SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 87 - pavanah.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 87 - pavanah.

 

816. pavanah – a) He Who is the forrn of the wind.

b) He Who moves to His devotees to remove their distress.

c) He Who purifies in the form of wind, agni, water, etc.

d) He Who protects the protectors – the kings (pA + avanah).

 

Om pavanAya namah.

 

We saw this nAma earlier in Slokam 32 (nAma 292).

 

SrI BhaTTar indicates the root for the nAma as pavi – to go. The

amara koSa vyAkhyAnam indicates the derivation from the root pU'ng –

pavane; pavata iti pavanah; punIte vA; The meanings are thus: that

which goes, that which blows, that which purifies, etc.

 

a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for nAma 292 was that He has the nAma

signifying that He moves about in the form of the wind, with just a

fraction of His power. nammAzhvAr conveys this in his tiruvAimozhi

pASuram 5.7.3 – kANginRa ik-kARRellAm yAnE ennum…. The ten pASurams

in tiruvAimozhi 5.7 sum up the truth that bhagavAn is everything

without exception.

 

SrI cinmyAnanda conveys the same thoughts in the following

words: "He Who manifests as the life-giving atmosphere around the

world and sustains the existence everywhere".

 

In Slokam 32, SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation for the nAma is that He

is the Purifier in the form of the wind. He has given the reference

to gItA Slokam 10.31 as support:

 

pavanah pavatAm asmi rAmah Sastra-bhRtAmyaham |

 

"Of moving things, I am the wind. Of those who bear weapons, I am

rAma".

 

 

b) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for the current instance of this nAma

is that bhagavAn goes Himself (pavi – to go) to His devotees to

remove their distress - pavate iti pavanah. This is expressed by

tiruma'ngai AzhvAr in periya tirumozhi 1.10.9: vandAi; en manam

pugunDAi; manni ninRAi – You came of Your own free will, entered my

mind, and have decided to stay there. nammAzhvAr conveys the same

thought in his tiruvAimozhi 5.7.7 – vandaruLi en ne'njiDam koNDa

vAnavar kozhundE! … aDiyEnai agaRRElE – Oh Lord! You have been kind

enough to come and take a place in my heart. Only, now please do not

ever leave me.

 

c) SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation for the current instance of the

nAma is that He purifies anyone who merely remembers Him – smRti-

mAtreNa punAti iti pavanah.

 

In the context of bhagavAn being the Great Purifier, SrI rAdhAkRshNa

Satri comments in his vyAkhyAnam for the Slokam "pavitrANAm pavitram

yah..", that acts such as taking a bath in the holy waters, visiting

divya kshetra-s, etc., are ways of our ridding ourselves of sins,

when we undertake these acts with the faith and belief that bhagavAn

is present in these rivers and divya kshetra-s. Thinking of Him,

worshipping His divya ma'ngaLa vigraha-s, singing His praise,

performing pUja for Him, meditating on Him, prostrating, etc., are

all ways to remove our sins through His purifying power.

 

SrI cinmayAnanda uses the version "pAvanah" in Slokam 87, and gives

the translation for the nAma as "One Who ever purifies". He comments

that "The impurities of a personality are gathered when the mind and

intellect, in a natural impulse of animal voluptuousness, rush

towards the sense-objects with ego-centric passion". The

purification by His power occurs when we peacefully let our minds

settle in contemplation of the divine nature and eternal glory of SrI

nArAyaNa.

 

c) SrI vAsishTha also uses the version "pAvanah", but indicates that

the interpretation is the same whether the nAma is taken as pavanah

or pAvanah. He gives the meaning "He Who purifies", for the nAma.

He points out that bhagavAn purifies in many ways: in the form of

the wind by blowing, fire by burning, water by washing, earth by

consuming, etc. So His purifying power is manifest all over. He

gives the reference to Rg vedic hymn: punAti dhIro bhuvanAni mAyayA –

Rg. 1.160.3, and also to niruktam 5.6: vAyuh pavitram sa mA punAtu

agnih pavitram sa mA punAtu. He also has summarized his vyAkhyAnam

in the form of the following Sloka:

 

sa pAvano vishNur-amartyakarmA punAti viSvam vividha-

prabhedaih |

sa eva sUrya sa hi vAsti vAyau jale sthale vA pavitA

sa eva ||

 

d) In one of his interpretations, SrI satya sandha yatirAja uses the

version "pAvanah", and looks at the nAma as pA + avanah – He Who

protects the protectors or kings. His vyAkhyAnam is: pAnti iti pA

rAjAnah; teshAm avanam yasmAt iti pAvanah.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan