Vishnu Sahasranama Sloka 6

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Om Namo Narayanaya!

 

aprameyo hrisheekesah padmanaabho-a- maraprabhuh

visvakarmaa manustvashtaa sthavishthah sthaviro dhruvah.

 

Nama 46: Aprameyah – He, who cannot be defined and explained in

terms of any logical term of reference with other thing. A thing

that can be directly perceived (Pratyaksha) can be desired, certain

other things, which we may not directly perceive, but can be infer

(anumaama) them from data available. And there are yet things which

can be brought home to the listener by describing them in terms of

similar other objects (Upamaa). Since the infinite has

no `Properties'. It cannot be perceived, nor can It be " understood

through inference, nor even explained in terms of similar or

dissimilar things. " Hence the supreme Reality, Vishnu, is called as

Aprameyah. We can experience him only by ending all sense of

separateness and becoming one with Him.

Sri Bhattar goes on to point out that BhagavAn is aprameya because

He is beyond the sense organs of even Brahma and other gods.

 

Nama 47: Hrisheekesah –In the Puranic literature the meaning of the

term is `close-cropped' or `One who has coiled up his locks of hair'

(Hrissheeka+Eesa). The term `Hrisheeka' is an absolute one now, and

it means the " sense organs " . The Aatman, the self as Consciousness

is the one who gives light to all sense organs and, therefore, it is

the lord of all sense organs. This lord is Vishnu.

The obsolete word Hrisheeka also means the `rays' or that which

gives the joy'. Thus the term Hrisheekas can mean " the Lord of the

rays " : the sun and moon. This way interpreted, Hrisheekesah means He

who has Himself becomes the Sun and the Moon.

In His manifestation as the Sun and the Moon, the Lord Himself whips

the world to wakeful activities and sends the world to sleep and

rest. Thus Hrisheekesa in its deeper significance is, to all

contemplative hearts, the Lord, who becomes Himself the world,

exhausts Himself in His activities, and ultimately packs His toys

and goes to rest at the time of dissolution.

Sri Sankara gives the following support from MahAbhArata, Moksha

dharma, SAnti parva for the second interpretation:

" sUrya candramasoh SaSa vadamSubhi: keSa samjnitaih |

bodhayan svApayanScaiva jagadutthisThAte prthak ||

bodhanAt svApanAccaiva jagato harshaNam bhavet ||

agnIshoma krtairebhih karmabhih pANdunandana |

hrIkeSo'hamIsAno varado lokabhAvana: ||

" The sun and the moon through their kesa or rays always uphold the

world by awakening it and causing it to sleep. By such awakening and

sleeping, the world is delighted. It is in consequence of this act

of fire (Sun) and Soma who uphold the universe that I have come to

be known as HrshIkeSa... " .

 

Nama 48: Padmanaabhah – One from whose navel springs the Lotus,

which is the seat of the four-faced Creator, Brahmaa. Lotus in

Hinduism represents the set of either Truth or any of Its manifested

powers. The creative faculties in man flow from the navel area

(center), and manifests as the `four-faced' inner equipment

(Antahkarana) constituted of the mind, intellect, Chit and ego.

In the Yoga-sastras, we find a lot of details regarding this

concept. According to them every " idea " springs from Him (Paraa),

and then at the navel area, each of them comes to be `perceived'

(Pasyantee). Thereafter they play in the bosom as thoughts

(Madhayamaa), and at last they are expressed (Vaikharee) in the

outer fields-of –activity. In this discussion-upon the evolutionary

stages through which every " idea " becomes an " action " – we gather a

clearer insight into the meaning of the symbolism of " the Creator

seated on the lotus " , which springs forth from the navel of the

Lord, the Supreme Vishnu.

One from whose navel the lotus (the cause of the Universe) emanates.

Sarva jagat kAraNam padmam nAbhau yasya sa padmanAbhah -

Sri Bhattar points out that this name substantiates or summaries all

that has been said through the previous nAmas about BhagavAn being

the creator or cause of Brahma (e.g., dhAtA, vidhAtA, dhaturuttamah).

Sri RadhAkrshNa Sastri gives a beautiful and simple explanation to

enable the appreciation of this nAma. In our normal life, the child

before and at birth is connected to the mother through the navel

chord, and gets its nourishment from the mother through this chord.

Similar is the chord from the Lord's navel, which is nothing but the

Universe in its prakrti form, and which looks like a lotus which has

not expanded. This is prior to its expansion through Time, and He is

the nourisher of this creation of His.

 

Nama 49: Amaraprabhuh -The Lord of the Immortals, the Devas. The

Denizens of the Heavens, including all the office bearers therein

(Dikpaalakas etc.) along with Indra, are called `Devas', and they

enjoy in their heavenly state a relative immortality. They live and

continue functioning till the great dissolution-the Sleep of the

Creator. Compared with the short span of the existence of man on

this globe, the aeons through which the Devas live can be considered

as end- less or immortal. One who serves them with His might, giving

protection and security to all creatures, is called, therefore,

Amaraprabhuh.

AmarANAm prabhuh amaraprabhuh.

