Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 390: Shri Nirvana sukha dayini (OM nirvANasukhadAyinyai namaH)

In Namams 381 to 474, the Divine Mother’s Jnana Yoga worship methods are discussed in details.

The Divine Mother confers or bestows the bliss of Liberation to Her devotees. 

The Divine Mother grants unique unexplainable bliss of Liberation or Salvation from Samsara cycle to Her devotees. 

If a person does not wear any clothes, we usually say that he is naked; basically if any other thing than his body is not worn, the person is called naked. The humans lived in naked bodied state in ancient days. They started wearing protective covers later. 

Water can be sea water, river water, pond water, rain water, cloud and frozen ice etc. Water can be in different in various forms or can be simply water. With different body forms, the soul lives on. The soul takes the stone, grass to Brahman, the various levels. When the soul leaves a body, it (goes through the Divine Mother) before attaining another body. At that stage it does not have or face sorrow or miseries but has only happiness. The Brahman and the soul are in the same level. There is nothing to compare to that state. 

Due to Maya, the soul goes through happiness, sorrow or miseries in a body. When the soul overcomes Maya, it can reach the Brahman or liberation stage. The Divine Mother grants such unique bliss to the souls and She confers the bliss of Liberation. 

Vanam is with body; nirvanam is with no body. The Devas have no body; we can understand them from their speeches only. They have their word as their vanam. Liberation cannot be attained with vanam for normal humans. Only in nirvana, the Liberation can be realized. With the human body, the sensory happiness is possible but the Liberation is only possible without the body. Since the Divine Mother grants such Liberation to her devotees without their body, She is called “Nirvana sukha Dayini.” 

Ni means without; vana (bana) implies arrow or body. Our body is indeed the arrow shot by the fruits of Karma. It is the reason for all our unhappiness. The five sensory elements within us run after the objects of enjoyments. The mind awakens and strengthens desires through sankalpa and vikalpa. In this process to fulfill them in a hurry, the devotee falls into number of miseries. In deep sleep, there is no body sense; the soul enjoys the inner bliss. The Liberation or Nirvana is the bliss unblemished by any body sense. The Divine Mother grants such bliss to Her devotees. 

This unique bliss is enjoyed by souls reaching the Brahman (or those getting the Liberation from samsara cycle while still alive). It is not given only after the soul leaves the human body. This is the experience attainable in human life itself. There is a reference to King Janaka (father of Seetha Devi Rama) came to be called Videha, the one without body. 

In Kurma Purana, the Divine Mother is telling Himavat, Her father and the King of Mountains, “Neglecting Me, the pure and peaceful state of Nirvana cannot be attained. You worship Me, seeing Me as one or many or both ways and reach that highest state.” 

It is clear that She has to grant that Liberation to the Humans. 

 

The Divine Mother as Tripurasundari at Thirukalukundram in South India.

C  N Nachiappun          

Singapore, 18 February 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.

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