SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 71 - Part 2.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 71 - Part 2.

 

658. brahma-kRt-brahmA – The Creator Who created brahmA, the creator of big

things.

 

Om brahma-kRt-brahmaNe namah.

 

SrI BhaTTar explains this nAma again using the generic meaning

“big” for the word brahman. The creator of the world, the

four-faced brahmA, is brahma-kRt because he creates the big

things, namely the worlds. BhagavAn is the Big One who creates

this brahmA. So He is called brahma-kRt-brahmA. SrI nammAzhvAr

captures this thought in his pASuram 2.2.4 in tiruvAimozhi (quote

from SrI v.v. rAmAnujan):

 

dEvum epporuLum paDaikka, pUvil nAn-muganaip paDaitta dEvan emperumAn

 

“This emperumAn created the four-faced brahmA so that he could

create all the other things including all the deva-s, and all the

sentient and non-sentient objects”.

 

SrI Samkara considers “brahma-kRt-brahmA” as two nAma-s,

brahma-kRt, and brahmA. For brahma-kRt, he assigns the generic

meaning tapas etc. for the word brahma, and thus interprets the

nAma as meaning that He is the Originator of tapas etc. SrI

cinmayAnanda gives a slight variant – He is brahma-kRt because He

performs the brahma – tapas etc., and abides in tapas. SrI

baladeva vidyAbhUshaN gives a similar explanation – brahma karoti

brahmacarya lakshaNam tapas carati iti brahma-kRt. SrI satyadevo

vAsishTha gives the meaning that bhagavAn makes His devotees big,

and so He is brahma-kRt. Or, He created the four-faced brahmA,

the veda-s, the brAhamaNa-s, tapas, etc. as special

(magnanimous), and so He is brahma-kRt (SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri).

 

For the second part, SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that He

is brahmA the creator. Since He is the antaryAmi of brahmA the

four-faced creator, He is the real Creator.

 

669. brahma – The Supreme Brahman, parmAtmA.

 

Om brahmaNe namah.

 

This nAma signifies that He is the paramAtmA. There are two

aspects to this that are brought out by the vyAkhyAna kartA-s: 1)

He is Big, and 2) He makes everything big. His “Bigness” is

explained in terms of His parattvam in the vyAkhyAna-s of SrI

Samkara and those following him, and the emphasis is placed on

His unlimited kalyANa guNa-s in the vyAkhyAna-s of SrI BhaTTar

and those following his school. Please refer to the write-up

comparing the different vyAkhyAna-s that was presented in this

series earlier.

 

The root is the same as for the previous nAma-s, namely bRah – to

grow, to increase. SrI BhaTTar quotes the following in support:

“bRhatvAt brahmaNatvAcca brahmeti parikIrtyate” – He is called

Brahman because He is big, and He also makes others big. He is

everywhere, He is in everything, He makes everything big, His

guNa-s are big, and He performs all His actions without any other

support and by His mere samkalpam. He expands the non-sentient

matter into gross and subtle, He sustains these in a form that is

useful for the jIvAtmA-s to enjoy, He sustains the jIvAtmA-s, He

grows them towards their ultimate goal, namely His realization.

He does all these only for the benefit of the jIva-s. He is big

with countless unsurpassed qualities, by His essential nature, by

the glory of His possessions, etc. His greatness is such that He

can lift a baddha jIva – an ordinary samsAri – to the level of a

nitya sUri through His Infinite Mercy (SrI v.v. rAmAnujan).

 

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation – bRmhayati

prajAh sva-dayAdRSA iti brahma – He Who enhances His devotees by

His mere Merciful glance (kaTAKsham), is Brahma.

 

SrI Samkara emphasizes His being Great (bRhatvAt), as signified

by His all-pervasiveness, His expanding into everything, etc. He

quotes from the vishNu purANa (6.7.53) – sattA mAtram, a-gocaram

vacasAm, Atma samvedyam, tad j~nAnam brahma – That which is Pure

Existence, is beyond the reach of words, and can only be

experienced, is Brahma.

 

SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation – bRmhatvAt brahma –

Because He is the Biggest, the Vastest, the All-Pervading., He is

called Brahma.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan