STANZA 17 VISHNU SAHASRANAMAM

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STANZA-17 Vishnu Sahasranamam

 

upendra vamanah pramsur

amoghah sucirnarjitaj

atindrah samgrahah sargo

dhrtama niyamo yamah

 

Word Meanings:

 

(Upendrah) = the younger brother of lndra

(Vamanah) = the dwarf

(Pra msuh) = the stalwart

(Amoghah) = one who does nothing in vain

(Suchih) = the clean one

(Urjitah) = gathered of strength

(Atindrah) = one who has surpassed lndra

(Sangrahah) = the one with a good grasp

(Sargaha) = the cyclic order of creation

(Dhritatma) = one who upholds the soul

(Niyamah) = the well-regulated one

(Yamah) = the one with good discipline and self-control.

 

 

Invoke the Lord as the brother Indra; as the dwarf and the stalwart.

Nothing is in vain with him. He is pure and clean and strong. He

surpasses Indra and the one with a good grasp. As a form of creation,

he holds the soul by virtue of himself He is the  very embodiment of

regulation and discipline and selfcontrol.

 

Explanation:

 

1, 2, 3. The Lord is born to Aditi and hence he is the younger brother

 of Indra when the Lord came down as Vamana, the dwarf.When the

emperor Bali became powerful in the three worlds as a result of his

all-sacrificing nature, Indra was defeated by him. Aditi, the mother

of Indra offered prayers to the Lord in great devotion and begot him

as her own son Vamana. Vamana approached Bali in the incarnation of a Dwarf

Brahmachari and requested Bali to offer him three square feet in area. Bali

accepted. Vamana expanded into all the worlds of creation by virtue of his

prevasion. He measured the earth ( matter) by one foot, the heaven [space] by

another foot and demanded Bali for the third foot of space. Bali realised the

Dwarf as the Lord of pervasion. With great devotion, he prayed the Lord and

requested Him to measure the third foot upon his own head. Then the Lord placed

his foot on the held of Bali, pushed him down into the abyss of the nether world

and restored Indra to his throne. He gave Indra the kingdom heaven which will be

lost again and again. He gave Bali the kingdom of devotion to the Lord which is

eternal. Thus he satisfied the one with a foolish material desire and the other

with a pious spiritual desire. When the Lord expanded as the whole universe

through his pervasion, He is

admired as the stalwart of the whole universe by  the Devas and Rishis.

 

4 . Allthe activity of creation tends to ,the realisation of the soul

and its liberation. Hence every incident is created by Lord meaningful and

significant so that nothing occurs in vain.

 

5 . A s the spirit of every clean and unclean the Lord remains above

matter,life,and mind.Hence He is always clean and untouched by

anythind that is not clean.

 

6 . In every living beings,there is a hope for sonething better which

gathers the strength of mind;an auto healing capacity in the vital

force which gather life; a metabolic activity which grows by taking in food .

All these activities are the manifestations of the Lord and

hence,He goes on gathering in the strength in all the living beings of

the world

 

7 . Since Indra is the ruler of devas and their abode both of whioch

are mutable and since the  Lord is the back ground of all. He always

surpasses Indra by qualityy and quantity

 

8. The capacity of grasp good things work hidden in every living

being.It guides him through birth and rebirth unto liberation.It is

one of the forms of the Lord and hence,He is the one with  a good

grasp.

 

9 . The body,life,mind and senses exist to us only to uphold the soul

and work as its layers of abode.All these layers are lived by the

presence of the Lord and hence,He upholds the souls.

 

10 . By his lower nature, man is not disciplined.By his higher

nature,he likes to grow disciplined,begins to practice discipline and

become perfect in couse of time .All this is the path of grace of the

Lord and hence, the Lord is the very embodiment of the disciplined

 

COURTESY   MASTER  E.K

 

Regards

Bharathi.a