Overview

Chanting or listening to the one thousand names of the Lalitā Sahasranāma is a treasured practice among lovers of the red-hued Lalitā Mahātripurasundarī. If we can view this chant through the lens of the philosophy on which it is expounded, the nāmas pour into the moment-to-moment unfolding of life, which becomes infused with Lalitā Devī's radiant presence. Instead of being hindrances to liberation, our challenging life circumstances become the doorways to freedom. Each of the thousand nāmas is a mantra. When we invite the nāmas into our inner landscape, the Lalitā Sahasranāma becomes a garland of mantras, where every life experience is rendered sacred because it can be found in the velvety folds of the chant. This kind of practice opens us to uncommon wisdom and sweetness--this is Glorious Alchemy! This commentary takes a non-traditional approach and provides a primer on Śrīvidyā, exploring concepts such as Kuṇḍalinī, prāṇa, kośas, karma and ācārās. Part II threads together the thousand nāmas on the basis of Śrīvidyā philosophy as it relates to life and personal practice. In addition, suggested contemplative practices are provided for further reflection on the nāmas. This book comes with a recording of the Lalitā Sahasranāma, as well as a guided meditation to facilitate the contemplative practices in Part II. Lnks to the recording are available on the New Sarum Press website.

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9781999353582

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Reviews

This masterful illuminating book is a gift from Devi Herself as manifested through a brilliant contemporary practitioner, Yogini and householder, Dr. Kavitha Chinnaiyan. It is a timely, accessible and empowering resource that elucidates the rich, often complex and esoteric doctrine of Srividya and opens the multivalent portals of Devi Lalita's 1000 names in intelligent, refreshing and relatable ways. Scholars, practitioners, spiritual seekers, and laypeople within and outside the non-dual Tantric and Vedic lineage streams will all delight in the wealth of knowledge and practical applications this precious work offers. Chinnaiyan offers the reader myriad opportunities to directly access and understand the Divine Mother and the infinite nuances and emanations of Her Reality through both knowledge and experience. In short, LSN is more than a book; it is a living revelation that those who love Devi, those who wish to deepen their relationship with Her, and those who have yet to remember Her, have all been waiting for. --Laura Amazzone, Author of Goddess Durga and Sacred Female Power The recitation of the thousand names of the Divine Mother known as the Lalita Sahasranama is one of the most powerful and popular spiritual practices among devotees of the Goddess. The background for these names is the sophisticated system of nondualistic Tantra known as Srividya. Because of its complexity and the secrecy of many of its lineages, Srividya has remained mostly an enigma to the uninitiated. In Living the Lalita Sahasranama, Dr. Kavitha Chinnaiyan introduces the esoteric philosophy, metaphysics, mythology, devotional sentiment, and yogic discipline of this profound tradition with elegant clarity. With the humility and respect of a devoted practitioner and the rationality of an educator, she makes the divine names come alive, showing how the Lalita Sahasranama reveals a path back the Great Mother. This book is an invaluable blessing to those interested in tantra, yoga, nonduality, the divine feminine, and the Hindu worship of the Goddess. This is the book I wish I could have written. --Rev. Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati, Head Priest and Dean of Seminary, Kali Mandir Ramakrishna Ashram, Laguna Beach, California

Author Information

Dr. Kavitha Chinnaiyan (Saundaryāmbikā) is a cardiologist and Professor of Medicine at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in Royal Oak, MI. An initiate in the Tāntrik lineages of Śrī Vidyā and Nondual Saiva Tantra (also known as Kashmir Saivisim), she has studied Advaita Vedānta, Ayurveda, and Yoga with teachers across the globe. Her workshops, courses and writings on meditation, Yoga, Tantra, Ayurveda and non-duality strive to bring these time-honored traditions to modern living in practical ways. She is the author of The Heart of Wellness (Llewellyn Publications, January 2018), and Shakti Rising (Non-Duality Press, October 2017), which won the Nautilus Gold Award in the category Religion/Spirituality-Eastern Thought, 2017.

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