SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 53 - Part 1.

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SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 53.

 

uttaro go-patir goptA j~nAna-gamyah purAtanah |

SarIra-bhUta-bhr*t bhoktA kapIndro bhUri-dakshiNah ||

 

om uttarAya namah

om go-pataye namah

om goptre namah

om j~nAna-gamyAya namah

om purAtanAya namah

om sarIra-bhUta-bhr*te namah

om bhoktre namah

om kapIndrAya namah

om bhUri-dakshiNAya namah

 

496. uttarah - a) The Rescuer (of brahma and others from the asura-s)

b) The Savior (of devotees from samsAra)

c) He who transcends the bounds of birth and transmigration.

 

om uttarAya namah

 

uttAraNat uttarah - He who rescues. SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that

bhagavAn is the Rescuer of brahma and others from the asura-s. SrI

Sa~nkara gives the interpretation "janma samsAra bandhanAt uttarati iti

uttarah" - The Savior from the ocean of samsAra. SrI T. S.

Kr*shNamUrti has translated this as "He who transcends the bounds of

birth". SrI satyadevo vAsishTha supports the last two of these

interpretations by deriving the meaning from the words ap -waters, and

tara to cross, to swim across. Alternatively, ut can refer to utkarsha

or atiSaya - extraordinary, exhalted, etc., and tara referring to

crossing, and uttara can thus refer to bhagavAn being the best means

(the only means!) for crossing the ocean of samsAra.

 

The dharma cakram writer gives the significance of this nAma in our

day-to-day life. Our mind is normally torn by all kinds of desires,

bondage, etc., and these are trying to puncture holes in our mind which

is the boat we need to safely cross this ocean of birth. Rocks in the

form of aha~nkAra, mamakAra, etc. are trying to wreck this boat. Till

we cross this life span, we need to have this boat intact without being

wrecked or punctured. Meditation on bhagavAn is essential in order for

us to accomplish this. The following from tiruvaLLUvar is relevant in

this context - "piRavip-perum kaDal nInduvar, nIndAr iRaivan aDi

SerAdAr".

 

497. go-patih -a) The Master of all words (veda-s as well as all

languages).

b) The Protector of His own word.

c) The Protector of His bhakta's words.

d) Protector of the cows in His kr*shNAvatAra.

e) Protector of all that moves around.

f) The Lord of Mother Earth.

g) The Lord of the (celestial) world.

 

This nAma re-occurs as nAma 599.

 

om go-pataye namah.

 

The word go means cow, words, veda-s, earth, etc. Thus there are

several interpretations for this nAma. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha nicely

summarizes many of these meanings through the following words: "gAvo

vAco, gAvah paSavo, gaur-bhUmiSca viSvanirmANe kAraNam iti bhAvArthah |

eva~nca - gopatih catushpadAm gavAm vAcAm bhUmeSca rakshaka ityarthah |

". The concept that bhagavAn is the Master of all words is interpreted

by SrI BhaTTar as referring to His being the One who gave the veda-s as

well as all the languages to us. The dharma cakram writer interprets

this as meaning that bhagavAn keeps His word to His devotees, as well

as meaning that He ensures that His bhakta's words come true. We know

of bhagavAn's promise to protect those who surrender to Him

unconditionally, and we know that He ensured that bhIshma's promise to

make Him take to weapons in the war against His own promise come true.

He also made the words of prahlAda come true that BhagavAn will be in

the pillar when hiraNyakaSipu challenged the yound prahlAda.

 

The roots of interest in understanding the meanings for this nAma are:

gam - gatau to go, and pA- rakshaNe to protect. In this sense, go can

also refer to indriya-s since they wander towards material objects, to

mind since mind wanders on all kinds of thoughts, to AtmA since AtmA

moves from one body to another, to body since the body moves from one

place to another, and on and on. BhagavAn is the patih for all these.

Among His creations for which He is the patih, veda is the one that is

heard, and the Universe is the one that is seen. Veda-s expound the

way of life of the world, and the world is an expression of the veda-s,

and He is the pati for all of these.

 

498. goptA - a) The Savior.

b) He who hides Himself from non-devotees.

 

om goptre namah.

 

This nAma re-occurs as nAma 600.

