Lalita Sahasranama Self-Study Course
Join us for a deep dive into the Thousand Names of Lalitā Mahātripurasundarī, the central goddess of Śrī Vidyā!
In this Self-Study Course, we will delve deep into the Lalitā Sahasranāma, or the thousand names of Lalitā Mahātripurasundarī. This hymn is excerpted from the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṅa, as a dialogue between Sage Agastyā and Lord Hayagrīvā, an avatāra of Lord Viṣṇu. It is said that it was composed by the Vāgdévatās, the eight goddesses of speech at the command of Lalitā herself. Because of its divine origins, the Lalitā Sahasranāma is said to be an equivalent of the Vedās.
The thousand names span the entire teaching of Śrī Vidyā philosophy and practice. The beauty of this great hymn is that it is the “cure for all ills” – physical, mental, emotional, psychological, or spiritual. When chanted or heard regularly, it changes one’s perception, behavior and thought process, infusing ordinary experience with shimmering beauty and sweetness. Living spaces where it is chanted or played are cleared of dreariness and are infused with light and harmony. Most importantly, this hymn steadies the mind by clearing out the debris of conditioning and prepares the practitioner for deeper states of meditation and japa (the practice of mantra).
“You don’t even have to know what the Thousand Names mean. Mere recitation or listening of it is powerful enough!”
“We will learn not just the superficial meanings of these names, but explore their application in our practice and daily life.”
We don’t even have to know what the Thousand Names mean. Mere recitation or listening of it is powerful enough! However, when we learn what each name means, we open ourselves exponentially to the power of the hymn. When we approach the Lalitā Sahasranāma with even a cursory understanding of the Thousand Names, a mysterious thing begins to happen – we are plunged into the ocean of her grace. The Thousand Names begin to manifest in our ordinary experience, where their deeper and unexpected meanings “come” to us, seemingly out of the blue. Eventually, our entire existence begins to look like a garland of the Thousand Names of Lalitā. And life as we know it is forever transformed.
Accordingly, in this course, we will learn not just the superficial meanings of these names. We’ll explore their application in our practice and daily life.
Additionally, we will learn the correct way of chanting the Lalitā Sahasranāma along with the nyāsa (installing the deities of the hymn in our bodies), meter, bhāva (intent and mood), and pronunciation.
Course Logistics:
This course provides extensive materials including videos and audios of the class, videos and audios of the discussions that occurred immediately after each class during the live course, handouts and supplementary recordings. All materials are immediately available upon enrollment, and can be perused at your own pace.