LALITHA SAHASRANAMAM
@ S. Subramaniam
[ 45 Nityamukta Nirvikara Nishprapancha Nirashraya ]
निराश्रया (147)
Nirashraya (147)
Meaning:
Devi does not require any support for existence and is therefore referred to as Nirashraya.
Interpretation:
The word Ashraya means dependence (that to which anything is annexed to or on which anything stands or rests) and as usual , as mentioned for other namahs, the prefix Nish negates it, giving the meaning for the term Nirashraya as something that doesn't require any support. Vaag Devi-s describe Lalitha Parmeshwari as Nirashraya.
Adi Shankara
Again for this namah no specific reference by the great sage readily comes to mind.
Vasavi Kanyaka Parmeshwari
The virgin form of Devi Parvati known as Vasavi Kanyaka Parmeshwari is revered by the Komati community of Telugu speaking people. There is a Sahasranamam for Devi Vasavi which is very simt to LSN. Here we find a mention of Nirashraya advone of the 1000 namahs of the Devi:
निरोगा निराबाधा च निजानन्दा निराश्रया ।
नित्यमुक्ता निगममा नित्यशुद्धा निरुत्तमा ॥ ५१॥
Niroga Nirabadha Cha Nijananda Nirashraya Nityamukta Nigamma Nityashuddha Niruthama.
There is famous temple dedicated to Devi Vasavi Kanyaka Parmeshwari located at Penugunta near Nidadavole in West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh.
Author's Notes:
We find several references of Lord Shiva being associated with the term Nirashraya. Vaag Devi-s have once again used the term to describe Devi to reiterate that both Devi Lalitha and Lord Shiva share several common names.
Quote 1 of 2 The Samkhyakarika
The Sankhyakarika (सांख्यकारिका) is the earliest surviving text of the Sankhya school of Indian philosophy composed by Sage Iswara Krishna. The original text is lost forever but the re-translated Sanskrit version from the Chinese version is available and a portion of it, wherein Lord Shiva has been described as Nirashraya is produced below:
चित्रं यथाश्रयमृते स्थाण्वादिभ्यो यथा विना छाया
तद्वद्विनाऽविशेषैः न तिष्ठति निराश्रयं लिङ्गम् ॥
Quote 2 of 2: Nirashraya Ashtakam
Nirashraya Ashtakam is a Sanskrit hymn dedicated to Lord Shiva. It's an eight stanza Sloka in which the concluding line of each stanza contains Nirashrayam Maam Jagadisha Raksha. It is very popular on Odisha and regularly chanted at the Puri Jagannath Temple
Stanza 1 of the sloka is quoted below:
हे नीलकण्ठ प्रियदेवदेव
कैलासवासिन्नटराजराज ।
गौरीपते हे करुणावतार
निराश्रयं मां जगदीश रक्ष ॥ १॥
While sharing the write-up for Namah # 136, I had mentioned about Sri Radha Sahasranamam, in wht Lord Shiva himself describes the traits of Radha, the consort of Lord Krishna. Here again we find a mention about the term Nirashraya
वेदातीता निरालम्बा निरालम्ब-गण-प्रिया
निरालम्ब-जनैः पूज्या निरालोका निराश्रया
Vedatita Niralamba Niralamba Gaṇa Priya Niralamba Janaiḥ Pujya
Niraloka Nirashraya
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