The Secret Doctrine of Goddess Lalita
(Sri LalitaAṣṭottara Rahasyārthamu)
1.śrī mātā 2. śri mahārājñī 3. śrīmat-siṃhāsanēśvarī
She who is the Auspicious mother.
She who is the Empress of the Universe.
She who is Ruler of the most glorious throne.
We find these nāma-s or mantras in the original Lalita sahasranāma (1000 names of the Goddess) as well as in Lalita aṣṭottara nāma (108 names of the Goddess). They symbolize the creation (mātā), sustenance (mahārājñī), and dissolution (siṃhāsanēśvarī ) of the world. While the first two names may not raise any questions, the last one is most likely to. The name siṃhāsanēśvarī literally translates into “She who rules the world sitting on a glorious lion-shaped throne.” The literal translation does not explicitly say anything about “dissolution,” so we must go beyond the literal meaning of the nāma to discover its deeper significance. siṃhā means lion, that which destroys. āsan means “to steal.” Like a ferocious lion that can destroy anything, the Goddess is capable of destroying the entire world. Hence, siṃhāsanēśvarī implies dissolution.
By describing the Goddess as performing the three functions of creation, sustenance, and dissolution, sages have established that Devi is the material cause of this entire universe. Just like the clay that pervades the entire pot, śakti pervades the entire universe. Therefore, śakti is the material cause of the universe. Like the pot that is not different from the clay, the universe is not different from śakti. However, śakti (power or energy) cannot exist independently on its own. śakti depends on śiva for Her existence. Energy depends on Consciousness for its existence. She is cītrūpini, the power of Consciousness. Hence, She is not only the material cause of the universe, She is also the efficient cause because She is “Conscious Power.” Therefore, this entire creation is an expression of the union of śakti and śiva, and must be perceived from that viewpoint only. Note that the three mantras share the common prefix śri, although the rest of the words in the mantras are different. The word śri means āśraya or “depend.” śakti (power) depends on Consciousness. It cannot exist on its own. That is why the prefix “śri” is permanently assigned to Devī . The differences (in the rest of the words) in the mantras symbolize the transitory nature of the world. The world is only an appearance, an illusion that appears on an Immutable substratum called Consciousness. Hence, Consciousness alone is Real. Everything else is only an appearance, therefore, unreal.
Since the world has no real existence of its own, we cannot look upon it as saṃsāra or bondage either. Instead, we must look upon it as an appearance of śakti, the intrinsic power of Consciousness. The more we contemplate on śakti in this manner, the closer She will take us to śiva, which is our real nature. śakti is brahmavidyā, the Supreme Knowledge of brahman or Pure Consciousness. Only through vidyā (Knowledge) can one realize śiva (Self). The goal of human life is to realize the true nature of the Self. śakti can help us attain that goal. Hence, unlike the tāntrik (ritualists), Advaitins believe that Sri Vidyā (knowledge of the Goddess) is brahmavidyā itself. There is no difference between the two.
Another interesting detail to note is the m syllable next to the syllable śri. When the two syllables (śri + m) are pronounced together in the three mantras as “śrim,” we repeatedly hear the “m” sound. This is not a coincidence. It is by design and intention of Sage Hayagriva who compiled the 1000 names of the Goddess. śrim is a mantra of the Goddess ṣoḍaśī, who personifies brahmavidyā, the Knowledge of the Supreme Self. The syllable m points directly to the eternal brahman. Repeated and meaningful chanting of śrim śrim śrim produces brahmākāra vṛtti, a thought modification in the form of brahman. The thought of brahman purifies the mind. The goal is to attain brahmavidyā through a purified mind, word, and deed. Only then the mantra produces a three-fold result. That is why Sage Hayagriva chanted this mantra (śri) not only in the beginning but also at the end of the Sri Lalitha chant – śrī chakrarājanilayā, śrīmat tripura sundarī, śri śivā. Through repetition, the Sage is emphasizing the significance of śrividyā, making it clear that there is no difference between śrividyā and brahmavidyā, and that śrividyā leads one to śivasāyujya, the ultimate union of the individual self with the Supreme Self.