SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam- Slokam 86 - su-varNa-binduh.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam – Slokma 86 - su-varNa-binduh.

 

suvarNa-binduh akshobhyah sarva-vAg-ISvara_ISvarah |

mahA-hrado mahA-garto mahA-bhUto mahA-nidhih ||

 

om suvarNa-bindave namah

om akshobhyAya namah

om sarvAg-ISvara-ISvarAya namah

om mahA-hradAya namah

om mahA-gartAya namah

om mahA-bhUtAya namah

om mahA-nidhaye namah

 

806. suvarNa-binduh – a) He Who concealed the truth of the vedic path

from the asura-s with sweet words.

b) He Who has a beautiful form with golden-colored

beautiful limbs.

c) He Who is in the form of the auspicious praNava

mantra.

d) He Who has a beautiful form, and Who has

beautifully divided the creatures of the universe into their various

parts.

e) The Knower of the veda-s consisting of auspicious

letters.

f) He Who has the beautiful golden-colored sandalwood

marks on His forehead, cheeks, etc.

 

Om suvarNa-bindave namah.

 

su is an upasarga; varNa is derived from the root vR – varaNe – to

choose; varNa refers to color, letter, etc. The word bindu is

derived from the root bind – avayave – to split, to divide, or vid –

j~nAne – to know. Because of a generally accepted rule of non-

distinction between ba and va by grammarians (ba-va-yor-abhedena),

vindu and bindu have the same meaning. SrI BhaTTar ues the root

bidi – apalApe – to conceal, in his interpretation. The word bindu

also refers to the decorative mark applied between the eyebrows, the

anusvAra, the marks on the body of a deer, etc. The different

interpretations below are a result of these variations.

 

a) SrI BhaTTar uses the root bidi – apalApe – to conceal, and the

meaning "letters" to the word varNa, he continues his interpretation

in terms of bhagavAn's Buddha incarnation, specifically taken to

deceive the evil-minded people and thereby punish them for their

karma-s. Here, the interpretation is that bhagavAn successfully

used "sweet" words to conceal the truth of the vedic path from the

asura-s, and to create a distrust in the vedic practices among those

asura-s who believed in using vedic rites in order to get powers, and

then using these powers to harm the deva-s. The cases of

SukrAcArya, indrajit, rAvaNa, etc., who got powers by performing

vedic rites, and then used those powers to harm His devotees, are

examples.

 

b) Sri Sa'nkara uses the meaning avayavah – limbs, for the word

bindu, and gives the interpretation to the nAma as "One having limbs

radiant like gold" – bindavah avayavAh su-varNa sadRSA asya iti su-

varNa-binduh. We came across the beauty of His form and limbs in the

nAma-s suvarNa-varNah, hemA'ngah, varA'ngah, and candanA'ngadI

(Slokam 79, nAma-s 743 – 746). Please refer to these write-ups for a

detailed account of His tirumEni to be enjoyed from the different

interpreters' perspectives.

 

SrI vAsishTha gives the above as one of his two interpretations: su

= Sobhanam; varaNIyam = dRSyam rUpam yasya sa su-varNah; su-varNA

bindavah avayavAh yasya sa su-varNa-binduh. One Who has a beautiful

complexion and beautiful limbs is su-varNa-binduh.

 

SrI rAdhARshNa SAstri adds another dimension to the anubhavam of His

golden tirumEni. He refers to bhagavAn rising with a golden form

from the agni-kuNDam in ya~jna-s performed by several devotees. We

know of kA'nci pEraruLALan who took his arcA mUrti incarnation from

the agni kuNDam when brahmA performed his penance in this kshetram.

 

c) An alternate interpretation by SrI Sa'nkara is based on the

meaning "aksharam" for "varNa", and "anusvAra" for "bindu", thus

giving the meaning "One Who in the form of the auspicious praNava" –

Sobhano varNah aksharam binduSa yasmin mantre tan-mantrAtmA vA su-

varNa-binduh. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives references to the Sruti

in support: omiti brahma (taitt. 1.81); tat-te padam sa'ngraheNa

bravImyomityetat (kaTha. 1.2.15).

 

d) Based on the root bind – avayave – to divide, to split, and using

the uNAdi sUtra bindur-icchuh (uNAdi. 3.2.169), SrI vAsishTha

interprets the word binduh as referring to "one who divides" –

bindati – avayavAn karoti, or "one who performs the kriyA of avayava

or division. In this interpretation, SrI vAsishTha gives the

meaning "One Who Himself is of beautiful form (su-varNa), and Who has

divided (binduh) the creatures beautifully into their different

parts, while operating as the Undivided One in all of them" – as in

the case of a tree, into its branches, leaves, etc., or the different

planets of the solar system – yathAyam sUryastathAyam samastah

prapa'ncah parasparam avayava-avayava vibhAvam Apannah, patra-phala-

pushpa-SakhAdIni vRkshasyeva).

 

e) SrI satya sandha yatirAja uses the meaning "letter" for the word

bindu, and interprets the term suvarNa as a reference to the veda-s.

He uses the root vid – j~nAne, and gives the interpretation that

bhagavAn has this nAma signifying that He is the "Knower of the veda-

s" – SobhanA varNA yasmin sa su-varNo vedah; tasya binduh – j~nAtA su-

varNa-binduh.

 

f) Using the meaning "a decorative mark on the forehead" for bindu,

SrI bala deva vidyA bhUshaN gives the interpretation – su-varNo

lalATastho binduh asya iti – He Who has golden mark of decoration on

His forehead, or He Who a decorative mark on His golden forehead.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also gives a similar interpretation –

suvarNamiva pItAbhA bindavah candana-bindavo yasya cibuka kapola

mastake sa su-varna binduh – He Who has the decoration with the

golden-colored sandalwood on His cheeks etc.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan