Sri vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 104 - pra-pitAmahaH.

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Sri vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 104 - pra-pitAmahaH.

 

 

970. pra-pitA-mahaH – The Great-grandfather.

 

om prapitAmahAya namaH.

 

SrI vAsishTha starts the derivation of the nAma from the root pA –

rakshaNe – to protect. The word pitR (father) is derived by

application of the uNAdi sUtra 2.95. pitAmaha refers to father's

father (pANini 4.2.36). `pra' is added to pitAmaha in the sense

of `gone', or `previous' (pANini. 2.2.18), leading to the nAma `pra-

pitAmahaH' – Great grand-father – pitAmahInAmapi pitA pra-pitAmahaH.

 

The four-faced brahmA is called pitAmaha or grand-father because he

created the prajApati-s, the first beings, who then created all the

other prajA-s – all the other beings. amarakoSa vyAkhyAnam gives the

definition for pitAmaha as "agnishvAttAdi pitRRNAm pitA pitAmahaH

(the term agnishvAtta is given the meaning `tasted by the funeral

fire' by Monier-Williams; thus, the amarakOSa description refers to

brahmA as the father of all our forefathers who are dead and gone

from time immemorial). Since bhagavAn is the Father of this catur-

mukha brahmA, He is called "pitAmahasya pita or prapitAmahaH".

 

SrI satya sandha tIrtha explains the nAma as: "loka pitRRNAM

marIcyAdInAm pitA pitAmahaH catur-mukhaH, tasya pitRtvAt "pra-

pitAmahaH", which conveys the same idea as conveyed above.

 

In several places in tiruvAimozhi, nammAzhvAr refers to bhagavAn

being the Creator of catur-mukha brahmA first, and then entrusting

brahmA to be the creator of the rest of the beings such as the

prajApati-s etc. For instance, in tiruvAimozhi pASuram 1.5.3, AzhvAr

says:

 

mA yOnigaLAi naDai kaRRa vAnOr palarum munivarum

nI yOnigaLaip paDai enRu niRai nAnmuganaip

paDaittavan…. (1.5.3)

 

BhagavAn created brahmA, endowed him with adequate knowledge, and

assigned the function of subsequent creation to him so that he could

then create all the deva-s , Rshi-s etc, with their superior

knowledge and powers.

 

Sri Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is: "pitAmahasya brahmaNo'pi pitA iti pra-

pitAmahaH" – He is called prapitAmahaH because He is the Creator of

brahmA, who himself is known as the grandfather of all.

 

Just to give a feel for how some vyAkhyAna kartA-s look for hidden

meanings in their interpretations, the following is by SrI raghunAtha

tIrtha: prapIn tAmayati hanti ca iti prapi-tAma-haH – prapIn =

mithyA j~nAnAdi rUpa pApavataH asurAn tAmayati hanti ca iti prapi-

tAma-haH – He Who kills the sinful demons having false knowledge and

throws them in darkness.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan