SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 82 - catur-bAhuh.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 82 - catur-bAhuh.

 

772. catur-bAhuh – The Four-armed.

 

Om catur-bAhave namah.

 

This nAma is equivalent to the nAma 142 (Slokam 15) – catur-bhujah.

It has been pointed out earlier that SrI BhaTTar interprets different groups of

nAma-s as connected to each other in a string that describes a particular form

or incarnation of bhagavAn. nAma 142 occurs in the segment where he

describes bhagavAn’s vyUha incarnations, and the current nAma (772) is

in the segment where he is having anubhavam of the vibhava incarnation

of Lord kRshNa. Correspondingly, his interpretation of nAma 142 refers to

bhagavAn's vyUha incarnation with four arms, and the current

interpretation refers to His vibhava incarnation in His birth to devaki as child

kRshNa with four arms. Several references are given under both the nAma-s in

support.

 

Under nAma 142 in Slokam 15, catur-bhujah, SrI BhaTTar gives the

following references:

 

- “catur-bhujam udArA’ngam cakrAdyAyudha bhUshaNam” (vishNu purANam);

- “tamasah paramo dhAtA Sa’nkha cakra gadhA-dharah” (SrImad rAmA.

yuddha. 114.15);

- “bhujair-caturbhih sametam” (mahA bhArata moksha. 5.34).

 

For the current nAma, catur-bAhuh, where the interpretation is in terms

of the kRshNa incarnation, we have a reference to His appearance as child kRshNa

to devaki with the four arms etc., in SrImad bhAgavatam - tam adbhutam bAlakam

ambujekshaNam catur-bhujam…. (SrImad bhAgavatam 10.3.9). SrI BhaTTar

gives reference to vishNu purANam in support, as devaki describes Him

soon after He was born:

 

upasamhara sarvAtman rUpametat catur-bhujam |

jAnAtu mA’vatAram te kamso’yam diti-janmajah || (V.P. 5.3.13)

 

“O The Inner Soul of all beings! Please withdraw this four-armed form

within Yourself. Let not this kamsa that belongs to the asura race

know that you are the incarnation of vishNu”.

 

nammAzhvAr refers to Him as nAngu tOLan - tiruvAimozhi 8.8.1 (v.v.

rAmAnujan). It is as if He has four long arms instead of the normal

two, just to embrace AzhVar!

 

In gItA Sloka-s 11.45 and 11.46, arjuna refers to His divine form with

four hands:

 

kirITinam gadinam cakra hastam icchAmi tvAm drshTum aham tathaiva |

tenaiva rUpeNa catur-bhujena sahasra bAho bhava viSva mUrte ||

 

“I wish to see You adorned in the same way (as before) with crown and

with mace and discus in hand. Assume again that four-armed shape (that

is, in the divine form of vishNu – deva rUpam as mentioned in the

previous Slokam), O Thou Universal Being with the thousand-arms”.

ANDAL describes Him as “Ir IraNDu Mal varait tOL Se’nKaN tiru mugattu

Selvat tirumAl” (tiruppAvai 30). PerukkAraNai SrI cakravartyAcArya’s

anubhavam is that the four arms for bestowing the four purushAtha-s.

It is as if He just keeps increasing the number of arms as needed, to

carry many more weapons to protect His devotees as occasion demands.

Thus, when He came to protect gajendra, He came with eight arms;

sudarSana AzhvAr that He carries has 16 arms, and 16 weapons in those

hands (SrI shoDaSAyudha stotram of svAmi deSikan). tiruma’ngai AzhvAr

also refers to His four arms in periya tirumozh 8.1.1 – “malai ila’ngu

tOL nAngE maRRu avanukku! eRRE kAN”.

 

SrI Sa’nkara points out that the nAma catur-bAhuh is traditionally

reserved for vAsudeva (recall Sa’nkha cakra gadA pANe

dvArakA-nilayAcyuta govinda apuNDarIkAksha raksha mAm SaraNAgatam).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that vishNu is typically personified

with Sa’nkha, cakra, gadA, and either lotus or dhanus in the four

hands.

 

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the reference to SrImad bhAgavatam

describing bhagavAn as One with Four arms:

 

- catur-bhujah Sa’nkha gadAbja cakrah piSa’nga vAsA nalinAyatekshaNah

(bhAga. 8.18.1);

- tam adbhutam bAlakam ambujekshaNam catur-bhujam Sa’nkha

gadAyudAryudham (bhAga. 10.3.9).

 

Under Slokam 15, SrI cinmAyananda describes the four arms of bhagavAn

carrying the Sa’nkha, cakra, gadA, and padmam. These are meant for

maintaining dharma among mankind. The conch calls man to the righteous

path that directly leads to Peace and Perfection, to His Lotus Feet.

But most of us, in the enchantment of the immediate sense-joys, refuse

to listen to the small inner voice of conscience from His conch. For

those, He wields the Mace (gadA) very gently, and we suffer small

calamities and tragic jerks in our otherwise smooth existence, in the

form of communal, social or national calamities. If still the

individual is not listening to the call of the “conch”, then the cakra

- the Wheel of Time, annihilates the entire being. The call and the

punishment are all only to take man towards his Ultimate Goal,

represented by the “padma” in His hand.

 

For the nAma catur-bAhuh, SrI cinmayAnanda’s anubhavam is that the four

hands represent the four factors that together constitute the inner

equipments in man – mind (manas), intellect (buddhi), thought flow

towards objects (citta), and ego (ahamkAra). These are the four agents

through which all the physical activities are controlled, regulated,

and constantly commanded from within the body. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri

gives the following support: "sattvam rajas tama iti

aha~nkAraScaturbhujah (gopAlottaratApini 55).

 

A related explanation is that the Self functions in a four-fold pattern

involving mind, intellect, cit, and ego, and these are represented by

the four arms containing the conch, the mace, the cakra, and the padma.

The cit is represented by the Lotus or Padma, the intellect is the

'Conch', ego is the 'Mace', and mind is the 'Discus'.

For catur-bhujah, SrI satya sandha yatirAja has given the following

interpretations:

 

1. bhun’gte bhunakti iti bhujah; caturNAm dharma artha kAma mokshANAm

bhujah catur-bhujah – vishNu is catur-bhujah since He makes dharma,

artha, kAma, and moksha to be experienced by the deserved.

 

2. caturbhyah vedebhyah bhavati iti catur-bhug j~nAnam tena jAyate

abhityAjyate iti catur-bhujah – vishNu is known as catur-bhujah since

He can only be known by the four veda-s.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 

 

 

 

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