SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 82 - catur-bhAvah, catur-veda-vit.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 82 - catur-bhAvah,

catur-veda-vit.

 

776. catur-bhAvah – a) He Who gives expression to the four vyUha forms

through four kinds of actions.

b) The Source of the four – varNa-s, ASrama-s, pururshArtha-s, etc.

c) He Who created the four kinds of species.

 

Om catur-bhAvAya namah.

 

The root from which the word bhAvah is derived is bhU - sattAyAm – to

be, to live, to be born. SrI vAsishTha notes that the meaning for the

word bhAva can be “One who exists, one through whom existence takes

place, one who came into existence by himself, one who makes others

appear”etc.

 

a) SrI bhaTTar interprets the word ‘bhAva’ as standing for ‘bhAvanA’,

which means ‘manifesting, revealing’. – bhAvah = bhAvanA =

abhivya’njanam, which means ‘manifesting, revealing’. He continues his

interpretation linking the nAma to the previous ones, which dealt with

His vyUha forms, and interprets the current nAma as revealing the

expression of these vuYha forms through actions. Creation, sustenance,

protection of the beings, and propagation of the SAstra-s are the four

actions or duties. These are distributed respectively as follows:

 

vAsudeva – sRshTi, universe creation; sa’nkarshaNa – sthiti, keeping

the universe in form; pradyumna – rakshaNa, protection; aniruddha –

sAstra pradAnam – bequest of a good number of instructional scriptures

as guides for living.

abhivya’njanam – manifesting, revealing.

 

b) SrI Sa’nkara gives the interpretation that the nAma represents that

bhagavAn is the Source of the four kinds of purushArtha-s: dharma,

artha, kAma and moksha – dharam artha kAma mokshAkhya purushArtha

catushTayam bahavati – utpadyate asmAt iti catur-bhAvah.

 

SrI cinmayAnanda takes the generic meaning “The Source of the Four”,

and then expands on it. He is the Source of the four varNa-s, the four

ASrama-s, the four purushArtha-s etc. (see b above). He gives

reference to the gItA Slokam 4.13 in support:

 

cAtur-varNyam mayA sRshTam guNa karma vibhAgaSah |

tasya kartAramapi mAm viddhi akartAram avyayam || (gItA 4.13)

 

“The system of four stations was created by Me according to distinction

of guNa-s and karma. Though I am their creator, know Me as non-agent

and immutable”.

 

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that the current

nAma signifies His creation of the four kinds of species:

svakRtavyavasthayA catur-vidhAm sRshTim utpAdayati – One Who has

created the four kinds of species through His own Free Will. The four

species are: those that come from an egg, such as birds, serpent,

etc.; the humming kind, such as the mosquito, bee, etc.; the species

such as trees, and the human species.

 

777. catur-veda-vit – a) He Who is known by those who are learned in

the four veda-s.

b) He Who is the Knower of the four veda-s.

c) He Who makes it possible to know the four veda-s.

 

om catur-veda-vide namah.

 

Literally, the term catur-veda-vit refers to one who is an expert in

all the four veda-s. This unequivocally applies only to bhagavAn.

Other who are learned in the four veda-s, see but a drop of the Great

Ocean that He is, because the magnificence displayed in the vyUha and

vibhava is vast like the ocean, which cannot be comprehended by anyone.

 

 

a) nammAzhvAr addresses Him as “maRaiyAya nAl vEdattuL ninRa malarc

cuDarE” in tiruvAimozhi 1.3.10 (SrI v.v. rAmAnujan). SrI V. N. Vedanta

deSikan points the use of the two words maRai and vedam, in this

pASuram. MaRai refers to this great secret being concealed from the

undevoted, and vedam refers to its being revealed to the great

devotees. In gItA 15.15, Lord kRshNa reveals that He is the Only One

Who is to be known from all the veda-s, He is the One Who created the

veda-s, He is the One Who brings about the fruition of the rituals of

the veda-s, and He is the One Who knows the veda-s – “vedaiSca sarvam

ahameva vedyah | vedAnta-kRt, veda-videva cAham ||”. To know Him as

He is in parama padam is extremely difficult, to say the least. But in

His vyUha and vibhava incarnations, with His Grace, a tiny part of His

mahimA can be realized.

 

b) SrI Sa’nkara’s vyAkhyAnam is that He has this nAma because He is the

Only One Who knows the meanings of the veda-s as they are - yathAvat

vetti caturNAm vedAnAm artham iti catur-veda-vit. SrI kRshNa datta

bhAradvAj gives a similar interpretation – catvAro vedA RgAdayah |

tAn aSeshAn vetti iti catur-veda-vit.

 

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri comments that not only it is true that He alone

knows the four veda-s completely and with their correct meanings, but

He is also the veda-s Himself. Thus, knowing Him is only possible for

those who have learned the veda-s correctly and with their true

meanings. SrI cinmayAnanda comments that a student of veda can be

considered to have achieved his study’s objective only when he has

realized the Lord.

 

c) SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN has a different anubhavam of the nAma –

bhagavAn has this nAma because He is the One Who enables His devotees

to know the four veda-s – caturo vedAn vedayati bhaktAn iti

catur-veda-vit. In other words, only through devotion to Him will a

student of veda be able to know and understand the veda-s and their

meanings correctly.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 

 

 

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