Ambal resides in pure heart

In the Lalita Sahasranamam, Ambal is described as one who resides in the heart of a bhakta like a swan. Similar to how the waters of the Mansarovar lake is crystal clear, enabling one to see right to the bottom of the bed, so too should one strive to keep one’s heart and mind pure since Ambal desires to reside there, said Dr. Sudha Seshayyan in a discourse.

The strength of a mind lies in its thoughts, and it has to be strong enough, in a dharmic way, for Ambal to reside in and foster a person, much like a mother raising her child with utmost care.

How does Ambal raise her bhaktas? She does so with discrimination. This is not in the way that humans act, wherein they discriminate between two individuals. Rather the goddess imbues in her believers the sense to discern between right and wrong, between dharma and adharma, a faculty that no other sentient being is blessed with. It is human nature to be in a constant state of dilemma; even the selection of a seat in a restaurant leads us to doubt ourselves. When one masters temptations galore, one is ready to be blessed by Ambal.

Adi Sankara, Kalidasa, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Thayumanavar, Vallalar and Subramania Bharati were some of the great souls who received Ambal’s benediction because of their inner purity. One of Bharati’s famous poems highlights the importance of a crystal clear mind and seeks her help to rid the inner darkness and purify the mind.

Who is Ambal? She is the embodiment of dharma who desires to reside in the serene mind of a bhakta.