SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 27.

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SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 27.

 

asankhyeyo'prameyAymA viSishTah SishTa-kric-chucih |

siddhArthah siddha-sankalpah siddhi-dah siddhi-sAdhanah ||

 

Om asankhyeyAya namah

Om aprameyAtmane namah

Om viSisTAya namah

Om SishTa-kr*te namah

Om Sucaye namah

Om sidhdhArtAya namah

Om siddha-sankalpAya namah

Om siddhi-dAya namah

Om siddhi-sAdhanAya namah

 

248. asankhyeyah - (One whose attributes, names, forms, etc. are)

Innumerable.

 

Om asankhyeyAya namah.

 

sankhyA is number. asankhyeya is One who cannot be quantified. In

gItA, arjuna describes Lord kr*shNa as such -

 

aneka-bAhUdara vaktra netram paSyAmi tvAm sarvato'nanta rUpam |

nAntam na madhyam punas-tavAdim paSyAmi viSveSvara viSvarUpa ||

(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.

 

249. aprameyAtmA - One who cannot be known through knowledge, direct or

indirect.

 

Om aprameyAya namah.

 

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 yasya nAma mahad-yaSah -

yajur. 31.3. SrI rAdhAkr*shNa SAstri points out the similarity between

this nAma and the nAma-s aprameyah (46) and ameyAtmA (103, 181).

 

250. viSishTah - He who is Superior.

 

Om viSishTAya namah.

 

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.

 

251. SishTa-kr*t - He who makes His devotees eminent.

 

Om SishTa-kr*te namah.

 

Because of association with Him, He makes His devotees also superior.

 

An alternate interpretation given is that SishTa means discipline, good

manners. In this sense, the previous nAma would mean that He is

viSishTa because He is of Supreme discipline, and the current nAma would

mean that He 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).

 

252. Sucih - Pure.

 

Om 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 this is what makes Him viSishTa and SishTa-kr*t.

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 nAma

sankIrtana, 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.

 

253. siddhArthah - One who is in possession of all desirable things.

 

Om siddhArthAya namah.

 

He already possesses all that is desirable in Him naturally and

effortlessly. SrI Sankara gives the passage "satyakAmah

satya-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).

 

254. siddha-sankalpah - One whose wishes are always fulfilled.

 

Om 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 called

siddha-sankalpah. The reference in chAndogya upanishad (see previous

nAma) conveys the same idea. Examples in dharma cakram for His being a

siddha 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 kr*shNa carry arms in

the battle of mahA-bhArata (thereby Lord kr*shNa 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-s

is to entrust ourselves completely in His care, and He takes care of the

rest for us, since whatever we wish will then be for the cause of

dharma.

 

255. siddhi-dah - The bestower of siddhi-s or super-human powers.

 

Om 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 interprets the nAma to mean that He provides benefits or

fulfillment according to our action.

 

256. siddhi-sAdhanah - One who makes the means for siddhi as pleasant

as the fruit itself.

 

Om 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.

 

SrI rAdhAkr*shNa SAstri points out that the sequence "siddhArtah

siddha-sankalpah siddhi-dah siddhi-sAdhanah" is a great mantra by

itself, and chanting it will be very beneficial for fulfillment of our

endeavors without interruption when we undertake a good deed and work

towards attaining the desired goal. The dharma cakram writer points out

that the goal that is 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.

 

-dAsan kr*shNamAcAryan

 

 

 

 

 

 

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