SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 79 - Part 3.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 79 - candanA'ngadI.

 

746. candanA’ngadI – He Who is adorned with delightful armlets.

b) He Who is besmeared with pleasing sandal.

c) He Who provides us all with the means and ways to be happy.

d) He Who has a’ngada as His pleasing devotee.

 

Om candanA’ngadine namah.

 

The word candana is derived from the root cand - AhlAde dIptau ca – to

be glad, to shine. That which causes pleasure is candana – candyate

anena, candayati vA yat, tat candanam iti (SrI satyadevo vAsishTha) –

That through which happiness is attained, or that which is instrumental

in bringing happiness, is candana. The word a’ngada is derived as -

a’ngam dayate, dAyati, dyati vA. The relevant roots are: de’ng –

pAlane – to protect, to cherish (dayate); or daip – Sodhane to purify,

to be purified (dAyati); or do - avakhanDane – to cut, to divide, to

move (dyati). The term is used for the ornament worn on the upper part

of the arm (keyUram). The armlets are ornaments of defense worn on the

upper arm to protect the shoulders from enemy swords. Thus we get the

meaning “He Who is adorned with delightful armlets” for the nAma.

 

a) SrI bhaTTar notes that bhagavAn’s Body is itself an infinitely

beautiful jewel, and objects like the a’ngadI get their pleasing

appearance when they get attached to His Body, and so He is called

candanA’ngadI. So it is not that beautiful jewels decorate His Body,

but His beautiful Body decorates the jewels that are placed on His

Body, and make them beautiful. The a’ngada or keyUra is only one

example of the kinds of jewels that get their pleasing appearance by

association with Him. nammAzhvAr describes in tiruvAimozhi 2.5.6 –

pala palavE AbharaNam pErum pala palavE – Countless are the jewels that

are on Him. The beauty of bhagavAn as every part of His body competes

and complements the beauty of all the other parts, is captured by

nammAzhvAr in tiruvAimozhi pASuram 8.8.1, starting with “kaNgaL Sivandu

periyavAi, vAyum Sivandu kanindu,….makara kuNDalattan… oruvan aDiyEn

uLLAnE”. The reader is encouraged to delve deep into the meaning of

this pASuram to get the true anubhavam. bhagavad rAmAnuja pours out

his anubhavam of bhagavAn’s beautifully decorated tirumEni in his SrI

vaikunTha gadyam: “ati manohara kirITa cUDAvatamsaka makara kuNDala

graiveyaka hAra keyUra kaTaka SrIvatsa kaustubha muktAdAma udara

bandhana pItAmbara kA’ncIguNa nUpurAdibhih atyanta sukha sparSaih divya

gandhaih bhUshitam.

 

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to tiruvAimozhi 10.1.8, where nammAzhvAr

describes the Jewel that is perumAL: “tayarathan peRRa marakata maNit

taDattinaiyE”. Marakata maNi has the characteristic that it will

remove the fear from poisonous creatures, because they won’t even

approach anywhere close to its location. Similarly, enemies won’t even

get close to where Lord rAma is. The word taDam refers to a cool

reservoir of water, which is liked and desired by everyone.

 

b) SrI ananta kRshNa SAstri ues the meaning “sandal” to the term

candana, and gives the interpretation that He has this nAma because He

is adorned with pleasing sandal on His body.

 

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the meaning “pleasing” to the term

candana as we indicated earlier, and the root a’ng - to go, and

interprets the nAma candanA’ngadI as referring to “He Who gives the

means or ways for all of us to be happy” – (AhlAdalarIm gatim yo

dadAti).

 

d) SrI satyasandha yatirAja gives an interpretation where he links the

nAma to a’ngada, the son of vAli. He gives the meaning “pleasing” or

“devout” to the term candana, and interprets the nAma as referring to

“One Who has a’ngada as a pleasing devotee”.

 

The dharma cakram writer sees the nAma as revealing to us the guNa of

bhagavAn whereby we derive mental peace by the very meditation on the

Form of bhagavAn.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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