SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 43 - Part 1.

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SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 43.

 

rAmo virAmo virato mArgo neyo nayo'nayah |

vIrah SaktimatAm-SreshTho dharmo dharmavid-uttamah ||

 

om rAmAya namah

om virAmAya namah

om viratAya namah

om mArgAya namah

om neyAya namah

om nayAya namah

om anayAya namah

om vIrAya namah

om SaktimatAm-SreshThAya namah

om dharmAya namah

om dharma-vid-uttamAya namah

 

396. rAmah - a) He who delights others.

b) He in whom everyone delights.

 

om 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); tathA

sarva-prajA kAntaih prIti sanjananaih pituh | guNaih viruruce rAmah dIptah

sUrya iva amSubhih || - 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 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 rUpa

sampannau 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 rAma, the r*shi-s who delighted themselves in the sight

of rAma, and the gopi-s and gopAla-s who had bhagavad-anubhavam by being

with kr*shNa in AyarpADi.

 

SrI rAdhAkr*shNa SAstri reminds us that it is sage vasishTha, the kula guru

of daSaratha's family, that gave the name rAma to daSaratha's first son.

 

397. virAmah - a) He before whom all become powerless.

b) He who is the final goal of everyone.

 

om virAmAya namah.

 

SrI BhaTTar has explained the nAma as follows: viramyate asmin varapradaih

brahmAdibhih, varaiSca avadhyAdibhih, labdha-varaiSca rAvaNAdibhih iti

virAmah - 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 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. SrI

rAdhAkr*shNa 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.

 

na hi tasmAt manah kaScit cakshushI vA narottamAn |

narah SaknotyapAkrashTum atikrAnte abhi rAghave || (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 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 ramaNa

avasAnam. 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~nca

bhUta-s and dissolving back into the pa~nca bhUta-s, the sun rising in time

and settling back in time, etc. He gives numerous references to the

Sruti-s to support this interpretation:

 

tasmin idam sam ca vicaiti sarvam sa otah protaSca vibhuh prajAsu

(yajur 32.8)

 

yo mArayati prANayati yasmAt prANanti bhuvanAni viSvA (atharva

13.3.3)

 

kAlenodeti sUryah kAle niviSate punah (atharva 19.54.1)

 

yatrAmr*tam ca mr*tyuSca purushe'dhi samAhite (atharva 10.5.17)

 

398. virajo-mArgah - One who shows the faultless path.

 

om viratAya namah - The Unattached

om mArgAya namah - He who is sought after

om virajo-mArgAya namah - He who shows the flawless path

 

There is some confusion here as to whether this is to be interpreted as one

nAma (virajo-mArgah), or as two separate nAma-s. SrI SrInivAsarAghavan

discusses the terms viratah and mArgah separately but lists them under the

same number, and also indicates that virajo-mArgah is the form when the nAma

is considered as one nAma. SrI aNNa~ngarAcArya and SrI v.v.rAmAnujan list

viratah (virajah) and mArgah as two separate nAma-s. The difference in

numbering which started with Slokam 34 (ishTo'viSishTah vs. ishTah and

aviSishTah) between these two sets of interpretations continues up to this

nAma, where it synchronizes again.

 

bhagavAn is viratah because the spirit of detachment is natural to Him.

vigatam ratam asya vishayasevAyAm iti viratah - One in whom the desire for

pleasure in objects has ceased. When He lost the kingdom it did not deprive

Him of His splendor just as the night cannot take away the loveliness of the

cool-rayed of the moon.

 

"na cAsya mahatIm lakshmIm rAjya nASo'pakarshati |

loka-kAntasya kAntatvam SItaraSmeriva kshapA ||

(ayodhyA 19.32)

 

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".

 

"dharmApadeSAt tyajataSca rAjyam

mAm cApyaraNyam nayatah padAtim || (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: pArALum paDar Selvam bharata nambikkE aruLi arum kAnam

aDaindavan (perumAl tirumozhi 8.5); iru nilattai vENDAdE viraindu

venRimaivAyakaLirozhindu tEr ozhindu mAvozhindu vanamE mEviya em irAman

(perumAL tirumozhi 9.2).

 

Some versions have this nAma as virajah (rajo-rahitah). SrI cinmayAnanda

gives the interpretation that He is without the rajas or agitation of the

mind, and so He is virajah (passionless). He is the embodiment of Pure

sattava guNa.

 

The dharma cakram writer points out that the difference between us and

bhagavAn is this - that we are attached and He is detached. He refers us to

tirukkuraL:

 

paRRuga paRRaRRAn paRRinai appaRRaip-

paRRuga paRRu viDaRkku.

 

The significance of this nAma is that we should learn to be detached by

meditating on this nAma of bhagavAn.

 

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha has composed one Slokam for each nAma to explain the

nAma's significance, and thus there are 1000 Sloka-s of his own in

explanation of the 1000 nAma-s. I am including his Slokam for the current

nAma as an example:

 

"rajo na tasmin na tamSca tasmin, sattva-svabhAvo hi sa vishNuruktah

|

so'sti svabhAvAt amita-prakASo, deve'sti gItah tamasah parastAt

||

 

mArgah - He who is sought after.

 

om mArgAya namah. mArgyate iti mArgah. The word is derived from the root

mr*jU Suddhau, to cleanse. He is the path for those who lead a life as laid

down in the SAstra-s. SrI BhaTTar remarks that even sages like bharadvAja

sought after Him. He is also the mArga because He is the only means (upAya)

to attain Him. SrI Sankara quotes the taittirIya upanishad - nAnyah panthA

vidyateyanAya (3.13). SrI rAdhAkr*shNa SAstri gives reference to

br*hadAraNya upanishad - esha panthA brahmaNA hAnuvittah - 4.4.9). Th

dharma cakram writer gives examples of paraSurAma, vAli, rAvaNa, etc.,

where bhagavAn was the means for their realization of Him.

 

SrI BhaTTar also remarks that virajo-mArgah is the version when the two

words are combined as one nAma, and the meaning is that He is the One who

shows the flawless path. SrI srInivAsarAghavan uses the nAma as

virato-mArgah and gives the meaning that He is the path that is sought after

even though He Himself is unattached.

 

399. neyah - He who lets Himself be governed (by His devotees)

 

om 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 kr*tye sarvam kartAsmi te vacah - Kr*shNa's words to

yudhisThira - You may ask me to do whatever you want; I shall certainly

carry out your behests (mahAbhArata anuSAsana 33.25);

 

"ayam asmi mahAbAho brUhi yat te vivakshitam| karishyAmIha tat sarvam yat

tvam vakshyati bhArata! || - O Long-armed scion of the royal dynasty of

bharata! I am here ready to do whatever you want; I shall carry out your

commands (mahA udyoga 71.5).

 

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning as "One who is fit to be sought"

- prApyah prAptum yogyah, or "One who is not attainable through any pramANa

except by contemplation, meditation, and devotion" - sarva prmANa

avishayatvAt sa manasA netum arhah = mantum yogyah mananIyo bhavati. The

key phrase is netum arhah neyah.

 

To be continued......

 

-dAsan kr*shNamAcAryan