Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 238: Shri Manu vidya (OM manuvidyAyai namaH)

In Namams 199 to 248, the Divine Mother’s  Saguna or infiniteness power and glory are described. 

The Divine Mother is having visible form as Manuvidya; She is in tangible form of Srividya mantra also. 

Vidya (Sanskrit: विद्या) means science, learning, philosophy, knowledge, and scholarship, any knowledge whether true or false. Its root is vid (Sanskrit: विद्), which means "to reason upon", knower, finding, knowing, acquiring or understanding. 

The Divine Mother is in Vidya form, obtained by Manu. The whole human race or person with wisdom or an able leader can be called Manu. Present days Physics scientists are one such group who can be called Manu. The Divine Mother is in all these Manu forms. 

Manuvidya can be said to be a collective name for the Divine Mother worshipping method used by twelve key devotees. They are: Manu (the progenitor of the human race and giver of the religious law in Hindu mythology), Chandra (Moon), Kubera (wealth God), Lopamudra (wife of sage Agastya), Agastya, Manmatha (God of kama or desire), Agni (God of fire), Surya (Sun), Indra (Leader of Devas), Skanda (Lord Muruga), Lord Shiva and Krodhabhattaraka (Durvasa, a great sage known for his short temper and feared by most). Brahma, Vishnu and Nandi are also added to this list. 

Each one of them had formulated a method for worshipping the Divine Mother; all these worshipping methods are available in Jnanaranava (Ocean of wisdom on meditation). 

Devi Kadgamala mentions the following twelve names: Mahesa, Madava, Vitharthu , Manmatha. Skanda, Nandi, Intra, Manu, Candra, Kubera, Agastya and Krodhabhattaraka; they are said to be the key people formulating the Divine Mother’s worshipping methods. 

Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam Namams 239, 297, 305, 359, 375, 406, 558, 586, 647, 715, 720,733 and 785 refer above names and their worshipping methods, which we shall discuss as we progress along, later soon. The present Manuvidya Namam talks about the worshipping method formulated by Manu. 

The current Vaivasvata is the seventh Manu

The Divine Mother resides as Sri Vidya in Bindu, the inner most level in  Sri Cakra

C N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 18 September 2020.

 

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.

4.       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3EoRFDzDoU&t=7s