Benefits of chanting

Nāma-s 156 to 195 discuss about the fruits of worshipping Her formless form.





नीरागा (156)

Nīrāgā

Rāga means desire.  She is without desire. 

 रागमथनी (157)

Rāgamathanī

Desire is the prime impediment in spiritual pursuit that keeps a person bonded to worldly attachments. She destroys the desires of Her devotees.  This is the first of various benefits accruing out of worshipping Her Brahman form (the formless form).  

निर्मदा (158)

Nirmadā

Mada means pride. She's without pride,  there's no necessity for Her to become proud of something. 

मदनाशिनी (159)

Madanāśinī

Annihilating ego is one of the preconditions for realizing the Brahman.  She is without ego and She wants Her devotees also to be without ego.




निश्चिन्ता (160)

Niścintā

Since She transcends time and space, She does not have a past. Therefore she's not bound by the antahkarana components of worries and confusions. 

निरहंकारा (161)

Nirahaṃkārā

She is devoid of ego.  

निर्मोहा (162)

Nirmohā

Moha means bewilderment, perplexity, distraction, infatuation, delusion, etc all leading to follies. She is without any confusion.

मोहनाशिनी (163)

Mohanāśinī

She destroys such confusions in the minds of Her devotees.




निर्ममा (164)

Nirmamā

She's Śrī Mātā. As the Supreme Mother she does not care for Herself.  Her concern is only about Her children, all the living beings in this universe.  From the point of view of the Brahman, self-concern is yet another quality that is being negated here. 

ममता-हन्त्री (165)

Mamatā-hantrī

She destroys selfishness of Her devotees.  Self interest causes ego, one of the impediments to realization. 

निष्पापा (166)

Niṣpāpā

She is without sins. Pāpa means sin.  Sins arise out of desires. 

पापनाशिनी (167)

Pāpanāśinī

When She is worshipped with all sincerity, the devotee gets rid of all his sins except prārabdha karma-s (the sum total of all karma-s accumulated over several past births) that have to be experienced.




निष्क्रोधा (168)

Niṣkrodhā

She is without anger. Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gīta  “none is hateful to me, none is dear to me”.  This is one of the qualities of the Brahman. Anger  is an impediment to realization of Brahman. 

क्रोध-शमनी (169)

Krodha-śamanī

She destroys anger of Her devotees.

निर्लोभा (170)

Nirlobhā

She has no greed.  

लोभनाशिनी (171)

Lobhanāśinī

She destroys greed of Her devotees.  Kṛṣṇa says in Bagavad Gita,  “There are three gates leading to the hell – desire, anger and greed.  These should be given up, as they lead to the degradation of the soul”.



निःसंशया (172)

Niḥsaṃśayā

She is without doubts.   Doubts arise while seeking knowledge.  When She is the embodiment of knowledge, there is no question of doubts for Her.

संशयघ्नी (173)

Saṃśayaghnī

She clears doubts of Her devotees.  

निर्भवा (174)

Nirbhavā

She is without origin.  She is ādhi (first) and ‘anādhi’ (without parentage, having no beginning).

भवनाशिनी (175)

Bhavanaśinī

She destroys the cycles of birth and death of Her devotees.  This cycle of birth and death is called saṃsāra.




निर्विकल्पा (176)

Nirvikalpā

Vikalpa means false notions. Nir-vikalpa means devoid of name, form, class, etc. 

She is the Brahman and there is no opposition to this , means that anything, be it a subject or an object is inseparable from Her. 

निराबाधा (177)

Nirābādhā

She remains undisturbed.  

निर्भेदा (178)

Nirbhedā

She is without differences. 

भेदनाशिनी (179)

Bhedanāśinī

She is the destroyer of differences, in the minds of Her devotees.




निर्नाशा (180)

Nirnāśā

She is indestructible.  Brahman is beyond destruction.  Infinity, thy name is Brahman!

मृत्यु-मथनी (181)

Mṛtyu-mathanī

She destroys the death of Her devotees. Mṛtyu means death

निष्क्रिया (182)

Niṣkriyā

She does not get involved in  actions, but acts only as a witness.

निष्परिग्रहा (183)

Niṣparigrahā

She does not get anything in return for the actions She performs. (creation, sustenance and dissolution).




निस्तुला (184)

Nistulā

She is incomparable.  

नीलचिकुरा (185)

Nīlacikurā

Nīla means indigo colour and cikurā means hair of the head or tuft of hair.  She has indigo coloured hair. 

There's another interpretation also. Ājñā cakra is associated with indigo colour (nīla).  Nīla-cikura could mean the back head cakra, situated just behind ājñā cakra at the back of the head (just above medulla oblongata) that is fully covered by hair.  Priests have their tuft in the back head cakra.  When back head cakra is well developed, one can see anything happening in the world.  It also helps in establishing cosmic commune.  This cakra receives cosmic energy. 

निरपाया (186)

Nirapāyā

She is without destruction, the prime quality of the Brahman. Apāyā means destruction, death, annihilation. 

निरत्यया (187)

Niratyayā

She does not transgress Her limits.  She functions as per the law of karma-s, the law of the Lord.  Law of karma is enacted by Her, and She does not transgress Her own laws.




दुर्लभा (188)

Durlabhā

She is difficult to attain.  She can be attained by internal search and exploration and not by external rituals.  For attaining Her, one need to have dedicated and persistent practice of meditation, by which higher level of consciousness is attained, where She is realised. 

दुर्गमा (189)

Durgamā

She is not easily accessible.  She can be approached only by tough sādhana or practice. 

दुर्गा (190)

Durgā

There is a reference to Durgā in Mahānārāyaṇa Upaniṣad (Durgā sūktaṃ).  Durgā means dispeller of difficulties.  Her Durgā form is described as fiery and radiant in nature.  Durgā refers to Her act of protection, both physical and mental.

दुःखहन्त्री (191)

Duḥkhahantrī

She dispels sorrows of Her devotees.  

सुखप्रदा (192)

Sukhapradā

She confers happiness. This is considered as one of the best boons She gives to Her devotees.




दुष्टदूरा (193)

Duṣṭadūrā

She is far away from sinners.  Duṣṭa means spoilt and corrupted and they do not even think about Her.  They can never attain Her. 

दुराचार-शमनी (194)

Durācāra-śamanī

Ācāra is known as customs or traditions.

Performing those actions that are prohibited by scriptures is called ‘dur-ācāra’.  She stops evil customs which are prohibited by our scriptures. 

दोष-वर्जिता (195)

Doṣa-varjitā

She is devoid of blemishes, yet another quality of the Brahman.

With this nāma the effects of worshipping Her formless form (nirguna Brahman) ends.

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