SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 66 - Part 1.

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SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 66 - Part 1.

 

svakshah sva'ngah SatAnando nandir_jyotir_gaNeSvarah |

vijitAtmA vidheyAtmA sat-kIrtih chinna-samSayah ||

 

om svakshAya namah

om sva'ngAya namah

om SatAnandAya namah

om nandaye namah

om jyotir-gaNeSvarAya namah

om vijitAtmane namah

om vidheyAtmane namah

om satkIrtaye namah

om chinna-samSayAya namah

 

621. svakshah - The Beautiful-Eyed.

 

Om svakshAya namah.

 

The nAma can be understood by looking at the two parts which constitute

the word - su + akshah. SrI Samkara's vyAkhyAnam is su - sobhane

puNDarIkAbhe akshiNi asya iti svakshah - He whose eyes resemble the

lotus-petals.

 

SrI BhaTTar continues his anubhavam of seeing pirATTi and bhagavAn

together - his interpretation is that bhagavAn has these beautiful eyes

which are thoroughly proficient in the art of the enjoyment of the

nectarine ocean of Her beauty. We may recall that the hue of

bhagavAn's kaDaik-kaN is described as reddish, and pirATTi's eyes are

dark-hued. The anubhavam of this by our elders is that His kaDaik-kaN

(corner of the eye) is reddish in color because He is always looking

at the beautiful reddish complexion of pirATTi through His side

glances, and Her eyes are dark because She is always enjoying the

beautiful dark complexion of bhagavAn. She is "nArINAm uttamA vadhU"

(SrI v.v. rAmAnujan). tiruppANAzhvAr describes the beauty of His eyes

- kariya Agip puDai parandu miLirndu Sevvari ODi ap-periavAya kaNgaL

ennaip pEdaimai SeidanavE".

 

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is

svakshah because He views the whole universe seated in the Sun chariot,

and He is the eye of everything that exists.

 

622. sva'ngah - The Lovely-bodied.

 

Om sva'ngAya namah.

 

The interpretation is similar to the previous nAma - su + a'ngah =

sva'ngah. Su - SobhanAni a'ngAni asya iti sva'nah - One whose limbs

are beautiful (SrI Samkara). He has a beautiful form that captivates

all His devotees. See the anubhavam of tiruppANAzhvAr, svAmi deSikan,

hanumAn, etc., referenced below.

 

SrI BhaTTar'as anubhavam is that He has a celestial body that is worthy

of being admired by even lakshmi. SrI Baladeva vidhyAbhUshaN echoes

the same anubhavam - lakshmI spRhaNIya divya SarIra dhArI. BhagavAn's

soundaryam leads Her to declare "agalagillEn" (SrI v.v. rAmAnujan).

In sundara kANDam, vAlmIki gives a very detailed description of every

aspect of Lord rAma's beauty through 16 Sloka-s in hanumAn's words (35,

7-22). We also have tiruppANazhvAr's beautiful description of Lord

ra'nganAtha's beauty in his amalanAdi pirAn. His beauty just makes

AzhvAr just conclude his praise of the Lord with the declaration "en

amudianik kaNDa kaNgaL maRRonRinaik kANAvE". svAmi deSikan describes

Lord ra'nganAtha's beauty in bhagavad dhyAna sopAnam and many other

stotra-s.

 

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives his interpretation using the root agi -

gatau - to go, to move around, and gives the explanation - SobhanAni

a'ngAni - gamanAni yasya sa sva'ngah - He who has beautiful paths or

gaits is sva'ngah. He gives the quote from Rg veda to support his

interpretation:

 

agre bRhannushsAmUrdhvo asthAnnirjaganvAn tamaso jyotishAgAt |

agnirbhAnunA rushatA sva'nga A jAto viSvA sadmAnyaprAh || (10.1.1)

 

"High hath the Mighty risen before the dawning, and come to us with

light from out of the darkness. Fair-shapen agni with white-shining

splendor hath filled at birth all human beings" (translation from Ralph

Griffith).

 

Alternatively, since bhagavAn has created this Universe with beings

which all have the capability to move around and perform their

functions, He is called sva'ngah.

 

623. SatAnandah - He of infinite Bliss.

 

Om SatAnandAya namah.

 

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that He has boundless Bliss which is ever

flowing on account of the mutual love of pirATTi and bhagavAn. SrI

v.v. rAmAnujan comments that the number "hundred" here does not mean

the number "100", but stands for the greatness of the extent of the

Bliss.

 

SrI Samkara interprets the nAma in terms of His being of the form of

Infinite Bliss, and quotes from the bRhadAraNya upanishad - etasyaiva

Anandasya anyAni bhUtAni mAtrAm upajIvanti (4.3.32) - "Compared to His

Bliss, the bliss of all other beings is a but a minute fraction".