Sri Bhattar quotes the following words ascribed to Brahma in Uttara

kANda in RAmAyaNa -

" mahArNave SayAnau'psu mAm tvam pUrvam ajIjana: |

prAhApatyam tvayA karma sarvam mayi niveSitam || (104-4)

" You were lying on the waters of the great ocean and you first of

all created me. The entire duty of the PrajApati (the rulership of

the beings) was entrusted to me by you " .

Also, the following from MahAbhArata is given -

" etau dvau vibudha SreshThau prasAda-krodhajau smrtau |

tadAdarSita panthAnau srshTi samhAra kArakau ||(169-19)

" These two great gods (Brahma and Rudra) are said to have emerged

from the sweet temper and wrath of BhagavAn respectively. They carry

out the duty of creation and destruction in the way shown by Him " .

 

Nama 50: Visvakarmaa -The very creator-of the world-of-objects, of

all equipments-of-experiences, and of all experiences in all bosom-

is called the Visva-Karmaa. Herein the Infinite Lord is but a

Witness of all that is happening and though the experienced world is

sustained in Him, He is not involved in the imperfections or

mortality, that are happening all around at all times in the

Visvam. " They are in Me, I am not in them " -Geeta.

viSvam karma jagad-vyApArah yasya sa viSva karmA. Sri Bhattar points

out that this name signifies that all the entire work with regard to

the affairs of the Universe are His alone either before or after the

creation of Brahma. In other words, He is the director and

controller.

Among the many passages in the sruti that support the interpretation

are:

" so'kAmayatabahu syAm prajAyeya iti -

He willed, I shall become many, I shall take birth " - taittirIya

AraNyaka - 6.

" so'bidhyAya SarIrAt svAt sisrkshu: vividhAh prajA: -

Brahman willed to create different kinds of beings out of Its body

and so It did " -

 

Nama 51: Manuh -The term means One who has the ability to reflect

upon the Higher (Mananaseelah Manuh). Manu also means mantra and so,

as applied to the Lord, it can mean as the One who has manifested

Himself in the form of the Vedic mantras.

The Great Thinker: MananAt manuh -

In the BrhadAraNya upanishad, we have

" nAnyo'to'sto mantA -

There is no thinker but Him " - (B.U. 3.7.23)

To mentally conceive an act prior to the act itself is mananam.

BhagavAn has to but think and not do anything else in order to

achieve what He wills. The creation of the cosmos was only a minute

part of His will. Sri Bhattar uses the word sankalpa lava mAtrAt -

by the mere fraction (lava mAtrAt) of His will, to explain this

 

Nama 52: Tvashtaa -One who makes gross things of huge dimensions

into minute particles. At the time of the world's dissolution, the

entire gross-world folds back into its subtler elements until at

last pure objectless space alone comes to remain.

Sri Sankara interprets this name as indicating that BhagavAn pares

down all the beings or makes them shrink at the time of cosmic

dissolution or pralaya.

This name is dervied from the root tvaksh - to pare, to reduce, to

chisel. Sri Bhattar uses this meaning to interpret this nAma to mean

that BhagavAn has " chiseled " so many diverse forms and names of

gods, man, birds, plants, insects, etc., and thus He is tvashTA.

 

Nama 53: Sthavishthah -The subtlest Reality. The contradiction that

it contains is itself its vigour and beauty. The Infinite as the

subtlest is All-Pervading in Its own nature. It is this Maha- Vishnu

who has Himself become the entire universe of gross things and

beings. Just as all waves are the ocean, the total world of gross

things is itself the form of Vishnu.

According to Sri Bhattar, the name is derived from the two words

sthUla and ishTha - One who willed to be huge. He points out that

this huge size is the manifestation of BhagavAn as the brahmANda

(the egg-shaped universe) with the fourteen worlds, which are the

places of residences for all the beings that He has created, as well

as its sheath, and the sense-organs of all the beings, as well as

the sound, touch, and other qualities that are the objects of these

sense-organs, as well as their effects.

 

Nama 54: Sthavirah

One who has always existed, Older than the oldest.

The name is derived from the root stha - tishThati - to stand. This

nAma signifies that BhagavAn is not constrained by Time. All His

creation goes through the cycle of creation and pralaya, and He uses

Time for His creation and dissolution, but He is not constrained by

it. Thus He is older than the oldest.

 

Nama 55: dhruvah

One who is unaffected by Time, Unchanging, Permanent.

The word is derived from the root dhr - to carry, maintain,

preserve, to be eternal, immovable - (sthiratvAt dhruvah). The

previous nAma indicated that BhagavAn is the oldest of the oldest.

This nAma signifies that He is unchanging while Time keeps moving.

Since, because both the nAmas sthavira and dhruva refer to the

quality of BhagavAn being beyond the influence, effect, or control

of Time, Sri Sankara has chosen to interpret the two words as one

nAma - sthaviro dhruvah - One who is unchanging and older than the

oldest.

Sthaviro Dhruvah -The Ancient (Sthavirah) and the Motionless or firm

(Dhruvah). He is called the `Ancient' because the very first `unit

of time' itself had risen from Him. He was the progenitor of the

very concept of Time in us. Therefore, `Time' cannot condition Him.

Thus He becomes the most Ancient. He is the `Firm Truth'; nothing

that happens in the phenomenal world can affect Him at any time.

 

Krishnarpanamastu!