LALITHA SAHASRANAMAM
@ S. Subramaniam
[ 49. Nirvikalpa Nirabadha Nirbheda Bhedanashini ]
भेदनाशिनी (179)
Bhedanashini (179)
Meaning:
Devi is the destroyer of differences from the minds of Her devotees.
Interpretation:
In this namah Bheda means difference and Nashini means the one who destroys. Therefore Bhedanashini should be understood as the one who destroys the differences. Once the confusion in the minds of devotees due to duality or difference is destroyed, it pays way to obtain the supreme bliss, the knowledge, the wisdom. Devi not only destroys the differences but also provides supreme knowledge to her devotees.
Bhedam (= vyavaharikam tatva jnanena) nasayati iti tatha
Devi destroys the very idea / the seeds of knowledge. It means that by providing the real, the true knowledge, Devi destroys the idea of bheda (duality) or the improper knowledge.
Author's Notes:
Quote from Garga Samhita:
In Garga Samhita, a Vaishnava scripture which narrates the life Krishna, in the chapter devoted to Krishna falling in love with Radha, we find the following verse
ये राधिकायां मयि केशवे मनाग्
भेदं न पश्यन्ति हि दुग्ध-शौक्लवत्
Lord Krishna says : Pure devotees who see no difference (Bhedam) between Sri Radha and Me attain My spiritual abode, which is as pure as the whitest milk.
Quote from Viveka Chudamani
Adi Shankara, while explaining that Brahman is one and the only one, puts the narrative in a question form:
एकात्मके परे तत्त्वे भेदवार्ता कथं वसेत् ।
सुषुप्तौ सुखमात्रायां भेदः केनावलोकितः ॥
How can the talk of diversity apply to the Supreme Reality which is one and homogeneous? Who has ever observed diversity in the unmixed bliss of the state of profound sleep?
Explanation of the three types of Bhedas
The author wishes to elucidate the concept of Bheda from the point of view of the three schools of Hindu philosophy - Advaita propounded by Adi Shankara, Dwaita by Madhvacharya and Vishishta Dwaita by Ramanuja.
Bheda (भेद) is of three types:—
(1) Vijatiya Bheda: Inter-category Difference (2) Sajatiya Bheda: Difference within the same category and (3) Svagata Bheda : Difference of the entity within itself
Vijatiya Bheda
There is the category of trees and there is the category of hills.Trees and hills are totally different. Such a difference in category is called Vijatiya Bheda.
Such an inter-category difference does not exist with respect to brahman, say both Sankara and Ramanuja. Madhvacharya totally disagrees with the other two.
Sajatiya Bheda:
Within the category of trees there are apple trees and there are lemon trees. This difference that exists among trees is Sajatiya Bheda.
Such a difference does not exist in the category of brahman. All the three uniformly agree upon this point.
Svagata Bheda
Within a tree, there are different parts such as branches, leaves, flowers, fruits, etc. These are by themselves different from the tree though together they all make the tree.
The tree is therefore said to have Svagata Bheda.
According to Sankara, brahman does not have even this difference within itself. It is whole, without parts, bereft of any attributes. Ramanuja as well as Madhwa are totally opposed to this view.
To whatever category the Bheda might belong to, it needs to get destroyed from the minds of devotees and Devi alone can do it. That's why the need to meditate upon her.
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