SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 62 - Part 1.

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SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 62.

 

tri-sAmA sAmagah sAma nirvANam bheshajam bhishak |

sanyAskRc_chamah SAnto nishThA SAntih parAyaNam ||

 

om tri-sAmne namah

om sAmagAya namah

om sAmne namah

om nirvANAya namah

om bheshajAya namah

om bhishaje namah

om sanyAsa-kRte namah

om SamAya namah

om SAntAya namah

om nishThAyai namah

om SAntaye namah

om parAyaNAya namah

 

581. tri-sAmA - He who is propounded by the three-fold sAma veda.

 

om tri-sAmne namah.

 

There are three important kinds of sAma veda - bRhat, rathantara, and

vAma-devya, all of which sing His praise. This nAma signifies this

aspect of bhagavAn. These three branches are together called

deva-vrata.

 

Of the four veda-s (rG, yajus, sAma, and atharva), sAma veda is the one

that has the praise of the various deities as its principal theme. It

is musical to hear when it is chanted with the proper intonations.

BhagavAn declares in SrImad bhagavad gItA - vedAnAm sAmavedo'smi

(10.22) - Among the veda-s, I am the sAma veda. Thus it is a vibhUti

of bhagavAn Himself.

 

SrI cinmayAnanda gives a slightly different interpretation - He

indicates that among the singers who praise Him through the sAma gAna

are three who are well-known- deva-s, vrata-s and sAman-s.

 

582. sAma-gah - a) The singer of sAma.

b) He who is praised by the sAma.

 

a) Om sAma-gAya namah.

 

BhagavAn Himself sings the sAma in His svAnubhavam and so He is called

sAma-gah. The mukta-s in paramapadam sing the sAma in

bhagavad-anubhavam - etat sAma gAyannAste (taiitirIya.). SrI

rAdhAkRshNa Sastri gives the following reference which sings the

greatness of the sAma veda - He who knows the sAma veda, is the knower

of brahman - Rco ha yo veda sa veda devAn yajUgumshi yo veda sa veda

sarvAn | sAmAni yo veda sa veda sarvam ||

 

A couple of writers have emphasized the role of the music in the power

of sAma veda in bringing about the brahmAnubhavam.

 

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the second explanation - sAmabhih

mantraih gIyate iti sAma-gah.

 

583. sAma - a) He who removes the sins of those who sing about Him.

b) He who is in the form of the sAma veda Himself.

c) He who is soft and sweet.

 

Om sAmne namah.

 

a) SrI BhaTTar derives the meaning from the root sho (so) -anta-karmaNi

- to destroy, to bring an end to. (pApam) syati iti sAma - He who

brings an end to the sins of those who sing about Him. SrI v.v.

rAmAnujan gives references to tiruvAimozhi 3.6.2 - Savam uLLana

nIkkuvAnai, pAva nASanai, pa~ngayat taDak kaNNanaip paravuminO; naraga

nASan (periAzhvAr tirumozhi 4.4.4).

 

b) SrI P. B. aNNa'ngarAcArya svAmi interprets the nAma as referring to

His being the sAma veda Himself - vedAnAm sAma vedo'smi (gItA 10.22).

SrI cinmayAnanda observes that this is to express the very sacredness

of the veda itself.

 

c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri uses the meaning of sAma in the sense of

sAma, dAna, bheda, and daNDa, and interprets the word sAma as referring

to His being soft and sweet. The means which He used to try to urge

duryodhana to follow the path of dharma is the sAma mArga - that of

being soft and gentle in His persuasion. He gives the support from the

Sruti - yat khalu sAdhu tat sAmetyAcakshase (chAndogya. 2.1.1).

 

The dharma cakram writer observes that sAma vedam is so called because

of its sweetness and softness.

 

584. nirvANam - The Bliss.

a) He who is the cause of Bliss to His devotees

b) He who is the embodiment of Bliss Himself

 

Om nirvANAya namah.

