SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 86 - mahA-gartah.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 86 - mahA-gartah.

 

810. mahA-gartah – a) He Who pushes the great sinners into the great

pit of samsAra.

b) The Great Charioteer of mahAbhArata fame.

c) The One with the Great Chariot (with the garuDa in

its flag).

d) He Who resides in the great mountains such as

SeshAcala.

e) The Great Pit in which everything in this Universe

originates, resides, and merges back.

 

Om mahA-gartAya namah.

 

The root from the word garta is derived is gRR – nigaraNe – to

swallow, to devour, to emit. The term is used to refer to a ditch,

and also the seat of a war-chariot.

 

a) SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning "pit" for "garta", and equates the

pit in this nAma to the naraka loka-s such as the raurava, into which

bhagavAn casts away those who have lost their souls by following the

path contrary to the path of dharma – evam bAhya-kudRshTi vinisvishTa

nashTAtmanAm rauravAdi-gartA asmAt iti mahA-gartah. He quotes the

gItA Slokam 9.3 in support:

 

aSraddadhAnAh purushA dharmasyAsya parantapa |

aprApya mAm nivartante mRtyu samsAra vartmani || (gItA

9.3)

 

"Men devoid of faith in this dharma, O scorcher of foes, ever remain

without attaining Me, in the mortal pathway of samsAra".

 

In his vyAkhyAnam to this Slokam in gItA, bhagavad rAmAnuja indicates

that the people referred to here are those who have attained the

fitness to practice the proper dharma of worship, but then deviate

from the path because of aSraddhA or lack of faith. He exclaims at

the end of his vyAkhyAna for this Slokam in his gItA bhAshyam – "aho!

mahad idam AScaryam!" – "O! How strange it is! (that people just

ignore their dharma and fall into the pit).

 

SrI Sa'nkara describes Him as "The great Chasm", because His mAyA is

very difficult to cross. He gives the gItA Slokam 7.14 as support:

 

daivI hyeshA guNa-mayI mama mAyA duratyayA |

mAmeva ye prapadyante mAyAmetAm taranti te || (7.14)

 

"For, the divine mAyA of Mine consisting of the three guNa-s is hard

to overcome; but those who take refuge in Me (prapadyante) alone

shall pass beyond the mAyA".

 

b) SrI Sa'nkara gives an alternate interpretation based on the

meaning "a chariot" to the term garta. This meaning is given in the

nirukatam 3.5: ratho'pi garta ucyate | gRNAteh stuti-karmaNah |

stutatamam yAnam | "A rohatho varuNa mitra gartam". SrI Sa'nkara's

vyAkhyAnam for this nAma is: garta Sabdo ratha paryAyo nairuktair-

uktah, tasmAt mahA-rathah – mahA-gartah. – The Great Charioteer. His

skill in this area is famous in His role as the Charioteer of arjuna

in mahA-bhArata war.

 

c) Using the same meaning as above for garta, namely ratha or

chariot, SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation – mahAn

garto garuDa-dvaja ratho yasya iti mahA-gartah – He Who the Great

Chariot with the garuDa dvajam is mahA-hradah.

 

d) SrI satya sandha yatirAja uses the meaning "mountain" for the word

aga, and looks at the nAma as mahA + aga + a part based on the root

R – gatau – to go (R – gatua kartari ktah). His vyAkhyAnam is:

mahAntSca te agASca SeshAcalAdayah tatra Rcchati iti mahA-gartah – He

Who goes to (resides) in the High Mountains such as SeshAcala.

 

e) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN give another perspective on the nAma –

He is "The Great Pit" because everything that exists is part of Him,

and can be found in Him –

 

ihaikastham jagat kRtsnam paSyAdya sa-carAcaram |

mama dehe guDAkeSa yaScAnyat drashTum icchasi || (gItA

11.7)

 

"Behold here, O arjuna, the whole universe with the mobile and

immobile things centered in My body, and whatever else you desire to

see".

 

This is the last of the nAma-s that SrI BhaTTar interprets in terms

of the role of bhagavAn in misleading the evil-minded people in his

Buddha incarnation. It is more pleasant to enjoy His guNa-s in His

role of saulabhyam and sauSIlyam towards His devotees, than His role

as One who punishes those who violate the path of dharma. However,

it is important to realize that whatever happens anywhere in any part

of the Universe at any time, are all His actions, and are carried out

for the benefit of His creation. Thus, it is necessary to realize

that the incarnations such as the Buddha incarnation are taken by Him

for the purpose of doling out the effects of their karma to those who

follow the path of adharma.

 

In the next few nAma-s, we will see how His guNa-s are displayed in

His SishTa-paripAlanam role.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan