Vishnu Sahasranamam Sloka 8

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Om Namo Narayanaya!

 

eesaanah praanadah praano jyeshthah sreshthah prajaapatih

hiranya-garbho bhoo-garbho maodharo madhu-soodanah.

Nama 64: Eesaanah – " The Controller of all the five Great Elements " .

When this term is used, Eesvara becomes the Administrator of His own

Law in the phenomenal world of plurality. The name signifies that it

is His innate nature to keep all things under control under all

circumstances. The name is derived from the root Is - to command, to

control, to rule, to possess.

Nama 65: Praanadah -One who gives (Dadaati) the Praanas to all. The

term Praanas used in philosophy indicated " all manifestations of

Life in a living body " . The Source of Life from which all dynamic

activities in the living organisms of the world flow out, meaning,

That from which all activities emerge out is Praanadah. Taittireeya

Upanishad (2- 7) exclaims: " Who could then live. who could breath "

if He be not every- where. "

prANAn dadAti iti prANa-dah

This gives the first example of how BhagavAn is the controller as

indicated in the previous nAma. Sri Bhattar indicates that the life-

giving function referred to here is the act of BhagavAn in giving

the strength to the nitya-sUris or ever-free Angels to visualize Him

always, enjoy Him and do service to Him.

Sri Sankara points out that in addition to the above interpretation,

the same name can be interpreted to mean that BhagavAn is also the

taker of the prANa - prANAn dyati iti - One who takes away the prANa

or vital airs at the time of death, or prANAn dIpayati iti - One who

purifies and brightens the vital airs.

Nama 66: Praanah -That which sustains is Praana and that which has

got Praana functioning in it is called a Praanee. prANiti iti

prANah. BhagavAn is PrANa because He sustains the PrANi. The term

can also mean that which gives Life-impulse even to the air; the

capacity to sustain life in the atmosphere flows from Him alone. In

the Kenopanishad we read the Supreme `Defined' as the " Praana of

Praanas " (Praanasya Praanah).

Nama 67: Jyeshthah -Older than all. The Infinite is That which was

even before the very concept of space (Aakaasa) came into existence.

The term is the superlative degree of the Aged. In short, the import

of this term is the same as the more familiar term used in our

sastras, the Ancient (Sanaatanah). Brahma is called vrddha-tara

since he is older than all other beings that he created as a result

of this function being entrusted in Him by BhagavAn; BhagavAn is

vrddha-tama because He created Brahma, and is thus older than

Brahma.

Nama 68: Sreshthah -The most Glorious One: Here again it is the

superlative degree of glorious, Sreyah. It is to be noted that the

sequence of the three names above, prANa, jyeshTHa and SreshTHa is

the same sequence that occurs in the chandogyopanishad - prANo vAva

jyeshThaSca SreshTHASca.

Nama 69: Prajaapatih -The Lord (Pati) of all living creatures

(Prajaah).The term Prajas means `Children'. Therefore Prajaapati

means the Great Father, to whom all beings in the living kingdom are

His own children. In this sense, the term connotes One, who, as the

Creator, creates all creatures.

Nama 70: Hiranyagarbhah -One who dwells in the womb (garbha) of the

world (Hiranya). The Upanishad declares: " All these are in-dwelt by

the Lord. " The " Golden Universe " is an idiom in Sanskrit

where `gold' means " objects of fulfilment and joy " . One who dwells

in them all is Hiranyagarbhah. The term can also mean as He who,

having become first the Creator, has come to he considered as the

womb of all objects.

Nama 71: Bhoogarbhah -One who is the very womb of the world (Bhooh)

The One from whom the world has emerged out. In the Cosmic Form of

the Lord, this world occupies an insignificant though sacred

portion, just as the foetus in the womb, constantly and lovingly

nurtured and nourished by the very Essence in the mother. Or, Bhooh

= the earth: the divine consort of Hari: Garbha = Protector.

Nama 72: Maadhavah -The Lord of Maayaa, Spouse of Mahaalakshmee. Or,

the term can signify the One who is ultimately experienced through a

diligent practice of " Madhu technique " : the very famous Madhu Vidyaa

of the Chandogya Upanishad. The term Maadhavah can also mean One who

is the Silent (Mauni); who is ever the Non-interfering Observer, the

Silent Witness of the physical, mental and intellectual activities

in the realm of change. To put it in one word, He is the One whom

the seeker experiences when he has stilled his mind which has been

purified by Yoga practices.

