Queries on Śrī Lalitā Sahasranāma Phalaśruti

Question

As per Śrī Lalitā Sahasranāma Phalaśruti:

[13] & [14] The supreme puṇya which results from a repetition of a single name of the secret Sahasranāma. The accumulated sins, of him who repeats at least a single name of this secret Sahasranāma, are all destroyed. There is no doubt in this.

[15] All sins of omission of prescribed daily duties and commission of prohibited actions, are surely destroyed. Why describe in so many words? Listen, O Pot-Born one:

[16] No person, in all the fourteen worlds, is capable of committing a sin which cannot be removed by a single name in this Sahasranāma which is the antidote of all sins

Quoted from: Phalaśruti mentioned here.

As per [16], if with a single name so many sins can be removed then there should not be any obstacles and suffering left in my life.

It is a beautiful stotra of Goddess and I really love it. I chant it daily however in almost all the stotras, the Phal that is described seems to be not working in present times.

I want to know whether these statements are valid in Kaliyuga also. Apart from devotion and faith, is there any specific method for chanting Sahasranāma which I am not doing and therefore not getting results.

Answer 1

This KAmAkotimanadali page tries to determine "lalitA sahasranAma - adhikAra nirNaya".

That means trying to determine who all are competent to recite the stotram. That means not all are competent to start with.

Bhagavan Hayagriva clearly mentions the qualification required for the recitation/practice of Sri Lalita Sahasranama in the pUrva pIThikA of the Sahasranama.

Qualification

1. The Sahasranama is never to be given to a one who is a crook, who finds pleasure in other’s misery and one who has no faith in Amba/Guru. Such people are not qualified to recite this Sahasranama.

2. Now, let’s say the person has overcome all these qualities. Is that sufficient? No! Bhagavan further says - shrImAtR^ibhaktiyuktAya - the person should be devoted to Sri Lalita. One can be a devotee of Sri Shiva, Sri Ganesha, Sri Vishnu or even of other forms like Sri Kali or Sri Durga. But a person whose chief upAsyA is Sri LalitAmbikA, he alone is qualified to recite this Sahasranama.

3. Ok! We have a person who is good, and is also devoted to Sri Lalita. Is that sufficient? Not again! Bhagavan says: shrIvidyArAjavedine - one who has been initiated into Srividya - he alone is qualified to recite this Sahasranama. Some assume that Srividya here can be bAla, panchadashi or Shodashi, but there is no room for doubt here. Srividya here is simply Panchadashi. The question of Shodashi does not arise at all as Shodashi includes Panchadashi in itself and hence holds good without a doubt. bAlA upAsakas are eligible to recite bAlA sahasranAma but not lalitA sahasranAma.

Now, you have clarified to me elsewhere, in some comments, that you are not initiated and in particular that you do not have a Sri VidyA DikshA. So, it seems that you are not yet competent to recite the stotram.

And that's why instead of all the sincere efforts you are failing to get the benefits which the Phalasruti mentions.

Now, that makes Goddess really concerned for you. Because you are a devotee but you are devoid of the right guidance. And, i think, that's why you got that dream where you got to know, for the first time in your life, about the Panchadashi.

If you ask me to interpret the dream, then i'll say, Goddess is simply asking you to take a Sri VidyA dikshA. So, that you may become competent to recite the stotram which you love so much.

And, generally speaking, in all cases DikshA is the first thing to be done. It is the first step towards spiritual progress. And all the other things come after that.

This is how Lord Shiva condemns the act of remaining uninitiated:

AdikshitA ye kurvanti japapujAdikAh kriyAha |
Na phalanti priye teshAm shilAyAmupta vijavat ||

......

[Lord Shiva says to Sri Devi] Whatever a person, who is not initiated, does, whether it is PujA (worship) or Japa (chanting) or any other religious acts, proves abortive just like seeds sown on stones.

KulArnava Tantram 14.96

That article i quoted also lists a warning for those who recite the stotram but who are not yet qualified.

The Phalasruti says that a person without the said qualification, who recites the Sahasranama, attracts Yogini Shapa - curse from the Yoginis. The Sahasranama is infinitely powerful and using it without the said preparation blows up one’s energy network. As Yoginis are nothing but the various energies in the body, yogini shApa means energy disturbances in the body which manifest as various physical, emotional and intellectual disorders.

Although it might not be helpful for your case, still i am quoting the rules for reading the stotram:

Sri Lalita Sahasranama is both a Stotra and a mAlA mantra. If you choose to recite it as a Stotra, recite it vocally, at an even pace, without shaking one’s head, hands, legs or engaging in other activities during the recitation. If recited as a mAlA mantra, one needs to perform RishyAdi nyAsa, panchapUja, recite the dhyAna Shloka, show the relevant Mudras if directed by the Guru and then begin reciting the Mantra with a chant of Pranava. The recitation of Pranava is based on one’s varNa. This has been discussed at length by Sri Bhaskararaya in Saubhagya Bhaskara. When recited as a mantra, it can be repeated mentally. Though some perform a purashcharana of the Sahasranama, I don’t see any need for the same. As only Srividya Upasakas are permitted to recite the Sahasranama, it comes without saying that they have the mUla mantra which requires purashcharana and not the Sahasranama. There are several Sahasranamas which come with purashcharana instructions. But the fact that Sri Lalita Sahasranama does not come with any such instruction points towards the necessity of Upasana of Srividya mantra along with the Sahasranama for full result.

The three prescribed duties for a Srividya Upasaka are:

1. Chakrarajarchana

2. Srividya Japa

3. Sahasranama Japa

But you need not worry because you already got Bhakti for Goddess. So, you will certainly get the GUru and desired results sooner or later.

Bhakti is already a prescribed qualification to even take up the recitation of the Sahasranama. Amba has not been declared mantravashyA, tantravashyA, yajnavashyA etc. but only as BhaktivashyA. The only sure way to win her infinite and unconditional grace is by Bhakti, which leads one to a state where the truth of Amba as the self is comprehended. As the Sahasranama also states - nAmapArAyaNaprItA, what better way to please Amba than by reciting the thousand names with a sense of overflowing love for the Supreme Mother of the universe? rAga or love for worldly objects leads to bondage. But the same love or anuraga, when turned towards Amba becomes Bhakti and leads to liberation. parAnukraktirIshware bhaktiH. Every name recited should be a call to Amba, lifting our arms - asking her to lift us up in her arms. Every name recited should be a prostration at her feet, surrendering the self to her. Every name recited should be an indication of unbearable grief due to separation from Amba. Every name should be an outcry of unfathomable joy arising out of her proximity that is felt with the recitation of every name!

So, i feel the fact that you are not initiated yet and also the fact that you are not initiated into Sri VidyA yet are apparently the reasons for your perceived failures.

Answer 2

4-11-2021 07:01:32

Happy Deepavali to all of you .

Devotion is the supreme practice- not just outer rituals and "mechanical procedures".

From the above:

" 3.Ok! We have a person who is good, and is also devoted to Sri Lalita. Is that sufficient? Not again! Bhagavan says: shrIvidyArAjavedine - one who has been initiated into Srividya - he alone is qualified to recite this Sahasranama ."

It depends on your understanding about Lalitaa - but even mechanical devotion is a starting point . But anyone who has faith and devotion to Lalitaa can also chant the Lalitaa Sahasranama - it is not the exclusive right of "initiates alone". Somewhere in the Lalitopakhyana it says that even if you cannot do the rituals etc. just chanting the Lalitaa Sahasranama with devotion once is beneficial . Of course , then when you gain more traction - you can let Lalitaa show the way .

In the Lalitaa Trishatii Stotra Agastya was still feeling unfulfilled or felt something was missing even after all the "traditional initiations, rituals and ritual explanations along with having received the Lalitaa Sahasranama from Hayagriva". His devotion to Lalitaa was of such quality that even after the super secret Lalita Sahasranama - Agastya still felt unfulfilled-something missing . Hayagriva was reluctant and did not want to reveal the Trishatii to Agastya because Hayagriva was told to keep it secret ! IT WAS AGASTYA'S DEVOTION TO LALITAA AND HOLDING HAYAGRIVA'S FEET FOR THREE YEARS - ultimately Lalitaa and Kamesvara appeared and Lalitaa commanded Hayagriva to reveal the Trishatii to devoted Agastya .

One name from the Lalitaa Trishatii has ten million times more phala than the entire Lalitaa Sahasranama together . I am sure you are acquainted with the Lalitaa Trishatii Stotra .

The Yoginis curse does not scare me one bit - the Yoginis will have to bow down to Lalitaa Trishatii .

Please don't give the impression that "Lalitaa is the exclusive property of so-called initiates etc".

4-11-2021 07:13:39

Answer 3

What does one have to do to get the fruits of repeating some scriptural texts?

The answer is that one has to attain mental purity.

For the attainment of mental purity, spiritual aspirants (Yogins) perform action devoid of attachment, with their body, mind, intellect or even merely with the senses.

Gita 5.11

What happens when one has attained mental purity?

Whoever, being engaged to me solely, engage themselves always in contemplation and worship of Me - to such ever steadfast devotees I ensure the procurement of all their wants (salvation) and the preservation of their assets (worldly interests).

Gita 9.22

What can one conclude if one has not been granted one's prayer even after repeating some scripture for many years?

One can conclude that one has not attained the level of mental purity that is necessary for God to grant the prayers.

Doesn't one attain mental purity by repeating Lalita Sahasranama?

Yes, it happens but very slowly. One has to take initiation from a competent Guru to hasten the process. A brief description of how a mantra taken from a Guru works is given below.

From another point of view, a mantra gains spiritual potency through many years of being associated with holy men who have repeated it and attained realization through it. The concept of the mantra is based on the psychological fact that much of our thinking depends on auditory symbols. Repetition of the mantra creates a chain of thought which induces the mind with the thought of God, and this is the aim of all spiritual practices. ................. Every Vedic mantra has a rishi who first intuited it, a particular metre in which it is composed, and a deity to whom it is addressed. In Tantric mantras the most important element is the vija, a sacred syllable considered to be charged with spiritual potency, as also Shakti or power and a kilaka, a pillar (inner syllables on which the mantra rests.) All the letters of the Sanskrit alphabets are considered as different matrikas, minor deities around the main deity. The mantra is charged with a special potency, so much so that the Tantrikas believe that when offerings are made to the deity with the appropriate mantras, the deity accepts them immediately.

Meditation and other spiritual disciplines by Swami Swahananda