LALITHA SAHASRANAMAM 411-415

Shishshesta (411)

Shishtas are those who follow the righteousness prescribed by sastras. Shishtas is also explained to mean those who control their senses and knower of Vedas. Their actions are based on the sastras that are derived from Vedas. She likes these shishtas. Vishnu is known for His righteousness. It is also said that one should worship God, as prescribed by their respective orders and not simply by flowers, etc. Vishnu Sahasranamam nama 310 is also shishshesta and the interpretation given there to, is that He (Vishnu) likes men of knowledge (jnani). Krishna himself says this in Bhagavad Gita (VII.17) “Chief among them is jnani, ever constant and one pointed in devotion. I am exceedingly dear to him and he is exceedingly dear to me”. Krishna did not stop with this. He proceeds to say “A man so illuminated is hard to find and such a stage is reached after many incarnations” (VII.19).

Shishtapujita (412)

She is worshipped by such shistas referred to in the previous nama. Jnani does not worship somebody who is not worthy of his worship. He will worship only the Supreme Self, the Brahman. This nama is an extension of the previous nama which confirms Her Supreme state.

Aprameya (413)

She cannot be measured. Only the Brahman alone cannot be measured. Because She is aprameya, She is worshipped by jnanis (shishtapujita).
Vishnu Sahasranamam nama 46 is also aprameya. He cannot be known through senses as he is devoid of qualities such as sound etc. He cannot be visualized because we have not seen Him. He cannot be known through examples because there is nothing to make a comparison (this is based on the simple logic that a rat cannot be compared to a lion though both have four legs, a tail etc.). He cannot be known either by affirmations or by negations as we do not have any basis for such affirmations and negations. But Vedas and Upanishads try to explore (though by affirmations and negations, as the perceptive knowledge can be inferred only by such affirmations and negations only) Him as “That” and says that He exists as self-illuminating light witnessing the activities of His creation. Kena Upanishad explains this point a little more elaborately. “Know that alone to be Brahman which the mind cannot comprehend and which shistas say makes the mind function. Brahman is not this sense world, which people worship”. The Upanishad continues to say “If you think (guru addressing his disciple) ‘I know the Brahman well’ then it is for certain that you know little about the nature of the Brahman. You know only its manifestation in the individual self, the gods, and the phenomenal world. Therefore, Brahman should still be thoroughly investigated”. But we need some basic inputs to know Him. This is explained in the next nama.

Svaprakasha (414)

She is self-illuminating. Brahman alone is self-illuminating and all other illuminating objects like sun, moon, stars etc derive their light only from the Brahman. Only because of this self-illuminating light, we are able to see this materialistic world. This concept is explained in Brhadaranyaka Upanishad IV.iv.9 which says “revealing his own luster by his own light”. This is the state where the light is free from everything else, let it be even the five basic elements. He is not afraid of any one, because, there is no one besides Him. Katha Upanishad says (II.ii.15) “In the presence of Brahman the sun does not shine, nor the moon and stars, nor does the lightning, let alone this fire. When Brahman shines, everything else follows. By its light all these are lighted”. This nama also reaffirms Her as the Brahman.

Mano-vachamagochara (415)

The qualities of aprameya (413) are now being explained. She is beyond mind and speech. This stage has been explained by Kena Upanishad which we have seen earlier. If She is known as the One beyond the perception of mind, everything else is struck down as they are only intersections of mind. Taittiriya Upanishad (II.ix) also explains this situation. “That from which, words come back, they turn away. How can words express the Self? Can that which is finite express the Infinite? No. It is beyond words, beyond thought. The mind also cannot grasp this Brahman. You can think of something that is familiar, that is known to you, but how can you think of something about which you have had no experience at all? Our thoughts are always limited by experience”. This nama says that She can be realized only through pure knowledge, the knowledge to which we are never exposed to.