 

The nAma is derived from the root gup -rakshaNe to protect. SrI

BhaTTar interprets the nAma as referring to bhagavAn being the

protector of all knowledge, thus extending the interpretation offered

in the previous nAma (a). SrI Sa~nkara gives the interpretation that

bhagavAn is the protector of all beings and all the worlds. SrI

rAdhAkr*shNa Sastri gives the reference from atharvaSiras 5 - samsr*jya

viSvA bhuvanAni goptA. Among the supporting quotes given by SrI

satyadevo vAsishTha is the Sruti - trINi padA vicakrame vishNur-gopA

adAbhyah - yajur. 34.43. He points out that bhagavAn's guNa of

protection of all that is on this land, in the sea or in the air, is

His dharma. SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam for nAma 600, the second

occurrence of this nAma later, is that He is the Protector and

Administrator of the wheel of karma - bestowing the fruits of karma to

the beings for their acts, good and bad, the cycle of birth and rebirth

etc.

 

Another meaning for the word gup is to hide, to conceal. Based on

this, SrI Sa~nkara interprets the second occurrence of this nAma as

meaning that He hides Himself (from non-devotees) through His mAyA.

SrI rAdhAkr*shNa Sastri uses both the meanings of gup (hide and

protect), and gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is goptA because

He protects His devotees by hiding them from their enemies, and from

all obstacles.

 

The dharma cakram writer observes that this nAma should remind us that

bhagavAn is the one who is constantly protecting everything He has

created. Those who think they are protecting themselves or are being

protected by some other human being have this thought because of their

sheer ignorance. This nAma should remind us of this simple fact.

 

499. j~nAna-gamyah - He who is to be realized by knowledge.

 

om j~nAna-gamyAya namah.

 

SrI cinmayAnanda points out that the knowledge referred to here is not

the mere knowledge of things. SrI M. V. rAmAnujAcArya remarks that the

knowledge referred to here is para vidyA - The knowledge of the Supreme

Self, which is attained only by absolute meditational unison - samAdhi

nishThA. The dharma cakram writer elaborates on this further.

Knowledge can be considered to be of two kinds - that which is obtained

by external indriya-s like the eyes, ears, etc., or by mind - apara

vidyA, and that which is beyond the reach of the indriya-s - para

vidyA. Among the means that aid in attaining this para knowledge are

j~nAna, bhakti, karma, and yoga. Practices on a continuing basis such

as nAma samkIrtanam (chanting bhagavAn's nAma), SravaNam (listening to

bhagavAn's nAma, purAna, itihAsa, ...), kaimkaryam (performing duties

in support of temple services, making garlands, cleaning the temple

premises, ...), etc., facilitate in purifying our mind and developing

bhakti. Bearing with patience any difficulties that arise in our life,

not rejoicing at any good things that happen in our life but dedicating

them to bhagavAn, etc., will also help in directing our mind towards

Him. j~nAnam in our context is the realization of the relationship and

association between us and our Creator. This j~nAnam will materialize

for us only by His Grace. This nAma conveys to us that BhagavAn is

realizable only through the j~nAnam, and He is the only One who can

bless us with this j~nAnam, but what we can do is prepare ourselves to

receive this j~nAnam when He decides to bless us with it.

 

500. purAtanah - The Ancient.

 

om purAtanAya namah.

 

SrI BhaTTar explains the significance of the nAma in terms of the

previous nAma-s, indicating that He is Ancient in that He has been

giving us knowledge and protecting it not only in this kalpa, but in

all previous kalpa-s as well. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to

nammAzhvAr - UzhitORUzhi vaiyam kAkkum Azhi nIr vaNNan (tiruvAimozhi

7.3.11). SrI Sa~nkara's bhAshyam is "He who is not limited by Time and

who existed before anything else". The dharma cakram writer observes

that this nAma also conveys several other thoughts - viz. that bhagavAn

is beginningless, not born, not governed by Time, not comprehended by

the mind, the Origin of everything that exists, etc. SrI cinmayAnanda

points out that "Ancient" here refers to that from which the concept of

time itself originated, and thus He is the Truth that cannot be

measured in terms of Time.

 

To be continued.

 

-dAsan kr*shNamAcAryan

___________

 

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