SrI vishNu sahasranAma - Slokam 54 - Part 1.

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SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 54 - Part 1.

 

somapo'mr*tapah somah purujit puru-sattamah |

vinayo jayah satya-sandho dASArhah sAtvatAm patih ||

 

om somapAya namah

om amr*tapAya namah

om somAya namah

om puru-jite namah

om puru-sattamAya namah

om vinayAya namah

om jayAya namah

om satya-sandhAya namah

om dASArhAya namah

om sAttvatAm-pataye namah

 

505. somapah - 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 juice by the householder performing the yaj~na.

 

om somapAya namah.

 

soma juice is the extract from a plant, and is the most important

ingredient in ancient sacrificial offerings. SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam

is that the nAma signifies that Lord rAma performed several yaj~na-s,

and drank the juice from the soma plant after performing these

sacrificial offerings.

 

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.

 

506 - amr*tapah - The drinker of ambrosia.

 

om amr*tapAya namah.

 

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 vahnau

havir-mantrair-vidhAnatah | tat sarvam amr*tam kr*tvA vishNave

samprayacchati || . Thus bhagavAn is the drinker of the nectar -

amr*tapah.

 

The alternate interpretation is that bhagavAn Himself is the amr*ta,

and He protects it for the benefit of His devotees so that they can

enjoy Him in the Transcendental World after following the path of

dharma shown by Him in the discharge of daily duties in this world.

The Sruti-s quoted in support are: 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.

 

SrI Sa~nkara refers to the incident of mohini incarnation in the

context of this nAma, where bhagavAn restored the amr*ta stolen by the

asura-s, protected it, made the deva-s drink it, and also drank

Himself. SrI rAdhAkr*shNa SAstri suggests that since bhagavAn is in

the form of deva-s who drink the nectar, He is amr*tapah, the drinker

of ambrosia.

 

SrI cinmayAnanda comments that as the Infinite Truth bhagavAn enjoys

blissful immortality (amr*tatvam) at all times, and in this sense He is

One who has partaken of amr*tam.

 

507. somah - a) The Nectar.

b) The moon.

 

om somAya namah.

 

BhagavAn is called soma (nectar) here because He is sweet like nectar

to the bhakta-s who enjoy Him. SrI BhaTTar gives reference to SrImad

rAmAyaNam - rAj~nA daSarathenAsi labdho'mr*tamiva amaraih (AraNya.

kANDam) - daSaratha obtained rAma like the necatar by the gods. He also

refers us to the Sruti - Santi samr*ddham amr*tam (tai. SIKshA. 6) -

Brahman is replete with tranquility and immortality (amr*tam).

BhagavAn's tirunAmam ArAvamudan expresses the same idea - The Insatiate

Nectar. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives references to divya prabandham -

 

ANDAL - manattukku iniyAnai pADAvum nI vAi tiravAi - in tiruppAvai;

 

The outpouring by nammAzhvAr in tiruvAimozhi 10.7.2 - enakkut tEnE!

pAlE! kannalE! amudE! - He is everything to me, like honey, milk, sugar

candy, nectar, etc.

 

nammAzhvAr again in tiruvAimozhi 2.5.4 - eppozhudum nAL ti~ngaL ANDu

Uzhi torum appozhudukku appozhudu en ArA amudamE! - You are Insatiate

Nectar to me always, no matter how much I enjoy you - for days, months,

years, yuga-s. You are the fresh nectar every time, even if I have

your anubhavam continuously.

 

soma also refers to the moon. SrI Sa~nkara uses this meaning in one of

his interpretations for this nAma. SrI rAdhAkr*shNa SAstri and SrI

cinmayAnanda gives reference to gItA 15.13 in support - pushNAmi

caushadhIh sarvAh somo bhUtvA rasAtmakah - Becoming the moon radiating

the life-giving rays, I nourish all herbs. The interpretation of soma

here as referring to the moon is given by tirukkaLLam SrI nr*simhAcArya

svAmi in his gItA vyAkhyAnam.

 

508 - puru-jit - The Conquerer of all.

 

om puru-jite namah.

 

SrI Sa~nkara gives the vyAkhyAnam - purUn - bahUn jayati iti puru-jit -

He who conquers many. SrI BhaTTar refers to SrImad rAmAyaNam in

support of his vyAkhyAnam giving this meaning. King daSaratha pleads

with kaikeyi to spare him from the torture of separation from rAma who

is the personification of everything that is good. In this context, he

tells kaikeyi - rAma has conquered the world through truth, the poor by

charity, the teacher by his dedicated service, and the enemies by His

mighty bow, i.e., He has conquered many or all.

 

satyena lokAn jayati dInAn dAnena rAghavah |

gurUn SuSrUshayA vIro dhanushA yudhi SatravAn || (ayodhyA. 12.29)

 

This same guNa of bhagavAn viz. puru-jit, is referred to by tiruma~ngai

AzhvAr in periya tirumozhi 1.10.2 and 4.3.5 (SrI v.v. rAmAnujan):

ila~ngaip patikku anRu iRaiyAya arakkar kulam keTTu avar mALak

koDip-puL tirittAi! (1.10.2), and tI-manttu arakkar tiRal azhittavanE

(4.3.5). 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.

 

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha extends the interpretation to cover the whole

Universe which is under the control of bhagavAn - asa~nkhyAta tArAgraha

upagraha sahitam tathA vana-upavana samudrAdi sahitam kha-gola bhUgola

Atmakam sarvam viSvam yena vaSikr*tam sa puru-jid vishNuh - 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

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 ensure ultimate 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.

 

509. puru-sattamah - a) He who remains with the great.

b) He whose form is of cosmic dimensions, and who is the best of all.

 

 

om puru-sattamAya namah.

 

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 nityam apratishThitah |

bhaktiSca niyatA vIra! bhAvo nAnyatra gacchati || (uttara.

40.15)

 

"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 cannot

think of going anywhere else (leaving this world where Thou hast

enslaved me)".

 

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to tiruma~ngai AzhvAr - Sindai tannuL

nI~ngAdirunda tiruvE! maruviniya maindA! (tirumozhi 4.9.2); and EttuvAr

tam manattuLLAn - tirumozhi 1.8.4.

 

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 best of all, sattama. viSvarUpatvAt puruh,

utkr*shTatvAt sattamah.

 

SrI cinmayAnanda 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.

 

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets the nAma in terms of three

constituents of the nAma - puru, sat, tama. Taking sat to mean

existence here, He is far superior to anything that exists, since

everything except Him is impermanent or anityam, and He is the only

nityam. A trivial example for lack of a better one is the relative

impermanence of a pot compared to the maker of the pot. Thus the

interpretation given is that of the amr*tatvam of bhagavAn.

 

The dharma cakram writer gives the meaning "He who shines through many

great forms", and refers to the vibhUti yoga 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.

 

-To be continued.

 

-dAsan kr*shNamAcAryan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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