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S Subramaniam

LALITHA SAHASRANAMAM # 196

LALITHA SAHASRANAMAM

दुष्टदूरा दुराचार-शमनी दोषवर्जिता ।

सर्वज्ञा सान्द्रकरुणा समानाधिक-वर्जिता ५१॥


Dushta-doora Durachara Shamani Doshavarjita

Sarvagyna Sandra Karuna Samanadhika Varjita – 51


सर्वज्ञा(196)

Sarvagyna (196) 


Meaning:

Devi is Omniscient - that is the one who knows everything : past, present and future. She posses profound knowledge.


Interpretation:

The Namah is a combination of two words सर्वम् + ज्ञा - in which ज्ञा actually stands for ज्ञानम् . Thus the Namah literally means possessor of complete knowledge. When extended, the Namah becomes सर्वश्च असौ ज्ञश्च इति सर्वज्ञः



Interestingly, Sarvagyna is the only Namah that finds mention in three different Sahasranamas, namely, Lalitha Sahasranamam, Vishnu Sahasranamam and Shiva Sahasranamam.. 


Quote from Vishnu Sahasranamam:

यज्ञ इज्यो महेज्यश्च क्रतुः सत्रं सतां गतिः ।

सर्वदर्शी विमुक्तात्मा सर्वज्ञो ज्ञानमुत्तमम् ॥ ४८॥


Quote from Shiva Sahasranamam:

योगी योज्यो महाबीजो महारेता महाबलः ।

सुवर्णरेताः सर्वज्ञः सुबीजो बीजवाहनः ॥ १० ॥


Who then amongst the three - Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Devi Lalithambika is THE Sarvagyna?. The topic is discussed elaborately in the below section. 


Author's Notes:



Arguments in favour of Lord Vishnu:


1.Lord Vishnu, in his incarceration as Krishna, is considered Jagadguru the one who has preached us the Bhagavad Gita. He is not only the possessor of vast knowledge but also the preacher of knowledge. Therefore the Namah Sarvagyna aptly applies to him and him alone. 


2.Sage Narad once asked Lord Shiva about the means by which a man could become free from the delusions of the world. Lord Shiva revealed to him the contents of ‘Kulamrit stotra’, eulogizing the majesty of Lord Vishnu.


Devam garbho chitam Vishnu sada dhyaayan vimuchyet Ashariram vidhataram Sarvagyana Manoratim. 


As Lord Shiva himself describes Bhagwan Vishnu as Sarvagyana, it can be safely said that the term applies to him.


Arguments in favour of Lord Shiva:

1.In Linga Puranam, to a question by Devi Parvati as to the proper way of worshiping a Shiva Linga, the Lord preaches to Devi the methods addressing himself as Sarvagyana. 


2. The Mundaka Upanishad verse 1.1.9 mentions यः सर्वज्ञः सर्वविद्यस्य ज्ञानमयं तापः Adi Shankara in his commentary on the Upanishad, explains that the term applies to Lord Shiva. 


3. The term Sarvagyana applies to Nirguna form of worship (worship without attributing any form) as opposed to Suguna form of worship (attributing a specific form). Lord Shiva (as Linga) is the only one to be worshiped in Nirguna form. Therefore the term applies to Lord Shiva. 

Arguments in favour of Devi:

The term Nirguna also applies to Devi, in her capacity as consort of Lord Shiva. Moreover, in LSN, starting from this Namah (196), till Namah # 248, various Nirguna aspects of Devi are discussed. Therefore, Vaak Devis have aptly addressed Devi as Sarvagyana in this Namah. 


Conclusion:

Bhagwan Sri Satya Sai Baba provides a fantastic answer to the above arguments. Says the Swamiji: we human beings are too small, too miniscule to even discuss such a topic. We have been created by God and brought to this world with the  sole purpose of making prayers and seeking God's grace. Let's confine our activities to only that part. 

Mothers might be different but motherhood is one. Likewise God may be addressed by different names, worshiped in different forms / methods but Godliness is one. 


The term Sarvagyana relates to Para Brahma  the Supreme and the only one ( एको ब्रह्म द्वितीयो नास्ति Eko Brahman dwitiya nasti ) and therefore

applies to all the three. 


Disclaimer: All matters contained in this article are the property of www.templesofasia.com. The opinions expressed in this article are purely that of the author. The author alone is responsible for the accuracy, authenticity, completeness and validity of all the information in the article.

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