Lalita Sahasranama
Composed by Vashinyadi Vagdevatas
The thousand names of the Divine Mother Lalita, the supreme goddess in the Shakta tradition.
About Lalita Sahasranama
The Lalita Sahasranama is embedded in the Brahmanda Purana and is considered the most complete and sacred description of the Divine Mother in her form as Lalita Tripurasundari — the beautiful goddess of the three cities. Unlike most sahasranamas, each of Lalita's thousand names is said to encode both her form and her philosophy, making the text simultaneously a devotional hymn, a cosmological treatise, and a Tantric initiation.
The names range from Shri Mata (the Divine Mother) and Shri Maha Rajni (the Great Queen) to descriptions of her physical beauty from head to foot (anganyasa), her weapons, her city Sri Nagara, and her court. The Phala Shruti declares that merely hearing these names removes all sins and grants the four purusharthas: dharma, artha, kama, and moksha.
The text is particularly important in the Sri Vidya tradition of Shakta Tantra. It is recited daily in thousands of temples across India, especially those dedicated to the forms of the Goddess such as Kamakshi, Meenakshi, and Rajarajeshwari.
Source: Brahmanda Purana, Lalitopakhyana section
Verses
Sanskrit
श्रीमाता श्रीमहाराज्ञी श्रीमत्सिंहासनेश्वरी । चिदग्निकुण्डसम्भूता देवकार्यसमुद्यता ॥
Transliteration
Śrī Mātā Śrī Mahā Rājñī Śrīmat Siṃhāsaneśvarī | Cid Agni Kuṇḍa Sambhūtā Deva Kārya Samudyatā ||
Meaning
She is the Divine Mother, the Great Queen, the Mistress of the auspicious lion-throne; She arose from the fire-pit of consciousness (chit agni) and stands ever ready to accomplish the purposes of the gods.
Sanskrit
उद्यद्भानुसहस्राभा चतुर्बाहुसमन्विता । रागस्वरूपापाशाढ्या क्रोधाकाराङ्कुशोज्ज्वला ॥
Transliteration
Udyad Bhānu Sahasrābhā Caturbāhu Samanvitā | Rāga Svarūpā Pāśāḍhyā Krodhākāra Aṅkuśojvalā ||
Meaning
She blazes with the brilliance of a thousand rising suns; She is endowed with four arms; She holds the noose (pasha) that is the embodiment of passionate longing (raga), and the gleaming goad (ankusha) that is the very form of wrath (krodha).
Sanskrit
मनोरूपेक्षुकोदण्डा पञ्चतन्मात्रसायका । निजारुणप्रभापूरमज्जद्ब्रह्माण्डमण्डला ॥
Transliteration
Mano Rūpa Ikṣu Kodaṇḍā Pañca Tanmātra Sāyakā | Nijā Aruṇa Prabhā Pūra Majjad Brahmāṇḍa Maṇḍalā ||
Meaning
Her bow is made of sugar-cane (representing the mind), and her five arrows are the five subtle elements (tanmatras — sound, touch, form, taste, smell); the universe in its entirety is immersed in the ocean of her own reddish-golden radiance.
Sanskrit
चम्पकाशोकपुन्नागसौगन्धिकलसत्कचा । कुरुविन्दमणिश्रेणीकनत्कोटीरमण्डिता ॥
Transliteration
Campakāśoka Punnāga Saugandhika Lasat Kacā | Kuruvinda Maṇi Śreṇī Kanat Koṭīra Maṇḍitā ||
Meaning
Her hair is fragrant with champak, ashoka, punnaga, and saugandhika blossoms; her crown shines brilliantly, set with rows of ruby gems (kuruvinda), adorning her form with resplendent light.
Benefits of Reciting Lalita Sahasranama
- ✓Grants the four goals of life: righteousness, prosperity, desire-fulfilment, and liberation
- ✓Bestows beauty, charm, and grace upon the devotee
- ✓Removes all sins accumulated over many lifetimes through sincere recitation
- ✓Invokes the protective grace of the Divine Mother against all dangers
- ✓Fulfils all worldly desires while simultaneously purifying the devotee for spiritual ascent
- ✓Daily recitation is said to lead to the highest spiritual realisation in this very life