SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam – Slokam 90 - aNuh.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam – Slokam 90 - aNuh.

 

aNur_bRhat_kRSas_sthUlo guNa-bhRn_nir-guNo mahAn |

adhRtah sva-dhRtah svAsyah prAg-vamSo vamSa-vardhanah ||

 

om aNAve namah.

Om bRhate namah.

Om kRSAya namah.

Om sthUlAya namah

Om guNa-bhRte namah

Om nir-guNAya namah

Om mahate namah

Om adhRtAya namah

Om svadhRtAya namah

Om svAsyAya namah

Om prAg-vamSAya namah

Om vamSa-vardhanAya namah.

 

The next few nAma-s are interpreted by SrI BhaTTar in terms of the

grandeur of bhagavAn, consisting of His superhuman powers such as

becoming smaller than an atom etc. SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya notes that

the powers that are being described here are the ashTa aiSvarya-s

(might or power). The ashTa aiSvarya-s are declared by the

following:

 

aNimA, mahimA, laghimA, garimA, prApatih, prAkAmyam, ISitA, vaSitvam,

ceti aiSvaryashTakam ucyate |

 

839. aNuh – a) He Who has the power of being smaller than anything

small that is known to us.

b) He Who is the cause of the sound that permeates everywhere

and is in everything (aNa – Sabde).

c) He Who is in the form of the veda-s, or He Who reveals the

veda-s, the SAstra-s etc. (aNa – Sabde).

 

Om aNave namah.

 

This is the first of the ashTa aiSvarya-s mentioned above – aNimA.

The word aNuh is formed from the root aNa – to sound, through the

application of the uNAdi sUtra – aNaSca (1.8), which states that the

affix u comes after the root aNa. The term aNu refers to an atom,

and here it is used to refer to bhagavAn's power of becoming smaller

than the smallest object that is known.

 

a) SrI BhaTTar comments that the nAma signifies His ability to enter

into the infinitesimally small void space known as dahara AkASam in

the hearts of beings, into prakRti, and also into the subtle jIva.

aNu here means that He is extremely subtle. SrI BhaTTar refers us to

the taittirIya Upanishad – aNor-aNIyAn – He is subtler than whatever

we perceive as subtle.

 

These aISvarya-s or powers are natural to Him. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan

points out that some of these powers are also given to those who have

His anugraham or blessing. He gives the example of hanuman, who had

the ability to alternate between a very large form and a very small

form at will in an instant, in dealing with surasA (sundara kANDam).

 

SrI Sa'nkara gives the support from muNDAkopanishad – esha aNur_AtmA

cetasA veditavyah – This Self (paramAtman) is inscrutable, and is to

be known through the mind.

 

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that the ability of the eye to see

something is limited by a lower limit and an upper limit with respect

to size. BhagavAn is outside of this limit on either end (we will

see this in the next nAma also). He is beyond all the sensory

perceptions. Sri SAstri gives several references to the Sruti in

support:

 

- aNor-aNIyAn (kaTha. 2.20, tait. AraN. 10.1)

- na hi su-j~neyam aNur-esha dharmah (kaTha. 1.21) – The truth

is very subtle and not easily comprehensible.

- yad-aNubhyo'Nu ca (muNDa. 2.2.2) – That which is subtler than

the subtle.

- aNIyAn hyatarkayam anU paramANAt (kaTha. 2.8) – It is subtler

than the subtle and beyond realization through reasoning alone.

- esha sa AtmA antar-hRdaye aNIyAn vrIher-vA yavAd-vA sarshapAd-

vA SyAmAkAd-vA SyAmAka-taNDulAd-vA… (chAndog. 3.14.3) – This

paramAtman who is residing in my heart is smaller than a grain of

rice, a barley corn, a mustard seed, the grain a millet, etc.

- Sa ya esho aNimA (chAndog. 6.8.7) – This (sat) is of the

nature of being subtle.

 

SrI cinmayAnanda gives the support from the gItA – sarvasya cAham

hRdi sannivishTah – "I am seated in the hearts of all".

 

b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha notes that it is by His aNutvam that He is

present everywhere, and permeates everything, including the subtle

jIva. He also gives an interpretation based on the root aNa – Sabde –

to sound, and indicates that the nAma suggests that He is in the

form of the sound that pervades the ether everywhere, and is also the

cause of the sound that emanates from the different life-forms etc.

 

c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives his interpretation based on the

meaning aNati – Sabdayati – makes known, reveals – aNati Sabdayati

vedAdi SAstram iti aNuh – He Who reveals the SAstra-s such as the

veda-s etc. We will note that SrI bhAradvAj does not follow the

approach of interpreting this nAma and the following ones in terms of

the ashTa aiSvarya-s, but gives interpretations that are not linked

to each other.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan