SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Sokam 107. nAma-s 994, 995 - nandakI, cakrI.

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SrImate SrI ra'nga rAmAnuja mahA deSikAya namaH.

 

SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 107.

nAma-s 994, 995. nandakI, cakrI.

 

994. nandakI – He Who has nandakI, the sword.

 

om nandakine namaH.

 

The root for the nAma is nand – samRddhau – to be pleased, to

thrive. Both SrI BhaTTar and SrI vAsishTha refer to the pANini sUtra

3.1.150 – Asishi ca, whereby the affix vun is added to the verb when

benediction is intended. This leads to the word nandakaH, with the

meaning `may he be happy'. nandakI then refers to One Who is

inseparably associated with the sword that is prayed for with the

prayer: "May He keep me happy"m j. SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma

as a reference to the divine sword that the Lord possesses, to whom

the Lord makes the prayer to give Him joy in His victories.

 

SrI vAsishTha on the other hand interprets the nAma as "One Who has

beings for whom He wishes happiness always, and whom He can bless

as "may he be happy always" – ASamsanArham priyam vastu nityam asya

asti iti `nandakI'. Thus, he does not even refer to the divine

weapon in his interpretation.

 

Sri Sa'nkara explains the nAma as One Who carries the sword called

nandaka, representing knowledge –"vidyA-mayo nadakAkhyaH asiH asya

asti iti nadakI". This follows the description of the divine

weapons given in SrI vishNu purANam that we discussed in the previous

nAma. SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the same interpretation –

vi~jnAnAtmako nandako asiH asya asti iti nandakI.

 

SrI cinmayAnanda gives the following explanation: "The Lord's sword

is called nandaka. Therefore, this term indicates One Who holds and

wields the nandaka sword. The word nanda-kam means "that which

brings bliss". The SAstra-s sing that this divine sword in the

sacred hands of Lord Hari represents the Knowledge-Spiritual (vidyA-

tattva) with which a seeker can destroy his ignorance of the Self in

him".

 

995. cakrI – He Who has the cakra, the Discus.

 

om cakriNe namaH.

 

We have studied this nAma earlier in Sloka 97 (nAma 908). Please

refer to that write-up as well.

 

Cakra refers to the Discus, and He Who has the Discus as one of His

weapons is cakrI. The cakra in bhagavAn's hand is called the

sudraSana cakra. As noted earlier, it serves as the adornment for

bhagavAn, as well as a weapon against the enemies of His devotees.

SrI BhaTTar notes that the carkra in His hands is always smeared with

the blood of the rAkshasa-s who are the sworn enemies of the gods who

are His devotees. It is also adorned by the flames of fire that are

shooting out of it. periAzhvAr refers to Him as taDavarai tOL

cakkarapANi (periAzh. 5.4.4) – "One with the broad shoulders bearing

the cakra (and the SAr'nga bow)".

 

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha takes a more generic meaning for the term

cakra as something going round and round or happening again and again

in circles, and gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has the nAma

cakrI because He has established this world with events that happen

again and again in circles – such as the appearance of the sun, the

moon, the planets, etc.

 

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives references to SrImad bhAgavatam and

SrI vishNu purANam:

- sudarSanam cakram asahya tejaH – "The sudrSana cakra with

tejas that cannot be confronted" – SrImad bhAga. 8.20.30.

- namaste cakra hastAya (SrI VishNu purA. 5.30.22)

 

SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as "One Who carries the Discus

called sudarSana. sudarSana means "that which gives the auspicious

vision. The SAstra-s attribute to this Discus-Divine the

representation of the human mind".

 

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN captures the thought as: "tejas-tattvam

sudarSana cakram asya asti iti cakrI" – He Who bears the sudarSana

cakra that represents the tattva of tejas.

 

SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan's anubhavam is that bhIshma has

introduced `nandakI' between Sa'nkha and cakra just so bhagavAn's

beauty with Sa'nkha and cakra does not get the dosham of dRshTi from

those who are not His devotees.

 

Other names for cakra noted by SrI kRshNan are: hetirAjan,

rathA'nga, and sudarSana. rathA'ngapANi is the nAma we will discuss

after a couple of nAma-s.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

(To be continued)