LALITHA SAHASRANAMAM 147-153

Nirashraya (147) Ashraya means dependence. Taittiriya Upanishad II.7 uses the word ‘anilayane’ meaning not resting on anything and free from modifications. She does not depend on anything. She being the Brahman does not depend upon anything and on the contrary, everything depends upon Her. This nama more or less conveys the same meaning conveyed in nama 132. Possibly, ‘ashraya’ in this context could mean the gross body that supports the soul. Since She is beyond soul (remember that Brahman and soul are different. Soul is called jivan) there is no question of Her gross body. Since there is no gross body for Her, it implies that She is the Brahman. Nitya-shuddha (148) She is eternally pure. Impurity is associated with the gross body, hence the Brahman is always pure. Nitya-buddha (149) She is eternally wise. Knowledge is gained by experience whereas being wise (jnanam) is inbuilt. Knowledge is acquired from the wise. Brhadaranyakya Upanishad says IV.iii.30 says ‘the knower’s function of knowing can never be lost, because it is imperishable. But there is not that second thing separate from it which it can know’. The Brahman is self illuminating intelligence. Niravadhya (150) She is inviolable and without defects. Defects arise out of ignorance or ignorance is the cause of differentiating between defect and perfect. There cannot be any defect in the Brahman as it is eternally pure. Defects arise out desire, ego, etc. We have already seen in the earlier namas that Brahman is formless, action less, without attachments etc. Nirantara (151) She is without divisions. Brahman will neither divide nor multiply, as it does not change. It is permanent. Taittiriya Upanishad II.7 says ‘The person is frightened, if he makes even a little discrimination (discriminating his Self from the Brahman)’. Here the fear means rebirth. The point driven home is that the Brahman exists everywhere. The Brahman within you and me is the same whether you are in America or India. The time, distance and religion do not modify the Brahman. But it is out of our ignorance, we presume that we are different from the Brahman. Nishkarana (152) She is without cause. This is because She is the cause for this universe, yet another quality of the Brahman. Shvetashvatara Upanishad VI.9 says ‘There is none in this world who is his master or who governs him, and here is nothing by which he can be identified. He is the cause of all. He is also the lord of the jiva (soul), who is the lord of the sense organs. No one is his creator and no one is his controller’. Nishkalanga (153) She is without any stains. Stains arise out of sins. That is why those who do not commit sins are considered on par with God as such persons are extremely rare to find. Isha Upanishad 8 uses two words to describe the Brahman without stains. The first one is ‘suddham’ which means pure. The other one is ‘apapaviddham’ meaning unblemished. The Brahman is pure and unblemished. The sense of dualism is the cause for sins. These sins cause blemishes. Blemishes could be of anything viz. anger, hatred, jealousy, etc. These blemishes are responsible for not realising the Brahman within. These are called stains and She is devoid of such stains.