SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 103 - tattvam.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 103 - tattvam.

 

963. tattvam – He Who is the Essence.

 

om tattvAya namaH.

 

SrI vAsishTha derives the word tat from the root tanu – vistAre – to

extend, to spread, to go. The application of the uNAdi sUtra 1.132

leads to the addition the affix adi to the root tan: tan + adi =

tad. The application of the pANini sUtra 5.1.119 – tasya bhAvaH

tvatalau – (The affixes tva and tal come after a word in the sixth

sense in construction, in the sense of "the nature thereof"), leads

to the word tat-tvam. (e.g., aSvasya bhAvaH aSvat-tvam, go-tvam

etc.). tanyata iti tat, sthAvara ja'ngamAtmakam jagat, tasya sAra

bhUtam vastu tat-tvam ityarthaH – This universe is denoted by the

term `tat', which consists of movable and immovable things spread all

over; the essence of basis of all this is tat-tvam.

 

SrI vAsishTha gives the following from the atharva veda in support:

 

yo vidyAt sUtram yasminnotAH prajA imAH |

sUtram sUtrasya yo vidyAt sa vidyAt brAhmaNam mahat ||

(atharva. 10.8.37)

 

"One who knows the drawn-out string whereon all these creatures are

strung, one who knows the thread's thread, knows the Great Brahman".

 

That without the support or existence of which a given thing cannot

function, can be considered to be its tattvam, its essence or

support. Thus, for a machinery, the oil or lubricant is something

without which it cannot function for a prolonged time, and so it can

be considered one of its tattva-s. Everything in this universe that

functions will not exist without Him, and so He is the tattva behind

all that exist.

 

SrI BhaTTar interprets the term `tattvam' as `sArAmSa' – and this is

translated as `essence', or `the principle of the universe' by the

translators. SrI BhaTTar clarifies the interpretation through an

example: "dadhi dugdhayoriva dadhisAraH cit acitoH vyApti

prayojanAbhyAm sArAmSaH tat-tvam" – Like butter which is the essence

of milk and curd, bhagavAn, by His pervasion and usefulness in the

sentient and non-sentient things, is the essence of all things.

Butter gives texture, taste, the energy content, etc., to milk and

curd. So also, bhagavAn is the essence of all things, by being the

cause of their existence, the source of their sustenance etc.. SrI

v.v. rAmAnujan gives the analogous reference from nammAzhvAr:

 

iRandadum nIyE……

kaRanda pAl neyyE! Neyyin in SuvaiyE! KaDalinuL amudE! amudil

piRanda in SuvaiyE! Suvaiyadu payanE! pinnai tOL maNanda

pErALA! (tiruvAi. 8.1.7)

 

"Oh my Lord! You are the ghee present latent in fresh milk. You are

the covetable taste of the ghee. You are the nectar from the ocean;

no, the taste of the nectar; no, no, You are the pleasure that one

derives from enjoying the nectar…..".

 

SrI BhaTTar gives the following support for his interpretation:

 

paramArtham aSeshasya jagataH prabhavApyayam |

SaraNyam SaraNam gacchan govindam nAvasIdati ||

 

ekato vA jagat kRtsnam ekato vA janArdanaH |

sArato jagataH kRtsnAt atirikto janArdanaH ||

 

"Govinda is the true entity and He is the cause of creation,

destruction, as well as protection. If a person seeks refuge in Him,

he will never be in grief".

 

"Place the entire Universe in one pan of a balance, and bhagavAn

janArdana in another, and you will find that janArdana is superior to

the whole Universe because of His intrinsic greatness".

 

ANDAL refers to Him as "tattuvan" in naAcciyAr tirumozhi 5.6:

 

………………….iLam kuyilE!

en tattuvanai varak kUviRRiyAgil

talaiyallAl kaimmARu ilEnE. (nAcci. tiru.

5.6)

 

ANDAL is asking the bird to go and tell the Lord – the tattuvan,, of

her condition, and ask Him to come to her right away without delay.

She tells the bird she will forever be indebted to it if it can do

this help for her. tattuvan here refers to His being the sole reason

for her existence – the essence of her life.

 

Another pASuram in which nammAzhvAr describes bhagavAn being the

essence of everything that exists, is in tiruvAimozhi pASuram 6.9.7:

 

ulagil tiriyum karuma gatiyAi ulagamAi

ulagukkE Or uyirum AnAi …. (tiruvAi.

6.9.7)

 

"You are the karma-s; the worlds in which they are performed, the

Soul of all the beings".

 

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan refers us to the following from the gItA in

support of His being the tattvam behind everything:

 

yad-yad vibhUtimat sattvam SrImad-Urjitameva vA |

tat-tad-evAvagaccha tvam mama tejo'mSa sambhavaH ||

(gItA 10.41)

 

"Whatever being is possessed of power, or splendor, or energy, know

that as coming from a fragment of My power".

 

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives another view of the term `tattvam' –

that which leads to existence, and that which does not cease to exist

when the being that came into existence disappears, is the true

origin or source – the tattva. The other sources that disappear over

time, are not the true cause. He comments that `tat' is the word

form of Brahman that is the true cause of everything. tat-tvam is

the nature of this `tat', as has been explained in the first

paragraph.

 

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj refers us to the nArAyaNa Upanishad –

tattvam nArAyaNaH paraH – nArAyaNa is the Supreme Reality.

 

SrI Sa'nkara interprets the term `tattva' as synonymous

with `brahman' – "tattvam, amRtam, paramArthaH, satattvam iti ete

ekArtha vAcinaH | paramArtha sato brahmaNo vAcakaH SabdaH tattvam

| - "The words tattva, amRta, satya, pramArtha, and satattva are

synonyms, and mean the Supreme Brahman.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan