SrI vishNu sahasaranAmam - Slokam 54 - Part 2.

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SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 54 - Part 2.

 

510. vinayah - a) The Subduer.

b) He who leads well.

 

om vinayAya namah.

 

SrI BhaTTar vyAkhyAnam is vinIyante damyante iti vinayah - He who

subdues. He gives the example of the subduing of mArIca by Lord rAma

through His valor. Or because He causes the evil-doers to have modesty

(vinayam) by punishing them, He is vinayah.

 

SrI cinmayAnanda observes that the direct meaning of the word vinayah

is "He who shows supreme humility". Here it means "He who humiliates

those who are unrighteous". He also gives an alternate interpretation

- vi-nayah, where nayah refers to He who leads (netA etc.)., and

vi-nayah refers to the Lord who leads well the seekers steadily through

the path of truth and righteousness.

 

511. jayah - a) He who is conquered.

b) He who is victorious.

 

om jayAya namah.

 

SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam is samastAni bhUtAni jayati iti jayah - He who is

victorious over all beings.

 

SrI BhaTTar gives the first interpretation. The nirukti description

for SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is Asritaih jIthate yasmAt vidheyokriyate

jayah - One who has been conquered by the devotees and who acts

according to their wishes. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan comments that even

though the interpretation that He is one who has jaya SrI with Him can

be given, SrI BhaTTar's choice of his interpretation is to bring out

the dominant guNa-s of bhagavAn such as souSIlyam. SrI BhaTTar gives

examples of this quality of Lord rAma from SrImad rAmAyaNa -

"Aj~nApyo'ham tapsvinAm" - "I am to be commanded by the sages - i.e., I

am at their disposal" (bAla. 3.37); tato nArAyaNo vishNuh niyuktaih

sura-sattamaih - Then nArAyaNa was directed by the great gods (bAla.

16.1).

 

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha observes that jayah connotes bhagavAn being

everywhere, in everything, controlling everything, having conquered

everything and everyone, being unconquerable ever by anything, etc.

 

The dharma cakram writer explains the context of being victorious for

our day-to-day life - the lesson we should learn from this nAma. There

are always two aspects to our character - acquiring and practicing

qualities that are conducive to our realization of bhagavAn, or

indulging in activities that are contrary to this. Being subservient

to wealth, committing even heinous crimes in order to acquire and

accumulate wealth, going after name and fame instead of devoting our

life in kaimkaryam to bhagavAn, etc. are some examples of the latter.

rAvaNa, duryodhana, etc. were examples of characters who fell prey to

their inferior instincts in their lives. The victory that we should

aim for is over the base instincts that will result in our defeat in

our effort to cross the ocean of samsAra. For real victory in this

life, we should develop and practice characters such as kindness

towards others, sacrifice for the welfare of others, vairAgyam, bhakti,

etc.

 

512. satya-sandhah - a) He whose promises are always true.

b) He of firm resolve.

 

om satya-sandhAya namah.

 

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meaning pratij~nA or promise to the

word sandhA. Thus satya sandhah means He whose promises are always

true. SrI BhaTTar quotes Lord rAma's words to sItA pirATTi about this

aspect of bhagavAn's guNa -

 

apyaham jIvitam jahyAm tvAm vA sIte sa-lakshmaNam |

na tu pratij~nAm samSrutya brAhmaNebhyo viSeshatah || (AraNya.

10.19)

 

"O sItA! I would rather give up my life, or even you and lakshmaNa,

than break my promise especially that which has been made to brahmins".

 

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr in tiruvAimozhi 9.10.6

- nALum tan meyyarkku meyyanE - always true to His true devotees. SrI

rAmAnujan comments that bhagavAn was not only true to His devotee

prahlAda, but He became true (i.e., made His appearance) to even His

adversary hiraNyakaSipu in the process (poyyanukkum meyyan!).

BhagavAn's own words to SrI rAmAnuja as conveyed in SaraNAgati gadyam -

rAmo dvir-nAbhibhAshate, and anr*tam nokta pUrvam me na ca vakshye

kadAcana - come to mind. Instances of daSaratha keeping his word to

kaikeyi, dharmaputra going to the forest and undergoing aj~nAtavAsam

just for the sake of fulfilling his word, the story of hariScandra,

etc. are examples of great people caring to keep their words. This is

why they are great, and dear to bhagavAn.

