SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 78 - Part 4.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 78 - kim, yat.

 

735. kim – a) He about Whom all questions are asked by seekers of Truth

(such as – Where is He, What is He, Who is He, etc.)

b) He Whose praise is sung by His devotees

c) He Who is fit to be enquired about or sought after.

 

Om kime namah (om kasmai namah in Samkara pATham –see explanation under

ekAya namah, nAma 730).

 

The common usage of the word kim is to represent the question “What?”.

The word kim is derived from the root praccha – j~nIpsAyAm – to ask,

to seek. Here it is used as a noun, and means “He about Whom all

questions are asked by seekers of Truth”. SrI sataydevo vAsishTha

comments: pRcchati iti kim | pRcchyata iti vA kim |” – He who asks is

kim, or He about whom questions are asked is also kim. Here bhagavAn

is called kim in the context of the latter of the two. In other words,

all questions that are asked by those who want to realize Him, are

questions about Him, since they all lead to Him in the end. SrI

vAsishTha gives an alternate derivation as well, starting from the root

kai – Sabde – to sound, leading to “kAyati iti kim” – He about Whom

questions are asked, such as “Who is He, What is He, Where is He”,

etc., is kim. Those who seek Him start with the enquiry of “What”, and

end up with Him after they realize that He is the ultimate answer to

every enquiry.

 

SrI BhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam is: tat tat sarvepsituh buphutsUnAm

nirupAdhika prashTavyatvAt kim – He is enquired into by all those who

are desirous of knowing the ultimate objects of their desirewithout any

other motive, and so He is called kim. SrI BhaTTar gives the support

from the Sruti - sa anveshTavyah, sa viji~njAsitavyah – ChAndogya.

8.7.1 – He is to be sought after, He is to be known with eagerness.

 

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvAimozhi 5.6.2, where

nammAzhvAr declares about perumAL: “kaRkum kalvic cAramum yAnE”. In

fact, every line of each pASuram, starting with 5.6.1 (kaDal j~nAlam

SeidEnum yAnE ennum…), all the way up to 5.6.10 (kOlam koL Suvarkkamum

yAnE ennum …….), are beautiful singing of His being everything, line

after line.

 

SrI Samkara’s interpretation is: “sarva purushArtha rUpatvAt Brahmaiva

vicAryam iti Brahma kim” – As Brahman is the supreme goal among all

aims of life, He is to be inquired after, and so is called kim. He

refers us to the first Slokam of chapter 8 of Bhagavad gItA, where

arjuna precisely starts with this question:

 

kim tad brahma kim adhyAtmam kim karma purushottama |

adhibhUtam ca kim proktam adhidaivam kim ucyate || (gItA 8.1)

 

“What is that Brahman? What is adhyAtma? What is karma? What is said

to be adhibhUta? O Supreme Person, who is said to be adhidaiva?”

 

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives similar passages from the Rg veda, which

ask similar rhetorical questions about Brahman:

 

- ambhah kim AsIt gahanam gabhIram (10-129-1) – Was water there,

unfathomed and deep?

- kutah AjAtA kuta iyam visRshTih (10-129-6) – Whence was it born, and

whence comes this creation?

- yo’syAdhyakshah parame vyoman (10-129-7) – (He) whose eye controls

this world in highest heaven, he verily knows it, or perhaps he knows

not.

 

Thus, He is called “kim- What” because He is the Ultimate answer to all

the questions.

 

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the root ku~ng – Sabde – to sound,

and the uNAdi sutra kAyater dimih (siddhAnta kaumudi, uNAdi sutra 600)

to derive the word kim, and gives the definition – kUyate – AhUyate

svajanaih bhajamAnaih iti kim – He Whose praise is sung by His devotees

is kim.

 

c) SrI aNNa’ngarAcArya gives the interpretation that this nAma means

that He is One who is worth being sought after; One Who is described as

anveshTavyah in the Upanishads (sa anveshTavyah, sa viji~njAsitavyah –

ChAndogya. 8.7.1) – He is to be sought after, and He is to be known

with eagerness.

 

The dharma cakram writer elaborates that bhagavAn is called kim – He

Whose Nature is contemplated on by those who seek the Truth, because it

is by knowing this Truth that everything there is to be known is known.

That which is beyond time, space, etc., that which never changes and

is eternal, that which is beyond the reach of the senses and is only

reached by true devotion and meditation, that which is in everything

and everywhere, is the Ultimate answer to all questions asked by those

who seek the Truth.

 

736. yat – a) He Who takes efforts.

b) That Which already exists.

c) That from Which everything in this Universe came about.

 

om yate namah (om yasmai namah in Samkara pATham, when yat is

interpreted as a sarvanAma or pronoun).

 

SrI BhaTTar derives the interpretation from the root yat – prayatne –

to attempt. to strive after, etc. His vyAkhyAnam is “teshAm rakshAyai

yatate iti yat” – He Who takes all efforts for the protection of His

devotees. SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj elaborates further on the same

concept: yatate prayatate sva-samkalpa mAtreNa svajana Apat nivAraNAya

iti yat. SrI BhaTTar quotes the following words of bhagavAn:

 

- kRshNa kRshNeti kRshNeti yo mAm smarati nityaSah |

jalam bhitvA yathA padmam narakAt uddharAmyaham ||

 

“Whoever remembers Me always repeating the name “kRshNa, kRshNa,

kRshNa”, I lift him up from naraka just as one takes a lotus free from

water by brushing aside the water”.

 

- aham smarAmi mad bhaktam nayAmi paramAm gatim | (varAha caram

Slokam) - “I remember My devotee and take him to the Supreme abode”.

Even if the devotee in his final state is unable to think of bhagavAn,

bhagavAn thinks of the devotee, and takes him to His abode.

 

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr’s tiruvAimozhi 5.8.9 –

“iSaivittu ennai un tAL iNaik kIzh iruttum ammAnE” – nammAzhvAr says

that bhagavAn took the effort to impart Atma j~nAna to even him who was

unrelenting, sensually disposed, haughty enough to be an incorrigible

soul-thief, etc. (nammAzhvAr’s naicya bhaAvam is what is reflected

here).

 

b) SrI Samkara interprets the nAma using the conventional meaning

“Which” for the word yat. His interpretation is: :yat Sabdena svatah

siddha vastu uddeSa vAcinA brahma nirdiSyata iti brahma yat – The word

yat indicates a self-sustaining entity, can only denote Brahman, who is

by nature always existing. He quotes the taittirIya Upanishad in

support – yato vA imAni bhUtAni jAyante (3.1) – From which all these

beings come out….

 

c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri uses the above Sruti vAkyam and gives the

interpretation that yat refers to “That from Which all the other things

in the Universe came into existence”.

 

SrI cinmayAnanda quotes another similar usage: yato vAco nivartante

aprApya manasA sah (tiatt. Up. 2.9.1) – That from which words retire,

along with the mind, unable to reach.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 

 

 

 

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