SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokma 87 - parjanyah.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokma 87 - parjanyah.

 

815. parjanyah – a) He Who bestoes His blessings on the devotees like

the rain-cloud.

b) He from whom a superior birth is attained.

c) He Who protects.

 

Om parjanyAya namah.

 

a) SrI BhaTTar derives the nAma from the root aja – ardane - to

dispel. He explains the nAma in terms of His removing (dispelling),

like a rain-cloud, the three kinds of tApa-s – the tApa-traya-s –

AdhyAtmika, the Adhi-daivika, and the Adhi-bhautika types. These

three are: the pain cause by one's own mind etc., the pain caused by

fate or gods, and the pain caused by animals, other people, etc.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan adds that it is by bestowing the knowledge about

Him that He relieves us from the tApa-traya-s. BhagavAn is

frequently referred as the rain-cloud by AzhvArs for showering His

blessings on His devotees:

 

- tiruma'ngai AzhvAr's tiru neDum tANDakam (30) – minnu mA

mazhai tavazhum mega-vaNNA!;

- tiruma'ngai – periya tirumozhi 7.9.9: karu mA mugil uruvA!

Kanal uruvA! Punal uruvA! – You who are like the rain cloud for some,

like the fire for some, and like the comforting water for many!

 

SvAmi deSikan refers to bhagavAn's guNa of removing the tApa-traya-s

of the devotees who are immersed in devotion to Him in his SaraNAgati

dIpikA:

 

tApa-trayeNa vihatim na bhajqanti santah

samsAra gharma janitena samAdhimantah || (SaraNAgati dIpikA 23)

 

"Those j~nAni-s who are immersed in bhakti yoga towards You do not

suffer from the tApa-traya-s that are caused by the heat of samsAra".

 

SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is also in terms of His removing the

three types of tApa-s – parjanyavat AdhyAtmikAdi tApa-trayam Samayati

iti – "He extinguishes the three kinds of burning miseries concerning

the body and the rest, even as the rain-charged cloud cools the earth

by its downpour".

 

SrI Sa'nkara's alternate interpretation is that this nAma signifies

that He showers all desired objects on His devotees like rain –

sarvAn kAmAn abhivarshati iti parjanyah.

 

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj looks at the nAma as pari-janyah, which is

treated same as parjanyah by dropping the –i in pari. His

interpretation is "parita AsInA janAh parijanAh; tebhyo hita-tamah

iti pari-janyah; ikAra-lope parjanyah – pari-jana-s are those that

are around Him – those that worship Him; He Who bestows welfare on

them is pari-janyah, which is same as parjanyah in SrI bhAradvAj's

interpretation.

 

SrI vAsishTha derives the nAma starting from the root pRsh – secane –

to sprinkle, and the application of the uNAdi sutra "parjanyah"

(3.103), with the meaning "cloud". That which wets or drenches is

parjanya – parshati – si'ncati iti parjanyah. SrI bala deva vidyA

bhUshaN gives a similar interpretation: tasyAm cinta-bhUmau varshati

nija-rUpa amRtam iti parjanyah – He Who showers His actual Self in

the thoughts of His devotees is parjanyah.

 

b) SrI satyasandha yatirAja gives the interpretation – param janyam

yasmAt parjanyah – He from whom a superior birth is attained.

 

c) SrI vAsishTha gives at least six different ways of deriving the

nAma, starting from different roots. One of these is pR – pAlana

pUranayoh – to protect, to fill, to bring out; with the addition of

the anya pratyaya, this becomes parjanyah, which means "One Who

protects".

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan