SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - slokam 18.

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SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - sloka 18.

 

vedyo vaidyah sadA-yogI veera-hA mAdhavo madhuh |

atIndriyo mahA-mAyo mahotsAho mahA-balah ||

 

Om vedyAya namah

Om vaidyAya namah

Om sadA-yogine namah

Om vIraghne namah

Om mAdhavAya namah

Om madhave namah

Om atIndriyAya namah

Om mahA-mAyAya namah

Om mahotsAhAya namah

Om mahA-balAya namah

 

165. vedyah - a) He who can be realized.

b) That which should be known or realized.

 

Om vedyAya namah.

 

veditum Sakyah vedyah, vedanArhatvAt vedyah, or veditum yogya

iti vedyah. 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.

 

166. vaidyah - The knower of vidyA or knowledge.

 

Om vaidyAya namah.

 

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.

 

In the traditional meaning of vaidya referring to a doctor, SrI

chinmayAnanda points out that He is vaidya since He alone can doctor to

the world's suffering from ego and ego-centric misconceptions. In SrI

Bhattar's vyAkhyAna we find a supporting reference - "meru mandara

mAtro'pi pApasya karmaNah | keSavam vaidyam AsAdya durvyAdhiriva

naSyati (vishNu dharmam 69.110) - One might have accumulated sins the

size the meru mountain; however if he worships keSava, the sins

disappear just as the worst diseases disappear when treated by a good

vaidya or doctor".

 

167. sadA-yogi - a) One who is always awake with respect to His

devotees.

b) One who unites this Universe as the sarva-vyApi

c) One who always follows the dhArmic way.

d) One who is in constant yogic meditation

e) One who always displays the samatva-bhAva, i.e.,

treats everyone equally.

 

Om 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;

 

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.

 

168. vIra-hA - The slayer of strong men of wicked nature.

 

Om vIraghne namah.

 

We may recollect "paritrRNAya sAdhUnAm vinASAya ca dushkr*tAm -

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.

 

169. mAdhavah - The propounder of the knowledge of the Supreme Being.

 

Om mAdhavAya namah.

 

The detailed interpretations for this nAma have been given earlier under

nAma 73. Please refer to that description.

 

170. madhuh - One who is like honey to His devotees.

 

Om 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

br*hadAraNya upanishad - ayamAtmA sarveshAm bhUtAnAm madhu - 2.5.14. We

also have "thEnil iniya pirAne" as He is referenced by PeriyAzhvAr in

his PoocchUttal.

 

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 pervasion of 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.

 

171. atIndriyah - He who is beyond the range of the sense organs.

 

Om 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 - indriyebhyah parA

hyarthA ...avyaktAt purushah parah |

aSabdam-asparSam-arUpam-avyayamtathArasam nityam-agandhavacca yat |

(kaTho 1.3.10 etc.).

(He is soundless, untouched, formless, immutable, and so without taste,

eternal, smell-less.)

 

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.

 

172. mahA-mAyah - One who is possessed of wonderful power of

enchantment.

 

Om 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 Kr*shNa 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).

 

173. mahotsAhah - He of great enthusiasm.

 

Om 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.

 

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives a different interpretation to this

nAma. He looks at this word as mahAn + ut+ sAhah - mahAntam

uccaistamam sAhah, 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 r*g 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)".

 

The word utsAhah traditionally means enthusiasm. The

commentator in dharma cakram points out that of the three qualities, the

rajas, tamas, and satva bhAva-s, actions that are done with enthusiasm

and that benefit the rest of mankind are those that are done by those

with the satva disposition. The actions by these are the ones that

continue successfully, with full benefits to His subjects. It is good

to remind ourselves in this context that He is pure Satva, and one way

of offering worship to Him is to follow this model and lead a sAtvic

life ourselves.

 

174. mahA-balah - One with immeasurable strength - The Omnipotent.

 

Om mahAbalAya namah.

 

SrI Sankara's vyAkhyAna is "balinAmapi balavatvAt mahAbalah -

Being stronger than the strongest, He is mahAbalah". SrI rAdhAkr*shNa

SAStri gives several examples of this guNa of bhagavAn. RAvaNa went to

the pAtAla loka to win over bali. BhagavAn wo had established Himself

as the gatekeeper of bali temporarily made Himself invisible. RAvaNa

tried to move the kundalam of hiraNyakaSipu which was lying at the

doorstep as it has fallen from hiraNyakaSipu's ears at the time of his

being slain by Lord nr*simha. RAvaNa's hands got caught under the

kundalam. BhagavAn appeared on the scene, and kicked rAvaNa without

effort and rAvaNa fell far 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.

 

-dAsan kr*shNamAchAryan