Sri Bhattar has given an elaborate explanation here.

a) The consort of MA or Lakshmi.

b) One who is attained through the madhu vidyA, or through mauna,

dhyAna, and yoga

c) The Lord of knowledge or the propounder of the knowledge of the

Supreme Being.

d) One who is born in the race of Madhu, a yAdhava

e) One for whom there is no Lord (i.e., One who is the Lord of

everyone)

f) A silent observer, a maunee,

The nAma mAdhava occurs three times in Sri VishNu sahasranAmam, and

different interpretations are offered in the three contexts.

a) MAyAh dhavah mAdhavah - One who is the Lord or consort of MA or

Lakshmi.

The concept here is that BhagavAn and SrI are eternally and

constantly associated with each other, and inseparable. As if to

emphasize this, Sri Bhattar gives the detailed explanation for the

qualities of MA or Lakshmi under this name, rather than dwell on the

nAma MAdhava.

In Brahma PurANa, we have

tat Saktih durjayA bhImA vishNu-Saktih iti smrtA |

sarvabhUta hrdabjasthA nAnArUpa dharA parA ||

prANAkhyA mantramAtA ca viSvasya jananI dhruvA ||

" Her power is invincible and awe-inspiring and She is considered the

power of VishNu Himself. She is the Supreme Being who lives in the

hearts of all beings of the universe and She is endowed with divine

forms. Her name is prANa or life. She is the Mother of all mantras,

and is the eternal Mother of the Universe " .

It continues on to say that She pervades the entire universe, moving

and non-moving - jagat carAcaram idam sarvam vyApya vyavasthitA.

In Sri Lakshmi sahasranAmam, She is called the Supreme Prakrti who

possesses the six qualities (shAdguNya)- jnAna, bala, aiSvarya,

vIrya, Sakti, tejas. She is the supreme, unique, and eternal Sakti

of BhagavAn. She is one with Him, and yet remains distinct like the

moon-light of the cool-rayed moon. She pervades the Universe and is

the very embodiment of all Saktis. She is endowed with all glory and

qualities, and is eternal. Her dharma is the same as that of

BhagavAn. She is the life-giving Sakti of all beings on earth.

The secret of the true nature of MA is thus summarized -

SraddhayA devo devatvam aSnute -

Madhava gets His Lordship because of His association with MA or

Lakshmi.

b) One who is attained through the madhu vidyA, involving mauna,

dhyAna, and yoga.

The support for this comes from the mahAbhArata -

madhuvidyAvabodhatvAt dhavatvAdvA Sriyo'niSam |

maunAd-dhyAnAcca yogAcca viddhi bhArata mAdhavam || (Udyog a parva

68.4)

Here, mA stands for mauna, dha stands for dhyAna, and va stands for

yoga. He is experienced by the seeker who has stilled his mind

through mauna, dhyAna, and yoga practices. Or, it can be said that

He is mAdhava because He is endowed with mauna, dhyAna, and yoga -

He silently observes the physical, mental, and intellectual

activities of all beings, and is ever the non-interfering Observer.

c) The Lord of knowledge.

In this interpretation, mA stands for knowledge, and dhava is Lord.

The support for this interpretation comes from HarivamSa -

mA vidyA ca hareh proktA tasyA ISo yato bhavAn |

tasmAd mAdhava nAmAsi dhavah svAmIti Sabditah || (HarivamSa 3.88.49)

" O Hari! You are the Lord (dhava) of mA (knowledge); hence you are

named Madhava, the Master of mA " .

d) madhukule jAtatvAt mAdhavah - One who is born in the race of

Madhu, a yAdava.

e) mA dhavah yasya sa mAdhavah - One for whom there is no other

Lord.

f) One who is the Silent Observer - this is discussed under item b)

above.

Nama 72: Madhusoodanah -One who destroyed the great demon Madhu.

The story of Vishnu destroying these two demons, Madhu and Kaitabha,

is a story of secret suggestions in Mahabharata. Madhu also means in

Veda (Madhu=honey) as the fruits of actions (Karma-phala). Actions

leave impressions and these sensuous Vaasanaas are destroyed by

meditations on the Reality and so the Supreme gathers to Itself the

name Madhusoodanah: " the Destroyer of Vaasanaas. "

 

Krishnarpanam astu!