 

nirvANam refers to Absolute Bliss. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out

that vANam refers to body, and the state of being beyond the 'I' and

"mine" feeling associated with the body, is nir-VANam. SrI BhaTTar

gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is called nirvANa because He is

the cause of attainment of the state of Bliss by those whose sins have

been eliminated as stated in the previous nAma. The state when even

the wind that blows is not felt by the body is the state of nirvANa,

where there is total disassociation with the identity of the body with

the self.

 

The dharma cakram writer points out that suffering is of three kinds -

bodily, mental, and that associated with a~jnAna. Animals have bodily

suffering, most humans have bodily and mental sufferings, and those

among humans who try to realize the self also have the suffering from

aj~nAna. Thus, the more evolved a being, the more the causes for

suffering. One who transcends all these sufferings is the one who

realizes Absolute Bliss. As long as the animals have no hunger and no

disease, they are happy. But a human who is free from hunger and

disease, all the same makes himself unhappy by pursuit of misery in the

form of worldly pleasures. These include the inability to dominate

others, the inability to get whatever they want for their materials

pleasures, the desire for material wealth, the desire for success in

everything they undertake, and on and on. It is when humans try to

satisfy the five indirya-s through external means that they invite and

incur suffering and sorrow. It is by getting to the state of nirvANa

(the total disassociation of the identify of the body with the self)

that one starts to overcome this kind of suffering. This can only

happen by meditating on bhagavAn who is the embodiment of nirvANa.

This is the lesson to take from this nAma.

 

585. bheshajam - The Remedy.

 

Om bheshajAya namah.

 

He is the only remedy for the otherwise incurable disease of samsAra.

SrI BhaTTar gives reference to the bhIshma stava rAja (mahAbhArata):

 

nArAyaNAt Rshi-gaNAh tathA siddhA mahoragAh |

devA devarshayaScaiva yam viduh duhkha bheshajam ||

 

"The groups of Rshi-s, siddha-s, the serpent-gods, and godly seers

came to know of this medicine for the disease of samsAra from

nArAyaNa". SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives reference to mUnRAm tiruvantAdi

(4) - marundum poruLum amudamum tAnE; and to peria tiruvantAdi 62 -

na~ngaL piNikkAm peru marundu.

 

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri's anubhavam is that He is the medicine that

leads to nirvANa, the tender and soothing medicine for the disease of

samsAra.

The dharma cakram writer observes that for self -realization one needs

good bodily health but more importantly good mental health. For both

of these, one should lead a life of control of the senses and control

of the mind. Just as we take medicine for rectifying the illness of

the body, we should resort to the medicine of meditating on Him so that

we can avoid the disease of the mind. Health of the mind is something

that most of us don't worry about, but this is very important for

attaining Bliss. Chanting His nAma and meditating on Him are the means

to maintain the health of the mind; hence He is the Medicine. This is

the lesson to take from this nAma.

 

586. bhishak - The Physician.

 

Om bhishaje namah.

 

BhagavAn is the expert Physician who treats the disease of the fear of

samsAra in His devotees through the teaching of the brahma vidyA in the

form of the gItA and other upanishads. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to

the divya prabandham - maruttuvanAi ninRa mA-maNi vaNNA.

 

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that the mantra "nirvANam bheshajam

bhishak" should be recited by those who seek relief from diseases.

That bhagavAn is the first and foremost of the physicians is supported

in the taittirIya upanishad - prathamo daivyo bhishak (4.5.1).

 

The dharma cakram draws analogy between the physician who treats the

diseases of the body, and bhagavAn who treats the diseases of the mind.

Unlike the bodily cure which is transient and temporary, the treatment

that bhagavAn gives by removing the aj~nAna or ignorance is permanent.

This is the spirit with which one should meditate on this nAma.

 

SrI cinmayAnanda gives an alternate explanation - that this nAma can

refer to bhagavAn in His form as dhanvantari, the Deity of Medicine in

the Indian system of Medicine. Since He appeared in this form as the

Lord of Physicians, He is called "The Physician - bhishak".

 

-To be continued...

 

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 

 

 

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