SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 69 - keSavah.

[Guest guest]

654 (23). keSavah - a) One who has beautiful locks of hair

b) He whose hair is of supreme fragrance

c) He who is the source or origin of brahmA and Siva.

d) He who is the source of the rays emanating from the Sun etc.

e) The Slayer of keSi

f) The tormentor of His enemies

g) One who has Adhipatyam over water (oceans etc.)

h) One who has Adhipatyam over the different kinds of sukham

(including moksham)

 

Om keSavAya namah.

 

This nAma occurred as nAma 23 in Sloka 3.

 

The word keSa refers to hair, as also rays of light. Some of the

interpretations are based on these two meanings. Another approach at

interpreting the nAma is based on the word kam = water or sukham. Yet

another interpretation is based on the root kliS - to torment. There

is also one which is based on kah + Isah = keSah.

>From amara pada vivRti of lingayasUrin, we have the following:

 

a) SobhanAh keSA yasya sah keSavah - He who has beautiful hair. keSa

means hair, and the suffix va is added to keSa to denote the "beauty"

of the hair, by a grammatical rule - "keSAdvo'nyatarasyAm" iti

praSamsAyAm vah (SrI BhaTTar). SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya svAmi nicely

translates the nAma in tamizh as "kuzhal azhagar".

 

Under nAma 23, SrI BhaTTar adds that by implication, this nAma

indicates that the Lord is possessed of qualities like supremacy and

loveliness which are all His own by nature. He possesses curly locks

of hair, which are sublime, soft and blue (praSasta - snigdha - nIla -

kuTila - kuntalah).

 

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri adds to this anubhavam further. In His

incarnation as nRsimha, the beauty of His Lion's hair (piDari mayir in

tamizh) was exceptionally beautiful. MArIca has described Lord rAma's

hair as "SikhI kanaka mAlayA" - beautiful like a golden garland. The

gopi-s describe Him as "kuTila kuntalam komalAnanam - One with curly

locks of hair and lotus-like face. SrI Samkara bhAshyam is "abhirUpAh

keSAh yasya sah keSavah" - "His hair's beauty is compatible with His

divya ma'ngala rUpam" - black, curly, consistent, just indescribably

beautiful.

 

NammAzhvAr describes the beauty of the keSam of bhagavAn as well as its

fragrance in 7.7.9 - tiruvAimozhi:

 

koLginRa kOLiruLaic cugirndiTTa kozhum SuruLin

uL koNDa nIla nan-nUl tazhai kol? anRu …..

 

"I thought may be the darkness of His hair can be compared to the

thread made out of the darkness that results at the time of pralaya

kAlam; but no, this is not a good enough comparison - there is no

comparison. The comforting fragrance of tulasi that emanates from

His kuzhal has completely stolen my AtmA, and only I can feel it and

feel about it".

 

b) vAnti gandhayanti iti vAh gandhavantah keSAh yasya iti keSavah

(based on the root vA - gatigandhanayoh)- He who has fragrant keSa. We

just saw nammAzhvAr's reference in the previous para to the fragrance

of tulasi emanating from His kuzhal.

 

c) bhagavAn is called keSava because ka - brahmA, and ISa - Siva,

originated from His body. SrI Sankara and SrI BhaTTar quote the

following from harivamSa:

 

ka iti brahmaNo nAma (brahmeti samAkhyAta) ISo'ham sarva dehinAm |

AvAm tavA'nge sambhUtau (tavAmSa sambhUtau) tasmAt keSava nAmavAn || -

(harivamSa 3.88.48)

 

The above are words of Siva to bhagavAn - (ka is the name of brahma,

and I am ISa who rules over all the embodied beings. Both of us have

been born out of Thy body, and therefore Thou art known by the name

keSava). Thus, the nAma signifies that brahma and Siva originated from

bhagavAn.

 

d) SrI Samkara gives the additional interpretation that He is the owner

of the keSa-s or rays that emanate from the Sun, the moon, and all the

effulgent objects in the cosmos, and so He is called keSava. He gives

the support from mahAbhArata:

 

amSavo ye prakASante mamaite keSa sam~jnitAh |

sarvaj~nAh keSavam tasmAt mAm Ahuh dvija-sattamAh || (mahA.

12.328.43)

 

(Literallay, the above says: "The rays that are emanating from Me are

called keSa-s, and so the learned Brahmins call me by the name

keSava").

 

e) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives a reference from vishNu purANam, and

narrates that when brahmA with the other deva-s sought the help of Lord

nArayaNa against the terror from asura-s, the Lord plucked two keSa-s

(hairs - one black and one white), and told brahmA that those two hairs

will descend on earth as kRshNa and balarAma, and relieve the earth of

the burden of the demons:

 

evam sastUyamAnastu bhagavAn parameSvarah |

ujjahArAtmanah keSau sita-kRshNau mahAmune ||

 

uvAca ca surAnetau mat-keSau vasudhAtale |

avatIrya bhuvo bhAra kleSa hAnim karishyatah || (vishNu purA.

5.1.59-60)

 

(The commentator indicates that the above should be taken just as an

indication by bhagavAn that His hair should be sufficient to take care

of the asura-s, and should not be literally taken to suggest that the

two hairs took incarnation).

 

f) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha has another anubhavam of this nAma - He

derives the meaning that keSavah signifies One who torments His enemies

- based on the root kliS - vibAdhane - to torment, to distress, and the

uNAdi sutra (kliSeran lo lopaSca). kliSnAti, kliSyate vA anena iti

keSavah.

 

g) Two more interpretations by SrI satyadevo VasishTha: kam refers to

water and to sukham: kam = jalam or sukham; He who has the Adhipatyam

over water (oceans etc.) is keSavah - jalam tamIshTa aiSvarya bhAvAya

nayati iti keSah (kam + Isah); or, He who has control over the sukham

(aihika as well as Amushmika) of the jIva-s.

 

h) In the explanation under nAma 23, the interpretation of the nAma

based on His destroying keSi has been covered. This is also

explicitly the subject of the next nAma.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 

 

 

 

 

Great stuff seeking new owners in Auctions!

http://auctions.