PREAMBLE - 1

औम् नमो भगवते श्री रमणाय ॥

10 January 2016

PREAMBLE

In the biography of Sri Adi Sankara, the following incident is noted. When Sri Adi Sankara wanted to write a commentary on Sri Lalitha Sahasranama, he asked a girl to go and fetch ‘the Sahasranama’. The girl returned with Sri Vishnu Sahasranama. Acharya sent the girl back to fetch the the Sahasranama of Sri Devi, but the girl again returned with Sri Vishnu Sahasranama. This happened thrice and Acharya decided to write his commentary on- Sri Vishnu Sahasranama.

Sri Adi Sankara did write his commenatary on श्री ललिता त्रिशती (śrī lalitā triśatī).

Sri Adi Sankara is known as शन्मथ प्रतिश्तापनाचार्य (śanmatha pratiśtāpanācārya) having established the six forms of worship including the शक्ति (śakti) worship.

The सोउभग्य भास्करम् (soubhagya bhāskaram) written by श्री भास्करराय (śrī bhāskararāya) on the श्री ललिता सहस्रनाम (śrī lalitā sahasranāma) is considered the pre-eminent commentary by scholars. This commentary is in Sanskrit.

A number of commentaries and translations are available, such as:

- śrī soubhagya bhāskaram by śrī bhāskararāya
- jayamangala by śrī bhatta narāyaṇa
- parimaḻam by śrī simamputla ramamūrthy sastry

The very nature of this सहस्रनाम is श्रीविद्य उपासक (śrīvidya upāsaka) and it is of an extremely subtle nature.

With respect to this endeavor, we will initially meditate on introductory topics.

औम् श्रीदेवी नमः