LALITHA SAHASRANAMAM
सर्व-यन्त्रात्मिका सर्व-तन्त्ररूपा मनोन्मनी ।
माहेश्वरी महादेवी महालक्ष्मीर् मृडप्रिया ॥ ५३॥
Sarva Yantratmika Sarva Tantrarupa Manonmani Maheshvari Mahadevi Mahalakshmir Mrudapriya – 53
माहेश्वरी (208)
Maheshvari (208)
Meaning:
Devi is described as the Great / Supreme Goddess. It may also be understood to mean Devi as a Great / Supreme ruler.
Interpretation:
The Namah is usually split as Maha which literally means the great /supreme and Ishwari which means goddess. Certain experts feel it should be Mahesh + Wari meaning a great ruler. However both the terms primarily refer to Lord Shiva.
Lord Shiva is called Maheshwara sometimes adding the name of his consort Uma - as Uma Maheswara.
The most important text where Lord Shiva is referred to as Uma Maheshwara is found in Mahanyasam forming part of Yajur Veda. In Chapter 16 titled Ashtanga Pranama, we come across the term Uma Maheswaraya Namah: It is a common practice to prostrate before the Lord eight times while chanting the mantras in the chapter, adding wity it the prefix, Urasa, Sirasa, Dhrishtya, Manasa, Vachasa, Padabyam, Karabyam and Karnabyam respectively before Uma Maheswaraya Namah.
Devi being exclusively referred to as Maheswari is found both in Devi Mahatmyam and Shiva Puranam.
Quote from Devi Mahatmyam
त्रिशूलचन्द्राहिधरे महावृषभवाहिनि ।
माहेश्वरीस्वरूपेण नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
Quote from Shiva Puranam
In a conversation between Lord Brahma and Sage Narada we come across the following shloka:
देवा ऊचुः ।
देव्युमे जगतामम्ब शिवलोकनिवासिनी ।
सदाशिवप्रिये दुर्गे त्वां नमामो महेश्वरि ॥
According to Sri Vidya Upasana, eight deities called Martakas are assigned the job to guard the eight different directions of the city of Tripura where Devi Lalithambika resides. The name of the deity guarding the North direction is Maheswari.
Author's Notes:
Worship of Devi Maheshwari has been very popular since ancient times.
There are several temples dedicated to Devi Maheshwari and a couple of them are discussed herein below:
Maheshwari Temple in Chitradurga, Karnataka
The temple is believed to be more than 2000 years and appears to have been built by the Rashtrakuta kings. The temple's main attraction is the idol of Maheshwari, which has a height of 7 feet and is adorned with precious stones and ornaments.
Maheshwari Temple in Haripur, Uttarpradesh
Another famous temple of Devi Maheshwari is located in village Banda, Hamirpur district Uttar Pradesh. Located on the banks of river Betwa, the temple is a Sixty feet structure. It is one of the elite group of 51 Shakti Peeth temples.
Disclaimer: All matters contained in this article are the property of www.templesofasia.com. The opinions expressed in this article are purely that of the author. The author alone is responsible for the accuracy, authenticity, completeness and validity of all the information in the article.
Comments