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CONTENTS (Contd...)
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. ïI>.
. ïIiv:[ushönamStaeÇm!.
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dasAvatAram
(Artwork Courtesy : Sow. R. Chitralekha)
. ïI>.
. ïIiv:[ushönamStaeÇm!.
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the misery of death and suffering that was created by the war in which he had
been a major player. Bhishma, his dear grandfather, was lying on his deathbed.
With his passing away, his irreplaceable wisdom, based on the experiences of
his long life of virtue, righteousness and devotion, was about to be lost to the
world. Sage Vyasa and Sri Krishna advised Yudhishthira, who himself was an
epitome of righteousness and virtue, to seek the advice of Bhishma on any and
all aspects of life on which he had any doubts. Yudhishthira did as advised, and
a series of dialogs ensued between the two, witnessed by Lord Krishna
Himself, and by other great sages including Vedavyasa.
The Composition
The following sloka in the prolog to Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram identifies
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some important aspects pertaining to the composition of the stotram:
Sri Vedavyasa is the rishi of Sri Vishnu's one thousand names, i.e., the sage
who strung together the thousand names as they were revealed by Bhishma to
Yudhishthira.
Anushtup (eight syllables per quarter) is its meter. Lord Krishna, the son of
Devaki, is the Lord being worshiped.
There are over forty commentaries on Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram. Sri
Adi Sankara's commentary is the earliest of them. Sri Parasara Bhatta, a
disciple of a disciple of Sri Ramanuja, has written a detailed commentary. Sri
Satyasandha Yatiswara from the Dvaita school is another prominent
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commentator. Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram, along with the Bhagavad Gita,
is an integral part of the epic Mahabharata composed by Sage Vedavyasa
(Vyasa is also the one who organized the vedas into the classifications as we
know them today).
Of all the commentaries written by Sri Sankara for our religious scriptures
(the Bhagavad Gita, the Brahma Sutras, etc.), that on Sri Vishnu Sahasranama
Stotram was the very first one. Sri Sankara emphasizes the importance of
reciting the Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram in his Bhaja Govindam (geyam gita
nama sahasram...). Six reasons are generally identified for the greatness of
the Stotram. These are:
3. 3. The person who strung together the thousand names as part of the
Mahabharata and preserved it for the world was none other than Sage
Vedavyasa, the foremost knower of the vedas, and considered an
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incarnation of Vishnu (vyasaya vishnu rupaya vyasa rupaya vishnave
namo...).
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advice, and at no ordinary person's urging was the advice being sought.
Bhishma was the son of the Mother Ganga and a person sanctified by his
unswerving devotion to Lord Krishna, and one who had controlled and conquered
all his senses. Yudhishthira was the son of Dharma, and himself a practitioner
of justice, righteousness, truth, honesty and integrity. Vyasa was the knower
of all vedas. Lord Krishna was a witness to the whole event involving the advice
and revelation of the easiest and best means to achieve happiness and peace of
mind, given by Bhishma to Yudhishthira. As we know, the advice is in the form
of Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram. No other justification is needed to
recognize the greatness of the education that is imparted to the human race
through the medium of Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram by Vyasa and
Bhishma.
The Organization
1. A prolog, which gives the background on why the Stotram was imparted
to the great and just Yudhishthira by Bhishma.
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2. The thousand names of Vishnu, organized in a poetic format in 107
stanzas, in the anushtup chandas, (a meter with eight syllables in a
quarter), with two quarters per line, and two lines per stanza.
The above is the typical organization of many stotrams, for example, the
Lakshmi Ashtottara Satanama Stotram with which many of us are familiar.
The Prolog
5. By reciting which mantra will man be released from the bondage of the
cycle of birth and death?
Bhishma's response to the above questions follows in the next ten stanzas. In
his considered opinion, a person tides over all the sorrows in this world by
reciting with undiluted devotion the Thousand Names of the Eternal Person,
worshiping Him always with devotion, meditating upon Him, glorifying Him,
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saluting Him by prostrating before Him, and adoring Him (dhyayan, stuvan,
namasyamsca, yajamanas tameva ca).
Bhishma adds that of all the dharmas, the dharma or practice involving service
done to the Lotus-eyed Lord Krishna, without any desire for benefit, through
worship (archana) and hymnal praise (stava), is the best dharma. Note that
praising is easy, involving only speech, and does not involve any material
sacrifice or bodily exertion. It is open to all, and does not need help from, or
dependence on, others. Other kinds of worship might require money or other
resources to perform the worship, or the need to impose on other people for
their involvement (e.g., a priest to give instructions on the method of worship
etc.). For the purpose of chanting the name of God, there is also no constraint
on the asrama (i.e., brahmacharya, grihasta, etc.) to which a person belongs,
unlike, for example, the constraints that the vedas place in performing the
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ceremonial rites with sacrificial fire. There is also no requirement regarding
time, place, status of purity, etc., for the chanting of the stotram. The key
element of the act of chanting as a means to attain the Lord's grace is the
sincerity and purity of mind, and there is no other constraint or consideration.
The word sahasra in the title of the Stotram means "one thousand". The main
body of Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram consists of 107 stanzas which
contain the thousand names of Sri Maha Vishnu. Every one of the Thousand
Names in Vishnu Sahasranamam is full of significance in that it refers to one
particular quality, guna, characteristic or attribute of Paramatma. (yani namani
gaunani, where the emphasis is that each name is indicative of a guna of
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Vishnu).
One could legitimately ask the question: Why were these 1000 names chosen?
Does the Parama Purusha get absolutely defined by these thousand names?
The obvious answer is that God is Infinite and Indescribable, and can only be
experienced, but cannot be translated into words and communicated from one
to another. The vedas conclude that God is neither accessible to words nor to
mind (yato vacho nivartante aprapya manasa saha - Taittiriya Upanishad). In
Isavasya Upanishad, it is said that you cannot reach (understand) the
Paramatma with the human mind (reasoning) alone even if you spend all your
life. This holds true even though mind can travel (think) faster than anything
known to us, including the speed of light (anejadekam manaso javiyo.... ). Given
this Infinite nature of the Paramatma who is not governed or constrained by
any of the physical laws as we know them, the choice of a thousand names of
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As was indicated earlier, the thousand names are strung together in a poetic
form by Sri Vedavyasa. While identifying the thousand names of Narayana
from this poetic composition describing the qualities of the Infinite
Paramatma, the different revered acharyas have come up with slightly
differing sets of thousand names. This is partly because of the ability of these
great acharyas to be able to enjoy the indescribable Parama Purusha in their
own ways, based on the unique philosophies which they have propounded.
Of the thousand names, some are repeated: For example, in Sri Parasara
Bhattar's choice of the thousand names, two names occur four times, 12 names
occur three times, and 82 names occur twice. When a name occurs more than
once, the revered commentators have interpreted the meaning of the name
differently in each instance depending on the context in which the name
occurs. They have also quoted extensive evidence from ancient scriptures in
support of their interpretation. The commentators have emphasized that the
recurrence is not the result of a dosha (deficiency of being repetitive) in the
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composition
The Benefits
As was pointed out earlier, traditionally our prayers end with a phala sruti - a
section on the benefits of reciting the prayer. The Vishnu Sahasranama
Stotram is no exception.
The necessity of cleansing our body regularly to maintain our physical hygiene
and good health is recognized by every one. But perhaps because we do not
"see" our mind the same way as we see our body (i.e., as an externally visible
entity), the necessity of keeping our minds clean is not as clearly recognized.
However, those who do not "cleanse" their mind on a regular basis become
"mentally" sick over a period of time, just as they become physically sick if
they do not cleanse their body on a regular basis. Prayers are a means to
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mental cleansing when they are chanted with sincerity and devotion. This
aspect of the usefulness of prayers in everyone's life is common to all prayers.
The importance of Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram is that the deity being
worshipped is none other than Vasudeva (sri maha vishnuh paramatma sriman
narayano devata; saktir devaki nandanah; itidam kirtaniyasya kesavasya
mahatmanah namnam sahasram divyanam aseshena prakirtitam; sahasram
vasudevasya namnam etat prakirtayet, etc.). Sri Vyasa points out that it is by
the power and command of Vasudeva that the sun, the moon, the stars, the
world, and the oceans are controlled (sa chandrarka nakshatra kham diso bhur
mahodadhih vasudevasya viryena vidhrtani mahatmanah). The whole universe of
the Gods, Asuras, Gandharvas, etc., is under the sway of Lord Krishna
(sasurasura gandharvam ....). In Bhishma's expert judgment, chanting
Vasudeva's name with devotion and sincerity will ensure relief from sorrows
and bondage. This in a nutshell is the phala sruti or the benefit of chanting Sri
Vishnu Sahasranamam.
Some have held the view that the phala sruti need not be, or even should not
be chanted, because they somehow feel that it smacks of selfish desires. This
is not consistent with the age-old practices of our ancestors. It is true that
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the phala sruti says that anything that is desired can be obtained if the prayer
is sincere and offered with devotion. However, it is up to those who seek
benefits through prayers that they should seek things that elevate them in
life rather than lower them. An example of the latter type is the case of the
evil king Ravana, who had prayed and obtained enormous powers through his
prayers to Lord Siva. In the end, he lost all he had including himself by the
misuse of his powers.
The phala sruti in Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram was not just an add-on by
someone trying to popularize the Stotram, but is an integral part of the
Mahabharata text. Both Sri Sankara and Sri Parasara Bhatta have written
commentaries to the phala sruti slokas. Thus, what is stated in the phala sruti
has its authority from those who are worthy of great respect from us, and who
have found it fit to comment and elaborate on the advice and information given
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Perhaps the most important of the benefits attained by one who chants the
Stotram with devotion and sincerity is the cleansing of one's mind from all evil
thoughts, and this is a very important and desirable benefit since this is the
first step towards achieving pure happiness and absolute bliss. Firmness of
mind, good memory, happiness of the self (inner happiness), and freedom from
anger, jealousy, and greed, are some of the benefits that accrue to one who
recites the stotram with devotion and eagerness. The key is the sincerity of
purpose and devotion.
The person who chants or recites is not the only one who benefits. Those who
for whatever reason are unable to chant, benefit by just hearing the chanting
(ya idam srunuyan nityam ....).
Importance of Chanting
Some might say that they do not understand the meaning of the Sanskrit
words in the stotram and therefore do not feel comfortable chanting it. Sri
Chandrasekhara Saraswathi Swami has given us his guidance on this issue in
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one of his discourses. He advises us that learning the chanting of prayers even
without knowing the meaning is a worthwhile act, and can be compared to
finding a box of treasure without the key. As long as we have the box, we can
open it whenever we get the key of knowledge later, but the treasure will be
already there.
Some could feel that they do not know the correct pronunciation, and so do not
want to chant incorrectly. H. J. Achar, in his book "Sri Vishnu Sahasranama - A
Study", H.J. Achar, Sharada Press, Mangalore, 1972, has given the analogy of a
mother to whom a child goes and asks for an orange. The child does not know
how to pronounce the word "orange", and so asks for "ange". The mother does
not turn away the child and does not refuse to give the child the orange just
because the child does not know how to pronounce the word. It is the spirit or
bhava that matters, and so as long as one chants the name of God with
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sincerity, considerations such as not knowing the meaning, not knowing the
pronunciation, etc., do not matter, and God who is the Mother of all of us will
confer His blessings on us.
The Final Word: Sage Vedavyasa concludes the Stotram with the assertion -
twice stated - that there is no way a devotee of Vishnu can meet with any
dishonor or disgrace of any kind (na te yanti parabhavam - ne te yanti
parabhavam om nama iti). If this is not worth striving for, with as little
investment as the mere chanting of the thousand names of Vishnu with
sincerity, then nothing else is worth striving for.
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In the previous write-up, I had presented the view that it is beneficial to
chant Sri Vishnu Sahasra NAma Stotram even if we do not know the meaning,
even if we do not know the correct pronunciation, etc. In the current and
subsequent articles, I am going to attempt to present the meanings of the
Names occurring in Sri Vishnu Sahasra NAmam. One can legitimately ask the
question: Why spend our time to learn the meanings, when the benefit of
chanting is obtained anyway even without knowing the meanings? In fact, one
of our devotees had sent me mail privately earlier, referring to the sloka that
occurs in the phala sruti portion:
(As stated by Lord Siva to PArvati - if you just chant the name "rAma",
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Sri Bhattar very nicely gives the explanation on why it is desirable to delve
into an analysis of the meanings behind the Names: "Names pronounced merely
and without knowledge of their meanings is beneficial (upakAriNAmapi), but
revelation through etymological interpretation quickly affords DELIGHT TO
MIND AND PURITY TO HEART (mana: prAsanatvam pAvanatvam ca).
In his Bhagavad guNa darpana, Sri Bhattar proceeds to explain the names of
MahA Vishnu in accordance with rules of grammar, etymology, and
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interpretation by the great Sages, with special reference to their significance,
context, and propriety. Etymology according to the English dictionaries is the
analysis of a word, based on its origin and development, including how the
words are formed from their simple roots. Sri Bhattar also indicates in his
introduction that even though the same name may occur more than once, its
interpretation is different depending on the context in which it occurs, and
there is no redundance or repetition in Sri Vishnu SahasranAmam based on the
interpretation.
In his commentary on Sri Vishnu Sahasra Namam, Sri Bhattar has beautifully
traced a thread of connectivity in the sequence of the 1000 names as they
occur in the stotram. He has identified an organization and structure in the
composition that refers to the guNas of the Lord in the five manifestations in
which He has revealed Himself to us, as described in the PancharAtra Agamas.
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These manifestations are:
1. para,
2. vyuha,
3. vibhava,
4. archa, and
5. antaryAmi.
Thus, for instance, Sri Bhattar has noted that the first 122 names in the
stotram describe the qualities of the Lord in his para vAsudeva form. The next
set of names describe the vyuha forms etc. Thus the names as they occur in
the stotram are not just a random collection of names, but have a beautiful
thread of organization and structure to them. Sri Bhattar has identified 44
such manifestations of Bhagavan in his exposition. Sri Srinivasachariar, in his
editorial introduction to Sri Vishnu Sahasra Namam published by LIFCO,
(1967), describes this beautifully as an arrangement of the petals of a rose 44
layers deep, or a step of stairs with 44 steps leading to the enjoyment of the
Supreme. I will not go into the enumeration of these 44 forms at this stage.
but will identify these as we go along. The enumeration and the corresponding
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slokas can be found in the LIFCO publication.
The para can be viewed as the full and undifferentiated manifestation of the
Lord in His complete and resplendent glory in which He has chosen to be
unlimited by anything. He does not assume this form as a result of another
object, and in this form He is endowed with the fullness of the six qualities -
jnAna, bala, aisvarya, vIrya, sakti, teja. In this form, He is the shAdguNya
paripUrNa, mahArNava, ni:sima - complete in all respects in the Six qualities,
the Great Ocean of all that is perfect, unlimited by anything. Sri Bhattar
refers to the sAtvata samhita in explaining the para-vyuha, and vibhava forms.
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"In the para form, the Lord has the body endowed with all six qualities;
He shines with intense brilliance and luminosity, and has hands and feet all
around. This form is unique, is the support of all, and is all-pervasive".
In the vyuha manifestation, the Lord assumes different forms which are rich
in some of the Six qualities, with different functions which emphasize these
qualities. The vyuha forms can be viewed as the differentiated forms which
arise from the para form. The vyuha forms are also referred to as Emanations
by the translator of the Bhagavad GuNa darpana, Sri A. Srinivasa Raghavan. In
particular, the following vyuha forms are identified:
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viddhi etat vyuha samgjnam vai nissreyasa phala pradam ||
"From this para form emerge three other forms (SamkarshaNa, pradyumna,
aniruddha), which are distinguished by the possession of knowledge and other
qualities allotted to each one of them, and which bestow these benefits to the
devotees".
1. mukhya and
2. anuvrtti
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1. Some like matsya and kurma are direct manifestations
It seems to me that Sri Bhattar, in his vyAkhyAna, has grouped the arcA form
as a subgroup of the vibhava form. I request the bhAgavatas in this group to
shed more light on whether I have misunderstood this explanation. Sri Bhattar
distinguishes the vibhava form from the Lord's creations such as the four-
faced Brahma, who are not manifestations of Bhagavan, but are the creations
of Bhagavan. Sri Bhattar refers to the following from the Paushkara samhita
to give us an understanding of the difference:
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vidyAmurti: caturvaktro brahmA vai loka pUjita: ||
have been initiated in the worship of acyuta are to worship only Acyuta and not
the other gods (prAdurbhAvAnAm ArAdhyatvam .prAdurbhAvAntarANAm
ArAdhana nishedhasca).
With the above brief introduction, I will attempt to summarize the meanings
behind the Names in Sri Vishnu SahasranAmam. The main source I will be using
is the Bhagavad guNa darpaNa by Sri Bhattar. I will be using Sri Sankara's
commentary as a secondary reference.
Sri Bhattar interprets the first 122 nAmas in the stotram as describing the
para form of the Lord. Recall that the para form is the all-perfect,
undiminuted, absolute, manifestation of the Lord. The description of this form
includes all the nAmas starting from visvam and including varArohah in slokam
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13. Sri Bhattar views this segment of the stotram as Bhishma's response to
YudhisThira's first two questions:
who is the one deity to be worshipped, and what is the supreme goal of
attainment.
The web-site of SV Temple, Pittsburg, USA contains both Audio and Complete
text of Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam and Sri Venkatesa Suprbhatam. The URL of
their Stotras site is: http://www.svtemple.org/stotra/stotras.htm
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A Comparison of the bhAshya
bhAshya--s of
SrI Samkara and SrI BhaTTar
In this write-up, we will look at a comparison of the bhAshya-s of SrI Samkara
and SrI BhaTTar for SrI vishNu sahasranAmam, using a few select nAma-s
(about 10) as examples. The examples are drawn mostly from SrI P. B.
aNNa'ngarAcArya svAmi's Introduction to his vyAkhyAnam on SrI vishNu
sahasranAmam, even though I have added some examples from other
references. Admittedly, an analysis based on less than 1% of the total nAma-s
can be viewed as incomplete. A project wherein a systematic analysis of all the
nAma-s is undertaken, is a major undertaking, which has to be deferred for
the future.
For those who do not wish to go through the whole write-up, here is a brief
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In looking at the vyAkhyAna's of SrI Samkara and SrI BhaTTar, one has to
keep in mind that SrI Samkara is the renowned advaitin, and SrI BhaTTar is
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the adopted child of Lord ra'nganAtha and pirATTi ra'nganAyaki, the son of
kUrattAzhvAn who was a primary disciple of bhagavad rAmAnuja, and is a
great exponent of viSishTAdvaita school. To an advaitin the only truth is
nirguNa Brahman - One without any attributes. The saguNa brahman is only an
interim means to realize the real truth for the advaitin - namely the
realization of the nirguNa Brahman. Thus, it can be expected that the
vyAkyAnam of SrI Samkara deals at the level of significance and the
interpretation of the nAma-s at the etymological level, with support from the
Sruti-s and the smRti-s, but does not get into the deep anubhavam of these
guNa-s at the level of saguNa Brahman. He mostly gives his interpretations
emphasizing the supremacy of Brahman, the all-powerful nature of Brahman,
the difficulty in realizing It, etc.
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the etymological level, and then proceeds further into the guNAnubhavam
based on the experiences of the AzhvAr-s, namely the emotion of intense love
and bhakti towards emperumAn, associated with the sauSIlyam and
saulabhyam of saguNa brahman which is an integral part of the viSishTAdvaita
philosophy. This seems to be the main difference between the vyAkhyAna-s of
the two great stalwarts.
In the case of most nAma-s, the literal meaning that SrI Samkara and SrI
BhaTTar assign will be the same, and when the literal meaning is different,
both alternatives are equally acceptable meanings for the nAma-s purely from
the point of view of samskRt. The difference arises in the further elaboration
of this meaning. SrI Samkara supports his interpretations with quotes from
the Sruti-s and smrti-s at the philosophical level. SrI BhaTTar quotes
evidences from these same sources, but the message he conveys emphasizes
the saguNa brahman so very much enjoyed by the AzhvArs in their divine
outpourings. He does not directly quote from the AzhvArs, just as SrI
rAmAnuja did not quote directly from the AzhvArs in any of his works. We
have already dealt with the reasons for this in previous discussion in this list.
But the anubhavam of the AzhvArs is loud and clear in SrI BhaTTar's
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vyAkhyAnam. He repeatedly reminds us of bhagavAn's sauSIlyam and
saulabhyam - His ease of mixing with His devotees and His easy accessibility to
a true devotee, His Infinite Mercy, His waiting to help and forgive a devotee
from the enormous sins that have been committed, etc.
SrI PBA observes that both parattvam and saulabhyam are equally important
aspects of the greatness of emperumAn. We are given this birth to realize and
enjoy both these aspects equally. But of these two guNa-s, the one that
touches the devotee intensely and draws him to emperumAn's feet is
sauSIlyam. He gives the example of nammAzhvAr, who starts off describing
the parattvam of perumAL very nicely -
nammAzhvAr does not become subject to visible external emotion during the
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Thus, it is important to keep in mind that the discussion here is not meant to
suggest that the guNam of paratvam is not important, nor is it true that
AzhvArs do not sing about His parattvam equally along with His sauSIlyam and
saulabhyam. How ever, between the two paths, our viSishTAdvaita AcArya-s do
not miss the opportunity to emphasize the anubhavam of His sauSIlyam and
saulabhyam, and SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is an outstanding example of this.
We will go through just a few of the nAma-s, mostly used by SrI PBA in his
Introduction, just to illustrate the above points.
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sat saT--kRtih sattA….
sad--gatih saT
sat--kRtih (in Slokam 75) - sad
The differences in the vyAkhyAnam arise when the vyAkhyAna kartA-s go the
next step, and give an explanation of what these "good acts" are. SrI Samkara
gives the example of His protecting all the creatures of this Universe as the
example of His "good acts".
SrI BhaTTar takes this meaning, and links his anubhavam of this nAma to the
previous Slokam, wherein the nAma vAsudevah occurs (vasuprado vAsudevo
vasur vasumanA havih). He interprets the nAma sat-kRtih in relation to the
childhood pranks of Lord kRshNa, such as His stealing butter from the gopi's
houses, being tied to the mortar by yaSodA, etc. One may ask the question:
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Why are these "good acts"? SrI BhaTTar's position is: Because, those who
meditate on these acts of bhagavAn are relieved from the bondage of samsAra
forever!
The examples given in both cases are relevant and appropriate. However, the
current example gives an indication to what we will notice as we see other
examples, namely, that SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam will echo the
guNAnubhavam of bhagavAn as echoed in the AzhvAr's outpourings.
The simple meaning of the words in the nAma is: He who has a mind that has
been conquered. It does not say "conquered by whom?". This is the place where
we see the different anubhavam-s of the two vyAkhyAna-s.
SrI Samkara has interpreted the nAma as One who has controlled His indriya-
s and mind - vijita AtmA mano yena sah vijitAtmA. In other words, bhagavAn is
referred to by this nAma here because He has conquered His own mind.
SrI BhaTTar sees here an example of how bhagavAn's mind is easily conquered
by His devotees. So he gives an interpretation which is in a sense the exact
opposite of that SrI Samkara - namely, He is one whose mind is easily
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conquered by others, namely His devotees. So He is the One who is defeated in
His mind control, since He gives in easily to His devotees' wishes. This is
another example of how SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is oriented towards the
enjoyment of His saulabhyam and sauSIlyam as major aspects of His guNa.
This nAma is the very next nAma after vijitAtmA which we discussed above.
SrI Samkara has given the interpretation in samskRt as "na kenApi vidheya
AtmA svarUpam asya iti a-vidheya-AtmA" - His nature is not under the sway of
anyone else. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri has translated it as "One who is not
under anyone else's control". This of course is true of His nature, IF that is
what He wants.
SrI BhaTTar uses the pATham "vidheyAtmA", and has the guNAnubhavam that
bhagavAn is completely subservient to His devotee. He describes that it is
bhagavAn's essential nature to be at the disposal of His devotees to such an
extent that He can be easily commanded by them to do whatever they want.
They can command Him 'Come here, stand here, sit here, eat this', etc., and
He will just obey if it is a command from His devotee. SrI PBA gives the
example of tirumazhiSai AzhvAr commanding to Sonna vaNNam Seida perumAL
- "kaNi kaNNan pOginRAn kAmarupU'nkacci maNi vaNNA! NI kiDakka vENDA",
and perumAL packs up His snake bed and leaves as commanded by AzhvAr.
Later, when AzhvAr tells perumAL - "painnAgap pAi virittuk koL", He gets back
and spreads out His snake bed and resumes His original sevai again. There is
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also the example of arjuna commanding Lord to take the chariot to the middle
of the two armies during the start of the mahAbhArata war, and bhagavAn
obeys arjuna's command.
SrI Samkara's vyAkhyAnam for this nAma is: satI (a-vitathA) kIrtih asya iti
sat-kIrtih - He of true fame, One whose fame is true and well-established.
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This is the correct meaning of the word sat-kIrtih.
SrI BhaTTar stars with this meaning, and proceeds to attribute the source of
His true fame to His sauSIlyam - sausIlya, sattvena ati-mahatI kIrtih asya iti
sat-kIrtih - His kIrti is well established and true because of His being so
amiable and affable by nature. SrI BhaTTar continues and points out that His
kIrti is so great, that no matter what one says about His kIrti, it is true, but
it is only a small part of His kIrti; it is indescribable in words. Thus, in this
instance, SrI Samkara and SrI BhaTTar use the same meaning for the nAma,
but SrI BhaTTar emphasizes bhagavAn's sauSIlyam at every opportunity in his
vyAkhyAnam.
SrI Samkara vyAkhyAnam for the nAma is: He who sees everything with
clarity like a fruit in the palm, and so He who is free from any doubt. In other
words, it is bhagavAn who has no doubt of any kind, and so He is called chinna-
samSayah.
SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for the nAma is that He has the nAma chinna-
samSayah because He destroys the doubts in His devotees' mind. Both are
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equally valid interpretations of the samskRt term "chinna samSayah".
SrI BhaTTar takes his interpretation and links it to His sauSIlyam. If anyone
has any doubts such as: "Can He can be easily known or is very difficult to be
known, Can He be easily pleased or difficult to please, Is He easily accessible
or difficult to access" - these doubts stand dispelled right away because His
sauSIlyam and saulabhyam are well-known. In other words, bhagavAn conducts
Himself in such a way that He removes any doubts anyone has about Him.
The literal meaning of the nAma is "Not-Master". This could mean that "There
is no Master above Him", or "He is not the Master when He chooses not to be
the Master".
SrI Samkara has chosen the former interpretation, and SrI BhaTTar has
chosen the latter. The first interpretation is obviously true of the Supreme
Brahman. SrI BhaTTar takes the side of the devotee. When it comes to the
devotee commanding Him to do anything, He just obeys, and loses His
Mastership very readily and willingly, and enjoys this loss of Mastership. One
is reminded of a father or mother losing willingly in a mock game with their
young child and delighting in losing. SrI BhaTTar gives the examples of our
giving Him a bath, tying Him up for dressing Him while decorating Him, etc.
When yaSodA tied Him up with a rope, or threatened to beat Him up for
stealing butter, etc., He was not the Master of the scene, but accepted all
that very willingly. SrI PBA points to periAzhvAr's pASuram -
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sammitah (Slokam 12 - vasur vasumanAh….):
The difference between SrI Samkara's and SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAna-s here
arises because of pATha bhedam. SrI Samkara has used the pATham "a-
sammitah", and SrI BhaTTar has used the pATham "sammitah". Thus, they end
up with opposite meanings.
But the bhakti school of AzhvArs is that He is Unknown and Unknowable only
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to those who do not seek Him with sincere devotion. To a true devotee, He is
as easily known as a "fruit in the palm". SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is
"hastasthah iti samyak paricchinnah" - His devotees understand Him well as
someone in their hands - well within their control. Such was the experience of
daSaratha, yaSodA, etc.daSaratha declares "Una shoDaSa varsho me rAmo
rAjIva locanah" - Note "me rAmo" - My rAma. Vasudeva declares "mama ayam
tanayo nijah" - Note again "mam tanayah". SrI PBA gives the quotes from peria
tirumozhi -
KoSa means shield as well as treasure. SrI Samkara uses the former meaning,
and SrI BhaTTar uses the later meaning. SrI Samkara vyAkhyAnam for this
nAma is:
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of our previous write-up for this nAma in the list. The following description
shows how difficult it is to realize bhagavAn:
SrI Samkara's interpretation is based on the meaning "shield" for koSa. His
interpretation is that the real nature of the soul is shielded by the five koSas:
and bhagavAn is the mahAkoSa who is shielded from all except the yogi-s. The
dharma cakram writer points out that:
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SrI BhaTar's vyAkhyAnam is based on the meaning "treasure" for the term
koSa. In his vyAkhyAnam, mahA-koSa refers to bhagavAn being a vast,
inexhaustible treasure. Even though BhagavAn is giving away Himself and His
belongings always to His devotees in all ways, still it does not diminish. SrI
v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to "Unam il Selvam enko?", pointing to the un-
diminishing Affluence called BhagavAn.
Again we see the difference between the approaches of SrI Samkara and SrI
BhaTTar. While the former presents Brahman as the difficult One to realize
and not easily accessible, SrI BhaTTar emphasizes the easy accessibility of
bhagavAn, His infinite Mercy, His inexhaustible love to His devotee, etc.
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Needless to say, both aspects are true of bhagavAn, but the former probably
will appeal to those who can practice the intense discipline to realize Him
through the difficult and unsure path of yogic discipline, and the latter will
appeal to the ordinary people who are either unable or not qualified to practice
the former.
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For example, nAma-s 1 to 122 are explained by SrI BhaTTar as describing the
para vAsudeva form, nAma-s 123 and 124 describe samkarshaNa, etc SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives one example of how sometimes interpreting a nAma
in the context of the nAma-s that immediately precede or succeed the given
nAma can be much more enjoyable than when just the individual meaning of the
nAma is looked at.
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interested in helping His devotee, and manifests this interest in various ways.
Even though this example is SrI SAstri's own and is not drawn from SrI
BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam, nonetheless it is an excellent illustration of the
additional bhagavad guNAnubhavam that one derives when the nAma-s are
interpreted in the context of each other in some cases, rather than as
standalone nAma-s.
Readers are aware that I have used several vyAkhyAna-s in my write-up (those
by SrI BhaTTar, SrI Samkara, SrI v.v. rAmAnujan, SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri,
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha, the dharma cakram writer, SrI P. B.
aNNa'ngarAcArya, and SrI cinmayAnanda, SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj, and a
few others). Each one of these vyAkhyAna-s has some special aspect about it
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that is not found in the others. For instance, SrI Samkara's bhAshyam is the
oldest among those listed above, and is also the one which is probably the lead
text which all the later advaitin vyAkhyAnakartA-s have used. Similarly, SrI
BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is the first from one who is from the viSishTAdvaita
school, and has served as the basis from which other viSishTADvaita followers
have drawn. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan's work is unique in that it gives profuse
examples from divya prabandham for each nAma, mostly from nammAzhvAr's
tiruvAimozhi. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha is among the most thorough in looking
at the etymology of each nAma, and goes into great detail on the grammatical
derivation of each nAma from its root, without exception. In addition, he also
is unique among the vyAkhyAna kartA-s in that he has composed 1000 Sloka-s
for the thousand nAma-s, each Slokam summarizing his vyAkhyAnam for that
nAma. The dharma cakram writer takes elaborate effort to relate each mantra
(nAma) to the real world, and explains to the common man what lesson needs to
be taken from each nAma.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri summarizes both the bhAshya of SrI Samkara and
SrI BhaTTar in his text, but in addition has added his own quotes from the
Sruti-s and smriti-s in different places. SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj is a
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samskRt scholar in his own right, and has given additional support for each
nAma from the Sruti-s and smRti-s as well. SrI cinmayAnanda's write-up is in
simple English that many of us can easily understand.SrI P. B.
aNNa'ngarAcArya's vyAkhyAnam is in tamizh and follows SrI BhaTTar's
bhAshyam, and is mainly meant for those who may not understand SrI
BhaTTar's detailed vyAkhyAnam in samskRt, but SrI PBA's introduction where
he compares the vyAkhyAna-s of SrI BhaTTar with some of the others, is a
contribution in itself that is not matched by any other writer.
I have drawn from all the above sources, and tried to bring the unique aspects
of the different vyAkhyAna-s together. The approach that has been taken is
to view the differences in the vyAkhyAna-s as a "multiple bonus" for us - that
when we look at the vyAkhyAna-s, we get multiple anubhavam-s of the Infinite
dimensions of the guNa-s of SrI mahA vishNu.
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I hope that the above summary places the readers in a better position to enjoy
the guNAnubhavam of vishNu as reflected in the summary of the meanings of
the nAma-s that is being presented in the series.
-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan
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29
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SlOkam 1
ivñ< iv:[uvR;q!karae ÉUtÉVyÉvTàÉu>,
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b) One who is full in all respects.
viSvAya namah.
The nAma is derived from the root viS - to enter. ViSvam means "Universe".
SrI BhaTTar gives the reference to the following verse from moksha dharma:
They say BhagavAn is viSvam because He enters all the worlds. (The worlds
themselves are called viSvam because of this). SrI BhaTTar interprets the
term "Worlds" or "Universe" here to denote entirety. He points out that it is
quite fitting that the first name of vishNu in SrI vishNu sahasranAmam
suggests His immense glory, the fullness to the brim of His essential nature,
form, qualities, etc., which are all natural, unexcelled, auspicious and superior.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan adds that this completeness is in respect of His rUpam,
svarUpam, guNam, and everything else. He quotes nammAzhvAr - uvaryaRa
uyar nalam uDaiyavan (tiruvAimozhi 1.1.1). It is to explain this aspect of the
fullness of bhagavAn in every aspect that the remaining 999 nAma-s follow the
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nAmA viSvam, thus emphasizing the deep meaning embedded into this first
nAma as denoting bhagavAn's fullness in all respects.
SrI Samkara views that bhgavAn who is Brahman or the Supreme Person
created viSvam and is therefore, called viSvam. Brahman is the kartA or the
Creator here (the Cause), and viSvam is the creation or the effect. Because
the Cause who is Brahman is being called by the nAma viSvam which is the
effect, this is used by advaitins as an argument to say that effects are
nothing different from the Cause, and everything is Brahman. In other words,
the argument is advanced that Brahma who is the creation of vishNu, can be
praised as an appropriate form of vishNu. SrI BhaTTar points out that the two
terms, brahman and viSvam, should not be taken as referring to their being
identical. viSvam or Universe is just a mode or extension of bhagavAn, as are
the other 999 nAma-s.
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It should be noted that the words viSvam is in the neuter gender. SrI
BhaTTar points out that it still is a nAma of vishNu, representing His guNa of
absolute fullness and power. Consistent with this, the nAma to worship is
"viSvAya namah" as adopted by the viSishTAdvaita school. The Samkara school
uses the form as "viSvasmai namah".
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The nAma indicates His Fullness in all respects; the succeeding 999 nAma-s all
elaborate on this first nAma - the Fullness of Him in all resepcts. Nothing in
the Universe exists without Him, and everything in this Universe ultimately
finds refuge in Him, and in this sense also He is viSvam or "Universe".
vishNave namah.
This nAma occurs again as nAma-s 259 and 663.
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This nAma can be derived from the root vish - vyAptau - to pervade, or vis -
praveSane - to enter. SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is - sva vibhUti bhUtam cit
acit Atmakam sarvam viSati iti vishNuh. The idea is that keSava exists
everywhere and permeates everything that is His Wealth; He is unlimited by
space, time, and substance (SrI Samkara); He pervades the whole universe
internally and externally. SrI BhaTTar gives the following references in
support.
Under nAma 259, SrI BhaTTar explains vyApti (pervasion) further, and
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explains the relation between bhagavAn and the jIva-s as of the nature of the
relation between fire and smoke. When there is smoke, there is fire, but the
reverse is not always true (as in the case of a red hot iron rod). Thus,
bhagavan and the jIva-s are related in the sense that without bhagavAn the
jIva-s do not exist. The supreme Person and the jIva-s are never identical, but
there is inseparable connection between bhagavAn and the rest. He is greater
by virtue of the diverse kinds of help He renders to all who are of a lower
order. SrI BhaTTar refers us to the gItA -
Another anubhavam of this guNa of vyApti is that it is not just the fact that
He is in everything and is inseparably bound to everything, but it is one of His
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showering everything with His infinite Mercy (SrI v.v. rAmAnujan). His
sauSIlyam is to be enjoyed here. SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj derives the
meaning from the root vishu - secane - to sprinkle, to pour out;
nammAzhvAr declares:
(tiruvAimozhi 1.1.7)
The Lord created the five elements, and from them He created all others.
Indeed He became all others. He pervades everything in and out. He is the
Soul for the body of everything and every being. The term "He enters all the
worlds" should be understood as "He enters everything in all the worlds".
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives another view of the reason why bhagavAn has
pervaded everything. It is for the purpose of ensuring that everything is in its
designated and assigned place, and things don't come into collision with each
other, for example, the different planets and constellations etc. He quotes
from the taittirIya AraNyaka, wherein first the question is asked -
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keneme vidhRte ubhe
"Who is keeping the two things from colliding with each other?", and responds:
"vishNu is the One who is supporting them with His Sakti; this is the finding of
sage vatsa".
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tasmAd vishNuriti khyAto veSer dhAtoh praveSanAt ||
(mahAbhA. 350.43)
"As I have pervaded the horizons, my glory stands foremost, and as I have
measured by my steps the three worlds, O Arjuna! I am named vishNu".
SrI anatakRshNa SAstri interprets the term kAnti here as referring to His
Effulgence - His radiance pervades the firmament and transcends it.
SrI BhaTTar has given the explanation of the nAma vishNu in terms of His
power of pervasion (Sakti) under nAma 663. He refers to the mantra about
bhagavAn: sarva SaktyAtmane - He, Who is the embodiment of all powers. He
also gives reference to the Slokam: "yasmAd vishTamidam sarvam tasya
SaktyA mahAtmanah." given earlier. As an instance of this Sakti, the
trivikrama incarnation is also cited - the smRti declares "vishNuh vikramaNAt
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devah" - mahA bhA. udyoga. 5.68.13, a reference to His name being vishNu
because He measured the three worlds with His steps.
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SrI vishNu
(Courtesy : www.stephen-knapp.com)
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr's praise of His Sakti:
"ennaik koNDu en pAvam tannaiyum pARak kaittuEzh ezhu piRappum mEvum tan
maiyamAkkinAn vallan empirAn en viTTuvE"
(tiruvAi. 2.7.4)
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sins, those of my predecessors and my successors for several generations, so
that all of us have reformed to become His. Who did this? VishNu! He will do
this because His name implies all-pervasiveness".
Everything that exists in the universe is nothing but of the nature of the Lord,
and without Him nothing exists. He pervades everything, unlimited by space,
time, or substance.
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vi + shNuh = vishNuh - viSesheNa snAvayati prasrAvayati bhakta abhilAshAn
iti vishNuh
He who bestows the wishes of the devotees like a fountain. Note that the root
from which the second nAma is derived is the same as the root from which the
first nAma - viSvam - was derived. However, the interpretation is different.
The interpretation here is that BhagavAn has entered all beings - sentient and
non-sentient, that He has created. The meaning for the first nAma was that
bhagavAn is everything, the Absolute, full in all respects.
the first nAma emphasizes His Fullness and Perfection, and the second nAma
indicates that He permeates everything.
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Sri Surin, in his commentary on amara KoSa, has given the following derivation
for the word VishNu - veveshti iti vishNu: - One who surrounds and envelops.
This is derived from the root word vesht - to surround (recall the word veshti
in Tamil for dhoti, which surrounds!).
One interesting question that can be raised is: Given that the stotram is called
vishNu sahasranAmam, why did Sri VyAsa not start the stotram as vishNur
viSvam vashatkAro, and instead chose to start it as viSvam vishNur
vashatkAro...?
Based on the SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam, viSvam is the name that symbolizes
the primary attribute of the para form as one of shAdguNya paripUrNatva,
and vishnu and the following names then elaborate on the name or the guNa
represented by the name viSvam.
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He who is endowed with the sAttavic disposition, or has developed it, keeps
seeing vishNu in everything around him all the time.
To summarize,
1. the nAma vishNu refers to the guNa of bhagavAn in pervading
everything He has created, including all sentient and non-sentient
objects from a blade of grass to brahma;
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His measuring the three worlds with His Foot;
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He is also called vishNu because He bestows the wishes of His devotees
profusely like a fountain.
vashaTkArAya namah
Sri Bhattar interprets the names VishNu, vashatkAra, and bhuta-bhavya-
bhavat-prabhu, as additional elaborations of the name visvam. The root of the
word is vas - to control as He wills.
It should be noted that Sri Bhattar has pointed out in his commentary for
visvam that BhagavAn is everywhere with His shAdguNya paripUrNatva
WHICH IS NATURAL TO HIM:
Thus, all these guNas are not something that have been acquired or imparted
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by something external, but this is His will and schema.
The following passages from the sruti are given in support of the
interpretation of this nAma:
Sri Sankara provides a very different interpretation for this nAma. He points
out that BhagavAn is Himself the vashatkAra mantra, where vashat is a sacred
sound (similar to PraNavam, svAhA, etc). used on sacrificial offerings. It is
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also used in the anganyAsa and karanYasa practice before chanting the sacred
slokas (e.g., sahasrArchis saptajihva iti saktyai sikhAyai vashat). Note the
similarity of vashatkAra to PraNavAkAra, a word with which we are familiar.
VashatkAra is thus a mantra, and BhagavAn is the mantra svarUpi. The
explanation in terms of BhagavAn having control over all His creations is
appealing because of the continuity it provides to the interpretations of the
previous nAmas.
bhUta-bhavya-bhavat-prabhave namah
Nirukti - trikAla vartinAm seshi
The Lord of all things that exist in the past, present, and future.
Kesava, the slayer of Kesi, the asura, is the Lord of past, future, and present.
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The idea that BhagavAn is beyond the physical laws as we know them, such as
the laws and constraints of time, can be inferred from this nAma. In order for
Him to be the Lord of all things past, future, and present, He existed before
anything existed, exists now, and will exist forever into the future. Thus the
well-known and established physical law that all living things come to an end
does not apply to Him. He is beginningless and endless.
Sri Bhattar has explained that the nAmas 2, 3, and 4 elaborate the first nAma
by indicating how the All-pervading vAsudeva is :
He now proceeds to explain the next 5 nAmas as further expanding on this last
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aspect - how He is the Master of all things past, future, and present. We will
see that this is so because:
4. supports all that He has created by being their antaryAmi or inner soul
(8), and
bhUtakrute namah
Sri Bhattar points out that this act of creation of is done by Him without
dependence on anything external.
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"sarvANi bhUtAni svatantra: srjati"
In BrhadAraNya upanishad -
He is the creator of the Universe and all the beings in the Universe.
You are the Creator of everything that exists - VishNu PurANa 1-4-15.
bhUtabrute namah
BhUtAni Bibharti iti bhUta-bhrt
Sri Bhattar explains that this support is like that of the support at the center
for a wheel and its spokes. If this central support does not exist, the rest of
the spokes and the wheel collapse. Thus, one can think of this support as the
responsibility for the existence of all the things that He creates. This support
is in the form of being the inner soul or atman of all beings (nAma 8 below),
and as the One who nourishes and protects all beings (nAma 9 below).
Sri Radhakrishna Sastri in his work on Sri VishNu sahasranAma explains this
support as that provided by Adi Kurma to support this universe, or by Sri
VishNu as varAha mUrti when he retrieved and bore the world.
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creation, sustenance, and destruction.
bhAvAya namah
This nAma is derived from the root bhU (bhavati - exists). Sri ChinmayAnanda
gives the derivation: "bhavati iti bhAva:"
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bhUtAtmane namah
All things are His body, and He is the soul of all things.
The soul enters the bodies, and directly controls and directs all their
activities.
The Lord is the soul, the antaryAmi or inner ruler of all beings, and amrta or
never ceasing to exist.
The One Lord manifesting Himself as the souls of all beings who have
different external forms.
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bhUtabhAvanAya namah
The key word that both Sri Bhattar and Sri Sankara use in their vyAkhyAnas
for this nAma is vardhayati - makes them grow - the act of nourishing is
emphasized.
With this, we have concluded the first sloka out of the 107 slokas. We notice
that Sri Bhattar has beautifully brought out the continuity in the description
between the 9 nAmas covered in this first sloka.
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SlOkam 2
pUtaTma prmaTma c muKtana< prma git>,
The Pure Self - One who is untainted by the effects of karma - good or bad.
pUtAtmane namah
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PUta AtmA yasya sa pUtAtmA
Our Atmas reap the fruits of the actions that we are involved in because of
their association with our body. BhagavAn is also associated with the same
bodies since we are all extensions of His body. However, He is Pure Atman
because He is not affected by the fruits of the association with the bodies.
Sri Bhattar gives a very simple example to make this point. A teacher uses a
stick to strike a student. Both the teacher and the student come in contact
with the same stick, but the pain of association with the stick is felt by the
student, but not by the teacher. So also, even though both the Lord and the
jIvAtmans are associated with the bodies of the jIvAtmans, the Lord is not
affected by the fruits of the actions of the jIvAtmans.
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subhAsubah karmabhiryo na lipyati kadAcana
The Supreme Soul - for whom there is no other guiding or superior soul
paramAtmane namah
paro mA asya .sa AtmA paramAtmA
All of us have Him as our inner souls, but BhagavAn has no one as His Inner
Soul that guides Him. There is no one superior to Him. The author of Nirukti
says:
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Sri Eknath Easwaran indicates that Lord Krishna says in the GItA: "I am in
every one, but no one is in Me". He does not give the reference to the Sanskrit
sloka, and I am unable to reference it. I would like help from the Bhakti
members in identifying the relevant sloka. There are several pramAnas from
the srutis for this:
There was nothing in the past, and there will be nothing in the future, that is
superior to the Lotus-eyed Lord.
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Greater than Myself, there is nothing else (GitA 7-7)
The Isvara above all Isvaras, the paramAtmA who is the supporter of every
being, is sung by all vedas and vedantas as Lord VishNu.
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nAma 12. muKtana< prma git> - muktAnAm paramA gatih
One who is the ultimate goal for all muktas or Released or Liberated Souls.
The muktas are compared to those who reside in the celestial world, the sveta
dvIpa. They have no needs such as food, no wants, no desires, etc. For these
people who have accomplished everything and who are equal to God in their
enjoyment of bliss, the one goal that is of interest is the unceasing servitude
to God, and thus God is the Supreme and Ultimate Goal for the muktas.
ParamA gati is the goal after attaining which you won't desire anything else. In
other words, this is the limit of the goal. Normally, the nature of any goal is
such that if you attain that goal, then you will want to attain the next higher
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goal. This is not the case with paramA gati. Some pramANas from the srutis
are the following:
Sri Bhattar interprets the next 5 names in terms of why the muktAs choose
BhagavAn as their Supreme goal. It should be noted that Sri Bhattar's
vyAkhyAna weave a thread of continuity in the sequence of the names
occurring in the stotram, and for this reason Sri Bhattar extends the
interpretation to levels beyond what is etymologically derived from the word..
relatively speaking,
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Sri Sankara seems to more strictly adhere to the literal meaning of the word
in his vyAkhyAna.
The reasons for the muktAs choosing Sri MahA VishNu as their Supreme goal
are:
1. He does not send them back to the cycle of samsAra once they reach
Him (13),
4. He knows the right place for the muktas to get their eternal Bliss (16),
and
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nAma 13. AVyy> - avyayah
a) One who does not send back anyone who has reached Him (to the cycle of
birth and rebirth (Sri Bhattar)
avyayAya namah
Sri Bhattar's vyAkhyAna -
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"sattvam vahati sUkshmatvAt param nArAyaNam prabhum |
The Mukta bears a body of pure and subtle sattva and attains the Supreme
Lord nArAyaNa. Once he reaches the Supreme Lord in the supreme
VaikuNTha, he becomes fit for immortality and is not returned back to this
world any more.
See also the nArAyaNa sUktam - anatamavyayam kavim ..... The Immortal and
Indestructible Seer.
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nAma 14. pué;> - purushah
a) One who bestows on the Muktas the enjoyment of the Bliss of Himself in
plenty - puru sanoti iti purushah
c) One who existed before anything else existed - purA AsIt iti purushah
d) One who completes and fulfills existence everywhere - pUrayati iti purushah
purushAya namah
Puru sanoti iti purushah
One who gives in plenty; puru means plenty, and sanoti means giver.
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Or, purUNi phalAni sanoti - dadAti iti pururshah - One who gives plentiful
benefits.
"He is Pure Bliss Itself. Having attained Him, the Mukta becomes endowed
with joy".
Several other explanations for this name are possible. One of these that is
also given by Sri Sankara in addition to the above that Sri Bhattar has also
chosen, is supported by the following in MahAbhArata
"Since the great Soul pervades and resides in this holy city (the body) with
nine dvAras or gates, possessed of these organs (senses, etc.)., He is called
purusha".
"puri sete iti purushah" - One who dwells in this Fort city - our body".
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He refers to the following from the taittirIya AraNyaka -
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One who directly witnesses everything, as it is.
The All-Knower, The Omniscient BhagavAn sees everything directly by His own
awareness without any instrument for seeing (such as the sense organs) in
between.
sAkshiNe namah
SAkshAt Ikshate - The Direct Cognizer.
Just as the sun illumines everything but is not affected in anyway by the state
of the objects it illumines, so also the Lord witnesses everything but is not
affected by all that He witnesses. The jIvAtmAs see everything through some
sense organ or the other, and so the deficiencies of these organs limits what is
seen. Not so in the case of the Lord.
Sri Bhattar interprets this name as indicating that the Lord witnesses the
muktas enjoying the Bliss that He confers on them, and is thus happy Himself.
Obviously, this give great pleasure to Mukhtas, since they are interested in His
happiness, and this is one of the reasons for His being their paramA gati.
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nAma 16. ]eÇ}> kshEtraj~nah
One who knows, and can lead the muktas to the exact place where the muktas
will get their sought-after Supreme Bliss.
kshEtraj~nAya namah
Sri nArAyaNa is the vaikunTha vAsi. is the place after reaching which there is
no return to this world. That this is a place which even the greatest of sages
can realize only after intense meditation and devotion to the Lord is evident
from the following passage attributed to Sage Agastya in varAha purANa -
"I am even now steeped in the meditation of that supreme world. When am I
going to reach that best and noblest of all worlds? This is the thought that is
haunting me".
" See this world which exists for my sake and which is not seen even by the
vedas. O best of Brahmins! This world has been shown to you in order to please
you". (Note that even a sage of the standing of Agastya has not seen this place
except when God chose to show it to him.)
Sri Sankara has interpreted this name based on Bhagavad GItA Chapter 13 -
slokas 1 and 2, in particular. Here, the word kshetra refers to the body, and
kshetrajna refers to One who knows (understands the principle or tatva
behind) all the bodies and is the direct witness of the actions of all the bodies
(by being directly inside the bodies and not needing any secondary means to
witness these). May be kshetrajna is a guNa of the Supreme Soul, and is an
elaboration of the name "bhUtAtmA".
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nAma 17. A]r> aksharah
One whose greatness never diminishes over time in spite of being enjoyed by
the muktas constantly.
aksharAya namah
na ksharati iti aksharah.
His greatness is innate, and does not derive from something external. So it
never diminishes.
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muktai: kvacit na ksharati iti akshara: parikIrtita: ||"
Sri Sankara's interpretation is: "sa eva na ksharati iti aksharah - He alone
exists without dying. Sri Bhattar has thus explained nAmas 13 to 17 as the
reason why muktas consider the Lord the paramA gati.
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SlOkam 3
yaegae yaegivda< neta àxanpué;eñr>,
yOgAya namah
The word yoga has several different meanings given in the amara koSa: means,
meditation, union, fitness, remedy, etc.
Given this diversity of meanings for the word ‘yoga’, now let us see the
different interpretations for the nAma ‘yogah’.
a) SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning ‘upAya’ or ‘means’ for the term ‘yoga’. His
interpretation for the nAma is that bhagavAn is the sole means or upAya for
mukti (salvation) – asyaiva nirupAdhika mukti upAyatvamapi vakti – yogah – He
alone is the natural and independent means for salvation. He further
comments – sa sAyujyasya ananyApekshah sAkshAt hetuh ityarthah – The
meaning is that He is the immediate cause of salvation, and does not stand in
need of the help of anything else.
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that all souls enjoy. – esha hveya AnandayAti (taitt. Ananda. 2.7.1)
aham tvA sarva pApebhyo mokshayishyAmi (gItA 18.66) – “I will release you
from all sins”.
SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives multiple interpretations, one of which uses the
meaning “upAyam” for the word ‘yoga’. The explanation is along the lines given
by SrI BhaTTar – bhatAnAm bhava taraNa upAya iti yogah – He Who is the
means of salvation for His devotees.
Another vyAkhyAna kartA who uses the meaning ‘upAyam’ for the word ‘yoga’ is
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj – yogah bhakta abhilAsha adhigamAya amogha
upAyah – The unfailing upAya or means for attaining the desires or wishes of
the devotees.
b) SrI Sa’nkara uses the meaning ‘union’ or ‘oneness’ for the term ‘yoga’, and
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gives an interpretation that supports the advaita concept that the individual
soul and the Supreme Soul are not different from each other. He notes that
yoga is the process of controlling the senses and the mind, and realizing this
"oneness", and He is called yogah because He is to be reached by means of
yoga as described here (in other words, by attaining this knowledge of
oneness).
(It should be noted that one of the main reasons for the great AcArya-s
undertaking to write commentaries on important works such as the vishNu
sahasra nAmam, the gItA, the brahma sUtra-s, the upanishad-s, etc., is to
show that their particular philosophy is what is supported and advocated by
the different smRti-s, Sruti-s, purANa-s, etc. To quote svAmi AdidevAnanda
from his Introduction to bhagavad rAmAnuja’s gItA bhAshyam, “Such a
method involves some text-torturing to get the meaning that one wants…. To
impart a sense of consistency of a text to their followers, they are compelled
to give interpretations that may sometimes look far-fetched to others”. SrI
AdidevAnanda is careful to point out that on the whole, the AcArya-s give a
reasonable and satisfying interpretation of their philosophy in the process.
This is not just limited to SrI Sa’nkara’s interpretation, and can be seen in all
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interpretations. The current interpretation by Sri Sa’nkara is one example of
assigning interpretations that bring ‘support’ for their philosophy from the
ancient scriptures).
c) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN seems to use both the meanings ‘union’ and
'meditation’ for the word 'yoga', and gives the interpretation that bhagavAn
is called yogah, because the devotee’s mind becomes one with Him when the
devotee meditates on Him - yujyate manah asmin iti yogah samAdheh
SubhASrayah.
d) SrI cinmayAnanda uses the meaning ‘meditation’ for the term yoga, and
gives the interpretation for the nAma ‘yogah’ as “One Who is realized through
yoga”. His interpretation is “By withdrawing the sense-organs from their
objects of preoccupation, when the mind of the seeker becomes quiet, he is
lifted to a higher plan of consciousness, wherein he attains ‘yoga’, meaning he
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realizes the Reality”. He notes: “At such moments of equanimity and mental
quiet ‘yoga’ is gained – samatvam yoga ucyate (gItA 12.48)”. Note that while
SrI Sa’nkara also interpreted the nAma as “One Who is attained through yoga’,
his interpretation of yoga was ‘attaining knowledge of oneness of self and the
Self’, whereas SrI cinmayAnanda’s meaning for the word yoga is meditation by
quieting the mind and controlling the senses.
SrI satya sandha tIrtha also uses the meaning ‘meditation’ for the word yoga
in one of his interpretations – yujyate hRdi yogibhih dhyAyata iti yogah – He
Who is meditated upon by the yogi-s is yogah .
This nAma is probably a very good example where different vyAkhyAna kartA-
s use the diversity of meanings for a word, and give interpretations that
support their own schools of philosophy, and we get the benefit of diverse
enjoyment of His guNa-s in the process.
One who leads those who practise yogA until they reach their Goal.
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yOgavidhAm nEtrE namah
From Sankara BhAshya, a yoga-vit is one who inquires into, realizes, or acquires
yoga - yogam vidanti, vicArayanti, jAnanti, labhanta iti vA yoga vidah. Nayati iti
netA - one who leads .
" On those who meditate on me with single-minded devotion, those that want
to be with Me unceasingly, I confer on them .the Bliss of .union (yoga) with Me
constantly and never returning back to samsAra again (the safety or kshema)"
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nAma 20. àxanpué;eñr> - pradhAna
pradhAna--purushEsvarah
pradhAna-purushEsvarAya namah
PradhAna here refers to the cause of bondage, and purusha refers to the
jivAtmA. Perhaps the easiest way to understand the concept of prakrti or
pradhAna is through the following explanation for the Brahma Sutra - deha
yogAdvA so'pi - This concealment of the true nature of jiva is caused by the
contact with the body (at the time of creation) or by the contact with the
Primordial Matter (prakrti or pradhAna) at the time of deluge. Thus prakrti or
pradhAna can be conceived of as the undifferentiated or 'asat' form of the
bondage of the jiva, and the sarIra or body can be conceived of as the sat
form that keeps the jiva in bondage.
Chapter 13 in the Bhagavad Gita deals elaborately with the concepts of prakrti
and jIvAtmA and their interrelationship to each other. In sloka 19 of chapter
13, BhagavAn points out that both prakrti and purusha have always existed,
and this nAma indicates that He is the Lord and Master of both. "prakrtim
purusham caiva vidyanAdau ubhAvapi". prakrti can be considered to be
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composed of rajas, tamas and sattva, and from these all the rest such as the
panca bhUtas, the eleven indriyas, the five indriya-gocaras, etc. arise. These
are explained in detail in the gItA bhAshya by TirukkaLLam Sri
NrsimhAchArya.
nArasimha-vapushe namah.
SrI BhaTTar captures several thoughts about this incarnation of bhagavAn in
one sentence in his commentary: sva-bhaktyantarAyanivAraNam bhkata-
bhayApaha tadapekshA samakshaNa pratipannayathAkAma divya mahA-
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nRsimha samhananh.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri elaborates on these, and add his own anubhava-s.
Among his additional thoughts are:
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exactly the opposite - the head of a lion, and the body of a human being.
This is a simple illustration of the point that He is beyond our
capabilities of analysis.
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emerged from the pillar. Thus, at the same time, with the same form,
bhagavAn was pleasing to the eye of the devotee, and causing terror to
the devotee's enemy. This is another revelation of the greatness of
bhagavAn – that simultaneously He iswith all opposites at the same
time.
3. In addition to the aspect of His being able to induce fear or love at the
same time, there is the beauty aspect to His form of half-man half-lion.
Just for a moment, think of some human form with the head of a lion
appearing in front of us, and imagine the aversion that this sight will
induce in us. Not so with Lord nRsimha. He was absolutely beautiful in
this form, as SrI BhaTTar elaborates in the next nAma – SrImAn –
because He is always associated with SrI or Lakshmi. tirumazhiSai
AzhvAr describes His beauty as “ari po’ngik kATTum azhagu (nAnmugan
tiru. 21) – The beauty of nRsimha form looked like beauty bubbling and
spilling over because it can’t be contained anywhere.
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from another life form. Hers relating to Him, we should not be applying
normal logic as we are used to do.
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha does not support the interpretation that bhagavAn
had an actual mixed body consisting of some aspects of man and some aspects
of lion. Instead, he suggests that the nAma means that He took a normal form
that possessed the best aspects such as the strength of a lion, and the best
aspects of man such as the ability to think. We will not go into the merits of
this interpretation. Only the interesting philosophical aspect that he brings
out is dealt with here. He sees in this nAma the illustration that neither karma
alone, nor j~nAna alone, are sufficient in the fulfillment of any undertaking,
and that both are needed. He quotes from the Srtuti-s in support:
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As a lesson to take from this nAma, SrI vAsishTha makes the point that
whatever action one undertakes, this should be done after fully analyzing and
understanding the consequences associated with this action. One can also
extrapolate from this the thought that it is not enough to have the ability to
use force, but also along with that, one should know how to use this force,
when to use this force, etc., in order for the force to have beneficial effects.
2. The incarnations are all true forms that He assumes, and not just mAyA
forms – a-kapaTaih. Every incarnation of His is fully endowed with His
parattvam and all His kalyANa guNa-s in full, irrespective of the
incarnation He takes – ajahat-svabhAvaih
3. His forms in His incarnations are not made of pa’nca bhUta-s like ours,
but His tirumEni in His incarnations is also made of Suddha-sattva, and
so He is beyond the three guNa-s, sattva, rajas, and tamas – a-
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prAkRtaih
4. The forms in His incarnations are taken as part of His leelA, and not as
a result of any karma as in our case – nij-vihAra-siddhaih
5. They are taken purely for the protection of His devotees and the
destruction of their enemies – AtmIya rakshaNa vipaksha
vinASanArthaih.
srImatE namah
In the context of the uncommon and frightful form of nara-simha that we
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encountered in the previous nAma, one would not normally expect this to be a
form of beauty. Not so in the case of BhagavAn, since His form is celestial,
charming and beautiful. It is difficult to translate the description that Sri
Bhattar has given in Sanskrit - soundarya lAvaNyAdibhih ati-manohara divya
rupa.
Sri Sankara interprets this name as One who has Lakshmi always with Him in
His vaksha-sthala - yasya vakshasi nityam vasati srI: sa srImAn. And for this
reason, even though He has the form of a man-lion, there is no diminution in
His beauty.
kEsavAya namah
The name can be derived from the word kesa - hair. He is beautiful not only
because he has Lakshmi with Him, but because He is naturally beautiful.
"prasastah kesAh santu asya iti kesavah".
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An additional interpretation for this name, which is supported by VishNu
purANa, is given by Sri Sankara. This interpretation says that kesava derives
from the fact that KrishNa is the destroyer of the demon Kesi who was sent
to kill the child KrishNa by Kamsa.
However, the name kesi-hA appears later on in the stotra, and this literally
means the destroyer of kesi. So a different interpretation here will be
appropriate since otherwise there is the punarukti dosha, or the fault of
repetition. In fact, the name kesava itself repeats later on in the stotra, and
we will wait to see what interpretation the great vyAkhyAna kartAs are going
to give us at that time (kesavah kesi-hA hari: ).
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nAma 24. pué;aeÄm> - purushOttamah
purushOttamAya namah
Purushebhya: uttama:, purushANAm uttama:, purusheshu uttama: are all
possible derivations for this nAma.
1. the kshara or those who have the association with prakrti and are under
the bondage of samasara, and
The uttama purursha is different from either of these kinds of purushas, and
is the paramAtmA who supports the acetana and the chetanas who are either
the baddhas (purushas under bondage) or muktas (purushas released from
bondage)..
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"yasmAt ksharam atIto'ham aksharAdapi cottama: |
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SlOkam 4
svRZzvRiZzvSSwa[uÉURtaidinRixrVyy>,
One who is all - the cause of creation and destruction of all things.
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sarvasmai namah
We have the following from MahAbhArata -
"He is the origin and end of all things, chetana and achetana, and He has full
knowledge of all beings at all times, and so He is called sarva".
sarvAya namah
I am unable to get a good understanding of the interpretation of this nAma.
The word is derived from the root sr - to tear to pieces, to kill, to hurt.
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Neither Sri Bhattar nor Sri Sankara have given references to other srutis for
this nAma. If any of you know of a context in the Gita or elsewhere that this
name occurs or is referred to, please advise me since I would like to
understand the significance of this nAma better.
Sri Bhattar's vyAkhyAna says that the Lord is called sarva because He
removes the evils of objects that are His body (sva sarIra bhUtAnAm
asubhamapi srNAti iti sarvah). Perhaps this means that BhagavAn destroys the
sins of His devotees, but the significance of the word . "asubhamapi" in the
above is unclear.
Sri Sankara interprets this word in terms of the action of BhagavAn at the
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In this context, SrI RadhAkrshNa Sastri points out that this destruction at
the time of prlaya is not really to be considered cruel, since this is like
"destroying" the shape of raw rice when it is cooked in order to make it edible
- the beings are destroyed in order to give them new life.
sivAya namah
subha Avahasca sivah - One who bestows auspiciousness on all.
In Mahabharata Drona Parva (202), we have the following for supporting the
above interpretation:
"One who bestows all that is desired always by all His devotees is called Siva
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because of this guNa of His".
1. "sAsvatam sivam acyutam" - The Eternal, The Auspicious, and the One
Who never lets His devotees fall"
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sthANavE namah
The name derives from the word stha - tisThati, indicating firmness or
steadiness. Sri Bhattar interprets this name as indicating that the result of
BhagavAn's anugraha is firm in its effect of blessing the devotee far beyond
what other lesser acts can bestow.
Sri Radhakrishnam Sastri indicates that sthANu is also the name for a tree
which has matured to such an extent that no changes affect it any more,
including sun, rain etc. He interprets this name as indicating BhagavAn's guNa
of not being affected by changes such as growth, decay, etc., nor impacted by
the changes of time, place, etc.
We will revisit the name sthANu again in the sloka "vistArah sthAvarah
sthANuh.....", where we should expect a different interpretation for this guNa
in the context that is applicable at that part of the stotram.
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bhUtadayE namah
Sri Bhattar gives the interpretation bhUtaih sprhaNIyatanatayA AdIyate -
One who is eagerly sought after by all beings.
Sri ChinmayAnanda points out that the term nidhi means that in which precious
things are stored away or preserved secretly - nidhIyate asmin iti nidhih.
Surely BhagavAn is a treasure that is not understood or obtained easily by
everyone.
Sri Sankara interprets this nAma as meaning that VishNu is the One in whom
all things go and lie merged therein temporarily till the next creation, and so
He is the Immutable Treasure Chest.
(Though like a Hidden Treasure), One who manifests Himself at will to .those
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who sincerely seek Him.
sambhavAya namah
He manifests Himself at any place and at any time and in any form (e.g.,
nrsimha, matsya, kUrma, etc.).
(Having manifested thus), One who regenerates all by dispelling all their evils.
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bhAvanAya namah
The author of Nirukti summarizes Sri Bhattar's interpretation by the
following words: yo janitvA janAn ujjIvayati sah bhAvanah - One who, after
having manifested Himself (sambhavah - see above), brings back all to life.
Supporter.
bhartrE namah
Sri Sankara gives the following vyAkhyAna - prapancasya adhishTAnatvena
bharaNAt bhartA - BhagavAn is bhartA (Sustainer) because He sustains the
universe as its Lord.
Sri Bhattar points out that He does this nourishing of His devotees by giving
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Himself up to His devotees because this is His Nature - yasmAt pushNAti
Atma-dAnAt.
prabhavAya namah
Asya bhavah prakrshTa iti prabhavah - His birth (bhava) is unsullied by any
blemish, and is capable of uprooting the fetter of birth of all those who
realize Him. Or, prakarsheNa bhavati .
prabhavE namah
Sri Sankara's vyAkhyAna is - sarvAsu kriyAsu sAmarthya atisayavAn prabhuh -
One who is the most powerful, showing it forth in all His actions.
a) One who has the supreme power of control over all beings
b) One who has the ability to do anything without the help of any other beings
or things
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IsvarAya namah
This nAma is interpreted based on its relation to the word aisvarya or to the
word ishta.
The first meaning derives from the word aisvarya - nirupAdhikam aisvaryam
asya iti Isvarah - He is Isvara because he has unlimited might or power. The
second meaning derives from IshTe iti Isvarah - One who can do whatever He
wills without the help of anything else.
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SlOkam 5
SvyMÉUZzMÉuraidTy> pu:kra]ae mhaSvn>,
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svayambhUvE namah
Svayameva bhavati iti svayambhUh - One who is self-born.
Sri RAdhA KrishNa Sastri gives the example of how in the case of the birth of
Lord KrshNa to Devaki and Vasudeva, the child was born unlike any other child,
decorated with beautiful jewels, smiling, lotus-eyed, with divya rUpa, etc., and
with no pain or discomfort to the mother. In Srimad BhAgavatam, we find the
following description:
srIvatsalakshmam galasobhikaustubham
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nAma 38. zMÉu> - sambuh
sambhavE namah
1. Sam bhAvayati iti sambhuh - here sam (sa as in Shiva) means sukham or
happiness. This happiness is caused by the sheer beauty of His
manifestation. In RAmAyaNa we see the following passages:
face lovelier than the moon, and who has an extremely pleasing
appearance.
AdityAya namah
Sri Bhattar points out that this is one example of BhagavAn manifesting
Himself at His will.
Sriman nArAyaNa who is in the centre of the orb of the Sun must always be
meditated upon.
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He is one and the same deity who is in the hearts of men and who is in the
middle of the Sun.
Sri Sankara gives the additional explanation that this nAma can refer to Lord
VishNu being one of the twelve Adityas or Aditi's sons. He gives the Bhagavad
Gita in support of this:
Sri Chinmaya points out that BhagavAn incarnated as Aditi's son in His vAmana
incarnation. Sri Chinmaya also points out that another way to enjoy this nAma
is to realize that BhagavAn is like the Sun in that everything depends on the
Sun for its survival, and so BhagavAn is Aditya or the Sun or the supporter and
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nourisher of everything.
The Lotus-eyed.
pushkaAkshAya namah
Sri ChinmayAnanda refers us to the famous quote "The eye is the reflection of
the mind", and points out that the reference to the beauty of the eye in this
nAma is to be contemplated on in terms of the Inner Joy and Peace that
BhagavAn beams out to all through His eyes and magically lifts out all the
sorrows in His devotee's hearts. This nAma re-occurs as nAma 561 later,
where we will find a new interpretation.
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mahAsvanAya namah
In BrhadAraNya upanishad, we have the following:
"asya mahato bhUtasya ni:svasitametad yad-rg-vedo yajur-vedah sAma vedo-
atharvAngirasa: itihAsa: purANam vidyA upanishada: slokA:
sUtrANyaNuvyAkhyAnAni vyAkhyAnAni" (4.4.10)
Thus has been breathed from this great Being what we have as Rg veda, Yajur
veda, sAma veda, and atharva veda, etc.
anAdi-nidhanAya namah
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Yasya Adi nidhanam na asti sa anAdi-nidhanah - One for whom there is neither
beginning nor end.
nidhana, which commonly refers to poverty or lack of wealth, also has a second
meaning, death or destruction. BhagavAn is anAdi-nidhana because His form is
not composed of earthly elements like fat, flesh and bone -
His body is beyond the range of the sense-organs, and can be cognized only by
the eye of the mind - rUpam vA atIndriyam, antahkaraNapratyaksha nirdesAt,
His body is not made up of the combination of elements like earth, water, etc.
- na bhUta sangha samsthAno deho'sya paramAtmanah (MahAbhArata - sAnti
parva 206-60), etc.
a) One Who created the Universe (dhA – to produce, or dhA – to lay upon).
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d) He Who ‘drinks’ everything during pralaya (dheT – pAne – to drink).
dhAtrE namah
This nAma occurs again in Slokam 102 (nAma 951).The nAma can be derived
from the roots
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including the four-faced brahmA”. has the responsibility for creation of
everything inside the brahmANDa, through the powers given to him by
bhagavAn. On the other hand, bhagavAn creates the brahmANDa itself, and
brahmA as the first one in the brahmANDa, before brahmA is given the
responsibility for the creation of the rest of the things inside brahmANDa.
BhagavAn performs the function of creation inside the brahmANDa by being
the antaryAmi of brahmA. Thus, bhagavAn is the true Creator of everything.
BhagavAn’s role as the true Creator is repeatedly sung by nammAzhvAr in his
tiruvAimozhi.
SrI BhaTTar’s interpretation for the current instance of the nAma can be
understood based on the root dhA – to put, place, lay, put in, lay on or upon
(SrI Apte’s dictionary). The main idea being conveyed here is that bhagavAn is
the Creator of all, including the four-faced brahmA, rudra, etc., all the way
down to the blade of grass.
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BhagavAn, in the form of aniruddha, places the aggregate of sentient beings
(selves) into the prakRti (the aggregate of non-sentient principles), and it is
this ‘laying’ of one on the other, or association of one with the other by
bhagavAn, that is the cause of all beings, namely, creation. SrI BhaTTar gives
the gItA Slokam 14.3 in support of his interpretation:
"prakRti (referred to here by the term mahad brahma, meaning 'very large') is
like My womb. In that I lay the germ (garbham dadhAmi; the ‘germ’ or seed
referring to the collection of all the jIva-s), and this is what results in the
birth or creation of all life forms with a body associated with the self, O
bhArata!".
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2. ‘dhAtA’ places the foetus (the jIva, which is the seed for actions) in
the kshetra (prakRti).
3. Apa eva sasarja Adau tAsu vIryam apAsRjat (manu. SmRti 1.8) – First
He created the waters (referring to the aggregate of prakRti); and in
them hee put His vigor (the aggregate of sentients).
He recreates the world with the sun, moon, etc., the same way all over again
after each pralaya.
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SrI bala deva vidyA bhUshaN gives an interpretation along the lines of that of
SrI BhaTTar:
He Who is the cause of creation, protection and destruction, and He Who sows
the seed for brahmA (creates brahmA), by the union of the cit samashTi and
acit samsashTi (samashTi = conglomerate).
All the other interpreters that we cover have used the root dhA – dhAra
poshaNayoH, or the root dheT – pibe – to drink. These interpretations are
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covered under nAma 951 (Slokam 102).
vidhAtre namaH.
a) He Who specially protected the seed He sowed for brahmA till the seed
fully developed into the creation of catur-mukha brahmA.
b) The Ordainer of the laws of conduct for all, including the likes of yama.
e) He Who lays down the code of conduct and the fruits to be attained from
them.
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This nAma occurs again in Slokam 51 (nAma 485).
The meaning for the nAma can be understood based on the following meanings
given in the dictionary, and the derivation given by SrI vAsishTha, among
others:
For nAma 43, SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning “Creator” for the word dhAtA.
For the current nAma, he continues on this interpretation, discussed below.
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN also continues on this same line. All the other
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interpreters we have been covering, use one of the other meanings for their
interpretations. These other interpretations are covered under nAma 485 in
Slokam 51.
“I, an aspirant after liberation, seek refuge in the effulgent God who created
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brahmA first, and who endowed him with the Vedas also, and on account of
whom my intellect shines”.
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brahmA in His beautiful nAbhI kamalam or the lotus in the navel, until he was
born.
Please see the write-up under Slokam 51 (nAma 485) for other interpretations.
dhAturuttamAya namah
The first interpretation is self-explanatory based on the previous two nAmas.
Another explanation given is based on the word dhAtu, which means "element"
or basic constituent. He is the ultimate constituent of all, and so He is
dhAturuttama.
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SlOkam 6
Aàmeyae ù;Ikez> pÒnaÉae=mràÉu>,
One who cannot be defined, explained, measured, etc. through logical means,
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apramEyAya namah
pramAtum na yogya: aprameyah -
4. nor through Apta vAkya or shabda pramANa (someone else who has
seen Him telling us, or through sacred texts) because no one can see
Him, since even the muktAs only experience Him.
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Sri Bhattar goes on to point out that BhagavAn is aprameya because He is
beyond the sense organs of even Brahma and other gods (Sri RAdhAKrshNa
Sastri points out that the means of sensing is the same for Brahma and other
gods as it is for people). He is not describable as This or That, like this or like
that, or inferred because of this or because of that, etc., and so He is
aprameya.
hrushikEsAya namah
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The two interpretations are derived by looking at this word as hrshIkA + Isa
or hrishI + kesa. The first explanation is derived from "HrshIkANAm Isah
hrshIkesah - The Lord of the sense-organs. The second interpretation is given
based on kesa - rays, hrshI - that give happiness.
Sri Sankara gives the following support from MahAbhArata, Moksha dharma,
SAnti parva for the second interpretation:
"The sun and the moon through their kesa or rays always uphold the world by
awakening it and causing it to sleep. By such awakening and sleeping, the world
is delighted. It is in consequence of this act of fire (Sun) and Soma who uphold
the universe that I have come to be known as HrshIkeSa...".
Sri T.S. Krishnamurthy, who has written an English translation to Sri Sankara
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bhAshya, has taken this guNAnubhava one more step by saying that the keSa -
hair of the Lord in the form of the rays of the sun and the moon give delight
(harsha), and thus He is HrshIkeSa.
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hrushIkEsah
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nAma 48. pÒnaÉ> - padmanAbhah
One from whose navel the lotus (the cause of the Universe) emanates.
Sarva jagat kAraNam padmam nAbhau yasya sa padmanAbhah
padmanAbhAya namah
Sri Bhattar points out that this name substantiates or summaries all that has
been said through the previous nAmas about BhagavAn being the creator or
cause of Brahma (e.g., dhAtA, vidhAtA, dhaturuttamah).
Sri RadhAkrshNa Sastri gives a beautiful and simple explanation to enable the
appreciation of this nAma. In our normal life, the child before and at birth is
connected to the mother through the navel chord, and gets its nourishment
from the mother through this chord. Similar is the chord from the Lord's
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navel, which is nothing but the Universe in its prakrti form, and which looks
like a lotus which has not expanded. This is prior to its expansion through
Time, and He is the nourisher of this creation of His (which is none other than
Brahma).
amaraprabhave namah
AmarANAm prabhuh amaraprabhuh.
Sri Bhattar quotes the following words ascribed to Brahma in Uttara kANda in
RAmAyaNa -
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"You were lying on the waters of the great ocean and you first of all created
me. The entire duty of the PrajApati (the rulership of the beings) was
entrusted to me by you".
"These two great gods (Brahma and Rudra) are said to have emerged from the
sweet temper and wrath of BhagavAn respectively. They carry out the duty of
creation and destruction in the way shown by Him".
a) One who is the agent of all actions with regard to the Universe.
b) The Creator of the Universe
visvakarmaNe namah
viSvam karma jagad-vyApArah yasya sa viSva karmA. Sri Bhattar points out
that this name signifies that all the entire work with regard to the affairs of
the Universe are His alone either before or after the creation of Brahma. In
other words, He is the director and controller.
Among the many passages in the sruti that support the interpretation are:
"Brahman willed to create different kinds of beings out of Its body and so It
did"
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MananAt manuh
manavE namah
In the BrhadAraNya upanishad, we have
To mentally conceive an act prior to the act itself is mananam. BhagavAn has to
but think and not do anything else in order to achieve what He wills. The
creation of the cosmos was only a minute part of His will. Sri Bhattar uses the
word sankalpa lava mAtrAt - by the mere fraction (lava mAtrAt) of His will, to
explain this
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One who created all the different forms and names in this Universe.
tvashTrE namah
This name is derived from the root tvaksh - to pare, to reduce, to chisel. Sri
Bhattar uses this meaning to interpret this nAma to mean that BhagavAn has
"chiseled" so many diverse forms and names of gods, man, birds, plants,
insects, etc., and thus He is tvashTA. He gives the taittirIya araNyaka (3-11)
in support
Sri Sankara uses the same meaning to interpret this name as indicating that
BhagavAn pares down all the beings or makes them shrink at the time of
cosmic dissolution or pralaya. It is interesting to note that the first
interpretation refers to the creation of forms and shapes from the primordial
matter, and the second interpretation refers to the dissolution of forms and
shapes back into primordial matter.
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nAma 53. Swivó> - sthavishThah
sthavishThAya namah
The name is derived from the two words sthUla and ishTha - One who willed to
be huge.
Sri Bhattar points out that this huge size is the manifestation of BhagavAn as
the brahmANDa (the egg-shaped universe) with the fourteen worlds. which are
the places of residences for all the beings that He has created, as
well as its sheath, and the sense-organs of all the beings, as well as the sound,
touch, and other qualities that are the objects of these sense-organs, as well
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as their effects. The fourteen worlds are referred to by Sri Ramanuja in his
Sri VaikuNTha-gadyam (caturdaSa bhuvanAntaram aNdam daSa
guNitottaram ....) in his reference to Sri VaikunTham's location far, far beyond
the limits of these fourteen worlds.
sthavirAya namah
The name is derived from the root stha - tishThati - to stand. This nAma
signifies that BhagavAn is not constrained by Time. All His creation goes
through the cycle of creation and pralaya, and He uses Time for His creation
and dissolution, but He is not constrained by it. Thus He is older than the
oldest.
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dhruvAya namah
The word is derived from the root dhr - to carry, maintain, preserve, to be
eternal, immovable - (sthiratvAt dhruvah). The previous nAma indicated that
BhagavAn is the oldest of the oldest. This nAma signifies that He is
unchanging while Time keeps moving.
Perhaps because both the nAmas sthavira and dhruva refer to the quality of
BhagavAn being beyond the influence, effect, or control of Time, Sri Sankara
has chosen to interpret the two words as one nAma - sthaviro dhruvah - One
who is unchanging and older than the oldest.
Thus the sequence number for the nAmas that follow start differing from this
nAma between Sri Sankara bhAshya and Sri Bhattar's vyAkhyAna.
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SlOkam 7
A¢aýZzañt> k«:[ae laeihta]> àtdRn>,
agrAhyAya namah
The interpretation for this nAma by Sri Bhattar is that BhagavAn cannot be
physically grasped, controlled, or acted upon by anyone or anything, and is thus
beyond grasp. He gives the following reference to the sruti:
One could grasp Him neither in the vertical dimension, nor in the horizontal
dimension, nor in the third dimension, or for that matter, any other dimension.
One who cannot be grasped by the organs of action. He gives the following
reference to taittirIya upanishad - yato vAco nivartante, aprApya manasA saha
- He cannot be described through speech, and cannot be reached by mind.
Sri ChinmayAnanda gives us yet another interpretation. He points out that the
Lord is not the "object" of perception ever by any one, but He is the "subject"
who perceives. Thus He is ever the Subject but never the object of
perception. He is imperceptible and incomprehensible. Sri Chinmaya refers us
to the kenopanishad passage "yat cakshushA na paSyati yena cakshUmsi
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paSyanti tadeva brahma tvam viddhi - Understand that Brahman is That which
cannot be seen by the eyes, but because of which eyes are perceiving other
things.
sAsvatAya namah
shASvat bhavatIti shAshvatah - That which remains the same at all times is
the Permanent.
Sri Bhattar points out that the fact that BhagavAn is SASvata is evident from
the eternal flow of action pertaining to the world (i.e., creation etc.).
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Sri Chinmaya points out that for something to be permanent, it has to be
changeless with time, and BhagavAn is the controller of time, and is not
controlled or affected by time, and so is Eternal and permanent.
a) One who is always in a state of Bliss (with His sport of creation etc.).
b) One who has a dark-blue complexion.
krushNAya namah
The first interpretation is supported from the following verse in
MahAbhArata -
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SrI krushNa
(Courtesy:www.stephen-knapp.com)
Sri Sankara and Sri Bhattar interpret the name slightly differently with this
same starting point. Sri Sankara interprets bhU to mean existence (bhU - bhav
- to be), and Sri Bhattar interprets bhU to mean a receptacle or ground or
container (e.g., bhUmi). So Sri Bhattar says that krshNa here means the
receptacle of extreme joy because of His constant sport of creation etc.
referred to in the previous nAma. Sri Sankara interprets the name to mean
that He is the union of existence and bliss.
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SAnti parva 342.79
Note the words krshAmi, kArshaNa, and krshNa in the above. Each of these
words leads to a new and different interpretation of the meaning of the nAma
here. The meaning of the first line in the above sloka is "When the earth
becomes shelled by its hard crust, I shall turn myself into an iron plough-share
(black-colored), and shall plough the earth." The name krshNa can arise out of
the fact that He is doing the act denoted by the word "krshAmi".
Sri Chinmaya beautifully points out that this "ploughing" refers to His
ploughing all the stupidities in His devotees and preparing the heart-field,
weeding out all the poisonous growth of sin, and cultivating therein pure Bliss.
The second part of the verse means "O Arjuna! Because of my dark
complexion, I am called KrshNa". The dark complexion referred to above could
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be because He is the (dark colored) iron plough, or because He is dark
complexioned like the water-bearing cloud. Either way, because of His dark
complexion, He is called krshNa. Notice that the dark complexion is associated
with "kAr mugil vaNNan" or "nIla megha syAmalan" - One who has the color of
the rain cloud loaded with His limitless mercy.
Sri Chinmaya points out that the inner meaning behind the "dark" complexion is
that BhagavAn is not easily recognized (i.e., He is veiled behind some darkness)
by those who aspire to reach Him except through single-minded devotion.
The nAma krshNa can also be interpreted in terms of the word "AkarshaNa"
or magnetic attraction. He is krshNa because He irresistibly attracts all His
devotees. Or He sweeps away (like a magnet drawing away the iron filings) the
sins in the hearts of those who meditate upon Him.
This nAma occurs once more later as nAma 554 in "vedAh svAngo'jitah
krshNo.....". Sri Bhattar gives the meaning b) for nAma 554, and gives the first
explanation for the current nAma describing the paravAsudeva form.
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Lohite akshiNi yasya sah lohitAkshah.
lohitAkshAya namah
Sri Bhattar enjoys the beauty of this nAma by ascribing the redness in the
eye to the supreme joy that BhagavAn has. One can recall the mantra "sa mA
vrshabho lohitakshah sUryo vipaScit mansA punAtu", which we chant during
our sandhyavandanam. This is the second reference so far to the beauty of
BhagavAn's eyes (the earlier one was pushkarAksha).
While Sri Bhattar explains the redness of the eye as resulting from extreme
joy, another explanation given is that the redness is a result of BhagavAn's
anger towards the evil-doers, for the destruction of whom He takes the
different avatAras - vinASAya ca dushkrtAm.
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The Destroyer.
pratardanAya namah
This name is derived from the root tardih - to cause destruction. Pra-tarda
means extreme destruction. Sri Bhattar gives the following from
kaThopanisahd - yasya brahma ca kshtram ca ubhe bhavatah odanah - He who
has for His food the brahmins and the kshatriyas (i.e., all beings of the
universe) at the time of pralaya. Sri RadhAkrshNa Sastri points out that given
the interpretation for this nAma, the redness of the eye in the previous nAma
can be appropriately the result of anger at the time of dissolution.
One who is affluent, ever full, and well-endowed with wisdom, greatness, and
other qualities.
prabhUtAya namah
Literally, the word means "born full" pra-bhUta. Even though at the time of
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pralaya, BhagavAn destroys everything, still His affluence remains since He
has the parama-pada (the transcendental world), which is full of Bliss. And His
essential Nature, well-endowed with jnAna, bala, aisvarya, vIrya, Sakti, and
tejas still remain. Even after reducing everything at pralaya, the vAmana can
be the trivikrama.
There are three words in this name - tri, kakub or kakut, and dhAma.
3. kakut means the hump (such as the hump on the back of a bull, or a peak
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or mountain);
4. kakub and kakut also are interchangeably used for either meaning.
trikakuddhAmanE namah
We will start with dhAma meaning brilliance. Sri Bhattar indicates that if this
meaning is used, dhAma will have to be considered as a separate nAma. The
first part is then interpreted as tri-kakut, which refers to the incarnation of
BhagavAn as the varAha, the Boar with three horns. This interpretation for
tri-kakut is supported by the following sloka from moksha dharma in the
mahAbhArata -
"Then I assumed the form of a Boar with three horns. So I became known as
'tri-kakut'. With that form I killed the rAkshasa."
Sri Bhattar gives the above only as an alternative interpretation, but does not
interpret the phrase tri-kakud-dhaAma as two separate words as explained
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above. Sri Sankara also interprets tri-kakub-dhAma as one nAma.
One interpretation Sri Bhattar gives for tri-kakud-dhAma is One who has as
His abode parama-pada, which is thrice as large as this universe. An alternative
interpretation given is that the three parts refer to the three groupings of
the six guNas (jnAna, bala, aisvarya, vIrya, Sakti, tejas), and since He is the
abode of these three groups of guNas, He is tri-kakud-dhAma.
Sri Sankara gives the interpretation that He is the base or support for the
three regions of the entire space, the upper, the lower, and the middle, and
therefore He is tri-kakud-dhAma.
Sri Chinmaya gives the vedAntic interpretation that He is the base or support
for the three states of consciousness, viz., the jAgrat, svapna, and sushupti,
and this is why He is called tri-kakud-dhAma.
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Purity Incarnate.
pavitrAya namah
Up to this point, the qualities, possessions, and body of BhagavAn have been
portrayed step-by-step. Now we are passing to His essential Nature which is
to be cognized through all of the above. The word is derived from poo - to
purify. Either He is the Deity that purifies, or He is the means of purification.
The purity referred to here is the inner purity of the mind, which He gives to
those who meditate on Him.
Both Sri RadhAkrshNa Sastri and Sri Chinmaya offer a second and more
uncommon interpretation - One who gives protection (trAyate) from the
thunderbolt of Indra (pavi). Sri Chinmaya points out that in vedAnta indra
refers to the mind (indriyANam rAjA indrah - the mind), and the thunderbolt
of mind can destroy all the accomplishments of a sAdhaka, and uninterrupted
medidation of Sri VishNu can give the protection against such distractions, and
thus VishNu is pavi-tra.
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nAma 64. m¼¦< prm! - mangaLam param
"Brahman is known as beneficence because He wards off all evils and brings on
a series of benefits to men on being merely remembered by them".
param just emphasizes that He is the Supreme Beneficence. We may recall the
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introductory sloka "pavitrANAm pavitram yo mangalAnAm ca mangalam" by
Bhishma; two names occur now sequentially here.
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SlOkam 8
$zan> àa[d> àa[ae JyeóZïeó> àjapit>,
The controller
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IsAnAya namah
By this name, BhagavAn is clearly distinguished from the bound souls, released
souls, and ever-free souls. The name signifies that it is His innate nature to
keep all things under control under all circumstances. The name is derived from
the root Is - to command, to control, to rule, to possess.
The life-giver
prAnadAya namah
a) prANAn dadAti iti prANa-dah
This gives the first example of how BhagavAn is the controller as indicated in
the previous nAma. Sri Bhattar indicates that the life-giving function referred
to here is the act of BhagavAn in giving the strength to the nitya-sUris or
ever-free Angels to visualize Him always, enjoy Him and do service to Him.
Sri Sankara points out that in addition to the above interpretation, the same
name can be interpreted to mean that BhagavAn is also the taker of the prANa
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- prANAn dyati iti - One who takes away the prANa or vital airs at the time of
death, or prANAn dIpayati iti - One who purifies and brightens the vital airs.
Life.
prANAya namah
That which sustains is prANa - prANiti iti prANah. That which has prANa
functioning in it is a prANI. BhagavAn is PrANa because He sustains the
PrANi. The name can also be understood as referring to BhagavAn being the
cause of the pRANA or life-impulse in the air that sustains the life - in
kenopanishad we find the Supreme defined as prANasya prANah - the prANa
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of prANa itself.
jyEshThAya namah
Vrddhatamo jyeshThah.
Brahma is called vrddha-tara since he is older than all other beings that he
created as a result of this function being entrusted in Him by BhagavAn;
BhagavAn is vrddha-tama because He created Brahma, and is thus older than
Brahma. Sri ChinmayAnanda points out that jyeshTHa is the superlative of
vrddha (vrddha - aged; jyAyAn - more aged; jyeshTha - most aged).
Most praise-worthy.
srEshThAya namah
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PraSasyatamo SreshThah.
prajApatayE namah
PrakarsheNa jAyante iti prajAh, teshAm patih prajApatih - The leader of
those who have a glorious birth - the nitya-sUris, who are far superior to the
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An explanation which interprets the term prajA to mean all beings, rather than
the special class of Ever-free Angels, has also been provided, and thus the
meaning in this case will be Lord of all beings.
hiraNyagarbhAya namah
The word hiraNya means golden. Sri Bhattar interprets it as fitting or lovely.
The word garbha means womb. Sri Bhattar interprets it as the Abode or Living
Place. Thus the meaning - One who is in a fitting or Lovely Abode, viz. The
Parama Padam. Or, He is the garbha , or originator, of hiraNya or gold, a term
used to refer to all that is the Object of fulfillment and joy.
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bhUgarbhAya namah
He is the protector of Mother Earth. It can also mean One who has the
Universe in Himself - bhU garbhe yasya sah bhUgarbhah. Or, He is the garbha,
or Originator, of the Universe. BhU, which is His garbha, is constantly and
lovingly nurtured and nourished through His very Essence.
b) One who is attained through the madhu vidyA, or through mauna, dhyAna,
and yoga
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d) One who is born in the race of Madhu, a yAdhava
e) One for whom there is no Lord (i.e., One who is the Lord of everyone)
mAdhavAya namah
The nAma mAdhava occurs three times (nAma 73, 169, 741) in Sri VishNu
sahasranAmam, and different interpretations are offered in the three
contexts. We will deal with all the different interpretations here, and will
refer back to this section for the future.
The concept here is that BhagavAn and SrI are eternally and constantly
associated with each other, and inseparable. As if to emphasize this, Sri
Bhattar gives the detailed explanation for the qualities of MA or Lakshmi
under this name, rather than dwell on the nAma MAdhava.
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sarvabhUta hrdabjasthA nAnArUpa dharA parA ||
prANAkhyA mantramAtA ca viSvasya jananI dhruvA ||
"Her power is invincible and awe-inspiring and She is considered the power of
VishNu Himself. She is the Supreme Being who lives in the hearts of all beings
of the universe and She is endowed with divine forms. Her name is prANa or
life. She is the Mother of all mantras, and is the eternal Mother of the
Universe".
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mAdhavan
(sri LakshmikAnta PerumAL at Hedathale, Mysore.)
(A rare image of the samaashrayaNa thirukolam with reverse aayudhams and
padmam and gadhai in upper hands)
(pic.Courtesy:Sri Lakshminarasimhan Sridhar, Bangalore)
It continues on to say that She pervades the entire universe, moving and non-
moving - jagat carAcaram idam sarvam vyApya vyavasthitA.
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with Him, and yet remains distinct like the moon-light of the cool-rayed moon.
She pervades the Universe and is the very embodiment of all Saktis. She is
endowed with all glory and qualities, and is eternal. Her dharma is the same as
that of BhagavAn. She is the life-giving Sakti of all beings on earth. These are
expressed in the following Slokas:
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The secret of the true nature of MA is thus summarized -
b) One who is attained through the madhu vidyA, involving mauna, dhyAna, and
yoga.
Here, mA stands for mauna, dha stands for dhyAna, and va stands for yoga. He
is experienced by the seeker who has stilled his mind through mauna, dhyAna,
and yoga practices. Or, it can be said that He is mAdhava because He is
endowed with mauna, dhyAna, and yoga - He silently observes the physical,
mental, and intellectual activities of all beings, and is ever the non-interfering
Observer.
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In this interpretation, mA stands for knowledge, and dhava is Lord. The
support for this interpretation comes from HarivamSa -
(HarivamSa 3.88.49)
"O Hari! You are the Lord (dhava) of mA (knowledge); hence you are named
Madhava, the Master of mA".
e) mA dhavah yasya sa mAdhavah - One for whom there is no other Lord. This
interpretation is included as one of the explanations for this name by
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f) One who is the Silent Observer - this is discussed under item b) above.
madhusUdhanAya namah
In the MahAbhArata we have the following -
ityAhur-rshayaSca janArdanam ||
(MahAbhArata 2.63.13)
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the fruits of actions. Since BhagavAn destroys the effects of the fruits of
actions of those who meditate on Him, He is madhusUdana.
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105
SlOkam 9
$ñrae iv³mI xNvI mexavI iv³m> ³m>,
The Ruler.
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IsvarAya namah
This nAma occurred earlier (nAma 36). At that time we had indicated that the
name can be interpreted as One who has unlimited aiSvarya, or One who can do
whatever He wills (IshTe). AiSvarya means might or power, sovereignty,
affluence or wealth, etc. Sri Sankara seems to interpret the first occurrence
of this nAma as One who has unlimited might, and the next one as One who has
unlimited power. Sri Bhattar interprets the first occurrence as One who has
supreme power of rulership over all beings, and seems to interpret the second
one as One who does whatever He wills - yatra kAma gamo vaSI - He has self-
control and goes wherever He wants. Sri ChinmayAnanda interprets the first
occurrence as One who has the ability to do whatever He wants and the second
occurrence as One who is Omni-potent or All-powerful, with control over all
forms of Sakti - kriyA Sakti, icchA Sakti, and jnAna Sakti. However, all of
them seem to use the two variants we have covered under nAma 36.
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b) One who has the "Special" footsteps viz. Vamana
vikramiNe namah
Vikramah Souryam, tadyogAt vikramI - vikrama is courage; He who is ever a
courageous One, is vikramI.
Sri Bhattar points out that the name signifies that it is His nature that it
dispels all possibility of anything going against His will or desire.
Sri ChinmayAnanda gives the additional interpretation which uses the meaning
of krama as steps, and interprets the nAma as One who has "Special"
footsteps, referring to the vAmana incarnation.
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The wielder of the bow.
dhanvinE namah
Dhanurasya asti iti dhanvI.
mEdhAvinE namah
Sri Sankara gives the following definition -
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One who has this ability naturally is medhAvI.
Sri RadhAkrshNa Sastri points out that BhagavAn is Isvara, vikramI, dhanvI,
etc., because He is a medhAvI, one who can command the knowledge of
anything at any time as desired.
a) One with great strides (see nAma 76), such as in the vAmana incarnation
vikramAya namah
The first meaning has been explained under the earlier nAma 76. The second is
derived as follows: vi refers to the king of birds, Garuda; krama refers to His
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sancAra playfully on the Garuda who is the embodiment of the three vedas,
around the world.
kramAya namah
Krama can refer to systematization, sequence, ordering etc. (The word kramam
is commonly used in Tamil as a word acquired from Sanskrit with this meaning).
It can also refer to steps, as we indicated under vikramI, virkramah, etc., and
as a result, motion.
Based on the meaning as ordering or sequence, He is the one who makes the
events of the world conform to an order, for e.g., night and day following each
other.
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His creatures having the power of motion or movement.
anuttamAya namah
na vidyamAna uttamo yasmAt sah anuttamah - One for whom nothing superior
is known.
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The nirukti summarization of Sri Bhattar's vyAkhyAna is uttamo nAsti yasmAt
sah anuttama udAhrtah.
durAdharshAya namah
krutaj~nAya namah
Sri Bhattar gives the following references from the GItA in support of this
interpretation:
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sAdhureva sa mantavyah samyag vyavasito hi sah || (9.30)
A portion of the translation of the bhAshya of Sri RAmAnuja for the above
sloka is: "If even the most sinful man worships Me with undivided devotion,
with worship as the only purpose, such a person must be considered highly
righteous. He is eminent among the worshippers of VishNu - a great Sri
VaishNava (vaishNava SreshThasara eva mantavyah are Sri RAmAnujA's own
words). He must be esteemed as fit for honor."
The second support given by Sri Bhattar for the gratefulness of BhagavAn for
a devotee who cried for help with full surrender to Him is from the
MahAbhArata -
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"That cry for help uttered aloud by Draupadi even from a distance, calling me
"GovindA" - that cry is never away from my mind like a debt that has increased
with the interest accumulated on it".
Sri Sankara points out that He confers emancipation (moksha) on those that
offer to Him in worship even such common objects as a leaf or flower -
patrapushpAdyalpamapi prayacchatAm moksham dadAti.
Another explanation given for this nAma is that BhagavAn is One who knows
the actions of all the other beings, good and bad - prANinAm puNya apuNya
Atmakam karma krtam jAnAti iti krtajnah. He is the one Knower who knows all
physical activities, all emotional feelings, and all intellectual thoughts and
motives.
Sri ChinmayAnanda points out that He knows the exact depth of sincerity, the
true ardency of devotion, the real amount of purity in the heart of His
devotees, and as a result of His gratitude, He brings joy and bliss to their
hearts because He is a krtajna.
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nAma 84. k«it> krutih
krutayE namah
In the previous nAma we saw that BhagavAn has great gratitude for the good
acts of His devotees. Through the current nAma it is pointed out that in
reality BhagavAn is really the cause behind the good deeds, and all we can and
should do is practice pure and sincere devotion.
Sri Bhattar points out that BhagavAn alone makes us do virtuous acts when He
wants to lift us up from the worlds of material existence. The virtuous act of
the Jiva owes its origin to the Lord when He is pleased - tacca teshAm
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sukrtam asmAdeva prasannAt iti krtih.
The real Owner and Controller of the souls of those who do these virtuous
acts.
AtmavatE namah
The basic elemental fact that stands out from the last three nAmas is that it
is not we who bring about our salvation through our effort or actions; it is He
who makes it happen based on the sincerity of our devotion, trust, and
surrender to Him as the sole cause of our salvation. He is the krtajna who, just
pleased immensely by our small effort of sincere devotion, will cause our souls
which He owns, and divert it towards actions that He will then use as the hetu
or reason or pretext for conferring His blessings on us.
Another explanation Sri RAdhAkrshNa SAstri gives for this nAma is One who
is not dependent on anything else for His actions - for example when He killed
PUtanA the demoness, He drank the same milk that she gave Him to bring
about her destruction.
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SlOkam 10
surezZzr[< zmR ivñreta> àjaÉv>,
b) The best among those who can bestow their devotees' desires.
surEsAya namah
a) SurANAm ISah sureSah.
The word sura means one who can fulfill the desires of the devotees (sushThu
rAti - dadAti - iti surah. He is sureSa because He created the other gods
(sura) such as Brahma and Rudra and conferred on them the functions for
which they are responsible.
b) su rA Isah - Best among those who can bestow blessings on their devotees.
su - Sobhanam, rAti - dadAti, Isah - Their Lord or The Best. Thus sureSa
means the best among those who can fulfill the desires of the devotees.
Sriman nArAyaNa is the only one who can fulfill the ultimate desire of the
devotees - that of moksha.
The Refuge.
saraNAya namah
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According to amarakoSa, SaraNam means protection as well as home -
SaraNam vadha rakshitror grha rakshaNayorapi. BhagavAn is the Ultimate
Refuge to those who are in misery - ArtAnAm Arti hantAram. He is the also
the final Goal or the Destination - nivasishyasi mayyeva ata Urdhvam na
samSayah; the one who realizes Him comes to live in Him. Sri ChinmayAnanda
points out that He is not only the Home for those who have realized Him, but
in pralaya time He is the home for all beings.
sarmaNE namah
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AmarakoSa gives this word as an alternative (i.e., with the same meaning) as
prIti, sukha, etc. In the vyAkhyAna for amarakoSa, LingAyasurin gives the
following derivation - SrNAti duhkham iti Sarma - One who destroys or
removes the sorrows. Both Sri Sankara and Sri Bhattar give the meaning
"Bliss". ParamAnanda rUpatvAt Sarma, and sukham paramprApyam iti Sarma,
respectively. I could not find the root word for the nAma from the dictionary.
Sir William-Monier's dictionary speculates that the name is probably derived
from Sri.
visvarEtasE namah
retas means seed. ViSvam kAryam asya iti viSvaretA, or viSvasya kAraNatvAt
viSvaretA.
The name denotes that He is the seed from which the tree of life has sprung
forth. Later on, in nAmas 118 and 151, we will see that He is the also the
viSvayoni where the seed develops and takes full form. In other words,
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everything results from Him and exists because of Him. Sri Bhattar notes that
the purpose of His creation is for His service and His service only. In vishNu
tatva, we have the following -
"Brahman! This wonderful wealth, namely body, associated with hands, legs,
etc., has already been created by me with a view to enable beings to use them
in the service of the Supreme."
prajAbhavAya namah
In nAma 70, prajApati, we found that prajA can refer to those special births
(prakarsheNa jAyante) such as the nitya suris. So here prajAbhava can refer
to the general interpretation that prajA refers to all beings, or more
specifically that He created all the other suris or Ever-Free Angels. Sri
rAdhAkrshNa SAstri points out that while normal evolution starts with
primitive forms and evolves to higher forms, BhagavAn deiced to create the
higher forms such as Brahma first, and then the forms that are not as
accomplished, such as all the animals, the humans, etc., later.
b) One who is like the Day that awakens people from ignorance.
The first interpretation is based on "na hInah asya asti iti ahah - There is no
one who is abandoned by Him. The second interpretation is based on the
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traditional meaning of the word aha - day. The third interpretation is derived
by a-ha, where ha means destroy; One who does not destroy is a-ha.
samvatsarAya namah
This name repeats again as nAma 423. The meaning is derived from the root
vas - to live. samuddharaNAya samvasati iti samvatsarah. The term samvatsara
is also used to denote the year, and hence another interpretation for this
nAma is that BhagavAn is Time itself.
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nAma 93. Vya¦> - vyALah
vyALAya namah
Sri Bhattar gives the first interpretation based on the root lA - to take or
accept. VyAla also means a serpent, a mad elephant, a vicious tiger etc.
BhagavAn is vyAla because He is slippery like a serpent to grasp, or beyond
grasp like a huge elephant. Or He is impossible to be controlled by the demons,
like a mad elephant - vyAlavat bhujangavat gajavat grahItum aSakyatvAt
vyAlah.
pratyayAya namah
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PratIyate asmin iti pratyayah - One in whom we can place confidence. In the
sabhA parva in mahA bhArata, we have
"If your heart understands me, and if you have FAITH in me, place BhIma and
arjuna immediately at my disposal".
b) The All-seeing.
saravadarsanAya namah
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Sri Bhattar interprets darSana to mean He shows everything, and Sri Sankara
interprets this word to mean He sees everything. Great indeed are the ways
great minds see and enjoy the BhagavAn in many different ways! Sri Sankara
gives the following reference to the sruti -
"viSvataScakshur viSvAksham - One who has eyes on all sides - One who has a
Universal eye". (taittirIya AraNyaka 10.1, 11).
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SlOkam 11
AjSsveRñriSsÏ> isiÏSsvaRidrCyut>,
a) Unborn.
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b) The Remover of all obstacles.
d) One who removes the ignorance from the hearts of His devotees
This nAma occurs two more times later (nAma 206 and 524).
ajAya namah
a) The first meaning is derived as na jAyata iti ajah - One who is not born in
the traditional sense.
Sri Sankara gives the following from the srutis to support this explanation:
MB SAntiparva 330.9
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"I was not born, nor am I born, nor will I have a future birth; I am the soul in
all beings; hence I am called the Unborn".
Sri Bhattar points out that BhagavAn only emerges out of a pillar etc., but is
not born like others (see the explanation for svayambhuh - nAma 37).
b) There are several interpretations of the nAma aja using the meaning
"movement" for the root aj - aja gati kshepaNayoh - The root 'aj' signifies
movement or throwing away .
Sri Bhattar uses this meaning and interprets the name as meaning "The
Remover of all obstacles" to ensure that His devotees accomplish in their
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Sri Sankara uses the same meaning for aja (movement, motion) and comes up
with the explanation - ajati gacchati kshipati iti vA ajah - He who moves into
the heart of His devotees.
Sri rAdhAkrshNa SAstri uses the meaning "movement" and interprets the
name as Remover of the ignorance in us, or One who goes to the bhaktas to
enable them to reach Him, or One who throws away His weapons at anyone who
disturbs or causes hardship to His devotees.
One other explanation given for aja is akAravAcyatayA jAtah - One who is
known through the letter "a". - akAra vAcyatayA jAtah ajah. In the gItA we
have "aksharANaAm akAro'smi - (gItA 10.33) - I am "a" among the syllables.
Sri rAdhAkrhNa SAstri points out that at the time of pralaya the panca
bhUtas coalesce into ether (the reverse of AkASAt vAyuh, vAyoragnih,
aganerApah, adbhyah pethivI, etc.)., and the ether coalesces into its
tanmAtra, the sound, and Sabda ultimately dissolves into the sound "a", which
is the form of BhagavAn at the conclusion of prlaya. The sruti is 'akAro vai
sarvA vAk". In tirukkural we have "akara mudalAya ezhutthellAm Adi
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bhaghavan mudatre ulagu".
sarvEsavarAya namah
a) Sri Bhattar derives the first interpretation from the root aS to pervade. By
the uNAdi sUtra 738, aSnoterASukarmaNi varat ca - the affix varat comes
after the root aS - to pervade, when the word formed from it refers to
"having the power of granting success soon". Thus aS + varat = ISvarah. The
interpretation is that He is sarveSvara because He quickly reaches all those
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who have taken refuge in Him in order to avoid delay in dispelling their
uneasiness whether they are qualified or not. Or rather, the sufficient
qualification is that they have taken refuge in Him.
siddhAya namah
niruktam summarizes Sri Bhattar's vyAkhyAna as svarUpeNaiva bhaktAnAm
siddhatvAt siddhah ucyate - He is in the hands of His devotees in His true
form. A siddha can also mean One who has accomplished all that has to be
achieved. Sri Sankara gives the interpretation that He is ever perfect - nitya
nishpanna rUpatvAt siddhah.
An interpretation for the amarakoSa gives the definition siddhyati iti siddhah.
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nAma 99. isiÏ> - siddhih
The Goal.
siddhayE namah
The word siddhi literally means accomplishment, success etc. BhagavAn is
siddhi because He is the Goal or accomplishment by adopting the means. Or, in
the context of success or accomplishment, He is siddhi because He gives the
ultimate fruit of action, moksha. All other accomplishments can only give lesser
benefits such as the lesser joys of heaven etc., but only by attaining Him one
can get moksha, the ultimate success.
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sarvAdayE namah
SarveshAm purushArtAnAm Adih sarvAdih or sarva bhUtAnAm
AdikAraNatvAt sarvAdih. One who is the very beginning of all; One who was in
existence earlier than anything else. Even before the effects arise, the Cause.
The Infinite whish was before creation, and from which the created beings
emerged out.
acytuAya nam
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SrI acyutan - ThiruvahIndrapuram
(Courtesy:ramanuja dasargaL at www.pbase.com/svami)
This nAma occurs two more times later (320 and 557).
a) cyti means "fall" and cyuta means "fallen". acyuta means "One who has never
fallen from His true nature". Several explanations are given to further expand
this guNa of the Lord. Sri Bhattar points out that He does not ever fall from
His position of overlordship unlike Brahma, Indra, etc. who are subject to loss
of position, and therefore He is called acyuta. Sri rAdhAkrshNa SAstri points
out that He also does not slip from His position by being influenced by kAma
etc. unlike Brahma, Indra etc.
In mahAbhArata we have
Sri Sankara and Sri Bhattar have interpreted the above sruti slightly
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differently. Sri Sankara's words are - svarUpasAmarthyAt na cyuto na cyavate
na cyavishyata iti acyutah - He has not lapsed, is not lapsing, and will not lapse
from His own glory; hence the name acyuta. Sri Bhattar's interpretation of the
above Sruti lead to the second meaning, which follows:
b) Sri Bhattar's vyAkhyAna for the above is "I have never abandoned (my
bhaktas). Because of this act of mine, I am known as acyuta". His words are
"tebyah prapannebhyah na apagatah acyutah - He is never away from those who
have sought refuge in Him". Sri tirukkaLLam nrsimharAghavAchAryar in his
bhagavadgItA bhAshya has given the explanation na cyAvayati iti acyutah -
One who does not let His devotees slip - arjuna using this name here to call
Lord krshNa who has taken it upon Himself to be his charioteer and who will
not let him slip.
One who lifted the Earth from the waters of adharma in the form of varAha.
vrushAkapayE namah
In the mahAbhArata we have
"The word vRsha means dharma, and the word kapi refers to boar (pA means to
protect and ka means water, and so kapi refers to varAha incarnation where
He protected the Earth from the waters). Sri chinmayAnanda points out that
the name derives from the fact that He protected the Earth from the ocean
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of adharma in His varAha incarnation. The meaning dharma for the word vRsha
is based on the ability of dharma to shower all that is desired.
Sri chinmayAnanda points out that this is one of the nAmas on which there is
wide controversy between the different vyAkyAna kartAs; however, in the few
tests that I have referred to, this indication of serious controversy is not
evident. If any of you can elaborate on other interpretations by our AchAryas
and other vyAkhyAna kartAs, I will be extremely grateful.
amEyAtmanE namah
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Ameya means unaccountable or incomprehensible. Sri ChinmayAnanda indicates
that the virAt purusha form of the Lord is suggested here. His self or nature
is such that it cannot be measured by any particular standard and determined.
sarvayOgavinisrutAya namah
The word yoga can mean union or it can mean the means. Depending on which
one of these is chosen, we get a different interpretation. VinissRta means gone
forth or out, or escaped according to the Sanskrit dictionary by Sir William-
Monier.
Using the first meaning for yoga, we get the interpretation that He is free
from any and all of kind of bondage, and so He is sarva yoga vinissRta. Using
the second meaning, Sri Bhattar's interpretation is that He is attainable easily
by all means. His interpretation is -
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1. yOgaih - upAyaih;
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SlOkam 12
vsuvRsumnaSsTySsmaTma siMmtSsm>,
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b) One who dwells in the Milk-Ocean.
vasavE namah
This nAma occurs two more times (nAma 271 and 701).
He dwells in the hearts of His devotees even with a small amount of devotion,
and He dwells in the kshIrArNava. SrI krshNa-prEmi in one his upanyAsas
remarks that SrIman nArAyaNa chose to dwell in the Milk-Ocean as if to be
nearer to those devotees who are not yet accomplished enough to join Him to
SrivaikuNTham, or as if He can be closer to the devotees so as to rush to help
those who need Him.
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The great Lord resides in the milk ocean for doing good to the people of the
world.
c) The word vasu also means wealth - vasati nItimatAm gRha iti vasu.
In gItA we have vAsudevah sarvam - vAsudeva is everything (gItA 7.19). He is
the wealth that great men seek.
d) He is vasu because He is one of the eight vasus. Sri Sankara gives the
following reference to the gItA to support this interpretation - vasUnAm
pAvakaScAsmi - I am pAvaka among the vasus (gItA 10.23).
e) One who, as air, moves about and has residence in the mid-region.
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vasumanasE namah
a) BhagavAn is vasu-manA because His mind is unpolluted by anything such as
rAga, dvesha (attachment, hate), and similar secondary afflictions such as
mada or infatuation. He has a mind which has none of the sins of passions and
pains, none of the storms of desires and jealousies, none of the quakes of likes
and dislikes.
b) Sri kRshNa says in the gItA that the high-souled man is very hard to find -
sa mahAtmA sudurlabhah - gItA 7.19.
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nAma 107. sTy> - satyah
a) The Truth
satyAya namah
This nAma occurs two more times later (nAma 213, 873).
a) The most commonly known meaning for this word is Truth. The direct
support for this interpretation comes from mahAbhArata -
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sattAsattE ca gOvindah tasmAt satyah satAm matah ||
"KRshNa is rooted in satya and satya is rooted in kRshNa. Existence and non-
existence are grounded in govinda. So great men opine that kRshNa is Truth
itself".
b) Sri Sankara gives the following from aitrEya AraNyaka in support of the
second interpretation -
The affix yat comes after a word in the locative construction, in the sense of
'excellent in regard thereto'.
Sri ChinmayAnanda points out that in philosophy, satya is that which is the
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same in all three periods (past, present, and future). He is the only one who
fits this definition, and so He is satya.
samAtmanE namah
One whose mind is undisturbed by love or hatred. He is also sama AtmA since
He does not distinguish one from another when it comes to His thoughts on His
devotees. Since He is the soul in everything, He finds no distinction between
them. Since He is unattached to anything, He sees everything and everyone as
equal.
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b) The One Truth who is accepted by the Rshis and revealed in the upanishads.
sammitAya namah
Either meaning seems to be based on the word sammata - accepted. The first
interpretation is by Sri Bhattar, who points out that this name signifies that
He willingly accepted the role of being 'controlled' by devaki, kausalyA,
yasoda, dasaratha, vasudeva, etc. He chose the parents to whom He was going
to be the child, and then 'played' the role of the child willingly.
Sri chinmayAnanda points out that sammita can mean that He is the only one
who is the accepted Truth or sammata by the Rshis and the upanishads.
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nAma 110. sm> - samah
samAya namah
In gItA we have "samO'ham sarva bhUtEshu" - I am equally disposed towards
all beings (gIta 9.29).
Sri Sankara interprets the meaning as One who is the same at all times.
He gives another interpretation also - He is (sa) with (mAyA) lakshmi always;
therefore, He is sama.
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One who always gives fruits to those who worship Him.
amoghAya namah
MOgha means futile. Mogham nirarthakam is amrakOSa. AmOgha is the
opposite of it. We have the following from rAmAyaNa -
"o rAma! A sight of You is never futile. The praise of You is also never futile.
Those who are endowed with devotion to You will always be successful in their
life".
b) One who resides in the heart space of everyone and observes all
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puNdarIkAkshAya namah
puNdarIkam means lotus flower. PuNdarIkE iva akshiNI yasya sah
puNdarIkAkshah - One whose eyes are beautiful like lotus flowers.
SrI Bhattar gives the meaning 'vaikuNTham' to the word puNdarIka based on
the following, and interprets puNdarIkAkshah as One who is the eye for the
residents of SrIvaikunTham -
vRshakarmaNE namah
VRsha means dharma or virtue - abhilashitam varshatIti vRshah. SrI
chinamayAnanda points out that His actions are righteous, and He acts only to
establish righteousness - dharma samsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi yugE yugE.
In gItA BhagavAn says that He does his actions according to His dharma even
though He has nothing to gain or lose by any action - na anavAptam avAptavyam
varta eva ca karmaNi - 3.22.
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vRshAkRtaye namah
vRsha - dharma, AkRti - form. One whose form is itself dharma. Lord Rama is
considered Dharma Incarnate. Or it can mean One who incarnates for the sake
of preserving dharma - dharma samsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi yuge yuge.
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SlOkam 13
éÔae bhuizra bæuivRñyaeinZzuicïva>,
rudrAya namah
rOdayati iti rudrah - Sri Bhattar interprets this to mean that He brings tears
of joy to the eyes of His devotees.
It could also mean that He brings tears to the eyes of the beings when He
withdraws them during the pralaya.
Sri Sankara points out that it could also mean one who confers (ra) the good
(rud), or it could mean one who destroys (dru) misery and its cause (ru -
duhkham) - rum drAvayati iti rudrah.
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nAma 116. bhuizra> - bahu
bahu--sirAh
bahu-SirasE namah.
In purusha sUktam of Rg veda we have the description of the cosmic form of
BhagavAn described as "sahasra SIrshA purushah sahasrAkshah sahasra pAt -
The purusha of thousand heads, thousand eyes and thousand feet..... In gItA
we find the following description of the viSvarUpa of bhagavAn -
sarvAScaryamayam devam anantam viSvatOmukham - the rUpa with
uncountable faces in all directions (11.11). Again in gItA (13.13), we have
"sarvatahpANi pAdam tat sarvato'kshi SirO mukham - The Pure jivAtma
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savarUpa has hands and legs everywhere, has eyes, heads, and mouths
everywhere.....". Sri Bhattar has interpreted the name as referring to the form
of bhagavAn as ananta, in which form He has many faces and over a thousand
hoods.
The Supporter.
babhravE namah
bibharti lOkAn iti babhruh - The one who supports the worlds. He as AdiSesha
supports the earth. He is also the supporter of the Earth as Adi kUrma, Adi
varAha, etc.
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viSva-yOnayE namah
yOni means cause. Since He is the cause of this world He is called viSvayOni.
In nAma 89 - viSvarEtA - we saw that He is the seed from which the world
originates. This nAma says that He is also the place where the seed develops
into its full blossom. yOni means womb, and He is the seed, the womb, the
sustainer after the birth of the world, the one who impartially observes as the
kshetraj~na, etc. Note that we have referred to the following from the gItA a
few times before, and it applies here again - vAsudevah sarvam.
The word yOni can also be derived from the world yu - to unite (yu miSraNE).
Thus yOni can refer to bhagavAn's act of uniting His devotees with Him.
Without His will, no one will be united with Him. He is viSvayOni because He
unites His devotees with Himself.
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Suci-Sravase namah.
a) SucIni SrAvaNyAni SRNoti iti Suci-SravAh
One who listens to words that are pure. Sri Bhattar gives the following
reference to mahAbhArata in support of this interpretation -
"O dhanan~jaya! I listen here to all that is pure and agreeable to hear. I do not
heed to what is sinful. I am known as Suci-SravAh".
In this context, Sri Bhattar points out the incident where bhagavAn just kept
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listening to the words of vidura which were full of dharma, and the night
passed away for KRshNa unnoticed -
One whose names and glories are very holy and purifying to hear.
c) The word Sravas also means ear. chinmayAnandA thus interprets the name
as meaning One who has divine ears - He is the Hearer of all ears.
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nAma 120. Am&t> amrutah
amRtAya namah
a) The devotees never get satiated by doing service to bhagavAn, and He is
sweet to the devotees to an unlimited extent.
b) na vidyate mRtam maraNam asya iti amRtah - He has no decay or death. The
sruti says He is non-decaying and Immortal - ajarah amarah -(bRhadAraNya
upanishad 4.4.25).
Sri chinmayAnandA points out that He is amRtah because He can cure the
disease of ignorance in His devotees.
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SaSvata-SthANave namah.
The two parts of this name, SASvata and SthANu, occurred as separate names
earlier (SASvata - which occurred as nAma 57, and sthAnu as nAma 28).
sthANu also occurs as part of the current nAma and of nAma 427 - sthAvara-
sthANuh later. Recall that sthANu was earlier interpreted as One who is firm
in blessing His devotees, and SASvata was interpreted as One who is Eternal
because of His unceasing act of creation, sustenance and destruction.
Sri Bhattar gives this name the meaning 'Eternal and Steady'. Unlike the
nectar for which the devas and asuras churned the Ocean, He is Eternal
because he cannot be taken away from those who enjoy Him. Sri Sankara gives
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varArohAya namah.
Varam means supreme, and Arohanam means ascent. Sri Bhattar's
interpretation is that He is the Supreme object of attainment, since all other
objects are inferior. Sri Sankara gives the meaning that He is of Excellent
Ascent. Sri rAdhAkRshNa Sastri suggests that bhagavAn is varAroha because
He is reclining on AdiSesha, the high paryanka.
In the second or third article in this series, I had indicated that Sri Bhattar
interprets the first 122 nAmas as describing the para-vAsudeva form of the
Lord, which is not conditioned by any limiting adjuncts and which is not the
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effect of another object. It is endowed with six qualities (~jnAna, bala,
aiSvarya, vIrya, Sakti, tejas). This is the object of attainment of the released
souls. The transcendental nature (paratva) of bhagavAn has been spoken of
mostly by the names ending with the above nAma - varAroha. Sri Bhattar also
interprets the contents of the first 122 names as the response from BhIshma
to YudhisThira for the first two of the six questions posed to him -
The next set of nAmas are interpreted by Sri Bhattar as a) representing the
vyuha (emanation) forms, and b) responding to YudhisThira's question -
stuvantah kim - eulogising whom? The vyuha forms are four in number -
vAsudeva, samkarshaNa, pradyumna, aniruddha. Of these, vAsudeva can be
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taken as having been included in the para form. The vyUha forms are in charge
of the work of creation, sustenance, and destruction; they propound the
Sastras, explain their significance, and give the fruits in accordance with the
rules laid down therein; they also teach the method of meditation and worship
of bhagavAn. The six qualities of the para rupa are distributed amongst the
four vyUhas and each has its own form and duties. They are the means for the
attainment of salvation.
mahA-tapase namah.
Tapas is given the meaning "great knowledge" based on muNdakopanishad -
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Mahat is pUjyam - worthy of respect. Here, knowledge is the ability to guide
people so that they may be rid of the miseries of the world which they have
been having from time immemorial.
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SlOkam 14
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One who reaches all.
sarvagAya namah.
sarvatra gacchati iti sarva-gah - One who pervades everything.
Or, by His strength which displays His capacity to support, He supports
everything He has taken in during the pralaya, and thus He reaches all.
sarva-vide namah.
Sarvam vetti vindata iti vA sarva-vit - One who knows everything or One who
obtains everything.
In the first interpretation, bhagavAn is the knower in all - the inner soul.
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nAma 126. Éanu> - bhAnuh
bhAnave namah.
bhAti iti bhAnuh.
One who has His army in all directions for the protection of all.
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vishvaksenAya namah.
SrI Bhattar interprets this nAma as referring to aniruddha, the protector.
The word senA is derived from "inena vartate iti senA" - where inena means
svAmin saha. So sena is one which is with the Lord always - seSvara. This nAma
indicates His Sakti which indicates His capacity. a-niruddha refers to One who
is not under anyone else's control. This nAma also indicates the gUna of the
Lord by which He is always there to protect His devotees.
janArdanAya namah.
SrI Bhattar gives the support from mahAbhArata - dasyu-trANAt janArdanah
(MB udyoga parva 71.6) -He is janArdana because He protects people from
dasyus (demons). SrI Sankara gives the following two interpretations: One who
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destroys those who are wicked - janAn - durjanAn, ardayati - hinasti
(destroys). and also means to beg, to ask - gatau yAcane ca. janaih ardyate -
yAcyate - One who is approached by His devotees for whatever they want.
vedAya namah.
Veda is derived from vid - to know. Vedayati iti vedah - One who explains
everything or That which explains everything - the Ultimate Truth - is vedah.
Since veda-s originated from His breath, they are not distinct from Him.
In mahAbhArata, we have
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"sarve vedAh sarvavidyAh saSAstrAh sarve ya~jnAh sarva ijyASca kRshNah"
"All the veda-s, all the vidyA-s, all the Sastra-s, all the ya~jna-s, and all
offerings, are kRshNa".
In SrI Bhattar's vyAkhyAna, this nAma again refers to the vyUha form of
veda-vide namah.
This nAma appears once more in this slokam itself (nAma 133).
Vedam, vedArtham vetti iti vedavit. Or, vedAn vinte - vicArayati iti vedavit.
One who knows the veda-s, or One who spreads the knowledge of veda-s (e.g.,
in the form of pradyumna, vyAsa, etc.).
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the upanishads - vedAnta-s, and I am indeed the knower of the vedas (gItA -
15.15).
He is also vedavit in the sense of knowing the true meaning behind the veda-s,
viz. dharma. SrI Bhattar interprets this nAma as representing the pradyumna
incarnation- as one who propounds the Sastra-s and explains their significance.
samkarshaNa who has knowledge as one of His attributes.
avya~ngAya namah.
vya~ngam is imperfection. a-vya~ngam is no imperfection. In the context of
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the previous nAma-s relating to His originating veda, and His full knowledge of
veda, this nAma means that He is not in any way deficient in the knowledge of
the chandas, kalpa, and other accessories of the veda-s which He himself has
created. One could also interpret the nAma as meaning that He is not deficient
in any way in any of the six guNas - ~jnAna, bala, aiSvarya, vIrya, Sakti, and
tejas.
vedA~ngAya namah.
vedAh a~ngabhUtAh yasya sah vadA~ngah. In kenopanishad we have vedAh
sarvA~ngAni... - all veda-s are His limbs. Or He is vedA~nga since the sruti-s
and smRti-s are His commands. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the following
quotes from SrImad BhAgavatam in support of the interpretation that He has
veda-s for His body:
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"...trayIm tanum svAm paridhunvate namah - We offer our worship to One who
has veda for His body" - (SrImad bhAgavatam 3.13.34)
"trayImayam rUpamidam ca saukaram - One who has the varAha form which is
the veda svarUpam" - (SrImad bhAgavatam 3.13.41).
One who knows not only the veda-s, but the true meaning behind the veda-s,
viz. the dharma.
vedavide namah.
Please see the explanation under nAma 130 for the interpretation of the guNa
expressed by this nAma.
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nAma 134. kiv> - kavih
kavaye namah.
krAnta-darSitvAt kavih - sarvadRk. One who sees beyond what is revealed only
by the senses.is the best among the kavi-s.
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SlOkam 15
laekaXy]SsuraXy]ae xmaRXy]> k«tak«t>,
lokAdhyakshAya namah.
surAdhyakshAya namah
dharmAdhyakshAya namah.
adhyaksha means master or superintendent. Loka refers to people whose duty
it is to practice dharma, sura-s refers to devas who are worshipped with the
dharma, and dharma signifies the means by which this worship is performed.
BhagavAn in the form of aniruddha is the presiding deity over all these, who
closely observes all these and grants the fruits of the dharmic acts. He also
ensures that the benefits are not obtained by those who do not observe the
dharmic acts, and ensures that those who observe the dharmic acts do not go
without the fruit.
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An alternate interpretation is that loka refers to the people, sura-s are those
who protect the people, and dharma is the means by which they protect them.
BhagavAn is the controller and supervisor or master of all these. For instance,
the deva-s control the natural elements and ensure that these perform in such
a way that they benefit the people. Thus the rising of the sun, the rains, etc.
are controlled. When the deva-s swerve from their path, BhagavAn takes over
and ensures that the violations are set right. For instance, when indra got
angry with the gokula-vAsi-s and tried to destroy gokulam with unending rain,
Lord KRshNa bore the govardhana mountain and protected the people from
indra's fury and brought indra under control.
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a) The grantor of fruits that are this this-worldly as well as those that are
eternal.
c) One who has a form which is nitya or permanent, as well as transient forms.
krutAkrutayE namah
SrI Sankara interprets kRta as effect (kArya rUpa) and akRta as cause
(kAraNa rUpa), and thus he interprets this nAma as symbolizing that bhagavAn
is both cause and effect of all things. KRtam is vyaktam (that is manifested),
and akRtam is unmanifested or avyaktam. Or, the nAma can mean that
bhagavAn appears with a form that is akRtam or nityam in nature, and also in
forms which remain only for a limited time (kRtam).
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caturAtmane namah.
One explanation for this is the Self has control over the four-fold nature - the
wakeful state, the state of dreams, dreamless deep sleep, and turIya state
where even the breath is suspended. These involve the external senses, the
mind, breath, and suspended breath. These are also the four stages of
development which a worshipper who meditates upon the Lord goes through.
SrI Sankara interprets the nAma as signifying that bhagavAn expresses His
energies in four forms in each of His acts of creation, protection, and
dissolution. He quotes the following sloka in vishNu purANa -
The four energies of Hari for creation are - brahmA, daksha and others, time,
and all creatures. The four energies of Hari for protection are - vishNu, manu
and others, time, and all creatures. The four energies of JanArdana for
dissolution are - rudra, time, the god of death, and all creatures. Thus He is
caturAtma at all times.
catur-vyUhAya namah.
This nAma is interpreted as signifying the four vyUha emanations (vAsudeva,
samkarshaNa, pradyumana, and aniruddha). SrI Sankara give the following
reference to support this interpretation. In my version of the vyAkhyAna, the
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original source for this reference is not given, but the quote is attributed to
vyAsa :
vyUha refers to a form that has a purpose associated with it. pradyumna is for
"padaippu" or creation; samkarshaNa is for samhAra or destruction; aniruddha
is for protection; vAsudeva is the overall leader of these three forms.
Pradyumna, the one in charge of "padaippu" or creation, is endowed with the
leadership of aisvarya and vIrya. pra-dymna means one who has enormous vIrya
in His responsibility of creation. aniruddha, in charge of protection, is endowed
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with immeasurable Sakti and tejas. a-niruddha means One who cannot be
obstructed in His function of protection. SamkarshaNa is endowed with
enormous ~jnAnam and balam. Sam-karshaNa means one who attracts (note
AkarshaNa - attraction) or draws everything towards Him and makes them
draw into Him during the pralaya or great destruction. VAsudeva is the form
endowed with all the six qualities and is the Supreme parabrahman.
He of four teeth.
catur-damshtrAya namah.
damshtra refers to canine teeth. The reference here could be to the four full
and strongly developed, powerful, beautiful canine teeth in His incarnation in
nRsimhAvatAra. SrI Bhattar points out that catur-damshtratvam is a
mahApurusha lakshNam. He gives reference to the description of Sri Rama by
Hanuman to SItA devi - catur-daSa sam-dvandvah catur-damshtrah catur-
gatih - One who has the fourteen parts of the body such as the legs, the
hands, etc. fully symmetric with no blemishes, One who has four beautiful
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canine teeth, and One who has the beauty of the walks of elephant, tiger, lion,
and bull. (VAlmIki RamayaNam Sundara kANdam - 35.19).
catur-bhujAya namah.
The four hands carry the conch, the discus, the mace, and the lotus
respectively. SrI ChinmayAnanda gives a very nice explanation of how the four
arms are used by the Lord in maintaining dharma. The conch calls man to the
righteous path that directly leads to peace and perfection, the divine vishNu
padam. Not very many of us listen to this inner voice of conscience, the sound
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of the pAncajanya conch, and so He gently wields the 'Mace' and we come to
suffer small calamities and tragic jerks in our smooth existence. If the
individual still does not listen to the call of the 'Conch', the 'Chakra' - the
wheel of time, annihilates the entire being. This call and punishment are solely
meant to take man to the Ultimate Goal, symbolized by the 'Lotus' in His hand.
SrI RAdhAkRshNa SAStri gives the explanation that the four hands signify
that He gives the four purushArta-s (I assume dharma, artha, kAma, and
mokha are the four being referred to here). Or the four arms represent the
four tatva-s - satva, rajas, tama, and ahamkAra. "satvam rajas tama iti
aha~nkAraScaturbhujah" (gopAlottaratAmini 55).
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SlOkam 16
æaij:[uÉaeRjn< Éae´a sih:[ujRgdaidj>,
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brAjishNave namah.
bhrAjata iti tacchIlo bhrAjishNuh - One who has the habit of being effulgent.
The name is derived from the root bhrAjR and the pANini sutra 3.2.138 -
bhuvasca - which states that the afix ishNuc in the sense of "the agent having
such a habit etc." comes after the verbs such as bhU, bhrAjR etc. SrI Bhattar
points out that it is the nature of bhagavAn to show Himself to His
worshippers.
Sri rAdhAkRshNa Sastri points out that we see objects because of the light
that makes them visible, and we see the light only because it gets scattered by
the objects. But bhagavAn is Pure Effulgence without any association with any
object, and this is why the non-devotees don't see Him, though He makes
Himself visible to His devotees.
The yajurvedic passages given to support the interpretation for this nAma are:
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"brahma surya samam jyotih"; "suryo jyotir-jyotih surya" etc.
bhojanAya namah.
taih bhujyate - sukhena anubhuyate iti bhojanam -
bhojanam also means literally food or the means of sustenance. Even though in
nature one object becomes the means of sustenance of another object, He is
the one who maintains this balance and sustains everything. The vedAntic
interpretation for bhojanam is the collection of all objects of enjoyment by
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the sense-organs. He makes the objects of this world fit for enjoyment, and
He also becomes the object of enjoyment Himself when His devotee
overcomes the desire for the material objects of enjoyment and longs for Him.
The Enjoyer.
bhoktre namah.
He Himself is the Enjoyer since He enjoys the things offered by His devotees
like nectar.
In gItA we have
(gItA 9.16)
"If a devotee offers to me a mere leaf, flower, fruit, or water with sincere
devotion and love, I accept it as invaluable treasure."
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Or He is the bhoktA for all the sacrificial offerings irrespective of the deity
to whom the offering is made -
The Forgiver.
sahishNave namah.
The word is derived from sah - to put up with, forgive. Note the grammatical
rule quoted for bhrAjishNu earlier - the affix ishNuc is added to indicate one
having a habit etc. Thus it is His Nature to forgive. We have the yajurvedic
mantra "saho'si saho mayi dhehi".
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sah also means to suffer patiently. He is sahishNu because He suffers
patiently, in His perfect detachment, all that is happening around. He is just a
mere witness. He continues to support this world without ever getting
impatient - nAkshastapyate bhUribhArah - Rgvedic manta.
sahate also means conquers, and Sri Sankara uses this meaning and interprets
this nAma as meaning that bhagavAn is sahishNu because He conquers daitya-s
such as hiraNyAksha.
In SrI Bhattar's vyAkhyAna, the vyuha forms are covered up to the above
nAma. .Starting with the next nAma, he interprets the guNa-s as reflecting
those of the vibhava form of vishNu, the second of the trinities.
jagadAdijAya namah.
jagat + Adi + jAtah = jagadAdijah.
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Before the world got created, one who had the ability to create the world had
to exist. Thus bhagavAn existed before the world was created. SrI
chinmayAnanda points out that this is the manifestation of bhagavAn as
HiraNyagarbha, the form where the world of all objects is submerged after
pralaya and before the manifestation of the gross world emerges out. This is
the manifestation of bhagavAn as the virAt Atma.
That vishNu was the first-born among the gods is supported by the following
from mahAbhArata -
"Thou art our refuge; Thou art the first-born amongst the gods. Thou art the
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Lord of the Universe. Thou didst assume the role of vishNu for the protection
of all the worlds."
anaghAya namah.
aghah pApam na vidyate asmin iti anaghah. Though He resides in the midst of
the samsAra in His incarnations, He is untainted by sins. Because He is
unattached, He is not contaminated by the effects of any actions. Several
passages in the sruti-s refer to this attribute - suddham apApaviddham - yajur
40.8, na puNya pApe mama (kaivalya 22), etc.
Victory Incarnate.
vijayAya namah.
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vividham viSesheNa vA jayati iti vijayah - One who wins over everything in
different and special ways. He is sat, cit, and Ananda rupa, and thus controls
everything including the prakRti and jiva-s. Or He excels in everything -
~jnAna, vairAgya, aisvarya, etc.
SrI Bhattar points out that He is vijaya because He controls everything that
happens in this world, including the creation and destruction, which are
performed by Brahma and Rudra with His help and guidance - "tad_AdarSita
panthAnau sRshti samhAra kArakau - Guided by Him in the right way, Brahma
and Rudra carry out the task of creation and destruction (MB moksha 169.19).
The Conquerer.
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jetre namah.
sarvam jagat sa jayati iti jetA. He is jetA because nothing ever can happen
that is not His will. All the other gods act His will. One who has satyam as His
sthira guNa never has any failure or defeat. He is satya kAma, satya samkalpa,
etc.
viSva-yonaye namah.
viSvasya - sakalasya yonih - kAraNam viSva-yonih.
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nAma 152. punvRsu> - punarvasuh
One who lives again and again as the antarAtmA of all His creations.
punarvasave namah.
He is the antarAtmA of all the other gods whom He creates for different
functions, beginning with rudra and brahma. In moksha dharma in
mahAbhArata we have indra saying to rudra -
He is the Inner Soul of yourself and myself as well as those who are called the
Released Souls" - MB moksha 179.4.
It can also mean that He is punarvasu because He recreates the world with the
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sun, moon, etc., the same way all over again after each pralaya -
(Rg 10/190/3)
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SlOkam 17
%peNÔae vamn> àa<zu rmae"ZzuicêijRt>,
AtINÔSs '!¢
AtINÔSs'! hSsgaeR x&taTma inymae ym>. 17.
¢hSsgae
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b) One who is superior to indra.
upendrAya namah.
a) upagatah indram - One who assisted indra. SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri gives
the following instance in this context. PrahlAda's grandson Bali defeated Indra
by doing penances according to SukrAcArya's advice. Indra's mother aditi
prayed to God to get Indra's position back.
Since Bali had attained Indra's position through penance etc., there was no
way of getting back the position easily. So bhagavAn appeared as the younger
brother of indra by being born as the son of aditi, and restoring the position
of indra by asking for three feet of land from Bali in his yAga Sala.
b) indrasya upari indrah - One who is superior to indra. upa also means above or
superior.
Sri rAdhAkRshNa Sastri gives the example of Lord KRshNa subduing indra's
self-assumed superiority complex in gokulam when indra tried to flood and
destroy the place for not offering prayers to him.
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nAma 154. vamn> - vAmanah
vAmanAya namah.
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vAmanah
vAmayati tyAjayati madam balim - One who expelled the pride out of Bali. Vam
literally means to vomit out, and vAm could mean one who made Bali literally
vomit out his pride. LingAyatasurin gives the interpretation vAmo valgutvam
asya asti iti vAmanah - One who has a very charming short form. Or it can be
also be interpreted as vAmo vatutvam asya asti iti vAmanah - One who has a
short form of a gurukula student, which is how mahAvishNu appeared in front
of Bali to ask for the three feet of earth from him. The rupa soundaryam
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(valgutvam) of the vAmana incarnation is beautifully described in Srimad
bhAgavatam - e.g.,
Bali, the yajamAna of the yAgaSala, saw the beautiful appearance of the
brahmachAri in the dwarf form and offered the seat to him with a completely
captivated heart (BhAgavatam 8-18-26).
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nAma 155. àa<zu> - prAmsuh
The Tall.
prAmSave namah.
prASnute prakarsheNa Urdhvam iti prAmSuh -
In the vAmana incarnation, bhagavAn very quickly grew from His dwarf form
into a form which covered the three worlds under His two feet. As soon as Bali
poured the water to accompany his gift of three feet of land into the dwarf
hands, the dwarf was no longer a dwarf. The Lord manifested His universal
form; the earth was His feet, the sky His head, and the sun and the moon His
eyes. The vyAkhyAna kartA-s give the reference, from HarivamSa, to the
beauty of His growth from the dwarf form, in relation to fixed objects, the
Sun and the Moon. First, He assumed the tall form where the Sun and the
Moon were His two eyes. Then as He measured the earth, they were at the
level of His bosom. As He measured the space, the Sun was at the level of His
navel, and as He lifted His feet to measure the Heaven, the Sun and Moon
were just below His knees.
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tasya vikramato bhUmim candrAdityau stanAntare |
nabhah prakramANasya nAbhideSe vyavasthithau ||
(HarivamSa 31.89)
amoghAya namah.
na mogham ceshTitam yasya sah amoghah. When bhagavAn asked for three
feet of earth from bali, it helped indra; when Bali could not give the third foot
of earth, it helped subdue Bali and make him a great devotee on the spot;
subduing Bali led to Bali getting the status equal to indra in a trice, and led to
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all the gods partaking in the offerings made in the sacrifice. Thus every act of
His has a purpose.
Pure.
Sucaye namah.
Sucyata iti Sucih - One who purifies is Sucih. BhagavAn is Pure because He is
the ParamAtmA who is uncontaminated by actions and their effects. He is
Sucih because One who contemplates on Him becomes pure, and thus
association with Him makes one pure. Whatever He does is uncontaminated by
anything other than dharma, and so His purity never diminishes. When He
helped indra by subduing Bali, one could say He was biased towards the deva-s;
not so, since He made Himself the door-keeper of Bali and thus Bali benefited
several-fold more than indra did in the process. He is pavitrANAm pavitram, or
purer than the purest. The several references from sruti attest to His purity -
Suddham apApa viddham - (ISAvasya - 8); asparSaSca mahAn Sucih etc.
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha takes this interpretation one step further by
pointing out that everything bhagavAn does is resplendent with the beauty
that speaks of His purity. All one has to do to realize this is to look at the
beauty of His creations such as the flowers, the leaves, the waters of the
rivers, etc. So He is all around us displaying His innate quality of purity
constantly. He points out that thus guNa of bhagavAn should constantly remind
His devotees to be always pure in their actions, words, and deeds as a means to
attain Him.
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UrjitAya namah.
UrjA means balam or strength. This is one of the shadguNa-s of bhagavAn
(~jnAna, bala, etc.). This strength is displayed whenever He has had to take
care of the evil demons. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that He is Urjita
not only because of His immense strength, but also because whatever strength
each being in His creation has, is because He is the source. He gives the
following vedic quotes to substantiate this interpretation -
UrjA detAm avasyojasA tvAm pibA somamadAya kam Satakrato (Rg. 8.36.3)
As is evident, through many of mantra-s, the devotee is asking for balam from
bhagavAn i.e, He is the source of balam or strength in all His creations.
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nAma 159. AtINÔ> - atIndrah
atIndrAya namah.
We saw how He surpasses indra by His lordship and glorious acts. Indra is the
king of gods, and bhagavAn exceeds him in wisdom, greatness, etc. SrI
chinmayAnanda points out that in vedAnta indra stands for mind-intellect, and
the paramAtmA or the Pure Self is superior to mind since it transcends the
mind.
samgrahAya namah.
The meaning given in the dictionary by Sir William-Monier is "holding
together", "drawing together", etc.
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nAma 161. sgR> - sargah
sargAya namah.
sRjati iti sargah - One who creates. The word sarga is derived from the root
sRj - to create. He is sarga since He created the whole world out of Himself.
Sarga refers to primary creation as opposed to pralaya or dissolution, and
sthiti or maintenance.
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dhRtAtmane namah.
dhRtah AtmA yena sah dhRtAtmA - One who supports all the jIvAtmA-s, or
One who supports (conducts) Himself uninfluenced by any change (birth, death,
likes, dislikes, etc.).
The Controller.
niyamAya namah.
niyamayati iti niyamah - One who assigns and directs the different functions to
the different beings. The root yam has two meanings: yam uparame - to check,
and yam pariveshaNe - to surround. One who is the Creator of all beings is also
naturally the Controller of all those beings. It is He who orders all the mighty
forces of nature and prescribes for each the laws of their conduct, the ways
of their behavior and the methods of their functions. The Sun, Moon, Air,
Waters, Death, etc., are all appointed and controlled by the Lord.
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nAma 164. ym> - yamah
The Ruler.
yamAya namah.
yacchati iti yamah or yamayati iti yamah - One who rules. He rules all our
selves from within. He also rules all the beings of the earth from within the
sphere of the Sun. We have the passage from bRhadAraNya upanishad -
yah sarvANi bhUtAni antaro yamayati (3.7.15). Other passages from the sruti-
s are "yah pRthivIm antaro yamayati - He who rules the earth from within" -
BRhadAraNya 3.7.3, yah AtmAnam antaro yamayati - He who rules the self
from within", etc.
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162
SlOkam 18
ve*ae vE*SsdayaegI vIrha maxvae mxu>,
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b) That which should be known or realized.
vedyAya namah.
veditum Sakyah vedyah,
vedanArhatvAt vedyah, or
SrI chinmayAnanda interprets the word to mean "That which should be known
- as the Ultimate Truth; having known which, everything else becomes known".
This is supported by the following from the gItA - "vedaiSca sarvairahameva
vedyah - I am the One who is to be known through all the veda-s" - gItA 15.15,
and vedair_anekair-ahmeva vedyah - kaivalya 22.
vaidyAya namah.
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The word vaidya is related to the word vidyA. One who right from the
beginning of the world knew all the vidyA-s that went into the creation of this
Universe is vaidya. It is not only that He is the knower, but no one else is the
knower of creating all the wondrous and manifold objects in His creation. This
is supported by "viSvAni deva vayunAni vidvAn" - yajur 7.43. He is the sarva-
vidyA-maya vaidya. Also note "Isvarah sarva-vidyAnAm"- taittirIya AraNyaka
10.21.
The knowledge that we see displayed even in the insects, birds, etc., should be
a constant reminder of the vaidya or All-knower that is bhagavAn, and should
lead us to the constant awareness that it is His feet that we should worship.
SrI Bhattar points out that He knows the vidyA of releasing His devotees
from the cycle of rebirth, and so He is vaidya.
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One might have accumulated sins the size of the meru mountain; however if
one worships keSava, the sins disappear just as the worst diseases disappear
when treated by a good vaidya or doctor".
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d) One who is in constant yogic meditation
e) One who always displays the samatva-bhAva, i.e., treats everyone equally.
sadA-yogine namah.
One explanation for this nAma is that bhagavAn is always attainable, and so He
is sada-yogI. SrI Bhattar interprets the nAma to mean that He is awake at all
times with respect to His devotees, and He is always awake as the antaryAmi
in all of us.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives three different interpretations for this nAma -
satah AyogI, sadA yogI, and sadA AyogI. Satas means equally, and Ayuj means
to unite or to join. The roots from which from the nAma can be derived are
also many - yugi varjane - to give up; yuj samAdhau - to concentrate the mind;
yuj yoge - to unite; yuj samyamane - to join;
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He is a sadA-yogi because He has always given up everything except the good
and the just, the dharmic way. He is also a sadA-yogI because He unites this
world into one through His sarva-vyApti, His pervasion into everything that
exists - sadaiva yojayati samyamayati visvAn lokAn sa sadA-yogI. He is also a
sada-yogI because He is constantly in yogic meditation, which is His nature.
Yoga here can be interpreted as samatva-bhAva. SadA yogah asya asti iti tam
sadA-yoginam, sadA yoga Silam svabhAva-dharmANam vA.
The vyAkhyAna in dharma cakram (whose author is not identified) points out
that people live one of three ways of life - a rogi, a bhogi, or a yogi. Of these,
the life of a yogi (who spends his life by diverting his senses away from sense-
enjoyment and towards the parama-purusha) is the one that leads to peace of
mind and bodily health. The yogic state of mind is naturally attained by one
who devotes one's mind to the worship of the Lord, the sadA-yogi.
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vIraghne namah.
We may recollect "paritrRNAya sAdhUnAm vinASAya ca dushkRtAm" - 'For
the protection of the good and the destruction of the wicked'. If the quality
of being a vIra is used to commit adharma, bhagavAn destroys those vIra-s or
rAkshasa-s.
SrI Bhattar interprets the vIra-s here as referring to people who are
"kutarka-Sura-s" or those who put up false arguments to prevent people from
meditating on Him. He refers us to the sloka-s in bhagavad gItA in Chapter 16
starting from sloka 16-8 and ending in 16-19, where bhagavAn gives a
description of the kinds of behaviors that these kutarka-vAdi-s demonstrate -
claiming that God does not exist, or claiming that they are the God, etc.
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166
mAdhavAya namah.
The detailed interpretations for this nAma have been given earlier under nAma
73. Please refer to that description.
madhave namah.
He is madhu because He creates Nectarine Bliss in the hearts of His devotees.
He causes great satisfaction, like honey. We have from bRhadAraNya
upanishad - ayamAtmA sarveshAm bhUtAnAm madhu - 2.5.14. We also have
"thEnil iniya pirAne" as He is referenced by PeriyAzhvAr in his PoocchUttal.
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha indicates that madhu also means knowledge (derived
from man- ~jnAne to know), and He is madhu because He knows everything by
His pervading everything - ~jnAna dharmeNa vyApnuvan sarvam viSvam
manyate jAnAti, tasmAt sa madhuh. We have the yajurvedic mantra -
tadantarsya sarvasya tadu sarvasyAsya bAhyatah - He is inside everything, and
He is also outside of everything, and by virtue of this, He is ~jnAna mayam or
Knower of everything.
The commentator in dharma cakram points out that madhu or honey is unique
among all the edibles that when consumed, all of it is digested into the system
with no waste products. He also points out that madhu is unique in that there is
no ill-effect that results from its consumption, unlike some of the other
edibles where an excessive consumption will lead to harmful effects. In our
context, bhagavAn is the knowledge that is madhu, from which only good can
result.
SrI Bhattar interprets the next several nAmas as descriptive of the six
celestial qualities of bhagavAn - ~jnAna, bala, aiSvarya, vIrya, Sakti, and tejas.
167
nAma 171. AtIiNÔy> - atIndriyah
atIndriyAya namah.
Only those objects that have a fixed shape, color, or other characteristics will
be recognizable by the indriya-s or sense organs. He is beyond these sense-
organs, and cannot be realized through these or through sheer reasoning. The
only way to realize Him is to experience Him through pure devotion. The two
mantra-s of ISAvAsya upanishad (anejadekam.., and tadejati tannaijati..)
remind us of this quality of bhagavAn in simple words.
In kaThopanisahd we have -
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SrI chinmayAnanda points out that it is not just He is beyond the reach of the
sense-organs, but that the sense-organs don't exist without Him, and so
cannot sense anything without His power. So He is the very subject of the
sense-organs, and not the object of the sense-organs (the eye cannot see
itself, but only its reflection in a mirror!).
He is also not seen by the indriya-s because He is not anywhere outside where
the senses can sense Him, but is inside each of us in the cavity of our hearts
where the senses cannot reach, the size of a thumb - angusTha mAtrena.
168
mahA-mAyAya namah.
SrI Bhattar points out that this nAma signifies that He conceals Himself from
those who are not devoted to Him through His power of enchantment. This is
natural for one who is not within the reach of the senses-organs as we saw in
the previous nAma. Lord KRshNa says in the gItA - mama mAyA duratyayA -
My mAyA is very difficult to overcome - gItA 7.14). mAyA here is not to be
interpreted to as magic or illusion or untruth, but as something wonderful and
unusual. (sItA devi is referred to as devamAyA - janakasya kule jAtA
devamAyeva nirmitA). The mAyA referred to here is that bhagavAn
wonderfully conceals Himself from those who do not seek Him.
Other references to the sruti-s are - ati-mohakarI mAyA mama (Sarabha 24),
vidyAt mAyinam tu maheSvaram (SvetASvatAra 4.10).
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nAma 173. mhaeTsah> - mahOtsAhah
He of great enthusiasm.
mahotsAhAya namah.
SrI Bhattar points out that this nAma particularly indicates that unlike the
Isvara of the sAnkhya system who is possessed of knowledge but is a non-doer
of acts and is indifferent, Sri mahA vishNu is enthusiastic in performing acts
which signify His lordship, such as the varieties of His creation, their
sustenance etc. The mahotsAha is a guNa that bhagavAn has as an aiSvarya,
with no dependence on anything else for support. Because of this, He is
unceasingly creating, maintaining and withdrawing His creations, and managing
the affairs of the Universe. SrI chinmayAnanda points out that this world will
not exist without the endless enthusiasm of His Mighty Power. Just as the
ocean, with its endless waves is the "sleepless agitator", so also bhagavAn is
the Enthusiastic Accomplisher.
169
sahate, sAhayati, sahati vA sa mahotsAhah - One who has immense ability to
endure. Here sAhah has the same meaning as sahah - sahati. He gives
reference to the Rg vedic mantra nAkshastapyate bhUribhArah - 1.164.13 to
support this interpretation. He supports the Sun, the Moon, etc., tirelessly,
and He is also the self in every being that has been created, and it is His
mahotsAha that is manifested in His act. His guNa of endurance is also noted
through the yajurvedic mantra "saho'si saho mayi dehi (yajur 19/9)".
Satva, and one way of offering worship to Him is to follow this model and lead
a sAtvic life ourselves.
mahAbalAya namah.
SrI Sankara's vyAkhyAna is
170
far away.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha starts from the root bal - prANane to live or to
breathe, and gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is mahAbalah because He
makes the world live or supports the world. He points out that there are
different kinds of balam, e.g., vidyA balam, senA balam, dhana balam, anna
balam, etc., and bhagavAn is the One who is the bestower of all the balams
(means of support) to the different devotees, and so He is mahA-balah.
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171
SlOkam 19
mhabuiÏmRhavIyaeR mhaziKtmRha*uit>,
He of infinite knowledge.
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mahA-buddhaye namah.
SrI Bhattar points out that He is mahA-buddhi because His knowledge does
not depend on His sense organs or any external help. He sees and hears and
senses all at the same time with any of His organs or with no need for any of
the organs. This is supported by several passages from the sruti-s -
viSvataScakshuruta viSvatomukhah - He has eyes on all sides and faces on all
sides (taittirIya nArAyaNa upanishad 1.12); paSyat_yacakshuh sa SRNoti
akarNah - He sees without eyes and hears without ears (SvetASva 3.19);
sarvato'kshi Siromukham - He has everywhere eyes, heads, and mouths (gItA
13.13). We also have the venerable AcArya nAthamuni's words - yo vetti
yagapat sarvam pratyaksheNa sadA svatah - Who sees directly by perception
and of His own accord all things simultaneously (nyAyatatva).
The dhAtu word from which the name is derived is budh ~jnAne to know, to
understand. BhagavAn is the buddhi behind the functioning of all His creations,
and so He is the mahA-buddhi. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that the
behavior of many objects such as even the shedding of the leaves by the trees
during the winter months and the regeneration during the summer months etc.,
172
is indicative of knowledge that He has invested in them. The establishment of
the stars and planets in their respective positions and orbits is a totally
different dimension of the same mahA-buddhi of the Lord. The magic of
creation of the multitude of beings and their being held together as a
functional entity is beyond the knowledge of anyone else but Him. The author
also points out cases such as a "lajjAvanti" plant which survives and grows only
if a woman waters the plant, and dies if a man pours the water to the plant,
which are all examples of the wonders of the ~jnAna that is the mahA-buddhi.
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stick, it takes just a little bit more effort to run. If a person with a gun
appears, the crow will be nowhere to be seen. Who but the mahA-buddhi could
have given the crow this level of buddhi, which in addition gets transmitted
from parent to offspring in an unending chain?
SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri points out that buddhi is the most important of the
four antah:karaNa-s. buddhi chooses between the options provided by the
manas, taking into account the pictures of previous experiences provided by
the cittam, before the ahamkAram takes over and executes the action. If the
buddhi makes a poor choice, then it becomes alpa-buddhi; if the buddhi always
chooses noble choices, then it is the mahA-buddhi.
He of great virility.
mahA-vIryAya namah.
He is mahA-vIrya because He remains unchanged unlike everything else which
changes with time (e.g., milk changing to curd). It is but a tiny fraction of this
173
quality of His that is reflected in the fact that that the Yogins are of steady
mind and do not get distracted. Just as flowers give out their fragrance to all
their surroundings with no effort on their part, bhagavAn performs all His
acts with no effort on His part, and this is an indication of His vIrya.
SrI chinmayAnanda points out that vIrya is the essence of all dynamism or
creative urges, and He is mahA-vIrya because He is the driving force from
whom alone all the dynamism for creation can manifest.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri explains that vIryam is the quality of achieving one's
objective no matter how difficult it is. bhagavAn's first accomplishment, the
creation of this Universe from the prakRti or primordial matter, is a result of
His vIrya.
In the vyAkhyAna in dharma cakram it is pointed out that one with the vIrya
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or creative energy should also be one who has complete control of the indriya-s
in order for this creative energy to be beneficial to every one else. From this
point, the Lord is the only one who can be called the mahA-vIrya.
Of immense power.
mahA-Saktaye namah.
SrI Bhattar points out that this nAma emphasizes that bhagavAn is not just
the sentient cause of this world, but is also the material cause of this world;
i.e., He is not only the brain behind the creation, but He is also the one whose
immense power caused the physical creation of this world from the prakRti.
SrI Bhattar indicates that this is unlike the view held by the pasupata school
that holds that Isvara is only the sentient cause and not the material cause.
He points out that the constant change going on in pradhAna or primordial
matter, milk, curd, etc., every moment, is but the result of a small fraction of
this Sakti of bhagavAn. Unfortunately I am unfamiliar with the details of the
point made here about the pasupata school of thought , and would like to invite
174
additional comments/elaborations from the readers. The word can be derived
from Sak - marshane to endure, to be able, or Sak Saktau to be able, to
endure, to be powerful. Thus SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets the meaning
to be similar to be mahA-bala, mahotsAhah etc.
As pointed out under the previous nAma, He uses the mighty power for the
good of the world, and every instance of this Might should remind us of Him.
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nAma 178. mha*uit> - mahA
mahA--dyutih
He of great splendor.
mahA-dyutaye namah.
The derivation of this nAma is from the dhAtu dyuta dIptau to shine. dyotate
iti dyutih - One who is shining is dyutih, dyotayitA vA dyutih - One who makes
things shine is dyutih. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the following yajurvedic
mantras to support the point that all that shines in this world is because of His
effulgence -
SrI Bhattar explains that this nAma indicates that bhagavAn neither depends
on nor needs any external help for any of His actions, and the great splendor
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(tejas) in His appearance reveals this. This tejas is capable of removing both
the outer and the inner darkness in us. The tejas of the Sun and the shining of
the precious jewels are but a tiny part of the tejas of the Lord. This tejas of
the Lord is so pleasing to His devotees, and so frightening to His enemies (we
may recall the description of the nAma nArasimha-vapu earlier, where we
emphasized the same point about the nRsimha avatAram).
svayam jyotih - He is pure Effulgence Himself without the need for external
means to illuminate Him (bRhadAraNya upanishad 4.3.9),
jyotishAm jyotih - The Light among lights (muNdakopanishad 2.2.9), etc.
The dharma cakram writer points out that those who worship the Lord are
automatically blessed by the Lord with a part of this dyuti (The face is the
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index of the mind - agattin azhagu mugattil teriyum is the Tamil saying).
The six great qualities of bhagavAn that have been referred to in the previous
nAma-s 173-178 are also referenced in many sruti-s: (173 - mahotsAhah-
mahA-balah- mahA-buddhih176 - mahA-vIryah177 - mahA-Saktih- mahA-
dyutih)
(SvetAsvatara U. 6-8)
176
The word bhagaVan is associated with the six superior qualities of knowledge,
strength, lordship or non-dependence on anything else, virility, power, and
effulgence, with no association whatever with any negative connotations.
The Lord is the abode for good qualities such as tejas, balam, aiSvaryam, great
knowledge, abudant vIrya, Sakti etc.
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anirdeSya-vapushe namah.
Something that can be described as this or that, or can be pointed to as this
or that, is nirdeSa - idam tat ityAdi rUpeNa vi~jnApanam, ~jnApyasya
prakASanam vA nirdeSah. AnirdeSa is something that cannot be described as
above. vapu means SarIra or body. vapu also can be derived from the dhAtu
vap - bIjasantAne chedane ca - to sow, to scatter, etc. SrI satyadevo
vAsishTha uses this latter approach and gives a meaning for anirdeSyavapu as
One who cannot be easily described and who is the sower of the seed for this
Universe. He indicates that the word bAp, bApu etc., - father in Hindi is
derived from a colloquial derivative of vapu.
All beings who have a body as we know it have the body which is formed from
the panca-bhuta-s, mahat and ahamkAram. BhagavAn's body is different - it is
formed from the six maha-guNa-s that we just learned about. He becomes
whatever He wants to become. He is pure effulgence, pure knowledge, pure
power, pure lordship incarnate, etc. In vishNu purANa, we have "rUpa varNAdi
nirdeSa viSeshaNa vivarjitah - Regarding His form, color, etc., there is nothing
that can be compared to them" - (1.2.10). SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri remarks in
his commentary that the mahA-guNas cannot be visualized by the meager
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knowledge that we possess, and it is only by the inner experience that He can
be realized.
SrI chinmayAnanda points out that He is the knowledge through which we can
describe everything else, but He himself cannot be described. (Just as the eye
can see others, but the eye cannot be used to see itself).
Possessed of beauty.
SrImate namah.
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178
exceptional beauty). The nAmas immediately preceding nAma 222 are
interpreted by SrI Sankara and SrI Bhattar in the context of the matsya -
avatAra, and so they interpret nAma 222 as referring to the beauty of the
matsya-avatAra. For the current nAma, since this immediately succeeds the
description of the body of the Lord (anirdeSya vapu), they interpret this in
this context, and give the meaning that here it refers to the enormously
beautiful ornaments that decorate the body of bhagavAn (SrI Bhattar), or
they refer to the beauty associated with the six great qualities (SrI Sankara).
Note that even though the same nAma, SrImAn, occurs three times, both SrI
Sankara and SrI Bhattar interpret them differently each time depending on
the context.
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The dharma-cakram author interprets this nAma to mean that the prakRti and
purusha are inseparable, just as SrI and the Lord are inseparable, and are part
of the same para-brahmam.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the root as "Sri -sevAyAm" - One who is fit to
be served. SrI also means SobhA or beauty or "kAnti". He points out that the
beauty that is seen all around us in the trees, the birds, the rivers, the
flowers, the Sun, the Moon, the stars, etc., should remind us constantly of
bhagavAn, the SrImAn whose SrI is shining in everything. SrI also means
wealth. The wealth that humans have is transient, and can disappear any time.
BhagavAn is SrImaAn whose wealth is nitya or permanent.
He of an incomprehensible nature.
ameyAtmane namah.
SrI Bhattar explains that based on the diverse qualities which are in
abundance as described in the previous nAma-s, He is ameyAtmA.
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SrI Sankara interprets the meaning of AtmA here as buddhi or intelligence,
and He is ameyAtmA because He has remarkable intelligence which is beyond
measure.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha starts from the root or dhAtu from which this nAma
is derived - mA mAne to measure, to compare with. MAtum arhah meyah; na
mAtum arhah ameyah. Here AtmA refers to the svarUpam. Since He in the
inner soul of everything, it is not possible to describe Him from outside, just
as an ocean cannot be precisely defined when you are in the middle of the
ocean.
mahAdri-dhRte namah.
There are two instances of bhagavAn bearing the mountain. One was the
instance of bearing the mandara mountain during the time of churning of the
Milk Ocean, when bhagavAn appeared in the form of the Great Tortoise to
bear the churning stick (which was the mandara mountain) on His back. The
other is the instance when Lord KRshNa bore the govardhana mountain in
gokulam to protect the cows.
SrI chinamayAnanda points out that bhagavAn also supports the mind-intellect
of the sAdhaka while he is churning, through SravaNa (study) and manana
(reflection), his own milk-like pure heart of devotion in order to gain the
amRtam of immortality.
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explain the difference between the two versions based on etymological
considerations to contribute to clarifying this difference in meaning.
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SlOkam 20
mhe:vasae mhIÉtaR ïIinvasSsta< git>,
maheshvAsAya namah.
mahAn - manohArI - enchanting;
ishUNAm - arrows;
Asah - discharger.
SrI Bhattar gives the examples of Lord Rama discharging the arrows to
establish a bridge across the sethu river and at the time of destroying the
ten-headed RAvaNa.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that ishvAsa can mean the bow (that
which throws or discharges the arrows), and one who has the great dhanus is
maheshvAsa - mahAn ishvAsah asya asti iti maheshvAsah.
The dharma cakram author points out that even though modern science
provides a lot of facilities like being able to build bridges to cross great rivers
in times of war in a short time nowadays, the result is more war and more
insecurity and more evils. Not so with the Lord's arrows, which always achieve
their objective without fail (rAma bANam vIN pogAdu is a saying in Tamil -
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Rama's arrows never go to waste), and bring good to mankind.
mahI-bhartre namah.
SrI Bhattar interprets this nAma as referring to bhagavAn bearing the earth
constantly as the Adi kUrma. SrI SrInivAsa rAghavAchAryAr has pointed out
in his nRsimha priyA articles that the following mantra in the nitya Ahnika
karma - (PraNavam) akhila jagadAdhArAya kUrma-rUpiNe nArAyaNAya namah
- is a reference to this act of Sriman nArAyaNa.
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means the Husband of Mother Earth. We have the description of how the
Lord, as the Great Boar (varAha) uplifted the earth from the "waters of
Deluge", and is still supporting the earth. The author in dharma cakram
surmises that the gravitational force which keeps everything in this universe in
its place is just a demonstration of the Sakti or power of this mahI-bhartA.
SrInivAsAya namah.
SrI refers to Lakshmi. NivAsam is the place or abode. Sri mahA-lakshmi
emerged from the ocean as one of the nectars as it was churned. All the deva-
s were watching and waiting, and She chose the Lord as She emerged.
BhagavAn greeted Her with sweet words and offered Her the place on His
vaksha-sthalam. This is one of His leela-s.
SrI chinmayAnanda points out that SrI connotes "all Glory and power,
faculties and strength, to be good and to perform creative acts of
righteousness". She never resides permanently in any bosom, and even great
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saints and sages are known to have compromised the perfections in them in
recorded history. The only place where imperfections never enter to molest
the serene essence, is the seat of Eternal Perfection, which is the bosom of
nArAyaNa. This is a very elegant way of interpreting and understanding the
significance of the statement that SrI is always in the vaksha-sthalam of the
Lord.
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that SrI also means beauty (SobhA), fame
(vibhUti), wealth (dhana). One who is the residence of all these is SrI-nivAsa.
The statement that SrI resides always with mahA-vishNu in his vaksha-
sthalam emphasizes the concept that lakshmi and nArAyaNa should be viewed
as One, just as the fire and the heat associated with it are not two separate
things. SrI is the brightness, the success, the wealth, the beauty, associated
with nArAyaNa.
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satAm-gataye namah.
sat refers to all spiritual seekers and all those who are virtuous. SrI
chinmayAnanda points out that this name implies that He is not only the final
goal for these, but also the very direction, path, and progress as well.
BhagavAn is the goal for the devotees because they do not want anything
except Him once they become His devotees.
aniruddhAya namah.
Examples of this guNa of bhagavAn are seen all around us all the time. Nothing
can stop the rising and setting of the sun, the absorption of sun's energy by
the different things, etc. The laws of Nature are irresistible. In SrI
chinmayAnanda's words relating to this nAma, "Time and tide wait for none".
BhagavAn has been victorious and unobstructed in all of His incarnations. SrI
Bhattar gives the reference to maula smahitA to support the interpretation
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for this nAma - aparimita cheshTo bhagavAn aniruddhah - Unlimited are the
exploits of bhagavAn aniruddha".
The writer in dharma cakram gives a very obvious example of the unobstructed
nature of bhagavAn's wishes. Kamsa tries many things to get rid of child
KRshNa right from the time of His birth, and in fact He had planned to get rid
of the child long before the child was to be born. We all know that nothing
worked, and the child kRshNa became the boy kRshNa and got rid of kamsa as
He had planned. This nAma not only says that no one can obstruct bhagavAn
helping His devotees, but it also says that no one can save His enemies.
surAnandAya namah.
surAn Anandayati iti surAnandah. The word sura is composed of su - good, and
rA - to give. So bhagavAn is One who brings happiness to those who bring good
to the world (sura-s). He has assigned them the different functions on these
lines. He gives delight to the gods by helping them in times of distress. One
instance of this is when the Milk-Ocean was churned and the Lord gave the
amRtam to the sura-s. The instance that Sri Bhattar alludes to is the hamsa
incarnation which is extensively referred to in the divya prabandham. This is
covered in several places in the divya prabandham, and in addition there is a
whole chapter dedicated to this incarnation in SrImad-bhAgavatam. The
following are references in divya prabandham:
mun iv-Ezhu ulagu uNarvinRi iruL miga umbargaL tozhudEtta annamAgi anRu
aru-maRai payandavanE enakku aruL puri nIyE...
"When all the seven worlds were immersed in darkness because of all kinds of
conflicting and contradictory beliefs, brahma and sanaka-sanandanAdi deva-s
prayed to Lord nArAyaNa, He appeared in the form of a hamsa (swan) and gave
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them the benefit of the knowledge of the path of righteousness."
The significance of hamsa here is that it is capable of separating the milk from
the water; so also, bhagavAn identified the good from the bad for the benefit
of the sura-s.
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(periya tirumozhi 5.7.3)
b) One who dug out the Earth from the depths of the Ocean.
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d) One who confers the veda-s
govindAya namah.
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b) Another interpretation is gAm avindat - One who retrieved the Earth from
the depths of the Ocean. The following is from Santi parvam in mahAbhAratam
(Santi - 330.5)
"I first rescued the earth which was carried away and hidden in depths of the
Ocean (by an asura); hence I am praised by the appellation Govinda by gods and
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scriptures".
The significance of this is pointed out by the dharma cakram writer. BhagavAn
is the One who truly understands the world and all its subjects.
(harivamSa 3.88.50)
gau means words. "You pervade all words giving them power. Sages, therefore,
call you govinda."
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d) The protector of the cows - again supported from harivamSa -
(harivamSa 2.19.45)
"I am indra, leader of deva-s. You have attained the leadership of the cows. So
in this world men praise You always addressing you as govinda". He is the
protector of the cows and played the part of gopAla in gokulam.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that the leadership of cows also suggests
the importance of milk, ghee, etc., in worship, yaj~na etc., and how these also
play a key role in the nourishment of the world.
An author by name ananta kRshNa Sastri, who has translated SrI Sankara's
vishNu sahasranAma vyAkhyAnam, gives 10 meanings for the combination go +
vid :
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5. Thunderbolt - He has the vajra marks on His feet.
govidAm-pataye namah.
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Here go means veda-s. vid is one who knows. pati is the leader or protector.
The significance to be recognized here is that He is the source of all
knowledge, and it is by His grace that knowledge is attained.
Recall from the previous nAma that the word go in samskRt has several
meanings, including speech, earth, cows, etc. This opens up the beauty of other
interpretations for the current nAma. BhagavAn is also the master of speech
of all other creations such as birds, etc., the leader of those who know the
principle (tatvam) of this Universe, etc.
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SlOkam 21
mrIicdRmnae h<s> sup[aeR ÉujgaeÄm>,
Ray of light.
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marIcaye namah.
The word marIci means a ray of light. SrI Bhattar interprets this name as
indicating that bhagavAn reveals Himself to His devotees through the eye of
their devotion even though they can't see Him through their natural eye.
The author in dharma cakram indicates that this guNa of bhagavAn should
remind us that we should aim for the ray of light that will help us meditate on
Him. This we can achieve by first controlling our indirya-s, which then converts
the body's energies into mental energy. Then by control of the mind, this
energy is converted into the light that gives the clarity of mind that can help
us meditate on Him.
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nAma 192. dmn> - damanah
b) Subduer - One who controls and punishes those who swerve from their
prescribed path.
damanAya namah
The word is derived from the dhAtu - dam upaSame = to tame. damayati iti
damanah - One who dispels.
b) SrI Sankara interprets the nAma as “The Subduer” - One Who controls and
punishes those that swerve from their assigned duties (damayitum Seelam
yasya sa damanah). This could be in the form of a king while the people are in
their mortal bodies, as yama after they die, etc. SrI cinmayAnanda explains
that the damana aspect of bhagavAn is responsible for controlling the
rAkshasic impulses within every one of us. In the form of pain and agitation,
sorrow and death, it is He who controls all the negative tendencies in
everyone's heart. He also has controlled the vicious against the good in the
form of His ten incarnations.
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c) SrI vAsishTha interprets the nAma as “One Who controls everything in this
world by pervading everything and keeping things in order” – damayati –
upaSamayati yathA sthAnam prApayati, damana dharmeNa viSvam sa-
carAcaram vyApnoti, iti damanah.
d) SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives several interpretations for the nAma:
iii) damo yeshAm asti iti damAh, tAn nayati iti dama-nah – He Who is the
Supreme among those who have control of the mind and the indriya-s (dama-
nah).
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iv) dam abhIshTa dAtR mano yasya sa iti vA da-manah – He Who has the
mind to bestow whatever is desired on His devotees (da-manah).
The author in dharma cakram points out that when one does not lead a life
based on strict sAttvic principles, including the food habits, etc., one gets
diseases and other mental pains. These are all acts of bhagavAn to discipline
the person with the intent of helping the person learn and realize the right
path. This is His act of damana, or controlling, punishing, guiding, etc.
The reader is also referred to nAma 864 (Slokam 92) - damayitA, which is
dervied from the root as the current nAma, damanah.
hamsAya namah.
