SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 88 - Satru-jit-Satru-tApanah.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 88 - Satru-jit-Satru-tApanah.

 

826. Satru-jit-Satru-tApanah - He Who occupies the bodies of Satru-

jits to torment His devotees' enemies.

 

Om Satru-jit-Satru-tApanAya namah.

 

All interpreters other than SrI BhaTTar and those who follow him,

treat this as two nAma-s: Satru-jit and Satru-tApanah. The

essential meaning of the two interpretations is same – BhagavAn

ensures that the enemies of the gods are punished and conquered;

Either He Himself does this (SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation), as rAma,

kRshNa, etc. in the case of rAvaNa, kamsa, etc., or He does it by

entering into someone else with His Sakti (sva-tejasA ApyAyitaih),

and then accomplishes the destruction of the enemies of the gods (SrI

BhaTTar's interpretation).

 

Thus, SrI BhaTTar treats the nAma as Satru-jit-Satru-tApanah, and

gives the explanation that (in addition to using His powers directly

in destroying the enemies of His devotees), He also uses His powers

by entering into others with His tejas, and then defeats the enemies

of His devotees as well. Thus, his interpretation for this nAma is

that He is Satru-tApanah (Torturer of His devotees' enemies) by using

Satru-jits (those who conquer their enemies) as His vehicle. SrI

BhaTTar gives examples for this interpretation from SrI vishNu

purANam:

 

"para'njayo hi nAma SaSAdasya ca rAjarshes-tanayah kshatriya-

varyah |

tac-charIre aham amSena svayameva avatIrya tAn aSeshAn asurAn

nihanishyAmi" (V.P. 4.2.8);

 

"kakutsthah bhagavatah carAcaraguroh acyutasya tejasA ApyAyito

devAsura sa'ngrAme samastAneva asurAn nijaghAna (V.P. 4.2.11).

 

"With a part of Me, I will descend into the body of

para'njaya and annihilate the asura-s Myself". "Then, kakutstha

(para'njaya), infused with the power of the Eternal Ruler of all

movable and immovable things, destroyed in the battle all the enemies

of the gods ".

 

"…. Aha bhagavAn Adi-purushah purushottamo yauvanASvasya mAndhAtuh

purukutsa nAmA putrastam aham anupraviSya etAn aSesha dushTa

gandharvAn upaSamam nayishyAmi (V.P. 4.3.7)"; "rasatala gataSca asau

bhagavat tejasA ApyAyita Atma-vIryah sakala gandharvAn jaghAna (V.P.

4.3.9)".

 

"The Adi-purusha and purushottama replied: I will enter into

the person of purukutsa, the son of mAndhAtri and yuvanASva, and in

him I will quiet these iniquitous gandharva-s.".; "Reaching the

regions below the earth, and being filled with the might of the

Supreme Deity, he (purutkutsa) destroyed the gandharva-s".

 

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha also gives this as his interpretation, the

idea of His indirect incarnations, for the nAma satru-tApanah –

sarva-suhRdah sAdhUn dvishanti ta eva Satrvah, tAnSca yah sva-

paradatta-Saktibhih mahA-purushaih tApayati iti Satru-tApanah – He

gives His Sakti to the mahA-purushas, who in turn go after those who

harm His devotees, and punish them.

 

He gives the following support from atharva veda, where this guNa of

scorching the enemies is referred to:

 

dvishas-tApayan hradah SatrUNAm tApayan manah |

dur-hrAdah sarvAs-tvam darbha dharma ivAbhIntsam tApayan

|| (atharva. 19.28.2)

 

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj treats the nAma as "Satru-jit-Satru-

tApanah, but gives the interpretation in terms of the two parts: "He

Who is Satru-jit and also Satru-tApanah" – "Satayanti utpIDayanti

dhArmikAn iti Satravah; tAn jayati iti Satru-jit; SatrUn tApayati

iti Satru-tApanah; Satru-jit ca asau Satru-tApanan iti Satru-jit-

Satru-tApanah".

 

The interpretation for Satru-jit and Satru-tApanah as separate nAma-s

by SrI Sa'nkara and his followers is given below:

 

Satru-jit: a) He Who conquers His enemies.

b) He Who helps us defeat our worst enemy – the identity of

the body with the soul.

c) He Who gives His creation the means to defend themselves

against their enemies.

 

a) Satrum jayati iti Satru-jit – He Who conquers the enemy is Satru-

jit. SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is: sura-Satrava eva asya

Satravah, tAn jayati iti Satru-jit – The enemies of the gods are His

enemies, and He is the Conqueror of those, and so He is Satru-jit.

 

b) SrI cinmayAnanda sees in this nAma the message that bhagavAn is

the One who can drive away the worst of all the enemies, that in our

mind: "In the bosom of man, his enemies are none other than

consciousness of his body and the consequent passions of the flesh –

both objective and subjective. The seeker feels that these urges in

him constitute a very powerful team of belligerent forces, and

against their concerted onslaught he feels helpless". But when an

alert seeker turns to nArAyaNa who is in his own heart, all obstacles

whither away, and thus He is the "Supreme Conqueror of all

enemies". In other words, it is the identification of the body

with the soul that is the worst of our enemies. Meditation on Him is

the only means to conquer this enemy, and so He is called Satru-jit.

 

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha comments that bhagavAn displays His guNa

of conquering the enemy, by giving His creation different means to

defend themselves, such as the horns for the horned species, the

nails for the lion etc., and other means for the other species to

defend themselves.

 

Satru-tApanah: a) The Torturer of the foes of His devotees.

b) He Who destroys the negative tendencies in the

devotee's heart.

 

a) SrI Sa'nkara gives the explanation – sura-SatrUNAm tApanAt Satru-

tApanah – The Tormentor of the foes of the gods. SrI rAdhAkRshNa

SAstri comments that this act of tormenting the Satru-s is to punish

the evil-doers even when they are alive, by meting out severe and

unbearable punishments to them.

 

b) SrI cinmayAnanda continues along the lines of his interpretation

for the previous nAma, and comments that bhagavAn's nAma "Satru-

tApana" indicates that "When the devotee offers himself at the altar

of His Feet, He (bhagavAn) burns down all the negative tendencies

polluting this devotee's heart.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan