन्यरूपा कलिकल्मपनाशिनी ।
कात्यायनी कालहन्त्री कमलाक्षनिषेविता ।।
ताम्बूलपूरितमुखी दाडिमीकुसुमप्रभा ।
मृगाक्षी मोहिनी मुख्या मृडानी मित्ररूपिणी ।।
नित्यतृप्ता मक्तनिधिनियन्त्री निखिलेश्वरी।
मैन्यादिवासनालन्या महाप्रलयसाक्षिणी ॥
पराशक्तिः परानिष्ठा प्रज्ञानधनरूपिणी ।
माध्वीपानालसा मत्ता मातृकावर्णरूपिणी ।।
महाकैलासनिलया मृणालमृदुदोर्लता ।
महनीया दयामूर्तिमहासाम्राज्यशालिनी ॥
५५२
५५८
५७१
५७७
५८२

·59
५८९
ဝ
श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम्
आत्मविद्या महाविद्या श्रीविद्या कामसेविता ।
श्रीषोडशाक्षरीविद्या त्रिकूटा कामकोटिका ॥
कटाक्षकिकरीमूतकमलाकोटिसेविता ।
शिरःस्थिता चन्द्रनिमा मालस्थेन्द्रधनुःप्रमा ॥
हृदयस्था रविप्रख्या त्रिकोणान्तरदीपिका ।
दाक्षायणी दैत्यहन्त्री दक्षयज्ञविनाशिनी ॥
दरान्दोलितदीर्घाक्षी दरहासोज्ज्वलन्मुखी ।
गुरुमूर्तिगुणनिधिौमाता गुहजन्मभूः ॥
देवेशी दण्डनीतिस्था दहराकाशरूपिणी ।
प्रतिपन्मुख्यराकान्ततिथिमण्डलपूजिता ।।
कलात्मिका कलानाथा काव्यालापविनोदिनी ।
सचामररमावाणीसव्यदक्षिणसेविता ॥
आदिशक्तिरमेयात्मा परमा पावनाकृतिः ।
अनेककोटिब्रह्माण्डजननी दिव्यविग्रहा ।।
क्लीकारी केवला गुह्या कैवल्यपददायिनी ।
त्रिपुरा त्रिजगद्वन्द्या त्रिमूर्तिस्त्रिदशेश्वरी ।।
व्यक्षरी दिव्यगन्धाब्या सिन्दूरतिलकाञ्चिता ।
उमा शैलेन्द्रतनया गौरी गन्धर्वसेविता ॥
विश्वगर्मा स्वर्णगर्भाऽवरदा वागधीवरी ।
ध्यानगम्याऽपरिच्छेद्या ज्ञानदा ज्ञानविग्रहा ॥
६२९
६४४

·60
६४८
६५७
श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम्
सर्ववेदान्तसंवेद्या सत्यानन्दस्वरूपिणी ।
लोपामुद्रार्चिता लीलाक्लप्तब्रह्माण्डमण्डला ॥
अश्या दृश्यरहिता विज्ञानी वेद्यवर्जिता ।
योगिनी योगदा योग्या योगानन्दा युगन्धरा ॥
इच्छाशक्तिज्ञानशक्तिकियाशक्तिस्वरूपिणी ।
सर्वाधारा सुप्रतिष्ठा सदसद्रपधारिणी ॥
अष्टमूर्तिरजाली लोकयात्राविधायिनी ।
एकाकिनी भूमरूपा निता द्वैतवर्जिता ॥
अन्नदा वसुदा वृद्धा ब्रह्मात्मैक्यस्वरूपिणी ।
बृहती ब्राह्मणी ब्राह्मी ब्रह्मानन्दा वलिप्रिया ।।
माषारूपा बृहत्सेना भावामावविवर्जिता ।
सुखाराध्या शुभकरी शोभना सुलभागतिः ।।
राजराजेश्वरी राज्यदायिनी राज्यवल्लभा ।
राजकृपा राजपीठनिवेशितनिजानिता ।।
राज्यलक्ष्मीः कोशनाथा चतुरङ्गबलेश्वरी ।
साम्राज्यदायिनी सत्यसन्धा सागरमेखला ।।
दीक्षिता दैत्यशमनी सर्वलोकवशङ्करी।
सर्वार्थदात्री सावित्री सचिदानन्दरूपिणी ।।
देशकालारिच्छिन्ना सर्वगा सर्वमोहिनी ।
सरस्वती शास्त्रमयी गुहाम्बा गुह्यरूपिणी ॥
২৩৬
६८३
६८८
७००
७०७

·61 ७१३ ७२२ ७२७ ७३४ श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम् सर्वोपाधिविनिर्मुक्ता सदाशिवपतिव्रता । सम्प्रदायेश्वरी साध्वी गुरुमण्डलरूपिणी ।। कुलोत्तीर्णा भगाराध्या माया मधुमती मही । गणाम्या गुह्यकाराध्या कोमलाही गुरुप्रिया ।। स्वतन्त्रा सर्वतन्त्रैशी दक्षिणामूर्तिरूपिणी । सनकादिसमाराध्या शिवज्ञानप्रदायिनी ॥ चित्कलाऽऽनन्दकलिका प्रेमरूपा प्रियङ्करी । नामपारायणप्रीता नन्दिविद्या नटेश्वरी ।। मिथ्याजगदधिष्ठाना मुक्तिदा मुक्तिरूपिणी । लास्यप्रिया लयकरी लज्जा रम्भादिवन्दिता ।। भवदावसुधावृष्टिः पापारण्यदवानला । दौर्माग्यतूलवातूला जराध्वान्तविप्रभा । भाग्याब्धिचन्द्रिका भक्तचित्तकेकिंधनाधना । रोगपर्वतदम्भोलि€त्युदारुकुठारिका । महेश्वरी महाकाली महापासा महाशना । अपर्णा चण्डिका चण्डमुण्डासुरनिपूदिनी ॥ क्षराक्षरात्मिका सर्वलोकेशी विश्वधारिणी । त्रिवर्गदाली सुभगा त्र्यम्बका त्रिगुणात्मिका || स्वर्गापवर्गदा शुद्धा जपापुष्पनिमाकृतिः । ओजोवती घुतिधरा यज्ञरूपा प्रियव्रता ।। ७४१ ७४५ ७४९ ७५६ ७६३ ७७० ·62 ওওও ७८४ ७९० ७९६ श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम् दुराराध्या दुराधर्षी पाटलीकुसुमप्रिया । महती मेरुनिलया मन्दारकुसुमप्रिया । वीराराध्या विराडूपा विरजा विश्वतोमुखी । प्रत्यरूपा पराकाशा प्राणदा प्राणरूपिणी ।। मार्ताण्डभैरवाराध्या मन्त्रिणीन्यस्तराज्यधूः । त्रिपुरेशी जयत्सेना निश्वैगुण्या परापरा ।। सत्यज्ञानानन्दरूपा सामरस्यपरायणा । कपर्दिनी कलामाला कामधुक्कामरूपिणी ॥ कलानिधि काव्यकला रसज्ञा रसशेवधिः । पुष्टा पुरातना पूज्या पुष्करा पुष्करेक्षणा ॥ परंज्योति परधाम परमाणु परात्परा । पाशहस्ता पाशह-त्री परमन्त्रविमेदिनी ।। मूर्ताऽमूर्ती नित्यतृप्ता मुनिमानसहसिका । सत्यव्रता सत्यरूपा समान्तर्यामिनी सती ॥ ब्रह्माणी ब्रह्म जननी बहुरूपा बुधार्चिता । प्रसविनी प्रचण्डाज्ञा प्रतिष्ठा प्रकटाकृतिः ॥ प्राणेश्वरी प्राणदात्री पञ्चाशत्पीठरूपिणी । विश्वला विविक्तस्था वीरमाता वियत्प्रसूः ॥ मुकुन्दा मुक्तिनिलया मूलविग्रहरूपिणी । भावज्ञा भवरोगनी भवचक्रप्रवर्तिनी ।। ८०५ ८१२ ८२० ८३० ८३७ ८४३

·63
८५०
८५३
८६५
श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम्
छन्दःसारा शास्त्रसारा मन्त्रसारा तलोदरी ।
उदारकीर्तिरदामवैभवा वर्णरूपिणी ।
जन्ममृत्युजरातप्तजनविश्रान्तिदायिनी ।
सर्वोपनिपघुष्टा शान्त्यतीतकलात्मिका ।।
गम्भीरा गगनान्तःस्था गर्विता गानलोलुपा ।
कल्पनारहिता काष्ठाऽकान्ता कान्तार्धविग्रहा ॥
कार्यकारणनिर्मुक्ता कामकलितरङ्गिता ।
कनस्कनकताटङ्का लीलाविग्रहधारिणी ॥
अजा क्षयविनिर्मुक्ता मुग्धा क्षिप्रप्रसादिनी ।
अन्तर्मुखसमाराध्या बहिर्मुखसुदुर्लभा ॥
त्रयी त्रिवर्गनिलया विस्था त्रिपुरमालिनी ।
निरामया निरालम्या स्वात्मारामा सुधामृतिः ।।
संसारपङ्कनिर्मग्नसमुद्धरणपण्डिता ।
यज्ञप्रिया यज्ञकर्म यजमानस्वरूपिणी ॥
धर्माधारा धनाध्यक्षा धनधान्यविवर्षिनी ।
विप्रप्रिया विप्ररूपा विश्वम्रमणकारिणी ॥
विश्वग्रासा विद्रुमामा वैष्णवी विष्णुरूपिणी ।
अयोनिोनिनिलया कूटस्था कुलरूपिणी ।।
वीरगोष्ठीप्रिया वीरा नैष्का नादरूपिणी ।
विज्ञानकलना कल्या विदग्धा पैन्दवासना ।
८७९
८८३
८८९
९०५

·64 ९१७ ९२२ ९२६ श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम् तत्त्वाधिका तत्त्वमयी तत्वमर्थस्वरूपिणी । सामगानप्रिया सौम्या सदाशिवकुटुम्बिनी ।। सव्यापसव्यमार्गस्था सर्वापद्विनिवारिणी । स्वस्था स्वभावमधुरा धीरा धीरसमर्चिता ॥ चैतन्यार्थ्यसमाराध्या चैतन्यकुसुमप्रिया । सदोदिता सदातुष्टा तरुणादित्यपाटला || दक्षिणादक्षिणाराध्या दरस्मेरमुखाम्बुजा । कौलिनीकेवलाग्नयकैवल्यपददायिनी ॥ स्तोत्रप्रिया स्तुतिमती अतिसंस्तुतवैमवा। मनस्विनी मानवती महेशी मङ्गलाकृतिः ॥ विश्वमाता जगद्धाती विशालाक्षी विरागिणी । प्रगल्मा परमोदारा परामोदा मनोमयी ।। व्योमकेशी विमानस्था वत्रिणी वामकेवरी । पञ्चयज्ञप्रिया पञ्चप्रेतमञ्चाधिशायिनी ॥ पञ्चमी पञ्चभूतेशी पञ्चसहयोपचारिणी । शाश्वती शाश्वतैश्वर्या शर्मदा शम्भुमोहिनी ।। घरा घरसुता धन्या धार्मिणी धर्मवर्धिनी । लोकातीता गुणातीता सर्वातीता शमात्मिका ॥ वन्धककुसुमप्रख्या वाला लीलाविनोदिनी । सुमजली सुखकरी सुवेपाब्या सुवासिनी ॥ ९३३ ९४१ ९४७ ९५४ ९६३ ९७०

·65
९७६
९८१
श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम्
सुवासिन्यर्चनप्रीताऽऽशोभना शुद्धमानसा ।
विन्दुतर्पणसन्तुष्टा पूर्वजा त्रिपुराम्बिका ।।
दशमुद्रासमाराध्या त्रिपुराश्रीवशङ्करी ।
ज्ञानमुद्रा ज्ञानगम्ना ज्ञानज्ञेयस्वरूपिणी ।।
योनिमुद्रा त्रिखण्डेशी त्रिगुणाऽग्या मिकोणगा।
अनघाऽद्भुतचारिमा वाञ्छितार्थप्रदायिनी ॥
अभ्यासातिशयज्ञाता पडवातीतरूपिणी ।
अव्याजकरुणामूर्तिरज्ञानध्वान्तदीपिका ॥
बापालगोपविदिता सर्वानुलक्ष्यशासना।
श्रीचकराजनिलया श्रीमत्तिपुरसुन्दरी ।।
श्रीशिवा शिवशक्त्यैक्यरूपिणी ललिताम्बिका।
एवं श्रीललितादेव्या नाम्नां साहलकं जगुः ।।
९९३
९९७
5

·LALITĀ-SAHASRANAMA 1-3 She is the Holy Mother, the great Qucen, the Sovereign enthroned on the lion's bach. 4—5 From the altar fire of Divine Consciousness has she sprung, she has sprung up to fulfil the purpose of the gods 67 Radiant as a thousand suns rising all at once is she--the four-armed One 8-9 The noose in her hand is woven of her love, and her flashing goad is wrought out of her anger 10--11 Her sugar-cane bow is framed out of her own mind, and out of the five subtle elements themselves are shaped her arrows 12 And in the rose-red splendour of her form is the whole universe bathed 13-14 Bright and fragrant with flowers-chan piha, asoha and punnaga-are lier locl s of hair, and she wears 7 crown shining with ross of kuruvinda gems 12-16 Andbriglit as astamı moon is her forehead and like the spot in the moon is the kasturt tlaka thereon ·68 LALITĀ-SAHASRANĀMA 17. In the radiance of her face dwells the god of love; and like archways unto his dwelling shine her eye-brows. 18. And like fish in a stream do her eyes move in the light streaming from her face. 19-20. Like a fresh-blown champak is her shapely nose and the jewels thereon Outshine the stars in their splendour. -21-22. Radiant in her charm is she with a bunch of kadamba flowers over here ars, and the ornaments she wears in her ears are, verily, the sun and the moon. 23—24. Fairer far than a ruby mirror are her cheeks, and her lips do outshine both fresh coral and bimba fruit. 25. Like sprouts of pure knowledge shine her two rows of teeth. 26--27. Pervasive all around is the fragrance of the camphor-scented betel in her mouth, and sweeter far is the melody of her speech than the vīņa of Sarasvati, 28. And in the splendour of her smile lies submerged the inind of Mahādev, 29. Radiant is the beauty of her chin, incomparable is its splendour. 30–32. Her neck doth shine with the mangalasatra fastened there by her Lord; her ·LALITÄ-SAHASRANAMA 69 beautiful arms aredecked with golden bracelets, and from her gem-sct nccklace hangs a big pearl. 33–35. Her breasts are the price she pays for that priceless gem—the love of her Lord. They seem like the fruits which that fine creeper beats--the creeper of hair which springs from her navel; and from that creeper so well-sustained we infer she has a waist. 36. Her waist, bending under the burden of her breasts, is supported by a belt formed by the three folds of her stomach. 37–38. A garment of deep red, of the colour of saffron, covers the region of her hips; and she is adorned with a beautiful girdle of little bells set with precious stones. 39. The beauty and the smoothness of her thighs—they are known only to her Lord, the Conqueror of Love. 40–41. Her kneesare like jewelled crowns, and her calves like the quivers of the god of love svrought, as it were, of Indragopas. 42-43. Her ankles are well filled, and the arch of her foot rivals the back of a tortoise. 44. The splendour of the pails on her toes dispels the darkness in the miods of those who bow down at lier feet.

·70 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA 45–46. The radiance of those feet casts into the shade the beauty of tlie lotus, and with tinkling jewelled anklets are they adorned. 47 Gentle is her gait like that of the swan. 48-51. She is indeed a treasure-house of beauty, rosy-hued all over, faultless in every limb and adorned with diverse ornaments. 52-54. She rests on the lap of Siva, her Lord; and blissful she is, for He is her own Love, 55--56. On the midmost peak of maunt Meru she lives, and she is the Queen of the City of Bliss. 57–58. Of Chintāmani gems is her mansion built, and of the five Brahmās is formed the seat on which she rests. 59-61. In the midst of a wide forest of lotuses she dwells in a kadamba grove, and she is at the centre of the sea of nectar, 62–63, Her eyes are full of grace, and she doth grant us our desires. 64. Hosts of gods and saints do praise her power. 65. Under her command is an army of Saklis intenton destroying the demon Bhanda.

·LALITĀ-SAHASRANANIA 71 66-67. She is attended by a troop of elephants under the lead of Sampatkari and is Surrounded by millions of horses under the command of Aśvārudha. 68. Fully armed she rides her own chariot Chakrarāja. 69–70. Slie is attended by her minister Syāmalā in the chariot Geyachakra and she is preceded by her commander Danda- Dāthi in the chariot Kirichakra, 71. She takes her stand at the centre of the Tampart of fire constructed by Jvālā. målinika. 72--73. She delights in the valour of her Saktis who are eager to destroy the armies of Bhanda, and rejoices when she sees the rising spirit of her Nityās. 74. She is indeed overjoyed with the heroism of her Bālā, who is intent on slaying the sons of Bhanda. 75–76. She is delighted when Vişanga is slain by Syāmalâ and rejoices in the might of Vārāhi, who takes the life of Visukra. 77–78. With a mere glance at her Lord she creates Sri Ganesa; and when he breaks up the obstacle of the magic slab she is overjoyed. 79–80. With many a missile she counters the missiles thrown at her by Bhanda the ·72 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA 81-82 83 84 85 demon king, and from the nails of her hands leap up once again the ten Avatars of Visnu With the fire of the great inissile Pasupata slię scorches to death the armies of the demon, and with the flames of the missile of Kamesvara she destroys both Bhanda and his capital Sunyaka Her power is now praised by all the gods -Brahma, Visnu, Indra and others And then, like a life-giving herb she revives the god of love who was burnt to death by the fire of Siva's eye Fair as a lotus her face represents the Vagbhava part of the Panchadašī mantra And from her throat to her waist she represents the central part of the inantra and from below her waist she represents Sakti the last part She is the origmal mantra itself, and her body stands for all the three parts She tevels in the nectar of the mystic latus withi a thousand petals She guards the mysteries of the Kaula doctrine, she is a woman of honour She is the essence of the Kaula scriptures, the core of the Kaula faith, and she 86-87 88-89 90 91-92 93-96 ·LALITĀ-SAHASRANAMA 73 is the object of Kaula worship, and resides in the Akula lotus, 97–98. She is likewise the centre of the Samaya doctrine, she doth cherish the Samaya traditions as well. 99. Her chief abode is the Muladhāra. 100—103. She breaks through the Brahma-granthi above and makes her appearance in the Manipura; and then, breaking through the Vişnu-granthi, she occupies the centre of thc Ajna-chakra. 107–106. Then again she breaks through the Rudra-granthi and reaches the lotus with a thousand petals and sends down from there streams of nectar. 107--108. Shining like a Aash of lightning she establishes herself above the six chakras. 109. She longs ever more for this consummation. 110–111. Like a coiled serpent is she, and fine as the fibre of a lotus stalk. 112--113. She is Bhavani and slie is realized through meditation, 114. She is the axe which cuts down the jungle of Samsāra. 115--116. She loves whatever is auspicious, she is herself auspiciousness.

·74 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA 4 117--118 119--120 121 122--123 124_-125 126--127 128 129-131 132--135 She bestows prosperity on her devotees, she loves her devotees By devotion she is to be reached, and by devotion she is overcome She dispels all fear She is Sambhavi she is adored even by Sarasvati She is Sarvanı she give us happiness She is Sankarı she confers prosperity She is of unequalled virtue Her face is like the autumnal moon, and she has a waist that is slender and a mind full of peace On nothing does slie depend, and she is free from stain free from impurity and from all blemish She is eternal and formless, she is never agitated without qualities, and is not divisible into parts She is ever serene, she is free from desires and free from afflictions She is ever free she never changes She is not diffuse, she is not dependent She is ever pure, she is the eternal consciousness There is no flaw in her, nor any differ ence She is without a cause, without a lapse and without any limitations 136-138 139–140 She is 141--143 141-145 146147 148-149 150_-151 152.-154 ·LALITĀ-SAHASRINĀMA 75 155. Neither has she any superiors. 156–157. She has no passions, she destroys all passions. 158-159. She has no pride, she destroys all pride. 160-161. Slie has no cares and no egoism. 162-163. She has no illusions, she dispels all illusions. 161-165. She has no self-interest, she uproots all self-interest. 166-167. She has no sin, she destroys all sin. 168-169. She has no anger, she allays all anger. 170—171. She has no greed, she destroys all greed. 172-173. She has no doubts, sheremayesali doubts. 174-175. She is unborn and she puts an end to births and deaths. 176-179. There is no uncertainty in her, 10 error at all, and no difference whatever she destroys all differences. 180—181. She is not subject to death, she conquers death. 182–183. She does no deeds, she takes no gifts. 184—185. She is peerless with her dark locks of hair. 186-187. She is imperishablc, she is indestructible. 188-190. She is hard to attain, hard to approach aud difficult of access. 1914-192. She destroys all sorrow, she bestows all happiness. 193. To the wicked she is ever far away. - ·76 LALITÁ-SAHASRANAMA 194–195. She puts an end to evil ways, she is free from evil. 196-197. She is omniscient, and she is also deeply compassionate. 198. There is none equal to her, nor is there any one superior to her. 199–200. She is all power, all auspiciousness. 201. She will icad us on to the right path. 202–203. She is the Ruler of all, she is the All. 204-207. She is the essence of all Mantras, the soul of all Yantras and the embodiment of all Tantras. She is the transcendent mind, 208–210. She is the consort of the Supreme Lord, she is the Supreme Goddess, the Goddess of prosperity. 211–214. She is the beloved of Siva, she is magnificent in form, she is the supreme object of devotion and she destroys even the most heinous of sins. 215–216. She is the greatest illusion; she is the greatest Reality. 217--218. Boundless is her energy and boundless is her delight. 219--223. She is supreme joy, sym- power, supreme valour, s11 and suprende wisdo 224. Great insleed are all' ·LALITA-SAHASRANAMA 77 225. She is the Sovereign of the great masters of Yoga. 226--228. She is herself the greatest Tantra, the greatest Mantra and the greatest Yantra, 229-230. Sublime is her seat and intense is the sacrifice required for her worship. 231-232. She is worshipped even by the great Siva himself; and at the end of a cycle she is a witness to the cosmic dance of the great Lord. 233-234 She is the great Queen of the Conqueror of Kāma; she is the beautiful Ruler of the threefold city. 235-237. Four and sixty are the rites with which she is worshipped; four and sixty are the arts which she embodies; and more than four and sixty crores are the yoginis who attend on her. 238--239. Her doctrine is called Manuvidyā; it is also lernied Chandravidyā. 240-243. She stands at the centre of the sphere of the moon; exquisite is her form, wonderful is her smile and shc wcars a crescent. 244. She is the Queen of the world of that which hath life and that which hath not. 245. Her abode is the Sri Chakra.

·LALITĀ-SAHASRANAMA 79 277–280. She also wears the garland of prosperity and has the lotus as her seat; she is then Bhagavatī, the blessed, the sister of Vişnu. 281. By opening and closing her eyes she creates and destroys worlds on worlds. 282--284. A thousand heads has she, a thousand faces, a thousand eyes and a thousand feet. 285--286. She is the generator of all--from Brahmā down to the worm; and it was she that ordained these castes and orders. 287–288. The Vedas are but the expression of her commands; she is indeed the Dispen. ser of the fruits of righteousness and sin. 289. The dust of her delicate feet doth colour and adorn the locks of hair on the head of the Sruti, as the latter prostrates before her. 290. She is indeed the priceless pearl within the shell of all scriptures. 291–293. She grants the desires of men, she is fullness itselí, and is full of bliss. 294--296. She is the Ruler of the universe, the mother of all; she has neither beginning nor end. 297—298. Visņu, Brahma and Indra---they wait upon her; and of Nārāyana she is the counterpart.

·78 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA 246--248. She is Pärvati, her eyes are like lotuses, and she shines like a ruby. 249-250. On five lifeless deities is her seat arranged, and of five Brahmás is her form composed. 251-253. Pure consciousness is she and supreme bliss and deep understanding. 254. She is herself the meditation, the person who meditates and is likewise the object of meditation, 255. And she is beyond both good and evil 256–262. Like ourselves, she has a Višra form in the waking state, a Taijasa form in the dreaming state and a Präjñā form in the state of deep sleep. She has also a fourth state which transcends all other states 263. She is again devoid of all such states. 264–269. She is the creator in the form of Brahma, the protector in the form of Visnu and the destroyer in the form of Rudra. 270-273. And she causes insolution as lśvara; and as Sadāśiva she graciously starts the process of evolution again. 274. She is ever absorbed in all these five functions. 275–276. She stands at the centre of the sphere of the sun; she is Bhairavi the terrible.

·79 LALITÄ-SAHASRANAMA 277–280. She also wears the garland of prosperity and has the lotus as her seat; she is then Bhagavati, the blessed, the sister of Vişnu. 281. By opening and closing her eyes she creates and destroys tyorlds on worlds. 282–284. A thousand heads has she, a thousand faces, a thousand eyes and a thousand feet. 285-286. She is the generator of all-from Brahmā down to the worm; and it was she that ordained these castes and orders. 287–288. The Vedas are but the expression of her commands; she is indeed the Dispenser of the fruits of righteousness and sin. 289. The dust of her delicate feet doth colour and adorn the locks of hair on the head of the Sruti, as the latter prostrates before her, 290. She is indeed the priceless pearl within the shell of all scriptures. 291–293. She grants the desires of men, she is fullness itself, and is full of bliss. 294–296. She is the Ruler of the universe, the mother of all; she has neither beginning nor end. 297_298. Vişnu, Brahmā and Indra--they wait upon her; and of Nārāyana she is the counterpart.

·80 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA 299--301. Sound is her form; other name or form has she none; and the syllable Hrim is her symbol. 302-304. Modest she is, and cordial withal; she rejects nothing, she seeks nothing. 305.-3067 She is worshipped by Kubera hiinselſ, for she is the Queen. 307--308. Lovely she is, and her eyes are like lotuses. 309–311. She gives delight, she is full of charm, she is the essence of all things we cnjoy. 312_313. She wears a girdle of tinkling bellsshe is Lakşmi herself. 314-316. Her face is like the full moon, lier form is like that of Rati, and to Rati she is ever dear. 317-320. She is the Saviour, she slays the demons; but she is also like a woman passionately fond of her husband. 321-322. She is to be longed for, she is herself both Siva and Devi. 323–326. She is fond of kadamba flowers—the Blessed one, the Root of the world, the Sea of Compassion. 327-328. She is the embodiment of all arts; art is indeed her own speech. 329–333. Lovely is she and fond of mead; she is the giver of boons, her eyes are full of grace; she is intoxicated with the offerings of the juice of dates.

·LALITA-SAHASRANAMA 81 334-335. She transcends the universe and can be known only through the Veda. 336-340. Her abode is on the Vindhya mountains; she is the creator of the world, she is the source of the Veda; she is the Māya of Vişnu, she is the power that projects the universe. 341-342. She is the body of all creatures, and she is also the ruler of the body. 343–345. She rules the soul as well as the body; she is without increase, without decrease, and the soul ever worships her. 346-350. She is ever victorious, pure and adorable; she loves those who worship her and she abides in their speech. 351-352. Beautiful locks of hair has she, and in a circle of fire she lives. 353–354. To her devotees she is the Kalpa trec itself, and she relcases the ignorant from their bonds. 355—356. She destroys all herctics and inspires men to right conduct. 357, She is like the moonlight that gives joy to those who are burnt by the triple fires of misery. 358-361. She is young and yet she is worshipped by ascetics; she is slender in the waist; but she can dispel the ignorance of men. 6 ever ·82 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA 362-364 She is called Chit, she is denoted by the term Tat, she is of the nature of pure consciousness 365 And the bliss of Brahma and others is but a mere fraction of her own bliss 366-371 She is the transcendent word and is of the nature of inner consciousness, slie is also the omniscient word, the supreme deity, she is then the intermediate and, finally, she takes the form of the articulate word 372 She is the swan that lives in the manasa lake of her devotee's mind 373-374 She is the very life blood of the Lord of Kama, and whatever men do-she knows it all 375 She is worshipped by the god of love, (or she is worshipped where the god of love doth dwell) 376 She is the essence of love, (or she lives where love's fullness is found) 377378 She is the victorious One, she dwells in the Anahata chakra 379 380 She is also seated in the Ājña chakra and likewise does she live in the Brahmarandhra 381-383 By secret rites she is to be worshipped, by secret libations she is gratified, and she confers immediate grace ·LALITA SAHASRANANA 83 384–385. She witnesses all things, but she has ao witnesses herself. 3863–87. She is ever accompanied by the deities of the six angas and she is endowed with the six good qualities in perfection. 388-390. She is ever compassionate and peerless, and she confers the bliss of Nirvāṇā. 391–392. She is in the form of the sixteen Nityās, she has a body half in common with that of Siva, 393—394. Effulgent is she, she is effulgence itself. 395—398. Celebrated is she--the Ruler suprenie, the first Cause, the Unmanifest. 399-402, She is the Manifest as well as the Unmanifest; she is all-pervading; shc has various forms; she is both knowledge and ignorance. 403–404. As the moonlight gladdens the waterlilies, so does she gladden the eyes of the great Lord of Kāma; and as the sun's rays dispel the darkness of the world, so does she dispel the ignorance of her devotees. 405-406. Siva is her herald, she is worslipped by Him. 407—408. Siva is indeed her form, she is the dispenser of happiness. 403-410. She is the beloved of Siya and she is eyer devoted to Him.

·LALITA-SAHASRANAMA 411-412 Dear is she to all who are righteous and she is adored by them 413—415 She is the Infinite the Self illumined, she is bevond the range of our minds and speech 416-419 She is the power of consciousness, she is consciousness itself, she is likewise the energy of inanimate things, she is their inmost essence 420_423 She is the Gavatrı mantra, she is also the invocation therein, she is the Deity of the sandhya worship she is worshipped by all the twice born 424-427 Her seat is the elements, she is. That", she is "Thou", she is the familiar "Ayı" 4284429 She is within the five kocas of man, her glory is indeed boundless 430-433 She is ever young and radiant with joy, her eyes are red and restiess and her cheeks are rose red with rapture 43435 Fragrant is her person with the scent of sandal and she loves to wear the fra grant flowers of the champak 436-437, Skilful is she and graceful in form 438–439. She is the desty Kurukulla, she is the deity that rules the Kula 440—441 She is the deity that abides in Kulakunda, she is the deity that is worshipped by the devotees of the Kaula sect ·LALITĀ-SAHASRANAMA 85 412. She is also a mother--the mother of Kumāra and Gananātha. 443-447. She is blessedness, she is fullness, she is wisdom,'fortitude, serenity. 448—450.' She is the supreme Reality--the-Luminous, the Blissful 451. She puts an end to all obstacles. 452-453 She is effulgent, she has three eyes 454–456. She is love in women, she wears a garland, she is the hamsa mantra, 457–462. She is the Mother dwelling on the Malaya mountain. Her face is lovely, her -eyes are lotus-like and her eyebrows are fine-she is radiant with beauty. 463–467. She is the leader of the gods, she is the wife of Nilakantha; she is radiant. she is inspiring, but her form is subtle. 468-472 She is Vajreśvarī, she is Vámadevi, she is exempt from age and change; she is also Siddhesarı, her mantra is ever fruitful. 473—474. She is the Mother ever at hand, she is most renowned 475-484. When she abides in the Visuddhi centre of maſ she possesses a rose-red complexion and has three eyes, she is armed with a club and other weapons and has a single face; she likes the offering of rice in milk, presides ·86 LALITĀ-SAHASRANAMA over the skin, frightens the ignorant and is surrounded by Amrita and other great Saktis—shc1s then termed the goddess Dākıpı 485-494 When she abides in the Anāhata centre she possesses a dark complexion and has two faces and shining fangs, she wears a rosary, presides over the man's blood and is attended by a company of Saktis including Kalarātri; she then laves the offering of rice mixed with ghee, grants boops to great heroes and has the form of Rakipi. 495-503. When she abides in the Manipūra centre she has three faces, she is then armed with a thunderbolt and other weapons and is surrounded by Dāmarı and other Saktıs, she has a ruddy hue and presides over the flesh; she loves to have the offering of rice cooked in jaggery and bestows liappiness on all devotees and has then the form of mother Lakini 504.-513. When she abides in the Svadhistāna centre she 15 fascinating with four Faces and is armed with a trident and other weapons; she has a yellow hue and is very proud; she presides over man's fate and loves to have the offering of mead; she is then surround- ·LALITA-SAHASRANAMA 87 ed by Bandini and other Saktis and longs to have the offering of curds and rice and has the form of Kakini. 514-520. Vhen she moves to the Mulādhāra Centre she exhibits five faces and presides over the bones; she is then armed with a goad and other wea. pons and is served by Varadă and other deities; she loves to have the offering of boiled pulse and rice and has the the form of mother Säkini. 521–527. When she abides in the Ajmä centre she is white in complexion and has six faces; sbe presides over the marrow and is attended by Hamsavati and other deities; she then loves the offering of saffron-flavoured rice and assumes the form of Häkini. 528-534. \Vhen she abides in the Sahasrārā centre she shines with all colours and is armed with all weapons; she presides over the vital fluid and has faces all tound; she then loves to have the offerings of all kinds of food and assumes the form of mother Yakini. 535-541. She is Svāhā, she is Svadhā; she is Avidyā, she is Buddhi; she is Sruti, she is Smriti—there is none superior to her. 542-545. She is famed for holiness, she is to be attained by holiness; and it makes for ·88 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA holiness to hear of her or to praise her, she is adored even by Indra's wife-Pulomaja. 546-550 She sets us free from bondage-she, the wavy-haired, she is the divine deliberation, the divine knowledge. the universe beginning with spice had its origin in her. 551-552 She cures all ills and wards off all kinds of death. 553-554 She is to be teckoned as the First; -her form transcends our thought 555-558 She destroys the sins of the Kalı age, she is Katyayanı, she can also put an end to the time process, she worshipped even by Visnu 559_-562 Her mouth is filled with betei, she shines like a pomegranate flower, her eyes are like those of a fawn, she is of bewitching beauty 563--564, She' as the first-born of creation, and she 15 wedded to the Divine Dispenser of liappuess. 565566 Effulgent like the sun, she is cternally happy 567_-569 She is a treasure to her devotees, she is a guide to them, and she is also the Ruler of the world 1S 1 ·- LALITA-SAHASRANAMA 89 I 570. She is to be attained through lovingkindness and other such dispositions. 571--576. She witnesses the dissolution of the universe, she is the supreme power, the supreme end and knowledge absolute, and inactive then she is like one who is drunk and intoxicated. 577-578. The letters of the alphabet constitute her form and her abode is the great Kailasa. 579.' Her arms' are sniooth and slender like a pair of lotus stalks. 580—582. She is adorable, she is compassion itself, and her empire is wide. 583—586. She is the doctrine of the Self, the sublime doctrine, the sacred mantrathat which was once meditated upon by the god of love. 587--589. She is the Sodašāk şarī mantra, tripartite is that mantra, and the Lord of Kāma is het end and aim 590. By a mere glance of her eye, tullions of Laksmis are made to wait on her and serve her. 591—597. In the head she resides and shines like the moon; in the forehead she stays and has the colours of the rainbow, in the heart she stands and blazes like the ·90 598-600 601-602 603-606 607-609 610-611 LALITA SAHASRANAMA sun, and further down she takes thc form of a triangular fire She as Daksa's daughter, this slayer of demons, and it is she that caused the destruction of Daksa's sacrifice Gently move her wide eyes and a gentle smile lights up her face She assumes the form of a guru, and she 18 a treasure-house of virtue, she is the mother of speechas well as of Kumara She rules the gods, she sits on the throne of justice, and she is also the subtle self in the heart of man She is worshipped on all the days, from the first day to the day of the full moon, she is herself the embodiment of all the phases of the moon She is the mustress of all the arts, she delights in the language of poesy, on either side of her stand Sarasvati and Laksmi with fans in their hands and serve her She is the primordial energy, she transcends all measure she is the self in all beings and she is also the supreme Self Her form is holy, she has given birth to many millions of worlds, her shape is heavenly, she has composed the syllable Klum 612-614 615.618 619-622 ·LALITA-SAHASRANAMA 91 623-625. She is the Absolute, the Mysterious, and she confers absolute bliss. 626_-627. She is morc ancient than the Trinity, and three worlds worship ler. 628-630. She has a triple form-his Queen of the gods; sheisa mantra of three syllables. 631–632. Full of heavenly fragrance is sle, and adorned with the vermilion filak on her forehead, 63-636. She is Umā, the daughter of the King of mountains; she is Gauri waited on by the Gandharvas. 637–638. She has the universe in her womb; she herself was born of the womb of gold". 639-641. She is the slayer of the unholy; she is the goddess that presides over speech and she сап be realized through meditation. 612–644. She is the Infinite; she bestovys supreme knowledge, she herself is in the form of supreme knowledge. 645-647. She is the one to be known through all the Vedas, she is the supreme Reality, supreme Bliss; she is worshipped through the mantra named after Lopāmudra. 648–650. Many a universe is created by her in sport, but she cannot be seen, she transcends what is seen.

·} 92 LALITĀ-SAHASRANAMA 651-652. She is the knower and she has nothing else to know, 653–656. She is a yogini; she can besfaw yoga on others; she is also the object of yoga and the bliss realized in yoga. 657-658. She bears the yoke of ages; she is the power of will, the power of-knowledge and the power of action, 659—662. On her doth everything rest and she is - the best support; she-is. both-being 7!!.. and non-being,Hand she has an eightfold form." 663–668.", She overcomes - Aõidyā, she directs the cosmic process; she is the One, the Infinite; she has no second, .she is ever without a' second. 669-672. She is the giver of food, she is the giver of wealth, she is also thc Primal . One, she is the symbol of the oneness si of Brahman and Aiman. 673–676. Immense she is; she is the widoin of the Eternal; she belongs to the Eternal. 677–678. She loves our offering, she is the launguage we speak. 679--680. , Mighty armies she las; but being and non-being she has pot, 2681—683. She is easy to worship and stie confers blessings; her, path is both beneficent . 1 and easy.

·LALITA-SAHASRANANA 93 684-686. She is the Ruler of those who rule over kings, she bestows dominion, she loves dominion.. 687–689. She is gloriously compassionate; she raises her devotees to kingly seats; she is the goddess of sovcrcignty. 690—692. She presides over treasuries; she commands armies well-equipped in all the four arms; and she bestows imperial dominion. 693-698. She is wedded to Truth; her girdle is the sea; she is under a vow, she will quell the demons, she will subjugate the worlds and she will grant us all that we desire. 699—703. She is the creative Power; she is the absolute Sat-chit-ānanda; she is not limited by space or time; she is present in all things; she casts her spell on all, 704–707. She is Sarasvati, she is all sciences; she is the Mother that dwells in the cave of the heart, her form is subtle, 708–709. She is free from all limitations, she is Sadāśiva's devoted wife. 710-713. She is the guardian of the sacred tradition, she is rigntly imtypreted and denoted by the syllable i ; she em- ·94 LALITA SAHASRANAMA bodies in herself the teaching of successive generations of teachers 714—716 She transcends the sphere of the senses, she is to be worshipped in the sphere of the sun, she is Maya, the mysterious power 717-718 She is Madhumatı the ultimate step to be taken by the highest yogin, and she is also Mah; the common ground 719–722 She is the mother of Siva's hosts and she is worshipped by the divine guhyakas, her form is tender, she is the beloved of Siva, the great Guru 723-724 She is mistress of herself, she is the presiding deity of all Tantras 725-727. She took the form of Dahsın imurti and was worshipped by Sanaka and other, sages; and to them she imparted the knowledge of Siva 728-729 Slie is a spark of Divine Consciousness a spark of Divine Bliss 730-731 She is Love too and grants us what we love 732--734 She is pleased with the litany of her names, she is the mantra of Nandı. kesvara, she is the counterpart of Natesvara ·LALITÄ-SAHASRANAMA 95 735.737. She is the ground of this illusory universe; she is the giver of salvation, she is herself salvation. 738—739. She loves the rhythmic dance, she is the creator of barmony. 740—741. She is modesty itself, and yet she is adored by Rambhā and other celestial damsels. 742–743. She is the rain of nectar that puts out the wild fire of samsära; and she herself is the wild fire that burns down the jungle of sin. 744-746. She is the wind that drives away the flakes of misfortune; she is the sun that lights up the gloom of old age, and she is the moon that sets up the tides of good fortune. 747_749. She is the cloud that makes the hearts of her devotees dance like peacocks with joy, she is the thunderbolt that strikes the mountain of disease and she is the axe that cuts down the tree of death. 750-753. She is the supreme Sovereign; she is Mahäkāli; she is the grcat Devourer, she is the great Destroyer. 754-756. She is Aparnā, she is Chandikā; she is the destroyer of the demons Chanda and Munda.

·96 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA 757-759. She is both the Perishable and the Imperishable; she is the Ruler of all the worlds and it is she that supports the whole universe. 760–763. She can bestow on us the three objects of life, she is the goddess of afflu. ence—the three-eyed goddess; and in her the three dispositions of Nature are in barinony. 764. She can give us both the pleasures of Paradise and the eternal happiness of Moksa. 765—768. She is pure, her complexion is of the colour of the japā flower; she is full of energy, full of splendour. 769-772 She is the embodiment of sacrifice; she is fond of vows; she is hard to worship, hard to resist. 773-776. She is fond of Patali flowers; she is the great goddess wlio resides on mount Neru and who loves mandāra flowers. 777–780. She is worshipped by warriors, she is the Virát; she is stainless and slie faces all directions. 781-785. Sheisthe self within, the ethereal self; she gives life, she is life itself; she is worshipped even by Martānda Bhairava. 786-788, Her kingdom is in her minister's charge; she is the Queen of Tripura and has Victorious armies at her caminanda ·LALITA-SAHASRANAMA 97 789--791. She is devoid of the three dispositions of Nature, she is both high and low; she is Truth, Knowledge and Bliss. 792-794. She is the abode of equality, she is the equal partner of Siva and she wears a garland made of all the arts. 795-796. She is a Kāmadhuk to her devotees, she can assume any form she likes. 797798. She is the treasure-house of all arts, she is the Art of Poesy. 799800. She appreciates all the Rasas, she is herself a treasure-house of Rasa. 8018–03. She is full of vigour, she is the most ancient of beings; she is worthy of worship 804-805. Like a lotus in bloom is she, and lotuslike are her eyes. 806-809. She is the supreme Light, the supreme Abodc; she is also the ininutest atom) and she is the supremest of the supreme. 810_812. She holds a noose in her hands, she cuts our bonds and breaks the enemy's spell. 813--815. Slie hath form, and yet she is formless, and she is satisfied even with our perishable offerings. 816—819. She is the swan that swims in the hearts of saints; she is vowed to truth, she 7 ·98 LALITĀ-SAHASRANAMA is herself Truth and she pervades all things. 820-825. She is the ideal wife, the soul of the Creator; she is herself the Creator, she is the Mother of the universe; her forms are manifold and the wise worship her. 826–829. She gave birth to the world, she is aweinspiring; she is the divine commandment, she is indeed the foundation of all things. 830—833. Her form is manifest to all; she rules our senses, she gives us life and she is the fifty basic sounds of our speech. 834-835, She is un fettered withal, and she lives in the hearts of the wise, 836–837. She is the mother of heroes; sh is the mother of the skies above. 838_840. She is the giver of salvation; she is herself the abode of salvation; she is at the root of all powers, 841-843. She knows our thoughts, she can remove this disease of earthly existence; and it was she that set in motion tlie wheel of samsára. 814–847. She is the essence of the Vedas, the essence of the Sastras, the essence of all mantras--she, the goddess with the slender waist.

·LALITA-SAHASRANAMA 99 848--850 851 852-853 854-856 857--860 861-863 Extensive is her fame and boundless is her splendour--the 1ery letters of our linguise denote lier form She gives peace to us who are afflicted with birth, death and old age All the Upanisads proclaim her being, she transcends even the state of peace She is inscrutable, she pervades all space, she is proud of her creation Slie is fond of music, slie is beyond the world of illusion, she is the goal of life, the end of all sin She is half the person of her Lord, she is not subject to the law of causc and effect, she overflows with joy in the company of her Lord, Kamestari She wears in her ears ornaments of burnished gold, she as umes in Sport any form she pleases, she is the unborn, she is not subject to decay Youthful and charming is slie, she is also easily pleased Easy of worship is she for those whose gaze is turned inwards, and difficult of attainment for those whose gaze is turned outwards She is the threefold Veda, she is implicit in the threefold air of life, she resides in the three worlds, and she is the goddess of the threefold circle 864-867 868--869 870_-871 872-875 ·100 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA 876--879 She is free from the ills of life, she depends on none, she rejoices within herself-she is indeed a stream of nectar. 880 And very skilful is she in rescuing men who are sunk in the mire of sanisara 881–883 She loves sacrifices, she directs sacrifices and she takes the form of the sacrificer 884-886 She is the support of Dharma, sbe presides over riches, and it is she that cau. ses the increase of riches and harvests 887--888. She loves the learned, she manifests herself as the learned 889-890 Shecauses the universe to revolie, but she also devours the universe at the end 891-893 Like coral 1s her complexion, but she has the powers of Vişnu and she takes the form of Visnu 894–896 She has no origin, she is the origin of all, and she is changeless 897—899 She is the goddess of the Kaula sect, she loves the company of heroic souls and she is herself heroic 900-902. She is free from action, she is the primal sound and the realization of the Absolute 903-907 Blessed is she and wise as well, she dwells in the Bindu, she transcends all categories, she is the ultimate Reality ·LALITA-SAHASRANAMA 101 908 909–910 911-912 She is the That' and Thou' of the great Vedic passage She loves the chant of the Sama Veda, she is the object of adoration in the Soma sacrifice She is Sadasiva's devoted wife, and she 1s reached by both the paths—the Left as well as the Right She wards off all dangers, she is cyer self possessed and sweet by nature She is wise, and rightly do the wise wor- 913-915 916-917 Ship her 918-919 She is best worshipped with the offerings of the spirit, she loves the flowers of the spirit 920-922 923-924 925-926 She is ever sublime, ever pleased and ever rose-red like the morning sun She is adored by both the learned and the unlearned, her tender face is ever wreathed in smiles She is the ultimate object of Kaula worslup and slie confers the priceless state of ultimate bliss She loves praise, she is worthy of praise, her glory is prused by the Vedas Self possessed is she, and high minded as well, she is the great Queen with a benignant form, she is the mother 927-929 930-935 ·102 LALITA SAHASRANAMA of the universe, the protectress of the world 936-937 Her eyes are large, and she is utterly passionless 938–940 She is supremely daring, supremely generous and supremely joyful. 941-942 She is all spirit, the skies above are but the hair of her head 943—944 She sits high in her celestial car, and the thunderbolt is the weapon she wields 945—946 She is the presiding desty of the leftward Kaula path, but she also loves the five sacrifices of the rightward Samaya path 947-948 She ever rests on a couch supported by five divine but inert forms, and yet of the fifth of these she is the consort 949...-950. She rules over the five great lements, and she is worshipped with the five fold offerings 951-954 She is eternal, and eternal is her dominion, she gives eternal happiness 955–957 She is the earth on which all beings rest, she is the daughter of the mountain Himavat, supremely blessed is she 958–959 Righteous is she, and she promotes righteousness in others ·LALITA-SAHASRANAMA 103 grace 960—963 She transcends all the worlds, transcends all attributes—indeed, she transcends all things, she is the soul of peace 964–967 She has the tender of a bandhuka blossom, she is 'eternally young and she delights in the sport of the universe 967-968 Most auspicious is she in herself, she makes for auspiciousness 969–971 Graceful is her attire and, being herself married, she is ever pleased with the worship of married women 972–973 Lovely is she, and ever pure of mind 974–976 She is pleased with the libations offered to the Bindu, she is the first born, the mother-goddess of the threefold city 977_178 She is worshipped through the ten dras and she controls Tripurasrı, the fifth of the deities of the threefold city 979—981 She is the dra of knowledge, she is attained only through knowledge, but she is both knowledge and the object of knowledge 982-983 She is the udru of creation as well, and she is also the presiding deity of the nudra which goes by the namc of Trıkhanda 984-986 She is endowed with the three qualities, she is the mother who dwells in the triangle of Sri Chakra ·104 I ALITA SAHASRANAMA 987–989 990-993 994---995 She is stainless, her ways are wonderful, and she gives whatever objects we desire She can be known only through concentrated meditation, she transcends the SIX modes of meditation, she is the prevenient Grace, tlie Light that dispels the darkness of ignorance She can be understood by all-cven by a child or a cowherd, but none dare transgres, her las In the sovereign Sri Chakrn she lives--this divine Tripurasundarı She is the blessed Siva himself, she is indeed Siva and Sahti in onc, she is Lalita the Mother Thus did they sıng the thousand names of the Godde s Lalita 996-997 998—1000 ·NOTES B-The numbers in these Notes refer to the order of the names in the Sahasranama 3 The expression Simhāsaneſvarī means not only that the Devi is seated on a throne but also that the lion is her vāhana. The lion plays an important part in Chandi's fight against Mahisasura 7. The Devi has three forms—sthūla (physical), sūksma (subtle) and parā (supreme). The description of the physical form begins with this name 11. The Tanmätras (subtle clements) arc. sound, touch, smell, form and taste, 25. Pure knowledge--the reference is to the Sodasāksari mantra Her teeth resemble the sixteen syllables of the mantra. 27. The vīnz of Sarasvati is called Kacchapī 41. Indragopas are insects which are deep red in colour 52 After describing the physical form of the Goddess the poet now proceeds to describe her abode. 55 The mountain Meru is said to have four peaks Threc of them arcoccupied by Brahmā, Visnu and Suya In the middle is the fourth peak, it is four hundredi Y2125 i leight TWS is acupied by the Devi 56 Srīmannagara is also explained as Sri-chakra ·106 LALITĀ-SAHASRANAMA 57 Chintāmanı is said to be a gem which yields all objects of desire The Devi's palace is built of these gems 58 The five Brahmās are Brahmā, Vistiu, Rudra, Isvara and Sadasiva The first four are said to form the four legs of the Devi's couch and the fifth the counterpane on it 59 The 'lotus forest' may also have reference to the sahasrarathe thousand-petalled lotus, supposed to be the seat of Siva and Saktı in the head of man 60 Similarly the 'ocean of nectar' may have reference to the moon in the pericarp of sahasrāra. 65 From here the author begins to refer to the details of the Devi's fight with Bhandāsura The commentator points out that the fight is only an alleis the Jiva steeped in ajñana and Lalitā is the Atman and Saktis are the inherent powers of the soul 66 Sampatkari is the Saktı who was at the head of the elephants in the army The elephants are supposed to stand for the senseobjects 67. Aśvārudlia is the Saktı who was at the head of the horse in the arniy. Horses are supposed to represent the senses 68 Chakraraja is a kind of chariot mentioned in the Lalitopakhyāna It may also be taken to mean the Sri Chakra gory. Bhanda ·NOTES. 107 69. Geyachakra is another kind of chariot, and Mantriņi is another name for Syāmalā. 70. Kirichakra, as its name indicates, is a chariot in the form of a boar, and Dandanāthā is another name for Vārāhī. 71. Jvālāmālinikā is a Sakti who was ordered by the Devī to construct a fortress of fire, a hundred yojanas in circumference and thirty yojanas in height. The Devi's army was stationed afterwards in this fortress. 73. Nityās are the fifteen deities who preside over the fifteen days of the bright fortnight (sukla paksa) of the month. They destroyed the fifteen leaders of the armies of Bhanda. 74. Bálā is the nine-year old daughter of Lalitā; she distinguished herself in the battle by killing the sons of Bhanda who were thirty in number. 75-76. Vişanga and Viśukra are the brothers of Bhanda. According to the Lalitopakhyānā, Bhanda himself created them out of his right and left shoulders. The commentator says that the sons of Bhanda stand for the impurities of the fettered soul. Vişanga stands for its worldliness and Viśukra for its egoism, 77. The Lalitopākhyāna says that in the course of the fight, when the Devi heard that her armies were fettered by the magical yantras of the Asuras, she looked at the face of her Lord and smiled, and from tliat smile arose a god with the head of an elephant.

·108 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA 78 Vighna-yantra was a magic figure inscribed on a stab which was thrown by Visukra on the army of the Devi It was broken to pieces by Ganesa 80 In the fght with the Devi, Bhanda threw upon her army a missile called Sarvasurăstra and from this sprang up all the old Asuras like Ravana and Hiranyakasipu whom Visnu had vanquished through his Avatars To counteract this missile the Devi created out of her own fingers' ends the Avatars of Visnu again. 81 It is said that Mahāpasupata is different from Pasupata The former mantra belongs to Sadasiva, the latter to Siva. 82 The weapon of Kamesvara is even more powerful than Mahāpasupata Sünyaka is the capital of Bhand? "Sainika" is another reading 83. After the fight was over all the gods headed by Brahmä und Visnu waited on the Devi and praised her 84 When the gods prayed to Lalna for the life of Manmatha, the god of love and the liusband of Rati, she was pleased to revive him 85. Now the author proceeds to describe the sūksma (subtle) forin of the Devi The subtle form is made up of the Panchadasaksari mantra More subtle than that is the Kama hala-bija, and the most subtle 15 the Kundalini sakti The Panchadasaksari maatra consists of three hutas or sections--Vagbhava-kuta, Kāma-rajakūtn of Madhya-kuia and Sakto kūta. The first is a ·NOTES 109 group of five syllables, the second of six syllables and the third of four syllables The Devi's face represents the Vagbhava-kūta, her trunk the Madhyakūta and her body below the waist the saktı kūta 89 The commentator says that there is also a ludden meaning in this name The word 1111la means the subtler form of the Devī, namely, the Kama-kalā The three divisions are the three parts of Kāma kali, See Introduction for the explanation of Kama-kala. 90 After describing the sukşma (subtle) and the sūksmatara (riore subtle) forms of the Devī, the author next proceeds to describe the sūksmatama (most subtle) form via, that of Kundalini in müladhāra in man The Kundalini saktı which lies coiled like a serpent in müládhāra is roused by yogic exercises Then it goes up and piercing the six chakras-mūlādhara, svādhıştāna, manipura, anahata, visuddhi and ajña--reaches the sahasrāra in the head and from there causes streanis of nectar to flow through the whoic system. The whole process is referred to in the names that follow--Nos 99–111 91 For Kaula dactrines, see Introduction 96. Akula is the name given to the thousandpetalled lotus at the bottom of susunnā nāda, below mülādhāra. This lotus is said to be red, whereas the thousand-petalled lotus called salasāra at the top of susumnă in the liead is said to be white 97. For Samaya doctrines, see Introduction 99 For the chakras and the grandhis nientioned in the names 99-111 see Introduction.

·110 LALITĀ-SAHASRANAMA 109. Asakti here means the union of siva and Sakti, 132, The commentator points out that nitādhārā may also mean nirādhāra worship. Even internal worship is of two kinds--sādhara and nirådhāra. The former is meditation on a mental image or a mantra, and the latter is simply the absorption of the mind in the Devi. The object of the niràdhāra worship is indicated in the names 133 to 198 by assertions, negations and the eliniination of attributes. 199. From this name the author sets forth the saguna form of the Devī, 207. It is said that there are eight centres from the centre of the eyebrows to the Brahma-randhra. Manonmani is the eighth centre just below the Brahmarandhra. It is so called because there the mind is transcended. 238. Srividyā is of twelve kinds according to the twelve famous Upăsakas of it-Manu, Chandra, Kubera, Lopamudrā, Manmatha, Agastya, Agni, Sürya, Indra, Skanda, Siva and Durvasa. 240. Chandra-mandala here means the pericarp of the sahasrāra. 245. For Chakra-rājaor Sri Chakra, see Introduction. 249. The five Brahmās who form the Devi's couch are described as 'pretas' because without Sakti they are inactive and powerless. Compare with this the first verse in Saundaryalahari*-which says, "Only when united with Sakti is Siva able to create, otherwise the god is unable even to stir." * Saundaryalahari is a stotra in praise of the Devi by Sankara Bhagavatpada.

·NOTES 111 256 In the names 256–263 the author points out that the Devi, like the Jiva, has different forms in the waking, dreaming, sleeping and the turiya states At the same time, she is also devoid of all such states According to the Vedanta, the Java has in these states the forms called vaiklianasa, taijasa, prajña, ātma respectively, and the Supreme Spirit has the forms called Virat, Hiranyagarbha, Isvara and Brahman respectively 264 In the names 264-274 the author describes the five functions of the Devi in her capacity as Iśvara controlling Maya-012, creation, protection, destruction, absorption and resumption The mention of the last two 1s characteristic of Sauva and Sakta philosophies 280 The tradition ihat the Devi is the sister of Visnu is very old The statement occurs in Arjuna's liymn to Durga on the field of Kuruksetra 282–284 These names are, of course, reminiscent of the opening words of the Puruşa cukta 301 The syllable hrine is interpreted to mean creztion, preservation and destruction 305 Rājaraja is Kubera, But the word may also mean an emperor 322 Kamakala–Kama here stands for both Kames. vara and Kamesvari, and kala means manifestation. 330 Kadambarı ın tbis name and Varuni in No 333 should be taken as wine offered to the Devi by the Kaula devotees ·112 LALITA-SAHASRA VAMA in 336 The tradition that the Devi resides in the Vindhya mountains is again very old It is mentioned at the Mahabharatz hymns to Durga 341 The terms kşetra and ksetrajña are familiar to us from their use in the Bhagavad Gita Chap XIII 345 Ksetrapala is jiva 354 Pasu is a technical term for the soul in bondage and pasa denotes the bonds 365 The grades of ananda beginning with manus ananda and ending with Brahmananda are given in a well known passage the Ananda valli of the Taittırıya Upanisad 366 The names para, pasyantı, madhyama and vaikhari wluch occur in Nos 366 371 are technical terms for the four stages of Val (speech) according to Sakta philosophy 375_-379 The terms kama in 375 purna in 376, Jalandhura in 378 and odliyana in 379-refer to mula dhara anahata visuddhi and ajfia chakras respectively 38G The six angas are--heart, head hair, eyes armour and weapons Or we may take angas to mean the well known *1x Vedangas The six good qualities are-prosperity, righteousness, fame riches, wisdom and detachment 391 The sixteen Nityas are (1) Kamesvarı (2) Bliaganalını, (3) Nityaklinna, (4) Blierunda, (5) Vrhnuasını (6) Mahavnjresviri (7) Suvaduti (8) Tvirta (0) Kulasundur, (10) Nityy, (11) Nila patakını, (12) Vijaya, (13) Sarsamangala, (14) Jvalamalını, (15) Clutra, (16) Tripurasundari ·NOTES 113 392. The reference is to the Ardha-nārisvara form. 397—398. Mūlaprakriti and Avyakta-both indicate, according to the Sankhya system, Primal Nature, from which are derived Naliat, Aliankāra, etc. 405. In the Devimahal niyan we read that Siva was sent as a messenger by the Devi. Hence she is called here Sivadūtī. 417. Cf. the famous verse in the Devi-11ālāt. nyam:-yā devi sarvabliūteņu cetanetyabhidiyate. 424. In the Sākta system the tattvas are thirty-six in number from Prithivi (earth) to Siva. 425—427. The commentator Bhāskararāyā divides fattvamayi here into three names-tat + tvam + ayi, Ayi is the familiar expression used in addressing a friend. Bhatta Nārāyana, another commentator, more naturally takes faltvaniayī as one name. 428. The five kośas in man according to the Vedānta philosophy are annataya, prānamaya, nanomaya, vijñānanaya and anandanlaya. 438. Kurukullā is the name of the deity that presides over a well, called vinarśanaya, in Sripura. 439. Kula is a technical name given to the triadthe measures, the act of measuring and the object measured. 440. Kulakunda is mūlādhāra which is one of the abodes of the Goddess. 441. Bhāskararāya says that there are three modes in the worship of the Devi-samaya, mišra and kaula. 8 ·114 LALITĀ-SAHASRANAMA See Introduction for the doctrinal and other differences between camaya-marga and kaula-marga 453 The three eyes of the Devi are said to be the sun the moon and fire 454 Note that lolakşı kama-rupını is taken here as one word 468 Vajresvari is one of the guardian deities of Sri chakra 469 Vamadeva is Sıva Hence his wife is called Vamadevi 471 Siddhas are the demigods who possess superhuman powers called siddhis 475--534 In this list of names the author identifies the Devi with the seven yoginis wlio preside over the seven chakras in man He gives their names, their functions, their forms, their weapons, their attendants and the offerings they like The following are the chakras and their yogiris in the order in which thev are mentioned in the text: (1) Visuddhi-Dakını (2) Anahata—Rākını (3) Manipura–Lakını (4) Svadhistana--Kakını (5) Muladhara-Sakını (6) Ajña-Hakını (7) Sahasrara-Yakını 5354-536 The word svaba is used when the gods are insoked to come and receive their offerings The word svadhā is used when the Pitris are invoked ·NOTCS 115 545 Pulomaja, the daughter of Rışı Puloma, is the wife of Indra When Indra lost his kingdom and was an exile his wife worshipped the Devi and got him restored 548 Vimarsa is a technical term in Sakta philosophy to denote the inherent power of vibration in Parama Siva which gives rise to creation, and prakasa is the term which denotes the other aspect of Siva-namely, that of self illumining thought. The Vimarsa sakti not only creates but also destroys the time process That 15 why the Devi is called kala hantri in No 577. 564 Nridanı is the wife of Mrida, that is Sivae Mrida means the giver of happiness, 570 The vasanas referred to are (1) lovingkindness towards friends, (2) compassion towards the afflicted, (3) complacency towards the good, and (4) indifference towards the evil 577 Måtrikas are the letters of the alphabet They are fiftv one in number and are supposed to be of different colours As all Inantras and sastras are formed out of these, the Devis identified with them She is also supposed to wear a garland of letters One of the aspects (called Kailasa-prastara) of Śru chakra is to identify the various parts of it with the fifty one letters of the alphabet 587 The sixteen syllabled mantra is got by adding one syllable (Srim) to the fifteen syllabied mantra Like the fourth pada of the Gayatrı it is taught by the Guru only to very advanced upasakas ·116 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA 588 The 1eference is to the three kutas of the Panchadasaksarı mantra 589 Kama here means Paramasıya and koti means aim or goal 591-592 The Devi is supposed to reside in the Brahma randhra in the herd The pericarp of the sahasrara lotus' below Brahma randhra is like the moon There is alco 7 veiled reference here to the third kutr of the Panchadası vıdya 593-594 The Devi resides in the forehead in the form of the bindu of the syllable hy1111 59-596 In the heart where she is contemplated she has the form of the sun as anahata which is near the heart, fornis part of the solar region in the body This is a reference to the second kuta of the Panchadasıvidya Tlie chakras in the human body are grouped thus (1) muladhara and svadhistana-fire (2) manipura and anahata-sun (3) Visuddhi and ajña--moon (4) sahasrara—the higher moon 600 The legend of Daksa s sacrifice has many forms The substance of it is that Daksa one of the Prajapatis wanted to perform a sacrifice, from which Siva was to be excluded Thereupon Uma the wife of Sıva (and the daughter of Daksa in her former birth) instigated her husband to display his power and assert himself Accordingly Siya went to the sacrifice with a host of his followers, broke up the sacrifice and injured the gods assembled

·NOTES
117
605. Go' in Sanskrit has many meanings. It is
best to take the word here to mean "speech'.
610. The Devi has to be worshipped, according to
the Tantras, on the fifteen days of the bright fortnight
(Sukla pakşa) in the form of Nitya deities--beginning
with Kāmesvari and ending with Chitrā.
622. Klim is the Kämaräja-bija.
626. Tri-pura--Older than the Trimūsti. Being the
Parā Sakti, stie is prior to the Trimurti.
628. She has three qualities--sattva, rajas and
tamas-and also three colours—white, red and dark.
Or we may take the three forms to be Icchă-sakti,
Jñāna-sakti and Krijā-sakti (see No. 658).
630. The three syllables here mean the three groups
of syllables in the Panchadasi mantra.
639. Notice the name here is avara-da-one who
slays the wicked Asuras.
647. Lopamudrā is the wife of Agastya. The
Panchadasi mantra is also called Lopamudrā mantra
(See Note on No. 238).
662. It is best to take the eight forms here as the
earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect and egoism,
as in the Bhagavad Gitā VII. 4.
603. Ajā (the unborn) is avidyā, and the Devi is the
conqueror of avidyā.
667. Nos, 667, 668, 672 and 735 show the Advaiti
has is of the Sahasranāma.

·118 LALITĀ-SAHASRANAMA 683. Note that Sobbanā-sulabhā-gatih is here taken as one compound to avoid the repetition of No. 462. 691. The chaturanga of an army in ancient India consisted of the cavalry, elephant force, chariots and infantry. 711—712. The expression sādhvi is divided here into sādhuti, so as to avoid the repetition of No. 128. Hence we have two names. The first onesadhumeans ucitam or proper. The meaning is that the Devi is properly interpreted as the Power that dispeis ajñāna. The second one, viz., i is the fourth letter of the alphabet, i with the bindu becomes ītit which syinbolizes Kāma-kalā. For the explanation of Kāmakalā see Introduction. 714. Kula here means the senses. 717. Madhumati is the name given to the highest plane which the most advanced yogin has to cross. The Devī is here identified with that plane. 722. Gurupriyā--Siva is the guru of the world and the Devi is his beloved. 725—727. The reference here is to the story that Siva once took the form of the sixteen-year-old Dakşiņāműrti and by his very silence imparted the highest knowledge to Sanaka andī other Rişis. The Devi is here identified with that Guru. It is to be noted that Dakşināmurti is the Rişi of the followers of Dakşiņachāra among the Sāktas. 733. Nandi or Nandikeśvara is the chief attendant of Siva, Nateśvata in the next name is Siva himself.

·NOTES 119 735. Notice that, by calliog the world mithyā, the author subscribes himself to the Māya-vada of Sankara. 754. Pārvatī, the daughter of IIimavat, was called aparna because, when she was making tapas for obtaining Siva, she abstained from taking even a leaf (parna) as food 755 Chandikā was the form that the Devi took for killing Mahisasura, as narrated in the Markandeya Purāna 756 It is narrated in the Mārkandeya Purana tlat when Kāli killed the tivo Asuras-Chanda and Nunda, Chandika was pleased and conferred on her the title of Chamunda. 766 Japa flower is the so-called china rose 773 Patalı is the pale red trumpet flower 776 Mandāra is the flower of the coral trec-one of the five trees in Indra's Paradise 785 Mārtānda-bhairava is one of the eight Bhairava forms of Siva. 786 Lalita Desa's mantrını is Syamalambā accord. ing to the Lalıtopál hyāna 790 Pară and Apara are the unconditioned and the conditioned forms respectively of Brahman 793. She is the abode of equality the equality of Siva and Sakti 795. Kāmadhuk is the well known celestial cow which yields whatever one desires.

·120 LALITĀ-SAHASRANAMA 799. Rasa in literature means idealized emotion. There are nine rasas beginning with sringāra according to Sanskrit writers on aesthetics. 840. The múla-vigraha is the Rāja-rājeśvari sakti wbich is the source of all other Saktis. 860. The name here is akāntā=aka (sin) tanta (end). 873. The three Vargas are dharma, artha and kāma. 875. Tripuramālinī is the goddess of the Antardaśāra chakra which is one of the parts of Sri Chakra. 895. Yoni-nilayā may also be interpreted as one ho dwells in the triangle of Sri Chakra'. 897. Kula here means the Kaula cult. 898. Vira here may be a technical term. The Tantra divides all men into three classes-pašu (animal), vira (heroic), divya (divine), according to the three predominant qualities--Tamas, Rajas and Sattva. 905. The reference here is to the Bindu (called Sarvānandamaya) in Sri Chakra. 906. The tattvas or categories are twenty-five in number according lo the Sanklıya system, and thirtysix according to the Saiva and Sākta systems. (See Introduction). 908. The reference here is to the famous Malāvākya Tat-tvam-asi (That thou art) in the Chandogya Upanişad. 912. Notice that the Devi is represented here as favouring both the Samaya and the Kaula forms of the worship of the Goddess.

·NOTES
121
918-919. Notice how the author spiritualizes the
Sākta worship in these two names.
925. Kaulini-kevalā is taken as one name to avoid
the repetition of No. 94.
947. The five 'pretas' are the same Brahmās as are
mentioned in No. 58. They are represented here as
dead, because without the Devi they are absolutely
powerless.
948. The fifth of these gods is Sadāśiva.
950. The five offerings are gandha (sandal), puşpa
(flowers), dhūpa (incense), dipa (light), and naived
(food).
964. Bandhūka is a red flower. The Devī, being
the Vimarśa Sakti, is always imagined to be of rosy or
red colour.
971. This name may mean either that the Devi is
pleased with the worship performed by married women
or that she is pleased with the worship of married
women (as representatives of the Goddess) by others,
972. Votice that the name here asobhanā means ever
beautiful,
974.
The commentator says that the offerings in
the Bindu (called Sarvānandamaya) in Sri Chakra
should be milk by Brahmans, ghce by Kşatrıyas, honey
by Vaiśyas and meali by Sūdras.
977. Audrās are ritual gestures by means of the
fingers of the hands. There are ten recognized mudrās.

·122 LALITA-SAHASRANAMA Three of them are mentioned in the text-jnana-udrā, yoni-mudrā and, trikhanda-hidrā. 978. Tripurāśrī is the deity that presides over the fifth chakra in Sri Chakta. 991. The six 'adhvas' referred to are:- (1) pada (words), (2) bhuvana (worlds), (3) varņa (letters), (4) tattva (categories), (5) kala (parts) and (6) mantra (mantras). And it is said that, of these, words, letters and mantras belong to Sakti as Vimarsa; and that worlds, categories and parts belong to Siva as Prakāša. 998--999. These two names indicate the absolute equality and identity of Siva and Sakti. 1000. Lalitāmbika—this is the last name. They-the goddesses of speech, who had been commanded by the Devi to sing the Sahasranāma.

·श्रीमहाराश्य नमः ॥ भी॥ ॥ श्रीललितासहस्रनामावलिः ॥ ओं श्रीमात्र नमः यो वदनस्मरमाङ्गल्यगृह- तोरणचिल्लिकायै श्रीमसिंहासनेश्चर्य वक्त्रलक्ष्मीपरीवाहचल- चिदमिकुण्डसम्भूतायै न्मीनामलोचनायै देवकार्यसमुद्यतायै नवचम्पकपुष्पामनासा. उद्यद्भानुसहस्रामायै दण्डविराजितायै चतुर्याहुसमन्वितायै ताराकान्तितिरस्कारिनासा. रागस्वरूपपाशाध्याय भरणभासुरायै क्रोधाकाराकशोज्ज्वलायै कदम्बमञ्जरीक्लप्तकर्णपूर- मनोरूपेक्षुकोदण्डायै १० मनोहरायै तारइयुगलीभूततपनोडुप- पञ्चतन्मानसायकायै मण्डलाये निजारुणप्रमापूरमज- पद्मरागशिलादर्शपरिभावि- द्ब्रह्माण्डमण्डलायै कपोलमूवे चम्पकाशोकपुन्नागसौग- नवविद्रुमबिम्यश्रीन्यकारि- न्धिकलसत्कचार्य दशनच्छदायै कुरुविन्दमणिश्रेणी- शुद्धविद्याराकारद्विजपछि- कनकोटीरमण्डितायै द्वयोज्ज्वलाये अष्टमीचन्द्रविम्राजदलि कर्पूरवीटिकामोदसमाकप- कस्थल शोभितायै दिगन्तरायै मुखचन्द्रकलाममृगनाभि निजसालापमाधुर्यविनिर्म- विशेषकायै सितकच्छप्यै ·124 भीललितासहस्रनामावलिः वों मन्दस्मितप्रमापूरमञकामे- यो कामेशज्ञातसौभाग्य- शमानसाय नमः मार्दवोरुद्धयान्वितायै नमः अनाकलितसादृश्यचुयुकधी माणिक्यमकुटाकारजानु- विराजितायै द्वयविराजिताय कामेशयद्धमाङ्गल्यसूत्र इन्द्रगोपपरिक्षितस्मर- शोभितकन्धरायै ३० নূষলাকা कनकाइदकेयूरकमनीय गूढगुल्फाय मुजान्वितायै कूर्मपृष्ठनयिष्णुप्रपदा- रनवेयचिन्ताकलोल विताये मुक्ताफलान्वितायै नखदीधितिसंछन्न- कामेश्वरप्रेमरतमणि. नमजनतमोगुणायै प्रतिपणस्तन्य पदद्वयप्रमाजालपरा- नाम्यालबालरोमालि कृतसरोरुहाय लताफल कुचय्य शिक्षानमणिमनीर- लक्ष्यरोमलताधारतासन- मण्डितश्रीपदाम्बुजायै नेयमध्यमायै मरालीमन्दगमनाये स्तनभारदलन्मध्य- महालावण्यशेवधये पट्टवन्धवलिन यायै सर्वारुणायै अरुणारुणकोसुम्भवस्व- अनवद्याथै भास्वत्कटीतट्यै सर्वाभरणभूषितायै रत्नकिङ्किणिकारम्यरशना शिवकामेश्वराङ्कस्थायै दामभूपितायै शिवाय ५० ·श्रीललितासहस्रनामावलिः 125 औं स्वाधीनवल्लमायै नमः ओं किरिचकरथारूढदण्ड. सुमेरुमध्यशृहस्थायै नाथपुरस्कृतायै ७० नमः श्रीमन्नगरनायिकायै ज्वालामालिनिकाक्षिप्त- चिन्तामणिगृहान्तःस्थाय वहिप्राकारमध्यगाये पञ्चब्रह्मासनस्थितायै भण्डसैन्यवधोयुक्त- महापमाटवी संस्थाये शक्तिविक्रमहर्षिताये कदम्बवनवासिन्यै ६० नित्यापराक्रमाटोप- सुधासागरमध्यस्थायै निरीक्षणसमुत्सुकायै कामाक्ष्य मण्डपुत्रवधोयुक्तबाला- कामदायिन्यै विक्रमनन्दिताये देवर्षिगणसघातस्तूय- मन्त्रिण्यम्बाविर- मानात्मवैमवायै चितविपङ्गवधतोपितायै मण्डासुरवधोयुक्त शक्ति विशुक्रपाणहरणवाराही. सेनासमन्वितायै वीर्यनन्दितायै सम्पत्करीसमारूढ कामेश्वरमुखालोककल्पित- सिन्धुरबजसेवितायै श्रीगणेश्वरायै अश्वारुढाधिष्ठिताश्चकोटि महागणेशनिभिन्नविनयन्त्र- कोटिमिरावृतायै प्रहर्पितायै चक्रराजरथारूढसर्वा भण्डासुरेन्द्रनिर्मुक्तशस्त्रप्रय- युधपरिष्कृतायै स्ववर्षिण्यै गेयचक्ररथारूढमन्त्रिणी कराङ्गलिनलोत्पन्ननारायण- परिसेवितायै दशाकृत्यै ८० ·126 नमः नमः श्रीललितासहस्रनामावलिः ओं महापाशुपतास्नाग्निनिर्दग्धा- ओं अकुलायै सुरसैनिकाय समयान्तःस्थायै कामेश्वरास्त्रनिर्दग्धस समयाचारतत्परायै मण्डासुरशून्यकार्य मूलाधारकनिलयायै ब्रह्मोपेन्द्रमहेन्द्रादिदेव ब्रह्मग्रन्थिविमेदिन्यै १०० संस्तुतवैभवायै मणिपूरान्तसदितायै हरनेत्राग्निसन्दग्धकामसं विष्णुग्रन्थिविमेदिन्यै जीवनौषध्ये आज्ञाचक्रान्तरालस्थायै श्रीमद्वाग्भवकूटैकस्वरूप रुद्रग्रन्धिविमेदिन्यै मुखपद्धजायै सहस्राराम्बुजारूढाये कण्ठाधःकटिपर्यन्तमध्यफूट सुधासारामिवर्षिण्यै स्वरूपिण्यै तटिल्लतासमरुच्यै शक्तिकूटैकतापन्नकट्यधो पट्चकोपरिसस्थितायै भागधारिण्यै महासक्त्यै मूलमन्वात्मिकायै कुण्डलिन्यै मूलकूटत्रयकलेबरायै बिसतन्तुतनीयस्यै कुलामृतैकरसिकायै ९० मवान्ये कुलसङ्केतपालिन्यै भावनागम्याय कुलाङ्गनायै भवारण्यकुठारिकायै कुलान्तःस्थायै कौलिन्यै मद्रमूत्यै कुलयोगिन्यै भक्तसौभाग्यदायिन्यै भद्रप्रियायै ·श्रीललितासहस्रनामावलिः 127 नमः १४० बों भक्तिप्रियायै नमः ओं निष्कलाये भक्तिगम्याय शान्तायै मक्तिवश्यायै १२० निष्कामायै भयापहायै निरुपप्लवाय शाम्मव्यै नित्यमुक्तायै शारदाराध्याय निर्विकारायै शर्वाण्यै निष्प्रपञ्चायै शर्मदायिन्यै निराश्रयायै शाइय नित्यशुद्धाय श्रीकय नित्यबुद्धाय साव्ये निरवद्याय शरच्चन्द्रनिमाननाये निरन्तरायै शातोदय १३० निष्कारणाये शान्तिमत्यै निष्कलङ्कायै निराधाराये निरुपाये निरञ्जनाये निरीश्वराय निलंपाये नीरागायै निर्मलायै रागमथन्यै नित्यायै निर्मदायै निराकारायै मदनाशिन्यै निराकुलायै निश्चिन्तान्य निर्गुणायै निरहङ्कारायै १५० १६० ·128 श्रीललितासहस्रनामावलिः नमः नमः ओं निस्तुलायै नीलचिकुरायै निरपायायै निरत्ययायै दुर्लभायै दुर्गमायै १७० ओं निर्मोहायै मोहनाशिन्यै निर्ममायै ममताइन्य निष्पापाय पापनाशिन्यै निष्क्रोधायै क्रोधशमन्यै निर्लोभायै लोमनाशिन्यै निःसंशयायै संशयन्यै निर्भवायै भवनाशिन्यै निर्विकल्पाय निरायाधायै निर्भदायै भेदनाशिन्यै नि शायै मृत्युमयन्यै निष्क्रियाये निष्परिन दुःखहन्यै सुखप्रदायै दुष्टदूरायै दुराचारशमन्यै दोपवर्जितायै सर्वज्ञायै सान्द्रकरुणायै समानाधिकवर्जिताये सर्वशक्तिमय्यै सर्वमङ्गलायै २०० सद्गतिप्रदाय १८० ·श्रीललितासहस्रनामावलिः 129 ओं मनोन्मन्ये माहेश्चर्य महादेव्यै महालक्ष्म्यै मृडप्रियायै महारूपायै महापूज्याय महापातकनाशिन्यै महामायायै महासत्तायै महाशक्ती महारत्यै महाभोगाये महेश्वर्या महावीयर्याय महायलायै महाबुद्ध महासिद्धथै महायोगेश्वरेश्वर्यै महातन्त्रायै महामन्त्रायै महायन्नायै नमः मों महासनायै नमः महायागकमाराध्याय २३० महाभैरवपूजितायै २१० महेश्वरमहाकल्पमहा- ताण्डवसाक्षिण्यै महाकामेशमहिष्यै महात्रिपुरसुन्दर्य चतुःपष्टयपचाराठ्यायै चतुःषष्टिकलामय्यै महाचतुःपष्टिकोटियोगिनी- गणसेविताय मनुविद्यायै चन्द्रविद्यायै २२० चन्द्रमण्डलमध्यगायै २४० चारुरूपायै चारुहासाये चारुचन्द्रकलाधरायै चराचरजगन्नाथायै चक्रराजनिकेतनायै पार्वत्यै पद्मनयनाये , पद्मरागसमप्रभायै : 9 ·130 श्रीललितासहस्रनामावलिः ओं पञ्चप्रेतासनासीनायै नमः ओं ईश्वर्य नमः पञ्चब्रह्मस्वरूपिण्यै २५० सदाशिवाय चिन्मय्यै अनुग्रहदायै परमानन्दायै पञ्चकृत्यपरायणायै विज्ञानघनरूपिण्यै भानुमण्डलमध्यस्थायै भैरव्यै ध्यानध्यातृध्येयरूपायै भगमालिन्यै धर्माधर्मविवर्जितायै पद्मासनायै विश्वरूपायै भगवत्यै जागरिण्यै स्वपन्त्यै पद्मनामसहोदय २८० उन्मेपनिमिपोत्पन्नविपन्न- तैजसात्मिकायै भुवनावत्यै सुप्तायै २६० सहस्रशीर्षवदनायै प्राज्ञात्मिकायै सहस्राक्ष्य सहस्रपदे सर्वावस्थाविवर्जितायै आब्रह्मकीटजनन्यै सृष्टिकाय वर्णाश्रमविधायिन्यै ब्रह्मरूपायै निजाज्ञारूपनिगमायै गोल्यै पुण्यापुण्यफलप्रदायै गोविन्दरूपिण्यै श्रुतिसीमन्तसिन्दूरीकृत- संहारिण्यै पादाजधूलिकायै रुद्ररूपायै सकलागमसंन्दोहशक्तिसं- तिरोधानक २७० पुटमौक्तिकायै तुर्याय ·नमः श्रीललितासहस्रनामावलिः 131 ओं पुरुषार्थप्रदाय नमः भो रमायै पूर्णाय राकेन्दुवदनायै मोगिन्य रतिरूपायै भुवनेश्वर्यै रतिप्रियायै अम्बिकायै रक्षाकर्य अनादिनिधनायै राक्षसन्यै इरिनझेन्द्रसेवितायै रामायै नारायण्यै रमणलम्पटायै ३२० नादरूपायै काम्यायै नामरूपाविवर्जितायै ३०० कामकलारूपायै हीकार्य कदम्बकुसुमप्रियायै हीमत्यै कल्याण्यै हृद्याय जगतीकन्दायै हेयोपादेयवर्जिताय करणारससागराये राजराजाचिंतायै कलावत्यै राश्यै कलालापाथ रम्यायै कान्तायै राजीवलोचनायै कादम्बरीप्रियायै ३३० रजन्यै वरदायै रमण्यै वामनयनायै रस्यायै पारुणीमदबिद्दलायै रणस्किक्किणिमेसलायै विश्वाधिकायै ·132 श्रीललितासहस्रनामावलिः ३४० भों वेदवेद्याय नमः ओंतापत्रयाग्निसन्तप्तसमा- विन्ध्याचलनिवासिन्यै हादनचन्द्रिकायै नमः विधायै तरुण्यै चेदजनन्यै तापसाराध्यायै विष्णुमायायै तनुमध्याय ३६० विलासिन्यै तमोऽपहायै क्षेत्रस्वरूपायै चित्यै क्षेश्य तत्पदलक्ष्यार्थीय क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञपालिन्यै चिदेकरसरूपिण्यै क्षयवृद्धिविनिर्मुक्तायै स्वात्मानन्दलवीभूत- क्षेत्रपालसमर्चितायै ब्रह्माद्यानन्दसन्तत्यै विजयायै पराये विमलायै प्रत्यकृचिचतीरुपायै वन्द्यायै पश्यन्त्यै वन्दारुजनवत्सलायै परदेवतायै वाग्वादिन्यै ३५० मध्यमायै वामकेश्य वैखरीरूपायै वह्निमण्डलवासिन्यै भक्तमानसहंसिकाये भक्तिमत्कल्पलतिकार्य कामेश्वरप्राणनाडौ पशुपाशविमोचिन्यै । कृतज्ञायै संहताशेपपापण्डायै कामपूजितायै सदाचारप्रवर्तिकाय शृङ्गाररससम्पूर्णायै ३७० ·श्रीललितासहस्रनामावलिः 133 ओं जयायै नमः ओं व्यक्ताव्यक्तस्वरूपिण्यै नमः जालन्धरस्थितायै व्यापिन्यै ४०० ओड्याणपीठनिलयायै विविधाकारायै विन्दुमण्डलवासिन्यै विद्याविद्यास्वरूपिण्यै रहोयागक्रमाराध्यायै महाकामेशनयनकुमु- रहस्तर्पणतर्पितायै दालादकौमुद्यै सद्याप्रसादिन्यै भक्तहार्दतमोमेदभानुम- विश्वसाक्षिण्ये द्भानुसन्तत्यै साक्षिवर्जितायै शिवदूत्यै पडङ्गदेवतायुक्तायै शिवाराध्याय पाइगुण्यपरिपूरितायै शिवमूत्यै नित्यक्लिन्नायै शिवस्यै निरुपमायै शिवप्रियायै निर्वाणसुखदायिन्यै ३९० शिवपरायै ४१० नित्यापोडशिकारूपायै शिष्टेष्टायै श्रीकण्ठायशरीरिण्यै शिष्टपूजितायै प्रभावत्यै अप्रमेयाय प्रभारूपायै स्वप्रकाशायै प्रसिद्धायै मनोवाचामगोचरायै परमेश्वर्य चिच्छक्त्यै मूलप्रकृत्यै चेतनारूपायै अव्यक्तायै जडशक्त्यै ·134 श्रीललितासहस्रनामावलिः ४५० ओंजडारिमकायै नमः |ओं कौलमार्गतत्परसेवितायै नमः गायत्यै ४२० कुमारगणनाथाम्बायै व्याहृत्यै तुष्टये सन्ध्याय पुष्टथै द्विजवृन्दनिषेवितायै मत्यै तत्त्वासनाय धृत्यै *तस्मै शान्त्यै तुम्यं स्वस्तिमत्यै अर्थ कान्त्यै पञ्चकोशान्तरस्थितायै नन्दिन्यै निःसीममहिम्ने विननाशिन्यै नित्ययौवनायै ४३० तेजोवत्यै मदशालिन्य त्रिनयनायै मदपुर्णितरताक्ष्य लोलाक्षीकामरूपिण्यै मदपाटलगण्डभुवे मालिन्यै चन्दनद्रवदिग्धाङ्गयै इंसिन्यै चाम्पेयकुसुमप्रियायै मात्र कुशलाये मलयाचलवासिन्यै कोमलाकारायै सुमुल्यै कुरुकुलाये नलिन्यै ४६० कुलेश्चर्य सुम्रये कुलकुण्डालयायै ४४० शोभनाये •"तत्समयो' इत्यत तत, वं, अपी इति त्रिधा विमग्य तस्मै नमः, गुम्य नमः, अग्यै नमः इति भाष्यकार: व्यख्यातम् ।

·शिललितासहस्रनामावलिः 135 ऑ सुरनायिकायै नमः ओं अनाहताञ्जनिलयायै नमः कालकण्ठ श्यामाभायै कान्तिमत्यै वदनद्वयायै क्षोभिण्यै दंप्टोज्ज्वलायै सूक्ष्मरूपिण्यै अक्षमालादिवराय वज्रेश्वर्यै रुधिरसंस्थितायै ४९० वामदेव्यै कालराव्यादिशक्त्योधवृतायै वयोवस्थाविवर्जितायै ७० स्निग्धौदनप्रियायै सिद्धेश्वय महावीरेन्द्रवरदायै सिद्धविद्यायै राकिण्यम्बास्वरूपिण्यै सिद्धमाने मणिपूराजनिलयायै यशस्विन्यै वदनत्रयसंयुतायै विशुद्धिचक्रनिलयायै वनादिकायघोपेतायै आरक्तवर्णायै डामर्यादिमिरावृतायै त्रिलोचनायै रक्तवर्णायै खट्वाङ्गादिप्रहरणाय मासनिष्ठायै ५०० वदनैकसमन्वितायै गुडानप्रीतमानसाय पायसान्नप्रियायै ४८० समस्तमक्तसुखदायै स्वस्थायै लाकिन्यम्यास्वरूपिण्यै पशुलोकमयाय स्वाधिष्ठानाम्बुजगतायै अमृतादिमहाशक्तिसंवृतायै चतुर्वक्त्रमनोहराये डाकिनीचय शूलाचायुषसम्पन्चाय ·136 शिललितासहस्रनामावलिः ओपीतवर्णायै नमः ओं हाकिनीरूपधारिण्यै नमः अतिगर्वितायै सहस्रदलमध्यस्थायै मेदोनिष्ठायै सर्ववोपशोभितायै मधुप्रीतायै ५१० सर्वायुधधरायै ५३० पन्दिन्यादिसमन्वितायै शुक्लसंस्थितायै दध्यन्नासक्तहृदयायै सर्वतोमुख्य काकिनीरूपधारिण्यै सौंदनप्रीतचित्तायै मूलाधाराम्युजारूढायै याकिन्यम्वास्वरूपिण्यै पञ्चवक्त्रायै स्वाहायै अस्थिसंस्थितायै स्वधायै अड्कशादिप्रहरणायै अमत्यै वरदादिनिषेवितायै मेधायै मुद्गौदनासक्तचित्तायै अत्यै साकिन्यम्बास्वरूपिण्यै स्मृत्यै ५४० आज्ञाचक्राञ्जनिलयाये अनुत्तमायै शक्लवर्णायै पुण्यकीय पडाननायै पुण्यलम्यायै मजासंस्थायै पुण्यश्रवणकीर्तनायै हंसवत्तीमुख्यशक्तिसमन्विः पुलोमजार्चितायै तायै बन्धमोचन हरिद्रान्नैकरसिकायै *बन्धुरालकायै स्वरालकेति पाठे वर्वरालकाय नमः इति प्रयोज्यः । ५२० ·137 श्रीललितासहस्रनामावलिः ओं विमर्शरूपिण्यै नमः ओं मैन्यादिवासनालभ्यायै नमः विद्याय महाप्रलयसाक्षिण्यै वियदादिजगत्प्रसुवे ५५० पराशक्त्यै सर्वव्याधिप्रशमन्यै परानिष्ठायै सर्वमृत्युनिवारिण्यै प्रज्ञानघनरूपिण्यै अग्रगण्याय माध्वीपानालसायै अचिन्त्यरूपायै मत्तायै कलिकल्मपनाशिन्यै मातृकावर्णरूपिण्यै कात्यायन्यै महाकैलासनिलयायै कामहन्य मृणालमृदुदोलतायै कमलाक्षनिषेवितायै महनीयाये ताम्बूलपूरितमुख्य दयामूसे दाडिमीकुसुमप्रभायै ५६० महासाम्राज्यशालिन्यै मृगाक्ष्य आत्मविद्याय मोहिन्य महाविद्यायै मुख्यायै श्रीविद्यायै मृडान्यै कामसेवितायै मित्ररूपिण्यै श्रीषोडशाक्षरीविधाय नित्यतृप्तायै त्रिकूटायै भक्तनिधये कामकोटिकाय नियन्यै कटाक्षकिङ्करीमूतकमला- निखिलेश्चय कोटिसेवितायै ·138 श्रीललितासहयनामावलिः : ओं शिरस्थितायै नमः ओं कलानाथाये नमः चन्द्रनिभायै काव्यालापविनोदिन्यै फालस्थायै सचामररमावाणीसव्य- इन्द्रधनुष्प्रभायैः दक्षिणसेवितायै हृदयस्थायै आदिशस्यै रविप्रख्यायै अमेयायै त्रिकोणान्तरदीपिकायै आत्मने दाक्षायण्यै परमायै दैत्यहन्यै पावनाकृतये दक्षयज्ञविनाशिन्यै ६०० अनेककोटिनह्याण्डजनन्यै दरान्दोलितदीर्घाक्ष्य दिव्यविग्रहायै दरहासोज्ज्वलन्मुख्यै क्लींकायै गुरुमूत्यै केवलायै गुणनिधये गुह्यायै गोमाले कैवल्यपददायिन्यै गुहजन्मभुवे त्रिपुरायै देवेश्यै निजगद्वन्द्याय दण्डनीतिस्थागै त्रिमूत्यै दहराकाशरूपिण्यै लिदशेश्वयै प्रतिपन्मुख्यराकान्ततिथि. ध्यक्षय मण्डलपूजितायै दिव्यगन्धाब्याय कलात्मिकायै सिन्दूरतिलकाञ्चितायै ·श्रीललितासहस्रनामावलिः 139 ओं उमायै नमः ओं योग्यायै नमः शैलेन्द्रतनयायै योगानन्दायै गौय युगन्धरायै गन्धर्वसेवितायै इच्छाशक्तिज्ञानशक्ति- विश्वगर्मायै क्रियाशक्तिस्वरूपिण्यै स्वर्णगर्मायै सर्वाधारायै अवरदायै सुप्रतिष्ठायै वागधीश्वय ६४० सदसद्रपधारिण्यै ध्यानगम्यायै अष्टमृत्यै अपरिच्छेद्यायै अजाजेन्यै ज्ञानदायै लोकयानाविधायिन्यै ज्ञानविग्रहायै एकाकिन्यै सर्ववेदान्तसंवेद्यायै भूमरूपायै सत्यानन्दस्वरूपिण्यै नितायै लोपामुद्रार्चिताय देतवर्जितायै लीलाक्लप्तब्रह्माण्डमण्डलायै अन्नदायै अदृश्यायै वसुदाय ६७० दृश्यरहितायै ६५० वृद्धाय विज्ञाध्यै ब्रह्मात्मैक्यस्वरूपिण्यै वेद्यवर्जितायै वृहत्य योगिन्यै ब्राझण्यै योगदायै माझयै ·140 श्रीललितासहस्त्रनामावलिः ओं ब्रह्मानन्दायै नमः ओं सर्वलोकवशङ्कय नमः बलिप्रियायै सर्वाधिदायै मापारूपायै सावित्र्यै बृहत्सेनाये सच्चिदानन्दरूपिण्यै ७०० भावामावविवर्जितायै ६८० देशकालारिच्छिन्नायै सुखाराध्याय सर्वगाये शुभक सर्वमोहिन्यै शोभनासुलभागत्यै सरस्वत्यै राजराजेश्व शास्त्रमय्ये राज्यदायिन्यै गुहाम्बायै राज्यवल्लभायै गुह्यरूपिण्यै राजस्कृपायै सर्वोपाधिविनिर्मुक्तायै राजपीठनिवेशितनिजा सदाशिवपतिव्रतायै श्रितायै संप्रदायेश्वर्य ७१० राज्यलक्ष्म्यै *साधुने कोशनाथाय ६९० चतुरइपलेश्चय गुरुमण्डलरूपिण्यै साम्राज्यदायिन्यै कुलोत्तीय सत्यसन्धायै भगाराध्यायै सागरमेखलायें मायाय दीक्षितायै मधुमत्यै दैत्यशमन्ये मह * साध्वी इत्यत्र 'साधुने नमः, यै नमः' इति द्वे नामानी माष्यकार: स्वीकृतो 'ये नमः इत्यस्य विष्णुभगिनीरूपाय नमः इत्यों विकृतः ।।

·श्रीललितासहस्रनामावलिः 141 ओं गणाम्बायै नमः ओं रम्भादिवन्दितायै नमः गुह्यकाराध्याय ७२० मवदावसुधावृष्टयै कोमलायै पापारण्यदवानलाय गुरुप्रियायै दौर्माग्यतूलयातूलायै स्वतन्त्रायै जराध्वान्तरविप्रमाये सर्वतन्तेश्यै भाग्याब्धिचन्द्रिकाये दक्षिणामूर्तिरूपिण्यै भक्तचित्तकेकिषनाघनाये सनकादिसमाराध्यापै रोगपर्वतदम्मोलये शिवज्ञानप्रदायिन्यै मृत्युदारुकुछारिकाये चित्कलायै महेश्वर्यै ७५० आनन्दकलिकायै महाकाल्यै प्रेमरूपायै ७३० महारासायै प्रिय महाशनायै नामपारायणप्रीतायै अपर्णायै नन्दिविद्यायै चण्डिकायै नटेश्वयै चण्डमुण्डासुरनिपुदिन्यै मिथ्याजगदधिष्ठानाये क्षराक्षरात्मिकाये मुक्तिदायै सर्वलोकेश्य मुक्तिरूपिण्यै विश्वधारिण्यै लास्यप्रियायै त्रिवर्गदायै ७६० लयका सुमगायै लजायै ७४० ज्यम्बकायै ·142 श्रीललितासहस्रनामावलिः ओं त्रिगुणात्मिकायै नमः भो मार्ताण्डभैरवाराध्यायै नमः स्वर्गापवर्गदायै मन्त्रिणीन्यस्तराज्यधुरे शुद्धायै त्रिपुरेश्य जपापुष्पनिमाकृतये जयत्सेनाये ओजोवत्यै निश्गुण्यायै धतिधराये परापरायै ७९० यज्ञरूपायै सत्यज्ञानानन्दरूपाय प्रियव्रताये ७७० सामरस्यपरायणायै दुराराध्याय कपर्दिन्यै दुराधर्षये कलामालाये पाटलीकुसुमप्रियायै कामदुहे महत्यै कामरूपिण्यै मेरुनिलयायै कलानिधये मन्दारकुसुमप्रियायै काव्यकलायै वीराराध्याय रसज्ञायै विराडूपायै रसशेवधये ८०० विरजायै पुष्टायै विश्वतोमुख्यै ७८० पुरातनायै प्रत्यग्ररूपायै पूज्यायै पराकाशायै पुष्करायै प्राणदाय पुष्करेक्षणायै प्राणरूपिण्यै परस्मै ज्योति ·श्रीललितासहस्रनामावलिः 143 ओं परस्मै धाने नमः ओं प्रतिष्ठायै नमः परमाणवे प्रकटाकृतये ८३० परात्परायै प्राणेश्चय पाशहस्तायै ८१० प्राणदात्र्यै पाशहल्यै पञ्चाशत्पीउरूपिण्यै परमन्त्रविभेदिन्यै विशृङ्खलायै मूर्तायै विविक्तस्थायै अमूर्तीय वीरमाने अनित्यतृप्तायै वियत्प्रसुवे मुनिमानसहंसिकायै मुकुन्दाय सत्यनतायै मुक्तिनिलयायै सत्यरूपायै मूलविग्रहरूपिण्यै सर्वान्तर्यामिन्यै भावज्ञायै सत्यै ८२० भवरोगन्यै ब्रह्माण्यै भवचक्रप्रवर्तिन्यै ब्रह्मणे छन्दस्सारायै जनन्यै शास्त्रसारायै बहुरूपायै सन्त्रतारायै बुधार्चितायै तलोदर्य प्रसविध्यै उदारकीतये प्रचण्डायै उद्दामवैभवाय याज्ञायै वर्णरूपिण्यै ८५० ·144 स्वात्मारामाये श्रीललितासहस्रनामावलिः यो जन्ममृत्युजरातप्तजन ओं बहिर्मुखसुदुर्लभायै नमः विश्रान्निदायिन्यै नमः अय्य सर्वोपनिषदुधुपायै निवर्गनिलयायै शान्त्यतीतकलात्मिकायै त्रिस्थायै गम्भीरायै त्रिपुरमालिन्यै गगनान्तरस्थायै निरामयायै गर्वितायै निरालम्बायै गानलोलुपायै कल्पनारहितायै सुधारत्यै काष्ठायै संसारपङ्कनिर्ममसमुद्ध- अकान्तायै ८६० रणपण्डितायै ८८० कान्ताधविग्रहाये यज्ञप्रियायै कार्यकारणनिर्मुक्तायै यज्ञकन्य कामकेलितरङ्गितायै यजमानस्वरूपिण्यै धर्माधारायै कनकनकताटवायै लीलाविग्रहधारिण्यै धनाध्यक्षायै धनधान्यविवर्धिन्यै विप्रप्रियायै क्षयविनिमुक्तायै विप्ररूपायै मुग्धायै विश्वभ्रमणकारिण्यै क्षिप्रसादिन्यै विश्वग्रासायै अन्तर्मुखसमाराध्याय ८७० विद्रमामायै अजायै ·145 श्रीललितासहस्रनामावलिः ओं वैष्णव्यै नमः ओं स्वस्थाये नमः विष्णुरूपिण्यै स्वभावमधुरायै अयोन्यै धरायै योनिनिलयायै धीरसमर्चितायै कूटस्थायै चैतन्यायसमाराध्याय कुलरूपिण्यै चैतन्यकुसुमप्रियायै वीरगोष्ठीप्रियायै सदोदितायै ९२० वीरायै सदातुष्टाय नैष्कायै ९०० तरुणादित्यपाटलायै नादरूपिण्यै दक्षिणादक्षिणाराध्याय विज्ञानकलनायै दरस्मेरमुखाम्बुजायै कल्यायै कौलिनीकेवलायै विदग्धायै अनयकैवल्यपददायिन्यै चैन्दवासनायै स्तोत्रप्रियायै तत्त्वाधिकार्य स्तुतिमत्यै तत्त्वमथ्य अतिसंस्तुतवैभवायै तत्वमर्थस्वरूपिण्यै मनस्विन्यै ९३० सामगानप्रियायै मानवत्यै सौम्यायै महेश्य सदाशिवकुटुम्बिन्य महलाकृत्य मध्यापसव्यमार्गस्थायै विश्वमात्रे सर्वापद्विनिवारिण्यै जगद्धात्र्यै 10 ·146 ९६० श्रीललितासहस्रनामावलिः ओं विशालाक्ष्य ममः ओं धर्मिण्ये नमः विरागिण्य धर्मवर्धिन्य प्रगल्भाये लोकातीताये परमोदारायै गुणातीतायै परामोदायै ९४० सर्वातीतायै मनोमय्य शमात्मिकाये व्योमकेश्यै पन्धककुसुमप्रख्यायै विमानस्थायै चालायै वजिण्यै लीलाविनोदिन्यै वामकेश्चय सुमहत्यै पञ्चयज्ञप्रियायै सुखकरें पञ्चप्रेतमयाधिशायिन्यै सुवेपाध्याय पञ्चम्यै सुवासिन्यै ९७० पञ्चभूतेश्य सुवासिन्यर्चनप्रीतायै पञ्चसहयोपचारिण्यै ९५० आशोमनायै शाश्वत्यै शुद्धमानसायै शाश्वतैश्वर्याय बिन्दुतर्पणसन्तुष्टाये पूर्वजायै शर्मदायै त्रिपुराम्बिकायै शम्भुमोहिन्यै दशमुद्रासमाराध्यायै धराय त्रिपुराश्रीवशद घरसुतायै ज्ञानमुद्रायै धन्यायै ज्ञानगम्यायै

·147
नमः
श्रीललितासहस्रनामावलिः
ओंज्ञानज्ञेयस्वरूपिण्यै
नमः बों पडध्वातीतरूपिण्यै
योनिमुद्रायै
अव्याजकरुणामूर्तये
विखण्डेश्य
अज्ञानध्वान्तदीपिकाय
त्रिगुणाये
आनालगोपविदितायै
अम्बाये
सर्वानुलायशासनाये
त्रिकोणगाये
श्रीचकराजनिलयायै
अनघाय
श्रीमत्रिपुरसुन्दर्य
अद्भुतचारित्रायै
श्रीशिवाय
वान्छितार्थनदायिन्यै शिवशक्त्यैक्यरूपिण्यै
अम्यासातिशयज्ञातायै ९९० ललिताम्बिकायै १०००
॥ इति श्रीललितासहस्रनामावलिः सम्पूर्णा ॥

·॥ फलश्रुतिः ॥ इत्येतन्नामसाहस्रं कथितं ते घटोद्भव । रहस्यानां रहस्यं च ललिताप्रीतिदायकम् ।। १ ।। अनेन सहमं स्तोत्रं न भूतं न भविष्यति । सर्वरोगप्रशमनं सर्वसम्पत्प्रवर्धनम् ॥ २ ॥ सर्वापमृत्युशमनं कालमृत्युनिवारणम् । सर्वज्वरार्तिशमनं दीर्घायुष्यप्रदायकम् ।। ३ ॥ पुत्रप्रदमपुत्राणां पुरुपार्थप्रदायकम् । इदं विशेपाच्छोदेव्याः स्तोत्रं प्रीतिविधायकम् । जपेन्नित्यं प्रयत्नेन ललितोपास्तितत्परः ॥ ४ ॥ प्रातः स्नात्वा विधानेन सन्ध्याकर्म समाप्य च । पूजागृहं ततो गत्वा चक्रराजं समर्चयेत् ॥ ५ ॥ विद्यां जपेत् सहस्र वा त्रिशतं शतमेव चा । रहस्यनाममाहस्रमिदं पश्चात् पठेन्नरः ।। ६ ।। जन्ममध्ये सञ्चापि य एवं पठते सुधीः । तस्य पुण्यफलं वक्ष्ये शृणु त्वं कुम्भसम्भव ॥ ७ ॥ गङ्गादिसर्वतीर्थेषु यः स्नायात् कोटिजन्मसु । कोटिलिगप्रतिष्टां च यः फुर्यादविमुक्तके ॥ ८ ॥ फुरुक्षेत्रे तु यो दद्यात् कोटिवारं रविग्रहे। कोटि सौवर्णभाराणां श्रोत्रियेपु द्विजन्मसु ॥ ९ ॥ यः कोटि हयमेधानामाहरेदागरोधसि । पाचरेत् कूपकोटीर्यो निर्जले मरुभूतले ॥ १० ॥ 11 ·150 श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रे दुर्भिक्षे यः प्रतिदिनं कोटिब्राह्मणभोजनम् । श्रद्धया परया कुर्यात् सहस्रपरिवत्सरान् ॥ ११ ॥ तत्पुण्यं कोटिगुणितं लभेत् पुण्यमनुत्तमम् । रहस्यनामसाहस्र नाम्नोऽप्येकस्य कीर्तनात् ॥ १२ ॥ रहस्यनामसाहले नामैकमपि यः पठेत् । तस्य पापानि नश्यन्ति महान्त्यपि न संशयः १३ ॥ नित्यकर्माननुष्ठानान्निपिद्धकरणादपि । यत्पापं जायते पुंसां तत्सर्वं नश्यति द्रुतम् ।। १४ ॥ चहुनात्र किमुक्तेन शृणु त्वं कुम्भसम्भव । अत्रैकनाम्नो या शक्तिः पातकानां निवर्तने । तभिवर्त्यमघं कर्तुं नालं लोकाश्चतुर्दश ।। १५ ।। यरत्यक्त्वा नामसाहस्रं पापहानिमभीप्सति । स हि शीतनिवृत्त्यर्थ हिमशैलं निपेवते ॥ १६ ॥ भक्तो यः कीर्तयेन्नित्यमिदं नामसहस्रकम् । तस्मै श्रीललितादेवी प्रीताभीष्टं प्रयच्छति ।। १७ ।। अकीर्तयन्निदं स्तोत्रं कथं भक्तो भविष्यति । नित्यं सङ्कीर्तनाशक्तः कीर्तयेत् पुण्यवासरे ॥ १८ ।। सक्रान्ती विपुत्रे चैव स्वजन्मत्रितयेऽयने । नवम्यां वा चतुर्दश्यां सितायां शुक्रवासरे । नामसाहस्रं पौर्णमास्यां विशेषतः ॥ १९ ॥ पौर्णमास्यां चन्द्रविम्वे ध्यात्वा श्रीललिताम्विकाम् । पञ्चोपचारः सम्पूज्य पठेन्नामसहस्रकम् ।। २० ।।

·151 फलश्रुतिः सर्वे रोगाः प्रणश्यन्ति दीर्घमायुश्च विन्दति । अयमायुष्करो नाम प्रयोगः कल्पनोदितः ॥ २१ ।। ज्वरात शिरसि पृष्टा पठेन्नामसहस्रकम् । तत्क्षणात प्रशमं याति शिरतोदो ज्वरोऽपि च ।। २२ ।। सर्वव्याधिनिवृत्त्यर्थ स्पृष्ट्वा भरम जपेदिदम् । तद्भरमधारणादेव नश्यन्ति व्याघयः क्षणात् ।। २३ ॥ जलं सम्मन्त्र्य फुम्भस्थं नामसाहस्रतो मुने । अभिपिञ्चेद्गृहप्रस्तान् ग्रहा नश्यन्ति तत्क्षणात् ।। २४ ।। सुधासागरमन्यस्थां ध्यात्वा श्रीललिताम्बिकाम् । यः पठेन्नामसाहस्रं विपं तस्य विनश्यति ।। २५ ।। वन्ध्यानां पुत्रलाभाय नामसाहस्रमरित्रतम । नवनीतं प्रदद्यात्तु पुत्रलाभो भवेध्रुवम् ॥ २६ ।। देव्याः पाशेन सम्बद्धामाकृष्टामङ्कुशेन च । ध्यानाभीष्टां त्रियं रात्री पठेन्नामसहस्रकम् । आयाति घसमीपं सा यद्यप्यत्तःपुरं गता ॥ २७ ॥ राजाकर्पणकामश्चेद्राजावसथदिङ्मुसः । त्रिरात्रं यः पठे देतन्डीदेवीध्यानतत्परः ।। २८ ।। स राजा पारवश्येन तुरझं वा मतङ्गजन् । आरुह्यायाति निकट दासनत् प्रणिपत्य च । तस्मै राज्यं च कोशं च ददात्येव वशं गतः ।। २९ ।। रहस्यनामसाहनं यः कीर्तयति नित्यशः । तन्मुसालोक्मात्रेण मुह्येलोकत्रयं मुने ॥ ३० ॥ 1. नोदितः उत्त इत्यर्थ इति भाष्ये दृश्यते ।

·152 श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रे यस्त्विदं नामसाहस्रं सत् पठति भक्तिमान् । तस्य ये शत्रवस्तेषां निहन्ता शरगेश्वरः ॥ ३१ ॥ यो वाभिचारं कुरुते नामसाहस्रपाठके । निवर्त्य तत्नियां हन्यात्तं वै प्रत्यङ्गिराः स्वयम् ॥ ३२ ॥ ये क्रूरदृष्ट्या वीक्षन्ते नामसाहस्रपाठकम् । तानन्धान कुरुते क्षिप्रं स्वयं मार्ताण्डभैरवः ॥ ३३ ॥ धनं यो हरते चोरैर्नामसाहस्रजापिनः । यत्र कुत्र स्थितं वापि क्षेत्रपालो निहन्ति तम् ॥ ३४ ॥ विद्यासु कुरुते वादं यो विद्वान्नामजापिना । तस्य वावरतम्भनं सद्य, पोति नकुलेश्वरी!! ३५॥ यो राजा फुरुते वै नामसाहस्रजापिना । चतुरगवलं तस्य दण्डिनी संहरेत् स्वयम् ॥ ३६ ।। यः पठेन्नामसाहस्रं पण्मासं भक्तिसंयुतः। लक्ष्मीश्वाञ्चल्यरहिता सदा तिष्ठति तद्गृहे ।। ३७ ॥ मासमेकं प्रतिदिन निवारं यः पठेन्नरः । भारती तत्य जिह्वाग्रे रङ्गे नृत्यति नित्यशः ॥ ३८ ।। यस्त्वेकवारं पठति पक्षमात्रमतन्द्रितः । मुह्यन्ति कामवागा मृगाक्ष्यस्तस्य वीक्षणात् ।। ३९ ॥ यः पठेन्नामसाहस्रं जन्ममध्ये सकृन्नरः । तद्दष्टिगोचराः सर्वे मुच्यन्ते सर्वकिल्विपैः ।। ४० ॥ यो वेत्ति नामसाहनं तस्मै देयं द्विजन्मने । अन्नं वस्त्रं धन धान्यं नान्येभ्यस्तु कदाचन ॥ ४१ ।।

·153 पालश्रुतिः श्रीमन्त्रराज यो वेत्ति श्रीचक्रं यः समर्चति । यः कीर्तयति नामानि तं सत्पात्रं विदुर्बुधाः । तस्मै देयं प्रयत्नेन श्रीदेवीप्रीतिमिच्छता ॥ ४२ ।। न कीर्तयति नामानि मन्त्रराजन वेत्ति यः । पशुतुल्यः स विज्ञेयस्तरमै दत्तं निरर्थकम् ॥ ४३ ॥ परीक्ष्य विद्याविदुपस्तेभ्यो दयाद्विचक्षणः । श्रीमन्त्रराजसदृशो यथा मन्त्रो न विद्यते ॥४४॥ देवता ललितातुल्या यथा नास्ति घटोद्भव । रहस्यनामसाहस्रतुल्या नारित तथा स्तुतिः ॥ ४५ लिखित्वा पुरतके यस्तु नामसाहस्रमुत्तमम् । समर्चयेत् सदा भक्त्या तस्य तुष्यति सुन्दरी ।। ४६ ॥ बहुनात्र किमुक्तेन शृणु त्वं कुम्भसम्भव । नानेन सदृश स्तोत्रं सर्वतन्त्रेषु दृश्यते । तस्मादुपासको नित्यं कीर्तयेदिदभादरात् ॥ ४७ ॥ एभिर्नामसहस्रैस्तु श्रीचक्रं योऽर्चयेत् सकृत् । पौर्वा तुलसीपुष्पैः कल्हारा कदम्यकैः ।। ४८ ॥ चम्पकैर्जातिकुसुममल्लिकाकरवीरफैः । उत्पलबिल्वपत्रैर्या कुन्दकेसरपाटलैः ।। ४९ ॥ अन्यैः सुगन्धिकुसुमैः केतकीमाधवीमुखैः । तस्य पुण्यफलं परतुं न शक्नोति महेश्वरः ॥ ५० ॥ सा वेत्ति ललितादेवी स्वचक्रार्चनजं फलम् । अन्ये कथं विजानीयुर्ब्रह्माद्याः स्वल्पमेधसः ।। ५१ ।।

·154 श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रे प्रतिमास पौर्णमास्यामेभिर्नामसहस्रकै । रानी यश्चक्रराजस्थामर्चयेत् परदेवताम् ।। ५२ ॥ स एव ललितारूपस्तद्रूपा ललिता स्वयम् । न तयोवियते भेदो भेदकृत् पापकृद्भवेत् ॥ ५३ ॥ महानवम्या यो भक्त श्रीदेवी चक्रमध्यगाम् । अर्चयेन्नामसाहौरतस्य मुक्ति करे स्थिता ।। ५४ ।। यस्तु नामसहस्त्रेण शुक्रवारे समर्चयेत् । चकाराजे महादेवीं तस्य पुण्यफल शृणु ॥ ५५ ॥ सर्वान् कामानवाप्येह सर्वसौभाग्यसयुत । पुत्रपौत्रादिसयुक्तो भुक्त्वा भोगान् यथेप्सितान् ।। ५६ ।। अन्ते श्रीललितादेव्या सायुज्यमतिदुर्लभम् । प्रार्थनीय शिवाद्यैश्च प्राप्नोत्येव न सशय ॥ ५७ ।। य सहस्र ब्राह्मणानामेभिर्नामसहस्रके । समर्च्य भोजयेद्भक्त्या पायसापूपपड्सै ॥ ५८ ॥ तस्मै प्रीणाति ललिता स्वसाम्राज्य प्रयन्छति । न तस्य दुर्लभ वस्तु निपु रोकेपु विद्यते ।। ५९ ।। निष्काम कीर्तयेद्यस्तु नामसाहस्रमुत्तमम । ब्रह्मज्ञानमवाप्नोति येन मुन्येत बन्धनात् ।। ६० ।। धनार्थी धनमाप्नोति यशोऽर्थी चाप्नुयाद्या । विद्यार्थी चाप्नुयाद्विद्या नामसाहस्रकीर्तनात् ।। ६१ ॥ नानेन सदृश स्तोन भोगमोक्षप्रद मुने । कीर्तनीयमिद तस्माद्भोगमोक्षार्थिभिनर ।। ६२ ॥

·155 फलश्रुतिः चतुराश्रमनिटच कीर्तनीयमिदं सदा । स्वधर्मसमनुष्ठानबैकल्पपरिपूर्तये ।। ६३ कलो पापैकबहुले धर्मानुष्ठानवजिते । नामानुकीर्तनं मुफ्त्वा नृणां नान्यत् परायणम् ॥ ६४ ।। लौकिकाद्वचनान्मुरयं विष्णुनामानुफीर्तनम् । विष्णुनामसहस्राच शिवनामैकमुत्तमम् ।। ६५ ॥ शिवनामसहसाच देव्या नामैकमुत्तमम् । देवीनामसहस्राणि कोटिशः सन्ति कुम्भज ।। ६६ ।। तेषु मुख्य दशविध नामसाहस्रमुच्यते । रहस्पनामसाहस्रमिदं शरतं दशावपि । तस्मात् संकीर्तयेन्नित्यं कलिदोपनिवृत्तये ।। ६७ ॥ मुख्यं श्रीमातृनामेति न जानन्ति विमोहिताः । विष्णुनामरताः केचिच्छिचनामपराः परे । न कश्चिदपि लोकेपु ललितानामतत्परः ।। ६८ ।। येनान्यदेवतानाम कीर्तितं जन्मकोटिपु । तस्यैर भवति श्रद्धा श्रीदेवीनामकीर्तने ।। ६९ ।। चरमे जन्मनि यथा श्रीविद्योपासको भवेत् । नामसाहस्रपाठश्च तथा चरमजन्मनि ॥ ७ ॥ यथैव विरला लोके श्रीविद्याचारवेदिनः । तथैव विरला गुह्यनामसाहस्रपाठकः ॥ ७१ ॥ मन्त्रराजजपश्चैव चक्रराजार्चनं तथा । रहस्यनामपाठश्च नास्पस्य तपसः फलम् ॥ ७२ ।।

·156 श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रे अपठन्नामसाहस्रं प्रीणग्रेद्यो महेश्वरीम् । स चक्षुषा विना रुपं पश्येदेव विमूढधीः ॥ ७३ ।। रहस्यनामसाहस्रं त्यक्त्वा यः सिद्धिकामुकः । स भोजनं विना नून निवृत्तिमभीप्सति ।। ७४ ।। यो भक्तो ललितादेव्याः स नित्यं कीर्तयेदिदम् । नान्यथा प्रीयते देवी कल्पकोटिशतैरपि । तस्माद्रहस्यनामानि श्रीमातुः प्रयतः पठेत् ॥ ७५ ।। इति ते कथित रतोत्रं रहस्य कुम्भसम्भव । नाविद्यावेदिने ब्यानाभक्ताय कदाचन ।। ४६ ॥ यथैव गोप्या श्रीविद्या तथा गोप्यमिदं मुने । पशुतुल्येषु न व्याजनेषु स्तोत्रमुत्तमम् ।। ७७ ॥ यो ददाति विमूढात्मा श्रीविद्यारहिताय तु । तस्मै फुप्यन्ति योगिन्यः सोऽनर्थः सुमहान् रमृतः । रहस्यनामसाहस्रं तस्मात् संगोपवेदिदम् ॥ ७८ ॥ स्वतन्त्रेण मया नोक्तं तवापि कलझोद्भव । ललिताप्रेरणादेव मयोक्तं रसोत्रमुत्तमम् ।। ७१ ।। कीर्तनीयमिदं भवत्या कुम्भयोने निरन्तरम् । तेन तुष्टा महादेवी तवाभीष्टं प्रदास्यति ॥ ८॥ श्रीसूत उवाच- इत्युक्त्वा श्रीहयग्रीवो ध्यात्वा श्रीललिताम्बिकाम् । आनन्दमन्नहृदयः सद्यः पुलकितोऽभयत् ॥ ८१ ।। ॥ इति श्रीब्रह्माण्डपुराणे उत्तरखण्डे श्रीहयग्रीवागत्यसंवादे : श्रीललितारहस्यनामसाहस्रफलनिरूपणं नाम फलश्रुतिः सम्पूर्ण ।