SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 60 - Part 1.

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SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 60.

 

bhagavAn bhagahA nandI vanamAlI halAyudhah |

Adityo jyotir-Adityah sahishNur_gati-sattamah ||

 

om bhagavate namah

om bhagaghne namah

om nandine namah

om vanamAline namah

om halAyudhAya namah

om AdityAya namah

om jyotir-AdityAya namah

om sahishNave namah

om gati-sattamAya namah

 

563. bhagavAn - a) He Who is worthy of worship.

b) He Who is full of the six attributes

c) He Who knows the origin and the end of all beings.

 

om bhagavate namah.

 

a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as referring to His being worthy of

worship because of His essential nature which is antagonistic to all

defects and which is endowed with all auspicious qualities. The word

bhaga has a special meaning which refers to the six attributes, but SrI

BhaTTar does not use this meaning here to interpret this nAma, which

the other vyAkhyAna kartA-s use. Instead, he gives the interpretation

"He Who is worthy of worship". In amarakOSa vyAkhyAnam, there is a

reference to "bhajyata iti bhagah", which seems to fit SrI BhaTTar's

interpretation for the current nAma. He uses the reference to the six

attributes in interpreting the next nAma "bhagahA". In support of SrI

BhaTTar's interpretation for the current nAma, SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives

reference to AzhvAr aruLicceyal: uyarvaRa uyar nalam uDaiyavan

(tiruvAimozhi 1.1.1), tIdu il SIr nalam tigazh nAraNan; andam il Adiyam

bhagavan (tiruvAimozhi 1.3.5).

 

b) SrI Sa'nkara and other vyAkhyAna kartA-s interpret the current nAma

based on the word bhaga referring to the six attributes. SrI kRshNa

datta bhAradvAj gives the derivation - bhago j~nAnAdi shaTkam vidyate

niratiSayam yasmin iti bhagavAn - He in whom the six attributes (j~nAna

etc.), which are called bhaga-s, are present in perfection and fullness

is called bhagavAn. SrI Sa'nkara gives reference to vishNu purANam

supporting his interpretation:

 

aiSvaryasya samagrasya vIryasya yaSasah Sriyah |

j~nAna vairAgya yogaScaiva shaNNAm bhaga itI'nganA || (V.P.

6.5.74)

 

"He Who possesses the attributes of aiSvaryam or Lordship, dharma,

fame, wealth, j~nAna and vairAgya

in full is called bhagavAn". There are differing versions of the

Sloka, with dharmasya replacing vIryasya, "j~nAna vairAgyayoScaiva"

replaced by "vairAgyasyAtha mokshasya", etc.

 

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the following brief explanation of the six

attributes referred to above:

 

- aiSvarya - The quality of being the Lord of all - He can control and

rule over all things at all times, and thus He is the Supreme over all.

(na tasya ISe kaScana - tait. AraN. 10.10)

- vIrya - The ability to be victorious over any enemy (ugram vIram

mahAvishNum)

- yaSah - kIrti; Worthy of praise by all without exception (tasya nAma

mahad-yaSah - (tait. AraN. 10.1)

- SrI - Wealth; He is One Who has mahAlakshmi always residing as part

of Him (Sriyam lakshmIm aupalAm ambikAm gAm)

- j~nAna - Because He is the Knower of the past, present, and future

and the Lord of the three - bhUta bhavya bhavan-nAthah (yah savaj~nah

sarvavit yays j~nAnamayam tapah - muNDako. 1.1.9)

- vairAgya - Being unattached to anything (sa vA ayamAtmA brahma akAma

mayah - bRhadA. 4.4.5)

 

c) SrI Sa'nkara gives an alternate interpretation as well, also based

on another Slokam from SrI vishNu purANam:

 

utpattim pralayam caiva bhUtAnAm Agatim gatim |

vetti vidyAm avidyAm ca sa vAcyo bhagavAn iti || (V.P. 6.5.78)

 

"He is named bhagavAn who knows the origin and the end, the arrival

and the exit, of all beings, and also vidyA and avidyA".

 

564. bhagahA - a) He Who is possessed of auspicious qualities.

b) He Who gets rid of the wealth etc. from everyone during praLaya.

 

om bhagaghne namah.

 

a) As was pointed out in the last para, SrI BhaTTar's interpretation

for bhagahA uses the meaning of bhaga referring to the six attributes,

and here he quotes the same vishNu purANam reference that SrI Samkara

uses for the last nAma (VP 6.5.74). The literal interpretation is

"bhaga SabdyAn sa kalyANa guNAn hanti tu gacchati" - He Who goes to

(i.e., has) all the six attributes referred to by the term bhaga. The

usual meaning for hA is "to kill, to destroy" - e.g., vIrahA. But SrI

BhaTTar uses the meaning "hanti - goes" in his interpretation. SrI

kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also adopts the same interpretation - bhagam

mAhAtmyam jihIte gacchati prApnoti iti bhagahA.

 

b) SrI Samkara uses the meaning of hA - to kill, and interprets the

nAma as meaning that He is the Remover of all things such as wealth

from everyone at the time of pralaya - aiSvaryAdikam samhAra samaye

hanti iti bhagahA. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives a different

elaboration of this idea - bhaga represents the vastness of things, and

hA represents the contraction of this vastness. Thus He is called

bhaga-hA because He reduces the vastness of His creation by contracting

it all into Himself at the time of pralaya. svAmi cinmayAnanda points

out that in this sense, it is not "destruction" of things, but an

absorption of things back into Himself that initially came from Him.

The dharma cakram writer observes that the impermanence of things like

wealth, fame, etc. is what is being imparted to us here, and the more

we understand this and remove our attachment to these, the closer we

would have understood the significance of this nAma.

 

565. nandI or AnandI

 

a) He Who has nanda as His father.

b) He Who is ever blissful by Nature, and also because of His

prosperity and the six guNa-s.

c) He Who is ever happy by association with His devotees.

d) He Who gives Bliss to His devotees.

 

om nandine namah

om Anandine namah.

 

SrI BhaTTar gives both the above nAma-s, and SrI Samkara gives the

latter nAma. In both the interpretations, SrI BhaTTar interprets the

nAma as referring to balarAma as the samkarshaNa form of bhagavAn, and

SrI Samkara interprets the nAma as AnandI, referring to bhagavAn in His

kRshNa incarnation. Others interpret the nAma as nandI or AnandI, both

referring to Lord kRshNa.

 

a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma nandI as referring to balarAma whose

father is nandagopa. BhagavAn who was samkarshaNa in the vyUha form

took incarnation as balarAma in the vibhava form with nanadagopa as His

father. SrI cinmayAnanda chooses to interpret the same as referring to

Lord kRshNa, who was brought up by nandagopa (nandagopan kumaran

nArAyaNan).

b) SrI Samkara interprets the nAma as AnandI, signifying that He is

ever prosperous because He is rich in everything, or because His Nature

is Bliss - sukha svarUpatvAt AnandI, or sarvAbhih sampadbhih

samRddahtvAt AnandI.

c) SrI BhaTTar interprets the term AnandI to refer to balarAma who made

Himself and all around Him happy in AyarpADi. The dharma cakram writer

uses the same sense and interprets the nAma to refer to kRshNa who made

Himself and all around Him happy in AyarpADi.

d) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the intepretation - nandati

samRdhyati iti nandI - He Who gives delight to His devotees. SrI

cinmayAnanda observes that those who move towards Him in pure surrender

come to share His divine nature of All-Bliss. The term AnandI can also

be interpreted to mean this same idea.

