Lalitha sahasranama Introduction

SuklAmbara-dharam-viShNum-SaSi-varNam-caturbhujam|

prasanna-vadanam-dhyAyEt-sarva-vighnOpaSAntayE||

SrI gurbhyOnamaH

namaskAram

God incarnation Sri Adi Sankara Bhagavatpada, while praying to Ambal, humbly submitted to Her using the phrase SrutInAmagamyE suvEdAgamajna. In contrast,  I am a very ordinary person and am ajnana personified. I believe that, it is beyond my capacity to even think of venturing into this task of interpreting Ambal’s sahasra namas. However, I am entirely convinced that, She is the one, who is guiding my thoughts.

In spite of my ajnana, I am praying to her

sarvacaitanya rUpAm tAm AdyAm vidyAm

ca dhImahI  budhiM yA naH pracOdayAt

before venturing into this bruhat karya.

As Maha-bhaktha-kavi Kalidas prayed to Amma

cETI bhavannikhila khETI kadamba vanavATIShu nAki paTalI

kOTIra cArutara kOTI maNI kiraNa kOTI karambita padA|

paTIragamdhi kucaSATI kavitva paripATI magAdhipa sutA

ghOTIkhurAdadhika dhATI mudAra mukha viTIrasEna tautAm || 

(dEvi aSvadhATI)

I also pray to Her for fluent writing skills!!

vaMdE gajEndra vadanam| vAmAnkArUDha vallabhASliSHTam|

kuMkuma parAga SONam| kuvalayanIjAra kOrakApIDam||

 (AryA dviSati)

tanyatE vistArayatE iti tantra - Tantra is one which describes an elaborate procedure for any prayer, japa, yaga, homa etc., Several tanras for both aihika and paaramaardhika pleasures are available in our sastras. There was a time when these tantras were such that, they either grant only iha-loka pleasures or only para-loka  pleasures. Adi Sankara in Soundaryalahari mentions that, it is at this time Amma requested Pasupathi for a tantra that grants both to her devotees (catuShaShTya tantraiH sakalam -Soundarya Lahari). 

varNitam naivam SakyEyam SrIvidyAShODaSaksharI|

brahmavidyA svarUPa hi bhukti-mukti-phala-prada||

 (vamakESvara tamtra)

Such a tantra named Sri-Vidya which gives both bhukti and mukti was given by Parama Siva in Dakshinamurthy svarupa. Brahma vidya is the one, which teaches that the entire mobile, immobile, visible, invisible creation is from the one and only one Sat-Cit-Ananda-Brahma. Since SriVidya given by Dakshinamurthy is a tantra that ultimately enlightens the sadhaka with such EkamEvadvitIyam Brahma, the eternal truth, it is considered to be a Brahma vidya. 

SriVidya is taught by Dakshinamurthy, who is Brahma-vidya personified. Lalita sahasranama stotra is like a sutra to SriVidya. Several details pertaining to SriVidya and related mantra rahasyas are hidden in this stotra. The episode of Hayagriva svami teaching Lalita sahasranama to Lopamudra-pati, Agastya muni is narrated in Brahmanda purana.

Sastras are of two types. One explicit, the other being subtle. Explicit or prakata sastras deal with the science of objects that could be perceived with indriyas. Subtle sastras or guhya or rahasya sastras on the other hand, go beyond the perception of indriyas. Guhya, guhya-tara, guhya-tama are secretive, more secretive and most secretive, respectively. For example, dharma sastras are guhya sastras, mantra sastras are guhya-tara while Brahma vidya and tattva vidya are guhya tama sastras. Since the Lalita sahasranama stotra has all the three, it is referred to as a rahasya sahasranama stotra.

Just reciting the stotra mechanically is an effort in futility. There are enough electrical/electronic players for this purpose. One must do the stotra parayana with sraddha. 

yadEva vidyayA karOti ShraddhayOpaniShadA tadEva vIryavattaram bhavati

chAndOgyOpanishad (1.1.10)

Involvement with utmost dedication is Sraddha. Let us do the sAdhana of trying to understand these namas with Sraddha. SrI tyAgarAja sang talapulanni nilipi nimiShamaina tAraka rUpuni nija tattvamulanu telisi rama ciMtana sEyavE O! manasA!! In a similar way, as we try to understand the stotra, if we are able to fix our minds on Amma with at least one nama, I would consider the purpose of this bruhat kAryam to have been served.

Praying that She blesses me to complete this pavitra and punya karyam successfully,

SrImAtrEnamaH