SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 89 - satptaidhAh.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 89 - satptaidhAh.

 

832. saptaidhAh – One Who is kindled in the form of fire by the seven

kinds of offerings.

 

Om saptaidhase namah.

 

The previous nAma, sapta-jihvah, was interpreted in terms of the

different types of flames, with their individual traits such as

differing colors and other attributes, and also the different devatA-

s to whom they carried the offerings. The current nAma refers to the

different types of fuels that are used to raise these fires, both in

the form of the fuels themselves and in the form of the different

types of yAj~na-s.

 

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the root for the current nAma as edh –

vRddhau – to grow, to prosper. The term edhas is used to refer to

fuel that kindles the fire. The nirukti author gives the

description – sapta edhAh yasya santi sah saptaidAh. Apte's

dictionary gives the meaning "fuel" to the word edhas (he gives a

reference from the gItA in support – yathaidhAmsi samiddhognir-

bhasmasAt kurute'rjuna – Bg. 4.37). edhA also means `prosperity,

happiness'.

 

a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation uses the meaning "fuel" (based on the

translation of SrI A. Srinivsa Raghavan) for the word edhas, and his

vyAkhyAnam is "One Who shines like fire through the seven kinds of

fuels". SrI BhaTTar proceeds to describe the kinds of `fuels' that

kindle this `Fire' – it is the offerings of different kinds in the

form of pAka-yaj~na, havir-yaj~na, soma-samstha, etc., each of which

is of seven kinds. SrI Srinivasa Raghavan describes these further:

 

- pAka-yaj~na (based on cooked food): aupAsana, vaiSva-deva,

sthAlI-pAka, ashTakA SrAddha, monthly ceremonies, ISAna bali, and

sarpa bali.

- havir-yaj~na (oblations in fire): agni-hotra, darSa-pUrNa-

mAsa, piNDa-pitR-yaj~na, paSu-bandha, AgrAyaNa, cAtur-mAsya, and

sautrA-maNi.

- soma-samstha (yAga-s): agni-shToma, atyagni-shToma, uktya,

shodaSa, vAjapeya, atirAtra, and aptor-yAma.

- The sticks of seven forest trees that bear fruit apparently

without any blossoms and that are used in sacrifices. These are:

the palASa tree, the banyan tree, the fig tree, the jack tree, the

SamI, aSani-hata, and pushkara-parNa.

 

Thus, in SrI BhaTTar's interpretation, the nAma refers to "One Who is

kindled in the form of fire by the seven kinds of offerings".

 

SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is "sapta edhAmsi dIptayo'sya iti

saptaidhAh – agnih" - He that has seven flames. He gives the

support from the Sruti – `sapta te agne samidhah, sapta jivhAh'

(tait. sam. 1.5.3) – "O Fire, you have seven flames, seven tongues".

 

SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives the interpretation in terms of the

sapta-Rshi-s – the seven stars of the Ursa Major constellation

(marIci, atri, a'ngiras, pulastya, pulaha, kratu, and vasishTha).

His interpretation is that the nAma signifies that bhagavAn is the

Supporter of the seven Rshi-s in the form of the stars – sapta-RshIn

edhayati vardhayati iti saptaidhAh. Thus, the term edhas is here

used in the sense of prosperity and happiness.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan