SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 73 - Part 1.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 73 - stavyah.

 

stavyah stava-priyah stotram stutah stotA raNa-priyah |

pUrNah pUrayitA puNyah puNya-kIrtir_anAmayah ||

 

om stavyAya namah

om stava-priyAya namah

om stotrAya namah

om stutAya namah

om stotre namah

om raNa-priyAya namah

om pUrNAya namah

om pUrayitre namah

om puNyAya namah

om puNya-kIrtaye namah

om anAmayAya namah

 

SrI BhaTTar has described His worship through body and mind in the

previous fuew nAma-s. He interprets the next few nAma-s in terms of

His worship through word.

 

684. stavyah - a) He Who is worthy of praise.

b) He Who is praised by all, but who does not have to praise anyone

else.

 

Om stavyAya namah.

 

The root from which the word stavyah is derived is stu - to praise.

The affix yat is added in the sense of "he deserves praise" (SrI

BhaTTar).

 

a) stavam arhati iti stavyah. SrI BhaTTar explains that only Lord

vishNu is endowed with the innumerable auspicious qualities which are

eternal, boundless and flawless, and thus He is worthy of praise over

any other god. Praising Him will lead to the release of bondage from

samsAra. He refers us to the following in support:

 

AdareNa yathA stauti dhanavantam dhanecchayA |

evam cet viSva-kartAram ko na mucyeta bandhanAt || (bRhaspati

samhitA)

 

"If one praises the Creator of the Universe the same way one praises a

rich man just to get some wealth from him, is there any doubt that he

will be relieved from the bondage of samsAra by praising the Creator?".

 

 

Such is the power of His praise.

 

In the phala-Sruti for SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam, bhIshma tells

yudhisThira:

 

itIdam kIrtanIyasya keSavasya mahAtmanah |

nAmnAm sahasram divyAnAm aSesheNa prakIrtitam ||

 

"Thus the thousand divine names of bhagavAn keSava, the Supreme Being,

Who is worthy of being praised, have been sung in their entirety".

Here the choice of the word keSava signifies that He is the Creator of

Siva and brahma; mahatmA refers to His being the Supreme Person; the

term divya signifies that these thousand nAma-s are worthy of being

recited both in this world and in parama-padam; and the word

kIrtanIyasya emphasizes that He is worthy of being praised.

 

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr (tiruvAimizhi 3.9.1),

where he declares that bhagavAn is the Only One who is worthy of praise

with his words, and no one else.

 

SonnAl virodham idu, Agilum Solluvan kENminO

en nAvil in kavi yAn oruvarkkum koDukkilEn ….

………………………………............... tiruvE'nkaTattu

en Anai en appan emperumAn uLan AgavE (tiruvAi. 3.9.1)

 

"Even though it is unpleasant for you (those of you who waste your time

worshipping other deities) to hear this, I am going to say it, and

please listen (for your own good): I will not waste my sweet words of

praise on anyone except My Lord who stands like an elephant in

tiruvE'nkaTa malai."

 

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives an interpretation similar to that of

SrI BhaTTar - stotum yogyah sarvottamatvAt iti stavyah - Because He is

Supreme in all respects, He is fit to be worshiped.

 

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that bhagavAn's divya guNa-s are infinite,

and no matter for how many thousands and thousands of years we sing His

praise, we will still be not be done, and can keep praising Him; such

are His natural guNa-s. He gives reference to the SvetASvatara

upanishad: "tam ISAnam varadam devam IDyam (4.11) - "He Who is the Lord

of all, benevolent, divine, and worthy of praise"; tam viSva rUpam

bhava-bhUtam IDyam" (6.4) - He Who has the Universe as His form, He who

is the cause of all origin and existence, and who is praiseworthy".

 

 

b) SrI Samkara's interpretation is: sarvaih stUyate, na stotA kasyacit

iti stavyah - He who is praised by everyone, but who does not need to

praise anyone. SrI cinmayAnanda adds that "all the jIva-s invoke Him,

but He does not invoke the jIva-s".

 

SrI bala deva vidyA bhUshaN comments that He is stavyah or worthy of

praise because it is easy to praise His infinite kalyANa guNa-s through

mere use of words - vAg-vyApAreNaiva samArAdhyatvAt nitya kalyANa

guNakatayA stotum arhah stavyah.

 

The dharma cakram writer gives some examples of the way the AzhvAr-s

have praised Him: uyarvaRa uyar nalam uDaiyavan, mayrvaRa madi nalam

aruLbavan, amarargaL adipati, nalam tarum Sollai nAn kaNDu koNDEn

nArAyaNA ernnum nAmam, acyutA amarar Eru, Ayar tam kozhundu,… etc.

But He is not fully described by any of these; these are just some

limited ways through which His true devotees have enjoyed Him.

Knowing the inner meaning of songs in praise of Him and singing them,

nAma japam, meditating on Him, dedicating all that we do to Him, etc.,

are among the different ways in which He can be praised.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 

 

 

 

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