Hamsa is capable of separating milk from water and drinking only the milk and
leaving the water behind. Hamsa is also noted for its beauty, especially for its
walk. BhagavAn is hamsa in that He is everything that is good and nothing that
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is not good. He is also hamsa for His beauty in thought, word, and deed.
b) One who can lead men to the other shore across the ocean of samsAra.
suparNAya namah.
a) In SrImad-bhAgavatam we have - siddheSvarANAm kapilah suparNo'ham
patatriNAm - Among the siddha-s, I am Kapila, and among birds I am GaruDa
(11.16.15). In Bhagavad-gItA, we have mRgANAm ca mRgendro'ham
vainateyaSca pakshiNAM - Among beasts, I am the lion, their king, and among
birds, I am GaruDa, the son of VinatA (10.29). Thus, suparNa is interpreted as
referring to His being the Best of the best in all that exist.
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devotees to the other shore of the ocean of samsAra.
(mundakopanishad - 3.1)
A pair of white-winged birds extremely friendly to each other sit on one and
the same tree; one eats the fruits, the other eats not and gazes on".
SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri refers to one as the great enjoyer (pErinbam), and
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the other as the Great Knower (pEraRivu).
d) The nAma can also relate back to the previous nAma – The hamsa
incarnation with beautiful wings.
bhujagottamAya namah.
bhujaga refers to the species which navigate using their shoulders or arms -
bhujena gacchanti, rather than through their legs. Here bhujaga refers to
AdiSesha. uttama can refer to 'one who is above'. Here it refers to bhagavAn
who is reclining on top of the AdiSesha. He is the SeshI or the Lord of the
Sesha. He is reclining on ananta the Serpent as the couch. Or the name could
also refer to bhujagAnAm uttamah - One who is the best among the serpents.
i.e., it can refer to ananta - see bhagavad-gItA 10-29 - anantaScAsmi
nAgAnAm.
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be on the side of being unconventional, I am including them since he supports
his interpretations with extensive support from grammar, quotes from sruti-s
etc. Here he starts with the dhAtu bhuj kautilye to bend, to curve. He points
out that bhagavAn is bhujagottama because He is the best of all that bend and
move. This includes air, birds, etc. Wherever anything of this category can
reach, no matter how fast they fly or move, bhagavAn is there before them.
Even the man-made machines that fly cannot go anywhere including other
planets faster than Him, since He is there before them. Not only that, even
the ability for those that fly etc. are given only by the Grace of the Lord.
hiraNya-nAbhAya namah.
Literally the word means "One who has a beautiful navel with a golden hue".
Here it refers to the navel that is great by having created the catur-mukha-
brahmA who is also well-versed in the catur-veda-s. brahmA gets his greatness
because he creates all the beings thus giving them the opportunity to reveal
their greatness. This great brahmA was borne out of the navel of vishNu, and
thus the greatness of the navel that bore the great brahmA is evident. Just as
a nation that creates great people becomes known as a great nation, so is the
analogy here, to quote the dharma cakram writer.
sutapAse namah.
SrI Bhattar interprets tapas as knowledge, and gives the first interpretation
above.
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SrI Sankara uses the following from mahAbhArata - mansaScendriyANAm ca
hyaikAgRyam paramam tapah - The concentration of mind and senses is called
supreme tapas - (MB 12.242.4).
SrI chinmayAnanda gives the following support from the upanishad - sa tapah
taptvA idametadasRjat (He thought, and through thought He created all this).
The author in dharma cakram points out that the strength derived from tapas
is more powerful than any other strength, and gives the example of how
viSvAmitra's army was powerless against vasishTha's tapo-Sakti. It was
through tapas that viSvAmitra ultimately attained brahma-j~nAna, and it was
through tapas that dhruva attained the immortal position. Lord vishNu is
tapas-Incarnate (sutapAh), and thus guides His devotees in the path of tapas.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets tap to mean the ability to bear (kleS kA
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sahnA in Hindi). The example of a mother bearing the strain of an unborn child
for 9 months just so she can bring out the child to this world is but a
reflection of bhagavAn's su-tapa or His bearing the tejas of the likes of Sun
so that it can bring out the good for the beings of this world, without burning
them with its heat etc. So bhagavAn is the mahA-tapasvI.
a) One who has the lotus emanating from his navel (carrying brahma)
The author in dharma cakram enjoys this nAma in various other ways. When
lotus (padmam) blossoms, it attracts the bees and other insects towards it; so
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also, bhagavAn (padma-nAbhI) attracts all the jeevans to Him. Lotus is the
most beautiful and fragrant of flowers; so also our padma-nAbha is the
embodiment of beauty. Lord rAmA's beauty has been described by Sri Kamban
- tAL kandAr tALE kandAr. Unlike the bodily beauty which brings down people
to a lower level, the beauty of padma-nAbha can only elevate people to a higher
level.
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padmanAbhAn - Thiruananthapuram
(Courtesy: www.stephen-knapp.com)
Sri satyadevo vAsishTha gives additional insight into this nAma from yet
another perspective. Padmam also means knowledge - padyate j~nAyate anena
padmam j~nAnam. One who is the Center or reservoir of Knowledge, or One
who controls and rules over Knowledge is padmanAbha (the author uses the
term j~nAna-bandhanah as the equivalent of padma-nAbha based on this
explanation).
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nAma 199. àjapit> - prajApatih
prajApataye namah.
tat padmodbhava-prabhRtInAm prajAnAm patih - The Lord of all beings
including brahma born of that lotus. This pertains to the creation and
destruction that take place periodically. Pati also means father, and since all
creatures have emerged from Him, He is prajApati. He is the Leader who
appears whenever needed to establish dharma.
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SlOkam 22
Am&TyuSsvR†k! is<h> sNxata siNxman! iSwr>,
amRtyave namah.
mRtyuh yasya na asti iti amRtyuh. Birth, growth, decay, disease, and death, are
the five modifications through which every finite object must pass. Everything
that is born is bound to die. Since He is not born, He is beyond decay, death,
or other modifications.
The author in dharma cakram points out that this nAma should remind us of
the indestructibility or deathlessness of the jivAtmA, and should remind us of
the need to mediate on Him without associating ourselves with this perishable
body.
All-seeing.
sarva-dRSe namah.
He is the Seer and Knower of everything at all times in all beings. He is the
witness of all, and sees those who are well-disposed or hostile or indifferent
to Him as the Ruler of all and rewards them according to their deeds. The
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author in dharma cakram points out the concept that is simple but worth
repeating - that this nAma should remind us that it is important to be pure in
thought, word, and deed, since He is ever watchful of these in all beings at all
times. It is easy to swerve from His path without any human being being aware
of it, but we should be aware that He is the All-seeing.
a) The Lion
b) Destroyer
simhAya namah.
SrI Bhattar interprets the nAma as one who has assumed the body of man and
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lion.
SrI Sankara gives the meaning that He is the Destroyer (Lion) of sins. He
gives the following etymological derivation "hinasti iti simhah" - hinasti
smaraNa mAtreNa samasta pApAn iti simhah. According to this interpretation,
the word himsa changes to simha by transposition of letters according to the
grammatical rule "pRshodarAdIni yatopadishTam" (PANini 6.3.109).
SrI chinmayAnanda points out that even taking the literal meaning "Lion" for
simha, He is the Lion at the mention of whose name all the animal passions flee
from the jungle of the mind.
In dharma cakram, the writer says that meditating on this nAma with its
meaning should give us the vIrya to destroy the evil in our thoughts, words,
and deeds. It is only a strong personality which can help us overcome the
negative forces around us and help us realize Him. It is necessary to be good
and to be strong (nallavanAgavum vallavanAgavum as stated in the tamizh
language).
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nAma 203. sNxata - sandhAtA
b) One who unites the beings with the fruits of their actions
sandhAtre namah.
sandhatta iti sandhAtA - One who unites.
The first meaning is given by Sri Bhattar, giving the example of prahlAda. The
second meaning is given by SrI Sankara. The nirukti gives the description -
prahlAdAdyaih sandhAtA samSlesha-karaNAcca sah - One who makes the likes
of prahlAda join Him.
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sandhimate namah.
sandhi is union. SrI Bhattar gives the explanation that this name indicates that
He is always united with His devotees, and so He is sandhimAn. Again, quoting
the nirukti, prahlAdAdyaih nityasandhih yasya syAt sandhimAn smRtah - One
who is in permanent union with the likes of prahlAda.
sthirAya namah.
SrI Bhattar's interpretation is that He is sthirah since He is firmly attached
to His devotees in spite of any wrongs by them - apacAre'pi acAlyatvAt
sandhAne sthira ucyate. SrI Sankara gives the interpretation that He is sthira
in the sense that He is Constant, being always the same, free from birth,
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decay, etc. - sadaika rUpatvAt sthirah.
a) Unborn
b) Remover of obstacles
d) One who removes the ignorance from the hearts of His devotees
ajAya namah.
We encountered this nAma as nAma 96 earlier. It will recur also as nAma 524.
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Please see the explanations under nAma 96.
The Unassailable.
durmarshaNAya namah.
dushkaram marshaNam asya iti durmarshaNah - One who cannot be overcome
by His enemies. SrI chinmayAnanda gives a very interesting perspective for
this nAma. We may swerve from His path, and satisfy our sensory urges, but
after being born over and over, we ultimately have no choice except to follow
His path. In the lesser levels of evolution, we may deny ourselves the peace
and joy of living the spiritual values, but in the end we will be seeking the feet
of vishNu for real happiness and true achievement. Thus, His is the final
victory.
The root from which this nAma is derived is mRsh - sahane to bear. Literally
this means One who is difficult to bear (for His enemies). SrI satyadevo
vAsishTha starts with this, and interprets the nAma to mean that bhagavAn is
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durmarshaNa because His tejas cannot be confronted in His forms such as the
Sun. He also points out that this principle is demonstrated by bhagavAn in
everything in this world - the moon cannot stand the tejas of the sun, the
brightness of the stars is diminished by the presence of the moon, the power
of agni is subdued by that of water, and water disappears in the presence of
agni.
Two other explanations for which I could not corroborate the meanings from
the dictionary etc. are included as well. One of these is by SrI satyadevo
vAsishTha. He gives the alternate interpretation that durmarshNa also means
one who cannot be easily understood, based on the alternate meaning for
marshitum = ~jNAtum - duhkhena marshitum Sakyah durmarshaNah.
The other interpretation is by the dharma cakram writer who gives the
meaning that He is durmarshaNah because He destroys the evil asura-s ( I
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assume this derivation is based on based mR to kill), and protects the deva-s.
Meditating on this nAma with its meaning in mind will help in driving away the
evil thoughts from the devotee's mind, and help to develop the good thoughts
that will lead to realization of Him. VAlmIki who was ignorant in the beginning,
meditated on rAma nAma, and this led him in course of time to the realization
of Him.
The Teacher.
sAstre namah.
The word is derived from SAsu - anuSishTau to teach, to govern, to correct,
to advise. SAsti viSvam iti SAstA - One who teaches the veda-s to the world
and governs is SAstA. (The words Sastra, SikshA etc. are derived from the
same root).
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meaning that He righteously punishes (teaches a lesson to?) those who are
hindrance to His devotees, and so He is SAstA.
The interpretations except the last one result based on the different ways in
which the vyAkhyAna kartA-s have interpreted the "vi" in viSrutAtmA. SrI
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Bhattar gives the interpretation vismayena - with wonder, SrI Sankara has
interpreted it as viSesheNa - specially, and SrI satyadevo vAsishTha has given
the meaning vividhaih - through many forms.
Sru SravaNe to hear is the second part, and AtmA is the third part in the
above nAma. SrI Bhattar adds that this praise in wonder is by all, at all times,
and at all places. SrI Sankara points out that He is characterized through
special terms like truth, wisdom, etc., and specially glorified in Sruti-s. SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha points out that He is known through different forms like
Sun, Moon, etc. He gives the following corraboration from Sruti -
tadevAgnis-tadAdityas-tadvAyus-tadu candramAh |
One who is known to be different from the jIvAtmA, One who is sarva~jna,
sarvaSakta, sarva-niyantA.
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His AtmA is pure shAdguNya paripUrNa form, unassociated with an external
form, unimpacted by the effects of karma, etc.
surArighne namah.
The nAma consists of the three words sura, ari, and hA, where sura refers to
gods, ari is the enemy, and hA is the destroyer. SrI Bhattar reminds us of
bhagavAn's destruction of hiraNyakaSipu in this context. SrI chinmayAnanda
points out that meditating on this nAma's meaning leads to the destruction of
the enemies of our mind's aspiration to evolve, the enemies being "the
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sensuous claims of the flesh, the mild assertions of the ego, the nocturnal
devils of desires and passions". One who drives away all the above inimical
negative tendencies is surAruihA.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha has included the Rg vedic mantra 1.36.15 starting
with "pAhi no agne rakshasah" in his vyAkhyAna, and says that it is his own
personal experience that chanting this mantra helps in warding off all evils or
evil-doers. I have not included the full mantra because I am not sure about the
correct pronunciation etc. If anyone has the original mantra, please share it.
All the nAma-s in this Slokam have been interpreted by SrI Bhattar as
relating to the description of the guNa-s associated with the nRsimha avatAra.
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SlOkam 23
guéguRétmae xam sTySsTypra³m>,
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gurutamAya gurave namah.
guru means 'spiritual preceptor'. SrI Bhattar interprets the following phrase
'guru-tamah' as an adjective for guru, i.e., the guru who is the best of all guru-
s. SrI Sankara views this as two nama-s, guru and guru-tama.
He is the foremost of preceptors since he is the one who gave the veda-s to
brahma, who then is the source of the veda-s to the rest of the world. yo
brahmANam vidadhAti pUrvam yo vai vedAnSca prahiNoti tasmai- He who
brought brahma into existence and imparted the veda to him (SvetASvatara
6.18). We also have "guruh ka iti | guruh sAkshAd-AdinArAyaNah" - The
Ultimate guru is AdinArAyaNa (tripAdvibhUti mahAnArAyaNopanishat - 8.15).
In dharam cakram, the writer says that He is guru-tama because you don't
have to even go and look for Him. He pervades everything and is everywhere,
and all we need to get His teaching is to feel the need for it. All that is needed
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is the thirst for His mercy in order for us to progress in getting true
knowledge instead of living the life of a stone or tree.
dhAmne namah.
We encountered the word dhAma when we looked at the nAma tri-kakud-
dhAma (nAma 62). Some of the same thoughts presented there apply here.
SrI Bhattar interprets the nAma-s starting with the previous one as referring
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SrI Sankara interprets the nAma as being the Supreme Leading Light. SrI
RAmAnuja in his gItA bhAshya for slokam 10.12 (param brahma param dhAma),
chooses the meaning "Supreme Light" in that context for the word dhAma -
dhAma Sabdo jyotirvacanah - param jyotih.
The writer in dharma cakram elaborates further on the term "Supreme Light".
The eye sees with the light from the Sun. But neither the Sun's light nor the
eye can see the Ultimate. For that you need the light called bhagavAn's Grace,
the Inner Light. This is what mahA vishNu is, viz. dhAma the Supreme Light,
which can reveal what no other light can. It is the eye of intense desire to
reach Him that can see this light, and no other eye can.
Other interpretations given include "He is the Abode of all desired objects",
"He is the Abode of all desires", "He is the Abode for all karma-s", etc.
SrI chinmayAnanda, in addition to the interpretation "Supreme Light", gives
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the alternate interpretation that He is dhAma because He is the Ultimate Goal
(dhAma = peak).
The Good.
satyAya namah.
This naAma has occurred previously as nAma 107, and will re-occur as nAma
873. Please refer to the explanation for nAma 107.
In the current context of matsya avatAra, SrI Bhattar points out that He is
satya because He was good to sat-purusha-s such as Manu who sought His help
at that time.
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At the time I submitted the explanation for nAma 107, I did not have SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha's vyAkhyAna. Now I am adding some extracts from this
source. Under nAma 107, one explanation given was - satya is One who is
'excellent' in sat, based on the pANini sUtra 4.4.98. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha
refers us to the Slokam in bhagavad gItA (17.26 and 17.27) for a definition of
'sat' in Lord KRshNa's words.
The word 'sat' thus refers to existence, goodness, good acts, firmness in
sacrifice, austerities, and gifts, and any acts for such purposes. One who is
excellent in all these, or One who is excellent to (i.e., supports) those who do
acts along these lines, is satya.
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nAma 214. sTypra³m> - satay
satay--parAkramah
satyaparAkramAya namah.
SrI Bhattar, continuing on his interpretation of this sequence of nAma-s in
terms of maysa avatAra, gives the example of bhagavAn performing truthfully
the courageous acts towards Manu and others. The writer in dharma cakram
points out that there can be two kinds of valor, one which is used for the good
of the people, such as that of SrI Rama, and the other that is used for
demonstrating power and for hurting others, such as RAvaNa's. Meditating on
mahA vishNu gives us the ability to develop the valor of the former kind.
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One whose eyes are closed (towards the enemies of His devotees).
nimishAya namah.
na Ikshate iti nimishah. His Graceful Sight does not fall on those who are
opposed to Him or His devotees. SrI Sankara gives the meaning that His eyes
are closed while He is in yoga-nidrA. SrI RAdhAkRshNa Sastri points out that
He is nimisha (with closed eyes) because He does not need His eyes to see, His
ears to hear etc. The dharma cakram writer points out that He of closed eyes
is seeing all because He is everywhere, in every one of us, all the time, and is
watching all that happens everywhere even without eyes. Those who can
contemplate on the yoga-nidrA of vishNu can close their eyes and meditate,
and over a period of time, will be able to divert their minds towards Him in
that state (normally, whether our eyes are open or closed, they wander in
worldly thoughts!).
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nAma 216. Ainim;> - animishah
animishAya namah.
SrI Bhattar interprets the nAma in terms of the matsya incarnation. In His
celestial Fish incarnation, He never closes His eyes and is ever-watchful of His
devotees (Fish do not have eyelids, and so never close their eyes). SrI Sankara
gives two additional explanations - He is ever awake because of His wisdom, or
He is Atma svarUpa, and AtmA never sleeps.
The dharma cakram author gives the significance of this nAma as indicating
that one who contemplates on this nAma will be always spiritually awake, and
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bad thoughts and the worldly distractions won't enter his mind. One is
reminded of tiruppANAzhvAr's concluding pASuram in amalanAdipirAn "en
amudinaik kanDa kaNgaL maRRonRinaik kANAvE". While the AzhvAr sang this
when he was witnessing the beauty of the Lord in the temple, the statement
aptly applies to the inner eyes as well.
sragviNe namah.
srag means garland. According to PANinI's ashTAdhyAyI 5.2.121 - as mAyA
medhA srajo vinih - the affix vin coming after sraj indicates 'association with'.
So here the meaning is 'One who is associated with the garland always -
referring to the vaijayantI garland of vishNu. Prof. A. srinivAsa rAghavan
points out that the vaijayanti is composed of the five precious gems - pearl,
ruby, emerald, sapphire, and diamond. SrI Sankara refers to the vaijayanti as
referring to the garland made of the tanmAtrA-s or the rudiments of the five
basic elements (taste, sight, sound, smell, and sensation) of the pa~nca bhuta-
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s. SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri gives the reference to vishNu purANa -
The writer in dharma cakram suggests that we should divert all our tan-mAtra-
s to the service of vishNu (he gives the example of ANdAL who decorated
herself with the flower garland just to make sure it was good enough for Lord
RanganAtha).
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning starting from sRj to create or
set forth. Since all creations such as the stars, Sun, etc., are Hiscreations, He
is sragvI. In a garland, there may be different kinds of flowers, but they lose
their identity as soon as they are part of the garland. So also, all these
different creations are together the sragvI or bhagavAn vishNu. Or, just as it
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vAcaspataye namah.
SrI Bhattar's interpretation is that He is vAcaspati because it was He who
propounded the knowledge of the veda-s through SrImad matsya purANa. It is
the power of expression in the matsya purANa that reveals the guNa of
vAcaspati in Him.
SrI Sankara interprets this nAma and the next one - udrAradhIh, as one
nAma, vAcaspatirudAradIh, meaning "The Lord of vidyA, being of magnificent
intellect. All the other interpretations I am using, except that of SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha, follow this same line. The latter gives the vyAkhyAna for
these as separate nAma-s, but lists the nAma as one, and points out that this
combining is done only to make sure the count of the nAma-s is exactly 1000.
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SrI Bhattar does not have the problem since there are other places where the
others consider two separate names whereas he combines them into one (e.g.,
gurur-guru-tama, the first nAma in the current posting).
According to satya bhAshyam (the name that SrI satyadevo vAsishTha has
given to his vyAkhyAnam), the term vAcaspati signifies that bhagavAn
protects, or is the Master of, vidyA or veda.
udAra-dhiye namah.
dhI here means buddhi or intellect. UdAra means generous, noble, illustrious,
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etc. One who has a generous disposition towards His devotees, or one who has
an illustrious or special intellect that can capture all things at all times, is
udAradhIh. SrI chinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has a
large-hearted tolerance to appreciate the weakness of His devotees' heart,
and a great sympathy and infinite kindness towards sinners in general. He has
enough paternal kindness to overlook our trespasses, unlike the laws of
physical nature which are blind and uncompromising.
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SlOkam 24
A¢[I¢aRm[I> ïIman! Nyayae neta smIr[>,
agraNye namah.
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agre nayati iti agraNIh - One who leads forward is agraNIh. SrI Sankara and
SrI Bhattar interpret the 'leading forward' as referring to bhagavAn's guNa
of leading His devotees to moksha.
The writer in dharma cakram gives an elaborate account of the kind of people
whom He will lead to moksha. The example compares people to four stages of
fish in a river in which a fisherman casts his net. The nitya sUri-s are like the
fish which do not get caught in the net - i.e., they do not fall for the bait, and
remain safely outside. The mukta jiva-s are those who get caught in the net,
but with their best effort, succeed in getting out. The mumukshu-s are like
the fish which keep trying to get out, even though they have not succeeded in
escaping. The baddha jiva-s are like the fish who enjoy the bait the fisherman
has provided, and remain happily in the net and become the food for the
fisherman. SrI vishNu's guNa of agraNI applies to those who are the
mumukshu-s, who constantly want to get out of this ocean of samsAra by
devoting themselves to the worship of Him. They are like the fish that has
been taken out of water and that is desperately trying to get into the water,
or like the man who has been thrown into water and drowning and who is
desperately interested in getting a breath of air. It is this kind of intensity in
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seeking Him that will qualify a person for the agraNI's dayA.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that this attribute of SrI vishNu in
'moving everything forward' is constantly demonstrated in everyone's life -
i.e., we only keep moving forward, and can never go backwards in time, and time
lost is lost forever. Not only we are moving forward, but we are moving
forward according to His will. This is true of the Sun, the moon, etc.
grAmaNye namah.
grAmam samAjam nayati iti grAmanIh - One who leads the group (of devotees).
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that grAma refers to any collection, e.g.,
of several houses ( a village), of several indirya-s (the body), of several musical
instruments (sapta svarAs-trayo grAmA - in nAradIya SikshA), or the
collection of all created beings. The writer in dharma cakram interprets this
nAma in the context of the devotees who have unconditionally entrusted
themselves in His care that are led by Him to moksha. He gives the example of
one who is lost in a forest (of samsAra). If this person goes and seeks help for
getting out of this forest from others (such as his relatives, his friends, etc.),
who are also lost in this forest, this request for help is going to be futile. But
if they seek the help of vishNu who alone can lead us from the bondage of
samsAra, then and only then will they be able to get out of this forest. It is
this category of people who are led by this guNa of bhagavAn denoted by the
nAma grAmaNI.
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c) One who is radiant.
d) The Lord of MahAlakshmi
e) One who has MahAlakshmi in his vaksha-sthala.
f) One who is endowed with all the powers.
SrImate namah.
This nAma occurred previously as nAma-s 22 and 180. Under these names, the
translator of SrI Sankara's bhAshyam had added his own personal comments,
which I had incorrectly attributed to SrI Sankara. So I am revising the write-
up for SrImAn to correct this error as below.
Under nAma 22, I had incorrectly indicated that both SrI Sankara and SrI
Bhattar interpret the nAma as referring to the beauty of nRsimha avatAra.
SrI Bhattar does interpret nAma 22 as referring to the beauty of nRsimha
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incarnation. SrI Sankara interprets nAma 22 as 'One who has lakshmi on His
vaksha-sthalam'. A translator of Sankara bhAshyam, SrI ananta-kRshNa
SAstri, has added his own note that vishNu is SrImAn because there is no
diminution in His beauty even though He has the form of a man-lion. Probably
this note was added based on SrI Bhattar's vyAkhyAna. I had incorrectly
attributed the translator's note to SrI Sankara.
For nAma 180, SrI Bhattar interprets SrImAn as referring to the beauty of
the Lord decorated with celestial ornaments, and SrI Sankara interprets
SrImAn as referring to the Lord's prosperity (SrI), and the translator's note
adds that this refers to the six kinds of prosperity (shADgunya
paripUrNatva).
For the current nAma (222), SrI Bhattar's interpretation is that bhagavAn is
endowed with SrI or wealth. He makes reference to the "Lotus-eyed matsya
mUrti - matsyah kamala locanah", and indicates that based on this, the matsya
mUrti form is none other than SrImAn who is the paramAtmA. SrI Sankara
interprets SrI as kAnti or radiance in this instance, and gives the
interpretation that here SrImAn refers to the Lord who is more radiant or
resplendent than anything else that exists. Here again, the translator has
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added a note that though He incarnated as a fish, His splendor was supreme in
that form. Here again, the translator's note is probably based on Sri Bhattar's
vyAkhyAna.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the root as "Sri-sevAyAm" - One who is fit to
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be served. SrI also means SobhA or beauty or "kAnti". He points out that the
beauty that is seen all around us in the trees, the birds, the rivers, the
flowers, the Sun, the Moon, the stars, etc., should remind us constantly of
bhagavAn, the SrImAn whose SrI is shining in everything. SrI also means
wealth. The wealth that humans have is transient, and can disappear any time.
BhagavAn is SrImAn whose wealth is nitya or permanent.
a) The Just.
nyAyAya namah
SrI Bhattar interprets this nAma as referring to the Lord's guNa of ensuring
that He does whatever is appropriate for His devotees, and ensures that
nothing faulty or unwelcome happens to them. SrI Sankara gives the
interpretation that He is nyAya because He is both the tarka (logical
contemplation) and yukti (the lines of contemplation) running through all
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sources of knowledge (pramANAnugrAhakah). The sense here as expressed by
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri is that He is nyAya because He is the only one who
can give what is good for His devotees in a rational and consistent form that
cannot be refuted through counter-arguments (probably through the veda-s?).
The writer in dharma cakram elaborates on this further, and points out that
there are three types of tarka (lines of argument) - vAda, vitanDA, and jalpa.
Of these, vAda is done with the purpose of understanding and arriving at the
truth, and is undertaken with humility and sincerity. VitanDA is the argument
which is meant to just confuse the opponent, and is undertaken with a haughty
disposition and with ahankAra. Jalpa is the line of argument where the power
or position is used to subdue, frighten, insult and threaten the opponent. Of
these, vAda is the most appropriate way of argument, and will lead to
enhancing understanding. Devotees who worship mahA-vishNu are blessed by
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Him with the ability to analyze and understand the truth through the just
means, and they are saved from destructive thoughts and are led towards self-
realization. The example of Lord KRshNa's instructions to arjuna is given to
illustrate the instance that bhagavAn leads His devotees to the thought
process involving nyAya yukti, whereby arjuna's thoughts become clear, his
attachments are removed, and he acts on the right and just course of action.
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netre namah.
a) niyuktam karoti iti netA (SrI Bhattar), or
The dharma cakram writer gives the analogy of objects attached to a rotating
wheel. The objects rotate because of the movement of the wheel. We are all
moving around because of His Will which is analogous to the rotating wheel.
However, we keep believing that it is we who are responsible for our motion,
and forget that it is He who is moving us as He wishes. Those who understand
this get out of the false belief that we are the ones who are achieving
everything around us. arjuna the jivAtmA was sitting in the chariot or the
body, and Lord kRshNa was driving both the chariot and arjuna. The chariot
did not have any feeling of responsibility for its motion, but arjuna believed
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that his actions were caused by his will. The Lord did not take up weapons, but
was witness to what was happening. Similarly, in our case bhagavAn is in each
of us watching and witnessing our actions. This nAma indicates that He is the
Controlling Force behind everything in this Universe.
samIraNaya namah.
This nAma is derived from the root Ir- to move (IraNa). SrI Bhattar
associates this movement with that part of the matsya incarnation where
bhagavAn dove deep into the Ocean to retrieve the veda-s from the nether-
world from the asura named hayagrIva. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri associates
the motion implied by IraNa with the act of bhagavAn leading the boat with
the seeds of creation during the pralaya in His matsya incarnation. The
following is from SrImad bhAgavatam skandam 8, chapter 24, Slokam 33 -
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trilokyAm lIyamAnAyAm samvartAmbasi vai tadA |
"When all the three worlds disappear under the Ocean, a large boat will be
steered by Me towards you" - note the use of the word IritA here.
SrI Sankara associates the motion or movement with the breath in living
beings. He is samIraNa because He controls the functioning of the body
through the breath. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha takes this concept of control
further, and points out that this control by bhagavAn is seen even in the fact
that man has had 32 teeth ever since creation, and will continue to have this
till the end of the kalpa, man gets the teeth twice in his life, and this is as it
has been since creation, and will continue till the end of kalpa, etc., and so will
the rising and setting of the Sun and the moon and the movement of the
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planets etc.
The thousand-headed
sahasra-mUrdhne namah
The thousand-eyed
sahasrAkshAya namah
The thousand-footed.
sahasra-pade namah
SrI Bhattar interprets these three names together, and points out that the
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reference to head, eyes, and feet really includes all organs of knowledge and
action, and the reference to a thousand signifies 'innumerable'. What is
referred to here is that bhagavAn is endowed with infinite capacity to know
and act, which are the functions of these organs. Reference is made to the
following sruti-s:
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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that reference is made to the head first
in the above sequence of nAma-s because head is the first one that forms
when a child is formed in the mother's womb, and head is the part of the child
that appears first when the child is born. Also, reference is made to head,
eyes, and feet because of their importance in exercising the j~nAna and kriyA
Sakti-s.
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and supported this kind of immeasurable diversity. Note the similarity in the
vedic chanting "sahasra SIrshA purushah sahasrAkshah sahasrapAt", including
the sequence which is the same as in SrI vishNu sahasra nAma.
Sri cinmayAnanda points out that the "many heads", "many eyes", and "many
legs" together indicate that the One Infinite Consciousness expresses
everywhere in all forms and at all times through all these equipments of
thinking (head), perception (eyes), and action (legs).
The very soul of the Universe; the very inner Essence in all living creatures.
viSvAtmane namah.
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"Arjuna! I am the AtmA that resides in the heart of all beings" (gItA 10.20).
The writer in dharma cakram points out that the true significance in this nAma
lies in our realizing the unity among all the living beings, rather than seeing the
difference in our outer appearance or the difference in our thoughts etc. By
seeing the difference in our external appearance or in our thoughts, only
kAma, krodha, lobha, moha, matha, and mAtsarya grow and develop in us. Only
when we learn to see the unity behind our inner selves, we will qualify to
receive His dayA.
This is what sage yAg~nyavalkya taught to maitreyi viz. that when one loves
one's wife, it is not her shape that should be loved, but it is the AtmA in her
that should be loved, etc. (na vA are jAyAyai kAmAya jAyA priyA bhavati,
Atmanastu kAmAya jAyA priyA bhavati etc.). That is the true meaning of love.
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SlOkam 25
AavtRnae inv&ÄaTma s<v&tSs<àmdRn>,
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AvartanAya namah.
samsAra-cakram Avartayitum Silam asya iti Avartanah. Avartanam means
repetition. BhagavAn is Avartana since He is the Unseen Dynamism behind the
ever-whirling wheel of time and the associated endless cycle of birth and
death. This is the cycle of night and day, life and death, joy and sorrow,
creation and destruction, which are all His play - His mAyA. In gItA, bhagavAn
says that He reveals the way to overcome this mAyA to those who surrender
to Him -
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d) He who is beyond the bonds of samsAra.
nivRttAtmane namah.
This nAma occurs later as nAma-s 454, 604, and 780. This is another case
where when the same nAma occurs more than once, the interpreters have given
different interpretations for each occurrence. It is a characteristic of a
composition of quality that there is no redundancy in expression of thoughts.
a) For the first interpretation, SrI Bhattar gives the following references:
c) One who is the AtmA of those who practice the nivRtti dharma. (There are
two kinds of dharma - the pravRtti dharma and the nivRtti dharma. pravRti
dharma takes us to the world of the pitR-s where we enjoy the fruits of our
karma, and come back to this world with the balance of karma-s to our credit;
niv*ttidharma is that which leads one to moksha).
SrI cinmayAnanda points out that in the example of the two birds sitting on
the same tree that is referred to in the munDakopanishad which has been
referred to earlier in our write-up, the nivRttAtmA is the one who is looking on
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without eating the fruits of the tree.
The writer in dharma cakram points out that the significance of this nAma is
to realize that we should live a life with detachment in material objects in
order to realize the Truth, and meditating on this nAma of mahA vishNu will
help us live that kind of life. Meditating on the Lord who has no attachments
will lead us to live a life without attachment. He gives the life of Lord Rama as
an example of the life of nivRttAtmA.
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He who remains hidden.
samvRtAya namah.
samvRtatvAt samvRtah. The root is vRn~j AvaraNe to cover. He remains
hidden from the unenlightened in whom the tamo-guNa dominates - tamsah
parastAt. It is devotion to Him alone that can reveal Him to us. The dharma
cakram writer quotes nammAzhvAr's pASuram "mayarvaRa madi-nilam aruLinan
evan avan" - (We should worship the One) who can bless us with the j~nAna and
bhakti that can remove the ignorance, doubts, and viparIta j~nAnam - counter-
productive intellect?. Just as the sun creates the cloud which keeps the sun
covered from us, the a~jnAnam is covering us. Just as the sun's lustre is
untouched by the cloud, His lustre is untouched by our a~jnAna. It is his dayA
alone which can remove this a~jnAna, and it is devotion to Him alone that can
help in this.
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sampra-mardanAya namah.
The nirukti author summarizes SrI Bhattar's vyAkhyAna by the following
words- tamaso vidyayA samyak mardanAt sampramardanah - He is
sampramardana because He dispels the enveloping darkness by the light of His
knowledge. SrI aNNangarAcArya gives the meaning that He dispels the mAyA
in His devotees.
SrI Sankara interprets the nAma based on mardana - to destroy, and gives the
meaning that He is sampramardana because of His act of destruction in the
forms of rudra, yama, etc. - samyak pramardayati rudra-kAlAdyAbhih
vibhUtibhih iti sampramardanah (see the similarity to pradardanah earlier).
Recall that SrIBhattar's interpretation is that mardana refers to destruction
of the darkness or mAyA. SrI cinmayAnanda interprets mardana as referring
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The dharma cakram author interprets mardana in the context of the act of
bhagavAn in helping us to destroy the pride and aham-kAra in us and to unite
with Him. Life consists of destroying certain things and preserving certain
things. A good life is that where we understand what is to be preserved and
preserve those values, and destroy those that need to be destroyed. It is thus
that Lord rAma had His kodanDam when He went to the forest - to help
preserve the Rshi-s and to help destroy the rAkshasa-s. Chanting the name of
rAma was sufficient to turn vAlmIki from the ignorant person that he was to
the great sage vAlmIki. The nAma sampramardana should lead to understand
the value of destroying the evil qualities in us and to develop the good qualities
that will help us in realizing Him, which is naturally accomplished when we
meditate on the guNa of bhagavAn expressed by this nAma.
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ahah-samvartakAya namah.
samyak ahnAm pravartanAt ahah-samvartakah - He who regulates well the
succession of day and night. He is the cause for the revolution of the day and
other divisions of time. The division of time into past, present, and future
provides the knowledge of objects as old or young. It brings about the
separation or union of prakRti and purusha (Matter and Soul). It is also the
cause of the six kinds of transmutations of prakRti (viz. birth, growth, change,
existence, decay, and final death).
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(gItA 15.12)
"Understand that I am the Light of the Sun that illumines all earth; and the
tejas in the moon and fire are all mine only". The one who dynamises the day
and gives life to all and lends energy to them to act, etc. is vishNu in the form
of the Sun.
The writer in dharma cakram points out that just as we can see an object close
to us easily once there is light even though we can't locate it in the absence of
light, bhagavAn is the generator of light that helps us realize the knowledge of
the Self, and in this sense also bhagavAn is ahah-samvartakah (the generator
of day). Just as the Sun causes all beings to wake up when it rises, mahA-
vishNu causes our desire to attain this knowledge of the Self to wake up in us.
Just as the fall of the rays of the Sun causes the life forms to become
rejuvenated, the thought of vishNu rejuvenates the jIvAtmA in us and makes
it shine. Just as the fall of the rays of the Sun on objects purifies them by
destroying the disease-causing germs etc., the thought of bhagavAn kills the
evil thoughts in us and purifies our thoughts. So vishNu is the Sun for our
inner self just as He is the Sun for the external world.
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nAma 235. viû> - vahnih
vahnaye namah.
The root from which this nAma is derived is vah - to carry. SrI Bhattar
interprets the nAma as referring to the act of bhagavAn in supporting the
Universe in the form of space. SrI aNNangarAcArya gives the meaning that
He is the bearer (supporter) of everyone. Vahni also refers to fire, since fire
is the carrier of the oblations offered in homa etc. SrI Sankara interprets the
nAma in this context - devebhyo havyam vaha nah prajAnan - One who, as fire,
carries the oblations to the gods, or havir-vahanAt vahnih.
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c) The Beginningless.
j) One who does not hide anywhere i.e., who is present everywhere
anilAya namah.
This nAma occurs again as nAma 818.
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tadevAgnih tad-vAyuh - He is agni Himself and He is vAyu - (taittirIya
AraN.10), supports the interpretation of this and the previous nAma-s as agni
andvAyu respectively.
In the occurrence of the nAma as nAma 818, SrI Bhattar derives the meaning
based on ila - to urge, and so the meaning given is - One who does not need to
be goaded by any one to serve His devotees. Ilati preraNam karoti iti ilah,
tadrahitatvAt anilah - One who does not need a proposer or inducer.
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tadapyaprArthitam dhyAto dadAti madhusUdanah - When meditated upon,
bhagavAn madhusudana bestows His blessings on His devotee without the need
for anyone else urging Him - vishNu dharma 74.42.
ilati svapiti iti ilah, tad-viparItah anilah - One who is ever awakened (f)
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri adds that ila is Earth, and since He existed before
the Earth existed, He is not supported by the Earth etc., and so He is anila (i).
An alternate interpretation is na nilIyate iti anilah - He is Omnipresent,
indestructible, in the form of anila - vAyu (j).
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Yet another interpretation is an AdAnAt anilah - One who has no binding (d).
The dharma cakram writer gives us a view of how important the meditation on
this guNa of bhagavAn is for our life. Without food we can go on for many
days; without water we can survive for a few days; but without air, but a few
minutes. That is how important air is for our living; so is the meditation on
vishNu for our spiritual life. He quotes mahAtmA gAndhi in this context - that
he can survive without food for several days (and hasn't he proved it several
times!), but he cannot live without prayer for even a day. Another view
presented relates to arjuna's words to Lord kRshNa that mind wavers like wind
and he can't get it under control. BhagavAn, like vAyu, is spread everywhere,
and it is difficult to get a grasp of Him just as we can't get the mind under
control or keep the air static in one place without a sealed container. But just
as man has learned to control and contain air, he can learn to control his mind
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation starting from ila - to sleep.
Thus one meaning given is One who never sleeps, or One who is always awake -
jAgRvim vibhum - Rg veda. This is reflected in His forms as the Sun, the rest
of the planets, the oceans, the wind, etc. In addition to this interpretation he
also gives the interpretations a) and h).
I was amazed to find that this seemingly simple nAma of two syllables has this
many interpretations.
dharaNI-dharAya namah.
dharaNIm dhatta iti dharaNI-dharah - One who bears the Earth. SrI Bhattar
takes this simple interpretation one level further, and gives the significance
that He bears those who bear others, e.g., He bears AdiSesha, bhUmi, etc. SrI
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Bhattar gives the following supporting quotes
1. sa dAdhAra pRthivIm dyAm utemAm - He bore the Earth and all the
Heaven -yajur 13.4
'Purushottama, by His will, created Earth, the Interspace and Heaven; being
the Supreme Ruler, He keeps them all under His control.'
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interpreted nAma240 (which we will cover next week) as viSva-dhRk - One who
rules over the worlds, similar in purport to the current nAma.
The writer in dharma cakram brings the significance of this nAma to a level of
understanding that is easier to comprehend. When we say bhagavAn is the
bearer of the Earth, what we mean is that directly or indirectly He is
supporting all the life forms by providing food and shelter to all, irrespective
of whether we are devoted to Him or not, all the good and the bad. Either we
survive by drawing on the vegetables and other food that we directly get from
the earth, or some beings survive by preying on other life forms which in turn
live by drawing on the direct produce from the earth. So this nAma signifies
that He supports us physically in the form of the earth, and also sustains us all
through the food from the earth.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha adds that a mother bears and protects the children,
the husband protects the wife, and He protects everyone, and so the dharaNi-
dharatva guNa of bhagavAn is all around us.
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SlOkam 26
suàsad> àsÚaTma ivñs&iGvñÉuiGvÉu>,
suprasAdAya namah.
Sobhanah prasAdha dAtRtvAt suprasAdah - For those who surrender to Him
He confers all that is good. In fact He goes further and confers the good to
those who are His enemies as well, as in the cases of rAvaNa, SiSupAla,
duryodhana, etc., by conferring moksha on them ultimately. In other words,
whatever bhagavAn confers, it is for the good of the recipient. This concept is
repeatedly pointed by svAmi deSikan in the dayA-Satakam when he describes
the dayA aspects of the different incarnations. Thus for instance, in the
paraSu-rAma incarnation, when He destroyed the evil kshatriya kings, He
really got rid of their sins, and sent them to moksha. In the kalki incarnation,
when He will destroy those at the end of the kali-yuga who are soaked in sin, it
is only to wash them of their sins and re-establish adharma-oriented kRta yuga
where their jIva-s can flourish again that this act of His is undertaken. The
writer in dharma cakram points out that there are those of us who will do good
to those who are bad to us, in addition to those who follow the rule of an eye
for an eye, and worse still, there are those who do bad to those who are good
to them. SrI mahA-vishNu is one who does always what is good for everyone
irrespective of how they are towards Him. Meditation on Lord vishNu with this
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guNa implied by this nAma will give us the right frame of mind to follow the
sAttvic path.
prasannAtmane namah.
He is of delightful nature because He has no desires and no wants since He has
realized all desires - avApta-sarva-kamatvAt. Or because He is extremely
merciful by nature - karuNArdra-svabhAvAt. Or He is prasannAtmA because
His mind is not contaminated by passion (rajas) and inertia (tamas). SrI P.B.
aNNangarAcArya svAmi points out that He has a clear mind because He is
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unaffected by likes and dislikes.
The dharma cakram writer gives the example of the three brothers, rAvaNa,
kumbhakarNa, and vibhIshaNa, respectively dominated by rajasic, tAmasic,
and sattvic guNa-s. rAvaNa was indulging in non-righteous acts under the
influence of kAma, and brought self-destruction as a result. Kumbha-karNa
was inactive under the influence of tamas. VibhIshaNa on the other hand had
the clarity of mind aided by his sattvic guNa. He could save SrIlankA from
destruction and could attain the grace of the Lord because of his clear
thinking.
Meditating on the nAma prasannAtmA will lead to the clarity of mind that
bhIshma could command, when he advised duryodhana prior to the start of the
mahAbhArata war that they won't win a war fought on immoral and unethical
grounds, and the support of the Lord will be on the side of dharma. prasannatA
results out of the dominance of sattva guNa.
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nAma 240. ivñs&k! - visvasrug
viSva-sRje namah.
viSvam sRjati yo sa viSva-sRt. He created this Universe out of kindness
unmindful of its merits and deficiencies. In SankarapATham, this nAma is
given as viSva-dhRg - The Overseer of the cosmos. Prof. SrInivAsa rAghavan
points in his writings in SrI nRsimha priyA that other pATha-s are viSva-sRshT
and viSva-sRg. In the context of the interpretation based on viSva-dhRg - the
overseer or ruler of the cosmos, the dharma cakram commentator rhetorically
asks the question - Do we rule our mind, or does our mind rule us? If we learn
to rule over our mind, then we can rule our family, our nation, etc., and also
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know the Ruler of everything. And we get this conditioning of our mind through
meditation on the Lord who isviSva-dhRg.
viSvabhug-vibhave namah.
vyApya bhunakti - pAlayati iti viSvabhug-vibhuh. SrI Bhattar interprets this
phrase as one nAma, whereas SrI Sankara interprets it as consisting of two
nAma-s, viSva-bhuk and vibhuh. The interpretation for viSva-bhuk is given as
viSvam bhu~nkte -The Enjoyer of the Cosmos, or ViSvam bhunakti - The
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Protector. The dharma cakram writer points out that He is the Protector for
the Universe in its expressed form with all its created beings or in its
unexpressed or pralaya form as well. This compares with the situation of
mortals like us who cannot do any good in protecting this world either in our
wakeful state or in our sleep state. SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation
that He enjoys or swallows (bhuk) all experiences (viSva). The Supreme
Consciousness, apparently conditioned by the mind and intellect, is the
experiencer of joys and sorrows. Or, the term can mean "One who absorbs all
names and forms unto Himself at the time of pralaya". SrI rAdhAkRshNa
SAstri gives the reference to tiattirIya AraNyaka 10.91 - prabhuh prINAti
viSva-bhuk. SrI satyadevovAsishTha gives an alternate interpretation based
on bhuj kautilye to bend, to curve, and says that the nAma can mean that He
established the world by bending or extending it in all eight directions. Since
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SrI Sankara interprets vibhuh as a separate name, he gives the meaning - One
with multi-form - vividham bhavati iti vibhuh. He became many from
HiraNyagarbha downwards. Vividham bhAvayati is another interpretation, again
referring to the multi-forms. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the meaning that
He is vibhu because He fills everything everywhere - mahAntam vibhum
AtmAnam - kaThopanishad 2.22. The dharma cakram writer elaborates on the
multi-form by giving reference to LordkRshNa's words in the gItA in Chapter
10 starting with Slokam 21 and going up to Slokam 38, where bhagavAn gives
several examples of His vibhUti-s, and then says in Slokam 40 that there is
really no limit to His vibhUti-s.
satkartre namah.
satkaroti pUjayati iti satkartA - One who adores those who are good and wise.
SatkAram is worship. SrI rAma was known as sajjanaprati pUjakah - He who
worships those in return who are good to Him. SrI radAdhAkRshNa SAstri
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gives the reference to rAmAyaNa - bahu-SrutAnAm vRddhAnAm
brAhmaNAnAm upAsitA (2-2-33) - He worships those who are learned, old in
age, and brAhmaNas. The writer in dharma cakram points out the example of
Lord rAma praising hanumAn as soon as He saw him. The Lord rejoices to find
thosewho are in this category. The lesson we should take from this nAma
isthat we should do acts that will make us fit for this kind of recognition. Acts
that fall in this category are those that give peace of mind and inner happiness
to the doer. By corollary, we should desist from acts which lead to a feeling of
self-centered accomplishment, pride, etc. Our acts should be directed to His
service, and not for the satisfaction of the human ego.
satkRtAya namah.
The word satkRta means pUjita - One who is worshipped. He is the Object of
worship for everyone. The nirukti summarizes SrIBhattar's vyAkhyAna for
this nAma as arcAdibhih sajjanaih yah pUjitahsatkRtah smRtah. Prof.
SrInivAsa rAghavAcArya svAmi in his commentary in nRsimha priyA points out
that when the ekAntins who worship only mahA vishNu make their offerings to
Him, no matter how small the offering is, He considers it big by considering it
as worthy of His Supreme Status, and receives through His head what is
offered at His feet, and receives it personally and not through other
intermediary gods. As if this is not enough, He then feels that whatever He
does to His devotees is inadequate in return (recall Lord kRshNa's feeling of
being indebted to draupati for ever when she cried out for help and He helped
but not by coming in person right away). The dharma cakram writer points out
that as a means of developing this devotion to Him, our vedas ask us to worship
our mother, our father, our teacher - mAtR devo bhava,pitRdevo bhava,
AcArya devo bhava.
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nAma 244. saxu> - sAdhuh
sAdhave namah.
sAdhayati iti sAdhuh - One who carries out, or sAdhnoti itisAdhuh - One who
makes it possible to carry out, through various means that He has provided for
the benefit of the beings that He has created. Going as a messenger, acting as
a charioteer, etc. are examples of His carrying out His undertaking. Even
though Lord kRshNa was Himself a king like duryodhana, He did not mind doing
the work of a messenger, and did not mind doing the work of a charioteer
which is like that of a servant to arjuna. Thus, sAdhu here refers to His act of
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carrying out whatever He has to do to take care of His devotees. He takes
several incarnations in which He suffers and gets insulted by the likes of
duryodhana, SiSupAla, rAvaNa etc., and appears as a fish, a boar, etc., and
undergoes suffering and misery as in the case of the rAma incarnation, all
because He is a sAdhu, who carries out what He has to in order to help His
devotees. The nAma sAdhu has also been interpreted as One who is righteous,
i.e., conducts Himself according to the code laid in the Vedas. And because He
follows the righteous path always, He accomplishes whatever He undertakes
always. The lesson to take here is (dharma cakram) that we should always
follow the righteous path in everything we do, and this will not only endear us
to Lord vishNu, but also lead to success in our just endeavors.
jahnave namah.
This nAma is derived from the root hA-tyAge to forsake. abhakteshu Atma -
mAhAtmyam apahnute iti jahnuh. jahAti avidushah jahnuhis another derivation
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for the same meaning - He leads those devoid of devotion away from the
Supreme. SrI Bhattar gives the following quote from udyoga parva:
(udyogaparva 6.7.2)
"That discus of the Omni-present vAsudeva acts by His will for the benefit of
the pANdavas being invisible (to the eyes of others), O Great King!".
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nAma 246. naray[> - nArAyaNah
nArAyaNAya namah.
All the previous nAma-s referred to nArAyaNa through His other incarnations
or through His many guNa-s. Now SrI vyAsa gives the name that only refers to
mahA-vishNu, and that is not used to refer to any other gods (such as the
nAma-s rudra, Siva etc., which also occur in the Vishnu sshasranAma to refer
to mahAvishNu). SrI Bhattar points out that this nAma is spoken of in every
upanishad, and the veda itself gives the derivation of the name nArAyaNa
thus-
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yacca ki~ncit jagat sarvam dRsyate SrUyatepi vA |
(mahopanishad)
etc. SrI Sankara gives the following interpretation: nara refers to Atman;
nAra refers to ether and the other effects produced from it; He, as their
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cause, pervades them and they are thus His abode (ayana). Hence He is named
nArAyaNa. He gives the following quote from mahAbhArata supporting this
interpretation:
(anu.Parva. 13.1.2)
"The tattva-s are called nAra since they are sprung from nara (Atman); He is
called nArAyaNa as they are His abode". Another interpretation he gives is
"narANAm jIvAnAm ayanatvAt pralaya iti vA -Whom the jIva-s approach and
enter (He is the abode of the beings during pralaya). This is supported by
'yatpryantyabhisamviSanti' - Whom they approach and enter - taittirIya
upanishad 3.1. Or He is nArAyaNa since He is the seat of the nAra-s or the
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(manu-smRti 1.10)
240
SRNvantu bhavyamatayo yatayo'starAgA
uccaistarAmupadiSAmyaham Urdhva-bAhuh ||
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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri reminds us that the mantra-devatA that we worship
through the gAyatri mantra is SrIman nArAyaNa - dhyeyah sadAsavitRmandala
madhyavartI nArAyaNah. The dharma cakram writer refers us to divya-
prabandham - "nalam tarum Sollai nAn kaNdu koNdEn nArAyaNAennum
nAmam" to remind us of the greatness of this nAma japam. It is very
important to note SrI Bhattar's concluding statement of his vyAkhyAnam on
this nAma. He points out that the secret of this sacred mantra should only be
properly learned by approaching an AcArya,and not by reading the explanations
like the one presented. His words are that he does not want to say anything
more on this nAma because its greatness can only be learned from an AcArya,
and is thus a matter that should be seen by four eyes (the two eyes of the
disciple and the two eyes of the AcArya) and not by six eyes viz. he does not
want to add his two eyes further. So no amount of explanation on paper can
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a) He who is imperishable.
b) The Leader.
narAya namah.
SrI Bhattar gives the meaning that nara refers to one with imperishable
possessions, both sentient and non-sentient (both of which are eternal by
nature). SrI Sankara gives the meaning "Leader" to nara, and gives the quote
from vyAsa (the source is not identified in my book) - nayati itinarah proktah
paramAtmA sanAtanah - Because He directs everything, the eternal
paramAtman is called nara. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha also starts with the root
as nR nayeto lead, and gives the meaning as nayati - One who leads, or nRNati -
One who takes things away. He is nara since He takes this Universe from kalpa
to kalpa through many kalpa-s. nara also refers to water or fluid, since this
takes things from one place to another as it flows. That there was only water
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everywhere before sRshTi took place is supported by the following vedic quote
- tama AsIt tamasAgUDhamagre'prakRtam salilam sarvamA idam (Rg 10.129.3).
The dharma cakram writer points out that just as a mother leads a child with
the child's welfare in mind, and does not mind disciplining the child for its own
good when the child goes and eats dirt, or the teacher tries to discipline a
student who is not learning the knowledge from the teacher, so also nara, viz.
mahAvishNu, leads us all for our good even if He has to mete out some
punishment occasionally to get our ways straightened out.
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SlOkam 27
As
AsŒŒ(eyae=àmeyaTma ivizòiZzòk«CDuic>,
asankhyeyAyanamah.
sankhyA is number. asankhyeya is One who cannot be quantified. In gItA,
arjuna describes Lord kRshNa as such -
(gItA 11.16)
"O Lord of the Universe! I see you with numberless arms, stomachs, mouths,
and eyes, of boundless forms on every side, and I do not see the end or the
middle or the beginning". He is of infinite knowledge, infinite bliss, infinite
manifestations, immeasurable strength, etc.
aprameyAyanamah.
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation "pramANaih pramAtum
aSakyah aprameyah". prameya is anything that can be known through intellect.
aprameya is one whose nature cannot be grasped by any of the existing means
of knowledge. We get an impression of an object by seeing it with our eyes,
and it is this vision of the color, shape, or other attributes, or the smell etc.,
that gives us a feel for an object. BhagavAn is beyond our senses. SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha gives the quote from yajurveda - na tasya pratimA asti
yasyanAma mahad-yaSah - yajur. 31.3. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out
the similarity between this nAma and the nAma-s aprameyah (46) and
ameyAtmA (103,181).
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He who is Superior.
viSishTAyanamah.
SrI Bhattar interprets this nAma as signifying that He is Superior because He
does not have to depend on anything else and He excels in everything. SrI
Sankara gives the meaning that He transcends everything. The dharma cakram
writer points out that superiority in life is not achieved by just wealth, power
and fame, but true superiority results only when we develop bhakti to the Lord.
The other superiorities do not give us the purity of mind.
SishTa-kRte namah.
Because of association with Him, He makes His devotees also superior.
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helps His devotees acquire this discipline through the mental strength, etc.,
needed for this. SishTa also means Law, rules, or commands. The
interpretation then becomes He is One who makes the Law, One who
commands, or One who protects (though the laws). The greatest and most
significant of these commands is Love, through which mahA-vishNu rules over
us all, and this is the lesson to be derived from this nAma (dharma cakram).
Pure.
Sucaye namah.
This nAma occurred earlier (157). His purity is such that association with Him
makes these devotees pure also. He is pure by body, mind, action, and all, and
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this is what makes Him viSishTa and SishTa-kRt. One commentator points out
that He makes us shine consistent with our devotion. (dharma cakram) - Just
as we clean our body to avoid diseases of the body, we can develop cleanliness
in our words through the chanting of bhagavan-nAma, and we can develop and
improve the cleanliness of our thoughts through the control of the five senses,
which are the means by which we get our input to our thoughts from the
external world. Worshipping the Lord in the temple, listening to the sound of
the bell during the worship, observing the karpUra Arati, listening to the
nAmasankIrtana, listening to the bhajans, offering fragrant flowers to the
Lord, observing the beauty of His decorated mUrti, smelling the divine
fragrance of His presence in the temple, etc., are the different ways that the
five indriya-s are exposed to opportunities for cleansing ourselves through
these indriya-s. Simultaneously, we should do everything to constantly divert
the mind from thoughts that are not conducive to the service of SrIman
nArAyaNa. Deep meditation on the Lord is one way to train our mind. The
constant training of our body, mind, word, and deed towards Him is the lesson
we should take from this nAma.
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nAma 253. isÏawR> - siddhArthah
siddhArthAya namah.
He already possesses all that is desirable in Him naturally and effortlessly.
SrI Sankara gives the passage "satyakAmahsatya-sankalpah" in chAdogya
upanishad (8.1) in support of this and the next nAma. SrI cinmayAnanda points
out that this name signifies that bhagavAn has already the four purushArtha-s
(dharma, artha, kAma, and moksha) that are the object of attainment for
mortals. He has attained (siddha) all that is to be attained (artha).
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nAma 254. isÏs»Lp> - siddhasankalpah
siddha-sankalpAya namah.
One whose wishes are fulfilled at the very instance He wishes. Sankalpa means
intellectual willing and wishing. One who gains all that He wishes for, or One
who immediately gains what He wills is calledsiddha-sankalpah. The reference
in chAndogya upanishad (see previous nAma) conveys the same idea. Examples
in dharma cakram for His being asiddha sankalpah are the decision to make
sugrIva and vibhIshaNa the kings of their respective kingdoms, the
destruction of vAli, the sankalpam to fulfill daSaratha's promise to kaikeyi,
etc. The devotion to mahA-vishNu makes the devotees equally capable of
fulfilling their sankalpa-s with His help. Thus, bhIshma made Lord kRshNa
carry arms in the battle of mahA-bhArata (thereby Lord kRshNa proved that
He is the servant of His devotee, and will fulfill whatever they wish, even if it
involved His breaking His vow not to carry arms), and hanumAn fulfilled his
sankalpa to find sItA pirAtti. The way we become siddha sankalpa-sis to
entrust ourselves completely in His care, and He takes care of the rest for us,
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since whatever we wish will then be for the cause of dharma.
siddhi-dAya namah.
There are eight siddhi-s or powers that can be acquired by yogi-s who
meditate on Him. These are aNimA (the ability to assume the size of an atom),
mahimA (the ability to assume a very huge size), laghimA (to make the body
weightless like a cotton ball), garimA (to assume heavy weight like an iron
mass), prApti (to obtain anything desired), prAkAmyam (to attain any desired
bhoga), ISitvam (to be able to assume rulership or Lordship over anything or
anyone), and vaSitvam (to get anyone to be under one's control). SrI Sankara
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One who makes the means for siddhi as pleasant as the fruit itself.
siddhi-sAdhanAya namah.
siddheh sAdhakatvAt siddhi-sAdhanah. He is the promoter of achievements.
He is the very secret force which enables the seeker to diligently continue all
efforts of his seeking. He is the sAdhana or means for all siddhi or fulfillment,
in particular the moksha siddhi, which no one else can help achieve except
SrIman nArAyaNa.
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attained by chanting this mantra is the cleansing of our minds from worldly
thoughts, lust, etc., and concentrating the mind towards thoughts about Him.
By chanting this mantra, He ensures that we attain our goal.
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SlOkam 28
v&;ahI v&;Éae iv:[u vR&;pvaR v&;aedr>,
b) One who makes His devotees shine like day because of their dharma.
c) One who makes the day auspicious when the devotee approaches Him.
f) One who has the brightness of agni etc., or is the cause of the brightness of
all objects
vRshAhiNe namah.
This nAma is interpreted differently by different vyAkhyAna-kartAs. The
nAma is composed of two words, vRsha meaning dharma, and aha meaning day.
One interpretation is that He shines bright like day because of His dharma. Or
He makes those who adhere to dharma shine like day. Both these are given by
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri.
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SrI Sankara's interpretation for this is vRshah dharmah tadeva Ahah - One
who reveals dharma. An alternate interpretation he gives is that vRshAha
refers to a ten or twelve-day sacrifice, and He is vRshAhI because He is the
performer or enjoyer as the devatA for the sacrifice.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meaning "fire" or "agni" to the term vRsha
based on vRsho agnih samidhyate (Rg veda 3.27.14), and uses ahah to mean
brightness or prakASa, and so gives the meaning that bhagavAn has the
brightness of agni and so is called vRshAhI. He then generalizes this and says
that vRshAhI really refers to One who has the brightness of anything that is
bright, such as the Sun etc., or in other words, their brightness is because of
Him. So is the brightness resulting from knowledge, brightness of life because
of the jIvAtmA, etc., which get their brightness from Him. He is the only one
who has svayam-prakASa.
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nAma 258. v&;É> - vrushabhah
vRshabhAya namah.
varshati esha bhaktebhyah kAmAn iti vRshabhah. He gives blessing to His
devotees and protects them from the fire of samsAra. He is also vRshbha
because He showers all that is desired by His devotees, e.g., glowing health,
burning devotion, etc. vRshAtmanA bhAti - One who shines in the form of
dharma, is the explanation given by SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri. (dharma
cakram): BhagavAn gives whatever is aspired by the beings, according to their
efforts. Of these, the real wish should be to realize Him. All other wishes,
while they will also be fulfilled by Him for those wish these lesser desires, will
only result in sorrow after the interim pleasure is over. The desire should be
"acyutA!amarar ERE! Ayar tam kozhundE! ennum iccuvai tavira yAn pOy
indiralOkam ALum acuvai perinum vEndEn".
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nAma 259. iv:[> - vishNuh
vishNave namah.
This nAma occurred as nAma 2, and will re-occur as nAma 663. The root from
which this nAma is derived is vish - to pervade. SrI BhaTTar gives the meaning
that this pervasion is in the sense of association such as between fire and
smoke. Wherever there is smoke there is fire, but when there is fire, smoke is
not necessarily present (e.g., in the case of a red-hot piece of iron). So also,
bhagavAn is there in association with His bhakta-s always, and renders all
kinds of help to His devotees as needed. It was mentioned in the introductory
article to this series that the vyAkhyAna kartA-s give different
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interpretations to the same nAma depending on the context. Since we are now
dealing with the sequence of nAma-s which describe the Lord's guNa of
helping His devotees in fulfilling their desired wishes, this new interpretation
is given.
vRsha-parvaNe namah.
vRsha is dharma as has been noted before. ParvA refers to steps. SrI
BhaTTar's interpretation is that He is vRsha-parvA because He has revealed
the steps of varNASrama dharma as the means to attain Him. Other
vyAkhyAna kartA-shave included various steps such as j~nAna, bhakti, etc. as
the steps that He has established. These include SravaNam, mananam,
kIrtanam, sat-sangham, SraddhA, etc. These are like the steps of a ladder to
reach Him.
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nAma 261. v&;aedr> - vrushOdarah
vRshodharAya namah.
Different interpretations are given for this nAma. One is that He is the
receiver of all the offerings through yag~na etc., and so He is the one with the
udara that receives all offerings of dharma. The other is that creations of
those who observe dharma such as Brahma originate from His belly. The third
is that this is where He keeps all the beings at the time of pralaya, and this is
where everything originates at the time of re-creation. In this context, the
meaning "shower" is used for the word vRsha. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha
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continues to interpret all the previousnAma-s and the current one using the
meaning "agni" for the word "vRsha". Thus, He is the One who has agni in His
stomach. This is known even for humans that we have the "agni" (the acid) that
digests our food, there is agni in the centre of the earth, in the centre of the
sun, the Oceans, etc. These are reflections of the principle of bhagavAn as
vRshodara.
He who nourishes.
vardhanAya namah.
vardhayati iti vardhanah. One who augments, increases, or nourishes. Following
up on the interpretation of the previous nAma, SrI Bhattar interprets this
nAma as One who keep the beings in His womb like a mother and nourishes
them. SrI P. B. aNNa~ngar AcArya svAmi gives the meaning that he is
vardhana because he 'grows' those who have resorted to Him more and more
(towards the spiritual path?). SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the example of
the offer of one handful of 'aval' - a form of compacted rice, by His friend
kucela, which was augmented so much in return that kucela became richer than
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kubera. So is the offer of patram, phalam, pushpam, toyam, etc. that we make
to Him. Thus He is vardhana because an offer of the size of an atom to Him
with devotion results in a mountain of return and protects His devotees like a
mother. The dharma cakram writer points out that while everyone takes all the
efforts to grow his body and his wealth, the real effort should be in growing
the j~nAna and bhakti, and He helps those who are devoted to Him in this
area, and so He is vardhana.
He who grows.
vardhamAnAya namah.
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In the previous nAma we saw that He makes things grow. In this nAma, it is
indicated that He Himself grows as a result or simultaneously. SrI BhaTTar
interprets vardhamAnah as one who grows happy as He sees His devotees
grow. Or He keeps growing in spite of His bestowing all that anyone asks for.
SrI cinmayAnanda points out that this name is indicative of the vAmana
incarnation in which He continued to grow to cover the three worlds. SrI
Sankara's interpretation is "prapa~ncarUpeNa vadhate iti vardhamAnah - One
who grows or multiplies Himself in the form of the Universe". SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri indicates that the 'ca' at the end of vardhamAnah is
because He grows at the same fast rate at which the Universe is growing.
He who is unique.
viviktAya namah.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the root vij - pRthakbhAve to separate or to
distinguish as the etymological basis for this nAma. He gives a simple example
of a machinist who makes machines but is separate from it. So also bhagavAn
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creates all the beings and keeps them in shape and in action, but is unique and
separate from them. He gives the example of two birds in a tree, one enjoying
the fruits and the other watching and observing, which we have referred to
before (dvA suparNAsayujA sakhAyA etc. - Rg veda 1.164.20). This author
(SrI vAsishTha) has composed one Slokam of his own as the explanation for
each Slokam of sahasranAma, and I am just sharing one example here:
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Universe as described in previous nAma-s (SrI Sankara). He is also unique
because He is beyond our ability to be recognized by our intellect and logical
analysis alone (SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri; also recall the ISAvAsyaupanishad
Slokam 4 - anejadekam manaso javIyo ....).The dharam cakram writer points out
that this quality of being outside of, and unaffected by, our surroundings, is
the true basis of accomplishing our mission in life viz. realizing the
paramAtmA. If we do not get swayed by the pa~nca indriya-s, then in spite of
living in the midst of all the noise and pleasures around us, we will be able to
have control of our mind and divert it to the service of mahA vishNu. This is
the significance and lesson to take from this nAma.
Sruti-sAgarAya namah.
Srutayah sAgara iva atra nidhIyante iti SrutisAgarah. Just as the ocean is the
final destination for all the rivers, so also all the veda-s lead us to Him, and He
is thus Ocean for the Sruti-s (Sruti-sAgarah). SrI BhaTTar refers us to
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SrImad bhAgavatam (2.5.15)- nArAyaNa parA vedAh - The veda-s only speak
of nArAyaNa, and to the gItA 15.15 - vedaiSca sarvaih ahameva vedyah - "I am
the only one that is to be realized through all the veda-s".
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SlOkam 29
suÉujae ÊxRrae vaGmI mheNÔae vsudae vsu>,
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su-bhujAya namah
SobhanA bhujAh asya iti subhujah. SrI BhaTTar interprets the majesty and
strength of His arms to always shoulder the burden of those that seek refuge
in Him. SrI Sankara extends this to refer to the protection of the whole
world. SrI cinmayAnanda refers to the beauty of the arms that always protect
and bless (abhaya and vara-da). SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri describes the
beauty of the arms that are always ready with the Ayudha-s for the
protection of the devotees lest there is any delay when the need arises to use
them.
The writer in dharma cakram points out that the term subhuja refers to the
hands of mahAvishNu that carry the Sa~nkha, cakra, gadA and padma. The
Sankha reminds us of the praNava mantra. The cakra both protects those that
follow the path of dharma and destroys those who follow the path of adharma.
The gadA functions to discipline the evil, and the padma shows His sweet
disposition towards those who seek Him.
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nAma 267. ÊxRr> - durdharah
a) The irresistible.
durdharAua namah.
Recall that SrI BhaTTar has interpreted the previous nAma in terms of the
strength of His arms. He continues with that thought, and interprets the
current nAma as indicating that the strength is such that it is irresistible like
the force of the gushing waters of a great ocean against a dam made of play
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sand. SrI Sankara gives the interpretation that He is difficult to be held, e.g.,
the yogi-s find it difficult to hold him in their thoughts during their
meditation. An alternate interpretation given by him is that nothing else can
support Him who supported everything else. SrI cinmayAnanda interprets the
nAma as one who is difficult to comprehend even by the great yogi-s. The
dharma cakram writer points out that we should develop a clean mind in order
to be able to retain Him in our mind. For this, recourse to such things as nAma
pArAyaNam are of help. Once the mind becomes clean, thoughts of mahA
vishNu occupy our mind, and bad thoughts do not occupy our mind.
vAgmine namah.
veda-s are but the words of bhagavAn. He also was powerful in persuading
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arjuna through His words (gItA) in the battlefield when arjuna had laid down
his arms. He is vAgmI also because His words are sweet and kind - buddhimAn
madhurAbhAshI pUrvabhAshI pryam vadah - rAma is wise and speaks sweet
words; He is the first to speak and also speaks kind words - ayodhyA kANdam
1.13. A very good summary of the power of His words is quoted in dharma
cakram from the gItA, reflecting arjuna's state of mind after listening to
Lord kr*shNa's words -
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nAma 269. mheNÔ> - mahEndrah
a) He of great wealth.
mahendrAya namah.
The root from which this nAma is derived is idi - paramaiSvarye - to own great
wealth. Since He thus pervades everything in many different ways, He is the
Lord of everything. He is also mahendra because He is the Lord of Indra, who
is the representation of strength, which is one of the six qualities of SrIman
nArAyaNa. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives a second interpretation based indhI
- dIptau to shine, to kindle. Thus He is mahendra since He is the one who
kindles the light in every being or is the light in all beings.
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vasudAya namah.
vasu - dhanam dadAti iti vasu-dah. One who bestows His wealth to the
devotees without their asking for it. He can give the lordship of the three
worlds to a devotee, or He can also give the lesser riches to those who want it.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that this act of bhagavAn giving wealth to
everyone is behind the act of anyone giving anything to anyone. For instance,
when one does vastra-dAnam, or anna-dAnam, or imparts knowledge to another,
or any other act of giving, it is a demonstration of the guNa of Giver of mahA
vishNu.
He who is Himself the wealth sought by those who have realized the Truth.
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vasave namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 105, and will re-occur as nAma 701. Please
refer to the previous write-up as well. vAsudevah sarvam iti sa mahAtmA
sudurlabhah - Rare indeed is the great soul who has realized that the ultimate
object to be attained is vAsudeva, and the means for attaining this wealth is
also vAsudeva (gItA 7.19). From the next nAma, SrI BhaTTar interprets the
nAma-s as illustrations of the cosmic form or the viSva-rUpa of the Lord.
naikarUpAya namah.
In gItA we have paSyAmi tvAm sarvatah ananta rUpam - I see You everywhere
with Your endless forms - 11.16. SrI cinmayAnanda gives the following quote -
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SrI rAdhAkr*shNa SAstri expresses his anubhavam of this nAma by pointing
out that this guNa of assuming multiple forms is consistent with (almost
necessitated by) His role is the Giver of wealth to everyone. For giving wealth
to everyone, He needed to be in multiple forms and at multiple places at the
same time.
He of an immense form.
br*had-rUpAya namah.
br*hat means mahat or big. SrI T. S. Kr*shNamUrti has translated this as
'mysterious'. He is of an immense form. SrI Sankara has given the example of
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the varAha incarnation where He carried the submerged Earth with a form
which was big enough to ensure that the Earth did not submerge again as it
was carried. The trivikrama incarnation is another example where His form
covered all the three worlds and the skies. SrI cinmayAnanda gives the
purusha sUktam passage - atyatishThat daSA~ngulam - He is not only of the
total size and dimension of the Universe but He stands beyond it by ten digits.
The dharma cakram author points out that to "see" this br*had-rUpam, the
mortal eyes are not sufficient, and it is thus that we do not just see Him but
have to experience Him. The more we see this immensity of His Nature and His
sarva vyApatitvam, the more we will get out of this "small" world or our bodies
and our small pleasures.
Sipi-vishTAya namah.
The word Sipi has two meanings - rays and animals. Thus there are two
interpretations. The first is that He is Sipi-vishTa because He is in the forms
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of rays for example the Sun's rays, the rays emanating from the fire, etc. SrI
BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is Sipayah - raSmayah, tAn sampravishTah -
vyAptavAn iti SipivishTah. He quotes Yaska from nirukata to support this -
Sipayo raSmayah ucyante, taih AvishTah. In the nirukti which is a summary of
SrI BhaTTar's interpretations by an unknown author, we have
In mahAbhArata we have
"He has tawny hairs on His body; with that body He has pervaded all other
things. So He is known as Sipi-vishTa." In udyoga parva we have roma kupeshu
ca tathA sUryasyeva marIcayah - He who enters into the pores of the body
like the rays of the sun. lingAyatasUrin in his vyAkhyAna for amarakoSa has
given the following - Sipishu paSushu janeshu vishTo vyApta iti SipivishTah -
One who has pervaded all animals and humans is SipivishTah.
prakASanAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma to mean that BhagavAn shows His celestial
form to arjuna and others who long to see it. SrI Sankara's interpretation is
that He is prakASana because He illumines everything - prakASayati iti
prakASanah. The dharam cakram writer points out that the illumination He
provides is the path that leads to His realization.
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SlOkam 30
AaejStejae*uitxr> àkazaTma àtapn>,
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ojas-tejo-dyuti-dharAya namah.
Ojas means strength or inherent vitality, tejas means reputation or power to
overcome enemies, and dyuti means effulgence or radiance. Since bhagavAn
alone has all of these, He is ojas-tejo-dyuti-dharah. Recall that we are now
going through the nAma-s that describe the viSva-rupa. SrI Sankara gives the
reference to gItA - tejas-tejasvinAmaham (7-10), and balam balavatAam
cAham (7-11).
prakASAtmane namah.
dhRtarAshtra was blind not only externally but also in his mind. Even to him,
bhagavAn made Himself known. In mahAbhArata -udyoga parva, dhRtarAshtra
says -
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tasmAt te yAdava-SreshTha! PrasAdam kartumarhasi ||
"Oh Lotus-eyed One! You are the Protector of all the worlds. Therefore, the
foremost among the yAdavas! You should take pity on me. "Another
interpretation is that He has a form whose nature is of radiance. The writer in
dharma cakram points out that the prakASa or light from the sun and stars
can reveal external objects, but none of these can reveal the Absolute Truth.
This can be revealed only by mahAvishNu the prakASAtmA, who gives the
external light to the sun and stars in the first instance.
pratApanAya namah.
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SrI BhaTTar interprets this nAma in the context of the gItA where arjuna
says that he is unable to stand the sight of the magnificent viSva-rUpa
darSanam when Lord KRshNa reveals that the enemies in the kaurava side are
falling into the fiery mouth of the Lord and being scorched to their end -
tejobhirApUrya jagat samastambhAsastavogrAh pratapanti vishNo (gItA
11.30). SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that this can also refer to the
time of pralaya when the Lord scorches the Earth with the prlayAgni. SrI
Sankara gives the explanation that He is pratApana because He heats the
world through power manifestations like the Sun.
RddhAya namah.
The root from which this word is derived is Rdh vRddhau - to prosper, to
increase. He is full of guNa-s like dharma, knowledge, dispassion, etc.
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nAma 280. Spòa]r> - spashTa
spashTa--aksharah
spashTAksharAya namah.
The reference here is to the veda-s. SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is that He
is spaTAksharah because He revealed Himself through the letters of the
veda-s very clearly. SrI Sankara's interpretation is that He has this nAma
because He is clearly indicated by the supreme sound of PraNavam. SrI
cinmayAnanda gives the reference to gItA in support of this interpretation -
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"One who chants my name (PraNavam) and leaves his body at the time of death
thus remembering Me, he shall go to the Supreme state". SrI satyadevo
vAsishTha gives a very different interpretation. He uses the root spaS
bandhane - to tie together, and akshara to mean things that don't disappear
but reappear again and again until (and even after?) pralaya - he uses the
words Apralaya sthAyI nakshatrAdi in Hindi), viz. the nakshatra manDala etc.
Thus he interprets this nAma's meaning as referring to mahA vishNu who has
thus tied together and is holding together this Universe with its constellation
of the heavenly bodies.
The mystic word (He who protects those who meditate on His name).
mantrAya namah.
tan-mantAram trAyate iti mantArah, or mananAt trAyate iti mantrah -mantra
is that which protects him who meditates on it. In BrahmA purANa, BhagavAn
says -
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mantrAya namah
SrI Lakshmi HayagrIvan
PoundarIkapuram SrImad Andavan Ashramam - SrI Rangam
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thRshNA toya samAkIrNAt ghorAt samsAra sAgarAt |
"He who thinks of me always, will certainly cross this vast and frightful sea of
samsAra which is filled with the waters of greed and avarice". SrI BhaTTar
also gives the reference to the varAha carama Sloka-s from varAha purANa -
"The man who, when his mind is in normal condition, when the body is not
shattered, and when the elementary constituents of his body (dhAtu-s) are in
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perfect equipoise, meditates on Me who has the world as My body and who am
not subject o births due to karmA - when that man lies like a log of wood or a
piece of stone in his dying moments, I think of this devotee of Mine and lead
to attain the Supreme Abode".
SrI Sankara gives the interpretation that He is the Sacred formula in the
form of the three veda-s. The writer in dharma cakram gives the perspective
on the importance of mantra-s in our scheme of life. Just as we take external
bath for keeping our bodies clean, mantra-s are the means to keep our minds
clean. This can be done either through constant repetition of the mantra-s
(japam), through deep and constant contemplation (meditation), through
musical singing (bhajans) etc. Recall tirumangai AzhvAr - nalamtarum Sollai nAn
kaNDu koNDEn nArAyaNA ennum nAmam - peria tirumozhi1-1-9).
canDrAmSave namah.
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The word canDra is derived from the root cadi AhlAde dIptau ca - to delight,
to shine. He brings delight to the minds of those who are scorched by the heat
of samsAra. He also nurtures the vegetable kingdom with nutrition -
paushNAmi caushadIh sarvA somo bhUtvA rasAtmakah - gItA15-13. It is
known in experience also that the cool rays of the moon are soothing. BhavAn
is like the rays of the moon for His devotees.
bhAskara-dyutaye namah.
This effulgence is such that it shatters and throws His enemies in all
directions. Recall the reference to Lord rAma as rAma-divAkara -
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"O Monkey (HanumAn)! The sun-like rAma, who is valiant and who has heaps of
ray-like arrows, will certainly dry up the water of the inimical rAkshasa-s. "The
reference to SrI AndAl's tiruppAvai (kadir madiyam pOl mugattAn) is relevant
in this context. Dr. V. V. rAmAnujan in his vishNu shasranAma bhAshyam
points out the significance of the two nAma-s - candrAmSuh and bhAskara-
dyutih occurring side by side. It is unique that BhagavAn has at the same time
the comforting coolness of the moon and the scorching heat of the sun in Him
- He is soothing to His devotees and burning to His enemies. The description of
the viSva-rUpam continues, and we know from arjuna's description that the
tejas of the viSva-rUpam is scorching and frightful. An instance of this
simultaneous existence of the soothing and burning guNa-s of His tejas is the
nRsimha incarnation, where His form terrorized hiraNyakaSipu, and but was
divinely pleasing to prahlAda. He is bhAskara-dyutih also because He is the
cause for the dyuti or brightness of bhAskara or the sun, or for that matter,
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the brightness in every one of us. We can see the brightness of the sun but we
cannot seethe brightness of mahA vishNu. His effulgence is explained by
sanjaya in the gItA -
(gItA 11-12)
"If simultaneously thousands of suns appear in the sky shining bright, the
tejas or effulgence that is seen can be compared to a fraction of the tejas of
paramAtmA".
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SlOkam 31
Am&ta<zUÑvae ÉanuZzzibNÊSsureñr>,
amRtAmSUdbhavAya namah.
This nAma consists of three words - amRta, amSu, and udbhavah.
Both SrI BhaTTar and SrI Sankara have interpreted this as referring to the
creation of the moon by the Lord during the churning of the Milky Ocean. This
is generally the interpretation that most other authors have accepted. SrI
cinmayAnanda gives reference to the gItA to point out how the moon's rays
are life-giving to the plants - pushNAmi caushadhIh sarvAh somo bhUtvA
rasAtmakah - I become the life-giving rays of the moon and make all the plants
grow and flourish. SrI satyadevo vASishTha has given an independent
interpretation. He uses the meaning liquid or "jalam" for the word amRta, and
the meaning "distribute" from amSu - vibhAjane to distribute, and gives the
interpretation that the name means that He created the life-forms by
distributing the waters or amRta. He gives the example of how the life-form is
created in the mother's womb floating in the waters, and how the physical
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body is kept healthy and well-nourished by drinking the water and eating the
food.
bhAnave namah.
BhAtiiti bhAnuh - That which shines or One who shines. BhagavAn is the
source of radiance to the Sun itself. The passage from muNDakopanishad -
tameva bhAntamanubhAti sarvam, tasya bhAsA sarvamidam vibhAti -(muNda -
2.2.10). He illumines Himself, and illumines everything else in this world as well,
including the Sun, whose lustre is one-thousandth of His lustre. SrI satyadevo
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vAsishTha also points out that He is the lustre in all of us by being the agni or
fire in all bodies. As long as this agni is lit in our body, we are healthy; when
the fire subsides, the body is non-functional (death of the body occurs). So He
is the bhAnu in all of us. The dharma cakram author reminds us that the light
of the Sun can only give external light, but cannot help in revealing the
paramAtmA or the Supreme Soul. This can be done only by the paramAtmA or
bhAnu.
b) The Moon
c) One who controls the paths of the planets and the stars.
SaSabindave namah.
SrI BhaTTar derives the interpretation from SaSa - pluta gatau - to swerve or
jump from the right path, and bindu derived from bidi - to disown. SrI Sankara
has interpreted the nAma as referring to the moon. The interpretation given is
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- One who has the mark of a hare - viz. the moon. This is based on the words
SaSa meaning hare, and bindu meaning a dot. Since the moon has a mark which
looks like a hare, this interpretation is given. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha has
used the nAmaas SaSa-vinduh instead of SaSa-binduh. He uses the meaning
for SaSa as that which leaps or moves around, from the root SaS - pluta-
gatau. For vindu he derives the meaning from the root vid - j~nAne - to know
( based on the pANinisUtra vinduricchuh - 3.2.167) - vinduh = vedana SilAh -
intelligent. Thus for the nAma SaSavinduh, the meaning given is One who knows
(controls) the paths of all the planets and stars (the Sun, the moon, etc.).
sureSvarAya namah.
SurANAm IsvarahsureSvarah - One who is the Leader of all the gods. Just as
He disowns those who go in the wrong path (previous nAma), this name says
that he is the Leader of those who tread the good path. The word sura itself
is composed of su - Sobhana,and rA - dAnah i.e., one that brings or bestows
auspicious or good things. One who is the Lord of those who bestow
auspiciousness or do good in plenty is sureSvara. The dharma cakram writer
reminds us that the significance of this nAma is that by worshipping mahA
vishNu who is the sureSvara, we will move towards the path of the sura-s.
The Medicine.
aushadhAya namah.
He is the Ultimate Medicine for the poison of samsAra, and there is no other
medicine for this. In mahAbhArata we have "devA devarshayaScaiva yam viduh
duhkha bheshajam"-The gods and the celestial sages know Him to be the
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remedy for distress - Santi parvA 79-22. Another quote in SrI BhaTTar's
vyAkhyAnam (the source is not given) is "ekAgratA mUlya balena labhyam
bhavaushadham tvam bhagavan! kilaikah"- Oh BhagavAn! Thou alone art verily
the recipe for the samSAra, and can be obtained by the high price of the
concentration of the mind on Thee". Dr.V.V. rAmAnujan has given the following
reference from divya prabandham in support of the interpretation of this
nAma - "tE~ngOda vaNNan varu naragamtIrkkum marundu" - 3rd tiruvandAdi -
3. The dharma cakram writer points out that BhagavAn who is Nature
Incarnate is aushdham in day-to-day life as well since inhaling the fresh air of
nature, eating food which is not synthetic, etc., lead to a healthier life.
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a) The barrier for the world.
c) One who binds and keeps in-tact all that moves in this world.
jagatah-setave namah.
He is the barrier that ensures that there is order in the different things in
this world, by making sure that the good and bad do not mix together in a
chaotic way. He ensures that there is no effect for the karma that is not
undertaken, there is always effect for the karma that has been undertaken.
Those who do good get the benefit for their good and those who indulge in bad
deeds get the benefit of their bad deeds, etc. The passage from bRhadAraNya
upanishad is given in support of this interpretation - eshahsetuh vidharaNa
eshAm lokAnAm asambhedAya - 6.4.22 (He is the bridge that supports all the
worlds so that they may not get into confusion). SrI Sankara gives an
additional interpretation, viz. that He is the bridge for crossing the ocean of
samsAra. SrI satdevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that BhagavAn ties
together all that exists in this world. This includes the function of holding
together the different bones, nerves, and muscles in the body, as well as the
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system of stars and planets. Jagat is derived from gati - that which moves,
and setu - that which binds. He is the setu in all bodies, and in addition holds
all these bodies and other things that exist in this world together in order,
and thus He is hagatah-setu. The dharma cakram writer gives the example of a
river which is bound by its banks and kept in control, or the ocean which is
bound by the land surrounding it and kept under control. So also, BhagavAn has
kept the jIvAtmA under control by limiting it to the indriya sukham and the
ocean of samsAra. It is only mahA vishNu who can help this jIvAtmA out of
these bounds, and it is by meditating on Him that the jIvAtmA can get
liberated and cross the ocean of samsAra.
satya-dharma-parAkramAya namah.
Here dharma refers to the auspicious qualities of BhagavAn, and parAkrama
refers to His valor. One in whom they are never failing (satya) is satya-
dharma-parAkramah. SrI cinmayAnanda interprets the nAmato mean that
BhagavAn is one who embodies satya (truth), dharma (righteous), and
parAkrama (heroism). In vAlmIki rAmAyaNa SrI rAma is referred to assatya-
parAkramah - One whose parAkrama is never in vain, and is always used for the
good of the world. The writer in dharma cakram points out that the nAma tells
us the importance of living a life of truth, righteousness, and the valor
resulting from this kind of life. Those who live a life along these lines are
bound to succeed in what they do, as evidenced by the lives of HanumAn,
BhIshma, etc.
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SlOkam 32
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bhUta-bhavya-bhavan-nAthAya namah.
Sankara distinguishes the meanings of the two nAma-s by interpreting the
first one as "The Lord of Past, Present, and Future", or that He is beyond
time, and the current one as "The Lord of all beings in the Past, Present, and
Future". In other words, the first interpretation refers to His being Timeless,
and the second refers to His being the Lord of all beings in all time.
pavanAya namah.
Pavata iti pavanah. SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation based on the root
pavi - to move about. He moves about in all places at al times with no
constraints. The wind's ability to do this is but a fraction of His ability in this
regard. pavatAm pavanah asmi (gItA 10-31) - Among those that move about, I
am the wind.
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meaning for this nAma as One who is Pure,
and for the next nAma he gives the interpretation that in addition to His being
Pure (pavanah), He also purifies everything else -pAvanah).
pAvanAya namah.
pAvayati iti pAvanah. pAvanah sarva-lokAnAm tvameva raghu-nandana -Oh
Scion of raghu race! You alone are the purifier of all the worlds -rAmAyaNam -
uttara kANDam - 32.9. The power of Ganges to purify anyone from all sins is
because of its contact with His Sacred Feet. We have in SrI vishNu
sahasranAmam "pavitrANAm pavitram yo mangalAnAm camangalam - He is the
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Purest of the pure, and the Most Auspicious among those that are auspicious".
SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives the reference from tiruvAi-mozhi (2-8-5) - devAdi-
deva perumAn en tIrthanE - tIrthan here means Pure. Another reference he
has given is - karam nAngudaiyAn pErOdi tIrthakarar Amin (iraNDAm
tiruvandAdi - 14) - Let us become pure by chanting the name of the One with
Four Hands.
analAya namah.
alam means "to be satisfied". analam is the condition of never being satisfied.
SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference to periya tiruvandAdi - unaDiyArkku en
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Seyvan enRE irutti nI (53) - "Always thinking about what You can do next for
Your devotees". He is the One who helped draupadi during her time of distress
and then forever felt that He did not do enough for her because He did not
personally appear in the palace when she called for Him, and when He
ultimately departed for SrI vaikunTham, still felt that He was indebted -
RNam pravRttam idam me hRdayAtnApasarpati.
analam literally refers to fire (since fire is never satisfied, and will keep
consuming more and more things if left uncontrolled). A certain amount of heat
is necessary in the body for the body to continue alive. Since He is the fire
that supports life in the body, He is called anala. The insatiable nature of His
dayA has been sung by SrI deSika in dayASatakam, where we find that no
matter what great sins we have committed, His dayA will consume (forgive) all
those when we surrender to Him with devotion and sincerity. The hunger of
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His dayA will not be easily quenched even by the enormous sins committed by
us, and He will forgive all these if we adopt the simple step of SaraNAgati to
Him (Slokam 29 of dayASatakam). He is like the fire that will burn all our sins
without limit. So He is analah in this sense as well.
kAma-ghne namah.
He removes the desires in worldly matters in the minds of His devotees. SrI
cinmayAnanda gives an analysis of why it is necessary that desire should be
destroyed. When desire arises, there are two possibilities -either the desire is
fulfilled, or it is not. If it is fulfilled, the result is the desire for more - greed.
If it is not fulfilled, the outcome is anger and frustration. So for inner calm,
desire needs to be destroyed, and it is only His Grace which can cause this to
happen.
Someone who has successfully climbed a very high hill will not desire to
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conquer a smaller hill. So also, one who has developed a desire for the
paramAtmA will not desire anything less or anything else. He iskAma-hA in the
sense that desire in Him will automatically destroy the desire in lesser objects.
One who creates desirable things, and also fulfils the desires.
kAma-kRte namah.
He fulfils whatever is desired, be it towards bhoga or moksha. SrI satyadevo
vAsishTha gives the explanation - kAmAn karoti pUrayati itikAma-kRt - One
who fulfils the desires. It is natural that a person with less wealth goes to a
person with more wealth for fulfilling his need. The only one who can ultimately
fulfill the desires of anyone is the One who has everything, vishNu the kAma-
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kRt. kAma-kRt can also mean One who creates desires; in this sense, He
creates the good desires, just as He destroys the undesirable desires (kAma-
hA).
The dharma cakram writer from mANikka vAcakar "vENDattakkadu aRivOy nI,
vENDa muzhudum taruvOy nI, vENDum pariSu onRu uNDu enil aduvum
undanviruppanRE". He also quotes tirumangai AzhvAr in this context -
kulamtarum Selvam tandiDum, aDiyAr padDum tuyar Ayina ellAm nilam
taramSeyyum nIL viSumbum aruLum aruLODu peru nilam aLikkum, nalam
tarumSollai nAn kaNDu konDEn nArAyaNA ennum nAmam. He gives the lesser
objects to those who desire this, and the very utterance of His nAma can give
moksham also.
He who is charming.
kAntAya namah.
This nAma will re-occur as nAma 660 later. kAnta also means attraction. In
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tamizh, this word is used to refer to magnet. The dharma cakram writer
describes the different kinds of attraction, involving the five senses, as well
as the attraction involving thought and the one involving good behavior or
character. BhagavAn is kAntah because He is the One responsible for all the
different types of attractions, and in addition He is also attractive in every
one of these.
kAmAya namah.
People in this world are after dharma, artha, kAma or moksha. For all these
four, He is the one who is sought after. The dharma cakram writer points out
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that those who desire wealth or physical objects and are after sensuous
attraction lower themselves, whereas those who desire bhagavAn elevate
themselves. Those who desire the ultimate liberation know that the most
desirable is bhagavAn vishNu. kAma also refers to manmatha, who is
considered the god of desire. manmatha's ability to be desirable is but a
fraction of bhagavAn's.
kAma-pradAya namah.
He grants the wishes of those who desire Him as well as those who are after
trifles. For those who desire nothing other than Him, He fulfils their desire by
being in their mind constantly. He makes Himself available in any form that is
desired. In kaThopanishad we have "ekobahUnAm yo vidadhAti kAmAn (2.5)" -
The One who fulfils the desires of the many.
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nAma 300. àÉu> - prabhuh
1. One who has the supreme power to attract the minds of all towards
Himself;
prabhave namah.
Power to attract everyone's mind towards Him through His extreme loveliness.
SrI Sankara bhAshyam for this nAma is prakarsheNa bhavanAtprabhuh - One
who surpasses all in being. The dharma cakram writer gives examples of how
bhagavAn surpasses all in being: by not slipping from the right path (acyuta),
by always having the indriya-s under control (hRshI-keSah), by establishing
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SlOkam 33
Starting from this, up to nAma 313, are interpreted by SrI BhaTTar as
referring to the vata-patra-SAyI avatAra or the incarnation as a Child on the
banyan leaf.
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nAma 301. yugaidkt! - yugAdikrut
yugAdi-kRte namah.
SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation "yugasya ante'pi Adim karoti" - Even at
the end of a yuga, He makes the beginning of another. Even at the dissolution
of the Universe, He saves it from the distress of Deluge by beginning the
Universe again; even at the end of the Universe through pralaya, He begins
Creation again.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri suggests that through these divisions of time, like
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the day and night following each other, He gives a meaning of continuity to
time which is otherwise a never-ending cakra or circle with no beginning or end.
The word yuga is derived from the root yuj - yoge - to unite. He creates the
continuity or connectivity between one yuga and another by ensuring that the
life-forms are re-created according to their karma-s.
The dharma cakram writer points outs the limited nature of our body and our
life in this world in the context of this huge, immeasurable, and unending, kAla
or time. Instead of wasting it on petty goals, and worrying about the past
which is gone or the future on which we have no control, we should learn to
meditate on Him in the present, over which we have control.
yugAvartAya namah.
Avarta refers to revolution or rotation. SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is that
He is yugAvarta because He makes the kRta and other yuga-s go round again
and again with their respective dharma-s. (It is said that if the extent of
dharma in the society in kRta yuga is 100%, that in tretA yuga is75%, in
dvApara yuga is 50%, and that in kali yuga is 25%. kRta yuga is also called satya
yuga based on this). This rotation is seen in a dimension where we can relate to
it easily in the form of day and night, morning, afternoon, and evening, the four
seasons with their constant attributes (rain, snow, heat, etc.,) repeating again
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and again. He is not only the Creator of Time as we saw in the previous nAma,
but He is also the Administrator of Time as we see in this nAma.
He of multifarious wonders.
naika-mAyAya namah.
This is one of the nAma-s for which the interpretation of SrI BhaTTar and
SrI Sankara are purely based on the respective philosophies (viz.,
viSishTAdvaita and advaita respectively) to which they subscribed.
SrI BhaTTar points out that mAyA here refers to knowledge or wonderful
truths, and should not be interpreted as illusion. He is naika-mAya because of
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His innumerable and wonderful exploits. He gives several examples to point out
the use of the word not as illusion but as truth, knowledge, etc.
"mAyAm tu prakRtim vidyAt" - Know that mAyA is prakRti or Primordial
Matter.
SrI Sankara gives the interpretation that this nAma refers to His assuming
many forms of illusion.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning from the root mA - mAne - to
measure, and gives the interpretation that this nAma means that He has
innumerable dimensions to Him.
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nAma 304. mhazn> - mahAsanah
mahASanAya namah.
mahat aSanam yasya sah mahASanah. The root is aS - bhojane - to eat. The
reference here is to His swallowing the seven worlds. Recall the pASuram
"ulagam uNDa peru vAyA". Also we have from tiruvAi mozhi- "kArEzh kaDalEzh
malai Ezh ulagu uNDum ArA vayiRRAnai aDa~ngap piDittEnE" - 10-8-2.
SrI Sankara refers to His act of consuming everything during the time of
pralaya.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives another additional derivation for this nAma
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adRSyAya namah.
BhagavAn's acts are inscrutable. In mahAbhAratam, we have
"When the entire world has met with destruction, how come this child is alive
and lying down (on a leaf)? Even though I try to understand this through the
power of my austerities, I am unable to understand the true nature of this
child".
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SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr -
katkilI here means One who cannot be seen through our normal vision.
The dharma cakram writer points out that He is adRSyah because He cannot
be recognized through the five senses, nor by logical analysis. For that matter,
it is only His Grace that can make Him be realized.
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nAma 306. Vy´têp> - vyakta
vyakta--rUpah
He of a manifest form.
vyakta-rUpAya namah.
His celestial form is easily visualized by the sages such as mArkaNDeya.
"He, who is like the blue lily flower in color, and who is adorned by the
SrIvatsa mole, appears to me always as the abode of Lakshmi".
"O Dear! His two feet with red surface adorned by the lovely soft and red
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toes, were firmly placed on my head when I bowed with bent head and
worshipped Him". Notice that just in the previous nAma we had seen Him to be
adRSya, and now we encounter Him as vykata-rUpa. The difference is that in
the previousnAma we saw that He cannot be seen through the normal means of
perception. In the current nAma we see that He is easily perceived by His
devotees who have transcended the influence of the five senses.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that the ca in the Slokam - vyakta
rUpaSca - indicates that even while being adRSya, He is of vykata-rUpa or
manifest form to His devotees, through so many incarnations etc.
The dharma cakram writer points out that the previous nAma revealed
vishNu's attribute which is beyond our perception, and the current nAma
reveals His attribute of being present in everything as antaryAmi.
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sahasra-jite namah.
SrI BhaTTar interprets the 'thousands' here as referring to thousands of
aeons or Time which He conquers by being in yoga-nidrA while everything else
is dissolved in pralaya.
ananta-jite namah.
He is ananta-jit because He has everything that exists under His control. In
every incarnation He alone wins in the end. SrI BhaTTar gives the
interpretation that His mahimA or greatness is beyond comprehension.
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SlOkam 34
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b) One who is worshipped in ishTi or sacrifice.
ishTAya namah.
He is ishTa because He is liked by everyone and this is because He is the
Supreme Bliss. The dharma cakram writer emphasizes that there is nothing
else that is worth liking and going after, because nothing else is Permanent
Bliss. We should learn to convert the desire that we have for material objects
to the desire for understanding AtmA, and ultimately to the desire for
paramAtmA. The second interpretation is self-explanatory, and is related to
the termishTi which means sacrifice.
aviSishTAya namah.
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He protects everyone just as a mother protects all of her children without
partiality. Another interpretation is that He is aviSishTa because He cannot
be distinguished by virtue of the fact that He is the antaryAmi in everything.
It is unclear from the sources I have on whether SrI BhaTTar had
interpreted309 and 310 together as one nAma - aviSishTah ishTah - meaning
He is one who does not distinguish between beings and treats them all alike
like a mother her children. Two of the four sources I have that follow SrI
BhaTTar's vyAkhyAna treat the two together as one nAma. In the versions
which treat these as two nAma-s, there is a further variation for nAma 310 -
viSishTa instead of aviSishTa - One who is Special and Unique - One who is the
noblest and most sacred. This version is used by SrI cinmayAnanDa.
SishTeshTAya namah.
a) SishTAnAm ishTah SishTeshTah or
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b) He who wears a peacock feather
SikhanDine namah.
The word SikhanDa means a tuft of hair or the plume of a peacock. SrI
BhaTTar uses the meaning 'crest' to mean that He is at the crest or peak of
Lordship. SrI Sankara gives the interpretation that this nAma refers to Lord
KRshNa as a cowherd boy, with the peacock feather in His head.
nahushAya namah.
nahyati iti nahushah. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the interpretation that
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He binds all beings through His beauty and soulabhyam. SrI satyadevo
vAsishTha interprets this to mean that He binds (controls) all beings and so
He is nahushah. This binding extends in the world we observe even to the
different parts of the body being bound appropriately so that they function as
a unit. So also the different planets are bound together so that there is
order.
vRshAya namah.
The word is derived from the root vRsh - to drench or to shower. He also
showers whatever is asked for on His devotees, and so He is vRshah in that
sense as well - kAmAnAm varshaNAt vRshah - SrI Sankara. He also gives the
following verse from mahAbhArata -
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vRsho hi bhagavAn dharmah smRto lokeshu bhArata|
(SAntiparva 330.23)
"O arjuna! vRsha is explained by the lexicographers and likewise known in this
world as sacred dharma. Hence know Me as vRsha". Thus, vRsha and dharma
are synonyms. SrI BhaTTar interprets the next 8 nAma-s as referring to
paraSurAma or bhArgava rAma incarnation.
krodha-ghne namah.
krodham hanti iti krodha-hA. SrI BhaTTar's interpretation: At the mere
request of KASyapa mahArshi, He gave up His anger which had previously
resulted in the destruction of 21lineages of kshatriya-s. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan
gives reference to divya prabandham in support of this interpretation:
"mazhuvinAl avani araSai mUvezhu-kAl maNi-muDi poDi paDuttu
udirakkuzhuvAr punalil kuLittu ven-kopam tavirndavan" - periya tirumozhi 8-1-
6.SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that this nAma indicates that BhagavAn
can control His anger just at the mere thought of controlling it. In His
incarnation as Lord rAma, we find that He became intensely angry at times
(rosham AhArayat tIvram - 3-30-19), (krodhasya vaSameyivAn - 6-59-136),
but only He can also get rid of this anger at will in an instant. A lesson
applicable in this context to real life is given by the dharma cakram writer who
quotes SrI paramahamsa on how to handle situations which may require one to
be angry - "Hiss but don't bite". In other words, do not ever let your anger
get to a point where you cause harm to others. SrI Sankara's interpretation:
He is krodha-hA since He helps the sAdhu-sto overcome anger. Anger is a
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result of unfulfilled desires, and when desire is overcome, anger is also
overcome.
krodha-kRte namah.
In His incarnation as paraSurAma, He got angry at kArta-vIrya and his
kshatriya race and destroyed 21 generations of them, before giving up His
anger as mentioned in the previous nAma. SrI Sankara gives the meaning that
He creates anger in people who are wicked or bad - asAdhushu krodham karoti
iti krodha-kRt, and they cause their own destruction because of this anger.
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nAma 317. ktaR - kartA
He who slays.
kartre namah.
Continuing his interpretation of the sequence of nAma-s as describing paraSu-
rAma incarnation, SrI BhaTTar interprets this nAma as referring to the
slaying of kArta-vIrya. SrI Sankara gives the meaning that He is kartA or
Creator of the Universe - kriyata iti karma jagat tasya kartA. SrI Sankara
gives the interpretation for 316 and 317 as individual nAma-s, and also
suggests that the can be considered as one nAma together -krodha-kRt-kartA
- One who destroys those who demonstrate anger viz. the asura-s. For the
purposes of accounting for 1000 nAma-s, 316 and 317 as treated as one nAma
in SrI Sankara bhAshyam, and as two in SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam.
krodha-kRt-kartre namah.
The interpretation in this case is krodha-kRtAm daityAdInAm kartA
chedakaiti ekam nAma. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation -
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krodhamkaroti iti krodha-kRt krodha-kRtam kRntati chinatti hanti vA
sakrodha-kRt-kartA.
viSva-bAhave namah.
Bhagavan uses His arms for removing the thorns (evil-doers) for the good of
the world. Hence He is called viSva-bAhuh. Again the context in which SrI
BhaTTar interprets the nAma is with respect to paraSurAma incarnation, and
thus the reference here is to the destruction of 21 generations of rAkshasa-s.
SrI Sankara gives the meaning in a more general sense. He is viSva-bAhu since
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He has arms that are endless in number to support the world, and extend
everywhere for the same cause. In SvetASvatara upanishad, we have
reference to viSvato-bAhuh ( 3.3). Everything depends on Him, and in this
sense also He is viSva-bAhuh. Thus, He has infinite arms for both destroying
the evil-doers (SrI BhaTTar), and for helping His devotees (SrI Sankara). In
both cases, His actions are always for the good of the world. The dharma
cakram writer points out that as we use our hands in performing our karma-s,
BhagavAn performs the acts of creation, protection, etc. of the world, and in
this sense He is viSva-bAhu. The nAma should also remind us that these hands
of ours are for doing good to others.
mahI-dharAya namah.
mahIm dhatte iti mahI-dharah. He supports the world by removing the evil-
doers or wicked people in the world. SrI Sankara bhAshyam is that mahI
means both pUjA (mahatva) and earth. He is mahI-dhara because He accepts
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the offerings from devotees or because He supports the world. SrI
cinmayAnanda gives an example to explain the meaning of 'support'. This is
like the cotton supporting the cloth, the gold supporting the ornament, or the
clay supporting a clay pot. In this sense, His supporting the world is the same
as saying that the world and He are inseparable and same, and the world is one
of His manifestations.
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mahIdharah
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SlOkam 35
ACyut> àiwt> àa[> àa[dae vasvanuj>,
acutAya namah.
This nAma occurred previously (nAma 101).
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described in a previous write-up. BhagavAn is the acyuta, from His superior
position, watching the jIvAtmA which is tasting the fruits of karma in this
case.
prathitAya namah.
The nAma is derived from the root prath - to become famous (prath -
prakhyAn - prasiddhi). This fame can be associated with the previous nAma -
His guNa of being acyuta, or on account of His creation, sustenance, etc. of
the Universe. Supports for the interpretation are:
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"tasya nAma mahad-yaSah" taittirIya nArAya.1.9
The dharma cakram writer points out that the fame that is derived from
things such as wealth, position in life, etc. are impermanent and disappear as
soon as the underlying cause that resulted in this fame disappears. This is not
the case when the fame results from adherence to dharma, and in this case
the fame is permanent. This is as evidenced by the cases of hariS-canDra, the
pANDava-s, prahlAda, hanumAn, etc. BhagavAn is prathitah for the same
reason i.e., He is satya-parAkrama, satya, satya-kAma, satya-samkalpa, satya-
vrata, etc., and so He is prathitah.
The Life-Breath.
prANAya namah.
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He is prANa for those who resort to Him (SrI BhaTTar). He is also the life-
energy for all beings (SrI Sankara) - prANo vA aham asmi - aitareyaAraNyaka
2.2.3). SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference to prabandham - ulagukkEOr
uyirumAnAi - tiruvAi mozhi 6-9-7. The next 11 nAma-s are interpreted by SrI
BhaTTar as describing the kUrma (Tortoise) incarnation.
The Life-Giver.
prANadAya namah.
Since He gave the strength to the deva-s to churn the Milky Ocean, He
isprANa-dah (SrI BhaTTar). SrI Sankara gives the interpretation that He is
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the Life-giver to everyone (deva-s and asura-s), and also gives an additional
interpretation using the meaning dyati - cuts - He cuts the strength of asura-
s. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the following explanation - prANan dadAti
dyati khaNDayati va sa prANa-dah - BhagavAn both gives life to all beings, and
takes away the life of all beings when the time comes, and so He is prANa-dah
in both senses. The dharma cakram writer points out that the different
aspects of our life and body - such as our thoughts, our words, etc., are all
different reflections of the prANa in us. Without prANa, our life will cease to
exist, and our body will cease to function. But by controlling this prANa, we
can control our body and all its actions. There is no limit to what can be
achieved by having control over our prANa or breath. This nAma of
mahAvishNu should teach us that the prANa that has been given to us by Him
should be used for good purpose.
vAsavAnujAya namah.
296
SrI BhaTTar says in his vyAkhyAna that this nAma refers to BhagavAn being
born as the younger brother of indra in order to help him get the nectar which
he wishes to have.
SrI v.v.rAmAnujan points out that the reference in this nAma is NOT to
upendra or vAmana (nAma 153). I am unable to explain what this incarnation
is.
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nAma 325. Apa< inix> - apAm
apAm--nidhi
apAm-nidhaye namah.
SrI BhaTTar continues his interpretation of this nAma based on the kUrma
incarnation, and points out that this name indicates that He sustained the
great Ocean when it was being churned. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to
tiruvAi mozhi - appanE! Azh-kaDalaik kaDaindatuppanE! (4.7.5). SrI Sankara
gives the meaning "The Ocean" to this nAma based on "Apo yatranidhIyante
sah apAm-nidhih - The place where the waters get collected in abundance". He
also gives reference to the gItA - sarasAm asmi sAgarah -Among lakes I am
the Ocean - gItA 10.24. SrI cinmayAnanda points out that the glory and
might of the oceans are but a tiny reflection of bhagavAn's glory divine. SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri takes the anubhavam of this nAma a step further and
points out that just as the waters of all the rivers and canals ultimately reach
the ocean and lose their identity, so also those who worship BhagavAn become
297
one with Him. In this sense He is apAm-nidhih, or the Ocean where everybody
merges in the end. The dharma cakram writer points out that just as the
ocean is the beginning and the end for the water (by evaporation of the waters
of the ocean, the vapor rises, condenses and comes back in the forms of rain,
which then forms the rivulets and rivers, and these in turn go back to the
ocean), so also the beings of this world originate from Him, and ultimately
merge back into Him. Just as the good water as well as the dirty water gets
into the ocean but then lose their identity and get merged into the ocean, so
also the jIvAtmA-s attain equality without distinction when they reach Him.
Unlike the bounds which man can place for the lesser bodies of water, there is
no bound that he can place for the ocean - another reflection of BhagavAn
asapAm-nidhih or Ocean. Though the external surface of the ocean is full of
waves, its deep inside is peace incarnate, and in this sense also He is apAm-
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nidhih.
The Support.
adhishThAnAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar interprets this as referring to His supporting the mandara
mountain in His kUrma incarnation. He gives reference to vishNu purANa in
support -
(1.9.88)
BhagavAn nArAyaNa Himself, in the form of kUrma, supported the mandara
mountain in the middle of the Milk Ocean when the mountain was revolving (at
the time of churning)". SrI Sankara gives the more general meaning that He is
adhishThAnam because He is the basis or support for everything in this
Universe - adhithishThantibhUtAni.
298
nAma 327. AàmÄ> - apramattah
The Vigilant.
apramattAya namah.
He is extremely attentive in the protection of those who are in distress (SrI
BhaTTar). pramatta refers to one who is careless or inattentive. apramatta
refers to His guNa of extreme vigilance in protecting those who have
surrendered to Him - ASrita-rakshakan. SrI Sankara's interpretation is that
He is vigilant in awarding the effects of karma to those who are entitled to
them. SrI cinmayAnanda points out that pramada refers to one who makes
errors in judgment, and apramatta is One who does not make errors in
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judgment. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that the vigilance here could
also refer to bhagavAn being very careful and vigilant in distributing the
nectar that came out of the churning of the Milk Ocean to the appropriate
persons. The dharma cakram writer points out that the lesson we should take
from this nAma is that we should always be vigilant about the thoughts that
enter our mind, and ensure that our thoughts do not stray towards the
pleasures of indriya-s but instead meditate on Him constantly. Just as a thief
would not enter a house where people are awake, negative thoughts won't
enter one's mind when one is awake and vigilant in the thought of bhagavAn.
Whenever negative thoughts enter one's mind, one should divert those
thoughts to positive energy by chanting bhagavAn's nAma instead. This is the
lesson one should take from this nAma.
He who is self-dependent.
pratishThitAya namah.
One who is supported and established in His own greatness, without any
support from external sources. The following upanishadic quote echoes this
299
explanation almost verbatim -
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Volume II
Our Sincere thanks to the following for their invaluable contributions to
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(http://kirtimukha.com/chinnamma/sahasra/)
Cover Image
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Sri. B. Srinivas for providing the cover image
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Exclusive Artwork
E-book assembly:
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CONTENTS (Contd.)
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ïI>.
. ïIiv:[ushönamStaeÇm!.
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vaikuNThanaathan
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SlOkam 36
SkNdSSkNdxrae xuyaeR vrdae vayuvahn>,
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skandAya namah.
skandayati Soshayati iti skandah - One who destroys the asura-s and other
evil-doers (SrI BhaTTar). skanda also can mean One who melts like butter
when it comes to helping His devotees, or flows like nectar in the thoughts of
His bhakta-s - skandati iti skandah (This is one interpretation that SrI
Sankara gives). SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives reference to gItA -
senAnInAmaham skandah (gItA 10.24) - I am skanda among the chiefs of
armies. Here skanda refers to subrahmaNya, who is considered the chief
among the chiefs of armies.
skanda-dharAya namah.
(SrI BhaTTar) - BhagavAn is the supporter of skanda, the commander-in-chief
of the army of gods. The above quote from gItA thus states that skanda is
apart of bhagavAn's vibhUti or glory. SrI Sankara's interpretation for the
1
term skanda is "righteous path - dharmapatham", and so the vyAkhyAna he
gives is that bhgavAn is the upholder of the path of dharma.
The Supporter.
dhuryAya namah.
One of the meanings for the word 'dhur' is load. He bore the weight of the
mandara mountain in His kUrma incarnation, and so He is the Supporter. He is
also the Supporter of the Universe - bhuvana-bhRte. SrI satyadevo
vAsisshTha gives an alternate meaning also for the word "dhur" - the front
part of an object, and interprets the nAma to mean that bhagavAn is them
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varadAya namah.
varAh abhIpsitah arthah, tam dadAti iti vara-dah. varam also means "the
best", and so One who gives the best to those devotees who pray to Him with
detachment is vara-da. The dharma cakram writer reminds us that the best
for us is "nalam tarum Sollai nAn kaNDu konDEn nArAyaNA ennum nAmam" per
tirumangai AzhvAr. Needless to say what one gets by chanting the nAma of
nArAyaNa - "kulam tarum Selvan tandiDum aDiyAr paDu tuyar Ayina ellAm
nilamtaram Seyyum.... peRRa tAyinum Ayina Seyyum".
2
vAyu-vAhanAya namah.
BhagavAn rides on and drives vAyu, the life-breath of the world.
IntiruvezhukkURRirukkai, we have - mEdagum aim-perum bhUtamum nIyE - He
controls the pa~nca bhUta-s such as air etc. The dharma cakram writer points
out that while air is very important for us to live, this nAma should remind us
that mahA vishNu who makes the air move is just as important to us, and thus
we should learn to meditate on Him. SrI Sankara gives the vyAkhyAna that
bhagavAn controls the atmosphere in the seven regions of space. SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri describes in detail about these seven regions which are
controlled by seven different sons of kaSyapaand diti, because of the powers
given to them by bhagavAn. They are called the sapta-maruta-s. Six of these
regions are listed by many of the authors. These regions are: the space
between earth and the clouds, that between the clouds and the sun, that
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between the sun and the moon, the moon and the stars, the stars and the
planets, and the planets and the sapta-RshimanDala. It is said that it is
because of the pressure exerted by these regions of air that the various
stellar objects keep from colliding with each other. The next 12 nAma-s are
interpreted by SrI BhaTTar as referring to adhyAtmavAsudeva or para
vAsudeva form of bhagavAn. Prof. A. SrInivAsa rAghavan notes that
coincidentally, the vAsudeva mantra also has 12 akshara-s in it.
Vasu-devAya namah.
This nAma occurs again as nAma 701. The name indicates that bhagavAn is
vAsu and He is deva. vAsu is derived from vas - to reside and to envelope.
sarvam vasati - everything lives in Him, and sarvatra vasati - He lives
everywhere. He is vAsu since He lives in the world making it live within
Himself like a mother and also protects it by covering it like a bird that
protects its young ones with its out-spread wings. He is deva because He
3
plays, wishes to conquer, and shines. He also protects the beings as described
above (vAsu) as a leelaa, and so He is vAsu-deva. The word devais derived
from div - krIDAyAm - to play. So all His acts are leelaa-s. The following
quotes are given by SrI Sankara and SrI BhaTTar to support the
interpretation:
"Like the sun with his rays, I am covering the whole universe, and also I am
residing in all beings; hence I am called vAsudeva".
(udyoga 69-3)
"I am the abode of all beings, and with a divine form I live in all of them.
Therefore I am known as vAsudeva by the yogi-s who have realized the truth".
(vishNu purA.6.5.80)
"All beings remain in the paramAtman, and He is in all beings; hence the
omnipresent is called vAsudeva".
SrI v.v.rAmAnujan points out that bhagavAn got this name also by His
incarnation as the son of vAsudeva.
4
The dharma cakram writer brings out the subtle point that bhagavAn is in
everything and everywhere, and yet successfully conceals Himself from all
except His devotees. He successfully conceals Himself while being present in
everything as the antaryAmi, controlling the air, the sun, the planets, etc.,
having svayam-prakASa, etc.
SrI BhaTTar points out that like the nAma nArAyaNa, this nAma is also
arahasyam whose meaning should be learnt from an AcArya, and so is not
discussed in further detail.
He of profuse lustre.
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bRhad-bhAnave namah.
bRhat means huge, very large. bhAnu means rays. SrI Sankara gives the
following reference:
(udyoga 70.4)
"He, whose great rays surpass the sun, moon, and others, and He who
illuminates the universe through them, is called bRhad-bhAnuh". SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the support from muNDakopanishad -
The sun and moon get their luster from Him. The dharma cakram writer points
out that while the sun gives light to the external world, BhagavAn gives light
to the Sun as well as the light needed for us to realize our internal self.
5
nAma 336. Aaiddev> - Adi
Adi--dEvah
Adi-devAya namah.
That He sports with the worlds as He pleases is indicated by the nAmaAdi-
devah. As was seen earlier in "vAsu-devah", the term deva refers to His leelA
or sport in creation, protection, and destruction of all the beings. He plays
with the act of creation etc. just like a child playing on the seashore by
building and smashing sand-castles (SrI v.v.rAmAnujan). "akhilabhuvana janma
sthema bhangAdi leele" - It is His sport to go through this cycle of creation,
protection and destruction. SrI Sankara's vyAkhyAnam is "Adih kAraNam" -
The First Cause. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the definition from niruktam
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purandarAya namah.
Puram dArayati iti purandarah - One who destroyed the cities.
6
"puram oru mUnru eRittu amararkkum aRivu iyandu aran ayan ena ulagu
azhittu amaittu uLanE".
"EmperumAn is the One who destroyed the three cities in the form of rudra,
gave the knowledge of the veda-s to the deva-s in the form of brahma, and
performs the functions of creation, protection and destruction".
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called purandarah.
7
kAraNaSarIram as well. This is when we are able to experience the self.
Since bhagavAn is the cause of the destruction of the three sArIra-s that are
standing in the way of our experiencing the self, He is called purandarah.
d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha starts with the meaning "body" for the word pura,
and gives the interpretation that since bhagavAn puts an end to the body, He
is purandarah - puram dArayati iti purandarah.
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8
SlOkam 37
AzaekStar[Star ZzUrZzaEirjRneñr>,
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a-SokAya namah
SrI Sankara and SrI BhaTTar give differing but equally enlightening
vyAkhyAna-s for this. SrI BhaTTar points out that bhagavAn has this nAma
because He is the dispeller of the troubles such as sorrow, delusion, hunger,
etc. SrI Sankara gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is devoid of defects
such as sorrow, delusion, hunger, etc., and so He has this nAma. In SrI
BhaTTar's vyAkhyAna. this nAma is associated with His removing the sorrows
of the adhyAtmika kind. The next nAma will be interpreted in terms of Adi-
bhautika. nAma 336, purandarah, which was covered last week, covered the
category of sorrows designated as Adi-daivika. Thus, the sequence of nAma-s
purandarah, aSokah, tAraNah, and tArah, are interpreted as His guNa of
protecting us from all the different kinds of fears.
9
tAraNAya namah.
tArayati iti tArah - One who helps in crossing.
is the kind of distinction that is made sometimes between how the person who
is pursuing the bhakti mArga for attaining moksha is helped by bhagavAn vs.
one who is following the prapatti mArga.
The Savior.
tArAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is that He is tArah because He makes His
devotees cross over the ocean of samsAra. The following quote from atharva-
Siras (4) - "garbha-janma-jarA-maraNa- samsAra sAgara mahA
bhayAttArayati tasmAt ucyate tArah" One who takes His devotee across the
great fear of the ocean of samsAra consisting of garbha-vAsa or conception,
birth, aging, and death.
The Valiant.
10
SUrAya namah.
This nAma is derived from the root "Su" to go, and signifies the urge for
victory. Perhaps to emphasize the "go" aspect of this nAma,
SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives examples from divya prabandham which illustrate the
"go-get" nature of His victories. "SenRu a~ngu ten ila~ngai SeRRAn" -
tiruppAvai; "SenRu a~ngu vANanai Ayiram tOzhim tenRit tiSai tiSai
vIzhaccheRRAi" - periYAzhvAr tirumozhi 5.3.4 (Note the choice of the word
"SenRu" in both examples).
The dharma cakram writer illustrates the significance of this nAma for our
day-to-day life. He points out that whenever there is battle between the
deva-s and asura-s, the asura-s invariable win first, and then the deva-s seek
the help of mahA vishNu who then helps them defeat the evil asura-s. Our life
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is a replay of this scenario, with the constant battle between the bad qualities
in us and the good in us. Invariably, the bad will win out unless we seek the
help of mahA vishNu by chanting His nAma. This is what we should learn from
this nAma.
c) The descendant of the group of people called SUra-s in the yAdava race.
Sauraye namah.
The above different interpretations are found for this nAma based on the
different vyAkhyAna-s. The first is from SrI parAsara BhaTTar and other
writers who base their vyAkhyAa-s on SrI BhaTTar. The second is from SrI
Sankara. The third is from SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri. In support of the first
interpretation, SrI v.v.rAmAnujan points out the valor of nandagopan -ODAda
tOL valian nadagOpan kumaran, the valor of dasaratha - dayaraRkkumaganAit
11
tOnRi - born as the son of the valiant dasaratha, etc. SrI Sankara's
interpretation is that bhagavAn in His incarnation as kRshNawas born as the
son of vAsudeva, whose father's name was SUra. SUrasyagotrApatyam
pumAn Saurih or SUra kulodbhavAt Saurih.
SrI rAdhAkRshNaSAstri points out that among the yAdava-s, there was a
group who were called the SUra-s. Since vasudeva was from this group,
kRshNa is Saurih.
janeSvarAya namah.
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janAnAm jantUnAm ISvarah janeSvarah - The Lord of all things that are born
or created. The dharma cakram writer points out that bhagavAn is the Leader
of everything by guiding them always as appropriate. When there is suffering,
those that meditate on Him benefit by those sufferings by reaching higher
levels, and those that don't benefit fall to lower level still they reach a point
when they feel they need to seek Him. At this point He guides them
appropriately to the higher levels. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the
interpretation that He is janeSvarah because He gives aiSvarya or wealth to
people.
anukUlAya namah.
kUlam means shore. kUlam anuvartate iti anukUlah - One who is constrained by
the limits. Lord rAma had great valor, but was not was conscious and wonder-
struck about that - "vIryavAn na ca vIeyeNa mahatA svena vismitah". SrI P.B.
12
aNNa~ngarAcArya svAmi explains that in spite of His enormous and unbounded
greatness, He is easily accessible to those who seek Him. He is bound by
bhakti, and this is His AnukUlya svabhAva or ability to be within bounds. SrI
v.v.rAmAnujan points out the incident of His being bound by yaSodA - being
within the bounds of what a child is supposed to be -kaNNInUN SiruttAmbinAl
kattuNNap paNNiya peru mAyan. Aycci kaNNIkkayiRRinAl kaTTat tAn
kaTTuNDirundAn - mUnRAm tiruvantAdi - 91. Without knowing His identity,
YasodA challenges Him - Make yourself free if you can! - "yadi Saknoshi gaccha
tvam ati ca~ncala ceshTita!" - and He just remains tied, because He is
anukUlah. SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that He is anukUlah
because He always goes along with whatever anyone does. Thus a murderer
commits his murder, and another helps humanity, and bhagavAn just is the
Observer in both cases. He keeps Himself within His bounds. SrI
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rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the meaning that anukUla means going towards the
shore, based on kUla= shore. bhagavAn is anukUla because He helps His
devotees go towards the shore when they try to cross the ocean of samsAra.
The dharma cakram writer points out that bhagavAn is always acting His role
as an anukUlah to everyone (including the murderer in the above para) by being
the internal conscience of everyone and telling them what is right. The inner
conscience is always pointing to what is right and what is wrong. Those who
obey their inner conscience do not do anything that will be negative to their
path of progress towards Him, and those who disobey their inner conscience
deteriorate and move away from Him. But He does His job of being the
anukUlah in everyone's case all the time by being their inner conscience.
c) He who maintains and manages several cycles - the cycle ofsamsAra for all
the beings, the cakra-s of graha-s, nakshatra-s etc.
13
SatAvartAya namah.
Sata means hundred. Here it means innumerable. For the protection of
dharma in the world, He takes infinite varieties of forms or incarnations, and
so He is called SatAvarta (SrI Sankara). Recall "dharamasamsthApanArthAya
sambhavAmi yuge yuge". Another interpretation, also by SrI Sankara, is that
it refers to the 100 nADi's or vessels that proceed from the heart and
maintain prANa or life in the body - nADI-Sate prANarUpeNa vartata iti vA.
dharma cakram: There are several examples which illustrate His guNa of
SatAvarta. He appears in the form of the sun everyday in order to sustain life
in this world. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the reference to atharva veda -
sUryasya AvRtam anvAvarte - 10.5.37. His repeated incarnations inhuman
form to protect dharma in this world is another example. His protection of
pAnDava-s and draupadi repeatedly when they were in distress is another
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14
nAma 346. pÒI - padmI
He who carries the lotus in His hand. padmam is what He carries in one of His
four hands (Sankha, cakra, and gadAare in the other three hands). The lotus
signifies the sAttvic qualities of bhagavAn viz. dharma, j~nAna, vairAgya, and
aiSvarya (SrI rAdhAkRshNaSAstri). He refers us to SrImad bhAgavatam -
itareNa dhunAnam abjam - with the other hand He is playing with the lotus
(10.23.22). The padmam is suggestive of His always being ready to welcome
anyone who comes to Him. SrI cinmayAnanda points out that bhagavAn first
blows His conch and invites us to offer His "knowledge" - signified by His
padma, and if they don't listen to this, He uses His gadA to give a gentle
knock, and if this does not yield results, then there is the cakra, which
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annihilates the evil and restores order again. One is reminded of sAma, dAna,
bheda, and danDa. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the meaning "knowledge" for
the word padma, and suggests that one who gives True Knowledge or one who
has True Knowledge is padmI.
padama-nibhkshaNAya namah.
This nAma describes the cool, benevolent, kind, inviting, consoling, appearance
of His eyes, which look like the lotus flowers. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan provides
references from prabandham - "un mugam maiyyal ERRimayakkum mAya
mandiram tAn kolO? ceyya tAmaraik kaNNinAi" - nAcciArtirumozhi 2-4;
"uvagaiyAl ne~njam uLLurugi un tAmaraik kaN vizhigaLin agavalaip paDuppAn" -
tiruvAi mozhi 6.2.7. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that the sequence of
nAma-s anukUlahSatAvartah padmI padma-nibhekshaNah all refer to the
quality of bhagavAn's helping nature when one seeks His help. The dharma
cakram writer reminds of the saying "The face is the index of the mind". In
15
this case, bhagavAn's lotus-eyes are conveying to us His Inner Nature. The
equivalent of this nAma in tamizh is "tAmaraik kaNNan".
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16
SlOkam 38
pÒnaÉae=rivNda]> pÒgÉRZzrIrÉ&t!,
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padmanAbhAya namah
This nAma has occurred twice earlier. In the current context where the
beauty of the celestial form of para-vAsudeva is described, the nAma means
One with a lotus-like navel. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives references to
prabandham to support this interpretation - "ayanaip paDaitta ezhil
undiazhagu" - amalanAdippirAn; tAmarai undit tanip peru nAyagan -
tiruvASiriyam. The other interpretations - One who resides in the center of
the heart-lotus of every one, and One from whose navel, the Universe sprung
forth in the form of an eight-petalled lotus with the meru mountain as the
pericap, have been explained previously. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha's vyAkhyAna
is again unique in not following the other interpretations. He interprets padma
as "flower" or something that displays colorfully, and nabh as something that
does not express itself as brilliantly. Thus, he interprets padma-nAbha as one
who at the same time is the two extremes. He is the knowledge in the learned
and the lack of knowledge in the not-learned; the one who reveals Himself to
His devotees and hides Himself from the non-devotees, like the lotus that
blossoms in the presence of the sun and the same lotus that folds its petals
when the sun disappears.
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nAma 349. ArivNda]> - aravindAkshah
The Lotus-eyed.
aravindAkshAya namah.
aravinda sadRSe akshiNi asya iti aravindAkshah. izahai koLSOdic-cendAmaraik
kaN pirAn
amalanAdi pirAn - 8
padma-garbhAya namah.
He is meditated upon as being seated on a lotus replete with fragrance and
delicacy suited to Him. The words "sarasijAsana sannivishTah" is all too
familiar to us. An alternate interpretation is that He is seated in the heart-
lotus of those that meditate on Him - daharam vipApmam para-veSmabhUtam
yat-puNDarIkam - The lotus (i.e., heart) which is subtle, flawless, and which is
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the seat of the Supreme Being. SrI rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvAi
mozhi - taNDAmarai Sumakkum pAdap-perumAn - 4.5.8. SrI Sankara gives the
interpretation that He is fit to be worshipped in the middle of the heart-lotus,
and so He is called padma-garbhah - padmasyamadhye upAsyatvAt padma-
garbhah.
SarIra-bhRte namah.
He is the Sustainer of the bodies of those who meditate on Him, since it is His
guNa-s on which they meditate that sustains them. sva-SArIra-
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bhUtamupAsakam pushNAti iti SarIra-bhRt - He considers their bodies as His,
and protects them (SrI BhaTTar). Or, He protects all the beings in this
Universe through food and life-energy- poshayan anna rUpeNa prANa rUpeNa
vA SarIriNAm SarIrANi dhArayati itiSarIra-bhRt (SrI Sankara). SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives yet another interpretation - He supports (bears)
different bodies in different incarnations for the protection of dharma and
elimination of adharma. Next the magnificence of bhagavAn is described.
He of immense riches.
maharddhaye namah.
mahatI Rddhih vibhUtih asya iti maharddhih - One who has enormous
prosperity (SrI Sankara). SrI cinmayAnanda points out that Rddhi refers to
the combination of prosperity and power. He has boundless riches which can
bring about the well-being and protection of His devotees - tad-yogakshema
nissIma vibhUtih (SrI BhaTTar). SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives the reference to
tiruvAi mozhi - vIRRirundu Ezh ulagum tanik-kOl Sella ALumammAn (4.5.1).The
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dharma cakram writer points out that wealth is of two kinds - the material
wealth (poruL Selvam) and the wealth of benevolence and Mercy (aruLSelvam).
Material wealth can be found both in the good and bad; but the wealth of
kindness and benevolence is found only in the good. bhagavAn is full of both
kinds of wealth, and so He is maharddhih. Those who meditate on mahA
vishNu's nAma of maharddhih will be blessed with these kinds of wealth.
RddhAya namah.
He grows when His devotees grow. He crowned vibhIshaNa and as a result He
became happy and void of any worry; so He grows happy when His devotees
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grow. SrI Sankara points out that He is Rddhah because He is the expanse in
the form of the Universe - prapa~nca rUpeNa vardhamAnatvAt Rddhah. The
dharma cakram writer points out that He grows beyond the reach of the
knowledge of beings. It is only by meditating on His guNa-s that one can reach
Him. Thus He is Rddhah.
vRddhAtmane namah.
vRddha means old. Since He is the oldest or the most ancient Self or AtmA,
He is called vRddhAtmA. A natural growth cycle for human beings is described
by the dharma cakram writer. A cycle of this in samsAra starts from the
womb, being born, growing up to be a child, a boy/girl, an older person, and IF
the person meditates on bhagavAn and leads the life that leads to moksha, and
reaching SrI vaikunTham at the time of the death of the body. This last stage
is the culmination of the full growth in this cycle. bhagavAn was in the full-
grown state before anything existed, without going through this cycle, and so
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He is vRddhAtmA. He was the Self before all creation.
mahAkshAya namah.
aksha means axle. SrI BhaTTar points out that in this case this refers to a
chariot, by means of a figure of speech where a part is used to refer to the
whole. So mahAkshah means One who has a vehicle worthy of reverence. This
vehicle is garuDa, the embodiment of veda-s. aksha also means eyes.
SrI Sankara uses this meaning in his interpretation- mahatI akshiNI asya iti
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mahAkshah - One who has great eyes. They are great in the sense that they
can see not only the external object, but can see through everything
everywhere inside and outside without exception, and nothing is hidden from
them. These eyes see through all that is happening deep within the bosom of
all creatures (SrI cinmayAnanda).
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the meaning "one who leads" to the word aksha
(this is also related to the meaning axle or vehicle), or one that helps in moving.
So mahAkshah is one who shows the path to everyone.
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nAma 356. géfXvj> - garuDa
garuDa--dvajah
garuDa-dvajAya namah.
bhagavAn has the unique symbol of garuDa as His banner, just as He has the
unique association with tulasi, with Goddess Lakshmi, etc. In addition to being
His vAhanam, garuDa is His banner as well. SrI cinmayAnanda points out that
the eagle soars high in the sky and can see even the minutest object on the
ground and purifies the land by removing the impurities such as the carrion
etc. Similarly, the Lord never allows any negative thoughts in the heart of His
devotees, and hence the eagle is considered as His symbol. SrI rAdhAkRshNa
SAstri refers to mahA bhAratam where garuDa requested SrIman nArAyaNa
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for permission to stand on top of Him when garuDa had to fetch amRta for
securing the release of his mother. bhagavAn made him His banner to grant
this request, and He also asked garuDa to be His vehicle. This is how garuDa
is both the flag and the vehicle. I do not have a copy of mahA bhAratam with
me to further elaborate on this reference. The dharma cakram writer points
out that garuDa being the vAhana for bhagavAn symbolizes that the jivAtmA
exists for the service of the paramAtmA, and the case of jaTAyu illustrates
that when the jIvAtmA devotes its life in the service of the paramAtmA,
moksham is the natural culmination. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points to the
powerful eagle moving fast while removing the poisonous serpents at sight,
similar to bhagavAn removing the sins of His devotees.
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SlOkam 39
Atul> zrÉae ÉIm> smy}ae hivhRir>,
The Incomparable.
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atulAya namah
Readers may be familiar with the word "tulA", which is used to refer to a
balance. atulah is One who has no equal. tulopamAnam asya na vidyata itiatulah
- There is nothing known that is comparable to Him. SrI Sankara gives the
following references - "na tasya pratimA asti yasya nAma mahadyaSah" - For
Him whose name is Great Glory, there is no likeness -SveTasva. upa. 4.19; "na
tvat-samo'sti abhyadhikah kuto'nyah" - gItA 11.43- There is no one equal to
You, where is the question of someone exceeding You? SrI v.v.rAmAnujan
refers to tiruvAi mozhi - tan oppAr il appan -6.3.9.The dharma cakram writer
reminds us that the One who should be praised by us is mahA vishNu, and not
people around us for the benefit of some favor. Those who do the former
raise to the level that they praise Him, and those who do the latter fall
further from where they are. This is the significance of this nAma for real
life.
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b) One who shines as the Inner Self.
SarabhAya namah.
a) SRNAti iti Sarabhah (SrI BhaTTar).
b) Sara means body for the following reason - SeeryaMANAt Sarah - That
which is perishable. BhA means to shine. Sarabhah thus refers to One who
shines in the body (SrI Sankara, SrI cinmayAnanda etc.). SrI rAdhAkRshNa
SAstri refers us to Sarabhopanishat (30) -
but if this body is aimed at bhagavAn, then even the perishable body shines,
because He shines in that body.
The Formidable.
bhImAya namah.
bibhyati iti bhImah. The nAma is derived from the verb bhI - to fear. The
whole world operates in an orderly way in fear of violation of His will.
bhIshA'smAt vAtah pavate - The wind does not transgress its bound out off
ear from Him (taittirIya AraN 8). Also from kaThopanishad we have -
Only out of fear from Him the fire burns, the sun blazes, indra and vAyu
discharge their duties, and death, as the fifth, runs (performs its duties). The
same idea is expressed in the brahma sUtra 1.3.40 - kampanAt. SrI
v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference to the terror He created in the heart of
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hiraNyakaSipu. We have in tiruvAi mozhi 7.6.8 - ari kAN nariyAi
arakkarULaiyiTTu anRu ila~ngai kaDandu pilambukkoLippa - He made the
rAkshasa-s in lankA run and hide for cover like the wolves on seeing a lion. The
dharma cakram writer points out that as long as there are beings who do not
have God realization, the only thing that keeps them under control is fear, and
once they have realized Him, they do not have anything to fear. SrI Sankara
has also considered an alternate pATham - viz. abhIma - One who causes no
fear to those who follow the proper path.
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samayaj~nAya namah.
He is samayaj~na since He establishes the rules e.g., that when the fire burns,
the flame goes upwards, and also at the time of creation after the pralaya, He
establishes the path of the Sun, the moon and the planets -sUryA-candramaso
dhAtA yathApUrvam akalpayat (tai. nArA. 1). SrI Sankara refers to His
knowing the methods and timing of the acts of creation, preservation, and
dissolution of the Universe. Another way he has interpreted this nAma is as
sama yaj~nah - One who has the yaj~na or observance of treating everyone
equally without showing preferential treatment. He gives reference to vishNu
purANam - samatvam ArAdhanamacutasya (1.17.90).SrI BhaTTar also offers
an alternate interpretation - He knows the proper time when He should offer
Himself to the devotees, or the proper time when He should fulfill the vow of
protection He has taken. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers to the incidence of
nRsimha avatAra, where bhagavAn knew exactly when to appear in the pillar -
iraNiyan tUN puDaippaa~ngu appozhudE avan vIyat tOnRiya en Si~ngap-pirAn -
tiruvAi mozhi - 2.8.9. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri describes six kinds of
strategies that a king is supposed to adopt in warfare, including when to fight,
when to compromise, when to seek another's help, when to let two adversaries
collide with each other and thus weaken themselves, when to attack, and when
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to wait for the attack. He points out that Lord kRshNa amply demonstrated
these different techniques when He guided the pANDava-s in their war with
the kaurava-s, and this is an explanation for this nAma. SrI satyadevo
vAsishTha gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is the only one who knows
the past, present and future, the changes in climate, the path of the planets,
when the beings will be born and in what body, when this body will die, etc.
The dharma cakram writer adds more dimension to the anubhavam of this
nAma by pointing out that bhagavAn knows when He needs to appear among us
in His incarnations (dharma samsthApanArthAya sambahavAmi yuge yuge). He
also knew when to send kunti to karNa to get him to promise that he won't
attempt to kill any pANDava other than arjuna, etc.
havir-haraye namah
This nAma has been considered as two separate nAma-s by some vyAkhAna-
kartA-s. So we will look at the interpretation for havir-harih, havih, and harih.
havis is the name given to the offering in a yAga. So one interpretation for
this nAma is Hari or vishNu who is the ultimate acceptor of the offerings -
yaj~neshu havir-bhAgam harati iti havir-harih. SrI Sankara gives reference to
the gItA - aham hi sarva yaj~nAnAm bhoktA ca prabhurevaca (9.24). The
word havis is derived from the root hu, which means both "to accept" and "to
offer". He both enjoys His devotees, and is the subject of enjoyment by His
devotees, and thus again He is havir-harih. The word "harih" is derived from
the root hR - to obtain. One who is obtained by offering of havis ishavir-harih.
Also we have in mahA bhArata -
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"I destroy the sins of those who remember Me, and also receive the oblations
in sacrifices; My complexion also is blue; hence I am named Hari". harih also
means one who removes the obstacles - harir harati pApAni. The following
nAma-s, up to 379, are interpreted by SrI BhaTTar in the context of the
lakshmI-patitvam (vishNu as the Consort of Lakshmi) of bhagavAn para-
vAsudeva.
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d) He who reveals Himself through everything around us
One should meditate on that Deity who is the Consort of Lakshmi, who has the
splendor of the inner part of a lotus, and whose two hands are adorned by the
lotus which is the abode of Lakshmi and cakra which is the lord of all weapons".
He also gives reference to the mantra "puNDarIkAksha! sakala-sukha
saubhAgyavAridhe!" - Oh the Lotus-eyed Lord! The Sea of Bliss and Good
Fortune! SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference to other examples from divya
prabandham - alarmEl ma~ngai uRai mArbA! nigar-il pugazhAi! ulagam mUnRu
uDaiyAi!;tiruvin maNALan - tiruvAi mozhi 1.9.1. He also refers us to vishNu
purANam- paSyatAm sarva-devAnAm yayau vaksha-sthalam hareh - When the
nectar by name Lakshmi came out of the Milky Ocean when it was churned, She
chose the vaksha-sthalam of mahA vishNu straight out of the Ocean even
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though all the deva-s were standing there; such are His lakshaNa-s or
attributes. SrI Sankara's interpretation is He is the lakshaNya or end result
that is obtained through all lakshaNa-s or pramANa-s. i.e., all means of
investigation ultimately lead to Him as the Supreme Knowledge or the Ultimate
Truth. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that bhagavAn is the ultimate
definition for each and every lakshaNa or attribute, and so He is sarva-
lakshaNalakshaNyah. The dharma cakram writer points to four types of
pramANa-s which are used for recognizing something. These are: prakyaksha
pramANa (recognition through our senses, such as taste, touch etc.), yukti
pramANa (recognition through indirect evidence - such as recognizing fire
through smoke), SAstrapramANa (what is laid down in scriptures, and anubhava
pramANa (what we experience ourselves, e.g., head ache). He gives the
example of rAmakRshNaparamahamsa who recognized God as the Only Truth
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through all the sepramANa-s. He could talk to God, he could not live without
the thought of God just as we can't live without air, he recognized him through
the SAstra-s, and in essence he recognized God as the ultimate Truth through
all the pramANa-s. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha describes this nAma's
significance by pointing out that He is sarva-lakshaNa lakshaNya since
everything that we see points to Him as the reason behind it. He defines
Himself through everything that we can see or otherwise recognize.
lakshmIvate namah
Prof. SrInivAsa rAghavan, in his translation of SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAna,
adds a personal note that this tattvam, viz. the association between bhagavAn
and Lakshmi, should be learned through an AcArya. I am still adding the few
words that I am picking up from the translation. There are two things that
are eternal and always existed and will always exist, without beginning or end.
One is bhagavAn. The other is prakRti, the Primordial Matter that is the
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material from which all the things in this Universe are created. This
Primordial Matter signifies Lakshmi, the Universal Mother. The Universe is a
result of the Union of these two. Neither exists without the other. There is
change in the svarUpam of the prakRti depending on the proportion of the
three guNa-s viz. sattva, rajas and tamas, but prakRti does not end at the time
of pralaya, nor does it begin at the beginning of the world. The mUla-prakRti
which is beginningless and endless just like bhagavAn, is none other than
Lakshmi. SrI BhaTTar has given the following Sloka in support -
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"At the time of my marriage with Lakshmi, I in a playful mood, revealed the
secret to all that the Supreme Reality is a couple, and not nArAyaNa alone, nor
Lakshmi alone. Then I also revealed that like Myself Lakshmi is also
beginningless (i.e. eternal). This prakRti was embraced by My hands, and I by
Her hands; wherefore I have resorted to Her, and She, in Her turn, has
resorted to Me. (So we are always together)".
SrI cinmayAnanda echoes the same spirit through the following words: "He is
the Spirit (purusha) that thrills the entire world-of-matter (prakRti). Matter
thrilled with the spirit is the dynamic world that we see around. Thus, the
manifested Lord is ever wedded to Lakshmi".
samiti~njayAya namah.
One meaning for the word samiti is battle. samitim yuddham jayati
itisamiti~njayah - He who conquers the wars or battles (SrI Sankara). He is
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the destroyer of all pain in all the devotees. He helps overcome the feeling of
independence from Him in the jIvAtmA-s, and thus brings true happiness to
them by winning over their minds (SrI BhaTTar). SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri
uses the meaning "gathering" or "assembly" for the word samiti, and gives the
meaning that bhagavAn wins over the samiti no matter how large it is, if it is
ganged up against Him.
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SlOkam 40
iv]rae raeihtae magaeR hetudaRmaedrSsh>,
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viksharAya namah
SrI Sankara bhAshyam is "vigatah ksharah (nASo) yasya asau viksharah" - One
who has no decay. SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that bhagavAn's love
for His devotees never diminishes, and He is vikshara by this reason.
rohitAya namah.
kamala garbhAbatvAt rohitah - He who has the red color of the inside of a
lotus. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvAimozhi - 8.4.7: "tirucceyya
kamalak kaNNum Sev-vAyum SevvaDiyum Seyya kaiyum tiruc-ceyya
kamalaundiyum Seyya kamala mArbum". Seyya here means reddish colored,
kamala means lotus. rohita also refers to a species of fish, and SrI Sankara
has given the alternate interpretation that it can refer to His matsya
incarnation, in the form of a reddish hued fish. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha
derives the meaning from the root ruh - bIja janmaniprAdurbhAve ca - to
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grow, to increase, to rise, to reach, and gives the interpretation
"prAdurbhavati iti rohitah - One who expresses Himself or One who causes all
beings to express themselves is rohitah.
mArgAya namah.
mArgyate iti mArgah - He is mArgah because He is always sought after by His
worshippers. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvAi mozhi
nURRandAdi91 - "tAL aDaindAr ta~ngatku tAnE vazhit-tuNaiyAm kALa-
megattai" - He accompanies and shows the way to those who have surrendered
to Him. SrI Sankara gives an additional interpretation - He is mArga because
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He shows the way for the attainment of Supreme Bliss. SrI rAdhAkRshNa
SAstri gives another aspect - After the Universe disappears at the time of
praLaya, it is He who is the way for the world's re-appearance.
The Cause.
hetave namah.
He is the cause for the realization of the desires of His devotees. Sri
Sankara gives the interpretation that He is both the instrumental and material
cause of the Universe. The dharma cakram writer nicely distinguishes between
bhagavAn the Cause, and bhagavAn the effects. He points out that in general
we see the effects, but we don't see the cause behind the effects as easily.
This is true in the different aspects of life - we use the Universe, but we
don't understand bhagavAn who is the Cause of the Universe. We see the
body, but we don't see the five elements which are the constituents of this
body. He is visible only to the yogi-s and the j~nAni-s as the Cause of the
Universe.
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nAma 369. damaedr> - dAmOdarah
dAmodarAya namah.
The word dAma can refer to a rope, the worlds, happiness, etc. The word
daram means belly. Based on these, there are different interpretations.
1) udare dAmAni asya iti dAmodarah - One who has all the worlds in His belly.
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This interpretation is supported by vyAsa's words:
2) dAmnA udare baddha iti dAmodarah - One who was tied around His waist
witha cord. The support for this interpretation is from brahma purANa:
(brahmapuRaNa 76.14)
mUnRAm tiruvantAdi.
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tantran i.e., He subjects Himself to His devotees' wishes. In this case, He
subjected Himself to yaSodA's wish that He be constrained by the rope. He
even shed tears when He was tied in order to please her.
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dAmOdarAya namah
(Artwork Courtesy : Sow R.Chitralekha)
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Him as dAmodara because He has "dAma" or joy, indicating happiness for the
gods.4)
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that this nAma has the greatness that at
the same time it shows the greatness of bhagavAn in having the whole
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Universe inside Him and the simplicity of being tied by a rope and contained by
His devotee.
sahAya namah.
sahate iti sahah. SrI BhaTTar links this nAma to the previous one by pointing
that He patiently accepted being tied by the rope as dAmodara. nammAzhvAr
sings this patience of Lord kRshNa - ettitRam! uralinODuiNaindirundu E~ngiya
eLivE (tiruvAimozhi 1.3.1) - referenced by SrI v.v.rAmAnujan. SrI Sankara
vyAkhyAna is that He forgives the lapses of His devotees - sahate sarvAn
abhibhavati iti sahah. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that He bears the
burden of the Universe for the sake of the welfare of the creatures in the
Universe. The dharma cakram writer points out that He patiently waits till we
attain the maturity needed to reach Him and be united with Him. He also
refers to the incident where He put up with SiSupAla's abusive words more
than a hundred times and had given word to SiSupAla's mother to that effect.
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nAma 371. mhIxr> - mahIdharah
mahIdharAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 319. There the meanings given were that
He supports the earth by ridding it of evil-doers, or that He accepts the pUjA
from the devotees. Under the current nAma, SrI Sankara gives the
interpretation that He bears the Earth in the shape of mountains. He gives
reference to vishNu purANa -vanAni vishNur girayo diSaSca - (2.12.37) - The
forests, mountains, and directions are all vishNu. He bears the earth by
propping it up in the form of mountains. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers to His
bearing the Earth between His teeth in His varAha incarnation - eyiRRu iDai
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mahA-bhAgAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar explains that Lord kRshNa has the good fortune (mahA bhAgya)
of being chosen for service as their Lord by the cowherdess nILa, sixteen
thousand celestial damsels, rukmiNi, satyabhAmA, jAmbavati, and others. SrI
v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to tiruvAimozhi - vaDivu iNai illA malar-magaLmaRRum
maN-magaL piDikkum mel-aDiyAn - 9.2.10. SrI Sankara gives the vyAkhyAna
that He is fortunate in being able to take any form He likes, or He who gets
the best of everything in His incarnations. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points
out that He is mahAbhAgah because He gets the major (mahA) portion
(bhAga) of any offering as He likes. He refers us to the incident of the
offering by the gopa-s to the govardhana giri instead of to indra at the
insistence of kRshNa. Lord kRshNa appeared at the top of the govaradhana
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mountain and accepted all the offerings.
He who is quick.
vegavate namah.
SrI BhaTTar points out that even when He was child kRshNa, His actions were
displaying His irresistible supremacy and Lordship.
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example of the quickness of action that He displays. SrI cinmayAnanda gives
the interpretation that He reaches His devotees fast the moment they think
of Him because He is everywhere and all-pervading. SrI Sankara interprets
the nAma in terms of the ISopanishad declaration (4) "anejadekam manso
javIyah - He is unmoving, but at the same time faster than the mind". The
context here is that He is inside us, but no amount of reasoning with our mind
can decipher Him and figure Him out. He cannot be understood by reason and
logic alone, since even a lifetime of reasoning with the mind that is faster than
anything that is known will not result in realizing Him.
amiTaSanAya namah.
amitam aSnAti iti amitASanah - One who eats huge quantities. SrI BhaTTar
points out that Lord kRshNa displayed His greatness, among other acts, by
37
swallowing the unlimited quantity of food offered to govardhana giri, making
the cowherds exclaim in wonder - "devo vA dAnavo vA tvam" - "Who are you - a
deva or an asura?" - vishNu purANam 5.13.121. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to
divya prabandham - aTTuk-kuruvi SORRup-paruppadamum tayir
vAviyumneyyaLarum aDa~ngap poTTattuRRu - One who in a fraction of a
second consumed a huge amount of rice heaped like a mountain, a huge amount
of curd that looked like a canal, ghee that was poured like a big puddle, plenty
of vegetables, etc. (periyAzhvAr tirumozhi 3.5.1), and to "kArEzh
kaDalEzhmalai Ezhulagu uNDum ArA vayiRRAn - tiruvAi mozhi 10.9.2. This
nAma is similar to nAma 304 - mahASanah. SrI Sankara interprets the nAma
in terms of His swallowing the whole Universe at the time of praLaya. SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that there is nothing that He cannot digest,
since He is the jATarAgni that digests the food that every being consumes -
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SlOkam 41
%Ñv> ]aeÉ[ae devZïIgÉR> prmeñr>,
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b) He who is beyond the bondage of samsAra.
udbhavAya namah
One who removes the bondage of samsAra of those who meditate upon Him.
SrI BhaTTar points out that those who meditate on the incident of His being
bound by the rope (kaNNinuN Sirut-tAmbinAl kaTTuNNap paNNiya
perumAyan) will be removed from the bondage of samsAra - udbhavo bhavah
asmAt iti udbhavah. SrI Sankara gives the interpretation is that He is free
from the bondage of existence, and so He is udbhavah - udgato bhavAt
samsArAt iti udbhavah. SrI Sankara's alternate interpretation is that He is
the Origin of the Universe - prapa~nca utpatti upAdAna kAraNatvAt
udbhavah.
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khshobaNAya namah.
The nAma is derived from the root kshub - sa~ncalane to cause motion or
disturbance. kshobayati iti kshobaNah. SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam
isbandhArhAn kshobayati iti kshobhaNah - One who creates tumult in the
minds of those who are fit to be bound in samsAra. SrI Sankara's vyAkhyAna
is that He creates vibration and agitation in purursha and prakRti
(consciousness or jiva-s and primordial matter) at the time of creation by
entering them. He refers us to vishNu purANa in support -
devAya namah.
dIvyati krIDati iti devah. He plays with the jiva-s by binding them with mAyA
or prakRti. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to divya prabandham - palapala mAya
mayakkukkaLAl inburum iv-viLaiyATTuDaiyAn (tiruvAimozhi 3.10.7). A similar
concept is expressed in nAma 312 (nahushah), 335 (Adidevah), etc. SrI
cinmayAnanda points out that the term dIvyati means "to shine', 'to conquer',
'to praise', etc. SrI Sankara includes the play of creation, the desire to
conquer the enemies of gods, functioning in all beings, shining in all beings,
being praised by the holy men, pervading all, etc., as the reasons for His being
the only deva. He quotes the SvetAsvatAraupanishad - eko devah sarva
bhUteshu gUDhah (6.11) - There is only one God who is hidden in all things that
exist - in support.
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nAma 378. ïIgÉR> - srI
srI--garbhah
SrI-garbhAya namah.
He is inseparably united with Lakshmi. In His play as the deva He has Lakshmi
always as His companion. vishNoh eshA anapAyinI - She is ever inseparable
from vishNu - vishNu purANa - 1.9.144. SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is "bhoga-
krIDA sahAyatvena vardhanIyA asya SrIh iti SrI-garbhah - He is inseparable
from SrI or Lakshmi in His sports. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers to divya
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prabandham - kOla malarp pAvaikku anbAgiya en appan - tiruvAimozhi10.10.7.
SrI Sankara gives the interpretation that He has Lakshmi or aiSvarya in His
belly in the form of the Universe. SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation
that He has all the glories (SrI) in Himself, and so He is SrI-garbhah. The
dharma cakram writer points out that just as the wealth that a mother
protects carefully is the child in her womb, a stingy person protects his
wealth, and a j~nAni protects his knowledge, so also mahAvishNu protects the
Universe. Just as the child cannot live independent of the mother, so also the
Universe can't exist without bhagavAn. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out
that bhagavAn is the antaryAmi inside everyone in this Universe (SrI), and this
is as if He is in the garbha of the Universe, and so He is called SrI-garbhah.
parameSvarAya namah.
aiSvarya means Lordship. BhagavAn is parameSvarah because He is the Lord
of all, including mahA Lakshmi - tiruvukkum tiruvAgiya SelvA - tirumozhi 7.7.1.
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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri derives the meaning from parA mA - paramA -
mahAlakshmi, One who is above all Sakti-s. This paramA voluntarily seeks the
place in His vaksha-sthala and serves Him; thus He is paramAyAh ISvarah-
parameSvarah. The dharma cakram writer indicates that just as a human being
does well in ruling over himself if he has full control of his indriya-s, BhagavAn
is in full control of al the beings as the parameSvarah or Ruler of the Universe.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives an interpretation based on mA - SobhA.
parameSvarah thus indicates One who has Supreme SobhA. One who has
Supreme SobhA, who is the Lord of this and also has full control of this, and
attracts and controls everything because of this, is parameSvarah - parA
mAyasya sa paramah. sa ca asau ISvarah parameSvarah.
The Means.
karaNAya namah.
kAraNAya namah.
The two nAma-s are being looked at together here because of their close
relation. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the derivation kriyate anena iti
karaNam -That by which or through whom an act is done. BhagavAn is the only
means for attaining Him. The eyes, ears, etc. which are the means of
knowledge are all aspects of this power of bhagavAn. kAraNam is the Cause
that makes the beings act using the karaNa-s. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan points us to
pANini's words - sAdhaka-tamam karaNam -karaNam is that which is the best
among means or sAdhana-s. He also reminds us of the nAma "hRshIkeSa" in
this context - He who is the eeSa or Lord of the indriya-s (the eyes, ears, etc.
42
are the j~nAnendriya-s, and the legs, hands, etc. are the karmendriya-s).
Beyond these indriya-s, there are the antah-karaNa-s which are the citta, the
mind, buddhi, and ahamkAra, which are also controlled by bhagavAn. The
dharma cakram writer points out that for us to control the j~nAnemdriya-s,
the karmendriya_s, the antah-karaNa-s, etc., meditation on mahA-vishNu is
the means. He also refers us to the gItA to point out that the way to achieve
this control is firm determination (vairAgya) and repeated training (abhyAsa).
Following SrI Sankara's vyAkhyAna, SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri distinguishes
karaNam from the next nAma - kAraNam, by interpreting karaNam as "primary
cause", and kAraNam as the supplementary causes. BhagavAn is both the
primary cause as well as the supplementary causes in the creation. He gives
the example of the creation of a mud pot from clay. Both the clay and some
additional instruments are needed in this process. But these alone will not
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result in the mud pot, unless there is the involvement of the maker of the pot.
BhagavAn is the reason for not only the primary cause but the other causes as
well. SrI cinmayAnanda explains karaNam as "He from whom the Universe
arises", and kAraNam as "He who causes the Universe to arise".
The Agent.
kartre namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 317. There the interpretation by SrI
BhaTTar was based on paraSurAma incarnation, as the one who slayed the
demon kArta-vIrya. In the current instance his interpretation is that
bhagavAn is the Agent who causes others to act. SrI cinmayAnanda quotes
pANini - svatantrah kartA - One who freely and independently performs the
functions of creation, protection and destruction, is the "Doer". SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that He is kartA because without Him, the
mere existence of the pa~nca bhUta-s etc. could not have resulted in the
Universe, just as the presence of clay etc. without the presence of a pot-
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maker could not have resulted in the creation of a pot. Even though the
jIvAtmA-s may think that they are independent in their acts, nothing
functions without His Will - avan anRi Or aNuvum aSaiyAdu. BhagavAn is the
only svatantra kartA - One who acts independently of everything else. SrI
v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to tiruvAimozhi 5.6.4 -
BhagavAn just does not stop with being the Agent, He also feels the effects
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vikartre namah.
a) vikurvANah vikartA. In truth bhagavAn does not undergo any modifications.
He is avikAra. However, since the Universe is an extension of Him, and since
the Universe undergoes modifications constantly, it can be said that He
undergoes modifications. He has no joy or sorrow that results from His own
act; but since He considers others' acts as His own and feels one with the joys
and sorrows of His creations, the resulting vikAra or modification and feeling
of joy and sorrow is for the sake of His creation. Lord rAma did not
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experience joy when He was to be crowned, no did He feel sorrow the next day
when He lost it.
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these are the vicitra-s of His creation.
gahanAya namah.
He is beyond our intellect and reasoning. He is inside all of us, and yet we
don't know Him. yah pRthivyAs tishThan yam pRthivI na veda --He who is in
the earth but whom the earth does not know - bRhadAraNya upanishad 5.7.3.
He is in all the gods but the gods don't know Him - viNNavarkkueNNal ariyAn -
tiruvAimozhi 1.9.2 (v.v.rAmAnujan). He is both the eye and the object to be
seen - cakshuSca drashTavyam ca nArAyaNah. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri
refers us to kaThopanishad - tam durdarSam gUDhamanupravishTam
guhAhitam gahvareshTham purANam - 1.21. SrI Sankara points out that He is
Unknowable in regard to His Nature, capability or acts. The dharma cakram
writer takes us through several instances in young child kRshNa's leelA-s to
illustrate this point. The gopikA vastrApaharaNam, the instance of pUtanA,
the lifting of the govardhana giri, the episode of be ignited by yaSodA by a
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rope, etc., illustrate our inability to understand Him through our logic and
rationale. The only way to understand Him is through devotion.
a) The Savior.
guhAya namah.
gUhati rakshati iti guhah. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvAimozhi
- kAkkum iyalvinan kaNNa perumAn - 2.2.9. This is SrI BhaTTar's
vyAkhyAnam.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri adds that this protection is like that of a child
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SrI Sankara interprets the nAma based on gUhate samvRNoti - He who hides
His Nature, and gives the reference to gItA - nAham prakASah
sarvasyayogamAyA samAvRtah - 7.25.
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SlOkam 42
Vyvsayae VyvSwanSs<SwanSSwandae Øuv>,
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b) One with a firm and resolute mind, One with True Knowledge about Self.
vyavasAyAya namaha
tiSayena sIyate (badhyate) asmin jyotiScakram iti vyavasAyah - The circle of
planets is tightly bound and closely fastened to bhagavAn, and so He is called
vyavasAyah. Space which is the support for the stars and planets is the body
of bhagavAn, and so He is tied to them tightly. SrI cinmayAnanda refers us to
two Sloka-s in the gItA where the term vyavasAya occurs. SrI rAmAnuja in
his gItA bhAshya (2.41) interprets the word as referring to "unshakable
conviction" (about the true nature of the self) - vyavasAyo niScayah. The
same interpretation is given in gItA 2.44.So vyavasAyah can refer to One with
a resolute mind, or One who has True Knowledge of the self.
The basis.
vyavasthAnAya namah.
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The basis for the nAma is the root sthA (sthiti). vyavasthAnam karoti iti
vyavasthAnah, or asmin vyavasthitih sarvasya iti vyavasthAnah. One who
establishes everything, or One on whom the basis of everything resides; or
One who regulates everything in the Universe and the associated functions.
vyavasthA is given the meaning "determination, decision, settlement" in Apte's
dictionary, and vyavasthit means 'established'. One who determines everything
is thus vyavasthAnah, and One who establishes everything in their respective
places or positions is vyavasthAnah. SrI BhaTTar associates this basis with
kAla or time, which is the basis for everything that happens in this world. This
again is determined by the movement of the planets, of which dhruva is the
pole or the pivot. SrI Sankara associates the nAma with bhagavAn being the
One who divides and regulates everyone including the different protectors of
the world, various types of beings, takes care of their survival and sustenance,
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etc.
samsthAnAya namah.
sarvam etasmin santhishThate - samApyate iti samsthAnah.
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nAma 389. Swand> - sthAnadah
sthAnadAya namah.
sthAnam dadAti iti sthAna-dah. da is "to give". There are many nAma-s that
end with the affix -da, and all of these can be understood based on this suffix.
Other examples are prANa-dah, mAna-dah, SAnti-dah, SrI-dah,darpa-dah,
sarva-kAma-dah, and svasti-dah. sthAna-dah is One who gives the best of the
sthAna-s, paramapadam. SrI Sankara gives a more general interpretation as
One who gives status tothe beings as they deserve - dhruvAdInAm
karmAnurUpam sthAnam dadAti itisthAna-dah. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri
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points out that bhagavAn is the One who gave the position to dhruva which is
unlike all the other stars viz. dhruva is fixed in position compared to the
others who are in constant motion. SrI cinmayAnanda gives references to
kathopanishad (yathAkarmam yathASrutam- 2.5.7), and quotes "karma phala
dAtA nArAyaNah" to support SrI Sankara's interpretation. The dharma
cakram writer gives reference to tirukkuraL tosupport the same interpretation
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha comments that bhagavAn gives the position to the
stars in space, to the devas in the antariksha loka, to the water-living
creatures in the Oceans, etc. At a lower level, He has even created
appropriate places in our bodies for the refuse that results from the bodily
functions.
dhruvAya namah.
The root dhru means to be steady. He conferred a status on dhruva that is as
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permanent as SrI vaikunTham. Since He can make any place as permanentas
His abode viz. SrIviakunTham, the significance here is that He is everywhere.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that bhagavAn conferred on dhruva that
which is only His Nature - viz. the indestructible status, and so dhruva is
bhagavAn Himself. The dharma cakram writer points out that in the midst of
the cycle of creation and pralaya where everything that has been created
merges in Him and then reappears, He is the only permanent or fixed one, and
so He is dhruva. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha takes the meaning "certain" for
dhruva, and points out that even though everything except Him in this
Universe is a dhruva, by His Nature of dhruvatva He gives a sense of certainty
to everything - thus the rising of the sun and the setting of the sun are dhruva
or certain, birth and death are certain, etc. Next begins the story of SrI
rAma. The next 16 nAma-s are interpreted by SrI BhaTTar in the context of
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rAmAvatAra. SrI BhaTTar titles this section as "The story of SrI rAma
which resuscitates even the dead". SrI v.v.rAmAnujan points out the "bias"
that SrI BhaTTar has for this incarnation shows in the vryAkhyAnam that he
gives for these nAma-s. The title is just the beginning.
paraddhaye namah.
Rddhih means vibhUti or manifestation. parA Rddhih yasya sa pararddhih -One
who has a super-abundance of auspicious qualities or kalyANa guNa-s.
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"samudra iva gAmbhIrye dhairyeNa himavAniva |
"rAma has gAmbhIrya like an ocean, dhairya of himavAn, vIrya ofvishNu, the
sweet appearance of the moon, anger comparable to that of pralaya agni,
patience of Mother Earth, tyAga of kubera, and satya of dharmadevatA". SrI
rAmAnujan gives an additional interpretation: pareshAm RddhirevaRddhih
yasya - One who considers para samRddhih or the fulfillment of others as His
own. After crowning vibhIshaNa, Lord rAma felt happy by the sheer act of
fulfilling His word - kRta kRtyah tathA rAmah. He also quotes "utsaveshu ca
sarveshu piteva paritushyati" - When the citizens are happy, He feels happy
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like a father who feels pleasure at the happiness of the child".
parama-spashTAya namah.
spashTa (pratyaksha, dRshTA) pAramyah parama-spashTah. His greatness is
explicitly obvious. SrI BhaTTar refers us to rAmAyaNa - vyaktameshamahA-
yogI paramAtmA sanAtanah - (yuddha kANDam - 114.4). These are
mandodari's words when she sees rAma after He slays rAvaNa in the
battlefield. Similarly, tArA, vAli's wife, recognizes rAma's divine nature as
soon as she sees Him -
(rAmAyaNa 4.24.31-32)
Lord rAma's only goal and firm determination (mahA-yogi) in this incarnation
was protection of the world, and His greatness can be clearly cognized by
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means of direct perception. sumitrA's words are: "sUryasyApi bhavet
sUryah" - He shines even brighter than the Sun, and He is the One who gives
brightness to the Sun. Other references to Lord rAma's explicit greatness
are His being called "pumsAm dRshTi cittApahAriNam", "rUpa samhananam
lakshmIm tadRSurvismitAkArAh", etc. The dharma cakram writer points out
that it is this explicit greatness that caused bharata to throw away the
kingdom that was offered to him and instead be devoted to rAma, lakshmaNa
to serve rAma for 14 years without food and sleep, and hanumAn to surrender
to rAma as soon as he met him and serve Him for the rest of his life. SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha gives an independent interpretation based on the root
spaS - to bind ( spaSati - badhnAti), and gives the meaning "One who binds
everything in a superb way" for parama-spashTa. The example of the complex
human body, which retains its beautiful appearance in spite of its internal
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tushTAya namah.
Instead of being in SrIviakunTham where only a chosen few could be with Him,
He decided happily to choose dasaratha, a human, as His father, and be born in
this world so that He was within reach of everyone. When the deva-s
appeared before Him in His rAma incarnation and praised Him as bhagavAn, He
told them that He was happy to consider Himself as a human, the son of
dasaratha - AtmAnam mAnusham manye rAmam daSarathAtmajam. As we saw
before, He is one who was happy like a father of an accomplished child when
His citizens were happy - piteva paritushyati, and who attained unbounded joy
by just fulfilling His word to vibhIshaNa and crowning him as the king of
lankA- pramumoda ha. SrI Sankara interprets the nAma as referring to His
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being The Supreme Bliss. SrI cinmayAnanda explains that He is tushTa - One
who becomes happy even with the smallest of offerings. He refers us to
"I accept even if one offers some leaf or flower, fruit, or spoon of water,
happily, if it is offered in love". The dharma cakram writer points out that
bhagavAn is tushTa because He is not subject to the pains and pleasures that
other beings are subject to. rAma did not feel instant happiness when He was
going to become king, nor was He sad when He was asked to go the forest for
14 years. kRshNa only smiled when gAndhAri cursed that the yAdava race
should come to an end forever. bhagavAn is only the witness to all events, and
is not influenced in any way by any event, which for the outsiders is deemed
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good or bad, happy or sad etc. This nAma should teach us that the proper way
to realize bhagavAn is to be tushTa always, and be witness to the events
around us butnot be attached to them, and train to be a yogi - santhushTah
satatam yogI.
pushTAya namah.
pUrNatvAt pushTah. He is complete in every respect, and so there is no room
for likes and dislikes, wants and desires. The dharma cakram writer refers us
to vaLLuvar referring to bhagavAn as "vENDUdal vENDAmai ilAn". Meditating
on the significance of this nAma will lead us to move towards this state where
we overcome likes and dislikes. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha extends this meaning
to also suggest that He ispushTa because He keeps all his creations fulfilled by
making available the means for them to be fulfilled - pushNAti iti pushTah.
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nAma 395. zuÉe][> - subhEkshaNah
SubhekshaNAya namah.
We have seen the nAma-s padmanibhekshaNah (346) and aravindAkshah (348)
earlier. SrI BhaTTar refers us to ayodhyA kANDam -
(ayodhyA 17.14)
"Whoever has not seen rAma or whomsoever rAma has not seen, that person
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stands condemned by all people in this world, and even his own self condemns
him".
"His mere sight is so auspicious and bestows good on all beings; it gives
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moksham to the spiritually minded, enjoyments to those that desire them,
cleanses sinners, removes all doubts, burns up all the karma-s, and removes all
ignorance". He quotes the Sruti
(muNDakppanishad 2.2.8)
The knots of the heart are cut....SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives us several
references to the Sruti. IkshANam also refers to the determination by
bhagavAn that He will become many from One. This samkalpam became the
auspicious decision which resulted in the creation of this Universe. Since He is
the One with the Subha IkshaNa or samkalpa, He is SubhekshaNa. SrI SAstri
gives the following quotes to support this interpretation: tadaikshata bahu
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syAm prajAyeyeti (chAndogya6.2); sa Ikshata lokAnnusRjA iti (aitareya 1.1.1);
sa IkshAm cakre (praSno6.3); seyam devataikshata hantAhamimAh tisro
devatA anena jIvenaAtmA'nupraviSya nAmarUpe vyAkaravANi (chAndogya
6.3).The dharma cakram writer points out several examples of individuals who
benefited by the mere sight of bhagavAn falling on them. arjuna asked Lord
kRshNa to bless him with His Merciful glance; as soon as this happened, all of
arjuna's doubts were cleared, and he realized the true nature of his soul
immediately. guha, hanumAn, paraSurAma, and Sabari are just among some of
the examples of people who gained immensely from the mere sight of Lord
rAma.
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SlOkam 43
ramae ivramae ivrtae (jae) magaeR neyae nyae=ny>,
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b) He in whom everyone delights.
rAmAya namah
There are two obvious interpretations for this nAma. One is that all the yogi-s
revel in His charm - ramante yoginah asmin iti rAmah. SrI Sankara gives
reference to pAdmapurANa - ramante yoginah anante nityAnande cidAtmani-
The yogins revel in Him who is Eternal Bliss, Pure Consciousness and Endless.
The other is that He who has a compelling charm about Himself and He who is
most Handsome - ramayati itit rAmah. SrI BhaTTar gives several references.
rAmo ramayatAm SreshThah - rAma is the foremost among those who delight
the minds of all people (rAmAyaNa - ayodhyA 53-1); guNAbhirAmam rAmam ca
- rAma who is filled with kalyANa guNa-s (mahAbhArata sabhA 58-42);
- rAma who is liked by His citizens, who brings happiness to His father, and
who is full of klayANa guNa-s, shone like the Sun with its intense and bright
rays - ayodhyA 1.33. In tiruppAvai, ANDAL calls Him manatukku iniyAn. His
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form is such that even His enemies get attracted to it. Even though mandodari
and vAli's wife are not in the categories of enemies of rAma, they were both
realized His divine Nature when they saw Him with their husbands dying or
dead. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers to SUrpanakA's description of rAma and
lakshmaNa - taruNau rUpasampannau sukumArau - puNDarIka viSAlAkshau....
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha and SrI v.v.rAmAnujan both refer to the root ramu -
krIDAyAm - He who derives pleasure out of His leelA-s, or He who makes
everyone happy because of His krIDA as part of His krIDA, is rAma. The
dharma cakram writer adds that there are two kinds of delight- delights of
this world which have sadness associated with them always as a consequence,
and the delight pertaining to the enjoyment of para brahmam which has pure
lasting happiness associated with it. rAma is the source of the later kind. The
writer refers us to Sabari's holding on to life only to have the darSan of
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rAma, the Rshi-s who delighted themselves in the sight of rAma, and the gopi-
s and gopAla-s who had bhagavad-anubhavam by being with kRshNa in
AyarpADi. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri reminds us that it is sage vasishTha, the
kula guruof daSaratha's family, that gave the name rAma to daSaratha's first
son.
virAmAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar has explained the nAma as follows: viramyate asmin
varapradaihbrahmAdibhih, varaiSca avadhyAdibhih, labdha-varaiSca
rAvaNAdibhih itivirAmah - Before rAma all become powerless, including the
likes of brahma who grant the boons, the boons themselves of indestructibility
even by death, and people like rAvaNa who acquired the boons by their
austerities. He quotes rAmAyaNa in this context - brahmA svayambhUh
caturAnano vA ...(Sundara kANDa 51.45), where hanumAn advises rAvaNa to
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understand rAma's prowess. SrI Sankara gives the explanation that He is the
final resting place or goal of all beings - virAmah avasAnam prANinAm asmin iti
virAmah. SrIrAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to rAmAyaNa wherein we find
that those who have seen rAma or have diverted their thoughts on Him do not
even try to get out of this mode.
(rAmA 2.18.13)
SrI cinmayAnanda explains that He is the final resting place because having
reached Him there is no return into the realm of experiences. He also points
out that some vyAkhyAna kartA-s interpret the meaning as "He in whom the
world of plurality merges during the deluge or pralaya". The dharma cakram
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writer comments that until the soul reaches Him i.e., attains moksha, there is
always re-birth, and He is the final resting place, attaining which alone one can
rest finally. So this nAma should remind us that the final goal is mahA vishNu,
and teach us to meditate on Him. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha nicely relates the
two nAma-s, rAma and virAma. ramante asmin iti rAmah, viramanti asmin iti
virAmah - One in whom people delight is rAma, and One in whom people find
final SAnti is virAma. The source of delight is also the end of delight - yatra
ramaNam tatra ramaNaavasAnam. He is the Creator and He is also the one
who ends the creation.This is the same principle involved in the body being
formed from the pa~ncabhUta-s and dissolving back into the pa~nca bhUta-s,
the sun rising in timeand settling back in time, etc. He gives numerous
references to theSruti-s to support this interpretation:
(yajur 32.8)
(atharva 13.3.3)
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yatrAmRtam ca mRtyuSca purushe'dhi samAhite
(atharva 10.5.17)
viratAya namah
- The Unattached
mArgAya namah
- He who is sought after
virajo-mArgAya namah
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sItA pirATTi's own words are:
"When SrI rAma abandoned the kingdom under the plea of dharma, and led me
to the forest where I had to move on foot, there was neither disappointment
nor grief, nor fear in rAma".
(sundara 36.29)
SrI v.v.rAmAnujan points out that another instance of this detachment is that
He did not have the faintest desire to have any part of SrIlankA for Himself
which he won in the battle with rAvaNa. He also gives references to
prabandham:
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pArALum paDar Selvam bharata nambikkE aruLi arum kAnamaDaindavan
(perumAl tirumozhi 8.5);
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his Slokam for the current nAma as an example:
neyAya namah.
netA refers to one who leads. neyah is one who is led. SrI BhaTTar gives the
derivation - niyoga arhatvAt neyah. niyogah means order. One who is to fit to
be entrusted with the responsibility to command is also neyah. SrI BhaTTar
gives the following references: "Ag~nyApyo'ham tapasvinAm" - I am agreeable
to be commanded by those who practice austerities - (rAmAyaNa AraNya
6.22); niyunkshva cApi mAm kRtye sarvam kartAsmi te vacah - KRshNa's words
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to yudhisThira - You may ask me to do whatever you want; I shall certainly
carry out your behests (mahAbhArata anuSAsana 33.25);
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nAma 400. ny> - nayah
nayAya namah.
nayati iti nayah - One who draws everyone towards Himself; one who leads
everyone in their spiritual illumination.
The dharma cakram writer points out the examples of arjuna being led in the
right path by bhagavAn through the gItopadeSam. Meditation on this nAma of
bhagavAn should reveal to us that the path to moksahm is to be drawn
towards Him and to follow His lead.
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nAma 401. Any> - anayah
anayAya namah.
SrI bhaTTar gives the example of the futile effort of rAvaNa to lift and
carry away lakshmaNa when he was lying on the battleground after being
struck by the Sakti weapon by rAvaNa. He also gives an alternate
interpretation based on ayah - the means which brings prosperity; an-ayah
then means He without whom there is no prosperity. SrI Sankara's
interpretation that He is one who is not led by anyone, unlike He who leads
everyone in the spiritual path. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the examples of
bhagavAn being the opposites simultaneously. One meaning he gives for nayah
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is One who moves. anayah is One who does not move. He gives reference to :
The dharma cakram writer nicely illustrates how rAma always acted in the path
of dharma without anyone having to lead Him. When he had to go the forest,
others including sage vasishTha tried to persuade Him to accept the kingdom
instead and rule, but rAma did not swerve from the path of dharma and
adopted that path without having to be told by anyone.
When He returned back from the forest and became the king, some citizens
commented that sItAdevi had been in another person's house and should not
occupy the throne with SrI rAma. Because rAma wanted to set an example to
His citizens, He sent her instead to vAlmIki's ASramam, and showed them the
path of dharma of the king.
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nAma 402. vIr> - vIrah
vIrAya namah.
He is vIra because He destroys at once those who are a source of suffering to
the pious by discharging His weapons which are ever ready to carry out His
commands. He is a source of terror to His enemies. SrI Sankara bhAshyam is
"vikramaSAlitvAt vIrah - One who is valorous". SrI v.v.rAmAnujan points out
that vIra, saurYa, and parAkrama are among the mahA-guNa-s of bhagavAn,
and the reference to vIrya here by bhIshma can be taken to refer to all three
guNa-s. vIrya is the quality of inducing terror in the hearts of the enemies;
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Saurya is derived from the word SUra - the ability to cause havoc among the
enemies' ranks by single-handedly penetrating their ranks; and parAkrama is
the ability to cause enormous damage to enemies' side while not being even
slightly hurt Himself. rAma is referred to as mahAvIra in raghu-vIra-gadyam
(The starting line is jaya jaya mahA-vIra!). SrI bhaTTar give as reference to
the following: mArIca tells rAvaNa about rAma -
(rAmAAraNya 39.14)
"In every tree I see rAma dressed in tree bark and black deer-skin and His
bow drawn as though He is the god of death with the rope in hand".
(yuddha 60.3)
"rAvaNa, the king of rAkshasa-s, became uneasy when he even thought of the
arrows of rAma, which had the luster of the club of brahma and the glitter of
the lightning".
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"mAta~nga iva simhena garuDeneva pannagah |
(yuddha 60.2)
"The king (rAvaNa) was overpowered by the powerful rAma like the elephant
by the lion, and the serpent by garuDa".
(Rg 3.55.10)
(Rg 2.28.4)
SrI rAdhAkRsNa SAstri gives a beautiful description of His vIra. The source
is not identified, but the description is worth repeating here:
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nAma 403. zi´mta< ïeó> - saktimatAm srEshThah
SaktimatAm-SreshThAya namah.
SaktimatAmapi SaktimattvAt SaktimatAm SreshThah. He is the most
praiseworthy among the powerful gods and others. He is more powerful than
the likes of brahma the Creator. The likes of indra could not destroy rAvaNa,
and they surrendered to bhagavAn as a result seeking His protection. rAma
with the axe (i.e., paraSurAma) says to SrI rAma: "aakshayyammadhu-
hantAram jAnAmi tvAm syreSvaram - I know that you are indestructible; You
are the slayer of madhu (the asura), and You are the Lord of all the
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gods" (rAmAyaNa bAla 76.17). SrI bhaTTar also gives reference to
hanumAn's words to rAvaNa -
(sundara 51.44)
"O King of the rAkshasa-s! The gods and the asura-s, gandharva-sand
vidyAdhara-s, nAga-s, and yaksha-s - all these cannot stand against rAma, the
Lord of the three worlds, in the battle".
Virtue Incarnate.
dharmAya namah.
SrI satyadevo vAsisshTha derives the meaning from the root dhR~nj -
dhAraNeto support; dhArayati iti dharmah - that which supports is dharmah,
dhAryatevA yena jagat iti dharmah - He by whom this Universe is supported is
dharmah. SrI bhaTTar points out that He is Virtue Incarnate because He
sustains all beings by conferring prosperity and salvation on them. In yuddha
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kANDa brahma says of Lord rAma - lokAnAm tvam paramo dharmah - Thou art
the Supreme Dharma in all the worlds. In mahAbhArata we have "sAkshAt
devahpurANO'sau sa hi dharmah sanAtanah - He is ancient God Himself and
also the eternal dharma incarnate". About kRshNa incarnation -
"Those brAhmins who are well-versed in veda-s, and those who realized the
Brahman, declare in one voice that the great SrI kRshNa is the eternal dharma
incarnate".
the sheer intense liberty she has towards her Lord, and out of her intense
fondness to Him. SrI cinmayAnanda discusses in some detail the significance
of this term "dharma". By example, he points out that the dharma of sugar is
sweetness, the dharma of fire is heat, etc., and thus the dharma of an the
individual in this sense is the soul, without which the individual does not exist.
Since bhagavAn is the one Self that supports all the individuals, He is the
Ultimate Dharma.
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many bhIshma-s try to help duryodhana. But he won't listen, and ultimately
paid the price for adharma. Same was the case with rAvaNa, who would not
listen to vibhIshaNa-s advice. Meditation on this nAma of mahAvishNu should
teach us the basic lesson that dharma protects those who follow it, and
adharma will have no end other than self-destruction.
dharma-vid-uttamAya namah.
No further evidence is needed for this than that sages such as vasishTha,
vAmadeva, and mArkaNDeya who were the guru-s for rAma resorted to Him
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for a knowledge of dharma (SrI BhaTTar). The dharma cakram writer remarks
that it is not easy to recognize what is dharma and what is not dharma.
bhagavAn has created the Sruti-s as His commandments to explain to us what
is dharma. To realize what is dharma, meditation on mahAvishNu is the path.
For this, a clean mind is necessary. This is what is taught in tirukkuraL -
manattuk-kaN mASilan Adal anaittu aRan. SrI Sankara points out that all
Sruti-s and smRti-s are His commandments, and hence He is called the
greatest of the knowers of dharma. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives
reference to vishNu dharmottara - Srutis-smRtI mamaivA~gnye (76.31).
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SlOkam 44
vEk…{Q> pué;> àa[> àa[d> à[v> p&wu>,
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obstructing the path. Thus kunThA signifies the obstacles to union. vaikunTha-
s are those whose obstacles have been removed. The obstacles to bhagavAn
are sins. He is the remover of sins, and so He is called vaikunTha.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains the nAma as vigatA kunThA tasyAh kartA -
One who regulates those that tend to go their own way if left unobstructed.
At the beginning of the earth, when the pa~nca bhUta-s tended to expand
uncontrolled without uniting with each other, bhagavAn controlled this and
made them co-exist through union with other.
SrI Sankara and SrI BhaTTar both quote the following Sloka from
mahAbhArata in support of the concept that bhagavAn brings about the union
of seemingly incompatible things:
"mayA samSleshitA bhUmih adbhir-vyoma ca vAyunA |
vAyuSca tejasA sArdham viakunThatvam tato mama ||
(SAnti343-50)
"By me the earth was united with water, ether with air, and air with fire. So I
am called vaikunTha".
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His devotees, and unites them with Him (SrI P. B. aNNa~ngarAcArya).
SrI satyadevo vASishTha explains that One for whom all obstacles or
obstructions (kunThA) have been removed is vikunTha. Or One who removes
all obstacles is vikunTha also.
The dharma cakram writer takes the interpretation to a level where it applies
to lives of individuals for whom He removed the obstacles facing them from
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attaining Him and united them with Him. The cases of prahlAda, paraSurAma,
karNa, hariScandra, vAli, etc. are given as examples.
The Purifier.
purushAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier also (nAma 14), even though it was not identified
as a recurring nAma at that time. A summary of the vyAkhyAna given for
nAma14 is included here.
b. purA AsIt iti purushah - One who existed before anything else.
In support of d) above, SrI Sankara gives the additional support from the
Sruti-s: sa vA ayam purushah sarvAsu pUrshu puriSayah (BR. Upa. 2. 5. 18) -
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He is indeed called purusha who lives in all the bodies.
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h. purah + kushan = purushah (from pura agragamane) - pura
agragamanepurati agragAmI bhavati iti vA purushah - He who is the Leader or
who is in the forefront.
Under the current nAma, SrI BhaTTar gives the two new interpretations
above- One who burns (purifies) - oshah - all sins by nature: sa yat
pUrvahasmAt sarvasmAt pApmana oshah tasmAt purushah.
This is close to the Sruti passage that SrI Sankara gives as a support - sa
yatpUrvo'smAt sarvasmAtsarvAn pApmana aushat tasmAt purushah (Br. Upa.
1. 4. 1). The nAma can also be derived from the root pR to protect or nourish
(g). Also, from the uNAdi sUtra purah kushan and from pura agragamane (pANi
nisUtra), the meaning "One who leads or is in the forefront" (h) is derived.
SrI P. B. aNNa~ngarAcArya svAmi chooses this meaning in his abridged
commentary.
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SrI v. v. rAmAnujan nicely summarizes the guNa-s indicated by then Ama
purusha as "rakshaka", phala prada" etc.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha, who gives most of the interpretations that have
been covered by other vyAkhyAna kartA-s, also adds the last one above.
prANa--dah
nAma 409. àa[d> prANa
The Life-giver.
prANadAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier (66, 323), and will re-occur as nAma 956. The
interpretations were:
a) prANAn dadAti iti prAna-dah - He who gives life (SrI Sankara and SrI
BhaTTar);
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b) prANAn dyati iti prANah - He who takes away the vital airs at the time
of death (SrI Sankara); and
The aspect of His giving life has also been interpreted as His giving the ability
to the nitya-sUri-s to enjoy Him constantly, which is the sustenance of their
life. The dharma cakram writer points out that when bhagavAn gives life in the
form of the sun, the beings that receive this light are more lively than the
beings that do not get exposed to the sun. Similarly, those who identify
themselves with their body are not in an awakened and energized state
compared to those who realize that they are the belongings of bhagavAn.
bhagavAn in His mantra svarUpa awakens the spiritual light in those who chant
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the gAyatri mantra, and this in turn leads to God realization. Thus He gives
life in different ways to the beings of this world.
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nAma 411. p&wu> pRthuh
Well-known.
pRthave namah.
The word pRthuh is derived from pratha prakhyAne - to become famous.
pRthu-SrIh pArthivAtmajah
(bAlakANDa - 1. 8)
SrI Sankara gives the meaning "He who has expanded Himself as Cosmos".
hiraNya--garbhah
nAma 412. ihr{ygÉR> hiraNya
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hiraNya-garbhAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 71.
hiraNya refers to gold. The analogy here is that just as gold is pure, very
attractive, and highly coveted, paramapadam is suddha-sattva, and hence the
reference to hiraNya. One who generates all that is great is hinraNya garbhah.
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvAimozhi 10. 9. 11 - toNDar ALvadu
SUzh-pon-viSumbe.
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paramapadam".
hiraNya also refers to the vIrya that He had in Him and that resulted in the
creation. This is another explanation for the nAma that is given by SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri. Just as gold is hidden in the heart of the earth, He is
hidden in the hearts of His devotees. He is hiraNyagarbha in this sense as
well (SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri).
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pRthuh.
Starting from the sthUla form, and following through with the bestowing of
the SUkshma form, He then gave the prANamaya, manomaya, andvi~jnAna
maya koSa-s to His creations as the hiraNyagarbhah. Thus, starting from
the nAma viakunThah, and up to the nAma hiraNya garbhah, the secret of
creation is nicely revealed.
Satru--ghnah
nAma 413. zÇu¹> Satru
SrI BhaTTar points out that He subdues by His arrows of wisdom the senses
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which lead away the people to the enjoyment of earthly pleasures. That is,
when one mediates on Him, this is how He slays the enemies to the devotee's
realization of Him. The mind is compared to rAvaNa and his ten heads to the
ten sense-organs. SrI Sankara gives the interpretation that He is the
destroyer of the enemies of the gods. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets
the nAma as referring to His act of punishing those who violate His dictum.
(AraNya2. 37,38)
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Also, "ripUNAmapi vatsalah" - Even towards His enemies rAma is "kind" -
yuddha 50. 56. Another interpretation given is that He pervades everything
(SrI Sankara,SrI cinmayAnanda, SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri).
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the derivation - vAti sarvatra gato bhavatiiti
vAyuh - vishNuh - He who is spread out everywhere in this Universe. There is
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not a single place in this Universe where air has not entered or does not exist.
This is the guNa of bhagavAn.
The dharma cakram writer reminds us that this is a nAma that emphasizes
bhgavAn's guNa of being all-pervasive. He gives reference to gItA -
"puNyogandhah pRthivyAm" - I am the principle of sweet fragrance in the
earth (7. 9).
We can survive without food or water for a few days, but without vAyu we
can't survive even for a few minutes. Without bhagavAn we can't survive,
period. This is the concept this nAma should remind us. vAyu comes to us
without our seeking; so does bhagavAn - He seeks His devotees and goes after
them (see SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam in the beginning). vAyu does not
distinguish between people in any way; so does bhagavAn mingle with everyone
with equality of disposition.
SrI cinmayAnanda points out that He is not just the air but the life-giving
force behind the air.
SrI Sankara derives the meaning from vAti - gandham karoti iti vAyuh – He
who is the cause of smell.
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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to the upanishad – vAyurasmai puNyam
gandham Avahati - (aitareya 1. 7.) - bhagavAn is the antaryAmi for vAyu, and
makes vAyu perform its functions
"yo vAyau tishThan-vAyorantaro yam vAyur-na veda yasya vAyuh SarIram
yovAyumantaro yamayati, esha te AtmAntaryAmyamRtah"
(bRhadA 3. 7. 7. )
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives several passages from the Sruti to bring out
the uniqueness and importance of vAyu among the devatAs.
The Sun, moon, fire and water all merge into vAyu when they disappear
vAyurvAva samvargoyadA vA agnirudvAyati, vAyumevApyeti,
yadA sUryo'stameti vAyumevApyeti,
yadAcandro'stameti vAyumevApyeti,
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(chAndogya 4. 3).
When the indriya-devatA-s such as the sun and the moon enter the sushupti
state, vAyu continues to be active as the prANa vAyu
(bRhadA 1. 5. 22.)
(taittirIya 1. 8. 3)
vAyu is the thread that keeps this world together like a string holding the
beads of a chain; without this the world will break apart like a chain with a
broken string; bhagavAn is this force
vAyurvai gautama tat-sUtram, vAyunA vai gautamasUtreNAyam ca lokah
paraSca lokah sarvANi ca bhutAni sandRbdhAni bhavanti
(bRhadA 3. 5. 2).
Thus vAyuh and its vital role in the existence and survival of this Universe is
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the reason for bhagavAn's nAma as vAyuh.
(tiruvAimozhi 4. 3. 10.)
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diminished by repeated births and deaths :
adhah means down or below, and kshIyate refers to getting diminished. SrI
Sankara gives an alternate interpretation - He who is perceived when the
sense organs (aksha gaNa-s) are made inward-looking. He gives reference to
the following verse, whose author or source are not known.
adho bhUte hyakshagaNe pratyag-rUpa-pravAhite |
jAyate tasya vai j~nAnam tena adhokshaja ucyate ||
Yet another interpretation given by SrI Sankara is "He who manifests Himself
as the virAt between the sky (aksha) and the region below (adhah) i. e. , the
Earth " - aksham adhah tayor-madhye vairAja rUpeNa ajAyata iti adhkshajah"
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Slokam 45
\tuSsudzRn> kal> prmeóI pir¢h>,
The term Rtuh which refers to seasons is based on the fact that the seasons
push one another and keep coming fresh and lively without interruption.
1. vasanta,
2. grIshma,
3. varsha,
4. Sarad,
5. hemanta, and
6. SiSira.
The cycle of time involves these Rtu-s successively moving one after the other
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without interruption. This nAma indicates that BhagavAn is in the form of
Time which is behind the cycle of seasons.
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sudarsanAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that the nAma refers to His guNa that
the very sight of Him is a source of delight and is auspicious even to those who
may be ignorant of His qualities and greatness.
a) su darSanam asya iti sudarSanah - He who has the good Vision that leads to
moksham. su - Sobhanam, nirvANa phalam; darSanam - j~nAnam, asya iti
sudarSanah.
b) He who has eyes that resemble the petals of lotus - Subhe darSane -
IkshaNe padma-patrAyate asya iti sudarSanah.
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sudarSanacakra.
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sudarsanAya namah.
Thirukkudanthai ChakrapANi
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Just as time is spinning uninterruptedly in the form of the six Rtu-s, the six-
pronged sudarSana cakra is revolving powerfully and without interruption, and
BhagavAn is the devatA for this sudarSana cakram. He gives the following
reference in support of this interpretation
shaDaram vA etat-sudarSanam mahA-cakram tasmAt shaDarambhavati, shaD-
patram cakram bhavati, shaDvA Rtavah Rtubhih sammitambhavati, madhye
nAbhir-bhavati, . . . .
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nAma 419. kal> kAlah
kAlAya namah
The nAma is derived from the root kala samkhyAne to measure or count.
SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam is kalayati sarvam iti kAlah - He who measures and
sets a limit to everything is kAlah. He gives reference to gItA -
kAlahkalayatAm aham (10. 30).
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misfortunes or calamities, I am god of death.
SrI cinmayAnanda adds that this nAma signifies that bhagavAn measures the
merits and defects in each individual, and doles out the appropriate results -
kalayati iti kAlah.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha has also given this same interpretation - sarveSvaro
vishNureva kAlo, yato hi sa kalayatigaNayati samasta-prANi-karmANi,
tadanukUla phala-pradAya.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that among those that are used to
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measure or quantify things, kAla or Time is the most precise; it is not prone to
any error and keeps prodding everything to its destined end. This is
BhagavAn's act. He gives reference to the following passage –
"kAlo hinAma bhagavAn svayambhuh anAdi madhya nidhanah |
sa sUkshmAmapi kalAm nalIyate iti kAlah |
samkalayati kAlayati vA bhUtAni iti kAlah
(suSrutasUtra 6. 3).
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SEnaiaip pAzh paDanURRiTTup pOi viN miSaittana tAmame puga mEvia SOdi
(jyoti).
SrI cinmayAnanda, who follows SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam, bases his explanation
on the kaThopanishad passage "parame vyomni prathisTHitah" - He who is
centered in the Supreme cave of the heart and readily available for
experience.
c) He who accepts any offering by His devotees when offered with sincerity
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parigrahAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar bhAshyam - atra tatra ca parito grahah asya iti parigrahah -
Here, there, and everywhere, He accepts all. Quite appropriately, this is the
last of the nAma-s that SrI BhaTTar interprets as referring to the SrIrAma
incarnation. When Lord rAma departed to SrIvaikunTham after the purpose
for his incarnation was completed, He took every ayodhyA-vAsi with Him,
including the gardens, trees, etc.
(tiruvAimozhi 7. 5. 1).
SrI BhaTTar concludes his anubhavam of Lord rAma's guNa-s by singling out
His souSIlyam as the most outstanding guNa in SrI rAma avatAra - His guNa
of mingling with everyone without distinction regardless of His Supreme
Superiority.
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a) parito gRhyate -He who is grasped on all sides by those who seek refuge in
Him; and
ugrAya namah
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nAma 422. %¢> ugrah
The Formidable.
ugrAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar explains the next few nAma-s in terms of the kalki incarnation.
The nAma is derived from uc - samavAye - to collect together. At the end of
kali yuga, when all are more inclined to commit sins, and when there is great
confusion in the divisions of caste and the several stages of life, bhagavAn
becomes ugra- furious and wrathful, and takes the kalki incarnation and
destroys the hosts of mleccha-s.
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it is then that He becomes ugra.
SrI cinmayAnanda gives the meaning "Year" to the word samvatsarah, and
interprets this to mean Time, in the context of which all beings exist and
gather their experiences.
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nAma 424. d]> dakshah
SrI BhaTTar continues his interpretation in terms of the kalki incarnation, and
points out that this nAma refers to bhagavAn's quick action in eliminating the
dasyu-s (miscreants, looters) quickly during His incarnation.
mARALan.
This nAma also occurs later as nAma 917, where SrI BhaTTar interprets the
word in terms of bhagavAn's being very fast in coming to the rescue of
gajendra, even though gajendra was just an animal.
SrI cinmayAnanda gives the explanation "He who is Smart", because He is very
prompt, efficient and diligent in His function of creation, protection, and
destruction of the Whole Cosmos. He also explains the nAmaas referring to
"bhagavAn's readiness to reach and help all, at all times, everywhere, under
every circumstance".
SrI Sa~nkara observes that daksha refers to one who has the three qualities,
immensity, strength, and quick execution (pravRddhah, Saktah,SIghrakArI ca
dakshah). This nAma conveys that all these qualities are natural to the
Supreme Being.
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nAma 425. ivïam> viSrAmah
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the derivation - viSrAmyati yasmin sarvam iti
viSrAmah. - BhagavAn is also the place of rest for all the jIva-s at the time of
pralaya. Another explanation provided by SrI satyadevo vAsishTha is -
viSrAmayatisarvam iti viSrAmah.
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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that BhagavAN created night after a
day's toil for the beings to rest, death after a life of karma-s, fire for those
who shiver from cold, shade to rest for those scorched by the sun's rays, etc.
and thus He constantly provides the comfort of rest for every tApa. When
those who suffer the effects of their karmA think of Him, He makes this
thought itself the shield for them from their sufferings, and provides the
needed comfort.
viSva--dakshiNah
nAma 426. ivñdi][> viSva
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He shows His favor uniformly to all. This was the case in the trivikrama
incarnation, where He blessed everyone with His Feet in addition tomahAbali.
The word dAkshiNya (derived from the same root as dakshiNah) refers to the
guNa of forgiving enemies.
b) viSvam dakshiNA asya iti viSva-dakshiNah.
everything.
d) viSvasmAt dakshiNah Saktah - One who is more skilled than everyone. SrI
cinmayAnanda elaborates that all the efficiency and skill in the universe among
the living dynamic creatures is but an expression of Him, since He is the
source of the skill and efficiency.
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Slokam 46
ivStar> SwavrSwa[u> àma[< bIjmVyym!
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b) He who is spread out in everything.
(tiruvAimozhi 5. 2. 1,2).
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applies both to His being spread out in all objects, and His spreading out to
contain all the objects within Himself.
He also gives the example of a seed expanding to a tree, and the tree being
contained in the seed back again.
The dharma cakram writer adds another dimension to the anubhavam of this
nAma. He observes that the viSva-rUpa that bhagavAn showed to arjuna is an
illustration of this nAma. This form with infinite faces, infinite eyes, with no
beginning or end, with all the beings including all the deva-s contained in this
form, with the Sun and the moon as His eyes, and with no top, middle or
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sthAvar--sthANuh
nAma 428. SwavrSwa[u> sthAvar
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This is translated slightly differently by two different interpreters.:
One is that the apparently motionless objects such as the earth etc., rest in
Him.
The other interpretation is that this nAma refers to "He who is firmly
established, and in whom the apparently motionless entities such as the earth
are established, and He is both of these".
SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation "He is both Firm (shtAvara) and
Motionless (shtANuh)". He is motionless because He is All-pervading.
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exist. The tamizh word "tAvaram" is related to the samskRt word "sthAvara".
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha observes that just as the road does not move
eventhough people keep moving on it, and the mother walks but the child in her
womb does not walk with her, so also bhagavAn has created all that is around
us but He Himself is sthAvarah.
The Authority.
pramANAya namah.
The root from which the nAma is derived is mA mAne to measure, to compare
with. pramANam is that through which everything is ascertained. In this case
it refers to bhagavAn who is the final proof or authority for everything.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that bhagavAn created this Universe the
way He wanted, including the decision on how many species should exist and
what attributes they should have, etc., and so He is the pramANam or
authority for everything. The nAma occurs again as nAma 959.
SrI BhaTTar interprets the current occurrence as referring to His being the
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authority to decide what is good and what is bad for the people in the kRta
yuga, after the kalki incarnation.
bIjam--avyayam
nAma 430. bIjmVyym! - bIjam
"That which is equal and indistinguishable in the three genders and numbers as
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well as in its various declensions".
SrIrAdhAkRshNa SAstri remarks that there are many things in this world
which are sought after with a view to deriving happiness, but they all end up in
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resulting in misery after they are acquired and enjoyed. Unlike these,
bhagavAn is sought after by those who have the j~nAna to know that He is the
only one to be sought for permanent bliss.
b) He who is self-fulfilled and does not have any other end to seek.
anarthAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar explains that He is not sought after by those who have only a
little merit. They seek Him if at all, only for wealth. These are those who
want to regain their lost wealth, those who wish to acquire new wealth, and
those who seek the enjoyment of their own self (kaivalyam) without seeking
kaimkaryam to bhagavAn.
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lengths to make himself/herself comfortable, and in the process keeps making
life miserable. The needs just keep increasing the more new things are
invented. The atom bomb is invented, and instead of protecting man it
becomes a threat to worry about. More and more cosmetics are invented, and
more and more diseases result as a result of their use. More and more things
are invented to satisfy our taste buds, and more and more problems result
because of over-consumption. This nAma should illustrate to us that life that
does not keep multiplying our needs is the life that will ultimately lead us to
the mental state where we can contemplate on bhagavAn.
mahA--koSah
nAma 433. mhakaez> mahA
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koSa-s:
6. and bhagavAn is the mahAkoSa who is shielded from all except the
yogi-s.
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3. by control of the mind the manomaya koSa is crossed,
6. and through meditation on the Self we cross the Anandamaya koSa, and
ultimately realize bhagavAn.
mahA--bhogah
nAma 434. mhaÉaeg> mahA
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The dharma cakram writer points out that among the joys that one gets, there
are those which are conducive to desirable benefits, and there are those which
lead to misery as a result of the enjoyment. When one eats food for satisfying
hunger, this does not lead to suffering, but when one consumes food to satisfy
the taste buds, it is of the later kind. The enjoyment involving gambling,
intoxicating drinks, stealing other's wealth, etc., are bought at the price of
misery as a consequence. The term mahAbhogah indicates that bhagavAn is the
source of the bliss that is the greatest of all joys that lead to positive
benefits, the one that leads to Self realization.
mahA--dhanah
nAma 435. mhaxn> mahA
He of great wealth.
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mahA-dhanAya namah.
He is endowed with immeasurable and unlimited wealth to be given to those
who need it.
dharma in an endless manner has been obtained from Him by the revered
marIci, daksha, and others. Similarly wealth has been obtained from Him by
others. Likewise, by yet others kAma (the sensual enjoyment) has been
acquired.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that He is the possessor of the great
wealth that can be put in:
The dharma cakram writer discusses three kinds of wealth - material wealth,
knowledge, and devotion. The first two can be attained by anyone irrespective
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of their character etc. Those who have material wealth or knowledge are
praised by the people of this world, and as a result get intoxicated with pride.
But the third category of wealth is rewarded and praised by bhagavAn, and
does not lead to anything except bhagavAn Himself. Lord rAma during His
paTTAbhishekam gave away lots of material gifts to the participants, but He
did not give any material gift to hanumAn. When siTa pirATTi asked rAma
about this, He told her that He has already given to hanumAn what nobody else
knows, and that she can find out what it is from hanumAn himself. When
asked, hanumAn shows Lord rAma and sItA residing in His heart. This is what
vishNu's nAma of mahAdhanah indicates, viz. that He gives away the greatest
wealth there is, Himself, to His devotees.
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measured, and is prayed for by everyone else.
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Slokam 47
AinivR{[> Swivóae ÉUxRmRyUpae mhamo>,
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning starting from the root vid -
vicAraNe to discuss, to consider.
SrI BhaTTar explains this by indicating that bhagavAn does not become
despondent even though His expectations that we will resort to Him for our
redemption are not fulfilled. He just goes on with a new creation in the hope
that we will meet His expectations in our next chance.
The dharma cakram writer points out that just as the heart ceaselessly keeps
beating in order to keep us alive but takes rest constantly in between the
beats and so never gets tired, bhagavAn ceaselessly creates this world and
rests also continuously in between and never gets tired. If we do our karma-s
with a sattvic attitude we also will never get despondent, but if we do our
karma-s either with the rAjasic or tAmasic disposition, we will get easily
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depressed. This is the lesson we should take from this nAma.
He who is Immense.
stahvishThAya namah.
The author of nirukti explains this nAma as "sthoulyAt sthavishThah". SthUla
means large, immense, huge.
SrI BhaTTar explains this sthoulya in terms of the huge grouping of stars
referred to SiSumAra in vishNu purANa 2. 9. 1 - tArA-mayam bhagavatah
SiSumArAkRtih prabhoh -The form of the mighty Hari which is present in
heaven, consisting of the constellations, is that of a porpoise, with dhruva
situated in the tail, etc.
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SrI v. v. rAmAnujan observes that this constellation is revolving constantly like
a cakra, and is being constantly drenched by the Ganges flowing from the satya
loka to this earth, and is a reminder that bhagavAn is constantly striving to
rejuvenate and sustain the beings of this Universe.
SrI Sastri also refers us to the description of the huge form of bhagavAn in
SrImad bhAgavatam, 2. 1. 24 - 2. 1. 38, starting with viSeshas-tasya
deho'yamsthavishThaSca sthavIyasAm. Here He is described as:
sthUlasyAm sthUlah-the most huge among those that are huge (Slokam 24),
and sthavishThe vapushi (Slokam 38)-He with the form that is huge.
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nAma 438. ÉU> bhUh
The All-supporter.
bhuve namah.
bhu bhav - to be - He who exists, without any other support. Thus one
interpretation is that this refers to One who truly exists, unlike all other
beings which have only temporary existence in a bodily form. bhu also refers
to Earth, or in this case the support for all the stars in SiSumAra referred to
in the previous nAma. The vishNu purANa passage quoted in the previous
paragraph says that dhruva is in the tail of the SiSumAra group of stars, and
as dhruva spins, all the other stars spin with it, and is thus the supporter of
the SiSumAra constellation. Since dhruva is a form of bhagavAn, bhagavAn is
thus the supporter of all the stars of SiSumAra. This is SrI BhaTTar's
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vyAkhyAnam.
SrI Sa~nkara uses an alternate pATham as his primary text here, leading to
the nAma as a-bhuh- He who is not born, though he also refers to the possible
alternate pATham - bhuh, Existence.
dharma--yUpah
nAma 439. xmRyUp> dharma
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The taittirIya AraNyakam passage referred to in nAma 437 starts with
"tasmainamas-tac-chiro dharmah" - He whose Head is dharma.
yUpa as was pointed out earlier is derived from yu - miSraNe to join. The
pa~nca bhUta-s serve the purpose of sustaining life in this world. Since
bhagavAn unites the pa~ncabhUta-s which sustain the life in this world, He is
dharma-yUpah. The dharma cakram writer observes that dharma and bhagavAn
are not distinct. This nAma should remind us that those who follow dharma are
always protected by bhagavAn. This was the advice given to duryodhana by
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bhIshma when bhIshma had to fight on the side of duryodhana, viz. that
there is no way that the pANDava-s can be defeated because they are on the
side of dharma.
mahA--makhah
nAma 440. mhamo> mahA
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oblation?) because sacrifices or offerings to bhagavAn lead to moksha, the
greatest of the benefits.
nakshatra--nemih
nAma 441. n]Çneim> nakshatra
The word nemih is derived from the root nI to lead or carry. SrI BhaTTar
vyAkhyAnam is : "jyotiS-cakram nayati iti nakshatra-nemih". He refers to the
continuation of the vishNu purANam passage referred to in nAma438.
"evam bhraman bhrAmayati candrAdityakAn grahAn |
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(vishNu purANam 2. 9. 2. )
"As He (in the form of dhruva) goes round, He makes the sun, the moon and
other planets revolve. All the stars also follow Him like a wheel as Hemoves in
a circle".
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mahAvishNu is. If only one of the millions of stars goes out of its path
prescribed by Him, the consequences will be disastrous for us. This nAma
should remind us that just as order in the macro level is important for our
survival, there is need for order at the thought level as well for the long-term
survival of all of us. If the thoughts are not good, and if they are not devoted
to the welfare of the world as a whole but are self-centered, the consequence
is the long-term destruction of the whole.
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nakshatrI.
SrI BhaTTar explains that His being the Lord and driving force behind
SiSumAra is the reference here.
SrI Sa~nkara gives the interpretation that nakshatrI refers to His being the
Moon, the Lord of all the stars (nakshatrANAm aham SaSI - Among the stars,
I am the Moon - gItA10. 21).
a) He who is competent.
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clever and competent in everything.
The dharma cakram writer links the two interpretations nicely by pointing out
that in order to be competent and efficient, you have to act with patience.
And when we act with patience and thus become efficient in our acts, the
feeling we should have is that this is the kRpA of bhagavAn. This nAma
conveys the idea that in order to be efficient and proficient, weneed to be
patient and then dedicate the results of this efficient performance to
bhagavAn and grow our devotion to Him. This in turn will get us closer to
realization of Him.
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that when the jIva-s leave the vedic path
and pursue other paths, He does not lose His patience, but instead gives the
fruits that are consistent with these actions and thus makes them pure and
keeps giving them more opportunities to correct themselves. In a sense,
bhagavAn's guNa of kshamA is reflected in everything in this Universe
inherently. The individual soul puts up with the body for the duration that is
prescribed for it irrespective of all the actions of the body, every creation of
His puts up with the heat and cold to which they are exposed,etc.
SrI BhaTTar explains this nAma by pointing out that bhagavAn stands in the
form of dhruva in a diminished form at the time of the dissolution of the
Earth inclusive of the five elements. All the luminaries up to dhruva
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disappear,and dhruva alone remains shining in his place, as stated in vishNu
purANa -
"yAvan-mAtre pradeSe tu maitreyAvasthito dhruvah |
kshayamAyAti tAvat-tu bhumerAbhUtasamplave ||" 2. 8. 92
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samIhanAya namah.
The nAma is derived from the root Iha ceshTAyAm - to aim at, to desire, to
strive for. There are two aspects to striving for something. One is to strive by
oneself, and the other is to make others work. Thus there are two different
interpretations given for this nAma.
SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn after the deluge, at the time of
creation, makes all the other deva-s do their work in their respective posts.
samIhayati iti samIhanah.
SrI Sa~nkara's vyAkhyAnam is that He is one who wishes well for His
creation- SRtyAdi artham samyagIhata iti samIhanah - Well-wisher.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives several references from Sruti-s to support the
interpretation of this nAma, among which is the following from Rg veda -
"sUryA-candram-asau dhAtA yathA pUrva-akalpayat |
divam ca pRthvIm ca antariksham atho svah ||" (Rg 10. 190. 3)
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Slokam 48
y} #Jyae mheJyí ³tuSsÇ< sta< git>,
The Sacrifice.
yaj~nAya namah.
This nAma occurs again as nAma 971.
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When we have transformed all our acts so that they are not karma-s devoted
to our selfish goals, we have transformed the karma-s to yaj~na. The ultimate
yaj~na is when we have offered ourselves as the Ahuti in this yaj~na, i. e. , we
do everything for His benefit, not for our benefit. Since every one of
bhagavAn's acts is for the benefit of His devotees and nothing is for His own
benefit, He is the incarnation of yaj~na. Several references are provided in
support of this nAma.
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viLa~ngum SuDarc-cOdiyaivELviyai (tirumozhi 7. 10. 9), etc.
(gItA9. 23)
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ye yajanti pitR*n devAn brAhamNan sahutASanAn |
sarva bhUtAntarAtmAnam vishNumeva yajanti te ||
"Those who worship the spirits of their forefathers, the gods, the brahmins as
well as agni - they in reality worship only vishNu who is the Inner Soul of all
beings".
"Holy sacrifices to divinities and pitR-s are verily adoration of vishNu Himself,
who is the Self of all".
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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes in this context that agni is the nearest of
the devatA-s to us, and vishNu is the farthest : agniravamo devatAnAm
vishNuh paramah (taittirIyasamhitA 5. 5. 1).
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nAma 449. ³tu> kratuh
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across as nAma 446 is different from the term kratuh we have here, based on
the Sloka from gItA -
aham kratuh aham yaj~nah svadhA aham aham aushdham |
mantrah aham ahameva Ajyam aham agnih aham hutam || 9. 16
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reception of guests).
1. aupAsana homa,
2. vaiSva-deva,
3. pArvaNa - sthAlI-pAka,
4. ashtakA-SrAddha,
5. mAsa-SrAddha,
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that the activity that is commonly
undertaken to feed the pilgrims in large numbers in choultries (called Sattiram
in tamizh) is an example of this kind of selfless activity where many good
people participate for the welfare of a larger community of people.
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satra-svarUpi. SrI Sa~nkara gives an additional interpretation - He who
protects the good -satah trAyati iti sat-tram.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning from the root sad – sIdati
signifying movement. sIdati gacchati sarvatra - One who goes everywhere -
sattram.
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This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 186 - Slokam 20.
SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam is: "satAm - mumukshUNAm na-anyA gatih iti satAm-
gatih" - The sole support for those who seek liberation.
"O brAhmin! That is the sublime place for yati-s (i. e. , yogins) who have
washed off the mire of sins and who control their minds when all their merits
and sins have been annihilated".
SrI cinmayAnanda comments that the term gatih in samskRt means both the
path and the goal. SrIman nArAyaNa is both the means and the end for the
sAdhu-s, and it is only by surrendering to Him that they reach Him.
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sarva--darSI
nAma 452. svRdzI sarva
The All-Seer.
sarva-darsine namah.
One who, by His innate insight, is able to see all the good and evil actions of
living beings. Since He is the antaryAmi in everything, He sees everything even
without the awareness of the beings.
SrI cinmayAnanda observes that as the Sun is known as the "eye of the
Universe", bhagavAn is the Illuminator of everything.
The dharma cakram writer summarizes the purport of this nAma by pointing
out that when we act with the full realization that He is our Inner
Consciousness, and when we act consistent with that, we have understood the
meaning of this nAma. This is behind the concept that we should do every act
of ours by dedicating it to Him, and not perform any act that is not towards
His Will. (AnukUlaya sa~nkalpam, prAtikUlya varjanam).
The gItA Slokam 13. 13, with a reference that is easy to remember,
alsoconveys this idea:
sarvatah pANi pAdam tat sarvato'kshi Siro mukham |
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sarvatah SrutimAn loke sarvam AvRtya tishThati ||
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interpretations under nAma 780.
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nivRtti dharmA is j~nAnI, whom bhagavAn considers as His own soul.
Under nAma 780 SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is yet another variant of the
nivRtti concept. BhagavAn is also nivRttAtmA because, even though He
created this whole Universe, He remains totally detached from the worldly
affairs. He is associated with the Universe in that He created out of His
sheer Mercy, but His mind itself is not in any way affected by the worldly
things - svatastu tat a-sammata manAh.
nivRttAtmA.
The Omniscient.
sarvaj~nAya namah.
This nAma occurs again as nAma 821.
SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam is "sarvaSca asau j~naSca iti" - He who is all and who
knows all.
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esha sarveSvara esha sarvaj~nah (mANDUkya 6);
j~nAnam--uttamam
nAma 455. }anm< %Ämm! j~nAnam
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is the uttama j~nAnam - paThantam aniSam Sastram pA~ncarAtra puras-
saram.
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives reference to the atharva vedic passage
"sUtramsUtrasya yo veda, sa veda brahmANam mahat" - He who has knowledge
of theSupreme Knowledge, knows the greatest there is to know.
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120
Slokam 49
suìt> sumuoSsUúm> su"ae;> suod> suùt!,
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b) He who did intense tapas in His nara-nArAyaNa incarnation.
c) He who has good control of the offerings He accepts - e. g., from the likes
of kucela only.
Under nAma 824 SrI BhaTTar gives the vyAkhyAnam that is most familiar to
allof us - Lord rAma's vrata expressed during vibhIshNa SaraNAgati through:
sakRdeva prapannAya tavAsmIti ca yAcate |
abhayam sarva-bhUtebhyo dadAmyetat vratam mama ||
(yuddha18. 34)
"To him who seeks my protection even once and begs of me saying "I am
Thine", to him I give protection from all beings. This is my vow".
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SrI Sa~nkara gives this interpretation under the current nAma, but gives a
different anubhavam for the nAma when it occurs later in Slokam 88. There
he interprets vratayati as enjoys, and su-vrata as referring to His enjoying the
offerings of bhakta-s such as kucela. vratam is control of the food one eats
and other controls.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri observes that bhagavAn had good control of His
habits when He was nara-nArAyaNa.
"For me, arjuna! There is nothing in all the three worlds which ought to be
done, nor is anything that is not acquired that ought to be acquired. Yet I go
on working".
BhagavAn continues to work purely for the benefit of His creation. This is
the significance of His nAma as su-vrata. He says in the very next Sloka inthe
gItA that if He did not do this, He will set a bad example for others, and they
will not perform their prescribed duties and suffer for this lapse.
The dharma cakram writer gives some examples of the power of su-vrata.
BhIshma practised the su-vrata of brahmacarya, which gave him his enormous
greatness. hariScandra's story is an example of the greatness of satya-vrata.
The nAma-s from 457 to 463 that follow are interpreted by SrI BhaTTar
first based on the nara-nArAyaNa incarnation, and then he gives an alternate
interpretation based on the mohini incarnation.
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su--mukhah
nAma 457. sumuo> su
This can be taken as a reference to His having a sweet countenance even when
He was chanting the mantra-s and meditating as nArAyaNa maharshi in His
nara-nArAyaNa incarnation.
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nAcciyAr tirumozhi -"engaLai maiyal ERRi mayakka unmugam mAya-mandiram
tAn kolO" 2. 4;
SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri explains the significance of the nAma very nicely by
pointing out that normally with practice one overcomes the strain of severe
penance, and so the countenance will not reflect any strain. But in bhagavAn's
case we see cheerfulness instead of just the lack of strain. When He was told
to go to the forest just at the time He was decorated for
paTTAbhishekam,His face didn't have the slightest indication of
disappointment or sadness, but instead displayed the peace and satisfaction
typical of the greatest of those who have renounced the worldly things
(ayodhyA kANDa 19. 30-33).
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throne or to forsake all and go to the forest.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri nicely explains the power behind the concept of
sUkshma. The subtler the object, the more power it has. We all know the
ultimate power of the atom. If we start from the macro level of our body,
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and go through the different subtler levels such as the sense-organs, the
mind, the buddhi, and finally the soul, the power increases as the subtlety
increases. MahAvishNu is subtler than the subtlest of things, sUkshmah.
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Himself to us through everything around us all the time. This is the sUkshma
behind vishNu the Sukshmah, viz. that He is all around us and has never really
hidden Himself from us in any way. Just as the sound made by the cow
identifies the cow even if the cow is not seen, or the sound (voice) created by
a person identifies the person even though the person is not seen, so also
everything around us that is created by bhagavAn identifies Him to us (e. g.,
the AkASa, the sound from the AkASa,etc).
su--ghoshah
nAma 459. su"ae;> su
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AzhvAr called bhagavAn "SandOgan, pauzhiyan, ain-tazhal Ombutaittiriyan,
Sama-vedI".
The dharma cakram writer points out that when veda is chanted with the
proper intonations, the sound originates from the region of the diaphragm, and
this sound has the ability to cleanse and purify our mind. The sweet sound of
Nature, the sound arising from the trees and the birds, is soothing and
comforting to the mind. BhAratiyAr sings "kETkum oliyil ellAm nandalAlAundan
gItam iSaikkudaDA nandalAlA". All the musical instruments were discovered
as a result of listening to the sweet sound of Nature. This nAma should
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remind us that all the mantra-s sung in praise of bhagavAn and that sing His
greatness are su-ghosha-s.
SrI satyadevo vAsishsTha looks at the nAma from its root - hushir viSabdane-
to proclaim, to declare. The nAma su-ghoshah is formed by prefixing the
upasarga su- which means "Sobhana". su-ghoshah is thus the sound which
proclaims Him well repeatedly or loudly viz. the veda-s. Since the name and
the One who is referred to by that name are same, He becomes su-ghoshah.
BhagavAn manifests Himself through su-ghoshah in real life constantly
everywhere. The knowledge of the rain, that of the running water as well as
water that is obstructed from its natural flow, all these can be known from
the sound emanating from these. Just as a great artist is revealed by the art
he/she creates, bhagavAn is constantly revealed through the sweet sounds of
Nature that He has created.
sukha--dah
nAma 460. suod> sukha
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BhagavAn bestows Supreme Bliss on those who practice:
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan observes that bhagavAn just does not stop with giving the
fruits to those who observe sadAcAra, but He Himself observes these
anushTHAna-s to set an example to us so that we can follow His path and get
the parama-sukham. This is revealed by Lord kRshNa in the gItA inSlokam 3.
23 which we referred to earlier under nAma 456.
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The dharma cakram writer points out that even though bhagavAn is the One
who bestows even the ordinary benefits such as wealth, health etc., based on
karma-s, the significance of the current nAma is that He alone can bestow the
Ultimate sukham viz. moksham.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha analyzes the word into three part su, kha, and da,
and gives an interpretation different from the above. He starts with khanu-
avadhAraNe - to dig, and equates su-kha with the SarIra with its outlets that
allow us to lead a life without sickness, disease etc. One who gives this sukha
sarIra is su-kha-dah - sukham khAtam tad-dah sukhadah vishNuh.
su--hRt
nAma 461. suùt! su
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this is His Nature of being a su-hRt.
The dharma cakram writer observes that the heart which suffers when sorrow
hits, or rejoices when a favorable event occurs, is not the "good heart"
referred to here, but the heart that bleeds when others suffer is the good
heart. Lord rAma was not affected one way or the other when He was about
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to be crowned or when He was asked to leave for exile in the forest. He was
neutral in both circumstances. But the pure heart is one which anguishes
when someone else suffers, and rushes to help those who need help.
Meditating on the significance of this nAma will lead to the purification ofthe
heart of the devotee.
mano--harah
nAma 462. mnaehr> mano
mano-harAya namah.
Because of the innate benevolence noted above, He captivates everyone's
heart.
SrI cinmayAnanda has appropriately translated this nAma as "One who is the
looter of the mind". His vyAkhyAnam is "Not only is the Lord Beauty
Incarnate, but He compels the attention of the devotee to come away from all
other sense objects to dwell upon His enchanting form. Thus vishNu is one who
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generates an irresistible joy in the mind of His devotees and compels them to
spend their time in constant worship".
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that bhagavAn has created all things with
this mano-haratva attribute built into everything He created. Now we see all
these beautiful things around us, and our mind is captivated by this ingenuity
of the Creator, and we wonder aloud - "Who could it be that created this
marvel?" So He is mano-harah.
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He gravitates these devotees closer and closer towards Him. So bhagavAn is
mano-harah for both categories of people.
jita--krodhah
nAma 463. ijt³aex> jita
1. manyu is the type of anger which is in the mind but which does not find
expression in words or in action.
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2. When the anger spills out in the form of reddening of the eyes,
expression in the face, etc., this is called kopam.
It is to be noted that bhagavAn has not eliminated anger completely, but just
has conquered it, and will get angry when He feels the need for it.
SrI vAlmIki nicely expresses this through the words "krodham AhArayat
tIvram" - 3. 24. 33 - He brought Himself to be angry. When His devotee
hanumAn is hurt by rAvaNa, Lord rAma made Himself angry. (yuddha 59.
147).
SrI Sa~nkara points out that if He kills an asura, it is not because of anger but
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SrI cinmayAnanda extends the anubhavam to include not just krodha, but all
the six types of afflictions that a man can suffer from:
1. kAma,
2. krodha,
3. lobha,
4. moha,
5. mada, and
6. mAtsarya.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha, who in addition to his great mastery of samskRt, was
a great ayurvedic expert as well as a great astrologer, comments that krodham
is a result of some defects of the body, and is caused by an imbalance in the
bodily juices. Since bhagavAn is not subject to these deficiencies, He is not
subject to kAma, krodha etc.
The interpretations by SrI BhaTTar for nAma-s 457 to 463 that were given
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so far were based on bhagavAn's nara-nArAyaNa incarnation. He has also
given a set of alternate interpretations for these nAma-s based on the mohini
incarnation, which are covered below.
457. su-mukhah - He who has a charming face - He who shines with a face
which is delightful like the moon and which is replete with the nectar of Bliss
very much like the pot of nectar held in the hand.
458. sUkshmah - The Subtle - He is subtle because His thoughts were hidden
from the asura-s.
459. su-ghoshah - He who is the object of loud and delectable praise - His act
of churning was delectable and was praised loudly both by the gods and the
asura-s.
460. sukha-dah - The Giver of Joy - He gives joy to the gods by distributing
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the nectar to them.
461. su-hRt - The friend - because of His love for the deva-s.
462. mano-harah - The heart-ravishing - His form bewitched the minds of the
asura-s.
463. jita-krodhah - He who conquered the anger - On seeing His form the
minds of the asura-s became confounded with confusion and thereby He
overcame the anger of the asura-s against the gods.
nAma-s 464 to 470 which follow are also interpreted by SrI BhaTTar on the
basis of the mohini incarnation.
vIra--bAhuh
nAma 464. vIrbahu> vIra
He of mighty arms.
vIra-bAhave namah.
SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam of this nAma is that bhagavAn has a thousand arms
which are all vying with each other in the wonderful act of churning the Milk-
Ocean - arms which are shining with effulgent bracelets, armlets, and garlands.
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SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to peria tirunozhi 5. 7. 4 -"Seyiru
viSumbum ti~ngaLum SuDarum dEvarum tAmuDan tiSaippa Ayiram tOLAlalai
kaDal kaDaindAn ara~nga mAnagar amarndAnE". We also have in tiruvAimozhi -
aSurarauit-tagarkkum tOLUm nAngu - 10. 1. 1.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri observes that a vIra is one who engages in his act
with intensity in a prescribed way without backing down. BhagavAn's four
hands with four different weapons in them simultaneously go into action
independently of each other, and accomplish the desired action flawlessly,
each one of them displaying the quality of the vIra independently.
The dharma cakram writer observes that a vIra is one who uses the might of
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his arms to help the cause of dharma and not for any selfish purpose. rAvaNa
was also one of mighty arms, not just two but twenty of them for that matter.
He cannot be considered a vIra, since all he could use his might for was to
nurture his kAma. This nAma of mahA vishNu should remind us that our
abilities should be put to use to protect dharma, and not for selfish purposes.
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The dharma cakram writer gives the interpretation that bhagavAn tears away
the association (bandham) between the AtmA or the soul and the body or
prakRti. BhagavAn is the one who separates or tears away the unchanging soul
from the ever-changing body.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out this guNa of separating - vidAraNa, in all
aspects of His creation. Thus man and woman, day and night, uttarAyaNa and
dakshINayana, pRthivI and antariksha, agni and soma, etc. are all
demonstrations or reminders of this guNa of mahAvishNu - vidAraNah. He is
the one who "tears away" or separates the child from the mother at the time
of birth so that the two live separately.
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Slokam 50
SvapnSSvvzae VyapI nEkaTma nEkkmRk«t!,
into sleep the asura-s who had not been put away as described in the previous
nAma, using His beautiful smile, sweet glances and the play of His eyebrows,
and thus made them forget that He was distributing the nectar to the deva-s
exclusively.
The dharma cakram writer gives the analogy of the animal life vs. the human
life. Humans are "awake" in the world of intelligent reasoning, in which the
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animals are "asleep", i. e., they are not capable of operating in this domain as
well as humans can do. Similarly the ordinary human is asleep to the world of
the j~nAni. The path for the ordinary human to become awake in the world
of the j~nAni is to chant the nArAyaNa mantra - "nalam tarumSollai nAn
kaNDu koNDEn nArAyaNA ennum nAmam" is AzhvAr aruLic-ceyal. This is the
lesson we should take from this nAma.
sva--vaSah
nAma 467. Svvz> sva
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deva-s, consistent with His absolute independence. The bhAvam here is that
bhagavAn is not under the control of anyone or anything else, and He is only
under His own control. He does not need anyone's help or support for whatever
He does. Everything else is under His control. He does His acts of creation
etc. as He wishes.
He does not also have any desire that is out of His reach (based on vaS -
kAntau to wish, to desire - SrI satyadevo vAsishTha). BhagavAn is sva-vaSah
because He has everything that He desires within Himself, does not have any
desire outside of Him, and rejoices with His own Self.
The dharma cakram writer points out that it is only when one does not have
any need that one can be totally independent.
When we are under the control of our mind, we lose our independence, and do
whatever our mind dictates. Then we become dependent on others. This nAma
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teaches us that we should learn to control our mind and get it under our
control instead of being controlled by our mind. Meditating on this nAma of
bhagavAn will give us this discipline. The more we are able to devote ourselves
to bhagavAn, the more our mind will get under our control.
The Pervader.
vyApine namah.
SrI BhaTTar-s vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn pervades everyone with His own
Power and gives energy to them. At the time of churning the Mik-Ocean, He
pervaded the deva-s, the asura-s, the mandAra mountain, vAsuki and others,
and gave them the energy to churn the ocean.
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RshTo divipRshTo agnih pRthivyAm pRshTo viSvA oshadhIrAviveSa (Rg),
He of diverse forms.
naikAtmane namah.
SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam is that bhagavAn assumed several forms at the time
of churning - as vishNu to help the gods and the asura-s to churn, as the
tortoise to support the mandAra mountain, and as mohini to distribute the
nectar.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri reminds us of the similarity between this nAma and
nAma 139 - caturAtmA. A more general interpretation is that bhagavAn
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expresses Himself through all the forms of His creation.
The dharma cakram writer points out that the different forms of gods that
the followers of different religions worship are all an expression of bhagavAn,
and it is because of their ignorance of bhagavAn being a naikAtmA that they
think they are worshipping different deities and fighting within themselves.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the root of the word AtmA as ata -
sAtatyagamane - to go constantly, which nicely explains the nature of the
AtmA. BhagavAn is everywhere in the form of the father, the mother, the
son, the disciple, the teacher, the husband, the wife, the friend, etc.,since He
is the antaryAmi in everything.
tvam hinah pitA vaso tvam mAtA Satakrato babhUvitha (Rg 8. 98. 11)
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nAma 470. nEkkmRk«t! naika karma--kRt
naika--karma
- malaiAmai mEl vaittu vASugiyaic-cuRRi talai Amai tAn oru kai paRRi
alaiyAmalpIrak-kaDainda perumAn (nAnmugan 49).
SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri points to His actions in the form of candra, sUrya,
agni, etc. and helping to serve us.
The dharma cakram writer gives a view which summarizes all the above by
pointing out that everything that ever takes place is His action and nothing
else. Examples of this abound. We are instruments in His creation, but we are
not creators. From one mango tree, only another mango tree can come, and we
can't create something else from a mango seed. We are the instruments and
He is the kartA. If we have this realization, the benefits (karma phalam) of
none of the actions for which we are the instruments will accrue to us.
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nAma 471. vTsr> vatsarah
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SrI BhaTTar refers us to the following mantra about bhagavAn which brings
out this point - sarvAntaScAriNe dharmAtmane - Unto Him Who is the
embodiment of dharma and Who lives in all beings.
c) vatsarah also refers to time - the period of one year. BhagavAn is the
continuum of space and time, in which all creatures live - in the sense of b)
above. So He is the endless space and infinite time - vatsarah.
d) SrI cinmayAnanda decomposes the word as vatsAn rAti iti vatsarah. In His
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kRshNAvatAra, He restored the calves to the gopa-s when they had been
taken away by the enemies - So He is vatsarah because He gave away the
calves (vatsa here is interpreted as calf).
The Affectionate.
vatsalAya namah.
This nAma is formed from the word vatsa by adding the lach pratyaya
signifying loving, tender (based on 5. 2. 98 ashTAdhyAyI of PANini -
vatsaamsAbhyAm kAma bale). The nAma signifies that He has extreme love
for His devotees.
SrI cinmayananda translates the word as "Supreme Love", and points out the
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SrI BhaTTar points out that this nAma explains why bhagavAn wants to guide
everyone by being their antaryAmi as expressed in the previous nAma - it is
because of His extreme kindness towards His devotees. This affection is like
that of a cow to its calf - kanaittu iLam kaRRerumai kanRukku ira~ngininaittu
mulai vazhiyE ninRu pAl Sora. sItA pirATTi's words of advice to rAvaNa were
- vihitah sa hi dharmaj~nah SaraNAgata-vatsalah - It is well-known that rAma
knows this great virtue, and that He is very affectionate towards those who
have sought refuge in Him.
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b) He who possesses lots of children whom He protects like a cow protects its
calves.
vatsine namah.
The first of these interpretations is a reference to His gopAla incarnation,
where He protected the calves during the episode involving indra. SrI v. v.
rAmAnujan refers us to kanRu mEittu inidu uganda kALAi (16). The second
interpretation refers to the innumerable hosts of souls who are to be always
tended by Him, like a cow tends to its calves with affection.
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through their beak, etc.
ratna--garbhah
nAma 474. rÆgÉR> ratna
SrI cinmayAnanda refers us to gItA 10. 24- sarasAm asmi sAgarah, and
observes that bhagavAn is ratna-garbhah like the Ocean and has all the
treasures within His control, and can bestow any wealth quickly to any devotee
as He desires.
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SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri extends this to the presence of ratna in the hood of
the serpent and in the knots of the bamboo shoots, which are caused by none
other than bhagavAn. The name also suggests that bhagavAn protects His
devotees like gems, and assists them towards the path of realization of the
Self. Meditating on bhagavAn constantly instead of succumbing to the rAjasic
and tAmasic aspects dormant in us will elevate us so that we can realize Him.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning of ratna starting from the
rootram - krIDAyAm to play, to rejoice at. Thus, the word ratna denotes
everything that gives happiness. Since bhagavAn has the whole world in His
garbha, He has everything that can give happiness in Himself, and so He is
ratna-garbhah. He gives several examples from the Sruti:
hiraNyagarbhahsamavartatAgre bhUtasya jAtah patireka AsIt;
arcAmi satyasavam ratnadhAmabhipriyam matim;
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Since SrI BhaTTar interpreted the previous nAma in a broader sense, viz., hat
He is the source of all wealth, he interprets the current nAma as referring to
bhagvAn's generosity in giving away this wealth quickly to His devotee who
wishes for it. He supports his interpretation based on the uNAdi sUtra 738 -
aSnoter-AsukarmaNi varat ca - The affix varat comes after the root aS - to
pervade, when the word formed from it refers to 'having the power of
granting success soon' - the emphasis being that bhagavAn is quick in giving
the benefit to His devotees.
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pugazh ellai ilAnai.
SrI cinmayAnanda comments that the term wealth here refers to all things
that cause happiness. He is lakshmI-pati, the Lord of Goddess Lakshmi, and so
He is ever the Master-of-Wealth. The greatest of wealths is moksha, and
Lord nArAyaNa is Isvara of this great wealth, and is the Giver of thiswealth
to the prapanna-s readily.
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Slokam 51
xmRguBxmRk«ÏmIR sd]rmsT]rm!,
dharma--gup
nAma 476. xmRgup! dharma
The dharma cakram writer elaborates on this nAma by pointing out that
bhagavAn maintains dharma by rewarding those who observe dharma (with
wealth, health etc.) and punishing those who violate dharma (through disease,
suffering, etc.) so that they can be returned to the path of dharma. Peace in
the society, rain, good crops, and general prosperity result when the society as
a whole follows the path of dharma; disease, earth quakes, war, looting,
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famine, etc. result when the society fails to follow the path of dharma. Thus,
this nAma should remind us that our adherence to the path of righteousness in
everything we do (our relations with our wives/husbands, our treatment of our
parents, the behavior of the people who are involved in public projects on how
they treat their public responsibility, how a person who has renounced the
worldly life treats the wealth that he may be able to collect, etc.)., all reflect
in bhagavAn's administration of His dharma as the dharma-gup.
dharma--kRt
nAma 477. xmRk«t! dharma
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a) Those who follow dharma do so because of His anugraha. SrI BhaTTar
quotes:
dharmam sAmAnyam amalam anAdinidhanam vibhum |
durlabham yatprabuddhAnAm tat-prasAdayitA vinA ||
SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri points out the importance of dharma in our lives. The
jIvAtmA is caged into this body as a result of the previous karmA-s. BhagavAn
has shown us the path of dharma in order for the jIva to get release from this
cage. BhagavAn does not have any such need to observe dharma etc. because
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karma does not touch Him. Even so, He observes all the dharma-s consistent
with His avatAra. Lord kRshNa's words in the gItA ch. 3. 22-24 refer to this.
na me pArtha asti kartavyam trishu lokeshu ki~ncana |
na anvAptam avAptavyam varta eva ca karmaNi ||
yadi hyayam na varteyam jAtu karmaNyatandritah |
mama vartma anuvartante manushyAh pArtha sarvaSah ||
utsIdeyur_ime lokA na kuryAm karma cedaham |
s~ankarasya ca kartA syAm upahanyAm imAh prajAh ||
dharmiNe namah.
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The fact that bhagavAn is reflecting dharma all the time constantly to us is
evident when we see the sun, the moon etc. always following their prescribed
dharma without fail. The sun always rising in the east and setting in the west,
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the cycle of the moon, etc, are constant reminders to us of this fact (SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha).
The next four words are sat, aksharam, asat and ksharam, which are combined
in different sequence by SrI BhaTTar and by SrI Sa~nkara. SrI BhaTTar
uses the sequence "sad-aksharam asad-ksharam", and SrI Sa~nkara uses the
sequence "sat asat ksharam aksharam". The nAma-s they derive out of this
sequence are similar, except that SrI BhatTTar treats the word aksharam as
an adjective for sat, and the word ksharam as the adjective for asat. Thus
the nAma-s according to his vyAkhyAna are sat, sad-aksharam, asat, and asad-
ksharam. The nAma-s per SrI Sa~nkara are sat, asat, ksharam, and aksharam.
The nAma-s sat and a-sat can be treated as a pair of opposites, and the nAma-
s sad-aksharam and asad-ksharam can similarly be treated as a pair.
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nAma 479. st!! sat
a) He who is commendable.
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above meanings. In advaitic interpretation, the meaning for this word is given
as "Truth".
SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri points out that in truth, there are two kinds - one is
pAramArthika sat - that which is true in all three time frames (past, present,
and future). The other is vyAvahArika sat - like this world, which originates
in the pAramArthika sat and merges back into the pAramArthika sat at the
time of pralaya. BhagavAn is the pAramArthika sat or nitya sat.
SrI BhaTTar points out that aksharam is an adjective for sat (the previous
nAma), and thus gives the current nAma as sad-aksharam or aksharam-sat.
ksharam is that which decays or diminishes, or something that does not stay
associated with something else, and aksharam is that which is never diminished
or decays. His sat or Existence, does not undergo any decrease or diminution.
This is also true of His svarUpa and His kalyANa guNa-s. So the meaning of
this nAma is - He who is ever existent without decrease or destruction.
VP1. 2. 11
b)The root from which the word ksharam is derived is kshar - sa~ncalane to
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flow, to distil (SrI satyadevo vAsishTha).
a) That which does not exist now, but existed in the past as well as will exist in
the future.
c) He who is non-existent for those who do not follow the path of dharma.
a-sate namah.
a) In gItA 9. 19, bhagavAn says "amRtam caiva mRtyuSca sat asat ca aham
arjuna - "I am immortality as well as death, O arjuna. I am the being as well
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as the non-being".
SrI rAmAnujna bhAshyam for this stanza is: sat is that which exists now (sad
yad vartate), and asat is that which does not exist now but which existed
before and which may exist in the future (asadyad atItam ca anAgatam ca).
Thus bhagavAn is a-sat (non-being) in the sense of sat meaning existence as we
saw in the gItA Slokam 17. 26, and a-sat being the things that don't exist now,
but existed in the past and will exist in the future.
c) He is also non-existent (asat) with respect to those who do not follow the
path of dharma. SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to tirumAlai 15 -
meyyarkkEmeyyanAgum vidi ilA ennaipOla poyyarkkE poyyanAgum puT-koDi
uDaiya kOmAn, and to nammAzhvAr - meyyanAgum virumbit-tozhuvArkkellAm
poyyanAgum puRametozhuvArkkellAm (tiruvAimozhi 9. 10. 7).
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asat--ksharam
nAma 482. Ast! ]rm! asat
The Non-cognizant.
avij~nAtre namah.
SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that He is non-cognizant of the faults of His
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devotees. He observes that it is a great commendable quality of bhagavAn that
He is willing to forget and forgive the sins of those who have surrendered to
Him unconditionally. It is said of Lord rAma that He never even responds back
to those who speak harsh words towards Him - ucyamAno'piparusham nottaram
pratipadyate (ayodhyA 1. 10).
SrI BhaTTar quotes his revered father, SrI kUrattAzhvAn - "Oh Lord! We
refute the statement that you are a sarvaj~nA! It is obvious You are totally
ignorant of the faults of your devotees!" - sarvaj~natAm evam upAlabhAmahe,
tvam hi aj~na evaAsrita-dosha-joshaNah.
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deed. He also gives reference to the gItA (9. 30) -
api cet sudurAcArobhajate mAm ananya-bhAk |
sAdhureva sa mantavyah . . . ||
(Even if someone does not follow the AcAra for his jAti etc., as long as he
worships me with singular devotion and without expecting any other benefit, he
is a paramaviahsNava to Me).
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning by looking at the word as avi
+j~nAtA instead of the traditional a+vij~nAtA. Then he derives the meaning
from av rakshaNAdau - to protect, to do good, and j~nAtA - One who knows.
Thus his meaning for avij~nAtA is One who knows how to protect, or He who
protects everyone. Thus it refers to His being antaryAmi in everything, His
being the Protector of those who surrender to Him, etc.
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nAma 484. shöa<zu> sahasrAmSuh
SrI Sa~nkara interprets the nAma as referring to His being the Sun with
countless rays. yena sUryas-tapati tejaseddhah - (tai. brA. 3. 12. 9) -Lighted
by His effulgence, the sun shines. SrI Sa~nkara also gives reference to the
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b) The Ordainer of the laws of conduct for all, including the likes of yama.
e) He Who lays down the code of conduct and the fruits to be attained from
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them.
We studied this nAma earlier in Slokam 5 (nAma 44). Interpretation (a) by Sri
BhaTTar and SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN are described there. The other
interpretations are discussed below.
The meaning for the nAma can be understood based on the following meanings
given in the dictionary, and the derivation given by SrI vAsishTha, among
others:
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1. vidhAtR – A maker, a creator. Grantor, giver, bestower. vidhA in the
dictionary is given the meaning "division, part, portion", and based on
this, vidhAtA means one who apportions, controls, distributes, creates,
etc. li~ngayasUri defines the meaning as "vidhatta iti vidhAtA" in his
amarapadavivRti.
b) For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma in
terms bhagavAn being “The Supreme Controller” and the “Ordainer of the laws
of conduct for all” - (vidhAnam – arranging, disposing; a rule, precept,
ordinance, sacred rule or precept, sacred injunction. Also see vAsishTha -
vidhAtA – vidhAnasya kartA). He explains the nAma in the context of the
meaning of avij~nAtA that he gave earlier - bhagavAn ignores the faults of His
devotees. Then one can ask the question "what happens if someone else, like
yama for instance, who is impartial in his treatment of everyone for their sins
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as well as good deeds, punishes the devotees of vishNu for their sins?". This
nAma says that bhagavAn controls yama and all other gods, and so they won't
punish a vishNu-bhakta, and they will inform their servants not to punish a
vishNu-bhakta in any way.
benefits the jIva-s that follow the path that leads to Him, is declared in
several places: vishNu purANa, brahma purANa, vAmana purANa, nArasimha
purANa, lai’nga purANa, vaishNava dharma, SrI vishNu tattva, and SrImad
bhAgavatam. In vishNu purANam, we have:
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“yama instructs his servants through message given secretly in their ears:
Don’t forget my orders. When you approach anyone who does not worship
anyone other than Lord vishNu even by oversight or forgetfulness, just
worship them, and peacefully move away from them. Do not in any way use any
force against them. ”
avan tamar ev-vinaiyar Agilum em kOn
avan tamarE enRu ozhivadu allAl- naman tamarAl
ArAyappaTTu aRiyAr kaNDIr – aravu aNai mEl
pEr Ayarkku ATpaTTOr pEr.
(mudal tiruvanTAdi 55)
“When the servants of yama encounter a devotee of kaNNan who rests in the
Milky Ocean, they do not go further and enquire anything more about these
devotees, but praise them and get away from them. They realize that their
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leader – yama, is also a devotee and servant of the same kaNNan, and do not in
any way harm the vishNu bhakta-s”.
talaip-pei kAlam naman tamar pASam viTTAl
alippUN uNNum av-allal ellAm agala
kalai-pal j~nAlattu en kaNNanaik kaNDu koNDu
nilaip peRRu en ne’njam peRRadu nIDuyirE
(tiruvAi. 3. 2. 10)
“When the last breath is to leave the body, merciless messengers from yama
release their death-rope and drag you, and you experience the excruciating
agony. This is all described in elaborate detail in several places. But this is
not what happens in the case of bhgavAn’s devotees. For them, bhagavAn
appears in front of them at this crucial moment, and suddenly all the shivering
and fear is gone, and their soul gets fresh and eternal hope and energy”.
d) For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 51, SrI Sa’nkara interprets the
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nAma as One Who supports the earth in the form of AdiSesha, the eight
elephants, etc., which in turn bear all other things – viSesheNa Sesha dig-gaja
bhU dharAn dhAtRRn dadhAti it vidhAtA. In other words, bhagavAn is the
Support of all other supports.
SrI vAsishTha gives a quote from the ISAvAsya Upanishad for an example of
one of the rules laid down by bhagavAn (vidhAnam etat – This is the Ordained
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rule):
kurvanneveha karmANi jijIvishet Satam samAH |
evam tvayi nAnyatheto’sti na karma lipyate nare ||
(ISAvAsya. 2)
“One should desire to live a hundred years just performing nishkAmya karma-s
(accessory to upAsana). For an aspirant (of moksha) there is no other way.
Karma will not cling to such a person (who is a knower of Brahman). ”
This laying down of the rules is one aspect of bhagavAn being vidhAtA –
vidhAnasya kartA. The other aspect of His being vidhAtA is that He is the
Bestower of the fruits of any action – karmaNAm phalAnAm yathArthatvena
vidhAtRtvAcca ‘vidhAtA’ sa vishurasti iti vidhAtA. Again, SrI vAsishTha gives
another reference from the Sruti:
sa paryagAt Sukram akAyam avraNam asnAviram Suddham apApaviddham |
kavir-manIshI paribhUH svayambhUH yAthAtathyato’rthAn vyadadhAt
SasvatIbhyaH samAbhyaH ||
(ISA. 8)
“He the Seer, the Controller of the mind, the Conquerer of enemies like desire
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etc., the self-existent, attains the effulgent, the one with no body associated
with karma, the soreless, the one without sinews, the one ever pure, the one
never tainted by sin. The seer has borne in his mind all things as they are
(such as the end of life, way, the obstacles, etc. ) for numberless years”.
In other words, for one who has led a life of nishkAya karma as laid down by
the vidhAtA vishNu, Lord vishNu in turn gives the benefit (vidhAtA) in the
form of the realization of Himself to such a practitioner of this dictum from
Him.
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illustration of this is the protection by the Lord, of both the mother and the
child in the womb of a pregnant mother, simultaneously, but in different ways.
g) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as “vidadhAti kAmAn sva-
janAnAm iti vidhAtA – He Who bestows the desires of His devotees. He gives
support from the Upanishad-s:
h) One of SrI satya sandha tIrtha’s interpretation is: – viH garuDo dhAtA
yasya iti vi-dhAtA - He Who is carried by garuDa
kRta--lakshaNah
nAma 486. k«tl][> kRta
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attributes.
kRta-lakshanAya namah.
This nAma means "He who has laid down the lakshaNa-s or distinctions".
2. amyag vyavasito hi sah - gItA 9. 30 - "He who has rightly resolved in his
mind that bhagavAn is everything", and
3. does not look for any other benefit - ananya bhAk (same Slokam in
gItA);
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absent-mindedly".
The dharma cakram writer points us to gItA chapter 12, Sloka-s 13 to 20,
where Lord KRshNa has laid down the lakshaNa-s of His bhakta, starting with
adveshTA sarvabhUtAnAm. . ., and ending with SraddadhAnA mat-paramA
bhaktAste atIva mama priyAh.
c) He has also distinguished Himself with the SrIvatsa mark on His vaksha-
sthalam.
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SrI cinmayAnanda points out that bhagavAn is kRta-lakshaNah since He
distinguishes Himself through the six attributes - aiSvarya dharmah
yaSaScaSrIh j~nAnam vairAgyam (glory, righteousness, fame, wealth,
knowledge, and detachment).
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Slokam 52
gÉiStneimSsÅvSwiSs<hae ÉUtmheñr>,
gabhasti--nemih
nAma 487. gÉiStneim> gabhasti
The dharma cakram writer comments that this cakram in bhagavAn's Hand
denotes the dharma cakram which controls, guides and directs everyone
towards the path of dharma, and is the kAla cakram which shows the never-
ending nature of time which is His manifestation.
b) SrI satyadevo vAsisTha derives the meaning of the nAma from the roots
bhasdIptyoh to shine, and nI prApaNe to lead. The word gabhasti is derived
from the root bhas bhartsana dIptyoh - to censure or to shine. The latter
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meaningis relevant for this nAma. The word nemi is derived from the root nI
prApaNe - to lead. nemi is given the meaning "the circumference or rim of a
wheel".
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(tait. Ara N. 10. 14),
sattva--sthah
nAma 488. sÅvSw> sattva
a) SrI BhaTTar points out that when bhagavAn is in the heart of the devotees,
there is no karma in them since darkness does not exist where there is sun.
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sattvasthah. "When Lord Hari, who is imperishable and eternal, and who wields
the discus and the mace, abides in the heart of a person, how can sin exist
there?" -
sphatika maNi SilAmalah kva vishNuh |
manasi nr*Nam kvamatsarAdi doshah?
(vishNu purANam 3. 7. 22.)
He stays in the hearts of the devotee with His cakra and thus makes sure that
yama and yama-paTa-s don’t come near this devotee -
"ki~nkarA daNDa pASau vA na yamo na ca yAtanAh |
samarthAhtasya yasyAtmA keSavAlambanah sadA ||"
gives the meaning that bhagavAn abides in the sattva guNa - sattvam
guNamprakASakam prAdhAnyena adhitishThati iti - He who chiefly presides
over the quality of sattva guNa which is radiant.
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b) He who took the nr*simha form.
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simhAya namah
SrI BhArghava narasimhan - ahobilam
This nAma has occurred earlier (nAma 202). There SrI BhaTTar had
interpreted the nAma as referring to bhagavAn's nr*simha incarnation. For
the current nAma, he continues his interpretation in terms of bhagavAn
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protecting His devotees by punishing if necessary anyone who even tries to
harm His devotee.
Thus He punishes yama and his servants if they approach a vaishNava with the
intent of harming him without realizing that he is vishNu's devotee.
SrIBhaTTar gives examples from vishNu tattva, vhshNu dharma, and lai~nga
purANa to illustrate this.
SrI rAdhAkr*shNa Sastri suggests that bhagavAn is the lion that gets rid of
the deer in the form of asura-s. Alternatively, SrI Sa~nkara points out that
simhah may be considered a short form for His full nAma -nr*simha.
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning from the root sic - ksharaNe to
sprinkle, to impregnate, and interprets simhah as He who bestows the karma-
phala to everyone impartially. His alternate interpretation is that bhagavAn is
of infinite Power, which is indicated by His nAma of simhah. He takes away the
life of everything in their due time, including the manvantara-s, the kalpa-s,
and the mahA-kalpa-s, and merges them all into Himself. Just as we refer to a
great medical doctor as vaidya kesari, bhagavAn is the kesari of all kesari-s or
lions.
bhUta--maheSvarah
nAma 490. ÉUtmheñr> bhUta
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the other gods, established these other gods (tiruvAimozhi 5. 2. 8);
SrI rAdhAkr*shNa Sastri refers us to the gItA where bhagavAn points out
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that sadly the foolish people do not recognize His glory as the bhUta-
maheSvara because they think He is just a human even though He has assumed
the human form out of sheer Mercy towards to them so that He is easily
accessible to them (gItA 9. 11).
(yaju. 23. 3)
yo bhUtAnAm adhipatir yasmin loke adhiSritAh |
ya Ise mahato mahAns-tena gr*hNAmi tvAm aham ||
(r*g. 1. 121. 1. )
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Adi--devah
nAma 491. Aaiddev> Adi
c) He who swallows the three worlds at the time of pralaya, and releases at
the time of creation.
Adi-devAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 335 (Slokam 36). SrI BhaTTar's
vyAkhyAnam is Adih dyotamAnaSca Adi-devah. Adi - The cause, and deva -
ever-shining. He is the cause of all the other gods, and is possessed of great
splendor that subjugates them. SrI BhaTTar gives one example of this -
bhIshA'smAt vAtah pavate (taittirIya - Ananda valli 8. 1) - The wind blows out
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SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam is - sarva bhUtAni AdIyante anena iti Adih; AdiSca
asu devaSca iti Adi-devah. He is the first through whom all beings come to
exist, and He is divine as well.
Unlike SrI BhaTTar and SrI Sa~nkara who both have treated Adi and deva as
two separate aspects of bhagavAn's guNa, SrI cinmayAnanda treats Adi as
the qualifier for deva, and gives the meaning that bhagavAn is the First Deity.
The dharma cakram writer remarks that this nAma indicates that bhagavAn is
not governed by nature as we know it, where everything has an origin - e. g.,
the tree comes from the seed, and the seed comes from the seed, the deva-s
come from bhagavAn, but He is Adi-deva who has no origin. Everything that is
created has an end, but He has no end. Even the gods can't comprehend Him
fully. We who have an origin and an end can't fully comprehend Him who has
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neither origin nor end, and the more we meditate on the significance of the
nAma Adi-devah, the more we are closer to realizing Him.
mahA--devah
nAma 492. mhadev> mahA
In his vyAkhyAnam for this pASuram, SrI V. N. vedAnta deSikan points out
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that the inbam or leelA here is that He gives us all the means to reach Him
(such as His arcA rUpa which is close to us, His bestowing on us the caitanyam,
the ability to think and understand what is good for us, etc. ), and still we
decide not to use any of these means that He has given us and go astray. This
amuses Him, and this is the krIDA or leelA that is implied here. Or, since He
performs His great leelA of creation etc., using all the gods that He has
created such as brahma, He is mahA-devah (SrI P. B. aNNa~ngarAcArya).
SrI cinmAyananda explains that since all the other gods came from Him, He is
the mahA-deva or Supreme Lord or Great Deity.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the meaning mah - pUjAyAm - to honor, and
interprets the nAma s meaning "He who is fit to be worshipped to the
exclusion of others". He gives examples of the stars losing their importance
as soon as the Sun appears, or the AtmA being of supreme importance in the
context of the indirya-s which are like the deva-s.
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devAnAm Isah deveSah.
SrI cinmayAnanda explains "He is the very Consciousness in all the other
gods". Consciousness here can be interpreted to mean "antarAtmA". He is the
God of all the gods, and of course everything else that exists.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives several supporting quotes from the Sruti:
- athar. 7. 5. 2.
deva--bhr*t
nAma 494. devÉ&t! deva
SrI Sa~nkara and those who base their interpretations on him (e. g., SrI
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cinmayAnanda etc. )., combine the current nAma and the next as one nAma -
deva-bhr*t-guruh - and gives the meaning that bhagavAn is the guru (One who
taught the veda-s) to deva-bhr*t (the king of all deva-s, indra). Their
alternative interpretation is still to consider the nAma as deva-bhr*t-guruh,
but treating the nAma as referring to two different attributes in one nAma -
deva-bhr*t - He who nourishes all the deva-s, and guruh - He who promulgates
all knowledge.
The Preceptor.
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gurave namah.
SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation mentioned earlier viz. bhagavAn is guruh
because He gave the veda-s to the deva-s. In vishNu purANam, brahma is
quoted as saying: hari-guru-vaSago'smi (3. 7. 15) - I am under the control of
my Guru - bhagavAn Hari. We have from the Sruti - yo vai vedamSca
prahiNoti tasmai - (Sve. 6. 18) - He who teaches him (i. e., brahma) the veda-s.
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Slokam 53
%Ärae gaepitgaReÝa }angMy> puratn>,
uttarAya namah
uttAraNat uttarah - He who rescues.
SrI T.S. Kr*shNamUrti has translated this as "He who transcends the bounds
of birth".
The dharma cakram writer gives the significance of this nAma in our day-to-
day life. Our mind is normally torn by all kinds of desires, bondage, etc., and
these are trying to puncture holes in our mind which is the boat we need to
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safely cross this ocean of birth. Rocks in the form of aha~nkAra, mamakAra,
etc. are trying to wreck this boat. Till we cross this life span, we need to have
this boat intact without being wrecked or punctured. Meditation on bhagavAn
is essential in order for us to accomplish this. The following from tiruvaLLUvar
is relevant in this context – "piRavip-perum kaDal nInduvar, nIndAr iRaivan
aDiSerAdAr".
go--patih
nAma 497. gaepit> go
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e) Protector of all that moves around.
The concept that bhagavAn is the Master of all words is interpreted by SrI
BhaTTar as referring to His being the One who gave the veda-s as well as all
the languages to us.
The dharma cakram writer interprets this as meaning that bhagavAn keeps His
word to His devotees, as well as meaning that He ensures that His bhakta's
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words come true. We know of bhagavAn's promise to protect those who
surrender to Him unconditionally, and we know that He ensured that
bhIshma's promise to make Him take to weapons in the war against His own
promise come true. He also made the words of prahlAda come true that
BhagavAn will be in the pillar when hiraNyakaSipu challenged the young
prahlAda.
The roots of interest in understanding the meanings for this nAma are: gam -
gatau to go, and pA- rakshaNe to protect. In this sense, go can also refer to
indriya-s since they wander towards material objects, to mind since mind
wanders on all kinds of thoughts, to AtmA since AtmA moves from one body to
another, to body since the body moves from one place to another, and on and
on. BhagavAn is the patih for all these. Among His creations for which He is
the patih, veda is the one that is heard, and the Universe is the one that is
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seen. Veda-s expound the way of life of the world, and the world is an
expression of the veda-s, and He is the patih for all of these.
a) The Savior.
The nAma is derived from the root gup -rakshaNe to protect. SrIBhaTTar
interprets the nAma as referring to bhagavAn being the protector of all
knowledge, thus extending the interpretation offered in the previous nAma (a).
SrI Sa~nkara gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is the protector of all
beings and all the worlds.
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trINi padAvicakrame vishNur-gopAadAbhyah - yajur. 34. 43. He points out
that bhagavAn's guNa of protection of all that is on this land, in the sea or in
the air, is His dharma. SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam for nAma 600, the second
occurrence of this nAma later, is that He is the Protector and Administrator
of the wheel of karma -bestowing the fruits of karma to the beings for their
acts, good and bad, the cycle of birth and rebirth etc.
Another meaning for the word gup is to hide, to conceal. Based on this, SrI
Sa~nkara interprets the second occurrence of this nAma as meaning that He
hides Himself (from non-devotees) through His mAyA.
SrIrAdhAkr*shNa Sastri uses both the meanings of gup (hide and protect),
and gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is goptA because He protects His
devotees by hiding them from their enemies, and from all obstacles.
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The dharma cakram writer observes that this nAma should remind us that
bhagavAn is the one who is constantly protecting everything He has created.
Those who think they are protecting themselves or are being protected by
some other human being have this thought because of their sheer ignorance.
This nAma should remind us of this simple fact.
j~nAna--gamyah
nAma 499. }angMy> j~nAna
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which is beyond the reach of the indriya-s -paravidyA.
Among the means that aid in attaining this para knowledge are j~nAna, bhakti,
karma, and yoga. Practices on a continuing basis such as nAma samkIrtanam
(chanting bhagavAn's nAma), SravaNam (listening to bhagavAn's nAma,
purAna,itihAsa, . . . ), kaimkaryam (performing duties in support of temple
services, making garlands, cleaning the temple-premises..), etc., facilitate in
purifying our mind and developing bhakti. Bearing with patience any difficulties
that arise in our life, not rejoicing at any good things that happen in our life
but dedicating them to bhagavAn, etc., will also help in directing our mind
towards Him. j~nAnam in our context is the realization of the relationship
and association between us and our Creator. This j~nAnam will materialize for
us only by His Grace. This nAma conveys to us that BhagavAn is realizable only
through the j~nAnam, and He is the only One who can bless us with this
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The Ancient.
purAtanAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar explains the significance of the nAma in terms of the previous
nAma-s, indicating that He is Ancient in that He has been giving us knowledge
and protecting it not only in this kalpa, but in all previous kalpa-s as well.
SrI Sa~nkara's bhAshyam is "He who is not limited by Time and who existed
before anything else".
The dharma cakram writer observes that this nAma also conveys several other
thoughts - viz. that bhagavAn is beginning-less, not born, not governed by
Time, not comprehended by the mind, the Origin of everything that exists, etc.
SrI cinmayAnanda points out that "Ancient" here refers to that from which
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the concept of time itself originated, and thus He is the Truth that cannot be
measured in terms of Time.
c) He who protects the devatA-s who are associated with different parts of
the body.
SarIra-bhUta-bhr*te namah.
The term bhUta can refer to the pa~nca mahAbhUta-s, the 24 tattva-s or
Reals of which the pa~nca mahA bhUta-s are a subset, or to the entire
universe of all beings. Thus there are different interpretations for the nAma.
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SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning of bhUtaas referring to the 24 tattva-s or
Reals that are the elements involved in creation -
1.prakr*ti,
2.mahat,
3.ahankAra,
4.sound,
5.ether,
6.touch,
7.air,
8.sight,
9.light,
10.taste,
11.water,
12.smell,
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13.earth,
14.mind,
15.eye,
16.ear,
17.nose,
18.mouth,
19.skin,
20.tongue,
21.hand,
22.leg,
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23.anus, and
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rAmAnujan gives the support again from tiruvAimozhi 10. 7. 2 -
"tAnEyAginirAindu ellA ulagumuyirum tAnEyAi… ninRozhindAn".
SrI Sa~nkara gives the interpretation that since bhagavAn nourishes the
elements of the body, and since He Himself is the prANa (the vital air), He is
SarIra-bhUta-bhr*t.
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The Enjoyer.
bhoktre namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 145. There the nAma was explained as
referring to bhagavAn's guNa of enjoying even the simplest offerings from
His devotee. "patram,pushpam, phalam, toyam. . . " from the gItA (9. 26) was
referenced. He is also the Ultimate Enjoyer of the offerings to all the gods
(bhoktAramyaj~na tapasAm sarvaloka maheSvaram… gItA5. 29). Under the
current nAma SrI BhaTTar extends this guNa of bhokta to include not only
the offerings to the gods (havya), but also to the kavya, the offering toour
pitr*-s or the deceased ancestors -
ahamannamahamannamahamannamahamannAdo'hamannAdo'hamannAdah-
taittirIya upanishad - I am the food or the object of enjoyment for My
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devotees, and I am the Enjoyer or consumer of the offerings of My devotees
as well;
The obvious examples of kaNNan accepting with great delight the handful of
puffed rice from kucela, and His accepting the food offered by vidura over
that offered by duryodhana are well-known.
SrI cinmayAnanda gives two derivations for the meaning for bhoktA-bhunakti
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SrI BhaTTar interprets the next few nAma-s in terms of the guNAnubhavam
of the incarnation of bhagavAn as SrI rAma.
Earlier, nAma-s 390 to 421 had been interpreted also in terms of SrI
rAmAvatAra.
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SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is: BhagavAn assumed the human form which was
very different from His Nature in order to propagate the performance of
sacrificial acts laid down in the veda-s which He had Himself promulgated
earlier in the form of hayagrIva, and the deva-s assumed the form of monkeys
which are even more different from their nature. He was the indra or the
Lord for the gods who were his servitors, and hence He is called kapIndra.
This is supported by the following Sloka from vAlmIki rAmAyaNa
sarva-lokeSvarahsAkshAt lokAnAm hita-kAmyayA |
sarvaih parivr*to devaih vAnaratvam upAgataih ||
loka here means the world, the people of the word, and also the veda-s. So His
incarnation is for the protection of the world and its people, but also for the
protection of the veda-s.
SrI rAdhAkr*shNa SAstri observes that for One who could control thousands
and thousands monkeys, it is a trivial task to control the indriya-s of mortals
like us.
The dharma cakram writer points out that our mind which is like a monkey can
be controlled if we seek the help of bhagavAn and meditate on Him, and then
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we can win over the aj~nAna just as the controlled monkeys won over rAvaNa
in the battle. Our soul is caged and imprisoned by the aj~nAna, just as sItA
pirATTi was imprisoned by rAvaNa, and it is only by controlling the mind which
is like a monkey that we can get rid of this aj~nAna and release the soul from
its bondage. This nAma should teach us that it is possible to achieve this with
the help of bhagavAn, kapIndrah.
SrI Sa~nkara points out that kapi can also refer to a boar (varAha), and so
kapIndrah can also refer to His varAha incarnation. The term kapih was
interpreted earlier in nAma 102 - vr*shAkapih -in this sense.
bhUri--dakshiNah
nAma 504. ÉUirdi][> bhUri
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan points out that this example should extend to the vaidika
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karmA-s such as SrAddha, in which the dakshiNA should be liberal to the
participants. He gives the example of Lord kr*shNa's guru dakshiNA-that of
bringing back sAndIpani's dead son to life again - maRi kaDalvAimANDAnai
Oduvitta takkaNaiyA uruvuruvE koDuttAn (periAzhvArtirumozhi 4. 8. 1).
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The word dakshiNa is also given the meaning dexterous, able, clever(pANini 1.
1. 34). Thus the nAma could mean that bhagavAn is extremely dexterous. This
interpretation is mentioned in passing by SrIrAdhAkr*shNa Sastri.
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Slokam 54
saempae=m&tp> saem> puéijTpuésÄm>,
a) He who drank the soma juice after performing sacrificial offerings in His
rAma incarnation.
b) He who, in the form of the deity being invoked in a yaj~na, accepts the soma
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SrI Sa~nkara gives the additional interpretation that bhagavAn accepts the
offering of the soma juice in all sacrifices in the form of the deities to whom
the sacrifice is addressed.
The dharma cakram writer points out that the juice of the soma plant is
comprised of a constituent that gives long life - like nectar. This is offered
first to the deva-s to whom the yaj~na is dedicated, and then the yajamAna
partakes of this prasAdam.
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amr*ta refers to ambrosia or nectar.
SrI BhaTTar gives two interpretations for this nAma depending on - pah in the
nAma being interpreted as pibati - drinks, or pAti - protects. The oblations
offered in sacrifices as prescribed in the veda-s along with the recitation of
mantra-s are transformed by the god of fire into ambrosia and given to vishNu
"yat ki~ncit hUyate vahnauhavir-mantrair-vidhAnatah |
tat sarvam amr*tam kr*tvA vishNavesamprayacchati || "
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amr*tasya esha setuh (muNDakopanishad 2. 2. 5) - He is the bridge for the
amr*ta i. e., the procurer of the nectar; yasya chAyA amr*tam (tai. yaju. 4. 1)
- He whose shadow is ambrosia i. e., He whose protection is amr*tam itself.
a) The Nectar.
b) The moon.
somAya namah.
BhagavAn is called soma (nectar) here because He is sweet like nectar to the
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bhakta-s who enjoy Him.
soma also refers to the moon. SrI Sa~nkara uses this meaning in one of his
interpretations for this nAma.
puru--jit
nAma 508 - puéijt! puru
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purUn - bahUn jayati iti puru-jit - He who conquers many.
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rAmAnujan):
SrI rAmAnujan also observes that Lord rAma has the distinction of winning
over three from the same family - rAvaNa was won over by His valor,
vibhIshaNa by His dharma and character, and SUrpanakhA by His appearance.
Thus again He has conquered many through many means.
He who has under His control all the constellations, the lands, the oceans, the
different worlds, all the souls, and everything there is, is puru-jit.
The dharma cakram writer observes that the same attributes that helped
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rAma win over everyone viz. dharma, truth, humility, etc., are the same
attributes that we need in life to overcome obstacles in life. When obstacles
arise for those who practice these traits, these should be only taken as
temporary incidences that are meant to reinforce their faith in following the
good traits that ensureultimate success. This was true in the case of
hariScandra and the pANDava-s. This nAma of bhagavAn should teach us to
follow the traits that will ensure success in life in the long run.
puru--sattamah
nAma 509. puésÄm> puru
There are many different interpretations for this nAma. SrI BhaTTar's
vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn remains with many great ones such as Hanuman
who are always desirous of drinking the ocean of His nectar-like qualities. He
gives the following words of HanumAn in support:
sneho me paramo rAjan! tvayi nityamapratishThitah |
bhaktiSca niyatA vIra! bhAvo nAnyatra gacchati ||
"O King! My love for Thee is very great and it is firmly planted in Thee. O
Warrior! My devotion to Thee is even more steady. I can not think of going
anywhere else (leaving this world where Thou hast enslaved me)".
SrI Sa~nkara interprets the nAma as consisting of two attributes, puruh and
sattamah, the first referring to the multi-faced, multi-headed, multi-eyed,
multi-dimensioned, viSva-rUpa form, and the second referring to His being the
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best of all, sattama. viSvarUpatvAt puruh, utkr*shTatvAtsattamah.
SrI ChinmayAnanda gives the meaning "great" to the word puru, and interprets
the nAma as bhagavAn being the Greatest among the great. He opines that
the pATham purushottamah is used in some versions for this nAma, and the
meaning then is given in terms of purushah and uttamah -Omnipresent and
Best.
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The dharma cakram writer gives the meaning "He who shines through many
great forms", and refers to the vibhUtiyoga in SrImad bhagavad gItA. He is
the Sun and the moon in those that shine, sAma veda among veda-s,indra among
the deva-s, etc.
a) The Subduer.
SrI ChinmayAnanda observes that the direct meaning of the word vinayah is
"He who shows supreme humility". Here it means "He who humiliates those
who are unrighteous". He also gives an alternate interpretation- vi-nayah,
where nayah refers to He who leads (netA etc.)., and vi-nayah refers to the
Lord who leads well the seekers steadily through the path of truth and
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righteousness.
a) He who is conquered.
b) He who is victorious.
jayAya namah.
SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam is samastAni bhUtAnijayati iti jayah - He who is
victorious over all beings.
SrI BhaTTar gives the first interpretation. The nirukti description for SrI
BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is Asritaih jIthate yasmAtvidheyokriyatejayah - One
who has been conquered by the devotees and who acts according to their
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wishes.
The dharma cakram writer explains the context of being victorious for our
day-to-day life - the lesson we should learn from this nAma. There are always
two aspects to our character - acquiring and practicing qualities that are
conducive to our realization of bhagavAn, or indulging in activities that are
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contrary to this. Being subservient to wealth, committing even heinous crimes
in order to acquire and accumulate wealth, going after name and fame instead
of devoting ourlife in kaimkaryam to bhagavAn, etc. are some examples of the
latter. rAvaNa, duryodhana, etc. were examples of characters who fell prey to
their inferior instincts in their lives. The victory that we should aimfor is over
the base instincts that will result in our defeat in our effort to cross the
ocean of samsAra. For real victory in this life, we should develop and practice
characters such as kindness towards others, sacrifice for the welfare of
others, vairAgyam, bhakti,etc.
satya--sandhah
nAma 512. sTysNx> satya
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b) He of firm resolve.
satya-sandhAya namah.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meaning pratij~nA or promise to the word
sandhA. Thus satya sandhah means He whose promises are always true.
SrI BhaTTar quotes Lord rAma's words to sItA pirATTi about this aspect of
bhagavAn's guNa -
apyaham jIvitam jahyAm tvAm vA sItesa-lakshmaNam |
na tu pratij~nAm samSrutya brAhmaNebhyo viSeshatah ||
"O sItA! I would rather give up my life, or even you and lakshmaNa, than break
my promise especially that which has been made to brahmins".
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to mind. Instances of daSaratha keeping his word to kaikeyi, dharmaputra
going to the forest and undergoing aj~nAtavAsam just for the sake of
fulfilling his word, the story of hariScandra, etc. are examples of great people
caring to keep their words. This is why they are great, and dear to bhagavAn.
c) He who was born in the race of daSArhah i. e., the yAdava race.
dASArhAya namah.
The nAma is derived from the root dASr* dAne -to give away, and arhah
meaning deserving. Thus there are two interpretations given. The first is that
He is fit to be worshipped through offerings of gifts, and the second is that
He is fit to be aimed for as the ultimate gift.
SrI Sa~nkara has given the interpretations a and c, and SrI BhaTTar has given
all three interpretations. SrI BhaTTar explains that He is fit for us to offer
our selves to Him, or alternately, He considers His Supreme Self fit to be
offered to His devotees.
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daSarha clan or tribe of the yAdava race. SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to
nammAzhvAr-
enadu AviyuL kalanda perunal udavikkuk kaimmARu
enadu Avi tandu ozhindEn ini mILvadenbadu uNDE
(tiruvAimozhi 2. 3. 4)
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In support of the interpretation a), the dharma cakram writer observes that
bhagavAn is fit for our offerings over anyone else, since He accepts all our
offerings including our sins, and if we offer our karma-phalan to Him, He
relieves us of all the effects of our karma and bestows moksha on us.
sAttvatAm--patih
nAma 514. saTvta< pit> sAttvatAm
The yAdava race is also called the sAttvata race. Since Lord kr*shNa is the
Lord of the yAdava-s, He is called sAttvatAm-patih.
Another interpretation, given by SrI Sa~nkara and those that follow his
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vyAkhyAnam, is that bhagavAn is sAttvatAm-patih since He is theLeader of
those who follow the tantram called sAttvatam, the scriptures which are
essentially sAttvic in nature.
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Slokam 55
jIvae ivniyta sa]I muk…Ndae=imtiv³m>,
ambhOnidhiranantAtmA mahOdadhisayO=ntakah ||
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jIvAya namah.
jIvayati iti jIvah (SrI v. v. rAmAnujan). He helps bhAgavata-s keep away from
committing sinful acts and thereby bringing about their ruin, and instead
makes them lead a life of Bliss by doing service to Him. SrI rAmAnujan
corroborates this interpretation of SrI BhaTTar by reference to periAzhvAr
- eyiRRiDai maN koNDa endai irAp-pagal Oduvittuennaip-payiRRip-paNi
koNDAn (5. 2. 3). He even made the squirrels do service to Him and thus enjoy
the bliss of kaimkaryam to Him.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the more general interpretation viz. that
bhagavAn is the cause of sustenance of everything - jIvayati prANAn
dhArayati iti jIvah
a) The Savior.
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second of the two meanings. In fact he states that bhagavAn protects His
devotee-s with love and affection and treats them like princes -rAjakumAra
lAlanena rakshati.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha bases his interpretation using the first meaning
given above for nay viz. to go. His interpretation is - sarvasya jagato gatim
prAyayitA gater-dAtA ityarthah - He shows the path to everyone, or gives
direction to everyone.
The Observer.
sAkshiNe namah.
BhagavAn is the Observer within every one ofus. uLLuvAr uLLiRRellAm uDan
irundu aRidi - tirumAlai 34 (SrI v. v. rAmAnujan). SrI BhaTTar's
interpretation is that bhagavAn is so concerned about the welfare of His
devotees that He constantly observes them to make sure no harm comes to
them.
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outside of us. SrI vAsishTha has composed the following Slokam as his
interpretation for this nAma -
sAkshI sa vishNuh sa hi darSano vA drashTA svayam sa hi sUrya cakshuh |
j~nAnam hi cakshuh r*tamAtrabodhah so'ntargatah paSyati viSvamAtram ||
SrI Sa~nkara and others who follow his vyAkhyAnam have interpreted nAma-s
516 and 517 together as one nAma - vinayitA_sAkshI - He who witnesses or
observes the humility of His devotees.
mukundAya namah
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ulaguyya ninRa perumAL - Thirukkadalmallai
(Courtesy: http://thirukadalmallai.blogspot.com)
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dadAti iti mukundah. SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives several references to divya
prabandham:
pul eRumbu Adi onRu inRiyE naRpAl ayoddhiyil vAzhum
arASaram muRRavum naRpAlukku uyttanan
(tiruvAimozhi 7. 5. 1)
Both SrI Sa~nkara and SrI BhaTTar have given reference to the pANini sUtra
6. 3. 109 - pr*shodarAdIni yathopadishTam - to support the derivation of the
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word mukunda from muktim dadAti - "The elision, augment and mutation of
letters to be seen in pr*shodara etc., while not found taught in treatises of
grammar, are valid, to that extent and in the mode, as taught by the sages".
amita--vikramah
nAma 519. Aimtiv³m> amita
a) He of boundless valor.
SrI Sa~nkara gives two interpretations for the nAma. One is based on
vikrama referring to Saurya, which means strength, power,might - amitam
vikramaNam Sauryam asya iti amita-vikramah. The nAma occurs in SrImad
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bhagavad-gItA in Slokam 11. 40 - anantavIryAmitavikramastvam …., which is
translated by SrI tirukkaLLam nr*simharAghavAcAryasvAmi as immeasurable
parAkramam, which stands for heroism, prowess, courage,valor.
The second interpretation SrI Sa~nkara gives for the nAma is based on the
meaning "stride, step, pace" for vikramah,or vikramaNa - amitA aparicchinnA
vikramAstrayah pAdavikshepA asya - He whose three strides, or steps, were
immeasurable. The reference here is to the tri-vikrama incarnation. The
Lord's steps were so vast, they were indeed immeasurable.
The root kram - pAdavikshepe - to walk, tostep, is the basis for the derivation
of the interpretation by SrI satyadevo vAsishTha, which is the same basis on
which SrI Sa~nkara's second interpretation above rests.
However SrI vAsishTha interprets the nAma as meaning that bhagavAn has
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innumerable or countless strides in His manifestations. This diversity or
extensive manifestation is also reflected in everything around us - the Earth,
the sky, and the region in between; rajas, tamas and sattva guNa-s; sun rise,
mid-day, and the sunset; etc.
SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma-s 520 to 528 which follow in terms of the
kUrmAvatara.
ambho--nidhih
nAma 520. AMÉaeinix> ambho
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strength Who supports the worlds in the form of a Tortoise.
nidhi means reservoir, abode,receptacle. SrI Sa~nkara gives the second and
third interpretations - bhagavAn is the Ocean or the reservoir of water. He
quotes the gItA - sarasAm asmiSagarah - 10. 24. His alternate interpretation
is based on the term ambhA as representing the deva-s, the asuras,the people
of this world, and the pitr*-s, as defined in the tait. brAhmaNa2. 3. 8 -
"tAni vA etAni catvAryambhAsi |
devo manushyAh pitaro'surAh ||"
Thus the nAma can be interpreted to mean that bhagavAn is the abode or
resting place of all the ambhA-s.
The dharma cakram writer points out that while these ambhA-s are the ones
who control the rest of the life forms, bhagavAn controls the ambhA-s, and
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thus He controls everything. BhagavAn also supports the life forms as kUrma
mUrti when everything gets submerged under the water during pralaya. Thus,
this nAma signifies that bhagavAn is the Support of all life forms at all times.
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SrI rAdhAkr*shNa SAstri elaborates on this further by observing that for all
objects in this Universe, if they are in one place they can't be in another place,
and if they are in one form they can't be in another form at the sametime.
BhagavAn is not subject to these constraints, signified by the nAma
anantAtmA.
mahodadhi--Sayah
nAma 522. mhaedixzy> mahodadhi
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periAzhvAr in periAzhvAr tirumozhi 5. 1. 7 - veLLai veLLattin mEloru pAmbai
meddaiyAga virittu adan mElE kaLLa nittirai koLginRa mArgam kANa, and by
nammAzhvAr in tiruvAimozhi 3. 4. 9 - acyutanai anantan mEl naNNi
nanguuRaiginRAnai (SrI v. v. rAmAnujan).
SrI BhaTTar gives several supporting quotes. ante pr*thivyAm salile dr*Syase
tvam mahoragah (SrImad rAmAyaNa, yuddha. 120. 23)- "At the time of the
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end of this world, Thou art seen on the AdiSesha in the waters of the deep";
"kalpAnte yasya vaktrebhyo vishAnala Sikhojvalah |
samkarshaNAtmako rudro nishkramya atti jagat-trayam ||
"From His mouths, at the end of the kalpa, proceeds the venomed fire that,
impersonated as rudra, who is one with balarAma, devours the three
worlds" (vishNu purANam 2. 5. 19).
SrI cinmayAnanda adds that as Time He brings an end to all things thus
creating constant changes in this world, without which no evolution or creative
development is ever possible, and in this sense bhagavAn is the antakah.
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Slokam 56
Ajae mhahR> SvaÉaVyae ijtaimÇ> àmaedn>,
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d) He who goes where the devotee is.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains that when the world comes to an end, after
the world submerges into earth, earth into water, water into air, etc.,
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ultimately what is left behind is the sound of praNava, and then its root or
origin or base, the sound 'a' (akAram), which symbolizes bhagavAn.
The other interpretations which have been given by other vyAkhyAna kartA-s
are summarized under the discussion relating to the nAma-s 96 and 206.
Briefly, SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is the Mover in
the heart of the devotee - ajati gacchati kshipati vAajah.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the interpretation that bhagavAn reaches out
(gacchati) to where His devotees are, or He is ever active in ensuring that
everyone gets the effects of their karma without discrimination.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning(g) above starting with 'a'
referring to vishNu, and ja referring to everything that is born from vishNu
when combine with 'a'. He relies on mahAbhArata Santi parva 341. 74 in
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"The great secret which the gods are keeping, and which is revealed to us by
the great upanishad, is that the jIva is to be offered to bhagavAn, the
Supreme Brahman, by means of the praNava, the first letter of which, 'a',
signifies the paramAtmA, and the last letter, 'm' signifies the jIvAtmA. "To
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Thee, the Brahman of great effulgence, I offer myself through the mantra
'(praNavam)' ".
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri adds that of all the worships offered to bhagavAn,
the worship offering our own selves, which is nothing but prapatti, is the
greatest and the most supreme. This nAma indicates that He is One who is
deserving of prapatti.
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svAbhAvyAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is "svabhUtaih (Atmabhih) bhAvanIyatvAt
svAbhAvyah" - He who is fit to be meditated upon by the individual souls who
are His property.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning based on sva +bhU + vyat, where
he uses the meaning bhU - bhav to be, and the pANini sUtra orAvaSyake - the
affix vyat comes after a root ending in short or long u whenthe sense is that
of necessity.
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nAma 527. ijtaimÇ> jitAmitrah
One translator has translated the later two as I-ness and mine-ness. These
are the enemies that prevent us from having the svarUpa j~nAnam, and
bhagavAn helps His devotees by removing them in His devotees. Lord kRshNa
reveals the powerful negative nature of these enemies (desire, anger, etc. )., in
bhagavad-gItA 3. 37 to 3. 43
(kAma esah krodha esha rajod-guNa samudbhavah |
…. . jahi Satrum mahAbAho! kAmarUpam durAsadam ||).
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives several references from the Sruti-s for
bhagavAn's nAma of jita amitrah: dyumAgm amitradambhanah (Rg 4. 15. 4),
amitra senAm maghavan (atharva. 3. 1. 3); etc. He also points out that those
who follow bhagavAn and dharma come out victorious in whatever they
undertake, whereas those who forsake dharma are guaranteed to fail in the
end as well.
"en peru vinaiyaik kiTTik kizha'ngoDu tan aruL ennum oL vAluruvi veTTik
kaLaindavan";
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(tiruvAimozhi 2. 9. 3).
SrI Sa'nkara also adds the aspect of bhagavAn's conquering the enemies such
as rAvaNa, SiSupAla, etc. There is also the interpretation that He has
conquered these enemies such as kAma, krodha,etc., Himself; thus, He has
conquered the enemies within as well as outside.
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The nAma is derived from the root mud - harshe- to rejoice, to be glad. SrI
BhaTTar connects the interpretation of this nAmato the previous one by
indicating that when the devotees realize that bhagavAn has removed the foes
such as anger, desire, etc., they feel delighted, and He is pramodanah in this
sense.
SrI PBA, SrI v. v. rAmAnujan etc. connect both interpretations (a) and (b)
nicely through the following anubhavam - The devotees feel delighted that
enemies such as ahamkAram, mamakAram, fear, anger, etc.,have been removed
from them by bhagavAn; bhagavAn in turn feels delighted when He finds that
His devotee is delighted. This is like the parents feeling delighted when their
child is happy.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that while modah refers to the pleasures
associated with day-to-day life, pramodanam is the delight that is associated
with the realization of the true nature of the self.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha remarks that the extent to which bhagavAn keeps
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His creations happy can be seen by the fact that everyone wants to cling to
this material body and no one really wants to leave this body that they get
because of their prior karma!
He Who is Bliss.
AnandAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar interprets the next few nAma-s in terms of bhagavAn's kapila
incarnation (The nAma kapilAcAryah is embedded in the next Slokam). He is
called Anandah because He is endowed with a Bliss that is beyond description
or imagination (vA'ng manasa dur-graho mahA Anandah asya astiiti Anandah).
SrI BhaTTar reminds us of the discussion of the nature of His Bliss in
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The Bliss-Giver.
nandanAya namah.
nandayati iti nandanah. BhagavAn gives this brahmAnandam (described in the
previous nAma) to the liberated souls (mukta-s) when He confers moksham to
them, and as a result He Himself rejoices. The previous nAma signified that
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He is the embodiment of Bliss, and the current nAma indicates that He gives
this happiness to the mukta-s. This happiness is in no way different from the
happiness that He Himself enjoys.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that the mukta-s derive this Bliss by His
mere nearness to them, just as the mere presence of a child near them makes
the parents happy.
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SrI v. v. rAmAnujan elaborates on this further by pointing out that since
BhagavAn is unattached to anything, and does not have any need or desire, He
has everything that is needed for Absolute Bliss.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets the nAma as- nandanti samardhante asmin
viSvarUpe purusha iti nando vishNuh - BhagavAn vishNu is called nandah
because all jIva-s derive their final happiness in Him Who is the pUrNa
purusha.
SrI Sa'nkara also gives an alternate nAma - anandah - instead of nandah, and
gives the meaning that BhagavAn is devoid of all worldly pleasures which result
from sense-contacts.
satya--dharmA
nAma 532. sTyxmaR satya
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because He is noted for His uprightness towards His devotees right from the
time they begin to approach Him up to the time of their attainment of Him (a).
His dharma is well-known to be sAdhu-paritrANam and SaraNAgata -
paritrANam.
SrI Sa'nkara interprets the term dharmA to refer to guNa-s such as j~nAna,
and SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri elaborates further and explains the nAma as
indicating that bhagavAn is the Abode in Perfection for the six guNa-s -
j~nAna, bala, aiSvarya, vIrya, Sakti and tejas
SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that BhagavAn has all the true
dharma-s such as kindness, charity, etc., to perfection, and so He is satya-
dharmA. He also gives the alternate interpretation that bhagavAn is the
embodiment of yoga, and supports it with the upanishad declaration "aym hi
paramo dharmah yad-yogena Atma-darSanam"- "That alone is Supreme Dharma
which is to experience the Self throughyoga".
tri--vikramah
nAma 533. iÇiv³m> tri
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b) He Who measured the three worlds with three strides.
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tri-vikramAya namah.
(Courtesy : Sri Gopal gopalramanuja@gmail.com))
SrI BhaTTar interprets "tri" here as referring to the three veda-s (Rk, sAma,
and yajur veda-s). The terms trayI and tri are used for the three veda-s, and
tri-vikramah has been interpreted as referring to His pervading the three
veda-s, viz. He is the object of the three veda-s. SrI BhaTTar gives
reference to the following:
trirityevam trayo vedAh kIrtitAhmuni-sattamaih |
kramate tAn tathA sarvAn tri-vikrama iti smRtah ||
SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning "veda"for the word "loka" in this reference,
whereas SrI Sankara uses the meaning "world" for this same word in his
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interpretation (b) whichfollows.
d) SrI ChinmayAnanda uses the same harivamSa reference and interprets the
word loka to mean the three "fields of experience - the waking, dream, and
deep-sleep conditions", and gives the meaning that bhagavAn is One Who has
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trancended these three states and reached the Infinite Consciousness, ie., He
is the paramAtman. Thus, this nAma illustrates that the spiritual seeker has
to just to take the three steps viz. cross the waking, dream, and deep-sleep
states, to realize the centre of self in himself.
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Slokam 57
mhi;R> kiplacayR> k«t}ae meidnIpit>,
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three veda-s by intuitive perception (Rshir-darSanAt- niru. 2. 11 - satyadevo
vAsishTha). He is known for chanting all the veda-s without a break - SrutIh
RgAdyAh vaktrebhyah prodgirantam atah smaret. SrI BhaTTar gives
reference to SvetASvataropanishad 5. 2 - Rshim prasUtam kapilammahAntam
(kapila, who was a seer from his birth). He is also a maharshi for his
propounding the sAnkhya system - sAnkhyasya vaktA kapilah paramrshih sa
ucyate (source of quotation unidentified).
SrI Sa'nkara comments that those who envisioned part of the veda are
referred to as Rshi-s, and those who envisioned the entire veda are referred
as the "Great Rshi-s (maharshi-s)". Of these, Lord kRshNa ranks kapila as the
foremost (the gItA reference above). SrI Sa'nkara combines this nAma and
the next one as one nAma - maharshihkapilAcAryah - kapilAcArya, the great
sage. We already saw why kapila is called a maharshi. He is also an AcArya
because he propounded the sAnkhya system.
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nAma 535. kiplacayR> kapilAcAryah
SrI BhaTTar explains this nAma in the context of sage kapila and the sons and
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grandson of sagara, a descendant of the ikhsvAku race. The sons of king
sagara offended sage kapila and he reduced them to ashes. But later on,
amSumAn, the grandson of sagara, came before kapila and bowed with respect,
and pleaded on behalf of his ancestors. kapila remembered only this good act,
and immediately conferred a boon to amSuman to ask whatever he wants.
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long, of everything He has created.
medinI--patih
nAma 537. meidnIpit> medinI
(bAla. 1. 40. 2)
"All the Earth belongs to the omniscient vAsudeva; taking the form of kapila,
He always bears the Earth".
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tri--padah
nAma 538. iÇpd> tri
3. paramAtmA.
3. niyantR (Ruler).
"For the benefit of all beings in the world, having assumed the form of kapila,
I am going to reveal the three Realities viz. pradhAna, purusha, and
paramAtmA".
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains that the three tattva-s refer to the three
states in which bhagavAn manifests Himself - as One who protects the world,
as one who protects the devatA-s who protect the world, and as SrI vaikunTha
nAthan disassociated with this world.
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b) tri-padah can also mean that He is represented by the three words or
syllables of the praNava - A U M.
c) In His varAha incarnation, BhagavAn assumed the form of a boar with three
humps (tri-padah) - tavaivAsam trika-kudo vArAhamrUpamAsthitah (mahA.
moksha. 343. 63) - "I assumed the form of varAha (Boar) with three humps".
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future births through His current good deeds, and through His third step He
removed the ahamkAra mamakAra-s of bali and sent him to the eternal parama
padam.
Prof. SrInivAsa rAghavan adds that the term tri-daSa, which means three
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times ten or thirty, is a rounded number which refers to the thirty-three gods
(eight vasu-s,eleven rudra-s, 12 Aditya-s, and the two aSvin-s). In tiruppAvai
(20) we have reference to the thirty three deva-s - muppatti mOvar amarkku
mun SenRu kappamtavirkkum kali (SrI v. v. rAmAnujan).
SrI rAmAnujan explains how bhagavAn has been the Savior of the gods during
the creation soon after pralaya. When the world was submerged under water,
and brahma could not proceed with creation, bhagavAn took the form of the
big boar and lifted the earth out of water and thus helped brahma in his task.
SrI cinmayAnanda extrapolates the term to mean the rajas, tamas, and sattva
guNa-s. Thus bhagavAn is the Lord of the three states, or One who has
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mahA--SR'ngah
nAma 540. mhaï&¼> mahA
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan explains that the horn or tooth of this varAha rUpam was
so huge (mahASR'nga) that the Earth looked like a small particle of food stuck
at the tip of the tooth of this huge form ( SrImad bhAgavatam).
SrI Sa'nkara gives interpretation (b) - that the nAma refers to matsya
incarnation, where bhagavAn towed the boat tied to His big horn with
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satyavrata in it and sported Himself in the pralaya waters.
kRtAnta--kRt
nAma 541. k«taNtk«t! kRtAnta
d) He who brings about the end to the manifested condition of the Universe.
Both the interpretations have the same meaning. kRtAnta refers to yama.
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SrI Sa'nkara takes the literal meaning of kRtAnta, and gives the second
meaning above, viz. when bhagavAn brings an end to everything, this includes
yama also. SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation (a), that bhagavAn is the
Slayer of hiraNyAksha who was like yama.
kRta anta kRt - kRtasya antam samhAram karoti iti kRta anta kRt,meaning He
brings about the destruction of kRta or manifested condition of the Universe.
The dharma cakram writer adds that just as the farmer who sows the crop
also destroys it for the ultimate benefit of His creatures, bhagavAn creates
and then destroys what He created, for the ultimate benefit of the jIva-s.
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mahAvarAhAya namah
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Slokam 58
mhavrahae gaeivNd> su;e[> knka¼dI,
mahA--varAhah
nAma 542. mhavrah> mahA
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the description in vishNu purANam -
mahA-varAhah sphuta-padma-locanah |
rasAtalAtutpala-patra-sannibhah
"The Great varAha bhagavAn, Who has eyes like full-blown lotuses and the
complexion like that of blue lotus-petal, lifted the Earth from the rasAtala
(nether-world) by His tusk and emerged as a great blue mountain".
SrI cinmayAnanda comments that the varAha rUpa was taken to heave up the
world from the slush that formed naturally when the waters of the deluge
receded.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation based on mahA + vara + Aha
= He who bestows great blessings on others.
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nAma 543. gaeivNd> govindah
b) One who dug out the Earth from the depths of the Ocean.
SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation f) under the current nAma: "gobhih -
vANibhih vindate" - He Who is known (vid) through words i. e., vedic sentences.
SrI Sa'nkara gives the reference from vishNutilaka - gobhireva yato vedyo
govindah samudAhRtah - "You are named govinda as You are to be known
through scriptual texts".
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives his interpretation starting from the root
gam - gatau - to go (gacchati iti gauh), and gives the meaning "to possess" to
the word vid (vid - lAbhe - to get), and thus derives the interpretation (g)
above. His explanation is that anything that moves, including our mind, our
indriya-s, the Sun, etc., are His possession, and so He is called govindah. He
gives this interpretation for the nAma "govidAm patih" also. He supports his
interpretation based on "gacchati iti jagat" - BhagavAn is present everywhere
as seen by the movement of everything in this world. The life in all things that
live is associated with movement, and He is the One who is behind this
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movement -govindah.
a) He who is equipped with a body with Suddhasattva Sakti-s that are like an
army.
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan adds that the current nAma and the following few nAma-s
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are in the category of what sage viSvAmitra refers to when he says "aham
vedmi" etc. to daSaratha when he persuades daSaratha to send rAma with
him. He reassures daSaratha that he, and not daSaratha, can understand the
greatness of young rAma because he is a king of Rshi-s, whereas daSaratha is
only a king of men.
1.parameshThi,
2.pumAn,
3.viSvah,
4.nivRttah, and
5.sarvah,
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just as our human body is constituted of the pa'nca bhUta-s. The pa'nca mahA
Sakti-s are all suddha sattva dravya-s, and they can be realized and
understood properly only through the upanishads. Therefore they are also
referred to as the pa'ncaupanishad mayam. These pa'nca mahA Sakti-s or the
pa'nca-mahopanishad-mayadravya-s constitute the senA referred to in this
nAma.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri elaborates that this includes the following 9 gaNa-s:
1.12Aditya-s,
2.10 viSvedeva-s,
4.26 tushita-s,
5.64 AbhAsvara-s,
6.49marut-s,
7.30 mahArAjika-s,
9.11 rudra-s.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the nAma from the root si - bandhane - to
bind. He gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is One who binds everything
well (His devotees to Him, His army of deva-s, sages,etc. together well, He
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Who holds all the beings of the world together well, He Who binds all the
constellations together well, holds this frail body of ourstogether well even
after the jIva departs from the body, etc. He gives references to the Sruti
for this nAma in yajurveda - ayamuparvAg-vasus-tasyasenajiica susheNaSca
(yajur. 15. 19), satyajicca senajicca susheNaSca (yajur. 17. 83).
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SrI v. v. rAmAnujan points out that in antarAditya, bhagavAn is described as
resembling gold in appearance - antarAditye hiraNmayah purushahdRSyate.
nammAzhvAr calls bhagavAn by the names "mANikkamE! en marakatame!
maRRoppAraiyillA Anip ponnE!" in tiruviruttam 85. What is referred to here is
the extraordinary brilliance of His appearance and the extreme attractiveness
of His tirumeni.
a`ngadam means armlet. Again, the reference is not only to the armlet, but all
the tiru AbharaNa-s of bhagavAn. The armlets are one example of these
ornaments that adorn His body. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that the
armlets, kirITam, keyUram, etc., are the ornaments of vIra-s.
SrI BhaTTar points out that the ending ini in this nAma refers to the constant
and permanent association of the brilliance referred to in this nAma with His
tirumeni (nityayoge inih).
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets the nAma in terms kanaka, a`nga, and da,
meaning The Giver (dah) of brightness (kanaka) to everything and the One who
keeps things moving (a`nga from a`ng - to go). The association or connection
between the kanaka and a`nga aspects can be seen by noting that as long as
the body keeps moving, it has the brightness in the eyes, and the brightness
ceases when the body ceases to move.
He who is concealed.
guhyAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar points out that He is concealed by the possession of a body which
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is made of the celestial matter (Suddha sattva), which fact is revealed by the
great upanishads. Thus His divya Atma-svarUpa cannot be comprehended by
us.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri elaborates on this further and points out that the
idea here is that He is not realized through the ordinary senses or the
reasoning by the mind, but only by deep inward meditation and contemplation.
He cannot be revealed by someone else to us, but only by our own inward
search. Thus He is guhya or concealed.
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nAma 547. gÉIr> gabhIrah
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the simultaneous co-existence in perfection of all the six guNa-s - j~nAna,
bala, aiSvarya, vIrya, Sakti, and tejas. Just as the bottom of a very deep lake
with very clear water looks like it is very near in spite of its depth, BhagavAn's
depth is impossible to find even though it appears that He can be easily
comprehended. He is very far though He appears to be very near for the
ordinary beings.
SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as dur-avagAhah, and SrI Sa'nkara gives the
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description "dushpraveSatvAtgahanah", both of which convey the above idea.
Even though we can see the bottom of the Ocean when the water is clear, it is
very difficult to access the bottom of the Ocean floor. So also, even though
bhagavAn may seem easy to realize because of what is revealed in the
upanishad-s, all the same it is difficult to grasp His Nature. The Sruti
declares Him as "aprApya manasAsaha - Inaccessible to the mind" (SrI v. v.
rAmAnujan).
b) The alternate interpretation for gahanah is based on its derivation from the
root gAhU - viloDane - to dive into. BhagavAn is called gahanah because He is
inside everyone and everything, and is the witness of everything in its waking,
dream and sleep states (SrI Sa'nkara). Through these three states we get an
understanding of what is within our ability to comprehend. But through these
three states, we cannot get an idea of One who is the Witness of these three
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He who is hidden.
guptAya namah.
This nAma is formed from the root gup -rakshaNe to protect, to conceal. SrI
BhaTTar explains that BhagavAn's Greatness is guarded and protected well by
the pUrvAcArya-s who knew His Greatness by His Grace. One cannot hope to
learn of the Lord's mahimA except by being guided by these AcArya-s of our
sampradAyam. Even the upanishads cannot completely reveal BhagavAn to us.
He is known only to the likes of viSvAmitra who declares "ahamvedmi
mahAtmAnam - I know the greatness of young rAma". It is only by following
the sampradAyam of the AcArya-s and following their instructions with
sincerity that one can realize Him who is hidden to us otherwise.
He is also One who is protected with great care by the likes of anantAzhvAn,
garuDa, vishvaksena, etc. Even in paramapadam where it is not easy for anyone
to go, He is protected by ananta who is spitting poisonous fire - "a'ngu
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AravAram adu kETTu azhal umizhum pU'ngAraravaNaiyAn pon mEni" -
(nAnmugan tiru antAdi 10) - SrI v. v. rAmAnujan.
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dhAtA Sa'nkha cakra gadA dharah. SrI nammAzhvAr refers to Him as "nAngu
tOLan, kuni Sar'ngan, oN Sa'ngu gadai vAL AzhiyAn" (tiruvAimozhi 8. 8. 1) -
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan. While the superficial reference in this nAma is that
BhagavAn is the bearer of cakra, gadhA, etc., SrI M.V. rAmAnujAcArya
explains that the reference to the pa'nca mahAyudha-s (Sankha, cakra, gadA,
Sar'nga, and nandaka) has deeper signifcance. These are also the incarnations
or personifications of the pa'nca Sakti-s viz. sRshTi, sthiti, samhAra, nigraha,
and anugraha. These pa'nca mahAyudha-s are an integral part of bhagavAn's
SarIram which is of Suddha-sattva made of these five mahA Sakti-s, and are
like His instruments in His five functions of creation, protection, destruction,
giving punishment, and giving benefits. The pa'nca mahA Sakti-shave been
referred to earlier (in nAma 544).
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan adds that in addition, the pa'nca Ayudha-s are also none
other than the nitya sUri-s e. g., sudarSana AzhvAn, pA'ncajanya AzhvAn, etc.
Note that the five paramAtma Sakti-s are here associated with the five
functions (sRshTi, sthiti etc. ), the five Ayudha-s of bhagavAn, the nitya sUri-
s, etc. in a simple way and clearly.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri quotes passages from SrI vishNupurANam (1. 22.
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69-74) to identify the five Ayudha-s as representations of the different
tattva-s BhagavAn supports:
cakra-gadA-dharAya namah.
Thiruvaheendrapuram dEvanAtha perumAL - rathnAngi kaimkaryam
This nAma refers to His form where He holds the manas tattva and the buddhi
tattva in His two hands in the forms of the cakra and gadA respectively. The
broader meaning of the whole passage in SrI vishNupurANam is that BhagavAn
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is the source and repository of everything there is - soul, nature, intellect,
egotism, the elements, the senses, mind, ignorance, and wisdom. All that is
wisdom, all that is ignorance, all that is, all that is not, all that is everlasting, is
centered in Him. He is time, He is earth, He is sky, He is heaven, etc. Those
interested should read the section of SrI vishNu purANa for a continuation of
this beautiful description of His "viSva rUpa". Thus the nAma also signifies
that bhagavAn is the source and controller of everything there is, was and will
be.
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Slokam 59
vexa> Sva¼ae=ijt> k«:[ae †F> s»;R[ae=Cyut>,
a) The Provider.
c) The Creator.
vedhase namah.
SrI BhaTTar derives the meaning from "vidadhAtiiti vedhAh" - He is the Giver
or Provider of unlimited and varied objects of splendor. SrI kRshNa datta
bhAradvAj gives the derivation "vidadhAtikAmAn svajanAnAm iti vedhAh". He
also gives the reference to kaThopanishad- "eko bahUnAm vidadhAti
kAmAn" (2. 2. 13).
b) He who is both the Instrumental Cause and the Material Cause of the
Universe.
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c) He who has beautiful, well-proportioned limbs.
The term a'nga here refers to the celestial marks of sovereignty such as the
chatra (umbrella), cAmara and other things which are His own and unique (sva
a'ngah). He is the Supreme King of all the worlds, and has the unique marks
associated with this.
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SrI cinmayAnanda also indicates that the nAma can be interpreted to mean
that bhagavAn has beautiful, well-proportioned a'nga-s or limbs.
The dharma cakram writer gives the meaning that He is One who helps
Himself. He observes that meditation on this nAma of mahAvishNu should
reveal to us that when we worship Him, there is no need for any external help
for us from anyone or anything in this world, since all the things we need will
be met from within ourselves. It is only when we go after material pursuit
that we need the support of others. BhagavAn is in the ultimate state where
He needs nothing from anyone or anything.
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nAma 553. Aijt> ajitah
(SrI BhaTTar): ajitA, aparAjitA, etc. are also names for paramapadam, and
He is the Chief of SrIvaikunTham, and so also He is called ajitah. He and His
abode SrI vaikunTham and everything therein are composed of celestial
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matter called Suddha sattva, which is not under the sway of birth and death.
He is thus unconquered by the sway of birth, aging, decay, and death which are
characteristic of those that pertain to the world of prakRti.
(SrI Sa'nkara): na jita iti ajitah - One who has never been conquered, and can
never be conquered, is ajitah.
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author gives innumerable examples to illustrate that satya and dharma are
unconquerable, including those involving prahlAda, hariScandra, the pANDavas,
etc. The lesson to take from meditating on this nAma is the greatness of
dharma and satya, and the life led conforming to these values.
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that there is a question of one being
conquered by another only when they can be compared to each other. In the
case of mahAvishNu, there is no one else to compare to Him, and so there is no
question of His being conquered by any other, and so He is ajitah or
unconquerable and unconquered.
a) One who is always in a state of Bliss (with His sport of creation etc. ).
b) The Dark-hued.
d) He who cultivates the Earth like a plough and makes it suitable for life
forms to form and nourish.
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This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 58. Please refer to the detailed
interpretation provided there as well. The first four interpretations were
covered there. Some additional details are provided here. In support of
interpretation (a), SrI v. v. rAmAnujan observes that unlike in rAma
incarnation where bhagavAn went through enormous difficulties -
nATTilpiRandu paDAdana paTTu - nammAzhvAr tiruvAimozhi 7. 5. 2, in kRshNa
incarnation it was "inbuRum iv-viLaiyATTuDaiyAnaip peRRu (tiruvAimozhi 3. 10.
7)","kanRinai vAlOlai kaTTi (periAzhvAr tirumozhi 2. 4. 8)", etc. Another
anubhavam of SrI v. v. rAmAnujan is that bhagavAn is laughing at us mockingly,
seeing that we are not putting to good use the hands and legs and all the
indriya-s He gave us to help us attain Him, but instead we are misusing these
and getting into the cycle of birth and rebirth.
Under the current nAma, SrI ParASara BhaTTar gives one more of his
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anubhava-s of this nAma, and indicates that the Suddhasattva material which
His body is made of has a fascinating complexion dark like the blue cloud. One
of the grammar rules (uNAdi sutra 3. 4) states that when the root kRsh - to
plough is followed by affix nak, it means one of the colors -kRsher varNe. It is
interesting to note that one name for grapes is kRshNA because of this
connotation of color. So also, iron is called kRshNA because of its black color.
This latter meaning is used to explain the significance of bhagavAn's nAma as
kRshNa in mahAbhArata SAnti parva 143. 49 -
kRshAmi medinIm pArtha! bhUtvA kRshNAyasomahAn|
kRshNo varNaSca me yasmAt tena kRshNoham arjuna||
This is a slight variation of the Sloka also quoted from mahAbhArata under
the explanation given under nAma 58. The two Sloka-s are too similar to each
other to suggest that these are variants of the same reference. I do not have
the original version of mahAbhArata to check the authenticity of the
references.
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SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the following explanation along the lines of
interpretation :karshati bhagavAn AtmAnam prati vayovarNa rUpaa lAvaNya
madhurI rasotkarsheNaiti kRshNah, or kRshate AtmAnam prati bhaktAn sa-
soundaryeNa iti kRshNah, based on (kRsha vilekhanam AkarshNam ca).
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha and others also support this interpretation along
with the other two.
(VP 3. 4. 5).
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The dharma cakram writer uses the concept of bhagavAn being like a plough
(the basis of interpretation d), combines this with SrI Sa'nkara's
interpretation (e), and offers a new interpretation (f). His anubhavam is that
in the form of veda vyAsa, bhagavAn cultivates the minds of people by
providing to us the veda-s, and so vyAsa, who is none other than nArAyaNa, is
referred to by the nAma kRshNa here.
SrI cinmayAnanda uses the meaning "dark" for the word kRshNa, and suggests
that this nAma of bhagavAn signifies the "unknown factor" that expresses
through us - whose manifestations are all our physical, mental, and intellectual
capabilities. Except by deep and sincere devotion, He cannot be comprehended,
and so He is kRshNah - Dark and Mysterious.
a) He Who assumes firm, concrete vyUha forms for the benefit of His
devotees.
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by counter-arguments.
being firm in His actions - one meaning for acyutah which we will encounter
later in this write-up.
SrI cinmayAnanda observes that even though bhagavAn is firm in His Infinite
Justice, this Justice becomes a-dRDhah when a great sinner surrenders to
Him, and bhagavAn immediately reaches out to help the sinner.
d) dRDhah also means huge, mighty, strong, etc. - dRDhau sthUlobalavAn vA.
Since bhagavAn assumes huge and strong forms when He takes His
incarnations to destroy His enemies, this nAma can be interpreted as a
reference to this guNa of His.
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and the earth holds all its subjects and contents firmly. BhagavAn who is
giving all of these their firmness, is thus also called dRDhah.
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SrI kRshNadatta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation - samyak karshati iti
sankarshaNah; SrI bhagavAn svajanAn AtmAnamprati svakIyaih vAtsalya
mAdhuryAdi guNaih karshati - He who draws His devotees towards Him
through His infinite guNa-s such as vAtsalyam, His exquisite beauty, etc.
SrI Sankara combines this nAma with the next one, acyutah, and interprets
sankarshNocyutah as one nAma, meaning that bhagavAn draws everything at
the time of dissolution towards Himself (samkarshNah), while Himself not
slipping from His Real Nature (acyutah).
SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri gives yet another anubhavam for the sequence
dRDhah, sankarshNah, and acyutah:
3. acyutah - He Who is firm and does not slip while drawing the entire
group of these cetana-s towards Him.
The dharma cakram writer gives a simple analogy to illustrate the above. To
drag someone who has fallen into a forceful river to safety, the savior should
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be strong enough not to be drawn by the river himself, but also should have
the strength to drag the other individual against the force of the river.
BhagavAn is the acyutah who has the firmness, resolve, and the power to save
the samsAri-s from the ocean current of samsAra.
a) cyuti means "fall" and cyuta means "fallen". acyuta means "One who has
never fallen from His true nature". Different anubhava-s are given to further
expand this guNa of the Lord. Sri Bhattar points out that He does not ever
fall from His position of overlordship unlike Brahma, Indra, etc. who are
subject to loss of position, and therefore He is called acyuta. In support of
the interpretation that bhagavAn does not undergo transformations like
others, SrI BhaTTar quotes the following:
cyavanotpattiukteshu brahmendra varuNAdishu |
yasmAn na cyavase sthAnAt tasmat samkIrtyase acyutah ||
The source of this reference has not been provided in Prof. SrInivAsa
rAghavan's text. The meaning is: "Whereas brahma, varuNa, and others are
subject to birth and death and fall down from their position, Thou dost not fall
down like that. So Thou art called acyuta".
Sri rAdhAkrshNa SAstri points out that He also does not slip from His
position by being influenced by kAma etc. unlike Brahma, Indra etc. In
mahAbhArata we have "yasmAt na cyuta pUrvo'ham acyutastenakarmaNA" -
SAnti parva 12. 330. 16.
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Sri Sankara interprets the above as meaning "svarUpasAmarthyAt na cyuto na
cyavate na cyavishyata iti acyutah"- He has not lapsed, is not lapsing, and will
not lapse from His own glory; hence the name acyuta.
b) Sri Bhattar also gives the alternate vyAkhyAna: "I have never abandoned
(my bhaktas). Because of this act of mine, I am known as acyuta". His words
are "tebyah prapannebhyah naapagatah acyutah - He is never away from those
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who have sought refuge in Him".
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- 10. 11). Sri rAdhAkrshNa SAstri points out that BhagavAn is acyuta because
He does not slip from stage to stage in the sequence of events such as birth,
living, growth, change in appearance, decay, and finally disappearance from the
body.
He Who envelops.
varuNAya namah.
The word is derived from the root vr~nj varaNeto envelop. SrI BhaTTar gives
the example of "yena AvRtam kham ca divammahIm ca - He by Whom are
covered the Ether, the svarga, and the Earth" - taittirIya upanishad 1. 1. In
other words, He surrounds all the three worlds (SrIrAdhAkRshNa SAstri).
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varuNa is also the term used for the evening sun. Like the sun who withdrawing
his scorching rays unto himself in the evening, the Lord withdraws all the
pluralistic world unto Himself. The Eternal Reality, functioning through the sun
as the sun's energy and light, is described in the upanishads as the "Golden
One", and hence the appropriateness of using this term varuNa for nArAyaNa
(e. g., the designation sUrya nArAyaNa (SrI cinmayAnanda).
The dharma cakram writer lists the following anubhava-s related to this
mantram (note how the learned people view the nAma-s of the Lord that occur
in sahasranAmam): varuNa is the the Lord of the waters; He is also the setting
sun in the evening; He is also the Lord of the western direction. Just as
darkness envelops us when the sun sets, those who do not have the thought of
bhagavAn fall into darkness. As long as they have the thought of bhagavAn in
their mind, there is the brightness of j~nAna guiding them.
a) He Who is with those who have sought Him as their Lord or svAmi.
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vAruNAya namah
a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as: tamsvAmitvena vRNute iti varuNah;
tatra bhavo vAruNah - varuNa refers to one who seeks Him as his master;
bhagavAn is called vAruNa since He is always with this seeker. The nirukti
author gives the following interpretation of SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam -
svAmitvena vRNAneshu sthito vAruNa Iritah. SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives
references to the following from divya prabandham which convey the thought
consistent with this interpretation - "vandAi en manam pugundAi mannininRAi"
- tirumozhi 1. 10. 9; "unnaik koNDu ennuL vaittEn" -periAzhvAr tirumozhi 5. 4.
5).
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are both incarnations of bhagavAn
a) He Who provides shade like a tree (i. e., He is the Resort) for the wise.
SrI P. B. aNNa'ngarAcArya svAmi points out that bhagavAn is waiting for the
devotee to come to Him with His protection always available to them. So He is
called vRksha.
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nivAsa vRkshah sAdhUnAm ApannAnAm parA gatih - He is the one Resort for
the good and the supreme refuge in distress (rAmA. kishkindA. 15. 19); vRksha
iva stabdho divi tishThatyekah - Like an unmoving and firm tree He stands in
the Heavens - mahA nArA. u. 10. 4).
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan observes that there are several who get saved by this
"vAsudeva taruc chAyA" or the shade from the tree by name vAsudeva. He
also refers us the prabandham -"tan oppAr illppan tandanan tana tAL
nizhalE" (tiruvAimozhi 6. 3. 9).
SrI T. S. kRshNamUrti elaborates on this and suggests that the firmness here
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives different examples from the Sruti-s where the
term vRksha is used to refer
2. to the sun (kah svid vRksho nishThito madhye arNasah - Rg. 1. 182. 7),
Since bhagavAn appears in all these forms of vRksha, His nAma is vRksha.
SrI vAsishTha also gives another anubhavam for this nAma. vRksha could also
mean tearing apart, separating - based on vraSc - chedane - to cut, to tear.
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The jIvAtmA separates the bodies, bhagavAn separates the different jIva-s
in His creation, He keeps the starts and the planets separated, the sun tears
apart the darkness, the tree separates out the fruits from the leaves and the
branches, etc. So these are all vRksha-s viz. those that separate out
different things. BhagavAn has thus manifested Himself in His vRksha aspect
and expanded this world in its variety. SrI vAsishTha proceeds to comment
that one who understands this secret behind bhagavAn who is a vRksha, will
succeed in tearing apart from the tree of desire and reach bhagavAn the
vRksha from all aspects and dimensions.
The dharma cakram writer points out that the lesson to take from this nAma is
not to just seek the shade alone from this Tree as duryodhana did, but to
really benefit from the fruit from this Tree as arjuna did. If one only wants
the temporary shade, then the shade of the tree keeps shifting with time
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relative to the sun's position, and so seeking the shade in the form of
temporary benefits is not what will lead to permanent God realization. Instead
of asking for the kRshNa's army and rejecting kRshNa as duryodhana did, one
should seek Him as arjuna did, which will then take care of all the other needs.
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again described in SrI daSAvatArastotram as resembling a forest of beautiful
lotus flowers - aravinda gahanAnitanvan iva datta kshaNair vIkshaNaih
(Slokam 2).
c) pushkara also means Universal Space, and akshu means pervading, and SrI
cinmayAnanda follows SrI Sa'nkara in interpreting the nAma as "He Who
pervades all space".
d) In addition to c), SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses a variant of the above, and
also gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has the two eyes in space, viz. the
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mahA--manAh
nAma 562. mhamna> mahA
a) The Broad-minded.
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SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to peria tiru antAdi 53 - un aDiyArkku en
Seyvan enrEirutti nI (note the emphasis in enrE instead of just enru!), and also
to tiruvAimozhi 9. 4. 10 - aDiyAn ivan enRu enakku Ar aRuL Seyyum neDiyAn.
The instance of His feeling forever that He had not done enough to help
draupadi after she cried out for Him and He saved her from being defamed by
duryodhana also comes to mind. His Nature is that He forgives even the worst
of sinners when they surrender to Him - such is His broad-mindedness.
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c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha: BhagavAn is mahAmanAh because He has
knowledge which supercedes anyone else's knowledge in this Universe, and also
as antaryAmI in everything that exists, He knows everything there is to know.
All great ones pray to Him for knowledge -
yAm medhAmdevagaNAh pitarSca upAsate |
tayA mAm adya medhayA agne medhAvinam kuru ||
The dharma cakram writer observes that in the sequence "body, indriya-s, and
mind", body is the sthUla or bigger one, and mind is the subtle one or sUkshma.
The subtler one is the more capable in this sequence, and without the mind the
indriya-s don't function, and without the indriya-s the body does not function.
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Slokam 60
Égvan! Égha nNdI vnmalI hlayux>,
bhagavate namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as referring to His being worthy of
worship because of His essential nature whic his antagonistic to all defects and
which is endowed with all auspicious qualities. The word bhaga has a special
meaning which refers to the six attributes, but SrI BhaTTar does not use this
meaning here to interpret this nAma, which the other vyAkhyAna kartA-s use.
Instead, he gives the interpretation "He Who is worthy of worship". In
amarakOSa vyAkhyAnam, there is a reference to "bhajyata iti bhagah", which
seems to fit SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for the current nAma. He uses the
reference to the six attributes in interpreting the next nAma "bhagahA". In
support of SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for the current nAma, SrI v. v.
rAmAnujan gives reference to AzhvAr aruLicceyal: uyarvaRa uyar nalam
uDaiyavan (tiruvAimozhi1. 1. 1), tIdu il SIr nalam tigazh nAraNan; andam il
Adiyam bhagavan (tiruvAimozhi1. 3. 5).
b) SrI Sa'nkara and other vyAkhyAna kartA-s interpret the current nAma
based on the word bhaga referring to the six attributes.
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(j~nAna etc. ), which are called bhaga-s, are present in perfection and fullness
is called bhagavAn.
(V. P. 6. 5. 74)
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the following brief explanation of the six
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attributes referred to above:
1. aiSvarya - The quality of being the Lord of all - He can control and rule
over all things at all times, and thus He is the Supreme over all. (na
tasya ISe kaScana - tait. AraN. 10. 10)
5. j~nAna - Because He is the Knower of the past, present, and future and
the Lord of the three - bhUta bhavya bhavan-nAthah (yah savaj~nah
sarvavit yaysj~nAnamayam tapah - muNDako. 1. 1. 9)
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utpattim pralayam caiva bhUtAnAm Agatim gatim |
vetti vidyAm avidyAm ca sa vAcyobhagavAn iti ||
(V. P. 6. 5. 78)
"He is named bhagavAn who knows the origin and the end, the arrival and the
exit, of all beings, and also vidyA and avidyA".
b) He Who gets rid of the wealth etc. from everyone during praLaya.
bhagaghne namah.
a) As was pointed out in the last para, SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for
bhagahA uses the meaning of bhaga referring to the six attributes, and here
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he quotes the same vishNu purANam reference that SrI Samkara uses for the
last nAma (VP 6. 5. 74). The literal interpretation is "bhagaSabdyAn sa
kalyANa guNAn hanti tu gacchati" - He Who goes to (i. e., has) all the six
attributes referred to by the term bhaga. The usual meaning for hA is "to kill,
to destroy" - e. g., vIrahA. But SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning "hanti - goes" in
his interpretation.
b) SrI Samkara uses the meaning of hA - to kill, and interprets the nAma as
meaning that He is the Remover of all things such as wealth from everyone at
the time of pralaya - aiSvaryAdikam samhArasamaye hanti iti bhagahA.
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Him.
The dharma cakram writer observes that the impermanence of things like
wealth, fame, etc. is what is being imparted to us here, and the more we
understand this and remove our attachment to these, the closer we would have
understood the significance of this nAma.
b) He Who is ever blissful by Nature, and also because of His prosperity and
the six guNa-s.
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nandine namah
Anandine namah.
SrI BhaTTar gives both the above nAma-s, and SrI Samkara gives the latter
nAma. In both the interpretations, SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as
referring to balarAma as the samkarshaNa form of bhagavAn, and SrI
Samkara interprets the nAma as AnandI, referring to bhagavAn in HiskRshNa
incarnation. Others interpret the nAma as nandI or AnandI, both referring to
Lord kRshNa.
c) SrI BhaTTar interprets the term AnandI to refer to balarAma who made
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Himself and all around Him happy in AyarpADi.
The dharma cakram writer uses the same sense and interprets the nAma to
refer to kRshNa who made Himself and all around Him happy in AyarpADi.
SrI cinmayAnanda observes that those who move towards Him in pure
surrender come to share His divine nature of All-Bliss. The term AnandI can
also be interpreted to mean this same idea.
The dharma cakram writer points out the significance of the nAma AnandI -
that we are inherently blissful, but just as those who have eyes can choose to
close their eyes and suffer in darkness, we close our eyes to j~nAna and
suffer in misery and distress. The means to get out of this state of suffering
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grow in the forest. For the purpose of making it, five different colors are
used to string the garland, representing the five tanmAtra-s. The symbolic
meaning is that He wears this Universe with its diverse variety like a garland
around His neck.
The dharma cakram writer observes that we experience the five tanmAtra-s
through the five j~nAnendriya-s or sense organs. This nAma teaches us that
we should surrender or dedicate the five senses to Him and worship Him with
devotion, instead of diverting them to the sensuous enjoyment of this world.
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SrI Samkara gives the explanation - halamAyudham asya iti halAyudhah. This
thus refers to the incarnation as balarAma.
SrI BhaTTar points out that bhagavAn works like an agriculturist with a plough
in His hand for the prosperous growth of the pa`nca mahA bhUta-s (earth,
water, air, etc. ).
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" You are dAkshAyaNi (the daughter of daksha) born as aditi in this world.
You are the mother eternal of the world. I confer favors on you".
c) SrI BhaTTar gives the alternate interpretation: "A" varNAt Atah ityah -
prApyah iti Adityah - He Who is realized by the mystic letter "A" which is the
bIja mantra for samkarshaNa.
"from vishNu", and ityah to mean "to be attained", and interpret a Adityah to
mean "He from Whom moksha is obtained". The next segment is interpreted
by SrI BhaTTar as pertaining to the incarnation of bhagavAn as nArAyaNa.
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan points out that while the nAma "nArAyaNa" is very
special, it also refers to one of the incarnations He took (nara and nArAyaNa
forms) in badri.
jyotir--Adityah
nAma 569. JyaeitraidTy> jyotir
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luminosity, and brahma too slipped from his seat".
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"vedAhametam purusham mahAntam |
Aditya varNam tamasah parastAt ||
and
"sarvasya dhAtAram acintya rUpam Aditya varNam tamasahparastAt"
(gItA 8. 9).
b) He Who forgives.
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nAma as well.
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives other instances where bhagavAn has displayed His
enormous patience. He put up with the enormous abusive language from
SiSupAla - kETpAr Sevi Sudu kIzhmai vaSavugaLE vaiyumpazham pagaivan
SiSupAlan tATpAl aDainda tanmaiyan (tiruvAimozhi 7. 5. 3); palapala
nAzha'ngaL Sollip pazhitta SiSupAlan tannai alaivalaimai tavirtta azhagan
(periAzh. 4. 3. 5).
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b) Under the vyAkhyAna for nAma 146, SrI BhaTTar eloquently describes
bhagavAn's guNa of forgiving the apacAra of His devotees when they
surrender to Him:
"prAk, Urdhvam ca, sa'ncitAnAm, buddhyA,abuddhyA, sakalakaraNaih,
sarvadA, sarvathA ca, pracIyamAnAnAm, vidhi-nisheda Sasana
atila'nghanAtmanAm, sAdhAraNAnAm, asAdhAraNAnAm ca,
svAvaj~nA-nindAnInAm, sarvamsahena svenApi dus-sahAnAm, sva-bhakta
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vishayANAm ca, anavadhikAnAm aparAdhAnAm, sahishNuh"
"He forgives the accumulated sins that were committed in the past or to be
committed in the future, sins committed consciously or unconsciously by all the
organs of sense at all times and in all ways, sins committed by not observing
the SAstric injunctions or by doing acts forbidden by the SAstra-s, sins that
are common and uncommon, sins committed by insulting Him and abusing Him,
as well as the sins against His own devotees".
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performed through thought, word and deed, sins committed through the
infinite number of births, the infinite sins accrued from performing acts that
are forbidden and from not performing karma-s that are prescribed, the
apacAra-s committed towards Him and towards His devotees (bhAgavata-s), all
the varieties and shades of sins that we commit that can't possibly be
tolerated and forgiven, those that have already begun to fructify and those
are still to take their effects, the sins that we have committed in the past,
those that we are actively committing now,and those that we will commit in the
future" bhagavAn forgives all these without any left-over IF WE
UNCONDITIONALLY SURRENDER TO HIM. This is the basic concept of
prapatti.
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"sodhum tRptim anubhavitum svajasevayASilam asya iti sahishNuh", which
signify that He willingly accepts and is satisfied by even the simple offerings
such as fruits by His devotees, and by the services that they offer. Recall
"patram pushpam phalam toyam…"in SrImad bhagavadgItA (9. 26).
f) SrI Samkara's vyAkhyAnam for the current instance of this nAma is that
He is capable of putting up with opposites like heat and cold - dvandvAni
SitoshNAdIni sahata iti sahishNuh. For bhagavAn, there is no difference
between these opposites, since He is unaffected by any of these such as
happiness vs. sorrow.
gati--sattamah
nAma 570. gitsÄm> gati
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(gatih), and He is the greatest of all beings (sat-tamah).
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha also echoes the same interpretation - gati Sabdena
iha gatirASrayah gRhyate, tena gatirASritAnAmSreshThatamo gatisattamah.
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Slokam 61
suxNva o{fprzudaRé[ae Ôiv[àd>,
su--dhanvA
nAma 572. suxNva su
The literal meaning is "One who has a splendid bow". The vyAkhyAna kartA-
shave different anubhavam-s in interpreting the nAma based on this meaning.
SrI BhaTTar gives the instance of the fight that ensued between the deva-s
and the asura-s as a result of the distribution of the nectar, and the resulting
demonstration of the splendor of His bow in bringing about the end to that
conflict.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to SrI vishNu purANam 1. 22. 69, wherein
reference is made to the significance of the dhanus in His hand -
bhUtAdim indiryAdim ca dvidhA aha'mkAram ISvarah |
bibharti Samkha rUpeNa Sar'ngarUpeNa ca sthitam ||
BhagavAn's dhanus symbolizes the senses (the eyes and the rest), and He
supports the ego or awareness due to the senses (indriya ahamkAra),
represented by the SAr'nga bow in His hand. (The other verses inSrI vishNu
purANam continue to describe how bhagavAn is the source and supporter of
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everything in the Universe as represented by the different Ayudha-s and
aspects of His Form, and thus gives one mode or representation of a way of
meditating upon Him in the forms that are more easy for the mind to grasp
than to meditate on an abstract truth).
References in divya prabandham that convey the sense of this nAma are
(from SrI v. v. rAmAnujan):
khaNDa--paraSuh
nAma 573. o{fprzu> khaNDa
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He with the broken axe.
khaNDa-paraSave namah.
Khanu - bhedana = avadhAraNa (khaDi - bhedane- to break), and param SRNAti
iti paraSuh Satram, together make the nAma khaNDa paraSuh - One with the
broken axe (SrI satyadevo vAsishTha). Alternatively, one can look at it as
khaNDayatiSatrUn iti khaNDah, khaNDah paraSuh yasya iti khaNDa paraSuh -
He whose axe punishes or destroys the enemies (SrI kRshNa datta
bhAradvAj) .
SrI BhaTTar quotes the incident involving bhagavAn's fight with rudra, where
He discharged the axe which became broken. So bhagavAn says He is known
as "One with the broken axe".
atha rudra vighAtArtham ishIkAm nara uddharan |
mantraiSca samyuyojASu so'bhavat paraSur-mahAn ||
kshipataSca sahasA rudre khaNDanam prApavAnstathA |
tato'ham khaNDa-paraSuh tatah paraSu-kahNDanAt ||
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"Then for the destruction of rudra, nara took a reed and by the recitation of
mantras gave new power to it. At once it became an immense axe. It was
thrown on rudra with great force. But then it broke. Because of the breaking
of the axe, from that time I came to be known as "khaNDa paraSuh - the Lord
with the broken axe".
10: ninRila'ngu muDiyinAi irupattOr kAl araSu kaLai kaTTa venRi nIr mazhuvA.
a) The Splitter.
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is All-Mercy, but when He finds out that no other method can save the
individual, like a surgeon at the operation theater, He appears to be relentless
- merciless".
The next few nAma-s are being interpreted by SrI BhaTTar in terms of
bhagavAn'svyAsa incarnation.
draviNa--pradah
nAma 575. Ôiv[àd> draviNa
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vahan vai vAma hastena sarva SastrArtha samcayam |
dakshiNena ca SAstrArthAn AdiSamScayathA sthithAn ||
"vyAsa holds in his left hand the collection of all the SAstra-s and their
purport, and propounds by his right hand (the upadeSa mudrA) the true
import of all the SAstra-s".
SrI Samkara interprets the nAma more generically - "The Bestower of the
wealth as desired by the devotee".
SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri explains that draviNam derives from the concept
that it is wealth that is fluid- drava - that can be used right away as needed.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning for draviNa as wealth from
dravati - gacchati iti draviNam dhanam - that which never stays in one place.
He gives the following references from the Sruti in support of the
interpretation for the nAma:
dadhAti ratnam draviNam ca dASushe agne sakhye mA rishamA vayam tava
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yatkAmAs te juhumas tanno astu vayam syAma patayo rayINAm
There is the vedic story of naciketa, who requested the wealth of Sreyas from
yama, and yama offered to give him the preyas instead. naciketa told yama
that he did not need yama's help for preyas, because he could get that by his
own effort; yama's help was needed only for Sreyas, since this is something
that cannot be obtained by one's own effort alone. The lesson to take for us
is that we should pray to bhagavAn for Sreyas, since this is the wealth that we
cannot attain by our own effort and without His Grace. This is the tAtparyam
behind this nAma.
divi--spRk
nAma 576. idivSp&k! divi
b) by His being not only in the form of this Universe, but also far beyond it.
e) By His being the antaryAmi for sUrya and the other planets.
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divi-spRSe namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as referring to the unbounded extent of
His knowledge. By His para vidyA (brAhmic or Supreme knowledge), He touches
the mystic nature of His Reality as it is in the paramapada.
b) It can also mean that He resides in His para form in the regions far beyond
the skies. The Sruti declares that one-fourth of His form is in the form of
this Universe, and three-fourths is beyond the Universe (tripAdsyAmRtam divi
- chAndogyopanishad 3. 12. 6) (SrI rAdhAkRshNaSAstri).
c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the nAma as divah spRk, and explains
that in the vAmana incarnation, bhagavAn touches the skies while measuring
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the three feet of land that were promised to Him by mahAbali -
vAmanAvatAre SrI bhagavAn svacaraNa kamalena vardhamAnenadivam
pasparSa.
divi-kshayam,
divi-kshitA,
divi-carAh,
divi-jAh,divi-yajah,
divi-yonih,
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divi-Sritah,
divishadah,
divi-sadam,etc.,
are used repeatedly in the veda-s to refer to the sun. So he interprets the
nAma divi-spRk as referring to bhagavAn as the antaryAmi of the sun and all
the graha-sthat are in the skies.
sarva--dRk
nAma 577. svR†k! sarva
The All-seer.
c) He who is the Creator of all forms that can see under different conditions.
sarva-dRSe namah.
a) sarvasya drashTA sarva-drk - He who has realized the totality of the para
tattvam. The nirukti description is "sarva darSanAtsarva-dRk". sarva-dRk
means He who is Omniscient - He who sees everything, He who is the eye of all.
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvAimozhi 3. 10. 10 -taLarvinRiyE
enRum e~ngum parandatani mudal j~nAnam.
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nAma 578. Vyas> vyAsah
The Arranger.
a) He who arranged the veda-s into its four divisions, the purANa-s into 18,
etc.
b) He who divided time as well as His creation into its various sub-divisions
(e. g., day and night, Sukla paksha and kRshNa paksha, man from woman, sUrya
from candra, etc.)
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atharva), He has the name vyAsa - vibhajanstu caturdhAvai vedamekam
trikAlavititi vyAsah. This was done by bhagavAn in His incarnation as vyAsa
just to make it easier for people whose knowledge diminishes in accordance
with the changes of the four yuga-s.
SrI Samkara gives the interpretation in terms of the division of the veda-s,
and also refers to the division of the purANa-s - anyAni capurANAni
vyastAnianena iti vyAsah.
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SrI Samkara and the others who follow his vyAkhyAna have interpreted the
above two nAma-s together as one nAma - sarva-dRk vyAsah. It can simply
mean "The omniscient vyAsa".
SrI cinmayAnanda has given perhaps the best interpretation for the single
nAma- He who creates many omniscient men of wisdom. One who encourages
the spread of knowledge and thus turns out many men of wisdom and clearer
understanding of life and the world.
vAcas--patih
nAma 579. vacSpit> vAcas
This nAma has occurred earlier as nAma 218. Please refer to Slokam 23 for
the interpretation provided therein. SrI BhaTTar interprets the current
occurrence as referring to vyAsa's authorship of the mahAbhArata - He is the
Master of words which are in the form of the fifth veda - i. e., mahAbhArata.
SrI Samkara interprets the nAma as "vAco vidyAyAh patih vAcaspatih"- The
Master of all learning. He interprets this nAma along with the next one
together as one nAma - vAcaspatir-ayonijah - He who is the Master of all
learning, and who is not born in a mother's womb.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri comments that one who has mastered the words also
does not waste words, and is precise. This certainly applies to bhagavAn giving
us all the instructions for all aspects of life concisely in the form of the veda-
s, the brahma sUtra-s etc.
SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that the nAma means "One who is
eloquent in championing the Supreme Law of life". It almost seems like he had
gItAcAryan in his mind.
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Some people have interpreted the term vAcah to refer to sarasvati, and thus
conclude that vAcaspatih refers to brahma, the pati of sarasvati. BhagavAn
being the antaryAmi of brahma will justify this interpretation.
The Unborn.
ayonijAya namah.
In SrI BhaTTar's interpretation of the current group of nAma-s as referring
to the vyAsa incarnation, he explains the current nAma as referring to vyAsa
being created out of sound by bhagavAn as sArasvata-
atha bhUyo jagat sRshTvA "bho" Sabdena anuvAdayan |
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(mahAbhA. Santi. 350. 37)
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha observes that bhagavAn created the sun, and we can
easily perceive that the sun was not born like the normal humans, and so it is
easy to perceive that bhagavAn is a-yonijah.
SrI Samkara and others following his interpretation have interpreted the
above two nAma-s as one nAma - vAcaspatir-ayonijah - He who is theMaster of
words and who is unborn.
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Slokam 62
iÇsama samg> sam invaR[< Ée;j< iÉ;k
iÉ;kœœ,
tri--sAmA
nAma 581. iÇsama tri
devya, all of which sing His praise. This nAma signifies this aspect of
bhagavAn. These three branches are together called deva-vrata.
Of the four veda-s (rG, yajus, sAma, and atharva), sAma veda is the one that
has the praise of the various deities as its principal theme. It is musical to
hear when it is chanted with the proper intonations. BhagavAn declares in
SrImad bhagavad gItA - vedAnAm sAmavedo'smi (10. 22) - Among the veda-s,
I am the sAma veda. Thus it is a vibhUti of bhagavAn Himself.
sAma--gah
nAma 582. samg> sAma
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- etat sAma gAyannAste (taiitirIya.). SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri gives the
following reference which sings the greatness of the sAma veda -
A couple of writers have emphasized the role of the music in the power of
sAma veda in bringing about the brahmAnubhavam.
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b) He who is in the form of the sAma veda Himself.
SrI cinmayAnanda observes that this is to express the very sacredness of the
veda itself.
c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri uses the meaning of sAma in the sense of sAma,
dAna, bheda, and daNDa, and interprets the word sAma as referring to His
being soft and sweet. The means which He used to try to urge duryodhana to
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follow the path of dharma is the sAma mArga - that of being soft and gentle in
His persuasion. He gives the support from the Sruti - yat khalu sAdhu tat
sAmetyAcakshase (chAndogya. 2. 1. 1).
The dharma cakram writer observes that sAma vedam is so called because of
its sweetness and softness.
The Bliss.
vANam refers to body, and the state of being beyond the 'I' and "mine"
feeling associated with the body, is nir-VANam.
SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is called nirvANa because
He is the cause of attainment of the state of Bliss by those whose sins have
been eliminated as stated in the previous nAma. The state when even the wind
that blows is not felt by the body is the state of nirvANa, where there is total
disassociation with the identity of the body with the self.
The dharma cakram writer points out that suffering is of three kinds - bodily,
mental, and that associated with a~jnAna. Animals have bodily suffering, most
humans have bodily and mental sufferings, and those among humans who try to
realize the self also have the suffering from aj~nAna. Thus, the more evolved
a being, the more the causes for suffering. One who transcends all these
sufferings is the one who realizes Absolute Bliss. As long as the animals have
no hunger and no disease, they are happy. But a human who is free from
hunger and disease, all the same makes himself unhappy by pursuit of misery in
the form of worldly pleasures. These include the inability to dominate others,
the inability to get whatever they want for their materials pleasures, the
desire for material wealth, the desire for success in everything they
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undertake, and on and on. It is when humans try to satisfy the five indirya-s
through external means that they invite and incur suffering and sorrow. It is
by getting to the state of nirvANa (the total disassociation of the identify of
the body with the self) that one starts to overcome this kind of suffering.
This can only happen by meditating on bhagavAn who is the embodiment of
nirvANa. This is the lesson to take from this nAma.
The Remedy.
bheshajAya namah.
He is the only remedy for the otherwise incurable disease of samsAra. SrI
BhaTTar gives reference to the bhIshma stava rAja (mahAbhArata):
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nArAyaNAt Rshi-gaNAh tathA siddhA mahoragAh |
devA devarshayaScaiva yam viduh duhkha bheshajam ||
"The groups of Rshi-s, siddha-s, the serpent-gods, and godly seers came to
know of this medicine for the disease of samsAra from nArAyaNa".
The dharma cakram writer observes that for self -realization one needs good
bodily health but more importantly good mental health. For both of these, one
should lead a life of control of the senses and control of the mind. Just as we
take medicine for rectifying the illness of the body, we should resort to the
medicine of meditating on Him so that we can avoid the disease of the mind.
Health of the mind is something that most of us don't worry about, but this is
very important for attaining Bliss.
Chanting His nAma and meditating on Him are the means to maintain the health
of the mind; hence He is the Medicine. This is the lesson to take from this
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nAma.
The Physician.
bhishaje namah.
BhagavAn is the expert Physician who treats the disease of the fear of
samsAra in His devotees through the teaching of the brahma vidyA in the
form of the gItA and other upanishads. SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to the
divya prabandham - maruttuvanAi ninRa mA-maNi vaNNA.
The dharma cakram draws analogy between the physician who treats the
diseases of the body, and bhagavAn who treats the diseases of the mind.
Unlike the bodily cure which is transient and temporary, the treatment that
bhagavAn gives by removing the aj~nAna or ignorance is permanent. This is
the spirit with which one should meditate on this nAma.
SrI cinmayAnanda gives an alternate explanation - that this nAma can refer to
bhagavAn in His form as dhanvantari, the Deity of Medicine in the Indian
system of Medicine. Since He appeared in this form as the Lord of Physicians,
He is called "The Physician - bhishak".
sannyAsa--kRt
nAma 587. s<Nyask«t! sannyAsa
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explains how bhagavAn treats those with the affliction of the bondage of
samsAra. "sAttvikena sanyAsena rajas-tamasau kRtanti iti sannyAsa-kRt "- He
who cuts the bonds in the form of rajo and tamo guNa-s in those who perform
all their acts in a disinterested manner with a spirit of renunciation of desire
for the fruit. Another name for this is also sAttvika-tyAga - The abandonment
of all the fruits of any action we perform, and assignment of these benefits to
Him and Him alone; in other words, every act that we perform should be for
His benefit and His pleasure. This is the gist of karma yoga that is enunciated
in the gItA. The word san-nYasa here signifies surrender of the burden to the
Master, and this surrender alone is the remedy for samsAra.
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Those who have acquired the true knowledge of tattva, hita and purushArtha
through the study of the upanishads, do yoga by doing acts renouncing the
desire for fruits and giving up the idea that they are the chief agents of the
acts. By this process their minds become pure and they practice bhakti yoga.
At the end of their last body they attain the brahman and become free from
all karma.
c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri brings out the point that while samnyAsa - the
surrendering of the burden for our acts and the fruits thereof to Him - is the
only means for relieve from samsAra, it is also He alone who shows this path
of samnyAsa to His devotee; in other words, He is the One who leads His
devotee to perform samnyAsa. SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj echoes this when
he gives the following interpretation for the nAma -
"samyak nyAso nikshepah samnyAsah shad-vidha SaraNAgateh
ekatamam a~ngam Atma nikshepaNAm adheyam |
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tam karoti draDhayati bhakta-hRdaye iti samnyAsa-kRt."
Thus, bhagavAn is samnyAsa-kRt in the sense that He is the One who blesses
His devotee so that He performs the act of surrender or saraNAgati. He is
also the One who gives the needed qualifications to those who undertake the
samnyAsa ASrama - SrI cinmayAnanda.
d) The dharma cakram writer brings out the importance of leading a life
devoid of attachment caused by the indriya-s. He gives the analogy of a child
forming in the mother's womb, which has to give up the mother's womb at the
appropriate time if it were to live. Similarly, the jIva has to give up the life
dominated and controlled by the indriya-s if it is to evolve to a higher level
than to be part of the cycle of samsAra. This act of being relieved from the
negative guNa-s of prakRti viz. rajas and tamas is samnyAsa. The current nAma
emphasizes the importance of leading a life of detachment and renunciation.
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the person who meditates will himself become quieted down in his mind, and
attain SAnti.
a) SrI BhaTTar continues the link with his interpretation for the previous
nAma, and interprets this nAma as referring to bhagavAn being the
Instructor of how to control the desire, anger, fear etc. He gives reference
to the gItA 5. 29, where bhagavAn tells us that He is the real enjoyer of the
fruits of all sacrifices and austerities –
bhoktAram yaj~na tapasAm sarvaloka maheSvaram |
suhRdam sarvabhUtAnAm j~nAtvA mAm Santim Rcchati ||
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and he quotes the smRti -
yatInAm praSamo dharmo niyamo vanavAsinAm |
dAnameva gRhastAnAm SuSrUshA brahmacAriNAm ||
The dharma cakram writer elaborates on how the ancient traditional system
ensured that this control of the mind was built into the duties of all the four
ASrama-s. In the brahmacarya stage, practices such as getting up early in the
morning, taking a cold bath, chanting veda-s, performing the mantra japam,
serving the guru, and being kept active throughout the course of the day, was
part of the training, and so the control of the mind was constantly inculcated.
Similarly, the gRhasta was supposed to involve himself actively in performing
religious rites such as yaj~na-s etc., which kept him involved in mind control
through involvement in these activities. Similar discipline applies to the
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vAnaprastha and samnyAsa ASrama-s. The current nAma reveals to us that
control of the mind and channeling of the mind towards acts that please Him
should be our goal in life.
even the wild animals become tranquil at his very sight. It can also be said
that in spite of all the oceans of apacAra-s that all of us commit, which can
justifiably make Him boil with anger at our deeds, He still keep Himself
tranquil and always willing to forgive us.
The dharma cakram writer observes that the more one gets involves in the
desire for material objects, the more one gets lack of peace of mind. The
more one draws one's interests inward, the more one finds peace. Thus
control of the mind is the path to attaining peace. The more one meditates on
this mantra which represents the guNa of tranquillity in bhagavAn, the more
our mind will become tranquil.
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nishThAyai namah.
a) nishThA essentially means a pivot, firm support. SrI BhaTTar's
vyAkhyAnam for the nAma is "vyutthita cittaih SubhASrayabhUte asmin
nishThIyate iti nishThA" - Those who have achieved a deep level of
concentration have Him and His body as the object of their meditation. The
root from which the word is derived is shThA (sthA) - gati nvRttau - to stand,
to wait, to be at hand etc.
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b) SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that He is the stable final Abode for
all the beings during pralaya - pralaye nitarAm tatraiva tishThanti bhUtAni iti
nishThA.
The dharma cakram writer observes that the significance of the nAma lies in
realizing the importance of having our thoughts centered and anchored on
bhagavan-nAma-dhyAnam. The more we let it wander in search of worldly
objects, the more we will be plagued by needless and meaningless fears and
confusion on the real purpose of our existence, and the more we will slip and
fall from that great Object whom we should attain in order to be relieved of
the cycle of samsAra. We should meditate on Him with "nishThA" or firmness.
a) Peace.
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b) The object of meditation
a) When a devotee has attained the perfect calm in the final state of
meditation, this state is called samAdhi. At that stage, the Lord makes the
devotee enjoy Him and Him alone, and forget all else including the self, other
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activities, interests, etc. This quietening of all the person's interests and
activities is called SAnti, which is granted only by the Lord. Those who have
abandoned everything else find peace in Him who is the Ultimate Peace. So He
is called SAntih. This is the final stage of perfect meditation. SrI BhaTTar
explains the nAma as: tatra parama-samAdhau vismRta-sarvAdhikArAH
SAmyanti iti SAntiH – In the final stage of perfect meditation they (the
meditators) forget all other activities and become tranquil, (and this occurs
because He grants them this peace, and so he is called SAntiH).
SrI kRshNan indicates that when one is meditating on Him through the yoga
mArga, nothing else distracts them, and there are in continuous and direct
communication with Him, and there is absolute tranquility in their mind.
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan quotes from the Sruti - yatra nAnyat paSyati nAnyat
SruNoti tad bhUmA - when you enjoy Him and His greatness, nothing else is
seen or heard or enjoyed. He also quotes from the prabandham - ippAl kai
vaLaiyum mEgalaiyum kANEn, kaNDEn ghana magarak kuzhai iraNDum nAngu
tOLum (tiru neDuntANDagam 22) - When tiruma~ngai AzhvAr had Him in his
mind, he did not remember anything about himself; he only saw bhagavAn and
His beauty, His AbharaNams, etc.
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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives reference to kaThopanishad 2. 2. 13 - teshAm
SAntih SAsvatI na itareshAm - Permanent Peace is to be found in Him and
nowhere else.
SrI cinmyAnanda explains the nAma as “One Whose very nature is peace
(SAnti)”. He elaborates: “Agitations are caused by desires and the consequent
temptations to strive form acquire and indulge in them. In the All-Full, there is
no desire, hence He ned not seek His fulfillment among the perishable objects
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of the universe, and so He is Peace.
b) SrI kRshNadatta bhAradvAj explains the meaning based on the root Sama
- Alocane - to look at, and explains the nAma as indicating that He is the
object of meditation of the devotees - bhaktAnAm Alocana vishayatvAt
SAntih.
SAntaH, SAntiH, SAnti-daH – The later means that when we meditate on Him,
we forget everything else disappears from our mind, and so He is SAnti
Himself.
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b) The Best Goal.
a) Param ayanam parAyaNam. The root from which the word "ayanam" is
derived here is ay- gatau - to go. He is the best means for attaining Him,
since the highest bhakti that is needed for attaining Him is acquired from Him
alone. SrI BhaTTar gives reference to the gItA, 18. 53-54, in support of the
interpretation:
nir-mamah SAnto brahma-bhUtAya kalpate ||
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b) SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that He is the best goal to aim for,
since this way one is assured that there is no return to samsAra. SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to the words "paramam yah parAyANam"
which occur in the introductory part of sahasranAmam.
SrI cinmayAnanda give the quote from gItA 15-6 – yad gatvA na nivartante tad
dhAma paramam mama – He is the Supreme Goal, and there is no return to
samsAra after reaching Him.
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to the introduction. (paramam upeyam pRccati - kim vA'pi ekam parAyaNam
iti; ayanam - prApyam; evam upeyam dvidhA pRshTam etc. are extracts from
his vyAkhyAnam to the Slokam kim ekam daivatam loke ).
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that the japa on "sannyAsa kRt Samah
SAnto nishThA SAntih parAyaNam" will bring peace to a disturbed and
agitated mind .
The dharma cakram writer nicely contrasts the state we achieve when we
control our indriya-s and our mind, and the state we achieve when we let the
indriya-s and mind control us. In the former case we reach the state of no
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more birth in this world, and in the later we are back to the cycle of samsAra.
When we perform any action, we should remember that He is the doer and we
are only His instrument. This is how we can elevate ourselves through karma
yoga. When we convert our desire for worldly pleasures into a desire for Him
instead, we elevate ourselves through bhakti yoga. When we realize the true
nature of the self and the distinction of the body and the mind, and realize
that we are subservient to Him and Him alone, we elevate ourselves through
j~nAna yoga. Thus, it can be seen easily that He is the means for attaining
Him.
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Slokam 63
zuÉa¼> zaiNtd> öòa k…mud> k…vlezy>,
c) He Who has a form that bestows ma'ngaLam to those who meditate on It.
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1. yama,
2. niyama,
3. Asana,
4. prANAyAma,
5. pratyAhAra,
6. dhAraNa,
7. dhyAna, and
8. samAdhi.
All of these are auspicious (Subha) on account of the devotion to Him and are
obtained by His favor. It is He who helps the devotee to begin and complete
the meditation on Him.
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The dharma cakram writer nicely explains how the practice of asTA'nga yoga
results in the realization of Oneness with bhagavAn. One gets control of the
mind by practicing yama and niyama, the first two of the 8 a'nga-s of the
ashTA'nga yoga, with their aspects
Asana and prANAyAma help in developing the body so that it is fit for the
meditation on Him. The next four a'nga-s of the ashTA'nga yoga - pratyAhAra,
dhAraNa, and dhyAna, and samAdhi - develop and nurture the thought and
concentration on Divinity continuously with each step,the ultimate end being
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the realization of Him - samAdhi.
b) SrI Samkara interprets the term a'nga here to refer to His form, and so
the meaning given is - sundarAn tanum dhArayan SubhA'ngah.
SrI BhaTTar gives this interpretation for nAma 788 - He Who has a
bewitching form. It is so beautiful that with this form He beguiled and
deluded the asura-s when He appeared as mohini.
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He shines like gold in the middle of the Sun, and His eyes shine like the
blossoming lotus.
c) SrI kRshNadatta bhAradvAj interpets the nAma as "One Who has the form
that bestows Subham or ma'ngaLam on those who meditate on His caraNam
(Feet),vadanam (tirumeni), nayanam (lotus eyes), etc. - SubhAni - darSakAnAm
mangalotpAdakAni; a'ngAni - caraNa vadana nayanAdIni; yasya iti SubhA'ngah.
d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets the word a'nga based on the root a'ng -
to go, and his anubhavam of this nAma is that bhagavAn is SubhA'ngah since
He makes everything auspicious by His very movement in every form, of His
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a) He is One who blesses the devotee with the means of the a'nga-s of the
ashTA'nga yoga and the success in it, and
b) He is One who has the captivating auspicious form that the devotee
meditates on.
SAnti--dah
nAma 594. zaiNtd> SAnti
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of rebirth in this world. In other words, SAnti here refers to moksha, and He
is the moksha-pradan. SrI BhaTTar gives the support from:
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SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to tiruvAimozhi 3. 7. 7 - aDiyArgaLaik
koNDupOi tanmai peRuttit tan tALiNaikkIZh koLLum appan.
The dharma cakram writer refers us to tiruvaLLuvar who defines God as one
who is "vENDudal vENDAmai ilAdAn". By our dedicating our thoughts to Him,
we can get to the stage where we will be able to get away from likes and
dislikes, and thus attain true inner peace.
The lesson to take from this nAma is that He is the Bestower of the Ultimate
Peace - moksha, which one gets by constant meditation on Him.
The Creator.
srashTre namah.
This nAma also occurs later as nAma 990.
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SrI BhaTTar: The root from which this nAma is derived is srj - to create. Just
as He bestows moksha to those who long for it, He also bestows samsAra who
ask for it through their karma. Thus He is the Creator as well.
and Lord kRshNa's own words from the gItA 7. 6 - aham kRtsnasya jagatah
prabhavah - I am the Source of the entire creation.
The root srj also means to let loose, to send forth - visarge. SrI satyadevo
vAsishTha uses this meaning, and his anubhavam of this nAma is that bhagavAn
keeps all the beings inside Himself at the time of pralaya, and then puts them
out at the time of sRshTi, and so He is srashTA.
The dharma cakram writer looks at the positive aspect of creation - by giving
the body to the jIva, bhagavAn gives the jIva one more opportunity for it to
seek and attain Him. The beauty of this anubhavam is that whatever He does,
He does it for our welfare, including all the punishments that He gives us.
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All interpretations converge on His function as the Creator. The different
vyAkhyAna-s emphasize the different aspects of His function of creation. He
created everything to start with, the cycle of creation keeps happening from
Him after each pralaya, this creation is an inevitable consequence of the karma
of the beings who insist on being on born again and again, this act of creation
by bhagavAn is an expression of His extreme kindness to us in that this gives
the jIva one more opportunity to realize Him, and all this is happening because
He is the Power behind everything. Thus, all vyAkhyAna kartA-s are using the
meaning "Creator" for the nAma, and yet we get the benefit of the richness of
the diversity of the anubhavam-s here.
ku--mudah
nAma 596. k…mud> ku
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kumudAya namah.
This nAma also occurs as nAma 813.
Based on the same derivation, SrI BhaTTar gives yet another anubhavam -
kaumodate iti kumudah - bhagavAn delights Himself even in the prakRti
maNDalam because of His company with His devotees.
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan elaborates: In this world which can make rAma cry and
suffer - nATTil piRandu paDAdana paTTu, losing sItA, being kicked out His
kingdom, being forced to live in a forest, losing jaTAyu, etc., He still finds it
His pleasure to be in the company of bharadvaja, atri, agastya, etc.
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nammAzhvAr describes how bhagavAn mingles with His devotee - oru iDam
onRu inRi ennuL kalandAn (tiruvAimozhi 2. 5. 2).
SrI Samkara interprets the nAma as suggesting that He gives joy to this
earthby freeing it of its burdens (at the time of pralaya?) - kum -
dharaNimbhArAvataraNam kurvan modayati iti kumudah.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri's anubhavam, starting with the same meanings for
the words ku and muda, is that He delights in His company with bhUmi pirATTi,
and so He is called ku-mudah. Or, He takes incarnations in this earth to get
rid of the evil and to protect the good, and thus He delights Himself with this
earth.
The dharma cakram writer illustrates the dimension of the pleasure that is
derived by bhagavAn in this world through an example. He refers us to the
pleasure that a small ant derives out of a huge mound of sugar. Even though
there is this huge source of pleasure for the ant, all the ant sees of this is the
few particles of sugar that it needs to fill itself, and then a few more particles
to save for the future in its nest. The pleasure that we see in this world
through our five indirya-s etc. is similar to what the ant enjoys, and most of us
miss out on the great store of pleasure called bhagavad anubhavam. What
bhagavAn offers and derives out of this world is the huge mound that we don't
take advantage of. This nAma illustrates to us that the true pleasure tobe
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derived out of this world is the greater pleasure, which is accessible to usby
meditating on His nAma and by seeing beyond the sense-pleasure, by
dedicating ourselves to His kaimkaryam.
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a) The Controller of the jIva-s who wander in this world with the thoughtthat
they are the masters of their bodies.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha also looks at the nAma as ku + vala + ISah + yah.
However, he interprets the nAma as referring to bhagavAn who has control
(ISah) over all those that make sound (kai - Sabde - to sound, see previous
nAma), all those that walk or move (vala), etc. In other words, He is the
antaryAmi in everything.
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b) SrI Samkara derives different interpretations, all based on looking at the
nAma as kuvale Sayah, where Sayah refers to reclining. His different
interpretations are based on different meanings for the term kuvala. One of
the interpretations is: koh kshiteh, valanAt - samsaraNAt, kuvalam - jalam;
tasminSeta iti kuvale-Sayah. In other words, He is kuvale Sayah because He is
reclining in the waters that surround the earth.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that since the earth originated from water -
adhbhyah pRthivI - water surrounds the earth.
Another interpretation that SrI Samkara gives is that kuvala can refer to the
underside of the serpent, since it crawls on the earth with its stomach - kau -
bhUmyAm, valate - samSrayata iti sarpANAm udaram kuvalam, tasmin Seta iti
kuvale-Sayah - He reclines on the serpent, and so He is called kuvaleSayah.
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The dharma cakram writer explains that the pa'nca bhUta-s evolved in the
sequence AkASa, vAyu, agni, waters, and earth. Since earth arose from
waters,the waters surround the earth. The pa'nca bhUta-s all arose from Him,
and so a simple way to understand the statement "He is reclining in the
waters" is to remember that bhagavAn is in the Nature that originated from
Him.
To summarize, there are essentially two different ways that this nAma has
been interpreted. One is kuvala + ISa + yah - He is the controller or Master of
everything that moves around, and the other is kuvale + Sayah - He Who
reclines in the waters, or He Who is reclining on the AdiSesha.
go--hitah
nAma 598. gaeiht> go
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welfare of this world.
SrI v. v. rAmAnujam gives the support from tiruvAimozhi - koLLa mALA inba
veLLam kOdila tandiDum en vaLLal (4. 7. 2). The inba veLLam that
nammAzhvAr refers to is of course the bhagavad anubhavam.
SrI Samkara gives the meaning "cows" to the samskRt word "go", and thus
interprets the nAma in terms of the hitam that bhagavAn did to the cows
through the lifting of the govardhana mountain - gavAmvRddhyartham
govardhanam dhRtavAn iti gobhyo hito go-hitah. He gives an additional
interpretation based on the meaning "bhUmi" for the word "go" - gohitah in
this sense being a reference to His protecting this world through different
incarnations to destroy the evil and protect the good.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the root gatau - to go, and gives the
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interpretation that bhagavAn is go-hitah because He facilitates the movement
of all beings in this world.
In summary, "go" can refer to cows in particular or to the world and its people
in a more general sense. Either way, go-hitah refers to His being the One who
facilitates their existence.
go--patih
nAma 599. gaepit> go
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 497 (Slokam 53). Please refer to the
write-up under that nAma, which is fairly detailed and is supplemental to the
write-up that follows.
SrI BhaTTar interprets the word "go" in current occurrence of the nAmaas
referring to the bhoga bhUmi svarga, and thus gives the meaning to this
instance of the nAma as "He Who is the Lord of those in svarga". pati refers
to His role as the rakshaka or Protector. BhagavAn is the Lord of this world
as well as the Celestial world, and time and time again He comes to the rescue
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of the deva-s when the asura-s get the upper hand.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meaning that He is the Protector of all,
starting with the meaning gau - to go for the term "go". In other words, He
shows the path for all the beings, and protects all beings even as the sArati of
a chariot sits in the driver's seat and directs the chariot and the horses
pulling the chariot, and protects them and looks after their welfare.
The Protector.
goptre namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 498 (Slokam 53). Please read the write-
up under that nAma.
The different interpretations offered are all based on either the meaning gup
- to protect, or gup - to conceal. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha's anubhavam is that
He keeps Himself hidden (svayam Atma guptah), and at the same time protects
everyone because this is His dharma (goptA sa vishNuh sa hi goptRdharmA).
Thus, he uses both the meanings of gup in his vyAkhyAnam.
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everything and at the same protects everything etc. gopAyati- satatam
rakshati svabhaktAn nityadA iti goptA.
The dharma cakram writer points out the lesson to take from this nAma - Only
He can protect us, and no one else can. It is not just that He is the Protector,
but there is no one else who can protect us. Recall svAmi deSikan's beautiful
expression of this -
bhayam kutah syAt tvayi sAnukampe |
rakshah kutah syAt tvayi jAtaroshe ||
(SrI ashTabhujAshTakam 5)
tava pravRtte mama kim prayAsaih |
tvayyapravRtte mama kim prayAsaih ||
(SrIashTabhujAshTakam 6)
tvayi rakshati rakshakaih kim ananyaih |
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tvayi cArakshati rakshakaih kim ananyaih ||
(SrIkAmAsikAshTakam 8)
(For meanings, please refer to the write-ups on SrI deSika stotram in this
list).
a) He Who is the Support for the cycle of samsAra in the form of dharma.
a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is the dharma axle
that supports the wheel of samsAra. vRshabha means dharma because it
showers the fruits of actions - phala varshI vRshabho dharmah. BhagavAn is
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the support for samsAra cakra or the wheel of samsAra, for which He is the
support or axle in the form of dharma (sah akshah - samsAra cakra AdhArah).
nammAzhvAr refers to Him as "tani mudalAi mUvulagum kAvalOn
(tiruvaimozhi2. 8. 5) - v. v. rAmAnujan.
b1), b2) SrI Samkara vyAkhyAnam is - sakalAn kAmAn varshuke akshiNI asya
itivRshabhAkshah - He whose eye rains the fulfillment of all the devotee's
wishes. All He has to do is look at the devotee with the samkalpam that He
wants to bestow His devotee with his wishes, and the devotee's wishes will be
fulfilled. Alternatively, His vision or look is dharma - vRshabhah dharmah sa
eva vA dRshTih asya iti vRshabhAkshah; that is, He only has dharma as His
objective.
The dharma cakram writer points out the example of duryodhana and arjuna,
and shows how dharma is what protects one ultimately. bhIshma told
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duryodhana when the latter asked bhIshma to fight on his side, that no matter
who fights on duryodhana's side, he will lose because he is following the path
of adharma, and arjuna's side will win because he is following the path of
dharma. This nAma teaches us that bhagavAn will always be on the side of
dharma, and if we follow the path of dharma, He will bestow His blessings on
us.
vRsha--priyah
nAma 602. v&;iày> vRsha
a) dharma-lover.
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dharma performed by His devotee that results in His bestowing the desired
fruit. pravRtti dharma helps the jIva-s continue in this world; nivRtti dharma
helps its practitioners attain Him instead.
The dharma cakram writer gives the example of one who practices pravRtti
dharma - one who earns money through honest profession and then spends the
proceeds in a dhArmic way - this person is one who is interested in the life of
this world and observes the pravRtti dharma. One who is not involved in the
material world and who instead meditates on Him as the sole purpose of life is
a practitioner of nivRtti dharma. The life led by svAmi vivekAnanda's father is
given as an example of pravRtti dharma, and the life of svAmi vivekAnanda as
an example of nivRtti dharma. The point to note is that both the paths follow
dharma, and are thus dear to Him.
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SrI Samkara gives an additional interpretation - that bhagavAn is dear to the
virtuous - priya for vRsha-s.
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Volume III
Our Sincere thanks to the following for their invaluable contributions to
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CONTENTS
SlOkam 64 3
SlOkam 65 16
SlOkam 66 29
SlOkam 67 40
SlOkam 68 51
SlOkam 69 63
SlOkam 70 76
SlOkam 71 91
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SlOkam 72 105
SlOkam 73 123
SlOkam 74 143
SlOkam 75 163
SlOkam 76 179
SlOkam 77 197
SlOkam 78 212
SlOkam 79 244
SlOkam 80 264
SlOkam 81 282
SlOkam 82 298
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. ïI>.
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1
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2
Slokam 64
AinvtIR inv&ÄaTma s<]eÝa ]emk«iCDv>,
a) He who does not turn away those who are inclined to comeback to this world.
b) He Who does not turn away from His battles with the asura-s.
c) He Who does not turn away from dharma under any circumstance.
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d) He whose creations never turn back in their shape, form etc. till pralaya.
a-nivartine namah.
The term nivartana means causing to return, returning, turning back etc.
a) SrI BhaTTar: na nivartayati iti a-nivRtI. For those who are attached to the
pravRtti dharma, bhagavAn does not let them turn away from samsAra -
(pravRtti dharma nishTargaLai samsArattai viTTu nivarttikkacceiyyAdavar -
SrI P. B. aNNa'ngarAcArya svAmi)
3
a) SrI BhaTTar - (samsArAt) na nivartayati iti a-nivarti - One who does not let
those who observe pravRtti dharma turn back from samsAra, and
b) SrI Samkara - na nivartata itia-nivartI - One who does not turn away
Himself from certain things.
e) He whose mind turns away from any feeling of self-glory over His kIrti or
fame.
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nivRtti refers to detachment. SrI BhaTTar uses the word in this sense, as
also with the meaning "superior" - nivRttam - udgatam - superior. His
interpretation of the nAma in Slokam 25 uses the meaning "superior",
indicating that bhagavAn's Nature rises above all other things. The
interpretations of the other three instances of the nAma are based on the
meaning "detachment", and correspond to d) for nAma 453,b) for nAma 604,
and e) for nAma 780.
4
not have any interest in pravRtti dharma, and live their lives with the sole
objective of doing kaimkaryam to Him. They are not interested in any fruit
out of their action except the bhAgyam of doing kaimkaryam to Him.
BhagavAn gives them exactly that, namely He gives them His lokam from where
there is no return to samsAra - viNNulagam taruvAnAi variaginrAn
(tivuvAimozhi 10. 6. 3). In fact, even though bhagavAn is AtmA of these
nivRtti dharma practitioners just as He is the AtmA of all other creations, yet
He considers that these nivRtti dharma followers are His soul, that is, He
cannot live without them.
SrI rAmAnujan also gives his anubhavam of bhagavAn's detachment from any
feeling of self-glory over His greatness (interpretation e). Here He is, creating
this great wonder with all its innumerable creatures and all the planets and the
different worlds. He is the svAmi of all these worlds - vIRRirunduEzhulagum
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tanik kOl Sella; varambilAda mAyai mAya!. varambilAda kIrtiyAi!
(tiruccandaviruttam 96). With all this greatness, one would expect that He
should have some attachment of ownership to His wonderful creation, and
pride of this great creation of His. Yet, He does not have any of this sense
ofpride, and is only interested in our welfare instead, in whatever He does.
Such is His greatness.
In the four instances where SrI BhaTTar uses the nAma nivRttAtmA as
referred to above,
SrI Samkara uses the nAma nivRttAtmA in Sloka-s 25 and 64, the nAma
vimuktAtmA in Slokam 48, and gives interpretations using the pATha as a-
nivRttAtmA or alternatively as nivRttAtmA in Slokam 83.
Slokam 25: "He whose nature is that He is free from the bonds ofsamsAra -
samsAra bandhanAt nivRtta AtmA svarUpam asya iti nivRttAtmA".
Slokam 64: "He who naturally turns away from material pleasures -
svabhAvatah vishayebhyo nivRtta AtmA manah asya iti nivRttAtmA".
5
Slokam 48, where Samkara pATham is vimuktAtmA: "He who is the free Self -
svabhAvena vimukta AtmA yasya iti vimuktAtmA". Note that He is unbound by
the effects of karma, and so by nature He is vimukta AtmA - the unbound
Self.
Slokam 83: a-nivRttAtmA: "He who never turns away from anywhere because
He is omnipresent - sarvatra vartamAnatvAt a-nivRttah kuto'pi iti a-
nivRttAtmA. If the nAma is taken as nivRttAtmA, SrI Samkara's
interpretation is: "By nature He turns away from the objects of the senses -
nivRtta AtmA mano vishayebhyo asya iti vA nivRttAtmA".
SrI cinmayAnanda observes that the significance of the nAma lies in indicating
to us that we have to detach our mind from sense indulgences in order to
realize Him.
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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that bhagavAn is the only one who can
retrieve those who are attached to all kinds of material and sense objects,
beause He is the only one who is not attached to anything. Only the one who
is not stuck in the mud can retrieve one who is stuck in it.
6
samksheptre namah.
The term samkshepa means shortened, abridged, contracted, etc. (e.g.,
samkshepa rAmAyaNam). Different vyAkhyAna kartA-s have different
anubhava-s of this guNa of bhagavAn.
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the whole Universe in His body in a subtle form - vistRtam jagat samhAra
samayesUkshma rUpeNa samkshipan - samksheptA.
The dharma cakram writer remarks that the deeper we get involved in this
worldly life, the more we are contracting or constraining our knowledge of Him.
The purpose of life properly lived is to expand the knowledge of Him. Those
who live a life of involvement in the material and sensual aspects of life, are
living and yet not living (that is, they have not achieved the purposeof this
precious life).
7
The idea to take from the different interpretations is that bhagavAn
incorporates different constraints on His creatures as part of the
administration of dharma and as part of the administration of His function of
the cycle of creation. This is seen in different forms: in the form of limiting
the knowledge of the followers of the pravRtti dharma, the form in which the
huge tree is contained in a small seed, the way in which He assimilates all the
innumerable jIva-s into Himself at the time of pralaya, the way in which He
minimizes the suffering of His devotees, etc.
kshema--kRt -
nAma 606. ]emk«t! kshema
SrI cinmayAnanda notes that bhagavAn not only preserves that which has been
attained by His devotees, He also helps them attain what has not been
attained so far - ananyAS cintayanto mAm. . . . yoga kshemam vahAmyaham -
gItA 9. 22. Here yoga refers to what has not been attained yet, and kshema
refers to what has been already acquired. tirukkaLLam
8
form of moksham to the devotee who longs for it, and then gives kshemam by
making sure he does not lose it (kshemam).
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(kshaya). He knows the beginning, the end, and the in-between of all the jIva-s.
Hence He is kshema-kRt in all thesenses.
The dharma cakram writer gives the analogy of a mother who protects the
child when the child is in her womb, and then for as long as the child seeks the
mother's support, she provides this support by loving the child even more than
her own self. That is the way bhagavAn looks after His devotees
(bhagavAnbhaktan mIdu pittuk koNDuLLAr).
This nAma should remind us that it is He protects us, and does whatever is
good for us no matter what He does.
9
whether they desire the enjoyment of worldly pleasures or whether they seek
moksha - whether the aspirant is a bubhukshu or a mumukshu. SrI BhaTTar
refers us to - SrI mahAbhArata - Sivo SivAnAm a-Sivo a-SivAnAm- He does
good for the good, and bad for the bad. - SrI vishNu purANam (6. 7. 62)-
samsAra moksha sthiti bandha hetuh - He is the cause of the bondage of
worldly existence, also for the release from it.
The idea emphasized here is that a) whatever He does is for our good, and b)
He does whatever we deserve to get based on our karma.
c) Both SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj and SrI satyadevo vAsishTha give the
alternate interpretation based on the root SI'ng - svapne to sleep. Sete
sarvam jagat pralaya velAyAm yasmin iti Sivah - He in whom the whole
Universe rests at the time of pralaya is Sivah (SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj).
Thus, the nAma Sivah indicates that whatever bhagavAn gives us is what is
good for us, and is meant for our purification and for our reaching Him. The
punishment He gave to the demons such as rAvaNa, kamsa, etc. were all for
their ultimate good. It should be realized that when we encounter some
sufferings in life that are obviously given to us by bhagavAn, we should accept
these as willingly as when He gives us things that make us happy, because
whatever He does is for our good.
SrIvatsa--vakshAh
nAma 608. ïIvTsv]a> SrIvatsa
10
SrIvatsa vakshase namah.
SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma-s starting from the current one and up to
nAma 619 as praising His sambandham with pirATTi. The nirukti description
for the current nAma is:
lakshmI-vallabhya saubhAgya cihnam SrIvatsa nAmakam |
SrIvatsa vakshA asya asti vakshasi iti sa tu smRtah ||
The SrIvatsa mark is the unique sign of He who is the lakshmI vallabhan.
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SrIvatsa samsthAna dharam anante ca samASritam (1. 22. 67)
The glorious Hari wears the pure soul of the world, undefiled, and void of
qualities, as the kaustubha gem. The chief principle of things, (pradhAna) is
seated on the Eternal, as the SrI vatsa mark. Intellect abides in mAdhava, in
the form of His mace. . .
SrI cinmayAnanda refers to the story of bhRgu maharshi's testing who among
the trinity was the superior one, and kicking Lord vishNu on His chest. He
indicates that the mark of bhRgu's foot is the SrIvatsa mark on the
11
Lord'schest, since the Lord offered to bear the mark of bhRgu's foot as an
indication of how He values the touch of the feet of His devotee. He gives the
reference to the story of bhRgu maharshi in SrImad bhAgavatam (10-89),
wherein bhagavAn says that mahAlakshmi will henceforth reside in His vaksha
sthalam because it has now been purified by the touch ofthe sage's foot -
adyAham bhagavan lakshmyA Asam ekAnta bhAjanam |
vatsyati urasi me bhUtih bhavat pAda hatAmhasah || (10. 89. 12)
SrI cinmayAnanda interprets this to mean that the SrIvatsa mark itself is the
mark of SrI on His chest ("bhagavAn says - He will ever bear the mark of the
sage's foot as SrI on His chest". ).
the symbol of how He values His devotee as reflected by the incident involving
bhRgu maharshi.
SrI--vAsah
nAma 609. ïIvas> SrI
SrI Samkara's vyAkhyAnam is "asya vakshasi SrIh anapAyinI vasati iti SrI-
vAsah" - One on whose chest SrIdevi dwells uninterruptedly.
12
vasah - SrI - all glory and riches, ever dwell in His bosom of love and beauty.
The dharma cakram writer refers to different kinds of wealth, which all can
be grouped under the six categories - SrI, kIrti, aiSvarya, j~nAna, vIrya, and
vairAgya. The term "bhagavAn" refers to One who has all these six kinds of
wealth. In the case of others, if theys how the slightest sign of having any
one of these in some measure, we talk of his having been blessed with "lakshmI
kaTAksham". The more one devotes one's life in the thought and service of
bhagavAn, the more these qualities start demonstrating themselves in the
individual. This should be the purpose of life correctly lived - Meditation on
Him and association with Him will lead to our acquiring these traits, just as:
"poovODu Sernda nArum maNam peRum".
SrI vAsah thus refers to Him who has SrI in the form of lakshmi with Him
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always on His vaksha sthalam, as well as One who has all the SrI's (kIrti-s) in
full measure with Him always, undiminished, undiluted, and uninterrupted.
SrI--patih
nAma 610. ïIpit> SrI
13
SrI Samkara refers to the incident of the churning of the Milky Ocean,
wherein mahAlakshmi appears from the Ocean, and chooses mahAvishNu as
Her consort, from among all the deva-s who are present - amRta mathane
sarvAn surAn asurAdInvihAya SrIh enam patitvena varayAmAsa iti SrI-patih.
SrI Samkara gives an alternate interpretation as well: SrI means Supreme
Cosmic Power, and bhgavAn is the Master of this Power, and so He is SrI-
patih.
Thus, SrI patih refers to Him who is the Consort of mahA lakshmi, the Master
of the Supreme Cosmic Power, and the Master and Bestower of all that is
auspicious.
SrImatAm--varah
nAma 611. ïImta< vr> SrImatAm
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b) SrI Samkara interprets the term "SrI" here as a reference to the veda-s,
and his anubhavam of this nAma is that bhagavAn is the Best among those who
have the knowledge of the veda-s. He gives reference to the Sruti -
sA hi SrIamRtA satAm ||
(taitt. BrAhmaNam 1. 2. 1)
The Rg, yajus, and sAman are the imperishable SrI or welath of the wise. SrI
Samkara's interpretation is: Rg yajus sAma lakshaNA SrIh; yeshAm teshAm
sarveshAm SrImatAm virincyAdInAm varah pradhAna bhUtah
SrImatAmvarah.
SrI cinmayAnanda builds on the above, and gives another interpretation: varah
means blessing; so the nAma can also mean that He is the Blessing that is
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sought by those who are the students of the veda-s.
The nAma can also be interpreted to mean that He is worshipped as the Chief
Deity by those who have the veda-s as their wealth.
To summarize, the nAma means that bhagavAn is the wealthiest of all those
who possess wealth, He is the One who possesses all the wealth all the time,
His wealth is permanent and ever-existent unlike all the others whose wealth is
only transient and temporary, He is the One sought by those who are
proficient in the veda-s, He is the Chief Diety that is praised by the veda-s,
etc.
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Slokam 65
ïId> ïIz> ïIinvas> ïIinix> ïIivÉavn>,
SrI bhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is: nitya nUtana, nir-vyAja praNaya rasa Sriyam
tasyai dadAti iti SrI-dah. That is to say, He is Her life itself. He gives
references to:
If SrI is taken to mean wealth, then the interpretation is that He is the Giver
of wealth to His devotees. This is SrI Samkara's vyAkhyAnam - Sriyam dadAti
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bhaktAnAm iti SrI-dah. SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam centralizes this to the
case of SrI Herself - He is the One who gives Her the quality of SrI, just as
She is the One who gives Him the pUrNatvam. The idea is that the two are
One inseparable tattvam.
Since bhagavAn is the Giver of wealth, the question arises: What kind of
wealth should we seek? The dharma cakram writer clarifies this. There are
two kinds of wealth. One is called preyas and the other is called Sreyas (this
has been explained in a previous write-up as well). Preyas is the search for
material wealth, and Sreyas is the search for spiritual wealth. This is dealt
with in detail in kaThopanishad. We should learn to worship vishNu with the
interest in seeking Sreyas, and not preyas, even though bhagavAn will bestow
whatever the seeker seeks. The lesson to take from this nAma is that we
should seek Sreyas in this life by worshipping vishNu, as the means for
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attaining mukti.
SrI--Sah
nAma 613. ïIz> SrI
SrISAya namah
SrI + ISah = SrI-Sah. Here again the inseparable Oneness of the tattvam of
bhagavAn and pirATTi is reflected. SrI BhaTTar gives reference to the
description of lakshmi as:
"AdAvAtma guNatvena bhogya rUpeNa vigrahe |
AdhAraka svarUpeNa dAsI bhAvena vA sadA || "
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Her essential nature as a devout servant".
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan explains this as: "pirATTi is in the form of His auspicious
qualities in His Transcendental Form, as His beauty (saundaryam) in His divya
ma'ngala vigraha form, and as His Support as well as servant", as described in
the SrI pA'ncarAtra samhitA. She is also His Ruler in that He does not act
without consent and approval from Her - SrI ISAh asya sa SrI-Sah. SrI v. v.
rAmAnujan points to the nAma SrI-patih (nAma 610) in this context.
SrI Samkara interprets the nAma as meaning that He is the Lord of wealth -
Sriya ISah SrISah.
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The nAma can thus be understood as illustrating that bhagavAn is the Lord of
all wealth, and He is also the Lord of lakshmi, who in turn is His Ruler as well.
SrI--nivAsah
nAma 614. ïIinvas> SrI
a) In Slokam 20, SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma based on the incident of
bhagavAn churning the Milky Ocean. lakshmi emerges from the Ocean and
takes Her place on His vaksha-sthalam, with the declaration as captured by
nammAzhvAr: "agagillEn iRaiyum enRu alarmEl ma'ngai uRai mArban (tiruvAi
mozhi 6. 10. 10)".
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1. paSyatAm deva devAnAm yayau vaksha sthalam hareh (SrI vishNu
purANam);
SrI Samkara bhAshyam for the occurrence of this nAma in Slokam 20 is:
yasya vkashasi anapAyinI SrIh vasati sah SrI-nivAsah - He in whose vaksha-
sthalam SrI always resides is SrI-nivAsah.
SrI cinmayAnanda describes SrI as connoting "all Glory and power, faculties
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and strength, to be good and to perform creative acts of righteousness".
She is found to never reside permanently in any bosom, except that of Lord
vishNu. Even great sages and saints in recorded history have come to
compromise the perfection in them. The only place where imperfections never
enter to molest the serene essence is the seat of Eternal Perfection, which is
the bosom of nArAyaNa. Hence mahA vishNu is indicated as SrI-nivAsa - The
Permanent Abode of lakshmi.
b) In the current Slokam, SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma in terms of the
Oneness of bhagavAn and pirATTi - He is the contiguous support of lakshmi -
note the word nitya in the vyAkhyAnam - divya vallyA iva kalpa drumah tasyAh
nitya aupaghnah SrI-nivAsah.
c) SrI Samkara bhAshyam in the current instance of the nAma is: SrImatsu
nityam vasati iti SrI-nivAsah - He who dwells in devotees who are endowed
with SrI or virtue.
SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that SrI here refers to those who
are pure at heart, wherein the passions and lusts have been removed, and
peace, joy, devotion, and understanding reside. BhagavAn lives in the hearts of
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these, who are here referred to as SrImAn's, or those who have SrI in them.
SrI--nidhih
nAma 615. ïIinix> SrI
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri describes that SrI is the personification of all His
Sakti, and He treasures her and protects her in His vaksha-sthalam and keeps
her protected with His pItAmbaram. She is the incarnation of all Sakti, and
He is the resort where all Sakti resides.
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Sriyoh nidhIyanta iti SrI-nidhih - He who is the resort of the entirety of
wealth, as He is all-powerful.
c) SrI cinmAyananda interprets the nAma as "He who is the nidhi for SrI",
and notes that He is All-Full and Perfect, all glories draw themselves from Him
alone. In this sense, SrI also draws her vitality from Him, and He is thus the
nidhi of SrI.
The dharma cakram writer explains the meaning behind the nAma as follows:
SrI refers to all that is good. As bhagavAn has declared - He takes
incarnations to protect the good and destroy the evil - paritrANAya
sAdhUnAm vinASAya ca dushkRtAm. This nAma indicates His protecting SrI -
the incarnation of all that good and virtuous. This nAma teaches us that just as
the good part of the food that is consumed is converted into blood etc. and
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the bad part is discarded as waste, we should retain what is good around us
and discard what is not good. Meditation on this nAma of vishNu with this
understanding of the meaning of this nAma will give us this ability.
SrI--vibhAvanah
nAma 616. ïIivÉavn> SrI
SrI-vibhAvanAya namah
SrI BhaTTar gives the reference to sage vAlmIki - aprameyam hi tat tejah
yasya sA janakAtmajA (AraNya. 37. 18) - "The tejas or splendor of SrI rAma,
who has sItA as His pirATTi, is beyond all measure". These are the words of
mArIca to rAvaNa. ANDAL dramatically describes the extent of trouble He
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went through to get pirATTi - uNNAdu uRa'ngAdu oli kaDalai UdaRuttu peN
Akkai AppuNDa SelvanAr (nAcciyAr tirumozhi 11. 6). peN here refers to
pirATTi who has no one to compare with.
The dharma cakram writer explains in simple terms the complimentary nature
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Instead, there are those who get wealth and then use it to help those in need.
They attain fame because of their wealth, and their wealth also becomes
famous because it is used for the right purposes. BhagavAn has the wealth in
the form of SrI (mahAlakshmi), and He bestows all His devotees with
blessings according to their karma, and so He gets His fame. SrI gets the
fame since the wealth that He has because of His association with her is being
used for protecting dharma. Thus, the mutually complimentary nature of
bhagavAn and pirATTi is conveyed in this nAma, as in other nAma-s of this
group.
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SrI--dharah
nAma 617. ïIxr> SrI
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SrI-dharAya namah.
SrI Malayappa SwAmy - Thirumalai
The inseparable nature of the relationship between SrI and bhagavAn is once
again revealed in this nAma. SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is: ratnamiva
arcisham, pushpamiva surabhim, induriva candirkAm, amRtamiva svAdutAm,
autpattikena sambandhena Sriyam dharati iti SrI-dharah - Just as the gem
bears its luster, the flower its fragrance, the moon her moonlight, and nectar
its sweetness, so also vishNu bears lakshmi in Him by an innate relationship.
He also quotes the following support from SrImad rAmAyaNa - na hi
hAtumiyam SaktyA kIrtirAtmavato yathA (ayodhyA. 3. 29) - It will be
impossible for rAma to abandon sItA even as the fame of a virtuous man
cannot be abandoned by him.
It is not possible to separate the quality of an object from the object itself.
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Similarly, it is not possible to separate bhagavan from lakshmi, just as it is not
possible separate the heat from the fire, the whiteness from the milk, the
prakASam from the Sun, etc., as additional examples.
SrI--karah –
nAma 618. ïIkr> SrI
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri elaborates on this, and adds that after making
lakshmi incarnate in a suitable form with Him, (such as sItA when He came as
rAma, rukmiNi when He came as kRshNa etc.), He spreads her fame, and
ensures that she blesses those who worship Him, including nitya-SrI
(moksham) to those devotees who have matured to that level.
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SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation - SriyAm - svajana
kIrtInAm karah iti SrI-karah - BhagavAn is SrI-karah because He gives
expression to the kIrti or fame of His devotees.
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4. He has taken the hand of mahA lakshmi.
Sreyas--SrImAn
nAma 619. ïey> ïIman! Sreyas
a) He that has lakshmi who is resorted to by devotees for attaining the good.
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"Mythili (sItA), the daughter of Janaka, is surely bent upon showing her grace
to those who make their obeisance to Her. O rAkshasis! She is capable of
protecting us from this danger" - words of trijaTA to rAkshasi-s.
(She) from whom I shall get gold, cows, horses, and sons.
Sriyam loke devajushTAmudArAm (SrIsUktam 5)
lakshmi, who is worshipped by the gods for getting their ends accomplished, or
who is loved by nArAyaNa Himself, and who is bounteous in Her gifts.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the explanation that bhagavAn has the
nAma SreyaS-SrImAn because He possesses the most exquisite SrI-s in the
form of His ornaments etc. -
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in this nAma, to explain the significance of the term "Sreyah" -
"anyat Sreyah anyadutaiva preyah, . . .tayoh Sreya AdadAnasya sAdhu bhavati,
Sreyo hi dhIro'bhi preyo vRNIte" -
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha equates preyas and Sreyas to pravRtti and nivRtti
mArga-s respectively, and gives the quote from the Rg veda to indicate how
preyas and Sreyas can go together to achieve the final liberation - by acquiring
material wealth and using it properly to attain the Higher Spirit -
paricinmartto draviNam mamanyAdRtasya pathA namasA vivAset |
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uta svena kratunA sam vadeta SreyAmsam daksham manasA jagRbhyAt ||
(Rg 10. 31. 2)
loka--trayASrayah
nAma 620. laekÇyaïy> loka
SrI BhaTTar: BhagavAn and lakshmi, like father and mother, are the one
resort for all beings in all three worlds. SrI BhaTTar gives the reference to
indra's words in SrI vishNu purANam - tvam mAtA sarva lokAnAm devadevo
harih pitA (1. 9. 126) - "Thou art the Mother of all the worlds, and Hari, the
God of all gods, is the father".
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SrI cinmayAnanda interprets the "three worlds" as referring to the three
"worlds of experiences", namely, waking, dream, and deep-sleep. Thus, he
explains the nAma as referring to bhagavAn being the substratum (ASraya)
for these three worlds-of-experiences in every being; without the presence
of nArAyaNa in everyone of us, we will not be able to experience anything in
any of these states.
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Slokam 66
Sv]> Sv¼> ztanNdae niNdJyaReitgR[eñr>,
The Beautiful-Eyed.
svakshAya namah.
The nAma can be understood by looking at the two parts which constitute the
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word- su + akshah. SrI Samkara's vyAkhyAnam is su - sobhane
puNDarIkAbheakshiNi asya iti svakshah - He whose eyes resemble the lotus-
petals.
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nAma 622. Sv¼> sva'ngah
The Lovely-bodied.
sva'ngAya namah.
The interpretation is similar to the previous nAma - su + a'ngah = sva'ngah. Su
- SobhanAni a'ngAni asya iti sva'nah - One whose limbs are beautiful (SrI
Samkara). He has a beautiful form that captivates all His devotees. See the
anubhavam of tiruppANAzhvAr, svAmi deSikan, hanumAn, etc., referenced
below.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives his interpretation using the root agi - gatau -
to go, to move around, and gives the explanation - SobhanAni a'ngAni -
gamanAniyasya sa sva'ngah - He who has beautiful paths or gaits is sva'ngah.
He gives the quote from Rg veda to support his interpretation:
agre bRhannushsAmUrdhvo asthAnnirjaganvAn tamaso jyotishAgAt |
agnirbhAnunA rushatA sva'nga A jAto viSvA sadmAnyaprAh ||
(Rg. 10. 1. 1)
"High hath the Mighty risen before the dawning, and come to us with light
from out of the darkness. Fair-shapen agni with white-shining splendor hath
filled at birth all human beings" (translation from Ralph Griffith).
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Alternatively, since bhagavAn has created this Universe with beings which all
have the capability to move around and perform their functions, He is called
sva'ngah.
He of infinite Bliss.
SatAnandAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that He has boundless Bliss which is ever
flowing on account of the mutual love of pirATTi and bhagavAn. SrI v. v.
rAmAnujan comments that the number "hundred" here does not mean the
number "100", but stands for the greatness of the extent of the Bliss.
SrI Samkara interprets the nAma in terms of His being of the form of
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Infinite Bliss, and quotes from the bRhadAraNya upanishad - etasyaiva
AnandasyaanyAni bhUtAni mAtrAm upajIvanti (4. 3. 32) - "Compared to His
Bliss,the bliss of all other beings is a but a minute fraction".
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives yet another view of the Infinite Bliss of
bhagavAn. Other than Him, each creature feels pleasure when it is in some
particular environment, and feels pain when it is in a different environment.
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Thus, a fish feels pleasure when in water, and feels pain when outside water.
For human beings, it is exactly the reverse. For birds, it is a different kind of
medium. But for Him, His Bliss in independent of any constraint, and thus He
is of Infinite Bliss. The Anandam of everything else flows from the One and
Only source of true Anandam - SatAnandah.
The dharma cakram writer explains the concept of pErAnandam starting with
the little Anandam of the immobile (sthAvara) beings such as plants, which
derive their pleasure through the sense of touch alone. The worms derive their
pleasure through the sense of touch and taste. Slightly more evolved beings
such as the ants derive their pleasure from the sense of touch, taste, and
smell. Beings such as the bees derive their pleasure from the sense of touch,
taste, smell, and sight. The animals derive their pleasure from the additional
sense of hearing. Man derives his pleasure from the mind in addition. Yet
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ordinary people seek cheap material pleasures with all these gifts, and end up
enjoying the impermanent pleasures, just as the fish enjoys its sense of taste
and falls prey to the fisherman's hook. Only a true yogi reaches the next
level, that of AtmAnandam. This nAma should teach us to meditate of on the
"SatAnanda" mantra on Him, and derive the permanent Anandam.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri: His Anandam is such that the humans and the
deva-scan look to Him to derive the true Anandam - He is the Bestower of
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their true Anandam.
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marIcInAmpadamicchanti vedhasah - "Wise men desire to attain the world of
theradiant souls", referring the world of nitya sUri-s as the world of radiant
souls. MarIci here refers to those who are radiant.
b) SrI Samkara gives the same meaning, but interprets the term "jyotir-gaNa"
to the luminaries, namely the stars, the Sun, etc.
When He shines, all the others shine after Him. "Everything here shines by
His effulgence"; and from the gItA - yadAtiya gatam tejah (15. 12) - referring
to the brilliance which is in the sun.
The dharma cakram writer gives the analogy that just as a person who does not
have eyesight cannot see the light around him, one who does not have j~nAnam
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will not be able to see the jyoti-gaNeSvarah residing in him. One has tofirst
rid oneself of the darkness of kAma, krodha, etc. in him, before one can see
the light inside. This is the lesson to take form this mantra.
SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam for the nAma "vijitAtmA" is that bhagavAn revels
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in being conquered by His devotee; this is His real nature. When a devotee
goes and bows before Him with devotion and sincerity, bhagavAn is easily
conquered by the devotee. Recall that kRshNa makes the promise at the start
of the mahAbhArata war, that He won't take to weapons during the war. Then,
in the course of the war, bhIshma, the great devotee of kRshNa, takes a vow
in front of kRshNa that he will make kRshNa take to weapons the next day
during the fighting. Everyone including bhIshma knew kRshNa's earlier vow
not to take to arms. And yet, since His great devotee declared that he will
make kRshNa take to arms, kRshNa made that word of His devotee come true,
and did exactly as his devotee wished the next day. Such is His compassion to
His devotee, that He will even break His own promise in order to make His
devotee's words come true.
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going through all this suffering, just to please His devotees.
The dharma cakram writer indicates that that meditation on this nAma of
bhagavAn will lead one to better mind control, and ultimate God-realization.
Note that this is one of the nAma-s that was discussed in the posting
comparing the bhAshya-s of SrI Samkara and SrI BhaTTar, where the point
was made that SrI Samkara tends to emphasize the parattvam, aiSvaryam,
etc., of Brahman, and SrI BhaTTar emphasizes the soulabhyam of perumAL
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repeatedly. SrI P. B. aNNa'ngarAcArya selects all the four nAma-s starting
with the current one for his comparison of the bhAshya-s of SrI Samkara and
SrI BhaTTar to establish his point.
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SrI PBA gives the example of Sonna vaNNam Seyda perumAL. When
tirumazhiSai AzhvAr asked Him to pack up His snake bed and leave town, He
obeyed as He was told, and later when AzhvAr commanded Him to go back
when the king repented, perumAL obeyed AzhvAr's command as well. SrI PBA
also gives the example of Lord kRshNa obeying the command of arjuna when
the latter ordered Him to take the chariot and position it in between the two
armies at the start of the mahAbhArata war - "Senayorubhayor madhye
ratham sthApaya me acyuta!".
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives the example from peria tirumozhi 11. 5. 5. - vaNNak
karum kuzhal AycciyAl mottuNDu kaNNik kuRum kayiRRAl kaTTuNDAn.
samsRjeyAmayam ca" - yajur. 15. 54), ("deva savitah prasuva, yaj'nam prasuva,
yaj'na patim bhagAya" - yajur. 32. 15).
Using this pATham, the dharma cakram writer notes that the requirement for
one to be not subservient to anyone else, is to win over his/her own self. When
one has controlled his/her own indriya-s and manas, then there is nothing that
this person needs or wants, and so there is no need to be subservient to
anyone else. He gives a story to illustrate the point that want is what makes
people subservient to others. Traditionally, the priests of a particular temple
were brahmacAri-s, and were devoting themselves whole heartedly to the
worship of God. The local king tried to get them to come to His palace and do
some things according to his wish, and they refused to leave their service to
Lord. He consulted with his ministers, and the ministers advised the king that
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if the king can get the priests married, the problem of the king will go away.
The king accordingly made efforts to get the priests married, and succeeded
in this effort. Once they got children, their materialistic needs increased, and
they voluntarily took temple prasAdam and started visiting the king, in
expectation of some material gift from him. So they automatically became
subservient to the king without his effort. So the lesson to take from this
nAma is that the key to being not subservient to another human being is to win
over oneself first - get control of one's own indriya-s and mind.
SrI PBA addresses the difference between the pATha-s used by SrI Samkara
and SrI BhaTTar, and observes that the version used by SrI BhaTTar is more
appealing to a devotee since it brings out the aspect of saulabhyam in perumAL
which is in favor of His devotees.
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sat--kIrtih
nAma 628. sTkIit> sat
He of true renown.
sat-kIrtaye namah.
SrI BhaTTar associates bhagavAn's kIrti as resulting from His sauSIlya -
sauSIlya sattvena asya ati-mahatI kIrtih iti sat-kIrtih. SrI BhaTTar points
out that no matter how well we praise His kIrti, it is still only an under-
statement. In addition, His kIrti is all truth and no exaggeration.
SrI cinmayAnanda associates the kIrti with His being the Consort of lakshmi.
The dharma cakram writer describes two kinds of fame - the fame that comes
from material wealth, official status, etc., and the fame that comes because
one follows the path of dharma. The former type of kIrti is temporary and
transient - one loses it as soon as the wealth or the position that brought the
fame are gone, and they go one day or the other anyway. But the followers of
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the path of dharma - such as dharmaputra or hariScandra - do not ever lose
their kIrti; the world praises them forever. It is the kIrti that comes out of
following the path of dharma and the worship of bhagavAn that one should
follow in order to realize sat-kIrtih, the mantra contained in this nAma.
chinna--samSayah
nAma 629. iDÚs<zy> chinna
SrI BhaTTar comments that because of His reputation of being endowed with
extreme sauSilyam and saulabhyam, all doubts that anyone may have about Him
- such as: "Can He be easily known or is it difficult to realize Him?", "Can He
be easily pleased or is it difficult to please Him?", "Can He be easily
approached or is it difficult to approach Him", etc. - stand easily dispelled.
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan quotes arjuna's words to kRshNa from the gItA: "None
but You (kRshNa) can possibly dispel my doubt":
etat me samSayam kRshNa chhettumarhasi aSeshatah |
tvat ananyah samSayasya asya chhettA na hyupapadyate ||
(gItA 6. 39)
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SrI cinmayAnanda points out that after Lord kRshNa gave the upadeSam to
arjuna, the later declares that all his doubts are now cleared:
sthito'smi gata-sandeahah karishye vacanam tava
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Slokam 67
%dI[R> svRtí]uurnIz> zañtiSSwr>,
udIrNAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar interprets this nAma and the subsequent few nAma-s as
describing the arcA form of bhagavAn. In this context, he interprets the
nAma "udIrNah" as "ullasitah" which means "shining, bright, becoming visible"
and gives the meaning "He has a pleasing and splendid form that is clearly
visible to the eyes of the devotee".
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the words starting from the upasarga "ut"
and the root Ru - gatau - to go,and gives the meaning - One who is above all
beings. Alternatively, he says that the nAma can signify that He is udIrNah
because He lifts everyone up. SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj essentially gives
the same explanation - ut -abhyudayam, Rccahati - prApayati sma eva sadaiva
svASritAnAm iti udIrNah. Thus, he also derives the nAma from ut, and the
root R - to go, and gives the meaning that bhagavAn is called udIrNah because
He lifts up His devotees so that they reach Him.
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and everything is His body, so there is no one who has a bigger form than Him.
In superiority of Power, we know through His incarnations that there is no one
superior to Him in His Power. In the area of controlling indriyas and mind,
bhagavAn is the yogISvara, and there is none superior to Him in this aspect
also. In the area of Love to everyone, bhagavAn demonstrated that there is
none equal to Him in this aspectby His leelA-s in gokulam. When it comes to
knowledge, there is nothing more to know for one who has known mahA vishNu;
since He is the ultimate in knowledge. Thus, no matter what aspect one looks
at, there is nothing superior to Him. This nAma should reveal to us this great
and at the same simple Truth, and thus lead us to meditate on Him.
sarvataS--cakshuh
nAma 631. svRtí]uu> sarvataS
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b) He who has eyes everywhere, and sees everything through His
consciousness.
sarvatas-cashushe namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar: He is sarvataS-cakshuh because He is visible to the likes of
even ordinary people like us. He has been visible to the people of His time when
He took incarnationas rAma, kkRshNa, etc., and He is visible to us today in the
form of arcA mUrti in the temples and in our houses. This again supports His
beingchinna-samSayah as we saw in nAma 629. He delights His devotees with
His complete darSanam.
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b) He Who has no one above Him as the Master.
anISAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar: He is called anISah since when it comes to His devotees, He
does not assert or display His rulership, and instead, is completely subservient
to them. We already saw several examples of this in our explanation of the
nAma 627 - vidheyAtmA.
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan presents this idea more graphically by pointing out that
bhagavAn becomes dependent on the likes of us to bathe Him and feed Him in
His arcA form! PeriAzhvAr describes this act of His becoming dependent on
His devotees thus - AycciiyAgiya annaiyAl anRu veNNei vArttaiyuL
sIRRamuNDu azhukUtta appan (tiruvAi. 6. 2. 11). He just puts up a show of
weeping and crying to show how subservient He is to yaSodA at the very
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thought that she may get angry at the remote suggestion that He may be
involved in any reported incident of butter being stolen.
b) SrI Samkara: He is called anISah because He has no one above Him as His
Master - na vidyate asya ISa iti anISah. He quotes from the Sruti - na tasya
ISe kaScana - nArAyaNa. Upa. 3. 2.
The dharma cakram writer points out that the lesson to take from this nAma is
that one who is devoted to bhagavAnhas bhagavAn Himself under his control,
and so devotion will lead one to the state where there is no one who will be a
master of the bhakta. This is the greatness of devotion or bhakti.
SASvata--sthirah
nAma 633. zañtiSSwr> SASvata
SrI BhaTTar: He assumes thevarious forms of the images (arcA forms) which
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continue to exist for ever and which are directly perceptible to the eyes, at all
times. SrI BhaTTarquotes from the sAttvata samhitA - bimba AkRtyA
AtmanA bimbe samAgamyaavatisThate - "He assumes a form similar to that of
the image (fashioned by us), enters into it and remains there". The reference
here is to the arcA mUrti-s.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also interprets the nAma in terms of bhagavAn's
vAtsalyam to His devotees - He is eternally stable in His vAtsalyam to His
devotees. His vyAkhyAnam is: SASvat bhava iti SASvato nityah | sa ca asau
sthira iti SASvata-sthirah -nityam svASrita vAtsalya pratishThitah |
SrI Samkara: Even while being Eternal, He is also unchanging and stable -
SaSvat bhavannapi, na vikriyAmkadAcit upaiti iti SASvata-sthirah.
The dharma cakram writer points out that when our mind is involved with
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things that change, our likes and dislikes are also changing. For example, if we
get attracted to a body that is young, we lose the attraction when the body
becomes older. But if we involve our mind with paramAtmA, who is never
changing, there is no question ofour changing constantly between likes and
dislikes. One who involveshis mind in the Supreme Self also attains eternal and
stable piece, knowledge, and love. The likes of us who have an impermanent
body and live in this impermanent world can attain permanent peace and
permanent joy by meditating on the etrnal and stable Self - the SASvata-
sthirah. This is the significance of this nAma.
bhU--Sayah
nAma 634. ÉUzy> bhU
a) He who lies in His arca form wherever the devotee installs Him
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follows: He is called bhU-Sayah since He defers to the request of His
devotees to appear in this world, and makes His appearance in different forms
such as svayam-vyakta, siddha, mAnusha, etc., and even stays put in these
places by lying down there permanently in order to bless the devotees.
1. svayam-vyakta forms are those where the Lord has chosen to manifest
Himself without the effort of anyone;
2. siddha are those forms where the image of the Lord has been
consecrated by siddhas or perfected beings (such as brahma etc. )., and
which is the best I could translate from his tamizh sentence "anbargaLuganda
iDa'ngaLil paDu kADu kiDappavar".
b) SrI Samkara gives reference to Lord rAma's resting on the sea shore while
proceeding to SrI lankA for destroying rAvaNa.
d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that since He rests in all
things that exist in the form of antaryAmi, He is called bhU-Sayah - bhUshu
Sete.
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d) All the creatures (referred to by the term bhU here), rest in Him (Sayah)
at the time of parlaya.
c) He who adorns this world with His different incarnations at His wish
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bhUshaNAya namah.
The literal meaning of the term bhUshaNam is "decoration, adornment,
ornament". bhUshaNah is thus One who is decorated or adorned, or one who
decorates or adorns. The different vyAkhyAna kartA-s give different
anubhavams of what he is decorated with, or what He decorates with.
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bracelets in the hands, SrI vatsa and kaustubha, pearl garlands, waistlets, lace
cloths, gold waist band and leg ornaments and others precious and innumerable.
c) SrI Samkara views His taking the numerous incarnations at His wish as His
act of bhUshaNam or adorning this world - "sva icchA avatAraihbahubhih
bhUmim bhUshayan bhUshNah". SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the example
of bhagavAn decorating gokulam by His very presence.
d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the example of the soul or AtmA being in
the body as itself a decoration or adornment of the body. When the soul
leaves the body, the body becomes unattractive by the second. Similarly,
bhagavAn is the adornment for the whole world. That which is the life of
something is the bhUshaNa for it as well. For instance, bhagavAn is bhUshaNa
for the universe in the form of the sun and inthe form of the antaryAmi of the
sun.
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The dharma cakram writer points out that all the different kinds of beauties
that we experience in nature (through sound, sight, touch, thought, intellect,
etc. )., are present in Him. In His form as kRshNa, He was exquisitely beautiful
to see, the sound of His flute stole the hearts of all the gopi-s, the bhagavad
gItA that He gave us is the incarnation of knowledge, His characteris absolute
perfection, etc. The same is true of His incarnation as Lord rAma. Lord rAma's
divine beauty was well-known, the Rshi-s were immensely moved by the beauty
of His character, vAlmIki lost himself in the nAma of rAma, and hanumAn lost
himself in His service. BhagavAn is thus the bhUshaNa above allbhUashaNa-s
to His devotees.
The different interpretations for this nAma are thus based on:
a) His being decorated or adorned with qualities that are beneficial to His
devotees;
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b) His being adorned with all different kinds of beautiful ornaments;
c) His adorning this Universe with all kinds of beautiful creations and equipping
them with qualities such as love and intellect, and above all, giving them the
vital force of life by being their antaryAmi;
d) His adorning the Universe through His different incarnations, and thus
decorating the place where He is by His very presence.
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d) He Who exists in the forms of all His creations.
bhUtaye namah.
The root from which the nAma can be derived is bhU - sattAyAm - to be, to
live,to be born.
The nAma can also mean vibhUti - wealth. SrI cinmayAnanda quotes amarakoSa
- vibhUti bhUtir_aiSvarye. The other amara koSa definitions are bhavati iti
bhUtih, and bhavati anayA SrImAn iti bhUtih, which support the two meanings
indicated. The different interpretations for this nAma are centered on these
two meanings.
a) SrI BhaTTar explains that He is the wealth in every way to those who
havetotally surrendered to Him, and so He is called bhUtih. nammAzhvAr
captures this sentiment in tiruvAimozhi 5. 1. 8: "SelEi kaNNiyarum perum
Selvamum nan makkaLum mElAt tAi tandaiyum avarE iniAvArE" (SrI v. v.
rAmAnujan). SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj echoesthe same idea in his
interpretation - paramA sampath bhaktAnAm iti bhUtih.
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manifestations - sarva vibhUtInAm kAraNatvAt bhUtih.
d) The dharma cakram writer gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is One
who is the personification of greatness. He observes that the significance of
the nAma lies in our realizing that we should not go after the transient and
false greatness that comes with impermanent and materialistic benefits, but
instead, learn to meditate on Him in thought, word, and deed so that we aim
towards the realization of that One True Greatness.
vi--Sokah
nAma 637. Azaek> a-Sokah or vi
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One might raise the obvious question: Lord rAma was struck with extreme
sorrow when He was separated from sItA. How can one say He is without
Sokam? SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the explanation straight from
SrImadbhAgavatam 9. 10. 11 - Lord rAma went through this act in His role of
showing us all how ordinary mortals who are attached to a woman dear to them
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behave: priyayA viyuktah strI sa'nginAm gatimiti prathayanS-cacAra.
Soka--nASanah
nAma 638. zaeknazn> Soka
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The Destroyer of sorrows.
Soka-nASanAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that He removes the sorrow of the
devotee who suffers from separation from Him, by helping the devotee cross
the ocean of samsAra.
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan observes that while all wealthin this world causes sorrow,
He is the only Wealth who removes the sorrow. How does He do that?SrI
rAmAnujan refers us to tirumazhiSai AzhvAr's tiruccandaviruttam 115: attan
Agi annai Agi, Alum empirAnumAi, ottu ovvAdapal piRappu ozhittu nammai AT-
koLvAn - He becomes the devotee's whole Wealth, He becomes the devotee's
Father, Mother, and Lord, gets into the devotee's heart, and redeems the
devotee from the ocean of samsAra, and thus removes the devotee's sorrow
once for all.
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tarati Sokam Atmavit (chAndogya. 5. 1. 3);
(gItA 12. 7)
"Of those whose minds are thus focused on Me, I become soon their savior
from the ocean of mortal life".
The dharma cakram writer points out that when there is moham (attachment),
the result is Sokam. Thus, to be rid of Sokam, one has to overcome
attachment. This is accomplished by meditating on bhagavAn. He gives the
example of arjuna. gItA begins with the expression of Sokam in arjuna's mind
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because of his moham or attachment to all his relatives and AcArya-s, whom he
faces in the battlefield. Because of this Sokam, arjuna loses his heart
completely, his bow is slipping from his hand, his mind is tired, he is unable to
stand up, his body perspires and he is shivering with nervousness. The whole
gItA isimparted to arjuna by bhagavAn just so he can overcome his moham and
thus his Sokam. At the end of receiving the instruction from bhagvAn, He
asks arjuna if he has overcome his Sokam because of the realization of the
truth, and arjuna confirms that by listening to His instructions, he has been
able too vercome the Sokam. The lesson to take from this nAma is that by
meditating on Him we can overcome Sokam.
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Slokam 68
AicR:manicRt> k…MÉae ivzuÏaTma ivzaexn>,
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of this nAma. He Who possesses arcis or great lustre is arcishmAn.
a) SrI BhaTTar: bhagavAn has the great lustre that He reveals to His true
devotees. Ordinarily, people are unable to realize His greatness. However, in
the case of a few like arjuna, He gave divine vision so that they could see His
true greatness.
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is associated with fire, so also the sun and the moon shine because they are
associated with (have as their antaryAmi) bhagavAn.
“There, neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, nor the lightning has any
effulgence; how then can this Fire-light illumine It? By Its Light alone, all else
in the world illumined”.
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He Who is worshipped.
arcitAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar: All the guNa-s that have been described so far are consistent
with Him being arcitah – To be worshipped. This nAma also refers to His
incarnation in the arcA form. The other incarnations are limited to us by the
time in which they took place (rAma, kRshNa, etc.), or the place where He is
found in these incarnations (for example, the para rUpa in SrI vaikunTham).
Unlike these, the arcA form is not at all limited in any way in Its accessibility
to us, and is available to us in holy places, temples, and even houses at all times.
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The mysterious truth (guhyam) about the arcA form can be found in bhagavat
SAstra (the pA’ncarAtra Agama), bodhAyana smRti, vaishNava purANa, and
other scriptural texts.
SrI BhaTTar gives the following passage from vaishNava dharmam, which
describes the benefit of the worship of the arcA mUrti:
“After having shaped a beautiful image of vishNu with a lovely face and lovely
eyes, out of gold, silver, and the like in a manner that would be pleasing, one
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should worship it, do sacrifice to it, and meditate on it. By doing so, one would
enter into that form which is none other than Brahman itself, and will have all
the sins dispelled”.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that the likes of sUrya, candra, brahma
etc. worship Him just so that they can have a fraction of His divya Sakti.
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SrI cinmayAnanda points out that the name “Worshipped” is given to Him
because He is worshipped by Siva, brahma, etc.
The dharma cakram writer points out that from this nAma, we can take the
lesson that He can be worshipped in whatever form one chooses to worship
Him, depending on one’s mental maturity in the path of sAdhanA.
a) The first of these meanings – “He Who is desired”, is derived from the root
kamu – kAntau, and the uNAdi sUtra kameh kum ca. (I could not find this
specific sUtra in my copy of the siddhAnta kaumudi, but both SrI BhaTTar and
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha have referred to this sUtra in explaining this nAma.
An example of the application of this sUtra is in the formation of the word
kumAra, which is also derived from the same root – kamu kAntau – to desire).
Thus one interpretation for the nAma is He Who is desired – kAmyata iti
kumbhah. He is desired by the devotees because He is the Ultimate in beauty,
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He is the One by reaching whom there is no more return to the ocean of
samsAra, there is nothing more to desire after reaching Him, etc.
b) SrI BhaTTar gives the alternate interpretation based on the root bhA – to
shine, in association with the word kum – this world. So He Who shines in this
world is kumbhah – kau bhAti iti kumbhah. SrI BhaTTar attributes His shining
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in this world to His presence as the arcA mUrti in the shrines, and gives
several quotes to support the sanctity of the areas around the sacred shrines,
the power of the presence of His shrine in the temples etc. The reference to
bhUmi here is thus to the divya deSam-s. Birth, living, or death in a divya
deSam is the most purifying for any one. Yama and his servants won’t dare to
approach one who dies close to a divya deSam.
d) SrI Samkara uses the meaning “container or pot” to the word “kumbhah”,
and gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has this nAma because everything
in this Universe is contained in Him like in a pot.
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SrI cinmayAnanda gives yet another variation of the interpretation – He is
called “The Container”, because everything that happens only takes place
within Him.
The dharma cakram writer explains that what is meant here is the He is the
support for everything. All our friends and relatives can at best be supports
for us only as long as we live; after that they can’t support us. He is the One
who supports the jIva all the way until it attains mukti. But the jIva-s who are
steeped in aj~nAna only think of the support from their friends and relatives,
and do not realize that the real support comes from Him. We find many means
to keep our eyes and ears in good shape, but we don’t spend the time to keep
our minds in shape. This nAma tells us that He is the Only One who can support
us in achieving this.
e) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning from the root kubhi
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He of a pure nature.
viSuddhAtmane namah.
SrI BhaTTar’s anubhavam is that because bhagavAn sacrifices all that He has
on His devotees, He is One of pure nature. AzhvAr’s equivalent nAma is amalan
Adi pirAn, vimalan, etc.
SrI Samkara gives the interpretation – viSuddha AtmA – The pure Atman – He
who is beyond the influence of the three guNa-s – sattva, rajas and tamas,
which keep influencing our actions and thoughts, and thus keep us attached to
this body and ultimately bind us in samsAra. Since He is beyond the influence
of prakRti whose attributes are these three guNa-s, He is not influenced by
these, and thus He is pure. He is beyond all passions and desire, and all
disturbances arising from these – triguNAtItah (SrI cinmayAnanda).
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AtmA svarUpam yasya iti viSuddhAtmA.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the following reference from the Sruti which
describes His Suddha svarUpam:
(Rg. 7. 95 –7,8,9)
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nAma 643. ivzaexn> viSodhanah
The Purifier.
viSodhanAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar: viSodhayati iti viSodhanah. bhagavAn has the nAma “Purifier”
since He purifies those who give up their body in a holy shrine, by making them
fit to attain Him. This is reflected in nammAzhvAr’s tiruvAimoshi 2. 7. 4 –
ennaik koNDu en pAvam tannaiyum pARak kaiitu (tanna0) mevum tan mayam
AkkinAn em pirAn vittu. viSesheNa Sodhayati vimalI karoti samArAdhana
niratAn iti viSodhanah (SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvaAj).
b) SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that He is the Purifier because the
very remembrance of Him purifies us by destroying our sins – smRrti mAtreNa
pApAnAm kshapaNAt viSodhanah. This purification happens because
remembrance of Him keeps our mind from being influenced by the three guNa-
s (sattva, rajas and tamas), and thus it enables us to realize Him (SrI
rAdhAkRshNa Sastri). By remembering Him, the human heart becomes
cleansed of its sins, immaculately swept of all consequent feelings of
restlessness (SrI cinmayAnanda).
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c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that bhagavAn purifies this universe in
various ways – by the process of creation (navo navo bhavati jAyamAnah), by
His being unconstrained and unrestrained in any way (indrasya bAhvor
bhUyishThamojah) – amogha Sakti, in the form of the Sun, etc. Through
creation, He renews the old into the new, and thus makes us feel like one who
wakes up from sleep and feels fres
SrI BhaTTar interprets the next few nAma-s as describing the vyUha
(Emanations) and vibhava (Incarnations) of bhagavAn in the holy shrines.
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan adds that the forms described are His representations in
the para, vyUha, and vibhava forms in different kshetra-s. Note that the
vyUha forms are the ones which are the precursors to the vibhava forms in
the viSAkha yUpa tree, and are the forms which He assumes in the process of
creating and maintaining the various beings in the Universe.
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b) He Who is unobstructed.
aniruddhAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 187. The root from which the word is
derived is rudhir – AvaraNe to oppose, to besiege. niruddha means obstructed,
hindered, restrained, etc. a-niruddha is one who is unrestrained or
unrestrainable. The nAma literally means “One who cannot be obstructed in
any way” – na asti nirodho yasya sa aniruddhah (SrI satyadevo vAsishTha).
SrI BhaTTar has explained nAma 187 by pointing that this Unobstructed
Power is used by Him to protect all beings and to repel all opposition in this act
of His. (Note that always bhagavAn’s acts are for the good of His creation,
His devotees, His Sesha-s, and never for His pleasure or benefit! This is also
seen in all His incarnations, such as the rAma and kRshNa incarnations, where
none could stop Him from fulfilling the purpose of His incarnation). The
aniruddha form is considered one of the vyUha forms. His main function in this
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form is protection of the beings (SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri terms this form as
“kAppuk kaDavuL”).
The dharma cakram writer observes that this form of bhagavAn also
illustrates that He has the unobstructed Power to help His devotees who want
to overcome the influence of the indriya-s.
SrI cinmayAnanda refers to the law of Truth and dharma being irresistible, as
a demonstration of His irresistible power.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the example of the inability of anyone or any
way to prevent the jIva from leaving the body when the time comes for this to
happen.
For the current occurrence of the nAma aniruddhah, SrI BhaTTar gives the
interpretation as referring to bhagavAn’s nitya vAsam as janArdana in the part
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of this earth called vasubhANDa. Some translators of SrI BahTTar’s
bhAshyam refer to vasubhANDa as a kshetram.
prati--rathah
nAma 645. Aàitrw> a-prati
The Matchless.
aprati-rathAya namah.
prati-rathan is one who can oppose another in a fight mounted in a chariot.
a-prati-rathan is One who has no such person who can confront Him thus.
bhagavan is matchless in the sense that no one can stand directly in front of
His chariot and engage successfully in a war with him. na prati-rathah samAna
SaktimAn ko’pi yasya iti a-prati-rathah (SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj).
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prati-rathah.
pradyumnAya namah.
The word dyumnam means wealth as well as lustre. SrI Samkara uses the
former meaning and SrI BhaTTar uses the latter. Other interpretations are
based on the meaning “desire”, “strength”, etc. for the word “dyumnam”.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha, who analyzes the meaning of each nAma by looking
at the word syllable by syllable, derives the meaning from pra + dyu + mna (pra
- prakRshTa, utkRshTa – Superior; dyu – lustre; mnA – abhyAse - repeatedly).
Thus, he gives the interpretation that bhagavAn displays His special lustre
again and again in the form of the sun, and so He is called pradyumna; or
because He gives lustre to the jIva-s repeatedly birth after birth. We can also
extrapolate and have the anubhavam that because He takes several
incarnations and keeps displaying His superior luster repeatedly, He is also
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called pradyumna. Thus, SrI satyadevo vAsishTha’s interpretation draws
heavily on “mnA – abhyAse – repeatedly, again and again.
SrI Samkara gives the interpretation “prakRshTam dyumnam draviNam asya iti
pradyumnah” – One who has wealth of a superior order, or One who has
enormous wealth. SrI cinmayAnanda adds that as lakshmI-pati, He is endowed
with all the riches, and in His benevolence, He gives riches and mighty glory to
all His devotees.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the additional meaning “desire” to the word
dyumnam. pradyumna is the Deity for manas, and in this role He creates the
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desires in us that contribute to the sustenance of creation.
The dharma cakram writer gives the interpretation that the desires being
fulfilled are those of the devotees to realize the Self. The best of desires
that for Self-realization and for performing eternal service to Him. He is the
Only One who can fulfill this, and so He is called pradyumna – The Bestower of
all desires.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning “balam” or strength for the
word dyumnam, and gives the meaning “He who has distinguished strength” -
prakRshTam dyumnam balam yasya iti pradyumnah. He quotes the support from
medinI kOSam 1. 20. 11 – dyumnam vittam bale’pi ca. SrI baladeva
vidyAbhUshaN also gives the same interpretation – prakRshTam anantam balam
asya iti pradyumnah.
amita--vikramah
nAma 647. amita
He of immeasurable steps.
amita-vikramAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 519. See the write-up under Slokam 55.
vikrama means stride. SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as a reference to His
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tri-vikrama incarnation – trilokye’pi aparya vasita vikramatvAt trivikramah
amita-vikramah – “In His incarnation as trivikrama, all the three worlds were
no match for His three steps. So He is tri-vikrama”.
Vikrama also means prowess, heroic valor. For the current occurrence of the
nAma, SrI Samkara uses this meaning and gives the interpretation that He is
amita-vikramah because of His unequaled prowess which cannot be injured by
any one – amitah atulitah vikramah asya iti amita vikramah; a-himsita vikramo
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vA. This interpretation in terms of His boundless valor was given by SrI
BhaTTar for the earlier occurrence of this nAma (519). SrI rAdhAkRshNa
SAstri makes a connection to the previous nAma by observing that since
pradyumna is the Lord of manas, He acts with unlimited speed of mind (power
of mind) in His role as pradyumna, and so He is also called amita-vkramah. SrI
cinmayAnanda remarks that as SrIman nArAyaNa, He is Omnipotent, and none
can stand against Him.
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Slokam 69
kalneiminha zaEir> zUr> zUrjneñr>,
At the outset, we will note that there are different versions of this Sloka in
use, where the nAma-s 649 and 650 occur as follows. vIrah SUrah, Saurih
SUrah, Saurir-vIrah, vIrah Saurih, etc. Thus the two names are chosen from
vIrah, Saurih, and Surah, depending on the pATham that is being used.
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a) The destroyer of the wheel of ignorance of Time.
c) He Who sets the direction for the sun who is the controller of Time.
SrI BhaTTar quotes the following words of bhagavAn in support, but the
reference is not available:
avidyAkhyA ca yA nemih kAlacakrasya durdharA |
sA mayIyam samASritya vigraham vidhunoti ca ||
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to Me, it loses its form”.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains that for those who are caught up in the
wheel of time (being born again and again?) because of avidyA, He stops this
wheel for them when they seek His help. He destroys their karmA-s
accumulated over time; He ensures that kAla (yama) does not get them in his
cycle, to be born again.
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SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives reference to SrImad bhAgavatam (10. 51.
42 – kAlanemi-hatah kamsah …), and gives the interpretation – kAlanemih
kamsah tasya nihanteti kAlanemi-nihA.
d) SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that the Supreme Self is called
kAlanemi nihA because Self is beyond the reach of intellect, and time is but a
concept of intellect only, and since He is beyond this wheel of Time, He is
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called kAlanemi-nihA.
e) The dharma cakram writer points out that we should learn to use “time”
without wasting it for our personal pleasures, but to overcome the karma-s of
the past and to avoid accumulating karma-s for the future. The clock was
invented to measure time, and we use that to beautify ourselves instead of
learning to use it for making the best use of it. The nature of time is that you
don’t get it back after it is past. He who does not waste even a single moment
of it and devotes all the time in the service of God and His creatures is the
one who has utilized time properly, and thus won over time. Of all the indriya-
s that we have for utilizing time, at least one of these indriya-s should always
be in the service of Him. The most precious possession that God has given to
mankind is Time. Those who use it properly overcome Time itself and reach
Him who is beyond Time.
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nAma 649. zaEir> Saurih
a) The son of SUra (another name for vasudeva), or He Who is born in the race
of SUra-s, a yAdava clan.
This nAma has been presented earlier as nAma 342 (Slokam 37). Please see
the previous write-up as well.
Sauraye namah.
a) He is the son of vasudeva, who is also called SUra - SUrasya – vasudevasya
apatyam iti Saurih (SrI BhaTTar). Or, because He is born in the kulam of
SUra, He is called Saurih – SUra vamSa prAdurbhUtatvAt Saurih – SrI
kRshNa datta bhAradvAj.
(Note: Under nAma 342, it has been indicated that kRshNa is the grandson of
SUra. This was based on SrI anantakRshNa SAstri’s explanation. Under the
explanation given for this nAma in Slokam 37, SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri
indicates that since Lord kRshNa was born in the race of yAdava-s by name
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SUra-s, He is called Saurih, and both vasudeva and his father were known by
the name SUra).
c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning from the root SUra –
vikrAntau – to be heroic. Thus Saurih means One who is heroic and victorious –
SUrayata iti Saurih. The alternate meaning he gives is: SUrasya apatyam
Saurih - atyanta SUrah. apatyam normally means progeny, as SrI BhaTTar has
used above, but SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that it can also mean
atyanta “the Ultimate”, based on a reference from niruktam (6. 32).
SrI Samkara uses the pATham “vIrah” in place of “Saurih” in this place, and
his next nAma is Saurih. The meaning of “vIra” is “He Who is valiant”.
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The dharma cakram writer observes that unlike for all other creatures, for
man there are two types of potential enemies – those from outside and those
from inside. The enemies from inside are the more difficult to overcome –
desire, anger, fear, jealousy, pride, lust, etc. One who does not win over these
enemies will not make progress in life. A vIra is one who does not run away
from these enemies, but fights valiantly and overcomes them. For these
enemies who are fighting us from within, it is not enough for us to fight alone –
we need His help to overcome them. It is only when we realize this that He
helps us, as evidenced in purANa-s over and over again. It is only when the
deva-s realize that they can’t by themselves be victorious over the asura-s,
and go to Him and seek His help, that He takes His incarnations and comes and
helps them overcome the asura-s. We should learn to seek His help in fighting
and overcoming the internal enemies inside us.
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nAma 650. zUr> SUrah
The Valiant.
SUrAya namah.
The sequence in Samkara pATham is “kAlanemi-nihA vIrah Saurih Sura-
janeSvarah”, and BhaTTar pATham is “kAlanemi-nihA Saurih SUrah SUra-
janeSvarah”. The nAma “SUrah” occurs once in Samkara pATham, in Slokam
37 (nAma 341); in BhaTTar’s pATham, it occurs twice, the second one being
the current occurrence. He explains the first occurrence in terms of the
generic guNa of His valor (Sauryam), and the second occurrence as specifically
referring to His incarnation as Lord rAma, whose valor is well-known.
The derivation of the meaning from its root is explained under nAma 341. SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha’s anubhavam is that He is unrestrained not only in the
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sense that His valor is unconstrained, but He is also:
SUra--janeSvarah
nAma 651. zUrjneñr> SUra
SrI Samkara gives the example of His being the Lord of indra and others.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that bhagavAn is the Lord of gods like
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indra, men like arjuna, and monkeys such as sugrIva and hanuman.
SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN gives the interpretation that He has this nAma
because He is the Lord or Chief of the SUra klan, through acts such as the
destruction of kamsa.
tri--lokAtmA
nAma 652. iÇlaekaTma tri
tri-lokAtmane namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar gives his interpretation based on the derivation of the word
"AtmA" from the root ata - to be always moving about (ata sAtatyagamane) -
trIn lokAn atati satatam gacchati.
b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha extends this anubhavam to point out that not only
does He move about in the three worlds, but He is the One who makes
everything move about in all the three worlds - avan anRi Or aNuvum aSaiyAdu.
So He is tri-lokAtmA in this sense as well.
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all the three worlds - trayANAm lokAnAm antaryAmitayA AtmA iti tri-
lokAtmA. The three worlds here refer to the earth, the world above and the
world below. SrI cinmayAnanda interprets the term tri-loka to refer to the
three states of experience - the waking, the dream and the deep-sleep, and
gives the interpretation that He is the Reality, the Self of the all the three
worlds of experiences.
tri--lokeSah
nAma 653. iÇlaekez> tri
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tri-lokAnAm ISatayA tri-lokeSah - By virtue of His being the Lord or Ruler of
the three worlds, He is known as tri-lokeSah. NammAzhvAr's well-known
pASuram "agalagillEn" refers to Him as as "ulagam mUnRu uDaiyAi
(tiruvAimozhi 6. 10. 10).
SrI Sankara elaborates His Rulership thus - trayo lokAh tadA~jnayA sveshu
sveshu karmasu vartanta ititri-lokeSah - The three worlds, in obedience to
Him, attend to their respective functions.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives support from the Sruti-s - esha loka pAla esha
lokeSah (kaushItakI 3).
d) He who is the source of the rays emanating from the Sun etc.
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f) The tormentor of His enemies
h) One who has Adhipatyam over the different kinds of sukham (including
moksham)
keSavAya namah.
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keSavAya namah.
adanur-SriAndalakkumAiyyan ( Pic Courtesy : B. Senthil)
This nAma occurred as nAma 23 in Sloka 3.
The word keSa refers to hair, as also rays of light. Some of the
interpretations are based on these two meanings. Another approach at
interpreting the nAma is based on the word kam = water or sukham. Yet
another interpretation is based on the root kliS - to torment. There is also one
which is based on kah + Isah = keSah.
a) SobhanAh keSA yasya sah keSavah - He who has beautiful hair. keSa means
hair, and the suffix va is added to keSa to denote the "beauty" of the hair, by
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a grammatical rule - "keSAdvo'nyatarasyAm" iti praSamsAyAm vah (SrI
BhaTTar). SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya svAmi nicely translates the nAma in tamizh
as "kuzhal azhagar".
Under nAma 23, SrI BhaTTar adds that by implication, this nAma indicates
that the Lord is possessed of qualities like supremacy and loveliness which are
all His own by nature. He possesses curly locks of hair, which are sublime, soft
and blue (praSasta - snigdha - nIla - kuTila - kuntalah).
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face. SrI Samkara bhAshyam is "abhirUpAh keSAh yasya sah keSavah" - "His
hair's beauty is compatible with His divya ma'ngala rUpam" - black, curly,
consistent, just indescribably beautiful.
"I thought may be the darkness of His hair can be compared to the thread
made out of the darkness that results at the time of pralaya kAlam; but no,
this is not a good enough comparison - there is no comparison. The comforting
fragrance of tulasi that emanates from His kuzhal has completely stolen my
AtmA, and only I can feel it and feel about it".
b) vAnti gandhayanti iti vAh gandhavantah keSAh yasya iti keSavah (based on
the root vA - gatigandhanayoh)- He who has fragrant keSa. We just saw
nammAzhvAr's reference in the previous para to the fragrance of tulasi
emanating from His kuzhal.
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harivamSa: ka iti brahmaNo nAma (brahmeti samAkhyAta) ISo'ham sarva
dehinAm | AvAm tavA'nge sambhUtau (tavAmSa sambhUtau) tasmAt keSava
nAmavAn || - (harivamSa 3. 88. 48)
The above are words of Siva to bhagavAn - (ka is the name of brahma, and I
am ISa who rules over all the embodied beings. Both of us have been born out
of Thy body, and therefore Thou art known by the name keSava). Thus, the
nAma signifies that brahma and Siva originated from bhagavAn.
d) SrI Samkara gives the additional interpretation that He is the owner of the
keSa-s or rays that emanate from the Sun, the moon, and all the effulgent
objects in the cosmos, and so He is called keSava. He gives the support from
mahAbhArata:
amSavo ye prakASante mamaite keSa sam~jnitAh |
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f) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha has another anubhavam of this nAma - He derives
the meaning that keSavah signifies One who torments His enemies - based on
the root kliS - vibAdhane - to torment, to distress, and the uNAdi sutra
(kliSeran lo lopaSca). kliSnAti, kliSyate vA anena iti keSavah.
1. He who has the Adhipatyam over water (oceans etc. ) is keSavah - jalam
tamIshTa aiSvarya bhAvAya nayati iti keSah (kam + Isah); or,
h) In the explanation under nAma 23, the interpretation of the nAma based on
His destroying keSi has been covered. This is also explicitly the subject of the
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next nAma.
keSi--hA
nAma 655. keizha keSi
b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha takes the meaning of the root hA- to go, and
derives his interpretation for the nAma based on the Rg-vedic description of
keSi referring to agni, vAyu, and sUrya (see the mantra below. KeSi is one who
has keSa or hair. smoke is the "hair" of the fire; the rays of sUrya are the
keSa-s of sUrya; indra (lightning) is the keSi which is not seen - the reference
to dadRSe na rUpam in the mantra (Ralph Griffith translates this as referring
to vAyu instead of indra in his traslation); These are explained in Yaska's
niruktam in detail (12-24,25).
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The Rg-vedic mantra he quotes in support is:
trayah keSina RtuthA vicakshate samvatsare vapata eka eshAm |
viSvameko abhicashTe SacIbhirdhrAjirekasya dadRSe na rUpam ||
SrI vAsishTha has given several other interpretations for this nAma (e. g.,
keSi referring generically to a horse, keSi referring to AtmA, heart, etc.),
which are not being covered here. Those interested can refer to his original
vyAkhyAna in samskRt, with translation in hindi.
a) The Green-hued.
c) He Who wards off samsAra with its cause from His devotees.
c) (samsAram) harati iti harih - He who wards off samsAra with its cause from
His devotees is harih (SrI Samkara). Alternatively, pApAnAm harati iti harih -
He who wards off the sins of His devotees.
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d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha extends the anubhavam to include bhagavAn's
destruction of the world at the time of pralaya, and His destruction of the
darkness in our minds always.
The dharma cakram writer observes that the sight of green gives a feeling of
peace to the mind; the thought of Hari, the green-hued One, similarly gives
peace to the mind. The "hari nAma" is chanted whenever one starts anything
auspicious, and this is to remove all obstacles and sins that may be committed
in the process.
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hare kRshNa hare kRshNa kRshNa kRshNa hare hare || (6. 2)
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Slokam 70
kamdev> kampal> kamI kaNt> k«tagm>,
kAma--devah
nAma 657. kamdev> kAma
b) The Lord who is desired by those who seek the four purushArtha-s.
kAma-devAya namah
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kAmam or desire can be that which is consistent with dharma, or that which is
contrary to dharma. The kAma that one should seek is the one that is
consistent with dharma. BhagavAn refers to this in gItA 7. 11 -
dharmaaviruddho bhUteshu kAmo'smi bharatarshabha - In all beings, I am the
kAma which is unopposed to dharma.
The dharma cakram writer points out that by worshipping bhagavAn, the
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kAma-deva, one can develop the enrichment of the desire that is consistent
with dharma, and move away from the kAma that is opposed to dharma. He
points out that those with the right kind of kAma see God in the world, and
those who have the wrong kind of kAma see the world in God. To win over the
worldly kAma and to grow the godly kAma, one should chant the nAma of
kAma-deva with this meaning in mind.
kAma--pAlah
nAma 658. kampal> kAma
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whobestows the gifts that the devotee desires, thus kAma referring to the
giftsdesired by the devotee. He interprets the current nAma as referring
tobhagavAn's guNa of protecting that which He has bestowed - sa eva datta
(kAmAn)anupAlanAt kAma-devah.
kAmine namah
a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that He is kAmI because He has
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everything that is desired.
a) He Who is charming.
b) He Who causes the end of brahma at the end of his period.
c) He Who is present everywhere, and Effulgent.
kAntAya namah.
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Under the earlier occurrence of this nAma, he indicates that this natural
charm of bhagavAn is because of His eternal saukumAryam, saundaryam, etc. -
svayam saundarya, saukumAryAdi rUpaguNaih.
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c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives another interpretation based on the root
kani- dIpti kAnti gatishu, and gives the meaning that He is around everywhere,
and He is Effulgent.
e) He who victoriously entered the gathering of His kith and kin after slaying
keSi
f) He Who appears to His devotees again and again in whatever form they
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desire.
kRtAgamAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as referring to His being the Revealer of
the mantra-s to those who are pure-minded. Every mantra has associated with
it a mantra-drashTA, the Seer or sage who is associated with the revelation of
that mantra. It is He who is in the form of the mantra Itself, and reveals
Himself to the mantra-drAshTA in the form of the mantra. Thus, His nAma as
kRtAgamah.
b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the derivation thus - kRto viracita
upadishTo vA Agamah pA'ncarAtra-SAstram yena iti kRtAgamah - He is called
kRtAgamah because He propounded the pA'ncarAtra Agama. The pA'ncarAtra
Agama was given to us directly by bhagavAn, and thus has the same authority
as the veda-s. Readers are referred to the series on pA'ncarAtra that has
appeared in this list for more details on pA'ncarAtra and its origin.
c) SrI Samkara interprets the term "Agama" in a generic sense to refer to all
Sruti-s and smRti-s, and thus gives the interpretation that He is called
kRtAgamah because He is the author (originataor) of the Agama-s - the Sruti-
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s and smRti-s. He quotes bhagavAn's own words - Sruti smRtI mamaiva A~jne -
The Sruti and smRti are My commands. Later on in SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam,
Sage vyAsa declares - vedAh SastrANi vi~jnAnam etat sarvam janArdanAt -
The veda-s, SAstra-s, wisdom, and all these, came from janArdana (Lord
vishNu).
f) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the roots kR karaNe - to do, and gam gatau -
to go, to derive his meaning, and gives the following interpretation - kRta
Agamo yena sa kRtAgamah - BhagavAn does the act of appearing to His
devotees in whatever form they desire, in response to the stuti of the stotrA-
s of the devotees. He bases his interpretation on the Rg-vedic mantra 8. 3.
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13-14:
kadu stuvanta Rtayanta devata Rshih ko vipra ohate |
kadA maghavan indra sunvatah kadu stuvata Agamah ||
"What prayers shall we the mortals sing, so that You will appear in response to
the call of the praiser?"
The dharma cakram writer, in the issue of May 1998, describes the Agama-s
and the veda-s under the term darSana, and then gives a detailed description
of their different classifications under the groups of nyAya, vaiSeshika,
mImAmsa, sAnkhya, yoga, and vedAnta. He also goes into further sub-
classifications under these. He points out that all these different categories
of darSana-s are provided to us by bhagavAn Himself, or by those who are
blessed with the right knowledge by Him, in order to guide us towards Him.
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This is the explanation for the nAma kRtAgamah that is provided by the
dharma cakram author.
anirdeSya--vapuh
nAma 662. AindeRZyvpu> anirdeSya
a) He of indefinable form
anirdeSya-vapushe namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 179 (Slokam 19). Please visit the write-
up for nAma 179 as well.
In his vyAkhyAnam for this nAma under Slokam 19, SrI BhaTTar quotes from
maula samhitA, and gives an analysis of the difference between the nature of
bhagavAn's form vs. our forms. Our body is formed by the seven great
elements - the pa'nca bhUta-s, plus mahat and ahamkAra. We possess
intellect, mind, body and limbs. From the SAstra-s we know that bhagavAn also
has intellect, mind, body and limbs. So the question arises: "Of what substance
is bhagavAn's body composed?", and the answer is given: "BhagavAn's body is
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composed of His form itself". In other words, there is nothing else of which
He is composed, and so He can't be described in terms of something else. This
a-nirdeSya-vapuh is further revealed thus: "BhagavAn is of indescribable form
because His body is knowledge incarnate, lordship incarnate, power incarnate,
like the glowing ember, of the burning khAdira or silk-cotton that has fire on
all sides, like pure honey, when drunk, that is sweet on all sides, like a bar of
gold that is being polished is gold all around, like a mansion that will be
attractive when viewed from all angles. Similarly, bhagavAn is entirely lordship
and power in full. Whatever He wants to become, He becomes". It is very clear
that this description keeps looking for similes to describe Him unsuccessfully,
illustrating that He can't be described.
SrI BhaTTar also gives reference to SrI vishNu purANa (1. 2. 10-1. 2. 12),
which states the impossibility of describing Him: "Who can describe Him who
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is not apprehended by the senses, who is the best of all things, the Supreme
Soul, Self-existent, who is devoid of all the distinguishing characteristics
ofform, color, etc., is exempt from birth, growth, aging, death or decay, who
exists everywhere and in whom everything exists always……. . ". - varjjitah
Sakyate vaktum yah sadA asti iti kevalam - All we can do is say that He exists
always, but we can't describe Him in words.
Those who have realized Him give up after struggling for words in their
description of Him, as evidenced by the pASuram-s of AzhvArs. The thought is
poured out by tiruma'ngai AzhvAr in his 3rd pASuram in tiruneDunTAnDakam
(referenced by SrI v. v. rAmAnujan):
tiruvaDivil karu neDu mAl Seyan enRum, tirEdaik kaN vaLai uruvAit
tigazhndAnenRum peru vaDivil kaDal amudam koNDa kAlam, perumAnaik karu
nIla vaNNan enRumoru vaDivattu Or uru enRu uNaral AgAdu, Uzhi tORu Uzhi
ninRu Ettal allAl karuvaDivil Se'nkaNNa vaNNan tannai, kaTTuraiyE yAr oruvar
kANgiRppArE?
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"By nature, He who has immense Mercy towards His creation is dark like the
water-laden clouds; in tretA yugam, He is known to have a reddish color; in
kRtayugam His complexion is white like that of the conch. In each yugam
devotees can worship Him in whatever form(s) He chooses to present Himself
in, but beyond worshipping, we cannot precisely understand His true form.
People can describe this nIla megha SyAmalan with lotus-like reddish eyes as
they want, but none can describe Him in the form in which He has revealed
Himself to me".
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2. IDum eDuppum il ISan - There is nothing that is equal to Him or above
Him (tiruvAi. 1. 6. 3);
(tiruvAi. 3. 8. 8)
One can feel the depth of feeling that the great AzhvAr is trying to convey
through words, of the experience that cannot be described in words.
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can only be experienced. Similar passages abound in veda; e. g., kenopanishad 1.
5 to 1. 9 - Brahman is that which reveals speech, but which cannot be revealed
by speech; that which gives us the ability to see but which cannot be seen,
etc.; ISAVAsya upanishad mantra 4-5 (The Self is inaccessible to the mind
since it is faster than the mind; it is beyond the reach of the senses; It moves
and moves not; It is far for those who are ignorant, and near for those who
are wise; It is within and without; etc. ).
Under the current nAma, SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam is that bhagavAn assumes
different forms in the different yuga-s as needed in order to bless the
devotees, and so He is called a-nirdeSya-vapuh.
Since bhagavAn is the One who sows the seeds that result in the creation of
the Universe, and since He is indescribable, He is the Indescribable Originator
or the seed-sower. He relates the origin of the word bAp or bApu in hindi to
this root vap - to sow.
The Pervader.
vishNave namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma-s 2 and 259 (Sloka-s 1 and 28).
Please refer to the nAmaas 2 and 259 in vol I for a detailed commentary on
the nAma vishNuh
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nAma 664. vIr> vIrah
a) The Valiant.
b) The swift Mover (into the hearts of His devotees or against demons).
d) He Who makes the enemies tremble in front of Him and run, showing their
backs.
vIrAya namah.
This nAma was described earlier under Slokam 43 - nAma 402.
a) SrI BhaTTar derives the interpretation for the nAma from the root aja -
gatikshepaNayoh - to drive or to lead, and a grammatical rule which states
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that vI is the substitute for aja under certain conditions (ashTAdhyAyI 2. 4.
56), and gives the meaning - He Who is valiant.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the interpretation - vIrayate iti vIrah - He
who displays valor is called vIrah, and expands - ripu damanAya vikramate - It
is for the destruction of the enemies.
SrI BhaTTar describes that it is for the destruction of the enemies of His
devotees that He uses His valor. Thus, the anubhavam here, as in all the
vyAkhyAna-s of SrI BhaTTar, is that whatever bhagavAn does is for the sake
of His devotees. SrI BhaTTar describes the nature of this valor - He induces
terror in the hearts of His devotees' enemies - rakshsAm ati-bhaya calana
hetutvAt vIrah.
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His devotees, as well as His swift move against His devotees' enemies.
This guNa of bhagavAn, namely His swift entry into the heart of His devotee
to please the devotee, and His swift effect on His devotees' enemies by
causing them terror, reminds one of the nArasimha vapuh incarnation (see the
detailed explanation for this nAma under Slokam 3). In this incarnation,
bhagavAn's form as Lord nRsimha terrorizes hiraNyakaSipu, but at the same
this same form is so pleasing to prahlAda. This is one more example of the
guNa of His possessing the anirdeSya-vapuh that we encountered in the
previous nAma - the form that cannot be described as this or that, because
simultaneously it is everything.
c), d) Other interpretations for this nAma that are given in the vyAkhyAna for
amarakoSa are: viruddhAn rAti hanti iti vIrah - One who destroys the enemies;
vidvishTAn Irayati iti vIrah - One who makes the enemies tremble and run
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When this quality of being valiant applies to us human beings, the dharma
cakram writer emphasizes that we should be valiant against the internal
enemies even more than the external enemies. It is the fight against the
internal enemies - kAma, krodha, lobha, moha, bhaya, etc., that one should
learn to win effectively. It is by resorting to prayer and devotion to bhagavAn
that we can effectively overcome these internal enemies. Meditating on this
nAma of bhgavAn will help us achieve this objective.
References to the Sruti, smRti, divya prabandham, etc., that have been given
by the great AcArya-s in support of their interpretations for this nAma, have
been provided under nAma 402.
a) The Limitless.
b) One who is beyond the reach of those who are not of pure mind.
anantAya namah.
Note that this is one of the nAma-s from the trio - acyuta, ananta, govinda,
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that is uttered several times daily by vaishNava-s.
Starting from this nAma, and up to nAma 683 (mahA havih), SrI BhaTTar
interprets the nAma-s as describing His limitless vibhUti-s.
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SrI Samkara gives additional reasons for His being called ananta - vyApitvAt,
nityatvAt, sarvAtmatvAt, deSatah, kAlatah, vastutaSca aparichinnah anantah -
Because He is all-pervading, eternal, and the Self of all, and because He is
unlimited by space, time, or substance, He is known as anatah. In addition to
the upanishadic support, he also gives additional support from SrI vishNu
purANa -
gandharvApsarasah siddhAh kinnaroraga cAraNAh |
nAntam guNAnAm gacchanti tena anantah ayam avyayah ||
(VP. 2. 5. 24)
"The gandharva-s, apsara-s, siddha-s, kinnara-s, uraga-s, and the cAraNa-s are
unable to find the end of His attributes; hence, the imperishable Lord is called
ananta".
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vImavai ivai uvai avai nalam tI'ngavai
Am avaiyAi avaiyAi ninRa avare
(tiruvAi. 1. 1. 4)
"We are but He; What one indicates as that man, this man, that woman, this
woman, that object, this object; on whatever we indicate in plural similarly, all
are but He and He alone; Things with good traits or bad traits, things there or
here, things that go off, things that will come one day, all are merely He. All
are aspects of His splendor" (translation copied from Sri V. N. Vedanta
deSikan).
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seek Him above all other wealth like gold and diamond, because of His far
superior qualities and possessions. Those who know the Truth will seek Him
above all, and will want to keep Him secure with them. The nirukta author
summarizes SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam as follows: maNi-mauktika ratnAdi
hema-rUpyAdikam dhanam jayati - adhah karoti iti dhanan'njayah - As wealth
that is to be desired, He is the wealth who surpasses all other wealth such as
gold, diamond, etc. Those who know His value will consider the likes of gold
and diamond as less than grass.
One is reminded of svAmi deSikan's views in this context from his vairAgya
pa'ncakam, on which a write-up on which can be found in one of my previous
postings in the list. SvAmi deSikan points out that the real dhanam or wealth
is "dhana'njaya vivardhanam dhanamudUDha govardhanam su-sAdhanam a-
bAdhanam su-manasAm samArAdhanam" - The true wealth that will never
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diminish, that will always give the utmost pleasure to those who are of pure
mind, that is the surest means of attaining anything that is desired, is the One
that bore the govardhana mountain, and that gave arjuna the greatness that
he attained.
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is called dhana'njaya because He won over all the wealth of kamsa, and gave
them to ugrasena - kamsa sampado dhanAni jayati, jitvA ugrasenAya dadAti iti
dhana'njayah.
c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that the whole Universe
belongs to Him, and all this is under His control, and so He is dhana'njayah -
the Conqueror of all wealth.
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Slokam 71
äü{yae äük«d!äüa äü äüivvxRn>,
The word brahman or a derived word occurs in this Slokam repeatedly. It will
be useful to have some basic understanding of this term before proceeding
with the explanation of the nAma-s.
The word brahman is derived from the root brah, which means vastness,
power, growth, etc. Anything that is big is covered under the term brahma.
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The term can refer to penance, veda-s, brAhmaN-s well-versed in scripture,
wisdom, etc. - tapo vedASca viprASca, j~nAnam ca brahma sam~jnitam.
The word brahman can also denote the Supreme Being, veda, prakRti, and the
Atman (jIva). The last one is particularly used in the bhagavad rAmAnuja
school, because the jIva in its essential nature is unlimited in its power, and
thus is brahma in nature.
Any limitation it suffers is temporary, and the limitation is only when the jIva
is associated with a body.
The Atman or self possesses the quality of "infinite extensiveness" as its true
nature, even though it is conditioned by the limitations of the body when it is
associated with a body.
As a proper noun, the term brahmA refers to the four-faced brahmA, and
ofcourse, the word stands to denote bhagavAn when it comes to the creation
of the four-faced brahmA.
The different interpreters use one or more of the above meanings for the
term brahman in their vyAkhyAna-s for the following nAma-s. This is partly
the source of the differences in the different anubhava-s.
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nAma 667. äü{y> brahmaNyah
a) He who is beneficial to all the big things both a-cetana and cetana, namely
prakRti and Atman.
Since bhagavAn is the cause for the existence and enjoyment of prakRti and
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"Oh the antarAtmA of the mUla prakRti, which evolves into mahat, ahamkAra,
etc., which pervades all space, and is infinite! Oh the antarAtmA of the
jIvAtmA-s, who encircle, extend over, and are larger than, the prakRti in
extant, whose j~nAna is unlimited, and whose very nature is characterized by
j~nAna, Ananda, and tejas! Oh the unique possessor of samkalpa j~nAna, which
extends beyond the above, and has its halo even beyond still further, which is
pure Bliss innature! My desire to join you is even larger than your samkalpa
j~nAna. But You have now enveloped me, and I am a drop in your vastness of
nectar ocean. My long-time ambition is fulfilled".
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The first line above refers to the vastness of prakRti, the second refers to
the vastness of the j~nAna of the Atman, and the third line refers to His
vastness. When the term Brahman refers to the Supreme Being, it is qualified
by both cit and acit, or has both conscious and unconscious entities as His
body; when it refers to prakRti, it is qualified by only acit or insentiency; and
when it refers to Atman, it is qualified by only cit or consciousness.
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veda-s from the asura by name hayagrIva in His matsya incarnation; He showed
the path of penance in His nara-nArAyaNa incarnation; He gave us the
knowledge of the veda-s through His teaching of the gItA; He takes several
incarnations to protect the brAhmaNa-s (vipra-s) in their times of distress.
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kRt because he creates the big things, namely the worlds. BhagavAn is the Big
One who creates this brahmA. So He is called brahma-kRt-brahmA.
“This emperumAn created the four-faced brahmA so that he could create all
the other things including all the deva-s,and all the sentient and non-sentient
objects”.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meaning that bhagavAn makes His devotees
big, and so He is brahma-kRt. Or, He created the four-faced brahmA, the
veda-s, the brAhamaNa-s, tapas, etc. as special (magnanimous), and so He is
brahma-kRt (SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri).
For the second part, SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that He is brahmA
the creator. Since He is the antaryAmi ofbrahmA the four-faced creator, He
is the real Creator.
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1) He is Big, and
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samkalpam. He expands the non-sentient matter into gross and subtle, He
sustains these in a form that is useful for the jIvAtmA-s to enjoy, He sustains
the jIvAtmA-s, He grows them towards their ultimate goal, namely His
realization. He does all these only for the benefit of the jIva-s. He is big
with countless unsurpassed qualities, by His essential nature, by the glory of
His possessions, etc. His greatness is such that He can lift a baddha jIva – an
ordinary samsAri – to the level of a nitya sUri through His Infinite Mercy (SrI
v. v. rAmAnujan).
SrI Samkara emphasizes His being Great (bRhatvAt), as signified by His all-
pervasiveness, His expanding into everything, etc. He quotes from the
vishNupurANa (6. 7. 53) – sattA mAtram, a-gocaram vacasAm, Atma
samvedyam, tad j~nAnam brahma – That which is Pure Existence, is beyond the
reach of words, and can only be experienced, is Brahma.
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brahma--vivardhanah
nAma 670. äüivvxRn> brahma
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan adds that tapas involves getting detached from objects of
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sensual enjoyment; the more one grows tapas, the more will be the growth
towards enjoyment of Him.
The dharma cakram writer includes tapas, dhAnam, and yaj~nam under the
term brahma for this nAma. I have summarized his write-up in the following:
tapas is the means by which one keeps improving his or her own self. When one
sacrifices what one has for the benefit of the society, it is called dhAnam.
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Doing all our actions through thought, word, and deed without feeling self-
ownership, and dedicating them to bhagavAn, is yaj~nam. All karma should be
performed without attachment. This way of doing karma leads one to forsake
the worldly pleasures, and seek union with God instead. All the actions that one
undertakes with this feeling become tapas, dhAnam, or yaj~nam. The more we
indulge in actions in this spirit, the more the world improves and becomes
purer. tapas through deed, or through body, is the service to bhAgavata-s.
Talking only good things, chanting the veda-s,etc., become tapas by word.
Thinking only good thoughts, and not thinking bad thoughts, becomes tapas
through thought. All this tapas should be undertaken with no desire for fame
or name, and should be as ordained in the SAstra-s. Similarly, dhAnam should
be done with full joy in giving, and not with reservation or sadness that one is
parting with one's possessions,or expecting something in return. Yaj~na should
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again be undertaken with selflessness, and not for show or recognition, and
should be consistent with SAstra-s, and performed with SraddhA. It is His
thought that grows this path of tapas, dhAnam, and yaj~nam. Therefore He is
called brahma-vivardhanah.
The above ideas (of sAttvic tapas, dhAnam and ya~jnam) are clearly
enunciated by bhagavAn in gItA Chapter 17 - SraddhA traya vibhAga yogah.
brahma--vit
nAma 671. äüivt! brahma
c) He Who knows everything big, both seen and unseen, and those that can only
be inferred.
brahma-vide namah.
brahma vetti iti brahma-vit - He Who knows brahma is brahma-vit.
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s in their entirety:
anAdi nidhanam brahma na devA na Rshayo viduh |
ekas tad veda bhagavAn dhAtA nArAyaNah svayam ||
b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning vid - lAbhe - to get or to
find, and interprets the nAma in terms of His matsya incarnation where He
restored the veda-s when they were escaping from brahma's mouth -
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visramsitAn uru bhayesalile mukhAt me AdAya tatra vijahAra ha veda mArgAn
- SrImad bhAgavatam - 2. 7. 12) - (The four-faced brahma's words - Because
of my great fear at the vast waters at the end of the millennium, the veda-s
came out of my mouth, and the Lord who enjoys those waters protected the
veda-s).
c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meaning brahma = anything big, seen or
unseen, and gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is brahma-vit, because He
alone knows all things big, that are seen or unseen, or that can be perceived
only through j~nAna, and He is the One who creates them, sustains them, and
grows them bigger. His samkRt wording is worth repeating -
vivRddhamvivardhanam vA brahma, dRSyam adRSyam j~nAna mAtra gamyam ca
yat, tad sarvam kovetti iti praSne vaktum Sakyate, sa eva sarvasya AdhAro
bhagavAn vishNuh vettiiti, tasmAt sa brahma-vit.
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The dharma cakram writer points out that the true knowledge of the veda-s
lies in understanding the differences between the prakRti, the jIva, and
paramAtman, and in particular, in realizing the distinction between the jIva
and the Supreme One. Those who try to analyze and dissect the lives of rAma,
kRshNa, etc.,as if they are ordinary jIva-s like us, are the ones who are truly
ignorant of the veda-s, since they have not realized the difference between
the jIvAtmA and paramAtmA. The veda-s are a secret(maRai) to those who
don't have the mental maturity to realize the truth behind the veda-s. The
realization that He is not just a purusha but the purushottama, that He is
beyond the three guNa-s, that He is the Supreme in everything, that there is
nothing that binds Him or constrains Him, etc., is the true knowledge of the
veda-s.
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roots for aNati are aN - Sabde to sound, or prANane - to live). SrI BhaTTar
refers to bhagavAn's taking birth in the atri gotra as dattAtreya, and other
such births as brAhamaNa in order to establish the teachings of the veda in
this world.
He knows the true nature of Brahman, and devotes his entire life in the
service of Brahman; he has no attachment to his body or to material things in
this world; he has absolute trust in bhagavAn's kalyANa guNa-s; he dedicates
himself through thought, word, and deed to bhagavAn; every act of his is
dedicated to His service and to the service of His devotees; by nature he has
control of his mind and indriya-s; he is not interested in worldly enjoyment; he
devotes his life in the pursuit of eternal service to Him; he has naturally purity
in thought, word, and deed; he accepts whatever difficulties confront him
without question, and does not cause harm to others in return; he is
straightforward in thought, word, and deed; he will have full trust and faith in
veda-s, SAstra-s, and bhagavAn; he will learn the veda-s, and teach the veda-s
to others; he will get enormous delight in learning the veda-s and SAstra-s
from the learned, and in living a life based on these teachings; he will be
dominating in sattva guNa; his dharma will be to live for the veda-s, to learn
the veda-s and to impart the knowledge of the veda-s to others; he will
dedicate himself to live in such a way that by his example he will teach others
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what it is to live a life of righteousness and love towards others.
a) He who possesses all that goes by the term brahma - prakRti, purusha,
ISvara, veda, etc.
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possesses all that is in the form of pramANa (the means of knowledge), and
prameya (the objects of knowledge).
SrI SrInivAsa rAghavan notes that this includes the veda-s (pramANa), and
prakRti, purusha, ISvara, etc. (the prameya-s - those that are to be known
from the veda-s).
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that the veda-s, the four-faced brahmA,
the braAmaNa-s (vipra-s),tapas, etc., are all there to reveal His true nature,
and since they are all His possessions, He is called brahmI.
b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation that because He has
the four-faced brahmA in His nAbhI-kamalam (in the lotus in His navel), He
has the nAma brahmI - sa nAbhIkamale vishNoh sthito brahmA prajApatih -
(mArkaNDeya purA. 78. 51).
The dharma cakram writer observes that the significance of this nAma is to
realize that just as the body which is made of the pa'nca bhUta-s needs their
support for its survival, the realization of the paramAtmA who resides within
us requires the support of His possessions, namely the veda-s, the brAhMaNa-
s (vipra-s),and tapas. One should learn the veda-s, live the life revealed by the
veda-s, and live the life of a brAhmaNa as described in the previous nAma,and
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this yogic way of life will lead to His realization.
"brahma-vit - anatA vai vedAh; tAn avadhinA vetti iti brahma vit" - veda-s are
limitless; He knows the the veda-s to completion or to the ultimate limit, and
so He is called brahma-vit.
The nirukti author gives the corresponding summary for veda-vit as "yo vedAn
antato vetti sa brahma-vit udIritah" - He Who knows the veda-s to their full
extent is brahma-vit is called brahma-vit, and for brahma~jnah as "yo vedAn
arthato vetti so'yam brahma~jnah Iritah" - He Who knows the veda-s with
their true inner meanings is veda~jnah.
Based on the above, one can say that in the first nAma, SrI BhaTTar
emphasizes the breadth of knowledge of the veda-s, and in the second one the
depth of knowledge is indicated.
SrI cinmayAnanda comments for the first one as "One who has intuited the
veda-s and their full commentaries", and for the second one, "One Who knows
the nature of Brahman as no one else can; He being the very Brahman, no one
else knows His nature as He Himself can".
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Other interpreters have used other ways to distinguish between the two
nAma-s. SrI kRshNa datta bhaAradvAj uses the meaning "to find, to get", to
the word "vid", in the nAma brahma-vit - "brahma vedah; tad vindati
matsyAvatAre iti brahma-vit", and uses the meaning "One who knows" for
"j~nah" in "brahma~jnah". - brahma SrIvishNor vibhUtih; tad sva vibhUti
rUpam jAnAti iti brahma~jnah (brahma refers to all His manifestations; He
who knows this brahma in truth is brahm~jnah).
The best way to view the interpretation of the two nAma-s seems to be to
consider them as complimentary to each other, the two nAma-s together
signifying His perfect knowledge of all there is to know of the veda-s, in
completion and with the complete understanding of the significance of the
veda-s.
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brAhmaNa--priyah
nAma 675. äaü[iày> brAhmaNa
This extreme respect for brAhmins from bhagavAn is because "they are the
ones who follow the virtuous conduct of karma yoga as instructed by Me, who
are full of faith, and who hold Me as the Highest Deity, and so they are dear
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to Me" -
ye tu dharmyAmRtamidam yathoktam paryupAsate |
SraddhAnA mat-paramA bhaktAste atIva me priyAh ||
The dharma cakram writer adds that those who live for Him are brAhmins, and
those who live for themselves are the rest.
b) SrI Samkara gives the first interpretation as well as the second one
brAhmaNAnAm priyah brAhmaNa-priyah |
brAhamNAh priyaA asya iti vA|
c) SrI bala deva vidyA bhUshaN, who gives all his interpretations based on
Lord kRshNa's life in this world, gives the example of His pleasing sAndIpani
by bringing back his child alive, as the explanation for this nAma.
d) SrI cinmayAnanda observes that the term brAhmaNa here refers to the
class of people who have the supreme experience-divine, those men of
complete realization, and not to the brAhmins by caste.
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Slokam 72
mha³mae mhakmaR mhateja mhaerg>,
mahA--kramah
nAma 676. mha³m> mahA
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a) He Who provides easy step-by-step access for the elevation of His devotee.
The word kramam refers to step or pace (of the feet), and also to a
systematic orgradual approach. SrI Samkara uses the first meaning to explain
thenAma in terms of His tri-vikrama incarnation, and SrI BhaTTar uses the
second meaning and interprets the nAma in terms of bhagavAn's making it easy
for devotees to reach Him through gradual steps.
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He makes us believe in Him and His vedic injunctions; then He makes us obey
these injunctions with pleasure; after this, He bestows knowledge and
devotion, and generates deep faith in Him; ultimately He makes us attain Him.
Even though this takes several births in the cases of most of us, He keeps at
it till He gets us to Him. SrI BhaTTar quotes the following in support:
janmAntara sahasreshu tapo dhyAna samAdhibhih |
narANAm kshINa pApAnAm kRshNe bhaktih prajAyate ||
(laghuatrismRti)
"The sins of human beings get annihilated over a period of several births by
means of austerities, meditation, and contemplation on Him, and devotion to
Lord kRshNa results in the end".
ahUnAm janmanAm ante j~nAnavAn mAm prapadyate
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(gItA 7. 19)
"It is only at the end of many births that a wise man resorts to Me".
AbhyAsa yogena tato mAm icchAptum dhana'njaya |
(gItA 8. 8)
"O Arjuna! Strive to attain Me by constant practice of meditation".
SrI v. n. vedAnta deSikan in his tamizh vyAkhyAnam for the first reference
brings out the point that bhagavAn shows this path to arjuna step by step,
gradually, and not all at once. Doing so all at once would have only confused
arjuna profusely. The second reference stresses that it is only by His Grace
that the step-by-step path will be revealed, and not otherwise; Siva tried his
best to realize Him by controlling all his indriya-s, and could not find Him.
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(1. 1).
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri adds that the significance of mahA here is that
these measures are nothing known to us, and beyond our comprehension - we
can't define what each "step" of bhagavAn means in this context of tri-
vikrama incarnation. All we can say is that His steps are "big".
c) SrI cinmayAnanda interprets the "long stride" to refer to His being able to
permeate and pervade everything, one of meanings of the term "vishNu"; He
reaches everything and everyone earlier than anything else or anyone else, and
so He is mahA-kramah, or One with great strides, in this sense as well.
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d) The dharma cakram writer gives yet another anubhavam - His steps (Feet)
are so great that by resorting to them one crosses the ocean of samsAra; our
ordinary steps only allow us to cross short distances in this earth. The lowliest
of beings here will become the greatest of mukta-s just by surrendering to His
steps - such is their greatness.
mahA--karmA
nAma 677. mhakmaR mahA
He of great actions.
mahA-karmaNe namah.
This nAma occurs as nAma 793 again (Slokam 84).
mahAnti karmANi yasya iti mahA-karmA - One Whose actions are great is
mahA-karmA. SrI BhaTTar and his followers interpret the nAma in terms of
His great actions in helping His devotees. Other interpretations emphasize His
great actions in the form of His creation etc.
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a nitya sUri, a wonder that can't even be comprehended by us.
Lord rAma lifted all the jIva rASi-s starting from the blades of grass, the
ants, and all other life forms that existed in His land ayodhyA with Him to SrI
vaikunTham when He departed this world after His avatAra kAryam ended.
KulasekharaAzhvAr refers to the same incident in perumAL tirumozhi 10. 10 -
"anRuSarASara'ngaLai vaikundattu ERRi…", where His makA-karmA aspect is
sung.
His great actions do not stop with just directly helping His devotees by lifting
them to His level, but also in His acts in punishing His devotee's enemies,
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including tricking them as part of His leelA. SrI BhaTTar interprets the
occurrence of this nAma in Slokam 84 in this sense (in terms of His
BuddhaavatAra, where He intentionally taught those who were averse to Him
to follow the non-vedic path). These great acts of His are also just, since they
are aimed at punishing those who are set against Him.
SrI Samkara interprets the nAma in terms of His great karma or act in the
form of His creation of this Universe etc. - mahat jagat utpatyAdi karmA asya
itimahA-karmA.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the example of His swallowing the entire
universe at the time of dissolution. In the later occurrence of this nAma in
Slokam 84,
SrI Samkara brings out another aspect of His great creation - that of bringing
out the great elements etc. - mahAnti viyadAdInibhUtAni karmANi kAryANi
asya iti mahA-karmA.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj refers to Lord kRshNa's words in the gItA that
His actions are "divya" karma-s (divine actions) - janma karma ca medivyam …
(gItA 4. 9.).
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The dharma cakram writer explains His "great action" in terms of His
supporting whatever a jIva is after: if the earthly pleasures is what one wants,
He supports that by providing the means for these; if after some stage this
person realizes that it is not worth going after earthly pleasures, He provides
the necessary means for them to follow the yogic path; when the person
matures in this path over several births, and starts feeling the desire to seek
Him, He aids this person in this path as well, and ultimately unites this person
with Him. He does all these things simultaneously to all the beings, according
to their wishes and desires.
For the English-speaking world, SrI cinmayAnanda's description for this nAma
is a good summary, which is similar to SrI Samkara's interpretation: "To
create a cosmos so scientifically precise and perfect out of the five great
elements, and to sustain them with an iron hand of efficiency, all the time
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presiding over acts of destruction without which the world of change cannot
be maintained, is, in itself, a colossal achievement".
mahA--tejAh
nAma 678. mhateja> mahA
He of great Resplendence.
mahA-tejase namah.
SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is that He is called mahA-tejAh because He has
the effulgence which destroys the darkness of the beginningless ignorance of
even those who are tAmasic by nature.
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"yenasUryas-tapati tejaseddhah" (tait. brAh. 3. 12. 9) - "By whom the sun
shines, illuminated by His effulgence". He also gives referenceto the gItA -
yad-Aditya gatam tejo jagad-bhAsayate'khilam |
yac-candramasi yac-cAgnau tat-tejo viddhi mAmakam ||
"jyotishAmapi taj-jyotih tamasah param ucyate" (13. 17) – "That Light of all
lights, is said to be beyond darkness".
SrI Samkara also gives the alternate interpretation that He is endowed with
brilliance of various excellences like harshness towards His enemies, valor,
etc., and so also He is called mahA-tejAh - kraurya SauryAdibhih dharmaih
mahadbhih samalamkRta iti vA mahA-tejAh. His being merciless towards
dushTa-s, being aggressive against conquering even the strongest of enemies,
being unconquerable, etc., are all aspects of "tejas". His tejas is supreme, and
so He is called mahA-tejAh (SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri).
The dharma cakram writer observes that while the Sun eliminates the
darkness outside us, He eliminates the darkness inside us, while at the same
time He provides the light to the Sun and other objects that remove the
darkness outside. Just as the Sun reveals itself as well as the objects outside
with its light, He reveals Himself in addition to enlightening the innerselves of
all of us.
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b) He Who has a great heart (uras), and blesses us.
e) He Who traverses everywhere in the form of the Sun with His broad chest.
mahoragAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar derives his interpretation by using the combination mahA +
urah + gah. Uras refers to chest, and in this context it refers to the heart
within us. urah pradarSitam hRdayam, yad-dvArA tAn (adIyAn) gaccgatiiti
mahoragah - He is called mahoragah because He reaches us who are small like a
particle of dust compared to Him, through our hearts. SrI BhaTTar poses the
rhetorical question: "How does He enter our heart?", and gives the answer that
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He enters our heart the same way the material objects of pleasure enter our
heart, namely through our indriya-s. We see His form through our eyes, we
hear His praise through our ears, etc., and He slowly gets into our heart
through our own indriya-s, and occupies it after displacing our materialistic
desires from our hearts.
tiruvAimozhi 6. 10. 3;
"muttanAr mukundanAr pugundu tammuL mEvinAr; ettinAl iDar kaDal kiDatti?
Ezhai ne'njamE"
tiruccanda. 115;
"vandu aruLi en ne'nju iDam koNDa vAnavar kozhundu"
tiruvAi. 5. 7. 7.
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b) While SrI BhaTTar interprets uras as referring to our heart, the term can
also refer to His great heart in blessing the lowest of creatures - mahatA
urasA hRdayena gacchati sva-bhaktam mucukundam iti mahoragah (Sribaladeva
vidyA bhUshaN).
SrI vidyA bhUshaN uses the term "bhakta praNayittvam", or love for the
devotee, to describe the significance of this nAma. He gives examples of Lord
rAma's getting into guha's heart by His Ali'nganam or embrace, His showing
His magnanimous heart in performing the last rites for jaTAyu, and His
showing His great affection for His devotee by accepting the fruits offered
by SabarI.
c) uragah means serpent. The snake or serpent moves around on its chest
(uras),and so it is called uragah - urasA gacchati iti uragah. SrI Samkara uses
this meaning for urgah, and gives the interpretation that bhagavAn manifests
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d) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj suggests that the nAma is suggestive of His
having ananta as His bed - mahAn - mahanIyah, uragah - anantah, SayyA-
rUpeNa yasya iti mahoragah.
In passing, I would like to point out that most of SrI satyadevo vAsishTha's
interpretations are based on an assumption of identity between Lord vishNu
and the Sun, even though I have not represented his interpretations in this
view. The significant value I have derived from his vyAkhyAnam is the very
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detailed etymological derivation of each nAma, which is thorough, with
references to the pANini sUtra-s, and detailed vedic references. In this
aspect, his vyAkhyAnam is superb.
mahA--kratuh
nAma 680. mha³tu> mahA
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The word "kratuh" occurred as nAma 449 in Slokam 48, and the meaning of the
term was explained there. Briefly recapitulating, the term "kratuh" refers to a
particular type of sacrifice, or can also refer to bhagavAn since He is the
object of the yAga-s. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha also gives the explanation
"karoti iti kratuh, kriyate vA kratuh" - One who performs is a kratuh, or that
which is performed is kratuh.
The term "mahA" is used in the sense of "great","many", "great because of its
ease", etc., in the different interpretations.
1. to mean "easy or simple for the devotee", and thus "great from the
point of view of the devotee",
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2. to refer to the multitude of easy ways that are available to worship
Him.
He gives reference to vishNu dharma (90. 69), and to gItA (9. 27), where he
emphasizes the ease of worship:
yo na vittair na vibhavaih na vAsobhir na bhUshNaih |
toshyate hRdayenaiva kas-tam ISam na toshayet ||
(gItA 9. 27)
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"Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever
you give, whatever you practice as austerity, O kaunteya, do it as an offering
to Me".
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshan also associates the ease of His worship with this
nAma, and explains that He is mahA-kratuh because He has such great (easy)
ways of worship such as being offered the tulasi leaves, in order to obtain the
greatest of blessings.
c) In his commentary, SrI BhaTTar also says that "He is to be worshiped by all
acts which have been prescribed by the Agama SAstra-s, and by offering to
Him, these acts become sanctified and sweet "-samarpaNa samskArasvAdu-
kRtaih Agama SAstra kArita sarva vyApAraih ArAdhyatvAt" - from which it
may be inferred that the term "mahA" may refer to the many ways of offering
worship.
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aham kratur-aham ya~jnah svadhAham aham aushadham |
mantro'ham ahmevAjyam aham-agnir-aham hutam ||
(gItA 9. 16)
"I am the kratu; I am the sacrifice; I am the offering to the manes; I am the
herb; I am the mantra; I am myself the clarified butter; I am the fire; I am
the oblation". This Slokam is explained in greater detail under the nAma mahA-
havih (nAma 683).
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"purusho ha vai nArAyaNo'kAmayata atitishTheyam |
sarvANi bhUtAni ahameva idam sarvam iti |
sa etam purushamedham pA'ncarAtram ya~jna
kratum apaSyat tam Aharat tena ajAyata teneshTam |
atyatishTatsarvANi bhUtAnIdam sarvam abhavat || " (13. 6. 1)
mahA--yajvA
nAma 681. mhayJva mahA
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the aSvamedha yAga in His incarnation as Lord rAma. He is also the yajAmana
of all sacrifices performed by all devotees, since He ensures their successful
completion, and in this sense also He is mahA-yajvA, the Great Sacrificer.
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan has given the meaning in tamizh for SrI BhaTTar's
vyAkhyAnam(tannai ArAdhippavargaLaicciRappUTTubavan).
The superiority of His exclusive devotees derives from the fact that these
are the ones who seek the best of all blessings - moksham, to the exclusion of
all other worldly benefits.
mahA--ya~jnah
nAma 682. mhay}> mahA
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As in the previous nAma, the root from which ya~jna is derived is yaj- deva
pUjA sa'ngati karaNa yajana dAneshu - to sacrifice, to make an oblation to, to
give, to associate with, etc. The act of sacrifice, or one who is worshipped
through a sacrifice, are both referred to by the term ya~jnah - yajanam
ya~jnah, ijyate iti vA ya~njah (SrI satyadevo vAsishTha).
a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for this nAma is "He Who is the best among
those to be worshiped". SrI v. v. rAmAnujan explains this interpretation as
follows: ya~jnam is bhagavad ArAdhanam; ya~jnah is the object of this
ArAdhanam; MahA-ya~jnah is the Most Superior Object of bhagavad-
ArAdhanam, or He Who is the best among those to be worshiped. SrI
BhaTTar points out that the term ya~jna includes such ways of worship as
singing suprabhAtam to emperumAn, respectful approach, offering sweet
things such as mixture of honey etc., prostrating at His Feet, etc. The best of
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ya~jna-s is when these are offered to Him rather than any to other devatA.
SrI BhaTTar points out that worship of Lord vishNu is the best because "He
protects His devotees as if there were His own body" - rakshate bhagavAn
vishNuh bhaktAn Atma-SarIravat, "He accepts the rites performed by His
devotees with great joy and with a bowed head" - tAh sarvAh SirasA devah
prati-gRhNAti vai svayam (mahAbhArata moksh. 17. 163), vidhi prayuktAm
pUjAm ca gRhNAti SirasA svayam (SAnti. 353. 64), etc.
b) SrI Samkara gives the interpretation for the nAma as "He who manifests
Himself in the form of the Great Sacrifice", and gives the support from the
vibhUti yoga in gItA: "ya~jAnAm japa ya~jno'smi" (gItA 10. 25)- "Of
sacrifices, I am the sacrifice of japa".
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c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meaning "He Who is worshiped by great
ya~jna-s", or "He Who is worshiped by the great j~nAni-s" - mahat yajanam
yasya, mahadbhih ijyata iti vA.
The dharma cakram writer explains the spirit behind offering worship to
bhagavAn who is the mahA-ya~jnah (the personification of the ya~jna-s)
through five types of ya~jna-s that are expected of each one of us:
bhUta ya~jna involves our rendering service and assistance to the life forms
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that are below our level. This involves the protection of plants, trees, the
four-legged animals, etc., all of which are rendering service to us in various
ways, and making our life possible.
The pitR ya~jna involves our devotion and service to our elders, to our parents,
etc., who have devoted their lives to bring us up, educate us, and help us live
the way we live, and thus made our lives possible.
The nara ya~jna involves service to our fellow humans in the society, including
how we treat others in our thought, word, and deed. Without the help of the
others in the society, we will not be able to lead our lives, and in return, we
owe the debt to society to make it better by spreading good thoughts, good
word, and good deed.
The Rshi ya~jna involves learning, chanting, protecting, and propagating the
mantra-s, veda-s, and the knowledge that the Rshi-s have given us. This will
lead to our acquiring the kind of knowledge that they possessed, over time.
The deva ya~jna involves our worshipping Him with constant and uninterrupted
devotion, which will result in our attaining Him.
The significant point to take from this discussion is that we should perform all
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the above five types of ya~jna-s with the full realization that these are all
offerings to Him, since He is the mahA ya~jnah who is worshiped by al these
offerings. They should be performed for His pleasure and not with any benefit
for us in mind, with the clear understanding that He is the Doer who is just
using us as the means for getting these done, etc.
mahA--havih
nAma 683. mhahiv> mahA
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to perform a sacrifice, to eat. The word havis is explained by the uNAdi sutra
"arci Suci hu sRpi chAdi chardibhya ish (268), and has the meaning "clarified
butter offered in sacrifice". In common usage, the term is used for referring
to the material used in the oblation to the fire. mahA-havis is the greatest of
these oblations, and mahA-havih refers to the One who is the recipient of the
supreme oblations. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha indicates that the term havih can
also refer to one who is making the offering, one who is the object or recipient
of the offering, that by which the offering is made, etc.
We will see in the interpretations below that He is mahA-havih in all the above
senses: He is mahA-havih because:
a) SrI BhaTTar interprets havis as referring to the offerings, and thus mahA-
havis refers to the great offerings; mahA-havih is the recipient of the great
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offerings. SrI BhaTTar explains what these "great offerings" are, or why the
offerings to Him are great or supreme: He can be worshiped without killing of
any animal - na tatra paSu ghAto'bhUt (mahA. SAnti. 337. 9); the sacrifices
to Him that He likes best are the offering of our mind, buddhi, and indriya-s
to Him, and best of all, Atma-samarpaNa (ahamevan mAm juhomi - tait. nArA.
41; pratyagAtma havishTvAt, ahimsram AtMAdi havih yasya syAt sa
mahAhavih).
SrI ALavandAr also refers to Atma samarpaNam in his stotra ratnam (53) -
"aham adyaiva mayA samarpitah". Even though this AtmA belongs to Him to
start with, we offer it to Him as if it is an offering from us of something that
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(He is called mahA-havih because He has the offerings that are suprmely pure,
in the form of namaskAra, chanting of veda-s, and offerings of tulasi leaves).
He quotes the following in support:
tulasI dala mAtreNa jalasya culukena ca |
vikrINIte svam AtmAnam bhaktebhyo bhakta-vatsalah ||
"bhagavAn who dearly loves His devotees, just trades away His own Self in
exchange for the offering of some tulasi leaves or a palm's content of water".
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He also quotes from moksha dharma, where it is stated that no matter what a
person who has single-minded devotion offers to Him, He accepts it with a
bowed head:
yAh kriyAh samprayuktAh syuh ekAnta gata bhuddhibhih |
tAh sarvAh SirasA devah pratigRhNAti vai svayam ||
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Sacrifice. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives reference to the gItA in support:
aham kratur-aham ya~jnah svadhAham aham aushadham |
mantro'ham ahmevAjyam aham-agnir-aham hutam ||
(gItA 9. 16)
"I am the kratu; I am the sacrifice; I am the offering to the manes; I am the
herb; I am the mantra; I am myself the clarified butter; I am the fire; I am
the oblation".
Bhagavad rAmAnuja explains the concept in his vyAkhyAnam for Slokam 9. 15.
"… vividha vibhakta nAma rUpa sthUla cit acit vastu SarIrah syAm iti
samkalpya, sa ekadeva eva tiryang manushya sthAvarAkhya vicitra jagac-
charIrah avatishThate iti anusandhAnASca mAm upAsate. . "
The Lord wills thus: May I become embodied in gross animate and inanimate
entities, distinguished variously by name and form. He alone then abides, with
the variegated cosmos as His body, comprising gods, animals, men, and immobile
things. (The mahAtma-s) worship Me contemplating on Me thus.
Thus, everything is part of His body, His form. In the context of the current
nAma, He is Himself the havis also - aham hutam (SrI tirukkaLLam svAmi
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reminds us that this does not mean that everything or everyone is identical to
Him, but that everything is part of Him).
(gItA 4. 24)
"Brahman is the instrument through which the offering is made; The offerings
are Brahman; The One who offers is Brahman, and the offering is made into
the agni which is Brahman. One who performs all actions with this
understanding and knowledge of the Supreme Brahman, attains none other
than Brahman".
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SrI rAmAnuja again explains that the ladle with which the offering is made is
Brahman because it is an effect of Brahman, (who is the material cause of this
universe); The oblation likewise is Brahman; It is offered by the agent
Brahman into the fire of Brahman. Again, identity is not to be inferred from
this, but the sense that He has all these as His body.
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Slokam 73
StVy> Stviày> StaeÇ< Stut> Staeta r[iày>,
SrI BhaTTar has described His worship through body and mind in the previous
few nAma-s. He interprets the next few nAma-s in terms of His worship
through word.
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a) He Who is worthy of praise.
b) He Who is praised by all, but who does not have to praise anyone else.
stavyAya namah.
The root from which the word stavyah is derived is stu - to praise. The affix
yat is added in the sense of "he deserves praise" (SrI BhaTTar).
a) stavam arhati iti stavyah. SrI BhaTTar explains that only Lord vishNu is
endowed with the innumerable auspicious qualities which are eternal, boundless
and flawless, and thus He is worthy of praise over any other god. Praising Him
will lead to the release of bondage from samsAra. He refers us to the
following in support:
(bRhaspati samhitA)
"If one praises the Creator of the Universe the same way one praises a rich
man just to get some wealth from him, is there any doubt that he will be
relieved from the bondage of samsAra by praising the Creator?".
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In the phala-Sruti for SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam, bhIshma tells yudhisThira:
itIdam kIrtanIyasya keSavasya mahAtmanah |
nAmnAm sahasram divyAnAm aSesheNa prakIrtitam ||
"Thus the thousand divine names of bhagavAn keSava, the Supreme Being,
Who is worthy of being praised, have been sung in their entirety". Here the
choice of the word keSava signifies that He is the Creator of Siva and brahma;
mahatmA refers to His being the Supreme Person; the term divya signifies
that these thousand nAma-s are worthy of being recited both in this world and
in parama-padam; and the word kIrtanIyasya emphasizes that He is worthy of
being praised.
(tiruvAi. 3. 9. 1)
"Even though it is unpleasant for you (those of you who waste your time
worshipping other deities) to hear this, I am going to say it, and please listen
(for your own good): I will not waste my sweet words of praise on anyone
except My Lord who stands like an elephant in tiruvE'nkaTa malai. "
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that bhagavAn's divya guNa-s are infinite, and
no matter for how many thousands and thousands of years we sing His praise,
we will still be not be done, and can keep praising Him; such are His natural
guNa-s. He gives reference to the SvetASvatara upanishad: "tam ISAnam
varadam devam IDyam" (4. 11) - "He Who is the Lord of all, benevolent, divine,
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and worthy of praise"; "tam viSva rUpam bhava-bhUtam IDyam" (6. 4) - He
Who has the Universe as His form, He who is the cause of all origin and
existence, and who is praiseworthy".
SrI bala deva vidyA bhUshaN comments that He is stavyah or worthy of praise
because it is easy to praise His infinite kalyANa guNa-s through mere use of
words - vAg-vyApAreNaiva samArAdhyatvAt nitya kalyANa guNakatayA
stotum arhah stavyah.
The dharma cakram writer gives some examples of the way the AzhvAr-s have
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praised Him: uyarvaRa uyar nalam uDaiyavan, mayrvaRa madi nalam aruLbavan,
amarargaL adipati, nalam tarum Sollai nAn kaNDu koNDEn nArAyaNA ernnum
nAmam, acyutA amarar Eru, Ayar tam kozhundu,… etc. But He is not fully
described by any of these; these are just some limited ways through which His
true devotees have enjoyed Him. Knowing the inner meaning of songs in praise
of Him and singing them, nAma japam, meditating on Him, dedicating all that
we do to Him, etc., are among the different ways in which He can be praised.
stava--priyah
nAma 685. Stviày> stava
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3. yena kenApi (by anyone - even including those who denigrate Him),
stava-priyAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar gives an example of this guNa of bhagavAn by referring us to the
incident of ghaNTAkarNa, who did not like to hear even the name of vishNu
being uttered by anyone even casually. So he suspended two bells from his
ears, and at the very utterance of the name of vishNu, he will shake his head
violently, so that these words won't fall in his ears. But in order to ensure
that he shake his head at the mere mention of the name of vishNu, he had to
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always be thinking of vishNu, and watching for even a casual mention of the
name of vishNu. The Lord took this as constant meditation on Him, and gave
salvation to ghaNTAkarNa for this constant meditation on Him. This is an
example of how He takes even the negative thought about him as praise of
Him.
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan adds to this the example of SiSUpAlan, who got moksham
even though all he was doing was using abusive language to talk about Lord
kRshNa at every possible opportunity - "kETpAr Sevi SuDu kIzhmai
vaSavugaLaiyE vaiyum pazham pagaivan SiSupAlan". nammAzhvAr concludes
one of his dacads in tiruvAimozhi by pointing out that no matter how we say
His name - knowing the meaning or not knowing the meaning, etc., - the final
outcome is that it will always lead to good for us - "e'nganE Sollinum inbam
payakkumE" (7-9-11).
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SrI rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi pASuram 5. 1. 1,
which supports the interpretation that SrI BhaTTar has given for this nAma -
perumAL is stava-priyah because His Grace is such that even if we don't mean
to praise Him, as long as we say something about Him, even without sincerity,
He will accept it as praise, in order to help us reach Him - such is the destiny
of the jIva:
kaiyAr Sakkarattu en karu mANikkamE enRenRu
poyyE kaimmai Sollip puRamE puRamEyADi
meyyE peRRozhindEn vidi vAikkinRu kAppAr Ar?
AiyO! KaNNa pirAn! aRaiyO inip pOnAlE
(tiruvAi. 5. 1. 1)
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that bhagavAn's pleasure when He is
praised is not because He is happy that people are praising His qualities, but
because He is pleased that the jIva-s are putting to appropriate use the
indriya-s that He has given to the jIva-s. When the thought, word, and deed
are all directed appropriately for His praise, He is all the more happy. By
praising Him, we are getting closer to Him, and this is exactly what He wants
of the jIvAtmA-s, and this makes Him happy.
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The dharma cakram writer gives the analogy of the parents who feel happy
when the child does well in the school. The body and the indriya-s that He has
given us are for serving Him, and, just like the parents who feel happy when
the child does well in the school, He is happy when we do well with the
facilities He has given us.
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nammAzhvAr echoes this same sentiment: paNNAr pADal in kavigaL yAnAit
tannait tAn pADi…, where nammAzhvAr says that bhagavAn sang His own
praise by Himself through tiruvAimozhi using nammAzhvAr as the vehicle or
means.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that words that praise Him are by their
very nature good words, and so they are His manifestation (Note that Lord
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kRshNa declares in the gItA that all that are best in this world are but His
manifestations).
The dharma cakram writer explains that the great Rshi-s to whom bhagavAn
has revealed Himself, have a mind which is pure and where He resides. When
these sages reveal their experience of Him through words to others, this
becomes the mantra or the word of praise or stotram. Thus the stotram or
the mantra becomes the representation of Him. This is what AzhvAr declares
when he says: "nalam tarum Sollai nAn kaNDu koNDEn nArAyaNA ennum
nAmam". One is reminded of the incident of draupadi being saved by invoking
the nAma of kRshNa which saved her even before kRshNa could personally
come and save her. In this sense, the nAma or the stotram is even more
powerful than Him.
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nAma 687. Stut> stutah
He Who is praised.
stutAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn is called stutah because He is
praised by everyone including the nitya sUri-s for the attainment of their
respective desires. This includes the thousand-hooded AdiSesha, garuDa who
is the embodiment of the three-fold veda-s, brahma and other gods, and also
byhuman beings like ourselves
sahasra-phaNa trayI-mayAdibhih anantaih brahmAdibhih
asmadAdibhiSca tat-tad-abhilAsha siddhaye stuta iti
purusha sUktam
"At first, brahma, the creator, praised Him, then indra of great knowledge
extolled Him, and then the four directions". The reference to the four
directions indicates that He is the Object of praise by all beings like
ourselves.
SrI Samkara pATham for this nAma is stuthih - the act of praise. SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that with SrI Samkara's version, the previous
nAma refers to the words of praise, and the current nAma will refer to the
act of praise.
With SrI BhaTTar's version (stutah), the previous nAma says that He is the
instrument for His praise (including the words and the acts), and the current
nAma indicates that He is the object of these words and acts of praise.
The dharma cakram writer notes that it is only when we have a mind that is
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clean, and is occupied by Him, that meaningful and proper stuti comes out
through our words. It is then that the greatness of bhagavAn takes shape in
the form of words and comes out as stuti. Thus, it is He who causes the stuti
to occur, and hence He is called stutih.
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"yam stuvan stavyatAmeti vandamAnaSca vandyatAm" (75. 55) - "He Who
praises bhagavAn is praised by bhagavAn Himself, and he who adores bhagavAn
becomes an object of adoration for Him".
SrI BhaTTar gives the example of bhagavAn's kailAsa yAtra in His kRshNa
incarnation. The incident referred to is Lord kRshNa's praise of Siva in the
form of a hymn during the kailAsa yAtra. Siva constantly meditates on
bhagavAn through the tAraka mantra, and so He becomes an object of stuti by
bhagavAn, as He says in hari vamSa - "One who praises Me becomes
praiseworthy".
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the same interpretation as SrI BhaTTar -
stauti sva-janAn iti stotA.
SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshan gives the reason for bhagavAn praising His
devotee - He wants to bring out the greatness of such a devotee. He quotes
from the gItA - j~nAnI tvAtmaiva me matam (7. 18). Slokam 7. 17 of the
gItA also conveys this idea:
teshAm j~nAni nitya-yukta eka-bhaktir viSishyate; |
priyo hi j~nAnino'tyartham aham sa ca mama priyah ||
where Lord kRshNa declares that the devotee who has exclusive devotion to
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Him is extremely dear to Him.
Lord kRshNa describes such a devotee in Chapter 16 of the gItA among other
places.
SrI cinmayAnanda obsrves that the true devotee who sings the divine hymns
of the Lord dissolves in the Lord (becomes one with theLord), and is in at-one-
ment with Him.
raNa--priyah
nAma 689. r[iày> raNa
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motion or sound. The different interpretations draw on these two different
meanings.
He is raNa-priyah when it comes to dealing with the enemies of those who have
surrendered to Him and sought His protection. He delights in battle for the
purposes of protection of those who seek refuge in Him, and for protection of
righteousness. The fight against rAvaNa in His rAma incarnation, and the
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destruction of duryodhana and other demons in His kRshNa incarnation are
among the widely known examples of His guNa of raNa-priyah. These are for
the protection of the good and the destruction of the evil -
paritrANAyasAdhUnAm vinASAya ca dushkRtAm
dharma smasthApaNArthAya sambhavAmi yuge yuge.
SrI Samkara refers to His carrying the great pa'ncAyudha-s ever ready for
the protection of the world - yatah pa'nca mahAyudhAni dhatte satatam
lokarakshaNArtham ato raNa-priyah.
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raNah or ravah; since these arepleasant to Him, He is referred to as raNa-
priyah.
c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the meaning of movement for raNa, and gives
the interpretation that He is called raNa-priyah because He delights in moving
around in the hearts of everyone and removing the darkness in them and
enlightening them, or He delights in moving around in the form of the Sun and
removing the darkness in the world.
The dharma cakram writer points out that life intrinsically is a struggle of one
thing vs. another. For one life to live, some other life or some aspect of
another life is destroyed. For us to be relieved from evil influences, we have to
fight to overcome the evil. bhagavAn has the big task of fighting against the
evils of the world, and this is what He signifies by carrying the pa'ncAyudha-s.
This nAma of bhagavAn should remind us that our life is a big struggle and a
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fight to keep the bad from us, and to constantly assert the good in us.
He Who is complete.
pUrNAya namah.
The root from which the nAma is derived is pUrI - ApyAyane - to fill, to
satisfy.
SrI cinmayAnanda points out that He is lakshmI-pati, and there is nothing that
He does not have.
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SrI Samkara comments that He has all objects of desire, and all Sakti-s or
energies, and so He is pUrNah - sakalaih kAmaih, sakalAbhih SaktibhiSca
sampannaiti pUrNah. Thus, He not only has all that is desired, but also has all
the powers to fulfill all that is desired. He is also pUrNah in the sense that He
is everywhere, and permeates and pervades everything (SrI rAdhAkRshNa
SAstri). Since everything is part of Him, and there is nothing that is not part
of Him, there is nothing for Him to desire.
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fullness is such that even though many things emanate from Him that are
complete, He remains complete in all respects. Other upanishadic references
he gives are: pUrNam apravarti (bRhaDA. 2.1.5),and tadetat pUrNam apravarti
(chAndoygya. 3. 12).
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj adds additional anubhavam for this nAma - a) He
isfilled with infinite kalyANa guNa-s, and so He is pUrNah - pUryate ApyAyate
smakalyANa guNaih iti pUrNah; b) He is easily fulfilled and satisfied withthe
simple offerings from His devotees, such as flowers, fruits, etc. -
bhaktArpitaih phala kusumAdibhih tarpita iti pUrNah.
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN builds on his vyAkhyAnam for the previous nAma,
and interprets the current nAma to mean that He is perfect in the sense of
finishing off His enemies once for all without trace.
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desire;
He permeates and pervades everything, and there is nothing that is not part of
Him.
The dharma cakram writer discusses the implications of this nAma to our daily
life. PUrNa is the fulfilled or completely satisfied state. The general
observation in our lives is that as we succeed more in our material life, we
become more and more dissatisfied, because our needs and wants keep growing
more. The modern day education only helps grow this material need. The
term 'kalvi' signifies 'kalludal', digging into. The true purpose of kalvi should
be to bring out the good in us and to develop the desire to seek Him. But the
modern day education only digs out more desire, more wants, and helps us lose
whatever little good we might have had to start with. We become even more
of pleasure seekers and wealth seekers as we get the modern education. The
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would only seek the chance to do kaimkaryam to Him by pleasing Him through
praise etc., and this is what He fulfills, as signified by the nAmapUrayitA.
SrI Samkara continues on his interpretation for the previous nAma, and points
out that bhagavAn is not just fulfilled Himself (pUrNah), but He makes others
fulfilled as well (pUrayitA) at the appropriate time, by bestowing whatever
they seek.
The dharma cakram writer gives some instances of the unique ways in which
bhagavAn fulfils the desires of those who seek His help, all the time upholding
dharma. The story of arjuna and duryodhana seeking help from Lord kRshNa
for the mahAbhArata war is interesting. Lord kRshNa bestowed both arjuna's
and duryodhana's wishes, though ultimately He made sure that dharma won.
BhIshma, the great devotee of kRshNa, declared to duryodhana that he will
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fight so ferociously that he will make kRshNa break His vow and take to arms
during the war. BhagavAn fulfilled bhIshma's promise, because it was the wish
of a devotee. By fulfilling His devotees' wishes, all He is doing is fulfilling His
own wishes, since He wants to ensure that His devotees' words are true. The
reason that bhagavAn always fulfills His devotees' wishes is because their
wish is never contrary to His wish under any circumstance. In the
mahAbhArata war, even though bhIshma was on duryodhana's side, he blessed
yudhisThira that he should win the war, which was the same as bhagavAn's
wish.
a) The Purifier.
There are two ways the derivation of the word "puNyah" has been approached
- one from the root pU - pavane - to purify, and the other puN- Subha karmaNi
- to be pious. The details will be seen below under the respective authors.
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SrI BhaTTar gives the definition - punAti iti puNyah - He who purifies is
puNyah, which is derived from the root pU - pavane to purify. SrI BhaTTar
points out that bhagavAn has this nAma because He purifies even the worst of
the sinners and makes them fit for extolling Him.
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan observes that the nAma "puNyan" for bhagavAn in tamizh
is a favorite of the AzhvArs. Among the references he gives are from
tirumazhiSaiAzhvAr - "anantan mEl kiDanda em puNNiyA!" (tiruccanda
viruttam45), and from tiruma'ngai AzhvAr - "un aDiyEn manam pugunda
appulava! puNNiyanE!" (periya tirumozhi 3. 5. 7).
The dharma cakram writer explains that just as the thoughts of indriya-
sukham are thoughts that are not conducive to His realization, the thoughts
about Him produce the purity that leads to His realization.
Under nAma 925, SrI BhaTTar gives the above as his second interpretation
for this nAma - that by the mere contemplation of His kIrti pertaining to His
helping His devotees, we become pure. He gives the example of bhagavAn's
protection of gajendra, and observes that the meditation of His kIrti through
acts such as this will purify us. This same interpretation and example are
presented by SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN for this nAma under Slokam 98.
For the occurrence of this nAma in Slokam 98, SrI Samkara gives the
interpretation that bhagavAn has the nAma puNyah because He enables all to
be righteous by His teachings through the Sruti-s and smRti-s -
sarveshAmSruti smRti lakshaNayA vAcA puNyam AcashTa iti vA puNyah.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the nAma starting from the root pU -
pavane- to purify, and gives the derivation - pavata iti, pUyate vA anena
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itipuNyah - pavitrah pApAnaviddhah Subho vA - He who purifies, or One by
whom things are purified is puNyah; or, One who is pure, devoid of any sin,
auspicious, etc. He gives the example of bhagavAn in the form of the Sun
purifying all objects in the universe, in addition to being pure Himself.
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activities", and not just in the sense of being good. BhagavAn sets the
example to His devotees on performing pious acts by performing them Himself.
He leads by example.
puNya--kIrtih
nAma 693. pu{ykIitR> puNya
He Whose kIrti or praise is also purifying (in addition toHim being the
Purifier).
puNya-kIrtaye namah.
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SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as signifying that His kIrti is purifying when
it is sung by His devotees; in other words, nAma samkIrtanam by His devotees,
which involves singing His kIrti, purifies the devotee, and so He is called
puNya-kIrtih. SrI BhaTTar gives several references that indicate the
purifying nature of His praise.
nAma samkIrtanam pumsAm vilAyanam anuttamam |
maitreya! aSesha pApAnAm dhAtUnAmiva pAvakah ||
"Those who, even without being aware of it, pronounce the name of bhagavAn
are freed from their sins the same way a deer is freed from the attack of the
beasts when they run away on hearing the roar of a lion nearby".
dhyAyan kRte yajan ya~jnais-tretAyAm dvApare'rcayan |
yadApnoti tadApnoti kalau samkIrtya keSavam ||
(vishNuPurANam. 6. 2. 17)
"By the mere mention of the name of bhagavAn, a man in kali yuga attains the
same fruits that one obtained in the kRta yuga by abstract meditation, in the
tretA by sacrifice, and in the dvApara yuga by adoration".
The dharma cakram writer gives the additional reference to: "nalam tarum
Sollai nAn kaNDu koNDEn nArAyaNA ennum nAmam".
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SrI Samkara also gives the interpretation that this nAma signifies that He has
kIrti which brings purity to people- puNyam Avahati asya kIrtih nRNAm
itipuNya-kIrtih.
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SrI cinmayAnanda explains that whoever glorifies Him becomes holy, and so in
this sense His glory is purifying.
an--Amayah
nAma 694. Anamy> an
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rAmAnujan.
SrI kRshNadatta bhAradvAj gives the derivation - na Amayo rogo yasya iti
anAmayahdivya-ma'ngala vigrahah - His divya ma'ngala vigraham is beyond any
kind of disease or illness. His Nature is of pure unstained divine essence, and
He is thus beyond the mental restlessness or physical pangs that constantly
haunt us because of our karma (SrI cinmayAnanda).
associated with the body and mind, the pain felt by either is felt by the jIvan
or soul also. BhagavAn is beyond all these, and so He is an-Amayah".
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Slokam 74
mnaejvStIwRkrae vsureta vsuàd>,
mano--javah
nAma 695. mnaejv> mano
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koSam commentator observes that the series of words related to javah all
indicate movement with speed - etAni sa-vega-gati nAmAni. SrI kRshNa datta
bhAradvAj gives the definition - manaso java iva javo yasya itimano-javah - He
Who has speed like that of the speed of the mind.
(gItA 9. 31)
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the moment a man begins to place his foot in the temple of vishNu".
nammAzhvAr also describes His extreme speed in removing the sins of His
devotees:
kaDivAr tIya vinaigaL noDiyAm aruLavaikkaN
koDiyA aDu puL uyartta vaDivAr madhavanArE
(tiruvAi. 1. 6. 10)
Especially because of mahA lakshmi's proximity, it takes Him less than the
time it takes us for producing the sound of a noDi (the sound produced by two
fingers), to remove all our sins from beginningless time.
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SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya svAmi notes that this nAma signifies that He fulfils His
devotees' wishes with the speed of mind. (He can fulfill whatever He decides
by His mere samkalpam - samkalpa mAtreNa).
b) SrI Samkara observes that bhagavAn has the speed like that of the mind in
that He is everywhere at the same time - manaso javah, vega iva vego'sya
sarva-gatatvAt iti mano-javah.
(ISA. 4)
"Although fixed in His abode, God is swifter than the mind and can overcome
all others running. ……".
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But in bhagavAn's case, none of these come as impediments; He is everywhere
already (deSa) ; He is not limited by past, present, or future (kAla); He is the
Controller of everything, and so nothing can obstruct Him (vastu).
SveTASvatara Upanishad (3-19) declares - a-pANI pAdo javano grahItA
paSyati a-cakshuh sa SRNoti a-karNah | sa vetti vedyam na ca tasya asti vettA
tam Ahuh agryam purhsham mahAntam || - "Without use of His hands and
feet, He moves and grasps; He sees without use of His eyes, hears without
need for His ears. He knows whatever is to be known, and of Him there is no
knower. They speak of Him as the first, the purusha, the Great".
The dharma cakram writer points out that the more we think of Him, the more
our mind get these attributes of being unconstrained by deSa, kAla, and vastu,
and the more we become closer to Him. He quotes rAmakRshNa paramahamsa,
who says that the more we proceed towards the east, the farther we get away
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from the west. The more we get closer to Him, the farther away we move
from the worldly attachments, and the faster He can grasp us towards Him
like a powerful magnet.
tIrtha--karah
nAma 696. tIwRkr> tIrtha
d) He Who has provided simple steps to access Him through His various
incarnations.
tIrtha-karAya namah.
The word tIrtham is derived from the root thRR - plavana taraNayoh - to
swim, to cross over. That through which one crosses over or swims is tIrtham.
The term tIrtham is used to refer to sources of water that purify a person.
The term is also used to refer to the sacred scriptures which purify a person
through their learning - taratyanena pApam aj~nAnam iti tIrtham, or making it
easier for us to reach Him through His various incarnations (para, vyUha,
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vibhava, arcA, antaryAmi). The "crossing over" can also refer to crossing over
the ocean of samsAra, the crossing over of all sins, etc.
tIrtham in the 4th line is to those who have learned the purifying pASuram-s,
who are even more pure than the pASurams themselves (SrI V. N. vedAnta
deSikan from ARAyirap paDi). Thus, tIrtham here refers to the three levels -
perumAL, the sacred AzhvAr's pASurams, and the devotees who chant them.
bhUtattAzhvAr also refers to those who sing His praise as "tIrtha-kara-s" -
eN tiSaiyum pErtta karam nAngu uDaiyAn pEr Odip pediagAL - tIrtha karar
Amin tirindu (iraNDAm tiruvantAdi - 14). - reference from SrI v.v.
rAmAnujan.
The term karah is used in two ways by the vyAkhyAna kartA-s: The Doer, from
the dhAtu kR - karaNe - to do; or to refer to karah - hand.
1) He has this nAma because He is the source of the holy rivers such as the
ganges, and the holy lakes such as the pushkara, which purify those that
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mediate on them or recite their names, just as His nAma purifies them.
3) He, Who is deep like an unreachable ocean, but makes it possible for the
devotees to reach Him through a series of incarnations that are like steps to
reach Him.
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lines of SrI BhaTTar's third interpretation above, bhagavAn is tIrtha-karah
also in the sense that He has provided this great AcArya paramparA starting
with Him, followed by pirATTi, vishvakesenar, etc., all the way down to our
current AcArya in order to enable us to reach Him.
b) SrI Samkara uses the meaning "vidyA" for tIrtham, and gives the
interpretation - caturdaSa vidyAnAm bAhya-vidyA-samayAnAm ca praNetA
pravaktA ca iti tIrtha-karah - He is the Teacher of the fourteen vidyA-s and
the auxiliary sciences, and so He is called tIrtha-karah. These include the
veda-s and other vidyA-s which He taught to brahma and the deva-s, as well
the other sciences that are contradictory to the vedic teachings that He gave
to the asura-s to deceive them.
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SrI cinmayAnanda comments that He is tIrtha-karah because He is the most
ancient Teacher of vidyA-s or tIrtha-s.
c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning "hand" for the word karah,
and gives the interpretation that He is called tIrtha-karah because He has
hands whose mere touch alone can purify anyone or anything - tIrthah tArakah
karo yasya iti tIrtha-karah. He gives support from SrImad bhAgavatam where
we find that the mere touch of bhagavAn was able to lift gajendra from his
a~jnAnam, to which he had been subjected through a previous curse (SApam)
from agastya muni. .
gajendro bhagavad-sparSAt vimuktah aj~nAna bandhanAt |
prApto bhagavato rUpam pItavAsAS-caturbhujah ||
(bhAga. 8. 4. 6)
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"By the touch of bhagavAn the elephant-king was relieved from the bondage of
a~jnAnam, and attained sArUpyam with bhagavAn, wearing the yellow silk
garment and endowed with four hands".
d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha comments that the nAma signifies that He is the
One who makes the Sun and all the other planets move around (tIrtham is used
in the sense of crossing over, and karah in the sense of making this possible
for the graha-s).
vasu--retAh
nAma 697. vsureta> vasu
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan has grouped the nAma-s up to 848 under the major title
"dushTa nigraha SishTa paripAlanam - the destruction of dushTa-s and the
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protection of the virtuous".
vasu as a noun can mean a class of deities (deva-bhedah), fire (analah), a ray of
light (raSmi), a rein or halter (vasU), gem (ratna), wealth (dhana), vishNu, the
intelligent or wise (vedhAh), etc.
The word retah is derived from the root rI - sravaNe - to flow. The term
retas is used to refer to the semen or seed, cause, etc.
a) SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning "lustre", related to "raSmi" for the word
vasu - vasu iti jyotih paryAyah, and the meaning "cause or source" for the word
retas, in his interpretation for the nAma, and thus gives the meaning "He Who
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is the Source of the Divine Lustre". He is also the One from Whom the other
objects including the Sun get their light.
SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya gives the interpretation for the nAma as "He Who has
His divya tejas as the cause for His incarnations".
"The Lord created the waters, and cast His Power into them. It became the
golden Egg, the prime source of Brahma".
As extract of the description of SrI cinmayAnanda for the above follows: "In
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the beginning of creation were the primeval waters. In this Ocean the Lord
dropped His Essence and it became a Golden Egg from which brahma, the
Creator, first arose. Thus, Lord, as the womb of all Creation, is mentioned in
the purANa-s as hiraNya-garbha, the Golden Womb".
c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the root vas - nivAse - to dwell, and derives
the meaning that One in Whom the whole universe resides is vasu. He uses the
meaning "root" or "cause" for the term retah, and thus gives the
interpretation that vasu-retA refers to One Who is the cause of all things in
this universe.
The dharma cakram writer gives the analogy that just as gold serves as the
base material for all gold ornaments, so also He serves as the base from which
all other beings arise. He shines like gold in the context of creation. Just as
gold needs to be admixed with a small amount of copper in order for it to be
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used in making jewels, so also the joining together of His vIryam with the
moola-prakRti results in the creation of the universe, with its pa'nca bhUta-s
etc.
vasu--pradah
nAmas 698, 699. vsuàd> vasu
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etc. One could think of nAma 270 as referring to His being the Bestower of
any wealth at all (the transient wealth etc. ), and nAma-s 698 and 699 as
referring to His being the Bestower of ever-lasting wealth and the associated
joy. The vyAkhyAna-kartA-s give their interpretations such that redundancy in
the meanings is avoided, thus establishing that there is no fault of punar-ukti
(redundancy or repetition) in the composition of vyAsa just because the nAma
repeats itself - the meaning is different in each of the occurrences.
vasu dhanam prakarsheNa dadAti iti vasu-pradah - One Who bestows wealth in
an eminent or superior way is vasu-pradah.
a) SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam for nAma 698 is that He gives the best of wealth
to the true seeker, in the form of Himself - thus He gives the parama nidhi -
the Treasure, to the true devotee. SrI BhaTTar gives the example of
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bhagavAn giving Himself as a son to devaki and vasu-deva.
For nAma 699, SrI BhaTTar gives the explanation that in the process of
offering Himself as their son to devaki and vasudeva, the Lord also gave them
the kIrti (vasu) of being His parents, and so He is vasu-pradah in this sense as
well. He also gave kIrti to daSaratha when He was born as rAma - ellai il SIr
daSarathan tan maganAit tOnRi (perumAL. 10. 11).
b) c) For nAma 698, SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that He has this
nAma because He is the true Giver of wealth even to the likes of kubera. Even
though kubera has the fame that he is the giver of wealth, he gets his fame as
giver of wealth purely by bhagavAn's Grace. For nAma 699, SrI Samkara
interprets the term wealth to specifically refer to the best of wealths, namely
moksham, and thus the interpretation here is that He is this nAma because He
is the Bestower of the greatest of wealths, which He alone can give.
d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the meaning "dwelling" for vasu, and gives the
interpretation that He has the nAma vasu-pradah because He provides Himself
as the place for the existence of all beings - vastatyasmin iti vasuh vAsastam
pradadAti iti vasu-pradah. In the next occurrence of the nAma, he interprets
the nAma as "The Giver of wealth".
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Thus, the nAma vasu-pradah has been interpreted variously as:
a) He Who gives Himself to His devotees as the best of treasures that they
seek;
d) He provides the dwelling place for all beings at the time of pralaya;
vAsu--devah
nAma 700. vasudev> vAsu
a) For nAma 334, SrI BhaTTar's interpretation was that bhagavAn is called
vAsu-deva because He is vAsu (One inwhom everything lives like in a mother,
and One who envelopes and protectseverything like a bird with its wings), and
He is a deva (One Who sports, or has this process of pervasion, permeation,
creation, protection, destruction, etc.,as a part of His leelA). So He is both a
vAsu and a deva, and so He is called vAsu-devah.
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vAsudevAya namah.
vimAna_vAsudhEvan-kadalmallai (Pic Courtesy ; B. Senthil)
For this nAma in Slokam 36, SrI Samkara also derives the meaning based on
the combination of the words vAsu anddeva, but he suggests that in addition
to His divine play in permeating everything and being the dwelling place for
everything, His play includes His covering everything with His mAyA (vasati -
AcchAdayati - covers, conceals,sheaths, envelops, etc. - vasati, vAsayati,
AcchAdayati vA sarvam itivAsuh). For the nAma in Slokam 76, he unequivocally
associates His play (being a deva) with enveloping the whole universe (vAsu)
with His mAyA - jagat AchchAdayati mAyayA iti vAsuh sa eva deva iti vAsu-
devah. The term 'mAyA' in the advaita system is interpreted as "illusion",
whereas in the viSishTAdvaitic system it refers to the wonderful power of
ISvara, whose effects are very real.
b) For the current occurrence of the nAma, both SrI Samkara and SrI
BhaTTar gives the explanation that He is called vAsu-deva because He is the
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son of vasudeva (vasudevasya apatyamvAsu-devah). SrI kRshNa datta
bhAradvAj gives the support from SrImad bhAgavatam, where bhagavAn
declares that He is called vAsu-deva because He was born as the son of vasu-
deva in the yadu kulam:
avatIrNo yadukule gRha Anakadundubheh |
vadanti vAsu-deveti vasu-deva-sutam hi mAm ||
e) One of the meanings for the root "div" (from which the word deva is
derived) is "to move around" - div krIDA vijigIshA vyavahAra dyuti stuti moda
mada svapna kAntigatishu. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses this last meaning
(gacchati, gamayati) for the word deva, and gives the interpretation for the
nAma as"One Who dwells in everything, and makes it possible for everything to
movearound". He gives reference to the ISAvAsya Upanishad mantra
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"ISAvAsyam idam sarvam yad-ki'nca jagatyAm jagat" as support.
SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that He has this nAma since He
lives in every living entity asthe jIva-entity. He supports his interpretation
with a reference to the gItA Slokam 18-61:
ISvarah sarva bhUtAnAmhRd-deSe'rjuna tishThati |
bhrAmayan sarva bhUtAni yantrArUDhAni mAyayA ||
(gItA18. 61)
"The Lord, O arujuna, abides in the heart of every being, spinning them round
and round, mounted on a wheel as it were, by His power".
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hRd-deSe sakala-pravRtti-nivRttimUla-j~nAnodaye deSe tishThati".
f) He Who conceals Himself (from those who are not devoted to Him).
The term vasu refers to one who dwells, wealth, one who conceals, etc. (see
nAma 697).
a) For the first occurrence of this nAma in Slokam 12, SrI BhaTTar comments
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that bhagavAn is vasuh because He dwells in the hearts of His devotees as He
is pleased even with the slightest of devotion. SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us
to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi 8. 8. 1, where he declares this saulabhyam of
perumAL: kaNgaL Sivandu peria vAi…. . on Sa'ngu gadai vAL AzhiyAn oruvan
aDiyEn uLLAnE (The one unique Lord shines as my soul's soul inside me). Sri
rAmAnujan's anubhavam is that if someone counts number sequentially starting
from one, when they count 26, He will consider that they have finished
counting the 24 tattva-s, and the 25th as AtmA, and when they count the
number 26, He will consider that this person is thinking of Him as the 26th,
and will rush to dwell in this person. If someone casually keeps recalling the
names of familiar hills, and somewhere mention the names of tirumalai or
tirumAl irum Solai, He will consider this as their recollecting His place, and will
rush to their side. Such is His desire to help the devotee and redeem the
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jIva.
The dharma cakram writer points out that just like a child which gets
distracted with some toys and forgets its mother, we get distracted with the
trivial materialistic wealth often and forget Him; but just as the mother
embraces the child when it cries for her, bhagavAn embraces us when we cry
for Him instead of for the materialistic pleasures, and realize that He is the
wealth of all wealths.
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the context of kRshNa incarnation, and he explains the nAma vasuh as
referring to His dwelling in the Milk-Ocean, from where He takes His
incarnations for our benefit. SrI BhaTTar quotes the following in support:
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that He is the in-dweller in all beings, and all beings dwell in Him, or that He is
one of the eight vasu-s Himself (vasUnAm pAvakaScAsmi - gItA 10. 23); In
Slokam 23, SrI Samkara gives several interpretations: He is the Wealth that
He gives Himself to His devotees; He is vasuh because He conceals Himself
with His mAyA (vas to cover); He is one of the vasu-s in the form of vAyu
(vasur-antarikshasat - kaThopanishad 2. 2. 3 - He is vasu dwelling in the
atmosphere.
The dharma cakram writer identifies the nAma with fire, which according to
him is the most important of the ashTa vasu-s in nature.
g) SrI cinmayAnanda gives the explanation that He is the final refuge of all,
and this is what is signified by this nAma.
vasu--manAh
nAma 702. vsumna> vasu
d) He Who has a pure mind (He dwells in every thing without distinction)
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e) He Who has a mind which is filled with vAtsalyam to His devotees.
f) He Who has a mind that leads to His removing the difficulties of His
devotees.
g) He Who has complete knowledge of the type of body and other needs of all
beings.
a) In Slokam 12, where SrI BhaTTar interpreted the nAma vasuh as "He Who
dwells in His devotees' minds" even when they display the slightest of
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SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN comments that all that bhagavAn look for is the
wealth of pure devotion to Him from His devotees - aki'ncana bhaktadhaneshu
mano yasya sa vasu-manAh.
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives this as a support for the current nAma, and
comments that perumAL's tiruvaDi shines brightly when He is relieved of His
sorrow on finding His devotee.
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phrase of nammAzhvAr: It is bhagavAn whose tuyar or sorrow is removed,
and His Divine Feet shine brilliantly, as they get in contact with His dear
devotees. Such is the importance of the devotees and their happiness to
bhagavAn. Bhagavad rAmAnuja's anubhavam is that He suffers when the
devotees suffer, and He feels happy when the devotee feels happy, as
described in SrImad rAmAyaNam, ayodhyA kANDam, 2. 42:
SrI rAmAnujan also gives support for this interpretation of SrI BhaTTar from
tiruma'ngai AzhvAr's tiruneDuntANDakam (1) - endai taLir puraiyum tiruvaDi
entalai mElavE.
SrI periyavAccAn piLLai explains that it is only after coming into contact with
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AzhvAr's head that His tiriuvaDi got their life; until that time they were like
dried leaf. The point to be noted is thatfor bhagavAn, association with His
devotee is the most important treasure, which He longs for - hence His nAma
as vasu-manAh.
b) For the current occurrence of the nAma vasu-manAh, SrI BhaTTar follows
up on his interpretation of the previous nAma (701) - vasuh, which he
interpreted as "One Who dwells in the Milk-Ocean ready to take the different
incarnations for the benefit of mankind". He interprets the current nAma as
indicating that though He was resting in the Milk-Ocean, His manas was with
vasu-deva - vasu-manAh (the term vasu in this nAma referring to vasu-deva),
to whom He decided to be born as the son for His kRshNa incarnation. SrI
BhaTTar points out that just as the term 'datta' without any other
qualification always refers to deva-datta, and the term 'bhAmA' refers to
satyabhAmA, so also scholars in mahA-bhAshya have interpreted the name
vasu to refer to vasu-deva. Even though He resides in the Milk-ocean, the
birth place of lakshmi, His mind is with vasu-deva, and this is why He chooses
to be born as vasu-deva's child.
c) d) For this nAma in Slokam 12, SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that
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He has the nAma vasu-manAh since He has a manas which is vasu (pure,
excellent, superior); His mind is not polluted with desire, aversion, pride, etc.
(raga-dveshAdibhih kleSaih madAdibhih up-kleSaiSca yato nakalushitam cittam
tatah tan-manah praSastam; praSastam mano yasya sah vasu-manAh). For the
current occurrence of this nAma, SrI Samkara gives the interpretationthat
He is has a mind which is pure and excellent in the sense that He dwells
ineveryone's mind without distinction, and treats everyone equally - a-
viSesheNasarveshu vishayeshu vasati iti vasuh, tAdRSam manah asya iti vasu-
manAh.
The dharma cakram writer explains that while most people are used to think of
only their own selves and their own welfare, a person who strives to put
vedAnta into practice will have the broad mind to think of the welfare of
others, and will see God in everything he encounters. He realizes that
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e) f) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses yet other meanings for the word vasu
(vas- snehe - to love, and vas- apaharaNe - to take away, based on vas -snehac-
cheda apaharaNeshu - to love, to cut, to take away). His first interpretation is
that this nAma signifies bhagavAn's vAtsalyam (vasu snehahvAtsalyam tan
manasi yasya iti vasu-manAh). His second interpretation, based on vas -
apaharaNa - to take away, is that He has this nAma because He has a mind
which makes Him take away or remove the sufferings of His devotees -
vAsayati apaharati vipadahsva-janAnAm iti vasu; tAdRSam mano yasya iti vasu-
manAh.
g) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the root man - j~nAne - to know, to think, and
gives the interpretation that this nAma signifies that bhagavAn is the Knower
ofthe type of body, and the relative requirements of heat, air, water, etc., for
the different kinds of beings, and so He is vasu-manAh - One Who knows the
various needs, constitution, etc., of all the creatures (yena
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prakAreNanivasitum arhati, pRthak pRthak SarIra-kRte katham vidhasya
aushNyasya, kim vASitasya, kim vA jalasya, kim vA vAyoh AvaSyakatA astiiti
sarvam vishNuh jAnAti,tasmAt sa vasu-manAh ukto bhavati).
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b) He Who is satisfied or pleased.
havishe namah.
The word havih is derived from the root hu - dAnAdanayoh - to offer, to
performa sacrifice. The derivation and the different interpretations for the
nAma mahA-havih (nAma 683 - Slokam 72), has been given before. Briefly,
the term havis refers to any material offered in a sacrifice in general.
