SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 81 - pragrahah.

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SrI vishNU sahasra nAmam - Slokam 81 - pragrahah.

 

766. pragrahah – The Controller.

 

Om prgrahAya namah.

 

pra is an upasarga or prefix, and the root involved in the nAma is grah

– upAdAne – to take hold of, to seize. prakarshaNena gRhNAti iti

pragraphah (SrI satya devo vAsishTha) – He Who controls in a special,

excellent, or unique way. The different bhAshya-s differ on what is

controlled by Him. SrI Sa’nkara uses the meaning “He receives” for the

term grah in his primary interpretation.

 

a) SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as referring to Lord kRshNa’s

excellent control over arjuna, even though He was only arjuna’s

charioteer. It should be kept in mind that SrI bhaTTar is continuing

the thread of kRshNAvatAram starting from nAma 697, all the way up to

nAma 786. Lord kRshNa controlled arjuna like the reins that control

the horse. The word pragraham refers to reins (see kaThopanishad –

manah pragrameva ca – mind is like the reins , with AtmA the the master

of the chariot, the body is like the chariot, etc. – AtmAnam rathinam

viddhi, SarIram rathameva ca, bhuddhim tu sArathim viddhi, manah

pragrahameva ca).

 

b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha explains the nAma by referring to bhagavAn’s

exceptional control of everything in the universe – prakarshaNena

gRhNAti viSvam iti.

 

c) SrI Sa’nkara uses the meaning “to receive” for the word grah, and

gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has the nAma parigrahah because

He receives offerings such as leaf, fruit, etc., from His devotees –

bhaktaih upahRtam patra pushpAdikam pragRhNAti iti pragrahah. SrI

cinmayAnanda gives a different dimension to this notion – He is

pragrahah because He is the ultimate recipient of the worship offered

by people of all creeds and races, and all animals, men, plants, etc.

 

d) SrI Sa’nkara gives an alternate interpretation along the lines of

vyAkhyAna-s a, and b also. Here, he refers to the overall control that

bhagavAn exerts on a devotee’s otherwise uncontrolled horse-like senses

roaming over the forest of sense-objects – dhAvato vishaya AraNye

durdAnta indiriya vAjinaha, tat-prasAdena aSmineva badhnAti it vA

pragravat – prgrahah. It is because of His anugraham that a true

devotee is able to overcome the involvement in sense-objects, and

proceeds to the true realization.

 

e) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj takes the prefix pra as representing

prakRshTa – special, exalted, and the word grahah as One Who accepts or

receives, and gives the interpretation – prakRTo grahah svIkAro yasya

iti pragrahah – One Whose acceptance (of saraNAgati) is unique,

exceptional, special, exalted. His vyAkhyAnam is: svajanam sakRdapi

SaraNAgatam svIkRtya punah kadApi tam na partityajati iti prakRshTa eva

grahah prabhoh – He is the Lord Who accepts the SaraNAgati from His

devotee the very first time, and will never ever forsake the devotee;

such is the superiority of His acceptance of SaraNAgati.

 

 

 

 

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