718. Mahī
Mahī reveals the Divine Mother as the great, nurturing, and all-supporting foundation of the universe. The name symbolizes her qualities of patience, generosity, and sustenance, teaching that just as the Earth supports all life, the Divine Mother upholds all worlds as the infinite Consciousness that is the true ground of existence.
Mahī (मही)
This is the 718th name of the Lalitā Sahasranāma.
After praising the Divine Mother as Madhumatī, the embodiment of divine sweetness and bliss, the Sahasranāma now reveals her as the vast, sustaining foundation of existence:
Mahī: She who is great; She who is the Earth; She who supports and nourishes all beings; She who is expansive, patient, and all-sustaining.
This name carries both cosmic and spiritual significance.
1. Literal Meaning
Word-by-word
Mahī derives from the root mah:
to be great,
to expand,
to grow,
to magnify.
Literal translation
"The Great One."
or
"The Vast One."
or
"She who is the Earth."
2. Traditional Meaning
The commentators explain:
The Goddess is called Mahī because she is great in every respect and because she appears as the Earth, the support of all beings.
She is both greatness itself and the sustaining ground of life.
3. Mahī as the Earth
In Sanskrit literature, Mahī is a well-known name for the Earth.
The Earth:
bears all creatures,
supports all activities,
nourishes all life,
remains patient under all burdens.
These qualities are attributed to the Divine Mother.
4. The Mother as Support
Everything rests upon her.
Just as all beings depend upon the Earth,
the entire universe depends upon the Divine Mother.
Thus she is Mahī.
5. Devotional Meaning
For devotees, Mahī signifies:
patience,
stability,
nourishment,
compassion,
endurance.
The Mother supports all beings without discrimination.
6. Why Does This Name Follow Madhumatī?
The sequence is meaningful.
Madhumatī
The Mother is sweetness and bliss.
Mahī
That sweetness expresses itself as nurturing support and sustenance.
The blissful Mother becomes the foundation upon which life flourishes.
7. Vedic Significance
The Earth is often praised in the Vedas as:
patient,
generous,
life-giving.
The Divine Mother embodies all these qualities in their highest form.
8. Śākta Meaning
In Śākta philosophy, the Earth itself is a manifestation of Śakti.
The Mother appears as:
mountains,
rivers,
forests,
fields,
all forms of nourishment.
Thus Mahī signifies her immanent presence in the physical world.
9. Advaita Vedāntic Meaning
Now the deeper layer.
A profound insight
What is the ultimate support of the universe?
The hidden teaching
Consciousness.
The Apparent Support
The Earth appears to support living beings.
The universe appears to support earthly existence.
The Real Support
All experiences,
all worlds,
all perceptions
arise within Consciousness.
Without Consciousness, nothing can be known.
Therefore Consciousness is the true foundation.
The Mother is that foundation.
Greatness Beyond Measure
Mahī also means "great."
The greatness of the Mother is not quantitative.
It is infinite.
Nothing exists outside her.
Nothing can limit her.
The Infinite Ground
Just as the Earth supports countless beings,
the Divine Mother supports:
the Earth,
the cosmos,
the mind,
all experience.
Yet she remains untouched by what she supports.
The Patience of the Mother
The Earth bears all burdens silently.
Likewise, the Divine Mother patiently sustains all beings through every stage of their journey.
Relation to Earlier Names
Observe the progression:
Māyā: The power of manifestation.
Madhumatī: The sweetness underlying manifestation.
Mahī: The sustaining foundation of manifestation.
The Sahasranāma now reveals the Mother's role as the support of all existence.
The Non-Dual Meaning
At the highest level, Mahī signifies the infinite Consciousness that serves as the substratum of the entire universe. The Divine Mother is the ultimate support, the boundless reality upon which all worlds appear and by which all beings are sustained.
A Deeper Contemplation
The name Mahī reveals the nurturing and sustaining aspect of the Divine Mother.
The Earth provides a powerful symbol.
It supports all life without preference.
It gives without demanding.
It endures without complaint.
These qualities reflect the Mother's nature.
The sequence after Madhumatī is especially beautiful.
The Mother first appears as sweetness and bliss.
Then she appears as the sustaining ground through which that bliss expresses itself in creation.
From a devotional perspective, Mahī inspires gratitude for the Mother's constant support and nourishment.
From a Vedic perspective, she is the sacred Earth that sustains all beings.
From a Śākta perspective, she is the manifest power present throughout nature.
From an Advaitic perspective, she is the infinite Consciousness that serves as the substratum of all experience.
The Mother is that support.
Ultimately, Mahī teaches that the Divine Mother is the great and all-sustaining foundation of existence. She nourishes, supports, and protects all beings while remaining the infinite Consciousness upon which the entire universe rests.
To contemplate Mahī is to recognize the Divine Mother as the patient, nurturing, and boundless support underlying all life and all experience.
One-line Essence
Mahī reveals the Divine Mother as the great and sustaining foundation of all existence.
