SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 79 - Part 1.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 79 - suvarNa-varNah.

 

suvarNa-varNo hemA’ngo varA’ngah candanA’ngadI |

vIra-hA vishamah Sunyo ghRtASir_acalaS_calah ||

 

om suvarNa-varNAya namah

om hemA’ngAya namah

om varA’ngAya namah

om candanA’ngadine namah

om vIraghne namah

om vishamAya namah

om SunyAya namah

om ghRtASishe namah

om acalAya namah

om calAya namah

 

743. suvarNa-varNah – The golden-hued.

 

Om suvarNa-varNAya namah

 

Sobhana varNa su-varNa, suvarNamiva varNam yasya sa su-varNah – “He Who

has a hue that is attractive like gold”. Thus, the literal meaning of

the nAma is “He Who is golden-hued”. Gold is known for its purity and

its untarnished nature, its effulgence, its being highly desired by

people, etc. All these aspects of bhagavAn are brought out by this

nAma, namely His Effulgence, His blemishless nature, His Illuminating

Power, His Purifying Nature, His being desired and coveted by all His

devotees, etc. The term suvarNa here stands for “that which is

extremely desired and longed for, that which is flawless and pure”,

etc. SrI aNNan’ngarAcArya gives the explanation “He Who has the divya

svarUpam which is blemishless like gold”.

 

nAma-s similar to the current one are used in the outpourings of

AzhvArs who grope for words to describe the aunbhavam that they have

had of the indescribable emperumAn. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives several

examples from prabandham.

 

- tiruma’ngai AzhvAr describes Him in tiruk kuRum tANDakam (6) as sweet

song, fresh honey, shining gold, the flower that the nitya sUri-s wear

on their head, etc. – “inbap-pAvinai, paccait tEnai, paim-ponnai,

amarar Sennit pUvinai”.

- nammAzhvAr describes Him in tiruviruttam (85) as “ualgu aLanda

mANikkamE! En maradagamE! MaRRu oppArai illA Anip ponnE!” – The Gem

that measured the three worlds! My favorite Emerald! The Incomparable

Pure Gold!

- Tirum’ngai AzhvAr describes the beautiful golden hue of perumAL in

peria tirumozhi 4.9.8 as follows: “ponnin vaNNam maNiyin vaNNam

puraiyum tirumEni” – (in tretAyugam), Your hue is golden, and (in

dvApara yugam), Your hue is blue……

 

SrI bhaTTar gives supports from the Sruti and smRti-s, where

paramAtman’s suvarNa varNam is referenced:

 

- yadA paSyah paSyate rukma varNam kartAram ISam purusham brahma

yonim (muNDakopanishad 3.3) - “When the seer sees the purusha, the

golden-hued, creator, lord...”.

 

- praSasitAram sarveshAm aNIyAmsam aNorapi |

rukmAbham svapanadhIgamyam vidyAttam purusham param || (manu

smRti -

12.122)

 

“Let him know the Supreme Purusha, the Sovereign Ruler of them all,

smaller than the smallest, bright like gold, and perceptible by the

intellect only when in a state of abstraction”.

 

- Aditya varNam (purusha sUktam 20) – He Who has the luster of the sun.

 

- …ya eshontarAdiye hiraNmayah purusho dRSyate hiraNya smaSruh hiraNya

keSa ApraNakAt sarva eva suvarNah | (chAndog. 1.6.6) – “That golden

Person who is seen within the sun, with golden beard and golden hair,

golden altogether to the very tip of His nails”. SrI cinmayAnanda

explains the significance of this Sruti vAkhya: Upon witnessing the

Self-Effulgent (Golden) Being, the seer’s realization is completely

transformed, and “then, the wise one, shaking off all deeds of merits

and demerits, becomes stainless, and attains the supreme State of

Equipois”.

 

PirATTi is also described along the same lines in the veda-s: “hiraNya

varNAm hariNIm…..” (SrI sUktam).

 

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives additional support from SrImad

rAmAyaNam, where sItA pirATTi describes rAma as “One Who has golden

hue”: kaccin-na tad-hema samAna varNam…..” (sundara. 36.28).

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 

 

 

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