 

SrI Sa~nkara gives the derivation satyA sandhA (samkalpah or

priatij~nA) asya iti satya-samkalpah - He who has firm resolve and

determination that always becomes true. Both SrI R. anantakr*shNa

Sasti and SrI cinmayAnanda quote the following from purANa, but I am

unable to locate the reference:

 

"Heavens might fall, earth might crumble down, the Himalaya-s might be

crushed, the ocean might become dry, but My word uttered shall never

become vain".

 

513. dASArhah - a) He who is worthy of gifts.

b) He is worthy to be possessed as a gift.

c) He who was born in the race of daSArhah i.e., the yAdava race.

 

om dASArhAya namah.

 

The nAma is derived from the root dASr* dAne - to give away, and arhah

meaning deserving. Thus there are two interpretations given. The

first is that He is fit to be worshipped through offerings of gifts,

and the second is that He is fit to be aimed for as the ultimate gift.

SrI Sa~nkara has given the interpretations a and c, and SrI BhaTTar has

given all three interpretations. SrI BhaTTar explains that He is fit

for us to offer our selves to Him, or alternately, He considers His

Supreme Self fit to be offered to His devotees. Along the lines of

interpretation a), SrI cinmayAnanda observes that bhagavAn is fully

competent to receive all the offerings made with devotion in the

ritualistic sacrifices. The third interpretation is based on bhagavAn

kr*shNa being born in the daSarha clan or tribe of the yAdava race.

 

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr - enadu AviyuL kalanda peru

nal udavikkuk kaimmARu enadu Avi tandu ozhindEn ini mILvadenbadu uNDE

(tiruvAimozhi 2.3.4) in support of SrI BhaTTar's interpretation along

the lines of a) referring to His being fit for our Atma samarpaNam. An

example of where bhagavAn sees it fit to give His gift to the devotees

is the mohini incarnation where He bestowed the nectar that He Himself

churned out of the milky ocean to the deva-s who wanted it. BhagavAn

is "perumakkaL uLLuvar tam perumAn" (tiruvAimozhi 3.7.4) - He who

resides inside the great people who chant His name, where He is sought

as the gift by these great people.

 

In support of the interpretation a), the dharma cakram writer observes

that bhagavAn is fit for our offerings over anyone else, since He

accepts all our offerings including our sins, and if we offer our

karma-phalan to Him, He relieves us of all the effects of our karma and

bestows mokhsa on us.

 

514. sAttvatAm-patih - The Lord of the sAttvata-s.

 

om sAttvatAm-pataye namah.

 

SrI BhaTTar gives a detailed derivation of the word sAttvata starting

from the word sat meaning either Supreme Brahman or the quality of

sattva. sattvAn is one who knows brahman or one who is possessed of

the quality of sattva. sAttvata signifies the act of a sattvAn in

knowing brahman or in acquiring the quality of sattva or the scriptures

followed by a sattvAn. sAttvata-s are thus bhAgavata-s. Since

bhagavAn is the Lord of the sAttvata-s or bhAgavta-s, He is

sAttvatAm-patih.

 

The yAdava race is also called the sAttvata race. Since Lord kr*shNa

is the Lord of the yAdava-s, He is called sAttvatAm-patih.

 

Another interpretation, given by SrI Sa~nkara and those that follow his

vyAkhyAnam, is that bhagavAn is sAttvatAm-patih since He is the Leader

of those who follow the tantram called sAttvatam, the scriptures which

are essentially sAttvic in nature. SrI cinmayAnanda observes that the

path of the sAAttvata-s is single-pointed meditation upon the form of

Lord vishNu with absolute devotion. For this reason, the pA~ncarAtrins

are also called sAttvata-s. SrI P. B. aNNa~ngarAcArya svAmi explains

that this nAma refers to bhagavAn being the Originator of the

pA~ncarAtra system and thereby being the Protector of the sAttvata-s or

bhAgavata-s.

 

-dAsan kr*shNamAcAryan

 

 

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