Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 549: Shri Vidya (ōṃ vidyāyai namaḥ)

The Goddess Divine Mother is in the form of Knowledge (Vidya). 

Vidya and Avidya are two sides of Maya. The first Vidya (knowledge) takes one to the Brahman. Avidya leads the devotee to lower maturity. Vidya helps him to clear his accumulated karma and get liberation. The Divine Mother is in such a Vidya form to grant liberation to souls. 

Lord Shiva is associated with pure Maya, the Divine Mother. When pure Shiva controls the Maya, he is called Eshwaran; when the Maya takes control of the Eshwaran, it is called soul. The soul gains strength through the Divine Mother’s grace; She is called Vidya. This explains the Namam “Vidya” applicable to the Divine Mother. 

The earlier what we saw, Vimarsarupini, is also the Vidya, who provides the knowledge to understand the Brahman. Those who understand the Brahman differently are due to avidya (ignorance). So, the Divine Mother gives the knowledge to understand the Brahman fully by removing the Maya (Ignorance) or She is also called “Brahma Vidya.” 

The Divine Mother is the nature of knowledge (Vidya). She has been already described as the deity with sixty-four forms of art and as having the form of srutis (Vedas) and smrtis. The present Namam refers to the knowledge of the Self, the Divine Mother; She is in that form of knowledge. Vidya is the knowledge that leads to liberation.

           The Saraswathi Devi is representing the Divine Mother in providing Knowledge.


C N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 27 July 2021.

References:

1.       The Thousand Names of the Divine Mother published in English by Mata Amritanandamayi Center, San Ramon, California, USA, with Commentary by T. V Narayana Menon

2.       Shri Lalitha Sahasranama Stostram published in Tamil by N. Ramaswami Iyer charities’ societies, Trichirapalli, India, with Commentary by C. V. Radhakrishna Sastry.

3.       The Lalitha Sahasranamam published in Tamil by Shri Ramakrishna Thapovanam, Thiruipparaithurai, Trichy District, Tamilnadu, India with commentary by Shrimath Swami Sithbavandar

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