SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 82 - eka-pAt.

[Guest guest]

SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 82 - eka-pAt.

 

778. eka-pAt – a) He Who manifests only a part of His mahimA when He

takes incarnations amongst humans.

b) He Whose manifestation in the form of this Universe is only

one-fourth of Himself.

c) He Who is constantly on the look-out as our Sole Protector (ekapo

+ at)

 

 

Om eka-pade namah. (Both SrI satyadevo vAsishTha and SrI kRshNa datta

bhAradvAj gives the mantra corresponding to this nAma as eka-pAde

namah).

 

The word pAda refers to a quarter of anything (one-fourth), or to the

foot. Generically, the term is also used to ‘a part or a fraction’ of

something.

 

a) SrI bhaTTar gives the interpretation that bhagavAn chooses to show

only a part of His greatness when He takes incarnations amongst us.

(This does not mean that He actually has only part of His mahimA during

the incarnations. He has His complete and undiminished attributes at

His command, but He just does not invoke them or use them. This is

revealed in SrImad rAmAyaNam, where Lord rAma emphasizes that He is

only a human – aham mAnusham manye), even though viSvAmitra and others

know His true Nature. See svAmi deSikan’s description of the six

rahasya’s of His incarnations in Slokam 17 of SaraNAgati dIpikA, which

has been described previously).

 

SrI BhaTTar gives the following references:

 

- amSAvatAro brahmarshe! Yo’yam yadu kulodbhavah (V.P. 5.1.2) – “O

Brahmarshi! This incarnation of the Lord as kRshNa in the yadu race is

only a small part of Himself”.

- AmSAmSena avatIrya urvyAm (V.P. 5.1.3) – “He has come down to this

world only with a part of a part of Himself”.

- VishNor-ardham mahA bhAgam putram ikshvAku nanadanam (bAla. 18.12) –

“rAma, the delight of the ikshvAku race, took birth as half the amSam

of vishNu”.

 

b) SrI Sa’nkara gives the interpretation in terms of the purusha sUktam

passage “etAvAn asya mahimA | ato jyAyAgmSca pUrushah | pAdo’sya

viSvA bhUtAni | tri-pAdasyAmRtam divi | tri-pAd-Urdhva udait-purushah

| pAdo’syehAbhavAt punah | tato vishva’ng vyakrAmat | sASanAnaSane

abhi | “

 

In his purusha sUkta vyAkhyAnam, SrI K. SrInivAsa aiye’ngAr gives the

interpretation that the leela vibhUti which is expressed in His

manifestation through this universe is only a fourth of His mahimA.

The remaining three-fourths is found in parama padam in His nitya

vibhUti. The reference to one-fourth and three-fourth here really are

parts of His immeasurable mahimA.

 

SrI Sa’nkara gives reference to the gItA in support:

 

athavA bahunA etena kim j~nAnena tava arjuna |

vishTabhAyahamidam kRtsnam ekAmSena sthito jagat || (gItA 10.42)

 

“But of what use to you is all this extensive knowledge O arjuna? I

stand sustaining this whole universe with a fragment of Mine (My

power)”.

 

SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN gives the following reference from the smRti:

 

aNDAnAm tu sahasrAnAm sahasrAnyayutAni ca |

IdRsAnAm tathA tatra koTi koTi SatAni ca ||

 

All the thousands of universes together are nothing more than a tiny

part of Him.

 

c) SrI satya sandha yatirAja bases one of his interpretations by

looking at the nAma as ekapo + at, and using the root at –

sAtatyagamane – to go constantly (atati). His interpretation is “ekapo

mukhya pAlakah san atati” – He Who is constantly on the lookout as the

Sole Protector.

 

The root pA – rakshaNe – to protect (pAti – protects), also suggests

that the nAma can be viewed as meaning that He is the Sole Protector.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.

http://mailplus.