SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 78 - Part 8.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 78 - mA-dhavah.

 

741. mAdhavah – The Consort of Lakshmi.

 

Om mAdhavAya namah.

 

a) The Consort of MA or Lakshmi

b) The Bestower or Propounder of Knowledge about Himself.

c) One Who is attained through the madhu vidyA.

d) One Who is attained through mauna, dhyAna and yoga

e) One Who is born in the race of madhu, a yAdhava

f) The nAma that reveals the eternal relationship of the Mother and

Father with the rest of the Universe.

g) One for whom there is no Lord above

 

The nAma mAdhavah occurs three times (nAma-s 73, 169, and 741). The

description below extends the description given under nAma 73, with

additional information included.

 

a) mAyAh dhavah mA-dhavah – The Lord or consort of MA or Lakshmi.

 

The concept here is that BhagavAn and SrI are eternally and constantly

associated with each other, and inseparable. As if to emphasize this,

SrI BhaTTar gives a very detailed explanation for the qualities of MA

or Lakshmi under this nAma, rather than dwell on the guNa-s of

bhagavAn. In the end, he concludes with one sentence: “The secret

about the true nature of SrI is that Lord VishNu gets His Lordship

because of His association with Lakshmi”. All this detailed

explanation is provided by Sri BhaTTar under the very first occurrence

of the nAma, in Slokam 8.

 

SrI BhaTTar gives reference to the Sruti vAkhya-s which establish the

interpretation for a start:

 

- hrIScsa te lakshmISca patnyau (purusha sUktam) – Bhumi and

Lakshmi are Thy spouses

- asyeSAnA jagato vishNu-patnI (nIlA sUktam) – Lakshmi, who is the

Ruler of this universe the spouse of VishNu.

 

Then he proceeds to explain the qualities of Lakshmi in the following

words:

 

AsyAh svarUpavat nitya-nirmala-rUpatvam, nirupAdhika paramaiSvaryAdi,

jagan-mAtRtvam, autpattiko bhagavat-sambandho nitya anapAyaSca ityAdi

tattvapareshu Sastreshu amaryAdam | vedeshu tAvat SrI-sUktam, medhA

sUktam, uttara nArAyaNam, kaushItakI brAhamaNam ityAdau.

 

“The essential Nature of Lakshmi is described in the Sastras dealing

with the Supreme Reality as follows: Her From is eternal and spotless;

Her Supreme Rulership is not restricted by any limiting adjunct; Her

universal Motherhood, Her natural association with bhagavAn, are all

delineated in great detail in the SAstra-s. In vedic literature, the

SrI sUkta, SraddhA sUkta, medhA sUkta, uttara nArAyaNa, kaushItakI

brAhamaNa and others deal with this subject”.

 

Then SrI BhaTTar gives several references from the purANa-s etc., that

speak of the Supremacy of pirATTi, starting with the following

reference from SrI vishNu purANa:

 

nityaiva eshA vishNoh SrIr-anapAyinI |

yathA sarvagato vishNuh tathaiveyam dvijottama || (vishNu purANa

1.8.17)

 

“This Lakshmi is eternal, the universal Mother, and is ever in union

with VishNu. Just as VishNu pervades all things, she also does, O best

of Brahmins”.

 

In Brahma PurANa, we have

 

tat Saktih durjayA bhImA vishNu-Saktih iti smRtA |

sarva bhUta hRdabjasthA nAnArUpa dharA parA ||

prANAkhyA mantra-mAtA ca viSvasya jananI dhruvA |

devI bhinnA’njana SyAmA nirguNA vyoma eva hi ||

 

"Her power is invincible and awe-inspiring and She is considered the

power of VishNu Himself. She is the Supreme Being who lives in the

lotus-like hearts of all beings of the universe and She is endowed with

diverse forms. Her name is prANa or life. She is the Mother of all

mantras, and is the eternal Mother of the Universe”.

 

tathaivaikA parASaktih SrIh tasya karuNASrayA |

j~nAnAdi shADguNya mayI yA proktA prakRtih parA ||

ekaiva Saktih SrIh tasya dvitIyA parivartate |

parAvareNa rUpeNa sarvAkArA sanAtanI ||

ananta nAmadeyA ca Sakti-cakrasya nAyikA |

jagat carAcaram idam sarvam vyApya vyavasthitA ||

 

“Likewise, Lakshmi is His Supreme Power, and She is endowed with the

quality of Mercy. She is called the Supreme prakRti and possesses the

six qualities, knowledge and others. Lakshmi is the supreme, unique,

and eternal Sakti of BhagavAn; She is His second and transforms

Herself into diverse forms, high and low. She has innumerable names,

and is the head of the Sakti-cakra – the wheel of powers. She stands

steady, pervading the entire universe, moving and non-moving”.

 

In SrI LahsmI sahasra nAmam, She is described as follows:

 

mahA-vibhUteh sampUrNa shad-guNya vapushah prabhoh |

bhagavad-vAsudevasya nityaiva esha anapAyinI ||

ekaiva vartate bhinnA jyotsneva hima dIdhiteh |

sarva SaktyAtmikA caiva viSvam vyApya vyavasthitA ||

sarvaiSvarya guNopetA nityam tad-dharma dharmiNI |

prANa Saktih parA hyeshA sarveshAm prANinAm bhuvi ||

SaktInAm caiva sarvAsAm yoni-bhUtA parA kalA ||

 

“She is eternal and inseparably associated with BhagavAn vAsudeva, who

is the Master of great glory, who is endowed with the six qualities,

and who is all powerful. She is like the moon-light of the cool-rayed

moon; She is one with Him, yet remains distinct. She pervades the

Universe, and is the very embodiment of all Sakti-s.

 

She is endowed with all glory and qualities, and is eternal. Her

dharma is the same as that BhagavAn. She is the life-giving Sakti of

all beings on earth. She is the source of all Sakti-s and is the

sublime element in

all”.

 

yasmAt lakshmyamSa sambhUtAh Saktayo viSvagAh sadA |

kAraNyatvena tishThanti jagatyasmin tadAj~nayA ||

tasmAt prItA jaganmAtA SrIh yasya acyuta-vallabhA |

suprItAh Saktayah tasya siddhim ishTAm diSanti ca ||

 

“All the Saktis that have emanated from Lakshmi are always pervading

the entire Universe. They remain, under the command of SrI, as the

cause. Therefore, when Lakshmi, the Mother of the Universe and the

beloved consort of Bhagavan Acyuta is pleased with someone, these

Saktis themselves highly pleased, bestow prosperity which one desires.”

 

After this detailed description of Lakshmi’s qualities, SrI BhaTTar

points out that this subject is more fully dealt with in vaishNava

smRti and other dharma SAstra-s.

 

rAmAyaNa also declares the greatness of Lakshmi in the Sloka in bAla

kANDam (4.7):

 

- kAvyam rAmAyaNam kRtsnam sItAyAh caritam mahat – “The entire epic

poem of rAmAyaNa is but the glorious story of sItA”.

 

SrI BhaTTar concludes his vyAkhyAnam for the nAma mAdhava in its first

occurrence in Slokam 8 (nAma 73), by elaborately dwelling on the

qualities of Lakshmi, and then ending with one line for mA-dahva, where

he attributes the greatness of mAdhava to His association with SrI:

“SraddhayA devo devatvam aSnute – Lord VishNu gets His Lordship because

of His association with Lakshmi. This is the secret about the true

nature of SrI”.

 

Under nAma-s 169 and 741, SrI BhaTTar gives alternate explanations for

the nAma mA-dhavah, but these a couple of sentences each in length,

compared to the very elaborate description above that he has given for

the first occurrence of the nAma in Slokam 8 (nAma 73). It is clear

that SrI BhaTTar’s thoughts are about our Mother SrI in his anubhavam

of the nAma mA-dhava for the Lord.

 

b) The Bestower of Knowledge (mA – The vidyA or knowledge of Hari;

dhava – Lord, Preceptor, Propounder)

 

For the nAma mA-dhava in Slokam 18 (nAma 169), both SrI Samkara and SrI

BhaTTar give the interpretation in terms of His being the Propounder

(dhavah) of the mA vidyA – the knowledge of Hari. They both quote the

support from the harivamSa:

 

mA vidyA ca hareh proktA tasyA Iso yato bhavAn |

tasmAt mA-dhava nAmAsi dhavah svAmIti Sabditah || (3.69.4)

 

“The knowledge about of Hari is called mA. Thou art the Master of that

knowledge. Therefore Thou art known as mAdhava. It has been stated

that dhava means “Lord””.

 

SrI cinmayAnanda elaborates further on the above. He Who helps

introspection and meditation in the seeker is Madhava.

 

SrI BhaTTar gives additional support from the mahAbhArata:

 

madhu vidyA avabodhatvAt dhAvatvAt-vA Sriyo’niSam |

maunAd-dhyAnAcca yogAcca viddhi bhArata mAdhavam || (mahA. 3.69.4)

 

There are three explanations that are given in the above Sloka for the

nAma mAdhavah.

 

c) first is that since He is cognized through madhu vidyA, He is

called mAdhavah (madhu vidyA is referenced in chAndogya Upanishad 3.1,

bRhadAraNya upanishad 2.5);

 

the second explanation is that He is the Lord of SrI (the explanation

discussed in detail under a) for this nAma);

 

d) and the third one is that because He is recognized through dhyAna,

mauna, and yoga, He is called mA-dhavah.

 

The dharma cakram writer explains mauna, dhyAna, and yoga further.

Mauna results in the control of the indriya-s; dhyAna focuses the mind

in the thought of the Atma tattvam, and yoga solidifies and

consolidates this thought on a permanent basis.

 

e) Under the current nAma, both SrI Samkara and SrI BhaTTar give the

interpretation that He is a scion of the Race of the Madhus, and

therefore has the name mAdhavah (madhu kulodhbahavAt mAdhavah, or madhu

kule jAtatvAt mAdhavah).

 

f) Another explanation given by SrI BhaTTar for the nAma is that this

nAma is an illustration of the togetherness of SrI and BhagavAn as

Mother and Father of all of us. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan comments the

importance of this special relationship of bhagavAn and pirATTi to the

world, and their togetherness always, in the protection of the jIva-s.

It is of because of the Mother’s nearness that bhagavAn forgives the

countless apacAra-s committed by the cetana-s. It is in this sense

that it is important for all of us that He is “agalagillEn iRaiyum enRu

alrmEl ma’ngai uRai mArban” (tiruvAi. 6.10.10), and She is always with

Him.

 

g) SrI tirukkaLLam nRsimha rAghavAcArya in his gItA bhAshya, has given

another interpretation – mA dhavah yasya sa mAdhavah – He for Whom

there is no Master. Since there is no one above Him in any sense, and

since He is the Lord of everyone and every thing in all the universes,

He is called mA-dhavah.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 

 

 

 

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