 

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains that Anandam is of different kinds at

the level of the different beings; man gets one type of Anandam, the

animal enjoys a different kind of Anandam, the deva-s yet a different

type, the Rshi-s a different type, etc. Thus, the Anandam varies

depending on the enjoyer of Anandam. The j~nAni who is disinterested

in worldly affairs derives the great Anandam that those who are

interested in worldly pleasures get only in bits and pieces. All these

bits and pieces of Anandam that every creature derives is what flows

from Him who is the Supreme Bliss, SatAnandah. SrI SAstri gives the

support from taittirIya upanishad 2.8 - te ye Satam mAnushAh, devAnAm,

indrasya, prajApateh AnandAh sa eko brahmaNa Anandah | Srotriyasya

cAkAmahatasya |

 

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives yet another view of the Infinite Bliss of

bhagavAn. Other than Him, each creature feels pleasure when it is in

some particular environment, and feels pain when it is in a different

environment. Thus, a fish feels pleasure when in water, and feels pain

when outside water. For human beings, it is exactly the reverse. For

birds, it is a different kind of medium. But for Him, His Bliss in

independent of any constraint, and thus He is of Infinite Bliss. The

Anandam of everything else flows from the One and Only source of true

Anandam - SatAnandah.

 

The dharma cakram writer explains the concept of pErAnandam starting

with the little Anandam of tge immobile (sthAvara) beings such as

plants, which derive their pleasure through the sense of touch alone.

The worms derive their pleasure through the sense of touch and taste.

Slightly more evolved beings such as the ants derive their pleasure

from the sense of touch, taste, and smell. Beings such as the bees

derive their pleasure from the sense of touch, taste, smell, and sight.

The animals derive their pleasure from the additional sense of

hearing. Man derives his pleasure from the mind in addition. Yet

ordinary people seek cheap material pleasures with all these gifts, and

end up enjoying the impermanent pleasures, just as the fish enjoys its

sense of taste and falls prey to the fisherman's hook. Only a true

yogi reaches the next level, that of AtmAnandam. This nAma should

teach us to meditate of on the "SatAnanda" mantra on Him, and derive

the permanent Anandam.

 

624. nandih - He who is ever delighted.

 

Om nandaye namah.

 

nandati iti nandih - He who is delighted is nandih.

 

SrI BhaTTar: He is nandi because He is ever prosperous by virtue of

His being with SrI at all times, at all places, and in all ways. His

constant and inseparable association with SrI is the reason for His

constant delight.

 

SrI Samkara: paramAnanda vigraho nandih - One who is the embodiment of

Supreme Bliss.

 

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri: His Anandam is such that the humans and the

deva-s can look to Him to derive the true Anandam - He is the Bestower

of their true Anandam.

 

625. jyotir-gaNeSvarah - a) The Lord of the host of lustrous deities

(nitya sUri-s).

b) The Lord of the luminaries (the stars, sun, moon, etc.).

 

Om jyotir-gaNeSvarAya namah.

 

The simple meaning of the nAma is - He who is the leader of the

luminaries. The difference in the vyAkhyAna-s centers around who the

luminaries are that is being referred to in the nAma.

 

a) SrI BhaTTar refers to the host of nitya-sUri-s like AdiSesha,

vishvaksena, etc., who are constantly at the service of bhagavAn and

pirATTi, and who are themselves lustrous. He refers us to purusha

sUktam - marIcInAm padamicchanti vedhasah - "Wise men desire to attain

the world of the radiant souls", referring the world of nitya sUri-s as

the world of radiant souls. MarIci here refers to those who are

radiant. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan nicely translates "jyotir-gaNeSvarah" to

"ayarvaRum amarargaL adhipati" of nammAzhvAr. The nitya sUri-s are

shining with the kaimkarya SrI to bhagavAn and pirATTi.

 

b) SrI Samkara gives the same meaning, but interprets the term

"jyotir-gaNa" to the luminaries, namely the stars, the Sun, etc. SrI

kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the derivation of the meaning - jyotishAm

- nakshatrANAm, gaNA iti jyotir-gaNAh; teshAm ISvara iti

jyotir-gaNeSvarah. SrI Samkara gives the support from kaThopanishad -

 

tameva bhAntam anubhAti sarvam tasya bhAsA sarvamidam vibhAti (2.2.14)

- When He shines, all the others shine after Him. Everything here

shines by His effulgence";

 

and from the gItA - yadAtiya gatam tejah (15.12) - referring to the

brilliance which is in the sun.

 

The dharma cakram writer gives the analogy that just as a person who

does not have eyesight cannot see the light around him, one who does

not have j~nAnam will not be able to see the jyoti-gaNeSvarah residing

in him. One has to first rid oneself of the darkness of kAma, krodha,

etc. in him, before one can see the light inside. This is the lesson

to take form this mantra.

 

-To be continued.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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