SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 83 - dur-labhah, dur-gamah, du-gah, dur-AvAsah - Part 2.

[Guest guest]

SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 83 - dur-labhah, dur-gamah,

dur-gah, dur-AvAsah - Part 2.

 

Now let us see how SrI Sa’nkara distinguishes between the four nAma-s

so that there is no redundancy in interpretation.

 

dur-labhah – dur-labhayA bhaktyA labhyata iti dur-labhah - He Who is

not easily attained except through intense devotion

dur-gamah – duhkhena gamyate j~nAyata iti dur-gamah – One Who is known

only with difficulty

dur-gah – He Who can be attained only by overcoming several unanticipated

obstacles in our attempts to realize Him – antarAyapratihataih

duhkhAt avApayata iti dur-gah.

dur-AvAsah – He Who is not easily retained for prolonged periods even

by yogin-s during deep meditation – duhkhena avAsyate cite yogibhih

samAdhAviti dur-AvAsah.

 

The distinction made in the first two nAma-s is “labhayata” vs.

“j~nAyata”. Literally, the first refers to “getting Him”, and the

second refers to “knowing Him”. The first can refer to those who can

attain Him through pure devotion, without necessarily having the deep

detailed knowledge of SAstra-s etc., and the second can refer to the

mastery over the actual SAstric knowledge. The path of bhakti is

tedious, and so is the acquisition of knowledge about Him.

 

In SrI Sa’nakara’s interpreatation, dur-gah refers to the multitude of

unanticipated obstacles in attaining Him, in addition to the known and

inherent obstacles involved in the path of bhakti; and dur-AVAsah

refers to the difficulty in meditating on Him for prolonged period of

time, even for the best of yogin-s.

 

Additional details on the interpretation of the four nAma-s for SrI

Sa’nkara’s interpretation are given below:

 

dur-labhah - He Who can be attained only through extreme devotion.

 

SrI Sa’nkara quotes vyAsa:

 

janmAntara sahasreshu tapo j!nana samAdhibhih |

narANAm kshINa pApAnAm kRshNe bhaktih prajAyate ||

 

“Devotion towards kRshNa comes to those men whose sins are burnt up by

austerities, wisdom and meditation, practiced in thousands of lives”.

 

He also gives support from the gItA (8.22): purushah sa parah pArtha

bhaktyA labhayas-tad-ananyayA | - The Supreme Person can be attained

only by undivided devotion, and by no other means.

 

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to the kaThopanishad passage 1.2.7:

 

SravaNAyApi bahubhir-yo na labhyah

SrNvantopi bahavo yam na vidyah |

AScaryo vaktA kuSalo’sya labhdhA

Ascaryo j~nAtA kuSalA’nuSishTah ||

 

“Even to hear of It is not available to many; many, even having heard

of It, cannot comprehend. It is rare to find a good teacher for It,

and equally rare to find a good student. Wonderful indeed is he who

comprehends It when taught by an able preceptor.”

 

784b. dur-gamah – He Who is known only with difficulty.

 

The root from which this nAma is derived is gam – gatau – to go;

duhkhena gamyate = j~nAyate, j~nApyate vA dur-gamah. The distinction

between dur-labhah and dur-gamah based on the words “labhyata” vs.

“j~nAyata” in SrI Sa’nkara bhAshyam has already been pointed out

earlier. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains this nAma as referring to the

difficulty that people have in developing the desire for Him for a

start, with means such as SravaNam (the knowledge imparted by a guru

about the SAstra-s etc.), mananam (individual enquiry based on the

above knowledge), or nididhyAsanam (intense meditation). He gives

reference to the kaThopanishad passage (1.2.23) – nAyamAtmA pravacanena

lbhyo na medhayA na bahudhnA Srutena.

 

SrI cinmayAnanda interprets dur-gamah as referring to the difficulty in

treading the path of devotion that was referred to in the previous nAma

(dur-labhah). He gives the support from kaThopanishad: He for Whose

attainment one has to tread a path that is like walking on a razor’s

edge – kshurasya dhArA niSitA duratyayA durgam pathas-tat kavayo

vadanti – kaTho. 1.3.14.

 

dur-gah – Not easily realized due to obstacles and difficulties.

 

SrI Sa’nkara’s interpretation is: antarAyapratihataih duhkhAt

avApayata iti dur-gah - Even for those who attempt the difficult means

towards bhakti yoga, there will be many unexpected obstacles that will

keep cropping up. It is probably these difficulties that are being

referred to here.

 

786b. dur-AvAsah – Not easily retained in their mind by even yogin-s

during deep meditation.

 

SrI Sa’nkara’s words are: duhkhena AvAsyate citte yogibhih samAdahu

iti dur-AvAsah. SrI cinmayAnanda gives a similar interpretation –

“Not easy to lodge” within the heart steadily for even the great

seekers who are diligent in their consistent pursuit. Arjuna declares

this condition experienced by the likes of him in the gItA:

 

yo’yam yogastvayA proktah sAmyena madhusUdana |

etasyAham na paSyAmi ca’ncalatvAt sthiti sthirAm || (gItA 6.33)

 

“This yoga of equality, which has been declared by You, O kRshNa, I do

not see that it can be steady because of the fickleness of the mind”.

 

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN intereprets the nAma as referring to the

difficulty of retaining Him in our hearts – duh-sAdhayA prapattyA

vAsyate hRdi iti dur-AvAsah – He Who will be retained in our hearts

constantly only through the difficult path of prapatti. (According to

the rAmAnuja sampradAyam, prapatti is the easiest way to attain Him, as

long as one can qualify with the five a’nga-s of prapatti. One of these

is mahA viSvAsam, or the unshakable faith that He will definitely

protect us once we surrender to Him. Perhaps, this is one of the most

difficult mental states to acquire, and so one can consider that

prapatti is difficult in this sense.

 

-To be continued.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 

 

 

 

 

Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.

http://mailplus.