Social media platform X throws up a plethora of viral videos every single day. Most often, the news that is widely circulated is negative. But this one that was spotted would give every Sanatani Hindu something to rejoice – the power of chanting the Lalitha Sahasranamam and other slokas.

Singer Alice, a native of Kottayam, popularly known as Kottayam Alice, in a recent Paadam Nedaam Panam Nedaam show on Amrita TV tells how chanting Lalitha Sahasranamam helps in strengthening the lungs and gets one rid of breathing issues. 

The show starts with an introduction to Kottayam Alice, and she goes on to sing one of her popular hits. When the anchor, singer Rimi Tomy, asked her how she was able to sing so easily, Alice replied, “What I do is an Upasana. My husband is a Hindu, I started practicing Hindu culture/traditions about 10-15 years back. I am a Hindu bhakta. I can recite the Lalitha Sahasranamam and the Vishnu Sahasranamam without any notes; I always recite it daily. I see it as a 40-minute breathing exercise. When you sit in dhyana and recite the Lalitha Sahasranamam correctly without any mistakes, you will not have any breathing-related issues.”

She continues to say that the slokas and mantras our Acharyas left behind for us, such as the Sahasranamavali and the various Hindu rituals, focus on our physical and mental development. She adds that the metre in which the Sahasranamams are tuned will make us take long breaths, which will be an excellent breathing exercise, especially for singers.

She chants the Lalitha Sahasranamam sloka and then says that with practice, one can chant several slokas at a stretch because of improved breathing capabilities. She also said that the Sanskrit verses help achieve perfect pronunciation. The show’s anchor, singer MG Sreekumar, endorsed this, saying that this is an upadesha/advice for today’s generation.  

What are the Lalitha Sahasranamam & Vishnu Sahasranamam?

“Sahasranamam” is a Sanskrit term that means “a thousand names.” It is a genre of stotra literature in Hinduism, typically found as a title of texts dedicated to a deity, where the deity is remembered by 1,000 names, attributes, or epithets. This practice is a form of devotional worship and meditation.

Lalitha Sahasranamam is a sacred Hindu text from the Brahmanda Purana that lists the thousand names of the Hindu mother goddess Lalita Devi. It is a significant devotional hymn dedicated to Goddess Lalitha Devi, also known as Tripura Sundari or Shodashi.

Chanting Lalitha Sahasranamam is considered highly auspicious and is believed to bring numerous benefits, including spiritual growth, protection, and fulfilling life’s necessities. It is a form of worship that invokes the blessings of the divine feminine energy.

One of the most famous Sahasranamams is the “Vishnu Sahasranamam,” which contains 1,000 names of Lord Vishnu. Chanting or reciting these names is considered spiritually significant in Hinduism and is believed to bestow various benefits, including spiritual growth and blessings from the deity. M.S. Subbulakshmi’s rendition of the “Vishnu Sahasranamam” is particularly well-known. 

Such is the beauty of Sanatana Dharma, our Hindu Dharma that each and every aspect of our mind, body, and soul is taken into account for every single ritual or everything we do in a day as a Sanatani Hindu.