SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 73 - Part 2.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 73 - stava-priyah.

 

685. stava-priyah - He Who is pleased by the praise in whatever form it

is offered.

 

om stava-priyAya namah.

 

In his interpretation, SrI BhaTTar points out that when anyone praises

Him in any manner (even in a negative manner!), in any language (even

if it contains errors in diction or meaning), even if it is adverse to

His splendor, bhagavAn accepts it as praise. SrI BahTTar's exact words

are: yathA katha'ncit (in whatever manner), yayA kayAcit bhAshayA (in

whatever language - even in negative language), yena kenApi (by anyone

- even including those who denigrate Him), tejaskarah tiraskaropi vA

(either in praise of His qualities or in negative terms), stavah

priyatamah asya iti stava-priyah (He accepts them as praise of Him -

because these actions are done while thinking of Him). SrI BhaTTar

gives an example of this guNa of bhagavAn by referring us to the

incident of ghaNTAkarNa, who did not like to hear even the name of

vishNu being uttered by anyone even casually. So he suspended two

bells from his ears, and at the very utterance of the name of vishNu,

he will shake his head violently, so that these words won't fall in his

ears. But in order to ensure that he shake his head at the mere

mention of the name of vishNu, he had to always be thinking of vishNu,

and watching for even a casual mention of the name of vishNu. The Lord

took this as constant meditation on Him, and gave salvation to

ghaNTAkarNa for this constant meditation on Him. This is an example of

how He takes even the negative thought about him as praise of Him.

 

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan adds to this the example of SiSUpAlan, who got

moksham even though all he was doing was using abusive language to talk

about Lord kRshNa at every possible opportunity - "kETpAr Sevi SuDu

kIzhmai vaSavugaLaiyE vaiyum pazham pagaivan SiSupAlan". nammAzhvAr

concludes one of his dacads in tiruvAimozhi by pointing out that no

matter how we say His name - knowing the meaning or not knowing the

meaning, etc., - the final outcome is that it will always lead to good

for us - "e'nganE Sollinum inbam payakkumE" (7-9-11).

 

SrI rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi pASuram 5.1.1,

which supports the interpretation that SrI BhaTTar has given for this

nAma - perumAL is stava-priyah because His Grace is such that even if

we don't mean to praise Him, as long as we say something about Him,

even without sincerity, He will accept it as praise, in order to help

us reach Him - such is the destiny of the jIva:

 

kaiyAr Sakkarattu en karu mANikkamE enRenRu

poyyE kaimmai Sollip puRamE puRamEyADi

meyyE peRRozhindEn vidi vAikkinRu kAppAr Ar?

AiyO! KaNNa pirAn! aRaiyO inip pOnAlE (tiruvAi. 5.1.1)

 

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that bhagavAn's pleasure when He is

praised is not because He is happy that people are praising His

qualities, but because He is pleased that the jIva-s are putting to

appropriate use the indriya-s that He has given to the jIva-s. When

the thought, word, and deed are all directed appropriately for His

praise, He is all the more happy. By praising Him, we are getting

closer to Him, and this is exactly what He wants of the jIvAtmA-s, and

this makes Him happy. The dharma cakram writer gives the analogy of

the parents who feel happy when the child does well in the school. The

body and the indriya-s that He has given us are for serving Him, and,

just like the parents who feel happy when the child does well in the

school, He is happy when we do well with the facilities He has given

us.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 

 

 

 

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