SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 88 - aSvatthah.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 88 - aSvatthah.

 

828. aSvattah – a) He Who has established the impermanent gods for

performing various functions.

b) He Who is described as the root of an eternal

aSvattha tree of samsAra etc.

c) He Who eternally rules over the universe that is

never the same, and keeps constantly changing.

d) He Who pervades the entire universe in the form of

the five great elements.

 

om aSvattAya namah.

 

a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is based on looking at the nAma as a

+ Sva + stha (SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya). Svas means "tomorrow" (Apte's

dictionary). a-Svah then means `not tomorrow', namely `that which is

impermanent'. SrI BhaTTar interprets this as a reference to the

impermanent positions of brahmA, indra etc. The part sthah refers to

His being the niyAmaka or Controller of the worlds through these gods

whose position is transitory – na Svah – anityam, indrAdityAdi padam

yeshAm, teshu niyAmakatayA tishThati iti a-Svat-sthah or aSvatthah

using the pRshodarAdi rule, whereby s is replaced by t – or stha by

ttha. SrI BhaTTar gives support from SrI vishNu purANam:

 

mUrtim rajo-mayIm brAhmIm ASritya sRjati prajAh |

ASritya paurushIm mUrtim sAttvikIm yah sa pAlayan |

kAlAkhyAm tAmasIm mUrtim ASritya grasate jagat || (V.P.

 

"Residing within the body of brahmA, composed of rajo guNa, bhagavAn

creates the world. He takes the body of vishNu composed of sattva,

and protects the world. Assuming the body of kAla (Siva) composed of

tamo-guNa, He swallows the Universe".

 

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi, where

AzhvAr describes this aspect of bhagavAn:

 

iRukkum iRai iRuttu uNNa ev-vulagukkum tan mUrti

niRuttinAn deiva'ngaLAga ad-deiva-nAyagan tAnE ….

(tiruvAi. 5.2.8)

 

"The lower deities, whom you are wont to worship for many different

worldly benefits, are like tax-collectors. They have all been

established in their positions by my Lord who is daiva-nAyaka, the

Chief of all gods".

 

In one of his interpretations, SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the

concept of time (Svas = tomorrow), and gives the interpretation:

Svah = kAle, tishThati iti Svatthah, na Svatthah a_Svatthah, kAla

bahir bhUto bhagavAn vishNuh – He Who is not constrained by time.

This is why He is called sanAtana – Eternal, Permanent. He refers to

the kaThopanishad passage "Urdhva mUlo'vAk Sakha esho'Svatthah

sanAtanah | tadeva Sukram tad-brahma tadevAmRtam ucyate | (kaTho.

2.3.1) – "This eternal pippal tree has its root above and branches

downward. That is effulgent. That is Brahman. That alone is said

to be immortal".

 

b) One of SrI Sa'nkara's interpretations is based on the reference to

the aSvatta tree – aSvattha iva tishThati iti aSvatthah - that has

roots hanging from the tree downwards, as well as roots like

traditional trees. Because of this, it is described in the gItA and

in the Upanishads as a tree that has its roots from above, and

branches below.

 

Urdhva-mUlam adhah SAkham aSvattham prAhur-avyayam |

chandAmsi yasya parNAni yas-tam veda sa veda-vit ||

(gItA 15.1)

 

"They speak of an immutable aSvattha tree with its roots above and

its branches below. Its leaves are the veda-s. He who knows it

knows the veda-s".

 

The reference to the eternal aSvattha tree here is a reference to

permanent cycle of samsAra, which is rooted in Brahman, and which

grows in a continuous flow into the different life forms which

themselves perish after some time, but the flow continues on. It

propagates through the knowledge in the forms of its leaves. This

knowledge (veda) consists of both the kAmya karma-s in the form of

religious rites and sacrifices that promote the tree of samsAra, as

well as the knowledge that is needed to fell this tree that grows by

desire etc.

 

The Sruti also gives the description of samsAra in terms of the

aSvattha tree:

 

- Urdhva-mUlo'vAk Sakha esho'Svatthah sanAtanah | (kaTho.

2.3.1) – referenced earlier

- Urdhva-mUlmavAk Sakham vRksham yo veda samprati (AraNya.

1.11.5)

 

c) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN uses the meaning "prapa'ncam" or "the

universe" for the word aSvattha, based on the niruktam – SvastAd-

rUpeNa na sthAteti aSvatthah prapa'ncah; sa asya asti nityam

niyamyata iti arthah – He Who eternally rules over the universe that

is never the same, and keeps constantly changing.

 

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives a different anubhavam. He derives

the meaning starting from the root aS – vyAptau sa'nghAte ca – to

pervade, to accumulate. His interpretation is: aSnuvate –

vyApnuvanti viSvam iti aSvAni – pa'nca mahA bhUtAni, teshu

vyApakatvena sthitah aSvatthah – He Who pervades the entire universe

in the form of the five great elements.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan