363. Tat-pada-lakṣyārthā
Tat-pada-lakṣyārthā reveals the Divine Mother as the ultimate reality indicated by the word "Tat" ("That") in the great Upaniṣadic declarations. The name teaches that the Divine is not merely a personal deity but the infinite Brahman beyond all names and forms—the pure Consciousness that underlies and transcends the entire universe.
Tat-pada-lakṣyārthā (तत्पदलक्ष्यार्था)
This is the 363rd name of the Lalitā Sahasranāma.
After revealing the Divine Mother as Citiḥ, Pure Consciousness itself, the Sahasranāma now moves into one of the highest teachings of the Upaniṣads and Vedānta:
Tat-pada-lakṣyārthā — She who is the implied meaning of the word Tat ("That"); She who is the ultimate reality indicated by the great Mahāvākya teachings.
This is one of the most explicitly Advaitic names in the entire Sahasranāma.
1. Literal Meaning
Word-by-word
Tat – "That"
Pada – word, term, expression
Lakṣya-artha – implied meaning, indicated meaning, deeper significance
Literal translation
"She who is the implied meaning of the word 'Tat'."
or
"The reality indicated by the term 'That'."
2. What is "Tat"?
The word Tat ("That") is one of the most important words in the Upaniṣads.
It appears in the famous Mahāvākya:
Tat Tvam Asi
"That Thou Art."
Here:
Tat
Refers to the Supreme Reality,
the Absolute,
Brahman,
the infinite source of existence.
3. Why "Lakṣyārtha"?
This is the key to understanding the name.
Words have two levels of meaning:
Vācyārtha
Direct or literal meaning.
Lakṣyārtha
Indirect, implied, deeper meaning.
For example:
If someone says:
"The village is on the Ganges."
The literal meaning is impossible.
The implied meaning is:
"The village is on the bank of the Ganges."
Similarly, the word Tat has a deeper meaning beyond its surface understanding.
4. Traditional Meaning
The Divine Mother is called Tat-pada-lakṣyārthā because she is the true reality indicated by the word Tat in the Mahāvākyas.
She is:
Brahman,
the Absolute,
the Infinite,
the Supreme Consciousness beyond all limitations.
5. Devotional Meaning
For a devotee, this name reveals something extraordinary.
The beloved Divine Mother is not merely a deity among many.
She is the very Supreme Reality spoken of in the Upaniṣads.
The object of devotion and the Absolute Truth are one.
6. Śrīvidyā Meaning
Śrīvidyā repeatedly identifies Lalitā with the highest Brahman.
The Mother is:
the source of the universe,
the substance of the universe,
the reality beyond the universe.
Thus she is the true meaning of "Tat."
7. Advaita Vedāntic Meaning
Now the deepest layer.
Why is this name placed after Citiḥ?
The previous name:
Citiḥ
Pure Consciousness.
This name:
Tat-pada-lakṣyārthā
The implied meaning of "Tat."
The sequence is exact.
The Upaniṣadic Brahman referred to as "Tat" is none other than Pure Consciousness.
A profound insight
When the Upaniṣads say:
"Tat"
they do not mean a distant object.
They do not mean a deity residing somewhere else.
They point toward the limitless reality underlying all existence.
The Mother is that reality.
The hidden teaching
The word "Tat" initially appears to indicate something remote.
"That."
Something beyond.
Something transcendent.
Yet Vedānta gradually reveals:
The transcendent is not elsewhere.
It is the very essence of existence.
Beyond Attributes
The literal understanding of God often includes attributes:
creator,
sustainer,
ruler.
But the implied meaning (lakṣyārtha) transcends all attributes.
The Mother as Tat-pada-lakṣyārthā is beyond:
form,
name,
qualities,
limitations.
She is pure Being-Consciousness.
The Mahāvākya Connection
This name directly prepares the seeker for the next great revelation.
In the Mahāvākya:
Tat Tvam Asi
There are two terms:
Tat (That)
Tvam (Thou)
This name addresses the first.
The following names will address the second.
The Method of Vedānta
Vedānta begins by pointing toward the Infinite as "That."
Why?
Because the mind first imagines the Absolute as something beyond itself.
Only later does it discover that the same reality exists as its own innermost Self.
Relation to Earlier Names
Recall:
Viśvādhikā — Beyond the universe.
Vedavedyā — Known through the Vedas.
Citiḥ — Pure Consciousness.
Now:
Tat-pada-lakṣyārthā
The Supreme Brahman indicated by the Upaniṣadic word "Tat."
The Non-Dual Meaning
At the highest level:
Tat does not refer to another reality.
It refers to the one reality.
The Mother is called Tat-pada-lakṣyārthā because she is the infinite Consciousness pointed to by all Vedāntic teachings.
She is not merely worshipped.
She is the Absolute itself.
A deeper contemplation
Language operates through distinction.
Words point to objects.
Names identify forms.
Concepts divide reality into categories.
Yet the sages discovered a reality beyond all distinctions.
They faced a problem:
How can the Infinite be described?
The Upaniṣads responded through indications rather than definitions.
One such indication was the word:
Tat — That.
A simple word pointing beyond everything that can be objectified.
The Divine Mother as Tat-pada-lakṣyārthā is the reality indicated by that word.
She is not an object among other objects.
She is the infinite ground of all existence.
The word "That" initially directs attention beyond the world, beyond individuality, beyond limitation.
But eventually the seeker discovers that this transcendent reality is not separate from oneself.
The Mother who appeared distant is recognized as the very essence of awareness.
Thus this name marks a crucial step in the journey from devotion to realization.
The beloved Goddess is revealed as the Absolute Brahman of the Upaniṣads.
To contemplate Tat-pada-lakṣyārthā is to recognize the Divine Mother as the supreme reality indicated by the word "Tat" in the Mahāvākyas. She is the limitless Brahman beyond all attributes, the infinite Consciousness underlying the universe, and the transcendent truth toward which all spiritual teachings ultimately point.
One-line Essence
Tat-pada-lakṣyārthā reveals the Divine Mother as the supreme Brahman indicated by the Upaniṣadic word "Tat"—the infinite, attribute-free Consciousness that is the source and essence of all existence.
