SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 78 - Part 9.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 78 - bhakta-vatsalah.

 

742. bhakta-vatsalah – a) Affectionate towards the devotees.

b) He Who goes to the devotees who makes offerings to Him through

yaj~na

c) He Who takes the devotees to Him, who are dear to Him like a calf

to the cow

 

om bhakta-vatsalAya namah.

 

The term bhakta is derived from the root bhaj – sevAyAm – to serve, to

honor (bhajati bhajate sevate iti bhaktah - kASakRtsna dhAtu vyAkhyAna

1.695, referenced by SrI satyadevo vAsishTha). Thus, one who serves,

honors, praises, etc., is a bhakta. The word vatsalah is derived from

the word vatsa, which by itself means calf. However, by pANini sutra

5.2.98, the addition of the affix lac after the word vatsa gives it the

meaning “love” – vatsa amsAbhyAm kAma bale. Thus, the word vatsala

means kAmavat, snehavat, etc. – one who is in love, one who is

friendly. Bhakta vatsalan in thus One Who is affectionate towards His

devotees.

 

a) SrI BhaTTar’s anubhavam is that this nAma brings out the special

attitude of BhagavAn towards His devotees, who are eager to cultivate

the relationship with Him as Master and kinsman (i.e., as bhakta-s

towards Him). SrI BhaTTar comments that His joy of having attained His

bhakta-s is so great, that He forgets all other desires – tal-lAbha

sambhrama vismRta anya-kAmah.

 

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan elaborates on the term vatsalah, or vAtsalyam of

BhagavAn towards His devotees. As mention earlier, vatsa refers to a

calf. Vatsalah also refers to affection, of the kind that a cow shows

towards its calf. The cow licks and removes any dirt or other material

that may be found on the body of the calf, on in other words, it treats

even the blemishes on its calf as bhogyam for itself. BhagavAn’s love

towards His devotees is similarly one of ignoring their faults, and

enjoying their devotion instead. SrI rAmAnujan gives two examples.

 

- When Vidura was offering worship to kRshNa at his house, he was

totally immersed in looking at Lord kRshNa with devotion and affection,

and he was peeling off the outer layer of the banana, and giving the

peeled skin to kRshNa for eating instead of giving the peeled fruit by

mistake. Lord kRshNa was so immersed in His devotee that He did not

also realize that the skin was what He was being given, and He also ate

the skin as a bhogya vastu, because it had been offered with the utmost

devotion.

- When BhIshma was lying on the death-bed of arrows and meditating on

Lord kRshNa, the Lord just informed the fellow pANDava-s: “The Lion of

men is lying there, just thinking of Me and meditating on Me”, and

having said that, He Himself was lost on the thought of His bhakta and

forgot Himself and His surroundings.

 

b) In addition to giving the above interpretation (bhakteshu

vAtsalyavAn), SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives two other interpretations

for the nAma. One of these is based on the meaning “cooked rice or

food” for the term bhakta (see the explanation for bhakta vilocanan in

the nAcciyAr tirumozhi posting for pASuram 12.6). In this

interpretation, SrI satya sandha yatirAja looks at the nAma as

bhaktavat-salah, and gives the interpretation “bhaktam annam yeshAm

asti iti bhaktavanto yaj~na kartAro brAhmaNAn, tAn prati salati

gacchati iti bhaktavat-salah” – He Who goes to the devotees who make

offerings to Him through yaj~na (the root sal – to go, to move is used

for the interpretation of the second part, salah).

 

c) The other interpretation given by SrI satya sandha yatirAja is

“bhaktA eva vatsAh, tAn lAti iti bhaktavatsa-lah” – He Who takes the

devotees to Him, who are dear to Him like a calf to the cow”. (The root

lA – AdAne dAne ca – to take, to obtain, is used in this

interpretation).

 

The dharma cakram writer compares the relationship between BhagavAn and

us to that between the mother and the child. The mother has selfless

affection to the child, and the child trusts the mother solely and

exclusively for its survival. A true devotee will be like the child

towards the mother, and BhagavAn is of course like the Mother towards

all.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 

 

 

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