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In a more general sense, bhagavAn describes Himself as havih in gItA
Slokam4. 24. This Slokam and its meaning have been explained under nAma 683
(Slokam72) in detail. SrI Samkara gives his interpretation for the current
nAma as "He Who is the Oblation in the sacrifice", and gives the above-
referenced gItA Slokam in support. His explanation is that a Brahman-knower
knows that the havis is nothing but Brahman - brahma arpaNam yenakaraNena
brahma-vit havih agnau arpayati tat brahmaiva iti paSyati.
lying on the bed of arrows, and bestowed moksham on him, and this is what is
signified by the nAma "havih".
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SlOkam 75
sÌit> sTk«it> sÄa sÑUit> sTpray[>,
sad--gatih
nAma 704. sÌit> sad
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d) He Who is attainable by the good.
sat refers to that which is good, or those who are good. gatih means path.
a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation for the current nAma as "One Who
provides the right path for the good or virtuous". The "right path" is that
which leads to eternal peace and tranquility. SrI BhaTTar gives the example of
how even at time of birth of Lord kRshNa, the virtuous people saw all signs of
tranquility all around them. He gives support from vishNu purANam, 5.3, which
elaborately describes the tranquility and auspicious signs at the time of birth
of child kRshNa to devaki. One of the Sloka-s from the reference is:
santah santosham adhikam praSamam canDa mArutah |
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prasAdam nimagnA yAtA jAyamAne janArdane ||
(vishNu purA.5.3.4)
"The virtuous experienced new delight, the strong winds subsided, and the
river glided tranquilly, as janArdana was about to be born".
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives additional examples. As soon as Lord kRshNa was
born to devaki, He unfettered vasudeva from the shackles that held him in
prison; Even as a child, and He ridded the asura-s from amongst the gopi-s and
gopa-s in nandagopa's place. SrI rAmAnujan observes that in addition to His
being sad-gatih (the path for the good), He is also asad-gatih - The Redeemer
of the bad also, like SiSupAla. So He is the gati for asat-s also.
kAkAsuran.
b) SrI Samkara gives the significance of the nAma as "He Who is the Goal or
Refuge for the good". He quotes from taittirIya Upanishad, which says that
"If a person knows that Brahman exists, then the wise call him good" - asti
brahmeti ced veda, santamenam tato viduh (taitt. 2.6).
sat--kRtih
nAma 705. sTk«it> sat
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stealing butter, getting tied to the mortar, etc. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers to
bhagavAn's own words about His acts - janma karma ca me divyam (gItA4.9),
where He Himself describes His karma-s or acts as divine. The mere
contemplation of even His acts will release the person who contemplates on
these from the bondage of samsAra.
His divine acts do not just stop with the lovable acts in His childhood, but
extend to all aspects of creation, protection and destruction. nammAzhvAr
starts the description of His leelA-s in 6.4.1, and goes on listing more and more
of His acts in the next 11 pASuram-s, frequently interspersing with
"maRRumpala", indicating that they are countless, even though he is listing
some examples (This list reminds one of Lord kRshNa's description of just a
few examples of His indescribable vibhUti in chapter 10 of the gItA):
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kuravai AicciyarODu kOttadum, kunRam onRu Endiyadum,
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punat tuzhAi muDi mAlai mArban … (6.4.7);
b) SrI cinmayAnanda reminds us that even those acts of His that may seem
destructive (such as His role in the mahA bhArata war, the killing of the
rAkshasa-s such as rAvaNa etc.), are really for the good of the individual and
for the protection of the world. All His actions are in harmony and are meant
for the establishment of peace.
SrI Samkara specifically emphasizes that His acts are sat-kRti-s because they
are meant for protecting the universe - sati kRtih, jagad-rakshaNAdi
lakshaNA asya yasmAt tena sat-kRtih.
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aham smarAmi mad-bhaktam nayAmiparamAm gatim ||
Existence Incarnate.
sattAyai namah.
a) The word sat refers to existence. Slokam 17.26 of bhagavad gItA explains
the meaning of the word sat:
sad-bhAve sAdhu-bhAve ca sad-ityetat prayujyate |
praSaste karmaNi tathA sac-chabdah pArtha yujyate ||
(gItA 16.26)
"The term sat is used in the sense of existence and goodness. And so also, O
arjuna, the word is applied to an auspicious action".
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The addition of the affix tva or tal (ta or tA) to a word in the sixth case leads
to the sense of "the nature thereof" according to pANinisUtra 5.1.119 (tasya
bhAvah tva-talau) - SrI satyadevo vAsishTha. Thus, sattA means "He Who is
of the nature of Existence".
(gItA 10.39)
"I am also that which is the seed of all beings, O arjuna. Nothing that moves or
is stationary, exists without Me".
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SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to tirumazhiSai AzhvAr’s nAnmugan tiruvantAdi
(7) –
“Without You we do not exist, and as for You, if we are not the ones You
protect, there is nothing else for You to protect”.
The vijAtIya bhedam is the difference that we observe between the different
species, such as the difference between man and animal. It is because of
vijAtIya bhedam that a dog attacks the cat, and one species attacks another.
One who has true knowledge sees all species as equals, and shows respect and
love for all without distinction. Again, bhagavAn is beyond this kind of bhedam
as well.
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BhagavAn is beyond all these bheda-s (the root cause of our not realizing Him.
The nature of sat is to see unity in everything at all levels. When this state is
reached, it is the pure personification of sat or good. Such is bhagavAn, and so
He is called sattA.
sad--bhUtih
nAma 707. sÑUit> sad
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a) The wealth, in all forms, for the good.
SrI BhaTTar points out that for the true devotee, He is the son, friend,
messenger, charioteer, and everything else also.
SrI aNNan'ngarAcArya svAmi points out that this means that He is their help
in all forms.
b) SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that this nAma means "One Who
has Rich Glories". He interprets bhUti as referring to His aiSvaryam - wealth,
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power, happiness, etc. Alternatively, he gives the interpretation that the nAma
refers to "One Who has taken different incarnations", exhibiting in all of them
the glories of the Supreme.
d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the root bhU - sattAyAm - to be, to live, for
the term bhUti, and thus gives the interpretation suggestive of "His truly
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sat--parAyaNam
nAma 708. sTpray[> (or) sTpray[m! sat
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"BhagavAn is the supreme support for the good" for the first version, and for
the second, he gives the interpretation "The good are His supreme support".
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onRu illA aDiyEn un aDi-kIzh amarndu pugundEnE" (tiruvAi. 6.10.10), as support
for SrI BhaTTar's interpretation.
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"nAraNanE! nee ennai anRi ilai!" (nAnmugan tiru. 7), which has been referenced
before (e.g., under nAma 706 in this Slokam).
SUra--senah
nAma 709. zUrsen> SUra
has a mighty army. SUrA senA yasya iti SUra-senah (SrI kRshNa datta
bhAradvAj).
SrI BhaTTar observes that bhagavAn had a great army of yAdava-s and
pANDava-s when He relieved the Earth of her burden by eliminating the
wicked kaurava-s.
SrI Samkara refers to Lord rAma's great and valiant army consisting of the
likes of hanuman –
b) Alternately, SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the word SUra from the root
Su - to go, based on the uNAdi sutra - Su si ci mInAm dIrghASca (sutra 185) -
the root is elongated and the rak pratyaya is added, leading to SUra. He
derives the word senA from the root si - bandhane - to bind. Thus, he gives
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the interpretation that this nAma indicates that bhagavAn binds the creatures
that have the ability to move around such that they function as a unit with all
their parts intact. We are given the ability to walk and to run fast, but we do
not ever worry about our legs falling apart as we run. We watch a dancer
dance, and in the process our eyes move all around, but there is never a
thought in us that the eyes will fall out as they move around constantly. This
general rule, trivial as it may seem, is an important part of the whole world
functioning - when the planets keep moving around, we do not worry about
their falling apart, colliding with each other, etc. All this is because of
bhagavAn- the SUra-sena, who keeps everything bound in a way that
everything functions as a unit and all things co-exist with each other. SrI
vAsishTha-s summary of this interpretation is - evameva sakalam carAcara
dRSyam adRSyam ca cintayam acintayam ca jagat tasya vishNoh SUra-senatva
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lakshaNam guNam prakASayan SUra-sena abhidhAnam labhate.
The learned people know and understand that bhagavAn has given us the
freedom to move around, and at the same time He is the One who keeps us all
together as one unit, and has established the rules for all of us to follow. The
mahA-purusha-s understand this simple and universal secret that permeates in
everything all around, and praise this SUra-sena and thereby all their sins are
removed.
The dharma cakram writer illustrates the significance of this nAma in terms of
the mahA bhArata war. In that war, bhagavAn used the pANDava army
consisting of the good people such as arjuna, and defeated the wicked kaurava-
s. When duryodhana enlisted good people such as bhIshma and droNa on his
side, and when arjuna hesitated to kill them for the sake of dharma, bhagavAn
imparted true knowledge to him and made him fight. It was thus with
bhagavAn's help that arjuna could win the war.
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is the lesson that we should take from this nAma.
yadu--SreshThah
nAma 710. yÊïeó> yadu
b) He Who is Best among those who strive (for the redemption of the jIva-s).
yadu-SreshThAya namah.
a) yadushu SreshThah iti yadu-SreshThah (SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj) - He
Who is the most praise-worthy among the yadu-s; yadUnAm paradhAnatvAt
yadu-SreshThah (SrI Samkara) - The Chief of the yadu-s, the clan to which
kRshNa belonged. SrI BhaTTar gives support from vishNu purANa (5.20.37):
"This is He who has been foretold by the wise, skilled in the sense of the
purANa-s, as gopAla, who shall exalt the depressed yAdava race".
The depressed state of yAdava kulam was because of kamsa (SrI v.v.
rAmAnujan). SrI aNNan'garAcArya refers to yayAti's curse on the yadu kulam
as the reason for the depressed state of the yadu clan.
b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives his interpretation from the root yat -
prayatne - to attempt, to strive for, and gives the meaning "One whose nature
it is to strive for" (yateh yatuh prayatna-SIlah); SreshThah is explained on
the basis of the pANini sUtra "praSasya Srah" (sutra 5.3.60), which states
that Sra is substituted for praSasya when followed by the affix "ishThan".
The affix ishThan represents the superlative (pANini sutra atiSAyine tamap
ishThanau - 5.3.54). Thus, SreshThah refers to One who is the most
praiseworthy. Thus, the meaning that SrI vAsishTha derives for the nAma
yadu-SreshThah is "One who is most praiseworthy among those who strive, or
put in effort". He gives the examples of bhagavAn constantly nourishing and
sustaining the different life forms in the form of the Sun, and His being the
Soul of all the souls in our heart, and constantly driving the function of the
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heart to sustain life. In fact, even after the body falls, the AtmA continues to
live and does not get destroyed. This principle is true of everything else as
well (the principle of conservation of energy?). Perhaps the best example of
His being "the Best among those who strive - yadu-SreshThah", is in His
constantly striving to reach the jIva-s and trying to provide for opportunities
for them to re-unite with Him;
He does this by providing the veda-s to us for our guidance, by taking the arcA
form so that He is always accessible to us, by providing opportunities again and
again for us by giving us a body so that we can use it to reach Him, etc. On a
different level, His efforts to bring a reconciliation between the pANDava-s
and the kaurava-s by repeatedly trying His very best to impart sense in the
kaurava-s to avoid the war, is also an example of His being the best among
those who strive hard to achieve the best for everyone.
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As with all other nAma-s, the dharma cakram writer relates the significance of
the nAma to our day-to-day life. He points out that in the case of Lord
kRshNa, because He was born in the yadu kulam, the clan itself became
famous, the place He lived - gokulam - became well-known, the day He was born
is widely celebrated, and both His natural parents and His adopted parents
became famous. Thus, when one is praiseworthy, everything else associated
with this individual also becomes praiseworthy. This is how kRshNa's guNa of
yadu-SreshThah is to be meditated. TiruvaLLuvar says: "tOnRin pugazhoDu
tOnRuga; ahdu ilAdAr tOnRalin tOnRAmai nanRu". We should use this gift of
life in a way that our life is praiseworthy; if we don't live such that our life
and everything associated with us is praiseworthy, we would have wasted this
precious gift of life.
The lesson to take from this nAma is that we should meditate on this quality
of bhagavAn, and live a life that leads to the mental maturity to constantly
meditate on Him and elevate ourselves to be SreshTha-s in our worship of Him.
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san--nivAsah
nAma 711. siÚvas> san
rAmAnujan).
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the support from rAmAyaNa, where tArA
praises rAma as "nivAsa vRkshah sAdhUnAm ApannAnAm parA
gatih" (kishkindA. 15.19).
SrI BhaTTar gives the reference from vishNu purANam, where akrUra
describes his anubhavam of sanandana and other seers meditating intensely on
bhagavAn:
"(SrI kRshNa in gokulam) is the object of meditation for sanandana and other
seers, who remain there, who are flawless, who have attained perfection in
yoga and who do the meditation with their eyes fixed at the tip of their nose".
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha takes "sat" to mean "those that are permanent and
unchanging" - (satAm - vinASa rahitAnAm, pravAhato nityAnAm,Apralaya
sthAyinAm), and gives the interpretation that this nAma indicates that He is
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the dwelling place of all these jIva-s who are eternal, and who do not go
through the cycle and birth and dealth (the nitya sUri-s), and He also dwells in
them (loka lokAntarANi nija sattAyAm vAsayantam, teshu vA vasantam iti
bhAvah).
su--yAmunah
nAma 712. suyamun> su
d) He Who lifts up and protects the jIva-s during the time of pralaya.
su-yAmunAya namah.
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The term yAmunah has been interpreted by SrI BhaTTar as "One who is
associated with the river yamunA". YAmunam also means a kind of colyrium
that is applied to the eye; some interpreters have used this meaning as the
basis for their interpretation.
a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation "He with the delightful sport in the
yAmuna river" - Sobhanam pAvanam manoharam yamunAsambandhi jala-
krIDApushpAcaya rAsa-krIDAdi yasya iti su-yAmunah - "He is su-yAmunah
because of all of His activities that are connected with yamuna, activities
which are pure, auspicious and fascinating like water-sport (in its waters),
culling of flowers (on its banks), and dance with the gopis (on its sands)".
b) SrI Samkara interprets the term yAmuna to refer to the gopa-s who lived
on the banks of the river yamunA (yamunA sambandhinah yAmunah); since
Lord kRshNa was surrounded by the good yAmuna-s such as devaki, vasudeva,
nanda,yasodA, balabhadra, subhadrA, and others, He has this nAma su-
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yAmunah.
"(I behold) the form of a divine boy, attractive with the advent of adolescence
and surrounded by nArada and others with their limbs covered with hairs
standing on end at the taste of the Bliss Supreme, and by that bevy of
charming maidens of the form of shining upanishads".
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c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning "a type of collyrium" for the
term yAmunam, and gives the interpretation "sundaram yAmunam
nayanaa'njanam yasya iti su-yAmunah" - He Who has beautiful collyrium
decorating His eyes.
d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the root yam - uparame - to lift up, as the
basis for his interpretation. He gives the meaning "yacchati,uparamayati" -
"He who lifts up", to the word yAmunah. His interpretation is thus - Sobhano
yAmunah su-yAmuno vishNuh - One Who lifts up (the souls) in an auspicious
way (during the time of pralaya) -
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Slokam 76
ÉUtavasae vasudev> svaRsuinlyae=nl>,
bhUtA--vasah
nAma 713. ÉUtavas> bhUtA
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bhUtA-vAsAaya namah.
The word bhUtAh can be derived from the root bhU - bhav - to be; bhavantiiti
bhUtAni. The word vAsAh is derived from the root vas - nivAse - to dwell.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the derivation - samantAdvasanti bhUtAni
yasmin sah bhUtA-vAso vishNuh - He in Whom all beings everywhere live is
bhUtA-vAsah.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan comments that Lord kRshNa revealed through several
viSva rUpa darSana-s that He is bhUtA-vasah, One in Whom all beings reside.
SrI rAmAnujan gives references to the gItA and to divya prabandham in
support:
(gItA 11.15)
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"O Lord, I behold in Your body all the gods and all the diverse hosts of beings,
brahma, Siva, the seers, and the lustrous snakes" - (arjuna's words as he has
the viSva rUpa darSanam).
(gItA 7.7)
His mouth - "vaiyam Ezhum kaNDAL piLLai vAyuLE" (periAzhvAr tiru. 1.1.6)
SrI Samkara vyAkhyAnam is: bhUtAni atra abhimukhyena vasanti iti bhUtA-
vAsah - He in whom all beings, in essence, dwell, is bhUtA-vAsah.
b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj interprets the nAma as "He who dwells in the
devotees who perform His worship and sing His praise" - bhUteshu bhajana
parAyaNeshu prANishu AvAso yasya iti bhUtA-vAsah.
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and on the land. Those that fly in the air are primarily of the nature of vAyu.
He says that if the ashes from burnt cow dung are let stand for 50 years,
there will be an insect that originates from this that will be fire-proof, and
thus has fire as its principal nature. Thus, bhagavAn has created the
different creatures in different ways, and associated them with the pa'nca
mahA bhUta-s indifferent ways. There is variety also in the way the different
creatures reproduce themselves. Some creatures that live in water lay their
eggs outside water, on land, because of the need for heat in hatching the egg.
Even in poison, there are germs that survive and live and thrive. All these are
illustrations of the fact that He is bhUta AvAsah - One in Whom everything
lives, and One Who lives in everything. SrI vAsishTha refers us to the Rg
vedic hymn - vishNoh karmANi paSyata (1.22.19) - Look at vishNu's works,
whereby He has let His great ways be seen.
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vAsu--devah.
nAma 714. vasudev> vAsu
vAsu-devAya namah.
This nAma has been covered under nAma 700.
sarvAsu--nilayah
nAma 715. svaRsuinly> sarvAsu
a) BhagavAn is the necessary and essential support for His true devotees who
cannot live without Him;
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c) He is the final resting place for all souls at the time of pralaya.
The sum total of all this is that all the beings dwell in Him and have Him as
their support during their existence in this world and during their laya in Him
during pralaya.
SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has this nAma indicating
that He is the indispensable support for His devotees - sarva prANa
Alambanam sarvAsunilayah. Alambanam means abode or support. SrI BhaTTar
gives support from mahA bhArata, uttara kANDam (28.22), which describes
how kRshNa's arrival at hastinApuram was greeted by the people there with
the joy that one would feel if the sun appears all of a sudden in a place that
has been dark for a long time, or when breeze arrives in a region where there
has been no wind for a long time:
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SrI Samkara interprets asu as prANa, the life-energy, the indestructible jIva,
and explains the meaning of the nAma as "He Who is the abode of all life-
energies, being the indestructible jIva Himself" -
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri suggests the explanation for the nAma as "He Who
is the final resting place for all jIva-s" - "ellA uyirgaLum oDu'ngum iDam". Just
as the indriya-s act as if they are independent of the jIva in the waking state,
but lose this so-called independence in the sleeping state, the jIva merges into
Him at the time of pralaya, and so He is the nilaya or the final resting place
for all the asu-s or jIva-s.
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an--alah
nAma 716. Anl> an
a) He Who is never satisfied that He has done enough for His devotees.
c) He Who receives the prANa Sakti as His own and functions in the form of
the jIvAtmA (SrI Samkara).
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i) He who rejuvenates His devotees who intensely long for Him (an - prANane ).
analAya namah.
This nAma occurred as nAma 294 in Slokam 32 earlier.
a) For the occurrence of this nAma in Slokam 32, SrI BhaTTar uses the
meaning al - paryApti - to be satisfied, and gives the interpretation to the
nAma an-alah as "He Who is not satisfied". In spite of all that He does for His
devotees, He feels that He has done nothing to help His devotee - "na ki'ncit
kRtam eshAm mayA iti avitRptah". SrI BhaTTar quotes the incident from
mahA bhArata, where Lord kRshNa expresses His feeling of being permanently
in debt to draupadi who cried out for His help.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan describes that even though He protected her when she
cried out for help, and even though in addition He helped the pANDava-s by
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changing the day into night, violating His promise not to take to arms during
the war, etc., still His heart was heavy that He did not do enough to help
draupadi. As Lord kRshNa was departing to SrI vaikunTham after the purpose
of His incarnation was completed, He said relating to this incident: RNam
pravRddhamiva me hRdayAt nApasarpati (udyoga. 28.22) - "(That cry of help
uttered by draupadi even from a distance calling me "govinda", even though I
was far away in dvArakA) - that cry is never away from My mind, like a debt
that has increased over time with interest accumulated on it".
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives another dimension to His not being "satisfied"
- He is not satisfied with just the materialistic offering during His worship,
but will be satisfied only when it is offered with bhakti or devotion. Bhakti is
the only requirement for satisfying Him, and not any accompanying
materialistic offerings.
b) For the current occurrence of the nAma an-alah, SrI BhaTTar gives the
additional interpretation that bhagavAn has this nAma because of His guNa of
not being able to put up with apacAram to His devotees. SrI BhaTTar quotes
the following words of bhagavAn:
(bhA. sabhA.68.26)
"At the time of destruction, two persons will not at all be forgiven by Me. I will
kill Him who obstructs the conduct of this sacrifice, and also him who is ill-
disposed to the pANDava-s".
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SrI rAmAnujan also refers us to the incident where Lord kRshNa refused to
take the offering in duryodhana's house because of duryodhana's attitude of
hatred towards the pANDava-s.
c) Under Slokam 32, one of the interpretations given by SrI Samkara is based
on looking at the nAma as ana-lah. ana refers to prANa, and the root lA means
"AdAne dAne ca - to take, to obtain". His interpretation is "anAn prANAn
Atmatvena lAti iti ana-lah". The translators have generally translated this to
mean that He receives the prANa Sakti as His own and functions in the form
of the jIvAtmA, and hence this nAma.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the same approach as above, but gives the
interpretation that since bhagavAn ultimately takes away the prANa-s to Him,
He is called ana-lah.
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d) Another alternate interpretation that SrI Samkara gives is based on the
root nal - gandhe bandhane ca - to smell, to bind. In this interpretation, the
nAma is explained as a-nalah; na alam asya sah a-nalah - He Who is beyond
smell etc. SrI Samkara gives support from bRhadAraNya upanishad:
a-sthUlam anaNvahrAsvam a-dIrgham a-lohitam a-sneham acc-chAyam …..
a-mAtram anantaram a-bAhyam …(3.8.8.) -
Brahman is neither big nor small, neither short nor tall, not colored, not
wettable, can't be measured, etc.
e) For the current occurrence of the nAma analah, SrI Samkara uses the
meaning "limit" for alam - paryApati, and gives the interpretation that this
nAma signifies that bhagavAn is unlimited in His energies and powers - alam
paryAptih Sakti sampadAm na asya vidyata iti an-alah.
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interpretation that bhagavAn is unlimited in His desire to help His devotees
(see above). Both experiences are true, and are different dimensions of His
guNa, the first expounding His parattvam, and the second expounding His
vAtsalyam. Further appreciation of this difference in approach between SrI
Samkara and SrI BhaTTar can be gleaned from the article that was posted
earlier, comparing the two vyAkhyAna-s.
f) SrI cinmayAnanda takes the meaning "fire" for "analah", and comments that
the nAma can refer to His being in the form of Fire and sustaining our body
with the right amount of warmth that is needed for the sustenance of our
body.
g) h) Using the meaning "paryApti - tRpti vacana" for the term alam, SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha interprets an-alah as "One Who does not have an end". In
addition, using the meaning vAraNa - resistance or opposition for the word
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"alam", he gives the alternate interpretation "He Who has no one to oppose
Him" for the nAma an-alah. He gives several Sruti references:
(atharva. 5.11.4);
na dvitIyo na tRtIyah
(atharva. 13.4.16);
(Rg. 10.48.5);
i) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj takes an approach different from others, and
gives his interpretation starting with the root an - prANane - to live, to
breathe. Using the uNAdi sUtra "vRshAdibhayaScit - (1.106)" - he derives the
word analah, and gives the interpretation "Anayati samujjIvayati tapah: kRSAn
sva-janAn sva-darSanena iti analah" - He Who rejuvenates His devotees who
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are engaged in intense tapas on Him, by giving His darSanam to them.
darpa--hA
nAma 717. dpRha darpa
SrI BhaTTar gives the above interpretation, and points out instances of
bhagavAn destroying the pride of the deva-s and asura-s without destroying
the deva-s or asura-s themselves. He gives as examples the instance of
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BhagavAn lifting up the govardhana mountain against the lashing rains caused
by indra, the carrying away of the pArijAta tree from the garden of indra,
chopping off the grove-like arms of bANAsura, etc.
SrI Samkara explains the nAma as referring to bhagavAn repressing the pride
of those that stray from the path of dharma.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that darpam refers to acts that are
undertaken when one becomes ecstatic without knowing one's own position
(relative to bhagavAn), and starts indulging in actions that are not consistent
with dharma. This applies to those who do not follow the path of dharma, as
well as to those who follow dharma but momentarily get carried away from the
success of their dhArmic acts and start feeling pride in their
accomplishments. In these later cases, bhagavAn imparts a lesson to these
people by temporarily posing some obstacle.
The dharma cakram writer gives a similar explanation, and describes darpa as
the act performed by us when we do not realize that the self is different
from the body, and falsely feel ownership for our action. BhagavAn creates
obstacles as needed under these circumstances, and strives to remove this
pride.
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha explains the darpa-hA guNa of bhagavAn by alluding
to the day-to-day events in our lives. He observes that most jIva-s consider
themselves independent of Him and feel proud. Then, off and on when these
same jIva-s observe someone else undergo suffering, momentarily their pride
gives way to a temporary annihilation of a tiny part of their pride. Thus He
performs His act of destroying the pride constantly (darpa-hA), even as He is
the Bestower of pride to us (see next nAma).
darpa--dah
nAma 718. dpRd> darpa
a) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the explanation - darpo harshah; tam
sAttvikebhyo dadAti AtmAnam pradarSya iti darpa-dah. BhagavAn makes His
true devotees proud by revealing Himself to them.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains that bhagavAn gives pride (darpo garvah) to
His devotees when they have to face the opponents of dharma. He gives the
example of Hanuman bubbling with God-given pride when he was crossing the
ocean going in search of sItA pirATTi, when he was addressing rAvaNa, etc.
Thus bhagavAn gives the strength in the form of pride to His devotee as
necessary.
SrI cinmayAnanda points out that bhagavAn creates this pride in His devotees,
which helps them in their urge to be the best among the righteous and the
virtuous. This pride is their protection from compromising in even a small way
in any act. This is positive 'pride' of a higher order, and not the pride referred
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to in the previous nAma.
The dharma cakram writer comments that pride per se is not bad. If it is used
negatively then it is bad, but if it is used to advance dharma, then it is good. It
is like a knife that can be used to cut a fruit or cut the hand. A pure devotee
of vishNu should feel proud about his position, and this will help him advance
further spiritually. The feeling of pride reflecting as "I am following the path
of dharma; I am a sesha (servant) of the Lord; I cannot be defeated in my
objective of attaining Him" is a positive pride that is good.
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to this object. In addition to his expertise in samskRt grammar, the veda-s,
etc., SrI vAsishTha's expertise also includes Ayurveda, jyotisha etc. For this
nAma, he indicates that the aspect of attractiveness arises from the influence
of moon and Venus, and they in turn have their powers because of bhagavAn.
He gives reference to the Sruti - tadevAgnis- tad-Adityas-tad vAyus-tadu-
candramAh (yajur. 32.1).
c) He Who is proud.
a-dRptAya namah.
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SrI BhaTTar gives his vyAkhyAnam using the nAma a-dRptah first, followed by
the vyAkhyAnam for the nAma as dRptah as an alternate. SrI Samkara uses
dRptah in his vyAkhyAnam.
a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for a-dRptah is - "One Who does not become
proud". In His kRshNa incarnation, even though He did many great things, He
never became proud, because of His majestic nature. SrI BhaTTar quotes the
following in support:
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj interprets the nAma as "nityam harsha mayatvAt
dRptah", and "garva rahitatvAt a-dRptah" - "He is dRptah because of His
eternal Blissful nature", and "He is a-dRptah because He is devoid of pride".
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c) dRptah - He Who is proud. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri follows this line, and
gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is proud as the Fighter for dharma.
dur--dharah
nAma 720. ÊxRr> dur
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c) He Who is difficult to be held in concentration (except by those of trained
mind).
dur-dharAya namah.
The word dharah is derived from the root dhR - dhAraNe - to hold, to bear, to
support; The word duhkhena is interpreted in the sense of "with great
difficulty or trouble". Thus, the meaning of the nAma dur-dharah is "One Who
can be held in one's mind only with great difficulty", or "One Who is difficult
to control and be held down physically (as child kRshNa)". SrI BhaTTar uses
the latter meaning and interprets the nAma in terms of kRshNa's childhood
leelA-s. The other vyAkhyAna-kartA-s use the former meaning to illustrate
the difficulty of meditating on Him and realizing Him except by those with
trained minds.
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canst" (yasodA's words to kRshNa after He was tied to a mortar).
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives support from divya prabandham: "kaDainda naR-
pAlum tayirum nee piRandaduvE mudalAgap peRRaRiyEn empirAnE!", veNNaik
kuDattai uruTTi iLam piLLai kiLLi ezhuppi kaNNaip puraTTi vizhittu
kazhagaNDu Seiyum pirAnE!", "kanRinai vAlOlai kaTTi kanigaL udira eRindu, pin
toDarndu ODi Or pAmbaip piDittuk koNDATTinAi pOlum nin tiRattEn allEn
nambi!" (all from periAzhvAr's neerATTam).
(bhAra.udyoga. 129.16)
"These men of little knowledge want to seize and bind Him just as a weak boy
or girl think of keeping under control the blazing fire with a piece of cloth".
(bhAra. Vana.309.28)
"The wind cannot be caught by hand, nor can the moon be touched by the hand,
nor the Earth be supported by the head of a man; so also, keSava cannot be
caught by force".
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers to kRshNa showing His viSva rUpam like an
uncontrollable elephant under rut when duryodhana tried to bind kRshNa in his
court.
c) A third interpretation for the nAma is that bhagavAn is beyond the grasp of
anyone except through intense concentration and meditation extending over
several births, and in this sense also He is dur-grahah.
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between dhyAna and samAdhi, and is attained only after practicing dhyAna
over several births. SrI Samkara gives this interpretation, and quotes the
gItA in support:
kleSo'dhika-taras-teshAm avyaktAsakta-cetasAm |
"Greater is their trouble whose minds are set on the Unmanifest; for,
the path of the Unmanifest is very hard for the embodied to tread".
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the derivation "duhkhena dhartum Sakhyo dur-
dharah" - One Who can be realized only with great difficulty. SrI kRshNa
datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation - duhkhena AyAsena dhriyate
hRdaye a-samAhita-mAnasaih iti dur-dharah - He Who can be held only with
great difficulty by those who do not have a collected and composed mind.
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atha Sabdam following dur-dharah: When atha Sabdam occurs in the middle of
a sentence, it usually has the context of a ma'ngaLa vAkyam - atheti grantha
madhye ma'ngalam (SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN). Apte in his samskRt
dictionary indicates that the word "atha" is considered to be indicative of
auspiciousness, since this word, along with the praNava, came out of the throat
of brahma as the first words:
The Invincible.
a-parAjitAya namah.
This nAma will re-occur in Slokam 92 (nAma 866). Please refer to nAma 866
for additional anubhavam-s.
The root from which this nAma is derived is ji - jaye - to conquer. SrI kRshNa
datta bhAradvAj gives the explanation - na parAjitah kadApi kenApi iti a-
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parajitah - He Who cannot be conquered by anyone and through any means is a-
parAjitah.
SrI BhaTTar quotes several examples where the deva-s have declared over
and over again that bhagavAn cannot be vanquished by anyone.
(bhA. udyo.129.40)
indra tells karNa: "In the great fight, I give you the power to kill one
thundering warrior, but this cannot be the one you wish to kill (arjuna), since
he is protected by the Great Lord (kRshNa). KRshNa is none other than the
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Invincible Hari, Who had assumed the form of the Wild Boar, and Who is the
Incomparable nArAyaNa, as declared by the vedic scholars".
(bhA. vana.260.75)
"In the fight you can ward off the attacks of all invincible and indestructible
warriors except the long-armed arjuna who is unassailable even to the gods,
since he is protected by kRshNa who is the Unknowable Deity Who bears the
conch, discus and mace as arms".
BhIshma, droNa, etc., declare that they could have annihilated the pANDava-s
without a trace if only vishNu had not been their Protector, and that just as
certainly as truth rests with a brAhmin, humility is certain in the pious, and
wealth is sure in the skillful, so also victory is certain for nArAyaNa:
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dhruvam vai brAhmaNe satyam dhruvA sAdhushu sannatih |
Where kRshNa, the Lord of the yoga-s is, and where pArtha, the bow-armed
arjuna is, there is prosperity, there is victory, there is wealth, and there is
firm justice - this is my conclusion".
SrI BhaTTar quotes from the Ayurveda caraka samhitA, where again the
invincibility of bhagavAn is conveyed:
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yathA'ham nAbhijAnAmi vAsudeve parAjayam |
"On the veracity of the following statements, may this medicine be pounded
and be effective: "There is no defeat for vAsudeva"; "I have not witnessed
the marriage of my mother"; "the ocean will never become completely dry".
(These are all absolute true statements)".
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dhRk (yuddha. 120.14); yatah kRshNah tato jayah (bhA. udyoga. 6.79); etc. -
"He is Inivincible, eternal and steady"; "He is unconquered, and is the Wielder
of the Sword", "Where kRshNa is, there victory is certain".
c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha also derives the interpretation for the nAma
starting from the word para meaning Supreme - para eva kaScin-nAsti "na
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Slokam 77
ivñmUitRmRhamUitR> dIÝmUitRrmUitRman!,
viSva--mUrtih
nAma 722. ivñmUitR> viSva
b) He Who has a beautiful Form that finds entry into the mind, eyes, etc., of
His devotees.
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c) He Who has mAyA Sakti in the form of the Universe.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan observes that this is why the kauravas, with a might army
and with the support of the likes of bhIshma and droNa, could not defeat the
pANDava-s. nammAzhvAr sings this "viSva mUrti" form of bhagavAn in
tiruvAimozhi 6.9.7:
ulagukkE Or uyirumAnAi...
"You are the karma-s; You are the worlds in which they are performed; You are
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the Soul of all beings;." .
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri identifies viSva mUrti with "viSva rUpam" that
bhagavAn revealed in duryodhana's palace and other instances. He also gives
references to the Sruti - "viSvAtmAnam parAyaNam" ( tait. AraN. 10.13),
"Urdhvaretam virUpAksham viSvarUpAya vai namo namah" (tiat. AraN. 10.14).
rUpam to him, he was completely bewildered and confused. This nAma signifies
to us the need for developing our mind so that we can comprehend the viSva
rUpam aspect of bhagavAn.
b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning of the root viS - to enter,
and gives the interpretation - viSati mano nayanAni satAm iti viSvA; tADRSI
kamanIyA mUrtih yasya iti viSva-mUrtih - He Who has such an attractive
Form that It finds entry into the minds, eyes, etc., of the good people.
c) d) In addition to the meaning "rUpam" or "Form" for the word mUrtih, SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha gives the additional meaning "mAyArUpA mohikA Saktih"
for "mUrti" from the root murcchA - moha samuchrAyayoh - to faint, to
become senseless, to grow, to prevail, to be a match for. Thus he gives the
following interpretations to the nAma viSva-mUrtih - "viSvameva mUrtih
AkAro yasya sah viSva-mUrtih", viSvameva mAyA = vimohikA Sakti yasya sa
viSva mUrtih"; "vISvasya mohikA Saktih yasya sa viSva-mUrtih", which can be
approximately translated as: "He Who has the Form of the Universe", "He
Who is the mAyA Sakti in the form of the Universe", or "He Who can bind the
Universe with mAyA".
Even though every single thing in this universe is but a clear and vivid
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expression of bhagavAn's Sakti, most of us do not recognize any of that, and
we look at our own form and conclude and feel proud that we are in sole control
of that. All this is the result of bhagavAn's mAyA or leelA.
The common dictionaries do not give this later meaning for the term
"mUrti" (namely, mAyArUpA mohikA Saktih), but Prof. A. A. Ramanathan has
included this interpretation in his collection of amara koSa vyAkhyAna-s -
mUrchyata iti mUrtih.
e) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN links his interpretation for the nAma "viSva
mUrtih" to the previous nAma a-parAjitah. His anubhavam is that bhagavAn is
a-parAjitah or Unconquerable because He resides in and controls all the bodies
of all the deva-s, gandharva-s, mAnava-s etc. - deva gandharva mAnavAdi sarva
SarIrah.
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mahA--mUrtih
nAma 723. mhamUitR> mahA
a) He of Immense form.
(gItA 11.7)
"guDAkeSa! See now the whole Universe with all the things moving and non-
moving, in one corner of My body, and you may also see (in My body) anything
else you wish to see (because everything is part of My body)".
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tatraikastham jagat-kRtsnam pravibhakta-manekadhA |
"There (in that form) arjuna beheld the whole Universe, with its manifold
divisions gathered together in one single spot within the body of (Lord
kRshNa) the God of gods".
The dharma cakram writer comments that the mahA mUrti form of bhagavAn
illustrates a few points: It illustrates unity in diversity. Even though each
embodied soul has its body, all are ultimately dependent on Him, and are part
of His body. BhagavAn's body includes sRshTi (creation), sthiti (existence),
as well as samhAram (destruction). In order for one life to live, another life is
destroyed. In order to realize Him, sAdhanA is required, and for this a body is
required. All these functions are happening in Him because these are essential
for the jIva-s to ultimately evolve towards Him and realize Him. The
embodied souls do not realize Him because of the screen they have created
between Him and them through their karma-s. When they refine their minds
through several births and divert their minds towards Him, He will bless them
with His anugraham, and they will see His mahA mUrti form and beyond.
dIpta--mUrtih
nAma 724. dIÝmUitR> dIpta
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dIptA a-prAkRta tejomayI mUrtih AkArah yasya iti dIpta-mUrtih - He Who
has a form which shines exceptionally. SrI BhaTTar observes that anything in
this Universe which shines is only because it gets its shine from Him. He
quotes the gItA Slokam 10.41 in support:
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kozhum SuDarE! e'ngaL nambI (peria tirumozhi 1.10.9); oLi maNi vaNNan
(tiruvAimozhi3.4.7) - describing His dIpta mUrti character or guNa.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the term dIpta not only in the sense of
resplendence, but also in the sense of "explicit", and not hidden. Thus he
comments that unlike the humans who sometimes tend to hide what they do
from others, bhagavAn does not have a need to hide anything from anyone. He
gives the example of a woman who is to deliver a baby, the signs of which are
explicit right up to the time of the baby's delivery.
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the enlightenment of the objects externally through the sunlight, and the
enlightenment of the mind through knowledge. BhagavAn enlightens everything
externally in the form of the Sun, and He enlightens us internally through our
minds. The bad acts in the external world invariably take place when the Sun
is out, and when it is dark. It is the external light of the Sun that keeps crime
away. Similarly, the internal light is needed for keeping the mind clean, and
keeping negative thoughts away. The gAyatrI mantra is one way that bhagavAn
has provided for inducing and enlightening the mind. The significance of this
nAma is to realize that bhagavAn controls everything in this world both
externally and internally by being the antaryAmi of everything, and cultivating
our mind to seek Him who enlightens our minds.
a) He Who has even the subtle and formless things as His possessions.
e) He Who takes whatever Forms He pleases as His incarnations, and thus One
Who has no fixed forms.
a-mUrti-mate namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as "He Who owns even the forms which
are a-mUrti's", such as earth, fire, water, wind, etc. He gives several
references in support:
(gItA 7.4)
"Earth, water, fire, air, ether, manas, buddhi, and ego-sense - thus My PrakRti
is divided eightfold".
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yasya avyaktam SarIram - He Whose body the Unmanifested prakRti is-
subAlopanishad 7.
yasya AtmA SarIram - He Whose body the individual soul is - Satapata brAh.
14.6.30).
The pANini sutra 5.2.94 says that the affix matup comes after a word in first
case in the sense of "whose it is" - tat asya asti asmin iti matup. Thus, SrI
BhaTTar points out that the interpretation should be "One Who has as His
possession the a-mUrti objects", and not as "He Who does not have a specific
murti or form". The latter interpretation will take away the significance and
purpose of the specific use of the matup affix in this case. Thus, according to
SrI BhaTTar, the nAma a-mUrtimAn should not be taken to signify the
negation of a form for BhagavAn. In addition to the matup violation, such an
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interpretation will be contrary to the earlier and later nAma-s, such as viSva
mUrtih, mahA mUrtih, dIpta mUrtih, aneka mUrtih, etc.
1. puRa aNDattu alagil polinda tiSai pattAua aruvEyO (tiruvAi. 6.9.7) - You
are the (Formless) soul of the countless mukta jIva-s that are in all the
directions of SrIvaikhunTham
2. tollai nan nUlil Sonna uruvum aruvum nee (tiruvAi. 7.8.10) - You are the
Only One with a beautiful, enjoyable Form, and you are the also the One
who is the abstract, invisible, soul of all things in the world!
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives support from the Upanishads expressing that
bhagavAn has as His Form the unmanifested objects as well as the manifested
ones: divyo hyamUrtah (muNDako. 2.2); dve vA va brahmaNo rUpe mUrtam ca
a-mUrtam ca (bRhadA. 3.1).
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b) SrI Samkara interprets the nAma as signifying that He has no form brought
on by karma - karma nibandhanA mUrtih asya na vidyata iti a-mUrtimAn.
c) As an extension of the meaning "that which has a form, shape, etc.", the
term mUrti also stands for "One who is hard, stubborn, etc. - mUrtih
kAThinyam" - amara koSa. SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses this meaning for
the word mUrti, and gives the interpretation that because bhagavAn has a
disposition that is not hard, inflexible etc., (krUra, kaThora), He has the nAma
a-mUrtimAn.
SrI cinmayAnanda gives a similar explanation - The limited alone has a form,
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e) The dharma cakram writer comments that bhagavAn takes the forms that
He desires when He takes His incarnations, but He is not constrained in any
way by that form. This is like the lotus leaf that remains in water but is not
wetted by the water, or the fish that lives in mud but is not soiled by the mud.
He takes His forms just for the protection of the good and the destruction of
the bad.
aneka--mUrtih
nAma 726. AnekmUitR> aneka
He of many forms.
aneka-mUrtayenamah.
SrI kRshNa dattabhAradvAj gives the derviation – anekA bahavo mUrtayah
AkArAh svecchA parigRhItA yasya iti aneka-mUrtih – He Who can assume
many different forms as He desires at will is aneka-mUrtih.
SrI BhaTTar gives the example of Lord kRshNa assuming 16,100 forms in
order to bealways in the company of His 16,100 Queens. He gives the following
reference from vishNu purANam in support:
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shoDaSa strI sahasrANi Satamekam tato’dhikam |
“In order to be always in the company of His 16,100 Queens, Lord SrI kRshNa,
the Son of devaki, took as many forms”.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the support from Sruti – “ekam sad viprA
bahudhA vadantyagnim yamam mAtariSvAnam Ahuh (Rg.1.164.46).
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SrI Samkara interprets the nAma as a reference to bhagavAn taking different
incarnations for the protection of the world.
(gItA7.25)
"Veiled by My mAyA, I am not manifest to all. The deluded world does not
recognize Me as the unborn and immutable."
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nAham vedair na tapasA na dAnena na ca ijyayA |
(gItA 11.53)
"Not by the veda-s, nor by austerities, nor by gifts, nor by sacrifice, can I be
seen in such a form as you have see Me" (kRshNa-s words to arjuna).
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha quotes support from the atharva veda and from
SvetAsvatara upanishad:
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(atharva.10.8.32)
which conveys the idea that even thou bhagavAn is close by and never far
away, He is not seen, and He neither ages nor decays - such is His wonder.
eko devah sarva bhUteshu gUDhah (Sve. 6.11) - He is One Deity, but He
remains hidden in all beings.
SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that even though he has various forms in
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His incarnations, He is called a-vyaktah because He cannot be defined
precisely in His true state in terms such as "He is of this nature, He is like this
etc." - yadyapi aneka mUrtitvam asya (previous nAma), tathApi ayam IdRSaeva
iti na vyajyata iti a-vyaktah.
Sata--mUrtih
nAma 728. ztmUitR> Sata
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bahu-mUrtih, etc. all signify the same concept. SrI BhaTTar seems to
distinguish between the two nAma-s by interpreting "aneka-mUrtih" as
representing different forms that He took as different incarnations at
different times, and interpreting "Sata-mUrtih" as referring to His
simultaneous display of different forms to the seer in His one form at a given
instant in time. (It should be noted that this distinction is not the result of
anything specific to the words involved in the two nAma-s, but is the result of
the bliss of different anubhavams by the vyAkhyAna kartA for the two nAma-
s, and a great example of how the great interpreters avoid punarukti or
redundancy in the interpretation of the thousand nAma-s). After assuming a
cosmic form for the sake of arujuna, Lord kRshNa tells arjuna - paSya me
pArtha! RUpANi SataSo'thasahasraSah (gItA 11.4) - "O arjuna! Look at My
bodies which are in hundreds and thousands".
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mallAnAm aSanih nRNAm nara-varah strINAm smaro mUrtimAn
(bhAga. 10.43.17)
"As kRshNa enters the stage set by kamsa with His brother balarAma, the
boxers saw in Him a thunder arriving, the men folk saw Him as the best of
men, the womenfolk saw in Him manmatha arriving, the gopa-s saw their friend
arriving, the kings affiliated with kamsa saw Him as the enemy arriving to met
out punishment to them, devaki and vasudeva saw their child arriving, kamsa
felt that death was approaching him in kRshNa's form, the ignorant saw a king
coming, the yogi-s realized that the para tattvam was in front of them, and the
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yAdava-s felt that some divine force has arrived to redeem their prestige".
SrI SAstri also gives the analogy of the kalpaka vRksham - the tree that can
give anything that anyone wishes while standing under that tree. For example,
all the different fruits and flowers that normally appear indifferent seasons
will all be found at the same time in the kalpaka vRksham, and whoever wishes
whichever species of fruits or flowers will just see what he/she wishes in the
tree at any given time. BhagavAn is exactly that - He will appear in whatever
form anyone wishes to see Him - Sata-mUrtih.
a) He Who is many-faced.
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b) He Who has provided many different means (such as nose, mouth, etc.) for
life to be sustained.
c) He Who has created various life-forms and provided easy means for their
survival.
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anena iti Anananm = mukham - The part of the body which contains the means
for breathing, namely the face. The word Sata has the same meaning as in
the previous nAma, namely, many, uncountable, etc. Thus the explanation for
the nAma is: SatamAnanAni yasya sa SatAnanah =anantAnanah - He Who has
innumerable faces.
(gItA 11.10)
"With innumerable mouths and eyes, many marvelous aspects, many divine
ornaments, and many divine weapons" - This is how sa'njaya starts the
description of the viSva rUpam that bhagavAn shows to arjuna.
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"Everywhere are Its hands and feet; Its eyes, heads, and mouths are
everywhere; Its ears are on all sides; and It exists encompassing all things."
(tiruvAi.8.1.10)
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seen in different "faces" by the different faiths such as the jaina matam, the
bauddha matam,etc., and also viewed differently by nyAya, mImAmsA, etc.,
the dvaiti-s, adviati-s, etc.
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Slokam 78
@kae nEk> sv> k> ik< yÄTpdmnuÄmm!,
gatau - to go, with the addition of the affix kat per uNAdi sUtra 326 - iNa
bhIkA. kan, with the meanings "one, chief, alone" for the word ekah.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha explains ekah as "eti - gacchati sarvatra iti ekah" -
He Who is present everywhere.
When we have more than one of anything with similar attributes, we refer to
them as "two brAhmaNa-s, five kshatriya-s", etc.; however, in the case of
bhagavAn, there is no one else to compare to Him,and so He is ekah. SrI
BhaTTar's actual words are - ukte mahimni sajAtIyasamkhyeya asambhavAt
advaitam gacchati iti ekah - With reference to His Supreme greatness, there
is no one who can be compared with Him, and so He is called ekah.
SrI BhaTTar gives the Sruti vAkhyam "eka id-rAjA jagato babhUva" (tait.yaju.
4.1.8) - "He was the only King of the whole world" in support.
dyAvA bhUmI janayan deva ekah - Rg. 10.81.3 - "He, the Sole God, producing
earth and heaven ,.";
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of all kalyANa guNa-s, is pleased with us, then let this braAhmin be
relieved of his suffering".
(tiruvAi. 8.6.2)
(tiruvAi. 8.8.1)
(tiruvAi.1.1.3)
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j~nAlam uNDu umizhnda endai eka-mUrtikkE
(tiruvAi. 1.1.3)
c) SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN links this nAma to the nAma-s of the previous
Slokam, and comments that even though He has many forms, many faces, etc.,
(Sata-Murtih, SatAnanah), He is still One and Only One, and so He is referred
to as ekah in this nAma.
d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the analogy of the one father for the many
children; BhagavAn vishNu is the One Father who creates everything in this
Universe, and so He is called ekah. In the sahasra nAmAvaLi, the mantra is
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"ekAya namah" according to the followers of viSishTAdvaitam and dvaitam, and
"ekasmai namah" according to the adviata sampradAyam. Similar difference
exists in many nAma-s: viSvAya namah vs. viSvasmai namah (First nAma of SrI
vishNu sahasra nAmam); naikAya namah vs. naikasmai namah for nAma 731, etc.
The difference seems to arise as a result of the fundamental difference in the
philosophies of thevyAkhyAna kartA-s.
When a word is a pronoun or a sarvanAma, (and the words viSvam, ekah etc.
are sarvanAma-s when they have their traditional meanings), then it is declined
similar to the word sarva, and the dative singular is "sarvasmai, viSvasmai,
ekasmai etc." (pANini sUtra 1.1.27). However, when this same words is not
treated as a pronoun, and instead refers to something special, like the specific
name of a person (e.g., ekah as a person's actual name), then the word is
declined like an ordinary noun such as narah, and not as a pronoun. Then the
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The example given in explanation of this sUtra by SrISa Candra Vasu in his
"AshTAdhyAyI of pANini" is that of the word "sarva" meaning "everything" (a
pronoun) vs. sarva being the name of a person (an ordinary noun). The former is
declined as a pronoun, and the latter is declined as an ordinary noun like narah.
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naikAya namah
(naikasmai namah in Samkara pATham - see nAma 730).
a) SrI BhaTTar explains how He is One (the previous nAma), and also "Not one
only" (the current nAma). He is One in the sense of being unique in having
everything in all the Universe as His possession; but He is not one only, since
there are all these other things which are His glorious vibhUtis or extensions
which are of a nature different from His. He is the antaryAmi of all that
exist. SrI BhaTTar's words are - vibhUtitayA vijAtIyena sarveNa
dvitIyavAneva itinaikah - Since He has as His glorious possessions all that are
of a nature different from His, He is not One only. He quotes from the gItA in
support - "nAnto'sti mama divyAnAm vibhUtInAmparamtapa" (11.40) - "O
arjuna, There is no end to the divine glories of Mine (What I have stated in
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detail is only a small part of My glories)".
(tiruvAi. 7.8.1)
To us You are the mother, father, children, other relatives all rolled into one.
You are more; You are the whole Universe. Yet I enjoy You in Your own
beautiful Form.
Now pray tell me the secret of all this. I don't understand this high-level
abstract mysticism".
(tiruvAi. 6.9.1)
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"You are Water, Earth, Fire, Air, and Ether, the Sun and the Moon., Siva and
Brahma.
(You are antaryAmi of all of them; You became all of them; You entered into
them all)."
Since He is AtmA of all the AtmA-s, He has all of these as His body. Thus He
is not only One, but He is also Many.
SrI Samkara explains the nAma naikah - He Who is not one only, by attributing
His many forms to His mAyA - mAyayA bahu-rUpatvAt naikah. In the
nAmAvaLi, the advaita pATham is "naikasmai namah".
SrI cinmayAnanda observes that His being One (ekah) is to be realized at the
"knowledge" level, but His being Many is realized at the "Being" level. He is in
everything that exists, and without Him, nothing exists; so He is Many.
However it is He and He alone who is in everything making everything function,
and so He is One.
d) He Who is easily accessible, to the point of being pointed out as "He" by the
youngsters of AyarpADi.
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e) He Who is of the form the soma sacrifice (when the nAma is taken as savah)
a) SrI BhaTTar gives the vyAkhyAnam - sva-vishaya j~nAnam syati iti sah- He
Who spreads knowledge about Him is sah. The explanation of this
interpretation starting from the root so -antakarmaNi, is given under item ii)
under "savah" below (syati = antayati= niScayati sva-vishaya j~nAnam). SrI
BhaTTar gives the example of Lord kRshNa spreading knowledge about Him
right from His childhood to everyone.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives the support from embAr's interpretation for
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periAzhvAr's "ap pUcci kATTuginRAn" pASurams - the reference here is that
even as a child, kRshNa reveals His tiru Azhi and tiruc ca`ngu to even the
children of AyarpADi and reveals His greatness to them. nammAzhvAr
declares that he has realized the whole truth about emperumAn because he
has been bestowed with "mayarvaRa madi nalam" by perumAL - avanE avanum
avanum avanum avanE maRRellAmum aRindanamE (tiruvAi. 9.3.2, and the
associated vyAkhyAnam by SrI V. N. VedAnta deSikan).
b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has this
nAma because He ultimately determines (brings to a conclusion, ends the
discussion on) how everything in this Universe functions etc. (see the
additional explanation under ii) for the nAma interpreted as "savah"below.
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previous nAma-s such as ekah, naikah, etc.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives a similar interpretation, and notes that He has
the nAma sah because He was such ( a saulabhyan) that the other young and
innocent gopa-s in AyarpADi could point to Him and say "He" is kRshNa.
savah:
i) While SrI BhaTTar treats sah (the current nAma) and vah (the next nAma)
as two separate nAma-s, SrI Samkara treats the two words as forming one
nAma - savah (savAya namah). savah is defined in the amarakoSa vyAkhyAna as
"sUyate abhishUyatesomah atra iti savah" - that event in which the soma juice
is offered is called savah, namely the soma sacrifice. SrI Samkara's
explanation is that He is the soma sacrifice Himself, and so has this nAma.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that the term savah refers to the somayAga
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because the juice extracted from the stems of the soma plant (soma latA) is
used in this sacrifice. He adds that the inner meaning is that bhagavAn is the
essence or the final extract of everything that exists.
ii) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the above interpretation, and also gives an
alternate interpretation: savah - yo hi syati = antayati - niScAyayati sva-
vishayam j~nAnam, vasati casarvatra, iti savah - He Who gives the final
knowledge about Him to His devotees, and also dwells everywhere, is savah.
The Dweller.
vAya namah.
The nAma vah is derived from the root vas - nivAse - vasati iti vah- He Who
dwells as the antaryAmi of everything. The pANini sUtra anyeshvapi dRSyate
(3.2.101) is applied in the derivation of this word from its root , similar to jah
standing for "one who was born" (e.g., najAyate = a-jah, dvir-jAtah = dvi-jah,
etc.).
SrI BhaTTar gives support from SrI vishNu purANam for his interpretation:
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vasanti tatra bhUtAni bhUtatmanyakhilAtmani |
"All beings dwell in Him Who is Himself all beings and the Inner Soul of all.
(The above Slokam in SrI vishNu purANam occurs in the context where all the
letters of the word "bhagava" is explained).
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SrI v.v. rAmAnujan also gives reference to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi
pASuram1.1.10:
(tiruvAi.1.1.10)
"He is present in every atom in the cool waters that are widely distributed
everywhere;
He permeates everything everywhere in the land and in the sky in all the
Universes;
He Who swallowed all these things and kept them in His stomach,
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation - "He Who goes to the
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abodes of those who sing His praise", using the meaning vAti = gacchati; vAti
gacchati sva janAyojita bhajanabhavanam iti vah.
As pointed out under the previous nAma, vah is not treated as a separate
nAma by SrI Samkara and those who follow his bhAshyam.
a) He Who shines.
kAya namayh.
The root from which this nAma is derived is kan - dIpti kAnti gatishu- to shine
etc.
The same grammatical rule which applied for vah above (pANini 3.2.101) is used
here to derive the nAma kah from kanati - He shines.
a) SrI BhaTTar points out that even though He dwells even in things that are
dirty (as the Soul of their soul), He Himself is ever-resplendent -
maleemaseshu vasannapi kanati iti kah. Even though bhagavAn is the antrayAmi
in everything including those that are impure, sinful, etc., their impurity or sin
do not affect Him or His luster in any way.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan adds that in His case, His luster is natural, unlike in the
case of people like us whose appearance is dependent on the clothes we wear,
the talk we talk etc. - vastra AbharaNa vapushA vAcA. Based on kan - dIpti
kAnti gatishu,
SrI vAsishTha gives the explanation that because He shines everywhere, and
He is present everywhere (gati), and enlightens everything or makes
everything shine (dIpti), thus in all senses He is called kah. At an individual
level, we see that the kAnti that a living being has is only so long as He is in
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that body as the Soul of the soul; when the Soul leaves the body, the luster is
gone also. This whole Universe shines because He is present everywhere and in
everything, illuminating all.
b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the root kai - Sabde - to sound, and gives
the interpretation - kAyate Sabdyate AhUyate bhaktaih iti kah - He Who is
invoked by devotees or praised by them through sound is kah.
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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri adds that the limit of happiness is the tyAga of
ahamkAra and mamakAra, and bhagavAn is One who has realized the limit of
this.
The dharma cakram writer points out that there are two kinds of happiness:
the happiness of the body and the happiness of the soul. The first one leads to
sorrow, but this is the happiness that most people go after. It is only by
sacrificing this bodily happiness that the happiness of the soul is achieved, and
the latter is achieved only to the extent that the former is sacrificed. It is
the happiness of the soul that should be sought after, and this is the lesson to
be learnt from this nAma.
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Where is He, What is He, Who is He, etc.)
SrI sataydevo vAsishTha comments: "pRcchati iti kim | pRcchyata iti vA kim |”
- He who asks is kim, or He about whom questions are asked is also kim. Here
bhagavAn is called kim in the context of the latter of the two. In other words,
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all questions that are asked by those who want to realize Him, are questions
about Him, since they all lead to Him in the end.
SrI vAsishTha gives an alternate derivation as well, starting from the root kai–
Sabde – to sound, leading to “kAyati iti kim” – He about Whom questions are
asked, such as “Who is He, What is He, Where is He”, etc., is kim. Those who
seek Him start with the enquiry of “What”, and end up with Him after they
realize that He is the ultimate answer to every enquiry.
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SrI Samkara’s interpretation is: “sarva purushArtha rUpatvAt Brahmaiva
vicAryam iti Brahma kim” – As Brahman is the supreme goal among all aims of
life, He is to be inquired after, and so is called kim. He refers us to the first
Slokam of chapter8 of Bhagavad gItA, where arjuna precisely starts with this
question:
(gItA 8.1)
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives similar passages from the Rg veda, which ask
similar rhetorical questions about Brahman:
2. kutah AjAtA kuta iyam visRshTih (10-129-6) – Whence was it born, and
whence comes this creation?
Thus, He is called “kim - What” because He is the Ultimate answer to all the
questions.
b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the root ku~ng – Sabde – to sound, and
the uNAdi sutra kAyater dimih (siddhAnta kaumudi, uNAdisutra 600) to derive
the word kim, and gives the definition – kUyate – AhUyate svajanaih
bhajamAnaih iti kim – He Whose praise is sung by His devotees is kim.
c) SrI aNNa’ngarAcArya gives the interpretation that this nAma means that
He is One who is worth being sought after; One Who is described as
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anveshTavyahin the Upanishads: sa anveshTavyah, sa viji~njAsitavyah –
ChAndogya. 8.7.1 – He is to be sought after, and He is to be known with
eagerness.
The dharma cakram writer elaborates that bhagavAn is called kim – He Whose
Nature is contemplated on by those who seek the Truth, because it is by
knowing this Truth that everything there is to be known is known. That which
is beyond time, space, etc., that which never changes and is eternal, that which
is beyond the reach of the senses and is only reached by true devotion and
meditation, that which is in everything and everywhere, is the Ultimate answer
to all questions asked by those who seek the Truth.
SrI BhaTTar derives the interpretation from the root yat – prayatne– to
attempt. to strive after, etc. His vyAkhyAnam is: “teshAm rakshAyai yatate iti
yat” – He Who takes all efforts for the protection of His devotees.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj elaborates further on the same concept: yatate
prayatate sva-samkalpa mAtreNa svajana Apat nivAraNAya iti yat.
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by brushing aside the water”.
b) SrI Samkara interprets the nAma using the conventional meaning “Which”
for the word yat. His interpretation is: yat Sabdena svatah siddha vastu
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uddeSa vAcinA brahma nirdiSyata iti brahmayat – The word yat indicates a
self-sustaining entity, can only denote Brahman, who is by nature always
existing. He quotes the taittirIya Upanishad in support– yato vA imAni
bhUtAni jAyante (3.1) – From which all these beings come out….
c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri uses the above Sruti vAkyam and gives the
interpretation that yat refers to “That from Which all the other things in the
Universe came into existence”.
SrI cinmayAnanda quotes another similar usage: yato vAco nivartante aprApya
manasA sah (tiatt. Up. 2.9.1) – That from which words retire, along with the
mind, unable to reach.
a) He Who increases (the j~nAnam and bhakti about Him in the devotees).
c) He Who expands the Universe from its subtle form to its visible form
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(tasmai namah in Samkara pATham).
The root from which the nAma is derived is tanu – vistAre – to spread, togo
(tanoti – vistRNAti – expands).
SrI BhaTTar’s bhAshyam is “sva j~nAna bahktim tanoti iti tat” – He Who
increases the j~nAnam and bhakti in His devotees. He gives the support from
taittirIya nArAyaNIyam (27) – tat savitur vareNIyam – That superior lustre
of the Lord, the cause of the Universe.
The term tat is given another meaning in the gItA. The term refers to the
veda-s. and to the acts of sacrifice that are undertaken without any
expectation of a benefit, as prescribed in the veda-s.
(gItA 17.23)
Associated with these, the BrAhamaNas, the Vedas, and sacrifices were
ordained in the past”.
“Acts of sacrifice, austerity and various gifts are performed without aiming at
reward by those who seek release (moksha), after pronouncing tat”.
In our samkalpam for many religious rites, we start with “Harir-om tat”.
Bhagavad rAmAnuja explains in his vyAkhyAnam for gItA Slokam 7.25, that
whatever acts such as the study of the Vedas, sacrifices, austerities and gifts
are done without aiming at results by those of the first three stations, seeking
only final release – these are designated by the term tat, referring to
Brahman, since they constitute the means for attainment of Brahman. He also
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refers inthis context to the current Slokam (78) of SrI vishNu sahasra
nAmam, and observes that it is thus well-known that the term tat refers to
Brahman- “sa vah kah kim yat tat padam anuttamam iti tat-Sabdo hi brahma
vAcIprasiddhah".
In the context of the above gItA Slokam, SrI rAmAnuja interprets the term
tatas referring to Brahman, or to the means of attaining Brahman such as the
study of the Vedas etc.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan links the previous nAma (yatate – takes special efforts to
protect us), with the current nAma (tanoti – increases the bhakti in us towards
Him as part of that effort). While SrI Samkara’s vyAkhyAnam is also “tanoti
iti tat”, in the nAmAvalI, the mantra is “tasmai namah”, signifying that the
nAma is treated again as a sarva nAma or pronoun, meaning “That”, the term
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standing for Brahman.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains the action of bhagavAn in His guNa of tat
as “spreading and pervading into everything”, which is yet another way that He
enables the jIva to function in this world to attain Him.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that this nAma signifies
that He expands the sUkshma jIva-s into the visible world forms and shapes
(seed below) Whether it is in the form of increasing our j~nAnam and bhakti
about Him so that we can reach Him, or it is in the form of His spreading the
fame and kIrti of His devotees so that others learn from this and follow the
correct path for their attainment of Him, or it is in the form of His spreading
into everyone as their antaryAmi and supporting and guiding them, in the end
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everything that He does is for the sake of His devotees
c) SrI vAsishTha gives the interpretation – tanoti viSvam iti tat – He Who
expands the Universe. His explanation is that bhagavAn is called tat because
He expands the Universe that is inside Him in the sUkshsma state, into a
Universe that is in the sthUla and visible state, just as the mother gives
expression to a child which is contained in her in an unseen state.
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AzhvAr declares that he does not want even SrI vaikunTham, but he only
wants to have the Lotus Feet of bhagavAn on his head. In other words, His
Lotus Feet are the Supreme Goal: "nin SemmA pAda paRput talai Serttu ollai …
ammA aDiyEn vENDuvadu ihdE” (5.9.1).
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janAnAm|”- The Unexcelled Protector of His devotees.
c) SrI cinmayAnanda’s interpretation is: “Lord VishNu has this nAma because
He is the way (pada), the goal (pada), and the pilgrimage (pada)”. He gives
support from the gItA Slokam 7.18, where bhagavAn declares that He is
anuttama gati (Supreme path, Supreme Goal):
“All these are indeed generous, but I deem the man of knowledge to be Myvery
self; for he, integrated, is devoted to Me alone as the Supreme end”.
loka--bandhuh
nAma 739. laekbNxu> loka
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loka-bandhave namah.
(Artwork Courtesy: Sow R. Chitralekha)
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e) One Who limits everything through things such as limited life etc.
loka-bandhave namah.
The mutual and inseparable relation between us and bhagavAn is what is
revealed in this nAma.
a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has this nAma because
He is the Relative of everyone in this world without exception, and blesses all
without exception – evam a-viSesheNa a-Sesha anugrahe a-varjanIyam
bAndhavam nibandhanam Aha – loka bandhuh. He gives the following in
support: - mAtA pitA bhrAtA nivAsah SaraNam suhRt gatih nArAyaNah
(subAlaopanishad 6) – nArAyaNa is the mother, father, brother, abode,
refuge, friend, and the final goal”.
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vedyam pavitram om-kAram Rk sAma yajureva ca ||
(gItA 9.17)
I am the purifier. I am the syllable (PraNavam) and also Rk, sAma, and yajus”.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to gItA 9.29, which conveys the very same
thoughts that SrI BhaTTar has given in his bhAshyam:
(gItA 9.29)
“I treat everyone in creation the same way. There is none whom I like more or
dislike more.
But those who worship Me with devotion abide in Me and I abide in them.”
Other references given by SrI v.v. rAmAnujan to emphasize this point are:
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is permanent, and never alterable.
2. "o nAn unnai anRi ilEn kaNDAi nAraNanE nI ennai anRi ilai" – (nAnmugan
tiru. 7) – I have no refuge other than Yu, and You have no one who is
more worthy anddeserving of protection than me.
i) All the worlds are bound to Him since He is the support of all –
AdhArabhUte’smin sakalA lokA badhyanta iti lokAnAm bandhuh lokabandhuh;
ii) He is the relative of all, since He is the Creator of all and so He is related
to all and there is no greater friend than the father – lokAnAmjanakatvAt
janakopamo bandhur-nAstIti vA;
iii) He instructs the world as a kinsman in right and wrong, through Sruti and
smRti – lokAnAm bandhukRtyam hitAhitpadeSam Sruti smRti lakshaNam
kRtavAn itivA.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the root bandh – to bind, and gives the
anubhavam that He is loka-bandhuh because He binds His devotees with His
affection – badhnAti prema –pASena iti bandhuh | lokAnAm bandhuh iti
lokabandhuh.
e) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the explanation for the nAma starting with
the roots lok – darSane, to see, to perceive, and bandh – to bind, to attract,
etc. One interpretation he gives is that bhagavaAn has this nAma because He
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binds all things that are seen, for instance with limited life etc.– badhnAti iti
bandhuh.
Another interpretation that SrI VasishTha gives is that He binds all the jIva-
sto their karma without a rope or such things, and so also He is called loka-
bandhuh. Or, He binds the dealings between the people of this world through
His vedic teachings, and so also He is loka-bandhuh.
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pleasure in the form of wife, children, father, mother, etc., or He bestows
Sreyas in the form of the guru when we seek Sreyas. The dharma cakram
writer comments that the lesson to take from this nAma is to realize that He
is our bandhu either way, and we need to realize what is truly good for us, and
seek that from Him.
loka--nAthah
nAma 740. laeknaw> loka
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upatApaih, aiSvaryASIhshu – to ask, to be master, to harass.
Based on these, the word lokam signifies the world, and the word nAtha is
interpreted in the sense of nAthyate – One Who is sought, or nAthate –One
Who seeks. In the former sense, He is One Who is sought by the people of the
world, and the latter sense, He seeks His devotees and blesses them. The
different interpretations below are combinations of the above meanings.
Lord, and Who owns the three worlds (the three types of cetanas–baddha,
nitya, mukta, and the three types of acetana-s – time, prakRti, Suddha
sattva).
SrI Samkara gives four explanations for the nAma (b, c, d, e):
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c) lokaih nAthyate yAcyate – He Who is sought after or prayed by all; (SrI
kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives a similar explanation – that they pray to Him
for dharma, artha, kAma, and moksha – lokhaih nAthyate yAcyate dharmaartha
kAma mokshAn iti loka nAthah);
d) lokAn upatapati – One Who shines in the world, or Who regulates the world
by energizing;
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Samkara) as “One Who gives punishments as needed”, and gives the meaning
that this nAma can be interpreted as “One Who gives punishments as needed
and disciplines the world (ulagai vATTi nal vazhi paDuttubavar).
The dharma cakram writer weaves all the above explanations under the general
concept that bhagavAn is the Lord of the world. In this role, He ensures that
the evil is destroyed and good is established. He ensures that all the
creatures, who are His belongings, attain Him ultimately. If anyone
transgresses dharma, He ensures that they are adequately disciplined and
brought back to the proper way of life. Those who follow dharma always live in
peace, and those who follow a-dharma live a life of unrest. This is the constant
rule in His role as loka-nAthah.
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c) One Who is attained through the madhu vidyA.
f) The nAma that reveals the eternal relationship of the Mother and Father
with the rest of the Universe.
The nAma mAdhavah occurs three times (nAma-s 73, 169, and 741). The
description below extends the description given under nAma 73, with
additional information included.
with each other, and inseparable. As if to emphasize this, SrI BhaTTar gives a
very detailed explanation for the qualities of MA or Lakshmi under this nAma,
rather than dwell on the guNa-s of bhagavAn. In the end, he concludes with
one sentence: “The secret about the true nature of SrI is that Lord VishNu
gets His Lordship because of His association with Lakshmi”. All this detailed
explanation is provided by Sri BhaTTar under the very first occurrence of the
nAma, in Slokam 8.
SrI BhaTTar gives reference to the Sruti vAkhya-s which establish the
interpretation for a start: - hrIScsa te lakshmISca patnyau (purusha sUktam)
– Bhumi and Lakshmi are Thy spouses - asyeSAnA jagato vishNu-patnI (nIlA
sUktam) – Lakshmi, who is the Ruler of this universe the spouse of VishNu.
Then he proceeds to explain the qualities of Lakshmi in the following words:
nirupAdhika paramaiSvaryAdi,jagan-mAtRtvam,
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uttara nArAyaNam, kaushItakI brAhamaNamityAdau.
“The essential Nature of Lakshmi is described in the Sastras dealing with the
Supreme Reality as follows: Her From is eternal and spotless; Her Supreme
Rulership is not restricted by any limiting adjunct; Her universal Motherhood,
Her natural association with bhagavAn, are all delineated in great detail in the
SAstra-s. In vedic literature, the SrI sUkta, SraddhA sUkta, medhA sUkta,
uttaranArAyaNa, kaushItakI brAhamaNa and others deal with this subject”.
Then SrI BhaTTar gives several references from the purANa-s etc., that
speak of the Supremacy of pirATTi, starting with the following reference
from SrI vishNu purANa:
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(vishNu purANa 1.8.17)
“This Lakshmi is eternal, the universal Mother, and is ever in union with
VishNu. Just as VishNu pervades all things, she also does, O best of Brahmins”.
"Her power is invincible and awe-inspiring and She is considered the power of
VishNu Himself. She is the Supreme Being who lives in the lotus-like hearts of
all beings of the universe and She is endowed with diverse forms. Her name is
prANa or life. She is the Mother of all mantras, and is the eternal Mother of
the Universe”.
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ekaiva Saktih SrIh tasya dvitIyA parivartate |
“Likewise, Lakshmi is His Supreme Power, and She is endowed with the quality
of Mercy. She is called the Supreme prakRti and possesses the sixqualities,
knowledge and others. Lakshmi is the supreme, unique, and eternalSakti of
BhagavAn; She is His second and transforms Herself into diverse forms, high
and low. She has innumerable names, and is the head of the Sakti-cakra – the
wheel of powers. She stands steady, pervading the entire universe, moving and
non-moving”.
“She is eternal and inseparably associated with BhagavAn vAsudeva, who is the
Master of great glory, who is endowed with the six qualities, and who is all
powerful. She is like the moon-light of the cool-rayed moon; She is one with
Him, yet remains distinct. She pervades the Universe, and is the very
embodiment of all Sakti-s. She is endowed with all glory and qualities, and is
eternal. Her dharma isthe same as that BhagavAn. She is the life-giving Sakti
of all beings on earth. She is the source of all Sakti-s and is the sublime
element in all”.
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yasmAt lakshmyamSa sambhUtAh Saktayo viSvagAh sadA |
“All the Saktis that have emanated from Lakshmi are always pervading the
entire Universe. They remain, under the command of SrI, as the cause.
Therefore, when Lakshmi, the Mother of the Universe and the beloved consort
of Bhagavan Acyuta is pleased with someone, these Saktis themselves highly
pleased, bestow prosperity which one desires.”
After this detailed description of Lakshmi’s qualities, SrI BhaTTar points out
that this subject is more fully dealt with in vaishNava smRti and other dharma
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SAstra-s.
SrI BhaTTar concludes his vyAkhyAnam for the nAma mAdhava in its first
occurrence in Slokam 8 (nAma 73), by elaborately dwelling on the qualities of
Lakshmi, and then ending with one line for mA-dahva, where he attributes the
greatness of mAdhava to His association with SrI: “SraddhayA devo
devatvamaSnute – Lord VishNu gets His Lordship because of His association
with Lakshmi. This is the secret about the true nature of SrI”.
Under nAma-s 169 and 741, SrI BhaTTar gives alternate explanations for the
nAma mA-dhavah, but these a couple of sentences each in length, compared to
the very elaborate description above that he has given for the first
occurrence of the nAma in Slokam 8 (nAma 73). It is clear that SrI BhaTTar’s
thoughts are about our Mother SrI in his anubhavam of the nAma mA-dhava
for the Lord.
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both SrI Samkara and SrI BhaTTar give the interpretation in terms of His
being the Propounder (dhavah) of the mA vidyA – the knowledge of Hari. They
both quote the support from the harivamSa:
The knowledge about of Hari is called mA. Thou art the Master of that
knowledge.
Therefore Thou art known as mAdhava. It has been stated that dhava means
“Lord”.
(mahA. 3.69.4)
There are three explanations that are given in the above Sloka for the nAma
mAdhavah.
d) and the third one is that because He is recognized through dhyAna, mauna,
and yoga, He is called mA-dhavah.
The dharma cakram writer explains mauna, dhyAna, and yoga further. Mauna
results in the control of the indriya-s; dhyAna focuses the mind in the thought
of the Atma tattvam, and yoga solidifies and consolidates this thought on a
permanent basis.
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e) Under the current nAma, both SrI Samkara and SrI BhaTTar give the
interpretation that He is a scion of the Race of the Madhus, and therefore has
the name mAdhavah (madhu kulodhbahavAt mAdhavah, or madhu kule jAtatvAt
mAdhavah).
f) Another explanation given by SrI BhaTTar for the nAma is that this nAma
is an illustration of the togetherness of SrI and BhagavAn as Mother and
Father of all of us. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan comments the importance of this
special relationship of bhagavAn and pirATTi to the world, and their
togetherness always, in the protection of the jIva-s. It is of because of the
Mother’s nearness that bhagavAn forgives the countless apacAra-s committed
by the cetana-s. It is in this sense that it is important for all of us that He is
“agalagillEniRaiyum enRu alrmEl ma’ngai uRai mArban” (tiruvAi. 6.10.10), and
She is always with Him.
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g) SrI tirukkaLLam nRsimha rAghavAcArya in his gItA bhAshya, has given
another interpretation – mA dhavah yasya sa mAdhavah – He for Whom there
is no Master.
Since there is no one above Him in any sense, and since He is the Lord of
everyone and every thing in all the universes, He is called mA-dhavah.
bhakta--vatsalah
nAma 742. É´vTsl> bhakta
b) He Who goes to the devotees who makes offerings to Him through yaj~na
c) He Who takes the devotees to Him, who are dear to Him like a calf to the
cow
bhakta-vatsalAya namah.
The term bhakta is derived from the root bhaj – sevAyAm – to serve, to honor
(bhajati bhajate sevate iti bhaktah - kASakRtsna dhAtu vyAkhyAna
1.695,referenced by SrI satyadevo vAsishTha). Thus, one who serves, honors,
praises, etc.,is a bhakta. The word vatsalah is derived from the word vatsa,
which by itself means calf. However, by pANini sutra 5.2.98, the addition of
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the affix lac after the word vatsa gives it the meaning “love” – vatsa
amsAbhyAmkAma bale. Thus, the word vatsala means kAmavat, snehavat, etc. –
one who is in love, one who is friendly. Bhakta vatsalan in thus One Who is
affectionate towards His devotees.
a) SrI BhaTTar’s anubhavam is that this nAma brings out the special attitude
of BhagavAn towards His devotees, who are eager to cultivate the relationship
with Him as Master and kinsman (i.e., as bhakta-s towards Him). SrI BhaTTar
comments that His joy of having attained His bhakta-s is so great, that He
forgets all other desires – tal-lAbha sambhrama vismRta anya-kAmah.
the calf, on in other words, it treats even the blemishes on its calf as bhogyam
for itself. BhagavAn’s love towards His devotees is similarly one of ignoring
their faults, and enjoying their devotion instead. SrI rAmAnujan gives two
examples.
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b) In addition to giving the above interpretation (bhakteshu vAtsalyavAn), SrI
satya sandha yatirAja gives two other interpretations for the nAma. One of
these is based on the meaning “cooked rice or food” for the term bhakta (see
the explanation for bhakta vilocanan in the nAcciyAr tirumozhi posting for
pASuram 12.6). In this interpretation, SrI satya sandha yatirAja looks at the
nAma as bhaktavat-salah, and gives the interpretation: “bhaktam annam
yeshAm asti iti bhaktavanto yaj~na kartAro brAhmaNAn, tAn pratisalati
gacchati iti bhaktavat-salah” – He Who goes to the devotees who make
offerings to Him through yaj~na (the rootsal – to go, to move is used for the
interpretation of the second part, salah).
c) The other interpretation given by SrI satya sandha yatirAja is “bhaktA eva
vatsAh, tAn lAti iti bhaktavatsa-lah” – "He Who takes the devotees to Him,
who are dear to Him like a calf to the cow”. (The root lA – AdAne dAne ca – to
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take, to obtain, is used in this interpretation).
The dharma cakram writer compares the relationship between BhagavAn and
us to that between the mother and the child. The mother has selfless
affection to the child, and the child trusts the mother solely and exclusively
for its survival. A true devotee will be like the child towards the mother, and
BhagavAn is of course like the Mother towards all.
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Slokam 79
suv[Rv[aeR hema¼ae vra¼íNdna¼dI,
suvarNa--varNah
nAma 743. suv[Rv[> suvarNa
The golden-hued.
suvarNa-varNAya namah
Sobhana varNa su-varNa, suvarNamiva varNam yasya sa su-varNah - "He Who
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has a hue that is attractive like gold". Thus, the literal meaning of the nAma is
"He Who is golden-hued". Gold is known for its purity and its untarnished
nature, its effulgence, its being highly desired by people, etc. All these
aspects of bhagavAn are brought out by this nAma, namely His Effulgence, His
blemishless nature, His Illuminating Power, His Purifying Nature, His being
desired and coveted by all His devotees, etc. The term suvarNa here stands
for "that which is extremely desired and longed for, that which is flawless and
pure", etc.
SrI aNNan'ngarAcArya gives the explanation: "He Who has the divya
svarUpamwhich is blemishless like gold". nAma-s similar to the current one are
used in the outpourings of AzhvArs who grope for words to describe the
aunbhavam that they have had of the indescribable emperumAn.
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mANikkamE!En maradagamE! MaRRu oppArai illA Anip ponnE!" - The Gem
that measured thethree worlds! My favorite Emerald! The Incomparable
Pure Gold!
SrI bhaTTar gives supports from the Sruti and smRti-s, where
paramAtman'ssuvarNa varNam is referenced:-
(muNDakopanishad 3.3)
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"When the seer sees the purusha, the golden-hued, creator, lord...".
"Let him know the Supreme Purusha, the Sovereign Ruler of them all, smaller
than the smallest, bright like gold,
Aditya varNam
(chAndog. 1.6.6)
"That golden Person who is seen within the sun, with golden beard and golden
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hair,
PirATTi is also described along the same lines in the veda-s: "hiraNyavarNAm
hariNIm..." (SrI sUktam). SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives additional
support from SrImad rAmAyaNam, where sItA pirATTi describes rAma as
"One Who has golden hue":
(sundara. 36.28).
He of golden-hued limbs.
hemA'ngAya namah.
SuvarNa and hema are equivalent words that refer to gold. The word hema is
derived from the root hi - gatau, vRddhau ca - to go, to promote. SrI kRshNa
datta bhAradvAj gives the following derivation for the nAma :
SrI bhaTTar interprets the nAma as referring to the limbs of His body which
are eternal, celestial, and composed of suddha-sattva material. nityam, divyam,
sattva mayam a'ngam asya iti hemA'ngah. This nAma is a logical extension of
the previous one - Since He has a body which is golden-hued, His a'nga-s
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likewise are golden-hued. All the pramANa-s quoted in support of the
interpretation for the previous nAma are applicable here as well. Additional
supports given under this nAma, which equally apply to the previous nAma, are:
pon AnAi! Pozhil Ezhum kAval pUNDa pugazh AnAi! .... ImayOrku enRum mudal
AnAi!
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b) He Who has beautiful limbs.
c) He Who has a lovable Form that is pleasing to those who meditate on Him.
varA'ngAya namah
Among the dictionary meanings for the term vara are: i) best, excellent, most
beautiful; ii) boon; iii) a wish; etc. Different interpretations use these
different meanings.
a) SrI bhaTTar uses the meaning "wish" or "prayer" for the term vara, and
gives the interpretation that because He manifested the form with celestial
marks etc., that are concealed from mortal eyes, to devaki in response to her
prayer, therefore He is named varA'ngah: tadetat aupanishadamdevakyA
vriyamANam atinihnuta divya cihnam AvishkRtam iti varA'ngah. SrI bhaTTar
refers us to SrI vishNu purANam 5.3.8, which describes this beauty of child
kRshNa in vasudeva-s words:
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of a full-blown blue lilly,
having four arms, and the mystic mark of SrIvatsa on His chest, and started
praising Him".
b) SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning "beautiful" for the word vara, and gives the
interpretation for the nAma as "varANi SobhanAni a'ngAni asyaiti varA'ngah"
- One Who has beautiful limbs.
c) SrI cinmayAnanda interprets the nAma as: He Who has a Form that is
pleasing (lovable) to those who meditate on Him. Thus he gives the meaning
"lovable" to the term vara.
We have seen three nAma-s above in sequence, which all describe the beauty
ofHis form: suvarNa-varNah, hemA'ngah, varA'ngah. SrI rAdhAkRshNa
SAstri gives his anubhavam of the subtle difference in the ideas conveyed by
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2. hemA'ngah - One Who has beautiful limbs that attract and hold the
attention of everyone. -
The dharma cakram writer comments that even as beauty in human form tends
to evoke kAmam, the beauty of the divine form evokes bhakti. The three
nAma-s that we have just gone through, convey to us the beauty of the Divine
Form of Lord vishNu, that evokes bhakti in those who mediate on His Form.
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d) He Who has a'ngada as His pleasing devotee.
candanA'ngadine namah.
The word candana is derived from the root cand - AhlAde dIptauca - to be
glad, to shine. That which causes pleasure is candana - candyateanena,
candayati vA yat, tat candanam iti (SrI satyadevo vAsishTha) - That through
which happiness is attained, or that which is instrumental in bringing happiness,
is candana. The word a'ngada is derived as - a'ngam dayate, dAyati,dyati vA.
The relevant roots are: de'ng - pAlane - to protect, to cherish (dayate);or daip
- Sodhane to purify, to be purified (dAyati); or do - avakhanDane - to cut, to
divide, to move (dyati). The term is used for the ornament worn on the upper
part of the arm (keyUram). The armlets are ornaments of defense worn on the
upper arm to protect the shoulders from enemy swords. Thus we get the
meaning "He Who is adorned with delightful armlets" for the nAma.
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a) SrI bhaTTar notes that bhagavAn's Body is itself an infinitely beautiful
jewel, and objects like the a'ngadI get their pleasing appearance when they
get attached to His Body, and so He is called candanA'ngadI. So it is not that
beautiful jewels decorate His Body, but His beautiful Body decorates the
jewels that are placed on His Body, and make them beautiful. The a'ngada or
keyUra is only one example of the kinds of jewels that get their pleasing
appearance by association with Him. nammAzhvAr describes in tiruvAimozhi
2.5.6 - pala palavE AbharaNam pErum pala palavE - Countless are the jewels
that are on Him. The beauty of bhagavAn as every part of His body competes
and complements the beauty of all the other parts, is captured by
nammAzhvAr in tiruvAimozhi pASuram 8.8.1, starting with "kaNgaL Sivandu
periyavAi, vAyum Sivandu kanindu,..makara kuNDalattan.oruvan aDiyEn
uLLAnE".
The reader is encouraged to delve deep into the meaning of this pASuram to
get the true anubhavam. bhagavad rAmAnuja pours out his anubhavam of
bhagavAn's beautifully decorated tirumEni in his SrI vaikunTha gadyam:
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keyUra kaTaka SrIvatsa kaustubha muktAdAma udara bandhana pItAmbara
b) SrI ananta kRshNa SAstri ues the meaning "sandal" to the term candana,
and gives the interpretation that He has this nAma because He is adorned with
pleasing sandal on His body.
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c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the meaning "pleasing" to the term candana
as we indicated earlier, and the root a'ng - to go, and interprets the nAma
candanA'ngadI as referring to "He Who gives the means or ways for all of us
to be happy" - (AhlAdalarIm gatim yo dadAti).
The dharma cakram writer sees the nAma as revealing to us the guNa of
bhagavAn whereby we derive mental peace by the very meditation on the Form
of bhagavAn.
vIra--hA
nAma 747. vIrha vIra
b) The Destroyer of those who indulge in vain arguments and distract others
from meditating on Him.
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d) He Who leads the jIva-s to moksha by showing them the right path.
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vIra-s".
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Grammatically, words such as vIra-hA kAma-hA, etc., signify a past action (one
who has destroyed) - pANini sUtra 3.2.87.
a) SrI BhaTTar gives examples of the "vIra-s" covered under this nAma: It is
the likes of pUtanA, SakaTa, the twin arjuna trees, and such others who tried
to kill child kRshNa deceitfully.
tiruma'ngai AzhvAr refers to Him as "the vIra beyond all vIra-s" - vem tirAl
vIraril vIrar oppAr (periya tirumozhi 2.8.2).
SrI vAsishTha gives the derivation - viruddha gatIn hanti iti vIra-hA. Along
the same lines,
b) Another interpretation that SrI BhaTTar gives for the term ‘vIra-s’ in the
context of this nAma are those that are proficient in words, but misuse their
skill to give fallacious arguments and prevent people from meditating on Him.
BhagavAn destroys them, and so also He is referred to as vIra-hA (sva-vedana
vihantRRn haituka-vIrAn hatavAn iti vIra-hA).
c) For the third instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as
referring to "One Who removed the strong bonds with yama for gajendra".
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN explains the nAma as: "vIram vikrAntam graham
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hatavAn iti vIra-hA” – He Who destroyed the ferocious crocodile. BhagavAn
removed the bonds of yama from gajendra by releasing him from the
crocodile's jaws - mokshayAmAsa nagendram pASEbhyah SaraNAgatam
(vishNu dharma 69). The nirukti author summarizes the vyAkhyAnam: vIram
tad-bAdhakam mRtyum hatavAn vIra-hA matah.
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e) In addition to the interpretation a), SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the
roots Ir -gatau - to go, and hamm - gatau - to go, to give another
interpretation: vividham Irati iti vIrah - referring to all the different
creatures which move in different ways; tAnsca yo hanti - gamayati - He Who
makes it possible for them to go, is vira-hA - sarveshAm bahudhA irANAm
jantUnAm gamayitA vishNuh.
f) One of the interpretations given by SrI satya sandha tIrtha is: vih =
garuDah, Irah = vAyuh; tAbhyAm hanti gacchati iti vIra-hA - vishNu is called
vIra-hA because He goes along with garuDa and vAyu in destroying the asura-s.
The dharma cakram writer observes that just as there are those who follow
the path of a-dharma and are destroyed by BhagavAn, there are the internal
enemies in each one us in the form of kAma, krodha, moha and lobha, which are
also destroyed by Him when we devote ourselves to Him. The lesson to take
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from this nAma is that the chanting and meditation on the mantra derived
from this nAma will result in His destroying these internal enemies in us, that
obstruct us from realizing Him.
c) He Who destroyed the effect of the poison that was consumed by rudra
during the churning of the Milk Ocean.
vishamAya namah.
The word vi-shamah is derived by the combination: vi + samah = vishamah -
vigatah samo yasya iti vi-shamah - One Who is devoid of equals is vishamah.
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When the prefix vi is combined with the word samah, the sa becomes sha
according to pANini sUtra 8.3.88 (ashTAdhyAyI) - su-vi-nir-durbhyah supi,
sUti, samAh - The s of svap, sUti, and sama, is changed to sh after su, vi, nir,
and dur.
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arrows of bhIshma aimed at arjuna will miss him, and the arrows of arjuna
meant of the enemies will hit their targets without fail. In the war between
arjuna and jayadratha, He just wielded His cakra to interchange day and night,
so that jayadratha who was hiding till he thought the sun had set, could be
eliminated by arjuna. These are just some instances of His "viDama'ngaL".
The same idea is conveyed by SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN, who gives the
interpretation "bhakta pakshapAtittvAt" vishamah - Because He is biased
towards His devotees, He is called vi-samah.
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pitA'si lokasya carAcarasya tvamasya pUjyasSca gurur-garIyAn |
"You are the Father of this world, of all that moves and that does not move.
You are its Teacher and the One most worthy of reverence. There is none
equal to You. How then can there be another greater than You in the three
worlds, O Being of matchless greatness?"
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sa vishNureko vishamah purANah karoti viSvam vishamam svabhAvAt |
"The purAna purusha, vishNu, is distinct from everyone else, and is distinct.
Consistent with this guNa of His, He has also created everything else such
that nothing is same as another in His creation. This guNa is spread not only in
species of different kinds, but also in members of the same kind".
c) SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives the interpretation that He has the nAma
vishamah because He nullified the effect of the poison that was consumed by
rudra during the churning of the Milk Ocean (visham rdura pItam mInAti
hantisva-nAma-smaraNena iti vish-mah). The root mI - himsAyAm - to kill, to
lesson, to change, to be lost is used in this interpretation).
The dharma cakram writer gives several examples to illustrate that bhagavAn
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f) He is yogISa and yogavidAm netA - The best among the yogi-s and the
Leader of all those who follow the path of yoga.
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h) He is acyuta, Who neither slips from His vow, nor lets His devotees slip
away from their goal. These are just a few instances that bring out His vi-
samattvam, and so He is known as vishamah.
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The word SUnyam means empty, void, etc. The nAma is interpreted by
different vyAkhyAna kartA-s in terms of His being devoid of defects, His
destroying everything completely at the time of pralaya, His ridding His
enemies completely without trace, etc.
BhagavAn is without any trace of defect, and this is well accepted. But He
takes birth among the grief-stricken human beings. Even so, He continues to
have all His parattvam intact in His incarnations, and so He is without any
defect. He takes these births so that He is accessible to the people. He
continues to torture His enemies through His weapons etc., and He continues
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to torture His devotees because of even the minutest separation from Him.
But for nammAzhvAr there is no tuyaram in this world because he is constantly
having the anubhavam of His thought.
2. a-kapaTaih (they are all His true Forms, not just appearances),
5. nija vihAra vaSena siddhaih (These Forms are not a result of pUrva
karma, as is in our case; they are assumed as part of His leelA, by His
own Free Will);
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation that the nAma signifies
that bhagavAn is completely devoid of any guNa-s associated with prakRti -
prAkRta guNa virahitatvAt SUnyah, which is item 4 in svAmi deSika's list
above.
c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the root Sun - gatau - to go, and interprets
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the nAma as referring to "One Who goes everywhere, or is
everywhere" (SunatiprApto bhavati sarvatra iti SUnyo vishNuh). He points out
that kham - the word for sky, also means "void" or "a cipher". It is because
there is a void that a motion or movement from another place to this void is
possible, and thus void leads to motion, and motion leads to void. He points out
the importance of SUnya by reminding us how the number "1" undergoes a ten-
fold increase in value by the placement of just a SUnyam next to it in the
number system.
e) The dharma cakram writer gives yet another anubhavam: bhagavAn is called
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SUnyah because He is not accessible to our senses, no matter how much we
try. We are used to believing that something exists only if we can relate to it
through our senses. He is not accessible to the senses, and so He is SUnyah.
a) SrI bhaTTar derives his interpretation using the meaning ghR - secane - to
sprinkle, to cover. SrI bhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is - ghRtam - secanam, sva-
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guNaihjagat ApyAyanam - He makes the world prosperous by means of His
benevolent qualities.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri paints a picture of this guNa by pointing out that
"the qualities of desiring something, seeking someone's grace to get it,
receiving it from someone, etc., which are common sequences for many of us in
day-to-day life, have melted away like ghee, and dripped off or oozed out from
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b) SrI Sa'nkara's anubhavam is: na svarUpAt na sAmarthyAt na ca
j~nAnAdikAt guNAt calanam vidyate asya iti a-calah- He is Immutable, or a-
calah, because He undergoes no change in His nature, power, wisdom or any
other attributes.
The reader is again referred to the article that had been posted earlier,
comparing the approaches of SrI Sa'nkara and SrI BhaTTarto the vyAkhyAna
of SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam. The difference we see in the interpretation of
the current nAma is another illustration of this difference.
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nityah sarva-gatah sthANuh a-calo'yam sanAtanah ||
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha observes that bhagavAn Who is a-calah, has also
inculcated in all His creations, the principle of a-calattvam in some form. Thus,
for instance, the tree or plant that comes out of a given seed is only of the
same type as the seed, and not of a different type. This dharma is not violated
ever. When a fire shoots out, it is always directed in an upward direction, and
not in a downward direction. Thus, even those that are moving and active, are
bound by His principle of a-calattvam.
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It is very rare indeed to find human beings who are not tossed around, because
their indriya-s control them. But he who controls his manas and indriya-s isfirm
in his resolve, and he is not tossed around or shaken by happenings around him.
His mind becomes a-cala manas. The peace that comes out of this disposition is
the true peace that we should aim for.
He is also calah, He Who swerves. His a-cala guNam or firmness was towards
His enemies; his cala guNam is reserved for His devotees.
SrI bhaTTar gives the well-known instance of His carrying arms against
bhIshma after making a promise earlier that He will never take to arms in the
mahA bhArata war. Thus, He swerved from His word, and so He was a calah in
this case. A couple of reasons are given for His breaking His own promise. One
was that He wanted to save His dear devotee, arjuna, from the wrath of
bhIshma, and so decided to go with His cakra against bhIshma to protect
arjuna. The second reason given is that bhIshma, who was a great devotee of
kRshNa, had taken an oath in front of kRshNa the previous evening that he will
fight so ferociously the next day as to make kRshNa break His promise and
take to arms; what was at stake was the word of His devotee bhIshma, and
kRshNa had to protect the word of His devotee even if it meant that He had
to break His own promise. Making His devotee's word come true was more
important for Him than to keep His own promise. So He took to arms, and thus
became a calah - One Who swerves for His devotee. Another instance was His
cheating jayadratha by converting day into night. The real truth to be
understood in the above instances that He is the One who establishes what is
right and what is wrong, and so by definition, what He decides is Justice.
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b) SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is that He is calah, or One Who moves, in the
form of air - vAyu rUpeNa calati iti calah.
d) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the root cal - vilasane - to sport, to
frolic, and gives the interpretation that He has this nAma because He is full of
leelA-s -
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Slokam 80
AmanI mandae maNyae laekSvamI iÇlaekx&t!,
b) He Who does not mistakenly identify things such as the body with Atman.
a-mAnine namah.
a) The nAma is derived from the root mAn - pUjAyAm - to honor, to worship.
mAna means garva (pride), ahamkAra (the feeling of "I"), etc. - garvoabhimAno
ahmakArah (amara koSam 1.7.22). The word a-mAnI means One Who has no
garva or ahamkAra (na mAno garvo yasya aiti amAnah). He is unconcerned
about being respected by others - Atma-sammAna bhAva rahitah (SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha), even though He is the prabhu Who is worshipped by the
likes of brahma.
pin Or tUdu Adi mannarkku Agi peru nilattAr "innAr tudan" ena ninRAn.
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"He became the messenger to the pANDava kings, and let Himself be referred
to as "so-and-so's messenger", even though He is the Supreme Lord".
ANDAL describes Him in Her nAcciyAr tirumozhi 11.8 as "One Who is willing to
become mAna ilAp panRi":
pASi tUrttuk kiDaNda pAr magaTkup paNDoru nAL mASu uDambil nIr vArA
mAnamilAp panRiyAm...
"He shamelessly took the Form of a varAha, with a dirty body and water
dripping all over, just for the sake of retrieving bhU devi who was lying under
the Ocean with fungus growing all over Her..".
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mistaken notions of Atman in things that are not Atman - anAtma
vastushuAtmAbhimAno na asti asya iti a-mAnI.
mAna--dah
nAma 754. mand> mAna
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mAnadAya namah.
The same root that was used in the last nAma applies for the current nAma as
well.
There are numerous other instances where bhagavAn has exhibited His guNa
of being a mAna-dah. His being born as a son to daSaratha, vasudeva, etc., are
all examples where He bestows honor on these great devotees of His.
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d) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning "citta samunnati" or
"elevation of mind" to the word mAna, and thus interprets the nAma as
meaning that He gives spiritual enlightenment to His devotees, and so He is
mAna-dah - mAnam citta-samunnatim dadAti iti mAna-dah (mAnaS-citta
samunnatih - amara koSam).
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AkarshaNena,mAna dyati khaNDayati vikarshaNena.
He gives the example of the various planets having their shapes, orbits, etc.,
only because of this function of bhagavAn as mAna-dah. He also points out
that the very shape of the body, with its different parts, is because of His
giving dimension and definition to all these, and thus His guNa of mAna-dah is
reflected in everything we see. SrI vAsishTha-s anubhavam of the nAma goes
further, and he points out that because bhagavAn has thus given the definition
and dimension to everything, He has shown us the principle of the airplanes
through the birds that fly, the principle of the ship etc., through the
creatures that navigate in water, etc. Water quenching fire, and fire
evaporating away water, are all instances of His giving dimension and definition
to these elements, such that everything works together in unison.
Drawing from the thoughts conveyed by the dharma cakram writer, the lesson
to take from this nAma is that just as bhagavAn gives respect to His devotees,
we should learn to give respect to Him and to His devotees, and to devote our
energy to Atma vishayam, and not waste our life and time by giving respect to
things that do not deserve true respect, such as a-dharma, injustice, etc.
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nAma 755. maNy> mAnyah
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It is noted again that SrI bhaTTar’s anubhavam of the nAma-s are primarily
oriented towards enjoying bhagavAn’s guNa-s as being subservient to the
welfare of His devotees, and SrI Samkara’s vyAkhyAnam is primarily oriented
towards bringing out His parattvam and Supreme Rulership.
SrI SAstri reminds us of the idea conveyed by the three nAma-s, a-mAnI,
mAna-dah, and mAnyah: bhagavAn does not show Himself as One Who deserves
to be supremely respected and honored (a-mAnI), He ensures that His
devotees are respected (mAna-dah), and this is where all His feeling of
respectability lies (mAnyah).
The dharma cakram writer observes that even though bhagavAn is mAnyah (To
be worshipped), it is only His true devotees who realize this, and it is to those
that He gives the ability to overcome the lower desires, and realize Him.
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We will use this nAma to bring out an important point about understanding the
reason for the existence of different vyAkhyAna-s for the same vishNu
sahasranAma stotram. One of the reasons is of course the difference in the
anubhavam-s of the different vyAkhyAna-kartA-s, who are all great devotees
of the Lord. Another reason is that the interpreters try to interpret ancient
works such as the Sruti, smRti, itihAsa-s and purANa-s so that they can claim
authority and authenticity for their specific school of philosophy through their
interpretation of these scriptures. We will see this briefly for the dvaita
interpretation for this nAma. In the dvaita philosophy, the view on pirATTi is:
1. She is a jIva, but a higher jIva than all the other jIva-s;
Two of the interpretations that SrI satyasandha yatirAja, one of the AcArya-
s in the dvaita lineage, gives for this nAma (mAnyah), are based on looking at
the nAma as (mA + anyah):
Both of these support the elements of their philosophy that are given above.
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It is worth nothing that both SrI Sa’nakara and SrI bhaTTar chose to use only
the root mAn as the basis for their interpretation of the nAma, and gave the
meaning to the nAma as “He Who is worthy of worship”, while the dvaita
interpreter chose to see the nAma as mA + anyah.
loka--svAmI
nAma 756. laekSvamI loka
sovereignty, Lordship, power, wealth, etc. Thus, one interpretation for the
nAma is: He is called loka-svAmI because He is the Lord of the Universe.
The thread in SrI bhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam is worth revisiting for the full
enjoyment of his vyAkhyAnam. BhagavAn is called amAnI (nAma 753) because
He is not proud of any of His possessions or guNa-s, He is mAna-dah
(nAma754) because He honors His devotees, and he is mAnyah (nAma 755)
because He considers Himself worthy of respect because of His special
relationship of affection to His devotees. Now we come to His nAma – loka-
svAmI (nAma 756) – The Master of the Universe. In what sense? According to
SrI bhaTTar, it is not because of His superior power or wealth or parattvam,
but because He is the Master in simplicity, based on the previous three nAma-
s, and so He is loka-svAmI in soulabhayam. This anubhavam of bhagavAn as
living for the devotees and acting for the devotees, is the crowning aspect of
SrI bhaTTar’s bhAshyam, which can be seen throughout the vyAkhyAnam. His
interpretation for the current nAma is: he is loka-svAmI because He is a-
mAnI, mAna-dah, and mAnyah as explained above – ka evam karmakarah? loka-
svAmI.
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The idea that SrI bhaTTar reflects is conveyed by nammAzhvAr in
tiruvAimozhipASuram 4.5.7:
The important point here that bhagavAn is not only superior because of His
parattvam, but more so because He is unique and excels everyone in His
soulabhyam by His own choice; He behaves and sees Himself as another human
being, even though in every sense He retains His parattvam in His human
incarnations – aham mAnusham manye.
SrI vAsishTha gives an alternate interpretation, based on “One Who has lokam
or the Universe as His svam or aiSvaryam”. Adding the affix Amin to the word
loka-svam, he derives the meaning for the nAma as “The Lord Who has the
Universe as His wealth”.
a) He Who supports the three worlds (the worlds above, the worlds below, and
earth in the middle).
b) The Supporter of the three states of experience (waking, dream and deep
sleep)
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tri-loka-dhRte namah.
a) SrI bhaTTar’s interpretation is that He is One Who has the burden of
responsibility for the support and nourishment of the entire Universe, and so
He is called tri-loka-dhRt – aSeshANAmapi dhAraNa poshakayoh
bhArakatvAtloka-svAmI (the root involved is dhR – dhAraNe – to hold, to bear,
to support). Because He created us, therefore He necessarily has the burden
of responsibility for supporting us, just like the responsibility of a father to
his children.
b) In addition to the meaning “world” for the word “loka”, SrI cinmayAnanda
also gives an alternate interpretation where he takes tri-loka to mean the
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three states of waking, dream and deep sleep. He then gives the interpretation
that bhagavAn has this nAma because He is the Supporter, in the form of
Consciousness, of the three states of experience, since without the kindling
support of life in the bosom, it would be impossible for us to have any
experience.
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SrI satya sandha yatirAja has explained the nAma as tri-loka-dhRk.
su--medhAh
nAma 758. sumexa> su
The Well-Intentioned.
su-medhase namah.
medhA means memory or intellect. su is a prefix or an upasarga which means
“superior”. So the nAma means “One Who has a Superior intellect or memory”.
The different interpretations involve different anubhavam-s of what “good
intellect” means.
SrI cinmAyananda points out that when applied to us, the term su-medhA can
refer to the ability of the self to realize its true nature, something that is not
new information, but that has been temporarily forgotten by us. So he
interprets the nAma as meaning “Divine memory Power”.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meaning to medhA as “the intellect that
gives protection or support”, and explains the nAma as referring to the
memory of bhagavAn that is always aware of everything that is going on
everywhere, as well as events associated with all beings – past, present, and
future. He comments that the intellect of each of us is directly proportional to
the extent to which we are able perceive the medhA of bhagavAn.
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The dharma cakram writer explains medhA as that power which enables us to
understand and realize “That which is the biggest of the big and the smallest
of the small”. All of us have this power potentially, and can realize it once we
know how to control our thought, word and deed and realize the potential
power that we have in us.
medha--jah
nAma 759. mexj> medha
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ato medhe – devakI putrIya vrata rUpe ya~jne jAtah iti medha-jah – He has
this nAma indicating that He was born to devaki as a result of the medhA or
sacrifice in the form of austerities performed by her to get Him as son. This
was revealed by Lord kRshNa Himself as soon as He was born to devaki
(vishNupurANam 5.3.14):
Your prayers have been fruitful today since I have taken birth out of your
womb”.
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That has been carried out now”.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives other instances where bhagavAn has taken birth as
the child of devotees, as a result of their yAga, vrata, etc. He was born in His
incarnation of vAmana as aditi’s son as a result of her payo-vratam; it is well-
known that Lord rAma was born as a son to daSaratha as a result of the putra
kAmeshTi yAgam; yaSodA and nandagopan had Lord kRshNa as their son
because of their tapas.
wherein we offer our capacity into a field of chosen work invoking in it the
unmanifested Lord, who pours His blessings in terms of profit”. In this sense,
when all the personality layers are offered in an act of total surrender, the
spiritual experience of the Self is born. Thus bhagavAn is the result of the
medha or sacrifice (medha-jah), and to the student of vedAnta, the term is
rich in its suggestiveness.
The dharma cakram writer describes the five types of yaj~na-s that each of
us should be observing, and indicates that the realization of the Self is a
result of observing these pa’nca mahA yaj~na-s, and this is the significance of
this nAma for us. In other words, He becomes accessible and available to us as
a result of our observing the pa’nca mahA yaj~na-s (medha-jah). The
pa’ncamahA yaj~na-s are: bhUta yaj~na, pitR yaj~na, nara yaj~na, Rshi yaj~na,
and devayaj~na. These have been described before, under nAma-s 449 and
682.
c) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN uses the root med, medh – sa’ngame – to meet,
as the basis for his interpretation: medha – bhakta sa’ngame jAyate prAdur-
bhavati iti medha-jah – He Who makes His presence in the gatherings of
bhakta-s.
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nAma 760. xNy> dhanyah
The Blessed.
dhanyAya namah.
The word dhanam refers to wealth. The amara koSa vyAkhyAnam is
“dhanadharma sAdhuh dhanyah” – One Who excels in wealth and dharma is
dhanyah. By pANini sUtra “dhana gaNam labdhA” (4.4.84), the addition of the
yat pratyayato dhana gives the meaning to this nAma as: “One who obtains
dhana or wealth”.
What wealth does bhagavAn have to attain, that He does not have? SrI
bhaTTar’s anubhavam is that He considered being born to devaki as the wealth
that He coveted. Since He got His desired wealth by being born to devaki, now
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He is dhanyah – tad-janma dhana lAbhAt dhanyah.
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan’s anubhavam is that since bhagavAn is One Who does not
have birth normally, this is a great blessing for Him!
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the amaram “sukRti puNyavAn dhanyah”,
and gives the interpretation that BhagavAn accepts the sincere offerings in
the form of flowers etc., and constantly keeps thinking of their welfare; This
is sukRtam and puNya kAryam, and so He is dhanyah – sukRtI or puNyavAn.
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The dharma cakram writer dwells on the lesson to take from the nAma, as he
invariably does for all the nAma-s. In common use, the word dhanyah refers to
“one who is benefiting from the good karma-s in his previous
birth” (dhanyo’smi– I am blessed). The antima smRti is a determinant of the
next birth. In order to have good antima smRti, one should train oneself
throughout one’s life to be involved in good deeds, thoughts and words. This is
what will make one adhanyah in the future births. This is the lesson to take
from the concepts behind this nAma.
satya--medhAh
nAma 761. sTymexa> satya
(V.P. 5.13.12)
“If you have real love for me and think that I am worthy of praise from you,
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then you must think of me as you think of yourselves (i.e., you must think of me
as a gopa, as you all are). I am neither a god, nor a gandharva, neither a yaksha
(a demi-god), nor a dAnava (demon). I am a born relative to you all. You must
not think of me any other way”.
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during execution of any action. If one’s knowledge is useful in times of need
with these attributes, then any action undertaken by this person will be bound
to succeed. Since bhagavAn is One Who is equipped with such knowledge, He is
called satya-medhAh.
c) SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry gives the interpretation that because bhagavAn
has the true knowledge of the veda-s and their numerous branches, He has the
nAma satya-medhAh.
d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives yet another anubhavam for the nAma –
because bhagavAn has the unfailing knowledge that keeps all the multifarious
creations right from the beginning of the kalpa to the end with their proper
perspectives, He is called satya-medhAh.
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nAma 762. xraxr> dharAdharah
a) SrI bhaTTar gives the interpretation using the word dharam – mountain.
The nirukti description for the nAma is dharam dhRtavAn dharAdharah – He
Who bore the mountain. The reference here is to Lord kRshNa’s bearing the
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govardhana mountain to protect the cows and cowherds when indra caused
trouble to them (dharasya govardhanasya girer-dharaNAt dharAdharah – SrI
baladeva vidyA bhUshaN). SrI bhaTTar gives the following reference to
bhagavAn’s thoughts described in vishNu purANam prior to His lifting the
Mountain:
“The cowpen with all the cows and cowherds should be protected by me now. I
shall by force uproot this mountain with big boulders at once and hold it over
their heads as a big umbrella and save them all (from this distress)”.
kal eDuttuk kal mAri kAttAi (tiru ma’ngaiAzhvAr, tiru nedum tANDakam 13 )
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"tiRambAmal malai eDuttEnE ennum…." (tirambAmal – flawlessly)
(nammAzhvAr, tiruvAi. 5.6.5)
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out the other forms, such as varAha, the
eight elephants of the eight directions, etc. He quotes the Sruti vAkhyam in
support: yene me vidhRte ubhe; vishNunA vidhRte bhUmi; dAdhartham
pRthivImabhitomayUkahih |
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SrI cinmayAnanda gives a different anubhavam of His being the “sole support
of the earth”. He interprets earth here to refer to matter in general, and
observes that bhagavAn is the very essence from which matter has come to
express itself, both its gross and subtle forms. He continues: “Geographically,
the earth is supported by water, water by atmospheric air, and air by space. If
one enquires further and questions what supports space, we know that space is
a concept which we experience by our intellect. All experiences of the intellect
are established in Consciousness, and therefore, the ultimate support for the
entire world is the Supreme nArAyaNa”, and so He is dharAdharah.
The dharma cakram writer explains bhagavAn’s “support of the earth”, starting
from the pa’nca bhUta-s in their sUkshma form, and how they combine
together to evolve into their sthUla forms. His “support of the earth” is really
a part of His support of the pa’nca bhUta-s. He is the Creator of everything,
and He is the ultimate Abode of everything, and so He is dharAdharah. Several
are the concepts that are hidden in this mantra “dharAdharAya namah”. Just
like all the other mantra-s (and remember that each nAma is a mantra), this is
another very potent mantra.
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Slokam 81
tejae v&;ae *uitxr> svRzôÉ&ta< vr>,
tejo--vRshah
nAma 763. tejaev&;> tejo
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SrI v.v. rAmAnujan explains the nAma as referring to bhagavAn showering His
tejas or Sakti on His devotees in the form of His protection. The innocent
folks in AyarpADi loved kaNNan with all their hearts, and He showered His
Grace and protection on them even as the mother cow secretes the milk for its
calf with all its heart.
b) The word tejas also refers to water, and SrI Sa’nkara uses this meaning in
his interpretation – tejasAm ambhasAm Aditya rUpeNa varshaNAt tejovRshah
– He always showers rain through the medium of the sun.
The dharma carkam writer points out that just as the sea water, which by
itself is unusable for most purposes, is converted by the sun into potable and
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usable water, so also the thought of bhagavAn distills our mind and purifies it
from bad thoughts. Just as we cannot live without water, we cannot live
without Him either. Just as the sun keeps functioning behind our conscious
thoughts to purify the sea water into a form that is usable by us, so also His
Grace is always functioning to purify our thoughts constantly.
d) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN has yet another different interpretation: sva-
bandhu rakshAyai cakrAdi duh-sahAni tejAmsi varshati iti tejo-vRshah– He
Who showers His magnificent weapons such as the cakra (on the enemies) in
the cause of protection of His bhandu-s (devotees), is tejo-vRshah.
dyuti--dharah
nAma 764. *uitxr> dyuti
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We encountered the phrase dyuti-dharah as part of nAma 276 – ojas-tejo-
dyuti-dharah (Slokam 30). dyuti refers to effulgence or radiance. The root
involved is dyut – dIptau – to shine. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that
dyuti is the term that refers to the unique effulgence that is characteristic of
deva-s. The word dharah can refer to “One Who protects” or “One Who
bears” (see nAma dharAdharah in previous Slokam).
SrI bhaTTar gives the interpretation for the nAma as “One Who had the
effulgence or radiance even at a very young age in His kRshNa incarnation,
that could be dazzle devendra”.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha treats the word dyuti itself as referring to “One
Who possesses effulgence”, and then treats the word dharah as “One Who
protects”, and thus gives the meaning to the nAma “dyuti-dharah” as “One Who
has Effulgence, and Who protects and everyone and everything” – svayam
prakASamAnah sarvam dharati iti; vAsatavika arthah prakASamAnahsarvasya
AdhAraSca iti arthah.
The dharma cakram writer comments that the dyuti that is referred to here is
not the physical beauty that one sees in the body, but the radiance that
emanates from the inner AtmA, and is reflected in the same body. Unlike the
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physical beauty which stirs thoughts of kAmam in the observer’s mind, the
beauty that is seen in the body because of the dyuti emanating from the
AtmA, kindles thoughts of bhakti in the observer. He quotes the famous
saying in tamizh: “rAman irukkum iDattil kAman illai; kAman irrukkum iDattil
rAman illai”- “There is no kAma where rAma is, and there is no rAma where
kAma is” .
This nAma signifies to us that every part of bhagavAn’s Form is such that it
evokes extreme devotion on the devotee. One should go through some of
svAmi deSikan’s stotra-s such as SrI bahgavd-dhyAna sopAnam, SrI
devanAyaka pa’ncAsat,etc., to appreciate the truth of this statement as svAmi
deSikan has the anubhavam of emperumAn.
sarva--Sastra
nAma 765. svRzôÉ&ta< vr> sarva bhRtAm--varah
Sastra--bhRtAm
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The Best among those warriors who are armed with all weapons.
sarva-Sastra-bhRtAm-varAya namah.
The relevant roots for this nAma are (SrI satya devo vAsishTha): - Sas –
himsAyAm – to cut up, to destroy; based on the pANinisUtra 3.2.182 – dAmnI
Sasa yu yuja ….karaNe (shTran), whereby the root Sas with the affix shTran
gets the sense of instrument. Thus, the word Sastra gets the meaning “a
weapon”. - bhR – dhAraNa poshaNayoh – to hold, to support; bhRt means One
Who holds. - vR – varaNe – to choose. VarItum arhah varah – One Who is fit
to be chosen is varah. So the nAma means “He Who is Best among all those who
hold or carry weapons”. – sarveshAm Sastra-bhRtAm madhye varah –
SreshThah.
a) SrI BhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam is that He has the nAma indicating that He was
the foremost among the wielders of weapons in His fight against the asura by
name naraka, king jarAsandha, and others. SrI bhaTTar emphasizes that it was
child’s play for the Lord during His incarnations to wield these weapons against
His enemies:
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astrANyaneka rUpANi yad arAtishu mu’ncati ||
“For the Lord of the world Who was diverting Himself with the activities of
the human beings it was mere play to discharge different kinds of weapons
against His enemies”.
SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry gives the support from bhagavad gItA 10.31:
(gItA10.31)
SrI cinmayAnanda points out that bhagavAn is the “Best” among those Who
wield weapons, because He uses them to bring about “constructive
destruction”, as opposed to other weapon-wielders who bring
about“destructive destruction”. His words are: “The Lord never uses His
weapon of annihilation indiscriminately – for He is ever just. It is also
significant that all destructions in nature are always ‘constructive
destructions’; therefore, the Lord’s Discus is itself called ‘the auspicious
vision’ – su-darSana. In the maturity of one’s evolution when one becomes fit
for one’s own inner unfoldment, slowly but irresistibly, the seeker can ever
detect a secret hand that diligently cuts off all this connections with the
outer world, and compels him to lean more and more on the higher. Our
purANic literature is replete with instances, and, without exception, in all of
them SrI nArAyaNa is described as using His weapon to destroy the devilish –
and to give him moksha! – “the auspicious vision” – su-darSana. Others, when
they employ their weapons of destruction, the result invariably ends in a sad
“destructive destruction”,and therefore, to invoke Him as the “the best among
those who wield weapons” is most significant for a seeker.”
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha asks the rhetorical question as to why He should be
considered the “Best among those with weapons”, and answers it by pointing
out that it is because He has expressed Himself by equipping every living
creature with the appropriate weapon for its own protection and for its
enemies’ destruction. On the one hand, He has equipped the different
creatures with different claw types for those creatures with claws, the
different types of teeth for those that protect themselves with their teeth
from their enemies, with their fangs, horns, etc. However, it is to be noted
that each creature has only one or two such weapons for its own protection. He
is the origin of all these Sastra-s, and so He is rightly known as the sarva-
Sastra-bhRtAm-varah. He also reserves for Himself the ability to strike with
all the weapons as necessary and when necessary. Thus, the enormous
earthquakes, the great epidemics that strike down masses of people, etc., are
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weapons that He wields as He deems necessary on a mass scale.
The dharma cakram writer comments that it is because rAma and kRshNa used
their weapons for the destruction of evil and for the protection of the
good,that they were SreshTha-s or vara-s among wielders of weapons. Those
that used their weapons for committing atrocities only ended up being ruined.
The lesson to take from this in these modern days of invention of more and
more technologically advanced weaponry, is that they should be used for the
good of mankind, and not for their destruction.
The Controller.
prgrahAya namah.
pra is an upasarga or prefix, and the root involved in the nAma is grah –
upAdAne – to take hold of, to seize. prakarshaNena gRhNAti iti pragraphah
(SrI satya devo vAsishTha) – He Who controls in a special, excellent, or unique
way. The different bhAshya-s differ on what is controlled by Him. SrI
Sa’nkara uses the meaning “He receives” for the term grah in his primary
interpretation.
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a) SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as referring to Lord kRshNa’s excellent
control over arjuna, even though He was only arjuna’s charioteer. It should be
kept in mind that SrI bhaTTar is continuing the thread of kRshNAvatAram
starting from nAma 697, all the way up to nAma 786. Lord kRshNa controlled
arjuna like the reins that control the horse. The word pragraham refers to
reins (see kaThopanishad – manah pragrameva ca – mind is like the reins , with
AtmA the the master of the chariot, the body is like the chariot, etc. –
AtmAnam rathinam viddhi, SarIram rathameva ca, bhuddhim tu sArathim
viddhi, manah pragrahameva ca).
c) SrI Sa’nkara uses the meaning “to receive” for the word grah, and gives the
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pragrahah – One Whose acceptance (of saraNAgati) is unique, exceptional,
special, exalted. His vyAkhyAnam is: svajanam sakRdapi SaraNAgatam
svIkRtya punah kadApi tam na partityajatiiti prakRshTa eva grahah prabhoh –
He is the Lord Who accepts the SaraNAgati from His devotee the very first
time,and will never ever forsake the devotee; such is the superiority of His
acceptance of SaraNAgati.
a) The Subduer.
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holding back or down, suppressing. Thus, the nAma means “One Who
restrains”, “One Who keeps in check”. The different vyAkhyAna kartA-s give
different instances of His restraint as illustrations of this nAma.
SrI Sa’nkara’s vyAkhyAnam is that the nAma signifies that He controls all
things independently – sarvam sva-vaSena nigRhNAti iti nigrahah.
SrI satya sandha yati raja alludes to His subduing all the asura-s – nigRhNAti
daityAn iti nigrahah.
SrI bala deva vidyA bhUshaN refers to His control of the enemies of
pANDava-s in the form of yama – nigRhyante pArtha-Satravah kaka-dRshTinA
anena iti nigrahah.
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Taking the upasarga ni, and the root grah – upAdAne – to take hold of, to
seize, SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation: niScayena gRhyate
yena iti nigrahah vishNuh - bhagavAn has a firm grasp and leads everything in
this universe as He wishes, creating what is fit to be created, destroying what
is fit to be destroyed, etc.
a) He Who was very enthusiastic (to destroy the enemies of His devotee
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a) SrI bhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam is that Lord kRshNa took the lead as needed in
the mahAbhArata war, because He could not put up with any delay in putting
down the enemies of arjuna. This is evidenced by His action against bhIshma:
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……. rathAt avaplutya visRjya vAhAn || (mahA bhArata,bhIshma. 59.86)
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan translates the above quote from mahA bhArata slightly
differently: He describes the scene where the pANDava forces are running
confused at the intensity of bhIshma’s attack, and then kRshNa declares:
“Let those who run keep running, and let the remaining watch Me defeat
bhIshma and droNa”; so saying, He jumps from His chariot, even forgetting
His own promise not to take to weapons. Thus, He is One Who does not delay
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when it comes to His determination to get rid of enemies. Thus, the nAma
indicates His intolerance and impatience when it comes to getting rid of the
enemies of His devotees.
b) SrI Sa’nkara uses the meaning “end” for the word “agram”, and gives the
interpretation that because He has no end, He is vyagrah – vigatamagram asya
itit vyagrah (agram – antah, vinASah).
d) SrI satya sandha yatirAja uses the pATham a-vyagrah for the nAma as his
primary interpretation. The meaning is “One Who is not confused” – vyagro na
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bhavati iti a-vyagrah. (In this interpreatation, vgagrah means “One who is
confused”, and avyagrah is the opposite. vividham agramasya iti vyagrah – One
Who is confused, with multiple paths and not knowing what to choose – amara
koSa vyAkhyAnam).
naika--SR’ngah
nAma 769. nEkï&¼> naika
b) He Who can be brought under control (realized) through the four horns in
the form of the four veda-s.
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c) He Who can be controlled (reached) through the praNavam, with its four
“horns” – akAra, ukAra, makAra, and nAda.
d) He Who has the four horns in the form of the four veda-s, to control the
world through dharma.
f) He Who has many aspects to His role as a Bestower of His devotees’ wishes.
i) He Who has provided diverse means to the different living beings to cause
harm to their enemies, as also to defend themselves from their enemies.
naika-SR’ngAya namah.
The root involved in the nAma is SRR – himsAyAm – to tear to pieces, to kill, to
hurt. The word SR’ngah is derived from this root by the application of the
uNAdi sUtra 126, SRNAter-hrasvaSca. SrI satyadevovAsishTha gives the
meanings – dIpti (radiance), “means of destruction”, and “means for protection
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against obstacles from others”,for the word SR’ngam – SR’ngam iti dIpter
nAma, himsA-sAdhanam tathApara-kRta-bAdhA-nivAraNa-sAdhanamapi
SR’ngam. The word SR’nga also means horn, and SrI Sa’nkara uses this meaning
in his interpretation.
a) Of the above, SrI bhaTTar has used the meaning ‘himsA sAdhanam” in his
interpretation. na + eka + SR’ngah = naika-SR’ngah – He Who has multiple
means for causing distress to His enemies. SrI BhaTTar elucidates his
interpretation using the instances of mahA bhArata –
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pretending that he would not use a weapon but actually making use of His
weapon at the opportune moment, etc”. Interchanging day and night is another
of the tactics that He used.
“To reduce the weight of this world caused by the ahamkAra of people, the
Lord caused the mahA bhArata war, performed many miracles, as if some
mantra was invoked for each step, and made sure that His design succeeded”.
(nooTriTTu– fabricated, as it were, all these mAya-s).
b) SrI Sa’nkara uses the meaning “horn” for the word SR’ngah, and gives the
meaning “He With Many Horns”.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains that just as the animals with horns come
under control when their horns are seized, bhagavAn comes under control of
His devotees through the four veda-s – the four “horns” referred to by
SrISa’nkara – catuh SR’ngah naika-SR’ngah.
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SrI San’kara gives support from Rg veda – catvAri SR’ngA (RV 4.58.3) -
d) A thought that comes out of b) is that bhagavAn has the four horns in the
form of the four veda-s, that He uses to control the world through dharma.
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e) The word SR’ngam also means Lordship, supremacy, etc. SrI kRshNadatta
bhAradvAj uses this meaning, and gives the interpretation that the nAma
refers to His many aspects to His Lordship –
(medina 3.25).
f) SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives the interpretation – na eka SR’ngo, na ekAni
– anekAni SR’ngANi yasya vRsha rUpe sanaika-SR’ngah, which can be translated
as “He Who has multiple forms in His aspect as the Bestower, or One Who
establishes dharma” (vRsha – dharma).
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explains the word nA separately as referring to the parama purushatvam of
bhagavAn (parama purshatvAt nA), and then takes eka-SR’ngah as the nAma,
and gives the interpretation that it refers to vishNu’s form as the one-horned
varAha incarnation. He quotes moksha dharma in support –
h) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the meaning “dIpti” for the word
“SR’nga”,and interprets the nAma as referring to One Who has many radiant
rays emanating from Him. He also gives two other interpretations –
2. He Who provides many ways to ward off from himsA (see the first
paragrapah).
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As illustration of the third interpretation, he points out the sharp nails in the
paw of the lion are its horns (SR’nga) for its protection, the horns of the
buffalo are its way of protection, the hands for the man are his SR’nga’s for
protection, the tusks of the elephant are its SR’nga for protection, etc. All
these same instruments for their protection are also the same instruments for
destruction or himsA, and thus the same examples hold for the 2nd
interpretation above as well.
c) He Who pervades those who walk and talk (gada + agra + jah)
d) The Foremost among those who created sound (in the form of veda-s)
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named gada, born to vasudeva after kRshNa. Gada's mother is sunAmA, one of
the wives of vasudeva.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that in her letters to kRshNa, rukmiNi calls
Him by this name, gadAgrajah.
-to speak; For agra, he derives the meaning from agi - gatau - to go; and he
uses the meaning jAta - anupavishTa - who enters or pervades, for the part
jah. Thus, his interpretation for the nAma is "He Who pervades (in the form
of the soul) those that speak and those that walk or move around. Gadeshu -
gadana Seeleshu,agreshu - gamana Seeleshu, anupravishTo jAta iva
pratIyamAno gadAgraja itivishNor nAma. SabdAyamAne, gamanaSIle ca jIvita
SarIra eva jIvAtmAno'vabhAsahprakASa ityarthah.
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health because of the vedic chanting.
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Slokam 82
ctumURitRítubaRhuítuVyURhítugRit>,
catur--mUrtih
nAma 771. ctumURitR> catur
He of Four Forms.
catur-mUrtaye namah.
The nAma means He of Four Forms.
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SrI Sa’nkara refers to His Four Forms as virAT, sUtrAtman, avyAkRta, and
turIya (gross, subtle, uncompounded, and transcendent).
1. In the process of creation, the first tattva is called avyakta, the state
of mUla prkRti before it started evolving.
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2. virAT refers to the sthUla form of the evolved state of mUla prakRti,
before bhagavAn entered it in the form of antaryAmi and made it
functional.
3. SUtrAtman refers to the prANa Sakti in all of us; SrI SAstri refers to
this form as HiraNyagarbha. This is the form in which bhagavAn
manifests Himself in our buddhi and manas (sUkshma form);
4. The turIya state is the one that is beyond the three states above, and
is called parama pursha or purshottama. This is the state in which
everything is contained in Him, and He alone exists, with His Supreme
effulgence, before the jIva-s get their forms etc.
SrI cinmayAnanda refers to His four forms with four different colors in the
four yuga-s:
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1. white in kRta yuga,
He also refers to the four states of the self – the waking state, the dream
state, the deep-sleep state, and the Pure Self state. In the microcosm, these
are called viSva, taijasa, praj~nA, and turIya, and in the macrocosm, they are
called virAt, hiraNyagarbha, ISvara, and paramAtman. This latter is similar to
the interpretation by SrI Sa’nkara.
1. sthUla,
2. sUkshsma, and
3. kAraNa.
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The kAraNa SarIra aspect is reflected in the memories acquired
from previous births.
An example of this is the knowledge that a child has as soon as it is born, that
by crying it will get milk, by sucking at the mother’s breast it will be fed, etc.
The viSva, taijasa, and prAj~na are the states of the jIva associated with the
sthUla, sUkshma, and kArANa SarIra-s. These are also associated with the
person in the waking, dream, or sleep states. In all the above states, the jIva
wrongly considers that the sarIra belongs to “It”, and has the feeling of
ownership for its body etc. When the jIva realizes the truth and passes
beyond this feeling of “I” ness, this state is the turIya state.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj refers to His four forms in SrI vaikunTha,
satyaloka, Sveta dvIpa, and kshIrAbdhi respectively. He quotes the following
insupport:
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catur--bAhuh
nAma 772. ctubaRhu> catur
The Four-armed.
catur-bAhave namah.
This nAma is equivalent to the nAma 142 (Slokam 15) – catur-bhujah. It has
been pointed out earlier that SrI BhaTTar interprets different groups of
nAma-s as connected to each other in a string that describes a particular form
or incarnation of bhagavAn. nAma 142 occurs in the segment where he
describes bhagavAn’s vyUha incarnations, and the current nAma (772) is in the
segment where he is having anubhavam of the vibhava incarnation of Lord
kRshNa. Correspondingly, his interpretation of nAma 142 refers to bhagavAn's
vyUha incarnation with four arms, and the current interpretation refers to His
vibhava incarnation in His birth to devaki as child kRshNa with four arms.
Several references are given under both the nAma-s in support.
Under nAma 142 in Slokam 15, catur-bhujah, SrI BhaTTar gives the following
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references:
- “catur-bhujam udArA’ngam cakrAdyAyudha bhUshaNam”
(vishNu purANam);
- “tamasah paramo dhAtA Sa’nkha cakra gadhA-dharah”
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devaki describes Him soon after He was born:
(V.P. 5.3.13)
“O The Inner Soul of all beings! Please withdraw this four-armed form within
Yourself. Let not this kamsa that belongs to the asura race know that you are
the incarnation of vishNu”.
In gItA Sloka-s 11.45 and 11.46, arjuna refers to His divine form with four
hands:
“I wish to see You adorned in the same way (as before) with crown and with
mace and discus in hand. Assume again that four-armed shape (that is, in the
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divine form of vishNu – deva rUpam as mentioned in the previous Slokam), O
Thou Universal Being with the thousand-arms”.
ANDAL describes Him as “Ir IraNDu Mal varait tOL Se’nKaN tiru mugattu
Selvat tirumAl” (tiruppAvai30).
tiruma’ngai AzhvAr also refers to His four arms in periya tirumozh 8.1.1 –
“malai ila’ngu tOLnAngE maRRu avanukku! eRRE kAN”.
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SrI Sa’nkara points out that the nAma catur-bAhuh is traditionally reserved
for vAsudeva (recall Sa’nkha cakra gadA pANe dvArakA-nilayAcyuta govindaa
puNDarIkAksha raksha mAm SaraNAgatam).
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that vishNu is typically personified with
Sa’nkha, cakra, gadA, and either lotus or dhanus in the four hands.
Under Slokam 15, SrI cinmAyananda describes the four arms of bhagavAn
carrying the Sa’nkha, cakra, gadA, and padmam. These are meant for
maintaining dharma among mankind. The conch calls man to the righteous path
that directly leads to Peace and Perfection, to His Lotus Feet. But most of us,
in the enchantment of the immediate sense-joys, refuse to listen to the small
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inner voice of conscience from His conch. For those, He wields the Mace
(gadA) very gently, and we suffer small calamities and tragic jerks in our
otherwise smooth existence, in the form of communal, social or national
calamities. If still the individual is not listening to the call of the “conch”, then
the cakra - the Wheel of Time, annihilates the entire being. The call and the
punishment are all only to take man towards his Ultimate Goal, represented by
the “padma” in His hand.
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For the nAma catur-bAhuh, SrI cinmayAnanda’s anubhavam is that the four
hands represent the four factors that together constitute the inner
equipments in man – mind (manas), intellect (buddhi), thought flow towards
objects (citta), and ego (ahamkAra). These are the four agents through which
all the physical activities are controlled, regulated, and constantly commanded
from within the body.
(gopAlottaratApini 55).
represented by the Lotus or Padma, the intellect is the 'Conch', ego is the
'Mace', and mind is the 'Discus'.
For catur-bhujah, SrI satya sandha yatirAja has given the following
interpretations:
catur--vyUhah
nAma 773. ctuVyURh> catur
b) He Who had four manifestations in His vibhava form (as kRshNa, balarAma,
pradyumna, and aniruddha).
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mahApurusha.
Following is a recap with some additional information, mostly taken from Vol.4
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of the Agama-koSa published by the Kalpatharu Research Academy (S.
K..Ramachandra Rao), dealing with the pA’ncarAtra Agama.
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as three additional sequential emanations as follows:
As in the case of the other nAma-s of this Slokam that are common with
Slokam15, the first instance of this nAma is explained by SrI BhaTTar in
terms of the vyUha incarnations of bhagavAn, and the second in terms of His
vibhava incarnation as Lord kRshNa.
of meditation and worship (dhyAna and ArAdhana) by His devotees. The four
states of meditation that are associated with each of these four forms are:
In the Wakeful state, the external senses function; in the svapna state, they
do not function, but only the mind is active; in the Sleep state, even the mind
does not function, and there is only breathing; and in the turIya state, even
the breath is suspended.
b) For the nAma 773, where SrI BhaTTar continues his description of
bhagavAn’s vibhava incarnation as Lord kRshNa, the explanation he gives is the
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four forms of kRshNa or vAsudeva, balabhadra (balarAma, His brother),
pradyumna (His son),and aniruddha (His grandson). Just as in the vyUha
incarnation, in the vibhava incarnation also, kRshNa was full of all the six
qualities, and baralAma (sankarshaNa), pradyumna, and aniruddha had two of
the six qualities dominating.
SrI Sa’nkara gives two different interpretations for the nAma in their two
instances, consistent with the trait of being free from punar-ukti dosham of
authentic vyAkhyAna-s. For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 15, he gives
the interpretation in terms of the four vyUha incarnations. He quotes the
words of vyAsa in support:
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“He Who is known as viSrutAtmA, janArdana, etc., divides Himself into four
forms, and performs the functions such as creation”.
d) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshan gives the explanation that He has this nAma
because His Supremacy is established by the four divisions of the veda-s – Rg,
yajus, sAma, and atharva: caturbhih vedaih vyUhyate pareSatvena vRdhyate
yam iticatur-vyUhah.
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divisions of speech”. The passage continues to say “The brAhmins who have
understanding know them”. Ralph Griffith interprets this as a reference to
three veda-s, and to ordinary speech as the fourth one.
catur--gatih
nAma 774. ctugRit> catur
b) He Who provides the four goals: indra, brahma, kaivalya, and moksha.
c) He Who has the four gaits (vRshabha, gaja, vyAghra, and simha gati)
d) He Who is the goal of the four varNa-s and the four ASrama-s.
e) He Who is the Refuge for the four kinds of bhakata-s (Arta, ji~jnAsu,
arthArthI, and j~nAnI)
a) SrI bhaTTar interprets the nAma as referring to His being the path for all
the four goals desired by His devotees – upAsaka abhiyoga tAratamyakRta-
kramAt catasrah prAptayah asmin iti catur-gatih.
SrI bhaTTar does not explicitly specify what the four goals are that he has in
mind. Two different interpretations have been given by the subsequent
interpreters. One is that the four goals are the four purushArtha-s – dharma,
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artha, kAma, and moksha.
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naDai is enjoyed in four different ways in SrI ra’ngam utsavam-s. These are
the:
3. the vyAghra gati (associated with the anger of an angry tiger), and
4. simha gati (the walk of lordliness associated with its position as the
king of the four-legged species and by its ability to overpower and
conquer the other four-legged species).
d) SrI Sa’nkara uses the meaning “goal” (the ultimate end) for the word gati,
and gives the interpretation that the nAma means “He Who is the Goal of the
four varNa-s and ASrama-s” – ASramANAm varNAnAm caturNAmyathokta-
kAriNAm gatih catur-gatih – He is the goal of the four stages of life or
ASrama-s (brahmacarya, gRhasta, vAnaprastha and sannyAsa), and the four
castes (brAhmaNa, kshatriya, vaiSya, and Sudra), when their respective codes
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of conduct are observed.
e) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the interpretation that He has this nAma
because He is the Refuge for the four kinds of bhakta-s – the Arta, ji~jnAsu,
arthArthI, or j~nAnI – caturNAm ArtAdInAm bhaktAnAm yathA-bhAvam
AsryatvAtcatur-gatih.
SrI satya sandha yatirAja also gives this interpretation, and gives the
reference to the gItA Slokam 7.16:
(gItA 7.16)
“Four types of men of good deeds worship Me, O arjuna. These are the
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catur--AtmA
nAma 775. cturaTma catur
d) He Who is skilled in keeping His AtmA pure from attachment etc. (catura -
cAturya AtmA)
f) He Who manifests Himself in four forms to support the jIva in its four
states - viSva, taijasa, prA`jna, and turIya.
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h) He Who created the fit being - the four-faced brahmA (catura = kuSala,
fit)
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the above nAma-s here.
It has been pointed out in many places before, that a unique feature of SrI
BhaTTar’s bhAshyam is that he sees a connection between groups of nAma-s in
SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam, and has grouped the 1000 nAma-s into 44 groups,
like 44 petals of a lotus flower. So in SrI BhaTTar’s bhAshyam, we will see the
interpretation that is most appropriate to the form of bhagavAn that he is
dealing with for any instance of a given nAma. For instance, he interprets:
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refers to the four manifestations of kRshNa as vAsudeva (Himself),
samkarshaNa (His brother), pradyumna (His son), and aniruddha (His grandson)
for catur-mUrtih (nAma 771), the distribution of the six qualities between
them for nAma 773, and the meditation of these four forms bythe devotees
under nAma 775.
The point to be made is that even though the nAma-s may have outwardly same
or similar meanings, the interpretation is made with emphasis on different
aspects of bhagavAn’s manifestations and guNa-s, and thus the full benefit of
the diversity of the guNAnubhavam is provided to us, with no dosham of
repetition or punar-ukti.
Even though SrI Sa’nkara has not adopted a scheme of interpretation where
he weaves a thread of connection between groups of nAma-s as a rule (as SrI
BhaTTar has done), he also avoids punar-ukti or repetition because this is a an
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With that diversion on how the great vyAkhyAna kartA-s provide us with
diverse anubhavam-s of bhagavAn’s guNa-s and eliminate the purnar-ukti
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dosham, we will briefly summarize the anubhavam of the current nAma – catur-
AtmA.
a) As pointed out in the previous paragraph, for nAma 139 SrI bhaTTar gives
the interpretation that He manifests Himself in four vyUha forms – vAsudeva,
samkarshaNa, pradyumna, and aniruddha. Here the meaning given for the term
AtmA is rUpam, based on the nirukti description – vAsudevAdi rUpatvAt
caturAtmA itikathyate.
b) For the instance of this nAma in the current Slokam, he gives the
interpretation that bhagavAn makes Himself available for experience of the
devotees both in sthUla and in sUkshma form, in any of the four states of
experience: the waking state, the dream state, the sleep state, and the turIya
state, depending on the capacity of the devotee to meditate on Him.
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c) SrI Sa’nkara’s vyAkhyAnam for this nAma in Slokam 15 is that His Sakti is
expressed in a four-fold manifestation in each of His functions of creation,
preservation, and destruction. These four forms are:
d) For the current instance of the nAma caturAtmA, SrI Sa’nkara views the
nAma as catrura + AtmA, where he uses the meaning cAturyam for the word
catura. His interpretation here is that He has this nAma because He is skilled
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in keeping His AtmA or Self pure and free from attachment etc. – rAga
deveshAdirahitatvAt catura AtmA mano asya iti caturAtmA.
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in its getting milk. The manifestation of His Self that supports this kAraNa
SarIra of the soul in His form as ISvara is called anu~jnaikarasa. His Self
which is past these three aspects of the soul, and which is realized through
brahma j~nAna is called avikalpa. The nAma caturAtmA, based on the
nRsimhottra tApinI, refers to the four forms of His Self described above –
otA, anu~jnAtA, anu~jnA ekarasa, and avikalpa – atha turIyaS-caturAtmA
turIyAvasitvAt ekaikasya otAnu~jnAtranu~jnAvaikalpaih (1.11). The first three
forms lead to the fourth form – the paramAtman, through knowledge and
realization.
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paramAtmA catu-rUpah sarva-prANi-sarIragah |
In his explanation, SrI Raghavendran associates the viSva form with the
wakeful state of the jIva, the taijasa with the dream state, the prA~jna with
the sleep state, and the turIya with the state that is above all the other
three, the moksha state.
g) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation that the nAma refers
to His being the antaryAmi of the four types of devotees – the Arti,
arthArthI,j~nAnI and mumukshu – those who worship Him for relief from
sufferings, those who seek wealth, those who seek knowledge, and those who
seek moksha – caturNAm Arta arthArthi ji~jnAsu mumukshUNAm AtmA
antaryAmI priya iti caturAtmA.
SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives an interpretation that is based His being the
cause of the four types of desires in the devotees: caturshu dharma artha
kAmamoksheshu janAnAm yogyatAnusAreNa AtmA mano yasmAt sa
caturAtmA.
h) SrI satya sandha yatirAja also gives another anubhavam: BhagavAn is called
caturAtmA because He created the fit being for purposes of creation, in the
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form of brahmA - caturah kuSala AtmA catur-mukho yasmAt iti caturAtmA.
hari:
catur--bhAvah
nAma 776. ctuÉaRv> catur
a) He Who gives expression to the four vyUha forms through four kinds of
actions.
a) SrI bhaTTar interprets the word ‘bhAva’ as standing for ‘bhAvanA’, which
means ‘manifesting, revealing’. – bhAvah = bhAvanA = abhivya’njanam, which
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means ‘manifesting, revealing’. He continues his interpretation linking the nAma
to the previous ones, which dealt with His vyUha forms, and interprets the
current nAma as revealing the expression of these vuYha forms through
actions. Creation, sustenance, protection of the beings, and propagation of the
SAstra-s are the four actions or duties. These are distributed respectively as
follows:
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b) SrI Sa’nkara gives the interpretation that the nAma represents bhagavAn
as the Source of the four kinds of purushArtha-s: dharma, artha, kAma and
moksha – dharam artha kAma mokshAkhya purushArtha catushTayam bahavati
– utpadyate asmAt iti catur-bhAvah.
SrI cinmayAnanda takes the generic meaning “The Source of the Four”, and
then expands on it. He is the Source of the four varNa-s, the four ASrama-s,
the four purushArtha-s etc. (see b above). He gives reference to the gItA
Slokam 4.13 in support:
(gItA 4.13)
c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that the current nAma
signifies His creation of the four kinds of species: svakRtavyavasthayAcatur-
vidhAm sRshTim utpAdayati – One Who has created the four kinds of species
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through His own Free Will. The four species are: those that come from an egg,
such as birds, serpent, etc.; the humming kind, such as the mosquito, bee, etc.;
the species such as trees, and the human species.
magnificence displayed in the vyUha and vibhava is vast like the ocean, which
cannot be comprehended by anyone.
SrI V. N. Vedanta deSikan points the use of the two words maRai and vedam, in
this pASuram. MaRai refers to this great secret being concealed from the
undevoted, and vedam refers to its being revealed to the great devotees. In
gItA 15.15, Lord kRshNa reveals that He is the Only One Who is to be known
from all the veda-s, He is the One Who created the veda-s, He is the One Who
brings about the fruition of the rituals of the veda-s, and He is the One Who
knows the veda-s –
b) SrI Sa’nkara’s vyAkhyAnam is that He has this nAma because He is the Only
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One Who knows the meanings of the veda-s as they are - yathAvat
vetticaturNAm vedAnAm artham iti catur-veda-vit.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri comments that not only it is true that He alone
knows the four veda-s completely and with their correct meanings, but He is
also the veda-s Himself. Thus, knowing Him is only possible for those who have
learned the veda-s correctly and with their true meanings.
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c) SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN has a different anubhavam of the nAma –
bhagavAn has this nAma because He is the One Who enables His devotees to
know the four veda-s – caturo vedAn vedayati bhaktAn iti catur-veda-vit. In
other words, only through devotion to Him will a student of veda be able to
know and understand the veda-s and their meanings correctly.
eka--pAt
nAma 778. @kpat! eka
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a) SrI bhaTTar gives the interpretation that bhagavAn chooses to show only
apart of His greatness when He takes incarnations amongst us. (This does not
mean that He actually has only part of His mahimA during the incarnations. He
has His complete and undiminished attributes at His command, but He just
does not invoke them or use them. This is revealed in SrImad rAmAyaNam,
where Lord rAma emphasizes that He is only a human – (aham mAnusham
manye), even though viSvAmitra and others know His true Nature. See svAmi
deSikan’s description of the six rahasya’s of His incarnations in Slokam 17 of
SaraNAgati dIpikA, which has been described previously).
(V.P. 5.1.2)
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“O Brahmarshi! This incarnation of the Lord as kRshNa in the yadu race is only
asmall part of Himself”.
AmSAmSena avatIrya urvyAm
(V.P. 5.1.3)
“He has come down to this world only with a part of a part of Himself”.
(bAla. 18.12)
“rAma, the delight of the ikshvAku race, took birth as half the amSam of
vishNu”.
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In his purusha sUkta vyAkhyAnam, SrI K. SrInivAsa aiye’ngAr gives the
interpretation that the leela vibhUti which is expressed in His manifestation
through this universe is only a fourth of His mahimA. The remaining three-
fourths is found in parama padam in His nitya vibhUti. The reference to one-
fourth and three-fourth here really are parts of His immeasurable mahimA.
(gItA 10.42)
I stand sustaining this whole universe with a fragment of Mine (My power)”.
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SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN gives the following reference from the smRti:
All the thousands of universes together are nothing more than a tiny part of
Him.
c) SrI satya sandha yatirAja bases one of his interpretations by looking at the
nAma as ekapo + at, and using the root at – sAtatyagamane – to go constantly
(atati). His interpretation is “ekapo mukhya pAlakah san atati” – He Who is
constantly on the lookout as the Sole Protector.
The root pA – rakshaNe – to protect (pAti – protects), also suggests that the
nAma can be viewed as meaning that He is the Sole Protector.
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Volume IV
Our Sincere thanks to the following for their invaluable contributions to
this ebook :
(http://kirtimukha.com/chinnamma/sahasra/)
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E-book assembly:
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CONTENTS
SlOkam 83 3
SlOkam 84 33
SlOkam 85 48
SlOkam 86 67
SlOkam 87 82
SlOkam 88 105
SlOkam 89 127
SlOkam 90 150
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SlOkam 91 171
SlOkam 92 198
SlOkam 93 225
SlOkam 94 245
SlOkam 95 266
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. ïI>.
(Volume IV)
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1
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2
Slokam 83
smavtaeR inv&ÄaTma ÊjRyae Êrit³m>,
a) He Who takes incarnations again and again for the benefit of His devotees.
c) He Whose true thoughts are always revolving around what He can do to help
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His devotees.
samAvartAya namah.
sam is an upasarga here, and can mean “well”, “from all sides”, etc. The term
Avarta means “turning around, revolving”. The root from which the word
Avarta is derived is vRt – vartane – to exist, to happen, to live on, to occupy
etc. The amara koSa vyAkhyAnam is: Avartate carkravad bhrAmyati iti
Avartah – That which rotates around like a wheel.
b) SrI Sa’nkara gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has the nAma
samAvartah because He skillfully turns the wheel of worldly life –
samsAracakrasya samyag-Avartaka iti samAvartah.
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN expresses the same idea – because bhagavAn
3
repeatedly continues His creation in cycles, He is called samAvartah – samyak
tAnAvartayati punah punah sRjati iti samAvartah.
c) He who is the AtmA of those who practice the nivRtti dharma (Bestower of
benefits according to karma).
d) He whose nature is that He is free from the bonds of samsAra, even when
He takes His incarnation amongst us (kRshNa incarnation).
i) He whose mind turns away from any feeling of self-glory over His kIrti or
fame.
nivRttAtmane namah.
The nAma nivRttAtmA occurs 4 times in SrI BhaTTar’s system of
interpretation. This is one of only two nAma-s that occur this many number of
times (the other nAma is prANa-dah). The instances of the nAma nivRttAtmA
in SrI BhaTTar’s scheme of interpretation are: nAma 231 (Slokam 25), nAma
4
453 (Slokam 48), nAma 604 (Slokam 64), nAma 780 (Slokam 83)
SrI Sa’nkara has given the nAma-s as nivRttAtmA in Sloka-s 25 and 64, as
vimuktAmA in Slokam 48, and as a-nivRttAtmA in Slokam 83, with nivRttAtmA
being his alternate version in Slokam 83.
What follows is a consolidation of the previous write-ups for this nAma. The
nAma has been explained in detail in the previous three instances, using the
approach that I have taken for all other nAma-s, namely, giving the different
anubhavam-s of the different vyAkhyAna kartA-s for the nAma in one place.
We will take a look at the vyAkhyAna for this nAma from a different
perspective in the current write-up.
There are two unique contributions that SrI BhaTTar has made in his
vyAkhyAnam for SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam. These are:
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1. He has approached the elucidation for all the nAma-s with the emphasis
on bhagavAn’s guNa-s of saulabhyam and sauSIlyam towards His
devotees as the primary guNa-s of bhagavAn that are of interest from
the devotees’ perspective. SrI Sa’nakra generally gives his
interpretations with emphasis on the parattvam or Supremacy of
vishNu in his interpretations. This point has been brought out in detail
in my write-up comparing the two vyAkhyAna-s, and has been mentioned
as a reminder under different nAma-s.
5
SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma-s in the following contexts:
nAma 231 – as part of the group of nAmas from 226 to 247, reminiscent of the
purusha sUkta-upanishad pratipAdita virAT svarUpam. nAma 453 – as part of
the group of nAma-s from 451 to 463, describing the nara-nArAyaNa
incarnation, as the nivRtti dharma pravartaka. nAma 604 – as part of the group
of nAma-s from 590 to 606, describing His guNa as a conferrer of benefits to
jiva-s based on their karma. nAma 780 – as part of the nAmas from 697 to
786, describing His kRshNa incarnation.
The meaning for the word nivRtta is to turn away, to abstain from, to be above
worldly acts, etc.
a) SrI BhaTTar’s interpretation for nAma 231 (in the group of nAma-s
describing the Transcendental Person described in purusha sUkatam etc.,), is
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6
The above sloka talks of two birds, one representing the paramAtmA and the
other the jIvAtmA, one watching and shining brilliantly, while the other enjoys
the fruits of the karma. It thus illustrates the different nature of the
superior Soul, who turns away from the enjoyment that the jIva goes after
(nivRtta -anaSnan). SrI vAsishTha captures the spirit of the nAma through
the Sloka he has composed for describing the meaning of this nAma, just as he
has composed his own Sloka as his interpretation for each of the 1000 nAma-s:
“BhagavAn creates the universe and protects everything, and is a Friend of the
jIva-s and treats everything in His creation equally. He does not consume any
of the fruits of this world, but withdraws everything into Him at the time of
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pralaya”.
b) In SrI BhaTTar’ interpretation for nAma 453 in Slokam 48 (in the group
dealing with the nara-nArAyaNa incarnation), the anubhavam is that bhagavAn
has His mind turned away from worldly desires. Since the nara-nArAyaNa
incarnation deals with the life of austerity that He adopted, and He taught the
nivRtti dharma to nara, this is an appropriate interpretation in this context.
BhagavAn appeared as nara and nArAyaNa to teach the nivRtti dharma to the
world and to practice it with extreme detachment (BhagavAn’s form was
nArAyaNa in the role of the teacher, and nara in the role of the student). To
indicate His profound detachment (parama vairAgya) to material objects of
pleasure, He had His mind withdrawn from them. The nara-nArAyaNa avatAra
as well as the nivRtti dharma are embedded in this nAma. The avatAara
emphasized nivRtti-dharma and propagated the sacred ashtAkshara. The
essence of nivRtti dharma is the realization that nothing is done for our
benefit or by us, and everything is for the benefit of nArAyaNa and happens
because of Him. We are not for us or for someone else, but only for
nArAyaNa.
7
vishayebhyahpratyAhRta-manAh nivRttAtmA - To indicate His profound non-
attachment to material objects, He has His mind withdrawn from them. About
His meditation it is said - antarnivishTa bhAvam ca - He who has His thoughts
concentrated on Himself. Also, Atma-dhyAna parAyaNAya - To Him who has
His thoughts concentrated within Himself"; "hRd - admArpita mAnasam" - "Him
with His mind fixed on the lotus-heart", etc.
c) For nAma 604, which is in the group of nAma-s dealing with His relation with
the jIva-s in giving them the results of their karma-s, SrI BhaTTar gives the
interpretation that He has this nAma because He is the AtmA of those who
practice the nivRtti dharma, or the life of renunciation.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan elaborates on how bhagavAn is the AtmA of those who
practice the nivRtti dharma. These are the jIva-s who do not have any interest
in pravRtti dharma, and live their lives with the soul objective of doing
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kaimkaryam to Him. They are not interested in any fruit out of their action
except the bhAgyam of doing kaimkaryam to Him. BhagavAn gives them exactly
that, namely He gives them His lokam from where there is no return to
samsAra - viNNulagam taruvAnAi variaginrAn (tivuvAimozhi 10.6.3). In fact,
even though bhagavAn is AtmA of these nivRtti dharma practitioners just as
He is the AtmA of all other creations, yet He considers that these nivRtti
dharma followers as His soul that supports Him. Another name for these
practitioners of nivRtti dharmA is j~nAnI, whom bhagavAn considers as His
own soul.
Of the two kinds of dharma - the pravRtti dharma and the nivRtti dharma,
pravRti dharma takes us to the world of the pitR-s where we enjoy the fruits
of our karma, and come back to this world with the balance of karma-s to our
credit; nivRtti dharma is that which leads one to moksha.
d) For the current instance of this nAma in the context of the kRshNa
incarnation, SrI BhaTTar’s anubhavam is that even though He took the
incarnation among us for our benefit, and even though we are deeply immersed
in pravRtti dharma, He keeps Himself in the nivRtti dharma, and is not in any
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way affected by worldly things, and so He continues to be a nivRttAtmA.
Thus, even though the nAma is the same, the anubhavam is related to the
context of the particular aspect of bhagavAn that is emphasized in that
context. This vision of SrI BhaTTar in recognizing the connectivity between
the different nAma-s in sequence has also naturally taken care of the issue of
avoiding punar-ukti.
Part-2
(The following list has been revised, and is slightly different from the on e
posted yesterday. So it is included here).
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(Transcendental Form).
c) He who is the AtmA of those who practice the nivRtti dharma (Bestower of
benefits according to karma).
d) He whose nature is that He is free from the bonds of samsAra, even when
He takes His incarnation amongst us (kRshNa incarnation).
h) He Whose Mind turns away from sacrifices that are performed by those
who are not qualified.
j) He whose mind turns away from any feeling of self-glory over His kIrti or
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fame.
nivRttAtmane namah.
(Interpretations (a) to (d) were posted yesterday. This is the continuation).
For the rest of the write-up, new information that was not included in the
previous write-ups is included below.
SrI BhaTTar’sinterpretation a) above is along the same as lines as this. For the
incidence of the nAma in Slokam 48, SrI Samkara vyAkhyAnam is – svabhAvato
vishayebhyonivRtta AtmA manah asya iti nivRttAtmA – He turns away from
material pleasures naturally. SrI BhaTTar’s interpretation b) is along the same
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e) For the current instance, SrI Sa’nkara uses the pATham a-nivRttAtmA, and
then gives the interpretation that because He is present everywhere, there is
no turning away from anything for Him, and so He is a-nivRttAtmA.
New interpretations (f, g, and h - below) that have not been presented earlier
are from satya sandha yatirAja:
i) For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 64, SrI vAsishTha uses the meaning
“asa’nga - unassociated with” for the word nivRtta, and gives the interpretation
10
that bhagavAn is called nivRttAtmA because at the time of pralaya He is not
impacted by the effect of pralaya (i.e., He does snot cease to exist), and at
the time of creation He is not impacted by the effect of creation (that is, He
is not created). So He is unassociated with the effects of the pralaya, sRshTi,
etc. –
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worlds. He is the svAmi of all these worlds - vIRRirundu Ezhulagum tanik kOl
Sella;varambilAda mAyai mAya!. varambilAda kIrtiyAi! (tiruccanda viruttam
96). With all this greatness, one would expect that He should have some
attachment of ownership to His wonderful creation, and pride of this great
creation of His. Yet, He does not have any of this sense of pride, and is only
interested in our welfare instead, in whatever He does. Such is His greatness.
In this sense also, bhagavAn is nivRttAtmA.
SrI cinmayAnanda observes that the significance of the nAma lies in indicating
to us that we have to detach our mind from sense indulgences in orderto
realize Him.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that bhagavAn is the only one who can
retrieve those who are attached to all kinds of material and sense objects,
because He is the only one who is not attached to anything. Only the one who is
not stuck in the mud can retrieve one who is stuck in it.
The writer in dharma cakram points out that the significance of this nAma is
to realize that we should live a life with detachment from material objects in
order to realize the Truth, and meditating on this nAma of mahA vishNu will
help us live that kind of life. Meditating on the Lord who has no attachments
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will lead us to live a life without attachment. He gives the life of Lord Rama as
an example of the life of nivRttAtmA.
SrI Sa’nkara’s interpretations for the above nAma-s in Sloka-s25, 48, 63 and
83 respectively, do not seem to suggest that he has adopted the pATham that
he has chosen, for illustration of any specific advaita philosophy related issues.
So it can be assumed that his choice is more a reflection of 1and/or 3 above.
vimuktAtmA:
a) He Who is a naturally free Soul, since He is never born, not touches by
effects of karma, etc.
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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the interpretation that the nAma stands for
One Who has attained “viSeshamukti”, or liberation in a unique or special way.
BhagavAn is naturally free in a unique way since He does not have birth and its
associated avidyA, desire, etc., like every one else does. He is not affected by
karma, the three guNa-s, etc.
b) SrI satya sandha yatirAja, a follower of the dvaita tradition, also uses the
pATham as vimuktAtmA here, and gives an interpretation different from SrI
Sa’nkara– vimuktA AtmAno jIvA yena iti vimuktAtmA – He by Whom the jIva-s
are liberated or released is vimuktAtmA.
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The dharma cakram writer describes the four kinds of karma – nitya,
naimittika, kAmya, and nishiddha. nitya karma-s are (such as
trikAlasandhyAvandanam) those which are to be done necessarily; doing them
does not accumulate puNya, but not doing them accumulates papa. Performance
of naimittikakarma-s (such as observance of ekAdaSi) will lead to specific
benefits. Acts that are done with specific desire for benefits (such as special
sacrificial rites undertaken with specific benefits in mind) are called kAmya
karma-s. The nishiddha karma-s are the ones that are forbidden. BhagavAn is
not subject to the effects of any type of karma, because He does not
undertake any karma for His benefit; whatever He does is for the benefit of
the jIva-s.
a-nivRttAtmA:
SrI Sa’nkara’s interpretation for this version is that bhagavAn is a-
nivRttAtmA, One Who never turns away from anything, because He is in
everything and everywhere – sarvatra vartamAnatvAt s-nivRttah kuto’pi a-
nivRttAtmA. Not too many other interpreters have used this version.
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dur--jayah
nAma 781. ÊjRy> dur
b) He Who is Invincible.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha observes that anyone who follows the SAstric rules,
and who performs actions consistent with His dictates, will always be
successful. This is because bhagavAn resides in these people in His form as
dur-jayah.
This nAma is essentially same as the nAma a-parAjitah (nAma 721, Slokam
76,and nAma 866 in Slokam 92), and ajitah (nAma 553 in Slokam 59). In SrI
BhaTTar’s scheme of organization of the nAma-s into groups, nAma 553 is
interpreted in the group of names that describe Him as Suddha-sattva-
svarUpI, nAma 721 is part of the same group that the current nAma belongs
to, in that they both are part of the description in terms of the kRshNa
incarnation. nAma 866 is part of nAma-s that stress His guNa as a dushTa-
nigrahan – One Who punishes the dushTa-s. So it is interesting to see how SrI
BhaTTar achieves differentiation in the interpretation of these three similar
nAma-s in their four instances.
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material, and birth and death are unknown because nothing is composed of
perishable material. See Slokam 59 for details on this nAma.
For nAma 721, SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation in terms of Lord kRshNa’s
role in the mahAbhAratra war (see the detailed write-up for nAma 721 in
Slokam76).
For the current nAma, SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that He cannot
be brought under control or won over, except when He wishes to reveal
Himself – yan-na darSitavAn esha kas-tad-anveshTum arhati – “If He does not
show Himself, Who can succeed in seeking and finding Him?”
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everything. In fact, all that is required to ensure invincibility for anyone is His
blessing:
Thus, all four interpretations describe His invincibility, but in each instance a
different aspect of His invincibility is stressed.
2. for aparajitah in Slokam 76, “He Who has conquered desires and the
rest internally, and the demons and others externally”.
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“Unconquered by gods and men” – Satrubhih naparAjita iti aparAjitah.
dur--atikramah
nAma 782. Êrit³m> dur
(SvetA. 6.20)
“The success with which one can reach the end of sorrow without resorting to
God, is the same as the success one would have in rolling the whole firmament
and putting it into a small leather bag”
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vAsudevam anArAdhya ko moksham samavApnuyAt
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers to the kAkAsura episode in support. He went round
all three worlds for someone to protect Him from the astra of Lord rAma, and
ultimately had to come back to His feet for rescue. In SrImad rAmAyaNam,
hanuman declares that if rAma decides that someone should be killed, then no
one in all the three worlds, including indra, brahma, rudra, or any other devatA
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can protect that person. nammAzhvAr reveals the same truth in his
tiruvAimozhipASuram 10.1.1 (kALamEgattai anRi maRRu ilam gatiyE), and 10.1.6
(tirumOgUrAttan – Aptan tAmarai aDi inRi maRRu ilam araNE) – There is no
recourse for us except His Feet.
(kaTho. 6.3)
“Through fear of Him burns the fire, through fear of Him shines the sun,
through fear of Him functions indra, the wind, and Death as the fifth”.
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“Out of His fear the wind blows; Out of fear the Sun rises;
Out of His fear runs Fire, as also Indra and Death, the fifth”.
c) SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives the explanation – duhkhasya atikramo yasya
sa dur-atikramah – He for whom all sorrow is bypassed.
At first look, the above meanings seem very similar. So here we have another
opportunity to enjoy how SrI BhaTTar and SrI Sa’nkara deal with the
interpretation of the nAma-s such that there is no redundancy.
The general idea that is being described is that He is difficult to attain. This
may be because of:
b) Attributes that pertain to the Sought, that make it difficult to access Him;
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d) The limitations imposed by the place where the person that is sought is
located.
These are precisely the four aspects that SrI BhaTTar addresses, and assigns
one of these for each nAma, each of which contributes to the difficulty in His
unattainability. Thus once again he has nicely handled the issue of avoiding
punar-ukti in the interpretation.
dur--labhah
nAma 783 ÊlRÉ> dur
(a) He Who is difficult to attain for those who are not single-minded in their
devotion to Him.
dur-labhAya namah
The root involved is labh – prAptau – to get. SrI BhaTTar gives the
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interpretation that bhagavAn is difficult to attain for those who are not
single-minded in their devotion to Him - ajitendriya dushprApo dur-labhah sa
cakathyate – He is not easy to access to those who have not controlled their
indriya-s. SrI BhaTTar gives support from vishNu dharma and from
mahAbhArata:
(mahAbhA.udyoga. 78.21)
"O King! KeSava cannot be attained by men if their senses are not conquered
by them."
19
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN refers us to the following, which indicates how
difficult it is for one to get to follow the path of bhakti:
It takes countless births of austerities and other good deeds before a human
being is rid of sins and develops devotion to kRshNa.
dur--gamah
nAma 784 ÊgRm> dur
here is:
dur--gah
nAma 785 ÊgR> dur
He Who is separated from us by our avidyA which acts like afortress between
Him and us.
dur-gAya namah
The root is the same as for the above nAma: gam – gatau – to go. Here SrI
BhaTTar ascribes His inaccessibility because of curtains or protections that
20
are too difficult for us to go through, in the form of our a-vidyA or Nescience:
avidyA AvaraNaih dush-praveSaSca dur-gah. The term dur-gah usually refers
to a fortification for a fortress, such as a moat. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives the
derivation – duhkenApi gantum aSakyah – One Who cannot be reached even
with difficulty.
SrI cinmayAnanda translates the nAma as “Not easy to storm into” (since one
meaning for the word dur-gah is fort). He observes that the essence of
nArAyaNa is fortressed around by the matter vestures and their objects of
fascination. Attracted by them, our attention is always distracted towards the
joy contents in them. This seducing power of the matter vestures is itself the
mighty mAyA, which is crossed over only by very rare, courageous, and blessed
ones”. He gives reference to the gItA:
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daivI hyeshA guNamayI mama mAyA duratyayA |
(gItA 7.14)
“This divine mAyA of Mine consisting of the three guNa-s is hard to overcome;
but those who take refuge in Me alone shall pass beyond this mAyA”.
The upanishads say that the Truth cannot be perceived by the senses,
imagined by the mind, or thought of by the intellect. These being the only
source of our knowing, it seems almost impossible to realize the Truth – yato
vAconivartante… (tait. upa. 2.9.1).
SrI cinmayAnanda reminds us that “He is in our heart, but even then He is not
easily realized”.
dur--AvAsah
nAma 786 Êravas> dur
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kaimkaryam to Him in parama padam – evam ca dUre dushkarah tat-pada AvAsa
iti dur-AvAsah.
Now let us see how SrI Sa’nkara distinguishes between the four nAma-s so
that there is no redundancy in interpretation.
dur-labhah – dur-labhayA bhaktyA labhyata iti dur-labhah
He Who is not easily retained for prolonged periods even by yogin-s during
deep meditation
The distinction made in the first two nAma-s is “labhayata” vs. “j~nAyata”.
Literally, the first refers to “getting Him”, and the second refers to “knowing
Him”. The first can refer to those who can attain Him through pure devotion,
without necessarily having the deep detailed knowledge of SAstra-s etc., and
the second can refer to the mastery over the actual SAstric knowledge. The
path of bhakti is tedious, and so is the acquisition of knowledge about Him.
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Additional details on the interpretation of the four nAma-s for SrI Sa’nkara’s
interpretation are given below:
“Devotion towards kRshNa comes to those men whose sins are burnt up
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purushah sa parah pArtha bhaktyAlabhayas-tad-ananyayA |
The root from which this nAma is derived is gam – gatau – to go;
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duhkhenagamyate = j~nAyate, j~nApyate vA dur-gamah.
kaTho. 1.3.14.
SrI Sa’nkara’s words are: duhkhena AvAsyate citte yogibhih samAdahu itidur-
AvAsah.
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the heart steadily for even the great seekers who are diligent in their
consistent pursuit. Arjuna declares this condition experienced by the likes of
him in the gItA:
(gItA 6.33)
I do not see that it can be steady because of the fickleness of the mind”.
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through the difficult path of prapatti. (According to the rAmAnuja
sampradAyam, prapatti is the easiest way to attain Him, as long as one can
qualify with the five a’nga-s of prapatti. One of these is mahA viSvAsam, or
the unshakable faith that He will definitely protect us once we surrender to
Him. Perhaps, this is one of the most difficult mental states to acquire, and so
one can consider that prapatti is difficult in this sense.)
Other anubhavam-s:
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives interpretations that suggest that all these
statements about bhagavAn being difficult to attain, difficult to know,
difficult to access, difficult to retain, etc., all apply to only those that do not
strive with sincerity. His interpretations clearly bring out this point:
He is difficult to attain for those who seek Him only with mild effort
He is difficult to know for thosewho are not smart enough to seek Him
He is not accessible and impenetrable like one in a fortress for those who are
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not excited enough about attaining Him
He is difficult to retain in heart for those who are not collected and calm
enough in their meditation
dur--labhah:
dur
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the anubhavam that even though bhagavAn is
present in everything and everywhere, and in all of us, and is the force behind
our every action, still it is so difficult for us to appreciate this and even
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accept this. Given this state of affairs, to know His svarUpam is next to
impossible for most of us. Hence He is called dur-labhah. SrI vAsishTha points
out that this jIva does not have the ability to know when life will leave this
body, and when the jIva will take the next SarIra, or anything else. He
rhetorically asks the question of how much more difficult it will be to know His
true nature in full, and to attain Him. He observes that even the likes of sage
MarkaNDeya with his long life did not succeed in understanding Him fully. So
SrIvAsishTha’s interpretation is that bhagavAn is called dur-labhah because
He is difficult to attain even for the best of the sages.
dur--gamah:
dur
For the nAma dur-gamah, SrI vAsishTha gives the anubhavam that the nAma
refers to bhagavAn’s Eternal Principle that He reflects everywhere in His
creation – namely, that even though He is inside all of us and thus very near to
us, still He is very far for most of us, and so inaccessible. It is the reflection
of this Eternal Principle of dur-gamatvam that we cannot accompany the jIva
with our body when it departs the body after our death, no one knows exactly
what another person’s thoughts are, etc.
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dur--gamah :
784c. dur
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN interprets the nAma dur-gamah as follows: duh
sAdhena upanishad vicAreNa gamyate budhyate iti dur-gamah – He Who is
known through the tedious and difficult process of inquiring into the
upanishads.
dur--gah:
785c. dur
SrI vAsishTha points out that bhagavAn is ananta or Infinite, and the success
in realizing Him is related to the effort that is put in, but is never complete.
This is the sense of the nAma dur-gah - He Who is difficult to be accessed in
His totality. For humans who are constrained by the limitations of their antah-
karaNa-s (the seat of thought and feeling, the mind, the thinking faculty, the
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heart, the conscience, the soul), He is dur-gah.
dur--gah
785d. dur
dur--gah
785e. dur
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN interpets the nAma dur-gah using the root gai –
Sabde – to sing, and gives the interpretation that the nAma refers to His
being sung through sAma gAnam which is difficult to learn, practice and
master.
dur--AvAsah
786c. dur
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is impossible to pinpoint precisely. He quotes the atharva vedic passage:
(atharva. 10.7.32)
“Reverence to the Supreme Brahman, whose base is earth, whose stomach is
air, and whose head is the sky”.
dur--AvAsah
786d. dur
AvAsah.
To recapitulate, the different anubhavam-s for the four nAma-s above are:
dur--labhah:
783. dur
dur--gamah:
784. dur
c) He Who can be known only by the difficult process of enquiry into the
upanishads etc.
dur--gah:
785. dur
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c) He Whose realization is constrained by our own limitations.
dur--AvAsah: .
786. dur
b) Not easily retained in their mind for prolonged intervals even by yogin-s
during meditation
d) He Who supports the lives of even those creatures which do not have
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access to the essentials of life as we know them.
It is important to keep in mind the point brought out by SrI kRshNa datta
bhAradvaj in the context of these four nAma-s, namely, that in the case of
those who long for Him, He removes the obstacles, and makes sure that He is
easily accessible. He uses diverse means to get rid of the enemies or mislead
them etc. We will see this aspect in the next series of nAma-s, 787 to 810 in
SrI BhaTTar’s scheme of interpretation.
durAri--hA
nAma 787. Êrairha durAri
The word is made up of dur + A + ari + hA. dur and A are upasarga-s. dur here
means bad. A stands for samanta – complete, entire (A samantAt – SrI
vAsishTha); ari refers to foe, and hA stands for destroying or killing, derived
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from the root han – to kill, to destroy. SrI vAsishTha explains the term
durArih as meaning “one who causes pain and misery from all sides” – duhkham
samantAt arpayati prApayati iti durArih. The nAma durAri-hA stands for “He
Who destroys the durAri-s” – durArih tAn hanti iti durAri-hA.
a) SrI BhaTTar’s anubhavam is that bhagavAn uses different means to get rid
of the evil-minded asura-s. One of them is to make them weak by turning them
away from the veda-s. He gives a quote from vishNu purANam:
(vishNupurA. 3.18.34)
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“By His powerful skill, He confounded in several ways their minds, and led them
astray, as a result of which there was no one amongst them who had a liking
for the veda-s. They became averse to going in the right path, and they were
easily disposed of by the gods”.
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mAyA mohao’yam akhilAn daityAnstAn mohayishyati |
(VP 3.17.42)
sthitou sthitasya me vadhyA yAvantah paripanthinah |
(VP 3.17.43)
“This deceptive form of Mine shall wholly beguile the daitya-s, so that, being
led astray from the path of the veda-s, they may be put to death, for be they
gods, demons, or others, those who are opposed to the authority of the veda-s,
shall perish by My might, which is exercised for the protection of the world”.
SrI BhaTTar explicitly refers to the Buddha incarnation in the above context
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in his interpretation of the nAma-s 787 to 810 – idam daurlathyam
aprapipsupApavishaye prayacchan budddhAvatAram niyacchati – durAri-hA.
This concept of bhagavAn creating mAyA Sastra and other ways to mislead the
asura-s is also mentioned in svAmi deSikan’s dayA Satakam 47:
“mAyASastrANyapi damayitum tvat-prapanna-pratIpAn” – to control the
enemies of Your devotees, You create the mAyA SAstra-s also.
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durAri to refer to the bad aspects of our intellect, and gives the
interpretation that the nAma means “One Who destroys the negative aspects
in our mind when we resort to Him” – dur-matih tAm hanit iti durAri-hA. He
indicates that this is the worship we do through the mantra “tat savitur
vareNyam bhargo devasya dhImahi dhiyo yo nah pracodayAt”.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives a different derivation for the nAma,
eventhough the meaning is the same – He Who destroys the enemies who make
a mockery of the dharma mArga. He uses the root dula – utkshepe – to shake
to and fro, and gives the derivation –
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He destroys those who flout the dharma mArga and who are His enemies.
With His help, it is not at all difficult to overcome the enemies such as kAma,
in our path to Him.
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Slokam 84
zuÉa¼ae laeksar¼> sutNtuStNtuvxRn>,
a) He with a bewitching form that mesmerizes the asura-s and misleads them.
c) He Who makes the ashTA’nga yoga successful for those who follow this path
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with devotion
The word a’nga refers to a limb or part of the body, a constituent part or an
essential component, a part of a division or part of anything, etc.
a) SrI BhaTTar has interpreted nAma 593 as part of the description of the
auspicious qualities of bhagavAn in bestowing benefits to His devotees
according to their efforts. In that context, he uses the meaning “a constituent
part or an essential component” as the meaning for the word a’nga. His
anubhavam there was that bhagaVan is called SubhA’ngah because He makes
His devotees succeed in the eight a’nga-s of bhakti yoga, for those who
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undertake this path with faith in Him (For details, please see under Slokam63).
b) For the current instance of the nAma SubhA’ngah, SrI BhaTTar continues
his interpretation in terms of bhagavAn’s Buddha incarnation. He gives the
meaning “He Who had limbs that were bewitching”, or “He Who had a
bewitching form”, in reference to the Buddha incarnation – a form that could
easily convince the asura-s that His words of deceit were trustworthy, even
though He took this form only to succeed in misleading them by diverting them
from the vedic observances. SrI BhaTTar’s words are: “katham
tAnanupravishTah? SubhA’ngah” – How did He enter in their fold? By taking a
bewitching form that made them feel comfortable with Him and believe that
He is trustworthy. This deceitful form that He took was also one of perfection
– in deceit (vastreNa, vapushA, vAcA – by His dress, His appearance, His
words, etc., to use v.v. rAmAnujan’s quote).
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Thus, for the two instances of the nAma SubhA’ngah, SrI BhaTTar
differentiates the interpretations by using two different meanings for the
word a’nga.
Thus, while SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma SubhA’ngah in its current
instance as His kapaTa vesham or deceitful form to fool the ausra-s, SrI
Sa’nkara interprets the auspicious form that is worshipped by His true
devotees. Note that both are forms taken for the benefit of His devotees -
for the destruction of His devotees’ enemies in the former case, and for the
benefit of meditation of His true devotees in the later case.
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SrIrAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to the anubhavam of His bewitching form
by sage nArada and by hanuman, as revealed to us by vAlmIki in rAmAyaNa.
SrImad rAmAyaNam begins with vAlmIki’s question to nArada: “Who is the
best guNavAn, vIryavAn, dharmaj~nah, kRtaj~nah, satya-vAkyah, and dRDha-
vratah in ths world?”. nArada responds to vAlmIki and tells him that there is
no one other than rAma, born to daSaratha, who qualifies for all these in one
Person. In three Sloka-s (bAlakANDam1.9-11), nArada describes the beauty of
rAma’s form:
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pIna-vakshAviSAlAksho lakshmIvAn Subha-lakshaNah ||
“rAma is One with broad shoulders, long arms, beautiful neck, great facial
features, broad chest, great at wielding weapons, a muscular body, one who
subdues His enemies easily, long hands that reach up to His knees, beautiful
head and forehead, beautiful gait, …”.
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interprets the part a’nga based on the root agi –gatau - to go, and gives several
alternate interpretations (d, e, f).
g) Using the same approach for the word a’nga, SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN
interprets the nAma as signifying that bhagavAn makes accessible to the
devotees the auspicious things such as the trust in Sastra-s, the trust in the
words of the AcArya-s, etc. – SubhAni guru Sastrokti viSvAsa svapna
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loka--sAra'ngah
nAma 789. laeksar¼> loka
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He told them "kurushvam mama vAkyAni yadi muktimabhItshTatha" (VP 3.18.5)
– "If you want salvation, follow my words". One should go through the entire
chapter of SrI vishNu purANam 3.17 and 3.18 to have a full understanding of
the Buddha incarnation.
iNa'nguninnOrai illAi….
"You created several ways to worship You, including those that conflict with,
and contradict each other; You created several gods, but there is nothing that
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can equal You".
SrI K.Ve'nkaTasAmi reDDiyAr has written a uRai for this pASuram, in which
he explains that the reference here is to the different paths that He has
created for worship for the rAjasic and tAmasic people, including the gods and
processes of worship associated with them.
SrI Sa'nkara uses the same meanings as above for the three parts of the
nAma –loka, sAra, and a'nga, and gives two interpretations:
c) He Who is reachable through the sAra or essence of the veda-s, namely the
praNava. loka-sArah – praNavah, tena pratipattavya iti loka-sAra'ngah.
d) e) SrI satya devo vAsishTha derives the nAma starting from the roots lok –
darSane – to see, to perceive; sR – gatau – to go; and a'ng– to go. His
approach is: loka – He who is in the purview of vision is lokah, or He who shines
with different aspects; sR – gatau– to go. By use of pANini sutra 3.3.17, (sR
sthire) the word sArah refers to something that moves while remaining
fixed; for instance, candana sArah – the essence of sandal. sthiro bhavati iti
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sArah– One who moves while remaining fixed throughout time is sArah.
Choosing the second of the two meanings given for loka, loka- sAra is
interpreted by SrI vAsishTha as referring to bhakti towards bhagavAn (loke
sAro bhagavti prema). He Who is the recipient or object of this bhakti, or He
Who is attracted by bhakti, is loka- sAra'ngah– loka sArah tad gacchati =
prApnoti, tat prati AkRshTo bhavatiiti loka-sAra'ngo vishNuh.
So the two interpretations that SrI vAsishTha gives for the nAma are:
f) SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives the interpretation by viewing the nAmaas
loka-sAh + ra'ngah. He uses the roots san – dAne – to give, and ra'nj – rAge –
to be devoted to, in his interpretation. His vyAkhyAnam is: lokam vaikunThAdi
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lokam sanoti dadAti iti loka-sAh; rajyantej~nAninah atra iti ra'ngah; loka-sAh
asau ra'ngaSca iti lokasA-ra'ngah– He Who bestows SrI vaikunTham, and He
to Whom the j~nAni-s are devoted, is lokasA-ra'ngah.
su--tantuh
nAma 790. sutNtu> su
a) He who has a powerful net of threads to capture the asura-s and retain
them from escaping.
d) He Who expanded the yAdava race in auspicious way by being born as the
son of vasudeva.
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su-tantave namah.
su is an upasarga. tantu is derived from the root tanu – vistAre– to spread, to
go. Among the meanings for the term tantu are thread, cord, wire, string,etc.
a)SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning "a net of threads" for the term "tantu", and
gives the meaning "One Who has such a net to capture the evil-minded folks",
for the term tantuh. BhagavAn puts in an appearance of tranquility and
meditation in this deceitful role, and the asura-s are caught up in this net, and
could never get out of it. This interpretation is a continuation of SrI
BhaTTar's elucidation of the nAma-s 787 – 810 in terms of the Buddha
incarnation.
SrI SAstri explains that the net is beautiful and attracts the asura-s, and at
the same time is very strong, and so they can't out once get caught in this net.
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b) SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation – Sobhanah tantuh vistIrNah
prapa'nco'syaiti su-tantuh. One translator gives the meaning as "He Who is
beautifully expanded, like the universe", and another gives the meaning "He,
through whom this universe is beautifully and auspiciously expanded as a
thread".
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha develops his interpretation based on the meaning "to
expand" for the root tanu – vistAre, consistent with the second translation
above –
Consistent with this act of the beautiful expansion that He does, we see that
right from the start of creation, and up to the time of pralaya, the different
species remain the same and keep expanding at the same time. They have
expanded before, they are expanding now, and they will continue to expand in
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the future (expansion here is to be understood in terms of new members of
each species being created, while old members die).
c) SrI satya sandha yatirAja uses the sense of visTara or expansion for the
term tantu, and interprets the nAma as signifying that bhagavAn has the nAma
su-tantuh because He has the likes of brahma as His son – Sobhanas-
tantuhcatur-mukhAdi santAno yasya sa sau-tantuh.
d) SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry uses a similar approach, but gives the
interpretation that because bhagavAn expanded the race of yAdava-s in an
auspicious way being the progeny of vasudeva, He is called su- tantuh.
tantu--vardhanah
nAma 791. tNtuvxRn> tantu
b) He Who augments the expansion of Himself into this world, by protecting it.
tantu-vardhanaya namah
The word vardhanah is derived from the root vRdh – vRddhau – to grow. So
this nAma can be viewed as an extension of the previous nAma– One who
increases the meshes in the net, or One Who continues to maintain or sustain
the growth or vistAra of this universe.
(gItA 16.19)
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"Those haters, cruel, the vilest and the most inauspicious of mankind, I hurl
forever into the cycles of births and deaths, into the wombs of demons".
(VP 3.18.32)
"The foes of God being thus induced to apostatize from the religion of the
veda-s by the enchanting power of vishNu, became in their turn teachers of
the same heresies, and perverted others; and these, again, communicating
their principles to others, by whom they were still further disseminated, the
veda-s were in a short time deserted by the daitya race".
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This is how bhagavAn "increased the meshes" – tantu-vardhanah.
d) SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry continues on his idea d) in the previous nAma,
and interprets the nAma tantu-vardhanah as referring to His extending the
progeny of the vasudeva family through pradyumna and others.
indra--karmA
nAma 792. #NÔkmaR indra
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great power, and the addition of the affix ran per uNAdi sutra2.28; the
resulting word indra means "foremost". The word also refers to the god indra.
SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation using the reference to the god indra,
and others use the generic meaning of the word indra – foremost.
(VP 3.17.36)
"All the gods prostrated before Him and said: O Lord! Be merciful towards us.
Please save us from the asura-s. We seek refuge in Thee". This is part of the
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b) SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation that He has this nAma because His
actions are great and glorious, like those of indra – indrasyakarmeva karmA
asya iti indra-karmA – aiSvarya karmetyarthah. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri
gives the interpretation that He has the nAma because He has the actions of
indra as His own; in other words, He is the antaryAmi of indra, and is thus the
cause behind indra's power.
c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the generic meaning ind – paramaiSvarye, and
gives the interpretation – indrANi karmANi yasya – pramaiSvryaSalIni
karmANi yasya sa indra-karmA – He Whose actions reflect His Supreme
Lordship, is indra-karmA. SrI vAsishTha gives examples of His indra-karmA-s
– the support of the all the worlds, ensuring that the planets function in their
correct paths with their correct periods, bestowing the sun with its power,
etc.
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mahA--karmA
nAma 793. mhakmaR mahA
He of magnanimous actions.
mahA-karmaNe namah.
mahAnti karmANi yasya sa mahA-karmA – He Whose actions are great and
magnanimous. The difference in the different interpretations relates the
specific anubhavam of the vyAkhyAna-kartA-s on His mahA karma-s.
a) SrI BhaTTar continues the thread from the earlier nAma-s. "Even though
bhagavAn is of a merciful nature, deceitful acts were perpetrated by Him for
the sake of the protection of the prapanna-s - those who had taken refuge in
Him, and for the destruction of those who were wedded to unholy practices.
Since all His acts were thus justifiable, He is mahA-karmA"– evam prapanna
paripAlanArthatvAt durAcAra-daNDanArthatvAccaparama - kAruNikasyaiva
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vipralambha sambhavah | evam nyAya vRttatvAtmahA-karmA. One is reminded
of the well-known Slokam
(gItA 4.8).
SrI Sa'nkara gives examples of a different kind for the great deeds referred
to in this nAma – such as the creation of ether, earth, water, air, and fire –
mahAnti viyatAdIni bhUtAni karmANi kAryANi asyaiti mahA-karmA.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvaj gives the interpretation that He has this nAma
because He performs divine actions – mahat mahanIyam divyam karmayasya iti
mahA-karmA. He gives the support from gItA 4.9 – janmakarma ca me divyam
– "My birth and My actions are of a divine nature".
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SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN's anubhavam of the mahA karmA's is the
incident involving Lord kRshNa restoring indra's royal umbrella and adiTi's
earrings and giving them back to their owners – mahAnti bhaumavadha maNi
parva chatra aditi kuNDala AnayanAni karmANi yasya samahA karmA. The
reference to these incidents is found in SrImad bhAgavatamin skanda 10,
adhyAya 59, Sloka 2:
indreNahRtac-chatreNa hRta-kuNDala-bandhunA |
(bhAga. 10.59.2)
"Having been requested by indra for His help in recovering his royal umbrella,
his mother's ear-rings, and his seat called maNi parvatam in sumeru hill, that
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has been forcibly taken away by narakAsura, Lord kRshNa went to the city of
narakAsura with satyabhAmA, riding on His garuDavAhanam". The chapter in
SrImad bhAgavatam then extensively describes kRshNa-s fight with
narakAsuran, and the slaying of narakAsura in the end. Then in Slokam 43,
Lord kRshNa is referred to as a-tarkya-kRt – He Who performs acts that are
unarguably great. The use of the word atarkya-kRtah here is the same as the
sense conveyed by the current nAma – mahA-karmA.
kRta--karmA
nAma 794. k«tkmaR kRta
c) One Who keeps repeating the processes of creation etc., with perfection
d) One Who has performed acts that no one else can ever perform.
kRta-karmaNe namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn played His role of deception
by following the practices that He preached to the asura-s, to ensure that
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they believed in Him completely – svayam anushThita tad-AcArah.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan comments that bhagavAn stressed the motto "ahimsA
paramo dharmah" to the exclusion of every other code, and made sure that the
asura-s rejected vedic sacrifices and such other acts.
b)SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation that He has the nAma because "He is
One of fulfilled activities", that is, He has nothing more to achieve – na
kartavyam ki'ncidapi karma asya vidyata iti kRta- karmA.
(gItA 3.22)
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"For Me, arjuna, there is nothing in all the three worlds that is left yet to be
done, nor is there anything unacquired that ought to be still acquired. Yet I go
on working."
c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that the nAma signifies
that bhagavAn is "One Who keeps repeating the process of creation,
protection, and destruction in cycles – One Who keeps doing these actions
again and again" – kRtameva jal-lakshaNam karma punah punahkaroti. He gives
the Rg vedic mantra "yathA pUrvam akalpayat" (Rg.10.190.3) – "He created
everything as before", in support.
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the 16000 rAja kumAri-s who had been imprisoned by him, the fetching of
pArijAta tree for satyabhAmA, the victory over rudra in the battle with
bANAsura, the freeing of aniruddha and usha, etc.
kRtAgamAya namah.
The term Agama is derived from the root gam – gatau – to go. SrI vAsishTha
gives the derivation – Agamyate anena iti Agamo vedah – That through which
knowledge is obtained is Agama, namely, the veda- s. He Who created the
veda-s is kRta-Agamah– kRta Agamo yena sa kRtAgamah.
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itihAsahpurANam vidyA vidyA upanishadah SlokAh sUtrANyanuvyAkhyAnAni
vyAkhyAnAni…."
"The Rg veda, yajur veda,sAma veda, atharva veda, are the breath of this
Supreme Being". The term Agama refers to scriptures.
c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as referring to His being
the Originator of the pA'ncarAtra Agama – "pA'ncarAtrasya kRtsnasyakartA
nArAyaNah svayam" – The whole of pA'ncarAtra was originated by nArAyaNa
Himself.
d) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN interprets the word Agama as "arrival", and
gives the meaning for the nAma as referring to the arrival of Lord kRshNa in
dvArakA after performing several of His leelA-s - kRtas-tat-tatcaritAni
prakASya dvArakAyAm Agamo yena sa kRtAgamah.
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e) The term Agama also means "appearance". SrI vAsishTha gives an
interpretation using the meaning "Avarta" – revolution or repeated
appearance. He gives the example of the sun appearing repeatedly, as
avibhUti of bhagavAn. BhagavAn Himself appears in His incarnations
repeatedly, and in this sense also He is "Agamah" – He Who appears
repeatedly.
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Slokam 85
%Ñv> suNdr> suNdae rÆnaÉ> sulaecn>,
SrI BhaTTar interprets both the instances of the nAma as "udgatah bhavAt
iti udgatah" – "He Who pulls us out of the cycle of samasAra". He distinguishes
between the two instances of the nAma as follows: In Slokam 41, he interprets
the nAma in terms of bhagavAn's act of releasing His true devotees from
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samsAra. In the current instance, his interpretation in terms of the Buddha
incarnation is that He misled the asura-s on the path of release from samsAra.
In the context of Slokam 41, SrI BhaTTar points out that by meditating on
His being released from the bondage to which He subjected Himself when
yaSoDA tied Him to the mortar, we will be released from our bondage of
samsAra – "dAmodaram bandha haram".
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wherever He likes.
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birth; and all kinds of other unusual and auspicious things that happened when
this One Who has no birth, "was born" to devaki.
SrI satya sandha yatirAja conveys a similar idea. His interpretation is:
"bhavAt samsArAt utpatter vA udgata iti ud-bhavah – He Who is beyond
samsAra, birth etc., is udbhavah.
SrI cinmayAnanda gives the meaning "source or origin" for the word udbhava,
and gives his interpretation for the nAma as "The ultimate source" – He from
Whom everything originated – the very spring of Creation. He gives the gItA
Slokam 14.4 in support:
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(gItA 14.4)
"Whatever forms are produced in any womb, O arjuna, the prakRti is their
great womb, and I am the sowing father". The meaning is that bhagavAn is the
One who decides the birth of each individual according to each one's karma –
He decides whether one is born a deva, a gandharva, an animal, etc., according
to their karmA.
d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the meaning uccaih for the upasaraga ut – ud
upasarga uccaih arthe. Using the root bhU – sattAyAm, he gives the
interpretation – uccaih bhavanam yasya sa udbhavah – He Whose place of
existence is at a high level. SrI vAsishTha gives the example of sun moving
around in a high position as a manifestation of bhagavAn being in a high
position. The meaning is more enjoyable if we take the reference to the "high
place" as SrI vaikunTham.
e) Among the alternate interpretations that are given by SrI satya sandha
yatirAja is one which describes this nAma as referring to His being the
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Creator of exalted beings such as pArvati – utkRshTah pArvatyAdibhyo bhavo
yena iti udbhavah.
a) He Who is handsome.
e) He Who has separated or divided the different creatures well in many ways.
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sundarAya namah.
The word sundara means "handsome". The word dara by itself means "a conch
shell". Most interpreters use the former meaning; SrI satya sandha yatirAja
uses the second meaning and gives an alternate interpretation.
a) SrI BhaTTar explains that He was handsome in the eyes of the asura- s, and
so He is described as sundarah in the context of the Buddha incarnation – tad-
dRshTi manoharah sundarah. SrI V.N. veDantadeSikan gives the explanation in
English as "He Who had a captivating form so as to impress and attract a large
following."
In fact, in all the ten pASurams under periya tirumozhi 9.2, AzhvAr just keeps
wondering about this indescribable beauty of emperumAn.
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tirumazhiSai AzhvAr describes His beauty as "ari po'ngik kATTum azhagu
(nAnmugan tiru. 21) – The beauty of nRsimha form looked like beauty bubbling
and spilling over because it couldn't be contained anywhere. tiruppAN AzhvAr
is unable to contain His exuberance at the beauty of Lord ra'nganAtha, and in
two of the total of ten pASuram-s that are attributed to him, he exclaims at
His beauty by crying out "aiyO!" – What a Beauty! (Seyya vAi aiyO –
amalanAdipirAn 7; nIla mEni aiyO – amalanAdi pirAn 9).
SrI cinmayAnanda relates the term "beauty" here to the mental peace that is
derived from meditation and contemplation on SrIman nArAyaNa. He observes
that when meditation leads to the joy of ecstasy, the mind feels the peace,
and it is at these moments of supreme inner satisfaction that the flashes of
beauty-experiences flood the bosom. This is nothing but the manifestation of
SrIman nAraAyaNa, and this is why He is referred to as "Peace -
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Auspiciousness - Beauty" – "SAntam Sivam, sundaram" in the upanishads.
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driyate praSasyata iti sundarah – He Who is exceedingly well regarded and
worshipped (using the meanings sutarAm – exceedingly, dRyate from the root
dR – to worship, to regard). He gives the support from SrImad bhAgavatam:
(bhAga. 4.8.45)
"He Who is always interested in bestowing His blessings on His devotees, He
with a happy countenance, beautiful eyes, nose, cheeks, He who is the most
beautiful of all gods, … should be meditated upon with single-minded devotion."
e) SrI satya devo vAsishTha derives the meaning based on the root dR –
vidAraNe – to tear, to divide. Using su an upasarga meaning "well", he gives the
meaning "He Who divides or separates well" for the nAma – su = sushTu
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melted the hearts of the asura-s by His fascinating form, and drew them
towards Him. This is true of His mohini incarnation as well as His Buddha
incarnation.
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sukham dadAti iti sum-dah on sundah.
d) SrI satysdevo vAsishTha uses the meaning und – kledane – to wet, and
attributes the nAma to His providing every living being with the requisite
amount of water and other fluids, the crops with the requisite amount of rain,
etc. – yo vRsha karmaNA samyag unatti; loke'pi ca paSyAmah, manushyo jalena
kvacit bahu-kRtvah si'ncati, kvacicca alpaSah; esha yo niyamo sa tasyaiva
vyApakasyavishNoh, etc.
ratna--nAbhah
nAma 799. rÆnaÉ> ratna
b) He Who has the navel from which the gem among men –brahmA – originated.
d) He Who has ratna in His navel - in the form of ratna-s in the oceans.
ratna-nAbhAya namah.
ratna here represents beauty. The following derivation is given by SrI
vAsishTha: The word ratna is derived from the root ramu - krIDAyAm - to
play, to rejoice, and the application of the uNAdi sUtra 3.14 - ramesta ca,
leading to the word ratnam which means gem. The word nAbhi is derived from
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the root nah - bandhane - to tie, to bind, and the application of the uNAdi
sUtra 4.126 - naho bhaSca, leading to the word nAbhI. The siddhAnta kaumudI
gives the meaning - "a khshatriya" to the word in the masculine gender, and the
meaning "navel" in the feminine gender. The kaumudi also points out that
sometimes the meaning navel is given in the masculine gender as well. The term
nAbhah means "one with the nAbhi", and so the meaning "navel" is the one that
is relevant here, and the one used by all the vyAkhyAna-kartA-s. He Who has a
beautiful navel is ratna- nAbhah.
SrI vedAnta deSikan's translation is: "In the form of Buddha, the imposture
like a great scholar required certain external gesticulations like massaging the
belly, when His navel was displayed as a beautiful gem".
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world (vaikharee). In this chain of processes on how the thoughts become
manifest for the thinker, the seat of the paSyantee stage is said to be navel
region (nAbhI). When one considers the seat of origination of all thoughts of
all thinkers, this seat is the ratna-nAbhI of bhagavAn, and hence He is called
ratna-nAbhah. SrI cinmayAnanda suggests that this may be significance of
the representation that the Creator, brahmA, originates from the lotus from
the navel of bhagavAn.
SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives two explanations, both of which are different
from the above. These are based on his taking the nAma as ratna-nAbhah or
aratna-nAbhah.
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among men – brahmA – originated.
d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation - ratnam nAbahu yasya iti
ratna-nAbhah - He Who has ratnam in His navel is ratna- nAbhah. He proceeds
to interpeet the nAma as indicating that He has endowed the oceans with
ratnam, which is like ratnam in His navel - sa ratna-nAbho bhagavAn vareNyo
loke samudre vidadhAtiratnam.
su--locanah
nAma 800. sulaecn> su
b) He of superior wisdom.
c) One Who has the wisdom and the vision of the Self.
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a) SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is – tathA hRdayAlu-cora-locanah su- locanah –
He is called su-locanah because (in His Buddha incarnation) He had charming
eyes which enticed the tender-hearted. He gives support from vishNu purANa
- punaSca raktAmbaradhRk mAyA-mohah a-jitekshaNah (VP 3.18.16) – He was
clad in crimson robes, and had eyes which were unconquered; and He deluded
the minds of all by His mAyA.
As we all know, His beauty is not something that is used by Him only for
deluding the asura-s, but also for drawing His devotees closer to Him. ANDAL
praises His beauty in many places in her pASuram-s, and SrI v.v. rAmAnujan
refers us to one of these instances, in nAcciyAr tirumozhi 11.2 –
"My sweet nectar who resides in SrI ra'ngam, the One Who has beautiful hair,
beautiful mouth, beautiful eyes, One from whose beautiful navel sprouts the
beautiful lotus, the One Who has subjugated me as His own by His beauty".
One almost senses the exclamation "aiyo" of tiruppANAzhvar here.
The nAlAyiram is full of references to the beauty of His eyes and the beauty
of His tirumEni (Sem tAmariak kaNNan, pavala vAi, kamalac ce'nkaN,.. ..), and
they are too numerous to list.
b) SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation that He has the nAma because of His
beautiful eyes, and alternatively, assigns the meaning "j~nAnam" to the word
locanam, and gives the alternate meaning – He of superior wisdom – Sobhanam
locanam nayanam j~nAnam vA asya iti su-locanah.
c) SrI cinmayAnanda points out that in addition to the beauty of His form that
is reflected and enhanced by His beautiful eyes, the significance of the term
"beauty" here is that His eyes can see constantly the infinite purpose and goal
of the entire creation. These eyes of His can simultaneously perceive
everything that is happening in all the three worlds all the time, not only the
present, but the past and the future as well. Thus, he gives the meaning "One
who has the wisdom of the Self", to this nAma.
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d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meaning that He has this nAma because
of His beautiful eyes, and in addition, he gives the alternate interpretation
that the nAma signifies that because of Him, the rest of the creation is able
to see well, in His manifestation as the sun – samyag locante prANino yasmin
udite sati iti su-locanah sUryah. The sun and the moon are considered His two
eyes – candra sUryau ca netre.
Thus ends the commentary on the Eight Hundred names of Lord SrI MahA
vishNu.
a) He Who is praised.
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arkAya namah.
The root from which this nAma is derived is arka – tapane stavane ca – to heat,
to praise. arcyate – stUyata iti arkah – He Who is praised is arkah.
SrI satya devo vAsishTha points out that the meaning can also be derived
starting from the root Rc – stutau – to praise, and from the root arc-pUjAyAm
– to worship. Based on the meaning arka – tapane – to heat, arkah also refers
to the sun.
a) SrI BhaTTar gives the meaning that He has an adorable form, and indicates
that He was praised in His Buddha incarnation by His followers as "aho!
mahAtma! ati-dhArmikah!" – "Oh! A great soul and a highly virtuous one!".
SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation that He is adored by even the likes of
brahmA – brahmAdibhih pUjyatamairapi arcanIyatvAt arkah.
The same idea is given by SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj – arkyate stUyate
brahmAdibhih iti arkah. He gives the support from SrImad bhAgavatam: yam
brahmA varuNendra marutah stuvanti divyaih stavaih (bhA. 12.13.1) – He Who
is worshipped through divine adorations by brahmA, varuNa, indra, vAyu,etc.
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form of the Sun, using the meaning "sun" for the word "arkah". The Infinite
Consciouness, SrIman nArAyaNa, is the one source of light and energy
illumining and nourishing everything. Once He leaves the body of any creature,
the body cannot be maintained.
vAja--sanih
nAma 802. vajsin> vAja
"vAja-sanih" is "vaidika pATham". This is probably based on the fact that this
nAma is referred to in the veda-s as "vAja-sanih"– for example, (Rg. 9.110.11),
(Rg. 3.51.2), (Rg. 10.91.15)
The term vAja refers to annam or food. The root from which sanah or sanih is
derived is san – sambhaktau, dAne – to divide, to give.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri adds that the nAma signifies that He has made
provision for all living beings for their food even before they are born, such as
providing for the milk for the child from the mother's breast even as the child
is born. So He plans and provisions for sustenance of all creatures even before
He creates the world.
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SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that the nAma signifies His being
the source or nurturer of the entire world of "emotions-feelings-and-
thoughts" for the experiences of the body, mind and intellect of all creatures.
For the interpretation in terms of His being the provided of food to all beings,
SrI cinmayAnanda gives references to the gItA:
(gItA 15.13)
"And entering the earth I uphold all beings by My strength. I nourish all herbs,
becoming the juicy soma".
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a) He Who appears like one having a horn (with a bunch of peacock feathers in
his hand).
d) He Who has provided every creature with the means to express its SR'nga
or expression of power.
a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as One who has a horn, and associates it
with His carrying a bunch of peacock feathers in his hand in His incarnation to
delude the asura-s, as a symbol of his doctrine of ahimsA. He gives support
from vishNu purANam:
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tato digambaro muNDo barhi-patra-dharo dvija |
(VP 18.2)
"Approaching the daitya-s engaged in ascetic penances, He approached them in
the semblance of a naked mendicant, with his head shaven, and carrying abunch
of peacock's feathers, and addressed them in gentle accents thus". H.H.
Wilson adds a footnote in his translation, that "a bunch of peacock feathers is
still an ordinary accompaniment of a Jain mendicant. According to the Hindi
poem, the pRthu rAi caritra, it was borne by the Buddhist amara sinha".
SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry comments that the nAma can also be a reference
to His varAha incarnation, where He supported the earth at the tip of His
horn.(see nAma 542, Slokam 58 – mahA-varAhah).
c) SrI satya sandha yatirAja uses the meaning "summit of a mountain" for the
word SR'nga, and gives the interpretation that the nAma is a reference to His
carrying the govardhana mountain – SR'ngANi govardhanaSR'gANi asya santi
iti SR'ngI.
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bhayam iti SR'ngam avicintya- sAmarthyam; tad-asya asti itiSR'ngI.
The Conquerer.
jayantAya namah.
The root from which the nAma is derived is jI – jaye – to conquer. jitavAn iti
jayantah.
a) SrI BhaTTar continues with the elucidation of the point that just as the
good things that exist in this universe are because of Him, the negative things
that exist are also caused by Him, with a purpose. Thus, the creation of the
mAyA SAstra-s etc., are also part of His leelA. His interpretation here is that
this nAma indicates that He conquered the advocates of theism among the
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asura-s by means of His false doctrines that the world is an illusion, and that
the soul is nothing but knowledge – Astikya-vAdinah samvidAtmatva-
prapa'ncamithyAtva-mithyA vAsaih jitavAn iti jayantah. The reason for His
doing this should be clearly understood to be because there were, among the
asura-s some who believed in practicing theism just to get the powers, which
they would then misuse for causing harm to His devotees (the case of
SukrAcArya, the guru of the asura-s, and rAvaNa, who was a great expert in
the veda-s, are examples.) The reference here is not to the theists who
worship Him with the desire to attain Him. In this latter case, bhagavAn only
helps them more to attain Him the more they wish it.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points to His help to the pANDava-s to gain victory
over the kaurava-s.
SrI cinmayAnanda points out that it is His jayantah guNa that helps us "to
conquer our lower impulses, our endless desires for the sensuous – and our
craving for the cruel pleasures of indulgence", because it is the "grace of the
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mind and intellect, in attunement with the Self" that helps us achieve this.
c) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN's anubhavam is more along the lines of the
enjoyment of kRshNa as a youth – He is jayantah because He always won in
hand combat as well as verbal combat with His friends – jayati sakhAn bAhu-
yuddhevAg-yuddhe vA iti jayantah.
SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma in terms of bhagavAn being victorious over
all the beings of the Universe, and keeping everything under His control.
Wherever there is His blessing, there victory is guaranteed irrespective of
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No amount of powerful weapons or anything else can prevent the victory of one
who has His support and blessings.
"When you are the Protector, where is the need for other protectors, and
when You have decided not to protect, what is the use of any other
"protector"?"
Again in abhIti stavam, svAmi deSikan points out that for His devotee, there is
no fear ever, from anywhere, under any circumstance – kadAcana
kutaScanakvacana tasya na syAt bhayam (abhIti. 5).
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the following references to Sruti where the
nAma jayantah occurs:
(Rg. 1.91.21)
(Rg. 10.103.8)
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sarva-vij-jayine namah.
The nAma consists of sarva + vid + jayI. (sarva means "all" – sarati iti sarvah;
vid – j~nAne – to know, or vid – vicAraNe – todiscuss; ji – jaye - to conquer).
a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is that He won over the learned people (among
the asura-s who were believers in the efficacy of following vedic procedures
etc. for acquiring special powers, which then were misused to harm the
followers of dharma) by His sweet words and convincing arguments.
b) SrI Sa'nkara treats the nAma as "One Who is sarva-vit", and "One Who is
"jayI". His explanation for the nAma is that bhagavAn is Omniscient (sarva-vit)
and Victorious (jayI) –
(He Who is complete in knowledge, and He Who overcomes the internal foes
such as desire, and also the mighty external foes such as the demon
hiraNyAksha).
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives reference to the Sruti for the nAma sarva-vit:
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yah savar~jnah, sarva-vit
c) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the same meaning for the term sarva-
vid– all-knowing, as the other interpreters have given, but interprets the word
jayI not in the sense of victory over an adversary, but as One Who is held in a
position of respect and esteem by very learned people – His interpretation is
that the Lord had a distinct position of eminence and glory with the all-learned
people such as vasishTha, vAmadeva, etc. – sarva-vitsu vasishTha
vAmadevAdishu jayo mahotkarsho'sya nityam asti itisarva-vij-jayI.
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Slokam 86
suv[RibNÊr]ae_y> svRvagIñreñr>,
suvarNa--binduh
nAma 806. suv[RibNÊ> suvarNa
a) He Who concealed the truth of the vedic path from the asura-s with sweet
words.
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c) He Who is in the form of the auspicious praNava mantra.
d) He Who has a beautiful form, and Who has beautifully divided the
creatures of the universe into their various parts.
a) SrI BhaTTar uses the root bidi – apalApe – to conceal, and the meaning
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"letters" to the word varNa, he continues his interpretation in terms of
bhagavAn's Buddha incarnation, specifically taken to deceive the evil-minded
people and thereby punish them for their karma-s. Here, the interpretation is
that bhagavAn successfully used "sweet" words to conceal the truth of the
vedic path from the asura-s, and to create a distrust in the vedic practices
among those asura-s who believed in using vedic rites in order to get
powers,and then using these powers to harm the deva-s. The cases of
SukrAcArya, indrajit, rAvaNa, etc., who got powers by performing vedic rites,
and then used those powers to harm His devotees, are examples.
b) Sri Sa'nkara uses the meaning avayavah – limbs, for the word bindu, and
gives the interpretation to the nAma as "One having limbs radiant like gold" –
bindavah avayavAh su-varNa sadRSA asya iti su- varNa-binduh. We came
across the beauty of His form and limbs in the nAma-s suvarNa-varNah,
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brahma (taitt.1.81); tat-te padam sa'ngraheNa bravImyomityetat (kaTha.
1.2.15).
d) Based on the root bind – avayave – to divide, to split, and using the uNAdi
sUtra bindur-icchuh (uNAdi. 3.2.169), SrI vAsishTha interprets the word
binduh as referring to "one who divides" – bindati – avayavAnkaroti, or "one
who performs the kriyA of avayava or division. In this interpretation, SrI
vAsishTha gives the meaning "One Who Himself is of beautiful form (su-
varNa), and Who has divided (binduh) the creatures beautifully into their
different parts, while operating as the Undivided One in all of them" – as in
the case of a tree, into its branches, leaves, etc.,or the different planets of
the solar system – yathAyam sUryastathAyamsamastah prapa'ncah parasparam
avayava-avayava vibhAvam Apannah, patra-phala-pushpa-SakhAdIni
vRkshasyeva.
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e) SrI satya sandha yatirAja uses the meaning "letter" for the word bindu, and
interprets the term suvarNa as a reference to the veda-s. He uses the root
vid – j~nAne, and gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has this nAma
signifying that He is the "Knower of the veda-s" – SobhanA varNAyasmin sa
su-varNo vedah; tasya binduh – j~nAtA su- varNa-binduh.
f) Using the meaning "a decorative mark on the forehead" for bindu,SrI bala
deva vidyA bhUshaN gives the interpretation – su-varNo lalATasthobinduh
asya iti – He Who has golden mark of decoration on His forehead, or He Who a
decorative mark on His golden forehead.
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be agitated.
a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for the nAma is that when He presented His
arguments as Buddha to the asura-s, no one could stand up against his
arguments, because he was possessed of impenetrable thoughts –
gambhIrASayatvena a-vikAryah.
c) SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives an anubhavam not shared by the others. In
addition to treating the nAma-s suvarNabinduh and akshobhyah as two
separate nAma-s and giving interpretations for these, he looks at these two
combined as one nAma also – su-varNa- bindu + rakshah + bhyah. His
interpretation is: suvarNa bindavo yasmin tat suvarna-bindu; suvarNa-binduvat
rakshaScasuvrNa-bindu- raksho mArIcah; tam bhyAsayati bhIshayati iti
suvarNa-bindu-raksho-bhyah - The term suvarNa-bindu rakshah refers to the
demon by name mArIca, since he had golden dots (bindu-s) all over his body.
BhagavAn has the nAma suvarNa-bindu-raksho-bhyah since He caused fear in
the mind of this rAkshasa, mArIca, with the golden dots all over his body. The
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root bhya – bhaya is used in this interpretation.
sarva--vAg
nAma 808. svRvagIñreñr> sarva ISvara--ISvarah
vAg--ISvara
The Lord of all who have a mastery over all words.
sarva-vAg-ISvara-IsvarAya namah.
He Who is the Lord of all who have mastery over vAk or speech is sarva-vAg-
ISvara-ISvarah – The ISvara of those who are "sar-vAg- ISvara-s". The
different interpreters give different anubhavam-s on who these "masters over
speech" are.
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disputations.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan comments that vAcaspati is known for piling points after
points in support of his position in any argument. That skill of vAcaspati is but
a tiny fraction of bhagavAn's power. The point to be kept in mind here is that
in his Buddha incarnation, bhagavAn was advancing arguments to promote
nAstikam among the asura-s, and so his arguments in the current context were
not consistent with the SAstra-s.
SrIrAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that brahmA with his four faces and four
mouths,gives the veda-s to the rest of the world, and so he is sarva-
vAgISvaran, and he got this power from bhagavAn, the sarva-vAg-ISvara-
ISvara.
SrI satya sandha yatirAja considers the reference of the phrase "sarva-vAg-
ISvarato rudra, and so describes the namA as indicating that He is the Lord of
rudra: sarveshAm vAcah sarva-vAcah tAsAm Isvarasya rudrasya ca
ISvaratvAtsarva-vAg-ISvara-ISvarah.
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SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN lists brahma, rudra, etc., as those learned in the
SAstra-s, and bhagavAn being the Lord of all of them, has this nAma – sarvAh
SrutyAdilakshaNA vAco yatra sa sarva-vAk; nikhilaSAstra pratipAdya
ityarthah; yata ISvara-ISvara vidhi- rudrAdi niyAmakah.
SrI cinmayAnanda quotes the kenopanishad passage where the question is first
asked:
SrI cimnayAnanda explains the nAma thus: "It is not the instruments of
actions and perceptions that act by themselves, as they are all made up of
inert matter. The immediate animation to the equipment is given by the 'inner
instruments'.
SrI vAsishTha comments that the gods or devatA-s for speech and sound are
vAcaspati, agni, vidyut, etc., and He is the Lord of all those gods who are the
gods of vAk, and so He is called sar-vAg-ISvara- ISvarah – sarva
vAgISvarANAmapi ISvarah.
SrI vAsishTha comments that even though there are a large number of
species, each with its own unique structure of the organs that produce sound
from them, all of these originate from Him, and ultimately subside in Him.
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mahA--hradah
nAma 809. mhaÿd> mahA
a) The Vast Lake in which the sinners drown never to rise again, and the
devotees dip again and again to get relief.
c) He Who has created the great oceans so that the earth does not become
completely dry and perish.
mahA-hradAya anamah.
The root from which the word hrada is derived is hrAda – avyakte Sabde –to
sound, to roar. That which makes indistinct, undefined sounds is called hradah.
That which is huge, and makes this sound is mahA-hradah. The term isused to
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refer to a deep lake, an ocean etc. – hRadate iti hradah.
a) SrI BhaTTar's explanation for the nAma is that bhagavAn as Buddha was
like a deep lake in which the evil-doers sank, never to rise again – yatrapApa-
karmaNah a-punar-utthAnam nimajjanti. He refers us to Lord kRshNa's words
in the gItA:
(gItA 16.19)
"Those haters, cruel, the vilest and the most inauspicious of mankind, I hurl
forever into the cycles of births and deaths, into the wombs of demons".
SrI BhaTTar also points out that while He is the deep lake where the sinners
will drown, He is also the deep lake where the devotees will find their great
comfort, and will bathe again and again without ever getting satisfied –
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simultaneously a cause of terror for hiraNyakaSipu, and with that same form,
He was the cause of great delight for prahlAda.
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan describes the term hradah as eddy, the deep ditch that
sometimes lies in the path of running waters. If one gets caught in one of
these, it is well near impossible to get out of it alive. BhagavAn is like one of
these for the asura-s. nammAzhvAr refers to bhagavAn as:
tiruvAimozhi 10.1.8
bhagavAn is described as the large cool tank in which so many devotees
immerse and benefit, and He is also the large tank in which the cruel asusra-s
fall and drown, never to return (val arrakar pukku azhunda). The reference to
bhagavAn as the "cool reservoir of waters" for the devotees is common in
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SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is that He is like the great lake since the yogi-s
remain peacefully in His bliss by plunging into it – avagAhyatadAnandam
viSramya sukham Asteyogina iti mahA-hradah.
b) SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives the explanation as `One Who is associated
with the deep waters in kALIya mardana, or as He reclines in the Milk Ocean" –
mahAn hrado yasya kAlIya mardana kAle vA, samudra Sayana kAle vAsa mahA-
hradah.
c) SrI satya devo vAsishTha explains the nAma as referring to His creating
the great oceans so that the world does not become completely dry and perish.
Here is his vyAkyAnam in his traditional Sloka form:
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mahA-hrado vishNur-amogha karmA
mahA--gartah
nAma 810. mhagtR> mahA
a) He Who pushes the great sinners into the great pit of samsAra.
c) The One with the Great Chariot (with the garuDa in its flag).
e) The Great Pit in which everything in this Universe originates, resides, and
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merges back.
mahA-gartAya namah.
The root from the word garta is derived is gRR – nigaraNe – to swallow, to
devour, to emit.
The term is used to refer to a ditch, and also the seat of a war-chariot.
a) SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning "pit" for "garta", and equates the pit in this
nAma to the naraka loka-s such as the raurava, into which bhagavAn casts away
those who have lost their souls by following the path contrary to the path of
dharma – evam bAhya-kudRshTi vinisvishTa nashTAtmanAm rauravAdi-gartA
asmAt itimahA-gartah. He quotes the gItA Slokam 9.3 in support:
(gItA 9.3)
"Men devoid of faith in this dharma, O scorcher of foes,
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the people referred to here are those who have attained the fitness to
practice the proper dharma of worship, but then deviate from the path
because of aSraddhA or lack of faith. He exclaims at the end of his
vyAkhyAna for this Slokam in his gItA bhAshyam – "aho! mahad idam
AScaryam!" – "O! How strange it is! (that people just ignore their dharma and
fall into the pit).
SrI Sa'nkara describes Him as "The great Chasm", because His mAyA is very
difficult to cross. He gives the gItA Slokam 7.14 as support:
(gItA 7.14)
"For, the divine mAyA of Mine consisting of the three guNa-s is hard to
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overcome;
but those who take refuge in Me (prapadyante) alone shall pass beyond the
mAyA".
SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam for this nAma is: garta Sabdo ratha paryAyo
nairuktair- uktah, tasmAt mahA-rathah – mahA-gartah.– The Great Charioteer.
His skill in this area is famous in His role as theCharioteer of arjuna in mahA-
bhArata war.
c) Using the same meaning as above for garta, namely ratha or chariot,
SrIkRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation: – mahAn garto garuDa-
dvaja ratho yasya iti mahA-gartah – He Who the Great Chariot with the
garuDa dvajam is mahA-hradah.
d) SrI satya sandha yatirAja uses the meaning "mountain" for the word aga,
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and looks at the nAma as mahA + aga + a part based on the root R – gatau – to
go (R – gatua kartari ktah).
(gItA 11.7)
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"Behold here, O arjuna,
the whole universe with the mobile and immobile things centered in My body,
This is the last of the nAma-s that SrI BhaTTar interprets in terms of the
role of bhagavAn in misleading the evil-minded people in his Buddha
incarnation. It is more pleasant to enjoy His guNa-s in His role of saulabhyam
and sauSIlyam towards His devotees, than His role as One who punishes those
who violate the path of dharma. However, it is important to realize that
whatever happens anywhere in any part of the Universe at any time, are all His
actions, and are carried out for the benefit of His creation. Thus, it is
necessary to realize that the incarnations such as the Buddha incarnation are
taken by Him for the purpose of doling out the effects of their karma to
those who follow the path of adharma.
In the next few nAma-s, we will see how His guNa-s are displayed in His
SishTa-paripAlanam role.
mahA--bhUtah
nAma 811. mhaÉUt> mahA
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b) He Who is a Great Being.
The term bhUta also is used to refer to the pa'nca bhUta-s – earth, water,
fire, air, and AkASa (prithivI, ap, tejas, vAyu, and AkASa).
SrI Sa'nkara stresses the Supremacy aspect of bhagavAn, and SrI BhaTTar
emphasizes the saulabhyam and sauSIlyam aspects. As has been pointed out
before, both are valid aspects of bhagavAn's guNa-s, but His saulabhyam and
sauSIlyam are the guNa-s that give hope to most of us who commit enormous
sins constantly knowingly and unknowingly, in this birth as well as in the
countless previous births.
c) SrI satya devo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is mahA-
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bhUtah because it is from Him that the five great elements – air, water, etc.,
originated. SrI satya sandha yatirAja also gives a similar explanation – mahAnti
bhUtAni AkASAdIni yasmAt iti mahA- bhUtah.
mahA--nidhih
nAma 812. mhainix> mahA
d) He Who is like a treasure from which His devotees can draw at will.
mahA-nidhaye namah.
a) ni is an upasarga – prefix.
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The root on which the nAma is based is dhA – dhArana poshaNayordAne ca – to
put, to grant, to produce, to bear; nitarAm dhIyate pushyata iti ; nidhIyate
atra iti nidhih; That in which things are stored is nidhi. Usually the term is
used to refer to treasure. nitarAm – wholly, entirely, continuously, always. nidhi
– reservoir, receptacle, abode
a) SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning "treasure" for the term "nidhi", and gives
the vyAkhyAnam that bhagavAn has this nAma because He values the devotees
as His treasure – they are so dear to Him: te nidhivat ati-priyA asya iti mahA-
nidhih.
"bhagavAn loves my head with the same attachment He has for tirup
parkkaDal; He loves my body with as much intensity as He likes tiru vE'nkaTam;
He now appears to be a complete dependent on my body for His very
sustenance".
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SrI v.n. vedAnta deSikan's interpretation for this pASuram, in part, is: "The
Lord bestows the same attachment on my body and limbs as He does on divya
deSa shrines. He appears to love my head as much as He does tirumAl
irumSolai and tiruvE'nkaTam".
b) SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAam is: sarva bhUtAni asmin nidhIyanta iti nidhih –
He is called mahA-nidhih because He is the great Treasure House of all beings.
He protects all beings inside Him like a treasure at the time of pralaya.
c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that the nAma symbolizes
that He is the abode of everything in the Universe, including such great things
as the sun – mahAntah sUryAdayo'pi grahA yatra pakshiNa iva nihitA iti
mahatAm nidhitvAt samahA-nidhih – all the planets reside in Him like birds.
the nAma as: "The Eternal Source from which everything springs forth, and
the Infinite substratum upon which the entire play of the finite is held in
animated suspension". He also notes the meaning "treasure" for the word nidhi,
and observes that SrI nArAyaNa is the richest treasure of all for His
devotees – to loot at will!".
The idea is that His devotees will never be satiated with His anubhavam, and
He is always there for them to eternally enjoy.
AzhvArs refer to bhagavAn as their nidhi in this sense of His being available
for their enjoyment and support always.
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3. nammAzhvAr, tiruvAimozhi 6.7.11: vaitta mA nidhiyAm madusUdanaiyE
alaRRi…..-MadhusUdanan is like a great treasure in reserve (vaitta mA-
nidhi), available in time of need in future.
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Slokam 87
k…mud> k…Ndr> k…Nd> pjRNy> pavnae=inl>,
a) He Who is on this earth with delight by enjoying the association with His
devotees.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan wonders aloud how difficult it must be for bhagavAn to
have to be part of us just to enjoy our company. By coming into this world,
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Lord rAma had to undergo lots of miseries - "nATTil piRandu paDAdana paTTu"
is how He had to live - such is life in this world, that it will make even the
parama purushaN undergo enormous suffering and misery. Lord rAma Himself
describes His miseries –
And yet, He chooses to live amongst us just for the company of, and
association with, the likes of bharadvAja, atri, agastya, etc.
SrI cinmayAnanda interprets the nAma thus: "One Who gladdens the earth",
or "One Who is gladdened by the earth". He explains that bhagavAn's delight
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is a sheer expression of His Omnipotence - the very fact that He has created
this dynamic, complex, cosmos that is so scientifically precise, is a matter of
delight, since it is the fulfillment of His Omnipotence.
SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry observes that this lightening of the burden is
through the elimination of the wicked people (dushTa nigraham).
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the example of His taking many incarnations
for the same purpose - to destroy the wicked people and protect His devotees.
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emphasizes His saulabhayam and sauSIlyam.
d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meaning "sky" to "ku" (based on kai -
Sabde), and gives the interpretation to the term "kumudah" as "One Who
delights in the sky, in the form of the sun" - Sabdavat AkASe modayati iti
kumudah; SabdASraye khe modata iti kumudah sUryah.
e) The word kumuda is also used to refer to the blue lily or to lotus. He Who
wears a garland made of these is kumudah - utpala dhAro kumudah (SrI
baladeva vidyA bhUshaN).
d) He Who accepts offering that are pure like the kunda flowers (kunda-lah).
h) He Who is very pleased with the offerings of the kunda pushpa-s by His
devotees (kunda-rah).
kundarAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar uses the word kundam as referring to "The knowledge of the
Supreme Reality" or para-tattva j~nAnam. This is based on his interpreting the
term ku as a reference to "mukti-bhUmi", rather than just as meaning "bhUmi".
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kundam is that which gives the mukti-bhUmi, namely the knowledge of para-
tattva. Since He is the Giver of this knowledge, He is kunda-rah (rAti = dadAti
= gives).
(gItA 10.10)
"To those who are ceaselessly united with Me and who worship Me with
immense love,
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I lovingly grant that mental disposition (buddhi-yoga) by which they come to
Me".
SrI satya devo vAsishTha also includes this as one of his three interpretations
for the nAma (the other two are covered below). The amara koSavyAkhyAnam
gives the following as an illustration of the use of the word ku with the
meaning "sinful" - tyajet ku-jana-sa'ngam - Leave the association with sinful
people. SrI vAsishTha's vyAkhyAnam is: kum = pApamdRNAti sva-sevAnAm iti
kum-darah – He who tears apart or removes the sins of His devotees. He
makes them see knowledge by removing the sins from their mind– sa eva
buddhim jaritur-viSodhya su-medhasam tam kurute sa vishNuh ||
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fruits that are as pure and agreeable as the kunda (jasmine) flowers –
kundapushpa tulyAni SuddhAni phalAni rAti dadAti iti kunda- rah.
f) SrI vAsishTha indicates the root for the word kunda as kamu – kAntau– to
desire, and the application of the uNAdi sutra abdAdayaSca (uNAdi. 4.98),
leading to the word kundah. He gives the interpretation kAmayata iti
kundahkamanIyah – That which is desired or sought for is kunda. Using the
root rA – dAne – to give, kundarah means "One Who gives what is sought or
what is desired" – kamanIyam vA'ncitam dadAti iti kunda-rah.
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c) He Who is pure and beautiful like the kunda (jasmine) flower.
f) One who is sharp like the kunta spear in removing the sins of His devotees
(kuntah).
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kundarah, and the current nAma, kundah, are somewhat similar. The part - dah
is interpreted as dadAti - gives, dAyati - cleanses, or dyati - eliminates, thus
leading to the different interpretations.
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sins so that they do not get back to the devotee again (kundah) - pApam
dArayati itikundarah, api ca vidAritam pApam Sodhayati iti kundah.
c), d) nammAzhvAr uses the nAma kunda in tiruvAimozhi pASuram 2.6.1 - Sei
kundA varum tImaigaL un aDiyArkkut tIrttu aSurarukkut tImaigaL Sei kundA -
He removes the sins of His devotees, and gives them to the evil-doers as the
phalan for their karma-s. Here, the meaning given by the vyAkhyAna kartA-s
for the word kunda is "One Who is pure like the kunda pushpam - the pure
white fragrant jasmine flower". In tamizh, the word kunda can also be
considered as standing for the word kurundam flower - a pure white flower
representing purity. So the nAma can be understood as "One Who is pure like
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the kunda flower", or "One Who bestows purity like that of the kunda flower
to His devotees".
SrI Sa'nkara gives several interpretations for the nAma. The first of these is:
"He Who is as pure and beautiful as the kundaflower" - kundopama
sundarA'ngatvAt svacchatayA sphaTika nirmalah kundah.
e), f) SrI v.v. rAmAnujan comments that the term can also be taken to mean
"One who has the spear called kunta" - (nin kaiyil vEl pORRi - tiruppAvai).
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tasmin ya~jne mahA dAne dakshiNAm bhRgu-nandanah ||
h) The third interpretation by SrI Sa'nkara is: "He Who got rid of the
kshatriya-s from the earth" - kum pRthvIm dyati khaNDayati vA kundah. He
gives the support from vishNu dharma for this interpretation:
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yah kArtavIryasya sa bhArgavottamo mamAstu mA'ngalya vivRddhaye harih ||
(vishNudharma 43.37)
"Let Hari, the best of the bhRgu family, who made the earth free from wicked
kshatriya-s many a time, and who cut off the thousand arms of kArtavIrya, be
with me for the increase of prosperity".
c) He Who protects.
parjanyAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar derives the nAma from the root aja – ardane - to dispel. He
explains the nAma in terms of His removing (dispelling), like a rain-cloud, the
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three kinds of tApa-s – the tApa-traya-s – AdhyAtmika, the Adhi-daivika, and
the Adhi-bhautika types. These three are: the pain cause by one's own mind
etc., the pain caused by fate or gods, and the pain caused by animals, other
people, etc.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan adds that it is by bestowing the knowledge about Him that
He relieves us from the tApa-traya-s. BhagavAn is frequently referred as the
rain-cloud by AzhvArs for showering His blessings on His devotees:
You who are like the rain cloud for some, like the fire for some, and like the
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SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is also in terms of His removing the three types
of tApa-s – parjanyavat AdhyAtmikAdi tApa-trayam Samayati iti – "He
extinguishes the three kinds of burning miseries concerning the body and the
rest, even as the rain-charged cloud cools the earth by its downpour".
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treated same as parjanyah by dropping the –i in pari. His interpretation is
"paritaAsInA janAh parijanAh; tebhyo hita-tamah iti pari-janyah; ikAra-lope
parjanyah" – pari-jana-s are those that are around Him – those that worship
Him; He Who bestows welfare on them is pari-janyah, which is same as
parjanyah in SrI bhAradvAj's interpretation.
SrI vAsishTha derives the nAma starting from the root pRsh – secane – to
sprinkle, and the application of the uNAdi sutra "parjanyah" (3.103), with the
meaning "cloud". That which wets or drenches is parjanya – parshati – si'ncati
iti parjanyah.
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b) SrI satyasandha yatirAja gives the interpretation – param janyam
yasmAtparjanyah – He from whom a superior birth is attained.
c) SrI vAsishTha gives at least six different ways of deriving the nAma,
starting from different roots.
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meanings are thus: that which goes, that which blows, that which purifies, etc.
a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for nAma 292 was that He has the nAma
signifying that He moves about in the form of the wind, with just a fraction of
His power.
The ten pASurams in tiruvAimozhi 5.7 sum up the truth that bhagavAn is
everything without exception.
"He Who manifests as the life-giving atmosphere around the world and
sustains the existence everywhere".
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In Slokam 32, SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation for the nAma is that He is the
Purifier in the form of the wind. He has given the reference to gItA Slokam
10.31 as support: pavanah pavatAm asmi rAmah Sastra-bhRtAmyaham | "Of
moving things, I am the wind. Of those who bear weapons, I am rAma".
b) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for the current instance of this nAma is that
bhagavAn goes Himself (pavi – to go) to His devotees to remove their distress-
pavate iti pavanah.
c) SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation for the current instance of the nAma is that
He purifies anyone who merely remembers Him – smRti- mAtreNa punAti iti
pavanah.
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In the context of bhagavAn being the Great Purifier, SrI rAdhAkRshNa
Sastri comments in his vyAkhyAnam for the Slokam "pavitrANAm pavitram
yah..", that acts such as taking a bath in the holy waters, visiting divya
kshetra-s, etc., are ways of our ridding ourselves of sins, when we undertake
these acts with the faith and belief that bhagavAn is present in these rivers
and divyakshetra-s. Thinking of Him, worshipping His divya ma'ngaLa vigraha-s,
singing His praise, performing pUja for Him, meditating on Him, prostrating,
etc., are all ways to remove our sins through His purifying power.
SrI cinmayAnanda uses the version "pAvanah" in Slokam 87, and gives the
translation for the nAma as "One Who ever purifies". He comments that "The
impurities of a personality are gathered when the mind and intellect, in a
natural impulse of animal voluptuousness, rush towards the sense-objects with
ego-centric passion". The purification by His power occurs when we peacefully
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let our minds settle in contemplation of the divine nature and eternal glory of
SrI nArAyaNa.
c) SrI vAsishTha also uses the version "pAvanah", but indicates that the
interpretation is the same whether the nAma is taken as pavanah or pAvanah.
He gives the meaning "He Who purifies", for the nAma. He points out that
bhagavAn purifies in many ways: in the form of the wind by blowing, fire by
burning, water by washing, earth by consuming, etc. So His purifying power is
manifest all over. He gives the reference to Rg vedic hymn: punAti dhIro
bhuvanAni mAyayA – Rg. 1.160.3, and also to niruktam 5.6: vAyuhpavitram sa
mA punAtu agnih pavitram sa mA punAtu. He also has summarized his
vyAkhyAnam in the form of the following Sloka:
d) In one of his interpretations, SrI satya sandha yatirAja uses the version
"pAvanah", and looks at the nAma as pA + avanah – He Who protects the
protectors or kings. His vyAkhyAnam is: pAnti iti pA rAjAnah; teshAm
avanamyasmAt iti pAvanah.
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nAma 818. Ainl> anilah
a) He Who need not be goaded by anyone in His blessing the devotees (an-ilah).
g) One Who does not have a fixed residence, One Who is in the form of the
wind, etc.
a) For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar derives the
interpretation based on the root ila – preraNe – to urge. ila refers to that
person who urges another to do an act. Since bhagavAn does not have to be
urged by anyone to bless those who worship Him, He is called a-nilah. His gives
the following in support: tadapyaprArthitam dhyAto dadAti madhusUdanah -
When meditated upon, bhagavAn madhusudana bestows His blessings on His
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devotee even when the devotee does not pray for them - vishNu dharma 74.42.
d) For the instance of this nAma in Slokam 25 (nAma 236), Sri BhaTTar
derives the meaning based on the root an – prANane - to live, to breathe, and
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the application of the uNAdi sUtra 1.54 – sali-kal-ani-mahi-bhaDi-bhaNDi-
SaNDi-piNDi-tuNDi-kuki-bhUbhya-ilach – which states that the affix ilach
comes after the verbs sal – to go down (salilam – water), kal– to count (kalilam –
covered with, mixed), an – to live (anilah –wind), etc. Thus, the meaning given
for nAma 236 was – ananAt – ujjIvanAt anilah – Because He sustains the life of
everything through life-breath, He is anilah.
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ignorance is that of ever wakeful state; therefore, One Who is ever awakened
is an - ilah.
f) For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 25, SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri looks
atthe nAma as an + ilah, where ilA refers to bhUmi, used in the sense of
support here – avidyamAnA ilA AsrayatayA an-ilah. Since He needs no support
of the earth, air, etc., He is anilah.
g) Or, one can use the amara koSa vyAklhyAnam – na vidyate nilah
nilayamsthAnam yasya iti anilah – He Who does not have a fixed place is anilah.
i) One more of SrI Sa'nkara's interpretations is: anAdAnAt anilah – One Who
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has no binding.
j) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN seems to use the pATham nilah instead of
anilah in his interpretation – nitarAm lAti gRhNAti aikAntino bhaktAn iti –
Since He totally attracts the single-minded devotees, He is ni-lah.
The dharma cakram writer gives the meaning for this nAma that bhagavAn is in
the form of air, and gives us a view of how important the meditation on this
guNa of bhagavAn is for our life. Without food we can go on for many days;
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without water we can survive for a few days; but without air, but a few
minutes. That is how important air is for our living; and so also is the
meditation on vishNu for our spiritual life. He quotes mahAtmA gAndhi in this
context - that he could survive without food for several days (and hasn't he
proved it several times!), but he could not live without prayer for even a day.
The air is also spread around everywhere, just as mahA vishNu is. Our mind
wanders around everywhere, and occupies everything, just as air occupies all
available space. Man has learned to control and contain air. So also, he can
learn to control his mind by constant meditation on vishNu. This is another
lesson we can take from this nAma.
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b) He Who consumed the nectar after churning the Milk Ocean.
"I can feel that He is in my body, flesh and blood, life-breath and the faculty
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of thinking. He is sweet like honey, milk, sugar, candy, and what not".
nammAzhvAr also describes that bhagavAn voluntarily entered into him and
gave him bliss as the insatiable nectar - ArA amudamAi al AviyuL kalanda
kArAr karu mugil pOl en ammAn akkaNNanukku (tiruvAi. 2.5.5)
b) SrI Sa'nkara gives multiple interpretations. The first one is that bhagavAn
is called amRtASah because He consumes amRta or Immortal Bliss, which is
His Own nature – sva-rUpa amRtam aSnAti iti He also refers to bhagavAn's
churning of the Milk-Ocean and consuming the amRtam from this action in
addition to giving it to the deva-s.
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f) One of the interpretations given by SrI vAsishTha is that bhagavAn has the
nAma indicating that He provides for the unending supply of means of survival
for all His creation - pravAhato nitya-sthAyIdam catur-vidha bheda
vibhaktamyathAtadarha jIvana sAdhanAni ASayati = bhojayati iti amRtASo
vishNuh.
amRta--vapuh
nAma 820. Am&tvpu> amRta
a) He of a Nectar-like body.
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b) He Who has an immortal form.
c) He Who sows and cuts the lives of this Universe continuously irrespective of
time.
amRta-vapushe namah.
The term amRta was explained for the previous nAma. The term amRta means
"undying, non-decaying". It is also used to refer to nectar, or amRtam. vapuh is
derived from vap – bIjasantAne chedane ca – to sow, to scatter, toweave, to
cut, to shave. The term vapu is used to refer to the body, appearance, etc. In
their interpretation for this nAma, SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning "Nectar"
for the term amRtam, and SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning "undying".
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never get satiated. BhagavAn is called ArAvamudan (of tirukkuDantai fame).
nammAzhvAr dedicates tiruvAimozhi pASuram 5.8.1 to 5.8.11 to sing the praise
of ArAvamudan– the Nectar that never gives fulfillment of satisfaction, no
matter for how long we stand in front of Him and worship Him. He again calls
out to His ArAAmudam in pASuram-s in 2.5.4 (appozhudukku appozhudu en ArA
amudamE), 2.5.5 (ArAamudamAi al AviyuL kalanda), 10.10.5 (enakku ArA Amudu
AnAyE) , 10.10.6 (enakkuArA amudamAi), etc.
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concept behind the arcA rUpam of perumAL in our temples).
c) One of the interpretations given by SrI satya devo vAsishTha ues the
meaning "one who sows" for vapuh – va – bIjasantAne chedane ca – to sow, to
cut. His interpretation is bhagavAn pravAhanityam idam viSvam vapatisantanoti
tathA sarvam antakAle cchinatti – bhagavAn has this nAma signifying that He
is the One Who sows the seed of life continuously in this Universe, and when
the time comes, He is the One who cuts it also. He is the One Who propagates
the vistAra dharmA – of propagation of each species from other members of
the same species, with no violation of this rule anywhere.
sarvaj~nAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier in Slokam 48 - nAma 454.
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2.6.2,16).
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha comments that as the Maker of everything that
exists (the Creator), He knows the in and out of everything there is to know
about everything. He gives several Sruti references, where He is referred to
as "One Who knows everything":
(atharva.17.1.111)
(yajur. 32.10)
(Rg.10.82.3)
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yas-thishThati carati yaSca va'ncati yo nilAyam carati yah prata'nkam|
(atharva.4.26.2)
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj brings out the significance of the "all-knowing"
aspect through the following words – SrI bhagavAn hi sarvam sarvatra sarvadA
sarvathA ca jAnAti – He knows everything, always, everywhere, through all
means. He is the Only One Who knows the past, present and the future –
bhUta-bhavad-bhavishyAdInAm j~nAnam. He is inside everyone and
everything. All the bodies and all the souls are His body, and nothing is beyond
His reach. His sarva~jnatvam thus covers everything that is known, and
everything there is to know.
b) While SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam for the previous instance of this nAma (in
Slokam 48) was that He knows that He is the antaryAmI in everything, his
vyAkyAnam for the current nAma is in terms of what is particularly beneficial
for the devotee - that He knows precisely what is useful for the devotee. His
vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn knows what is in the power of His devotees and
what is not in their power, what they can accomplish by themselves and what
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they cannot accomplish by themselves – teshAm Sakya aSakya sAdhya
asAdhyAdika manusandatte iti sarvaj~nah. The benefit to us from this is that
He will help us achieve things that we cannot achieve by ourselves, depending
on our wishes.
"You know who Your devotees are that cannot bear separation from You, and
who those people are that do not know the value of their association with You!
You know everything else in this universe too! But somehow You do not seem
know the purity and simplicity of the intense pain that I am undergoing right
now, because You are not giving Your darSanam to me right away!"
c) SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation as "One Who illumines all– "The
Illuminator of all thoughts, all intentions, motives, emotions,and all sense
perceptions in an individual".
sarvato--mukhah
nAma 822. svRtaemuo> sarvato
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b) He Who has faces on all sides.
sarvato-mukhAya namah.
sarvatah means "from all sides, in every direction, everywhere". mukham means
mouth, face, and in a generic sense, to an opening.
a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that the nAma signifies that there
are many ways of accessing and attaining Him. He has not laid down any rule
that He can be attained only by a particular means and not by another. On the
other hand, He can be easily attained by means that are sometimes
inexplicably simple – yena kenApi vyAjena supraveSatvAt sarvato-mukhah.
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dvaya mantra with or without sincerity, the natural Divine Grace of bhagavAn
will protect this person. Be it with sincerity (sa-hRdaya), or with feigned
sincerity (a-hRdaya), one who needs immediate help (Arta), or one who may
need support sometime in the future (dRpta), one who is His friend or one who
is His sworn enemy (such as rAvaNa), as long one approaches Him in the name
of SaraNagati, it is His vow to protect that person. During vibhIshaNa
saraNAgati, Lord rAma tells sugrIva that He considers it the sworn duty of a
dharmishTan to protect anyone who surrendersto him, even by giving up his
own life if needed –
(yuddhakANDam 18.28).
b) SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is that the name signifies that bhagavAn has
faces on all sides –
(gItA 13.13)
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"Everywhere are Its hands and feet; Its eyes, heads and mouths are
everywhere; Its ears are on all sides; and It exists encompassing all things".
viSvataS-cakshuruta viSvato-mukhah
(SvetASva. 2.16)
pratya'ng-mukhAs-tishThati viSvato-mukhah
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Slokam 88
sulÉ> suìt> isÏ> zÇuijCDÇutapn>,
Ny¢aexaeÊMbrae=ñTwía[UraNØin;Udn>. 88.
sulabhah suvratah siddhah satrujicchatrutApanah |
nyagrOdhO dumbarOsvatthas cANoorAndhra nishUdanah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]
su--labhah
nAma 823. sulÉ> su
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su is a prefix (pratyaya) meaning sukham or saukaryam here. The root involved
in the nAma is labh – prAptau – to get. sukhena saukaryeNa vA labhyahsu-
labhah – He Who is attained easily.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives instances from AzhvAr's SrI sUkti-s:- pattuDai
aDiyavarkku eLiyavan (tiruvAi. 1.3.1) – He is extremely easy of access to those
who approach Him with devotion.
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this is the first pASuram of the third tiruvAimozhi, where he starts
describing the incident where He just let Himself be bound to the mortar just
to please yaSOdA. Tradition has it that nammAzhvAr was so moved by this
soulabhyam of perumAL that He passed out at this simple, unassuming, virtue
of emperumAn mingling with all, and was in this state of lost consciousness for
six months before regaining consciousness. That is the kind of anubhavam that
the AzhvAr-s had of emperumAn. For those who have gone through ANDAL's
nAcciyAr tirumozhi, to understand ANDAL's outburst of emotion, it is
important to understand that this is the level where she was in her anubhavam
of perumAL).
(Among the tattva-s, the twenty-fifth is the soul (jIva), and the 26th is
paramAtmA. If someone counts numerals just for counting purposes, and
accidentally utters the number 26, He is willing to assume that this person is
thinking of Him as the 26th tattvam, and is willing to appear before this
person to bless him. Such is His willingness to be easily accessible).
(yuddha.41.5)
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"If you meet with death (by My lack of protecting you), I do not care if any of
the others are left behind – such as sItA, lakshmaNa, bharata,Satrughna, or
for that matter, Myself".
That is the level of His ease of accessibility through the simple act of
surrender. SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is: patra-pushpAdibhih bhakti-mAtra-
samarpitaih sukhena labhyata iti su-labhah – He Who is easily attainable even
by the offer of leaves, flowers, fruits, etc., with full devotion. The key words
are "with devotion". SrI Sa'nkara quotes from mahA-bhArata:
"The Ancient Purusha is easily attainable by devotion alone, with the offer of
leaves, flowers, fruits, and even water, which are always attainable without
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cost. When such is the case, how is it that people do not even want to try to
work towards emancipation?"
SrI cinmayAnanda quotes the gItA Slokam where bhagavAn Himself declares
that He is "sulabhah":
(gItA 8.14)
"I am easy of access, O arjuna, to that yogin who is ever integrated with Me,
whose mind is not in anything else but Me, and who ceaselessly recollects Me at
all times".
b) SrI satya sandha yatirAja givea a new anubhavam – sukham labhata iti
sulabhah – He Who bestows happiness is su-labhah.
su--vratah
nAma 824. suìt> su
b) He Who accepts only the pure food that is offered with sincerity by His
selfless devotees.
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c) He Who controlled what He consumed appropriately in His nara-nArAyaNa
incarnation.
e) He Who observed all the vrata-s rigorously in His kRshNa incarnation, even
though He was the Supreme Soul.
su-vratAya namah.
su is an upasarga (prefix). vrata means "promise, vow".
a) SrI BhaTTar points to His su-vratam as "dRDha vratam" – strong vow.
"yathA katha'ncit pravishThAnAm sarvathA paripAlana dRDha vratah su-
vratah"– He Who has taken a strong vow to protect those who come to Him
through by one means or another, through whatever means it takes, is su-
vratah. He quotes Lord rAma's vratam:
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"To him who has sought my protection only once, and begged of me saying "I
am Thine", to him I give protection from all beings. This is my vow".
I have never uttered a lie before, nor will my words ever be false.
sarva-dharmAn parityajya mAm ekam SaraNam vraja |
(gItA 18.66)
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"rAma does not do double-talking".
(tiruvAi. 9.10.5)
"The Lord grants SrI vaikunTham to whomsoever that has surrendered at His
feet. This He does at the time of their death".
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to the following in SrI vacana bhUshaNam 381:
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janma paramparaigaL tORum, …. tAnE avaRRai onRu pattAkki naDattik koNDu
pOrum"-
If someone says the name of a divya deSam without evening thinking about it
as a divya deSam, He is willing to give credit to this person for having
mentioned the name of His divya deSam etc. And then, He keeps accumulating
these over several of our births, and then multiplies them ten-fold, and then
considers these as our good deeds, and protects us.
b) SrI Sa'nkara associates the term vratam with consumption of food. His
vyAkhyAnam is: Sobhanam vratayati bhunkte.
Different translators give different meanings for this. SrI ananta kRshNa
SAstry gives the interpretation that the nAma signifies that He accepts only
the pure food that is offered with sincerity by His selfless devotees such as
Kucela.
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restraint – niyamanam, and gives the interpretation that the nAma signifies
that He controls the worldvery effectively – suvratati niyamayati iti su-vratah.
This is also ascribed to fear of Him even by the likes of vAyu, agni., etc., on
the consequences of transgressing His orders – bhIshAsmAd-vAtah pavate
etc. He gives the following references to the instance of His function of vrata
or niyamanam from the Sruti:
e) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the explanation that bhagavAn, in His
kRshNa incarnation, was observing all the vrata-s – rituals etc.,meticulously,
and this is what is conveyed by this nAma – SobhanAni paramotsava rUpANi
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a) He Whose protection is ever available without any special effort on the part
of His devotees.
d) He Who makes His devotees accomplished – in their tapas and other efforts
to attain Him.
f) The final conclusion – the Ultimate Truth – through all means of proof
available to us.
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The root from which the nAma is derived is sidh – samrAddhau – to reach, to
attain one's end, to succeed, to accomplish. We came across a series of nAma-
s based on this root in Slokam 27 – nAma-s 253 to 256 - siddhArthah,siddha-
samkalpah, siddhi-dah, siddhi- sAdanah. In the current context, the nAma is
interpreted as "One Who is already materialized as a Protector of us, One
Who helps us materialize our objectives, One Who is perfect, One Who makes
us perfect", etc.
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sadA svata eva sarva-goptRtvAt ,
a-yatna sAdhyahsiddhah.
These Feet of emperumAn already exist for our clinging without any effort on
our part, and so He is siddhah.
(tiruvAi. 10.6.3)
"We approached nArAyaNa by reciting His names which are expressions of His
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qualities. The Lord comes and hastens to hand over SrI vaikunTha lokam itself
to us, to enjoy at our will, whenever we wish it. He has come the whole way
through, taken residence near us in TiruvaTTARu, and waits, even though He is
in a great hurry to take me. O my mind! You were very co-operative; otherwise,
this could not have happened".
b) SvAmi deSikan explains that among the upAya-s or means for attaining Him,
He is Himself the already existing siddha upAyam – siddhopAyastu
muktauniravadhika dayah SrI-sakhah sarva-Saktih – SrIman nArAyaNa, with
infinite mercy and infinite Sakti, is the siddha upAyam in the matter of
bestowing moksham (nyAsa vimSati 17) – the means that already exists without
requiring any special effort on our part to create this upAya or means; all we
need to is follow one of the sAdhya upAya-s - either the bhakti or the prapatti
mArgam, and He is the pre-existing means (siddha upAya) that will grant the
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moksham.
c) SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation that the nAma signifies that He is
perfect – fully accomplished, without dependence on anyone else –
ananyAdhIna siddhitvAt siddhah.
d) SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry gives the interpretation that the nAma can also
mean that He is One who makes others perfect through their devotion to Him
–The good ones attain perfection or full fruition in tapas, salvation, etc., by
serving Him.
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poshNayoh dAne ca – "to put, to grant, to produce, to bear" in this
interpretation.
f) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the explanation that the nAma means
that bhagavAn is the Ultimate End or the Final conclusion of all enquiries –
siddhyati sma siddhah – bhagavAn hi sakalaih pramANaih siddhah;
tatrapratyaksham pramANam bhaktAnAm, anumAnam pramANam
tArkikANAm, Sabda pramANam caSruti-SAstrANAm, evam pramANa-
tryamapi Sri bhagavantam sAdhayati – For the devotees, He is the prayaksha
pramANam, for the analysts He is the final result of the analysis, and He is
the Sabda pramANam as declared loudly in the Sruti-sand SAstra-s. So He is
the end result of all means of establishing the UltimateTruth.
g) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha's anubhavam is that the nAma refers to "One Who
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accomplishes everything there is to accomplish, with no effort" – Srama
klamtandrAbhih varjito yatnApekshAsiddhiSca siddhah. Or, "He who
accomplishes everything to completion and perfection always" is siddhah –
sarvato bhAvinI SAsvatI siddhih asya iti siddhah. He refers to bhagavAn's
creation of the universe and its functioning flawlessly, with the right mix of
air, heat, water, different species, etc., as He decides.
Satru--jit
nAma 826. zÇuijCDÇutapn> Satru Satru--tApanah
jit--Satru
He Who occupies the bodies of Satru- jits to torment His devotees' enemies.
Satru-jit-Satru-tApanAya namah.
All interpreters other than SrI BhaTTar and those who follow him, treat this
as two nAma-s: Satru-jit and Satru-tApanah. The essential meaning of the two
interpretations is same – BhagavAn ensures that the enemies of the gods are
punished and conquered; either He Himself does this (SrI Sa'nkara's
interpretation), as rAma, kRshNa, etc. in the case of rAvaNa, kamsa, etc., or
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He does it by entering into someone else with His Sakti (sva-tejasA
ApyAyitaih), and then accomplishes the destruction of the enemies of the gods
(SrI BhaTTar's interpretation).
Thus, SrI BhaTTar treats the nAma as Satru-jit-Satru-tApanah, and gives the
explanation that (in addition to using His powers directly in destroying the
enemies of His devotees), He also uses His powers by entering into others with
His tejas, and then defeats the enemies of His devotees as well. Thus, his
interpretation for this nAma is that He is Satru-tApanah (Torturer of His
devotees' enemies) by using Satru-jits (those who conquer their enemies) as
His vehicle. SrI BhaTTar gives examples for this interpretation from SrI
vishNu purANam:
(V.P. 4.2.8);
"With a part of Me, I will descend into the body of para'njaya and annihilate
the asura-s Myself".
(V.P. 4.2.11).
"Then, kakutstha (para'njaya), infused with the power of the Eternal Rulerof
all movable and immovable things, destroyed in the battle all the enemies ofthe
gods ".
(V.P.4.3.7)
"The Adi-purusha and purushottama replied: I will enter into the person of
purukutsa, the son of mAndhAtri and yuvanASva, and in him I will quiet these
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iniquitous gandharva-s.".
(V.P. 4.3.9)
"Reaching the regions below the earth, and being filled with the might of the
Supreme Deity, he (purutkutsa) destroyed the gandharva-s".
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha also gives this as his interpretation, the idea of His
indirect incarnations, for the nAma satru-tApanah – sarva - suhRdah sAdhUn
dvishanti ta eva Satrvah, tAnSca yah sva - paradatta-Saktibhih mahA-
purushaihtApayati iti Satru-tApanah – He gives His Sakti to the mahA-
purushas, who inturn go after those who harm His devotees, and punish them.
He gives the following support from atharva veda, where this guNa of
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scorching the enemies is referred to:
(atharva. 19.28.2)
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj treats the nAma as "Satru-jit-Satru- tApanah",
but gives the interpretation in terms of the two parts: "He Who is Satru-jit
and also Satru-tApanah" –
"Satayanti utpIDayanti dhArmikAn iti Satravah;
tAn jayati iti Satru-jit;SatrUn tApayati iti Satru-tApanah;
Satru-jit ca asau Satru-tApanan iti Satru-jit- Satru-tApanah".
Satru--jit:
Satru
b) He Who helps us defeat our worst enemy – the identity of the body with
the soul.
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c) He Who gives His creation the means to defend themselves against their
enemies.
a) Satrum jayati iti Satru-jit – He Who conquers the enemy is Satru- jit. SrI
Sa'nkara's interpretation is: sura-Satrava eva asya Satravah, tAn jayati
itiSatru-jit – The enemies of the gods are His enemies, and He is the
Conqueror of those, and so He is Satru-jit.
b) SrI cinmayAnanda sees in this nAma the message that bhagavAn is the One
who can drive away the worst of all the enemies, that in our mind: "In the
bosom of man, his enemies are none other than consciousness of his body and
the consequent passions of the flesh – both objective and subjective. The
seeker feels that these urges in him constitute a very powerful team of
belligerent forces, and against their concerted onslaught he feels helpless".
But when an alert seeker turns to nArAyaNa who is in his own heart, all
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Satru--tApanah:
Satru
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them.
b) SrI cinmayAnanda continues along the lines of his interpretation for the
previous nAma, and comments that bhagavAn's nAma "Satru- tApana" indicates
that "When the devotee offers himself at the altar of His Feet, He
(bhagavAn) burns down all the negative tendencies polluting this devotee's
heart.
nyag--rodhodumbarah
nAma 827. Ny¢aexaeÊMbr> nyag
He Who has the Supreme Abode with Lakshmi and everything that is
magnificent, but Who is at the command of the devotees who approach Him
with folded hands.
nyagrodhodumbarAya namah.
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This is another nAma which is treated as two separate nAma-s by most
vyAkhyAna-kartA-s except SrI BhaTTar and his followers. This nAma is an
outstanding example that illustrates the uniqueness of SrI BhaTTar's
vyAkhyAnam. But first, let us look at the individual meanings of the two parts:
nyagrodhah
a) He Who is controlled by those who stand below, bowing to Him with folded
hands.
d) He Who is firmly rooted, and extends in all directions in the form of the
universe.
e) He to Whom those below make a plea for benefits that they desire.
g) He Who is desired in their hearts by those who worship Him (rudh – kAme –
to desire).
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SrI vAsishTha indicates the derivation of the word nyak from the root a'nc–
gatipUjanayoh – to go, to worship. ni is an upasarga or prefix. nIcaiha'ncati iti
nyak – One who bows low; The word rodhah is derived from the root rudh,
which has a couple of different meanings – rudh – kAme – to obey; rudh –
AvaraNe – to oppose. The term nyag-rodah is also used to denote the vaTa
vRksham – the banyan tree. Some vyAkhyAnakartA-s look at the nAma as nyag-
rohah, using a grammar rule that says that the `ha' can be replaced by `gha'.
The different interpretations are the results of the above variations.
(vishNu dharmottara 33.105) - The sight of the a'njali (the act of joining
hands in supplication), immediately pleases the Lord at once without delay.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers to the instance of His being tied to the mortar by
yaSodA – "kaTTuNNap paNNiaya peru mAyan", as an example of this Supreme
ParamAtman being subservient to yaSodA's affection.
b) In one of his interpretations, SrI vAsishTha uses the same roots, and
comes up with the interpretation that "He is One who controls those below" –
nyag ruNaddhi iti nyag-rodhah.
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interpretation, and then invokes the grammatical rule "pRshodarAditvAt
hakArasya dhakArAdeSah" which allows for the replacement of ha with gha in
the above, resulting in nyag-rodhah. His vyAkhyAnam is:
nyak arvAk rohati sarveshAm upari vartata iti nyagrodhah - which is generally
translated as "One Who is Primordial, and is above all".
This meaning can be derived by using the root ruh – bIja janmani
prAdurbhAveca – to grow, to increase, to rise, to reach.
SrI satya sandha yatirAja also looks at the nAma as nyag-rohah (similar to SrI
Sa'nkara above), but comes with a different interpretation. He uses the
meaning ruh – to grow, and gives the explanation that the nAma signifies that
"He makes all beings obey Him, and grows or develops all the beings"– sarvANi
bhUtAni nyakRtya rohati vardhata iti.
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In the tamizh translation for SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam by SrI kAmakoTi
kOSasthAnam in 1948, one of the meanings given for the nAma is:
"ellAuyirgaLaiyum kIzhp paDuttit tan mAyaiyAl mUDik kaTTup paDuttukiRAn"
– The nAma signifies that He controls all beings that are below Him, and
envelops them with His mAyA. This interpretation can be derived by using the
meaning "below" for "nyak", and the meaning "obey" for the word rodhah (rudh
kAme – to obey).
d) The term nyagrodhah also refers to the banyan tree, since this tree grows
in the downward direction as much as it grows in the upward direction. (ruh –to
grow) – nIcair-gatau parohair-vardhate; nyag rohati – grows downwards.
Because of this, this tree is very strongly rooted, and is extremely stable. SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri interprets the nAma as referring to this attribute
ofbhagavAn, namely, that He is firmly rooted, and extends in all directions in
the form of the universe.
f) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the interpretation that "He is One who
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subjugates the enemies of His devotees, and oppresses or punishes them" –
nyak-kRtya ruNaddhi niraye nikshipati sva-bhakta- drohiNa iti nyag-rodhah.
udumbarah:
d) One Who has the best of sounds – the veda-s, as His form.
SrI cinmayAnanda adds that the cause is subtler than the effect, and thus,
the essential principle, nArAyaNa, transcends even the concept of space.
c) SrI Sa'nkara gives an alternate interpretation using the meaning "food" for
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the word "Urk", and gives the explanation for the nAma as "Urk annam, tad-
AtmanA viSvam poshayan udambarah – He Who nourishes the world in the form
of food etc. He gives the support from Sruti – UrgvA annAd yad udumbaram
(tait. brAh. 1.2.7, 1.3.8).
d) SrI vAsishTha uses the root am – Sabde – to sound, and interprets the
nAma ud-umbarah as "One Who has the best of sounds – the veda-s, as His
form" – uccaih sarvata uttamo veda-rUpah Sabdo yasya sa ud-
umbarahsarveSvaro vishNuh.
e) Based on the same root, SrI vAsishTha gives another explanation – He Who
is praised by the highest and best of sounds: bhajans, nAma- sa'nkIrtana-s
etc.,– ut sarvata utkRshTatvena ambyate = Sabdyate = sa'nkIrtyata iti ud-
umbarah.
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f) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation: ut utkRshTam
ambarampItAmbaram yasya sah udumbarah - He Who has the superior
pItAmbaram as His garment is ud-ambarah. Here, he uses the word ambaram
with the meaning "garment".
nyag rodha--udumbarah:
nyag--rodha
Now that we have seen the separate meanings of the two nAma-s nyag- rodah
and udumbarah, let us revisit the interpretation of SrI BhaTTar for this as
one nAma. We note that SrI BhaTTar's explanation for the part nyag-rodah
was that "bhagavAn is One who is subservient to the devotees who stand in
front of Him with their folded hands", and for "udumbarah", the
interpretation was that "He is One Who has the Supreme Abode as His, with
Lakshmi and with all that is magnificent". The reasons for combining the two
into one nAma now stands out at us: "Even though bhagavAn is One Who is
endowed with everything that is Supreme, He is just at the command of His
devotees when they stand in front of Him with folded hands". SrI BhaTTar's
words are: atyucchrita-sevyo'piatyanta-nIcAnAmapi anuvartana- sAdhyah –
Though He is worshipped by the highest of the gods, He is within easy reach
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of the lowliest of persons (because it is possible to please Him easily). No
language or words can capture this saulabhyaam of emperumAn. This nAma in
SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is perhaps one of the best examples of the
uniqueness of his contribution through his vyAkhyAnam, appropriately titled as
"bhagavad guNa darpaNam", where he repeatedly brings out the two supreme
qualities of bhagavAn – His saulabhyam and His sauSeelyam.
c) He Who eternally rules over the universe that is never the same, and keeps
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constantly changing.
d) He Who pervades the entire universe in the form of the five great
elements.
aSvattAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is based on looking at the nAma as a + Sva +
stha (SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya). Svas means "tomorrow" (Apte's dictionary). a-
Svah then means 'not tomorrow', namely `that which is impermanent'. SrI
BhaTTar interprets this as a reference to the impermanent positions of
brahmA, indra etc. The part sthah refers to His being the niyAmaka or
Controller of the worlds through these gods whose position is transitory – na
Svah – anityam, indrAdityAdi padam yeshAm, teshu niyAmakatayA tishThati
itia-Svat-sthah or aSvatthah using the pRshodarAdi rule, whereby s is
replaced by t– or stha by ttha. SrI BhaTTar gives support from SrI vishNu
purANam:
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"Residing within the body of brahmA, composed of rajo guNa, bhagavAn
creates the world. He takes the body of vishNu composed of sattva, and
protects the world. Assuming the body of kAla (Siva) composed of tamo-guNa,
He swallows the Universe".
(tiruvAi. 5.2.8)
"The lower deities, whom you are wont to worship for many different worldly
benefits, are like tax-collectors. They have all been established in their
positions by my Lord who is daiva-nAyaka, the Chief of all gods".
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In one of his interpretations, SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the concept of
time (Svas = tomorrow), and gives the interpretation: Svah = kAle, tishThati iti
Svatthah, na Svatthah a_Svatthah, kAla bahir bhUto bhagavAn vishNuh – He
Who is not constrained by time. This is why He is called sanAtana – Eternal,
Permanent. He refers to the kaThopanishad passage:
(kaTho. 2.3.1)
"This eternal pipal tree has its root above and branches downward.
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chandAmsi yasya parNAni yas-tam veda sa veda-vit ||
(gItA 15.1)
"They speak of an immutable aSvattha tree with its roots above and its
branches below. Its leaves are the veda-s. He who knows it knows the veda-s".
The Sruti also gives the description of samsAra in terms of the aSvattha
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He Who eternally rules over the universe that is never the same, and keeps
constantly changing.
cANurAndhra--nishUdanah
nAma 829. ca[UraNØin;Udn> cANurAndhra
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b) He Who causes utmost misery to those who cause hardship to the good
people of sAttvik disposition.
SrI v. n. vedAnta deSikan comments that this cANura is different from the
one that kamsa had deputed for killing kRshNa (it so happensthat this later
was also a wrestler).
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The term andhra in this nAma is translated differently by the different
translated – either that it refers to a race called andhra, or a location called
andhra, or a low-caste called andhra. Some interpreters of SrI Sa'nkara
vyAkhyAnam indicate that the cANura that was sent by kamsa was from the
kingdom of andhra.
b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives his interpretation starting from the basic
roots for the component parts of the nAma.
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who gives or causes extreme pain through multiple ways" – sarva-prakAreNa
nitarAm bhAdate..
"One Who causes extreme pain and misery to those who trouble the good
andsAttvik minded people".
c) SrI satya sandha yatirAja uses the pATham cANuRAndha nishUdanah, and
interprets the term andha to refer to duryodhana and his associates (andha
means blind; the reference to duryodhana and his associates as andhAh could
be because they were blind to truth and dharma; it could also be because
duryodhana and hisbrothers were sons of dhRtarAshTra). So his
interpretation is that the nAma means "He Who destroyed cANura, and
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Slokam 89
shöaicR> sÝijþ> sÝExa> sÝvahn>,
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sahasrArcishe namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is that He has countless rays emanating from
Him, in the form of the sun, the moon, etc. It is because He has endowed the
sun with countless rays that the sun is able to perform the four functions of:
2. SoshaNa (drying),
4. prakASana (illuminating).
SrI BhaTTar quotes from the paushkara samhitA and the gItA insupport:
(SrI paushkara)
"Know that the sun and the moon are the two eye-gods in an embodied form of
the Supreme Deity ParamAtmA whose name is agnIshomAtman".
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"That light which is in the sun and illuminates the entire universe, that in the
moon and that in the fire – understand all that light is only Mine".
SrI cinmayAnanda notes that it is not only the sun and the moon that get their
light from Him, but He is the One who illumines all experiences.
(gItA 11.12)
"If a thousand suns were to rise at once in the sky, the resulting splendor may
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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes the similar nAma-s dIpta-mUrtih (Slokam 77,
nAma 724 ), and sahsrAmSuh (Slokam 51, nAma 484).
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha comments that the significance of the nAma lies in
pointing to the immeasurable glory of bhagavAn – it is like counting the number
of grains of sand in a sea shore. Just as the number of rays of light emanating
from the sun cannot be quantified, so also bhagavAn's glory cannot be
quantified. The only thing we can do is to remember that the jyoti of the sun is
but a tiny fraction of His jyoti. SrI vAsishTha has given innumerable
references from the Sruti to the description of bhagavAn's guNa-s as
"sahasra"– beyond quantification:
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sahasra yAjasah, sahasra parNah, sahasra pAt, sahasra SIrshA,
sahasrAkshah,sahasra posham, sahasra poshiNam, sahasra bAhvah, sahasra
mRshTih, sahasrabharah, sahasra yAmA, sahasra vIram, sahasra SR'ngah,
sahasra sthUNam, sahasraketum, sahasra cakshasam, etc.
sapta--jihvah
nAma 831. sÝijþ> sapta
The seven-tongued.
sapta-jihvAya namah.
sapta refers to the number seven. jihvA means tongue in general, also to the
"tongue of fire". It is in this late sense that the interpreters have explained
the nAma in general. agni or fire is considered to have seven tongues, and
bhagavAn in the form of the sacrificial fire accepts the sacrificial offerings
and takes it to the different gods.
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SrI BhaTTar quotes the paushkara samhitA in support:
"The Supreme Lord in the form of huta-bhuk (fire) carries to the gods the
offerings that are sanctified by the mantra-s and made in a sacrifice along
with clarified butter, and thereby always pleases the entire Universes".
a) SrI BhaTTar notes that fire is considered to have seven tongues named:
1. kAli,
2. karAli,
3. manojavA,
4. sulohitA,
5. sudhUmravarNA,
6. sphuli'ngini, and
7. viSvaruci,
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and they have been allotted the duties of nourishing the gods, receiving the
oblations, and carrying them to the respective gods.
(muNDa. 1.2.4)
"kAli, karAli, manojavA, sulohitA, sudhUmravarNA, sphuli'ngini, and the
brilliant viSva-ruci are the seven flaming tongues".
One translator translates this as: "The seven quivering tongues of fire are:
The black one, the terrific one, swift as the mind, the very red one, of purple
color, emitting sparks, and all-shaped goddess".
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Other references to the seven tongues of agni found in the Sruti are:
(Rg. 3.6.2)
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as He has several tongues, He has also equipped His creation with several
types of tongues for the different species. He observes that as the offerings
in the homa feed the agni with its seven tongues, the food consumed by the
different species through the tongue, along with the prANa vAyu, is
transmitted to feed the jATharAgni; thus, what the veda talks of (feeding the
fire through the different tongues), is nothing different from what happens in
real life, and so veda is not talking anything but real life happenings – bhavati
lokena samo vedo vedena ca samo lokah.
SrI cinmayAnanda suggests that the "seven tongues of flame" conveys the
idea that the Light of Consciousness in us beams out through seven points in
the face – two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, and the mouth. As intelligent
beings, powers of perception, metaphorically, flame out through each one of
them, illumining the world for us. The one in our heart, SrI nArAyaNa, Who
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totally manifests as the seven distinct tongues-of-flame is classified here in
the language of lyrics as sapta-jihvah.
One Who is kindled in the form of fire by the seven kinds of offerings.
saptaidhase namah.
The previous nAma, sapta-jihvah, was interpreted in terms of the different
types of flames, with their individual traits such as differing colors and other
attributes, and also the different devatA- s to whom they carried the
offerings. The current nAma refers to the different types of fuels that are
used to raise these fires, both in the form of the fuels themselves and in the
form of the different types of yAj~na-s.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the root for the current nAma as edh –vRddhau
– to grow, to prosper. The term edhas is used to refer to fuel that kindles the
fire. The nirukti author gives the description – sapta edhAh yasya santi sah
saptaidAh. Apte's dictionary gives the meaning "fuel" to the word edhas (he
gives a reference from the gItA insupport – yathaidhAmsi samiddhognir-
bhasmasAt kurute'rjuna – Bg. 4.37). edhA also means `prosperity, happiness'.
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a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation uses the meaning "fuel" (based on the
translation of SrI A. Srinivsa Raghavan) for the word edhas, and his
vyAkhyAnam is "One Who shines like fire through the seven kinds of fuels".
SrI BhaTTar proceeds to describe the kinds of 'fuels' that kindle this 'Fire' –
it is the offerings of different kinds in the form of pAka-yaj~na, havir-yaj~na,
soma-samstha, etc., each of which is of seven kinds. SrI Srinivasa Raghavan
describes these further:
The sticks of seven forest trees that bear fruit apparently without any
blossoms and that are used in sacrifices are:
5. the SamI,
6. aSani-hata, and
7. pushkara-parNa.
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SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives the interpretation in terms of the sapta-Rshi-
s – the seven stars of the Ursa Major constellation (marIci, atri, a'ngiras,
pulastya, pulaha, kratu, and vasishTha). His interpretation is that the nAma
signifies that bhagavAn is the Supporter of the seven Rshi-s in the form of
the stars – sapta-RshIn edhayati vardhayati iti saptaidhAh. Thus, the term
edhas is here used in the sense of prosperity and happiness.
sapta--vAhanah
nAma 833. sÝvahn> sapta
a) He Who has seven vehicles in the form of the seven vedic mantra-s
represented by the seven horses of the Sun.
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regions of air.
e) He Who protects the beings through facilities that has provided in units of
seven – seven types of fluids in our system, seven holes in our face as sense
organs, the seven objects of these sense-organs, etc.
a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as "One Who has as His vehicle the sun
whose chariot has seven horses (of the sun)". These are considered the
presiding deities of the seven veda mantra-s in the context of this nAma:
bhU,bhuvah, suvah, mahah, janah, tapah, and satyam. The chandas associated
with these mantra-s are respectively: gAyatrI, ushnik, anushTup, bRhatI,
pa'ngti,trishTup, jagati. The devatA-s associated with these mantra-s are:
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agni, vAyu, arka(sun), vAgISa (bRhaspati), vruNa, indra, viSvedeva. These
seven devatA-s lead the sun in his course. Since BhagavAn supports the sun
through these seven devatA-s and the seven mantra-s associated with these
seven meters, He is called sapta-vAhanah. These seven mantra-s are vehicles
that reveal Him, and they are couched in the seven meters referred to above.
We worship Him who is in the center of the sUrya maNDalam through these
veda mantra-s.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives reference to SrI vishNu purANam 2.8, where
the sun and its characteristics are described. The reference to the seven
horses that support the sun is given in V.P. 2.8.5:
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(VP 2.8.5)
"The seven horses of the sun's car are the meters of the veda-s: gAyatrI,
bRhatI, ushNig, jagatI, trishTubh, anushTubh, and pa'nkti".
SrI satya sandha yatirAja also refers to the seven horses of the sun,
andbhagavAn's nAma of sapta-vAhanah signifying that He leads the sun with
the sevenhorses – sapta-vAhanah sapta vAhA aSvA yasya sah sapta-vAhah
sUryas tam nayati iti sapta-vAhanah.
SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is that bhagavAn in the form of the sun has
avAhana or vehicle with seven horses – sapta AsvA vAhanAni asya iti sapta-
vAhanah.
b) SrI SAstri also points to seven suns – Arogah, bhrAjah, paTarah, pata'ngah,
svarNarah, jyotishImAn, vibhAsah. see aruNa praSnam 20
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svarnaro jyotishImAn vibhAsah |
Of these, Aroga is the sun that we see. We do not see the other six suns,
since three of these sustain the lower part of the meru mountain, and three
shine on the upper part of the meru. BhagavAn is called sapta-vAhanah, since
He supports all parts ofthe Universe through these seven vehicles or the
seven suns.
Prof. A. Srinivasa Raghavan describes these seven regions of air in the three
worlds as Avaha, pravaha, samvaha, udvaha, vivaha, parivaha, and parAvaha.
Since vAyu or air gets its strength from the life- breath of the Lord of the
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World, He is the Supporter of all the worlds in the form of the seven
maNDala-s or regions of air.
e) SrI rAdhA kRshNa SAstri points out that there are several aspects of our
body that are in units of seven. There are seven dhAtu-s – essential
ingredients - associated with the body – rasA sR'ng mAmsa medah asti
majjASuklAni dhAtavah according to the ancient medical science - Chyle,
blood, flesh,fat, bone, marrow, semen. Since bhagavAn supports the body with
these seven essential ingredients, He has the nAma sapta-vAhanah.
Or, there are seven dvAra-s (openings or holes) in our face – the two eyes, the
two nostrils, the two ears, and the mouth. The life energy is exchanged in our
body through these openings, and since He supports the life through these
seven vehicles, He is called sapta- vAhanah.
Or, these seven openings are like the seven tongues through which our life is
sustained, through the senses of feelings, sight, taste, smell, etc. These are
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the sapta-jivhAh, sapta, edhAh (firewood), sapta-vAhana, etc. SrI SAstri
gives the muNDakopanishad passage in support:
(muNDa. 2.1.8)
Slightly different translations of the above are given below, in the interests
of additional clarity.
"From the akshara purusha emerge the seven sense organs, the seven fires,
the sacrificial fuel, and the seven flames, and the seven worlds in which we
move the sense organs that are deposited by the Creator in groups of seven
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and seven".
"From Him emerge the seven sense-organs, the seven flames, the seven kinds
of fuel, the seven oblations, and these seats where move the sense-organs
that sleep in the cavity, having been deposited by God in groups of seven".
"From Him, too, the seven senses in the head, their powers of cognition, their
objects and their knowledge, as also the seven seats of sense traversed by the
life forces centered in the hearts of all creatures. The seven seats are the
nerve centers of the inner principles of the senses, without which the external
senses cannot by themselves function.
The seven sense-organs are the ones located in our head – the two eyes, the
two nostrils, the two ears, and the mouth; the seven flames – the means of
illumination of the objects of these sense- organs; the sapta-samidah – the
seven objects of these sense-organs, since the sense-organs are kindled by
these objects.
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SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives support from SrImad bhAgavatam giving
the interpretation that Lord kRshNa had as His vehicles the following seven,
consisting of four horses, the chariot itself, garuDa, and A'njaneya:
syandanam pa'ncamam
(bhAga. 8.3.31)
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pRshThamAropya tau vIrau jagAma kapiku'njarah ||
(rAmAyaNam 4.4.34)
a) He Who does not have a body that is the effect of karma similar to ours.
a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as meaning that He does not have a form
that is like any of our bodies, and it is quite different from the gross bodies
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of ours that is composed of the five elements - sthUla-bhautika
mUrtivyAvRttah a-mUrtih.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives support from the ISAvAsya Upanishad (8):
sa paryagAt Sukram a-kAyam a-vraNam… - The One with no body (caused by
karma)–a-kAyam.
SrI Sa'nkara defines the term `mUrti" as an object, moving or unmoving, that
has weight and tangibility – mUrtih ghana-rUpam dhAraNa samarthamcarAcara
lakshaNam. Since He is not constrained by any of these limitations, He is
amUrtih – tad-rahita iti a-mUrtih. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri elaborates on
this, and notes that the term `ghana rUpam' here refers to consumable food
which is of two kinds – the moving kind, such as the rat for the cat, and the
non-moving kind such as the rice for the humans. The `mUrti" or form that is
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referred to here is the form that requires sustenance in the form of the
ghana-rUpam that is of the moving or the non-moving kind. Since He is not
constrained by such a form that needs to be supported as noted here, He is
called a-mUrtih.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri remarks that mUrti or form is that which is given to
us for the enjoyment of the benefits of our karma. Since bhagavAn does not
have a form that is the result of karma-s, He is a- mUrtih.
Brahman is like fire that has no fixed shape or form. It can grow as large as it
chooses to, and take whatever form It wants. SrI vAsishTha gives
thefollowing Rg vedic mantra, which describes agni as formless (amUram =
amUrtam):
(Rg. 3.19.1)
b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also gives the interpretation that the nAma
signifies that bhagavAn is represented by the letter 'a' – akAro mUrtihyasya
iti a-mUrtih. In this interpreation, a-mUrtih is: "One Who has the mUrti of
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form represented by the letter "a".
"a-kAram refers to Lord vishNu, in His role as the Creator, Protector, and
Destroyer of the Universe".
SrI vAsishTha nicely brings out the point that bhagavAn is a-mUrtih, by
pointing out the relation between the soul and the body with which it is
associated. Just as the soul is formless, but supports the body that it is
associated with, bhagavAn is the formless Supreme Soul that supports all the
formed entities in this Universe. Here is his composition expressing this
interpretation:
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vishnUr-hi amUrtih sakalam ca viSvam vahan tathA nAmabhir- ucyate sah ||
an--aghah
nAma 835. An"> an
a) The Sinless.
The root word involved in the nAma is agh – pApa karaNe –to go wrong, to sin.
agho nAsti yasmin so'naghah – He Who does not have any sin is an-aghah. Or,
na aghah – agha Sabda pApa vacanah, tad-virodhI ca anaghah – He Who is
opposed to sin is an-aghah. agha also means duhkham or sorrow – He Who does
not suffer sorrow is an-aghah.
a) BhagavAn takes birth in the midst of us, in the midst of samsAra. Even so,
He is sinless. This is the aspect that SrI BhaTTar stresses in his
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interpretation for this nAma in Slokam 16 - samsAra madhye janitvA'pi an-
aghah.
SrI v.v.rAmAnujan notes that even though Lord rAma had to go through
enormous hardships as part of this samsAra – "nATTil piRandu paDAdana
paTTu", still He was completely sinless. His birth and His actions are purely
because of His leelA. He is apahatapApmA – completely opposed to faults of
any kind. He is "kuRaivu onRum illAda govindan" (ANDAL – tiruppAvai). In
addition to Himself being sinless, He is the One who removes the sins of
others.
For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar's interpretation deals
with the reason why He is sinless as noted above – it is because He is not
subject to karma, and so He is entirely different from the jIva-s that are
under His control – akarma vaSatvena tan- magna jIva vilakshaNah an-aghah.
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SrI Sa'nkara distinguishes between the two instances of the nAma by using
the two different meanings for the words agham – duhkham and pApam. This is
the same approach that SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses as well. The
meaning "sorrow" for the word "agham", in addition to the meaning "sin", is
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supported by the amara koSam – a'nagho duhkha vyasaneshvagham (3.3.27) –
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj.
For the nAma in Slokam 16, SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also uses the
meaning "sin" – na agham yasmin iti an-agho nish-pApah.
d) SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation for the current instance of the nAma is:
agham duhkham pApam ca dvayam asya na vidyata iti an-aghah – One Who is
without sin or sorrow.
SrI bhAradvAj's interpretation for the current instance of the nAma uses
this meaning: na agham duhkham yasmin iti an-aghah.
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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that bhagavAn is devoid of bad deeds,
the sins that result from such deeds, and the sorrow that result from them. It
is the thought of committing sins that is the start of the act of sinning. He is
devoid of such thought to start with. So there is no evil deed. Since there is
no evil deed, there is no consequence of the evil deed also – the duhkham. He
gives several quotes from the Sruti in support:
(ISAvAs. 8)
Ever pure, untouched by puNya and pApa.
(chAndogya. 8.7.1)
That AtmA which is sinless, ageless, ….
na jarA na mRtyur na Soko n sukRtam na dushkRtam sarve pApmAno'to
nivartante apahatapApmA (chAn. 8.4.1)
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SrI cinmayAnanda gives reference to a similar message in chAndogya
Upanishad 8.1.5:
This is the AtmA that is opposed to all thatis defiling, free from old age,
death, sorrow, hunger, and thirst, and has true desire and true will. SrI
cinmayAnanda comments that the peace of virtue or the agitations of the sin
in us cannot affect the Illuminator of all consciousness, and He is free from
sin and uncontaminated (aliptah).
There are many other ways to enjoy this nAma – He Whose leelA-s are
incomprehensible, He Whose power cannot be imagined, etc.
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moustache, eyes resembling the just-blossomed lotus" -
He is in the middle of the sun, with golden hue, golden mustache, golden hair,
eyes resembling the just-bloomed lotus, etc. But the Sruti also declares that
He is beyond words and beyond mind – yatovAco nivartante, aprApaya manasA
saha (taitt. upa.).
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"O Supreme Effulgence! You are to be merely enjoyed. Any attempt at verbal
description of You is futile, especially if one compares You with familiar
objects that are not even remotely comparable to You in any respect. With
beautiful eyes, feet and arms, to all of which lotus is but a poor simile, with a
dazzling stature to which pure unalloyed gold is a poor comparison, You are
often being pictured by the world with words that do You no justice. Any
comparison of You to the worldly things is just a failed attempt to describe
You".
It is like some commoner who has never seen a precious stone, describing that
precious stone as "something resembling a pebble." nammAzhvAr proceeds in
the very next pASuram to declare that even after describing His greatness by
the words "param jyoti – The Supreme Effulgence", if one proceeds to
describe His auspicious qualities – His simplicity, His sauSIlyam and His
saulabhyam, there is no word that we have that can describe these aspects
ofbhagavAn. AzhvAr exclaims: "param jyoti! govindA! PaNbu uraikka
mATTEnE"– "I won't even attempt to describe Your auspicious qualities".
So,bhagavAn is a-cintyah in every sense of the word., especially when it comes
to His auspicious qualities. He is "govindA" – Who can mingle with even cows.
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nammAzhvAr laments at the unimaginable behavior of this emperumAn who is
sarva lokeSvaran, who subjects Himself to the insult of being called the
"butter thief" – ne'njAl ninaippu aridAl veNNey UN ennum Enac-collE
(tiruviruttam 98).
(tiruvAi. 1.9.6)
The following explanation of the above pASuram is partly drawn from SrImad
tirukkuDanthai ANDavan's bhagavad vishaya sAram, and is my poor attempt at
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"He is our body, and He is also the soul of our body; He is the soul of the
pa'nca mahA bhUta-s (air, water, etc.)., He is aNiyan – very easily accessible to
His devotees; He is also SEyan – inaccessible to those who do not surrender to
Him; yAvarkkum Sindaikkum gocaran allan – a-cintyan – He is beyond the reach
of the mental capabilities of even the greatest of j~nAni-s; tUyan – Even so,
He decided to bless me by residing in my heart; tUyan - He Who considered
that being with me is the only thing that He longed for in all His life; tuyakkan
– By revealing His guNa-s, He draws us towards Him; mayakkan – He draws us
to Him through the sheer joy of thinking about Him; ennuDait tOL iNaiyAn –
Such a Great One has now decided to take possession of me by sitting on my
shoulders (treating me like garuDa)". He is mAyan – Ascarya bhUtan –
personification of wonders".
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SrI Sa'nkara gives the alternate interpretation: ayam IdRSa iti viSvaprap'nca
vilakshaNatvena cintayitum aSakyatvAd-vA a-cintyah – He Who is different
from this expanded Universe. All that is in the domain of our perception in this
universe is but a tiny fraction of His manifestation, and the full extent of His
vibhUti-s is beyond comprehension. Lord kRshNa declares this in the gItA:
(gItA10.40)
"There is no limit to My divine manifestations. Here the extent of such
manifestations has been explained in brief by Me."
yad-yad-vibhUtimat-sattvam SrImad-Urjitameva vA |
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(gItA 10.41)
"Whatever being is possessed of power, or of splendor, or of energy, know
that as coming from a fragment of My power".
b) In his gItA bhAshyam, for the next Slokam, bhagavad rAmAnuja explains
that this Universe consisting of sentient and non-sentient entities, whether in
effect or causal condition, whether gross or subtle, is supported by bhagavAn
with an infinitesimal fraction of His power, in such a manner that it does not
violate His will in preserving its proper form, existence or various activities.
He quotes bhagavAn parASara from vishNu purANam: yasyAyutAyutAmSAmSe
viSvaSaktir-iyam stithA (V.P. 1.9.53) - On an infinitesimal fraction of His
energy, this universe rests. In other words, His full power is beyond our
comprehension– He is acintyah.
c) SrI cinmayAnanda gives the reference from the gItA, where bhagavAn is
described as a-cintya-rUpan – sarvasya dhAtAram acintya rUpam – gItA 8.9 –
The Creator of all, and One Who cannot be comprehended mentally.
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN points out that He is called acintyah because He
cannot be understood through tarka or discussion and analysis, but is revealed
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only through the Sruti vAkya-s – tarka agocarah Srutyeka gamyah.
bhya--kRt
nAma 837. Éyk«t! bhya
bhaya--nASanah
nAma 838. Éynazn> bhaya
SrI BhaTTar gives his interpretation for these two nAma-s together. His
explanation is that bhagavAn creates fear in those who violate His commands,
and dispels fear in those who follow them.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives the following supports for the two interpretations:
(mahA bhArata)
Lord kRshNa is One Who causes intense fear in those who violate the
commands of the SAstra-s, and removes fear in those who obey the SAstric
injunctions.
I grant him shelter and protection from all evils. This is My vow".
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van SaraN surarkkAi, asurarkku vem kURRamumAi tan SaraN nizahR-kIzh
ulagamvaittum vaiyAdum
ten SaraN tiSaikkut tiru viN nagar SErnda pirAn en SaraN en kaNNan
ennaiALuDaiyan en appanE
(tiruvAi. 6.3.8)
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bhaya-nASanAya namah.
(Courtesy: http://thiruarangam.blogspot.com)
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The simultaneous role of bhayakRt and bhaya-nASanah is reflected both in the
first and second lines of this pASuram: surarkku van SaraNAi – For His
devotees, including the deva-s, He is the surest Protection; asurarukku
vemkURRamumAi – Just as surely, for those with a demonic disposition, He is
the sure Death; tan SaraN nizaR-kIzh ulagam vaittum – Keeping those who
have surrendered to Him under His Feet for protection; vaiyAdum – Those
that have not surrendered to Him are not allowed anywhere close to His Feet.
Such is the Nature of our great kaNNan in tiru viN nagar – Oppiliappan koil.
SrI Sa'nkara gives the primary interpretation for "bhaya kRt" as One Who
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causes fear to those who follow the wrong path – asan-mArga vartinAm
bhayamkaroti iti bhaya-kRt (kR – karaNe – to do). He gives an alternate
interpretation that brings out His guNa of protecting the bhakta-s –
bhaktAnAmbhayam kRtanti vA bahaya-kRt – He Who dispels fear from the
minds of His devotees (kRt – chedane – to cut).
SrI vAsishTha also gives both the interpretations for the nAma "bhaya-kRt".
In support of the first interpretation, he gives the support from Rgveda:
(Rg. 2.12.13)
"Even the Heaven and Earth bow down before Him, before His very breath the
mountains tremble. Known as the soma drinker, armed with thunder, who wields
the bolt, he, o ye men, is indra". We know that indra trembles before
bhagavAn, and so bhagavAn is the bhaya-kRt of them all, to ensure that all the
gods function properly and perform their assigned duties. The
taittirIyaUpanishad declares:
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bhIshAsmAd vAtah pavate,
bhIshodeti sUryah,
bhIshAsmAdagniScendraSca,
"The wind blows out of fear of Him; For fear of Him does the Sun rise; For
fear of Him do agni and indra function. Out of fear of Him, does Death, the
fifth one, run".
SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation for the nAma "bhaya nASanah" stresses the
importance of following the varNASrama dharma-s: varNa ASrama
AcAravatAmbhayam nASayati iti bhaya-nASanah. This can be understood in
different ways:
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1. as a reference to varNASrama dharma – to the practices prescribed
for the four divisions or varNa-s - the brAhamNa-s, kshatriya-s,
vaiSya-s and Sudra-s;
(VP 3.8.9)
"The supreme vishNu is propitiated by a man who observes the institutions of
varNa, ASrama, and the AcAra-s (purificatory practices). No other path is the
way to please Him".
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Slokam 90
A[ubR&hTk«z> SwUlae gu[É&iÚguR[ae mhan!,
The next few nAma-s are interpreted by SrI BhaTTar in terms of the
grandeur of bhagavAn, consisting of His superhuman powers such as becoming
smaller than an atom, etc.
SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya notes that the powers that are being described here
are the ashTa aiSvarya-s (might or power). The ashTa aiSvarya-s are declared
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by the following:
1. aNimA,
2. mahimA,
3. laghimA,
4. garimA,
5. prApatih,
6. prAkAmyam,
7. ISitA,
8. vaSitvam,
cetiaiSvaryashTakam ucyate |
a) He Who has the power of being smaller than anything small that is known to
us.
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c) He Who is in the form of the veda-s, or He Who reveals the veda-s, the
SAstra-s etc. (aNa - Sabde).
aNave namah.
This is the first of the ashTa aiSvarya-s mentioned above - aNimA. The word
aNuh is formed from the root aNa - to sound, through the application of the
uNAdi sUtra - aNaSca (1.8), which states that the affix u comes after the
root aNa. The term aNu refers to an atom, and here it is used to refer to
bhagavAn's power of becoming smaller than the smallest object that is known.
a) SrI BhaTTar comments that the nAma signifies His ability to enter into the
infinitesimally small void space known as dahara AkASam in the hearts of
beings, into prakRti, and also into the subtle jIva. aNu here means that He is
extremely subtle. SrI BhaTTar refers us to the taittirIya Upanishad - aNor-
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aNIyAn - He is subtler than whatever we perceive as subtle.
These aISvarya-s or powers are natural to Him. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan points out
that some of these powers are also given to those who have His anugraham or
blessing. He gives the example of hanuman, who had the ability to alternate
between a very large form and a very small form at will in an instant, in dealing
with surasA (sundara kANDam).
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that the ability of the eye to see something is
limited by a lower limit and an upper limit with respect to size. BhagavAn is
outside of this limit on either end (we will see this in the next nAma also). He
is beyond all the sensory perceptions. Sri SAstri gives several references to
the Sruti in support:
aNor-aNIyAn
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The truth is very subtle and not easily comprehensible.
yad-aNubhyo'Nu ca
(muNDa. 2.2.2)
(kaTha. 2.8)
It is subtler than the subtle and beyond realization through reasoning alone.
Sa ya esho aNimA
(chAndog. 6.8.7)
This (sat) is of the nature of being subtle.
SrI cinmayAnanda gives the support from the gItA - sarvasya cAham
hRdisannivishTah - "I am seated in the hearts of all".
c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives his interpretation based on the meaning
aNati - Sabdayati - makes known, reveals - aNati Sabdayati vedAdi SAstram
itiaNuh - He Who reveals the SAstra-s such as the veda-s etc. We will note
that SrIbhAradvAj does not follow the approach of interpreting this nAma
and the following ones in terms of the ashTa aiSvarya-s, but gives
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interpretations that are not linked to each other.
The Great.
bRhate namah
This nAma describes His aiSvarya or power called mahimA - of becoming
greater than anything that we know of as great. The reference here is to His
power of vastness, in contrast to the aNutva that we saw referenced in the
previous nAma. The root from which the nAma is derived is bRh- vRddhau - to
grow, to increase. SrI BhaTTar describes His greatness in terms of His
pervasion. Even the vast Transcendental World (parama padam) can be
contained in a corner of His palm. Note that parama padam is tripAd-vibhUti -
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three times as large as the Universe that we are aware of. tiruma'ngai AzhvAr
refers to bhagavAn as "aLattaRku ariyAy" (tirumozhi 3.8.1) - He who cannot be
measured. SrI BhaTTar gives the purusha sUkta - sa bhUmim viSvatovRtvA
atyatishTat daSA'ngulam - He pervaded the Earth in all its entirety and stood
up beyond by daSa-a'ngula. daSa here means endless, and a'ngula means
yojanA. He gives other supports from the Sruti: - mahato mahIyAn (tait.
upa.6.10) - Greater than the great. - varshIyAnSca pRthivyAh - He is greater
than the Earth.
(kaTha. 2.2.2)
The water-born, the earth-born, the sacrifice-born, the mountain-born, the
Truth, the Great….
(SvetASva. 3.7)
After thus praying unto Him and then knowing (through meditation) the
infinitely great Supreme Brahman..
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Note that this aiSvarya of mahimA is exactly opposite of the aiSvarya we
dealt with in the previous nAma – aNimA. We will see a few more of these pairs
of extremes in the next few nAma-s. It is to be understood that there is
nothing that is beyond His ability.
SrI cinmayAnanda captures the idea as follows: “These two may seem
paradoxical, but the apparent contradiction dissolves into an illuminating
experience for the contemplative mind”. In fact, the upanishad talks of these
two qualities in the same breath–
(kaTho. 2.20)
Subtler than the subtle and great than the great… is lodged in the cave of the
heart….
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SrI satya sandha yatirAja interprets the nAma as: guNaih vRddha – He Who is
enhanced in His guNa-s. or auspicious qualities.
d) He Who pares down the form for the jIva-s to make it possible for them to
live in comfort.
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e) He Who makes 'light work' of the asura-s (i.e., He Who destroys the asura-
s).
kRSAya namah.
This nAma represents another of the ashTa aiSvarya-s, called laghimA, or the
ability to be lighter than anything that we know is light. The root from which
the nAma is derived is kRS – tanUkaraNe – to become lean or thin. The nAma is
interpreted as referring to the ability to be lean or thin, or to be light,
depending on the interpreter. SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma in terms of
His ability to be lighter than anything light, and Sri Sa'nkara interprets the
nAma as One Who can be thinner than anything thin, to the point of not having
a form.
a) SrI BhaTTar explains that He is lighter than cotton, wind, etc., and so His
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movement is unimpeded on all sides and in all respects – sarvatra
avyAhatagatih. He quotes from mahA bhArata in support – yatra-kAma-gato
vaSI – He can go wherever He chooses.
SrI rAdhA kRshNa SAstri summarizes this nAma and the next one, by
observing that the question of whether bhagavAn is One Who is lean or hefty,
can be answered only if He can be seen, to start with. If He is either so huge
that we do not even see Him, or so lean that we cannot see Him, then the
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question of whether He is lean or huge cannot be answered. That is the Nature
of bhagavAn, whom we cannot see. In fact, the passage that SrI Sa'nkara
quotes from bRhadAraNya Upanishad, referring to bhagavAn as asthUlam, in
the very next word says that bhagavAn is an-aNu also – asthUlam an-aNu. The
pointto be understood is that He can be whatever He chooses to be, whenever
He chooses to be, and He can become anything He wants in the minutest
fraction of time. The Sakti or aiSvarya that is described in the current nAma
specifically, is His ability to become as light as He chooses or as thin as He
chooses, at His Will.
We saw bhagavAn described as aNu, and in the next nAma He was described as
exactly the other extreme, bRhat. In the current nAma we see Him describes
as kRSah, and in the next nAma we will see Him described as its other
extreme, sthUlah.
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SrI cinmayAnanda notes that this is an example of how "the Rshi-s have made
an art of effectively employing terms of contradiction in order to bring the
incomprehensible within the cognition of the students of contemplation". We
have already seen some examples of this in the upanishadic passages in the last
few nAma-s.
e) SrI satya sandha yatirAja's interpreation is: daityAn karSayati iti kRSah –
He Who makes 'light work' of the asura-s. – He Who destroys the evil asura-s.
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nAma 842. SwUl> sthUlah
a) He Who is immense.
a) SrI BhaTTar comments that since bhagavAn has the ability to touch any
object in any world even while standing in one place, He has the nAma sthUlah.
The trivikrama incarnation is an obvious illustration of His aiSvarya called
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prApti, that is reflected in this nAma - sthUlah.
(ISA. 4)
"The paramAtman is unmoving; The One without an equal; swifter than the
mind. The gods have not attained It, even though It has reached them.
Remaining stationary, It overtakes others who run ahead of It. By It, vAyu
bears water".
"He is One with countless heads, countless eyes, and countless feet. He
pervades all space, and it is not possible to measure His extent by our ordinary
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knowledge of means of measurement".
'sthUla' and 'ishTha', giving as one of the meanings "He Who has Willed to be
huge". Among the other interpretations for the nAma sthavishTha are that
bhagavAn manifests Himself in the form of the huge brahmANDa, the huge
constellation of stars and galaxies, etc.
guNa--bhRt
nAma 843. gu[É&t! guNa
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derived is bhR – dhAraNa poshaNayoh – to hold, to support. The explanation
given by SrI vAsishTha for the nAma is: guNa dayA dAkshiNyAdayahsatva
rajas tama AdayaSca, teshAm bhRt = dhAraka ityarthah – Because of His
quality of Mercy and compassion, He supports the three guNa-s of sattva,
rajas and tamas, that distinguishes between the different beings.
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b) SrI Sa’nkara’s vyAkhyAnam is: sattva rajas tamasAm sRshTi sthiti
layakarmasu adhishThAnatRtvAt guNa-bhRt – Since He supports the guNa-s of
sattva, rajas, and tamas to varying degrees in the different beings as part of
His functions of creation, preservation and destruction, He is guNa-bhRt. SrI
baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives a similar interpretation – guNAn sattvAdIn
bibharti iti guNa-bhRt.
Both SrI vAsishTha and SrI cinmayAnanda comment that He supports the
three guNa-s by assuming the sattva guNa in His process of creation, the rajo
guNa in the process of preservation, and the tamo guNa in the process of
destruction or annihilation – in this sense, He is the ‘Bearer’ of the three
guNa-s.
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guNAnAnandAdIn bibharti iti guNa-bhRt.
nir--guNah
nAma 844. inguR[> nir
SrI BhaTTar comments that the nAma nir-guNah indicates that while
bhagavAn is in eternal contact with all the jIva-s all the time, He has the
power that He will not be tainted by any of their defects. SrI BhaTTar’s
interpretation is: atatvaSyatayA tat-samsparSe’pi aspRshTa-tad-guNah nir-
gUnah – Even though He is in contact with all, He is not tainted by their
defects, since He is not subject to any one, and is above all of them. This nAma
is interpreted by SrI BhaTTar as representing the aiSvarya called vaSitvam –
The supreme power of holding others in magical submission to His will. He gives
the following supports:
(taitt. 3.6.1)
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trayavirahitatvAt nir-guNah.
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c) He Who is worthy of worship, and worshiped by the likes of indra.
mahate namah.
The root from which the nAma is derived is maha – pUjAyAm – to honor, to
delight, to increase. mahAn means “One who is worthy of worship”.
a) SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma mahAn in terms of His supreme excellence
in everything - parama prakarshAt mahAn. He can plunge into the earth as He
wishes, and emerge out of it as He wants, just as we can enter water and get
out of it at will. In the context of the ashTa aiSvarya-s, SrI BhaTTar explains
the current nAma as signifying the aiSvarya known as prAkAmyam (irresistible
will), the power of achieving whatever He desires.
“The powerful Lord, Sauri, acts as He chooses. He unites and separates things
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as He likes. Whatever He chooses to do, He can accomplish it without any
effort”.
as mahAn.
SrI cinmayAnanda echoes the same thought – “He is not conditioned by the
five elements, nor by time and space”.
c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj continues his independent style for this set of
nAma-s: mahyate pUjyate brahmAdibhih iti mahAn - He who is worshiped by
the likes of brahmA is mahAn – based on the root maha – pUjAyAm. The
generic meaning is “mahyate = pUjyate iti mahAn” – He Who is worthy of
worship (SrI vAsishTha).
a) The Unconstrained.
b) The Unsustained.
a-dhRtAya namah.
The root from which the nAma is derived is dhR – dhAraNe – to hold,to
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support. While SrI BhaTTar explained the previous nAma (mahAn) as a
reference to bhagavAn's superior power to achieve anything, he explains the
current nAma as a reference to His being totally unobstructed or
unconstrained in His ability to achieve anything He wants. Thus, the two nAma-
s together mean "He Who has the power to achieve anything He wants, without
any constraint or limitation". He gives the example of bhagavAn first giving
paramapadam to the sons of the vaidika brAhmin, and then bringing them back
to this world and giving them rebirth because of His will to bring them back to
this earth, even though normally one who goes to paramapadam is never reborn.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan indicates that the aiSvarya called prApti – the ability to
achieve anything, is indicated by this nAma.
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else that exists, while He Himself is not supported by anything else –
pRthivyAdInAm dhArakANAmapi dhArkatvAt na kenacitdhriyata iti a-dhRtah.
SrI cinmayAnanda gives the example that just as cottonis the support behind
the cloth, gold is the support behind the golden ornaments, and mud is the
support behind the mud pot, so also bhagavAn is the support behind everything
in the universe, and we should meditate on SrIman nArAyaNa as the support
behind us.
sva--dhRtah
nAma 847. Svx&t> sva
prAg--vamSah
nAma 849. àaGv<z> prAg
vamSa--vardhanah.
nAma 850. v<zvxRn> vamSa
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bhagavAn as follows:
Then SrI BhaTTar concludes the gist of the three nAma-s with the next one,
vamSa-vardhanah, as referring to bhagavAn being the One who fosters and
grows all the three categories of jIva-s. Because of this thread between the
four nAma-s in SrI BhaTTar's interpretation, we will look at the four nAma-s
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together. First, we will deal with his interpretation for all the four nAma-s,
and then look at the anubhavam of the other vyAkhyAna kartA-s.
sva--dhRtah
nAma 847a. sva
He Who is Self-sustained.
sva-dhRtAya namah.
Following on the previous nAma, sva-dhRtah means "One Who is self-
supporting". SrI BhaTTar comments that the nAma declares that His
Sovereignty does not depend on anything else, and is innate and natural to Him.
This distinguishes the sublime nature of paramAtman from the greatness that
the bound souls (baddha jIva-s) can acquire through meditations, austerities
etc. BhagavAn's sublimity is not dependent on meditation or austerities, but is
natural to Him.
All the other gods, who are all enjoying the effects of their karma-s like the
rest of us, are established and supported by Him so that they can be
considered gods – niRuttinAn daiva'ngaLAga ad-daiva nAyagan tAnE
(tiruvai.5.2.8) – The other gods have been established by Him like tax-
collectors, and will fall from grace if He does not support them. BhagavAn is
poru il taninAyagan (tiruvAi. 5.10.8) – The One and Only, incomparable,
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Supreme Deity – eko ha vai nArAyaNa AsIt.
a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for the nAma is "One Who has a glorious
status". The nAma can be looked at as su = SobhanA, SobhanA AsyA yasya
sasvAsyah – One Who has a magnificent or superior status; or, Asanam
AsyA,svayam svasmin AsyA yasya sa svAsyah (SrI vAsishTha) – One Who has
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His own innate natural superior status.
SrI BhaTTar notes that even though in SrI vaikunTham, the mukta-s have
sAmyam with bhagavAn in their status, His status is superior in the sense that
it was never subject to nescience at any time unlike in the case of the mukta-s.
prAg--vamSah
nAma 849a. prAg
He Who is the cause of the eternally free souls.
prAg-vamSAya namah.
prAk means "first, foremost, earliest". vamSa literally means 'race'. SrI
BhaTTar interprets the term 'prAk' to refer to the nitya-s, or the eternally
liberated souls who have been in SrI vaikunTham from the earliest of times.
He interprets the term 'vamSa' as meaning 'support' or 'AdhAra'. Their
existence, their ashTa aiSvarya-s or powers, are all derived from His grace
and will. Thus, SrI BhaTTar gives the explanation for the nAma as "He Who is
the eternal support for the foremost souls – the nitya sUri-s in
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SrIvaikunTham". In interpreting the term 'prAk' to refer to the nitya-s, SrI
BhaTTar uses the purusha sUkta passage in support: yatra pUrve sAdhyAh
santidevAh – parama padam is the place of vishNu where from time immemorial
the sAdhya devatA-s (the eternally free Angels) live.
vamSa--vardhanah
nAma 850a. vamSa
He Who keeps His progeny growing.
vamSa-vardhanAya namah
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SrI BhaTTar interprets the term vamSa (progeny) in this nAma to refer to
the three types of jIva-s that he has referred to in the previous nAma-s. His
interpretation for the current nAma is that bhagavAn is the cause for ever
increasing the kainkarya rasam (the desire to do eternal service to Him) in the
three types of jIva-s.
(tiruvAi. 9.3.4)
"The deva-s, nitya sUri-s, etc., offer obeisance to the Lord in uncoordinated
words – because they are overwhelmed with their feelings on the thought of
the Lord, and declare that He is the medicine that offers them their bhogam
or enjoyment, the tonic for that enhances their happiness, pleasure of life and
sustaining force".
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SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also gives an interpretation along the lines of
SrI BhaTTar: vamSam bhaktAnAm vardhayate iti vamSa- vrdhanah – He Who
grows His devotees.
So far, we dealt with SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam for the four nAma-s: sva-
dhRtah, svAsyah, prAg-vamSah, and vamSa-vardhanah. Now we will look at the
anubhavam of the other interpreters.
sva--dhRtah:
nAma 847b. sva
b) He Who is self-supporting (sva referring to Himself).
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SrI Sa'nkara quotes the chAndogya upanishad in support – sa bhagavahkasmin
pratishThita iti, sve mahimni (chAn. 7.24.1) – "Where does that Immensity
abide, Sir?" "It abides in Its own glory."
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that by logic, anything that supports
something is supported by something else. If the question is continually asked,
there comes a point at which we realize that everything else is supported by
One, the Supreme Self.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the meaning sva-janah to the term sva, and
gives the interpretation – svaih sva-janaih dhRtah citte iti sva-dhRtah – He
Who is held in their minds by the devotees.
c) One Who has a beautiful face also because it is the source of the veda-s.
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We saw earlier that SrI BhaTTar has used the meaning 'status' for the word
Asya - derived from the root As – upaveSane - to sit (e.g., Asanam).
SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation for thr nAma is: "One Who has a beautiful face"
– su = Sobhanam, padmodara talavat tAmram abhirUpatamam asya Asyamiti
svAsyah – He Whose face is rosy like the inside of the lotus.
c) Alternately, SrI Sa'nkara explains that the beauty of the face is also
reflected in the fact that the veda-s emanated from His mouth –
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prAg--vamSah
nAma 849b. prAg
b) He from whom the first race (namely, the universe itself) originated.
c) He from whom, brahmA, the first of all those that were created, originated.
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c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj interprets the term vamSam as referring to
progeny, and he takes the term prAg to refer to catur-mukha- brahmA, and
gives the explanation that the nAma means "One Who has brahmA as His
progeny –prA'ncati it prAg brahmA; sa vamSah santAno yasya iti prAg-vamSah.
d) SrI vAsishTha derives the meaning from the root a'nc – gati=pUjanayoh– to
go, to worship, and takes the meaning 'to go' for the current context for the
root a'nc. Based on pANini, he derives the meaning: pra + a'ncu + kvin = prA'nc
(pANini 3.2.59) – being in front, directed forwards. Using the root van– Sabde
sambhaktau ca - to sound, to honor, to aid, SrI vAsishTha gives the
explanation for the nAma prAg-vamSah as: prakarsheNa a'ncati = gacchati,
vanati= SabdAyate sambahajate ca – prAg-vamSah – He Who moves around
majestically,and whose greatness is expressed clearly or loudly. (The
explanation in Hindi that is given by a translator is: prakarsha se caltA huA jo
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Sabda yA sambhAgkartA hai uskA nAm prAg-vamSa hai).
vamSa--vardhanah
nAma 850b. vamSa
b) He Who keeps the Universe growing (vRdh – to grow).
c) He Who cuts off the Universe at the appropriate time (vardh – to cut).
b) SrI Sa'nkara gives the meaning for the nAma as "He Who expands the
universe", based on vRdh – to increase – vamSam prapa'ncam vardhayanvamSa-
vardhanah.
SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives the example of His growing the vamSa of
pANDava-s by protecting parIkshit – parIkshit-samrakshaNena pANDu- kulam
vardhayati iti vamSa0vardhanah.
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN quotes the growth of yadu vamSa itself as the
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example of His being vamSa-vardhanah – vamSam yadoh vardahayatiiti vamSa-
vardhanah yatra shaT pa'ncASat koTayah pradhAna bhUtA babhUvuh - where
there were numerous prominent yAdava-s.
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Slokam 91
ÉarÉ&Tkiwtae yaegI yaegIz> svRkamd>,
bhAra--bhRt
nAma 851. ÉarÉ&t! bhAra
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dhAraNa poshaNayoh – to hold, to support. bhAra refers to burden.
bhArambibharti iti bhAra-bhRt – He Who shoulders the burden is bhAra-
bhRt.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to the gItA, where bhagavAn Himself declares
that He shoulders this burden of maintaining the welfare and prosperity of His
devotees:
(gItA 9.22)
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"There are those who, excluding all else, think of Me and worship Me, aspiring
after eternal union with Me. Their prosperity and welfare (yoga and kshema)
are looked after by Me".
"It is our duty to say 'namah' to tiru vE'nnkaTattAn; the rest is His burden to
shoulder".
We are all familiar with the sense of indebtedness that Lord kRshNa carried
until the day He left this world, to draupadi who called out His name for help
during the vastra apaharaNa episode. Even though His nAma itself protected
draupadi at that time, still He continued to feel that He owed a debt to her
that He could never fulfill throughout His incarnation in this world – such is
His feeling of indebtedness to one who surrenders to Him unconditionally.
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bhAra-bhRt.
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greatness of this uttaman
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to tirumazhiSai AzhvAr, who captures the gist
ofthis nAma in his pASuram:
(tiruccanda. 11)
"You are the Ultimate goal of the veda-s; You are the One declared as the
Supreme Brahman by the veda-s; You are the Supreme Effulgence that cannot
be described through words; You created brahmA so that he can perform the
function of creation using the veda-s as his aid, but even he cannot describe
You through words even roughly".
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SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is – vedAdibhih ayameka eva paratvena kathita iti
kathitah; sarvair-vedaih kathita iti vA kathitah - He alone is declared as
Supreme by the veda-s etc., and all veda-s extol His virtue, and so He is called
kathitah. He gives several supporting quotes:
(kaTho. 2.15)
(bhavishyat. 132.95)
"vishNu is sung everywhere at the beginning, middle, and end of the veda-s,
the holy rAmAyaNa, and bhArata, O Best of bharata race".
(kaTho. 3.9)
"He (who has sound intellect as his charioteer and controlled mind as the
bridle) reaches the end of the road, which is the highest place of vishNu".
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the example of His fame being sung by the
likes of nArada, vAlmIki, etc. – nArada vAlmIki prabhRtibhih sa'kIrtita yaSo
vistaratvAt kathitah.
SrI satyasandha tIrtha refers to His being praised by the Agama-s – kathitah
sad-AgamaihpratipAditah.
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha comments that even the veda-s fail in their attempt
to describe Him completely. It is for singing His praise that we have been
provided the ability of speech. Here is SrI vAsishTha's composition
summarizing his interpretation:
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nAma 853. yaegI yogI
e) He Who unites the devotees with their wishes– i.e., He Who bestows the
devotees' wishes.
yogine namah.
The root from which the nAma is derived is yuj – yoge – to unite.
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the asTa aiSvarya-s that we saw in the previous Sloka–the apparently
conflicting characteristics of aNimA and mahimA, kRSa and sthula (laghimA
and prApti), etc. It is not easy for one to have any one of these aiSvarya-s in
full measure. It is not possible to have all the eight aiSvarya-s in full measure
in the same person, except in the case of bhagavAn. Thus, He is a One who has
combined in Him these apparently conflicting aiSvarya-s to co-exist in full
measure simultaneously, and so He is called a yogI in SrI BhaTTar's
anubhavam.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains the term yoga as the process by which one
draws his/her mind towards Him when it tries to wander and stray away into
other things. BhagavAn is called yogI since He is attained by the process of
yoga (namely, by control of the mind and the senses).
c) SrI vAsishTha interprets the nAma as signifying that bhagavAn alone has
the ability to keep everything in the universe bound together as one unit, and
so He is called yogi –
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SrI cinmayAnanda takes his definition for the term yoga from the yoga
SAstra-s– yogah citta vRtti nirodhah – yoga is stopping of all though flow. One
who has no thought agitations – who has totally conquered the mind, and lives
in His own Effulgent Self is the greatest yogi, and hence bhagavAn has this
nAma per cinmyAnanda.
e) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation that the nAma
signifies that He unites the devotees with their wishes, in other words, He
bestows the desired wishes for their devotees – yojayati svajanAn tad-
abhIshTenaiti yogI.
We have seen the nAma yogah (nAma 18 – Slokam 3), which is related to the
current nAma. . The write-up for nAma 18 complements the current write-up,
and the reader is referred to the earlier write-up for additional enjoyment of
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this nAma.
(vishNupurAnam)
"He conferred the highly pure goal, namely SrI vaikunTham, upon sanaka and
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other sages who were flawless".
kalakkam illA nal tava munivar karai kaNDOr tuLakkam illA vAnavar
ellAmtozhuvArgaL.
(tiruvAi. 8.3.10)
"The Seers such as janaka, sanaka, etc., who have clear perception as a result
of their true penance and devotion, the mukta-s who have crossed the ocean of
the enjoyment of His unlimited auspicious qualities through enjoyment and
experience, and the nitya-s who have not had the slightest trace of the fear
of this samsAra - all serve Him with pure delight". The mumukshu-s, the
mukta-s and the nitya-s are all referred to here.
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SrI Sa'nkara gives the meaning "The Supreme amongst yogin-s" to the nAma,
and explains that unlike other yogins who are subject to being obstructedby
impediments to yoga and falling off from their progress, bhagavAn is
unobstructed and free from any impediments, and so He is called the "Lord of
the yogin-s", or Supreme among yogins.
( gItA 6.47)
"He who worships Me with faith, whose innermost self is fixed in Me, I
consider him as the greatest of the yogin-s". The idea conveyed is that He is
the object of worship - the Lord, of the best among yogin- s.
SrI cinmyAnanda describes a yogin as one who is free - completely and fully -
from any involvement while being in the midst of samsAra and its seething
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activities. BhagavAn alone qualifies as the King of yogi-s by this description.
SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives an alternate anubhavam that is different from
the others - yoginAm Sam (=sukham) yasmAt iti yogISah - He through Whom
(by meditating on Whom) the yogi-s attain great delight is yogI-Sah.
SrI vAsishTha uses the meaning "union" for the word yoga, and gives the
interpretation that bhagavAn has this nAma signifying that He keeps
everything bound together - for instance, all the bones in the body are kept
united together so that the body is in one functional piece. While this example
may sound trivial, the whole universe is held together only because of His
power of yoga or union.
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He Who bestows all desires.
sarva-kAma-dAya namah.
sarvAn kAmAn dadAti iti sarva-kAma-dah - He Who bestows all desires is
sarva-kAma-dah.
SrI BhaTTar points out that bhagavAn grants all desires sought by the
devoted yogin, including the powers such as aNimA (one of the previously
discussed ashTasiddhi-s), even though these are impediments to the path for
Salvation. In other words, even if the yogin falls from his ultimate path of
seeking Salvation, and instead seeks lesser benefits, bhagavAn is still the
bestower of whatever benefits the devotee seeks.
SrI BhaTTar notes that even those who have not perfected their yoga and who
slip from this path because of distraction from desire etc., will still get the
benefit of their yogic effort, and will be bestowed with good birth in the next
janma. He quotes the gItA in support:
(gItA 6.41)
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"He who has fallen away from yoga is born again in the house of the pure and
prosperous after having attained to the worlds of doers of good deeds and
living there for many long years".
(bhAga. 2.3.10)
"He who has no desire in anything, or one who is desirous of all benefits, or one
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In other words, He is the Only One whom we should worship, no matter what
our desires are - dharma,artha, kAma or moksha, because He alone is the
Ultimate Bestower of all benefits- sarva-kAma-dah. This concluding message is
given by SrI Suka muni to parIkshit after discussing several alternate routes
such as worshiping the lesser devatA-sfor attaining the lesser benefits.
(chAndogya. 4.15.3)
"And He alone is vAmani, since He grants all good things to those who take
refuge in Him".
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double emphasis is used to reinforce the strength of the declaration.
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SrI BhaTTar continues the thread from his interpretation for the previous
nAma, where he pointed out that bhagavAn bestows the lesser benefits for
those who have swerved from the path of yoga after starting on that path.
When they have completed the enjoyment of the meritorious benefits for
their lesser effort, then He gives them `a place of rest' - birth in the houses
of SrIvaishNava-s where true knowledge of the Lord can be had in profusion
and they can become refreshed: tato vivRtya subhiksha para vidyeshu
vaishNava gRheshuteshAm viSrAnti-hetuh ASramah. In other words, this
birth in a good family is to enable those who have been interrupted in their
yoga in their previous birth, to rest and then continue and succeed in the
current birth by being provided the right conditions and environment for the
successful completion of the interrupted yoga. Note the second line of the
gItA Slokam 6.41 that was given asa reference for the previous nAma -
SucInAm SrImatAm gehe yoga-bhrashTahabhijAyate - they are born in the
house of the pure and prosperous (prosperous meaning they are delighting
themselves in pure and exclusive devotion to the Lord).
This "Place of Rest" that is referred to by the nAma ASramah is nothing but
meditation on His Holy Feet, and the association with bhAgavata-s who have
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nothing but Him in their mind. This is nicely brought out in the pASuram by
nammAzhvar to which SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us:
..... nalam koL nAn-maRai vANargaL vAzh tirumOgUr nalam kazhal avan
aDinizhal taDam anRi yAmE
(tiruvAi. 10.1.2)
Note the reference to the "nAn maRai vEdiyargaL", and to His "aDinizhal".
These are the two things that really give the rest, not only in this birth, but
for all birth to come according to nammAzhvAr. In the vyAkhyAnam, it is
pointed out that the association with the bhAgavata-s is extremely beneficial
because they are "nalam koL vANargaL" - those who are interested in lifting us
up to their levels, and those who are interested in our welfare without any
benefit for them. It is a delight to dwell deep into nammAzhvAr's pASuram-s.
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SrI satya sandha tIrtha interprets the nAma as "He Who is the Lord of those
who have no Srama or hardship - na vidyate Sramo yeshAm te a- SramA
muktAh, teshAm ayam svAmi iti ASramah.
SrI raghunAtha tIrtha in his tattva sAra, based on bRhat sahasra, gives the
interpretation - A - samyak, Sramyate - tapyate, gUhyate iti A-Sramah - He
Who completely conceals Himself.
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SrI satya devo vAsishTha interprets the first syllable A'ng as an upasarga
(prefix), and gives the explanation - ASramyante karmAnurUpAm yonim
prApaya yena iti ASramah - He by Whom the jIva-s are made to endure the
birth in this world according to their karma- s, is ASramah; or, He through
meditation on whom the tapasvin-s undergo the rigors of meditation and
penance - is called A-Sramah.
Note that SrI vAsishTha is not using the prefix A to derive the meaning as
opposite of Srama as Sri BhaTTar and Sri Sa'nkara did, but has instead used
the prefix A as a reinforcement of the meaning of the word Srama - One Who
ensures that the jIva-s go through the toils according to their karma-s.
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next birth.
b) He Who torments those who have not exercised their discriminating ability.
c) He Who undertook tapas in the form of nara nArAyaNa for the welfare of
the world.
The root from which this nAma is derived is the same as that for the previous
nAma - Sramu - tapasi khede ca - to take pains, to be fatigued. Sramyate iti
SramaNah - He Who strains or makes one put in the effort is SramaNah.
a) SrI BhaTTar continues his thread from the interpretation for the nAma
853- yogI, and has interpreted the next few nAma-s in terms of bhagavAn's
relation with the practitioners of yoga, and His supportive treatment of them,
even if they do not complete their yoga in one birth. In this spirit, SrI
BhaTTar interprets the current nAma as referring to bhagavAn making it
possible for those that have not completed their yoga in a given birth, to
resume where they left off with minimal effort in their next birth -
"anAyesena" Sramyate iti SramaNah. He quotes support from the gItA:
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tatra tam buddhi samyogam labhate paurva daihikam |
( gItA 6.43)
"There he regains the disposition of mind which he had in his former body, O
arjuna, and from there he strives much more for success in yoga".
b) SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma as "One Who torments those who are not
capable of discrimination" - avivekinah sarvAn santApayati iti SramaNah.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains this as the situation where, even though
bhagavAn is indicating the right path for attaining Him, there are many among
us who do not want to follow that path, and then He is left with no choice
except to make us undergo the effects of our karma, and as most of us know,
it is a tormenting experience to be born and living in samsAra.
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SrI cinamyAnanda puts the idea more graphically: "One Who prosecutes the
worldly people - who, driven by their hungers and passions, seek sense-
gratifications. By the very nature of the ephemeral sense- objects and the
ever-changing instruments of experience in us, the life of gratifications can
only yield exhausting fatigue and weary disappointments. This is the `Law' and
SrI nArAyaNa is the 'Law- Giver'.
d) SrI satya sandha tirtha interprets the nAma as: SramaNAh sannyAsinah
asyadAsattvena santi iti SramaNah - SramaNa refers to sanyAsins, and since
sanyAsin-s exist through dAsatvam to Him, He is called SramaNah.
"Subject matter of, and known by, hymns of praise (translation by SrI
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K.SrIpAdha rAo).
a) One Who is in a diminished form (in the form of dhruva, the Pole Star).
g) He Who has established the Universe in all its dimensions (kshA + mAne)
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i) He Who bore the Earth (in His varAha incarnation)
a) SrI BhaTTar uses the root kshi - kshaye - to decay, in his interpretation of
nAma 444, and ksham - sahane, for his interpretation of the current instance
of the nAma. Incidentally, this resolves the avoidance of redundancy in
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interpretation in SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam.
Revisiting the write-up for this nAma in Slokam 47, we have: "SrI BhaTTar
explains this nAma by pointing out that bhagavAn stands in the form of dhruva
in a diminished form at the time of the dissolution of the Earth inclusive of
the five elements. All the luminaries up to dhruva disappear, and dhruva alone
remains shining in his place, as stated in vishNu purANa -
(VP 2.8.92.)
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b) For the interpretation of the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar
uses the root (ksham - sahane - to allow, to be capable of). Continuing on his
interpretations of the nAma-s 855 to 861 in terms of His role as One Who
uplifts and supports those that have not successfully completed the yogic
path, he explains the current nAma as "One who allows those who have slipped
from the path of yoga to fulfill their effort by giving them the necessary
strength to achieve this, if only they show an inclination for this - sva
yogAbhimukhyamAtreNa te yoga-bhrashTA api durgam taritum kshamante
asmAt iti kshAmagh. He quotes the gItA Slokam 6.40 in support:
(gItA 6.40)
"Neither here (in this world), nor there (in the next), arjuna, is there
destruction for him. For, no on one who does good ever comes to an evil end".
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives the meaning "One Who makes the yogin skilled in
continuing and fulfilling the yoga" - "tiRamai uDaiyavanAgac ceybavan".
c) Sri Sa'nkara bases his interpretation for the instance of the nAma in
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Slokam 47 on kshi - kshye - to decay, and explains that bhagavAn has this
nAma signifying that He alone is left behind after everything disappears
during pralaya - sarva-vikAreshu kshapiteshu svAtmanA avasthita iti kshAmah.
d) For the current instance of the nAma, he gives another variant of the act of
bhagavAn during pralaya - that He reduces all beings to the state in which
they were prior to the current created form - kshAmAh kshINAh sarvAh
prajAhkaroti iti kshAmah.
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dur- janAn iti kshAmah.
e) SrI satya devo vAsishTha gives an interpretation using the meaning "hidden"
for "kshaya", and explains the nAma as referring to bhagavAn who remains
hidden amongst us while being present in all of us, or in whom we are all hidden
- ya etasmin viSve antarleenah tishThati sarvam vyApya, yasmin vA idam
viSvam praleeyate.
g) Among the other anubhava-s of SrI vAsishTha are: kshA refers to the
Universe (kshA = pRthivee), and the root mA'ng - mAne Sabde ca means "to
measure, to sound". Using these, his interpretation is that the nAma can refer
to bhagavAn being the One Who has established this Universe as such and
such., has given it the ability to function, and has equipped it with sound etc.-
kshA iti viSva upalakshaNam; evam ca viSvam idam ya iyattayA
nibadhnAti,gatidAnena Sabdavacca karoti it kshAmah.
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narakaAh,tAn mavate - badhnAti iti kshA-mah - He Who binds (restrains,
controls) the demons is kshA-mah. (The root is mav - bandhane himsAyAm ca -
to fasten, to bind, to kill).
j) For the instance in Sloka 47, SrI raghunAtha tIrtha gives the
interpretation - ksham gavAm samrodha viSesham Aminoti kRntati iti kshAmah
- Remover of obstructions in the path of the cows (ksham + Ama).
a) One Who has beautiful wings – in the form of hamsa, garuDa, etc.
d) He Who is in the form of the veda-s (as the “leaves” of the tree of
samsAra).
f) One Who has the green color of emerald because of His association with
Lakshmi.
i) He Who rests on the beautiful tender green fig-tree leaf (at the time of
prlaya).
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We enjoyed this nAma earlier as part of Slokam 21 (nAma 194). SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha gives two roots from which the different interpretations
can be explained: pAr – tIr – karma samAptau – to finish, to get through or
over; and parN – harita bhAve – to make green. Based on these, the word
parNa means “wing” as well as “leaf”. The different interpretations for the
nAma include: One who has beautiful wings, One Who enables the jIva-s cross
the ocean of samsAra, One who gives everything the ability to move around,
One who makes everything live and thrive (“green”), One who is decorated with
the green tulasi leaves, etc.
a) One Who has beautiful wings” (e.g., in His hamsa incarnation), and
b) One Who helps the yogin-s cross the ocean of samsAra (with “beautiful
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wings” that carry the samsArin-s across the ocean of samsAra) - Sobhana
parNatvAt, samsAra-pAra-nayanAt vA suparNah .
a) While SrI BhaTTar himself has not made a direct reference to the hamsa
incarnation in his interpretation, other interpreters have elaborated on SrI
BhaTTar’s interpretation as a reference to bhagavAn’s hamsa incarnation, or
alternatively as a reference to His being the antaryAmi of garuDa.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan explains the nAma as referring to garuDa, who has
bhagavAn as his antaryAmi. Alternatively, suparNa refers to garuDa, and
bhagavAn is suparNah since He has garuDa as His vAhana. In SrImad-
bhAgavatam we have - siddheSvarANAm kapilah suparNo'ham patatriNAm -
Among the siddha-s, I am Kapila, and among birds I am GaruDa (11.16.15).
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains that the two wings of this form of
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bhagavAn – suparNah – can be enjoyed as:
a) one wing representing the veda-s that show the path for our conduct; and
b) the other wing representing the sadAcAram practised by our AcArya-s and
elders through their conduct of life following the teachings of the veda-s.
(muNDakopanishad - 3.1).
“A pair of white-winged birds extremely friendly to each other sit on one and
the same tree; one eats the fruits, the other eats not and gazes on".
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers to one as the great enjoyer (pErinbam), and
the other as the Great Knower (pEraRivu).
b) SrI BhaTTar’s interpretation for the current instance of the nAma is that
He enables the yogi-s who have fallen from the path of yoga to get back in
track and cross the ocean of samsAra – evam pratyApanna samAdhIn samAdhi-
vipAka-dvArA tamasah pAram nayati iti su-parNah. He gives support from the
maula samhitA and from the gItA:
(maula.)
The Lord leads them to reach the shore
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aneka janma samsiddhah tato yAti parAm gatim ||
(gItA 6.45)
“The yogin, striving earnestly, cleansed of all his stains, and perfected through
many births, reaches Me”.
d) Using the meaning “leaf” for the term “parNa”, SrI Sa’nkara explains the
nAma as referring to bhagavAn in the form of veda-s represented by the
“leaves” of the tree of samsAra, as described by Lord kRshNa in the gItA
Slokam 15.1:
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Urdhva mUlam adhah Sakham aSvattham prAhur-avyayam |
(gItA 15.1)
“They speak of an immutable aSvattha tree with its roots above and branches
below. Its leaves are the veda-s. He who knows it knows the veda-s”.
SrI SAstri continues on the above, and explains that He is also suparNah
because He gives protection to the jIva-s in their sojurn in this samsAra by
giving them the shade in the form of the beautiful leaves of this immutable
aSvattha tree while they go through the samsAra to expend their karma-s.
e) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as “One Whose form is
decorated with the green tulasi leaves” – SobhanAni parNAni tulasI dalAni
yan-mUrtau sa su-parNah. For one of the instances of the nAma, SrI vidyA
bhUshaN’s anubhavam is along the same lines: bhagavAn is more pleased
wearing the beautiful green tulasi leaves than when wearing the precious
jewels, and so He is su-parNah – SobhanAni parNAni tulasI patrANyeva na tu
kanaka ratnAni yasmin sa su-parNah..
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since He has the green emerald color because of His association with SrI
lakshmi Who resides in His vaksha-sthalam - Sobhanah parNo harita bhAvo
yasya SrI lakshmI devI sAnnidhyAt iti su-parNah.
g) SrI bhAradvAj gives a third interpretation using the root pRN – prINane –
to please, to satisfy, and explains the nAma as – Sobhanam parNam prINanam
yasya iti su-parNah – He Who is easily pleased and satisfied by the sincere
offerings of His devotee. One is reminded of the gItA Slokam
(gItA 15.1)
“Whoever offers Me with true devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or some water,
I accept this offering made with devotion by him who is pure of heart”.
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h) SrI T. S. Raghavendran has given the following in his “SrI vishNu sahasra
nAma sa’ngrahArtha” (this also corresponds closely to the interpretation given
by SrI raghunAtha tIrtha in his tattva sAra for this nAma in Slokam 21): su =
sobhana, para = uttama, Nah = Anandah, tAn santi iti su-par-Nah – He is called
su-par-Nah because He is the Abode of Supreme happiness.
i) SrI satya sandha tIrtha enjoys the nAma as referring to One Who is resting
on the beautiful green tender leaf of a fig-tree at the time of pralaya –
Sobhanam parNam vaTa-patram SayyAtvena yasya sa su-parNah.
j) For the current instance of the nAma, SrI raghnAtha tIrtha gives the
interpretation: “su – samyak bhUmin pUrayati – vyApnoti iti su-parNah – He
Who pervades the earth completely.
vAyu--vAhanah
nAma 860. vayuvahn> vAyu
a) He Who makes the wind flow for the benefit of sustaining life.
b) He Who lifts up the fallen with the swiftness of air with the help of garuDa
c) He Who had "The vAyu - hanumAn" as His vehicle during His rAma
incarnation.
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vAyu-vAhanAya namah
We enjoyed this nAma in Slokam 36 - nAma 333 earlier.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the roots involved in the nAma: vA - gati
gandhanayoh - to go, to blow, etc., and vah - prApaNe - to carry, to flow. He
gives the derivation as: vAyuh vAhyate - pravartyate anena iti vAyu-vAhanah -
He because of Whom the air flows.
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the jIva-s".
(bRhad. 3.7.11)
"He who dwells in vAyu, who is within the vAyu (Air), whom Air does not know,
whose body is Air, and who controls Air from within, is the Inner Ruler
(antaryAmi), the Immortal".
SrI Sa'nkara explains the first instance of the nAma in Slokam 36 as "He Who
is the Director of the seven vital airs - "vahatah sapta AvahAdIn vAhayati it
vAyuvAhanah" - bhagavAn has this nAma signifying that He is the Controller of
the atmosphere in the seven regions of space.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri describes in detail about these seven regions that
are controlled by seven different sons of kaSyapa and diti, because of the
powers given to them by bhagavAn. They are called the sapta-maruta-s:
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1. A-vaha,
2. pra-vaha,
3. sam-vaha,
4. ud-vaha,
5. vi- vaha,
6. pari-vaha, and
7. parA-vaha.
The upasarga prior to the term vaha in each case signifies the kind of force
that is exerted by this type of flow, for instance ud-vaha is the force that
lifts up, etc. The seven maruts control seven regions of the Universe. Six of
these regions are listed by many of the authors. These regions are:
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In short, SrI cinmayAnanda summarizes the above in the following words: "The
inconceivable might and power of the winds and their life-sustaining abilities
are all lent to the air by bhagavAn's own munificence and, therefore, He is
called "vAyu-vAhanah".
For the current instance of the nAma, SrI Sa'nkara explains that bhagavAn is
vAyu-vAhanah or "One Who makes the air flow and sustain all beings". In this
instance his anubhavam is that the Air flows because of the fear of bhagavAn
if the air does not comply as directed. As mentioned in the taittirIya
Upanishad: - "bhIshAsmAd- vAtah pavate" (taitt. 2.8) - "The wind blows
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through fear of Him".
SrI vAsishTha comments that at the time of creation, bhagavAn first makes
the air flow, and then gives body to the jIva-s so that they can move around or
breathe and live, and so He is vAyu-vAhanah. This great Power of bhagavAn is
not easily perceived by us. Sri vAsishTha gives several references to the vedic
passages in support:
(ISAvAsya. 4)
While not moving, It goes faster than those who run after It. By Its Power,
the Air supports all the living beings".
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kasmAd-a'ngAt dIpyate agnir-asya kasmAd-a'ngAt pavate mAtariSvA
(atharva. 10.7.2)
By Whose movement or force the agni glows, and by whose movement the air
flows".
kva prepsan dIpyata Urdhvo agnih, kva prepsan pavate mAtariSvA
(atharva. 10.7.4)
How (by Whose Power) the agni always blazes upward, and by Whose Power the
wind flows".
(atharva. 10.7.12)
"That Support on which the earth, firmament and sky are set as their
foundation, in Whom the Fire, Moon, Sun, and Wind have their foundation".
yasmAd vAtA RtudhA pavante yasmAd samudrA adhi viksharanti
(atharva. 13.3.2)
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He from Whom winds blow pure in ordered seasons, and from Whom the seas
flow forth in ordered directions.
b) For the current instance of the nAma vAyu-vAhanah, SrI BhaTTar gives the
interpretation that bhagavAn lifts up those that have fallen into the ocean of
samsAra, using garuDa, who is noted for his swiftness. vAyu here signifies
garuDa, the king of birds, who is known for his swift movement. SrI
BhaTTar's words are - tAnSca prabala hetubhih patitAnapi, vAyunA -
anupamagatvareNa patagapatinA, vAhayati uttArayati iti vAyu-vAhanah. He
quotes an example from vishNu tattva - the story of King uparicara vasu. This
king was cursed by a great sage to wander in the nether worlds. He was a great
devotee of bhagavAn, and so bhagavAn sent garuDa who lifted him up from the
nether worlds and brought him back to the upper worlds.
Who has Air as His vehicle" on account of another incident as well - It is said
that when bhagavAn had to rush to save gajendra, finding that the speed of
garuDa was not fast enough, bhagavAn just used the Air as His vehicle, and
reached gajendra and saved him.
c) Sri ananta kRshNa SAstri takes "vAyu" to refer to "The vAyu" - the son of
vAyu, namely hanumAn, and notes that bhagavAn is vAyu-vAhanah since He had
hanumAn as the "vehicle" in His rAma incarnation during the battle with
rAvaNa.
That which, or one who announces the arrival of bhagavAn is vAyu, based on
"vAti - gandhayate - sUcayati". BhagavAn has garutmAn as His vAhana, who
announces His arrival, and so He is vAyu-vAhana. The movement of garuDa
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produces sAma gAnam, which again announces the arrival of bhagavAn ahead
of His arrival.
e) SrI satya sandha tIrtha looks at the nAma as vAyuvAh + nah: vAyum - svAsa
vAyum vahanti iti vAyu-vAh, jIvAh; tAn nayati iti vayAvAha-nah - Those that
inhale and exhale the prANa vAyu (vAyu) are called vAyu-vAh; One Who leads
them is vAyuvAha-nah.
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Slokam 92
xnuxRrae xnuveRdae d{fae dmiyta=dm>,
dhanur--dharah
nAma 861. xnuxRr> dhanur
Both SrI Sa'nkara and SrI BhaTTar interpret this nAma as "One Who carries
the bow in His hand".
The word dhanus is derived from the root dhan - to sound, or from the root
dhan - dhAnye - to bear fruit.
a) SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn has this nAma indicating that
He carries His bow by name SAr'nga in order to remove the obstacles in the
path of the devotees performing yoga to attain Him. The reason for Lord rAma
carrying the bow with Him during His vana-vAsam was precisely to remove the
obstacles to the penance performed by the Rshi-s in the forest. This is
kshatriya dharma:
It is for this reason that the bow is wielded by the kshatriya-s in this world;
The bow is always carried by the kshatriya-s so that there may not be the cry
of distress anywhere.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan nicely translates the nAma into tamizh as "Sar'ngapANi" -
"One Who has SA'rnga in His hand".
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nammAzhvAr personifies all His weapons themselves as being filled with anger
at the very sight of the enemy, and ready to remove the sorrow of the
devotees - kAi Sina Azhi Sa'ngu vAL taNDu Endi em iDar kaDivAnE (tiruvAi.
9.2.6). nammAzhvAr also refers to emperumAn as "kuni Sar'ngan" (tiruvAi.
8.8.1) - One Who has in His hand the Sar'nga bow that is bent as if with
respect.
There are others who have carried the bow, but none is equal to rAma in
wielding the bow.
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Lord kRshNa decalres as such in the gItA - Of those who bear weapons, I am
rAma.
(gItA 10.31)
SrI rAdhA kRshNa SAstri refers to rAma's skill in wielding the bow and
arrow - He could even convert a shade of grass as an arrow in chasing
kAkAsura all over the three worlds and making Him surrender at His Feet
ultimately.
dhanur-gRhItvaupanishadam mahAstram
"Having taken the bow (called praNava) well known in the upanishads, one
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should fix on it an arrow (the Atman) that has been sharpened by constant
meditation. Drawing it with the mind fixed on the Brahman, O good looking
one, know that the Immutable itself is the target".
The next mantra explicitly declares: "praNavo dhanuh, Saro hyAtmA, brahma
tal-lakshyamucyate".
(Rg. 10.125.6)
"I bend the bow for rudra that his arrow may strike and slay the hater of
devotion. I rouse and order battle for the people, and I have penetrated Earth
and Heaven".
dhanur--vedah
nAma 862. xnuveRd> dhanur
c) One Who has given the means of self-protection (dhanush) to all His
creation.
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Self realization.
dhanur-vedAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as an example of His being the
Propounder of all that is known and to be learnt. In this instance, He is the
Propounder of the Science of archery - dhanur-veda. Even the rulers of men
(kings) and gods (indra) get their knowledge of the science from His blessings
alone.
b) SrI Sa'nkara's interpreation is: "sa eva dASarathih dhanur-vedam vetti iti
dhanur-vedah" - "The Son of daSaratha, who alone is the Knower of the
Science of archery (to perfection)". Thus as the term "mahat" was emphasized
in SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation of the previous nAma, the term "eva" should
be stressed here. There are others who knew and know the science of archery,
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but none who compares to rAma.
SrI rAdhA kRshNa SAstri gives examples of Lord rAma's knowledge of the
science of archery. He could direct the arrows as He wished, retrieve them as
He wished, and even change Nature through discharge of the arrows (as His
use of the arrow to warn samudra rAjan for His initial lack of response to His
request).
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avatatya dhanushTvagm sahasrAksha Sateshudhe |
(yajur. 16.13).
d) SrI cinmayAnanda continues his anubhavam of the nAma based on the
interpretation of the term dhanush to refer to the "omkAra" (see previous
nAma). He gives the interpretation for the nAma as "One Who propounded the
unfailing technique of meditation on "(praNavam)" for realization of the Self".
He Who has His devotees served by those who have knowledge of the science
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d) He Who is the source of restraint for all beings so that they follow dharma.
daNDAya namah.
The root from which this nAma is derived is dam - upaSame - to be tamed.
(dushTAn) daNDayati iti daNDah - The means of punishment for the wicked is
daNDah. daNDam is a term used for a staff. It refers to the staff that is
carried by a sanyAsin, and also is a symbol of the power that one has (like the
daNDam or staff of a king). The sense in which it is used in this nAma is the
latter. Thus, daNDah here refers to the means to administer punishment or
taming.
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the wicked and bring protection and happiness to the world by following the
dharma as laid down in the vedas.
SrI Sa'nkara gives reference to the gItA, where Lord kRshNa declares that
among those that administer chastisement, He is daNDa:
(gItA 10.38)
"I am the Power of Punishment among those who administer punishment when
the law is transgressed".
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AvAennAdu ulagattai alaikkum aSurar vANAL mEl tI vAi vALi mazahi pozhinda
SilaiyA tiru mA magaL kELvA
"He showers His deadly piercing fiery rain-shower of arrows on the life-source
of the wicked asusra-s who by their very nature will torture the people of this
world without the least mercy". Such is the intensity with which bhagavAn
dealt with kara, dhUshaNa etc.
SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives the explanation - daityAn daNDayati it danDah -
He Who punishes the asura-s.
d) SrI satya devo vAsishTha gives the explanation that bhagavAn is called
daNDah because He is the source of restraint (daNDa = damana = niyamana
=restraint) for all beings so that they act according to His rules.
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nAma 864. dmiyta damayitA
damayitA.
a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation along the above lines - svayam ca
rAvaNAdIn tAcchIlyena damayitA - He Who destroys the likes of rAvaNa as a
matter of habit. The nirukti author gives the description for the nAma as
"tAccHilyAt rAvaNAdInAm hartA - damayitA svayaam". It is because of this
habit of His that He takes direct incarnations such as the rAma and kRshNa
incarnations to rid the wicked from this world. nammAzhvAr describes this
attribute of bhagavAn in his tiruvAimozhi pASuram 7.5.2 (reference from SrI
v.v. rAmAnujan):
(tiruvAi. 7.5.2)
BhagavAn takes birth among us, goes through innumerable sufferings for our
sake in His incarnation (as evidenced by the incarnation of rAma with pirATTi
sItA), and then goes after and seeks the wicked (nADi), and destroys them -
all for the sake of the human beings who have no interest in worshipping Him
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and seeking His Feet. It is this "habit" of His seeking the wicked and punishing
them that is emphasized in the nAma damayitA.
SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation that He is the "Subduer" of the wicked
in the form of yama, the rulers etc. He gives support from the gItA:
........ yamah samyamatAm aham
(gItA 10.29)
SrI satya sandha tIrtha explains the nAma along similar lines - daityAn
damayati iti damayitA - He Who subdues the wicked asura-s.
SrI vAsishTha also echoes a similar thought: BhagavAn has this nAma
signifying that He subdues those who violate the rules of dharma as
established by Him –
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jagati jagadISa kRtAyA jagad-vyavasthAyA
b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation that He "dispels" the
sorrowful or miserable state of His devotees (by retrieving them from the
bondage of samsAra): damayati upaSamayati dainyam sva-janAnAm iti
damayitA. This is along the lines that SrI BhaTTar has interpreted nAma
192 - damanah (Slokam 21). Both the nAma-s have the same root, and in fact
SrI BhaTTar stresses the guNa of bhagavAn as a Subduer in nAma 192 also,
but a different aspect of this guNa of bhagavAn - that of subduing the tApa
or suffering of His devotees. EmperumAn is always acting in the interests of
His devotees - either as a Subduer of the tApa of His devotees (kAnti -
mandAkinIbhih bhava tApam damayati iti damanah (He dispels the sufferings
of samsAra in His devotees through the Ganges-like streams of His luster or
kAnti- interpretation for nAma 192), or as a Subduer of the enemies of His
devotees (the current nAma).
SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as: "One Who punishes the wicked,
destroys the sinners and thus regulates and cultivates life in the universe,
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making it a garden for the blossoms of spiritual beauties".
b) He Who is in the form of the good effects of punishment to those who err.
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"JanArdana by His mere Will can turn into ashes the entire Universe. But all
the Universe combined together can do no harm to Him".
b) SrI Sa'nkara, who treats the nAma as damah, gives the interpretation -
damyeshu daNDa kAryam phalam, tacca sa eva iti damah - He is also the result
of the act of punishment or discipline that is administered. In other words,
whatever is the effect of the punishment administered to one who errs, such
as the good effects that take place because of the punishment, the
corrections that occur in the individual, etc., are also a manifestation of
bhagavAn.
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interpretation that what happens to us - good or bad -is all for our benefit,
bestowed by bhagavAn.
c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that the term dama also refers to the
means that are used to control the unruly; the net result of this control is the
control of the senses etc., which is also referred as to dama.
d) SrI vAsishTha derives the meaning for the nAma as "dAmayati iti damah" -
He Who controls. For the previous nAma - damayitA, he interpreted the
function of control as it applies to those who violate dharma. For the current
nAma, he gives the interpretation in terms of bhagavAn being the Controller of
everything such that they follow the prescribed path as their natural behavior
- in other words, He is the Controller of all the planets such that they follow
their prescribed courses; He is the Controller of our indriya-s such that the
eye only sees and does not hear, the ear only hears but not smell, etc.
BhagavAn is present everywhere and pervades everything, and has full control
of everything - He is damah, the Controller. Here is SrI vAsishTha's
composition capturing his interpretation:
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e) SrI satya sandha tIrtha takes the pATham Ada-mah, and gives the
interpretation that He has the nAma signifying that He is the Bestower of
wealth on all - samyak dadAati iti Adah, teshAm mA - sampat yasmAt iti Ada-
mah.
SrI raghunAtha tIrtha gives a similar interpretation in his tattva sAra, but
looking at the nAma as da+mah - kalpa taru sAkhA iva bhaktAnAm
sarvAbhIshYTam dadAti iti da-mah - He Who confers all the things desired,
to the devotees, like the branches of the heavenly wish-giving tree, kalpa
vRksha.
a) He Who is invincible.
rAjitah).
The root for the nAma is ji -jaye abhibhave ca - to conquer. SrI vAsishTha
gives the explanation - parair-na parA-jIyate, parAbhibhUyate vA sa a-
parAjito vishNuh - He Who cannot be conquered or humiliated in any way by
anyone.
a) Among the different aspects of bhagavAn's invincibility, there are two that
are noteworthy:
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above, and for nAma 721 his anubhavam is based on 2 above. This is how SrI
BhaTTar has avoided the punarukti dosham or the fault of redundancy in his
vyAkhyAnam for the two instances of this nAma.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj echoes the same idea - na parAjitah kadApi
kenApi iti a- parajitah - He Who cannot be conquered by anyone and through
any means is a-parAjitah.
