SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 77 - Part 5.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 77 - SatAnanah.

 

729. SatAnanah - a) He Who is many-faced.

b) He Who has provided many different means (such as nose, mouth, etc.)

for life to be sustained.

c) He Who has created various life-forms and provided easy means for

their survival.

d) He Who is viewed in different "faces" (in different ways) by

different faiths.

 

Om SatAnanAya namah.

 

SrI satyadevo VasishTha gives the derivation of Ananam from the root

ana - prANane - to breathe. According to pANini sUtra 3.3.117 - karaNa

adhikaraNayoSca - the affix lyuT (ana) comes after a root, when the

relation of the word to be formed to the verb is that of an instrument

or location. The definition that SrI vAsishTha gives is A = samantAt

anyate = prANyate anena iti Anananm = mukham - The part of the body

which contains the means for breathing, namely the face. The word Sata

has the same meaning as in the previous nAma, namely, many,

uncountable, etc. Thus the explanation for the nAma is: Satam AnanAni

yasya sa SatAnanah = anantAnanah - He Who has innumerable faces.

 

SrI BhaTTar gives the support from gItA 11.10:

 

aneka vaktra nayanam anekAbhuta darSanam |

aneka divyAbharaNam divyAnekodyatAyudham || (gItA 11.10)

 

"With innumerable mouths and eyes, many marvelous aspects, many divine

ornaments, and many divine weapons" - This is how sa'njaya starts the

description of the viSva rUpam that bhagavAn shows to arjuna. SrI

cinmayAnanda refers us to Lord kRshNa's words in gItA Slokam 13.13,

which conveys the same concept when He describes Brahman:

 

sarvatah pANi-pAdam tat sarvo'kshi-Siro-mukham |

sarvath Srutiman-loke sarvam-AvRtya tishThati || (gItA 13.13)

 

"Everywhere are Its hands and feet; Its eyes, heads, and mouths are

everywhere; Its ears are on all sides; and It exists encompassing all

things."

 

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives support from tiruvAimozhi:

…………………………….

tOLgaL AyirattAi! muDigaL AyirattAi! tuNai malark kaNgaL AyirattAi!

tALgaL AyirattAi! pErgaL AyirattAi! tamiayanEn peria appanE!

(tiruvAi. 8.1.10)

 

where nammAzhvAr refers to Him as "… Oh Lord with a thousand shoulders,

faces, eyes, feet, names", etc.

 

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives reference to the SvetASvtara Upanishad

wherein Brahman is described as "sarvAnana SirogrIvah sarva bhUta

guhASayah" - (3.11) - "He Who has many faces, heads and necks, and

resides in the hearts of all the beings".

 

b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives a second interpretation, in which he

takes Ananam to mean "the means for sustaining life", and gives the

meaning to the nAma as "He Who has provided innumerable ways (such as

nose, mouth, face, etc.), through which life is sustained for the

different creatures" - jIvana upAyAnAm ca bAhuvidyam, tathA ca yadyad

jIvane Silpa vaiSishTyam tat tat tasyaiva bhagavata ityAkhyAtum

SatAnana nAmnA bhagavAn vishNuh stUyate.

 

c) Yet another interpretation provided by SrI vAsishTha is based on the

pANini sUtra 3.1.26 - hetumati ca - which states that the affix Nic is

employed after a root when the operation of a causer is to be

expressed. Thus, he interprets the term "Ananah" as "Anayati iti

Ananah" - "One Who causes, or makes it possible to live". Ananam is

here interpreted as referring to bhagavAn's action in creating the

different life-forms which have different ways of sustaining life.

Ananah is thus given the meaning "jIvan dAtA - the life-giver". The

meaning given here is thus "He Who has created various life-forms" -

catur-vidha SrshTi udvhAvinah anantAn jIvAn tat-tat jIvanaih

upakaraNaih Anayati = jIvayatiiti SatAnanah.

 

d) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains the nAma in terms of bhagavAn being

seen in different "faces" by the different faiths such as the jaina

matam, the bauddha matam, etc., and also viewed differently by nyAya,

mImAmsA, etc., the dvaiti-s, adviati-s, etc.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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