സുമേരു-മധ്യശൃംഗസ്ഥാ - Lalitha Sahasranama Discourse Part 103

The 54th mantra of Sri Lalitha Sahasranama is,
svādhīnavallabhā
[She who keeps Her husband always under Her control]
Kameshwara and Kameshwari are inseparable and indivisible, embodying the union of Shiva and Shakti in one form. Just like Dharma and Dharmi, Shiva and Shakti cannot exist apart. This is reflected in the mantra, "She who sits on the lap of Kameshwara." The same principle is reinforced in the opening verse of "Saundarya lahari."
śivaḥ śaktyā yukto yadi bhavati śaktaḥ prabhavituṃ
na cedevaṃ devo na khalu kuśalaḥ spanditumapi
atastvāmārādhyāṃ hariharaviriñcādibhirapi
praṇantuṃ stotuṃ vā kathamakṛtapuṇyaḥ prabhavati
Saundarya Lahari 1
[Śiva becomes inert without Śaktī. When Śiva is not united with Śaktī, He cannot manifest the universe. Because of Her functional nature, Divine Mother becomes supremely important. Even gods and goddesses find it difficult to bow before Her and sing Her praise.]
Lord Paramashiva can pulsate only in the presence of Shakti; without her, he becomes motionless. Only those with accumulated merit from past births are able to worship Devi and praise her glory, as she is adored by Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma. This is possible only through the grace and blessings of the Divine Mother. The first verse of Saundarya Lahari reflects this meaning, portraying Devi as one who holds her husband under her influence and control. For example, Sukanya, the devoted wife of Sage Chavana, recognized and reunited with her husband through Devi's blessings. Sachi Devi, the wife of Indra, was able to keep Indra under her influence with Devi's grace. Rukmini prayed at Devi’s temple to attain Lord Krishna as her husband, and her wish was granted. We have heard about Devi's inner abode, on the lap of Kameshwara, where she influences him. Now, we hear of Devi's outer abodes, described in the three mantras starting from the fifty-fifth verse.
sumeru-madhyaśṛṅgasthā-śrīman-nagaranāyikā
cintāmaṇi-gṛhāntasthā -pañca-brahmāsanasthitā
[She who sits on the middle peak of Mount Sumeru, who is the Mistress of the most auspicious (or prosperous), who resides in a house built of the cintamani and she who sits on a seat made of five Brahmas]
(Sri Lalitha Sahasranama - 55-58)
Two abodes of Devi are described here. One is where she sits on the middle peak of Mount Meru.
sudhā-sāgara-madhyasthā
[She who resides in the center of the ocean of nectar]
(Sri Lalitha Sahasranama -61)
She also resides at the center of the ocean of ambrosia. It is said that Mount Sumeru is made of gold, with four great mountains surrounding it, three of which form a triangle. Devi's magnificent abode, Sripura, is located on the central peak-the tallest and most majestic of all. Her divine residence is at the very heart of Mount Sumeru. Because of this, the mantra is written in both forms to reflect her abode on the central peak of Mount Sumeru and in the ocean of ambrosia.
“sumeru-madhya-śṛṅgasthā, sumeru-śṛṅga-madhyasthā”.
[She who sits on the middle peak of Mount Sumeru]
(Sri Lalitha Sahasranama - 55)
Devi is the queen of Srinagara, the most auspicious and prosperous city. Sri Pura, shaped like a wheel or chakra, is central to this divine city. The Srichakra, often depicted in sacred texts, is a beautiful and intricate design, composed of many interconnected triangles. Another name for this sacred diagram is Navavaranam, and at its center lies Sripuram, where Devi resides. Devi, the empress of Srinagara, is seated in the Bindu (dot) at the center of a triangle. This is her home, her divine abode. Her palace is located on the central peak of Mount Sumeru, built from the wish-fulfilling Chintamani gems, and she rests in the middle of the ocean of nectar.
These are various abodes of Devi. she is the empress of the most auspicious city, Srimannagara, her palace made of Chintamani. The Chintamani gems can grant every desire of the heart. Devotees pray to Devi, depending on her divine grace for the fulfillment of their wishes. Devi’s palace is set upon the majestic, golden Mount Sumeru, in the most auspicious city in the universe. Her bed or seat is formed by Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwara, Isana, and Sadashiva - powers representing creation, sustenance, destruction, dissolution, and grace. Paramashiva forms the base of this seat and Devi sits on the lap of Kameshwara, the supreme self, as his consort. She is also the wife of Parabrahma, the ultimate self.
In the Lalitha Sahasranama, Devi's glory is extolled in various mantras. She is described as residing on the middle peak of Mount Sumeru, reigning as the empress of the most auspicious city, dwelling in a mansion built of Chintamani, and seated on a throne made of the five Brahmas. When united with Shakti, these deities are known as Panchabrahmas, and without Shakti, they are called Panchaprethas.
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