 

The dharma cakram writer points out the significance of the nAma

AnandI - that we are inherently blissful, but just as those who have

eyes can choose to close their eyes and suffer in darkness, we close

our eyes to j~nAna and suffer in misery and distress. The means to get

out of this state of suffering is to realize bhagavAn's and our true

svarUpam. This realization can be attained only through His grace, and

so worshipping Him with devotion is the only means for everlasting

happiness. The gopi-s of AyarpADi were happy always because they did

not have any other thought except the thought of Him, and so they were

devoid of any worldly thought. The significance of this nAma is to

teach us that the means to true happiness is to immerse ourselves in

His thought rather than divert ourselves into worldly thoughts.

 

566. vanamAlI - He Who has the vanamAlA garland.

 

om vanamAline namah.

 

He is known s vanamAlI because He is adorned by the vyjayantI Garland,

which is the presiding deity over the pa'nca bhUta-s and the

pa'nca-tanmAtra-s (the five elements in their gross and subtle form),

and also over the quality of fragrance. The pa'nca tanmAtra-s or the

five subtle elements are Sabda, sparSa, rasa, rUpa, and gandha - sound,

touch, taste, sight, smell. The pa'nca bhUta-s associated with these

tanmAtra-s are: AkAsa or ether, air, fire, water, and earth. vana

mAlai literally refers to a garland made of flowers that grow in the

forest. For the purpose of making it, five different colors are used

to string the garland, representing the five tanmAtra-s. The symbolic

meaning is that He wears this Universe with its diverse variety like a

garland around His neck.

 

The dharma cakram writer observes that we experience the five

tanmAtra-s through the five j~nAnendriya-s or sense organs. This nAma

teaches us that we should surrender or dedicate the five senses to Him

and worship Him with devotion, instead of diverting them to the

sensuous enjoyment of this world.

 

567. halAyudhah - One Who has the plough in His hand.

 

om halAydhAya namah.

 

SrI Samkara gives the explanation - halam Ayudham asya iti halAyudhah.

This thus refers to the incarnation as balarAma. SrI BhaTTar points

out that bhagavAn works like an agriculturist with a plough in His hand

for the prosperous growth of the pa`nca mahA bhUta-s (earth, water,

air, etc.).

 

568. Adityah -

a) Son of devaki who was aditi in her previous birth

b) Son of aditi (and kaSyapa) in His vAmana incarnation

c) BhagavAn samkarshaNa, who is attained through the bIja mantra "A"

d) He from Whom moksha is obtained.

 

a) SrI BhaTTar gives reference to vaishNava dharma in support of the

first interpretation:

 

dAkshAyaNi tvam aditih sambhUtA vasudhAtale |

nityaiva tvam jagad-dhAtrI prasAdam te karomyaham || (vishNu dharma

93.44 )

 

" You are dAkshAyaNi (the daughter of daksha) born as aditi in this

world. You are the mother eternal of the world. I confer favors on

you".

 

b) SrI Samkara interprets the nAma as referring to bhagavAn's vAmana

incarnation as aditi's son - adityAm kaSyapAt vAmana rUpeNa jAta

Adityah. SrI kRshNadatta bhAradvAj gives reference to the following,

but the source is not identified:

 

"bhAdramAse site pakshe dvAdaSyAm SubhavAsare |

kaSyapAt aditer-mAtuh bhagavAn vAmanah abhavat ||

 

c) SrI BhaTTar gives the alternate interpretation: "A" varNAt Atah

ityah - prApyah iti Adityah - He Who is realized by the mystic letter

"A" which is the bIja mantra for samkarshaNa.

 

d) SrI cinmayAnanda uses the same basis as c, and interprets At to

mean "from vishNu", and ityah to mean "to be attained", and

interpreta Adityah to mean "He from Whom moksha is obtained".

 

The next segment is interpreted by SrI BhaTTar as pertaining to the

incarnation of bhagavAn as nArAyaNa. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan points out

that while the nAma "nArAyaNa" is very special, it also refers to one

of the incarnations He took (nara and nArAyaNa forms) in badri.

 

-To be continued.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 

 

 

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