SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 80 - Part 1.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam – Slokam 80 - a-mAnI.

 

a-mAnI mAnado mAnyo loka-svAmI tri-loka-dhRt |

su-medhA medhajo dhanyah satya-medhA dharA-dharah ||

 

om a-mAnine namah

om mAnadAya namah

om mAnyAya namah

om loka-svAmine namah

om tri-loka-dhRshe namah

om su-medhase namah

om medhajAya namah

om dhanyAya namah

om satya-medhase namah

om dharA-dharAya namah.

 

753. a-mAnI – a) He Who is not proud.

b) He Who does not mistakenly identify things such as the body with

Atman.

c) He Who is beyond all measure in all respects.

 

Om a-mAnine namah.

 

a) The nAma is derived from the root mAn – pUjAyAm – to honor, to

worship. mAna means garva (pride), ahamkAra (the feeling of “I”), etc.

– garvo abhimAno ahmakArah (amara koSam 1.7.22). The word a-mAnI means

One Who has no garva or ahamkAra (na mAno garvo yasya aiti amAnah). He

is unconcerned about being respected by others – Atma-sammAna bhAva

rahitah (SrI satyadevo vAsishTha), even though He is the prabhu Who is

worshipped by the likes of brahma. SrI bhaTTar gives the example of

bhagavAn undertaking to be a messenger for the pANDava-s, even though

He had to face indignities in the process. His being the charioteer

for arjuna is another example of the same guNa of bhagavAn. For the

good of the world, He does not hesitate to take incarnations even as a

Boar, a Fish, a Form with the face of a Lion, etc.

 

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives references to prabandham in support:

 

mun Or tUdu vAnarattin vAyil mozhindu ……

……………………………………. avanE

pin Or tUdu Adi mannarkku Agi peru nilattAr

“innAr tudan” ena ninRAn … (periya tirumozhi

2.2.3)

 

“He became the messenger to the pANDava kings, and let Himself be

referred to as “so-and-so’s messenger”, even though He is the Supreme

Lord”.

 

ANDAL describes Him in Her nAcciyAr tirumozhi 11.8 as “One Who is

willing to become mAna ilAp panRi”:

 

pASi tUrttuk kiDaNda pAr magaTkup paNDoru nAL

mASu uDambil nIr vArA mAnam ilAp panRiyAm…..

 

“He shamelessly took the Form of a varAha, with a dirty body and water

dripping all over, just for the sake of retrieving bhU devi who was

lying under the Ocean with fungus growing all over Her….”.

 

nammAzhvAr refers to Him as “nADuDai mannarkkut tUdu Sel nambi” in

tiruvAimozhi 6.6.4.

 

b) SrI Sa’nkara’s interpretation is that He is called a-mAnI because He

has no mistaken notions of Atman in things that are not Atman – anAtma

vastushu AtmAbhimAno na asti asya iti a-mAnI.

 

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives an additional interpretation using the

root mA – mAne – to measure, to compare with, and gives the meaaning

“One Who cannot be measured (with regard to strength, power, or any of

the other auspicious qualities)”. The sense conveyed here is that

bhagavAn is a-prameya – Beyond the scope of definition.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 

 

 

 

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