SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 89 - an-aghah.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 89 - an-aghah.

 

835. an-aghah – a) The Sinless.

b) He Who is opposed to sin.

c) He Who is of blemishless character.

d) He Who does not suffer sorrow.

 

 

Om anaghAya namah.

 

This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 148, Slokam 16.

 

The root word involved in the nAma is agh – pApa karaNe –to go wrong,

to sin. agho nAsti yasmin so'naghah – He Who does not have any sin

is an-aghah. Or, na aghah – agha Sabda pApa vacanah, tad-virodhI ca

anaghah – He Who is opposed to sin is an-aghah. agha also means

duhkham or sorrow –He Who does not suffer sorrow is an-aghah.

 

a) BhagavAn takes birth in the midst of us, in the midst of samsAra.

Even so, He is sinless. This is the aspect that SrI BhaTTar stresses

in his interpretation for this nAma in Slokam 16 - samsAra madhye

janitvA'pi an-aghah. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan notes that even though Lord

rAma had to go through enormous hardships as part of this samsAra –

"nATTil piRandu paDAdana paTTu", still He was completely sinless.

His birth and His actions are purely because of His leelA. He is

apahatapApmA – completely opposed to faults of any kind. He

is "kuRaivu onRum illAda govindan" (ANDAL – tiruppAvai). In addition

to Himself being sinless, He is the One who removes the sins of

others.

 

For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar's interpretation

deals with the reason why He is sinless as noted above – it is

because He is not subject to karma, and so He is entirely different

from the jIva-s that are under His control – akarma vaSatvena tan-

magna jIva vilakshaNah an-aghah.

 

There are several other anubhava-s as to why bhagavAn is an-aghah.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan notes that His body is made of Suddha sattva

material, which is beyond the processes of aging, decay, death,

disease, etc. This is one reason why He is an-aghah from the aspect

of His body.

 

c) nammAzhvAr refers to emperumAn as "tIdil SIr tiruvE'nakaTattAn"

(tiruvAi. 3.3.5) One with blemishless character. Here, His guNa of

simplicity in blessing His devotees with the utmost Mercy,

irrespective of their infinite faults, is the aspect that is

enjoyed. SrI v. n. vedAnta deSikan comments that He is without

tIdu –anaghan, because He is standing there in tiruvE'nkaTam

patiently, waiting for protection-seekers, un-mindful of any demerits

of these persons, not satisfied till the last one is redeemed; this

simplicity and magnanimous grace are His greatest virtues that really

mark Him out.

 

SrI Sa'nkara distinguishes between the two instances of the nAma by

using the two different meanings for the words agham – duhkham and

pApam. This is the same approach that SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj

uses as well. The meaning "sorrow" for the word "agham", in addition

to the meaning "sin", is supported by the amara koSam – a'nagho

duhkha vyasaneshvagham (3.3.27) – SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj.

 

SrI Sankara's interpretation for this nAma in Slokam 16 was: agham na

vidyate asya iti an-aghah, and he gives the quote from chAndogya

Upanishad 8.1 in support – apahatapApmA – He is free from sin. For

the nAma in Slokam 16, SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also uses the

meaning "sin" – na agham yasmin iti an-agho nish-pApah.

 

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

is: agham duhkham pApam ca dvayam asya na vidyata iti an-aghah – One

Who is without sin or sorrow. SrI bhAradvAj's interpretation for the

current instance of the nAma uses this meaning: na agham duhkham

yasmin iti an-aghah.

 

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that bhagavAn is devoid of bad deeds,

the sins that result from such deeds, and the sorrow that result from

them. It is the thought of committing sins that is the start of the

act of sinning. He is devoid of such thought to start with. So

there is no evil deed. Since there is no evil deed, there is no

consequence of the evil deed also – the duhkham. He gives several

quotes from the Sruti in support:

 

- Suddham apApa viddham – ISAvAs. 8 - Ever pure, untouched by

puNya and pApa.

- apahatapApma abhayam rUpam…. tad-Apta kAmam Atma kAmam akAmam

rUpam SokAntaram – Brhad. upa. 4.3.21)

- AtmA apahatapApamA vijaraj - chAndogya. 8.7.1 – That AtmA

which is sinless, ageless, ….

- na jarA na mRtyur na Soko n sukRtam na dushkRtam sarve

pApmAno'to nivartante apahatapApmA .. (chAn. 8.4.1)

 

SrI cinmayAnanda gives reference to a similar message in chAndogya

Upanishad 8.1.5 – esha AtmA apahatapApmA vijaro vimRtyur viSoko

vijighatso'pipAsah satyakAma satya sa'nkalpah …. – This is the AtmA

that is opposed to all that is defiling, free from old age, death,

sorrow, hunger, and thirst, and has true desire and true will. SrI

cinmayAnanda comments that the peace of virtue or the agitations of

the sin in us cannot affect the Illuminator of all consciousness, and

He is free from sin and uncontaminated (aliptah).

 

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN refers us to bhIshma's words – "pavitrANAm

pavitram yah" in the introductory part of SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam –

The Purest of the Pure.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan