Vishnu Sahasranama Sloka 7

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Om Namo Narayanaya!

 

agraahyah saasvatah krishno lohitaakshah pratardanah

prabhootah trikakub-dhaama pavitram mangalam param.

Nama 55: Agraahyah -That which cannot be perceived through the play

of the sense organs; in short, that which is not an `object' of

perception, but which is the very `subject'-who is the Perceiver in

all that is perceived. The `subject' can never become the `object',

and hence Truth is something that the sense organs cannot apprehend,

as they do any other sense-objects. He is the one `subject' ever-

perceiving all objects, through all sense-organs of all living

creatures, everywhere, at all times. The Lord is the `subject', not

only in the sense organs, but He is the " feeler " in the mind and

the " thinker " in the intellect.

And thus the sense organs cannot perceive It, nor the mind feel It,

nor the intellect apprehend It; says the Upanishad, " That from which

words retire unapproached along with the mind " is the Supreme. Hence

He is Agraahya-Imperceptible and Incomprehensible. Kenopanishad is

very clear and emphatic: " That which the eyes cannot perceive, but

because of which eyes are perceiving, understand That to be Brahman

(Maha Vishnu) and not that which you here worship. "

Sri Sankara's interpretation is karmendriayih na grhyata iti

agrAhyah - One who cannot be grasped by the organs of action. He

gives the following reference to taittirIya upanishad - yato vAco

nivartante, aprApya manasA saha - He cannot be described through

speech, and cannot be reached by mind.

The interpretation for this nAma by Sri Bhattar is that BhagavAn

cannot be physically grasped, controlled, or acted upon by anyone or

anything, and is thus beyond grasp. He gives the following reference

to the sruti:

nainam Urdhvam na tiryancam na madhye parijagrabhat -

One could grasp Him neither in the vertical dimension, nor in the

horizontal dimension, nor in the third dimension, or for that

matter, any other dimension.

Nama 56: Saasvatah -That which remains at all times the same is the

Permanent, That which is permanent, should remain Changeless in all

the three periods of time. In short, He is unconditioned by time.

The Supreme Consciousness Itself is the very Illumminator of Time,

and the Illuminator can never be affected by what It illumines. This

changeless reality is Vishnu.

Sri Bhattar points out that the fact that BhagavAn is SASvata is

evident from the eternal flow of action pertaining to the world

(i.e., creation etc.). Sri Chinmaya points out that for something to

be permanent, it has to be changeless with time and BhagavAn is the

controller of time, and is not controlled or affected by time, and

so is Eternal and permanent

Nama 57: Krishnah -The word Krishna means in Sanskrit `the dark'.

The Truth that is intellectually appreciated, but spiritually not

apprehended, is considered as `veiled behind some darkness'.

The root Krish means Existence (Sattaa) and na means Bliss

(Aananda).So says Vyasa in Mahabharata, Udyoga Parva 70, 5.

Therefore Krishna (Krish+na) means Existence- Bliss (Sattaa-

Aananda). Thus, the very name divine, `Krishna', represents the

Supreme Paramaatman. Or, because of His dark-blue complexion He is

called as Krishna. Mahabharata Santi Parva 343 says, " As My colour

is dark-blue, I am called Krishna, O Arjuna. "

In Mahabharata, we find Krishna explaining Himself to Arjuna `when

the earth becomes shelled in by its hard crux I shall turn myself

into an iron plough-share and shall plough the earth.

Apart from the above meaning Krishna also means the Enchanter of all

His devotees (Aakarshana). Truth is One which irresistibly attracts

everybody towards Itself. Commentators have interpreted this

significance in a more attractive context. They conclude that

Krishna means One who sweeps away the sins in the heart of those who

meditate upon Him.

Truth has got a magnetism to attract to Itself all the ego and ego-

centric passions of the individual. In this sense viewed, we need

not consider Krishna as a deity of the farmyard in the agricultural

estates. The Lord ploughs the hard stupidities in us and prepares

the heart-field, weeding out all the poisonous growths of sin, and

cultivates therein-pure Bliss which is of the nature of Reality.

Sri Bhattar explains Krishna as

a) One who is always in a state of Bliss (with His sport of creation

etc.).

b) One who has a dark-blue complexion.

The first interpretation is supported from the following verse in

MahAbhArata -

krshir-bhU-vAcakah Sabdo NaSca nirvrti vAcakah |

vishNus-tad bhAvayogAcca krshNo bhavati SASvatah || (MB Udyogaparva

5.68.5)

Approximately translated, this says: krishi means bhU, Na means

nirvrtti or happiness and bliss, and BhagavAn is called KrshNa

because He is the union of these two. Sri Sankara and Sri Bhattar

interpret the name slightly differently with this same starting

point. Sri Sankara interprets bhU to mean existence (bhU - bhav - to

be), and Sri Bhattar interprets bhU to mean a receptacle or ground

or container (e.g., bhUmi). So Sri Bhattar says that krshNa here

means the receptacle of extreme joy because of His constant sport of

creation etc. Sri Sankara interprets the name to mean that He is the

union of existence and bliss.

The second interpretation also has its support in the MahAbhArata -

krshAmi prthivIm pArtha bhUtvA kArshNAyaso halah |

krshNo varNaSca me yasmAt tasmAt krshNo'ham arjuna || SAnti parva

342.79

Sri Chinmaya points out that the inner meaning behind the " dark "

complexion is that BhagavAn is not easily recognized (i.e., He is

veiled behind some darkness) by those who aspire to reach Him except

through single-minded devotion.

The nAma krshNa can also be interpreted in terms of the

word " AkarshaNa " or magnetic attraction. He is krshNa because He

irresistibly attracts all His devotees. Or He sweeps away (like a

magnet drawing away the iron filings) the sins in the hearts of

those who meditate upon Him.

Nama 58: Lohitaakshah - One with eyes red like the beautiful lotus

flower.

Lohite akshiNi yasya sah lohitAkshah.

Very often we find descriptions in the Puranas, where the Lord is

explained as having eyes like the red-lotus (Hibiscus). Generally

the ruddy eyes represent anger and the incarnations are taken for

the purpose of destroying the evil and so His anger is towards the

evil-minded materialists who live ignoring the higher values of

life.

Sri Bhattar enjoys the beauty of this nAma by ascribing the redness

in the eye to the supreme joy that BhagavAn has. One can recall the

mantra " sa mA vrshabho lohitakshah sUryo vipaScit mansA punAtu " ,

which is chanted during sandhyavandanam. This is the second

reference so far to the beauty of BhagavAn's eyes (the earlier one

was pushkarAksha).

While Sri Bhattar explains the redness of the eye as resulting from

extreme joy, another explanation given is that the redness is a

result of BhagavAn's anger towards the evil-doers, for the

destruction of whom He takes the different avatAras - vinASAya ca

dushkrtAm.

Nama 59: Pratardanah - The root Tarda means " destruction " and with

the prefix Pro the root (Pra-tarda) means " supreme destruction " . One

who does this total destruction (Pratardanah) is the Lord in the

form of Rudra at the time of the great dissolution (Pralaya).

Sri Bhattar gives the following from kaThopanisahd - yasya brahma ca

kshtram ca ubhe bhavatah odanah - He who has for His food the

brahmins and the kshatriyas (i.e., all beings of the universe) at

the time of pralaya.

Nama 60: Prabhootah -The term means `born full' or `ever-full'. He

is ever-full and perfect in His Essential Nature, as the

Transcendental Reality, or even when He manifests in the form of His

various incarnations. Especially in His chief and glorious

incarnation as Lord Krishna, He proved Himself to be ever full with

His Omnipotency and Omnisciency.

One who is affluent, ever full, and well-endowed with wisdom,

greatness, and other qualities.

Nama 61: Trikakubdhaama -One who is the very foundation or support

(Dhaama) of the three quarters (Kakubh). We find this is generally

commented upon and described as " all quarters, in the three realms

above, below and middle. " Viewing this from the platform of Vedanta,

He must be considered by us as the three Planes-of -Consciousness-

the waking (Jaagrat), the dream (Svapna) and the deep-sleep

(Sushupti) conditions. The fourth Plane-of-Consciousness (Tureeya)

is indeed the Substratum for all the other three planes.

There are three words in this name - tri, kakub or kakut, and dhAma.

tri means three; kakub means the direction or quarter of a compass

(for example); kakut means the hump (such as the hump on the back of

a bull, or a peak or mountain); kakub and kakut also are

interchangeably used for either meaning. dhAma means abode or

residence, and also a ray of light or brilliance. Several

interpretations arise depending on the choice of the meanings.

We will start with dhAma meaning brilliance. Sri Bhattar indicates

that if this meaning is used, dhAma will have to be considered as a

separate nAma. The first part is then interpreted as tri-kakut,

which refers to the incarnation of BhagavAn as the varAha, the Boar

with three horns. This interpretation for tri-kakut is supported by

the following sloka from moksha dharma in the mahAbhArata -

tathaiva Asam tri-kakudo vArAham rUpam Asthitah |

trikakut tena vikhyAtah SarIrasya pramApaNAt || moksha dharma 343-63.

" Then I assumed the form of a Boar with three horns. So I became

known as 'tri-kakut'. With that form I killed the rAkshasa. "

Sri Bhattar gives the above only as an alternative interpretation,

but does not interpret the phrase tri-kakud-dhaAma as two separate

words as explained above. Sri Sankara also interprets tri-kakub-

dhAma as one nAma.

One interpretation Sri Bhattar gives for tri-kakud-dhAma is One who

has as His abode parama-pada, which is thrice as large as this

universe. An alternative interpretation given is that the three

parts refer to the three groupings of the six guNas (jnAna, bala,

aisvarya, vIrya, Sakti, tejas), and since He is the abode of these

three groups of guNas, He is tri-kakud-dhAma.

Sri Sankara gives the interpretation that He is the base or support

for the three regions of the entire space, the upper, the lower, and

the middle, and therefore He is tri-kakud-dhAma.

Sri Chinmaya gives the vedAntic interpretation that He is the base

or support for the three states of consciousness, viz., the jAgrat,

svapna, and sushupti, and this is why He is called tri-kakud-dhAma.

Nama 62: Pavitram –One who gives purity to the heart. To the seekers

who are meditating upon Him, He gives inner purity, and hence He is

known as Pavitram.

Or, the term Pavi means; the weapon vajra (thunderbolt). One who

saves his devotees from the thunderbolt of lndra is Pavitram. The

thunderbolt is described as an instrument ill cross bones-made out

of the bone of sage Dadheechi. Indra is the Lord of the lndriyas

(indriyANam rAjA indrah - the mind). In Vedanta Indra signifies the

mind. Mind's cross purposes, confusions, intellectual compromises

and the consequent self- cancellation of our mental powers (Sankalpa-

Vikalpa) can be the great thunderbolt of the mind with which Indra

(mind) can destroy in no time all the acquired tapas of the

saadhaka. Deep devotion, ardent meditation and firm faith in the

Lord Vishnu save the saadhaka from all such mental storms and,

therefore, the Lord acquires the significant name Pavitram

Nama 63: Param Mangalam -Mangalam is that which not only removes the

dark pains of evil, but brings the bright joys of merit. Param

Mangalam is Supreme Mangalam, and It can be none other than He, by

whose mere remembrance all inauspiciousness gets lifted up and all

Auspiciousness comes to flood our hearts The Upanishad

declares. " May That Brahman-who removes all inauspiciousness in man

and gives man all auspiciousness, by a mere remembrance of Him -give

us all auspiciousness.

The Embodiment of Supreme Auspiciousness

Sri Sankara quotes the following from VishNu PurANa -

aSubhAni nirAcashTe tanoti Subhasantatim |

smrti-mAtreNa yat pumsAm brahma tanmangalam viduh ||

" Brahman is known as beneficence because He wards off all evils and

brings on a series of benefits to men on being merely remembered by

them " .

param just emphasizes that He is the Supreme Beneficence. We may

recall the introductory sloka

" pavitrANAm pavitram yo mangalAnAm ca mangalam " by Bhishma;

these two names occur now sequentially here.

 

 

Krishnarpanastu!