Shri Lalitha Sahasranamam: Namam 680: Shri Bhavabhava vivarjita (ōṃ bhāvābhāvavirjitāyai namaḥ)

The Divine Mother is beyond the duality of being and non-being; She shuns such duality.

She is beyond both the being and non-being in existence. All universal things, before being created and brought to existence in this universe, had been in non-existence state. It is natural that such things are brought into existence and becoming, later destroyed, to reach non-existence. Such actions are beneath the Divine Mother. We use such universal things (existence and non-existence) for prayer offerings to the Divine Mother. The Divine Mother is beyond existence and non-existence but considers such things acceptable in offerings to Her. Such acceptance by the Divine Mother is to correct the gap or weakness in humans. Matured yogins consider and accept in their devotion, existence, and non-existence as part of their devotion to Her.

She does not have any existence in any form or non-existence with one form. Bhava is a created state or existence. Abhava is beyond our understanding, non-existence. She is not being or no-being when we say not being, does it mean that She does not have any form? Or when we say that She is not in non-existent, that She is in existent state? How both not existent and not non-existent be fit in for Her? Rice is turned into food. Rice is now non-existent. Food is there in existence. In food, the existence food and non-existence of the rice is there. When we eat food, the food becomes non-existent, being part of our body, maybe as blood. When the mud pot is destroyed, it becomes basic mud. So, one’s non-existence leads to other’s existence. So, all universal things have existence and non-existence in their creation. For the Divine Mother, there is no new thing is created form Her present position. So, Her earlier state is not destroyed.

Bhava is being or existence and abhava is non-being or non-existence. Even before anything comes into existence, it supports substratum (an underlying substance, in particular a layer of rock or soil below surface of the ground) or foundation exists. When the being ceases to exist, the substratum continues to exist. The Divine Mother is that substratum or foundation of all things and is, therefore beyond existence and non-existence.

There are six changes which occur during life. These are called modifications of existence (Bhava vikaras) namely, birth, existence, growth, change, decay, and death.

Abhava, non-existence is having four types, namely.

1.      1)Prior non-existence (prag abhava), which denotes something not existing before like a pot was made, it did not exist.

2.      2)Non-existence due to destruction (Pradhvamsa abhava). When the pot is broken, its existence falls into this type.

3.      3)Mutual non-existence (Anyonya abhava) The pot does not exist as the cloth and the cloth does not exist as he pot.

4.      4)Ultimate non-existence (Atyanata abhava). The state of something that will never exist.

None of these forms of existence or non-existence touch the Divine Mother, who is the foundation of all; She is beyond all such things.

 The Divine Mother is beyond being and non-being.

C N Nachiappan

Singapore, 05 December 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