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tatra SrIr-vijayo bhUtir-dhruvA nItir-matir-mama ||
(gItA 18.78)
"Where kRshNa, the Lord of the yoga-s is, and where pArtha, the bow-armed
arjuna is, there is prosperity, there is victory, there is wealth, and there is
firm justice - this is my conclusion".
From the Ayurveda caraka samhitA, where again the invincibility of bhagavAn
is declared:
"On the veracity of the following statements, may this medicine be pounded
and be effective:- "There is no defeat for vAsudeva"; "I have not witnessed
the marriage of my mother"; "the ocean will never become completely dry".
(These are all absolute true statements)".
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ratnAkara iva akshobhyo himavAniva ca acalah |
(yuddha. 114.15)
a-jitah khaDga-dhRk
(yuddha. 120.14)
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dASArham aparAjitam
SrI satya sandha tIrtha enjoys the nAma as (a-parah + a-jitah) - He Who has
none superior to Him, and He Who can never be conquered - na vidyate para =
uttamo yasmAt iti a-parah; a-paraSca asau a-jitaSca iti aparAjitah.
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with support from the ISAvAsya upanishad - "nainad-devA Apnuvan" - The
deva-s could not overtake It - the overwhelming powers of desires and
passions can never vanquish the Self - the Divine nArAyaNa.
SrI BhaTTar quotes several examples from the mahAbhArata in support of his
second interpretation above as well, where the deva-s themselves have
described over and over again that those who are supported by bhagavAn
cannot be vanquished by anyone.
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(bhA. udyo.129.40)
indra tells karNa: "In the great fight, I give you the power to kill one
thundering warrior, but this cannot be the one you wish to kill (arjuna), since
he is protected by the Great Lord (kRshNa). KRshNa is none other than the
Invincible Hari, Who had assumed the form of the Wild Boar, and Who is the
Incomparable nArAyaNa, as declared by the vedic scholars".
(bhA. vana.260.75)
"In the fight you can ward off the attacks of all invincible and indestructible
warriors except the long-armed arjuna who is unassailable even to the gods,
since he is protected by kRshNa who is the Unknowable Deity Who bears the
conch, discus and mace as arms".
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BhIshma, droNa, etc., declare that they could have annihilated the pANDava-s
without a trace if only vishNu had not been their Protector, and that just as
certainly as truth rests with a brAhmin, humility is certain in the pious, and
wealth is sure in the skillful, so also victory is certain for nArAyaNa:
What is there in this world that cannot be conquered by that person who has
bhagavAn Hari as His mentor, protector, and friend?
aivarai velvitta mAyap pOr tErp pAganAr (tiruvAi. 4.6.1) - He, who, in the form
of the Charioteer, ensured the victory of the pANDava-s.
SrI satya sandha tIrtha enjoys the nAma as (a-parah + a-jitah) - He Who has
none superior to Him, and He Who can never be conquered - na vidyate para =
uttamo yasmAt iti a-parah; a-paraSca asau a-jitaSca iti aparAjitah.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha also derives the interpretation for the nAma
starting from the word para meaning Supreme. One of his interpretations is
same as the first interpretation of SrI BhaTTar. The other interpretation is:
For one to be defeated, there needs to be someone or something other than
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that entity. But since there is nothing else that exists other than the
Supreme Self, there is no possibility of defeat for this One Truth - "para eva
kaScin-nAsti; na dvitIyo na tRtIyah" iti atharva vacanAt, tasmAt parAjitvasya
a-sambhavAt bhagavatah aparAjita iti nAmnA samkIrtanam upapadyate. This
probably follows the advaita philosophy (Non-existence of anything except of
Brahman in truth).
SrI cinmayAnanda gives yet another dimension to the enjoyment of this nAma.
The Supreme Self is aparAjitah since the Self alone remains when everything
else is destroyed.
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na vidyante naSvarAha vibhUtayah yasya sah a-parAjitah
His vibhUti-s are powers are not transitory, but are eternal, and therefore He
is called a-parAjitah.
sarva--sahah –
nAma 867. svRsh> sarva
SrI BhaTTar and SrI vAsishTha use the meaning "One Who Supports -
bears", SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning 'to be capable of', 'to be powerful, to
conquer', and 'to support', and SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning
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"One Who puts up with". In addition, SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning 'strength'
for 'sahas' in one of his interpretations.
In one of his interpretations, SrI vAsishTha uses the meaning "support", and
gives a more general interpretation - bhagavAn has this nAma because He
supports and protects everything including the sky, the earth, the movables
and the immovables.
1) sarvAn SatrUn sahata iti sarva-sahah - He Who conquers all His enemies.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri also gives this as his interpretation - The Lord
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forgives the aprAdha-s of His enemies by considering that it is because of
their inherent nature that they perform the aparAdham, and a person of good
conduct and character should forgive and forget, rather than punish and seek
revenge. He refers to SrImad rAmAyaNam (yuddha. 116.49), where sItA
pirATTi instructs hanuman that the servant-maids of rAvaNa should not be
punished for mistreating her while in aSoka vanam: na kaScit na aparAdhyati -
There is no one who does not commit aparAdham (it is in the nature of all
beings).
Using the meaning 'to bear, to put up with' SrI vAsishTha gives an alternate
interpretation along similar lines. Just as the sea does not lose its nature even
though all kinds of other waters mingle with it over time, so also bhagavAn is
untouched by all the things that He has to endure. It is the reflection of this
guNa of bhagavAn' guNa of sarva-sahatvam that is reflected in the ability of
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the jIva to endure all that is happening when it is occupying one body, and
then move to another body at the end of this body's life.
a) He Who directs.
b) One Who has no one above Him to direct and control Him (a- niyantA).
niyantre namah
SrI satya devo vAsishTha derives the word from the root yama - uparame - to
lift up, to show, to offer. ni is an uapasarga (prefix) that denotes, among
other things, command, order, etc. tRc is an affix added to denote agency.
niyantA is One Who controls, directs, governs, restrains, etc.
a) SrI BhaTTar extends the idea from the previous nAma (sarva-sahah)
relating to the worship of the anya devatA-s. Those who worship the other
devatA-s or gods, still are worshiping these gods with the support of
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bhagavAn. The initial freedom of choice is given to the individual, but once the
choice is made, no matter what the choice is, then bhagavAn supports this
individual in the pursuit of this choice. It is this guNa of bhagavAn that SrI
BhaTTar brings out through the nAma niyantA - tatra tat tat rucIn prarocayan
niyacchati iti niyantA - He directs and guides these individuals after letting
them make the choice according to their tastes. SrI BhaTTar gives the
following quote from the gIta in support:
(gItA 7.21)
"Whichever devotee seeks to worship with faith whatever form, I make that
faith steadfast".
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(tiruvAi. 1.1.5)
"Each and every individual chooses, in accordance with his nature and
attainments, limited by his intellect, to worship a particular deity of his/her
choice in the hope of securing desired results. These deities are, without
doubt, capable of granting the lesser boons (other than moksha) to their
devotees according to their merits, because the Lord is the inner soul,
controller, and source of their power". The idea that bhagavAn is the niyantA
of all the other gods is to be appreciated here.
SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is the "Regulator of all in
all their functions" -
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sarvAn sveshu sveshu kRtyeshu
SrI vAsishTha points out that everything functions according to the course
laid out by Him as the niyantA of all - including the sun and all the planets, and
even the heart inside all of us - niyacchati = nibhadhnAti sarvam vyavasthita
vartmanA gamanAya iti 'niyantA' vishNuh.
b) SrI cinmayAnanda uses the pATham a-niyantA for this nAma, and gives the
interpretation - One Who has none above Him to control Him" - He is the One
Who has appointed all controllers of the phenomenal forces as the Sun, the
Moon, Air and Waters.
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a) He Who controls.
b) He Who ordains.
The root from which the word is derived is yam-uparame - to check. SrI
vAsishTha also gives another root - yama-pariveshaNe - to surround. The word
niyama means restraint or check, and niyamah is One Who restrains.
a) For nAma 163, SrI BhaTTar brings out the role of bhagavAn in controlling
even the likes of the mighty mahA bali - bali prabhRtayah api niyamyante anena
iti niyamah.
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The nirukti author captures the significance of the interpretation as -
niymayate jagat yena niyamah sa udIritah - He is called niyamah because the
whole universe is controlled by Him.
b) For the current instance of the nAma niyamah, SrI BhaTTar enjoys another
aspect of His control - He ordains (prescribes, specifies) the fruits of worship
to each individual according to the nature of their worship of the anya devatA-
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(gItA 7.22)
"Endowed with that faith, he worships that form (of other devatA-s) and
thence gets the objects of his desire, granted in reality by Me alone".
It is to be noted that:
a) bhagavAn lets the individual choose the deity to be worshiped by him based
on his limitations and knowledge;
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Ideas a) and b) are reflected in the nAma niyantA in SrI BhaTTar's
interpretation, and idea c) is reflected in the current nAma; and these two
interpretations nicely follow the two concurrent Sloka-s, 7.21 and 7.22, in the
gItA. The concept of individual freedom of choice for the jIva as outlined in
the above steps is reflected in SrI bhAshyam by SrI rAmAnuja (vyAkhyAna
for sUtra 2.3.41 - kRta prayatnApekshatu vihita-pratishiddhA
avaiyarthAdibhyah).
The idea that bhagavAn is the One Who ordains the benefits that are
attained by resort to the lesser devatA-s, is reinforced by SrI v.v. rAmAnujan
through a reference to tiruvASiriyam 4 by nammAzhvAr, where AzhvAr notes
that bhagavAn is the One Who created the likes of brahma, Siva etc., along
with their limited powers: daiva nAn-mugak kaDavuLai EnRu, mukkaN ISanODu
dEvu pala nudaliya mAyak kaDavUL (tiruvASiri. 4).
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Note the way SrI BhaTTar has avoided redundancy in interpretation (punar-
ukti dosham) by giving two different aspects of bhagavAn's control for the
two instances of the nAma.
c) SrI Sa'nkara gives two different versions of the nAma-s in Slokam 92: a-
niyamah and a-yamah, or niyamah and yamah. In the version "niyamo yamah",
his interpretation is that bhagavAn has these nAma-s because He can be
attained through the two means of yoga called niyama and yama.
(sUtra 2.32)
"Purity of the body, mental contentedness, austerity, reciting the veda-s, and
persevering devotion to the Lord are called 'religious observances - niyama".
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interpretation with the pATham a-niyamah).
d) SrI Sa'nkara's explanation for the pATham a-niyamah in the current Sloka
is that bhagavAn is One Who does not have anyone else who controls or directs
Him
e) SrI raghunAtha tIrtha in his tattva sAra gives the explanation - sva-
vishaya j~nAnAni bhaktebhyo niyamayati - prayacchati iti noyamah - He is
called niyamah because He bestows sacred knowledge about Himself to
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f) Using the root yama - pariveshTane - to surround, SrI satya devo vAsishTha
gives the explanation for the nAma as "niyaman SaktyA sakalam viSvam
vyApnoti tasmAt sa niyamayh" - One Who pervades and surrounds everything.
Using the alternate root yam - uparame - to check, SrI vAsishTha gives the
alternate interpretation in terms of all things beings constrained by being
bound to Him, by residing in Him, and by moving only because of Him.
f) One Who feeds His devotees with delectable food in the form of
anubhavam of Himself.
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g) One Who knows and prescribes the mandates that bestow virtue (aya+mah).
yamAya namah.
The root from which the word is derived is the same as for the previous
nAma, namely, yam - uparame - to check, or yama - pariveshaNe - to surround.
We had anubhavam of this nAma earlier in Slokam 17 - nAma 164. In fact, the
sequence "niyamo yamah" occurs in Slokam 17, just as it does in the current
Slokam. All the four nAma-s are derived from the same root. The functions
of bhagavAn that SrI BhaTTar chooses to describe for the four nAma-s are,
respectively:
3. One Who ordains and bestows the fruits of the worship of different
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gods, and
Given that SrI BhaTTar interprets the whole set of nAma-s as but a
reflection of bhagavAn's guNa-s which are infinite, he is able to provide
different anubhavam-s for the different instances of the same or related
nAma-s and provide ever greater enjoyment of His guNa-s in the process.
a) For the specific instance of the nAma in the current Sloka, SrI BhaTTar's
vyAkhyAnam is: tat-tat phala niyAmakAn yamAdIn api yacchati iti yamah - He
is called yamah because He is the One Who controls the likes of yama who are
the bestowers of the respective fruits". He quotes yama's own words from
vishNu purANa in support: prabhavati samyamane mamApi vishNuh (vishNu.
3.7.13) - VishNu controls me also.
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SrI T. S. Raghavendran refers us to ISAvAsya Upanishad mantra 16, where
there is reference to bhagavan as yamah - the Controller as antaryAmi of all:
pUshan! ekarshe! yama! sUrya! PrAjApatya! ... (mantra 16)
"O pUshaN! The One Seer! O Controller! Prompter! The Indwelling Ruler of all
creatures born of prajApati!."
He also gives reference to the gItA, where arjuna praises bhagavAn as being
the antaryAmi of all including yama etc.:
(gItA 11.39)
"You are the Controller and antaryAmi of yama, agni, varuNa, the Moon, and
brahmA; You are the Grandfather and Great Grandfather of all".
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(tiruvAi. 4.10.8)
"It is true that Siva granted eternal life to mArkanDeya when the later
surrendered to him. But note that Siva could bestow this eternal life on
mArkhanDeya only because of the Grace of Lord nArAyaNa".
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gamyatvAt sa eva niyamo yamah.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri recalls the yoga sUtra of pata'njalai for the
definition of 'yama' -
(sUtra 2.30)
"Not hurting others, veracity, not stealing, continence, and not coveting, are
part of "Forbearance" - yama.".
c) Using the pATham a-yamah (the first choice by SrI Sa'nkara), his
interpretation is that bhagavAn is a-yamah because He has no yama (death) -
na asya vidyate yamah mRtyuh iti a-yamah. BhagavAn is beginningless and
endless, and He is the One Who has created yama and Who controls and
directs him.
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d) Using the root yam - uparame - to check, a-yamah can also be interpreted
as "One Who has no one to command Him at any time under any circumstance,
or One Who has no one similar to Him in any respect - na vidyate yamah =
niyAmakah, sadRSo vA yasya sah yamah. This is one of the interpretations
given by SrI satya sandha tIrtha.
f) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning "to eat" for the root yama
(yamayati brAhmaNan - He feeds the brAhmaNa-s; yama - pariveshane;
pariveshaNam - bhojanam), and gives the interpretation - yamayati bhojayati
svAdubhih annaih bhaktAn iti yamah - He Who feeds His devotees with
delectable food (e.g., with delightful thoughts of anubhavam about Himself).
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SubhAvaha vidhim, mAti = jAnAti iti a-yamah - He is aya-mah because He
knows and prescribes the mandates that bestow virtues (mA - mAne - to
measure).
SrI BhaTTar concludes this section by reminding us that the previous few
nAma-s (851 onwards) have dealt with bhagavAn's presiding over the rajas and
tamo guNa-s predominant in the worshippers. He will interpret the nAma-s
870 to 880 in terms of bhagavAn's role in presiding over the sattva guNa.
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Slokam 93
sÅvvan! saiÅvk> sTy> sTyxmRpray[>,
sattva--vAn
nAma 871. sÅvvan! sattva
a) He Who controls the sattva guNa that paves the way for liberation.
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sattva-vate namah.
The term 'sattva' is generally used to refer to the sAttvic quality. However,
the term has other meanings, and these are used in some of the
interpretations below.
1. quality of goodness,
2. wealth (dravyam),
3. inherent power,
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives detailed derivation of the nAma from the
basics of grammar: starting from the root as - bhuvi - to be, he derives 'sat',
and then by pANini sUtra 5.1.119 - tasya bhAvas-tva- talau - tva is added to
sat in the sense of 'the nature thereof', leading to 'sat-tva'. Next, use of
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pANini sUtra 5.2.94 - tat-asya- asmin-asti iti matup - the matup prtyaya, in
the sense of 'whose it is' or 'in whom it is', is added to sat-tva, leading to
'sat-tva-mat'; and then va is substituted for ma by sUtra 8.2.9 - ma At
upadhAyAh ca matoh dhah a yavAdhibyah, leading to 'sat-tva-vat', which is the
basis for 'sattva-vAn'. This detail is included here just as one example of the
depth to which SrI vAsishTha delves into the etymological derivation of the
nAma-s, which he does in this elaborate detail for every single nAma. Another
special feature of his vyAkhyAnam is that he gives references from the Sruti-
s to support his interpretation. This is a superb piece of work for those who
understand samskRt grammar.
Starting from this nAma, up to nAma 880, SrI BhaTTar describes the nAma-s
in terms of bhagavAn being the presiding Deity over sattva guNa. SrI BhaTTar
notes that of the three guNa-s, sattva, rajas and tamas, the sattva is the
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guNa that leads to moksha ultimately. sattva guNa has the qualities of lustre,
lightness and bliss, and is the cause of salvation - parama-prakASa lAghava,
sukha-sampadA moksha mUlam sattvam sAkshAt adhishTheyam asya iti sattva-
vAn - BhagavAn is called sattva-vAn because He directly presides over the
sattva guNa which has the qualities of lustre, lightness and bliss, and which
therefore is the cause of Salvation. According to the pANini sUtra "tad asya
asti asmin iti matup" - 5.3.94, the mat pratyaya or affix follows a word in first
case in the sense of "whose it is" or "in whom it is". It is to be noted in passing
that this pratyaya is not used for someone who just possesses the object in
some small measure (like one having a couple of cows etc.), but to one who has
thousands of cows, as an example. Thus, in the current case, the matup
pratyaya refers to One Who is full of sattva quality. Here Sri BhaTTar's
interpretation is that bhagavAn has leadership of the sattva quality in His
devotees.
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"This purusha alone is the Great Giver of moksha. This purusha is the
propagator of sattva. Therefore this immutable light is the ruler (ordainer) of
this pure peace of the form of moksha" - (SrI N. S. ananta ra'ngAcArya's
translation).
(VP 3.7.13)
"A being is released from bondage because of the quality of sattva in him.
sattva is indeed nArAyaNa Himself."
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In li'nga purANam, ch. 14, we have:
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sAttvikaih sevyate vishNuh tAmasaireva Sa'nkarah |
b) SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning `power, courage', etc. for the term
'sattava' - Saurya, vIryAdikam sattvam asya asti iti sattva-vAn - "One Who
possesses courage, strength, etc., is sattva-vAn". (The term simha-sattva
refers to the 'strength' of the lion).
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri elaborates that this quality is associated with the
ability to remain fearless in war, to be unperturbed in situations which might
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c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning vyavasAyah - niScayah for
the term sattva, and gives the interpretation - sattvam vyavasAyah - niScayah
bhaktAnugraha sUcako vartate yasmin sah sattva- vAn - Since bhagavAn is
determined to bestow His Blessings on His devotees, He is called sattv-vAn.
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SrI vAsishTha gives the explanation - tathA ca sarva manushyAdi
vanaspatyAdi vargaSca sattva-yuktah, sattva-arhah, sattva-sambandhI vA -
He bestows the sattva aspect on people, on the plants etc., as they deserve.
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a) One Who is well-disposed towards pious souls.
SrI vAsishTha refers us to the Sloka-s in bhagavad gItA (17.26 and 17.27)
for a definition of 'sat' in Lord KRshNa's words:
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karma caiva tadarthIyam sadityevAbhidIyate ||
a) For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 12, SrI BhaTTar takes 'sat' to
refer to the 'pious souls', and gives the explanation that the nAma means-
teshu satsu sAdhuh - "One Who is well-disposed towards the pious souls".
b) For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 25, SrI BhaTTar ues the meaning
'good' for the term sat, and interprets the nAma as "One Who is good in a
supreme way", or "One Who is exceptionally good", and gives the example of
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His being good to those who seek His help, such as Manu who sought refuge in
Him - manvAdishu tat-kAla samASriteshu satsu sAdhuh.
(tiruvAi. 9.10.6)
"He is always true to His devotees, and He will never abandon them".
(tiruvAi. 9.10.7)
"To those who are sincerely devoted to Him without looking for any benefits as
a result, He is always true. In other words, to those who desire only
kainkaryam to Him, and do not worship Him just for some small benefit to
them, He always delivers. For those others who may worship Him with desire
for small benefits, He may give them the benefit, but then He will leave them,
and there won't be any bond between Him and them." (extract from SrI v. n.
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vedAnta deSikan).
c) For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as
"He Who is Truth Himself" - sAttvika SAstra-pratipAdyatayA
yathArthavaibhavah satyah - "The Lord is delineated by the sAttvika SAstra-
s, and all the greatness attributed to Him is true, and He stands fully
established in Truth".
(udyoga. 69.12)
"Lord kRshNa is rooted in satya, and the Truth (satya) is rooted in Lord
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kRshNa. Existence and non-existence are both established on Lord Govinda.
Hence He is called 'satya' or "Truth".
SrI v.v. rAmnujan notes that bhagavAn's tiru nAmam in the divya kshetram by
name tirumeyyam, is "satya mUrti". He also refers us to periya tirumozhi
5.6.9, where tiruma'ngai AzhvAr declares that bhagavAn truly reveals Himself
to those who seek Him with sincerity.
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made based on the English elaborations by scholars, of the vyAkhyAna-s in
samskRt that SrI Sa'nkara gives. Among his interpretations are:- He is called
satyah because He is the Real, Not False - avitatha rUpatvAt. He refers to
taitt. upanishad 2.1 - (satyam, j~nAnam, anantam brahma) - in support. - He,
Who alone exists as manifest and unmanifest - sat ca tyat ca abahavat (He is
all that exists in the manifest and unmanifest conditions). - He Who is in the
form of prANa, anna, and sUrya; or He Who is the Origin of prANa, anna and
sUrya - saditi prANAstItyannam yamityasAvAdityah (taitt. AraN. 1.3).
(atharva. 14.1.1)
"Truth (satya) is the Base that bears the earth; by sUrya are the heavens
upheld; By Law the Aditya-s stand secure, and Soma holds his place in heaven".
- He Who is good towards the good - satsu sAdhutvAt.
SrI annatakRshNa SAstri translates this as: "He Who is in the form of virtue
in holy men". - He Who is embodied as the virtue of the truth-speaking, or,
He Who is the Embodiment of Truth since He speaks the Truth, or, He Whose
words always come true, depending on the different translators - satya vacana
dharma rUpatvAt satyah. He gives reference to the Sruti - tasmAt satyam
paramam vadanti (mahAnArayaNa. 221.) - (Therefore, they say that Truth is
Supreme). - satyasya satyam - The Truth of truths. He quotes
bRhadAraNyaka Upanishad (2.1.20) in support - "satyasya satyam iti prANA vai
satyam, teshAm esha satyam" (The prANA-s are true and He is the Truth of
those).
One of SrI satya sandha tIrtha's interpretations is: sadbhAvam yApayati iti
satyah - He Who directs His devotees towards good qualities is satyah.
For the current instance of the nAma, SrI vAsishTha gives the explanation -
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satsu - sAdhusvabhAveshu paramahita kAritvena mahApurusha pUjyah nitya -
paramahitakArI ca ityarthah - He Who is best among those endowed with
sAttvic quality because of His disposition to help others, and Who is
worshipped by the great souls.
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(Aditya. 3.5)
SrI madhvAcArya in his bhAgavata tAtparya describes bhagavAn as:
"He Whose Nature is Truth, One without any trace of sorrow, Eternal, of
Extreme Splendor, Eternally Blissful.".
SrI jayatIrtha in his "karma nirNaya TIkA" gives the interpretation - satyah
- svatantrah - He Who is Independent.
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chAndogya upanishad mantra 7.16.1:
esha tu ativadati |
tat satyam |
ti iti annam |
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ti - tanu vistAre - vishNu is complete and full by deSa, kAla, and guNa-s. He is
perfectly full and complete, and so is called as 'ti'. Yam - yeti j~nAnam
samuddishTam | He is sarvaj~nA. All these denote one Person: sat, ti, yam".
(translation from SrI Raghavendran's book).
b) He Who is ever devoted to, and established in, Truth and in righteousness.
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c) He Who provides the support to, and Who shows the path for, those who
follow the superior path of dharma.
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practiced by pious men without any expectation of benefit etc., and
parAyaNam as "parama prINanam" - that which gives the most happiness to
bhagavAn. BhagavAn is "satya-dharma-parAyaNah" because He is most
pleased with the practice of the dharma that is practiced by pious men with no
expectation of any benefit, as laid down in the sAttvika SAstra-s. All actions
by us should be undertaken in the spirit of "SrI bhagavad Aj~nayA SrIman
nArAyaNa prItyartham" - all actions we undertake should be in the spirit that
these are His commands (we only should do what is prescribed in the SAstra-s,
which are His commands), and for His pleasure only.
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teshAm param paramam ayanam gatih AdhAro vA yah
sa satya-dharma-parAyaNah ||
He Who provides the support to, and Who shows the path for,those who
follow the superior path of dharma, is satya-dharma-parAyaNah.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to two other nAma-s that are similar, and
that we have studied earlier:
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tarpaNe kAntau ca - to please, to take delight in.
a) SrI BhaTTar enjoys the nAma as a reference to "One Who is the aim or
object of the devotees". His interpretation is: satyadharma nishThena
svacchena nirupAdhika uddeSyatayA abhipretah iti abhiprAyah - He is the
Highest Goal sought after by His devotees who are pure by nature, practice
the sAttvika dharma, and are not seeking lower pleasures.
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(periya tirumozhi 2.3.2)
"The delightful fruit with no residual fiber whatsoever, that is relished by the
excellent sages."
(tiruvAi. 3.6.7)
c) SrI raghunAtha tIrtha interprets the nAma in his tattva sAra as - 'abhi
abhitah prakarsheNa prAyah preraNAdikriyA yasya iti abhiprAyah' - He Who
exclusively directs the activities of all others.
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nAma 876. iàyahR> priyArhah
a) SrI BhaTTar comments that bhagavAn is rightly the object of love from the
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(gItA 7.18)
"All these devotees are indeed generous (udArAh), but I deem the man of
knowledge to be My very self; for he, integrated, is devoted to Me alone as the
highest end". BhagavAn considers that by worshipping Him and seeking His
help, they have already contributed everything they have to Him, and so He
considers them benevolent and generous. Such is His respect to His devotees,
and so he is deserving of extreme love from these devotees.
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devotees who surrender to Him with unswerving devotion, but even after that,
He feels that He has not done enough to His devotee" (SrI v. n. vedAnta
deSikan). The way that Lord kRshNa felt about His not having done enough to
help draupadi even at time He returned to SrI vaikunTham, comes to mind.
b) SrI San'kara interprets the term 'priya' as a reference to 'things that are
dear to oneself', and explains the nAma as signifying that Lord vishNu
deserves to be offered our most precious and beloved things. He quotes the
vishNu dharmottara in support:
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the world and the choicest things in the house should be offered to a
meritorious person". (This will become a choice offering to God).
(yajur. 23.19)
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Arhyate - prAptum yujyata iti arhah - He Who is fit to be attained.
(gItA 7.18)
SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma as referring to "One Who is deserving of
worship" - svAgata Asana, praSamsA, arghya, pAdya, stuti namaskAra Adibhih
pUjA sAdhanaih pUjanIya iti arhah - "He should be worshipped by such things
as words of welcome, offering of a seat, praise, arghya or offering of water,
milk, etc., pAdya or water for washing His Feet, glorification, prostrations,
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etc". One is reminded of the SrI vaishNava ArAdhanam for perumAl in the
form of sAlagrAma in the houses.
SrI vAsishTha very nicely captures the spirit of the nAma in the following
words:
"Giving up interest in all external pleasures, and desiring only the ultimate
bliss, the learned direct all their efforts , spiritual practices, different ways
of worship, and all the resultant benefits from these actions, to that One
bhagavAn - vishNu, and therefore He is arhah - Fit to be worshipped". The
point to note is that He is fit to be sought by those who have no interest in
anything else.
He points out that there are several instances where the term 'arhate' occurs
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in the veda-s, and gives just one example:
(Rg. 1.94.1)
SrI vAsishTha notes that we are all arha-s (fit) in some sense or the other
only because He reflects His arhattvam in all of us in some tiny measure.
SrI raghunAtha tIrtha uses a different pATham from the others by treating
the nAma as "arhapriya-kRt" - He Who bestows affection and blessings on the
devotees who are deserving - arhebhyah -yogyebhyah bhaktebhyah, priyam
karoti - rakshaNAdi karoti iti arhapriya-kRt.
priya--kRt
nAma 878. iàyk«t! priya
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He Who does what is wanted by others.
priya-kRte namah.
SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for the nAma is that bhagavAn does fulfill the
wishes of those who desire other, lesser, pleasures from Him as well (that is,
in addition to bestowing moksha), as long as they are His devotees. He does
not look at their deficiencies, but only considers the fact that they are His
devotees.
SrI Sa'nkara notes that He is not only worthy of being pleased priyArhah –
(see nAma 876), but He is also One Who pleases His devotees priya-kRt by
fulfilling the desires of those who worship Him by means of hymns, etc. - na
kevalam priyArha eva, kim tu stutyAdibhih bhajatAm priyam karoti it priya-
kRt.
SrI vAsishTha observes that when vedic mantra-s are invoked in offerings,
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such as the following, bhagavAn is pleased and bestows the desired benefits on
the devotee, and so He is called priya-kRt:
(Rg. 7.99.7)
(May these my songs of eulogy exalt thee. Preserve us ever more with
blessings).
(Rg. 1.189.1)
(By goodly paths, lead us to riches. Remove the sins that make us stray and
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(Rg. 3.62.10)
(We meditate on the adorable effulgence of the Lord who creates everything,
so that it may energize our consciousness).
SrI raghunAtha tIrtha uses the nAma as 'arha-priya-kRt', and gives the
interpretation as "One Who bestows protection and affection to the
deserving devotees".
prIti--vardhanah
nAma 879. àIitvxRn> prIti
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The two different meanings could then be:
a) SrI BhaTTar comments that by manifesting His qualities more and more,
He increases the joy of His devotees, and so He called prIti- vardhanah. He
quotes the gItA in support:
(gItA 10.10)
"To those who are constantly united with Me and who worship Me with immense
love, I lovingly grant that mental disposition (buddhi yoga) by which they attain
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Me".
"He Who made akrUra, mAlakAra, and others His most ardent devotees by the
manifestation of His unsurpassed qualities such as beauty and loving
compassion".
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SrI cinmayAnanda's explanation is:
1. "The sense of drunken joy that arises in one's bosom when one loves
deeply and truly is called prIti.”
2. "One Who increases the prIti in the devotee's heart is SrI nArAyaNa.
The more He is contemplated upon, the more His glories are
appreciated, the more our prIti in Him increases".
SrI satya sandha tIrtha's explanation for the nAma is: ”prItim bhakteshu
vardhayati prItyA bhaktAn vardhayati iti vA prIti- vardhanah" - He Who
grows the love in the devotees, or He Who grows the devotees through love,
is prIti-vardhanah.
b) Using the root vardh - chedana pUraNayoH - to cut,. to fill, SrI vAsishTha
gives an alternate interpretation also - prItim vardhayati = pUrayati it prIti-
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Slokam 94
ivhaysgitJyaReit> suéichRutÉuiGvÉu>,
SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma-s of this Sloka and the beginning nAma-s of
the next Sloka in terms the different steps that the mukta jIva takes in
reaching Brahman. These steps are described differently in different
upanishad-s. chAndogya Upanishad lists seven steps (chAndogya upanishad
4.15.5, 4.15.6, 5.10.1 and 5.10.2):
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1. arcis - agni,
2. ahaH - day,
3. Sukala paksha,
4. uttrAyana,
5. samvatsara - year,
6. Aditya - ravi,
7. candra - moon,
8. vidyut - lightning.
1. agni loka,
2. vAyu loka,
3. varuNa loka,
4. Aditya loka,
6. prajApati loka.
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8.2.15, 7.10.1):
1. arcis,
2. ahah,
3. Sukla paksha,
4. uttarAyaNa,
5. deva loka,
6. Aditya, and
7. vaidyuta.
(chAnd. 5.10.1)
"Those who know the nature of the five fires - pancAgni thus, and those who
practice in the forest meditating upon Brahman with faith, will unite with agni.
From agni to the deity of the day and from there to the deity of the bright
half of the month and thereon he comes upon the deity of the half year while
the sun moves towards the north."
(chAn. 5.10.2)
"From that half year he reaches the year - samvatsara. From samvatsara he
comes to the sun. From the sun to the moon, from the moon to vidyut, and
from there that amAnava, super human, takes him to parabrahman. This is
known as the path of the gods or the path to Brahman. Those who go by this
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path never again return to this world of samsAra".
The other upanishadic passages are not given here, but these are discussed in
detail in bhagavad rAmAnuja's SrI bhAshya (sUtra 4.3.1).
Bhagavad rAmAnuja points out that all the paths described in the three
Upanishad-s refer to the same arcirAdi mArga with the same steps, and that
consistency is to obtained by consolidating the details from the different
descriptions, since they all list the same path in the final analysis, but do not
list all the steps.
Thus, we end up with the arcirAdi mArga with the following twelve steps:
1. arcis or agni,
2. ahas or day,
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3. pUrva paksha or Sukla paksha,
4. uttarAyaNa,
5. samvatsara or year,
6. vAyu,
7. Aditya,
8. candra,
9. vaidyuta,
10 varuNa,
11 indra and
12 prajApati.
The sequence of these steps and their relative arrangements is not arbitrary
in any sense, but is based on intense analysis of the different upaniahad-s, and
coming up with a sequence that is consistent between the different
upanishadic declarations. A detailed discussion of the sequencing is given in
bhagavad rAmAnuja SrI bhAshyam - brahma sUtra 4.3.2. These twelve are
the deities that are established by bhagavAn to lead the mukta in his ascent
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to paramapadam from this world. They are also called AtivAhika-s or 'those
that lead the way'.
The mapping between the different nAma-s by SrI BhaTTar, and the
different steps of arcirAdi mArga as outlined in the upanishads, is given below:
vihAyasa gatiH - The summary statement that He is the One who leads the
mukta jIva to Himself.
1. jyotiH - agni
2. suruciH - deity of the day
3. huta-bhug-vibhuH - deity of the bright half of the month
4. raviH - the deity of the half year while the sun moves towards the north
5. virocanaH - the year, samvatsara
6. sUrya - vAyu
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Here, vaidyuta comes first, and announces with joy the arrival of the mukta to
the rest of the AtivAhika-s with his thunder (Suzh viSumbaNi mugil tUriyam
muzhakkina - tiruvAi. 10.9.1). VaruNa fills the sky with water-laden clouds, as
if with golden pots - pUraNa pork-kuDam (10.9.2). The oceans are dancing with
joy with their rising and falling waves constantly - neer aNi kadalgaL ninRu
Arttana. Not just the 12 AtivAhika-s listed above, but everyone in the
AtivAhika lokam come out and stand in line and offer their obeisance to the
arriving mukta, including the usually meditating and silent sages (10.9.3).
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BhagavAn is decorating Himself with tulasi garlands, and is waiting along with
pirATTi to receive His long-lost devotee (10.9.4). The deva-s in all the worlds
on the way of the mukta jIva are setting up delightfully decorated huts for
the temporary stay of the mukta jIva to take rest on the way. VaruNa, indra,
and prajApati are eagerly waiting at the entrance to their regions to welcome
and receive the mukta, with a request to the mukta to bless them by passing
through their regions - emadu iDam puguduga (10.9.5). The likes of sanaka,
nArada, etc., are chanting veda-s with great delight to welcome the mukta
jIva.
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shining brilliantly in anticipation of this special occasion.
The nitya sUri-s are rejoicing that at last a jIva has realized his Permanent
Abode, and is joining them, and consider it their good fortune that this
incident is taking place. They all welcome the mukta by offering pAdya
upacAra (washing his feet) at each house as the mukta passes along (pAda'ngaL
kazhuvinar - 10.9.10). It is thus that bhagavAn and pirATTi look forward to
their long-lost child, and welcome the mukta to SrI vaikunTham.
vihAyasa--gatih
nAma 880. ivhaysgit> vihAyasa
c) He Who travels in space through His vehicle garuDa- the King of birds.
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pratyaya according to a related uNAdi sUtra. gati means "that which is
attained". That through which one travels is vihAyasa, meaning space.
vihAyasa also can refer to those who sacrifice, or those sAttvik people who
perform tapas etc. Thus, vihAyasa-gatih can mean "One Who travels in space",
or "One Who is attained by those who follow the sAttvik path". The amara
koSa gives the meanings "sky", "bird", Lord's vishNus' Abode, etc., for the
word vihAyasa - viyad vishNupadam vihAyasI.
a) SrI BhaTTar uses the last of these, and gives the interpretation - tathA
nirUDha bhakti parakoTibhih vihAyasam = parama vyoma padameva gamyate
asmAt iti vihAyasa-gatih - He is called vihAyasa-gatih since it is through Him
and because of Him that those devotees who have reached the highest stage
of bhakti attain the supreme abode, namely paramapadam.
(V.P. 5.19.26)
"Because of the efficacy of the bhakti yoga that has been practiced by the
devotee and because of the constant meditation on the path that leads to the
Supreme Abode of the Lord" - the devotee is able to see the opening by which
he has to go when he leaves the body, and when the soul leaves the body
through the mUrdhanya nADi or the sushumnA nADi, it leads him to the
Supreme Abode of the Lord.
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SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to divya prabandham, where AzhvAr refers to
bhagavAn letting His devotee enjoy the pleasures of this world, and then takes
them to His world in the end:
b) SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning 'abode' for the term 'gati', and gives the
explanation for the nAma as: "One Who has His abode in the firmament -
referring to either Lord vishNu or His form as the Sun" - vihAyasah -
vihAyAsam gatih ASrayah asya iti vihAyasa gatih, vishNu padam, Adityo vA.
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SrI cinmayAnanda refers to the nAma of bhagavan - sUrya nArAyaNa, in this
context. SrI satya devo vAsishTha also gives an interpretation that the nAma
refers to bhagavAn in the form of the Sun - vihAyase antarikshe gatih
gamanam yasya sa vihAyasa-gatih - sUryah.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri takes the term vihAyasa as a reference to the sky,
and observes that bhagavAn is called vihAyasa gatih because He has the sky as
His path - unobstructed, unsupported, vast, limitless - in the form of the Sun.
He comments that bhagavAn manifests in the form of the Sun as one
reflection of His immense love for His creation - priya-kRt, prIti-vardhanah
etc. He will look at the next 10 nAma-s as describing bhagavAn in the forms of
various aspects of the Sun.
c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the dual meaning "sky" and "bird" for the
word vihAyasa, and interprets the nAma as "One Who travels in space by
means of the king of birds - garuDa, as His vAhana - vihAyase - vyomni
vihAyah patinA gatih yasya iti vihAyasa-gatih.
SrI satya sandha tIrtha also gives the explanation in terms of bhagavAn's
garuDa vAhana - vihAyaso - garuDah, tena tena gatih yasya sa vihAyasa-gatih.
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d) An alternate interpretation provided by SrI vAsishTha uses the meaning
'tapasvin' for the term 'vihAyasa' (see first paragraph for this nAma; hA -
tyAge - to abandon): "He Who is attained by the tapasvin-s through their
tapas" - vihAyasaih tapasvibhih, abhigamyate prApyata iti vihAyasagatih
vishNuh.
description of the different steps involved in the arcirAdi mArga, the path
taken by the mukta-s in their way to paramapadam. The root from which the
nAma is derived is dyuta - dIptau - to shine. The uNAdi sUtra - dyuter-isin
AdeSca jah (uNAdi. 2.110) results in the word jyotih starting from the root
duyta. dyotyate asmAt iti jyotih - He by Whom things are illumined, is jyotih.
a) SrI BhaTTar interprets this nAma as the first step in the ascent of the
jIva-s to parama padam. This step is also called arcih.
arcih refers to the first deity that escorts the mukta jIva to the Supreme
Abode. SrI BhaTTar refers to chAndogya Upanishad (5.10.1) and to the
brahma sUtra-s for the above details:
te arcisham abhisambhavanti
(chAn. 5.10.1)
"They unite with agni; from agni to the deity of the day, and from there to the
bright half of the month".
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The mukta-s (Released souls) are led along the stages beginning with arci
(light), and this is well-known from the upanishadic texts.
"They are persons deputed to take the meditators to Brahman, because there
is indication of this" - arcih and the other deities are known as AtivAhika
(Escorting Angels) because of the nature of their duty which is to lead the
mukta-s to the Supreme Abode.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives reference to the gItA (Sloka-s 8.24 to 8.27), where
the path taken by the knowers of Brahman to reach Brahman is described.
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(gItA 8.24)
"Light in the form of fire, the day, the bright fortnight, the six months of the
northern course of the Sun - the knowers of Brahman who take this path go to
Brahman."
By contrast, those who reach svarga (a temporary abode where the jIva enjoys
the benefits of his good karma and then is reborn in this world) take the
dhUmAdi mArga (Slokam 8.25) - smoke etc., and those who are headed for
narakam take the yAmaya mArga according to the SAstra-s.
In divya prabandham also we have the description of the path taken by the
knowers of Brahman. SrI rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr's
tiruvAimozhi 10.9 (SUzh viSumbaNi), where the ten pASuram-s describe in
detail the welcome that is offered to the mukta jIvan on his way to SrI
vaikunTham.
b) SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation that the nAma signifies that
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bhagavAn is "One Who shines of His own accord". He quotes the mahA
nArAyaNa upanishad in support - nArAyaNa paro jyotir-AtmA nArAyanah
parah.
(muNDa. 2.2.10)
"Everything shines following Him alone as He shines. All this shines by His
light".
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as - dyotate dIpyati kAntyA
iti jyotih - He Who enlightens through His kAnti is jyotih.
c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha observes that the Sun and Fire are both referred
to as jyoti in the vedic terminology, and since bhagavAn is the One who
illumines these, He is appropriately jyotih:
agnir-jyotir-jyotir-agnih svAhA |
(yajur. 3.9)
su--rucih
nAma 882. suéic> su
b) One Who has the good desire or Will to protect the world.
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d) He Who has intense attachment to His devotees.
su-rucaye enamah.
The root from which the nAma is derived is: ruc - diPtAvabhiprItau - to shine,
to look beautiful, to be pleased with.
SrI vAsishTha gives the derivation: sushThu rocata iti su-rucih - He Who
shines beautifully and well is 'su-rucih'.
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SrI BhaTTar quotes the Sruti - arcisho-ahah - (chAndog. 5.10.1) - After agni
to the deity of the day.., where the path to Brahman is described.
b) SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma as: "One Whose effulgence is beautiful,
auspicious and attractive", or, "One Whose Will is beautiful, auspicious and
attractive".
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri uses the meaning 'taste' for the word 'ruci', and
gives the explanation for the nAma as "One who has good desire or taste to
protect the world".
SrI cinamyAnanda uses the meanings "Glory" or "Desire" for the term 'ruci',
and gives the meanings: "He of auspicious Glory or He of auspicious desire",
both referring to this world being an expression of His Will or Desire.
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d) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as - SobhanA su-rucih =
abishva'ngaH anurAgaH yasmin bhaktAnAm iti su-rucih - He Who is intensely
attached to His devotees, is su-rucih. He quotes the amara koSa in support -
abhishva'nge spRhAyAm ca gabhastau ca rucih striyAm - 3.3.29, giving the
meaning "abishva'ngaH = intense attachment, affection" to the word ruciH.
SrI BhaTTar interprets the term hutag-bhuk to refer to the moon - hutam
bhu'njAnah - somah, and the term vibhuH is given the meaning "One who
grows and becomes full - pUrNo bhavati". In other words, the term huta-
bhug-vibhuh is interpreted as a reference to the waxing moon - one that has
consumed (bhuk) the offerings (huta) made to it, and has become full (vibhuh -
pUrNo bhavati).
This is the third step in the arcirAdi mArga. Again, reference is made to the
chAndogya Upanishad 5.10.1 in support - arcishaH ahaH ahna ApUryamANa
paksham. "From agni to the deity of the day and from there to the deity of
the bright half of the month... "
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN's vyAkhyAnam for the current group of nAma- s
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continues to parallel that of SrI BhaTTar. He interprets the nAma huta-
bhug-vibhuh as a reference to the waxing period of the moon, the Sukla
paksha, similar to SrI BhaTTar. His explanation is: huta- bhuk = candraH,
vibhuH = pUrNaH, yatra sa huta-bhug-vibhuH Sukla pakshaH.. He because of
Whom His devotees have all their darkness removed just like Sukla paksha is
called 'huta-bhug-vibhuh'. (The translator of SrI vidyA bhUshaN's
vyAkhyAnam in Hindi says - "jinkI kRpA se bhakton kA nitya Sukla paksha hai,
arthAt unke sarva andhakAr dUr ho jAtA hai ").
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bhoktA in Slokam 95, as we will see later).
huta--bhuk
huta
i) He Who is the Consumer of oblations in homa-s etc.
ii) For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 95, Sri Sa'nkara gives the
interpretation - hutam bhunakti it buta-bhuk - He Who protects the sacrifice.
SrI vAsishTha explains that hutam refers to the offerings in the fire during
homa etc., accompanied by the associated mantra-s: hutamiti agnau
prakshiptam sa-mantram. He refers us to the seven tongues of fire that we
have described earlier, under the nAma sapta-jihvaH: sapta te agne samidhaH
sapta jihvAH (yajur. 17.79). He further adds that its is this 'huta-bhuk' guNa
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of bhagavAn that is reflected in, and is responsible for, our being able to
consume the offerings in the form of food to our body. Associated with the
prANa vAyu that we inhale and the fire that is in our body, this food or
offering gets 'consumed'.
vibhuh
i) He Who is present everywhere, or He Who is the Lord of all the worlds.
ii) He because of Whom all the beings of this universe become distinguished.
ii) SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives the interpretation - viSishTA bhavanti asmAt
it vibhuh - Since beings become distinguished and distinct because of Him, the
Lord is called vibhuh.
iii) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets the nAma as: vividho bhavati iti vibhuh
- He Who manifests Himself in many forms is vibhuH.
b) He Who is responsible for the ability of all cetana-s and acetana-s to make
sound.
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as as rUyate - praSasyati iti ravih - One Who is praised. In his mapping of the
nAma-s of this Sloka with the different steps in the arcirAdi mArga, SrI
BhaTTar interprets the nAma as "One Who is praised as the uttarAyaNa, or
the Summer solstice" - the period in which the Sun begins his movement
towards the north. uttarAyaNa is the fourth step in the arcirAdi mArga (see
the detailed introduction at the beginning this Slokam).
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uttarAyaNa mem gaman kartA hai | - He by Whose Grace the sun is able to
traverse the uttarAyaNa mArga, is raviH.
SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma as a reference to the Sun - Aditya AtmA -
The driving force behind the sun. 'rasAn Adatta iti raviH' - The Sun has the
name ravi because he absorbs all the rasas or fluids from all objects. SrI
Sa'nkara quotes the vishNu dharmottara 1.30.16 in support of his
interpretation - rasAnAm ca tathA AdAnAt ravih iti abhidhIyata.
SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry refers to bhagavad gItA 10.21 - AdityAnAm aham
vishNuH jyotishAm ravir-amSumAn | - "Of Aditya-s I am vishNu, of luminous
bodies I am the radiant Sun".
b) SrI vAsishTha derives the nAma from the root ru - Sabde - to cry, to yell,
to sound as bees; The application of the uNAdi sUtra 4.139 - "aca iH" leads to
the word raviH - the Sun. SrI vAsisTha indicates that the affix 'i' adds the
sense of "one who does", "one who causes others to do" - kartari karaNe vA.
So in his interpretation, the term raviH means "One who causes sound", or
"One who enables others to make sound", and indicates that it is because of
Him that the beings are able to create sound, and so He is called raviH.
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c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as - rUyate stUyate bhakta
janaih iti raviH - He Who is praised by His devotees is raviH.
d) He Who gave special sight (divya cakshus) to arjuna, sa'njaya etc. (vi-
locanaH).
virocanAya namaH.
The root from which the nAma is derived is 'ruc' - dIptAvabhiprItau - to
shine, to look beautiful, to be pleased with. vi- is an upasarga or prefix. The
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pratyaya which leads to the word rocana from ruc, (the pratyaya yuc, which
becomes ana), has the sense of "one who has a habit of", according to SrI
vAsishTha, who gives pANini sUtra 3.2.149 - anudAttettah ca halAdeh - in
support. Thus, virocate tacchIlo virocanaH - He Who has the habit of, or for
whom it is part of His nature, to shine and to look beautiful. He Who is
naturally shining, and Who enlightens this Universe, is virocanaH.
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such as the Sun, the moon, etc.; another refers to His shining as the day,
night, twilight, etc.; SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points to His providing various
types of rays to assist in the growth of the plants etc.
c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj points to His shining in special ways in the
minds of His devotees - viSesheNa rocate bhaktebhya iti virocanaH. He
quotes the yajur vedic mantra - namo rucAya brAhmaye (yajur.31.20). SrI
cinmayAnanda notes: "Whatever form the devotee chooses to contemplate
upon Him, the Lord manifests in that very Form for the sake and joy of the
devotee".
SrI vAsishTha refers us to a few mantra-s where the nAma virocana occurs in
the Sruti:
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(atharva. 9.10.2)
(Rg. 5.44.2)
ayam punAta ushaso virocayat
(Rg. 9.86.21)
d) SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives an alternate pATham -vi-locanah - One Who
gave the special sight to arjuna, to sa'njaya etc. - divyam locanam pArthasya
yasmAt sa vi-locanaH. He supports his interpretation with a reference to the
gItA - divyam dadAmi te cakshuH (gItA 11.8).
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SrI vAsishTha derives the nAma from the root sR - gatau - to go, or sU -
preraNe - to excite, to impel. The pANini sUtra 3.1.114 - rAja sUya sUrya ..
leads to the word sUryah by the addition of the kvip pratyaya. The meaning is
"That which moves", or "That which impels all beings to action" - sarati
gacchati iti sUryah, or suvati karmaNi prerayati lokAn iti sUryah.
SrI cinmayAnanda notes:- "The term etymologically means the One Source
from which all things have been borne out, or out of which they have been
delivered. The Lord as the First Cause is the Womb of the Universe". The
term is commonly used to refer to the Sun, because on the surface of the
world it is the Sun that nurtures and nourishes all living creatures.
a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the root sR with the meaning 'to move'. He notes
that the kRt affix (kvip in the present case) has got wide application, and the
meaning of the affix is not restricted. Thus, the word sUrya can be
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SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN also gives the same interpretation - vAyum sarati
svopAsakam nItvA iti sUryah.
SrI rAdhA kRshNa SAstri explains the nAma as a reference to One Who
streaks through the skies like a snake (sarati). This can closely relate to the
interpretation of the nAma as a reference to the wind. vAyu is placed next to
samvatsara in the arcirAdi mArga based on the kaushItakI Upanishad - sa
vAyu lokam (kaushItakI upa. 1.3) - "He (the jIva) goes to the vAyu loka".
One translator translates this to mean "He Who brings forth everything, or
He Who brings forth wealth, is sUryah". Another translator gives the
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following as the interpretation - "One who generates SrI or brilliance in sUrya
or agni (sacred fire) is sUryah".
a) He Who produces or brings forth the crops etc., in the form of the Sun.
b) He Who brings forth everything in the Universe (including the sun etc.).
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savitre namah.
sUte iti savitA.
SrI vAsishTha derives the nAma from the root sU - prANi garbha vimocane -
to bring forth, to produce.
SrI BhaTTar gives the vyAkhyAnam - sUrya dvArA vRshTi sasyAdikam sUte iti
savitA - BhagavAn produces, through the sun as the medium, rain and the
crops, and so He is called savitA or Aditya.
For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 104, SrI BhaTTar gives the
interpretation that bhagavAn's nAma here signifies that He is the Creator of
everything (including the sun) - sarveshAm sAkshAt janayitA savitA.
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prajAnAm tu prasavanAt savitA iti nigadyate ||
(chAndogya. 1.12.5)
"He who shines brilliantly, He who brings rain, He who is the Protector of
people, the Lord SavitA";
SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry gives an interesting alternate pATham that has the
same meaning - "sa pitA - He, The Father of All".
utpAdya jagat janayati iti savitA - He Who creates grains etc. through rain by
means of the sun and generates and sustains life, is savitA.
ravi--locanaH
nAma 888. rivlaecn> ravi
a) SrI BhaTTar ues this nAma to cover the eighth, ninth and tenth steps of
arcirAdi mArga - the Moon, indra (lightning), and varuNa. All these shine by
means of the sun's rays, and so they are together covered by this nAma in SrI
BhaTTar's interpretation - ravi raSmi sa'nkrAntyAdi mukhena candra-vidyud-
varuNAn locayati iti ravi- locanaH.
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The chAndogya Upanishad mantra quoted at the beginning of this Sloka -
"AdityAt candramasam, candramaso vidyutam", and the kaushItakI Upanishad
passage - sa varuNa lokam (1.3), are invoked in support of the interpretation.
c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj interprets the nAma as "One from Whose
eyes arose sUrya" - raviH bhAskaraH locanAd-yasya iti ravi-locanaH. He
refers us to purusha sUkta - cakshoh sUryo ajAyata (Rg. Veda 10.90.13).
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1. raviNA locayati sarvasm iti raiv-locanaH - He Who enlightens
everything through the Sun;
2. He Whose eyes are the Sun, and through which we see - locyate anena
iti locanaH, raviH locanam = cakshuH yasya sa ravi-locanaH.
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Slokam 95
AnNthutÉuGÉae´a suodae nEkdae=¢j>,
ananta--huta
nAma 889. AnNthutÉuGÉae´a ananta bhug--bhoktA
huta--bhug
a) He Who is indra and brahmA of immeasurable greatness.
a) SrI BhaTTar interprets this nAma as representing the last two steps (the
eleventh and twelfth) in the arcirAdi mArga. indra and brahmA escort the
jIva in the final two steps in the ascent of the jIva to parama padam through
the arcirAdi mArga (sa indra lokam, sa prajApati lokam - kaushItakI. ).. SrI
BhaTTar interprets the term huta-bhuk as a reference to indra, since he is
the consumer of the offerings through fire in the sacrifices - sapta tantushu
hutam bhu'nkte iti indro huta-bhuk. He maps the term 'bhoktA' in this nAma
to 'brahmA' - prajAh bhunakti - pAlayati iti prajApatih bhoktA. Since brahmA
sustains and protects the process of creation - birth etc., he is called bhoktA
(prajA means propagation, production, birth). Since both indra and brahmA,
who are endowed with immense greatness (ananta), are under bhagavAn's
control, He is called ananta- huta-bhug-bhoktA.
SrI bala deva vidyA bhUshaN, who has given the same anubhavam as SrI
BhaTTar for the past few nAma-s (i.e., in terms of bhagavAn leading the mukta
jIva-s in their path to SrI vaikunTham after they leave their body in this
world), treats 'ananta-huta-bhug-bhoktA' as consisting of two nAma-s -
'anantah' and 'huta-bhug-bhoktA', and gives an interpretation similar to that
of SrI BhaTTar for the term 'huta-bhug-bhoktA' -
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huta-bhugbhih amRta pariNAma rUpam hutam
"He is the Protector of the devotee who have been escorted by the amAnava
purusha-s through the indra lokam, etc., and who are on their final stages of
reaching His Abode, escorted by varuNa, indra, and prajApati".
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bhoktA iti ananta-huta-bhug-bhoktA - He Who is endless,and Who consumes
the offerings through fire, is ananta-huta-bhug-bhoktA.
SrI Sa'nkara is the leading vyAkhyAna kArtA who takes this approach. (The
nAma 'anantah' occurs as nAma 665 (Slokam 70) in SrI BhaTTar's
interpretation, and the nAma bhoktA has been studied as nAma-s 145 and 502
in SrI BhaTTar's interpretation).
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huta--bhuk
ii) huta
a) The Protector of the sacrifice.
a) For the current instance of the nAma in SrI Sa'nkara's pATham, the
interpretation given is - hutam bhunakti iti huta-bhuk - He Who protects the
sacrifice.
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SrI rAdhA kRshNa SAstri notes that this protection refers to the successful
completion of the sacrifice by His blessing, even when there may be
inadvertent deficiencies in the performance of the sacrifice -
iii) bhoktA
a) The Enjoyer of all offerings made by devotees with love.
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c) Enjoyer of offerings made to the pitR-s etc.
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a) For nAma 145, SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is the
Enjoyer of things offered by His devotees with love, like nectar. He refers us
to Lord kRshNa's words in the gItA:
(gItA 9.26)
"If a devotee offers to Me a mere leaf, flower, fruit, or water with sincere
devotion and love, I accept it as invaluable treasure."
SrI BhaTTar refers us to Sloka 5.29 of the gItA, where Lord kRshNa
declares:
(gItA 5.29)
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"Knowing Me as the Enjoyer of all sacrifice and austerities, as the Supreme
Lord of all the worlds, as the Friend of every being, one attains peace".
(gItA 9.24)
"For, I am the only enjoyer and the only Lord of all sacrifices. They (The
ordinary people) do not recognize Me in My true nature, and hence they fall".
c) For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 53 (nAma 502), SrI BhaTTar
extends this guNa of bhokta of bhagavAn to include not only the offerings to
the gods (havya), but also to the kavya, the offering to our pitR-s or the
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(tiruvAi. 5.6.4)
ahamannam_ahamannam_ahamannam ahamannAdo_'hamannAdo_'hamannAdah
(taitti. Upa.)
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bhagavAn succeeds in the competition!
"He who mingles with His devotees intimately and to His heart's content."
The obvious examples of kaNNan accepting with great delight the handful of
puffed rice from kucela, and His accepting the food offered by vidura over
that offered by duryodhana are well-known.
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upadrashTA anumantA ca bhartA bhoktA maheSvaraH |
(gItA 13.22)
"Close Observer, Giver of sanction, Sustainer, Experiencer, the pre- eminent
Lord, Supreme Self - thus is styled the Supreme Spirit in the human body".
For those who spend their time in worldly pursuits, He is just the observer.
For those who observe the path of dharma, He is the bhartA or Protector and
Supporter in times of need - as in the case of pANDava-s. For those who
offer to bhagavAn the worldly gains that they get, such as the fame etc. that
come to them, He is the bhoktA or Enjoyer, i.e, He accepts these as
offerings, and He bestows on them His anubhavam instead.
The more we dedicate our actions and the benefits of these actions to Him,
and thus make Him the bhoktA, the more He reveals to us what true happiness
is, and the more we are relieved of undesirable attributes such as ahamkAram,
mamakAram, etc.
The significance of this nAma thus is for us to realize that we should dedicate
all our actions and their effects to bhagavAn as the bhoktA, and we should
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instead enjoy Him and attain eternal bliss.
d) SrI satya devo vAsishTha uses the meaning bhuj - to eat, and interprets the
nAma 'bhoktA' as One Who consumes or swallows everything in the form of
kAla or time - kAla rUpo hi bhgavAn kAlakRameNa sarvam bhu'nkte. He also
links the term 'ananta' to 'bhoktA' by pointing out that bhagavAn consumes all
things over time in different forms - agni, sUrya, kAla or yama, etc.
(kaTho. 2.25)
"He for whom brahma and kshatra (the movables and immovables) both become
food".
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SrI vAsishTha notes that just as the ocean is the source of the rain that
results in the small rivers, and the rivers merge back into the ocean, so also
bhagavAn is the Origin of everything, He is the Support for everything
(bhoktA), and He is also the end of everything (One Who consumes everything
in the end - bhoktA) - utpAdayitA, rakshitA, bhakshitA ca bhavati.
e) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN uses the meaning "to protect" for the root
'bhuj', and interprets the nAma as "One Who protects the good" - bhunakti
pAlayati SishTAn iti bhoktA.
sukha--dah
nAma 890. suod> sukha
c) The Remover of tiny pleasures from His devotees (dyati - cuts) so that
they can seek the Higher Bliss.
d) The Remover of unhappiness for His devotees (a- sukha-dah; dyati - cuts).
e) He Who is the source of water for all beings (sukham = udakam = water).
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sukha-dAya namah.
We studied this nAma in Slokam 49 (nAma 460). The reader is referred to the
write-up for nAma 460 as well.
a) For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 49, SrI BhaTTar's interpretation
was that this nAma indicated bhagavAn's guNa of bestowing bliss on those who
followed the sadArAca. It should be remembered that the 'sukha' that is
bestowed by bhagavAn, in addition to including the ordinary pleasures of life,
specifically refers to the pErinbam or the Supreme Bliss of moksha, which He
alone can bestow among all the deities.
For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar continues on the
interpretation of the immediately preeceding nAma-s describing the ascent of
the jIva to parama padam, and interprets the current nAma as follows:
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amAnava mukhena spRshTvA sa-vAsanam samsAramutsAyam,
"Once the jIva reaches the final step, bhagavAn removes the last traces of
contact of the jIva with this world along with the latent impressions, and
confers Bliss on the jIva, and so He is called sukha-dah. The touch by the
amAnava purusha removes all traces of association of the jIva with samsAra,
and thus purified, the jIva is led to paramAtmA."
(chAndogya. 5.10.2)
"From there (through the moon, vidyut etc.), the amAnava, the super- human,
takes him to parabrahman. This is known as the path of the gods."
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b) SrI Sa'nkara gives two alternate interpretations for the nAma 'sukha-dah':
c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives another anubhavam for the nAma: sukha-
dah = sukham dyati - bhagavAn even takes away the 'sukham' of His devotees,
namely the ordinary pleasures of life, in order to help the devotees lose their
attachment to the materialistic pleasures, and instead seek the higher Bliss of
attaining Him.
d) SrI Sa'nkara also uses an alternate pATham - a-sukha-dah, and gives the
interpretation that bhagavAn removes the misery of His devotees - asukham
dyati, and so He is called a-sukha-dah.
naika--daH
nAma 891. nEkd> naika
a) The Giver of many things (Literally, The Giver of Not just one thing).
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eka-dAH; tad-viruddAh naika-dAH - Those who give only one thing are called
'ekada-s'; unlike these, naikada-s are those that give not just one thing, but
many things. The context in which SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma is in
terms of the reception accorded to the mukta jIva as he ascends to parama
padam. BhagavAn has thousands of celestials as His attendants, who are well-
versed in the art of giving to the mukta-s, and who bestow countless garlands,
clothes, etc., as the jIva arrives. He quotes the kaushItakI Upanishad (1.4) in
support:
"Five hundred apasara-s (divine damsels) rush forth to receive the mukta. A
hundred of them have garlands in their hands, and another hundred have
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scented ointments etc., in their hands to decorate him..They decorate him with
the adornments of the Brahman itself".
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also gives a similar interpretation, namely, that
bhagavAn's nAma 'naika-dah' refers to His being the Bestower of all the four
purushArtha-s - dharma, artha, kAma and moksha -
b) SrI Sa'nkara uses the pATham 'naika-jah' - One Who is not born just once,
but has many births for protecting dharma - dharma guptaye asakRt
jAyamAnatvAt naika-jah. Note that the birth referred to here is to His
incarnations out of His own free Will, and not the births because of karma
that the jIva-s take. Lord kRshNa declares:
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"For the protection of the good and also for the destruction of the wicked, for
the establishment of dharma, I am born from age to age".
(gItA 4.7)
"Whenever there is a decline of Dharma, and an uprising of adharma, O
arjuna!, then I incarnate Myself".
SrI satya sandha tIrtha uses the pATham, naikajah, but gives an entirely
different interpretation - he looks at the nAma as consisting of the upasarga
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'ni', and the word ka-ja. He interprets the word ka-ja as 'born from water',
namely lotus etc. ke jAyanti iti kajAni kamalAni. He then interprets 'ni-kajA
as a reference to SrI mahA lakshmi, and gives the meaning to naikajah as "The
Lord of SrI mahA Lakshmi". Alternatively, he interprets 'nikajam' as a
reference to the gardens or forests containing lotuses, tulasi flowers etc.,
and then gives the interpretation that bhagavAn's nAma symbolizes that He is
ever present in these places - nitarAm kajAni yasmin tad-vanam ni-kajam,
tatra bahvo nai-kaja iti - He Who is present where there are lots of lotus
flowers, tulasi flowers etc. He quotes:
"Hari is present in the tulasi gardens, in the forests where there are lotus
flowers, and in places where vaishNava-s live".
As his last interpretation, he gives the explanation of His being born many
times through His incarnations.
SrI raghunAtha tIrtha, another AcArya of the dvaita sampradAya, uses yet
another pATham - aneka-dah, but the meaning he gives is the same as the ones
who use the pATham naika-daH - anekAni bahUni dadAti iti aneka-daH.anekAni
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bahUni dadAti iti aneka-daH.
agra--jaH
nAma 892. A¢j> agra
SrI BhaTTar uses the word agra in the sense of 'in front', and ja in the sense
of "One who came forward". He continues the interpretation of the current
nAma along the lines of the mukta jIva's arrival at SrI vaikunTham. He
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explains the nAma as referring to bhagavAn coming forward, or manifest
Himself, along with SrI or mahA Lakshmi, to welcome the mukta jIva on his
arrival at SrI vaikunTham. His words are:
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mukta. Then the mukta acquires the knowledge that the Supreme Brahman
has. He also enjoys the Bliss that is that of Brahman".
SrI Sa'nkara gives the explanation - agre jAyata iti agra-jaH - "The First-
Born". Other interpreters give interpretations that all refer to His having
existed before anything else existed. SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj refers us
to SrImad bhAgavatam, which describes that brahmA was able to see Lord
SrIman nAraYaNa and His loka-s prior to starting his creation, through
intense tapas:
sva-dRshTavadbhiH abhishTutam ||
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(bhAga. 2.9.9)
SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as: "The One Who was First-Born".
Naturally, everything came from Him alone. That from which everything comes,
in which everything exists, and into which everything finally merges, is agra-
jaH.
nir--viNNah
nAma 893. AinivR{[> a-nir
a) He Who is not despondent that the jIva-s are not resorting to Him for
redemption.
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a-nir-viNNAya namaH.
We studied this nAma earlier in Slokam 47 - nAma 436.
SrI satya devo vAsishTha gives two roots for deriving the nAma: vid -
sattAyAm - to happen, to be; and vid - vicAraNe - to discuss, to consider. ni-
is an upasarga or preposition that is used in many senses, including 'a
collection'. nirviNNa means 'despondency, depression'. a-nirviNNah refers to
"One Who does not have any concerns". SrI vAsishTha gives the
interpretation - nirvedam kshobham kleSam Alasyam vA na prApnoti sa a-
nirviNNo vishNuH - He Who does not become despondent, indifferent,
depressed, lazy, etc., is a-nirviNNah; or, yo na kadAcidapi nir-vedam =
khinnatAm (viraktatAm) prApnoti sa a-nir-viNNah - He Who does not attain
depression, despair, frustration etc., on any account is a-nir-viNNah. The
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different vyAkhyAna-kartA-s give different anubhavam-s of why He is
without concerns or worries.
a) For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 47, SrI BhaTTar explains that
bhagavAn engages in His act of creation, and gives bodies to the jIva-s, and
gives them the benefit of all pleasures, hoping that they will turn to Him for
redemption. But the jIva-s continue to revel in material pleasures, and His wish
is not fulfilled. But He does not become despondent over this unsuccessful
outcome, and goes on with His next cycle of creation. This is how the cycle of
creation and destruction go on repeatedly, and He never gives up or becomes
dispirited in the process. a-nirviNNaH = an-alasaH - He Who does not become
indolent, lazy, frustrated, giving up, etc.
b) For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation
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that bhagavAn 'ceases to be concerned - because he is relieved', and so He is
a-nirviNNah - devoid of concern. This interpretation is a continuation of his
interpretations of the previous nAma-s starting with vihAyasa-gatih (nAma
880), describing the path taken by the released soul - mukta jIva, to SrI
vaikunTham. SrI BhaTTar explains that bhagavAn is at last relieved that His
devotee - the mukta, has arrived safely at SrI vaikunTham, and has been
united with Him. Until this time, this jIva as an object of compassion for
bhagavAn, who keeps worrying about whether this jIva will use his life to
become free of his karma-s and move towards Him. Now that this jIva has
become a mukta - a released soul, bhagavAn does not have worries about this
jIva any more.
SrI BhaTTar give the example of how relieved Lord rAma was, once He
crowned vibhIshaNa as King of la'nkA. He had given His word to vibhIshaNa
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to crown him as the king of SrI la'nkA, and until the time of coronation of
vibhIshaNa, Lord rAma felt that He had a word that He still had to fulfill.
After the coronation, He felt relieved as One who had fulfilled His duty at last
- kRtakRtyas-tadA rAmo vi- jvaraH pramumoda ha - (bAla kANDam 1.85).
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan comments that in the very first pASuram of tiruvAimozhi,
the term "tuyar aRu SuDar aDi", was enjoyed by emperumAnAr as "tuyar aRum
SuDar aDi" - the Lotus Feet that became free of tuyar or sorrow, because He
had blessed AzhvAr with "mayarvaRa madi nalam" - the intense j~nAna and
bhakti that are free from any flaws or deficiency.
(gItA 3.22)
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"For Me, arjuna, there is nothing in all the three worlds which ought to be
done, nor is there anything not acquired that ought to be acquired. Yet I go on
working".
d) SrI ananta kRshNa SAstri gives another view - BhagavAn never gets tired
of fulfilling the desires of His devotees, and so also He is a- nirviNNah - One
Who does not get exhausted, negligent, lazy, etc., in fulfilling His devotees'
desires.
SrI vAsishTha and SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri both note that nirviNNa -
virakti - frustration, despondency, etc., are characteristics of those who keep
changing constantly, or for those who can't get enough of what they want, or
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not satisfied with what they get. All of these happen because of the effects
of pUrva-janma karmA. None of these is an issue for bhagavAn - He has no
birth and no karma, He is never- changing, He has everything He wants, and can
get anything He wants at His will. So He is beyond being dissatisfied,
frustrated etc. He is full of Bliss, brahmAnanda svarUpan. BhagavAn's
creations are changing constantly, and are suffering from their karma-s, and
so they undergo nirviNNa, but He Himself is beyond all these, and so He is a-
nirviNNaH.
sadA--marshI
nAma 894. sdam;IR sadA
SrI BhaTTar continues his description of the arrival of the mukta jIva in SrI
vaikunTham. He enjoys the nAma in terms of bhagavAn's trait of helping the
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mukta jIva in performing kainkaryam to Him once he is in SrI vaikunTham. The
'patience' aspect comes in since bhagavAn patiently accepts, with pleasure, all
kainkaryam offered to Him by the mukta. Whatever kainkaryam the mukta
wishes to perform to bhagavAn out of his intense love and bhakti to the Lord,
He will accept it with a sweet disposition, even if it is not a kainkaryam that He
needs.
uRREn ugandu paNi Seidu una pAdam peRREn, EdE innam vENDuvadu entAi ..
"Oh Lord! It was given to me to enjoy Your Lotus feet. The kainkaryam (in this
case, the singing of tiruvAimozhi by AzhvAr) was performed with an ardor
that led to the enjoyment of Your Lotus feet. This enjoyment of Divine feet is
what I would request for all time".
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SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj echoes the same thoughts - sataH sAdhUn A
samantAt masrshitum Seelam yasya iti sad-A-marshI.
(ayodhyA. 1.11)
"Lord rAma is intensely pleased with even a single act, even minor, that is
performed towards Him; On the contrary, He does not even keep it in His mind
even if a hundred acts are committed that are unhelpful to Him, out of His
sheer nature".
SrI satya devo vAsishTha gives support from the Rg veda, illustrating the
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extreme patience of bhagavAn:
(Rg. 1.164.13)
"The axle of the wheel that supports all the living creatures never becomes
over-heated, and is never broken".
c) SrI satya sandha tIrtha derives the exact opposite meaning for the term
sadAmarshI, based on looking at the nAma as "sadA + AmarshaH" (instead of
sadA + marshaH) - sadA AmarshaH kopo daityeshu asya asti iti sadAmarshI -
He Who is extremely impatient with the evil people, the demons. In samskRt,
the prefix A is sometimes used to give the opposite meaning of the verb it is
associated with (e.g., gam - to go, Agama - to come). So also, marshI - One
who is patient, A- marshI - One who is angry or impatient. SrI Apte gives the
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meaning "anger" to the word "AmarshaH" in his dictionary.
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SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to tiruvAimozhi: ...
SAi koNDa immaiyum SAdittu vAnavar nATTaiyum nI kaNDu koL enRu vIDum
tarum ninRu ninRE.
(tiruvAi. 3.9.9).
"He gives all mundane prosperity. Then He takes us to vaikunTham, and tells us:
tasminnAthasthur-bhuvanAni viSvA
(Rg. 1.164.13)
(Rg. 1.164.39)
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(yajur. 17.30)
SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation - tam anAdhAram adhishThAya trayo
lokAH tishThanti lokAdhisThAnam - The three worlds rest in Him as Support,
even though He Himself needs no support.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that He is the Support for the world in the
forms of His kUrma and varAha incarnations, and in the form of AdiSesha.
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the nAma using the root bhU - to be, and
the uNAdi sUtra 5.1 (adi bhuvo dutac). 'ad' is an indeclinable meaning
'occasionally' or 'sudden'. The term 'adbhuta' also means 'AScarya' -
wonderful.
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN captures the spirit of the interpretation through
the following words - "vicitraiH pratikshaNam nItanaiH guNa rUpa caritaiH
taiH teshAm vismaya karaNAt adbhutaH" - He makes His devotees - the
mukta-s enjoy Him every second in great wonder and amazement, by
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expressing His guNa, rUpa, etc. through numerous acts that give pleasure to
them.
(tiruvAi. 8.6.10)
"Lord nArAyaNa who delights in performing wonderful acts"
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adbhuta cEshTitangaLai uDaiya en appan.
What are His 'adbhuta cEshTita'ngaL' - His wonderful acts? He helps not only
His devotees but also His enemies. He takes incarnations and assumes all kinds
of forms including that of a boar, a tortoise, or anything at all, to make sure
He helps His devotees, and He gives us delight beyond measure when He get to
enjoy Him. He comes as a dwarf vAmana, and then rises to all the three
worlds; and while He stands spreading over all the worlds thus, He at the same
time is occupying a seat in my heart. Such is the nature of His adbhuta
ceshTita'ngaL.
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adbhutAya namaH.
SrI Sa'nkara gives support from the Upanishad and from bhagavad gItA:
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"The Supreme Self is such that He is not gained by many for the mere hearing,
and not known by many even while hearing. Rare is an expounder of Him, and
rare is an able attainer, and rare is he who knows Him under the instruction of
an adept teacher".
SrI cinmayAnanada summarizes the message as: "He, and the teacher who
teaches of Him, and even the student who grasps Him are all 'wonders'".
Bhagavad gItA:
(gItA 2.29)
"One looks upon this self as a wonder; likewise, another speaks of It as a
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wonder; still another hears of It as a wonder; and even after hearing of It,
one knows It not".
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Volume V
Our Sincere thanks to the following for their invaluable contributions to
this ebook :
(http://kirtimukha.com/chinnamma/sahasra/)
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Smt. Somalatha of Somalatha & Associates, Bangalore
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E-book assembly:
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2
CONTENTS
SlOkam 96 1
SlOkam 97 16
SlOkam 98 37
SlOkam 99 58
SlOkam 100 71
SlOkam 101 94
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SlOkam 104 161
nigamanam 256
3
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4
. ïI>.
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5
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6
Slokam 96
snaTsnatntm> kipl> kiprVyy>,
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sanAte namaH.
Two distinct derivations have been used to interpret the nAma. SrI kRshNa
datta bhAradvAj uses the root san - dAne - to give, to worship, and gives the
definition - sanoti - dadAti svadarSanam bhaktebhya iti sanAt - He Who gives
His darSanam to His devotees is sanAt. This is the sense in which Sri
BhaTTar seems to interpret the nAma.
b) SrI Sa'nkara gives the meaning 'ancient', 'of long duration', to the word
sanAt - sanAt iti nipAtah cirArtha vacanaH - An indeclinable indicating a great
length of time. One of the manifestations of bhagavAn is as Time. He quotes
vishNu purANa in support:
1
vyaktAvyakte tathaivAnye rUpe kAlas-tathAparam || (VP 1.2.15)
"The first form of para brahman is purusha. The next two are vykata and
avyakta. Another is Time". Just as He is without beginning and without end,
Time is also without beginning and without end.
Rg. 2.16.1
sanAdeva sahase jAta ugraH
Rg. 4.20.6
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Rg. 10.55.6.
d) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the interpretation - sanam tad- datttam
rasa gandhAdi atti iti sanAt - He Who gladly accepts the offerings from His
devotees (one of the meanings given by SrI Apte for the word 'san' is 'to
receive graciously').
sanAtana--tamaH
nAma 898. snatntm> sanAtana
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sanAtana-tamaH.
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sanAtanve'pi teshAn tadA-tanatvavat pratIya itayarthaH.
(tiruvAi. 2.5.4)
"I am sorry I have to repeat what I have said before. It is because the
experience I have is refreshingly new every moment, even if I enjoy it for
days, years, ages, and millennia, without my being satiated. The infinite
variety, unlike tiring uniform monotony, makes every moment a fresh bliss; it is
an experience that is new always. Do not think that my new experience is
because I am discovering something new every moment because of my growing
intellect. The Lord has given me flawless intellect at the very outset. The
experience of the Lord's company is on an entirely different plane. He Who is
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the inner soul of all, having all things as His aspects, looks like a greenish cool
hill of beauty, with eyes, feet, hands, all like lotus flowers that have freshly
blossomed at this very moment. He is nectar that is sweeter and sweeter
every moment, insatiable and unceasingly enjoyable". (translation from v.n.
vedAnta deSikan).
(tiruvAi. 2.6.1)
"O My Lord, You who are the Chief of all gods, is like nectar with which one
never gets satiated with every new day that we live through".
the cause of all, and older than brahmA and others who are very ancient -
sarva kAraNatvAt, viri'ncyAdInAmapi sanAtanAnAm atiSayena sanAtanatvAt
sanAtana-tamaH.
sanAtanam-enam-Ahur-utAdyaH syAt-punAr-Navah |
(atharva. 10.8.23)
"Being ancient, He appears new every moment, even as the day and night
reappear fresh repeatedly, one assuming the form of the other".
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sAnkhya system of philosophy. (SrI BhaTTar has interpreted the nAma-s
from 529 to 538 in terms of bhagavAn's incarnation as kapila, an
amSAvatAra). Both SrI Sa'nkara and SrI BhaTTar interpret the current
instance of the nAma using its generic meaning - "One Who has a beautiful
complexion". Thus the punarukti dosham (fault of redundancy) is avoided.
The roots from which the nAma can be derived are: kam - kAntau - kAntir-
icchA - to desire, or, kabR - varNe - to color. Through the application of the
uNAdi sUtra 1.55 - kameH paSca, the ma of 'kam' or bR of 'kabR' is changed
to pa, and the affix ilac is added, leading to kapilaH - 'One who is tawny
(reddish) in color'.
The reader is referred to the write-up for nAma 535 (Slokam 57) for SrI
BhaTTar's interpretation of the nAma 'kapilAcAryah' in terms of bhagavAn's
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incarnation as Sage kapila, an amSAvatAra. SrI Sa'nkara gives the following
supports for the interpretation:
(gItA 10.26)
For the current instance of the nAma kapilaH, SrI BhaTTar gives his
interpretation in the generic sense of the term 'kapilaH' - "One Who is of
beautiful complexion". He enjoys the nAma in terms of bhagavAn's beautiful
bluish complexion, with mahA lakshmi represented by 'sparkling streaks of
lightning - madhyastha nIla toyada vidyul- lekhojjvala varNaH kapilaH - He is
of radiant form in the self- luminous SrI vaikunTham, very much like a blue
cloud in the midst of sparkling streaks of lightning.
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SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as "One Who is tawny in color". He enjoys
the nAma as representing the form of bhagavAn in the form the fire inside
the ocean that keeps the ocean from overflowing - the baDavAnala fire - the
subterranean fire in the ocean, which is called kapila. His interpretation is -
baDavAnalasya kapilo varNa iti tad- rUpI kapilaH.
SrI vAsishTha uses the meaning 'Sun' for the word kapi - tawny in color -
pi'ngala varNaH (Recall the interpretation of 'kapyAsam puNDarIkAksham' by
SrI bhagavad rAmAnuja - kam pibati iti kapiH). SrI vAsishTha gives the
interpretation -kapim = sUryam lAti - Adatte, sarvasya jagataH pravartanAya
iti kapi-laH - He Who brings the Sun for the sustenance of everything in this
world is kapi-laH.
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SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning 'monkey' for the term 'kapi',
and gives the interpretation - kapIn sugRiva hanumat AdIn lAti sevAyAm iti
kapi-laH - He Who got sugrIva, hanuman etc., in the line of service for Him.
kapir--avyayaH
nAma 900. kiprVyy> kapir
6
decrease (avayaya), or,
kapiH
i) He Who is in the form of the Sun.
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ii) He Who protected the Earth from the great waters in His varAha
incarnation.
iii) He Who accepts even water gladly as an offering when offered with
devotion.
kapaye namaH.
i) SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as - kam - jalam raSmibhiH piban kapiH,
sUryaH. He Who 'drinks' (dries up) the water through His rays in the form of
the Sun, is kapiH.
ii) Alternatively, Sri Sa'nakra gives the explanation that the term kapiH can
refer to His varAha incarnation:
kAt - toyAt bhUmim apAt iti kapiH - varAhaH - He Who protected the Earth
from the great waters
(SrI Sa'nkara and SrI BhaTTar both interpret the term kapiH as it occurs in
Slokam 11 - nAma 102 - vRshA-kapiH, as a reference to varAha). They give the
support from mahA bhArata:
7
tasmAd vRshAkapim prAha kASyapO mAm prajApatiH ||
(pA means to protect and ka means water, and so kapi refers to varAha
incarnation where He protected the Earth from the waters).
SrI vAsishTha gives several alternate roots from which the word 'kapiH' can
be derived:
iii) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN interprets the nAma kapiH as: tad- sevA
rUpam kam pibati iti ka-piH - He Who accepts water etc., when offered as a
devotional offering by His devotees. Recall the Slokam
(gItA 9.26)
"Whosoever offers to Me with true devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or some
water, I accept this offering made with devotion ny him who is pure of heart".
a-vyayaH:
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the interpretation - na vyeti teshAm
samAjAt iti a-vyayah - He Who never moves away from His devotees, and Who
is always with His devotees.
8
apyayaH
The term apyayaH is made of a preposition (upasarga - api), and the verb ay -
to go.
The preposition is used in the sense of 'placing near or over, taking towards,
reaching or going up to, proximity, nearness', etc.
SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as - pralaye asmin apiyanti jaganti iti
apyayaH - The resting Place for the Universes during its dissolution.
SrI vAsishTha gives the interpretation - apiyanti iti apyayaH - leeyante asmin
bhUtAni pralaya kAle, ataH apyayaH iti ucyate - He in whom all beings merge
at the time of pralaya, is apyayaH. We have 'tena devAn apiyanti' in taittirIya
Upanishad - brahmAnanda mImAmsA - "Through these they reach the deva-s'.
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With this nAma, we have reached the end of the commentary on the first 900
nAma-s of SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam. Just an observation, though this might
not be significant - While the numbering of the nAma- s differed widely
between the systems of SrI Sa'nkara and SrI BhaTTar starting around nAma
69, they are beginning to coincide starting with nAma 901.
svasti--daH
nAma 901. SviStd> svasti
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the root asa - gati dIptyAdAneshu - to go,
to shine, to accept, and gives the derivation - SobhanA astiH = gatiH arthAt
j~nAnam gamanam prAptiH, svastiH, tAm dadAti bhaktebhya iti svasti-daH -
He Who bestows the path for the attainment of true knowledge to the
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devotees.
SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as "evam mahan-ma'ngalam dadAti iti svasti-
daH" - "In this way He gives supreme auspiciousness to all". SrI v.v. rAmAnujan
explains that the Supreme Auspiciousness that is being referred to is brahma
j~nAnam that leads ultimately to the Bliss of SrI vaikunTham, that He alone
can give. This is in line with the interpretation and derivation given by SrI
bhAradvAj above. SrI rAmAnujan refers us to AzhvAr's pASuram-s:
2. PeriAzhvAr says: "pirama guru Agi vandu, pOdil kamala an- ne'njam
pugundu, en SennittiDaril pAda ilaccinai vaittAr" (periAzhvAr tiru.
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svasti--kRt
nAma 902. SviStk«t! svasti
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devotees (svasti-daH), and He also does things that are good to the devotees
(svasti-kRt).
SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry adds another interpretation - He Who makes His
devotees do good things is svasti-kRt.
SrI cinmayAnanda uses an approach that has been used by SrI Sa'nkara in
many nAma-s that end with kRt, and gives an alternate interpretation using the
root kRt - chedane - to cut, and explains the nAma as One Who robs an
individual of all bliss when that individual follows a path that is not according
to dharma.
He Who is Auspiciousness.
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svastine namaH.
SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as - svayameva mahan-ma'ngalam - svasti - He
Who is Himself the incarnation of auspiciousness. The SrI vishNu sahasra
nAma satsangam, New Delhi, in the translation for SrI BhaTTar's bhAshyam,
gives the following additional explanation: "All the jIva-s tend to live with lot
of attachment and desires towards worldly pleasures. Since this is not real
enjoyment, the Lord blesses the devotees for directing their desire towards
Him, and makes them enjoy Him". Thus, He is the true ma'ngalam for His
devotees..
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can't turn away, the mind does not move away, and the ears can't divert. This
object of Supreme Bliss is all- absorbing, and the best that there can ever be.
SrI satya sandha tIrtha interprets the nAma as - su atyantam asti iti sakala
deSa kAleshu vartata iti svasti - He Who always exists in the past, present
and the future, is svasti.
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svasti--bhuk
nAma 904. SviStÉuk! svasti
a) SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning 'to protect', for the root bhuj, and gives the
interpretation - sarvam etat svasti bhunakti - pAlayati iti svasti-bhuk. One
translator of SrI BhaTTar's commentary elaborates on this: "The Lord
protects everything auspicious, and protects the devotees. The pleasure of
experiencing the Lord in the mind, the extreme satisfaction that the devotees
get on that account, and the services that the devotees are induced to
perform thereby, are all preserved and protected by the Lord".
The nirukti author summarizes the above thoughts through the following:
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svasti-bhuk because He protects all that is auspicious.
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN echoes the same thoughts in his interpretation -
svasti - kalyANam bhunakti - pAlayati samrtRRUNAm iti svasti-bhuk.
b) c) SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning bhuj - to enjoy, and interprets the nAma
as -
"The Enjoyer of Bliss", or "He Who enables His devotees to enjoy blessings".
d) SrI satya sandha tirtha interprets the nAma as - svasti sukham bhojayati it
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svasti-bhuk - One Who feeds (bestows) sukham or happiness on His devotees,
is svasti-bhuk.
svasti--dakshiNaH
nAma 905. SviStdi][> svasti
SrI BhaTTar uses the term 'dakshiNA' in the sense of 'fee' or 'gift' that is
offered to the officiating priests in religious ceremonies etc. He interprets
the current nAma as "One Who offers 'svasti' or auspiciousness as dakshiNA".
The ceremony and the priests who receive the dakshiNA are to be identified.
Here is SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam: BhagavAn is performing an eternal, never-
ending sacrifice, called dIrgha satram, in which the 'officiating priests' are
the nitya-s and the mukta-s (the eternal souls and the liberated souls). The
purpose of this yAga of bhagavAn is to offer Himself to be enjoyed by His
devotees. BhagavAn gives Himself to His devotees, the nityas and the mukta-s,
as an offering in this 'sacrifice'. In addition, He gives them auspicious things
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such as a celestial body that is made of Suddha sattva material that never
decays or ages, and other powers such as Sakti, j~nAnam, etc. So bhagavAn is
like the yajamAna or master of the sacrifice who offers dakshiNA or fee to
the priests who are officiating in it. Hence the nAma svasti-dakshiNaH. SrI
BhaTTar's words are: anyAdapi sva-paricaraNa anuguNam divya- SarIra
SaktyAdi svasti svAtma dAna dIrgha satre Rtvigbhyo deyA dakshiNA asya iti
svasti-dakshiNaH.
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives an interpretation that is along similar lines:
Another interpretation along similar lines, given in the title "bhagavd guNa
darpaNa" published by the SrI vishNu sahasra nAma satsangam in New Delhi,
is that bhagavAn bestows auspicious things to those who perform sacrifices, as
the 'fee', and hence He is svasti- dakshiNaH.
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dakshiNaH because He alone is capable of bestowing auspiciousness on His
devotees fast or readily.
"I always take refuge in Hari, the Supreme Person, the Unborn, Eternal, Who,
by just being remembered, becomes the source of all auspiciousness. By the
mere remembrance of kRshNa, the body of accumulated sins are destroyed
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just as a mountain gets destroyed (broken into many pieces) by indra's
thunderbolt".
SrI cinmayAnanda nicely captures the spirit of the above: "The term indicates
that SrI nArAyaNa will quickly and efficiently reach His sincere seekers to
give them the experience of auspiciousness which is the Lord's very nature".
SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as - svastim dakshate vardhayati iti svasti-
dakshiNaH - varada-hasto ma'ngala hasta iti - He Who grows auspiciousness
by bestowing the desired boons and other auspicious things to His devotees, as
signified by His varada-hasta or ma'ngala hasta, is svasti-dakshiNaH.
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Slokam 97
AraEÔ> k…{flI c³I iv³MyUijRtzasn>,
weep, to roar. rudra means 'one who causes others to shed tear' - rodayati iti
rudraH. 'raudra' means 'rudra-like, violent, irascible, wrathful' (SrI Apte's
dictionary). Since bhagavAn is not a raudra, He is called a-raudraH.
SrI BhaTTar notes that bhagavAn is gentle, agreeable, and cool by nature, and
is not irate, even though He is sarveSvaran - parama aiSvarye'pi guNa
SItalimnA a-raudraH. Hence He is called a-raudraH. Note the dhyAna Slokam
starting with "SantAkAram bhujaga Sayanam padmanAbham sureSam,
viSvAdhAram..".
Note also that the first trait praised here is His SAnta AkAram - His Peaceful
form with a countenance that radiates kindness and warmth. Sri kRshNa
datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as "parama SAnta saumya sundara
AkAraH".
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan points out that even though bhagavAn is radiating
extreme tejas, it does not deflect His devotees even a bit.
16
leads to anger; or, when the desired object is attained, more of the same is
desired, or some other object is desired, and so the cycle goes on. BhagavAn
has no desire, hatred, etc., and so He is called a-raudraH.
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN notes that bhagavAn is the exact opposite of
raudram - Ananda pURnAtvAt a-raudraH prasanna mUrtiH - He is the
embodiment of Perfect Bliss.
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He Who is bedecked with beautiful ear-rings.
kuNDaline namaH.
The term kuNDalam refers to the ear-ring, or the decoration worn for the ear
(karNikA tAla patram syAt kuNDalam karma veshTanam) (amara. 2.103).
Thus, SrI BhaTTar takes the kuNDala as one representation of all infinite
auspicious ornaments. Literally, "One Who is adorned with beautiful ear-rings,
the kUNDala-s, is kuNDalee", since bhagavAn is adorned with makara
kuNDalam, or ear-rings that are shaped like fish.
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neck, garlands, shoulder-bracelets, bracelets in the hands, SrI vatsa and
kaustubha, pearl garlands, waist ornaments, lace clothes, gold waist band, leg
ornaments and other precious and innumerable other jewels.
The term kuNDalee also refers to a 'serpent' - kuNDalAkAram vapuH asya iti
kuNDalee - that which has a coiling body (amara koSa vyAkhyAnam). SrI
Sa'nkara uses this definition for the word 'kuNDala', and gives the meaning to
the nAma as "Sesha rUpa bhAk kuNDalee" - One Who is in the form of the
serpent Sesha. He gives an alternate interpretation that uses the meaning
'ear-ornament' for the word 'kuNDala':
Since bhagavAn has ear-rings that are bright like the Sun, or since He has
fish-shaped ear pendants representing sAmkhya and yoga SAstra-s, He is
called kuNDalee.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the support for this interpretation from
SrImad bhAgavatam:
(bhAga. 12.11.12)
"The Supreme Deity wears the sA'nkhya and yoga as His two makara kuNDala-
s and the whole brahma lokam as His crown".
18
SrI vAsishTha indicates the roots for the nAma as kuDi - dAhe - to burn, or
kuDi -rakshaNe - to protect. He uses the uNAdi sUtra 1.104 - kalas-tRpaSca,
to add the affix kala (ala) to kuND, that results in 'kuNDala'. He gives the
derivation: kuNDalam dAho rakshaNam vA, sa asya asti iti kuNDalI - That
which has the property or guNa of burning or destruction (dAhaH - dahanam),
or protection (rakshNam) is kuNDala;
SrI vAsishTha suggests that this refers to the sun, fire etc.; since bhagavAn
is their Creator, He is kuNDalee.
The explanation can also be given that since bhagavAn is the One who has the
guNa of destruction as well as protection, (and creation), He has the guNa of
'kuNDala' - (destruction and protection), and so He is kuNDalee.
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and SrI raghunAtha tIrtha gives the interpretation - kuNDalam dahanam
SatrUNAm asmAt bhavati it kuNDalee - He Who destroys His enemies, is
kuNDalee.
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BhagavAn is ever armed with the Discus known as sudarSana. The cakra is
smeared with the blood of the asura-s who are the sworn enemies of the gods
that are His devout servants. The cakra is also adorned with the flames of
fire that are shooting out of it.
Note that SrI BhaTTar avoids the punarukti dosham by interpreting the nAma
cakrI in the current instance as a mark of His divine ornament, and in Slokam
107 (nAma 995), he interprets the same nAma - cakrI, as One Who bears this
weapon to destroy His enemies - as a reflection of His rakshakattvam.
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cakriNe namaH.
namperumAL (Courtesy: Sri Murali BhaTTar)
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NammAzhvAr praises and enjoys the guNa of bhagavAn as the Protector
(rakshakattvam) - 'kAkkum iyalvinan' - One Whose nature is protection -
(tiruvAimozhi 2.2.9).
"You, My Lord, bear the various weapons of par- excellent powers, and worthy
of You alone, such as the Conch, the Discus, the Mace, the Sword, the Bow, and
such other innumerable auspicious divine weapons exceeding all others in power
and force".
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nammAzhvAr describes His always bearing the cakra in readiness to help His
devotees -
eppOdum kai kazhalA nEmiyAn nam mEl vinai kaDivAn (periya tiruvantAdi 87).
The cakra in His hand serves multiple purposes: It is an adornment for Him; it
is also there ever ready to destroy anyone who hurts His devotees.
Azhiyum Sa'ngum SumappAr (tiruvAi. 8.3.3) - He Who carries the Discus and
the Conch in His hands.
kUrAr Azhi veN Sa'ngu Endik koDiyEn pAl vArAy (tiruvAi. 6.9.1)
nAngu tOLan kuni SAr'ngan oN Sa'ngu gadai vAL AzhiyAn (tiruvAi. 8.8.1) - He
with four arms, with the beautiful weapons (SA'rnga or the bow, Sa'nkha - the
Conch, gadA - the mace, khaDga - the sword, and cakra - the Discus).
PadmanAbhan kaiyil Azhi pOl minni valam puri pOl ninRu adirndu - tiruppAvai.
In his upanyAsam on SrI vishNu shasra nAmam, SrI velukkuDi kRshNan points
out that the cakra is a distinguishing mark of emperumAn, and refers us to
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nammAzhvAr - (Seru oN Sakkaram Sa'ngu aDaiyALam tirundak kaNDE)
(tiruvAi. 6.1.7).
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that bhagavAn used this cakra of His
during the protection of gajendra, and during His kRshNa incarnation more
than once.
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"vishNu holds in His hand the cakra which represents the mind that is
unsteady, and which is swifter than the wind". The sudarSana cakra in His
hand is always rotating and ready to be discharged at anyone who causes
obstacles to His devotee, and so it is equated to being 'unsteady' in this
translation.
22
The word 'cakra' also means 'army' - (varUthinI balam sainyam cakram.. amara
koSa 2.8.78); cakate hanti parabalam iti cakram (amarakoSa vyAkhyAnam).
SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN uses this meaning and gives the following
interpretation for the nAma: cakram aparimitam sainyam asya asti iti cakrI -
He Who has an unlimited army at His disposal is cakrI.
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We had this nAma in Slokam 9 (nAma 76). The word 'vikrama' means 'valor',
as well as 'a pace, stride' (SrI Apte's dictionary).
a) For nAma 76, SrI BhaTTar uses the first meaning above, and comments that
bhagavAn is called vikramI because it is His nature to dispel any possibility of
anything going against His desire or will - icchA pratihantR prasakti paripanthi
svabhAvam (asya iti) vikramI.
"O King of vAnara-s! If only I so desire, I can eliminate any of the beings, be it
a piSAca (devilish being), asura, yaksha, or rAkshasa, with the tip of My
finger".
23
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan notes that the whole of tiruvAimozhi 5.10 speaks of
bhagavAn's vikramam. Some examples are given below:
"How You were born, what all You suffered, what miracles You wrought, how
You grew up with mischief-s, how you killed Your foes sportively, how You
contrived to conduct a battle showing Your deftness in support of pANDava-s,
the many episodes that You enacted that pass one's understanding.."
"To win nappinnai in marriage, You jumped on the seven bulls and slew them.
As a boy, You slew bakAsura by splitting open his mouth.
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"You beautifully got rid of pUtaNA who tried to trick You by decorating
herself like a well-meaning mother, by sucking the life out of her poisoned
breast; Your one red foot achieved a small feat by destroying the SakaTAsura
who took the form of a wheel in a toy cart, by a mere kick at the wheel".
b) For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar gives the
interpretation - gAmbhIryAnukUla vilAsaH vikramI - He whose actions are
fascinating and befitting His heroic nature.
24
with His valor and heroism. He refers us to ANDAL, who describes His
majestic walk or vikrama (stride) resembling that of a lion that is just coming
out of its cave and surveying its surroundings with its authoritative majesty:
(tiruppAvai 23)
SrI vAsishTha indicates the derivation of the nAma from the root kram -
pAda vikshepe - to walk, to step. viSishTaH krama iti vikramaH; sa asya asti iti
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vikramI, or, vishTam kramaNam asya asti iti vikramI - He Who has the
distinguishing stride is vikramI.
SrI vAsishTha gives reference to the Rg vedic mantra-s, which describe the
tri-vikrama incarnation:
(Rg. 1.22.17)
yasyorushu trishu vikramaNeshu adhikshiyanti bhuvanAni viSvA
(Rg. 1.154.2)
He within whose three wide-extended paces all living creatures have their
habitation - referring to His trivikrama incarnation.
SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning 'pAda vikshepa - stride', as well as bhagavAn's
prowess, in his interpretation: vikramaH pAda vikshepaH Sauryam vA, dvayam
ca aSeshapurushebhyo vilakshaNam asya asti iti vikramI - He Who is endowed
with the unique movement of His Feet, or Who is endowed with prowess;
these two being so unique to Him as compared to all other beings, He is called
vikramI".
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In his SaraNAgati gadyam, bhagavad rAmAnua lists a series of bhagavAn's
kalyANa guNa-s, including Sauryam - vikramam, which are all used by Him for
the benefit of His devotees.
"You are the Ocean unto which flow rivers of limitless excellent virtues, all
natural to You, and useful for the protection of the devotees. These include:
1. All knowledge,
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18. Courage to fight for the devotees,
19. Ability to fight the enemies within their own camp;
20. Having Your Will ever fulfilled,
21. Having Your commands ever irresistible,
Your deeds fully executed,
Always remembering with gratitude even a little worship done to You.".
SrI velukkuDi kRshNan enjoys the nAma in terms of bhagavAn's act of
bestowing His blessings on His devotees without any limit or restraint.
BhagavAn bestows His blessings on His devotees without their asking, without
any limit, without even thinking that He is bestowing these blessings on the
devotee, and without putting any limits or questioning His actions in this
respect. He is like an ocean in this respect - the ocean is very deep,
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immeasurable in its depth or breadth, and contains treasures that cannot be
measured. So also, bhagavAn's desire to bestow His blessings on His devotees
is immeasurable and unrestrained (vikrama).
c) SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives another anubhavam - he interprets the term
'krama' as 'tAratamya' or 'stepwise differences'. The prefix vi- gives a
negative sense, and so vi-kramaH is "One Who does not have differences
(between His various incarnations)": kramaH tAratamyam asya asti iti kramI;
na kramI vi-kramI sva avatAreshu tAratamya rahita iti vi-kramI.
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Urjita--SAsanaH
nAma 910. ^ijRtzasn> Urjita
He of inviolable commands.
Urjita-SAsanAya namaH.
SrI vAsishTha derives the term Urjita from the root Urj - bala prANanayoH
- to strengthen, to live, and gives the meaning 'balavat' or 'endowed with
strength' to the word "Urjita". He derives the word SasanaH from the root
"SAs - anuSishTau - to teach, to inform, to govern, to correct, to advise. Thus
`Urjita-SAsanaH" would mean "One Who governs with forceful effectiveness"
- balavat anuSAsanam = A~jnAnuvartanam yasya sa UrjitaSAsanaH vishNuH
anatikramaNIya niyamaH - He Whose order cannot be transgressed or
violated.
bhIshodeti sUryaH;
bhIsAdagniScendraSca;
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"The wind blows out of fear of Him. For fear of Him does the Sun rise. For
fear of Him do agni and indra function. Out of fear of Him, does death, the
fifth one, run".
"yA~jnavalkya said: O gArgi under the mighty rule of this immutable Brahman,
the Sun and the moon are held in their positions. Under the mighty rule of this
Brahman, heaven and earth in their positions..."
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SrI Sa'nkara gives another dimension to the anubhavam of the power of His
commands - in the form of Sruti and smrti-s - "Sruti smRti lakshaNam Urjitam
SAsanam asya iti Urjita-SAsanaH - He of powerful commands in the form of
Sruti and smRti. SrI Sa'nkara gives the following support:
The Lord has said: "The Sruti and smRti are My commands. He who overrides
them is a violator of Law and My enemy. Such a person, though he may profess
to be My devotee, is not a true VaishNava (worshipper of vishNu)".
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SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that His Glory is such that even the thousand-
tongued AdiSesha, or the veda-s with all their innumerable branches, or even
Goddess sarasvati herself, will be unable to describe them through words -
ananta jihvena anantena, ananta SAkhaiH AmnAyaiH sAkshAt sarsvatyA ca
durudAraha mahimA SabdAtigaH.
tan muDivu onRu illAda taN tuzhAi mAlaiyanai Sol muDivu kANEn nAn
Solluvadu en? SollIrE?
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(tiruvAi. 8.5.4)
"You have filled my mind with Your captivating, honey-exuding, watery, kindly
lotus eyes. I recall with glee Your lying in sleep in the middle of the Milky
Ocean. Oh My Lord! It is not enough that I have the mental experience; I will
not be able to put in all in words here".
The Sruti itself declares about Him: "yato vAco nivartante; aprApya manasA
saha" (taittirIya upanishad 2.3) - "Words turn back without being able to
describe Him; The mind also cannot reach Him".
SrI Sa'nkara also explains the nAma as One Who transcends speech, because
He is not of a species that can be described by words - Sabda pravRtti
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hetunAm jAtyAdInAm asambhavAt Sabdena vaktum aSakyatvAt SabdAtigaH.
He refers us to the taittirIya upanishad passage 2.3 quoted above, and also to
the following from vishNu purANam - na Sabda gocaro yasya yogi dhyeyam
param padam (VP 1.17.22) - "His Supreme Abode transcends speech, and is
meditated upon by yogin-s".
SrI cinmayAnanda explains that the veda-s only 'point to the Truth', but
cannot explain, or even define the truth. The Infinite and Eternal Truth is
beyond even the veda-s, beyond all that can be gained even through the
highest faculties of the finite equipments (mind and intellect).
SrI BhaTTar describes nAma-s 912 to 945 that follow, in terms of the
gajendra episode (gajendra mokshaNam).
Sabda--sahaH
nAma 912. zBdsh> Sabda
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He Who shoulders the burden of the words of cry of distress.
Sabda-sahAya namaH.
The word Sabda is derived from the root Sap - AkroSe - to curse, to wear, to
blame, and the use of the uNAdi sUtra 4.97 - SASapibhyAm dadanau - The
affix dan comes after the root roots Sap - to curse, with the meaning Sabda -
noise. The term saha is derived from the root sah - marshaNe - to forebear.
SrI BhaTTar relates the nAma to the cry of help from gajendra; since
bhagavAn bears the responsibility of protecting even animals which may
incoherently cry for help, He is called Sabda-sahaH - aspashTa SabdAnAm
tiraScAmapi Arta-Sabdam ati-bhAramiva sahate iti Sabda- sahaH. Arta
refers to one who is in distress or pain. BhAratvena sahati iti sahaH - He
treats the cry for help from the Arta just like carrying a major responsibility
or load. When bhagavAn heard the cry of gajendra for help, the cry of
"AdimUlam", it immediately evoked a sense or urgency on the part of bhagavAn
to help the wounded animal, and He left SrI vaikunTham in a very great hurry
to help gajendra. BhagavAn noted that that the elephant had a flower in its
hand, and He pondered over its devotion, and this was enough for Him to
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consider it a major responsibility of His to immediately rush to protect the
elephant. 'Sabdam' can refer to both good and bad words.
SrI vAsishTha takes the word here to refer to 'abusive words', and explains
that the nAma signifies that bhagavAn puts up with even abusive words from
His enemies, because He is full of patience - kshamA vibhUshA sakalasya
loke, sarvam kshamAvAn sahate kshmAyAm.
SrI vAsishTha notes that this same guNa transfers to those who are
worshippers of Lord vishNu - they are kshamA-vAn-s, those endowed with a
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SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives the example of bhagavAn putting up with the
insults of Sage bhRgu - bhRgvAdi bhakta kRta tarjana rUpa Sabdam sahata iti
Sabda-sahaH.
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a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma in terms of bhagavAn rushing to the
scene where gajendra needed help - Arta Sabda SravaNAntaram ati- tvarayA
gataH SiSiraH. SrI BhaTTar quotes the following passage in support, to
indicate the speed with which He arrived at the scene where gajendra needed
help: "SrutvA cakra gadAdharaH, sAnnidhyam kalpayAmAsa tasmin sarasi" -
"Immediately on hearing the painful cry of the elephant gajendra, the Lord,
armed with His Discus and Mace, flew (on the back of garuDa) and stood on
the bank of the pond". Commentators enjoy this incident by pointing out that
bhagavAn left without even informing pirATTi, and, when He found that
garuDa was not fast enough for His desired speed, He carried garuDa in His
hand, and jumped at the scene instantly.
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"Anaiyin tuyaram tIrap puL Urndu SenRu Azhi toTTAn" (tirumozhi 2.3.9) -"He
Who came on garuDa and relieved the misery of the suffering elephant
gajendra by releasing the carkrAyudha against the crocodile".
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also gives an interpretation similar to that of Sri
BhaTTar - SaSati-drutam gacchati svajanAnAm avanAya iti SiSiraH - He Who
rushes to the protection of His devotees is 'SiSiraH'.
b) The word SiSirah also means 'the cool season'. SrI Sa'nkara uses this
meaning, and interprets the nAma as signifying that bhagavAn cools down the
tApa-traya-s of His devotees (physical, mental and supernatural) - tApa
trayAbhitaptAnAm viSrama sthAnatvAt SiSiraH. The three tApa-s are called
AdhyAtmika, Adhibhautika, and Adhidaivika.
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SrI cinmayAnanda notes that bhagavAn has this nAma indicating that He is
the cool resting place for those tortured by the heat of samsAra.
SrI vAsishTha uses both the above meanings for 'SiSira', namely 'one who
leaps', and 'the cool season', and gives the interpretation that bhagavAn's
nAma 'SiSiraH' signifies that He is One who supports all the beings by the
methodic and regular changing of seasons etc.
SrI bala deva vidyA bhUshaN explains the nAma as - dRshTa mAtraH teshAm
santApam nivartayati iti SiSiraH - By His very darSanam, all the sorrows of
the devotees are washed away, as signified by the nAma SiSiraH.
SarvarI--karaH
nAma 914. zvRrIkr> SarvarI
d) He Who is in the form of the cool rays of the moon in the nights.
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enemies who are a source of harm to others.
b) One of the meanings for the word SarvarI is 'night' - SRNAyAm loka
ckashUmshi iti SarvarI (amara koSa vyAkhyAnam) - That which shuts out the
vision of the beings. SrI Sa'nkara uses this meaning, and gives the
interpretation that the nAma signifies that bhagavAn is "The Maker of Night".
To those bound in samsAra, the knowledge of the Atman is dark as night, and
to those who are illumined, samsAra is undesirable and dark as night. As
bhagavAn is the cause of both of these, He is called SarvarI-karaH. SrI
Sa'nkara quotes support from the gItA for this interpretation:
(gItA 2.69)
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"What is night for all beings (i.e., lacking in knowledge of the self), in it the
controlled one is awake; when all beings are awake (i.e., involved in the
enjoyment of sense objects), that is the night to the sage who sees". (That
understanding which has the self for its object, is obscure like night to most.
But he who has subdued the senses and is serene, is awake in respect of the
self).
c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that the daytime reflects rajo guNa or
activity, and the nighttime reflects tamo guNa or inactivity. In this nighttime,
the feeling of "I", "mine" etc., are not dominant in our lives. This alternation
of day and night is a great help from nature for our lives in this world. The
'night' allows us to rest, and forget all the worldly worries. The j~nAnI
enjoys the calm of the night even while he is awake. But the aj~nAnI is given
the chance to rest by bhagavAn blessing him with the 'night' time to rest. So
bhagavAn is "SarvarI-karaH" by giving the time of rest - the night for all of
us.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also gives a similar interpretation - SarvarI niSA
loka-viSrAma dAyinI | tasyAH karaH sampAdakaH iti SarvarI-karaH - He
Who gives the night which is a time of rest for all the beings.
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d) A different anubhavam is given by SrI satya sandha tIrtha using the
meaning 'rays' for the term 'karaH', and the meaning 'night' for the word
'SarvarI' - SarvAyAm = rAtrau, karAH = kiraNA yasya candrArgata rUpeNa
iti SarvarI-karaH - He Who is in the form of the cool rays of the moon in the
night.
e) SrI raghunAtha tIrtha uses the meaning 'doer' for the word 'karaH', but
gives yet another anubhavam: SarvarI = himsA, tAm karoti iti SarvarI-karaH
- He Who causes destruction of His enemies.
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Slokam 98
A³Ur> pezlae d]ae di][> ]im[a< vr>,
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chedane - to cut, to divide. Application of the uNAdi sUtra 2.21- kRtecchaH
krU ca - The affix rak comes after the root kRt -to cut, and in one case, the
verb is itself replaced by krU, leading to krUraH - wicked, cruel. na krUraH
a-krUraH - He Who is not cruel, is a-krUraH.
In the context of the gajendra episode, bhagavAn was first kind enough to
draw the elephant and the crocodile both from the waters to the shore safely,
but did not kill the crocodile right away, even though He had His weapons in
His hands - gajaparijigIrshayA karasthairapi AyudhaiH grAhamapi jhaTiti a-
kRttavAn akrUraH.
It is only when the crocodile refused to let go of gajendra even after being
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brought to the shore alive, that bhagavAn killed it. SrI kRshhNan comments
that when He did ultimately kill the crocodile, He did not kill it with cruelty,
but killed it instantly by splitting it into two, so that it did not suffer for a
prolonged time in the process. SrI BhaTTar gives the following support:
"MadhusUdana, the Lord of inscrutable nature, quickly took out not only the
elephant which had been seized by the crocodile, but lifted the crocodile also
from the waters of the pond".
Sri Sa'nkara first establishes a link between the mental state of cruelty and
the desire of the mind, and the anger associated with unfulfilled desires.
Then he notes that since bhagavAn is avApta samasta kAman - One Who has all
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His desires fulfilled, there is no room for anger in the mind, and no room for
cruelty
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nAma 916. pezl> peSalaH
a) He Who is charming.
a) SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as One Who was charming at the time of
gajendra moksha, even with all His ornaments in chaotic condition because of
the hurry in which He left SrI vaikunTham to help gajendra - sambhramAt
ayathAyatha srag-bhUshAmbara ramaNIyaH - peSalaH.
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This association between the gajendra rakshaNam and bhagavAn's especially
beautiful form at that time is beautifully reflected by nammAzhvAr in his
tiruvAimozhi pASuram 3.5.1 (reference by SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan):
(tiruvAi. 3.5.1)
"To the elephant gajendra, that got into the trap of a crocodile while plucking
a flower in the lotus-pond, our Lord kRshNa, with His dark hue reminiscent of
the cloud, flew in a great haste displaying His condescending simplicity and
grace".
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SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is that this nAma of bhagavAn indicates that He
is handsome - peSalaH, because His deeds, mind, words, and body are all
beautiful - karmaNA, manasA, vAcA, vapushA ca SobhanatvAt peSalaH.
b) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that the nAma indicates "One with a
soft heart, like a flower". He is One who is full of kindness and compassion,
and this reflects in all His thoughts, words and deeds.
SrI cimayAnanda comments: "In His Infinite kindness and Mercy, His Heart-
divine is ever flowing out in love and tenderness towards His devotees when
they call out for help ardently and lift themselves from their body-
consciousness and egocentric life of sense-pursuits".
SrI vAsishTha uses the meaning 'piS - avayave - to form', and interprets the
nAma as signifying that bhagavAn is One Who has formed or separated every
major form in His creation (such as our human body) into its several parts -
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b1) He Who came to the rescue of gajendra very fast (daksh – SIghrArthe).
b2) He Who had the Sakti – power, to arrive very fast at the scene of
gajendra’s suffering
c) He Who grows into, or manifests Himself as, the Universe (daksh – to grow).
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e) He Who destroys His enemies (daksh – himsanayoH).
dakshAya namaH.
We studied this nAma earlier in Slokam 45 (nAma 424).
SrI vAsishTha derives the nAma from the root daksh – vRddhau SIghrArthe
ca – to grow, to go in speed. The amara koSa vyAkhyAnam is “kAryam SIghram
karoti iti dakshaH”. The different meanings for the word 'daksha' are given
by SrI vAsishTha – pravRddhaH, SaktaH, SIghrakArI ca – One Who is grown.
SrI Sa’nkara uses this meaning and interprets the nAma as “One Who has
manifested Himself in the form of the Universe” – see below), One Who is
skilled, and One Who is fast. The root daksh has also another meaning – gati
himsanayoSca – to go, to hurt. The different interpretations are based on
these different meanings for the word 'daksha'.
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a) SrI BhaTTar explains nAma 424 in terms of the kalki incarnation, and how
bhagavAn will get rid of the evil elements very quickly in this incarnation
(dasyu-vadhe dakshate – SIghra-kArI iti dakshaH).
One of SrI Sa’nkara’s interpretations for the instance of the nAma in Slokam
45 is - sarva karmANi kshipram karoti vA dakshaH - He Who performs all
actions fast. The term 'sankalapa mAtreNa' is used extensively in describing
this guNa of bhagavAn – All He has to do is to 'will', and the action will be
done.
b) For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation
– kshipram AgantA dakshaH. This has been interpreted (translated) as “One
Who came swiftly when called for by gajendra” by most translators, based on
'daksh – SIghra-kArI'.
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Given that SrI BhaTTar’s bhAshyam for nAma 913 – SiSiraH, has already been
interpreted as referring to bhagavAn’s speed in arriving at the scene where
gajendra had called for help in pain, the above interpretation is redundant, and
thus, is not the best interpretation for this instance in the writer’s opinion. It
is to be noted that this is not punar-ukti dosham (fault of repetition) in the
strict sense of the term, since different words (nAma-s) have been used by
Sage vyAsa.
This point is made by SrI Sa’nkara in his vyAkhyAnam for the next nAma,
dakshiNaH, where he interprets the nAma 'dakshiNaH' as having the same
meaning as the current nAma – dakshaH. While the redundancy is thus not a
case of punar-ukti dosham in the strict sense of the term, a better
interpretation is provided by SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan, that removes
this redundancy. He 'translates' SrI BhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam for the current
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nAma as “One Who is skilled and has the power to arrive very fast”, based on
'daksha – sAmarthya SAli' or 'Sakti-SAli’. This point is discussed in detail
near the end of the write-up for the current nAma.
c) For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 45, using the meaning 'daksh – to
grow', SrI Sa’nkara gives another interpretation – jagad-rUpeNa
vardhamAnatvAt dakshaH - He Who grows into, or manifests Himself as, the
Universe.
d) For the current instance of the nAma, SrI Sa’nkara explains that since the
Supreme Being has the three qualities – immensity, strength, and quickness in
execution, He is called dakshaH –
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e) One of the alternate interpretations of SrI satya sandha tIrtha is:
SatrUNAm hantA dakshaH – He Who destroys His enemies. This uses the
meaning – daksh – himsanayoH – to hurt.
This nAma provides a very good example of the difficulties in translating and
interpreting the samskRt vyAkhyAnam of the great vyAkhyAna-kartA-s into
other languages, and the possible errors that might be introduced in the
process. The nAma-s 'SiSiraH' and 'dakshaH' occur almost adjacent to each
other (nAma-s 913 and 917 respectively).
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As explained under nAma 913, and based on SrI BhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam, it
seems clear that SrI BhaTTar had in mind the speed with which bhagavAn
came to help gajendra. For nAma 917 – dakshaH, SrI BhaTTar refers to
bhagavAn’s 'speedy arrival' (kshipram AgantA) again. The translators (two in
English and two in tamizh) have translated both the above vyAkhyAna-s as
referring to “One Who was very fast in coming to the help of gajendra)”. A
couple of those who have elaborated on SrI BahTTar’s vyAkhyAnam even go to
the extent of pointing out that'two nAma-s refer to the same incident' - and
thus the same guNaAnubhavam. Thus they have essentially attributed
redundancy in Sage vyAsa’s narration, even though this is not punar-ukti
dosham in the strict definition of this term, since different nAma-s are
involved in describing the same incident. (See SrI Sa’nkara’s commentary for
the next nAma, where he makes this point).
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gajendra had been seized by the crocodile”. But for the nAma
'dakshaH' (nAma 917), SrImad ANDavan explains SrI BhaTTar’s words
“kshipram AgatA dakshaH”, as “One Who has the sAmarthyam as evidenced by
His arriving at the scene very fast. (sAmarthyam = power, force, capacity,
ability, strength – SrI Apte’s dictionary). Note that one of the meanings for
the word 'daksha' is 'dexterous, skilled'.
Also, recall SrI vAsishTha’s words giving the different meanings for the word
'daksha' – SaktaH, Sighra-kArI ca – One Who has the power (SaktaH), or One
Who achieves things fast (Sighra-kArI).
any more.
SrI Sa’nkara avoids the punarukti dosham by giving interpretations that are
distinctly different from each other, and thus there is no confusion in
translating these:
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nAma 918. di][> dakshiNaH
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SIghrakArI bhavati vA sa dakshiNaH; saralo vAmabhAgaH
paratantro'nuvartanam (right, honest, courteous, submissive). As explained
above, the term 'dakshiNa' has the same meaning as the term 'daksha' -
"dexterous, skillful, one who arrives fast, one who accomplishes things fast",
etc., but additionally, it means 'pleasing, amiable, courteous, civil', etc. (SrI
Apte's dictionary). Thus, the word 'dakshiNa' means 'One who is fast, One
who destroys, One who is courteous, One who grows His devotees, One who is
compassionate', etc.
a) SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning 'courteous and compassionate' for the word
'dakshiNa', and comments that even though bhagavAn responded immediately
to the cry for help from gajendra, He still expressed regret to gajendra that
He was not nearer to the site of the incident, and consoled gajendra with kind
words. SrI BhaTTar's words are: thathA Agatya, 'dhin'g mAm, dUragato'ham
tvAm', iti sAntvanaiH, gajendrasya anukUlaH dakshiNaH - "Though He came as
soon as gajendra called for His help, He still expressed regret that He was not
near at the time of danger, and consoled gajendra with kind words - "Fie upon
Me that I was far away from you". SrI BhaTTar gives support from vishNu
dharma:
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prItimAn puNDArIkAkshaH SaraNAgata vatsalaH |
"The Lotus-eyed Slayer of madhu, Who is kind and affectionate to those who
have surrendered to Him, showed His love to gajendra, who worshipped Him".
SrI kRshNan graphically describes that bhagavAn knelt at the feet of the
elephant, checked for the injuries, took out His uttarIyam - the vastram at
the top of His divya tirumEni, blew at it to get some heat, and then applied the
heat to the elephant's leg to give comfort to the elephant's wound. In
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addition, He expressed regret for not having come earlier. This nAma thus
illustrates that bhagavAn is SaraNAgata-vatsalan - One Who is dearly
attached to those who surrender to Him.
The word 'sAntvanam' that has been used by SrI BhaTTar in his vyAkhyAnam
means 'consolation, pacification'. SrI kRshNan refers to another instance
where bhagavAn felt 'regret at having been late' - in helping the devotee who
surrendered to Him and expressed words of consolation - 'sAntvanam'. This
was in the case of vibhIshaNa SaraNAgati. 'vacasA sAntvayitvainam
locanAbhyAm pibanniva' - yuddha kANDam 19.7 - "Lord rAma uttered words
of consolation to vibhIshaNa, and blessed him with His kaTAksham, as if He
drank vibhIshaNa through His eyes".
b) c) SrI Sa'nkara comments that the meaning for the previous nAma and the
current one are same, and notes that there is no punarukti by Sage vyAsa
because different words have been used to describe this guNa of bhagavAn -
dakashiNa SabdasyApi daksha eva arthaH; Sabda bhedAt na paunaruktyam.
However, he proceeds then to give an alternate interpretation based on the
root daksh - gati himsanayoH - to go or to kill - athavA, gacchati hinasti iti vA
dakshaH - He Who goes or He Who kills is dakshiNaH. This is translated by
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SrI T. S. Krishnamoorthy as "One Who pervades everywhere", or as "One Who
destroys everything" (e.g., at the time of pralaya - the function of samhAra).
Using the meaning 'to kill' or 'destroy' for the root daksh, SrI baladeva vidyA
bhUshaN gives the example of Lord kRshNa destroying or preventing the rise
of duryodhana - damSati duryodhana udyamam iti dakshiNaH.
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dakshiNaH (nAma 905 in Slokam 96), which is interpreted along these lines.
SrI vAsishTha comments that bhagavAn is One Who arrives fast if one calls to
Him for help, and is pleasant once He arrives - kshipram Agacchati AhUta,
Agatya ca santushTo mukta-hastam dadAti iti udAraH sa dakshiNa ucyate.
e) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning - daksh -vardhate - to grow,
and interprets the nAma as - dakshayati vardhayati svajanAn iti dakshNaH -
He Who grows His devotees is dakshiNaH.
kshamiNAm--varaH
nAma 919. ]im[a< vr> kshamiNAm
b) The foremost among those who bear the burden of the Universes.
kshamiNAm-varAya namaH.
The root of interest for the nAma is ksham - sahane - to allow, to suffer.
vara is derived from vRN - varaNe - to choose. 'kshamiNAm varaH' refers to
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"One Who is superior among those who are endowed with patience or
endurance"...
bhagavAn was throbbing with anxiety on behalf of His devotee and patiently
putting up with this anxiety for the short duration between gajendra's call and
His protecting gajendra. His desire to protect His devotee is so extreme and
intense, that normally for Him to patiently wait till He comes to the scene of
the incident was unimaginable. It is this extreme concern of bhagavAn - the
intensity with which He is committed to the protection of His devotees, that is
to be enjoyed here. It is the seriousness with which He takes His commitment
to protect His devotee, and His anxiety at the smallest delay in protecting the
devotee, that is enjoyed by Sri BhaTTar through this nAma - "BhagavAn is the
Foremost in bearing the burden of protection of His devotee - kshamiNAm
varaH".
SrI kRshNan emphasizes this point, and refers to another incident where the
Lord was throbbing with anxiety for the welfare of His devotee - when sugrIva
suddenly rushed to rAvaNa and fought a duel with him, and brought the ten
crowns of his ten heads. Lord rAma tells sugrIva after his return that He was
very concerned about sugrIva's safety during that time, and added that for
Him, sugrIva's safety was more important than even lakshmaNa or sItA
pirATTi's welfare. Such is the intensity with which He bears the
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responsibility for the protection of His devotee.
Of course, other anubhavam-s are possible for the nAma in the context of
gajendra moksham, and some of these are given by some of the interpreters of
SrI BhaTTar's bhAshyam. The most common among these is that bhagavAn
did not lose His composure once He arrived at the scene of gajendra being
caught by the crocodile (SrI M.V.Ramanujacharya's explanation -
"gajendraniak kaNDa piRagu, tam manattaip padaikkAmal niRuttinavar").
SrI v. n. vedAnta deSikan comments that this guNa of bhagavAn was evident
only after He saw that the elephant was safe (until that time, His concern for
the safety of His devotee was extreme.
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He Who is the foremost among yogin-s who have forbearance
He Who is foremost among those that bear all burdens such as that of the
Earth etc.
He Who is the foremost among the strongest (here the word kshamiNaH is
interpreted to means "One Who is endowed with power")
SrI cinmayAnanda's anubhavam is that bhagavAn has this nAma indicating that
He is the most patient when it comes to tolerating and forgiving the sins of
the jIvas. His words are: "He exhibits supreme patience with the evil-minded,
the tyrant, the foul and the fiendish. hiraNyAksha, hiraNyakaSipu, rAvaNa,
and others of this type were given many fair opportunities to realize for
themselves the folly of their baser attitudes and their immoral ways of life.
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It is only when no other method of treatment could cure them that the Lord
destroyed them in His Infinite kindness" (they all reached parama padam as a
result of having His darSanam!).
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vidvat--tamaH
nAma 920. ivÖÄm> vidvat
SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma in terms of the gajendra moksham incident,
and points out that the nAma reminds us that bhagavAn knew exactly how to
administer treatment to gajendra as soon as He arrived at the scene - tac-
cikitsAyAm vidvat-tamaH - BhagavAn gently touched the elephant, and started
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speaking to the elephant comfortingly. Extreme devotion to bhagavAn is what
caused gajendra to go to the pond to pluck the lotus flower for offering to
Him in the first instance. Nothing was more important to gajendra than the
darSanam of bhagavAn, and all his ailments were cured right away. (The beauty
of the vyAkhyAnam of SrI BhaTTar, illustrating the extreme concern of
bhagavAn to His devotees at every step, can only be felt, and cannot be
described adequately through words. The current interpretation is one such
example).
SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan explains the nAma with the comment that
bhagavAn is the 'greatest Doctor there ever was and is, - the way He
administered the most appropriate cikitasA or treatment to gajendra, (who
had suffered for a thousand years in the clutch of the crocodile)'. BhagavAn
knew precisely what would give gajendra the greatest comfort, and so He is
called vidvat-tamaH in SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam.
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The Bliss of the touch by bhagavAn's hands eliminates all misery, and is like
the herbs that can cure any ailment. His divine hands were the medicine for
gajendra, and the heat from His beautiful red lips were the comfort that
gajendra would do anything to have.
"sItA pirATTi was extremely happy to see Lord rAma who had eliminated the
rAkashas-s that were causing immense harm to the sages, and thus had
fulfilled the cause of ensuring the safety of these sages".
SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN also interprets the nAma based on the gajendra
episode - atha gajendra uddhArakatAm sUcayan Aha - svaika SaraNyasya
gajendrasya vipad vinASe ati-nipuNatvAt vidvat-tamaH - He Who handled the
surrender of gajendra in the most skillful manner.
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anyone else. This is how the veda-s praise Him.
vIta--bhayaH
nAma 921. vItÉy> vIta
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devotees - vItam bhayam yasmAt sa vIta-bhayaH.
The fomer interpretation is given by SrI Sa'nkara and others who follow his
vyAkhyAnam, and the later interpretation is given by SrI BhaTTar and those
that follow his lead.
SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan's anubhavam is that gajendra was afraid that the
lotus flower that he was carrying for offering to the Lord might become old
and lose its freshness, and this fear was gone as soon as gajendra noticed
that bhagavAn had arrived.
SrI v.v.rAmAnujan comments that gajendra had called for help from
nArAyaNa, and was afraid that bhagavAn's guna of ASrita rakshaNam might
be questioned by some if He did not come right away, and it was this fear that
was removed as soon as bhagavAn arrived.
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SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN echoes the same thoughts as above - vItam =
vinashTam gajendrasya grAhAt bhayam yena sa vIta-bhayaH - He Who
relieved gajendra of the fear of being gripped by the crocodile, is vIta-
bhayaH.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that the worst of all fears is the fear of
samsAra, or being born in this world; since bhagavAn is beyond this, He is
Fearless, and beyond fear - vIta-bhayaH.
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SrI satya sandha tIrtha also gives the explanation along the same lines -
bhaya SUnyaH vIta bhayaH - One Who is without fear.
One by hearing whose names, and by chanting whose names, we get purified, is
called 'puNya-SravaNa- kIrtanaH' - yasya vishNor-nAm nAm anyataH
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SravaNam, tathA sva-mukhata uccArya kIrtanam, ityubhayatA pavitrIkaraNam
bhavati, sa etan-nAmnAm abhidhIyate.
"O the best of kuru-s! A person is immediately rid of his sins if he hears,
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thinks or talks about the story of the rescue of gajendra by the Lord".
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hear it from others.
Both SrI Sa'nkara and SrI vAsishTha give reference to the phala Sruti
Slokam which conveys the same message that is conveyed by this nAma:
world beyond, to anyone who hears the vishNu sahasra nAma stotra daily, or
who recites it daily".
SrI vAsishTha summarizes the meaning of this nAma through the following
composition of his own:
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"Lord vishNu, whose nAma-s are purifying to those who hear them or chant
them - this Lord vishNu with His infinite nAma-s (representing His infinite
kalyANa guNa-s), purifies this whole Universe through His nAma-s".
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Slokam 99
%Äar[ae Ê:k«itha pu{yae Ê>Svßnazn>,
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the same interpretation also - sarovarAt
gajendram uttArayAmAsa iti uttAraNaH.
SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as: "One Who lifts us out of the ocean-
of-change. By identifying through our body-mind-intellect with the changing
whirls of matter around us, we assume to ourselves the changes which provide
us the horrible sorrow of mortal finitude. On lifting ourselves from the giddy
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changes in these whirls of finite matter, when we fix it upon Him, the one
Consciousness that illumines all changes in all living creatures, we get uplifted
into a state of Immortality - changeless, blissful, supremely satisfying. Hence
SrI nArAyaNa is called the Up-lifter, the Savior".
SrI satya sandha tIrtha explains the nAma in terms of the praNava mantra
that lifts up the spirits of the sanyAsin-s etc. - utkRshTaH tAraH praNavo
yeshAm ta uttArAHsannyAsinaH teshAm NaH sukham yasmAt sa uttAraNaH.
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dushkRti--hA
nAma 924. Ê:k«itha dushkRti
SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma in terms of bhagavAn killing the crocodile that
seized the leg of the devotee gajendra who was involved in bhagavad
kainkaryam, and threatened his life. SrI BhaTTar continues the support from
vishNu dharma (69) - sthalastham dArayAmAsa grAham cakreNa mAdhavaH -
mAdhava slew the crocodile with His discuss when the crocodile was on the
land.
Note the following Sloka, which describes the guNa of bhagavAn praised in
this nAma:
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"I take incarnations in every yuga, for the protection of the good, the
destruction of the evil, and the establishment of dharma".
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN also interprets the nAma in terms of the
gajendra episode: dushkRtim grAham hatavAn iti dushhkRti-hA - He Who
destroyed the crocodile that committed apacAram towards a bhAgavata.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives references to divya prabandham where this guNa of
bhagavAn is extolled:
SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan explains that for bhagavAn, the worst among those
who are sinners are those who commit apacAram to His devotees. This is what
makes Him angry the most, and this is where His guNa of dushkRti-hA is in full
force. We see this in His incarnations as Lord rAma and Lord nRsimha. Lord
ra'nganAtha also displayed His anger when the priest committed apacAram
against tiruppANAzhvAr. This nAma should remind us that bhAgavata
apacAram is the worst of all sins, and should be avoided at all costs.
b) SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as - dushkRtiH pApa sam~jnitAH hanti iti
dushkRti-hA - He Who destroys the sins, or alternatively, "ye pApakAriNaH
tAn hanti it vA" - He Who destroys those who commit sinful deeds.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri reminds us that it is not just bhagavAn who redeems
us from our sins, but His nAma is just as effective.
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SrI cinmayAnanda's anubhavam is that when bad actions (dush-kRti-s) are
undertaken by anyone, prompted by sensuous desires, they leave impressions
(vAsanA-s), and these always have a tendency to make them repeat similar
actions. When one turns the mind towards nArAyaNa, the Self, one is emptied
of these existing vAsanA-s, and so the Lord is indicated as the "Destroyer of
the sins".
The Purifier.
puNyAya namaH.
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Please refer to the write-up for this nAma in Slokam 73 (nAma 692).
dus_svapna--nASanaH
nAma 926. Ê>Svßnazn> dus_svapna
It should be noticed that SrI BhaTTar has been giving support from the
vishNu dharma for his interpretations of all the nAma-s based on gajendra
moksham. This extends to the current nAma as well. SrI BhaTTar's
interpretation for the current nAma is found in the phala Sruti of this episode
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as described in vishNu dharma:
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the same interpretation, and gives the
reference quoted above as well.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj quotes support from SrImad bhAgavtam, where
it is declared that meditation on Lord kRshNa and the gajendra moksham will
relieve the devotee from bad dreams:
SRNvatAm || (8.4.14)
"O parIkshit mahArajan! I (Sage Suka) have narrated to you this great
mahimA of Lord kRshNa that is called gajendra moksham, by hearing which all
sins accrued in the kali yaga will be destroyed, bad dreams will be eliminated,
and one can attain the svarga loka and all fame".
SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as the "Dispeller of bad dreams that
forewarn of upcoming dangers, when He is meditated upon, praised and
worshipped".
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that since bhagavAn ensures that His
devotees are not exposed to dangers, they do not get bad dreams forewarning
them of the dangers also. He also comments that the habit of constant
meditation of bhagavAn's nAma-s will ensure that in the long run, there is no
room for bad dreams.
SrI cinmayAnanda interprets that the worst dream is that of being re-born.
He notes that when one is ever centered in nArAyaNa-smaraNa, then his sub-
conscious mind is not loaded with half-digested thoughts and unexpressed
intentions, repressed desires and suppressed motives, immoral passions and
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covetous inclinations, and he has no fearful dreams in his sleep. Over time he
enters nArAyaNa-consciousness, and there is no room for bad dreams.
SrI vAsishTha gives references to vedic passages where prayer is made for
the removal of bad dreams:
(atharva. 16.6.9)
(Rg. 10.86.21)
vIra--hA
nAma 927. vIrha vIra
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He Who destroyed the powerful bonds that tied gajendra to death.
vIra-ghne namaH.
We studied this nAma previously in Sloka-s 18 and 79 (nAma-s 168 and 747).
The Savior.
rakshaNAya namaH.
The nAma is derived from the root raksha - pAlane - to protect. rakshati =
pAlayati sakalam viSvam iti rakshaNaH.
SrI BhaTTar and SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN quote vishNu dharma in
support:
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sparSayAmAsa hastena gajam gandharvameva ca ||
SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma as "One Who has the function of protection
of all the three worlds" - sattvam guNam adhishThAya jagat-trayam rakshan
iti rakshaNaH - He who, assuming the sattva guNa, protects all the three
worlds.
give indriya-s etc. to the jIva-s so that they can strive to attain Him in the
new birth. Thus rakshaNam is the motivation for all His acts.
(gItA 4.8)
"For the protection of the good, the destruction of the wicked, and the
establishment of righteousness, I take different incarnations in each yuga".
Note that 'protection' comes first in the reasons for His incarnations. In fact,
destruction of the wicked is only for the protection of the good.
SrI vAsishTha gives reference to a vedic mantra that prays for this
protection:
(Rg. 4.3.14)
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nAma 929. sNt> santaH
f) He Who is worshipped.
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to spread. The word also means 'to bestow, to lengthen' etc. (SrI Apte's
dictionary).
a) SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as "ASritAn santanoti (samyak tanoti) iti
santaH" - He Who makes those who have sought refuge in Him prosper, and
feel joy by thoughts on Him.
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the same interpretation - evam gajendram
SaraNAgatam santanoti iti santaH.
b) SrI BhaTTar gives two other alternate interpretations: 'teshAm asti iti
santaH' - He Who exists for His devotees is santaH.
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"Neither Your divya Atma svarUpam, nor Your divya ma'ngaLa vigraham, nor
for that matter Your weapons, or Your own SrI vaikunTham, are for Your
benefit (they are all for Your devotees' benefit, and thus You are not
independent, but You are the possession of Your devotees). Even so, You
shine as the Supreme Being".
c) Or, tebhyaH ishTam dattavAn iti santaH - He Who bestows the desired
benefits on His devotees is santaH.
e) SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives the derivation for the nAma as 'sampUrvAt
tanoteH DaH vyAptaH' - He who is present everywhere and permeates
everything. This is consistent with the meaning tanu - vistAre - to spread.
f) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the root san- sambhaktau - to worship,
and gives the interpretation - sanyate ArAdhyate sma iti santaH - He Who is
worshipped, is santaH.
g) SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as "samyak tanoti vistArayati jagat iti
santaH" - He Who appropriately (in a controlled way?) expands the world, is
santaH.
The Life-Giver.
jIvanAya namaH.
The root from which the nAma is derived is "jIv - prANa dhAraNe - to live".
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nammAzhvAr describes bhagavAn as "One Whose nature it is to protect" -
kAkkum iyalvinan kaNNa perumAn (tiruvAi. 2.2.9).
All acts of bhagavAn are directed towards protection of the jIva-s. His
swallowing the whole Universe with all beings at the time of pralaya, is only for
the purpose of protecting them and giving them new bodies in the next cycle
of creation. When a being meets with 'death', it is only a means of removing
the old, aged body, and giving the jIva a new body. Thus, bhagavAn is Life-
giver in is acts of creation, protection and destruction.
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from SrI vishNu purANam:
(VP 69)
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jIvanaH.
SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as "One Who is the Life-spark in all
living creatures". He gives support from the gItA:
(gItA 15.13)
"Permeating the earth I support all beings by My energy; and having become
the juicy Moon I nourish all herbs".
SrI vAsishTha indicates the base root for the nAma as sthA - gati nivRttau -
to stand, to wait, to be at hand, etc. pari is a prefix which means 'round, round
about' etc.
(vishNu dharma.)
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dedicated to His thought permanently.
SrI kRshNan's anubhavam is that bhagavAn went round and round gajendra, to
find out all the places where he might have suffered injury in his encounter
with the crocodile, so that He can comfort the elephant as needed, and so He
is called paryavasthitaH.
SrI bala deva vidyA bhUshaN also explains the nAma in terms of bhagavAn
being around gajendra with vAtsalyam - vAtsalya bhareNa gajendrasya
paritaH sthitatvAt paryavasthitaH.
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harm. His vyAkhyAnam is - parito bhaktam avasthitaH tasya rakshAyai iti
paryavasthitaH. He gives support from SrImad bhAgavatam (1.12.9, 10), that
describes the moving episode of how bhagavAn protected parIkshit in his
mother's womb by surrounding the yet-to-be-born child from the brahmAstra
of aSvatthAma:
(bhAga. 1.12.9)
(bhAga. 1.12.10)
"BhagavAn, with angry red eyes, bore the gadA in His hand, and was moving
around like a wind in all directions around the yet-to-be-born child, whirling
the gadA in His hand that was shining like a burning firewood, and destroying
the tejas of the brahmAstram with His gadA like the Sun that removes the
dew. The child wondered aloud who this purusha was, who had suddenly
appeared by his side".
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SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is that bhagavAn pervades everything in this
Universe, and hence is called paryavasthitaH - partiaH sarvato viSvam vyApya
avasthita iti paryavasthitaH.
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Slokam 100
AnNtêpae=nNtïIijRtmNyuÉRyaph>,
ananta--rUpaH
nAma 932. AnNtêp> ananta
a) He of infinite Forms.
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ananta-rUpAya namaH.
The nAma is explained as :
a) One Whohas infinite forms – e.g., through His different incarnations and
manifestations;
b) He Who has a form that is indescribable, and extends in all directions, e.g.,
His viSva rUpam;
c) He Who has form that will never decay, age, or in any way undergo any
change of any kind. We will see the detailed vyAkhyAna-s below.
"I take incarnations as needed,in every yuga, for the purpose of the protection
of the good, the destruction of the evil, and the sustenance of dharma". Even
though three reasons are given here, the primary reason for all His
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incarnations is the one stated first – the protection of His devotees; the other
two are incidental to the first one. The form in which He appeared at the
scene of gajendra moksham was one such form.
(tiruvAi. 1.3.2)
He does not mind taking the form of a Boar, a Fish, a half-man and half-lion
form, etc., in order to fulfill the purpose of His incarnation.
pala palavE AbharaNam pErum palapalavE pala palavE SOdi vaDivu paNbu
eNNilpala pala kaNDu uNDu kETTuRRu mOndu inbampala palavE j~nAmum
pAmbaNai mElArkkEyO.
(tiruvAi.2.5.6)
"The Lord who lies on AdiSesha in the Milky Ocean, has countless variety in
every respect – jewelry adorning Him; names – some being related to valor,
some related to qualities; forms of divine effulgence, yet different roles such
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as para, vyUhas, etc.; He can be enjoyed in several modes – through
singing,through contemplation, through seeing, hearing, etc. He Who lies on
anantan is ananta in the aspects of His rUpa etc. as well".
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the nAma – anantam SASvatam rUpam asya iti ananta-rUpaH – He has
countless forms that are also ever-lasting and permanent. Many of the forms
that He has are there eternally, and those that He takes (such as the vibhava
incarnations) are also there for us to enjoy forever.
SrI satya sandha tIrtha also uses the word ananta in the sense of ever-
lasting,permanent - a-nASAni rUpANi yasya sa ananta-rUpaH (nASa – that
which decays or is destroyed; a-nASa – that which never decays or gets
destroyed).
(R.10.81.3); (yajur.17.19)
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"He Who has eyes on all sides round about Him, mouths on all sides, arms and
feet on all sides; He, the One God, producing earth and heaven, keeping them
together, with His arms as wings..".
ananta--SrIH
nAma 933. AnNtïI> ananta
(vishNudharma 69)
SrI v.v.rAmAnujan comments that both His vibhUti-s – the leelA vibhUti in
this world, and the nitya vibhUti in SrI vaikunTham, are purely for the benefit
of His devotees. He refers us to nAcciyArtirumozhi (10.10), where ANDAL
refers to emperumAn as "Selvar periyar"– One Who is full of wealth and Who
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is mahA purushan. PeriyAzhvAr(2.8.8) refers to perumAL as "SelvattinAl vaLar
piLLai" –One, who, as child kRshNa, was growing amidst abundant wealth.
"Who is the Deity that is the SrI for SrI (Lakshmi devi) Herself? Who is the
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Deity that is the embodiment of sattva guNa? Who is the Deity that is the
Supreme Purusha of all purusha-s? Who is the One who is endowed with
beautiful lotus-like eyes? Who is the One Deity by whose tiny fragment of
Power this whole Universe consisting of the countless forms of cetana and
acetana forms are created, protected,and destroyed? (It is none other than
the Supreme Deity, SrIman nArAyaNa)".
SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning "Sakti"for the word SrI, and gives the
interpretation– anantA a-parimitA SrIH = parA SaktiH asya iti ananta-SrIH –
He of infinite power and glory, because He possesses countless superior Sakti-
s. He quotes the Sruti in support – parA asya SaktiH vividhaiScaSrUyate (Sve.
upa. 6.8) – His supreme Sakti is declared to be various.
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SrI satya sandha tIrtha also interprets the nAma along the same lines– anantA
= nASa-rahitA SrIH avarUpa SrIH yasya sa ananta-SrIH –He Whose wealth is
by nature eternal.
SrI cinmayAnanda refers to the three 'powers' that the Lord expresses in
this universe:
3. j~nAna-Sakti (Knowledge-power).
He adds: "These are expressions of His Glory at our physical (kriyA sakti),
mental (icchA Sakti), and intellectual (j~nAna Sakti) levels. These three
manifestations of His 'powers', and their continuous interplay, together weave
the fabric of the total dynamic expressions of life in this world. The self, SrI
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nArAyaNa, is the one springboard for all these vibrant aspects of life".
jita--manyuH
nAma 934. ijtmNyu> jita
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Perhaps the best example of His control over anger is the incident where sage
bRghu kicked Him on His chest, and in response, bhagavAn calmly comforted
the sage's foot (and, of course, in the process killed the ahamkAra of the
sage).
Lord kRshNa describes how anger develops in us, and the consequences of not
controlling anger:
(gItA 2.62)
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krodhAt bhavati sammohaH sammohAtsmRti-vibhramaH |
(gItA 2.63)
"From anger, there comes delusion; from delusion, the loss of memory; from
loss of memory, the destruction of the ability to discriminate; and with the
destruction of discrimination, he is lost (that is, he gets deeper and deeper
into actions that sink him into the ocean of samsAra)".
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that there are times when bhagavAn forces
Himself to become angry, especially if the offense is such that the subject
needs to be punished; but in these cases, He gets His anger under control as
soon as the object of anger is achieved. One such case is when samudra rAjan
did not respond to His 'request' for assistance during the crossing of the
ocean to SrI la'nkA.
SrI SAstri points to another nAma that has a similar interpretation – jita-
krodhaH (Slokam 49, nAma 463), and distinguishes between three terms–
manyu, kopam, and krodham. manyu is the state where one feels anger at the
mental level, but this has not found externally visible expression. Kopam is the
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state when the anger is visible through facial indications such as reddish eyes.
krodham is the state when this feeling finds expression through harsh words,
banging on things, and other actions indicating the state of anger. BhagavAn
has all these states of anger under full control, and 'becomes' angry only when
needed, but still fully under His control. SrI SAstri points to two incidents in
SrImad rAmAyaNam where sage vAlmIki describes Lord rAma 'getting' angry.
"SrI rAma bent His bow, and set the arrows to them, and, for the purpose of
the destruction of the rAkshasa-s, got Himself angry". In other words, He has
His anger under control, and brings it out only when He wants, as needed.
The second instance is when hanuman was bleeding from the arrows of rAvaNa
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while hanuman was carrying Lord rAma on his shoulders. Then Lord rAma again
'got angry'. When He Himself undergoes personal suffering in any of His
incarnations, such as the rAma incarnation, He is in complete control of His
anger. But when His devotee suffers, He deliberately and knowingly 'invites'
anger to Himself – in other words, under full control of Himself, He decides to
be angry. This is because He cannot tolerate His devotee's suffering.
The reader is referred to the write-up for nAma 463, since much of this
information is covered there.
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at a bhAgavata's feet, and sent it to svarga lokam instead. SrI kRshNan gives
two other instances where bhagavAn gets anger completely under control once
the object of anger has been achieved. After Lord rAma killed rAvaNa, He
asked vibhhIshaNa to proceed to perform the final rites for his brother.
When vibhIshaNa hesitated because of the feeling of enmity, Lord rAma
pointed out to him that enmity between Him and rAvaNa ended the moment
rAvaNa was dead, and rAvaNa was after all a great warrior who was
undefeated until that time.
"Enmity (between rAvana and Me) was only until rAvaNa's death. Now he is as
related to Me as he is to you. The object of our effort is accomplished. Now
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please proceed to do the final rites for your brother".
Again, when rAvaNa hit hanuman in the forehead, and hanuman was bleeding,
rAma reached the peak of anger (kopasya vAsAM EyivAn – yuddha.59.147). He
attacked rAvaNa fiercely, and in a few moments, he found that rAvaNa was
completely paralyzed by the attack. At that point, instead of continuing the
attack on rAvaNa, rAma calmly told him: "I find you are completely tired and
de-stabilized, and so I will not kill you now. I will permit you to go back to your
palace, take rest and recuperate, and then come back, and then you can see My
true Might".
yuddha. 59.153
yuddha. 59.154
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SrI vAsishTha comments that anger arises towards one who is stronger or
more powerful than oneself, and in the case of bhagavAn, there is no cause for
anger, since there is no one who is superior to Him in any respect.
He Who destroys the fear (of samsAra) in the mind of the devotee.
bhayApahAya namaH.
bhaya means fear. The verb apahan means 'to kill, to destroy'. bhaya-apahaH
means "One Who destroys fear". Both SrI BhaTTar and SrIvAsishTha refer
to the pANini sUtra 3.2.49 –ASishi hanaH, which declares that the affix Da is
added to the root han – to kill, with a sense of benediction ("May He remove
our fear").
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The ending 'ha' means 'to kill, to destroy' (from the verb han – to kill). Tha
pANini sUtra 3.2.50 – ape kleSa tamasoH states that the affix Da comes after
the verb han – to kill, when it is compounded with the preposition ap, and when
the object incomposition with it is the word kleSa – pain, or tamas –darkness.
The above sUtra leads to the words kleSApahaH – remover of pain, and
tamopahaH – remover of darkness. The current nAma bhayApahaH falls in a
similar category – remover of fear.
We studied the nAma bhaya-nASanaH (nAma 838 – Slokam 89), that has a
similar meaning. SrI BhaTTar explains the current nAma as – asmadAd
InAmapi sva-vAtsalyena tAdRSa anAthatva bhayam vadhyAt iti
ASamsanArhaH – By virtue of His love for His devotees, He can be relied upon
to dispel our fear that we have no Protector. He can be relied on to protect us
also just as He protected gajendra, and we can pray to Him for removing our
fear. SrI BhaTTar quotes – bhayemahati magnAnSca trAti nityam
janAradanaH –"JanArdana always protects those who are drowned in the great
fear (of samsAra)".
It is the trust that we can have in bhagavAn that He will surely protect us
without fail if we surrender to Him (mahA viSvAsam) that is emphasized in
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this nAma. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives examples from divya prabandham where
AzhvArs capture this guNa through the use of the word "namban" – One Who
can be trusted.
"nambanai naraSi'nganai"
(periyAzhvAr.5.1.9)
'He the Most Trustworthy One when it came to rakshaNam of the devotees!
He came with His cakra in His hand and relieved the pain and distress of the
great elephant gajendra."
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SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAanam is – bhayam samsAra-jam pumsAm apa-ghnan
bahayApahaH – He Who destroys the fear of repeated cycle of birth and
death in this world in the case of His devotees. (SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam
for the nAma 'bhaya-nASanaH' – Slokam 89, was that bhagavAn removes the
fear of those who follow the path of dharma. In other words, these followers
of dharma do not have any feeling of fear for anything, because bhagavAn
gives them the mental maturity to accept whatever comes as a natural result
of karma, and so they do not have any sorrow or fear of anything).
Sri rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that fear is the state that occurs as a
result of anticipation of some problem, and its effect and intensity is even
more severe and longer lasting than the problem itself. Those who trust in the
Lord do not have this fear, and when any problem does arise, they accept it. A
true devotee is one who sees pain and pleasure without any difference – that
is, he neither rejoices when something good happens, nor suffers when
something bad happens. This is revealed to us in several places in the gItA
(sukhaduhkha same kRtva .. 2.38; duhkeshvanudvigna manAHsukheshu vigata
spRhaH…2.56; etc.).
SrI kRshNan's anubhavam for the nAma is that bhagavAn not only removed
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the fear of gajendra, but also that of the crocodile, which got the fear of the
curse removed on seeing bhagavAn.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the pATham 'byAvahaH', which has a similar
meaning (avahan – to strike away, to fend off.)
catur--aSraH
nAma 936. cturï> catur
a) SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning "One Who is skilled in all aspects" as the
meaning for the nAma "catur-aSraH". SrImad ANDavan explains that
bhagavAn has this nAma indicating that He does whatever is appropriate in the
benefit of the devotee under any and all circumstances. In the current
context of gajendra moksham, He relieved the crocodile from it curse, He
fulfilled the desire of gajendra to perform flower kainkaryam to Him, and He
demonstrated to all of us that He will definitely protect those who surrender
to Him, all with His one act of responding to gajendra's call the way He did.
He could have taken care of the crocodile from SrI vaikunTham itself, but He
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did not do that. When gajendra screamed out for help, He rushed to the scene
even with all His ornaments not properly positioned – garjate gajAya jagAma.
And, He invited upon Himself great anger against the meager 'water-creature'
– kshudra jalakITAya cukrodha; all because of His extreme concern for His
devotee. Thus, all His actions are appropriate and consistent with His real
nature – 'kAkkumiyalvinan' according to nammAzhvAr – One Whose real nature
is that of protection.
Using the meaning 'cAturya', or skill for the word 'catur', SrI VeLukkuDi
kRshNan gives an example of bhagavAn's cAturyam from SrImad rAmAyaNam.
During vAli vadham, when vAli lies wounded by rAma's arrow, first he starts
accusing rAma of unfairly hitting him while hiding behind a tree. vAli and rAma
exchange some words, and at the end, just before dying, vAli praises rAma for
His righteousness. It is not easy to mortally wound someone, and then have him
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praise the one who is causing your death. This is clearly possible only for One
who is a caturasraH – skilled in all respects.
SrI ananta kRshna SAstry gives an elaborate list of examples and explanations
for the term catura (four) in the nAma:
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c) SrI vAsishTha derives the nAma fromthe root cad – yAcane – to ask, and
the application of the uNAdi sUtra cater-uran (5.58), which states that the
affix uran comes after the root cat, giving the word 'catur'.
SrI vAsishTha gives the meaning "One who asks for something", or "One from
whom something is asked", to the term 'catur' – catati catyate vA iti – catur.
SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as "One who has a deep and profound
nature",that is beyond the understanding of even the likes of brahmA and
others – anyeshAm catur-mukha-mukhAnAm apradhRshya gAmbhIryaH
gabhIrAtmA.
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anyway.
SrI kRshNan adds that Siva who was fortunate enough to have borne the
SrIpAda tirtham of bhagavAn (in the form of ga'ngA) in his head, or brahmA
who is the best among those who have been endowed with knowledge (brahma
vidAm varaH), are not able to see His true nature eventhough they have been
performing penance for this for a long, long time. He refers us to toNDaraDip
poDi AzhvAr:
(tirumAlai 44)
nammAzhvAr points out that brahmA can know things that he created, but
cannot have full knowledge of all things that existed long before he was
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created. Thus, his knowledge of the One who created all the things including
brahmA, is not totally within his comprehension:
(tiruvAi.1.3.6)
In fact, bhagavAn is One whose greatness is such that even He cannot know it
(tiruvAi. 7.7.1)
"We humans cannot see, with our physical eyes, the likes of brahmA, Siva,and
indra. Exactly in the same manner, they also cannot see my Lord kRshNa".
(tiruvAi. 8.3.9)
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"Oh Lord who is always associated with SrI or Lakshmi! The likes of brahma
and Siva are incapable of fathoming Your true greatness. Where is the need to
even discuss this limitation of theirs?
"Who can comprehend the greatness of emperumAn who is like the deep
ocean,and who swallowed all the Universes at the time of pralaya, and then spit
them out at the time of creation? No one! The eight- eyed brahmA (four-
faced), and Siva who has the blue neck (because he swallowed the poison), do
not even know the greatness of the surest means to reach Him – the carama
Sloka.
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Sage vAlmIki describes Lord rAma as "samudra iva gAmbhIrye" - "deep as the
Ocean"; bhagavAn conceals His greatness such that even the deva-s can't
easily recognize His greatness without deep devotion.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri elaborates that His mind is such that He never gets
disturbed easily, and does not easily reveal what is in His mind, as He considers
pros and cons of everything deeply.
SrI vAsishTha gives interpretations based on the root gam – gatau- to go:
gacchati gamyate = prApyate anena – He because of Whom everything is
attained, or, 'gacchanti = prApnuvanti, dhyAyanti prArthayante vA
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sagabhIraH' - He Who is the object of attainment, meditation or worship, is
gabhIraH. He is also gabhIraH since He makes everything move – gacchati =
gamana-SilaH; He makes even the sthAvara-s such as plants, trees etc. move
through death or decay.
a) One Whose nature, forms, and qualities are spread out in all directions.
e) He Who is the cause of happiness for the knowers (of Brahman) – based on
vid – to know.
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f) He Who has revealed all SAstra-s in elaborate detail.
vidiSAya namaH.
This nAma and the next two nAma-s all have root diS in them in one form or
another (vidiSaH, vyAdiSaH, diSaH). The root has different meanings –
direction, order or command, dAnam or bestowing, etc. The different
interpreters use different permutations of these meanings in their
interpretations for the three nAma-s.
SrI vAsishTha indicates the root for the nAma as diS – atisarjane – to grant,
to allow (atisarjanam = dAnam). He takes vi - as an upasarga,meaning 'vividah' –
of different types.
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nAt tazhumba nAnmuganum IsanumAimuRaiyAl Etta
While the four-headed brahmA and Siva praise Him till their tongues gets
scars, (He does not reveal Himself to them; instead, He becomes pratyaksham
to devotees like prahlAda etc.).
Sivanum piramanum kANAdu aru mAl eydi aDi parava aruLai IndaammAnE
(tiruvAi. 10.7.6)
Siva and brahmA are not in a position to comprehend the Lord in full, but still
they pay homage to Him in humility and devotion, and the Lord does protect
them in times of need; (but without any prayer, He shows grace to the whole
universe at the time of pralaya by protecting all the jIva-s in His stomach).
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All the different Siva-s and brahmA-sthatare created in the different yuga-s
are but bodies of dAmOdaran, and they are incapable of realizing the full
greatness of emperumAn.
However, emperumAn whose greatness is far beyond the reach of the likes of
brahmA and Siva, comes readily and willingly to help gajendra just at the mere
cry of distress from him.
c) SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as "One Who bestows diverse fruits on
deserving persons based on their diverse karma-s" - vividhAni phalAni
adhikAribhyo viSesheNa diSati iti vidiSah (based on diS – atisarjane – to
grant).
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj's interpretation is also along the same lines –
viSesheNa diSati = dadAtibhaktebhyaH abhIshTam iti vi-diSaH – He Who
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bestows the desired objects to His devotees.
SrI cinmayAnanada echoes the same interpretation: "One Who is unique in His
giving". He is divinely liberal, magnificently benevolent in fulfilling the earnest
desires of all His true devotees.
d) SrI vAsishTha comments that the nAma also signifies that bhagavAn
pervades everything, everywhere, in all directions, and there is no place where
He is not present.
e) SrI satya sandha tIrtha looks at the nAma as vidi-SaH, and derives the
meaning based on vid – to know, and Sam – sukham: vidiSi = j~nAniniSam =
sukham yasmAt sa vidi-SaH – He Who is the cause of happiness in those who
are knowledgeable (about Brahman).
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upadiSati iti vidiSaH" – He Who shows in a special way (referring to bhagavAn
showing the procedures for performance of sacrifices etc. very clearly - vi =
atiSayena ya~jna kriyA prakArAn diSati = upadiSatiiti vidiSaH). The
explanation can equally apply to His revelation of all the SAstra-s and the
codes of conduct.
a) SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as "One Who establishes the likes of
brahmA and rudra in their respective functions" – teshAm abhimatam tat-tat-
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padam atisRjati iti vyAdiSaH (teshAm here refers back to nAma 937, where
SrI BhaTTar refers to brahmA and rudra).
(tiruvAi. 5.2.8)
"In order to accommodate the people with different tastes for worship,
bhagavAn formed the anya devatA-s from His body, and established them in
their various positions so that offerings can be made to them, which ultimately
reach Him. So it is none other than bhagavAn who established the lower
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deities in their various positions, so that they can collect offerings from their
respective devotees, and pass them on to Him".
SrI kRshNan uses a different version for Sri BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam than the
ones found in the available publications, but the interpretation is enjoyable as
an illustration of one more of bhagavAn's guNa-s: tat tat abhimata deSam
sRjati iti vyAdiSaH – He Who bestows whatever is desired by the devotees.
He explains that in the case of gajendra moksham episode, gajendra got what
he wanted, namely the opportunity to offer the lotus flower at the Feet of
emperumAn; the crocodile got its curse removed; BhagavAn Himself had the
chance to demonstrate once more that for Him, the protection of His devotee
is the most important thing He is concerned about; all of us get our sins
removed by thinking of and listening to this episode. Thus, with one act, He has
given His blessings in one form or the other to everyone.
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indra was satisfied that he got his wish fulfilled; mahAbali was happy that he
got the chance to give dAnam to mahA vishNu Himself; everyone in all the
worlds got the blessings of His Holy Feet; The AzhvAr-s are happy that they
got to sing the praise the Holy Feet that accomplished so much for the
devotees; and the SAstra-s themselves were happy that bhagavAn proved
their declaration that all the worlds belong to Him.
SrI satya devo vAsishTha uses the root diS – atisarjane – to grant, to allow
(atisarjanam = dAnam), and explains the nAma as "vividham AsamantAt diSati =
dadAti iti vyAdiSaH – He Who bestows diverse benefits on devotees from all
directions is vidiSaH.
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according to their varied functions.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj derives the nAma as: "viSesheNa AdiSati =
A~jnApayatiiti vyAdiSaH" – He Who commands in s special way (because
everyone and everything is under His command, and there is no exception, it is
'command in a special way).
He Who commands.
diSAya namaH.
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SrI Bhattar uses the meaning 'command' for the word diSa in explaining this
nAma. In addition to establishing the likes of brahmA and rudra in their
positions, bhagavAn also commands and controls them in their proper functions.
This is unlike His treatment of devotees such as gajendra, who are treated
with a much closer intimacy - na tAn gajendravat antara'ngI karoti, kim tu
Aj~nApayatiiti diSaH.
SrI cinamyAnanada captures the same sense in his explanation: "One Who
advises and gives knowledge. Lord nArAyaNa, in the form of the Sruti texts,
gives to man the knowledge of the Self".
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In the beginning of nAma 938, it was pointed out that the nAma-s vidiSaH,
vyAdiSaH, and diSah had similar roots. It is interesting to look at how some of
the well-known vyAkhyAna-kartA-s have approached the interpretation of the
three nAma-s while avoiding repetition in interpretation.
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to their karma (diSati = dadAti; diS = dAnam). vyAdiSaH – He Who gives
directions to indra and othersaccording to their various functions. diSaH – He
Who bestows fruits for the variousritualistic actions specified in the veda-s.
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Slokam 101
AnaidÉURÉuRvae lúmI> suvIrae éicra¼d>,
SrI vAsishTha derives the nAma from the root dA – dAne – to give, and gives
the interpretation "na AdIyate iti anAdiH" – He Who is not easily attained.
The word Adi means 'beginning'. One interpretation for the nAma is "He Who
is beginningless".
SrI SrImushNam ANDavan explains the nAma as "na dIyate iti AnadiH" – He
Who does not give Himself to the non- devotees. SrI BhaTTar comments: evam
tiryakshvapi bahkteshuvivaSaH; brahmAdishu phalgu phalameva prayacchati –
He gives Himself to the complete control of animals such as gajendra, but
when it comes to the likes of brahmA and rudra, He gives them only meager
fruits. He does not bestow the same level of benefits on the likes of brahmA
and rudra as He does on His dear devotees. He gives Himself freely to the
likes of gajendra, who have surrendered to Him. But He does not give the likes
of brahmA and rudra the same benefits, namely the ability to realize Him and
reach Him, as He bestows on devotees such as gajendra, and so He is anAdiH.
SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan comments that even though brahmA and rudra obey
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the Lord, it is not necessarily out of love, but more out of fear (because of
bhIti rather than prIti). BhagavAn is bound by prIti, and not by bhIti, and so
the likes of gajendra can attain Him easily, whereas the likes of brahmA and
rudra don't stand a chance. BhagavAn is not realized as the Supreme Deity by
the likes of brahmA and rudra; they rush to Him only when they are in danger,
and need His help. At other times, they long after other benefits, such as
their positions, rather than devoting their efforts to attaining Him. Thus,
bhagavAn is called anAdiH also because He is not realized by many as the
Supreme Deity.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri expresses the thought as "One Who is not accepted
by those who are driven by pride and haughtiness (Serukku)".
SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as: "na AdIyate iti anAdiH" – He Who is not
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'given' to us though our mind, indirya-s etc. na AdIyate = gRhyate sa-
manaskaiH j~nAnendriyaiH karmendriyaiSca itianAdiH. The meaning is that He
is not accessible to us through the means of the mind and indirya-s.
b) SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning 'beginning' for the word 'Adi', and gives the
interpretation – AdiH = kAraNam asya na vidyata itianAdiH, sarva kAraNatvAt
– He Who is beginningless, because He is the cause of everything.
bhUr--bhuvaH
nAma 942. ÉUÉuRv> bhUr
a) He Who is the abode of those who really live (by realizing their relation to
the Lord).
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bhuvo-bhuve namaH.
SrI vAsishTha derives the nAma from the root bhU – sattAyAm – to be, to
live. Based on the declension of the noun bhU, the first part, bhU, is
interpreted as 'AdhAra - support', and the second part, bhuvaH, is taken as
the 6th case – the genitive case, giving the meaning for 'bhuvaH = of the
support". SrI vAsishTha's explanation is: prathamo bhU Sabda AdhAra
vAcakaH prathamAnto, dvitIyaSca shashThyantaH pRthivI vAcakaH. In other
words, bhagavAn bhuvaH bhUH – The Support of all supports. The different
interpretations can be viewed on the basis of this meaning.
a) SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as: "bhavati iti bhUH – svadAsya j~nAnena
AtmalAbhavAn; tasya bhuvaH, svayameva bhUH = padam iti bhUr-bhuvaH" – A
person who has the correct knowledge that he is the servant of the Lord and
that the Lord is the Master, is one who is bhU – one who really lives. For that
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b) SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma as "bhuvo'pi bhUH" – He Who supports the
Earth, which itself supports everything else.
SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as "bhavanti asyAm iti bhUH – pRthivI;
tasyA bhUH – AdhAraH" – He is the Support of the earth, and so He is bhUr-
bhuvaH. He is also the Creator as well as the Sustainer of everything -
bhuvayor bhAvayitA = utpAdako mUlAdhAraH sa bhUr-bhuvaucyate.
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gives the alternate interpretation – bhuva itij~nAnam, tasya bhUH = udbhava
iti bhuvo bhUH – He Who is the source or Origin of knowledge. He refers to
the gItA Slokam 15.15 in support:
(gItA 15.15)
The Wealth.
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lakshmyai namaH.
SrI BhaTTar comments that bhagavAn has this nAma signifying that He alone
is all the wealth for His devotees – teshAm lakshmIH – sarvA sampat ca. He
gives examples from the rAmAyaNa and the mahAbhArata:
(yuddha. 19.6)
(vibhIshaNa says to Lord rAma): "My kingdom, my life and my happiness are all
centered in You".
(droNa. 183.24)
"For the pANDava-s, SrI kRshNa is the sole support. kRshNa is their strength,
and kRshNa is their protector. SrI kRshNa is their sole Lord, even as the moon
is to the stars".
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avarE iniAvArE. (tiruvAi. 5.1.8)
"Beautiful damsels that one loves here, money and affluence, offspring on
which one dotes, much-praised mother and father are, hereafter, for me none
except my Lord. He is ALL to me".
SrI kRshnan explains the nAma as "One Who has all the wealth for giving away
to the devotees, One Who is endowed with limitless wealth; One Who has
lakshmi Herself as His Consort". In addition, He is Himself the wealth for the
devotees who seek Him and nothing else. SrI kRshNan gives additional support
from SrImad rAmAyaNam:
of any kind that I wish in this world; all I wish for is for You, My Lord rAma".
"My mind does not seek anything except eternal and constant devotion to You;
all I wish for eternal service-minded dedication to You".
"My eyes that have seen my sweet Nectar, the Lord of SrIra'ngam, will never
see anything else ever again".
ic-cuvai taviRa yAn pOi ac-cuvai perinum vENDEn ara'nga mA nagar uLAnE
(toNDaraDippoDi)
"When I have this taste of enjoying You right here and now, My Lord
ra'nganAtha! I will not trade this even for the taste of the after - life in SrI
vaikunTham".
SrI Sa'nkara gives a few combinations of the three words bhUH, bhuvaH, and
lakshmIH, and gives interpretations for these combinations. We saw the
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interpretation for one of these combinations - bhUr-bhuvaH in the previous
nAma. Now he proceeds to give two other combinations: bhuvo-lakshmIH, and
bhUr-bhuvo- lakshmIH
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An alternate interpretation he gives for the nAma taken as bhUr-bhuvo-
lakshmIH is "He Who is in the form of this earth (BhUH), the firmament
(bhuvaH), and Atma vidyA – the science of Atman (lakshmIH)". Here Sri
Sa'nkara gives the meaning "Atma vidyA" or the science of Atman to the word
'lakshmIH', based on vishNu purANam 1.9.118, where Lakshmi is praised as
Atma vidyA – Atma vidyA ca devitvam. The idea is that Lakshmi and bhagavAn
are the Ones who give Atma vidyA or the knowledge of the Self to the seeker.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that the nAma is of feminine gender, and
denotes that bhagavAn is One Who is always associated with Goddess Lakshmi,
and in fact She never leaves Him ever, and is always residing in His vaksha
sthalam. When bhagavAn takes incarnations, She always accompanies Him; for
instance, when He took incarnation as rAma, She took incarnation as SitA, and
when He took incarnation as kRshNa, She came as rukmiNi. Thus, She is
inseparable from Him, and it is this duality together that we should worship.
We have the well-known pASuram of nammAzhvAr:
agalakillEn iRaiyum enRu alarmEl ma'ngai uRai mArbA! nigar il pugazhAi ulagam
mUnRuuDaiyAi, ennai AlvAnE!…
(tiruvAi. 6.6.10)
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"O! Lord of tiruvE'nkaTam! You rule over me, and You in fact own all the things
in all the three worlds. Your kIrti (fame) is beyond compare to anything. Our
Mother, alarmEl ma'ngai (mahA lakshmi), resides in Your vaksha sthalam
(Divine chest), declaring that She is ever inseparable from You, and will never
ever leave Her rightful place with You".
The nAma thus signifies that bhagavAn is ever associated with the qualities of
beauty, fame, splendor, wealth, and in fact the fullness of all auspicious
qualities, that are signified by Goddess lakshmi.
SrI cinmayAnanda captures the idea that bhagavAn is the Sole source of all
that is good and beautiful in this universe through the following words: "If
Self were not, then all would have been inert, unborn, dead. As the One Life
everywhere, as Pure Existence, all the glories of this dynamic Universe are in
Him and from Him alone".
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SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj derives his interpretation starting from the root
laksha – darSanA'nkanayoH – to notice, to define, to regard; or alternatively,
the root laksh – Alocane – to perceive, to observe. His interpretations are:
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encountered in samsAra which is full of impediments to reaching Him.
SrI satya sandha tIrtha uses the same root – laksh – darSanA'nkayoH – to
regard, and gives the interpretation: lakshayatipuNyakRto, lakshayate
puNyakRtbhiH iti vA lakshmIH. BhagavAn is called lakshmIH since He regards
those who are endowed with good virtues as His treasure, or because He is
regarded as the Supreme Lord by the virtuous.
SrI vAsishTha uses the same root in his interpretation as well, and explains
the nAma as – lakshayati = darSayati iti lakshmIH – He Who makes those who
are endowed with lakshmI – wealth, beauty, etc., shine distinguishably. In fact,
He, in the form of lakshmI, is present everywhere and pervades everything,
and makes all things known. He gives the example of the Sun, which is visible
from a vast distance away, because he has endowed the Sun with the SobhA or
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splendor.
d) One Who, in His kRshna incarnation, was associated with various other
auspicious vIra-s.
suvIrAya namaH.
Interpretations have been given based on the words vIra – One Who is
valorous, and also based on the root Ir – gatau – to go. In the latter
interpretation, su - and vi - are treated as upasarga-s orprepositions (su -
meaning 'good', and vi – meaning vividha – various, per SrI satya devo
vAsishTha).
The related nAma – vIraH, has been described in Sloka-s 43 (nAma402), and
70 (nAma 664). The reader is referred to the detailed write-ups under both
these nAma-s in addition to the current write-up.
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a) SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning 'valorous' for the term 'vIra', and explains
the nAma as "One Who is valorous in defending His devotees from their
downfall, and retrieving those who have had a downfall – teshAm vinipAta
pratIkAraH.
BhagavAn uses the stick that He used for directing the horses of the chariot,
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and though this stick itself could not kill, He still used it so skillfully that
arjuna was able to finish the task that He wanted to get fulfilled, and reduced
the bhU-bhAram or the load on the earth by destroying the fighters of both
sides.
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comments that through this nAma, bhagavAn's vIra, Saurya and parAkrama
are all described. If one were to ask why this great term 'su-vIra' needs to be
invoked in the context of His killing this small creature in the form of a
crocodile, SrI kRshNan notes that whether it is a small creature like the
crocodile or a big creature like rAvaNa, for bhagavAn what counts is that it is
an enemy of His devotee. Once this is established, He displays His guNa of
being a su-vIra in defending His devotee, no matter how insignificant this
creature is.
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movements.
SrI ananta kRshna SAstry elaborates that the different movements referred
to here are His occupying the hearts of the yogin-s, His being in the Sun's
disc, in the Milky Ocean, etc.
SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as: "One Who moves through various
ways which are all divinely glorious; Or, One Who exhibits in all His
incarnations the inimitable splendor of valor in His actions and achievements".
c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri uses the same root Ir, and explains that
bhagavAn has this nAma signifying that He is accessible to us through
different means (e.g., bhakti, prapatti).
d) SrI bala deva vidyA bhUsahN interprets the nAma as One, Who, in His
kRshna incarnation, was associated with many vIra-s alongside Him is su-vIraH
– tataH samAgateshu sakhishu suvIraH SobhanAH SrIdAmasubhadrAdayaH
svatulyA vIrA yasya sa su-vIraH.
