SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 72 - Part 5.

[Guest guest]

SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 72 - mahA-kratuh.

 

680. mahA-kratuh - a) He Who is worshiped by the great yAga-s.

b) He Who can be easily worshiped.

c) He Who can be worshiped in many ways

d) He Who is the Great Sacrifice (that gives the best results)

e) He Who performed the great sacrifice called the pA'ncarAtra kratu.

 

Om mahA-kratave namah.

 

The word "kratuh" occurred as nAma 449 in Slokam 48, and the meaning of

the term was explained there. Briefly recapitulating, the term

"kratuh" refers to a particular type of sacrifice, or can also refer to

bhagavAn since He is the object of the yAga-s. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha

also gives the explanation "karoti iti kratuh, kriyate vA kratuh" - One

who performs is a kratuh, or that which is performed is kratuh.

 

The term "mahA" is used in the sense of "great", "many", "great

because of its ease", etc., in the different interpretations.

 

a) SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya gives the interpretation "He Who is the object

of worship of the great yAga-s". "mahA" is interpreted here with the

meaning "great".

 

b) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that He is mahA-kratuh because

"He is the Great Lord Who has the easiest means of worship" - mahat

sarva sukaram ArAdhanam asya iti mahA-kratuh. Based on the supporting

references he has quoted in his interpretion, I feel that he is using

the term "mahA" or "great" here in two ways: 1) to mean "easy or

simple for the devotee, and thus "great from the point of view of the

devotee", 2) to refer to the multitude of easy ways that are available

to worship Him.

 

He gives reference to vishNu dharma (90.69), and to gItA (9.27), where

he emphasizes the ease of worship:

 

yo na vittair na vibhavaih na vAsobhir na bhUshNaih |

toshyate hRdayenaiva kas-tam ISam na toshayet || (vishNu dharma

90.69)

 

"Who will not endeavor to please that God Who is pleased by just

sincerity of heart alone, but not by wealth or riches clothes or

ornaments?"

 

yat karoshi yad-aSnAsi yaj-juhoshi dadAsi yat |

yat-tapasyasi kaunteya tat-kurushva madarpaNam || (gItA 9.27)

 

"Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice,

whatever you give, whatever you practice as austerity, O kaunteya, do

it as an offering to Me".

 

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshan also associates the ease of His worship with

this nAma, and explains that He is mahA-kratuh because He has such

great (easy) ways of worship such as being offered the tulasi leaves,

in order to obtain the greatest of blessings.

 

c) In his commentary, SrI BhaTTar also says that "He is to be worshiped

by all acts which have been prescribed by the Agama SAstra-s, and by

offering to Him, these acts become sanctified and sweet" - samarpaNa

samskAra svAdu-kRtaih Agama SAstra kArita sarva vyApAraih ArAdhyatvAt"

- from which it may be inferred that the term 'mahA" may refer to the

many ways of offering worship.

 

d) SrI Samkara's interpretation is that He is mahA-kratuh because He is

Himself the Great Sacrifice - mahAnSca asau kratuSca iti mahA-kratuh.

A kratuh is a sacrifice that is performed for specific benefits, and

thus it is a sacrifice that yields specific benefits. We note that

bhagavAn declares that He is kratuh Himself, in gItA 9.16:

 

aham kratur-aham ya~jnah svadhAham aham aushadham |

mantro'ham ahmevAjyam aham-agnir-aham hutam || (gItA

9.16)

 

"I am the kratu; I am the sacrifice; I am the offering to the manes; I

am the herb; I am the mantra; I am myself the clarified butter; I am

the fire; I am the oblation". This Slokam is explained in greater

detail under the nAma mahA-havih (nAma 683).

 

e) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation - mahAn kratuh

pa'ncarAtro yaysa it mahA-kratuh. SrI Ramachandra Rao in his AgAma

kOSa vol. IV, quotes from the Satapata brAhmaNa which says that purusha

nArAyaNa performed the great pA'ncarAtra kratu or sacrifice, and

attained superiority over all beings and became all beings Himself:

 

"purusho ha vai nArAyaNo'kAmayata atitishTheyam | sarvANi bhUtAni

ahameva idam sarvam iti | sa etam purushamedham pA'ncarAtram ya~jna

kratum apaSyat tam Aharat tena ajAyata teneshTam | atyatishTat

sarvANi bhUtAnIdam sarvam abhavat || " (13.6.1)

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 

 

 

Games - play chess, backgammon, pool and more

http://games./