Guest guest Posted July 30, 2000 Report Share Posted July 30, 2000 SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 61 - Part 1. su-dhanvA khaNDa-paraSuh dAruNo draviNa-pradah | divi-spRk sarva-dRk vyAso vAcaspatir_ayonijah || om su-dhanvane namah om khaNDa-paraSave namah om dAruNAya namah om draviNa-pradAya namah om divi-spRSe namah om sarva-dRSe namah om om vyAsAya namah om om vAcaspataye namah om a-yonijAya namah 572. su-dhanvA - He Who has a splendid bow. om su-dhanvane namah The literal meaning is "One who has a splendid bow". The vyAkhyAna kartA-s have different anubhavam-s in interpreting the nAma based on this meaning. SrI BhaTTar gives the instance of the fight that ensued between the deva-s and the asura-s as a result of the distribution of the nectar, and the resulting demonstration of the splendor of His bow in bringing about the end to that conflict. SrI Samkara's interpretation is: Sobhanam indriyAdi-mayam SAr'nga dhanuh asya asti iti su-dhanvA - the great bow in His hand represents His being the controller and supporter of the indriya-s. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to SrI vishNu purANam 1.22.69, wherein reference is made to the significance of the dhanus in His hand - bhUtAdim indiryAdim ca dvidhA aha'mkAram ISvarah | bibharti Samkha rUpeNa Sar'nga rUpeNa ca sthitam || BhagavAn's dhanus symbolizes the senses (the eyes and the rest), and He supports the ego or awareness due to the senses (indriya ahamkAra), represented by the SAr'nga bow in His hand. (The other verses in SrI vishNu purANam continue to describe how bhagavAn is the source and supporter of everything in the Universe as represented by the different Ayudha-s and aspects of His Form, and thus gives one mode or representation of a way of meditating upon Him in the forms that are more easy for the mind to grasp than to meditate on an abstract truth). References in divya prabandham that convey the sense of this nAma are (from SrI v.v. rAmAnujan): tadavarai tOL cakrapANi SAra'nga vil SevaganE! (periAzhvAr 5.4.4), paramETTi, pavittiran, SAr'ngam ennum vil ANDAn (tiruppallANDu). SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the analogy of the function of bhagavAn in protecting the world from the asura-s with His dhanus, just as the bow-shaped eye-brow protects the eye of everyone from unwanted foreign objects. 573. khaNDa-paraSuh - He with the broken axe. Om khaNDa-paraSave namah. Khanu - bhedana = avadhAraNa (khaDi - bhedane- to break), and param SRNAti iti paraSuh Satram, together make the nAma khaNDa paraSuh - One with the broken axe (SrI satyadevo vAsishTha). Alternatively, one can look at it as khaNDayati SatrUn iti khaNDah, khaNDah paraSuh yasya iti khaNDa paraSuh - He whose axe punishes or destroys the enemies (SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj) . SrI BhaTTar quotes the incident involving bhagavAn's fight with rudra, where He discharged the axe which became broken. So bhagavAn says He is known as "One with the broken axe". atha rudra vighAtArtham ishIkAm nara uddharan | mantraiSca samyuyojASu so'bhavat paraSur-mahAn || kshipataSca sahasA rudre khaNDanam prApavAnstathA | tato'ham khaNDa-paraSuh tatah paraSu-kahNDanAt || (mahAbhA. Santi. 362.49) "Then for the destruction of rudra, nara took a reed and by the recitation of mantras gave new power to it. At once it became an immense axe. It was thrown on rudra with great force. But then it broke. Because of the breaking of the axe, from that time I came to be known as "khaNDa paraSuh - the Lord with the broken axe". SrI Samkara interprets the nAma in terms of the paraSurAma incarnation - where, as Jamadagni's son, He punished His foes. Alternatively, SrI Samkara suggests that the nAma can be taken as a-khaNDa paraSuh, He who wields an invincible axe - the nAma being given as a-kahaNDA-paraSuh in this case. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan quotes irAmAnuSa nURRantAdi-56 which supports the interpretation in terms of the paraSurAma incarnation - kOkkula mannarai mUvezhukAl oru kUr mazhuvAl pOkkiya dEvanaip pORRum punitan, in referring to bhagavad rAmAnuja. Another reference is to tiruvAimozhi 6.2.10: ninRila'ngu muDiyinAi irupattOr kAl araSu kaLai kaTTa venRi nIr mazhuvA. 574. dAruNah - a) The Splitter. b) He who is merciless to those who deviate from the path of virtue. Om dAruNAya namah. SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is "bAhyAbhyantara ari dAraNAt dAruNah - As indicated above, He splits into pieces (destroys) the enemies both internal and external. So He is called dAruNah. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvAimozhi 9.9.2 - igal iDattu aSurargaL kURRam, and to Siriya tiru maDal 41 - avaTku mUttOnai ven-narakam SerA vagaiyE Silai kunittAn. SrI Samkara vyAkhyAnam is san-mArga virodhinAm dAruNatvAt dAruNah - He who is harsh and merciless towards those who follow the evil path. SrI cinmayAnanda gives a nice explanation that when He punishes anyone, it is for the ultimate good of the one who is being punished. "Up to a point the Lord is All-Mercy, but when He finds out that no other method can save the individual, like a surgeon at the operation theater, He appears to be relentless - merciless". The next few nAma-s are being interpreted by SrI BhaTTar in terms of bhagavAn's vyAsa incarnation. 575. draviNa-pradah - The Bestower of wealth. Om draviNa-pradAya namah. Here SrI BhaTTar refers to the wealth in the form of the SAstra-s - He gave the substance of all the SAstra-s and their meaning. The dhyAna Sloka on vyAsa is: vahan vai vAma hastena sarva SastrArtha samcayam | dakshiNena ca SAstrArthAn AdiSamSca yathA sthithAn || "vyAsa holds in his left hand the collection of all the SAstra-s and their purport, and propounds by his right hand (the upadeSa mudrA) the true import of all the SAstra-s". nammAzhvAr calls bhagavAn "paNbuDai vEdam paranda payan" in tiruvAimozhi 6.6.5. SrI Samkara interprets the nAma more generically - "The Bestower of the wealth as desired by the devotee". SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri explains that draviNam derives from the concept that it is wealth that is fluid - drava - that can be used right away as needed. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning for draviNa as wealth from dravati -gacchati iti draviNam dhanam - that which never stays in one place. He gives the following references from the Sruti in support of the interpretation for the nAma: dadhAti ratnam draviNam ca dASushe agne sakhye mA rishamA vayam tava (Rg. 1.94.14) yatkAmAs te juhumas tanno astu vayam syAma patayo rayINAm (yajur. 40.16) The dharma cakram writer has written his explanation for this nAma in Vol. 45.5 of dharma cakram, the beauty of which is lost somewhat in translation. He describes wealth as of two kinds: preyas and Sreyas. Preyas is that which causes priyam or worldly satisfaction. Sreyas is that which gives spiritual satisfaction. To the first category belong the material wealth, the official position, the wife, the husband, children, etc. preyas gives problems at one stage or the other. Sreyas removes all problems and sufferings, and leads to moksham ultimately. After getting the wealth of Sreyas, there is nothing more to get. Preyas is transient wealth, and Sreyas is permanent wealth. BhagavAn is ever ready to give either of the wealths one seeks, and most go after the transient worldly pleasures, and very few seek Sreyas. There is the vedic story of naciketa, who requested the wealth of Sreyas from yama, and yama offered to give him the preyas instead. naciketa told yama that he did not need yama's help for preyas, because he could get that by his own effort; yama's help was needed only for Sreyas, since this is something that cannot be obtained by one's own effort alone. The lesson to take for us is that we should pray to bhagavAn for Sreyas, since this is the wealth that we cannot attain by our own effort and without His Grace. This is the tAtparyam behind this nAma. -To be continued. -dAsan kRshNamAcAryan Kick off your party with Invites. http://invites./ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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