Given that bhIshma had already described bhagavAn's guNa of vIrya through
two references to this guNa earlier (in Sloka-s 43 and 70), the question arises
as to why He is now describing another guNa - 'su-vIraH'. One way to
appreciate this subtlety is to realize that the nAma vIra was interpreted as a
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reference to His parAkrama in His encounters with His enemies in general. As
we saw in the study of the nAma vIra-hA (nAma-s 168, 747, 927), vIra-s
(those endowed with valor or the skill to defeat opponents) are of two kinds:
good and bad. BhagavAn's nAma of vIra that we studied in Sloka-s 43 and 70
refer to His guNa of vIra in containing the bad vIra-s who use their vIrya in
committing extensive atrocities and a-dharma in general, by curtailing these
evil vIra-s in their root. Thus, bhagavAn destroys the 'vIra-s' who win at any
cost, either by using fallacious arguments in their disputations in philosophical
discussions, or by using their strength for wrong and a-dharmic causes (such as
'vIra-s' like rAvaNa in committing atrocities against the followers of the
righteous path). The nAma su-vIrah that we are studying currently, is a special
class of this quality of emperumAn, and describes the use of this guNa by Him
in ensuring that His devotees who encounterany obstacle will in the end come
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out of it auspiciously, with His help and support. In other words, the current
nAma describes His guNa of ensuring auspiciousness to His devotees under all
circumstances.
b) He Who gives a beautiful body to those who are devoted (e.g., to the hunch-
backed woman).
d) He Who has given elegant means for all creatures to move about.
rucirA'ngadAya namaH.
a) The meaning of the nAma can be easily comprehended if we look at the
nAma in terms of the individual words comprising the nAma: rucira-anga-daH.
SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as 'ruciram = ati-manoharam, anubhava
bhogyam a'ngam dadAti iti ricirA'ngadaH' – He Who bestows His lovely form
to His devotees which is fit to be enjoyed very much. SrI BhaTTar quotes
from the jitante stotram in support (this has been referenced in nAma 923 as
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well)
"Neither Your divya Atma svarUpam, nor Your divya ma'ngaLa vigraham, nor
for that matter Your weapons, or Your own SrI vaikunTham, are for Your
benefit (they are all for Your devotees' benefit, and thus You are not
independent, but You are the possession of Your devotees). Even so, You shine
as the Supreme Being".
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Sev-vAi undi veN paL SUDark kuzhai tammODu evvAic cuDarum tammil mun
vaLAik koLLa Sev-vAi muruvalODu enadu uLLattu irunda avvAi anRi yAn aRiyEn
maRRaruLE.
(tiruvAi. 8.7.7)
"I am truly enchanted by the reddish lips, the beautiful navel, the shining row
of teeth, the lustrous ear ornaments, all competing with one another in
encircling me and enslaving me. But the most successful of them all is the
blossoming smile in the red lips, through which the Lord communicates His
message with me while in my heart. Nothing else can equal this grace".
kaNgaL Sivandu periyavAi, vAyum Sivandu kanindu, uLLE veN pal ilagu SuDar
ilagu vilagu makara kuNDalattan koNDal vaNNan SuDar muDiyan nAngu tOLan
kuni SAr'ngan oN Sa'ngau gadai vAL AzhiyAn oruvan aDiyEn uLLAnE.
(tiruvAi. 8.8.1)
"The one, unique, Lord shines as my soul's soul in me. I see Him in me! With
large, beautiful, red eyes, with His mouth and lips resembling beautiful deep
red fruits, with the rows of beautiful teeth showing ever so slightly with
beautiful luster, with the fish- shaped ear ornaments, the cloud-hued One,
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with shining crown, with four long arms, with the five overpoweringly beautiful
weapons (Sa'nkha, cakra, gadA, Sar'nga, and khadga) – with all these, He
stands inside me".
In these four lines, AzhvAr beautifully captures the beauty of His Form, but
also the fact that this lovely form is there only for devotees like AzhvAr to
enjoy.
Innumerable indeed are the places where our AzhvAr-s and AcArya-s have
delved deep into this anubhavam of bhagavAn's tirumEni - tiruppANAzhvAr's
amalanAdIpirAn, bhagavad rAmAnuja's gadya trayam, svAmi deSikan's
bhagavad dhyAna sopAnam and SrI devanAyaka pa'ncAsat, among others. For
the sake of brevity, details are not included here.
SrI kRshnan gives the instance of gajendra moksham, and notes that for a
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devotee such as gajendra, bhagavAn gave His divine tirumEni (by embracing
him all around). He also refers us to tiruvAimozhi 1.9, all the ten pASuram-s of
which describe how bhagavAn gives the enjoyment of Himself to AzhvAr in
gradual steps at a time (instead of giving this anubhavam all at once in one
dose), just so that AzhvAr is not overwhelmed by this divine experience.
c) SrI Sa'nkara looks at the nAma as rucire = kalyANe a'ngade yasya iti
rucirA'ngadaH – One Who is adorned with two beautiful shoulder ornaments
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(refer to the nAma kanakA'ngadI – nAma 545).
d) SrI satya devo vAsishTha derives an interpretation based on the root a'ng –
gatau – to go, and explains the nAma as: sundara gati yuktamSarIram, sundram
gamanam vA yo dadAti sa rucirA'ngadaH - One Who has given a body equipped
with the means for all creatures to move around
The Creator.
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jananAya namaH.
The root for the nAma is jan – prAdurbhAve – to be born. SrI vAsishTha
explains the nAma as "janayati iti jananaH, sarvasya jagato jananaH, svayam
ajo'pi" - One Who creates everything else, but Who Himself is not born. SrI T.
S. Krishnamoorthy explains that the application of pANini sUtra 3.3.113 leads
to the word jananaH from the root jan – "The suffix lyuT(ana) is added to a
verbal root to form verbal nouns, denoting either the action itself, or the
instrument, or the place where the action takes place. … Here,jananaH, in
masculine is derived in the sense of agency – kartari."
From this nAma onwards, till almost the end (till nAma 992), SrI BhaTTar
interprets the nAma-s as conveying the purpose for which bhagavAn
undertakes all His actions. – atha sarva bhagavad vyApArANAmprayojanam.
We will see that everything that bhagavAn undertakes is for the sole benefit
of the jIva-s, without exception.
First, we start with His act of creation. SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam is – tad-
anubhava kshama karaNa yuktAn anyAnapi janayati iti jananaH – He creates us
and other beings also, gifted with the indirya-s etc., for enjoying Him. SrI
kRshnan quotes the following in support:
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vicitrA deha sampattiH ISvarAya niveditum |
"Brahman creates us fully endowed with the means of karma such as hands,
legs, etc., just so we can dedicate these in the service of the Lord".
Out of His compassion, bhagavAn gives the jIva-s a body, with all the indriya-s,
and a form that is based on their karma-s, so that they can better themselves
in that birth and move towards Him. He also gives us the free will to use our
capabilities to either move towards Him, or misuse all our faculties and divert
them to other causes. If we misuse the opportunity, of course, we are reborn
to have another chance again, according to our accumulated karma-s. (Lest
some readers get confused and think that brahmA is the one who creates,
nammAzhvAr repeatedly reminds us that it is bhagavAn who is the true
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Creator, who creates the mahat, the pa'nca mahA bhUta-s, the brahmANDa
etc., and then creates brahmA inside this brahmANDa, and gives him the
knowledge to continue the process of creation inside the brahmANDa, and
gives Him the power to do this by being his antaryAmi. So it is bhagavAn who is
the true Creator).
SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as: "Lord SrI nArAyaNa is the great
Father of all living beings, as all the universe comes from Him alone. He alone
was before all creation; from Him alone everything has arisen; in Him
everything exists, is nurtured and nourished by His Glory. Thus, as the very
progenitor of the universe, SrI nArAyaNa, the Self, is the only jagad-Isvara
(Lord of the Universe)." SrI cinmayAnanda refers us to the gItA:
(11.43)
"You are the Father of this world, of all that moves and that does not move.
You are its teacher and the One most worthy of reverence. There is none equal
to You. How then could there be in all the three worlds another greater than
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You, O Being of matchless greatness?".
SrI satya sandha tIrtha's alternate anubhavam is: janam nayati iti jananaH –
He Who leads all beings isjana-naH.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as – janayati mudam sva-
janAnAm hRdayeshu iti jananaH - He Who generates delight in the hearts of
His devotees is jananaH.
jana--janmAdiH
nAma 947. jnjNmaid> jana
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AdiH. Most interpreters explain the nAma as "He Who is the Cause of all living
beings". As we see below, the word Adi is interpreted as "root' or "cause" in
this interpretation.
a) SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as "janAnAm janmana AdiH" - One Who is
the cause of all living things. He looks at the nAma as: jAyante iti janAH;
janma = jananam; AdiH = 'dadAteH' – He Who gives, He Who is the root cause
– mUla kAraNam.
b) SrI BhaTTar gives this interpretation as well, but in addition adds that He
is also the 'prayojanam', or the ultimate goal for the living beings that are
blessed with birth with a body – teshAmjanAnAm janmana AdiH = nimittam
(root cause), prayojanam (benefit or fruit of the birth) iti jana-janmAdiH. In
fact, in the context ofthe theme of SrI BhaTTar's interpretation, his
emphasis is on the 'prayojanam', or "root purpose" of being this birth. He gives
several supports that declare that the prime purpose of this birth that we are
given by bhagavAn, is to attain Him through expiation of our karma-s.
"This day my birth has become fruitful, and my night has given place to an
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auspicious dawn, because I am going to see Lord kRshNa" – words of akrUra on
the prospects of having the darSanam of Lord kRshNa.
The only act that is not fruitless in this life is that which has something to do
with kRshNa.
"Amongst all beings, the body of that person is of good birth which shines with
hair standing on their ends out of joy when the name of kRshNa is
pronounced".
udbhavaH, tasya AdiH, mUla kAraNam iti jana-janmAdiH – The primary Cause
of beings.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj's interpretation is along the same lines as well –
janAnAm = prANinAm janmanaH AdiH iti jana-janmAdiH.
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agni, etc.,) obey Him out of sheer fear, signified by His nAma bHImaH. SrI
kRshNa datta bhAradvAj quotes SrImad bhAgavatam in support:
"The five great elements, the three world that are constituted from these,
and all of us fear that great destroyer, who himself fears the great Supreme
Brahman. Let that Supreme Being protect us".
For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar stresses another aspect
of His being frightful – by His punishing the Jiva-s who refuse to follow the
proper and prescribed path of dharma in their lifetime. He pushes them into
another janma, or into naraka etc., even though this is done for the ultimate
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benefit of the jIva, so that the jIva can correct himself and have another
opportunity in another birth. SrI BhaTTar notes that bhagavAn chooses this
treatment only when a being does not wish to resort to the Grace that He
naturally shows – mahA anugraha vimukhAnAm bhImaH. He gives support for
this interpretation from the gItA:
(gItA 16.19)
"I throw those who hate Me repeatedly into the samsAra, and into none other
than demonic wombs, for they are cruel, unholy, and the worst of men".
"To those who are truly devoted to Him, and who worship Him without any
other benefit in mind than Himself – those who do not bargain with Him for
benefit, He is easy to realize. To those who worship Him with some benefit in
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mind, He bestows this benefit, and then moves away from them; He is not
accessible to them and is not attainable by them".
SrI Sa'nkara gives the meaning – bhaya hetutvAt bhImaH – He Who is the
cause of fear, and gives the mantra from kaThopanishad in support – "mahad-
bhayam vajramudyatam" (2.3.2) – "He is a great fear like an uplifted
thunderbolt (to those who attempt to defy Him)".
SrI Sa'nkara has given an alternate pATham in Slokam 39 for this nAma – a-
bhImaH, and has given the interpretation - "One Who causes no fear to those
who follow the righteous path".
SrI rAdhAkRshNaSAstri gives the following support for the nAma a-bhImaH:
- bhIshNam abhIshaNam (nRsimhottara. 6.1) – He Who is frightful and at the
same time not frightful. It is well-known that in His nRsimha incarnation,
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Recall that through the current set of nAma-s, SrI BhaTTar is describing the
prayojanam or reason for bhagavAn's vyApara-s or actions. His being bhImaH
or the cause of fear to the non-devotees etc., and His meting out punishment
to them for their a-dharmic deeds, is to maintain order, to protect His
devotees, and to help the non-conforming jIva-s so that they can correct
themselves and attain Him over time.
bhIma--parAkramaH
nAma 949. ÉImpra³m> bhIma
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SrI BhaTTar explains that bhagavAn has terrific powers that strike terror in
the hearts of the likes of hiraNya, rAvaNa, etc. This is a benefit to the
devotees, since it keeps the evil souls under restraint. It is also of benefit to
the evil souls themselves, because it keeps them under control, like keeping a
mad person fettered so that he does not hurt himself.
SrI kRshNan notes that the previous nAma – bhIma, dealt with jIva-s who
were not following the path of dharma in their code of conduct, whereas the
current nAma deals with those who go one step further and are bent upon
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doing harm to the world.
SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma as – bhaya hetuH parAkramaH asya iti bhIma
parAkramaH – His prowess is such that it will strike terror in the heart of the
enemy. He explains the nAma as a reference to bhagavAn causing fear in the
hearts of the asura-s during His incarnations.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that even the fact that bhagavAn induces
fear in the hearts of His enemies, turns out to be for their good in another
sense as well – by constantly worrying about bhagavAn's parAkramam, they
keep Him in their minds always, and this ends up purifying them over time. He
gives Slokam 7.1.30 from SrImad bhAgavatam in support. However, all the
Sloka-s of the referenced chapter are relevant, since the topic of the chapter
itself is how bhagavAn uses His parAkrama for the elimination of the vil and
the preservation of the good.
These Sloka-s declare that bhagavAn's punishment to the asura-s is purely for
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the removal of their sins and for their ultimately attaining Him. In an
exchange between dharmaputra and sage nArada, the former asks the later
how it is that some extreme haters of SrIman nArAyana end up attaining Him
in the end of their life. In response, nArada responds: "People end up thinking
constantly about bhagavAn either through intense attachment (as in the case
of gopi-s), or through intense enmity (as in the case of SiSupAla), or through
extreme fear (as in the case of kamsa), orthrough being related to Him in one
of His incarnations (as in the case of the people of vRshNi vamSa), or through
pure devotion (as in the case of the likes of myself)".
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Slokam 102
Aaxarinlyae xata pu:phas> àjagr>,
AdhAra--nilayaH
nAma 950. Aaxarinly> AdhAra
The Abode of those who support the world through their righteous actions.
AdhAra-nilayAya namaH.
'A' is a prefix meaning 'from all sides, in all resepcts". dhAra is derived from
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the root dhR- dhAraNe - to support. nilaya is derived from the root 'lee -
SleshaNe - to stick, to lie on', with the prefix ni-.
SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as - jagad AdhArANAm api dhAraka iti
AdHara-nilayaH - He is the Support of all those that are considered the
support of the world. This means that He is the support of all the deva-s such
as brahmA, rudra, indra, the Sun and all the planets and their moons, the
pa'nca mahA bhUta-s, etc. He is also present in every living being as their
antaryAmi, supporting them in every act of these beings.
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"O! Mother Earth! Those who strictly adhere to the rules of conduct
stipulated for different castes and stages of life, and also scrupulously follow
the dictates of the SAstra-s, are your support. On them your burden rests".
Note the emphasis here on the adherence to the dharma-s of the varNa- s
(castes) and the Asrama-s (stages in life, such as brahmacarya, gRhasta, etc.).
These are the ones because of whom this earth keeps going; these are the
ones who are supported by bhagavAn in their righteous observances and
conduct - AdhAra-nilayaH.
The first one corresponds to the interpretation discussed above. The second
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interpretation means that bhagavAn has, as His abode, those that support the
earth through their dhArmic life (AdhArAH). This is a unique concept of the
viSishTAdvaita sampradAyam, which is elaborated on by SrI veLukkuDi
kRshnan. He explains this with nammAzhvAr's periya tiruvantAdi pASuram 75:
"It is true that You support everything including all the worlds, the skies, etc.
But now You reside inside me by entering inside me through my ears, and thus
I am supporting You inside me. Now You tell me whether You are supporting
me or I am supporting You - whether You are the bigger One or I am the
bigger one. You tell me, emperumAn with the cakra that drinks the blood of
Your enemies".
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AdhAra-nilayaH.
(gItA 7.18)
"All these are indeed generous, but I deem the man of knowledge to be My own
very self; for he, integrated, is devoted to Me alone as the highest end".
The declaration by Lord kRshNa that the j~nAnI is His own self, once again
supports the second interpretation above.
SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma in terms of bhagavAn's support of the pa'nca
bhUta-s etc. - pRthivyAdInAm pa'nca bhUtAnAm AdhAratvAt AdhAra-
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nilayaH.
(yajur. 32.7)
(atharva. 10.8.16)
"I hold that Supreme because of which the Sun rises, sets, and rests.
"None who is born or being born, Lord vishNu, has reached the utmost limit of
Thy grandeur. The vast high vault of heaven hast Thou supported, and fixed
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earth's eastern pinnacle securely".
(Rg. 1.154.2)
"He within whose three wide-extended paces all living creatures have their
habitation".
Sri SAstri quotes the gItA Slokam 15.13-14 to illustrate this point:
(15.13)
(15.13)
"Becoming the digestive fire, I function within the bodies of all living beings.
In union with inward and outward breaths, I digest the four kinds of food -
chewed (like rice etc.), sucked (like mango fruit etc.), licked (like medicinal
power mixed with honey), and drunk (like water)".
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bhUtAni na vidur-yasya sarvANi bhUtAni SarIram yaH sarvANi
athAdhyAtmam ||
(bRha. 3.7.19)
"He who dwells in all beings, who is within all beings, whom all beings do not
know, whose body is all beings, and who controls all beings from within, is your
Internal Ruler - the Self, the Immortal".
SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives an explanation based on the dhArA or the
downpour of rain caused by indra in gokulam:
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He Who protected the gopAla-s or cowherds from the intense downpour of
rain caused by devendra, through the govardhana dhAraNam.
a) One Who created the Universe (dhA - to produce, or dhA - to lay upon).
SrI vAsishTha gives the root for the nAma as 'dhA - dhAraNa poshaNoyoH
dAne ca'- to put, to grant, to produce, to bear.
a) SrI BhaTTar derives the interpretation for the instance of the nAma in
Slokam 5 based on the root dhA - to put, place, lay, put in, lay on or upon (SrI
Apte's dictionary), and gives the meaning "The Creator" for the nAma.
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The detailed explanation is provided under nAma43 (Slokam 5).
b) For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar gives the
interpretation- svayam ca dharmAcAryakeNa dhAtA - He is called dhAtA
because He practices dharma rigorously, and is thus the best Preceptor of
dharma.
(gItA 3.22)
"For Me, arjuna! There is nothing in all the three worlds which ought to be
done, nor is there anything that has not been acquired, and ought to be
acquired. Yet I go on working" (to set an example to others, as explained
further in Sloka 3.23 of the gItA).
For the earlier occurrence of this nAma, SrI vAsishTha gives the
interpretation that bhagavAn supports (bears) the earth in the form of
ananta.
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This is the same interpretation that Sri Sa'nkara gives as well -
anantAdirUpeNa viSvam bibharti iti dhAtA.
c) Sri Sa'nkara uses the pAThama-dhAtA in the current instance for his
primary interpretation, and gives the interpretation as - "svAtmanA dhRtasya
asya anyo dhAtA na asti iti a-dhAtA" - One for Whom there is no other
support except Himself .
SrI vAsishTha also gives this pATham as an alternative, and gives the same
interpretation.
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is -samhAra samaye sarvAH prajA dhayati = pibati iti dhAtA - He Who drinks
all beings during the time of pralaya.
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pushpa--hAsaH
nAma 952. pu:phas> pushpa
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aDit-talamum tAmaraiyE am-kaigaLum pa'nkayamE enginrALAl
(periya.tiru. 8.1.5)
"His Feet are soft like lotus flowers. His Hands, with which He picks us up
when He surrender at His Feet, are equally soft like lotus flowers. Then He
embraces us with affection, and the divine beauty of His tiru-muDi and His
divine ornaments that we get to enjoy at that time, is something that will
never leave our thoughts ever. We pray for the blessings of the One with
broad eyes (SrI devi) Who is seated on the lotus flower in His broad vaksha
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sthalam (His chest), so that we are united with Him for ever. This emperumAn
is waiting for us in the divya kshetram by name tiruk-kaNNa puram, which is
itself the place full of fragrant lotus flowers dripping sweet honey".
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SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as
sa vishNuH pushpa-hAsaH"
"He Who is always of a very pleasing disposition, who is beyond any sorrow,
untainted by any defects, devoid of any desire or want, this is the significance
of this nAma".
He points out that, just as it is the dharma (nature) of the flower to blossom
beautifully, so also it is the nature of bhagavAnto have a sweet and smiling
countenance.
pra--jAgaraH
nAma 953. àjagr> pra
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He Who is awake day and night, for the protection of the devotees.
pra-jAgarAya namaH.
SrI vAsishTha indicates the root for the nAma as "jAgR - nidrAkshaye" - to
awake. pra- is a upasarga. prakarsheNa jAgarti iti pra-jAgaraH - He Who is
awake in a special and unique way. The uniqueness is that He is always awake,
and always thinking of ways to help the jIva- s attain Him.
SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma along the above lines - rAtrim divam pra-
jAgartiiti pr-jAgaraH - He Who is awake day and night, to protect His
devotees, like a farmer intent on protecting his crops. He gives a mantra from
kaThopanishad in support:
(kaTho.5.8)
"This purusha (the supreme) keeps awake while others (the individual souls) are
asleep, creating through his eternal will power. (That is the effulgent and that
is Brahman)".
SrI kRshNan explains this as bhagavAn keeping wide awake while we are all
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fast asleep, bestowing all our desires and requests that are infinite and never-
ending.
SrI Sa'nkara also interprets the nAma as One Who is ever awake, as part of
His nature - nitya prabuddha svarUpatvAt jAgarti it pra- jAgaraH. This is
interpreted by some as indicating that bhagavAn is not affected by nescience,
and thus He is not affected by sleep that is a result of tamo guna etc.
SrI raghunAtha tIrtha gives yet another anubhavam - He Who liberates the
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accomplished devotees from sleep - prakasheNa bhaktAn jAgarayati nidra-
rahitAnmuktAn karoti iti pra-jAgaraH.
SrI satya sandha tIrtha looks at the nAma as praja + aga + ra. In this
interpretation, praja = He Who creates; aga = He Who resides in the hills of
ve'nkaTAcala, ra = ramati = He Who enjoys the company of devotees by being
in ven'kaTAcala. (prakarsheNa janayati lokAn it prajA;ageshu ve'nkaTAdi
parvateshu ramata iti aga-raH, prajaSca asau agaraScaiti prajAgaraH).
This guNa is also reflected in the world through the pa'naca bhUta-s for which
He is the antaryAmi, and ensures that they are all functioning in the interest
of the jIva-s constantly - vAyu, agni, water,AkASa, etc. never sleep. So also,
the Sun never sleeps, the AtmA never sleeps, and the prANa never sleeps.
Urdhva--gaH
nAma 954. ^XvRg> Urdhva
b) He Who leads His devotees to SrI vaikunTham, the highest goal of the
jIva-s.
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Urdhva-gAya namaH.
a) The term Urdhva means 'above'. Urdhva-gaH means "One Who rises high".
SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as a continuation of his explanation of the
previous nAma - He Who sleeplessly protects His creation. He devotes Himself
to this task of rakshNam even without sleep, because He aims high in whatever
He does, and so He is "Urdhva-gaH". SrI BhaTTar's words are: svabhAva-
tu'ngaH - He Who, by nature, rises high in everything.
sat--pathAcAraH
nAma 955. sTpwacar> sat
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patha means path. sat refers to 'righteous'. The word AcAra is derived from
the root car - gatau - to walk. 'AcAra' means 'conduct, behavior'.
a) Sri BhaTTar interprets the nAma as "One Who leads His devotees in the
right path" - sat-pathe =svAbhAvika dAsya mArge, AcaraNam = teshAm
pravartanam asya iti sat-pathAcAraH - He Who induces (leads) the devotee in
the right path of kainkaryam (servitude) to Him, which is the true nature of
the devotee. Recall that in this segment, Sri BhaTTar is interpreting the
nAma-s in terms of the benefits to the devotees from His guNa-s (avtAra
prayojanam). Since it is in the interest of the jIva-s to recognize and follow
the relationship of Sesha-SeshIbhAva (the Master-servant relationship
between the Supreme Being and the jIva), bhagavAn facilitates this, and leads
the devotee in this path. SrI BhaTTar refers us to the words of advice given
by Lord kRshNa to arjuna:
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a-nityam a-sukham lokam imamprApya bhajasva mAm |
(gItA 9.33)
"You are now in the transitory and unhappy world. To get over it, worship Me".
SrI satya sandha tIrtha also gives an interpretation similar to that of SrI
BhaTTar - sat-pathe = san-mArge Acarayati yogyAniti sat- pathAcAraH.
He Who follows the path which good men have chalked out in His incarnations,
is sat-pathAcAraH.
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"For Me, arjuna, there is nothing in all the three worlds that ought to be done,
nor is there anything un-acquired that ought to be acquired. Yet I go on
working (to set an example to others)".
SrI vAsishTha interprets the nAma as: sat-pathe AcAro yasya sa sat-
pathAcAraH - He Whose conduct or behavior is along the righteous path, is
sat-pathAcAraH.
prANa--daH
nAma 956. àa[d> prANa
The Life-giver.
prANa-dAya namaH.
This nAma is one of two nAma-s that is repeated four times in SrI BhaTTar's
pATham (the other nAma is nivRttAtmA). The other instances for the current
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prANan viSodhayati, dApayati iti kim vA |
"He is the Giver of prANa, the Taker of prANa, the Purifier of prANa,
Enlightener of prANa, and is present everywhere and in everything in the form
of prANa. The Supreme Deity, Lord vishNu, is sung thus as prANa-daH in the
Sruti-s".
Other references to the Sruti that are provided by SrI vAsishTha are:
(yajur. 17.15)
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yaH prANa-daH prAnadavAnbabhUva yasmai lokAH dhRtavantaH ksharanti|
(atharva. 4.35.5)
(atharva.11.4.11)
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SrI BhaTTar's interpretations for the four instances of the nAma are given
below:
bestows strength.
2. SadaivaHprANa AviSati (bR. Upa. 3.5.20) - The vital airs enter the body of
a created being, along with theSupreme Divinity.
BhagavAn is pRANa-daH also in the sense that He is the prANa or life for His
true devotees, and He gives Himself for them to enjoy. SrI kRshNa datta
bhAradvAj captures this thought with his interpretation - prANAn = jIvanam
dadAti bhaktebhyaH AtmAna darSayitvA iti prANa-daH.
nAma 323. Sri BhaTTar interprets the sequence of eleven nAma-s starting
from nAma 323 as a description of the kUrmAvatAra. In this context, SrI
BhaTTar interprets the term prANa to refer to strength, and the nAma
prANa-daH as One Who gave the strength to the deva-s during the episode
describing the churning of the Milky Ocean. So bhagavAn is called prANa-daH
- The Giver of strength. The amara koSa givesseveral meanings for the word
prANa - vital breath, strength, prowess, life etc. - SaktiH parAkrama prANau.
(amara koSa 2.8.102), and one of the meanings for the word prANa is seen to
be strength.
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marutAm bala dAnAd-hi samudramethane bhRSam |
In a sense, bhagavAn not only gave strength to the deva-s for the purpose of
churning the ocean, but He Himself gave His strength to the whole effort by
serving as the support for the huge mountain that was used as the axle for
churning the ocean, in the form of a kUrma (His kUrma incarnation). He is
meditated upon as ananta-bala Saktan (omananta-bala-Saktaye namaH) - One
Who is endowed with unlimited strength and power.
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Imparter of life)". SrI BhaTTar gives the example of the state of the trees,
shrubs, flowers etc. in ayodhyA when SrI rAma was separated from sItA
through the abduction by rAvaNa. Even they withered because of sadness
over this event:
(ayodhyA. 59.4)
(ayodhyA. 59.5)
"Even the trees with their flowers, buds, and sprouts withered. All that
remained in the forests and gardens were only dry leaves".
On the other hand, when rAma returned from exile to ayodhyA later with sitA,
fruits and flowers appeared in plenty even out of season (described by SrImad
vAlmIki in SrImad rAmAyaNam).
nAma 956: SrI BhaTTar gives another example of His giving 'life' to the
devotees: He confers redemption on those souls that have been poisoned by
the indulgence in material pleasures - Atam ujjIvanam dadAtiiti prANa-daH -
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He gives a new life to these souls.
SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAna-s for the different instances of the nAma are:
Slokam 44: He Who gives life to all beings at the time of creation, or He
Who withdraws all life at the time of pralaya -
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It is obvious how both SrI BhaTTar and Sri Sa'nkara have explained the
nAma-s such that there is no punarukti dosham.
"I won't mind sacrificing My own life, or even those of You and lakshmaNa;
but I will not swerve from the word I give especially to the brAhmaNa-s".
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Other interpretations, given in SrI T. S. Raghavendran's book, are:
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SrI vAsishTha indicates the derivation of the nAma from the root Nu – stutau
– to praise, to commend. pra- is a prefix, meaning 'in a special way'. praNauti
iti praNavaH, praNamayati iti vA – He Who is praised or worshipped is
'praNavaH'. Just as the root bhU becomes bhav, the root Nu becomes Nav
(pANini sUtra 3.3.57 – Rdorap). Pra + Nav = praNav. In interpretations below
that contain 'na' in the root, the na become 'Na' by the application of the
pANini sUtra 8.4.14 – upasargAt a-samAse'pi NopadeSasya, leading to the
change of the 'na' to 'Na'.
SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam for the nAma is: praNavena IdRSa sambandham
udbhodhya, "mAm namaskuru" iti sva-caraNaravindayoH tAn praNamayati -
"By means of the sacred 'praNava' mantra, bhagavAn reveals to His devotees
the true relationship between Him and them, and makes them understand the
need for surrendering to Him".
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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri quotes the yoga sUtra – tasya vAcakaH praNavaH
(1.27) – "The praNava mantra is a manifestation in words of paramAtmA".
This mantra reveals Him to us, when we understand the meaning of the mantra.
Again, when we understand the deeper meaning of the mantra, it will lead us to
worship Him.
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relationship between us and Him, and the true nature of our selves, and
surrender to Him.
In the last chapter of the gItA, almost near the end, bhagavAn summarizes
His instructions to arjuna:
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mad-bhaktaH bhava – "atyartham mama priyaH atyarthamatpriyatvena ca
niratiSaya priyAm smRti santatim kurushva ityarthaH".
Note the use of word 'priyam' thrice in this one sentence of vyAkhyAnam by
SrI rAmAnuja. This priyam is the basis of the relationship between Him and
us. It is because of His intense love and compassion to us that we should bow
to Him, and surrender to Him, and He assures us that He will redeem us as a
result.
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Note again the emphasis on 'atyartha priyam'. This is the basis of the
ArAdhana that bhagavAn is advising us to practice.
The complete subservience is based on our utmost love to Him, and not based
on any other factor such as fear etc.
For those who thus surrender to Him, bhagavAn says: "mAm eva eshyasi,
satyam te pratijAne" – "I make this solemn promise to you. You shall attain Me
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as a result". These are not mere empty words, because bhagavAn continues:
"priyo'si me" – "You are dear to Me". Thus, bhagavAn is not just advising us to
worship Him with love as the basis, but He is bound to us by the same love,
even more intensely than we can ever command. Elsewhere bhagavAn has
already declared: "He in whom there is great love to Me, I hold him also as
exceedingly dear to Me. I Myself will enable him to attain Me". (gItA 7.17).
SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan points out that the spirit of the gItA Slokam
above is best understood if we look at the phrases as "man-manA eva bhava",
"mad-bhata eva bhava", "mad-yAjI eva bhava", " mAm eva namas-kuru", "mAm
eva eshyasi" – Meditate on Me alone, Worship Me alone, Prostrate only to Me;
You will definitely attain Me without any doubt.
SrI BhaTTar also gives support from the atharva Siras: pRaNAn sarvAn
paramAtmani praNamayati, etasmAt praNavaH | - "The mantra is called
praNava mantra, because it makes all souls to obey, and pay respects to, the
paramAtmA" (as indicated in the earlier translation, this is considered the
greatest privilege by those who understand the significance of the mantra).
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bhagavAn through the sound of the syllable "OM". Since bhagavAn is
represented by this syllable in word form, this syllable is none other than
bhagavAn – praNavo nAma paramAtmano vAcaka om-kAraH tad-
abhedhopacAreNa ayam praNavaH.
For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 44, Sri Sa'nkara gives the
interpretation –
SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives the interpretation for the nAma as –
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prakarshena nayati iti praNavaH – Lord vishNu is called praNavaH because He
regulates or puts the world in orderly form in a splendid way.
(gItA 7.8)
(Lord kRshNa declares to arjuna): "O arjuna! I am the taste in the waters, the
light in the Sun and the Moon, and the praNava (OmkAra) in all the veda-s,
sound in the ether, and manhood in all men".
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sa'ngraheNa bravImi yom iti etat ||
(kaTho. 2.15)
"I shall briefly teach you that abode of which all the veda-s speak, of which
the AraNyaka-s and the Upanishad-s mention, desiring which brahmacarya is
observed. That is OM".
"This letter is indeed Brahman. This very letter is the Supreme. Meditating
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upon this letter one gets whatever one wants. This is the best support. This
is the highest support. He who knows this is glorified in the world of
Brahman".
SrI vAsishTha gives several other references to the Sruti, where the
significance of the praNava mantra is revealed to us:
(yajur. 3.13)
(yajur. 40.15)
OM kham brahma |
(yajur. 40.17)
Rco akshare parame vyoman asmin devA adhi viSve nisheduH |
(Rg. 1.164.9)
The significance of the praNava mantra is the meditation on the mantra with
its meaning in mind, which, at a high level, reveals to us the permanent and
eternal relationship between us and the paramAtmA, Lord vishNu.
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nAma 958. p[> paNaH
a) He Who trades His role as Master with His devotees, and becomes
subservient to them.
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paNAya namaH.
SrI vAsishTha indicates the root for the nAma as 'paNa – vyavahAre – to
bargain, to bet or stake at play', or 'paNa – stutau – to praise'. Most
interpreters have used the first meaning, and SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj
and SrI satya sandha tIrtha have used the second meaning.
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and us (vyatihAreNa means 'interchangeably, reciprocally'). He acts as if they
are the masters and He is their servant.
Lord kRshNa declares that He considers His true devotees as His AtmA – an
example of the reversed role.
(gItA 7.18)
"….I deem the man of knowledge to be My very self; for he, integrated, is
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b) There is another aspect to the 'transaction' that bhagavAn has put in place.
This is in the form of our offerings to the different gods through yaj~na etc.
SrI vAsishTha gives examples from the Sruti where this 'transaction' aspect
is captured:
(Rg. 1.93.8)
"Whosoever honors agni and soma with devout heart, through oil and poured
oblation, for him, they (agni, soma etc.) in turn protect his sacrifice, preserve
him from distress, and grant to the sacrificer great felicity".
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agniH pUrvebhiH RshbhiH Idyo nUtanairuta |
(Rg. 1.1.2)
"Worthy is agni to be praised by the living as by ancient seers; he shall bring
hither word the gods".
(Rg. 1.189.1)
"agni, god who knows every sacred duty, by goodly paths lead us to riches".
In the spirit in which SrI vAsishTha has interpreted the nAma, namely, that
offerings are made to the deva-s, and the deva-s in return, bestow goods on
the people, the following Slokam from the gItA lends support to this thought:
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DevAn bhAvayatAnena te devA bhAvayantu vaH |
(gItA 3.11)
"By this (i.e., through sacrifices), please the gods, and the gods will support
you. Thus nourishing one another, may you obtain the highest good".
(Note that these deva-s are the bodies of the Lord, and He is their antaryAmi.
The offerings to these gods ultimately reach Him only).
"The gods, pleased by the sacrifice, will bestow on you the enjoyments you
desire. He who enjoys the bounty of the gods without giving them anything in
return, is but a thief".
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nAmAni kRtvA'bhivadan yadAste |
(taitt. 3.12)
"He, the Wise, keeps creating various forms and giving a name to each".
"He who awards, to those that are entitled, the fruits of their good karma-s,
that they have accumulated".
following the path of dharma, and the price for suffering is one's having
followed the a-dharmic path.
f) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the root paN – stutau – to praise, and
explains the nAma as "paNyate stUyate sattva guNavadbhiH itipaNaH” – He
Who is worshipped by those who are endowed with a predominance of the
sattva guNa.
This is also one of the interpretations provided by SrI satya sandha tIrtha –
paNyate janaiH stUyate iti paNaH.
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gods, and controls them in these functions.
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Slokam 103
àma[< àa[inly> àa[x&Tàa[jIvn>,
SrI vAsishTha indicates the root for the nAma as mA'ng – mAne – to measure,
to limit, to compare with, to form, to show, etc. pra- is an uapsarga. The term
'pramANam' is used to refer to 'proof, valid knowledge, authority', etc. –
prakRshTam mAnam pramANam – Superior knowledge,Valid authority.
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For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar explains that bhagavAn
has this nAma since He reveals the secrets and mystic truths of the veda-s
without doubt or error – evam nis-samSaya viparyaya veda rahasya paramArtha
pratyAyakatvAt paramANam.
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SrI vAsishTha uses the generic meaning 'measure' for the root 'mAn', and
gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has this nAma signifying that prior to
creation itself, He has decided and established the nature of the Universe,
including the extent, the nature of the guNa-s that dominate our conduct, the
different kinds of beings, etc. –
SrI vAsishTha gives several instances from the Sruti to support his
interpretation:
(atharva. 4.11.2)
(atharva. 5.28.1)
(yajur. 32.10)
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sa bhUmim sarvato vRtvA atyatishThad-daSA'ngulam |
(Rg.10.90.1)
(yajur. 31.3)
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN explains the nAma as "One Who always speaks
the truth". satya bhAshitvAt pramANam. He gives the following in support:
"pramANam nitya-maryAdA satya vAdipramAtRshu".
prANa--nilayaH
nAma 960. àa[inly> prANa
SrI vAsishTha uses the word 'nilaya' as 'AdhAra' or support. SrI BhaTTar
gives the analogy of the birds going to their nest at the end of the day for
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rest. Similarly the jIva-s have Him as their abode. SrImad SrImushNam
ANDavan reminds us: "vaikunTham puguvadu maNNavarvidiyE" (tiruvAi. 10.9.9)
– vaikuNTham is our ultimate final Abode.
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN uses the same analogy, and explains the nAma in
terms of bhagavAn's incarnation as kRshNa – "He in Whom the gopi-s sought
support as a result of the intense love of devotion to Him, just as the birds
seek shelter in their nest" – prANanti tat- snehAmRtena sambandhavateti
prANAH tat-preyasIjanAH te nileeyante asmin SakuntA iva nIDe iti prANa-
nilayaH.
SrI Sa'nkara uses the term prANa to collectively represent the five types of
vAyu-s that help the body function: prANa that sustains life in the form of
the inhaled breath, apAna that denotes the exhaled breath that expels
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impurities outside of the system, vyAna that sustains the movements of the
systems in the body, udAna that supports the movements of the karmendriya-s
etc., and samAna that aids the expelling of the waste in the form of stools.
Since bhagavAn is the Support of all these functions, and since they all merge
into Him ultimately, He is called prANa-nilayaH.
The term 'nilIna' – merging with, merging into, has been used by both SrI
Sa'nkara and by SrI vAsishTha in one of their interpretations for this nAma:
prANIti iti prANo jIvaH pare pumsi nilIyata iti prANa-nilayaH – The Supreme
Person in whom the prANa or jIva merges (SrI Sa'nkara), and prANA nilIyante
yasmin sa prANa-nilayaH – He in Whom the jIva-s merge (SrI vAsishTha).
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha comments that bhagavAn has this nAma also because
He makes provision for the living of all living beings in whichever form it is
appropriate for them. For example, He provides the means for the sustenance
and survival of the trees, the beings in the water and in the land, the humans,
etc. – in other words, He makes the provisions for the different jIva-s to live
or have an abode – sa sarveshAm shtAvara ja'ngamAnAm ca yatha yogay
sAdhana pradAnena vAsayita'taH sa prANa-nilayaH ucyate.
SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as: "He in Whom all prANa-s stand
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established. He Who is the very substratum – vital foundation – for all
'activities' manifested in a living organism". This seems to summarize Sri
Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam in terms of prAnA, apAna, etc., described above.
prANa--dhRt
nAma 961. àa[x&t! prANa
mother, Our father, Our soul" – the three that always work for our welfare
and benefit, in the present, in the past and in the future:
(tiruvAi.2.6.10)
The pATham 'prANa-bhRt' is used by Sri Sa'nkara, SrI vAsishTha etc. The
root in this case is bhR – dhAraNa poshaNayoH – to hold, to support. Sri
Sa'nkara's interpretation is – poshayan anna rUpeNa prANAn prANa-bhRt –
He Who nourishes the beings by means of food, or in the form of food.
SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as: "He Who rules over all prANa-s – SrI
Hari is the One Who causes everyone to eat, digest, feel energized, act,
achieve the fruits thereof, grow old and die. In all these activities, the great
One, Commanding, Factor, Divine, SrI nArAyana, the Self, presides in silent
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detachment, and by His presence He initiates and maintains all these activities
in all living creatures upon the earth's surface".
SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives the following interpretation – prANAn indriyANi
bibharti iti prANa-bhRt – He Who nourishes and supports the indriya-s and
life.
prANa--jIvanaH
nAma 962. àa[jIvn> prANa
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SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as: "tAn anna pAnIyAdivat jIvayati iti prANa-
jIvanaH" – He Who supports life even as food and drink do.
SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan comments that even the food and the water
etc., have their power to sustain life only because He has given them this
power.
SrI kRshNan comments that bhagavAn offers Himself as the food for the
true devotees, and they cannot live without Him, and so He is their life or
jIvanam. So He is prANa-jIvanaH. SrI kRshnan notes that this same idea is
conveyed by the phrase "vAsudevaH sarvam" in the gItA.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives an interpretation that has the same spirit:
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"prANAn jIvAn bhajana parAyaNAn jIvyati sva-darSana dAnenaiti prANa-
jIvanaH – He Who rejuvenates His devotees who sing His praise, by revealing
Himself to them".
(kaTho. 5.5)
"A man, whosoever he may be, does not live by prANa or apana, but by
something else on which both of these depend". In other words, bhagavAn is
the Supporter of prANa by which the life is supported.
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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that life is not the vital air, or the body, or
the mind, by itself. It is a mysterious togetherness of all of these that causes
life, and this is made possible by bhagavAn alone, and nothing else. So He is
the true Support of life, or the Giver of life to every living being.
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN explains the nAma as: "prANAH te jIvanamasya
iti prANa-jIvanaH" - He Who has His devotees as His prANa or life. This idea
of how bhagavAn treats those who are dear to Him as His own AtmA, has been
described before, most recently under nAma950, Slokam 102 (gItA 7.18).
(atharva.11.4.24)
"I pray to prANa, alert and resolute, Who is the Lord of all and who is
responsible for the activities of all in this universe of various beings that move
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and work".
(atharva. 11.4.1)
(atharva. 11.4.15)
"The name prANa is bestowed on mAtariSvan, also known as the wind (air). On
this prANa depend the past, the future and everything in the present".
There are different dimensions to supporting the life forms, starting from
giving a body to the jIva-s, giving them the vital airs for survival, the food to
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eat, the water to drink, the mind to think, the indriya-s to act with, etc., all
functioning in a coordinated and highly regulated way, till death parts the body
and the soul. Between the nAma-s prANa-daH, prANa-dhRt or prANa-bhRt,
and prANa-jIvanaH, one can see that all these supports happen because of
Him, and thus He is the sole Creator, Protector, and Destroyer in the end.
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basis of all this is tat-tvam.
SrI vAsishTha gives the following from the atharva veda in support:
(atharva. 10.8.37)
"One who knows the drawn-out string whereon all these creatures are strung,
one who knows the thread's thread, knows the Great Brahman".
That without the support or existence of which a given thing cannot function,
can be considered to be its tattvam, its essence or support. Thus, for a
machinery, the oil or lubricant is something without which it cannot function
for a prolonged time, and so it can be considered one of its tattva-s.
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Everything in this universe that functions will not exist without Him, and so He
is the tattva behind all that exist.
(tiruvAi. 8.1.7)
"Oh my Lord! You are the ghee present latent in fresh milk. You are the
covetable taste of the ghee. You are the nectar from the ocean; no, the taste
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of the nectar; no, no, You are the pleasure that one derives from enjoying the
nectar...".
"Govinda is the true entity and He is the cause of creation, destruction, as well
as protection. If a person seeks refuge in Him, he will never be in grief".
"Place the entire Universe in one pan of a balance, and bhagavAn janArdana in
another, and you will find that janArdana is superior to the whole Universe
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because of His intrinsic greatness".
(nAcci. tiru.5.6)
ANDAL is asking the bird to goand tell the Lord - the tattuvan, of her
condition, and ask Him to come to her right away without delay. She tells the
bird she will forever be indebted to it if it can do this help for her. tattuvan
here refers to His being the sole reason for her existence - the essence of
her life.
(tiruvAi. 6.9.7)
"You are the karma-s; the worlds in which they are performed, the Soul of all
the beings".
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support of His being the tattvam behind everything:
(gItA 10.41)
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives another view of the term 'tattvam' - that
which leads to existence, and that which does not cease to exist when the
being that came into existence disappears, is the true origin or source - the
tattva. The other sources that disappear over time, are not the true cause.
He comments that 'tat' is the word-form of Brahman that is the true cause of
everything. tat-tvam is the nature of this 'tat', as has been explained in the
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first paragraph.
”The words tattva, amRta, satya, pramArtha, and satattva are synonyms, and
mean the Supreme Brahman.
tattva--vit
nAma 964. tÅvivt! tattva
SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as "AtmanaH tattvam vetti iti tattva- vit" -
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"One Who knows the truth about Himself", or One Who knows the truth about
the tattva. The truth that bhagavAn is the Supreme Deity and the Lord of
all, is something that is not easily understood even by the likes of brahmA,
rudra and indra, as repeatedly pointed out by nammAzhvAr:
(tiruvAi. 1.1.8)
He is of such nature that even the deva-s cannot understand His tattvam.
(tiruvAi. 1.3.6)
It is just not easy, even with intense contemplation, to understand the true
nature of the Supreme Deity.
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SrI BhaTTar refers to Slokam 10.15 in the gItA, in which arjuna declares that
bhagavAn knows Himself by His own Self:
(gItA10.15)
"O Supreme Person, O Creator of beings, O Lord of all beings, O God of all
gods, O Ruler of the Universe, You Yourself know Yourself by Yourself".
SrI BhaTTar also refers to the Sruti vAkyam - "tvameva tvAm vettha" - You
alone are aware of Yourself".
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have seen through nammAzhvAr's words above. Even He is unable to fully
realize His own greatness.
SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma as "tattvam svarUpam yathAvat vetti iti
tattva-vit" - "He Who knows the Truth as it is". BhagavAn alone knows the
functions of creation, preservation, destruction, giving the benefits to the
jIva-s according to their karma-s, taking the jIva to Him ultimately at the
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SrI BhaTTar explains that bhagavAn is the One and only Supreme Soul who
controls all the other souls, and so He is ekAtmA - sarvasya cit acit vargasya
ayam ekaeva SeshI bhoktA abhimAnau ca iti ekAtmA - He is ekAtmA because
He is the Sole Master, Enjoyer, and Well-wisher of all sentient and non-
sentient objects.
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aLandaPEruyirEyO!
Periya nIr paDaittu a'ngu uRaindu adu kaDaindu aDaittu uDaitta SIruyirEyO!
maniSarkku dEvar pOla devarkkum devAvO! Or uyirEyO!
Ulaga'ngaTkellAm unnai nAn e'ngu vandu uRugO!
(tiruvAi.8.1.5)
"The vast universe was created, once dug out from deep waters (varAha
incarnation), swallowed (pralaya), spat out (creation after pralaya), scaled with
feet (trivikrama incarnation), all by You, out of grace. You made the seas,
churned them, bridged the ocean, and broke a part of it later. You are my dear
life. You are the Lord of all the deva- s, and You are far above the deva-s just
as the deva-s are far above the humans. Your are the Supreme Soul above all
the other souls, the Creator, Protector and Destroyer of the universe. How
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am I to reach You? Pray tell me."
SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan quotes the following Sruti vAkya in support of SrI
BhaTTar's interpretation of the nAma - nityo nityAnAm cetanaS- cetanAnAm
eko bahUnAm yo vidadAti kAmAn - He Who is the Most Eternal above all the
nitya-s, the Supreme above all the cetana-s, the One Who constitutes the
many, and the One Who bestows all the wishes of all the other beings.
SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is ekaSca asau AtmA ca iti ekAtmA - The one
Self. He gives the following in support:
(Aita. 1.1.)
"In the beginning all this was this Atman alone. There was nothing else that
winked. He willed "Let me create the worlds".
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"That which pervades, that which receives, that which enjoys the objects, and
that which exists always, is called the Atman".
SrI satya devo vAsishTha explains the nAma as: "eva'nca sa vishNureva
sarvasya sthAvara ja'ngama rUpasya viSvasya ekaAtmA sarvatra vyAptatvAt
ekAtmA" - Lord vishNu, who pervades everything in this Universe of sentient
and non-sentient objects, is called ekAtmA.
SrI satya sandha tIrtha explains the nAma as "eka AtmA = mukhya svAmI =
The Supreme Deity.
1. janma = birth;
2. mRtyu = death,
The meaning for the nAma is thus derived easily. Just for the sake of
completeness, the respective roots are:
1. jani - pradurbhAve
2. mR'ng - prANa-tyAge
3. jRsh - vayohAnau
SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as One Who is beyond birth, death, aging etc..
His vyAkhyAnam is - tathApi tad-ubhaya vidharmAtmA - He Who, while being
the Inner Soul or antaryAmi of all the sentient and non-sentient objects, is
not affected by their attributes (such as rajas,tamas, puNya, pApa etc.). The
ordinary souls accumulate the effects of the puNya-s and pApa-s that they
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accrue while they are embodied. Unlike these souls, bhagavAn is not touched
by any of these effects of puNya-s and pApa-s even though He is the
antaryAmi of all these objects. In addition, when He assumes a body out of
His own free will, He is not born like the rest of us, and is not subject to aging,
death etc. like the rest of us.
It is important to understand the difference between the body and the soul in
order to understand the meaning of this nAma. Ordinary souls (jIva-s) also are
beyond birth, death and decay. But they get a body based on their previous
karma-s, to enable them to enjoy the effects of these karma-s. This body is
subject to birth, death and decay. The jIva-s go through repeated births and
deaths, with the associated new bodies, until they exhaust all their karma-s,
and ultimately realize the paramAtman and are relieved of this cycle of birth
and death. BhagavAn is not subject to this cycle, since He is not touched by
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the effects of karma ever. Lord kRshNa declares in the gItA:
(gItA 4.14)
Even though He has all the sentient and non-sentient beings as His body
according to the viSishTAdvaita philosophy, SrI BhaTTar explains that
BhagavAn is still not touched by the dharma-s (namely, sins, good deeds, the
resulting birth, death etc,), of these sentient and non-sentient beings, but
instead, it is the souls of these beings that get the effects of these karma-s.
The bodies of all the sentient and non-sentient beings are part of His body in
the sense that they are all subservient to Him and are fully under His control.
So are the souls of all these beings - they are His body, and are subservient to
Him. He is the antaryAmi of these souls, and is a witness and the Energizer of
these souls; however He is not touched by their karma-s, and so He is never
born, and so there is no question of aging, death etc. There is no such thing as
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karma for Him, since all His actions are all selfless, and are devoted to the
benefit of all the beings that exist. None of His actions is for His benefit.
SrI veLukkuDi kRshnan delves in some length on some of the above points in
his sahasra nAma upanyAsam for this nAma.
SrI vAsishTha refers us to a Rg-vedic mantra that conveys the sense of this
nAma:
(Rg. 10.8.44)
(bRhadAraNya.4.4.25)
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Slokam 104
ÉUÉuRv>SvStéStar> sivta àiptamh>,
bhUr--bhuvas
nAma 967. ÉUÉuRv>SvSté> bhUr svas--taruH
bhuvas--svas
He Who is the tree for the beings of the three worlds - earth, sky and heaven
(svarga loka)..
bhUr-bhuvas-svas-tarave namaH.
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The term bhU here refers to this world; bhuvaH refers to the middle world,
the antariksha or sky, and sva refers to the heavenly world (svargaloka). The
term 'taru' means 'tree'. Since He is the protection for all the beings of all
the three worlds, and since He bestows all the fruits to the beings of all these
worlds, He is called the tree for the beings of the three worlds.
SrI Apte gives the following meanings for the terms bhU-loka, bhuvar-loka and
svar-loka:
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the virtuous after death, the space above the sun or between the sun
and the polar star, the third of the three vyAhRti-s.
SrI VeLukkuDi kRshNan notes that in this nAma only three out of the
fourteen worlds, namely the bhU, bhUva and svar-loka-s, are mentioned, and
the protection aspect described in this nAma refers to the naimittika pralaya,
when the three worlds referred to by the terms bhU, Bhuva, and svar-loka-s
get submerged in the waters during the pralaya, and bhagavAn protects all the
beings of these three worlds by swallowing them and keeping them in His
stomach. However, He is also the Protector for all the beings in all the
fourteen worlds. So the nAma can be understood to mean that bhagavAn is the
Protective tree for all the beings of all the fourteen worlds.
(VP 1.17.91)
"If a person resorts to the eternal Tree of Brahman, there is no doubt that
the ripe fruit (of release from the bondage of samsAra and the attainment of
moksha) will certainly fall in his hands."
(tiruvAi. 2.8.5)
"Single-handedly, bhagavAn protects all the beings of the three worlds, who
are full of sufferings etc. He is the Sole cause for all the beings, and after
creating them, He takes responsibility for protecting them, and does not back
down under any circumstance".
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of bhagavAn (taru - one that provides the cool shade and protection from the
torture of the heat of samsAra). In his tiruvAimozhi, nammAzhvAr
emphasizes that even though bhagavAn is responsible for all three functions -
creation, protection and destruction, protection is His primary concern
(kAkkumiyalvinan kaNNa perumAn -tiruvAi. 2.2.9). This protection aspect of
bhagavAn is to be specially enjoyed in this nAma.
SrI veLukkuDi kRshnan gives a quote from SrImad rAmAyaNa where rAma is
described by tArA as a tree of protection, hope and refuge for all:
(kishkindA. 15.19)
"(rAma) is the protective tree for the sAdhu-s or the virtuous people; He is
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the safe Abode for the suffering; He is the Protector for those who have no
other protection; He is the One who is worthy of praise".
SrI Sa'nkara uses the root 'tR - plavana taraNayoH - to cross over, to swim',
in his primary interpretation for the nAma, and gives the meaning "One Who
helps in crossing over the three worlds - bhU loka, bhuvarloka and svar loka".
His vyAkhyAnam is:
vA iti bhUr-bhuvas-svas-taruH".
He bases his interpretation on the following Rg vedic mantra, which also occurs
in the taittirIya Upanishad:
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bhuva iti sAmAni | suvariti yajUgmshi | .. bhUriti vai prANaH |
"BhagavAn created the three worlds; then He created agni in this world, vAyu
in the sky, and sUrya in the heaven. From these came the three veda-s: Rg
veda from agni, yajur veda from vAyu, and sAma veda from the Sun. Out of
these again came the three vyAhRti-s or sounds: bhUH from agni, bhuvaH from
vAyu, and svaH from the Sun. By performing homa using these three vyAhRti-
s, one crosses the three worlds".
Based on this, Sri Sa'nkara's interpretation for the nAma as 'One Who helps
those who perform homa using these vyAhRti-s to crossover the three worlds
that are the origin of these three vyAhRti-s".
Lord vishNu has this nAma signifying that He is spread out in the three worlds
bhUH, bhuvaH and svaH like a tree.
”bhUH iti bhU lokaH, buvaH iti antariksham,svaH iti dyu-lokaH, ete trayo
lokAH trayaH skandhA iva yamASritya tishThanti, sa eteshAm AdhAro mUla-
bhUtaH parameSvaraH tarur-ivasthito bhUr-bhuvas-svas-taruH - "
He Who serves as the tree under which all the beings of this world, the sky
and the heaven seek refuge, is bhUr-bhuvas-svas-taru".
Savior
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nAma is derived is tRR – plavanasantaraNayoH – to cross over, to swim. He who
helps the jIva-s that are deeply immersed in the ocean of samsAra, to cross
this ocean.
For nAma 340, SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation "Savior" - sarva samsAra
bhayAt tArayati iti tAraH - One Who protects us from the ocean of samsAra.
He gives a quote from the atharva Siras in support:
tasmAt tAraH |
"He makes all cross over the great fears of the ocean of samsAra comprising
conception, birth, old age, and death. Therefore, He is called tAraH".
Note that bhagavAn Himself is beyond all these fears, since He is never born
(a-jAyamAnaH), He is beyond aging (a-jaraH), and beyond death (a-maraH).
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SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruma'ngai AzhvAr's periya tirumozhi,
where the guNa of bhagavAn signified by the nAma tAraH is praised:
"You Who help Your devotees by making sure they do not get submerged in the
hell-like experience of samsAra".
Drawing from an example from SrI KRshNan, all that a measly worm has to do
to cross from one peak to another peak in its lifetime, is to climb on a lion that
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jumps from the first peak to the second peak, and in the process, the worm
has achieved the otherwise impossible feat. Similarly, all that the jIva has to
do is to surrender to Lord nRsimha, the man-lion incarnation, and He will make
sure that the jIva crosses the insurmountable obstacle of crossing the ocean
of samsAra. He is like a boat that carries one from one shore to the other
shore. All that the individual has to do is to get into the boat, and leave the
navigation to the boatman.
SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is also that bhagavAn has this nAma signifying
that He helps us cross the ocean of samsAra – samsArasAgaramtArayan
tAraH. His alternate interpretation is "tAraH praNavovA" – The word tAra
refers to the praNava mantra, since meditating on the praNava mantra uplifts
one from the ocean of samsAra.
SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as "One Who helps us cross over; the
Eternal Boat-man, to whom, if the devotee can surrender in unswervingfaith
and true devotion, He will surely row them across theOcean of samsAra. That
One is tAraH. Through exclusive, devoted meditation, alert with
understanding, the individuality in each of us wakes up to the higher plane, and
there, in that Be-attitude to experience the Self – the Eternal Brahman – SrI
Hari".
The dharma cakram writer notes that we should take a hold of bhagavAn
instead of being taken hold of by nature. We should dedicate ourselves to His
service in everything we do. The rAma nAma is called 'tAraka mantra', because
it protects those who meditate on this tAraka nAma. Just as hanumAn was
able to cross the ocean by chanting Lord rAma's name, we will be able to cross
the ocean of samsAra by meditating on His name. He quotes the common saying
in tamizh:
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material things, there is no dedication to rAma").
The more intensely we resort to the tAraka mantra, the faster we will be
relieved from the bondage of samsAra.
He Who produces.
savitre namaH.
SrI vAsishTha indicates the root for the nAma as sU – prANi garbhavimocane
– to produce, to bring forth. sUte sarvam jagat iti savitA; sarvasyautpAdaka
ityarthaH – He Who creates everything in the universe is savitA.
We studied this nAma in Slokam 94 (nAma 887), with the same generic
meaning, but interpreted by SrI BhaTTar as a reference to bhagavAn in the
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formof the Sun (the producer of rain, crops etc)., since the context there was
the description of the arcirAdi mArga, of which Sun is the seventh step. The
current interpretation refers to bhagavAn as the Creator of everything –
sarveshAm sAkshAt janayitA savitA.
SrI kRshNan stresses the importance of the word 'sAkshAt' in SrI BhaTTar's
vyAkhyAnam. When it is stated that bhagavAn is the Creator of everything in
all the worlds, some may have a doubt that the four- faced brahmA is the true
creator. SrI kRshNan points out that there are two aspects to sRshTi – a-
dvAraka sRshTi, and sa-dvAraka sRshTi.
In the first category, bhagavAn first creates the 24 tattva-s (prakRti, mahAn,
aha'nkAra, the five tanmAtra-s or subtle elements (Sabda, sparSa, rUpa, rasa,
and gandha - sound, touch, sight, taste, smell), the pa'nca bhUta-s (ether, air,
agni or light, water, earth), the five karmendriya-s (hand, leg, tongue, anus, and
the organ of reproduction), the five j~nAnendriya-s (ear, eye, mouth, nose, and
skin), and manas. After this, He creates the first being, the catur-mukha
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brahmA, and endows him with the knowledge for proceeding further with
creation. He becomes the antaryAmi of brahmA, and guides him in the creation
after this point. All the a-dvArakasRshTi is performed by bhagavAn through
the medium of catur- mukha brahmA. If it were not for the knowledge and
power given to brahmA by bhagavAn, the subsequent stage of sa-dvAraka
sRshTi through brahmA would not have happened. So the true Creator is
bhagavAn – sAkshAt janayitA. The creation that takes place through brahmA
is the sa-dvAraka sRshTi by bhagavAn – in other words, the process of
creation continued by Him through the medium of brahmA.
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN uses the pAThamsa-pitA, and interprets the
word 'sa-pitA' as two nAma-s: sa, and pitA. This interpretation might have
been chosen because of the next nAma (pra-pitAmahaH, meaning "Great
Grandfather". But for the nAma pita, he essentially the same interpretation as
SrI BhaTTar has given for the nAma 'savitA', namely, The Father of all, or the
Creator of all –"teshAm janakatvAt pitA". We already noted earlier that SrI
ananta kRshNaSAstry also has used the same pATham, and his interpretation
is also same.
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pitAmahaH.
SrI satya sandha tIrtha explains the nAma as: "loka pitRRNAMmarIcyAdInAm
pitA pitAmahaH catur-mukhaH, tasya pitRtvAt "pra- pitAmahaH", which
conveys the same idea as conveyed above.
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In several places in tiruvAimozhi, nammAzhvAr refers to bhagavAn being the
Creator of catur-mukha brahmA first, and then entrusting brahmA to be the
creator of the rest of the beings such as the prajApati-s etc. For instance, in
tiruvAimozhi pASuram 1.5.3, AzhvAr says:
Just to give a feel for how some vyAkhyAnakartA-s look for hidden meanings
in their interpretations, the following is by SrI raghunAtha tIrtha: prapIn
tAmayati hanti ca iti prapi-tAma-haH – prapIn = mithyA j~nAnAdi rUpa
pApavataH asurAn tAmayati hanti ca iti prapi- tAma-haH – He Who kills the
sinful demons having false knowledge and throws them in darkness.
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nAma 971. y}> yaj~naH
(gItA 4.24)
For the instance of this nAma in Slokam 48, SrI BhaTTar comments that
bhagavAn is the object of all yaj~na-s, the Bestower of benefits of the
yaj~na-s, the aids for the performance of the yaj~na, etc., and so He is called
yaj~naH –
SrI BhaTTar gives the following from vishNu purANa in support, where the
ijyA or sacrifice is described as the basis for all the sustenance of all the
three worlds:
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tataSca ijyA Ahutir-dvArA poshitAstehavir-bhujaH |
(VP 2.8.101)
"The gods, who are the receivers of the oblations, being nourished by the
offerings in the fire, cause the rains to fall for the support of the created
brings".
SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to the gItA, where Lord kRshNa declares that He
is the basis of everything that constitutes the yaj~na:
(gItA 9.16)
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"I am the kratu – the jyotisThoma and other vedic sacrifices. I alone am the
Great sacrifice. I am the offering to the manes. I am the herb. I am the
mantra. I am Myself the clarified butter. I am thefire, and I am the oblation".
(gItA 9.24)
"I am the only enjoyer and the only Lord of all sacrifices. They do not
recognize Me in My true nature, and hence they fall".
SrI BhaTTar also refers us to the SrutivAkya - yaj~no vai vishNuH –yaj~na is
vishNu Himself.
For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar explains that bhagavAn
serves the function of the yaj~na for those who do not have the means to
perform proper yaj~na-s, but who just do His nAma japa instead– svArAdhana
dharma samRddhi riktAnAm tad-arthinAm svyameva yaj~naH– To those
devotees who wish to attain Him, and therefore want to perform ArAdhanA
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(worship) of the Lord, but have no physical and material wherewithal, the Lord
Himself stands as the japa yaj~na, namely, He is pleased with the japa which
itself is a yaj~na.
For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 48, Sri Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is:
One of the meanings for the root yaj that we have seen above is yaj –sa'ngati –
to associate with. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri uses this meaning and explains the
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nAma as "One who associates the karma-s of the jIva-s with their effects".
For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 48, SrI baladeva vidyAbvhUshaN
refers to bhagavAn's birth to ruci and AkUti as yaj~na – rucipatnyAm
AkUtyAm yaj~na nAmA AvirbhUtatvAt yaj~naH.
In Slokam 48, SrI raghunAtha tIrtha uses the pATham in which he treates
"yaj~na ijyaH" as one nAma, and explains the nAma as One who is worshipped in
sacrifices – "yaj~ne ijyaH stutyaH pUjyaH itiyaj~na-ijyaH".
SrI cinmayAnanda defines the term yaj~na as "work undertaken with a pure
spirit of total dedication in complete cooperation with others, and for the well-
being of all creatures and for the welfare of the world". He then comments
that whenever there is such a cooperative endeavor with total selflessness,
there is SrIman nArAyaNa in action through His creatures, and this is why He
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is called yaj~naH.
yaj~na--patiH
nAma 972. y}pit> yaj~na
"I am the only enjoyer and the only Lord of all sacrifices".
Sri Sa'nkara gives the above as support, and his interpretation includes both
protection aspect as well as the aspect that bhagavAn is the Lord of all
yaj~na-s: yaj~nAnAm pAtA svAmI vA yaj~na-patiH – The Lord of the
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sacrifices or the Protector of them.
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yaj~na-pataye namaH.
ThiruvalavEnthai
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SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as "svayam yaj~na rUpo yajanIyoyaj~na
sAdhanam ca bhagavAn yaj~nam pAtiityato yaj~na-patiH" – BhagavAn is
Himself in the form of sacrifice, He is the One Who is worshipped through
yaj~na-s, and He is the means for the performance of the yaj~na, and so He is
the Protector of the yaj~na-s, and so He is called yaj~na-patiH.
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tad-arthamkarma kaunteya mukta-sa'ngaH samAcara ||
(gItA3.9)
"The world is bound by action other than performed for "the sake of
sacrifice"; do thou, therefore, O son of kunti, perform action for the sake of
ya~jna alone, free from all attachments".
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meaning should apply to the past, present, and future – in other words- "viSva
nirmANa rUpeNa tad- artha sAdhana sampAdana rUpeNa ca yaj~nenaishTavAn
yajate, yakshyati iti vA sa yajvA vishNuH" - One Who has sacrificed, One Who
is sacrificing, and One Who will continue to sacrifice for the purpose of
creating the Universe, and creating all the supporting materials for the
existence and enjoyment of all the creatures, is Lord vishNu.
SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as signifying that bhagavAn Himself performs
sacrifice on behalf of those who are unable to perform their rites, and gives
the support from mahAbhArata in Lord kRshNa's own words:
"O yudhishThira! For the purification of those who are unable to observe the
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daily rites, I am Myself doing the yaj~na at both dawn and dusk every day. I
never fail in carrying out this vow of Mine".
SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan points out that the reference here is to the
paramaikAntin-s who are unable to perform their nitya karma-s because of
some inevitable disabilities. Thus, this does not absolve physically capable
people from performing their nitya karma-s regularly.
SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN interprets the nAma along lines similar to SrI
BhaTTar – aSaktam aki'ncanam AviSya tat-tad-ArAdhanam nivartayan
svyameva yajvA.
The term yajvA has the same meaning as the word yajamAna – one who
performs the sacrifice. Sri Sa'nkara explains the nAma as –
yajamAnAtmanAtishThan yajvA, where he interpets the term a yajmAna as the
"Lord" of the yaj~na, which is also true. He supports this interpretation with a
reference to the gItA:
"I am the only enjoyer and the only Lord of all the sacrifices".
SrI cinmayAnanda reminds us of the definition of yaj~na as given by him for
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nAma 971, and notes that the current nAma stresses that bhagavAn is "One
who performs yaj~na according to the strict prescriptions laid down in the
Vedas – the One Who maintains in all His divine actions the true yaj~na spirit"
– in other words, He undertakes all His actions for the benefit of the
creatures of this world.
One of the meanings of the root yaja is 'to give (yaja – deva pUjAsa'ngati
karaNa yajana dAneshu – to sacrifice, to make an oblation, to give, to associate
with). SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses this meaning (yaja – dAne – to give),
and interprets the nAma as – yajate dattevarAn bhaktebhya iti yajvA – He
Who bestows His blessings on the devotees is yajvA.
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to attain Him.
d) He Who makes it possible for us to attain the different means needed for a
sacrifice;
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are capable). The yaj~na-s such as bhagavad ArAdhanA etc., performed by the
devotees are an upAyam or means in the form of an offering to Him, and He is
the One Who is the angI or the final goal. SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is
samarthAn anushThitamapi yaj~nAntaram asya SeshabhUtam iti yaj~nAngaH.
He Who has the sacrifices of others as an accessory to what He is doing. The
sacrifices performed by those who are capable of performing them, are all
subservient to Him, namely, a means or an accessory to attain Him.
b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning parts for the term anga, and
comments that this nAma of bhagavAn signifies that He is One Who is
endowed with the divya avayava-s from His Lotus Feet to His divine Head that
are worthy of worship yaj~nAni pUjanIyAni angAni caraNAdi mastakAntAni
yasya iti yaj~nAngaH.
c) Sri Sankara interprets the nAma as - yaj~nA angAni yasya iti varAha
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itself veda; the hairs of His body are like darbha-s; His eyes are havis or ghee;
etc.)
d) SrI vAsishTha notes that broadly, the term yaj~na can refer to all
materials associated with a sacrifice:
ijyate yaH, ijyate yena, ijyate yasmai, ijyate yatra vA iti yajanIyaH, yajana
sAdhanam havirAdi, yajan sampradAm uddeSo, yajan sthalAdikam ca sarvam
yaj~na Sabdena gRhItama bhavati.
He for whom the sacrifice is done, he by whom the sacrifice is done, that for
which it is performed, the place where the sacrifice is performed, in other
words, the Lord who is worshipped through the sacrifice, the place of worship,
the havis (ghee) etc. that are used in the sacrifice, etc. can all be indicated by
the term yaj~na.
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The term yaj~nAngaH then can mean One Who makes it possible to attain all
the above that are needed for the sacrifice, or One Who receives the
offerings through the sacrifice (svayam yajanOyo yaj~narUpaH san yaj~na
rUpANi havirAdIni yaj~na sthalam gatvA prApnoti iti yaj~nAngaH), Or One
Who is attained through yaj~na (yaj~ne anganam = gatiH yasya, sa yaj~nAngaH,
or yaj~naiH = yajana karmabhiH angaH = prAptiH yasya sa yaj~nAngaH), etc.
Alternatively, SrI vAsishTha notes that the term anga can be taken to mean
part, and since bhagavAn is the antaryAmi for all the aspects that are needed
in a sacrifice, including the brahmA, the hotA, the adhvaryu, the havis, etc., He
is also known as yaj~nAngaH.
yaj~na--vAhanaH
nAma 975. y}vahn> yaj~na
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completion of a yaj~na undertaken by the kartA, by investing the kartA with
the necessary power, faith and means to perform the yaj~na.
Thus, bhagavAn is the One Who bestows the benefits to those who are able to
perform the yaj~na themselves (yaj~na-patiH), He is the One who performs
the yaj~na for those who are unable to perform it themselves (yajvA), He is
the One Who is to be attained by the yaj~nas that are performed
(yaj~nAngaH), and He is the One Who gives the ability (Sakti), the interest
(SraddhA) and the authority (adhikAra) to undertake the yaj~na-s.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning vehicle for the term vAhana,
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Slokam 105
y}É&*}k«*}I y}ÉuGy}saxn>,
y}aNtk«*}guýmÚmÚad @v c. 105.
yaj~na--bhRt
nAma 976. y}É&t! yaj~na
He Who brings about the completion of the sacrifice (even when there are
imperfections in its performance).
yaj~na-bhRte namaH.
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The root from which the word bhRt is derived is bhR - poshaNa dhAraNayoH -
to hold, to support. yaj~nam bibharti = pushNAti, dhArayati iti yaj~na-bhRt -
He Who supports the sacrifice and brings it to successful completion is called
yaj~na-bhRt.
Sri BhaTTar notes that even if there are deficiencies in the actual
performance of a yaj~na, the final offering of pUrNa Ahuti while thinking of
Him, results in the rectification of all these deficiencies and the successful
completion of the yaj~na- vikalpam api yaj~nam sva-smaraNa pUrNAhutibhyAm
pushNAti iti yaj~na-bhRt.
SrI vELukkuDi kRshNan notes that the term bhRt suggests that bhagavAn
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bears the bhAram (burden) of completing the yaj~na successfully when the
performer is unable to bear this burden for successful completion by himself.
All the yajamAna has to do is to shift the burden for forgiving all the
deficiencies at the end to bhagavAn by doing a pUrNAhuti. This is the final
Ahuti that is offered, with divine thoughts at the Lotus feet of Lord kRshNa,
asking for forgiveness for all the known and unknown, intended and unintended
deficiencies in the performance of the yaj~na in order to ensure that the
yaj~na as a whole becomes completed (pUrNam). The faults inherent in the
performer of the yaj~na, the faults in the procedures, the faults used in the
materials used in the offering, (deficiencies in mantra, tantra, vidhi, viparyAsa
etc.), are all forgiven by bhagavAn when the final Ahuti is made with His Divine
feet in mind. Among the mantra-s that are meditated upon at the time of
pUrNAhuti are:
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SrI Sankara reflects the same meaning in his interpretation yaj~nam bibharti
pAti iti yaj~na-bhRt.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that there are four chief priests at any yAga,
called Rtvija-s, and they ensure that all steps of the yAga are performed
correctly without any deficiency. These priests are called hotR, udgAtR,
advaryu, and Brahman. At grand ceremonies, sixteen priests are enumerated.
SrI cinmayAnanda continues his earlier interpretation of the term yaj~na, and
gives his interpretation for the current nAma as: One Who helps us conclude
successfully all our good, dedicated, selfless acts of service to others.
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yaj~na--kRt
nAma 977. y}k«t! yaj~na
SrI BhaTTars interpretation is: jagad- hitAya yaj~namAdI sRjati iti yaj~na-
kRt - He first created the sacrifice for the well-being of the Universe.
The following Sloka-s in the gItA explain in detail, in the words of Lord
kRshNa, the idea that bhagavAn created yaj~na as a means of establishing a
connection between the deva-s and the human beings:
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saha-yaj~nAH prajA sRshTvA purovAca prajApatiH |
(gItA 3.10)
In the beginning, the Lord of all beings, creating man along with the sacrifice,
said: By this shall you prosper; this shall be the cow of plenty granting all your
wants.
(gItA 3.11)
By this (yaj~na), please the gods, and the gods will support you. Thus
nourishing one another, may you obtain the highest good.
(gItA 3.12)
The gods, pleased by the sacrifice, will bestow on you the enjoyments you
desire.
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elaborates on this connection and inter-dependence between the deva-s and
the manushya-s as follows: The deva-s depend on the manushya-s for their
havir-bhAgam through the yaj~na-s, and the people depend on the deva-s for
their sustenance through rain etc.
Thus, bhagavAn has set up the yaj~na as the bridge between the deva-s and
the people, and thereby the interdependence between the deva-s and the
manushya- s.
The term yaj~na-kRt has also been interpreted as One Who is the performer
of yaj~na-s. SrI cinmayAnandas translation for the nAma is: One Who
performs yaj~na. He notes that the Lord issued forth creation as an act of
yaj~na a pure and selfless act of service to the jIva-s.
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As has been noted in several previous nAma-s, Sri Sankara gives an alternate
interpretation for the term kRt as One Who destroys - kRntati: jagadAdau
yaj~nam karoti, tadante yaj~nam kRntati iti vA yaj~na-kRt - He Who created
the sacrifices at the beginning, or He Who destroyed them at the end of the
universe.
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yaj~na-s are performed.
(gItA 9.24)
"For, I am the only Enjoyer and the only Lord of all sacrifices. They do not
recognize Me in My true nature, and hence they fall".
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itself in His ensuring that His devotee attains Him even when any offering to
Him is flawed and deficient. He illustrates this point by taking five of
toNDaraDipoDi AzhVAr's pASurams from tirumAlai, starting with pASuram
25: (kuLittu mUnRanalai Ombum….).
AzhvAr tells the Lord that he has not performed the karma-s ordained for his
varNa, he has not followed the j~nAna yoga or the bhakti yoga, he has not
spent any time singing the name of the Lord, he has not done anything even
remotely similar to the offering of a flower like gajendra, he has not even
offered the relatively small service like the squirrels or the monkeys to Lord
rAma, but the only thing he knows is to cry for the help from the Lord. The
Lord accepts this as sufficient yaj~na, and takes AzhvAr to His Feet.
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sing the name of the Lord).
yaj~na--bhuk
nAma 979. y}Éuk! yaj~na
(gItA 9.26)
"Whoever offers Me with true devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or some water,
I accept this offering made with devotion by him with pure heart".
It is worth recalling from the write-up for the previous nAma that yaj~na is
anything offered with sincerity, and that bhagavAn is ever ready to accept
even the simplest offering as long as it is made with love, as we saw from the
pASuram-s of toNDaraDippoDi AzhvAr, as elaborated by SrI veLukkuDi
kRshNan. The gItA Slokam quoted here confirms the same point.
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sarva yaj~nAnAm bhoktA ca prabhureva ca" – (I am the enjoyer and also the
Lord of all the sacrifices".).
For the current nAma, SrI kRshNan points out that the protection aspect of
yaj~na-s by bhagavAn is very well illustrated in His rAma incarnation, where
He protects the yAga by sage viSvAmitra. Anyone who came in the way of the
yaj~na was finished off by Lord rAma. This is a vivid and visible case of
protection of the yaj~na by bhagavAn. For all the yaj~na-s performed,
bhagavAn is the means, the end, the One Who is worshipped, the One Who is
the Object of worship, and is also the One Who ensures the successful
completion of the yaj~na by protecting it from all obstacles. This is the
significance of the interpretation that "He is the Protector of yaj~na-s".
SrI cinmayAnanda makes another important point: "All that is offered into the
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sacred Fire during a yaj~na, though with an invocation to any of the deities, in
tender devotion and with joy, goes to Him alone, The One receiver of all that is
offered".
yaj~na--sAdhanaH
nAma 980. y}saxn> yaj~na
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SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN's interpretation is along similar lines – j~nAna
dAnena yaj~na upakAritvAt yaj~na-sAdhanaH – Because He gives the know-
how for the performance of the yaj~na, and thus assisting in the conduct of
the yaj~na, bhagavAn is called yaj~na-sAdhanaH.
SrI veLukkuDi kRshnan starts with the definition of the term yaj~na as
"prApti upAyAH yaj~nam" - any means to attain Him is termed yaj~na. Thus,
the term does not just refer to the yaj~na performed in a homa kuNDam, but
covers any means of worshipping Him, including the nitya tiru ArAdhanam
performed for Him. The term sAdhanam refers to upAyam or means to attain
Him. SrI kRshnan points out that this nitya ArAdhanam should be performed
with SraddhA, and full dedication to Him, and then bhagavAn accepts this as
means or uapAyam to attain Him, and so He is called yaj~na-sAdhanaH.
Sri cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as: "One Who fulfils all ya~jna- s. It is by
His Grace alone that all noble endeavors, undertaken in an honest and true
sincerity, gain spectacular success". Notice again that SrI cinmayAnanada
interprets the term yaj~na in a broad sense as "any effort undertaken for the
public good, in a sense of selfless undertaking".
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SrI satya sandha tIrtha uses the meaning "means" for the term sAdhana, and
explains the nAma as "yaj~nasya sAdhanam sruk sruvAdikam mantrAdikam vA
yasmAt iti yaj~na-sAdhanaH" – He is called yaj~na sAdhanaH since it is He who
is the cause for the means such as the ladle, the mantra-s, etc. used during
the yaj~na. The terms sruk and sruva refer to two different types of ladles
used in the yaj~na (sruva refers to the smaller ladle, and sruk refers to the
larger ladle in which the ghee is poured using the smaller ladle – Monier-
Williams dictionary). Lord kRshNa declares in the gItA that He is the means
for all the aspects associated with a yaj~na:
(gItA 4.24)
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"Brahman is the instrument to offer with; Brahman is the oblation. By Brahman
is the oblation offered into the fire of Brahman; Brahman alone is to be
reached by him who meditates on Him in his works".
arpyate anena iti arpaNam srugAdi, tad brahma kAryatvAt brahma, brahma
yasya havishaH arpaNam tad-brahmArpaNam.. -
This is the same idea that has been reflected by SrI satya sandha tIrtha in
his interpretation given above.
As if to illustrate that the devotees of the Lord can enjoy Him in His infinite
dimensions through their thoughts, Sri raghunAtha tIrtha gives another
interpretation – yaj~na SabdaH Subha-vAcI, tam sAdhayati iti yaj~na-
sAdhanaH – "The term yaj~na refers to auspiciousness, and since bhagavAn
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gives auspicious results, He is called yaj~na-sAdhanaH".
yaj~nAnta--kRt
nAma 981. y}aNtk«t! yaj~nAnta
It should be remembered that yaj~na is a karma, and its goal is to attain the
true knowledge of bhagavAn, when it is performed without material goals in
mind. Sri BhaTTar's interpretation is that bhagavAn is called yaj~nAnta-kRt
since He makes the attainment of true knowledge about Him as the end and
the goal of all sacrifices – yaj~na paryavasAnam sva-tattva j~nAnam karoti iti
yaj~nAnta-kRt. (It is well to remember here that in vedic parlance, 'true
knowledge' about something means the conduct of one's life according to that
knowledge, and not the mere knowledge only). SrI BhaTTar quotes the gItA in
support of this concept:
(gItA 4.33)
"Of the two aspects of karma yoga – knowledge and material aspects, the
component of knowledge is superior to the component of material sacrifices. O
arjuna, all actions and everything else culminate in knowledge".
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moksha. In other words, it is the knowledge about Him that ultimately leads to
moksha according to this Sruti vAkyam. BhagavAn gives this knowledge as a
result of the karma of yaj~nam, and so He is called yaj~nAnta-kRt.
a) He Who gives the fruits of the yaj~na at the conclusion of the yaj~na –
yaj~nasya antam phala prAptim kurvan yaj~nAnta-kRt;
b) He Who brings about the successful conclusion of the yaj~na with the
chanting of the vaishNavI Rk or the pUrNAhuti mantra as the final oblation –
vaishNavI Rk-Samsanena pUrNAhutyA vA yaj~na samAptim karoti iti
yaj~nanta-kRt.
The idea that even when there are deficiencies during the performance of the
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yaj~na, bhagavAn makes the yaj~na complete and successful with the final
offering of the last Ahuti dedicated to Him with pure thoughts, has been
explained earlier in nAma 976 – yaj~na-bhRt. SrI rAdhA kRshNa SAstri quotes
the following Sloka in support:
"Our prostrations to acyuta Who brings to successful completion any good act,
by the very thought of Him or the mention of His nAma".
SrI cinmayAnanda's explanation for the nAma is: "One Who performs the last,
concluding act in all yaj~na-s". He follows the lead of SrI Sa'nkara in
interpreting the nAma as a reference to the final act of pUrNAhuti offering
to the Lord, and notes that "when total surrender of all vehicles and their
actions is accomplished (in the form of pUrNAhuti offering), the
transcendental experience of the Self, nArAyaNa alone, comes to manifest in
all His divine Splendor".
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj notes that the nAma signifies that bhagavAn
blesses the conclusion of the yaj~na by His very auspicious appearance, out of
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His sheer Mercy –
"The Supreme Deity, Lord vishNu, Who has everything and everyone as His
body, and Who is the Lord and Master of all, was offered worship". (The
subsequent Sloka-s, e.g. 4.19.6) describe bhagavAn's actual appearance at the
yaj~na, accompanied by the siddhas, kapila, nArada, datta, etc.).
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha notes that the nAma signifies that bhagavAn brings
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about the successful conclusion of the yaj~na by removing all the obstacles,
and also gives the fruits of the yaj~na to the kartA – vighnAn vihRtya yo
yaj~nam samApayati, sampAditasya tasya yaj~nasya yo antam = phalam ca
dadAti sa yaj~nAnta-kRt abhidIyate.
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN chooses the meaning that bhagavAn decides the
final fruit of the yaj~na – yaj~nasya antam phala niScayam karoti iti
yaj~nAnta-kRt.
yaj~na--guhyam
nAma 982. y}guým! yaj~na
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their diverse anubhavam of how bhagavAn is the hidden secret behind yaj~na-
s.
Sri BhaTTar comments that bhagavAn is the 'secret' behind the sacrifice,
because not everyone understands that He is the ultimate object of the
sacrifice, and that even though bhagavAn is not in need of any offering, He
still feels satisfied as if He has been long expecting the offerings, and enjoys
them. Only those who are wise and knowledgeable about the injunctions, the
means and the fruits of the sacrifices, realize this secret about Him; others
do not realize this secret. SrI BhaTTar quotes the following from the
mahAbhArata in support:
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viduH kRshNam brAhmaNAs-tattvato ye
"All the veda-s and all that has to be learnt, all the SAstra-s and all the
sacrifices, and all worship – all are SrI kRshNa. Those who know kRshNa
correctly this way, may be considered to have completed all the sacrifices
successfully".
"All the shining luminaries in the universe, the three worlds, the three
guardians of the world, the three fires, and the five offerings in those holy
fires, and all the gods, are all SrI kRshNa, the Son of devaki".
The above references bring out another subtle secret that is elaborated by
SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan: Even though the offering in a given yaj~na
may be for some of the other deities, the real Deity Who ultimately receives
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all the offerings is BhagavAn and no one else. BhagavAn is the antaryAmi of all
these other deities, and while He feels satisfied with the offering, He also
ensures that these other deities are satisfied, and thus it is no one other than
BhagavAn Who is the ultimate object of all yaj~na-s. Not everyone who
performs yaj~na-s understands this, and thus bhagavAn is the secret behind
the yaj~na-s in this sense as well – yaj~na-guhyam.
Sri VeLukkuDi kRshNan brings out another dimension to the anubhavam of this
nAma: Accepting the relatively meager offering in the yaj~na with great
delight, BhagavAn can give to the performer of the yaj~na, the benefit even up
to moksham; in other words, there is no limit to the return that He can bestow
on the performer of the yaj~na in return for the relatively trivial offering
that bhagavAn does not even need. This is a great secret that is not easily
understood by most people. He keeps the means of yaj~na as a great secret
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that is understood only by a few who know the yaj~na SAstra properly, and so
He is yaj~na-guhyam.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that there are two aspects to any sacrifice –
the material aspects, and the thoughts behind the performance of the karma.
We dealt with this discussion under nAma 981 (gItA 4.33). Lord kRshna
declares that the thought behind the actions is more important than the act
itself. When this thought itself is dedicated to bhagavAn, in other words,
when the thought behind the yaj~na or offering is not one that aims at
receiving some benefit for the performer of the yaj~na, this is the best form
of yaj~na. This is the secret behind the performance of yaj~na-s in their
ultimate true sense. When such thought is the basis for the offering, this is a
manifestation of Brahman Himself, and so there is no difference between
Brahman and the yaj~na or the offering, and so He is called the 'secret of the
sacrifice' or the 'yaj~na-guhyam'. This seems to be the meaning for Sri
Sa'nakara's interpretation for the nAma – yaj~nAnAm guhyam j~nAna-yaj~naH
phalAbhisandhi-rahito vA yaj~naH; tad-abheda upacArAt Brahma yaj~na-
guhyam – "The secret of sacrifices is 'knowledge-sacrifice'. Yaj~na may also
mean any deed performed without desire for the fruit; Brahman, as identified
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with such deeds, is called yaj~na-guhyam".
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN reinforces the true spirit behind the
performance of sacrifices – It is for bhagavAn's pleasure alone, and not for
any material benefits for the performer, that the yaj~na is to be undertaken,
and so He is the secret behind the yaj~na-s – tena yaj~nena tasyaiva mukhya
uddeSyatvAt yaj~na-guhyam.
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nAma 983. AÚm! annam
SrI vAsishTha gives another alternate derivation using the root ana –
prANane – to breathe, to live: anIti iti annam, yadvA anyate = prANyate yena
tad annam – He Who makes the beings live, or He because of Whom the beings
exist. This can refer to the vital air that is necessary for the beings to
survive and live.
SrI vAsishTha points out that the word 'annam' is used in the Sruti to refer
to any offering in a yaj~na – that which can be offered as havis, including
ghRtam (ghee) etc:
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everything except bhagavAn is not an object of enjoyment, and He is
everything for them.
(tiruvAi. 6.7.1)
"To His devotee, all is kRshNa. Food - eaten to satisfy the appetite, water –
drunk to quench the thirst, and betel leaves – consumed after the food, are all
kRshNa only in their case. Saying His name, speaking of His qualities, and
thinking of Him, His devotee will feel the hunger and the thirst and all other
needs satisfied. They will not eat any other food since kRshNa-consciousness
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is enough food for them. Reciting His name and enquiring everyone on the way
"Am I on the right path to tirukkOLUr? How far is it hence?” the devotee will
proceed without any other need for sustenance. The very thought of His place
serves as nourishment for the devotee".
(gItA 7.19)
"At the end of many births, the man of knowledge finds refuge in Me, realizing
that "vAsudeva is all" (annam). It is very hard to find such a great-souled
person".
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those who thus enjoy Him, and so He is also called annAdaH – Enjoyer (next
nAma).
pAlAzhi nee kiDakkum paNbai yAm kETTEyum kAl Azhum ne'nju azhiyum kaN
Suzhalum * neelAzhic cOdiyAi! AzhiyAi! tol vinai empAl kaDiyum neediyAi! niR-
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cArndu ninRu.
"Oh Lord! You have the brilliance of the dark Ocean, and You are the First
Cause of all the universes. It is Your nature to remove the blemishes in the
likes of me. When I think of You and the beauty of Your reclining in the Milky
Ocean, the experience is so profound that my legs are not able to support me
any more, my mind is not able to comprehend Your beauty, and my eyes
experience the same profoundness".
"When I sing Your glory – Your great feat of destroying the seven mighty
bulls, Your lifting the whole Earth in Your varAha incarnation, Your destroying
the evil rAvana in your rAma incarnation, tears of joy well into my eyes and
overflow like a river…..".
Sri Sa'nkara explains the nAma as 'adyate iti annam' = That which is consumed
by all beings is annam. Since He is the sustaining power present in all the food
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consumed by all beings, He is called annam.
SrI cinmayAnanda includes all the sense-objects that satisfy the needs of the
sense-organs under scope of annam represented by Him, and explains the
nAma as "One Who has Himself become the sense- objects which are the
'food' consumed by the sense-organs".
Using the definition atti = bhakshati iti annam – he Who eats, both Sri
Sa'nkara and SrI cinmyananda give the alternate interpretation that He is
called annam – One Who eats - atti bhUtAni iti annam – He Who consumes
everything at the time of pralaya.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the root ana – prANane – to breathe, to
live, and gives the explanation – anyante uapjIvyante bhaktAH yena sva-
darSana-dAna dvArA iti annaH – BhagavAn sustains the bhakta-s by giving
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SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN extends the topic of yaj~nam that has been the
subject of the previous nAma-s to the current one as well, and explains the
nAma as indicating that at the successful conclusion of the yaj~na by the
devotee, when the devotee reaches the ultimate objectives of SrI
vaikunTham, bhagavAn presents Himself to the devotee in the forms of the
most enjoyable objects in SrI vaikunTham through His sa'nkalpa Sakti, and so
He becomes the ultimate annam for the devotee – yaj~na labhye parama vyomni
yad-divya-rasa- gandhAdikamadanIyam bhogyam.
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itself (Ada) is again derived from the same root ad - bhakshaNe - to eat,
literally giving the meaning "The eater of food". In the current context, the
meaning is that BhagavAn is the Enjoyer of those who enjoy Him. The previous
nAma indicated that He is One who is enjoyed by His devotees as annam, and
the current nAma indicates that He in turn enjoys the devotees who enjoy Him
- annam atti iti annAdaH.
that the significance of the word eva is that there is no one else like Him - ko
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anya IdRSaH? iti eva-kAraH. The significance of the word ca is that all that
has been described thus far are present perfectly in this one Deity, namely
Lord vishNu - 'ca' SabdaH sarvamuktam ekatra asmin samuccinoti |.
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN echoes the same interpretation for the words
eva and ca -
This mutual love of the devotees to BhagavAn (He being annam), and for
bhagavAn to His devotees (He being annAdaH), is nicely described by
nammAzhvAr in his tiruvAimozhi pASuram 9.7.9, almost like a mutual
competition of who enjoys whom most, and is referenced by both SrI
v.v.rAmAnujan and by SrI vELukkuDi kRshNan:
vArik koNDu unnai vizhu'nguvan kANil enRu ArvuRRa ennai ozhiya ennil munnam
pArittu,
(tiruvAi. 9.7.9)
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AzhvAr says that he had been just waiting to see bhagavAn, and as soon as He
would see Him, his plan was to just swallow Him completely with nothing left
for anybody else. But even before that could happen, bhagavAn planned more
skillfully, and displayed His extreme sauSIlyam to AzhvAr. This made AzhvAr
melt down completely, and bhagavAn just drank him totally in this 'dravya'
form. AzhvAr exclaims that this tirukkATkaraiappan is an extremely hard nut
to crack, and One with whom no one can compete in this kind of game, or in
anything else for that matter. AzhvAr wanted to make Him annam, but
bhagavAn instead became the annAdan in this case.
SrI Sa'nkara gives the meaning - annam atti iti annAdaH - "The Eater of food"
to the nAma, and explains that the nAma signifies that bhagavAn is the eater
of the whole world as food. SrI Sa'nkara proceeds to explain the next two
words eva and ca as follows:
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"The particle eva is used to show that the entire universe of becoming enjoyer
and enjoyed, is traceable to the Lord.
The adjunct ca is used to indicate that all names ultimately indicate a single
Superior person. Another translation found for Sri Sa'nkara's words is: The
word ca is used to show that all the names given in the text can be applied to
the one ParamAtman.
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Sloka-s, is none other devakI-nandana kRshNa Who is seated in front of them.
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Slokam 106
AaTmyaein> Svy<jatae vEoan> samgayn>,
Atma--yoniH
nAma 985. AaTmyaein> Atma
join, to separate. The affix ni is added by application of the uNAdi sUtra 4.51,
leading to the word yoni – womb. One explanation for the nAma is AtmA =
svayameva, svasya yoniH = kAraNam – He Who is the Cause for Himself.
SrI BhaTTar uses the root yu – 'to unite, to mix', and interprets the nAma as
- "dughdeneva sitAvalayam AtmanA bhoktAram miSrayati iti Atma-yoniH" -
One Who mixes others with Himself easily like milk with sugar. In other words,
it is bhagavAn's sauSIlyam that is emphasized by SrI BhaTTar through this
nAma.
As has been pointed out in many previous nAma-s, Sri BhaTTar's main emphasis
in his sahasra nAma vyAkhyAnam is to bring out the two guNa-s of bhagavAn
that are of utmost significance and importance to the devotees – namely
bhagavAn's sauSIlyam and saulabhyam. The interpretation of the current
nAma is a vivid example where SrI BhaTTar uses his skills in interpretation to
emphasize bhagavAn's guNa of sauSIlyam – or His ability to mix with His
devotees with the greatest ease, and let them enjoy Him easily and
completely, as long as they are sincerely devoted to Him.
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN echoes the same thoughts as Sri BhaTTar in his
interpretation – AtmAnam svam yauti bhaktaH sahavAsa bhoge iti Atma-yoniH
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– He Who mixes the bhakta-s with Himself indistinguishably for the purpose
of their enjoyment of Him. He quotes the ananda maya vidyA from Ananda valli
of taittirIya upanishad –
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Unil vAzh uyirE nallai pO unnaip peRRu vAnuLAr perumAn maduSUdan en
ammAn
(tiruvAi. 2.3.1)
"O my mind! Even though you are present in this physical body of flesh and the
like - all filthy, you have served me right in the direction of deliverance. What
I have enjoyed is what nityasUri-s enjoy in SrI vaikunTham. BhagavAn has
subdued me even when I was in a mood to leave Him, and has made me a happy
servant of His, and he has become one with me. It is like honey mixing with
honey, milk with milk, sugar with sugar, ghee with ghee, and nectar with
nectar."
It is worth noting that while SrI BhaTTar says that bhagavAn mixes with His
devotee like sugar and milk (see his vyAkhyAnam above), AzhvAr says
bhagavAn has mixed with Him like milk with milk itself (honey with honey, milk
with milk, ghee with ghee, etc.), a level more intimate than the mixing of milk
and sugar.
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SrI Sa'nkara brings out an aspect of bhagavAn's function of creation through
this nAma – Atmaiva yoniH – upAdAna kAraNam na anyat iti Atma- yoniH –
Because He alone is the material cause of the universe, and no other,
therefore He is called Atma-yoniH.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also gives the interpretation that since
bhagavAn has no cause other than Himself, He is called Atma-yoniH –
svambhUtvAt Atma-yoniH. He gives support from the Upanishad: sa viSva-kRd
viSva-vid Atma-yoniH (SvetASvatara. 6.16)
While SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the meaning svayam-bhU to the
word Atma-yoniH in the upnaishadic passage above, SrI N. S.
Anantara'ngAcArya translates the term as "indweller in the jIvAtman" in his
book titled "Selections from the Upanishads", and this translation is based on
the vyAkhyAna of SrI ra'nga rAmAnuja muni.
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svayam--jAtaH
nAma 986. Svy<jat> svayam
He Who is self-born.
svayam-jAtAya namaH.
svayam jAyate ajanishTa iti vA svayam-jAtaH
SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam is that bhagavAn has this nAma signifying that He
takes His incarnations as and when necessary, without waiting for those in
difficulty to come and pray to Him to take His incarnation - prArthanA
nirapekshatayA jAtaH svayam-jAtaH. In other words, He takes the incarnation
out of His concern for the protection of the good, the destruction of the evil,
and the preservation of dharma (paritrANAya sAdhUnAm, vinASAya ca
dushkRtAm, dharma samsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi) - He Himself takes
birth out of His own will. His main concern is the protection of the jIva-s
that are His children; it is His Nature to be concerned and to protect (kAkkum
iyalvinan kaNNa perumAn - nammAzhvAr in tiruvAimozhi 2.2.9), and so He
takes incarnations for this purpose as and when necessary, out of His own
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sa'nkalpam.
Repeated reference has been made to the unique approach of SrI BhaTTar in
interpreting the nAmas by emphasizing that all that BhagavAn does is for the
benefit of His devotees. Even though the outward meaning for the nAma is
"One Who is born by Himself", SrI BhaTTar takes the opportunity to point
out that "He is born by Himself as and when necessary to remove the
sufferings of His devotees", rather than to just say that "Bhagavan has no
other Creator". The current nAma is one other instance of SrI BhaTTar's
unique anubhavam in his interpretation of the nAma-s.
(tiruviuttam 1)
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"You Who took birth voluntarily in order to liberate us from the burden of
samsAra".
SrI vELukkuDi kRshNan gives a quote from the gItA in support, and notes
that bhagavAn gets entangled in the miseries of this world just to release us
from the same miseries:
(gItA 3.22)
"For me, arjuna, there is nothing in all the three worlds which ought to be
done, nor is there anything un-acquired that ought to be acquired. Yet I go on
working".
SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan points out that it is for removing the bondage of
several other women that sItA pirATTi voluntarily lived for ten months in the
prison of the ten-headed rAvaNa, and it is for removing our bondage that Lord
kRshNa voluntarily chose to be born in the prison of kamsa. For the Divine
Couple, all these voluntary sufferings are for the purpose of relieving our
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sufferings.
In his vyAkhyAnam for the above gItA Sloka, bhagavad rAmAnuja explains
that bhagavAn still continues to work for the protection of the world, even
though there is nothing for Him personally to be achieved by working
SrI Sa'nkara had explained the previous nAma (Atma-yoniH) as signifying that
bhagavAn is the Material cause of the Universe. He continues this thread in
the current nAma, and explains the nAma svayam- jAtaH as signifying that
bhagavAn is also the Instrumental cause - nimitta kAraNam api sa eva iti
darSayitum svayam-jAta iti. The terms 'Material cause' and 'Instrumental
cause' can be briefly explained by reference to the making of a pot by a
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potter, using the mud, the wheel, the water etc. In this example, the mud is
the upAdAna kAraNa or the material cause. The nimitta kAraNa or the
Instrumental cause is the pot maker. The other supplementary materials such
as the wheel, the water etc. are called the sahakAri kAraNa-s. SrI Sa'nkara's
interpretation for the previous and the current nAma-s are that bhagavAn is
both the Instrumental Cause and the Material Cause in the process of
creation. He gives support from the brahma sUtra (prakRtiSca pratij~nA
dRshTAnta anuparodhAt (1.4.23)) that declares that bhagavAn is not just the
Instrumental cause but also the Material cause. In other words, He performs
the function of creation with no other help or external means but from
Himself, by Himself. This is nicely captured by nammAzhvAr in his
tiruvAimozhi pASuram 1.5.4 (tAn Or uruvE tani vittAi tannil mUvar
mudalAya.).
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as the moon appears in the sky -devakyAm deva rUpiNyAm vishNuH sarva
guhASayaH AvirAsIt yathA prAcyAm diSi induriva pushkalaH (SrImad
bhAgavatam 10.3.8). Lord kRshNa chose to enter devaki's womb for some
time, and then chose to come out when He chose to come out; the connection
between devaki and kRshNa is just the same connection as between the east
direction and the moon from which it appears.
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(viSesheNa). The sense in which He 'digs' is interpreted differently by
different interpreters.
Sri BhaTTar uses the root khana with the meaning 'uproot', and explains the
nAma as One Who uproots the miseries of His devotees - janitvA, bhava
poi ninRa j~nAnamum pollA ozhukkum, azhukku uDambum in ninRa nIrmai ini
yAm uRavAmai
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imaiyOr talaivA mei-ninRu kETTu aruLAi,
"O Lord of the deva-s! You take Your births amongst us out of Your own free
will in order to protect us, who live with false and incomplete knowledge, bad
conduct, and an impure body and mind, and are stuck deep in the ocean of
samsAra. You alone can redeem us from this deep misery. Please bless us and
heed my plea and save us".
Sri Sa'nkara uses the meaning 'dig' for the root khana, and uses the instance
of bhagavAn's varAha incarnation to illustrate the significance of the nAma -
It is well-known in the purANa-s that He, in the form of a boar, dug up the
earth, and killed hiraNyAksha, an asura who lived in the netherworld.
SrI raghunAtha tIrtha takes the word 'khana' as meaning 'to dig, to
completely undo', and interprets the nAma as - viSesheNa Satrum avadArayati
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iti vikhAnaH, vikhAna eva vaikhAnaH - He who cuts into pieces and destroys
the enemy.
Using the meaning 'dig' for the root khana, SrI vAsishTha gives another
interpretation, and attributes the existence of oceans etc., as the work of the
Lord - He has specially provided for these as examples of His specially digging
out these resources of water in nature, which no one else can do - tasya ca
viSishThaH khAno samudrasya _ nahIdRk khananam kenacit tad-anyena
kartum Sakyam |
sAma--gAyanaH
nAma 988. samgayn> sAma
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c) He Who is the final resort for those who sing the sAma gAna.
sAma-gayanAya namaH.
The word sAma is derived from the root so – antaHkarmaNi – to destroy, to
bring to an end. By application of the uNAdi sUtra 4.152 (sAtibhyAm manin
maniNau), the word sAma is obtained, meaning 'that which is appeasing'. The
word also refers to the sAma veda. The word gAyana means 'singer' (derived
from the root gai – Sabde – to sing, and the pANini sUtra 3.1.153 – NyuT ca).
sAma-gAyana means one who sings the sAma, and sAma-gAyaNaH means One
Who has the singers of sAma hymns.
a) SrI BhaTTar uses the above interpretation and explains the nAma as "One
Who has the mukta-s or the Released souls singing the sAma hymns in praise
of Him once they have attained Him" – sva-prApti madhu pAnena "hAvu hAvu
hAvu" iti sAmAni gAyamAno muktaH asya asti iti sAma-gAyanaH. He gives the
quote from taittirIya Upanishad – "etat sAma gayannAste" – (The released soul
or mukta) will be singing this sAma chant….
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sAma gAna chanting:
"Our obeisance to Him who is worshipped by the likes of brahmA, rudra, indra,
and marut-s through the best of praises, through veda-s chanted
systematically with their a'nga-s and karma-s, whose praise is sung by those
who sing the sAma gAna, who is seen through the concentrated meditation of
the yogi-s, and whose infinite nature is beyond realization by the deva-s and
asura-s, and Who is ever resplendent".
Among the four veda-s, sAma veda is given special emphasis by Lord kRshNa:
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(gItA 10.22)
b) Sri Sa'nkara attributes the singing of the sAman to kaNNan Himself, and
interprets the nAma as "One Who sings the sAma gAnam" – sAmAni gAyanti iti
sAma-gAyanaH.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that the brahma j~nAni sings the sAma
gAnam in the excitement of his realization, and Lord kRshNa in His incarnation
sang in the flute the peaceful and all-quieting sAma gAnam, and hence He is
sAma-gAyanaH.
c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the interpretation for the nAma by looking
at the nAma as sAma + ga+ ayanaH. Those who sing the sAma veda are called
sAma-gAH. SAmagAnAm ayanam = ASrayaH paramo lakshayaH sAmagAyanaH –
He Who is the final goal of those who sing the sAma is sAmagAyanaH.
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SrI raghunAtha tIrtha explains the nAma as:
"yaj~na vinASakAn rAkshasAn syati hinasti
"Extolled by special hymns of praises for His acts of killing the demons who
ruin the performance of the sacrifice".
devakI--nandanaH
nAma 989. devkInNdn> devakI
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Recall that the whole vishNu sahasra nAma has been revealed to yudhishThira
by bhIshma in the presence of kRshNa. SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for the
nAma is that through this nAma, bhIshma is clarifying to yudhisThira that the
nAma-s that have been revealed all along are not about some Deity who is
beyond reach, but they describe none other than devakI-nandana who is
seated just next to him, and who has taken incarnation as the kinsman of
yudhishThira. SrI BhaTTar refers us to a Sloka from mahAbhArata:
"O! Best of Bharata-s! JanArdana, the broad and long-eyed Lord is your
kinsman. He is all things in the past, the present and the future".
SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is also along the same lines. He gives another
support from the mahAbhArata:
"All the luminaries of the world, the three worlds themselves, the protectors
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of the worlds by guarding the quarters, the three veda-s, the three sacred
fires, the five oblations are all but the Son of devaki (kRshNa)".
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the reference from SrImad bhAgavatam,
describing the incarnation of ParamAtmA as the Son of devaki:
(bhAga. 10.3.8)
"Lord kRshNa, the Joy of devaki, appeared as the child of the divine devaki
just like the moon appearing from the eastern direction".
to interpreting the nAma that does not refer to this incident of Lord
kRshNa's incarnation. A couple of these interpretations are included below as
an example:
"The term devaki refers to soma juice because it gives pleasure to the deva-s;
The Lord is called devakI-nandanaH because He is delighted by the offering of
soma juice". Or,
"soma juice is extracted by the use of stones and so it is called devakI; One
Who is delighted by the offering of soma juice extracted through the use of
stones, is devakI-nandanaH".
Sri satyadevo vAsishTha also avoids any reference to Lord kRshNa in this
nAma, and explains the nAma as a reference to sUrya. We will not go into the
details of how he gets this interpretation, but will only note that for some
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reason, he also chose to not use the obvious interpretation that suggests itself
for this nAma, namely that the Supreme Deity Lord vishNu is none other than
kRshNa who was seated in the midst of the bhIshma and yudhishThira.
One can only speculate on why they chose to take this approach. One reason
could be that kRshNa chose to leave devaki within a few moments after He was
born to devaki, and so He was not a source of delight for devaki at least for a
few years after He was born. A few interpreters observe that another name
of yaSodA was devaki, and so He was a devakI-nandana (for instance, SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri and SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN both make this
observation).
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sufficient, it is illegitimate to seek an indirect implied meaning – (SrI
AdidevAnanda's words in his Introduction to the translation of bhagavad
rAmAnuja's gitA bhAshyam). The 'indirect implied meanings' have been
included here for those with academic interest, and may kindly be ignored by
the bhAgavata-s of this group.
The Creator.
srashTre namaH..
We studied this nAma earlier (Slokam 63 - nAma 595). Please refer to the
write-up for nAma 595 also.
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Destroyer and the Protector of all beings.
SrI BhaTTar reemphasizes through the interpretation for this nAma that SrI
BhIshma once more tells yudhishThira that devakI-nandana, SrI kRshNa, is
none other than para-vAsudeva who is responsible for creation. One can see
bhagavAn's saulabhyam and sauSIlyam reflected through these series of
nAma-s. Even though the reference to His function of creation can be taken to
illustrate His parattvam, the fact that the same para-vAsudeva has made
Himself accessible to all the people in the audience (where bhIshma is
instructing yudhisThira on the greatness of bhagavAn's nAma-s reflecting His
kalyANa guNa-s) shows simultaneously His saulabhyam.
SrI BhaTTar notes that bhagavAn is the Lord of all the worlds, not just the
Earth, as revealed in the following reference:
"He is of infinite forms and is in the form of the entire universe. He bears by
His body all the worlds in His womb".
However, in this nAma, bhagavAn is particularly singled out as the Lord of the
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Earth. Different anubhavam-s are given for this. SrI BhaTTar points out that
there is generally more suffering in the Earth than in the other worlds such as
the deva loka-s etc., and so bhagavAn takes incarnations more often here, to
help relieve the sufferings of the beings here. So He is particularly addressed
as the Lord of the Earth – kshitISaH - sarva ISatve'pi Arti-bhUyishThatvAt
bhUyishTham bhUmeH ISaH iti kshitISaH.
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kshitISAya namaH.
SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan refers us to the tiruvAimozhi pASuram 3.3.4, where
nammAzhvAr points out that even though bhagavAn is the Lord of the deva-s,
He is more attached to AzhvAr in this world more, because AzhvAr is in a
more helpless situation than the deva-s:
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niRaivu onRum ilEn en kaN pASam vaitta param SuDar SOdikkE.
(tiruvAi. 3.3.4)
"We can declare that tiruvE'nkaTattAn is the Lord of nityasUri-s etc. But this
in no way adds to His glory. His true glory is in His mingling with the lowliest of
the lowly people like me, being accessible to all the downtrodden etc. This, it is
His saulabhyam that adds to His glory, and not the Lordship over the
nityasUri-s. He has shown a doting love to me, endearing me that way".
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN also interprets the nAma as "Lord of the Earth",
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the Lordship being reflected in His being concerned with the removal of the
suffering of the beings of the world and their protection – kshiter-bhAram
apanIyatAm pAlayana kshitISaH.
pApa--nASanaH
nAma 992. papnazn> pApa
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It is very interesting to look at the derivation of the word pApa – it is derived
from the root pA – rakshaNe – to protect. The addition of the affix paH leads
to the word pApaH – that from which one should protect oneself is pApa, or
sin. SrI vAsishTha gives the derivation for the word pApa as "pAti asmAt
AtmAnam iti pApaH – That from which one should protect oneself is pApaH or
sin.
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atha dadhi-navanItastainya rAsa krIDAdi kathAmRtena pareshAm pApa-
nASanaH | avatAre'pi vaishNavAnAm bAhyAbhyantara Satru-nASanaH |
Even during His incarnations, He annihilates the enemies, both internal and
external, of SrIvaishNava-s (the devotees of vishNu inseparably associated
with SrI or mahA lakshmi). He annihilates the internal enemies when they
meditate on His kalyANa guNa-s, and he annihilates the external enemies
through the divine weapons that he carries for their protection (which is the
substance of the next and last Sloka).
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nIkkuvAnai taDam kDal kiDantAn tannai dEva dEvanai ten ila'nkai eri ezhac
ceRRa villiyai pAva nASanai pa'ngayat taDam kaNNanaip paravuminO.
(tiruvAi. 3.6.2)
"I beseech all of you people to devote yourselves to the Lotus-eyed Lord who
is the Chief among the tri-mUrti-s, the antaryAmi of rudra and brahmA, and
their Creator. He is the One Who removes the curses of rudra, brahmA and
other gods whenever they get into trouble. He is the One Who is reclining in
the Milk Ocean, and the same One Who tortured the evil-minded ravAna and
his SrI la'nkA to retrieve sItA pirATTi. He is the Lotus-eyed Lord Who
removes all our sins by the mere contemplation on Him".
ivvulaginil yAr peRuvAr? namman pOlE vIzhttu amukkum nATTil uLLa pAvam
ellAm SummenAdE kai viTTo ODit tURugaL pAindanavE.
"My Lord! How can I ever describe the great benefit that I have received
because of Your Grace? All the sins that normally push me down mercilessly to
the ground like demons and ghosts, have left me quietly like prisoners that
escape without making any noise and hide in the bushes".
(gItA 4.9)
"He who thus knows in truth My divine birth and actions does not get rebirth
after this body; he will come to Me, O arjuna".
SrI kRishNan svAmi adds that if we meditate on His birth, we won't be born
again; if we meditate on His drinking His mother's milk in His birth, we won't
have to be born to drink a mother's milk; if we enjoy His leelA of stealing
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butter and curd, our sins will be stolen away by Him; if we meditate on His
being bound by ropes by yaSodA, we won't be bound again in samsAra; such is
the greatness of the thoughts about Him and His leelA-s.
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"Whatever sins are removed by fasting for a fortnight, are destroyed by
performing a hundred prANAyAma-s. Whatever sins are destroyed by a
thousand prANAyAma-s, are removed in a fraction of a second by meditating
on Hari".
"O king, hear from me the thousand names of vishNu, the Lord of the
Universe, the highest in the worlds; these remove all sins and fear".
The next stanza clarifies that the nAma-s are but representations of
bhagavAna's guNa-s – yAni nAmi gauNAni vikhyAtAni mahAtmanaH, and thus,
meditation on the names of vishNu, or the guNa- s of vishNu, leads to the
removal of sins in the mind of one who meditates on vishNu.
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SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives support from SrImad bhAgavatam:
(bhAga. 12.13.23)
"My prostrations to Lord SrI Hari Whose nAma sa'nkIrtanam leads to the
eradication of all sins, and by worshipping Whom all sorrows are weakened".
This is the last Slokam of SrImad bhAgavatam, and can be considered the
summarizing Slokam of SrImad bhAgavtam by SrI sUta muNi.
SrI cinmayAnanda summarizes the purport of the nAma in the following words:
"Meditating upon Whom all vAsanA-s (sins) are liquidated. When an individual,
surrendering in love to Him, acts and fulfills his duties, all his existing vAsanA-
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s are destroyed, and no new ones are created. This is the very root in the
theory of karma yoga in the veda-s. Through meditation upon the Self, all sins
are dissolved and totally removed".
In one of his alternate interpretations, SrI satya sandha tIrtha looks at the
nAma as pApanAH + aSnAti – pApam nayati iti pApanAH daityAH, tAn aSnAti
iti pApaNASanaH. The asura-s are called pApanAH because they lead in
committing sins, and bhagavAn 'eats away' or destroys these asura-s, and so
He is called pApanASanaH.
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN also includes the above thought in one of his
alternative interpretations – pavitraiH caritaiH SrotRRNAm nikhila karmya
rUpam pApam vivartayan, asurAnAmapi nihatAn Atma vidyAm nivartya muktim
tebhyo yacchat pApanASanaH – He is called pApa nASanaH because He
removes the sins of those who hear the stories of His leelA-s; He is calo called
pApa nASanaH because He destroys the asura-s, and in the process, even for
them He removes their sins by redeeming the knowledge about the Self and
gets them to moksha.
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Slokam 107
zŒÉ&ÚNdkI c³I za¼RxNva gdaxr>,
Sa'nkha--bhRt.
nAma 993. zŒ É&t! Sa'nkha
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In this last Sloka of the stotra before phala-Sruti, bhagavAn's celestial
weapons are described. There are several aspects in which the Ayudha-s or
weapons in bhagavAn's hands are enjoyed by the devotees.
Sa'nkha-bhRte namaH
1) 2) These weapons are enjoyed by His devotees as divine ornaments, while at
the same time they are objects of terror for His enemies.
Even though bhagavAn has many weapons that decorate Him (for instance, the
shoDaSAyudha stotram by svAmi deSikan describing 16 weapons in the hands
of Lord sudarSana), the pa'nca Ayhudha-s are the ones that receive mention in
this Sloka. The pa'nca Ayudha-s or the five weapons are also sung in the
pa'ncAyudha stotram.
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periAzhvAr sang ma'ngaLASAsaam to the Lord and prayed for a 'long life' for
His Lord (paLLANDu). Similarly, nammAzhvAr gets concerned that His Lord
has been left to carry all these huge weapons in His hands, with nobody coming
forward to help Him by carrying them for Him. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us
to tiruvAimozhi pASuram 8.3.3:
ALum AL Ar, Azhiyum Sa'ngum SumappAr tAm vALum villum koNDu pin SelvAr
maRRillai
tALum tOLum kaikaLai Arat tozhak kANEn nALum nALum nADuvan aDiyEn
j~nalattE.
The pASuram is one where AzhvAr is in deep bhagavad anubhavam, to the point
that he is worried and concerned that there is no to one to help His Lord carry
these heavy weapons, and instead they only keep calling on Him to bestow on
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them worldly things, instead of realizing that He is the only true object to
wish for.
4) There is a fourth aspect to the Ayudha-s that Lord vishNu holds on His
tirumEni, that is described in SrI vishNu purANam. Here, the Ayudha-s that
Lord Hari holds in His divine body are described as representing the various
tattva-s that ultimately are involved in the creation of the Universe and its
beings. SrI kRshNan describes these in detail in his sahasra nAma upanyAsam.
Briefly, the following is a summary:
4. SAr'nga – sAttvika – the five karma indriya-s and the five j~nAna
indriya-s. SAr'nga is the controlling force for the indriya- s.
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5. nandakI – the sword represents brahma vidyA; the sheath for the knife
is the controlling force that controls avidyA.
The Sloka-s from SrI vishNu purANam from chapter 1.22 that describe the
above are:
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"Intellect abides in Madhava in the form of His mace. The Lord supports
egotism (aha'nkAra) in its two-fold division, into elements and organs of sense,
in the emblems of His conch-shell and His bow. In His hand vishNu holds, in the
form of His discus, the mind, whose thoughts fly swifter than the winds."
"The bright sword of acyuta is holy wisdom, concealed at some seasons in the
scabbard of ignorance".
Thus Lord vishNu embodies the shapeless elements of the world as His
weapons and His ornaments, for the salvation of mankind.
Arjuna requests bhagavAn to display His 'usual form', with crown and with
mace and discus in hand, after he sees bhagavAn's viSva rUpam and becomes
frightened.
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kirITinam gadinam cakra hastam icchAmi tvAm drashTum aham tathiva |
(gItA 11.46)
"I wish to see You as before, with crown and with mace and discus in hand.
Assume again that four-armed shape, O Thou thousand-armed, of Universal
Form!".
"O King! Finding the whole world as the body of SrI Hari, the asura- s became
concerned and sad. At the same time, the sudarSana cakra with incomparable
tejas, the bow called SAr'nga that made the sound of the thunder, the conch
by name pA'ncajanya that made the sound of the clouds about to shower, the
gadA with enormous power, the sword that represents vidyA and that has a
hundred sharp edges were prostrating to Lord Hari….".
SrI vAsishTha indicates the root for the word "Sa'nkha" as Sama – upaSame –
to grow calm, to put an end to, to stop. (This is also the root for the word
SA'ntiH). The application of the uNAdi sUtra 1,102 (SameH khaH) leads to the
addition of the affix kha to the root Sama, leading to the word Sa'nkha – the
conch-shell. The word 'bhRt' is derived from the root bhR – dhAraNa
poshaNayoH – to hold, to support. Sa'nkham bibharti iti, Sa'nkham pushNAti
iti vA Sa'nkha- bhRt – He Who holds the conch, He Who supports the conch,
He Who nourishes the conch, etc. The last interpretation is the one that SrI
BhaTTar emphasizes, and the one that ANDAL relishes, as we will see.
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Sa'nkha-bhRte namaH
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SrI BhaTTar, who has described the previous 991 nAma-s by emphasizing
bhagavAn's saulabhyam and sauSIlyam, finishes the last eight nAma-s by
reminding us that this same bhagavAn is none other than the Supreme Lord of
all the Universes – in other words, he describes the last eight nAma-s as
indicative of bhagavAn's supreme overlordship – "parama aiSvarya cihna divya
AyudhadvAt". At the same time, he directs his interpretation to aspects of
these Ayudha-s in His hands that evoke the sense of bhakti rasam in His
devotees. Thus, his interpretation for the nAma Sa'nkha-bhRt is that
bhagavAn is supporting or nourishing the Sa'nkha through the adharAmRtam
from His mouth (bhR – dhAraNa poshNayoH – to support, to nourish). This is
the anubhavam that ANDAL has about the Sa'nklham in bhagavAn's hands.
"uNbadu Sollil ulagaLandAn vAyamudam, kaN paDai koLLil kaDal vaNNan kait-
talattE"
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that the name pA'ncajanyam itself signifies
that the divine conch is the representation of the tattva called ahamkAra that
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is the origin of the pa'ncabhUta-s. Of course, there is also the vRttAntam
about bhagavAn slaying the asura by name pa'ncajana, who was in the form of a
conch, and this conch also became a decoration for bhagavAn, and is known as
pA'ncajanyam.
SrI SAstri notes that the sound that emanates from His pA'ncjanyam has the
effect of removing the internal enemy in the form of ignorance in the minds of
the devotees, as well as the powerful external enemies. Thus, in both senses
the conch is a weapon that He bears for the protection of the devotee and the
annihilation of the enemy of the devotee.
SrI vAsishTha refers us to hymns from the Rg-veda that are directed to the
praise of the glory of the Sa'nkha. There are ten mantra-s in Rg veda 4.10
that all praise the glory of the Sa'nkha. Even though Ralph T. Griffith, the
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European translator of these mantra-s into English, describes these mantra-s
as referring to those 'accompanying the investiture of a person with a
protective amulet of shell', SrI vAsishTha refers to them in the context of
bhagavAn's nAma of Sa'nkha- bhRt, as a reference to the glory of bhagavAn's
Sa'nkha.
SrI vAsishTha on the other hand interprets the nAma as "One Who has beings
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for whom He wishes happiness always, and whom He can bless as "may he be
happy always" – ASamsanArham priyam vastu nityam asya asti iti 'nandakI'.
Thus, he does not even refer to the divine weapon in his interpretation.
Sri Sa'nkara explains the nAma as One Who carries the sword called nandaka,
representing knowledge –"vidyA-mayo nadakAkhyaH asiH asya asti iti nadakI".
This follows the description of the divine weapons given in SrI vishNu
purANam that we discussed in the previous nAma. SrI baladeva vidyA
bhUshaN gives the same interpretation – vi~jnAnAtmako nandako asiH asya
asti iti nandakI.
SrI cinmayAnanda gives the following explanation: "The Lord's sword is called
nandaka. Therefore, this term indicates One Who holds and wields the nandaka
sword. The word nanda-kam means "that which brings bliss". The SAstra-s sing
that this divine sword in the sacred hands of Lord Hari represents the
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Cakra refers to the Discus, and He who has the Discus as one of His weapons is
cakrI. The cakra in bhagavAn's hand is called the sudraSana cakra. As noted
earlier, it serves as the adornment for bhagavAn, as well as a weapon against
the enemies of His devotees. SrI BhaTTar notes that the cakra in His hands is
always smeared with the blood of the rAkshasa-s who are the sworn enemies
of the gods who are His devotees. It is also adorned by the flames of fire that
are shooting out of it. periAzhvAr refers to Him as taDavarai tOL
cakkarapANi (periAzh. 5.4.4) – "One with the broad shoulders bearing the
cakra (and the SAr'nga bow)".
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha takes a more generic meaning for the term cakra as
something going round and round or happening again and again in circles, and
gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has the nAma cakrI because He has
established this world with events that happen again and again in circles – such
as the appearance of the sun, the moon, the planets, etc.
SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as "One Who carries the Discus called
sudarSana. sudarSana means "that which gives the auspicious vision. The
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SAstra-s attribute to this Discus-Divine the representation of the human
mind".
Other names for cakra noted by SrI kRshNan are: hetirAjan, rathA'nga, and
sudarSana. rathA'ngapANi is the nAma we will discuss after a couple of nAma-
s.
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SAr'nga.
The word SAr'nga can be derived from the root SRR – himsAyAm – to tear to
pieces, to hurt, to kill.
The word dhanush is derived from the root dhan – Sabde – to sound.
SrI BhaTTar describes the greatness of the SAr'nga bow as one that is
capable of destroying not only the evil forces, but even the names and status
of the enemies, by a mere twang (the sound caused by the vibration of the
chord of the bow) echoing in a powerful and fiery manner. Added to this is the
power of the sharp arrows issuing out of the bow. Note SrI BhaTTar's
anubhavam that the SAr'nga dhanus destroys its enemies in two ways: by the
sound that emanates when its chord is plucked, and the shower of arrows
issuing from it – jyAgosha Sara-varsha nASita. The sound emanating from the
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string of the bow rejuvenates the ASrita-s and shatters the will of the
enemies.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj refers to the great sound of the bow as
described in SrImad bhAgavatam – "dhanuSca SAr'ngam
stanayitnughosham" (8.20.30) - The SAr'nga bow that makes the sound that
resembles thunder.
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representing the senses and egotism (aha'nkAra).
SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as: " "One Who aims His unerring Bow
called SAr'nga". He continues: "This bow of nArAyaNa is glorified in our texts
as representing the Ego, as the apex of all the sense organs, aha'nkAra-tattva.
In this concluding stanza, the instruments of Blessing in Sree nArAyaNa's
hands are remembered with reverence and devotion."
gadA--dharaH
nAma 997. gdaxr> gadA
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gadA-dharAya namaH.
gada – vyaktAyAm vAci – to speak. gadati – Sabdam karoti iti gadA – that which
generates sound is gadA. dhara is derived from dhR'nj – dhAraNe – to hold, to
bear, to support. gadAyAH dharaH gadA-dharaH – He Who holds or bears the
mace. BhagavAn's Mace is called kaumodakI. SrI BhaTTar describes the
kaumodakI as the 'queen of maces, that gives Him pleasure and that emits
flames all around like the fire at the final dissolution of all the worlds".
SrI vAsishTha compares the sound that emanates from the kaumodakI to the
sound that one hears from the thunders.
The vishNu purANa description given at the beginning of this Sloka attributes
the buddhi tattva with the gadA, and SrI Sa'nkara gives his interpretation
according to the vishNu purANam – buddhi- tattvAtmikAm kaumodakI nAma
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gadAm vahan gadA-dharaH – The Bearer of the club called kaumodakI
representing the principle of intellect.
rathA'nga--pANiH
nAma 998. rwa¼pai[> rathA'nga
application of the uNAdi sUtra 2.2, the affix kthan is added, leading to the
word ratha – chariot (ramate = krIDati yasmin yena vA rathaH). The word
a'nga is derived from the root agi – to go. rathah a'ngati yena tad rathA'ngam
– That which makes the chariot go is rathA'ngam or wheel.
In one interpretation for this nAma, the reference is to the wheel or discus in
His hand. We studied the nAma cakrI (nAma 995), and one might feel that
there is redundancy between the two nAma-s. SrI BhaTTar points out that in
nAma 995, bhagavAn being the Possessor of the Ayudham or weapon was
described, whereas in the current nAma His readiness for action (having the
cakra ready in His hand for release) is described, and thus there is no
repetition. It is His readiness for action at all times that is enjoyed in the
current nAma. In periya tiruvantAdi-87 this readiness is described by
nammAzhvAr as "eppozhudum kai kazhalA nEmiyAn" – He Who has the discus
that never leaves His hand.
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breaking His own promise not to take to weapons during the war. SrImad
SrImushNam ANDavan reminds us of this incident in explanation of this nAma.
"Giving up His promise not to take arms in the battle, and just to fulfill my
promise that I will make Him take arms, He who had ascended the chariot
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jumped down and rushed towards me with the haste that made the earth
shake, like a lion that was rushing to kill an elephant".
He Who is unshakable.
akshobhyAya namaH.
We studied this nAma earlier in Slokam 86 – nAma 807. Please refer to that
write-up for additional insights on bhagavAn's akshobhyatvam.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the following derivation for the nAma: The
nAma is derived from the root kshubh kshobh – sa'ncalane – to be agitated or
disturbed. The application of pANini sUtra 3.1.124 – R- halor-Nyat, results in
the word kshobhyah, giving the sense of SakyArthe arhArte vA - 'one who is
capable of', and 'or one who is fit to be'.. Thus, khshobhyah means 'one who
can be agitated, perturbed, shaken', and akshobhyaH means "One who cannot
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be shaken' - na kshobhayitum = sa'ncalayitum Sakyah akshobhyah.
I have never uttered an untruth before, and will never utter one ever.
rAmo dvir-nAbhibhAshate
(yuddha. 18.33)
"It is My vow to protect unconditionally from every living being, anyone that
surrenders to Me even once, or seeks my protection saying "I am your
servant"".
(gItA 18.66)
"Completely relinquishing all Dharma-s, seek Me alone for refuge. I will release
you from all sins. Grieve not".
SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan points to the incident where sItA tries to persuade
rAma not to bear arms while in the forest, but to follow the path of penance
instead. Lord rAma's response is that He had given His word to the Rshi-s in
the forest that they will be protected from the rAkshasa-s at all costs, and
that He won't swerve from His word even if it involves losing sItA and
lakshmaNa:
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apyaham jIvitam jahyAm tvAm vA sIte sa-lakshmaNam |
(AraNya. 10.19)
"O sItA! I would rather give up My life, or even you and lakshmaNa, than break
My promise, especially that which has been made to brAhmins".
Lord rAma reinforces His commitment to protect anyone who approaches Him
with sincerity, during vibhIshaNa SaraNAgati:
(yuddha. 18.3)
"I will not forsake anyone who has approached Me with a feeling of true love,
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even if this person has any faults. This is the conduct that will be considered
blemish-less by elders".
The write-ups for the nAma satya-sandhah (Slokam 54), acyutah etc., give
ample support to His akshobhyatvam.
In other words, SrI Sa'nkara associates the unassailability with the previous
nAma-s describing His weapons.
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives essentially the same interpretation – tyakta
Sastro'pi kshobhayitum gharshitum a- SakyatvAt akshobhyah.
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cannot be stormed out by any happening in his outer world; Ever-peaceful. The
term suggests Infinite patience, love and kindness towards man and his
frailties".
sarva--praharaNAyudhaH
nAma 1000. svRàhr[ayux> sarva
In this Slokam, starting from nAma 993, and up to nAma 999, bhIshma has
explicitly referred to the following Ayudha-s of bhagavAn – Sa'nkha – the
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divine conch, nandaka – the divine sword, cakra – the divine discus, Sar'nga –
the divine bow, and gadA – bhagavAn's mace. These are the five weapons that
are prominently sung in the pa'ncAyudha stotram. Then we have the
shoDaSAyudha stotram that describes the 16 weapons that cakkarattAzhvAn
himself has. This in no way is the limit of His weapons. He has limitless number
of weapons that can strike at the enemy. This is the message conveyed in this
nAma. The difference in the anubhavam of the different vyAkhyAna-kartA-s
is on why He is carrying these weapons.
SrI bhaTTar explains that the nAma signifies that bhagavAn possesses
countless Ayudha-s that are very powerful in removing all the obstacles
encountered by the prapanna-s (those who have unconditionally surrendered to
Him), are befitting His greatness, possess the great power to destroy the
enemies of His devotees, serve as both ornaments and armaments to Him, and
which have taken a vow as it were, to protect His devotees always, in all places,
and through all means. Just as He has infinite Sakti, He has infinite Ayudha- s.
These weapons are not to be looked upon simply as mere tools of machinery in
the mundane physical sense. Each of these weapons possesses infinite power.
(SrI bhaTTar's words are – sva-nishThAnAm sarva anishTa unmUlayitRRNi ……
sadA, sarvatra, savathA, sarva-prakAra samASrita….). These weapons help Him
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discharge His responsibility as the Supreme Lord of the Universe, to root out
all the miseries of His devotees".
The yAga that is mentioned by SrI BhaTTar in his vyAkhyAnam – dIrgha satra
yAga, could also be enjoyed as referring to bhagavAn's long and never-ending
yAga or undertaking of the 'protection of the people, and all His creation'.
This aspect – namely, that whatever bhagavAn does, including the carrying of
weapons, is solely for the protection of His devotees, has been the emphasis
throughout SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam for all the nAma-s. We will enjoy more
of this commitment of bhagavAn to protection of all of His creation in a
subsequent write-up.
The words sarva and praharaNa are adjectives to the word 'Ayudhah'. 'sarva'
signifies that in addition to the Ayudha-s that have been mentioned explicitly,
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He has many more such Ayudha-s not mentioned here, which are all aspects of
His indescribable splendor.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan's anubhavam is that bhagavAn, who can destroy all His
enemies through His mere Will, still carries the weapons just to cause terror
in the hearts and minds of the wicked people.
SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma as 'etAnyeva AyudhAni asya iti na niyamyate,
api tu sarvANyeva praharaNAni AyudhAni asya iti sarva- praharaNAyudhah –
He has all of kinds of destructive weapons, and it cannot be categorically
declared that He possesses only such and such weapons. SrI Sa'nkara
comments that even though finger-nails are not considered Ayudham by any
standards, in His case, He uses them as Ayudham as well, as He showed in the
case of hiraNya-kaSipu – Ayudhatvena aprasiddhAnyapi karajAdIni asya asya
AyudhAni bhavanti iti. SrI Sa'nkara further comments that this final nAma
declaring that "He is One Who possesses all kinds of weapons with which He
can strike", is chosen to show His satya-sa'nkalpam and His Lordship over all.
He refers us to the bRhadAraNyaka upoanishad – "esha sarveSvaraH" (BU
4.4.22).
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distinguishing feature between SrI Sa'nkara's and SrI BhaTTar's
commentaries is that the former emphasizes Lord vishNu's paratvam
(Supremacy), whereas the latter stresses His saulabhyam and sauSIlyam, and
above all, His supreme concern for the welfare of His devotee. The respective
vyAkhyAna-s for this final nAma by the two vyAkhyAna-kartA-s reflects this
aspect of their approach to the commentary very distinctly – SrI Sa'nkara
concludes that the final nAma reinforces Lord's sarveSvaratvam – Lordship
over all, whereas SrI bhaTTar concludes that the nAma signifies bhagavAn's
ever- readiness to go for the protection of His devotees with all His weapons.
SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan notes that bhagavAn used the darbha grass in the
case of SukrAcArya who tried to interfere in bhagavAn's scheme to get three
feet of land from vAmana. The point to enjoy is that just as He uses anything
as a weapon to destroy the wicked, He will use anything to protect His devotee
as well – He is satya-sa'nkalpan; by His mere Will, He can accomplish anything
He wishes.
A legitimate question that can be raised, is: "Why does the Lord even need any
weapons at all to destroy His devotees' enemies, when He can achieve this by
His mere sa'nkalpam? For instance, Lord rAma Himself tells sugrIvan:
(yuddha. 6.18.22)
"O King of the army of monkeys! It is quite possible for Me to destroy all the
ghosts, the asura-s, the yaksha-s, and all these rAkshasa-s with the tip of My
finger, if I so desire".
Then why is it that He carries all these weapons? On reason given is that He
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carries them so that they will induce terror in the hearts of the enemies of
His devotees, and at least in some cases, they will desist from harming His
devotees, without His having to punish them.
Another aspect of His many divya Ayudha-s is that they are nitya-sUri- s who
worry about His protection out of their love and attachment to Him, even
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though He does not need any protection Himself. But it is their love of Him
that makes them be always on the lookout for His protection, and so they all
reside in His tirumEni, always watching out for any unforeseen enemies. Recall
periyAzhvAr singing pallANDu for Him, for His divine weapons, etc., all because
of his concern for the welfare of emperumAn, driven by His deep love to Him.
This nAma formally concludes the write-up on the 1000 nAma-s of Lord vishNu.
We still have the phala Sruti Sloka-s to cover. In addition, a member of the
list who has been giving me great encouragement and support in all my works
(including sahasra nAma, tAtparya ratnAvaLi, etc.), raised a very interesting
question: Is there any special significance that the enumeration of the most
prominent nAma-s chosen by bhIshma based on the nAma-s most commonly
sung by the Rshi-s etc. (Rshibhih parigItAni), ends with a description of
bhagavAn's weapons? We will cover this in a separate write-up devoted for
this subject.
Slokam 107 that we concluded in our last posting, has different versions in
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different books. The version we used in our last posting is the version used by
some; there are some who include the words 'sarva-praharaNAyudha om nama
iti' as part of Slokam 107, at the end of the Sloka that we had in our last
posting. There are some versions that just include the nAma 'sarva-
praharaNAyudhaH' once more at the end as part of Slokam 107, followed by
the words 'om nama iti' as the next sentence.
This is then followed by phala Sruti. Not all commentators have included
vyAkhyAna beyond what we covered in our previous posting. Some proceed
further, and give interpretation for the words 'sarva- praharaNAyudha om
nama iti', followed by interpretation for the phala Sruti Sloka-s; others give
vyAkhyAnam for "sarva-praharaNAyudha om nama it", but do not include a
commentary for the phala Sruti Sloka-s.
SrI BhaTTar, SrI Sa'nkara, SrI v.v. rAmAnujan, are among those who continue
their vyAkhyAna-s further, even though they do not all cover everything
beyond this point.
"The project took decades. Some of the greatest Sanskrit scholars of India
and the West worked on the project at different times. What I recall from
Professor van Buitenen at the University of Chicago (from Sanskrit classes
nearly 30 years ago), is that the goal was to try to reconstruct Vyasa's orginal
text by comparing the oldest dated manuscripts from all over India. As
manuscripts were copied and recopied over thousands of years, variations
crept in. Some were mistakes made by the copiers, others were corrections
based on the learning of the copier, etc. etc. In some cases, there were stories
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that exist only in one region and not in other regions. The differences were
culled out (and fully documented in notes). In a nutshell, the editors attempted
to recover the "original" text before the variations crept in over time. In the
West, this approach has been used to "recover" the "original" texts of the
Bible. In India, this approach has been used to edit the Ramayana (project
completed) and the Bhagavata Purana (project in progress at Tirupati)".
The editing of this manuscript for mahabhArata extended over several years
(the cover page of the Critical Edition that I have lists the starting date as
August 1925, and the effort was on-going as of at least April, 1961). The
reason for my bringing up this information is that this Critical Edition does not
have the words "sarva- praharaNAyudha om nama iti" in its text. This may
partly explain why certain vyAkhyAna-kartA-s have omitted this line from
their commentaries. However, it is worth noting that Adi Sa'nkara, the first
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one known to have written a vyAkhyAnam for SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam, has
included these words in his vyAkhyAnam, and has commented on the phrase.
Others have included his vyAkhyAnam when they have included the
vyAkhyAnam for this line in their publications.
I am unable to find a vyAkhyAnam for this line by SrI BhaTTar in three texts
that I have. asmad AcAryan, SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan, does not include
this in his upanyAsam on SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam, and continues directly to
the phala Sruti after Slokam 107. However, Prof. A. Srinivasa Raghavan, in his
English translation of SrI BhaTTar's 'bhagavad guNa darpaNam', has added an
explanation in English for the line 'sarva-praharaNAyudha om nama iti', which
esentiallay echoes SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam. The same is the case with the
English translation for SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam by SrI vishNu sahasra
nAma satsa'ngam, New Delhi.
The repetition "sarva- praharaNAyudhah" marks the end of the work. The
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syllable "OM" is used for auspiciousness. He gives support from the bRhan-
nAradIya purANam (51.10):
"As the words OM and atha proceeded from the throat of brahmA at the
beginning, they are auspicious".
He further comments that by the word namaH, the author of the stotra
offers obeisance to Lord vishNu. He gives support from the Sruti:
(ISA. 18)
"We offer Thee many words of salutation with the word namaH".
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He concludes his vyAkhyAnam of the tenth hundred with the following Sloka-s
pointing out the greatness attained by prostrating to Lord kRshNa:
"There is no fear for those who bow down before Govinda, whose color
resembles that of the atasI flower, who is clad in yellow pItAmbaram, and who
never lets His devotees fall."
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loka-trayAdhipatim a-pratima-prabhAvam
"The non-righteous acts committed by a man in his past births, over a thousand
kalpa-s and pralaya-s, are immediately destroyed by slightly bowing down his
head before the Supreme Lord, vishNu, of incomparable excellence, and the
Master of the three worlds."
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan notes that in the gItA, it is declared that the syllable
'OM' is the representation of Brahman in sound form ? ' omityekAkasharam
brahma' (gItA 8.13). Lord kRshNa declares again ?
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tasmAt OM iti udAhRtya yaj~na dAna tapaH kriyAH |
(gItA 17.24)
The same practice applies to the completion of an act as well, according to the
practice of elders.
SrI satya sandha tIrtha uses a version of Sloka 107 that contains a repetition
of the nAma saeva-praharaNAyudaH, followed by the words 'om nama iti', as
follows:
rathA'nga-pANr_akshobhyaH sarva-praharaNAyudhaH
sarva- praharaNAyudhaH ||
om nama iti ||
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This pATham retains the recurrence of the nAma sarva-praharaNAyudhaH
twice in sequence, followed by the words 'om nama iti', as a separate phrase
following this version of Slokam 107. SrI satya sandha tIrtha also points to
the common practice that the last word(s) are repeated at the end, to signify
conclusion of the work ? adhyAyAnte dvir-uktiH syAt vede vA vaidike'pi vA |
2.
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3.
evam muktiphalAniyamas-tadavasthAvadhRtes-tadasthAvadhRteh - (at
end of 3rd adhyAya )
4.
anAvRtti SabdAt anAvRtti-SabdAt | - (at end of 4th adhyAya.)
This is the form of the sUtra that is used by both Adi Sa'nkara and bhagavad
rAmAnuja in their bhAshya-s for the brahma sUtra, confirming that this is the
form in which bAdarAyaNa himself has given the sUtra to us (with the words
repeated at the end to indicate conclusion).
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Slokam 107 - Additional Comments.
As I started on the write-up for Slokam 107, I received the following
feedback from a devotee: "In texts that are organized and ordered (i.e. texts
that are not randomly organized), the final portions are often reserved for
summary or conclusive statements. Do any of the commentators explain why
the final Sloka of nAmas is reserved for the Lord's weapons? Or, are the
nAmas randomly organized, so that the final verse of nAmas has no more
special significance that the other nAmas?"
The current write-up is an effort to address this comment. The answer to the
question of whether the nAma- are a random collection, or whether there is
any organization to the nAma-s, is answered easily. I have reproduced one
paragraph from the Introduction that I wrote for the current series several
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years back: "In his commentary on Sri vishNu sahasra nAmam, SrI BhaTTar
has beautifully traced a thread of connectivity in the sequence of the 1000
nAma-s as they occur in the stotram. He has identified an organization and
structure in the composition that refers to the guNas of the Lord in the five
manifestations in which He has revealed Himself to us, as described in the
pA'ncarAtra Agamas. These manifestations are: para, vyuha, vibhava, arcA, and
antaryAmi. Thus, for instance, SrI BhaTTar has noted that the first 122
nAma-s in the stotram describe the qualities of the Lord in his para vAsudeva
form. The next set of nAma-s describe the vyuha forms etc. Thus the nAma-s
as they occur in the stotram are not just a random collection of nAma- s, but
have a beautiful thread of organization and structure to them. SrI BhaTTar
has identified 44 such manifestations of BhagavAn in his exposition. Sri
Srinivasachariar, in his editorial introduction to SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam
published by LIFCO, (1967), describes this beautifully as an arrangement of
the petals of a rose 44 layers deep, or a step of stairs with 44 steps leading to
the enjoyment of the Supreme. I will not go into the enumeration of these 44
forms at this stage, but will identify these as we go along. The enumeration
and the corresponding Slokas can be found in the LIFCO publication".
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It is the unique contribution of SrI BhaTTar's commentary that he has
identified this connectivity or organization in the sequence of the nAma-s. No
other commentator has identified this thread of connectivity in the sequence
of nAma-s. This connectivity and organization have been pointed out through
the series of subsequent postings after the above Introduction was written.
Having thus answered the question of organization, and noted that there is
definite organization and structure to the sequence in which the nAma-s have
been strung together by bhIshma, we now look at the question of significance
of the reference to bhagavAn's Ayudham-s in the final Slokam 107. In other
words, why, of all the possible endings for the stotram, did bhIshma choose to
sing the praise of emperumAn with His divine weapons to conclude the
stotram?
Perhaps the best reason for including a description of bhagavAn with His
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In his vyAkhyAnam for the nAma akshobhyaah, SrI BhaTTar describes the
vratam of bhagavAn in protecting His devotees – to the point that He won't
even mind forsaking His dear brother lakshmaNa, or separating from sItA
pirATTi. His vyAkhyAnam, taken from the write-up for the nAma akshobhyah,
is – prapanna abhaya dAna dArDhyAt sva-mahimnA'pi akshobhyaH – He Who
cannot be shaken from the firm vow that He has taken to protect those who
have surrendered to Him; this vow of His cannot be shaken even by His own
Great Self". One is reminded of the words of bhagavAn found in SaraNagati
gadyam of bhagavad rAmAnuja: anRtam nokta pUrvam me na ca vakshye
kadAcana - I have never uttered an untruth before, and will never utter one
ever. rAmo dvir-nAbhibhAshate – rAma never talks with two tongues sakRdeva
prapannAya tavAsmI ca yAcate | abhayam sarva bhUtebhyo dadAmyetad
vratam mama || (yuddha. 18.33) "It is My vow to protect unconditionally from
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every living being, anyone that surrenders to Me even once, or seeks my
protection saying "I am your servant"". sarva dharmAn parityajya mAm ekam
SaraNam vraja | aham tvAsarva pApebhyo mokshayishyAmi mA Sucah || (gItA
18.66) "Completely relinquishing all Dharma-s, seek Me alone for refuge. I will
release you from all sins. Grieve not".
SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan points to the incident where sItA tries to persuade
rAma not to bear arms while in the forest, but to follow the path of penance
instead. Lord rAma's response is that He had given His word to the Rshi-s in
the forest that they will be protected from the rAkshasa-s at all costs, and
that He won't swerve from His word even if it involves losing sItA and
lakshmaNa:
(AraNya. 10.19)
"O sItA! I would rather give up My life, or even you and lakshmaNa, than break
My promise, especially that which has been made to brAhmins".
Lord rAma reinforces His commitment to protect anyone who approaches Him
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with sincerity, during vibhIshaNa SaraNAgati:
"I will not forsake anyone who has approached Me with a feeling of true love,
even if this person has any faults. This is the conduct that will be considered
blemish-less by elders".
kAkkum iyalvinan kaNNa perumAn SErkkai Seidu tan undi uLLE vAitta tiSai-
mugan indiran vAnavar AkkinAn deiva ulagugaLE.
(tiruvAimozhi 2.2.9)
This pASuram states that kaNNa pirAn has, as His nature, the function of
protection. Because this is His nature, He protects all the jIva- s in His
stomach at the time of pralaya, but it is really protection. This 'destruction'
again, is a prelude to creation that is in the welfare of the jIva-s, by giving
them another opportunity to attain Him by giving them a body and all the
comforts to enjoy, and is thus really protection in truth. BhagavAn is the One
who creates brahmA first from the brahmANDam that emanates from His
navel, and then gives him the power to create all other things, and thus He is
the true Creator through brahmA also. Similarly, brahmA creates rudra, and
bhagavAn remains as the antaryAmi of rudra, and enables him to perform the
function of 'destruction', the function that He has entrusted to rudra. It is
bhagavAn's nature to protect the jIva-s. This is what He considers more
important than the functions of destruction and creation. These other two
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functions are done only to facilitate the protection of the jIva-s, so that
ultimately the jIva-s will attain moksham, and join Him in SrI vaikunTham for
ever. The Supreme Deity (perumAn) takes incarnations for the primary
purpose of protection, because this is His very nature (kAkkum iyalvinan). Note
Lord kRshNa's declaration – paritrANAya sAdhUnAm, vinASAya ca dushkRtAm
– For the protection of the good, and the destruction of the evil. Protection is
mentioned first, and destruction only follows as the next function in
importance. Like removing the weeds so that the intended grains can grow,
destruction of the evil is only for the protection of the good.
The first set of words in AzhvAr's pASuram – kAkkum iyalvinan, refers to the
function of protection, which is His nature. SErkkai Seidu – The second set of
words, refers to the function of destruction. This is subservient to the
function of protection. It is for the purpose of protecting the jIva-s from
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being destroyed during the pralaya, that He saves everything in His stomach at
the time of pralaya, even ensuring that they do not bump into each other and
suffer any damage. AkkinAn – The third function in this sequence, namely
creation, is dependent on the previous step, that of samhAram, which again
was meant for protection.
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purushAkAro bhaktAnAm prakASase || (jitante. 1.5)
"Neither Your divya Atma svarUpam, nor Your divya ma'ngaLa vigraham, nor
for that matter Your weapons, or Your own SrI vaikunTham, are for Your
benefit (they are all for Your devotees' benefit, and thus You are not
independent, but You are the possession of Your devotees). Even so, You shine
as the Supreme Being".
Having thus understood that the concluding Slokam of the vishNu sahasra
nAma stotram emphasizes the concern of Protection that bhagavAn has for
His devotees by mentioning His divine form with His weapons, a very logical
question that can arise in some people's minds is: "Obviously emperumAn can
destroy His devotees' enemies merely by His Will power. Why does He have to
carry weapons to destroy these sinners?"
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ERu ALum iRaiyOnum, tiSai muganum, tirumagaLum kURu ALum tani uDamban,
kulam kulamA asurargaLai neeRu Agum paDiyAga nirumittu, paDai toTTa
mARALan kavarAda maNimAmai kuRai ilamE.
The key words to note are 'nirumittu' (having decided in His mind), and paDaai
toTTa (He Who then used His weapons to destroy them). So bhagavAn has
made up in His mind that the asura-s will be destroyed without trace. But how
does He accomplish this – not just by His sa'nkalpam alone, but though the use
of His weapons. Here is the anubhavam by our pUrvAcArya-s:
nirumittu – sankalpittu: emperumAn is also One Who could have destroyed the
asura-s, who were enemies of His devotees, through a minute fraction of His
Infinite Will power. But instead of destroying them thus with His Will power
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alone, bhagavAn chooses to use His weapons to kill them. He would have
destroyed them through His Will power alone if they were showing enmity only
towards Him; but instead, they were showing enmity towards His devotees, and
this is something that He could not tolerate. So He became angry, and used
His weapons to destroy them. Through his choice of words, AzhvAr shows that
bhagavAn will not tolerate any offense to His devotees – He will not tolerate
bhAgavata apacAram.
mARu ALan – He Who considers the enemies of His devotees as His own
enemies; He Who literally exchanges His position with that of the devotee, and
destroys their enemies. Note Lord kRshNa's refusal to eat in duryodhana's
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place, just because the later was an enemy of the pANDava-s; in other words,
He considered the enemy of the pANDava-s as His own enemy –
Thus, bhagavAn's weapons are a sign of His ardent desire to protect His
devotees. By singing bhagavAn's Form with His weapons in the last Slokam,
bhIshma wants to brings out this guNa of bhagavAn, namely His commitment
to protect His devotees against all forces opposed to His devotees.
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Him – weapons that have taken a vow as it were, in a long sacrifice to protect
at all times at all places by all means, and in all ways those who have resorted
to Him; which have unlimited power, which are like ornaments to Him and which
help Him to discharge His duties as the Supreme Lord of the Universe". As we
will see below, bhagavAn's main function in His leelA is the protection of the
jIva-s. All His kalyANa guNa-s, and everything He possesses, are for the
benefit of the devotee. Just as there is no limit to bhagavAn's kalyANa guNa-
s, there is no limit to the enjoyment of His kalyANa guNa-s as well. And there
is no limit to the extent to which He will go in ensuring protection of His
devotees. It is hoped that the significance of the concluding stotram of SrI
vishNu sahasra nAmam, with a reference to bhagavAn's form bearing His
ferocious weapons, is thus understood in terms of His most important guNa –
Protection of His devotees at all costs, under all circumstances, in all places, at
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vanamalee Slokam
vnmalI gdI za¼IR z
zŒŒI c³I c nNdkI,
This Slokam is not found in the Critical Edition we referred to in the posting
on 'sarva praharaNAyudhaH'. However, many people chant this as a result of
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their traditional training. SrI BhaTTar has not included it in his vishNu
sahasra nAma bhAshyam. However, Prof. Srinivasa Raghavan has added the
meaning in English, after noting that it is not found in the mahAbhArata and is
not commented by SrI BhaTTar. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri also makes the
same comment, and has given the meaning in tamizh. The meaning in English is
given below:
After I posted the above brief write-up for the above Sloka, I received the
comment that this Slokam is considered to contain the essence of SrI vishNu
gAyatrI, by an author by name Nallan Chakravarti Raghunathacharyulu in his
telugu translation of SrI BhaTTar’s bhAshyam published by Mudra Offset
Printers, Vijayawada (2002 edition). The comment was also made that 'this
interpretation is consistent with the traditional way of concluding invocations
on many deities with the gAyatrI mantra for the deity, and so this Sloka can
be interpreted to be a fitting conclusion for the vishNu sahasra nAma stotra'.
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However, it is to be noted that the Sloka is not part of SrI vishNU
sahasranAma as found in the Critical Edition referred to earlier. It is also to
be noted that SrI Sa’nkara, SrI BhaTTar, SrI raghunAtha tIrtha, and the
other vyAkhyAna kartA-s whose works have been used as reference through
this write-up, have not commented on this Sloka, which is consistent with the
view that this Slokam is not part of the SrI vishNu sahasra nAma stotram as
found in the mahAbhArata. On the other hand, there is nothing wrong in
chanting any Sloka on SrIman nArAyaNa with faith, including chanting the
Sloka with the faith that it is the essence of the gAyatrI – chanting His
nAma-s with devotion and faith will confer all the benefits to be described in
the rest of this phala Sruti write-up.
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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam – phala Sruti
#tId< kItRnIySy ke;vSy mhaTmn>,
SrI BhaTTar comments that the word 'kIrtanIyasya' has been chosen to
indicate that bhagavAn richly deserves the praise, and that by using this word,
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bhIshma is telling yudhishThira that he should begin the recitation of the
names right away. The reason for the same is given by the choice of the name
keSava (the Creator of brahmA and Siva – see the interpretation for the nAma
keSava – nAma-s 23 and 654), and mahAtmanah (He is the Supreme Being).
The word 'divyAnAm' (divine) applied to the nAma-s signifies that the nAma-s
are worthy of being sung in this world as well as in SrI vaikunTham. The word
'aSesheNa' is used to denote that nothing that is significant or important has
been left out by bhIshma in his communication to yudhisThira, and everything
that needs to be known has been taught.
SrI Sa'nkara explains the word 'aSesheNa' to mean 'a-nyUna, an- atirikta' –
neither less, nor more, but exactly thousand nAma-s. The implication is that
the choice of the thousand names by bhIshma are significant, and are not
randomly chosen. SrI Sa'nkara also refers us back to one of the initial six
questions – kim japan mucyate jantuh (see Introduction for detailed meanings),
and points out that these 1000 divine nAma-s are the ones that are the object
of 'japa' referred to therein. He points out that 'japa' consists of three kinds
- ucca, upAmSu, and mAnasa – loud, whisper, or in the mind (trividha japo
lakshyate – uccaA, upAmSu, mAnasa lakshaNah trividho japah). The words
prakIrtitam in the current Sloka answers that all three means – chanting
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loudly, through a low tone, or by contemplating in the mind, can be used in
singing His praise (kIrtana).
This Slokam emphasizes that these nAma-s are divine, and are sung in SrI
vaikunTham by the nitya sUri-s themselves. They are specifically selected as
sung by the Rshi-s (Rshibhih parigItAni – see the Introductory section). This
stotram is unlike any other stotram that we know of. It was first revealed in
Lord kRshNa's presence.
In this Sloka, the qualifications for reciting the stotra, and the result from
recitation are declared in general terms. "Nothing inauspicious or unwelcome
will accrue to that man in this world or in the world beyond, when one hears
this daily or recites it".
SrI BhaTTar comments that he, who according to his qualification and ability,
hears it or meditates on it in his mind, will encounter nothing inauspicious in
this world, or hereafter. Note that the benefit is attained by chanting, as well
as by listening.
By the term 'hereafter (amutre ca)', lesser worlds than SrI vaikunTham, such
as svargam, brahma lokam etc. are meant. SrI Sa'nkara points the case of
yayAti and his father nahusha, both of whom ended up suffering after
reaching brahma lokam and indra lokam respectively, because they committed
sins against brAhmaNa-s after reaching these higher worlds. Such inauspicious
instances won't happen to those who chant or hear this divine stotram – yayAti
nahushAdivat aSubha prApti abhAvam.
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vedaNtgae äaü[>Syat! ]iÇyae ivjyI Évet!,
The next few Sloka-s declare the benefits attained by chanting the hymn,
hearing it chanted etc. SrI BhaTTar has categorized the benefits as follows:
The current Slokam declares the benefits attained by people of the four
varNa-s, when they chant the stotram without necessarily directing their
chanting for any specific benefit, and do so without necessarily following any
special discipline etc.
The next Slokam (Slokam 4 in this sequence) declares the benefits attained by
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those who chant the stotram with specific benefits in mind.
Sloka-s 5 to 8 declare the benefits attained by those who chant the hymns
following discipline such as getting up early in the morning, taking a bath etc.,
before chanting.
The organization along the above lines will be clearer as we see the meanings
of the Sloka-s, in particular, Slokam 5 etc.
The current Sloka declares that by reciting this hymn or hearing it being
chanted, (without necessarily following any specific rules etc., and without
specifically seeking any benefit), still certain benefits are attained by people
belonging to the four varNa-s. Thus, a brAhmaNa reaches the knowledge of
the vedAnta-s, in other words, the knowledge of the self and its relation to
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the Supreme Self. If he is a kshatriya, he will be victorious in war. A vaiSya
(businessman) will attain immense wealth, and a SUdra will be bestowed with
great happiness.
can establish their philosophy, and argue that important works such as this one
by veda vyAsa can be 'shown' to support their system of philosophy.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan explains that the knowledge that is attained by chanting
the hymn is the realization of the eternal relationship between the soul and
the Supreme Soul as servant and Master (not the realization that everything is
imaginary and non- existent, except Brahman, as SrI Sa'nkara defines true
knowledge).
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xmaRwIR àaßuyaÏmRmwaRwIR cawRmaßuyat!,
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bhaktimAn yah sadotthAya Sucis-tad-gata mAnasaH |
sahasram vAasudevasya nAmnAmetat prakIrtayet || (5)
From the previous two Sloka-s, it is noted that the act of chanting – either
aloud or in a whisper or in the mind, or just listening to others chanting the
stotram, leads to benefits, either explicitly desired and sought, or those
consistent with the varNa dharma-s of the one who chants or listens to the
stotram. Now vyAsa points out that if a person gets up early in the morning,
purifies himself with a bath and the observance of the rites and rituals
consistent with his dharma as laid down in the SAstra-s (according to his
varNa and ASrama), and recites the thousand nAma-s of vAsudeva with his
mind firmly fixed on Him, he will be bestowed with salvation itself (anuttamam
Sreyah prApnoti – Slokam 6).
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satatam udyuktasyaikAgra cittasya SraddhAlorviSishTAdhikAriNah phala
viSesham darSayati"
The special benefits accruing to one who is devout, pure, ever persevering with
one-pointed attentive meditation, and with faith, are revealed next.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that the benefis stated next are those that
accrue to one who has single-minded devotion to vAsudeva, meditates on him
constantly, is pure in thought, word and deed, and chants the thousand nAma-s
of vAsudeva as laid down in this Slokam.
In order to reinforce the thoughts embedded in this Slokam, let us look at the
individual meanings of a few words in the Slokam:
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n Éy< Kvictaßaeit vIy¡ tejí ivNdit,
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SrI BhaTTar has given his interpretation for the above Sloka-s in two short
sentences
Prof. Srinivasa Raghavan has given the following translation for the above
Sloka-s:
"He becomes endowed with great reputation and becomes the foremost among
his kith and kin. He acquires wealth that never diminishes in this world, and he
also gets unexcelled prosperity in the next (namely, salvation). There is no fear
for him from any quarters. He acquires valor and power. He is never unwell, and
always shines. He becomes endowed with strength, a healthy body, and noble
qualities. He who is suffering from any disease will get over it. He who is in
bondage will be relieved of it. He who is affected by fear will become free
from it, and he who is in difficulties will become rid of them".
SrI Sa'nkara also does not comment on the above Sloka-s. The idea is that
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both SrI BhaTTar and SrI Sa'nkara consider that the meaning is self-
explanatory.
The most important benefit is the one that SrI BhaTTar has commented on -
anuttamam Sreyah – moksham.
The other benefits can all be understood as aid to this most important, and in
fact the only phalan that such a devotee will aspire for.
1. Thus, for instance, being rid of fear in this world can be understood as
the full confidence that bhagavAn will definitely redeem us from the
ocean of samsAra at the end of our current birth in this world, - mahA
viSvAsam
5. bhayAn mucyeta bhItah – the devotee will be rid of the greatest of all
fears – the fear of repeated births, the fear of samsAra;
Next, it is stated that if a person is exclusively devoted to SrI kRshNa and his
only desire is to attain Him, all his difficulties will automatically vanish even
though he does not pray to the Lord for any relief from them.
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durgANyatitaratyASu purushah purushottamam |
stuvannAmasahasreNa nityam bhakti samanvitah || (9)
"That person, who, with devotion, praises the Supreme Being (purushottaman)
reciting his thousand nAma-s daily, surmounts all difficulties very easily.
SrI BhaTTar comments that the next two Sloka-s speak of the attainment of
the Lord by such devotees.
jNmm&TyujraVyaixÉy< vaPyupjayte. 11
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vAsudevASrayo martyo vAsudeva parAyaNaH |
sarvapApaviSuddhAtmA yAti brahma sanAtanam || (10)
na vAsudevabhatAnAmaSubham vidyate kvacit |
janmamRtyujarAvyAdhibhayam vApyupajAyate || (11)
"That man, who has taken resort to vAsudeva with the thought that vAsudeva
is the highest goal to be reached, becomes cleansed of all sins and his mind
becomes pure. He finally attains the Eternal Brahman."
yuJyetaTmsuo]aiNt> ïIx&itSm&itkIitRiÉ>. 12
imam stavamadhIyAnah SraddhAbhaktisamanvitah |
yujyetAtmasukhakshAntih SrIdhRtismRtikIrtibhih || (12)
"The person who chants this hymn with zeal and devotion, is blessed with
happiness of the self, forbearance, riches, firmness of mind, excellent
memory, and great fame".
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SrI BhaTTar comments – niyamavato bhaktasya anusha'ngiNIm abhyudaya
siddhim Aha – For the devotee who recites the names in accordance with
scriptural injunctions, there is attainment of prosperity of all kinds that come
as a matter of course". He explains the term SraddhA as sa-gaurava tvarA –
Eagerness associated with respect. He also comments that bhakti is a result of
highly meritorious acts - bhagavati bhaktih mahatah su-kRtasya phalam. Thus a
true devotee should chant the stotram with sincere devotion and interest, and
should accompany the chanting with other meritorious acts as part of his way
of life. SrI BhaTTar further adds: govinda bhaktyabhyadhikam SreyaSca
anyat na vidyate – There is no act superior to devotion to Lord govinda.
siddhim Aha". Thus the interpretations in both cases describe the benefit for
a 'bhakta' or devotee who follows 'niyama' or rules as laid down in the
scriptures. Slokam 5 refers to the bhakta who follows niyama and does
prakItanA (praising, extolling, lauding) of bhagavAn through the stotram,
whereas the current Slokam refers to the bhakta with niyama who is
'adhIyAnah' (a student, or one who goes over the stotra either as a student or
as a teacher).
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan has used the term anusandhAnam (which means inquiry,
investigation, scrutiny etc.), in the context of this Slokam. Thus, the
difference between the two, if one were to look for a difference, is that the
first discusses the benefits attained by the bhakta who chants the stotram,
and the second about the benefits attained by the bhakta who propagates or
delves deep into the meanings etc.
One translator of SrI Sa'nkara bhAshyam has grouped the Sloka-s from 5
(bhaktimAn…) to 12 (imam stavam…) into one group, and has ascribed SrI
Sa'nkara's short commentary as follows, for all these Sloka-s as one group –
" bhaktimAn ityAdinA bhatimatah Suceh satatamudyuktasyaikAgra cittasya
SraddhAlorvivishTa adhikAriNah phala viSesham darSayati" – "In the verses
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beginning with bhaktimAn etc., the stated results are promised to one who is
devout, pure, ever- persevering with one-pointed attentive meditation, with
faith".
This is translated as: "Faith means belief in God; bhakti refers to worship;
Atma sukham means spiritual bliss – by this term, other qualities such as
patience, forgiveness etc. are also meant".
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n ³aexae n c maTsyRm! n laeÉae nazuÉa mit>,
"Neither anger nor jealousy, neither greed nor evil thoughts haunt the minds
of those people who are devotees of purushottama (The Supreme Being) and
who have acquired merit by virtuous deeds".
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dyauH sa-candrArka nakshatrA kham diSo bhUh mahodadhiH |
vAsudevasya vIryeNa vidhRtAni mahAtmanaH || (14)
"The firmament, along with the moon, the Sun, the stars, the sky, the
directions, Earth, the great sea are all supported by the valor of vAsudeva,
the Supreme Lord".
SrI Sa'nkara has made the comment with regard to the purpose of this Sloka:
By the verse 'dyauH' etc., it is indicated that the effects of reciting this
hymn as laid down are literally true and not merely glorifying utterance or
hyperbole.
Note that both SrI Sa'nkara and SrI bhaTTar make similar comments for this
Slokam rejecting the positions of non-believers.
(ashTAdhyAyI 1.2.69)
Words in different gender (firmament, moon, Sun, etc) occur in the Sloka.
VidhRtAni is a word in neuter gender that qualifies the words in different
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genders. The grammatical rule stated says that the participle form of a
neuter verb is put in the neuter gender when one verb qualifies several words
in different genders, one of which is in neuter gender.
Having thus stated that everything functions by the power of bhagavAn, next
it is stated that He is also their Controller.
ssurasurgNxv¡ sy]aergra]sm!,
"This world along with all the sentient and non-sentient objects, with gods,
asura-s, gandharva-s, as well as yaksha-s, serpents, and rAkshasa-s, is under
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the control of SrI kRshNa".
SrI bhaTTar notes that the joining of the words vartata and idam into the
compound word 'vatatedam' is Arsha prayogam (ancient usage); according to
strict grammatical rule, the pATham should be 'vartata idam', alternatively,
the pATham could be 'avartata idam', meaning 'this was'.
SrI Sa'nkara does not provide a vyAkhyAnam for this Slokam separately.
vAsudevasya AtmakAni - all of them are His bodies. SrI BhaTTar comments
that this state of all things being under the control of vAsudeva is
particularized as the body-soul relationship between all objects and bhagavAn
in this Sloka.
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This relationship between the individual soul and the Supreme Soul as one of
body-soul relationship is a key aspect of the viSishTAdvaita siddhAnta.
SrI bhaTTar comments that in this Slokam, it is pointed out that all the
tattva-s (Realities) are under the control of bhagavAn, as declared by the
SAstra-s, which are themselves under the control of bhagavAn. In the next
Slokam, it is pointed out that all the SAstra- s that declare the injunctions for
the practice of rites etc., including AcAra that forms the basis of all rites, are
also under His control.
In other words, tattva SAstra-s as well as anushThAna SAstra-s are under His
control.
"All the Sages, the departed ancestors, the different gods, the great
elements, their effects, the moving and the non-moving objects that comprise
the Universe, all have their origin on nArAyaNa".
This Slokam and the next one declare that everything that exists, has existed
and will ever exist have as their origin and support bhagavAn SrIman
nArAyaNa.
SrI bhaTTar notes that anything and anyone that is under the influence and
control of dharmam has bhagavAn as their origin: dharmAnubandhinAmapi tad-
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udbhavatvam Aha.
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and non-moving, that enjoy the fruits of karma-s.
The Critical Edition has the pATham "SilpAni", and SrI bhaTTar has used the
pATham "SilpAdi". Also, SrI bhaTTar seems to have used the pATham yoga
j~nAnam instead of 'yogo j~nAnam'. The former would mean 'knowledge of
yoga' sprung from janArdana, and the later would mean 'yoga and j~nAna'
originated from janArdana.
The previous Slokam declared that bhagavAn is the source and origin of all
cetana-s and acetana-s (sentient and insentient beings). This Slokam declares
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that bhagavAn is the Source of all knowledge as well. Again, SrI bhaTTar gives
word-by-word meanings.
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"vishNu is the unique and unparalleled Deity in that He pervades the many,
various, and different objects of the three Universes, and the three worlds of
souls.
1. ekah - svayam ekah san, Being the Supreme Deity above all else
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which are distinct and different from one another.
"vishNu, the one great Being, pervades innumerable individual beings and the
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three worlds; and being the undecaying Self and enjoyer of all, He experiences
everything (and also protects)". He has essentially echoed the translation
provided by SrI R. Anantakrishna Sastry.
"Lord vishNu who permeates everywhere, became mahat, the basis for all the
three worlds. Then He became many, took different forms, and filled all the
worlds with these forms; He is the soul of all things that appeared thus. He is
enjoying these worlds without being distinct from them in the slightest way.
He ultimately contains everything within Himself. (He is the One who performs
creation, protection, and destruction)".
Conclusion
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This posting formally concludes this project on SrI vishNu sahasra nAma that
adiyEn started on May 7, 1997. Little did aDiyEn expect at that time that it
would take close to 10 years to complete. Whatever little adiyEn knows about
our sampradAyam, is completely owed to this effort over a period of 10 years.
It was of immense benefit to me in taking me a tiny bit closer to the life's
ultimate goal. In our sampradAyam, our AcAryan is our Lord in real life.
"That person, who desires to obtain supreme bliss and the pleasures of the
world, should read this stotra of bhagavAn vishNu sung by the great sage
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vyAsa".
SrI bhaTTar's comment can be summarized thus: "This stotra sings the praise
of Lord vishNu, possessed of unlimited greatness. The one who praises him
through this stotra is none other than Sage veda vyAsa, who has drunk this
greatness in full, and who has no shortness of words to describe that
greatness. This gem of a Hymn has the greatness of the One who is praised as
well as the one who is praising Him. This world that is filled with destitution, is
eminently qualified to benefit by the chanting of this Hymn, which is capable
of redeeming this world from its destitution. Thus, everything is perfect about
this hymn-the person who is sung, the person who sings, and the beneficiary
who is qualified to benefit by singing His praise. Therefore, any person
desirous of supreme Bliss or material pleasures, whoever he may be, can resort
to it".
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Some of the original words used by SrI bhaTTar in giving his summary above
are: 'stava ratnam' to describe the vishNu sahasra nAma stotram, 'mahA
dAridRyam idam jagat' to describe the deplorable state of this world which is
straying away from dharma, 'nirviSa'nkah sevatAm' -- the benefits will be
attained without any doubt. The Sloka itself declares that both Sreyas
(denoting moksham), and the lesser pleasures (sukhAni ca) are attained by the
chanting of this Hymn.
By the verse beginning with 'imam stavam', bhIshma indicates that this hymn
is composed by the revered kRsh dvaipAyana, the omniscient, the knower of
the thousand branches of veda, who is nArAyaNa Himself, and hence this hymn
is to be recited by all with faith, in order to achieve all the ends.
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ivñeñrmj< dev< jgt> àÉvaPyym!,
"The Lotus-eyed bhagavAn is the birthless Supreme Deity, the Ruler of the
Universe, and the Cause of the creation and destruction of the Universe.
Those who sing His praise will never meet with disrespect or discomfiture of
any kind".
We will first look at SrI Sa'nkara's commentary for this last Slokam, and
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SrI Sa'nkara stresses the importance of worshiping Hari for the fulfillment of
all that is desired, for the removal of all deficiencies in all karma-s performed
with benefit as the objective, etc. He then points out that worship of Hari will
bestow moksham itself - release from the bondage of samsAra. He concludes
by dedicating his bhAshyam at the Lotus Feet of Hari.
"The Sruti-s say that any acts that have been carelessly performed, such as
irregular procedures in sacrifices etc., are rendered perfect by meditating on
vishNu".
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SrI Sa'nkara quotes another Slokam from vyAsa:
AdareNa yathA stauti dhanavantam dhanecchayA |
tathA ced-viSvakartAram ko na mucyeta bandhanAt ||
"If one praises the Creator of the Universe with the same ardor with which
one praises a rich man to get wealth from him, would not one be relieved from
the bonds of samsAra"
SrI Sa'nkara concludes his vishNu sahasra nAma bhAshyam with the following
Sloka of his own:
"This commentary of sahasra nAma which brings happiness to all, and which
was written consistent with the Sruti, smRti and nyAya, is dedicated to Hari
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(laid at His Feet)".
Sage vyAsa concludes the Hymn with the oath repeated twice:
.. na te yAnti parAbhavam"
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"NEVER DO THEY MEET WITH ANY DISRESPECT. NEVER DO THEY MEET
WITH ANY DISRESPECT".
SrI bhaTTar concludes his bhagavad guNa darpaNam with the following:
"May both SrI ra'nganAyaki, the Queen Consort of SrI ra'ngarAja, along with
SrI ra'ngarAja, root out all the distress here and hereafter,
confer wealth of all kinds on us, and always bless us with the company of the
devoted SrI vaishNava-s, happiness and victory."
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|| SrI kRshNArpaNamastu||
Dedicated in all humility to Lord kRshNa.
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