SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 87 - kundarah.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 87 - kundarah.

 

814. kundarah – a) The Bestower of the knowledge of the Supreme

Reality (kunda-rah).

b) He Who dissolves or eliminates the sins

accumulated over countless births (kun-darah).

c) He Who bestows benefits as agreeable as the kunda

flower (kunda-rah).

d) He Who accepts offering that are pure like the

kunda flowers (kunda-lah).

e) He Who pierced the earth in His varAha incarnation

in search of hiraNyAksha (kum-darah).

f) One Who gives what is sought or what is desired.

g) He Who created the oceans by tearing apart the

earth (kum-darah).

h) He Who is very pleased with the offerings of the

kunda pushpa-s by His devotees (kunda-rah).

 

Om kundarAya namah.

 

SrI BhaTTar uses the word kundam as referring to "The knowledge of

the Supreme Reality" or para-tattva j~nAnam. This is based on his

interpreting the term ku as a reference to "mukti-bhUmi", rather than

just as meaning "bhUmi". kundam is that which gives the mukti-bhUmi,

namely the knowledge of para-tattva. Since He is the Giver of this

knowledge, He is kunda-rah (rAti = dadAti = gives).

 

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's iturvAimozhi pASuram

2.3.2, where he addresses bhagavAn as "aRiyAdana aRivitta attA!" –

"You are the AcArya Who imparted the true knowledge to me". We

have also Lord kRshNa's declaration in the gItA:

 

teshAm satata-yuktAnAm bhajatAm prIti-pUrvakam |

dadAmi buddhi-yogam tam yena mAm upayAnti te

|| (gItA 10.10)

 

"To those who are ceaselessly united with Me and who worship Me with

immense love, I lovingly grant that mental disposition (buddhi-yoga)

by which they come to Me".

 

This is the para-tattva-j~nanam that SrI BhaTTar is referring to.

 

b) The nirukti author has added an interpretation to this nAma, that

is borrowed from SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for the next nAma,

kundah. This involves the use of the meaning "sin" for the word ku –

kum avyayam pApa-vAci, tasya dAraNAt kun-darah – He Who dissolves or

eliminates the sins (accumulated over countless births).

 

SrI satya devo vAsishTha also includes this as one of his three

interpretations for the nAma (the other two are covered below). The

amara koSa vyAkhyAnam gives the following as an illustration of the

use of the word ku with the meaning "sinful" - tyajet ku-jana-sa'ngam

_ Leave the association with sinful people. SrI vAsishTha's

vyAkhyAnam is: kum = pApam dRNAti sva-sevAnAm iti kum-darah – He who

tears apart or removes the sins of His devotees. He makes them see

knowledge by removing the sins from their mind –

 

sa eva buddhim jaritur-viSodhya su-medhasam tam

kurute sa vishNuh ||

 

c) SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is that the nAma signifies that He

bestows fruits that are as pure and agreeable as the kunda (jasmine)

flowers – kunda pushpa tulyAni SuddhAni phalAni rAti dadAti iti kunda-

rah.

 

d) Alternately, SrI Sa'nkara gives the explanation – He Who accepts

offerings that are pure like the kunda flower -

kunda pushpa tulyAni SuddhAni phalAni lAti Adatte iti kundarah (based

on the root lA – AdAne dAne ca – to take, to obtain) . Here he uses

the rule of mutual interchange of ra and la in conventional usage –

ra-la-yoh ekatava smaraNAt.

 

e) A third interpretation given by SrI Sa'nkara is that He has the

nAma representing His action of tearing the earth or piercing the

earth (dara – to tear) in search of hiraNyAksha in His varAha

incarnation: kum – dharAm dArayAmAsa hiraNyAksha jighAmsayA vArAham

rUpam AsthAya it vA kun-darah.

 

f) SrI vAsishTha indicates the root for the word kunda as kamu –

kAntau – to desire, and the application of the uNAdi sutra

abdAdayaSca (uNAdi. 4.98), leading to the word kundah. He gives the

interpretation kAmayata iti kundah kamanIyah – That which is desired

or sought for is kunda. Using the root rA – dAne – to give, kundarah

means "One Who gives what is sought or what is desired" – kamanIyam

vA'ncitam dadAti iti kunda-rah.

 

g) An alternate interpretation given by SrI vAsishTha is: kum –

pRthivI dArayati iti kun-darah - (based on the root dRR – vidAraNe –

to tear, to divide). He is referring to bhagavAn creating the great

oceans by tearing apart the bhUmi –

 

sa kun-daro nAma vidArya bhUmim sa Atma-SaktyA kurute samudram |

 

h) SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives the interpretation – bahkta-

samarpita kunda pushpeNa ramati iti kunda-rah – He Who is very

pleased with the offerings of the kunda pushpa-s by His devotees.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan