SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - sloka 15.

[Guest guest]

Sri vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 15.

 

LokAdhyakshah surAdhyaksho dharmAdhyakshah kr*tAkr*tah

|

caturAtmA catur-vyUhaS_catur-damshtrah catur-bhujah

||

 

Om lokAdhyakshAya namah

Om surAdhyakshAya namah

Om dharmAdhyakshAya namah

Om kr*tAkr*tAya namah

Om caturAtmane namah

Om catur-vyUhAya namah

Om catur-damshtrAya namah

Om catur-bhujAya namah

 

135, 136, 137. lokAdhyakshah, surAdhyakshah, dharmAdhyakshah - The

Lord of the worlds, the deva-s, and dharma.

 

Om lokAdhyakshAya namah.

Om surAdhyakshAya namah

Om 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.

 

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 Kr*shNa bore the govardhana mountain and protected the people from

indra's fury and brought indra under control.

 

138. kr*tAkr*tah - a) The grantor of fruits that are this this-worldly

as well as those that are eternal.

b) One who is both the cause and effect of all things.

c) One who has a form which is nitya or permanent, as

well as transient forms.

 

 

SrI Sankara interprets kr*ta as effect (kArya rUpa) and akr*ta

as cause (kAraNa rUpa), and thus he interprets this nAma as symbolizing

that bhagavAn is both cause and effect of all things. Kr*tam is vyaktam

(that is manifested), and akr*tam is unmanifested or avyaktam. Or, the

nAma can mean that bhagavAn appears with a form that is akr*tam or

nityam in nature, and also in forms which remain only for a limited time

(kr*tam).

 

A third interpretation is that He gives benefits which are

this-worldly (kr*tam), as well as eternal (akr*tam), and so He is

kr*tAkr*ta.

 

139. caturAtmA - One whose Self has a four-fold manifestation.

 

Om 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 -

 

"brahmA dakshAdayah kAlas_tathaivAkhila jantavah |

vibhUtayo hareretA jagatah sr*shti_hetavah

||

vishNur_manvAdayah kAlah sarva_bhUtAni ca dvija |

stither_nimitta_bhUtasya vishNoretA vibhUtayah

||

rudrah kAlotankAdyASca samastAScaiva jantavah |

caturdhA pralayAyaitA janArdana-vibhUtayah

||

 

"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.

 

140. catur-vyUhah - One with four forms (the vyUha forms).

 

Om 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 original source for this reference is not given,

but the quote is attributed to vyAsa -

 

"vyUhyAtmAnam caturdhA vai vAsudevAdi_mUrtibhih |

sr*shtyAdIn prakarotyesha viSrutAtmA janArdanah ||

 

"vishNu, of excellent fame, manifests Himself in four forms,

vAsudeva, etc. (vAsudeva, samkarshaNa, pradyumna, aniruddha) and carried

on creation etc.

 

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 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.

 

141. catur-damshtrah - He of four teeth.

 

Om 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 nr*simhAvatAra. 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 canine teeth, and One who

has the beauty of the walks of elephant, tiger, lion, and bull.

(VAlmIki RamayaNam Sundara kANdam - 35.19).

 

142. catur-bhujah - One with four arms.

 

Om 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 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 RAdhAkr*shNa 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).

 

Yet another explanation is that the Self functions in a

four-fold pattern involving mind, intellect, cit, and ego, and these

are represented by the four arms containing the conch, the mace, the

cakra, and the padma. The cit is represented by the Lotus or Padma, the

intellect is the 'Conch', ego is the 'Mace', and mind is the 'Discus'.

 

-dAsan kr*shNamAchAryan