851. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-tapta-jana-viśrānti-dāyinī
Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-tapta-jana-viśrānti-dāyinī reveals the Divine Mother as the compassionate refuge for beings afflicted by birth, old age, and death. Understanding the suffering inherent in worldly existence, she grants deep spiritual rest, liberation, and freedom from fear. The name teaches that true peace is found not in transient circumstances but in the eternal presence of the Divine Mother, who offers lasting refuge from the cycle of saṁsāra.
Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-tapta-jana-viśrānti-dāyinī (जन्ममृत्युजरातप्तजनविश्रान्तिदायिनी)
This is the 851st name of the Lalitā Sahasranāma.
After revealing the Divine Mother as Varṇarūpiṇī, the embodiment of all sacred sound and expression, the Sahasranāma now unveils one of its most compassionate and consoling names:
Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-tapta-jana-viśrānti-dāyinī: She who grants rest to those afflicted by birth, death, and old age; She who gives peace and refuge to beings exhausted by the sufferings of worldly existence.
This name is a direct expression of the Mother's infinite compassion.
1. Literal Meaning
Word-by-word
Janma – birth
Mṛtyu – death
Jarā – old age
Tapta – afflicted, scorched, tormented
Jana – beings, people
Viśrānti – rest, repose, peace, relief
Dāyinī – giver, bestower
Literal translation
"She who gives rest to those afflicted by birth, death, and old age."
or
"The Giver of refuge to beings exhausted by saṁsāra."
2. Traditional Meaning
The commentators explain:
The Goddess is called Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-tapta-jana-viśrānti-dāyinī because she grants peace, liberation, and ultimate refuge to beings suffering from the endless cycle of birth, aging, and death.
She is the resting place of weary souls.
3. The Universal Human Condition
Every embodied being encounters:
birth,
change,
aging,
death.
No worldly achievement can completely remove these realities.
Thus all beings are, in some measure, tapta—heated, burdened, or afflicted by saṁsāra.
4. The Meaning of Viśrānti
Viśrānti means more than ordinary rest.
It signifies:
deep peace,
spiritual repose,
freedom from striving,
cessation of suffering.
The Mother grants this supreme rest.
5. Why Does This Name Follow Varṇarūpiṇī?
The sequence is deeply meaningful.
Varṇarūpiṇī
The Mother manifests as sacred knowledge, mantra, and revelation.
Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-tapta-jana-viśrānti-dāyinī
The purpose of that knowledge is to bring peace to suffering beings.
Scripture, mantra, and wisdom ultimately culminate in refuge and liberation.
6. Śākta Meaning
In Śākta philosophy, the Mother is both:
the creator of the cosmic play,
and the compassionate refuge from its suffering.
She allows beings to journey through experience and then lovingly draws them back to herself.
7. Devotional Meaning
For devotees, this is one of the most comforting names in the Sahasranāma.
The Mother understands:
fear of death,
pain of loss,
burdens of aging,
exhaustion of worldly struggle.
She offers a refuge where the heart can finally rest.
8. The Mother as Refuge
Many names have hinted at this:
Mukundā – giver of liberation.
Muktinilayā – abode of liberation.
Bhavarogaghnī – destroyer of the disease of saṁsāra.
This name gathers all those meanings into one beautiful image:
The weary traveler resting in the Mother's embrace.
9. Advaita Vedāntic Meaning
Now the deepest layer.
A profound question
What is the ultimate cause of suffering?
The hidden teaching
Identification with the transient.
Birth, Death, and Old Age
These belong to:
the body,
the mind,
the personality.
They do not belong to the Self.
Yet beings identify with them and therefore suffer.
The Mother's Gift
The Mother grants rest by revealing:
"You are not the changing body.
You are not the aging mind.
You are the eternal Self."
When this truth is realized, suffering loses its foundation.
The Meaning of True Rest
Ordinary rest is temporary.
Sleep ends.
Pleasures fade.
Circumstances change.
The viśrānti given by the Mother is permanent because it arises from Self-knowledge.
Beyond Birth and Death
Earlier names revealed:
Mukundā – giver of liberation.
Muktinilayā – the abode of liberation.
This name describes the experience of that liberation:
Freedom from the burden of mortality.
The End of Seeking
The soul wanders through countless experiences seeking fulfillment.
The Mother finally grants the rest that no worldly object can provide.
This is viśrānti.
Relation to Earlier Names
Observe the progression:
Bhavarogaghnī – Destroyer of the disease of saṁsāra.
Mukundā – Giver of liberation.
Muktinilayā – Abode of liberation.
Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-tapta-jana-viśrānti-dāyinī – Giver of peace to those exhausted by saṁsāra.
The Sahasranāma now reveals the experiential fruit of liberation.
The Non-Dual Meaning
At the highest level, Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-tapta-jana-viśrānti-dāyinī signifies the Supreme Consciousness in which all suffering born of change, mortality, and limitation comes to rest. She grants the peace that arises from realizing one's eternal nature.
A Deeper Contemplation
This is one of the most tender names in the entire Sahasranāma.
It recognizes a truth that every human being eventually encounters:
Life, however beautiful, carries the realities of birth, aging, loss, and death.
The Mother does not ignore this truth.
She responds to it with compassion.
The sequence after Varṇarūpiṇī is especially profound.
The Mother first reveals herself through sacred sound and wisdom.
Then she offers the ultimate purpose of that wisdom:
Peace.
From a devotional perspective, she is the compassionate Mother who comforts the weary and suffering.
From a spiritual perspective, she grants freedom from fear and existential anxiety.
From a Śākta perspective, she is the refuge beyond the turbulence of the cosmic play.
From an Advaitic perspective, she reveals the eternal Self that is untouched by birth, death, and old age.
The world offers temporary rest.
The Mother offers final rest.
Ultimately, Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-tapta-jana-viśrānti-dāyinī teaches that the Divine Mother is the supreme refuge for beings exhausted by the cycle of birth, aging, and death. She grants not merely comfort but the deepest peace arising from liberation and Self-realization. Through this name, the seeker learns that beyond all worldly struggles lies the loving embrace of the Divine Mother, in whom the soul finally finds its eternal rest.
To contemplate Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-tapta-jana-viśrānti-dāyinī is to surrender one's burdens to the Divine Mother and discover the peace that neither time nor death can disturb.
One-line Essence
Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-tapta-jana-viśrānti-dāyinī reveals the Divine Mother as the giver of eternal peace to those weary of the cycle of birth, aging, and death.
