SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 102 - praNavaH

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 102 - praNavaH.

 

957. praNavaH - He Who guides the devotee to surrender to Him with love.

 

om praNavAya namaH.

 

nAma 410 - praNamaH, is related. `praNavaH' is an alternate pATham for nAma

410. The interpretation for the pATham `praNamaH' is covered under nAma 410

(Slokam 44). The interpretations for the nAma `praNavaH' are covered here.

 

SrI vAsishTha indicates the derivation of the nAma from the root Nu - stutau -

to praise, to commend. pra- is a prefix, meaning `in a special way'. praNauti

iti praNavaH, praNamayati iti vA - He Who is praised or worshipped is

`praNavaH'. Just as the root bhU becomes bhav, the root Nu becomes Nav (pANini

sUtra 3.3.57 - Rdorap). Pra + Nav = praNav. In interpretations below that

contain `na' in the root, the na become `Na' by the application of the pANini

sUtra

8.4.14 - upasargAt a-samAse'pi NopadeSasya, leading to the change of the `na' to

`Na'.

 

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam for the nAma is: praNavena IdRSa sambandham

udbhodhya, "mAm namaskuru" iti sva-caraNaravindayoH tAn praNamayati -

"By means of the sacred `praNava' mantra, bhagavAn reveals to His

devotees the true relationship between Him and them, and makes them

understand the need for surrendering to Him".

 

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri quotes the yoga sUtra - tasya vAcakaH praNavaH

(1.27) - "The praNava mantra is a manifestation in words of

paramAtmA". This mantra reveals Him to us, when we understand the

meaning of the mantra. Again, when we understand the deeper meaning

of the mantra, it will lead us to worship Him.

 

praNava refers to the mantra represented by the three letters - a, u,

and m - "aum" or "OM". This syllable, which is considered a mantra

that is the essence of all veda-s, is considered as a manifestation

of bhagavAn Himself in sound form. Detailed vyAkhyAna for this

mantra has been expounded by the great AcArya-s, and this should be

learnt from the AcArya-s. The mantra reminds us, the jIva-s, of the

eternal and inseparable relationship of the jIvAtmA to the paramAtmA

in a Sesha-SeshI relationship. SrI V. N. Vedanta deSikan has

translated SrI M. V. Ramanujacharya's interpretation for the nAma

thus: "BhagavAn informs the souls - if they can understand - of the

perennial bond of relationship existing between Himself and the

individual soul, as imbedded in the secret import of the praNava

mantra. The key is that "we should try and understand" this eternal

relationship between us and Him, and the true nature of our selves,

and surrender to Him.

 

In the last chapter of the gItA, almost near the end, bhagavAn

summarizes His instructions to arjuna:

 

man-manA bhava mad-bhakto mad-yAjI mAm namas-kuru |

mAmeva eshyasi satyam te pratijAne priyo'si me

|| (18.65)

 

"Focus your mind on Me; Be My devotee; Be My worshipper; Prostrate

before Me. You shall come to Me alone. I promise you, truly, for

you are dear to Me".

 

It is enlightening to read bhagavad rAmAnuja's explanation of the

meaning of the Slokam, so that we truly understand the nature of this

obeisance that bhagavAn instructs us to offer to Him.

 

- mad-bhaktaH bhava - "atyartham mama priyaH

atyarthamatpriyatvena ca niratiSaya priyAm smRti santatim kurushva

ityarthaH". This is translated by SrI AdidevAnanda as:

 

"Focus your mind on Me; Be My devotee. Be one to whom I am

incomparably dear. Since I am the object of superabundant love,

medidate on Me, i.e., practice the succession of memory of

unsurapassed love of Me. Such is the meaning". Note the use of

word `priyam' thrice in this one sentence of vyAkhyAnam by SrI

rAmAnuja. This priyam is the basis of the relationship between Him

and us. It is because of His intense love and compassion to us that

we should bow to Him, and surrender to Him, and He assures us that He

will redeem us as a result.

 

- mad-yAjI bhava - "tatrApi mad-bhakta iti anushajyate |

yajanam pUjanam atyartha priya mad-ArAdhano bhava | ArAdhanam hi

paripUrNa Sesha vRttiH".

 

Translation: "Be My worshipper (yAjI). Here also, the

expression `Be My devotee' is applicable. Yaj~na is worship.

Worship Me as One exceedingly dear to you. Worship (ArAdhana) is

complete subservience to the Lord".

 

Note again the emphasis on `atyartha priyam'. This is the basis of

the ArAdhana that bhagavAn is advising us to practice. The complete

subservience is based on our utmost love to Him, and not based on any

other factor such as fear etc.

 

- mAm namas-kuru - namo namanam mayi atimAtra-prahvI bhAvam

atyartha-priyam kuru ityarthaH |

 

Translation: "Prostrate before Me". Prostration means `bowing

down'. The meaning is `Bow down humbly before Me with great love'.

Once again, note the emphasis by bhagavad rAmAnuja on `atyartha

priyam kuru' - perform this act with great love.

 

For those who thus surrender to Him, bhagavAn says: mAm eva eshyasi,

satyam te pratijAne" - "I make this solemn promise to you. You shall

attain Me as a result". These are not mere empty words, because

bhagavAn continues: "priyo'si me" - "You are dear to Me". Thus,

bhagavAn is not just advising us to worship Him with love as the

basis, but He is bound to us by the same love, even more intensely

than we can ever command. Elsewhere bhagavAn has already

declared: "He in whom there is great love to Me, I hold him also as

exceedingly dear to Me. I Myself will enable him to attain Me".

(gItA 7.17).

 

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan points out that the spirit of the gItA

Slokam above is best understood if we look at the phrases as "man-

manA eva bhava", "mad-bhata eva bhava", "mad-yAjI eva bhava", " mAm

eva namas-kuru", "mAm eva eshyasi" - Meditate on Me alone, Worship

Me alone, Prostrate only to Me; You will definitely attain Me without

any doubt.

 

SrI BhaTTar also gives support from the atharva Siras: pRaNAn sarvAn

paramAtmani praNamayati, etasmAt praNavaH | - "The mantra is called

praNava mantra, because it makes all souls to obey, and pay respects

to, the paramAtmA" (as indicated in the earlier translation, this is

considered the greatest privilege by those who understand the

significance of the mantra).

 

SrI Sa'nkara interprets the current instance of the nAma as a

reference to bhagavAn through the sound of the syllable "OM". Since

bhagavAn is represented by this syllable in word form, this syllable

is none other than bhagavAn - praNavo nAma paramAtmano vAcaka om-

kAraH tad-abhedhopacAreNa ayam praNavaH.

 

For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 44, Sri Sa'nkara gives the

interpretation - praNauiti iti praNavaH - He Who is praised. He

gives the sanatkumAra vacanam "praNamantIha yam vedAH tasmAt praNava

ucyate" - "The veda-s pay obeisance to Him, He is named praNava".

 

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as "prakarsheNa nUyate -

stUyate sadbhiH iti praNavaH" - He Who is praised uniquely by the

devoted.

 

SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives the interpretation for the nAma as -

prakarshena nayati iti praNavaH - Lord vishNu is called praNavaH

because He regulates or puts the world in orderly form in a splendid

way.

 

SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN gives the interpretation - nitya nUtanatvAt

praNavaH (prakesheNa nUtanatvAt praNavaH (pra + nava= praNava).

 

SrI Raghavendran has included some additional interpretation and

support:

 

- praNamanti iha yam vedAH tasmAt praNavaH ucyate -

sanatkumAra - vishNu is called praNavaH because all veda-s bow down

to Him.

- raso'ham apsu kaunteya pabhAsmi SaSi SurayayoH |

praNavaH sarva bhUteshu SabdaH khe paurusham nRshu || (gItA 7.8)

 

(Lord kRshNa declares to arjuna): "O arjuna! I am the taste in the

waters, the light in the Sun and the Moon, and the praNava (OmkAra)

in all the veda-s, sound in the ether, and manhood in all men".

 

SrI vAsishTha gives support from kaThopanishad:

 

sarve vedA yat-padam Amananti tapAmsi sarvANi ca yad

vadanti |

yad-icchanto brahmacaryam caranti tat-te padam sa'ngraheNa

bravImi yom iti etat ||

 

(kaTho. 2.15)

 

"I shall briefly teach you that abode of which all the veda-s speak,

of which the AraNyaka-s and the Upanishad-s mention, desiring which

brahmacarya is observed. That is OM".

 

The Upanishad continues on:

 

etad-dhyevAksharam brahma stad-dhyevAksharam param |

etad-dhyevAksharam j~nAtvA yo yadi-icchati tasya tat ||

(2.16)

 

etad-Alambanam SreshTham etad-Alambanam param |

etad-Alambanam j~nAtvA bloke mahIyate || (2.17)

 

"This letter is indeed Brahman. This very letter is the Supreme.

Meditating upon this letter one gets whatever one wants. This is the

best support. This is the highewst support. He who knows this is

glorified in the world of Brahman".

 

SrI vAsishTha gives several other references to the Sruti, where the

significance of the praNava mantra is revealed to us:

 

- viSve devAsa iha mAdayanta OM pratishTha | (yajur. 3.13)

- OM krato smara | klive smara | kRtam smara | (yajur.

40.15)

- OM kham brahma | (yajur. 40.17)

- Rco akshare parame vyoman asmin devA adhi viSve nisheduH |

(Rg. 1.164.9)

 

The significance of the praNava mantra is the meditation on the

mantra with its meaning in mind, which, at a high level, reveals to

us the permanent and eternal relationship between us and the

paramAtmA, Lord vishNu.

 

-dAsan kEshNamAcAryan