Lalitā Sahasranāma — Part XXII (Final) — Nāmas 949–1000 (Ślokas 175–183): Beyond the Worlds, the Lamp in the Dark, and the Union of Śiva and Śakti

Part XXII of the complete Vedāntic and Śrī-Vidyā commentary on the 1000 names of the Divine Mother. Nāmas 949–1000 (Ślokas 175–183): Beyond the Worlds, the Lamp in the Dark, and the Union of Śiva and Śakti

Part XXII (Final) — Nāmas 949–1000 (Ślokas 175–183): Beyond the Worlds, the Lamp in the Dark, and the Union of Śiva and Śakti

ॐ श्रीमात्रे नमः · oṃ śrīmātre namaḥ

Beyond the worlds, the lamp in the dark, and the union of Śiva and Śakti

Part XXII completes the edition — the final fifty-two names, nine ślokas, rising to the supreme close. The hymn gathers its great themes one last time. She is the Fifth, the Lady of the five elements, worshipped by the five offerings; the eternal, of eternal sovereignty, the giver of bliss, the bewitcher of Śambhu. She is the Earth, the daughter of the mountain, the blessed, the embodiment of dharma and its increaser — and then the great transcendence-triad: Lokātītā (beyond the worlds), Guṇātītā (beyond the guṇas), Sarvātītā (beyond all), of the nature of peace. She is bright as the bandhūka flower, and Bālā — the young Goddess of the first Śrī-Vidyā mantra; fond of play, auspicious, joy-giving, beautifully adorned, the woman of grace whose worship pleases her, supremely beautiful, pure of mind, content with the offering at the bindu, the first-born, Tripurāmbikā. She is worshipped by the ten mudrās, the subjugator of Tripurā-śrī; and the three knowledge-names — the knowledge-seal, the reachable-by-knowledge, the very form of knower-and-known. She is the yoni-mudrā, the Lady of the three sections, Mother of the three guṇas, dwelling in the triangle; the sinless, of wondrous deeds, the granter of every wish. She is known through intense practice, beyond the six paths; her compassion is without pretext, and she is the lamp that dispels the darkness of ignorance. She is known even to children and cowherds, her command transgressed by none; she dwells in the sovereign Śrī Cakra — and is Śrīmat-tripura-sundarī, the divine Beauty of the Three Cities, the great name under which the whole hymn was first invoked. And then the supreme triple close: Śrī-śivā (the blessed Śivā, identical with Śiva); Śiva-śakty-aikya-rūpiṇī (whose form is the very union of Śiva and Śakti — the non-dual summit of the entire hymn); and, as the thousandth name, Lalitāmbikā — the Mother who is Lalitā, “She who plays,” for whom the creation, sustenance, and dissolution of all the worlds is sport; the easily-approachable Mother in whom the thousand names come to rest. With her name the hymn closes and the circle joins: the Goddess first named Śrīmātā (the Holy Mother, nāma 1) is last named Lalitāmbikā (the playful Mother, nāma 1000) — the Mother at the beginning and the Mother at the end, and all the thousand names her own.

॥ श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रम् ॥

The Thousand Names — Ślokas 175–183 (Nāmas 949–1000): The Completion of the Hymn

Śloka 175

पञ्चमी पञ्चभूतेशी पञ्च-सङ्ख्योपचारिणी ।
शाश्वती शाश्वतैश्वर्या शर्मदा शम्भुमोहिनी ॥ १७५॥

pañcamī pañca-bhūteśī pañca-saṅkhyopacāriṇī |
śāśvatī śāśvataiśvaryā śarmadā śambhu-mohinī ǁ 175 ǁ

The hymn enters its final movement. The “pañca-” (five) cluster gathers the fivefold structure of manifestation — the five elements, the fivefold worship — and then the eternal-names and the bewitcher of Śambhu (Śiva), recalling that the supreme Śakti enchants even the supreme Lord.

949. पञ्चमी — Pañcamī

Translation: Pañcamī — the Fifth; (the fifth among the great powers / the fifth state).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Pañcamī — “the Fifth.” The apavāda: read on several levels — the fifth of the great Śaktis (after the four directional powers, she is the central fifth); the fifth state of consciousness (the turīyātīta, beyond even the fourth, turīya — recall the Māṇḍūkya four states; she is the fifth, beyond the fourth); and Sadāśiva is the fifth of the five Brahmās (Pañca-preta just named, 948). The supreme as the transcendent fifth — beyond the four of every fourfold scheme.

Śrī Vidyā: Pañcamī is the Fifth; the Goddess as the transcendent fifth — the fifth great Śakti, the fifth state (turīyātīta, beyond the fourth; cf. the Māṇḍūkya four states), beyond every fourfold scheme.

950. पञ्चभूतेशी — Pañca-bhūteśī

Translation: Pañca-bhūteśī — the sovereign (īśī) of the five elements (pañca-bhūta: earth, water, fire, air, ether).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “sovereign of the five elements.” The apavāda: the pañca-bhūta — earth, water, fire, air, ether (ākāśa) — are the five gross elements of which the material world is built; she rules them all (recall Viyat-prasūḥ, mother of space, 837; the elements arising from her). The whole material cosmos, in its five-element structure, is under her sway — and is her body.

Śrī Vidyā: Pañca-bhūteśī is sovereign of the five elements (earth, water, fire, air, ether); the Goddess ruling the material cosmos in its five-element structure (cf. Viyat-prasūḥ, 837) — the elements her body.

951. पञ्चसङ्ख्योपचारिणी — Pañca-saṅkhyopacāriṇī

Translation: Pañca-saṅkhyopacāriṇī — worshipped with the five (pañca-saṅkhya) offerings (upacāra).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “worshipped with the five offerings.” The apavāda: the pañcopacāra are the five basic offerings of pūjā — gandha (sandal-paste), puṣpa (flower), dhūpa (incense), dīpa (lamp), naivedya (food-offering) — corresponding to the five elements (earth-scent, ether-flower, fire-lamp, etc.). She is worshipped by these (recall Caitanyārghya-samārādhyā, the inner offering of consciousness, 918). The fivefold worship, outer and inner, reaches her.

Śrī Vidyā: Pañca-saṅkhyopacāriṇī is worshipped with the five offerings (the pañcopacāra: gandha, puṣpa, dhūpa, dīpa, naivedya, corresponding to the five elements); the Goddess reached by the fivefold worship (cf. the inner offering of Caitanyārghya-samārādhyā, 918).

952. शाश्वती — Śāśvatī

Translation: Śāśvatī — the eternal; the perpetual, the everlasting.

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Śāśvatī — “the eternal.” The apavāda: śāśvata is the perpetual, the everlasting, the timeless (the Gītā's śāśvata, of the imperishable Self; recall Nityā, the eternal, śloka 45; Anādi-nidhanā). The supreme abides beyond time — neither beginning nor ending, the ever-enduring (paired with Śāśvataiśvaryā next: eternal, and of eternal sovereignty).

Śrī Vidyā: Śāśvatī is the eternal; the Goddess timeless and everlasting (the Gītā's śāśvata; cf. Nityā, śloka 45; Anādi-nidhanā) — beyond beginning and ending.

953. शाश्वतैश्वर्या — Śāśvataiśvaryā

Translation: Śāśvataiśvaryā — of eternal (śāśvata) sovereignty/lordship (aiśvarya).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: Her sovereignty is “eternal.” The apavāda: paired with Śāśvatī — not only is she eternal, her aiśvarya (lordship, sovereign power) is eternal too; her rule does not begin or end, unlike the rule of kings and even gods (Indra's reign ends; hers does not, recall Maheśī, Sarveśvarī). Eternal being, and eternal dominion.

Śrī Vidyā: Śāśvataiśvaryā is of eternal sovereignty; the Goddess whose lordship (aiśvarya) does not begin or end (unlike the rule of kings and gods; cf. Maheśī, 933) — eternal being and eternal dominion.

954. शर्मदा — Śarma-dā

Translation: Śarma-dā — the giver (dā) of happiness/bliss/refuge (śarman).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “the giver of śarman.” The apavāda: śarman is happiness, welfare, refuge, blessing (the word at the end of every brahmin's name — “-śarman” — invoking blessing); she gives it (recall Sukha-karī, the maker of happiness, to come; Saukhya-dāyinī). The Goddess as the bestower of true happiness and refuge — the welfare of all beings her gift.

Śrī Vidyā: Śarma-dā is the giver of happiness/refuge (śarman); the Goddess as the bestower of true welfare and blessing (cf. Sukha-karī; Saukhya-dāyinī) — the happiness of all beings her gift.

955. शम्भुमोहिनी — Śambhu-mohinī

Translation: Śambhu-mohinī — the enchantress (mohinī) of Śambhu (Śiva).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “the bewitcher of Śambhu.” The apavāda: Śambhu (“the benevolent”) is a great name of Śiva; she enchants even him — the supreme Śakti so captivates the supreme Lord that he is drawn to her in the eternal play of love (recall Kāmeśvara, her consort; Śiva-kāmeśvarāṅkasthā; Sarva-mohinī, bewitcher of all, 703). The deepest non-dual reading: Śiva and Śakti, prakāśa and vimarśa, are drawn to one another because they are one — the enchantment is the eternal self-love of the non-dual reality, the sāmarasya (792). The supreme enchants the supreme.

Śrī Vidyā: Śambhu-mohinī is the enchantress of Śambhu (Śiva); the supreme Śakti captivating the supreme Lord in the eternal play of love (cf. Sarva-mohinī, 703; Sāmarasya-parāyaṇā, 792) — the non-dual self-love of Śiva-Śakti, prakāśa and vimarśa drawn together because they are one.

Śloka 176

धरा धरसुता धन्या धर्मिणी धर्मवर्धिनी ।
लोकातीता गुणातीता सर्वातीता शमात्मिका ॥ १७६॥

dharā dhara-sutā dhanyā dharmiṇī dharma-vardhinī |
lokātītā guṇātītā sarvātītā śam-ātmikā ǁ 176 ǁ

The śloka rises to a great transcendence-triad — Lokātītā (beyond the worlds), Guṇātītā (beyond the guṇas), Sarvātītā (beyond all) — the apophatic summit sounded one last time, gathering the whole “niḥ/nir/atīta” privative thread of the hymn. She is beyond the worlds, beyond the modes of nature, beyond everything — and her nature is peace (śam).

956. धरा — Dharā

Translation: Dharā — the Earth; the supporter, the bearer.

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Dharā — “the Earth,” the bearer (from dhṛ, “to hold, support”). The apavāda: the Earth that holds and bears all (recall Mahī, the Earth, 718; Pṛthivī; Sāgara-mekhalā). She is the supporting ground of all that lives — the patient, all-bearing Earth, the Goddess as the very ground beneath one's feet.

Śrī Vidyā: Dharā is the Earth, the bearer (from dhṛ, to support); the Goddess as the all-bearing ground (cf. Mahī, 718; Sāgara-mekhalā) — the patient Earth beneath one's feet.

957. धरसुता — Dhara-sutā

Translation: Dhara-sutā — the daughter (sutā) of the mountain (dhara, “the upholder” = the mountain Himavat).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “the daughter of the mountain” — dhara (“the upholder,” a name of the mountain) being Himavat, the Himālaya; she is his daughter, Pārvatī (recall Śailendra-tanayā, daughter of the king of mountains, śloka 60; Himādri-tanayā; Gaurī). The supreme Goddess, born as the mountain-king's daughter to wed Śiva — the great Purāṇic identity sounded once more near the close.

Śrī Vidyā: Dhara-sutā is the daughter of the mountain (Himavat); the Goddess as Pārvatī (cf. Śailendra-tanayā, śloka 60; Himādri-tanayā) — born the mountain-king's daughter to wed Śiva.

958. धन्या — Dhanyā

Translation: Dhanyā — the blessed, the fortunate; the auspicious; (also) abounding in wealth.

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Dhanyā — “the blessed, the fortunate.” The apavāda: dhanya is the truly fortunate, the blessed, the one whose life has borne fruit (and, from dhana, the wealthy); she is supremely blessed — lacking nothing, fulfilled, the very fortune that makes the fortunate fortunate (recall Subhagā, of auspicious fortune, 761; Dhana-dhānya-vivardhinī). The blessed one, and the source of all blessedness.

Śrī Vidyā: Dhanyā is the blessed/fortunate (and the wealthy); the Goddess as the supremely blessed, the fortune that makes the fortunate fortunate (cf. Subhagā, 761) — source of all blessedness.

959. धर्मिणी — Dharmiṇī

Translation: Dharmiṇī — the upholder/embodiment of dharma; she who is endowed with dharma.

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Dharmiṇī — “endowed with dharma.” The apavāda: dharma is the right order, the law of being (recall Dharmādhārā, foundation of dharma, 884); she is the dharmin, the very substrate in which dharma inheres — the upholder and embodiment of the cosmic and moral law. Where she is, dharma is; her presence is righteousness.

Śrī Vidyā: Dharmiṇī is the upholder/embodiment of dharma (the dharmin in which dharma inheres; cf. Dharmādhārā, 884); the Goddess as the very substrate of the cosmic and moral law — her presence righteousness.

960. धर्मवर्धिनी — Dharma-vardhinī

Translation: Dharma-vardhinī — the increaser (vardhinī) of dharma; she who makes righteousness grow.

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She “increases dharma.” The apavāda: not only the foundation and embodiment of dharma, she causes it to grow — strengthening righteousness in the world and in the heart (recall the Gītā's dharma-saṃsthāpana, the re-establishing of dharma; Dharmādhārā). When dharma declines, she restores and increases it; the flourishing of righteousness is her work.

Śrī Vidyā: Dharma-vardhinī is the increaser of dharma; the Goddess making righteousness grow in world and heart (the Gītā's dharma-saṃsthāpana; cf. Dharmādhārā, 884) — the flourishing of dharma her work.

961. लोकातीता — Lokātītā

Translation: Lokātītā — beyond (atīta) the worlds (loka); transcending all the worlds.

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “beyond the worlds.” The apavāda: loka is world (the fourteen worlds of the cosmology, the realms of every being); she is atīta, gone beyond them all — transcendent of the entire manifest cosmos (recall Bhuvaneśvarī, sovereign of the worlds, yet beyond them; Deśa-kālāparicchinnā). First of the great transcendence-triad: beyond the worlds.

Śrī Vidyā: Lokātītā is beyond the worlds; the Goddess transcendent of the entire manifest cosmos (the fourteen worlds; cf. Deśa-kālāparicchinnā, 701) — first of the transcendence-triad.

962. गुणातीता — Guṇātītā

Translation: Guṇātītā — beyond (atīta) the guṇas (the three modes: sattva, rajas, tamas).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “beyond the guṇas.” The apavāda: the three guṇas (sattva, rajas, tamas) are the modes of prakṛti (recall Tri-guṇātmikā, of the nature of the three, 763; Nistraiguṇyā, beyond the three, 789, the Gītā's guṇātīta); she transcends them — the supreme beyond all modification of nature, the guṇātīta of the Gītā (XIV.25), unmoved by the play of the guṇas. Second of the triad: beyond the modes of nature.

Śrī Vidyā: Guṇātītā is beyond the guṇas (sattva, rajas, tamas); the Goddess transcendent of prakṛti's modes (the Gītā's guṇātīta, XIV.25; cf. Nistraiguṇyā, 789) — second of the transcendence-triad.

963. सर्वातीता — Sarvātītā

Translation: Sarvātītā — beyond (atīta) all (sarva); transcending everything whatsoever.

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “beyond all.” The apavāda: the culmination of the triad — beyond the worlds, beyond the guṇas, and now beyond everything whatsoever; the absolute transcendence, surpassing every category, every name, every form (recall the Great Negation of śloka 44; Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktā, 708; Parāparā, 790). The apophatic summit, sounded one last time: she is beyond all — and yet (the apavāda's return) the all is not other than her. Beyond all, and the being of all.

Śrī Vidyā: Sarvātītā is beyond all; the Goddess as absolute transcendence surpassing every category, name, and form (the apophatic summit; cf. the Great Negation of śloka 44; Parāparā, 790) — beyond all, and yet (the apavāda) the being of all.

964. शमात्मिका — Śam-ātmikā

Translation: Śam-ātmikā — of the nature (ātmikā) of peace/tranquillity (śama).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “of the nature of peace.” The apavāda: after the threefold transcendence, the positive note — her nature is śama, peace, the deep tranquillity that is the supreme's own being (recall Śāntā, the peaceful; Praśāntā; the śānti that the Upaniṣads invoke thrice). The Absolute beyond all is not a void but peace itself — the profound stillness in which all agitation ceases. Beyond all, and peace itself.

Śrī Vidyā: Śam-ātmikā is of the nature of peace (śama); the Goddess as the deep tranquillity that is the supreme's being (cf. Śāntā; the threefold śānti of the Upaniṣads) — the Absolute beyond all not a void but peace itself.

Śloka 177

बन्धूक-कुसुमप्रख्या बाला लीलाविनोदिनी ।
सुमङ्गली सुखकरी सुवेषाढ्या सुवासिनी ॥ १७७॥

bandhūka-kusuma-prakhyā bālā līlā-vinodinī |
su-maṅgalī sukha-karī su-veṣāḍhyā su-vāsinī ǁ 177 ǁ

After the high transcendence, the hymn returns to the intimate and the lovely — she is bright as the red bandhūka flower, and Bālā, the young Goddess of the first Śrī-Vidyā mantra (the form in which the tradition's initiation often begins). Fond of play, auspicious, joy-giving, beautifully adorned, the gracious married woman whose presence is blessing.

965. बन्धूककुसुमप्रख्या — Bandhūka-kusuma-prakhyā

Translation: Bandhūka-kusuma-prakhyā — bright/resembling (prakhyā) the bandhūka flower (the red Pentapetes phoenicea).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “bright as the bandhūka flower.” The apavāda: the bandhūka (Pentapetes phoenicea) bears a brilliant red-orange flower, tender and bright; her complexion is like it (recall the aruṇa-thread: Aruṇā; Japā-puṣpa-nibhākṛtiḥ, hibiscus-red, 766; Taruṇāditya-pāṭalā, rosy as the young sun, 922; Vidrum-ābhā, coral-bright, 891). The red of the Goddess persists to the very end — she is the colour of dawn, of the red flower, of kuṅkuma; rose-red to the last.

Śrī Vidyā: Bandhūka-kusuma-prakhyā is bright as the red bandhūka flower; the Goddess's rose-red complexion (the persistent aruṇa-thread: Aruṇā; Japā-puṣpa-nibhākṛtiḥ, 766; Taruṇāditya-pāṭalā, 922) — red of dawn and flower to the last.

966. बाला — Bālā

Translation: Bālā — the young girl; the Goddess as a maiden of nine; (the deity of the Bālā mantra, first in Śrī-Vidyā initiation).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Bālā — “the young girl.” The apavāda: Bālā is the Goddess in her form as a maiden (traditionally of nine years), fresh and unspoiled (recall Bālā as her daughter-aspect in the Bhaṇḍāsura war, and Mugdhā, the innocent, 868); and Bālā is the deity of the Bālā mantra (aiṃ klīṃ sauḥ), often the first Śrī-Vidyā mantra given at initiation — the gateway through which the seeker enters the tradition. The young Goddess, fresh as the dawn, who first receives the seeker. (The Bālā upāsanā's precise detail belongs to the parampara.)

Śrī Vidyā: Bālā is the young girl (the Goddess as a maiden of nine; cf. Mugdhā, 868), and the deity of the Bālā mantra (aiṃ klīṃ sauḥ), often the first Śrī-Vidyā mantra at initiation — the gateway into the tradition; the precise upāsanā held in the parampara.

967. लीलाविनोदिनी — Līlā-vinodinī

Translation: Līlā-vinodinī — delighting (vinodinī) in play (līlā); finding sport in the cosmic game.

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She “delights in play.” The apavāda: līlā is divine play, the sport in which the supreme creates, sustains, and dissolves without effort or motive (recall Līlā-kḷpta-brahmāṇḍa-maṇḍalā, the cosmos as her play, śloka 128; Līlā-vigraha-dhāriṇī, 865; and the name Lalitā itself — “she who plays,” soon to close the hymn). The whole cosmic process is her game, undertaken in sheer joyous freedom. She delights in the play that is the world. (A fitting anticipation of Lalitāmbikā, 1000.)

Śrī Vidyā: Līlā-vinodinī delights in play; the Goddess finding sport in the cosmic game (creation, sustenance, dissolution as effortless līlā; cf. Līlā-kḷpta-brahmāṇḍa-maṇḍalā, śloka 128) — anticipating Lalitā, “she who plays,” the closing name.

968. सुमङ्गली — Su-maṅgalī

Translation: Su-maṅgalī — the auspicious one; the woman of perfect good fortune (the married woman whose husband lives).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Su-maṅgalī — “the perfectly auspicious.” The apavāda: a sumaṅgalī is the married woman whose husband is living — the most auspicious status in the dharmic order, bearer of maṅgala (recall Maṅgalākṛtiḥ, of auspicious form, 934; Sarva-maṅgalā). The Goddess is the supreme sumaṅgalī — eternally wedded to the deathless Śiva, the very paradigm of auspiciousness, the source of every blessing (and her consort never dies, so her auspiciousness never fails).

Śrī Vidyā: Su-maṅgalī is the perfectly auspicious (the married woman whose husband lives); the Goddess as the supreme sumaṅgalī, eternally wedded to the deathless Śiva (cf. Maṅgalākṛtiḥ, 934) — auspiciousness that never fails.

969. सुखकरी — Sukha-karī

Translation: Sukha-karī — the maker (karī) of happiness (sukha).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “the maker of happiness.” The apavāda: sukha is happiness, ease, joy; she creates it (recall Śarma-dā, giver of happiness, 954; Saukhya-dāyinī; Sukhārādhyā, easily worshipped). True happiness — not the fleeting pleasure of the senses but the deep ease of the heart at rest in its source — is her gift. The Goddess as the maker of every true joy.

Śrī Vidyā: Sukha-karī is the maker of happiness; the Goddess creating true sukha — not fleeting sense-pleasure but the deep ease of the heart at rest in its source (cf. Śarma-dā, 954; Sukhārādhyā).

970. सुवेषाढ्या — Su-veṣāḍhyā

Translation: Su-veṣāḍhyā — rich in (āḍhyā) beautiful attire (su-veṣa); splendidly adorned.

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “richly beautifully-attired.” The apavāda: su-veṣa is lovely raiment and adornment; she is āḍhyā, abounding in it (recall the whole descriptive arc of her ornaments, Parts I-II; Vicitra-vibhūṣaṇā; the jewelled crown, the earrings, the girdle). The supreme Mother is splendidly adorned — her beauty arrayed in every grace, fitting the supreme Empress. (Auspiciousness shows itself in beauty of array.)

Śrī Vidyā: Su-veṣāḍhyā is richly, beautifully attired; the Goddess splendidly adorned (recall her ornaments, Parts I-II; Vicitra-vibhūṣaṇā) — the supreme Empress arrayed in every grace.

971. सुवासिनी — Su-vāsinī

Translation: Su-vāsinī — the gracious married woman; the auspicious wife (suvāsinī); (also) the sweetly-dwelling one.

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Su-vāsinī — “the gracious wife,” the suvāsinī, the married woman endowed with every good quality, auspiciously dwelling with her husband (the Rāmāyaṇa's Anasūyā describes the suvāsinī's virtues). The apavāda: the Goddess is the supreme suvāsinī — not merely well-dressed but the embodiment of every wifely virtue and grace, eternally dwelling with Śiva (recall Sadāśiva-kuṭumbinī, 911). And su-vāsinī as “sweetly-dwelling” — she who dwells sweetly in the heart. The honoured suvāsinīs are worshipped at the close of the navāvaraṇa-pūjā as her living forms.

Śrī Vidyā: Su-vāsinī is the gracious married woman (the suvāsinī of every wifely virtue, dwelling with her husband; Rāmāyaṇa's Anasūyā); the Goddess as the supreme suvāsinī, eternally with Śiva (cf. Sadāśiva-kuṭumbinī, 911) — and sweetly-dwelling in the heart; honoured suvāsinīs her living forms in the navāvaraṇa-pūjā.

Śloka 178

सुवासिन्यर्चन-प्रीताऽऽशोभना शुद्धमानसा ।
बिन्दु-तर्पण-सन्तुष्टा पूर्वजा त्रिपुराम्बिका ॥ १७८॥

su-vāsiny-arcana-prītā''śobhanā śuddha-mānasā |
bindu-tarpaṇa-santuṣṭā pūrvajā tripurāmbikā ǁ 178 ǁ

972. सुवासिन्यर्चनप्रीता — Su-vāsiny-arcana-prītā

Translation: Pleased (prītā) by the worship (arcana) of gracious married women (suvāsinī).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “pleased by the worship of suvāsinīs.” The apavāda: deepening Su-vāsinī — she is delighted when the suvāsinīs (the auspicious married women, her living forms) are honoured and worshipped; in the Śrī-Vidyā tradition, the worship of suvāsinīs (and of the young Bālā as kumārī) is part of the rite, for in them the Goddess herself is adored (recall Lopāmudrārcitā; the worship of the Goddess in living women). To honour the auspicious woman is to please the Goddess.

Śrī Vidyā: Su-vāsiny-arcana-prītā is pleased by the worship of gracious married women (the suvāsinīs, her living forms, honoured in the Śrī-Vidyā rite); the Goddess delighted when she is adored in living women (cf. the kumārī/suvāsinī worship of the navāvaraṇa-pūjā).

973. आशोभना — Āśobhanā

Translation: Āśobhanā — extremely beautiful/resplendent (the prefix ā- intensifying śobhana).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Āśobhanā — “supremely beautiful.” The apavāda: śobhana is beautiful, and the prefix ā- intensifies it to “extremely beautiful, all-resplendent” (recall Śobhanā, 462; Śobhanā-sulabhā-gatiḥ, 683). Her beauty shines forth in every direction — the radiant loveliness of the supreme, beauty itself in its highest degree (recall the Saundarya-laharī, the “flood of beauty,” the great hymn to her loveliness).

Śrī Vidyā: Āśobhanā is extremely beautiful/all-resplendent (the prefix ā- intensifying śobhana; cf. Śobhanā, 462); the Goddess's radiant beauty shining in every direction — beauty itself in its highest degree (the Saundarya-laharī's “flood of beauty”).

974. शुद्धमानसा — Śuddha-mānasā

Translation: Śuddha-mānasā — of pure (śuddha) mind (mānasa).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “of pure mind.” The apavāda: śuddha-mānasa is the mind unmixed with the impurities of desire, aversion, and delusion — clear, transparent, luminous (recall Śuddhā, the Pure, 765; Nirmala; and the teaching that the mind associated with the senses becomes impure, while the mind turned to the Self is pure). She is of perfectly pure mind — and she purifies the mind of the devotee, making it a fit mirror for the Self. The pure-minded, and the purifier of minds.

Śrī Vidyā: Śuddha-mānasā is of pure mind (unmixed with desire, aversion, delusion; cf. Śuddhā, 765); the Goddess of perfectly pure mind — and the purifier of the devotee's mind, making it a fit mirror for the Self.

975. बिन्दुतर्पणसन्तुष्टा — Bindu-tarpaṇa-santuṣṭā

Translation: Bindu-tarpaṇa-santuṣṭā — well-pleased (santuṣṭā) by the libation/offering (tarpaṇa) at the bindu (the central point of the Śrī Cakra).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “content with the offering at the bindu.” The apavāda: tarpaṇa is the libation-offering that satisfies; the bindu is the central point of the Śrī Cakra, her supreme seat (recall Baindavāsanā, seated on the bindu, 905; Bindu-maṇḍala-vāsinī, śloka 83). The supreme worship offers tarpaṇa at the bindu — and she is satisfied by it; the inner tarpaṇa (the offering of the ānanda-flow at the central point, where Śiva and Śakti unite) is the deepest satisfaction. The precise upāsanā belongs to the parampara; the open meaning is the supreme inner worship at the heart's centre.

Śrī Vidyā: Bindu-tarpaṇa-santuṣṭā is well-pleased by the offering at the bindu (the central point of the Śrī Cakra, her supreme seat; cf. Baindavāsanā, 905); the Goddess satisfied by the inner tarpaṇa at the centre where Śiva and Śakti unite — the precise upāsanā in the parampara.

976. पूर्वजा — Pūrvajā

Translation: Pūrvajā — the first-born; she who was before all; the primordial.

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Pūrvajā — “the first-born,” born before all (recall Purātanā, the most ancient, 802; Ādi-śaktiḥ, the primal Power; Anādi-nidhanā). The apavāda: she is prior to all that is — not born in time (she is the unborn, Ajā, 866), but “first-born” in the sense of being the source-principle prior to every emanation, the first reality from which all proceeds. Before all, and the origin of all.

Śrī Vidyā: Pūrvajā is the first-born / the primordial; the Goddess prior to all that is (cf. Purātanā, 802; Ādi-śaktiḥ) — not born in time (she is Ajā, the unborn, 866) but the source-principle before every emanation.

977. त्रिपुराम्बिका — Tripurāmbikā

Translation: Tripurāmbikā — the Mother (ambikā) Tripurā; the Mother-Goddess of the Three Cities.

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Tripurāmbikā — “Mother Tripurā” (recall Tripurā, śloka 125; Tripureśī, 787; the whole Tripura-thread). The apavāda: Tripurā is read on every level — the three cities/states/bodies/guṇas; nāda, bindu, and kalā (the three phases of the creative process in the Tantric cosmology of sound); and she is their ambikā, the Mother. The great Tripurā-name returns near the close, gathering all the triads under the Mother — and anticipating Śrīmat-tripura-sundarī (997) and the final Lalitāmbikā (1000), both Mother-names.

Śrī Vidyā: Tripurāmbikā is the Mother Tripurā (of the Three Cities; cf. Tripurā, śloka 125; Tripureśī, 787) — the three on every level (cities, states, bodies, guṇas; nāda, bindu, kalā) gathered under the Mother; anticipating Śrīmat-tripura-sundarī (997) and Lalitāmbikā (1000).

Śloka 179

दशमुद्रा-समाराध्या त्रिपुराश्री-वशङ्करी ।
ज्ञानमुद्रा ज्ञानगम्या ज्ञानज्ञेय-स्वरूपिणी ॥ १७९॥

daśa-mudrā-samārādhyā tripurāśrī-vaśaṅkarī |
jñāna-mudrā jñāna-gamyā jñāna-jñeya-svarūpiṇī ǁ 179 ǁ

The hymn's emphasis on knowledge intensifies toward the close. After the ten mudrās and the subjugation of Tripurā-śrī (the deity of the fifth āvaraṇa of the Śrī Cakra), come three great jñāna-names — she is the knowledge-seal, the reachable-only-by-knowledge, and the very form of knower-and-known. The repeated stress on jñāna declares that she is attained by knowledge, is knowledge, and transcends the knower-known duality.

978. दशमुद्रासमाराध्या — Daśa-mudrā-samārādhyā

Translation: Worshipped (samārādhyā) by the ten mudrās (daśa-mudrā).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “worshipped by the ten mudrās.” The apavāda: in Śrī-Vidyā ritual, the daśa-mudrā are the ten sacred hand-gestures (sarva-saṃkṣobhiṇī, sarva-vidrāviṇī, and the rest) offered in the navāvaraṇa-pūjā, each corresponding to an āvaraṇa (enclosure) of the Śrī Cakra; she is worshipped by them (recall the Mudrā-śaktis among her attendants). The ten seals, the precise forms and meanings of which belong to the parampara, are offered in her worship.

Śrī Vidyā: Daśa-mudrā-samārādhyā is worshipped by the ten mudrās (the sacred hand-gestures of the navāvaraṇa-pūjā, each tied to an āvaraṇa of the Śrī Cakra); the Goddess worshipped by the ten seals — their precise forms held in the parampara.

979. त्रिपुराश्रीवशङ्करी — Tripurāśrī-vaśaṅkarī

Translation: Tripurāśrī-vaśaṅkarī — the controller (vaśaṅkarī) of Tripurā-śrī (the deity presiding over an āvaraṇa of the Śrī Cakra).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She “controls Tripurā-śrī.” The apavāda: Tripurā-śrī is the presiding deity of the sarvārtha-sādhaka cakra, the fifth enclosure (āvaraṇa) of the Śrī Cakra; she who is Mahā-tripura-sundarī at the centre commands all the deities of the enclosures, including Tripurā-śrī (recall the nine āvaraṇas, each with its presiding Tripurā-form, all subordinate to her at the bindu). The supreme Goddess governs every level of her own cosmic diagram. The precise navāvaraṇa structure belongs to the parampara.

Śrī Vidyā: Tripurāśrī-vaśaṅkarī controls Tripurā-śrī (the deity of the fifth āvaraṇa, the sarvārtha-sādhaka cakra, of the Śrī Cakra); the Goddess at the bindu commanding every deity of the nine enclosures — the precise navāvaraṇa structure in the parampara.

980. ज्ञानमुद्रा — Jñāna-mudrā

Translation: Jñāna-mudrā — the seal/gesture of knowledge (the cin-mudrā); knowledge embodied as the sacred sign.

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Jñāna-mudrā — “the seal of knowledge.” The apavāda: the jñāna-mudrā (also cin-mudrā) is the gesture of knowledge — thumb and forefinger joined in a circle, the other three fingers extended — the very gesture of Dakṣiṇāmūrti, the silent Guru (recall Dakṣiṇāmūrti-rūpiṇī, 725, his hand in the cin-mudrā). The joining of the individual self (forefinger) and the supreme Self (thumb), with the three guṇas (three fingers) released, is the silent teaching of non-duality made visible. She is that seal — knowledge itself, gestured.

Śrī Vidyā: Jñāna-mudrā is the seal of knowledge (the cin-mudrā of Dakṣiṇāmūrti, 725 — thumb and forefinger joined, the union of individual and supreme Self with the three guṇas released); the Goddess as knowledge itself made visible sign — the silent teaching of non-duality.

981. ज्ञानगम्या — Jñāna-gamyā

Translation: Jñāna-gamyā — reachable/attainable (gamyā) only by knowledge (jñāna).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “attainable by knowledge.” The apavāda: she is reached not by action (karma), not by mere ritual, not by wealth or works, but by jñāna — direct knowledge of the Self (the Upaniṣadic jñānād eva tu kaivalyam, “by knowledge alone, liberation”; the Gītā's jñānāgni, the fire of knowledge that burns all karma). The supreme is gained only by knowing — and the knowing is not of an object but the Self's recognition of itself. She is reached by becoming what one already is. (Recall Tattvam-artha-svarūpiṇī, 908 — the knowledge of “That thou art.”)

Śrī Vidyā: Jñāna-gamyā is reachable only by knowledge; the Goddess attained not by action or ritual but by jñāna (the Upaniṣadic jñānād eva tu kaivalyam; the Gītā's fire of knowledge) — the Self's recognition of itself (cf. Tattvam-artha-svarūpiṇī, 908).

982. ज्ञानज्ञेयस्वरूपिणी — Jñāna-jñeya-svarūpiṇī

Translation: Whose own form (sva-rūpiṇī) is both knowledge (jñāna) and the object-of-knowledge (jñeya).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “of the form of both knowledge and the known.” The apavāda: ordinarily knowledge (jñāna) and its object (jñeya) are two, with the knower (jñātṛ) a third — the triad of knower-knowing-known (tripuṭī). But in her, the triad collapses: she is the knowledge and the known (and, as the Self, the knower too) — the non-dual reality in which the three are one (recall Jñātṛ-jñāna-jñeya-svarūpiṇī in some recensions; the Bhagavad-Gītā XIII.17, “she is knowledge, the object of knowledge, and seated in the heart of all”). The collapse of the knower-known duality into the one Self is the supreme knowledge — and it is herself. (The tripuṭī dissolved: this is the very meaning of Tripurā at its summit — the three made one.)

Śrī Vidyā: Jñāna-jñeya-svarūpiṇī is of the form of both knowledge and the known; the Goddess in whom the triad of knower-knowing-known (tripuṭī) collapses into one (the Gītā XIII.17, “knowledge, the object of knowledge, seated in the heart of all”) — the dissolution of the knower-known duality, the very summit-meaning of Tripurā (the three made one).

Śloka 180

योनिमुद्रा त्रिखण्डेशी त्रिगुणाम्बा त्रिकोणगा ।
अनघाऽद्भुत-चारित्रा वाञ्छितार्थ-प्रदायिनी ॥ १८०॥

yoni-mudrā trikhaṇḍeśī tri-guṇāmbā tri-koṇa-gā |
anaghā 'dbhuta-cāritrā vāñchitārtha-pradāyinī ǁ 180 ǁ

983. योनिमुद्रा — Yoni-mudrā

Translation: Yoni-mudrā — the yoni-seal (the sacred gesture symbolising the source/womb); (the supreme mudrā of Śrī-Vidyā).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Yoni-mudrā — “the yoni-seal.” The apavāda: the yoni-mudrā is among the most sacred of the gestures, symbolising the source, the womb of all manifestation, the triangle of origin (recall Yoni-nilayā, abiding in the yoni, 895; the downward triangle of the Śrī Cakra as the yoni/source). It is the seal of the source — the gesture in which the worshipper acknowledges the Goddess as the womb from which all proceeds and into which all returns. The precise esoteric form and meaning belong to the parampara; the open sense is the seal of the divine Source.

Śrī Vidyā: Yoni-mudrā is the yoni-seal (the sacred gesture of the source/womb, the downward triangle of origin; cf. Yoni-nilayā, 895); the Goddess as the seal of the divine Source from which all proceeds — the precise esoteric form held in the parampara.

984. त्रिखण्डेशी — Trikhaṇḍeśī

Translation: Trikhaṇḍeśī — the Lady (īśī) of the three sections (tri-khaṇḍa); sovereign of the threefold (the trikhaṇḍā-mudrā / the three kūṭas of the mantra).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “Lady of the three sections.” The apavāda: tri-khaṇḍa is “three-parted” — read as the three kūṭas (sections) of the Pañcadaśī mantra (the vāgbhava, kāmarāja, and śakti kūṭas, recall Tri-kūṭā, 587), or the trikhaṇḍā-mudrā that invokes the Goddess; she is their sovereign. The three sections of the supreme mantra are under her — she is the deity the threefold mantra invokes. The precise mantra-structure belongs to the parampara.

Śrī Vidyā: Trikhaṇḍeśī is Lady of the three sections (the three kūṭas of the Pañcadaśī mantra — vāgbhava, kāmarāja, śakti; cf. Tri-kūṭā, 587, and the trikhaṇḍā-mudrā); the Goddess sovereign of the threefold mantra — its precise structure in the parampara.

985. त्रिगुणाम्बा — Tri-guṇāmbā

Translation: Tri-guṇāmbā — the Mother (ambā) of the three guṇas (sattva, rajas, tamas).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “Mother of the three guṇas” (recall Tri-guṇātmikā, of the nature of the three, 763; Guṇātītā, beyond them, 962). The apavāda: the three guṇas of prakṛti are born of her — she is their ambā, their source-mother; the entire play of nature's three modes proceeds from her, even as she transcends them (Guṇātītā). Mother of the guṇas, and beyond the guṇas — both, as ever in the non-dual reading.

Śrī Vidyā: Tri-guṇāmbā is the Mother of the three guṇas; the Goddess as the source from which prakṛti's three modes are born (cf. Tri-guṇātmikā, 763) — even as she transcends them (Guṇātītā, 962); Mother of the guṇas and beyond them.

986. त्रिकोणगा — Tri-koṇa-gā

Translation: Tri-koṇa-gā — dwelling in (gā) the triangle (tri-koṇa) — the central triangle of the Śrī Cakra.

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She “dwells in the triangle.” The apavāda: the tri-koṇa is the innermost triangle of the Śrī Cakra, immediately surrounding the bindu — the sarva-siddhi-prada cakra, the eighth āvaraṇa, the seat of the supreme nearest the centre; she dwells there (recall Baindavāsanā, on the bindu, 905; Trikoṇa-ga). The downward-pointing triangle is the yoni, the source, the union of the three (Śiva-Śakti, or the three guṇas, or icchā-jñāna-kriyā); she abides at the heart of it. The precise navāvaraṇa-detail belongs to the parampara.

Śrī Vidyā: Tri-koṇa-gā dwells in the triangle (the innermost triangle of the Śrī Cakra surrounding the bindu, the sarva-siddhi-prada cakra; cf. Baindavāsanā, 905); the Goddess at the heart of the downward triangle (the yoni/source, the union of the three) — the precise detail in the parampara.

987. अनघा — Anaghā

Translation: Anaghā — the sinless, the faultless; free of all impurity or blemish.

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Anaghā — “sinless, faultless.” The apavāda: agha is sin, evil, blemish; an-aghā is utterly without it — the pure, the spotless (recall Niṣkalaṅkā, stainless; Niravadyā, faultless; Śuddhā, the Pure, 765). The supreme is beyond all fault, all sin, all blemish — purity itself; and she removes the sins of those who turn to her (the sin-destroying names, Mahā-pātaka-nāśinī). The sinless, and the remover of sin.

Śrī Vidyā: Anaghā is the sinless/faultless; the Goddess utterly without blemish (cf. Niṣkalaṅkā; Śuddhā, 765) — purity itself, and the remover of the sins of those who turn to her.

988. अद्भुतचारित्रा — Adbhuta-cāritrā

Translation: Adbhuta-cāritrā — of wondrous (adbhuta) deeds/conduct (cāritra); whose acts are marvellous.

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: Her deeds are “wondrous.” The apavāda: cāritra is conduct, life-story, deeds; hers are adbhuta, marvellous, wonder-causing (recall the whole Lalitopākhyāna — her birth from the fire of consciousness, the building of her city, the war on Bhaṇḍāsura, the revival of Kāma; all the great deeds of Parts I-X). The story of the Goddess is a tale of wonders — and the supreme wonder is that the formless Absolute should play at all these deeds in līlā. Her wondrous acts draw the heart to her.

Śrī Vidyā: Adbhuta-cāritrā is of wondrous deeds; the Goddess whose acts are marvellous (the Lalitopākhyāna — her birth from the fire of consciousness, the war on Bhaṇḍāsura, the revival of Kāma) — the supreme wonder that the formless Absolute should play at all these deeds in līlā.

989. वाञ्छितार्थप्रदायिनी — Vāñchitārtha-pradāyinī

Translation: The giver (pradāyinī) of desired objects (vāñchita-artha); granter of every wish.

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “the giver of what is wished.” The apavāda: vāñchita-artha is the desired aim, the wished-for good; she grants it (recall Kāma-dhuk, the wish-yielding cow, 795; Vara-dā, the boon-giver; Sarvārtha-dātrī, 698). To her devotees she gives every legitimate wish — the worldly goods to those who seek them, and the supreme good (liberation) to those who wish for that. The wish-fulfiller, in whom every true desire finds its granting. (And the highest vāñchita-artha is herself — the wish for the Goddess, which she alone fulfils by self-revealing.)

Śrī Vidyā: Vāñchitārtha-pradāyinī is the giver of desired objects; the Goddess granting every legitimate wish (cf. Kāma-dhuk, 795; Sarvārtha-dātrī, 698) — worldly goods to those who seek them, liberation to those who wish for that; the highest wish (the Goddess herself) fulfilled by self-revealing.

Śloka 181

अभ्यासातिशय-ज्ञाता षडध्वातीत-रूपिणी ।
अव्याज-करुणा-मूर्तिर् अज्ञान-ध्वान्त-दीपिका ॥ १८१॥

abhyāsātiśaya-jñātā ṣaḍ-adhvātīta-rūpiṇī |
avyāja-karuṇā-mūrtir ajñāna-dhvānta-dīpikā ǁ 181 ǁ

The penultimate śloka holds two of the hymn's tenderest and most luminous names: Avyāja-karuṇā-mūrti, “the embodiment of compassion-without-pretext” (compassion not for any reason, not in response to merit, but as her very nature), and Ajñāna-dhvānta-dīpikā, “the lamp that dispels the darkness of ignorance.” These name the two faces of grace — boundless love and revealing knowledge — just before the supreme close.

990. अभ्यासातिशयज्ञाता — Abhyāsātiśaya-jñātā

Translation: Abhyāsātiśaya-jñātā — known (jñātā) through the intensity/excellence (atiśaya) of practice (abhyāsa).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “known through the height of practice.” The apavāda: abhyāsa is sustained spiritual practice (the Gītā's abhyāsa-yoga, the repeated effort by which the restless mind is steadied; the Yoga-sūtra's abhyāsa and vairāgya); she is known through its atiśaya, its intensification to excellence — the long, devoted, deepening practice that finally yields the direct knowing (Jñāna-gamyā, 981). Grace and effort meet: she gives herself, but to the one who has made the sustained effort to be ready. The fruit of ripened practice is her self-revealing.

Śrī Vidyā: Abhyāsātiśaya-jñātā is known through the intensity of practice (the Gītā's abhyāsa-yoga, the Yoga-sūtra's abhyāsa); the Goddess revealed to ripened, sustained practice (paired with Jñāna-gamyā, 981) — grace and effort meeting, her self-revealing the fruit of long devotion.

991. षडध्वातीतरूपिणी — Ṣaḍ-adhvātīta-rūpiṇī

Translation: Of the form (rūpiṇī) beyond (atīta) the six paths (ṣaḍ-adhva).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “of the form beyond the six paths.” The apavāda: the ṣaḍ-adhva are the six “paths” or courses of manifestation in the Śaiva-Tantra cosmology — three on the side of sound/word (varṇa letters, pada words, mantra — the vimarśa/vāc side) and three on the side of object/meaning (kalā, tattva, bhuvana worlds — the prakāśa/artha side); the whole of manifestation is mapped by these six. She transcends them all — beyond the entire cosmic process of word and world (recall Sarvātītā, beyond all, 963). To realise her, the Tantra teaches, one meditates on the Śrī Cakra and gradually transcends the six paths to reach her at the center. The precise ṣaḍ-adhva structure belongs to the parampara.

Śrī Vidyā: Ṣaḍ-adhvātīta-rūpiṇī is of the form beyond the six paths (the ṣaḍ-adhva of Śaiva-Tantra: varṇa, pada, mantra on the word-side, kalā, tattva, bhuvana on the object-side — the whole of manifestation); the Goddess transcending the entire cosmic process of word and world (cf. Sarvātītā, 963) — the precise structure in the parampara.

992. अव्याजकरुणामूर्तिः — Avyāja-karuṇā-mūrtiḥ

Translation: Avyāja-karuṇā-mūrtiḥ — the embodiment (mūrti) of compassion (karuṇā) without pretext/cause (avyāja).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “the embodiment of motiveless compassion.” The apavāda: vyāja is a pretext, a pretence, an ulterior reason; a-vyāja is “without pretext” — her compassion is not in response to merit, not earned, not given for any reason, not pretended; it is karuṇā welling up as her very nature, as the sun shines not for any reason but because shining is its nature (recall Karuṇā-rasa-sāgarā, ocean of the savour of mercy; Dayā-mūrtiḥ, compassion embodied; Prema-rūpā, love embodied, 730). The supreme's compassion is causeless — it does not wait to be deserved, for it is what she is. The mūrti of motiveless mercy: she cannot but be compassionate, as the spring cannot but flow.

Śrī Vidyā: Avyāja-karuṇā-mūrtiḥ is the embodiment of compassion without pretext or cause (avyāja = unpretending, motiveless); the Goddess's karuṇā welling up as her very nature, not earned or deserved (cf. Karuṇā-rasa-sāgarā; Dayā-mūrtiḥ; Prema-rūpā, 730) — causeless mercy, as the sun shines because shining is its nature.

993. अज्ञानध्वान्तदीपिका — Ajñāna-dhvānta-dīpikā

Translation: Ajñāna-dhvānta-dīpikā — the lamp (dīpikā) that dispels the darkness (dhvānta) of ignorance (ajñāna).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “the lamp in the darkness of ignorance.” The apavāda: ajñāna is the primal ignorance (avidyā) — the not-knowing of one's own true nature, the darkness in which the rope appears as a snake, the Self is taken for the not-Self; dhvānta is its darkness; and she is the dīpikā, the lamp, whose light dispels it (recall Jarādhvānta-ravi-prabhā, the sun on the darkness of old age, 745; Bhānumaṇḍala-madhyasthā; the Gītā's jñāna-dīpa, the lamp of knowledge). When the lamp is lit, the darkness does not need to be fought — it simply is no longer; so when she reveals herself as the Self, ignorance vanishes without remainder. The light by which the Self knows itself. (A luminous penultimate name — she is the lamp that ends the long night of not-knowing.)

Śrī Vidyā: Ajñāna-dhvānta-dīpikā is the lamp dispelling the darkness of ignorance (ajñāna/avidyā, the not-knowing of one's true nature); the Goddess as the light by which the Self knows itself (the Gītā's jñāna-dīpa; cf. Jarādhvānta-ravi-prabhā, 745) — when the lamp is lit the darkness simply is no longer, ignorance vanishing as she reveals herself as the Self.

Śloka 182

आबाल-गोप-विदिता सर्वानुल्लङ्घ्य-शासना ।
श्रीचक्रराज-निलया श्रीमत्-त्रिपुरसुन्दरी ॥ १८२॥

ābāla-gopa-viditā sarvānullaṅghya-śāsanā |
śrī-cakra-rāja-nilayā śrīmat-tripura-sundarī ǁ 182 ǁ

The last full śloka before the supreme close. She is known even to the simplest — to children and cowherds; her command is transgressed by none; she dwells in the sovereign Śrī Cakra; and she is Śrīmat-tripura-sundarī, the divine Beauty of the Three Cities — the great name under which the entire hymn was first invoked in the dhyāna, now sounded as the gateway to the final three names.

994. आबालगोपविदिता — Ābāla-gopa-viditā

Translation: Ābāla-gopa-viditā — known (viditā) even to (ā) children (bāla) and cowherds (gopa).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “known even to children and cowherds.” The apavāda: a name of supreme tenderness and accessibility — the highest reality, hardest for the learned to grasp, is yet known to the simplest: the child, the cowherd, anyone of pure and open heart (recall Sulabhā-gatiḥ, the easily-attained Goal, 684; Kṣipra-prasādinī, quickly pleased, 869; Sukhārādhyā, easy to worship). The supreme is not the preserve of the scholar — the unlettered devotee with love in the heart knows her as the learned cannot by mere study. She is everyone's, known to all who turn to her with a child's trust. (The deepest truth is the most accessible — the open secret.)

Śrī Vidyā: Ābāla-gopa-viditā is known even to children and cowherds; the Goddess accessible to the simplest of pure heart (cf. Sulabhā-gatiḥ, 684; Kṣipra-prasādinī, 869) — not the preserve of the scholar; the unlettered devotee with love knows her as study cannot. The deepest truth the most accessible.

995. सर्वानुल्लङ्घ्यशासना — Sarvānullaṅghya-śāsanā

Translation: Sarvānullaṅghya-śāsanā — whose command (śāsana) cannot be transgressed (anullaṅghya) by any (sarva).

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: Her command is “transgressed by none.” The apavāda: śāsana is rule, command, law; an-ullaṅghya is “not to be overstepped”; her śāsana binds all — gods, beings, the very laws of nature obey her (recall Ājñā, Command, 828; the cosmic order as her decree). Even the great gods (Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra) act under her command (Pañca-preta-mañcādhiśāyinī, 948 — they are her supports). Nothing in all the worlds can overstep her rule; her word is the law that even the law obeys. The absolute sovereignty, sounded near the close.

Śrī Vidyā: Sarvānullaṅghya-śāsanā is whose command none can transgress; the Goddess whose śāsana binds all — gods, beings, the laws of nature (cf. Ājñā, 828; the gods her supports, Pañca-preta-mañcādhiśāyinī, 948) — her word the law that even the law obeys.

996. श्रीचक्रराजनिलया — Śrī-cakra-rāja-nilayā

Translation: Śrī-cakra-rāja-nilayā — dwelling (nilayā) in the sovereign (rāja) Śrī Cakra.

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She “dwells in the king of cakras, the Śrī Cakra.” The apavāda: the Śrī Cakra (Śrī Yantra) is the supreme yantra — the “king of cakras” (cakra-rāja), the geometric form of the Goddess herself, the nine interlocking triangles around the central bindu, the whole cosmos and the whole path mapped in one diagram (recall Cakra-rāja-rathārūḍhā, mounted on the Cakra-chariot, śloka 26; Śrī-cakra-rāja-nilayā). She dwells at its heart, the bindu — and the whole diagram is her body. To meditate on the Śrī Cakra is to meditate on her form; to ascend its enclosures is to approach her center. Her supreme abode is the sovereign yantra. (The precise navāvaraṇa-upāsanā belongs to the parampara.)

Śrī Vidyā: Śrī-cakra-rāja-nilayā dwells in the sovereign Śrī Cakra (the “king of cakras,” the geometric form of the Goddess — nine triangles around the bindu, cosmos and path in one diagram; cf. Cakra-rāja-rathārūḍhā, śloka 26); the Goddess at its heart, the whole yantra her body — the precise navāvaraṇa-upāsanā in the parampara.

997. श्रीमत्त्रिपुरसुन्दरी — Śrīmat-tripura-sundarī

Translation: Śrīmat-tripura-sundarī — the glorious (śrīmat) Beauty (sundarī) of the Three Cities (tripura); the supreme Goddess in her central name.

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Śrīmat-tripura-sundarī — “the glorious Beauty of the Three Cities,” the great central name of the Goddess of the Śrī-Vidyā (recall Mahā-tripura-sundarī, 234; the dhyāna verses invoke her under this name; the entire tradition is named for her — Tripura-sundarī, one of the ten Mahāvidyās). The apavāda: tripura is the three (cities, states, bodies, guṇas, the three of every triad), sundarī is Beauty — she is the supreme Beauty who is the reality of all the triads and beyond them (Tripureśī, 787; Tripurāmbikā, 977). The hymn was invoked in her name at the beginning (the dhyāna's parāmbikā, the mahā-tripura-sundarī), and now near its end it sounds her central name once more — the supreme Goddess, gathering all her thousand names into this one great form, just before the final three names dissolve even this form into the pure non-dual reality. The Beauty that is the Three and beyond the Three.

Śrī Vidyā: Śrīmat-tripura-sundarī is the glorious Beauty of the Three Cities — the great central name of the Śrī-Vidyā Goddess (cf. Mahā-tripura-sundarī, 234; the dhyāna verses; one of the ten Mahāvidyās); the supreme Beauty who is the reality of all triads and beyond them (Tripureśī, 787) — the hymn's opening invocation-name sounded once more, gathering the thousand names into this one great form before the final three dissolve even this into the pure non-dual reality.

Śloka 183

श्रीशिवा शिव-शक्त्यैक्य-रूपिणी ललिताम्बिका ॥ १८३॥
एवं श्रीललिता देव्या नाम्नां साहस्रकं जगुः ।

śrī-śivā śiva-śakty-aikya-rūpiṇī lalitāmbikā ǁ 183 ǁ
(evaṃ śrī-lalitā devyā nāmnāṃ sāhasrakaṃ jaguḥ — “thus they sang the thousand names of Śrī Lalitā Devī.”)

The supreme close — the final three names, in which the whole hymn comes to rest. She is the blessed Śivā (the feminine of Śiva, identical with him); she is the very form of the union of Śiva and Śakti (the non-dual summit of the entire thousand names); and, as the thousandth name, she is Lalitāmbikā — the Mother who is Lalitā, “She who plays,” for whom all the worlds are sport. With this name the hymn closes; and the circle joins, for the Goddess first named Śrīmātā (the Holy Mother, nāma 1) is last named Lalitāmbikā (the playful Mother, nāma 1000).

998. श्रीशिवा — Śrī-śivā

Translation: Śrī-śivā — the blessed Śivā (the feminine of Śiva); she who is identical with Śiva; the auspicious, eternal peace.

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Śrī-śivā — “the blessed Śivā.” The apavāda: śivā is the feminine of śiva (“the auspicious”) — she is Śiva in the feminine, identical with him (recall Śivā, Mṛḍānī, Sadāśivā, 709; the non-difference of Śakti and Śiva sounded throughout). And śiva is also “eternal peace, the auspicious good” — she is that very peace (recall Śam-ātmikā, of the nature of peace, 964). The penultimate-but-one name affirms, once more and almost finally, that she and Śiva are not two — she is the blessed Śivā, the auspicious one, Śiva-in-the-feminine, eternal peace itself. (The śrī prefix — “glorious, blessed, holy” — recurs from Śrīmātā, the very first name, sounding the return to the beginning.)

Śrī Vidyā: Śrī-śivā is the blessed Śivā (feminine of Śiva, identical with him; cf. Sadāśivā, 709) and the auspicious eternal peace (cf. Śam-ātmikā, 964); the Goddess as Śiva-in-the-feminine, Śakti and Śiva not two — the śrī prefix recalling Śrīmātā, the first name, sounding the return to the beginning.

999. शिवशक्त्यैक्यरूपिणी — Śiva-śakty-aikya-rūpiṇī

Translation: Whose form (rūpiṇī) is the unity (aikya) of Śiva and Śakti; the very embodiment of their non-dual union.

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is “of the form of the union of Śiva and Śakti” — the non-dual summit of the entire hymn. The apavāda: this is the culminating doctrinal name, the resolution toward which all the thousand have moved. Śiva is prakāśa (the light of pure consciousness, the unchanging witness-being); Śakti is vimarśa (the self-awareness, the dynamic power by which consciousness knows itself and shines as the world); and their aikya, their unity, is the supreme reality — not Śiva alone (which would be inert, śava, recall Pañca-preta-mañcādhiśāyinī, 948), not Śakti alone (which would be without ground), but the two as one: consciousness-and-its-power, being-and-its-awareness, the static and the dynamic non-different (recall Vimarśa-rūpiṇī; Sāmarasya-parāyaṇā, 792; Śambhu-mohinī, 955). The whole of the Śrī-Vidyā and the whole of Advaita meet in this name: the Absolute is not a bare static unity but a living non-dual fullness, consciousness eternally aware of itself, Śiva and Śakti in eternal sāmarasya (equal-savour, perfect union). She is that union — not a third thing joining two, but the single reality of which “Śiva” and “Śakti” are the two faces. As the 999th name, this is the metaphysical climax: the entire hymn's adhyāropa (the building-up of the saguṇa Goddess in all her forms) and apavāda (the stripping-away through the niḥ-/nir-/atīta- negations) resolve here into the positive non-dual fullness — the union that was always the truth of every name. And it opens directly onto the last name, Lalitāmbikā: the union of Śiva and Śakti, named in the abstract here, is the Mother who plays, named in the concrete there.

Śrī Vidyā: Śiva-śakty-aikya-rūpiṇī is of the form of the union of Śiva and Śakti — the non-dual summit of the entire hymn: Śiva as prakāśa (the light of pure consciousness) and Śakti as vimarśa (the self-awareness by which it shines as the world), their aikya the supreme reality (cf. Vimarśa-rūpiṇī; Sāmarasya-parāyaṇā, 792). The Goddess as the single reality of which “Śiva” and “Śakti” are two faces — not bare static unity but living non-dual fullness, consciousness eternally aware of itself; the whole edition's adhyāropa and apavāda resolving here into positive non-dual plenitude. The 999th name, the metaphysical climax, opening onto Lalitāmbikā.

1000. ललिताम्बिका — Lalitāmbikā

Translation: Lalitāmbikā — the Mother (ambikā) who is Lalitā (“She who plays”); the supreme Mother in whom the thousand names come to rest.

Adhyāropa–Apavāda: She is Lalitāmbikā — “Mother Lalitā,” the thousandth and final name, in which the whole hymn comes home. The apavāda: Lalitā means “She who plays” (from lal, “to play, to sport”) — for whom the creation, sustenance, and dissolution of all the worlds is līlā, effortless sport, undertaken in sheer joyous freedom (recall Līlā-kḷpta-brahmāṇḍa-maṇḍalā, the cosmos as her play, śloka 128; Līlā-vinodinī, 967; the name's first sounding); and ambikā is “the Mother,” the dearest of all her names. After the abstract summit of Śiva-śakty-aikya-rūpiṇī (999), the hymn closes not on a metaphysical formula but on the Mother at play — for the supreme non-dual reality is not a cold abstraction but the living, loving, playing Mother of all. She is called Lalitā because her cosmic functions are sport, and Ambikā because she is the Mother of all that is. And here the great circle joins: the very first name of the hymn was Śrīmātā, “the Holy Mother” (nāma 1); the very last is Lalitāmbikā, “the playful Mother” (nāma 1000) — the Mother at the beginning and the Mother at the end, and all the thousand names between them her own. The hymn that built her up in every form and stripped every form away comes finally to rest in the simplest and deepest truth: she is the Mother, playing, and all this — the cosmos, the path, the thousand names, the seeker and the sought — is her play, and her love, and herself. Oṃ Śrī Lalitāmbikāyai namaḥ.

Śrī Vidyā: Lalitāmbikā is the Mother who is Lalitā, “She who plays” (from lal, to sport) — the thousandth and final name, in which the whole hymn comes home; for whom creation, sustenance, and dissolution are effortless līlā (cf. Līlā-kḷpta-brahmāṇḍa-maṇḍalā, śloka 128; Līlā-vinodinī, 967), and who is ambikā, the Mother of all. After the abstract summit of Śiva-śakty-aikya-rūpiṇī (999), the hymn closes on the Mother at play — the supreme non-dual reality not a cold abstraction but the living, loving, playing Mother. The great circle joins: the first name was Śrīmātā (the Holy Mother, 1), the last is Lalitāmbikā (the playful Mother, 1000) — and all the thousand names between are her own. Oṃ Śrī Lalitāmbikāyai namaḥ.

॥ इति श्रीललितासहस्रनामस्तोत्रं सम्पूर्णम् ॥

Thus the Śrī Lalitā Sahasranāma Stotra is complete — all one thousand names, from Śrīmātā (1) to Lalitāmbikā (1000).

Devanagari per the sanskritdocuments.org recension (Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa, Uttarakhaṇḍa; Hayagrīva–Agastya saṃvāda); numbering per the Bhāskararāya canonical 1000-count. Transliteration, translation, and commentary original to this edition. — End of Part XXII, and of the complete edition.