Vishnu Sahasranamam Stanza 16

May 7, 2006

Om namo Narayanaya!!!!

bhraajishnur-bhojanam bhoktaa sahishnur- jagadaadijahanagho vijayo jetaa visvayonih punarvasuh.

141. Bhraajishnuh -Self-Effulgent Consciousness illumines everything; and it is not borrowing Its Light from any other source. "It is the Light of lights that illumines even darkness"-(Geeta Ch. 13, St.18). And the Upanishad is equally vehement and declares: "There the sun has no light nor the stars nor these lightnings; how little then can this fire! By its Light alone all these are illumined.

142. Bhojanam -The immediate meaning of the term is food, viz. eatables. Even though in nature one object becomes the means of sustenance of another object, He is the one who maintains this balance and sustains everything. The vedAntic interpretation for bhojanam is the collection of all objects of enjoyment by the sense-organs. He makes the objects of this world fit for enjoyment, and He also becomes the object of enjoyment Himself when His devotee overcomes the desire for the material objects of enjoyment and longs for Him. In philosophy it has a wider implication and the term "food" connotes the entire field-of-objects experienced or enjoyed by the sense-organs. The world-of-objects projected by the sense-organs, the inner psychological play and this world-of-matter constituting the field-of-plurality, all together is comprehended by the term Maayaa. Thus cathodox commentators reduce this term `Bhojanam' to the contents and functions of Maayaa. Taittireeya Upanishad (2-7) says: "He is indeed the Essence (Rasa)". Sri Sankara: Prakriti or Maya is called Bhojanam or what is enjoyed by the Lord. But as the Lord Himself is Prakriti, He is called Bhojanam or the object of enjoyment also.

143. Bhoktaa -The "Experiencer" Not only the world-of-objects is essentially nothing but the Spirit, Lord Vishnu, but even the very instruments-of -experiences and their ultimate joys and sorrows, are all illuminated for us by the Lord- of-Lakshmi. The Pure Self, expressing through the gross, the subtle and the causal bodies, becomes the waker, dreamer and deep-sleeper, experiencing all happenings, good and bad, as the individuality in that living person. Consciousness, Purusha, identifying with and functioning through matter (Prakriti), comes to experience the endless modifications that are born out of Prakriti. The Self in Its Infinite nature is actionless and yet in Maayaa seems to function and becomes the Enjoyer or Sufferer of the actions of matter. Or He is the bhoktA for all the sacrificial offerings irrespective of the deity to whom the offering is made -aham hi sarva ya~jnAnAm bhokta - gItA 9.14. Sri Sankara: As He, as Purusha, enjoys the Prakriti, he is called the enjoyer or Bhokta.

144. Sahishnuh -One who is capable of patiently suffering, in his perfect detachment, all that is happening around, is a sahishnuh. Whatever happens to the reflections of the Sun, the Sun in the cosmos is unaffected by them, and with reference to his reflections we can call him a Sahishnuh, the Sun is a mere "witness" of his own endless reflections. The term has also got two more meanings in Sanskrit as `Forgiver' or `Conqueror'. Vishnu is one who forgives us readily all our trespasses, and conquers for us all the inimical forces in our inner personality. sah means to suffer patiently. He is sahishNu because He suffers patiently, in His perfect detachment, all that is happening around. He is just a mere witness. He continues to support this world without ever getting impatient - nAkshastapyate bhUribhArah - Rgvedic manta.

sahate also means conquers, and Sri Sankara uses this meaning and interprets this nAma as meaning that bhagavAn is sahishNu because He conquers daitya-s such as hiraNyAksha.

In SrI Bhattar's vyAkhyAna, the vyuha forms are covered up to the above nAma. Starting with the next nAma, he interprets the guNa-s as reflecting those of the vibhava form of vishNu, the second of the trinities.

145. Jagadaadijah -One who was born (Jah) in the very beginning (aadi) of the world (jagat) is called Jagadaadijah. At the time of dissolution (Pralaya) when the entire gross and subtle bodies go to lie absorbed in the Total Causal-body, the world, in Pralaya, lies merged in Eesvara. Before the gross world-of-plurality emerges out there should be a condition of subtle manifestation of it in the form of thoughts. Thoughts constitute the mind-intellect; when the Infinite functions through this Total Mind-intellect, It is called as Hiranyagarba the womb of all objects, it is from the Hiranya garba-state, the manifestation of the gross world emerges out, when the lord comes to play as a Virat Aatmaa. Maha Vishnu is the one who was born before the world of gross bodies, therefore it is indicated here that he is the "Womb-of all- objects" in the world, the Hiranyagarba-the very creator. That vishNu was the first-born among the gods is supported by the following from mahAbhArata -

gatiSca nastvam pUrvajo jagatah prabhuh |rakshArtham sarva-bhUtAnAm vishNustvam upajagmivAn || (MB Udyoga 12.11)

"Thou art our refuge; Thou art the first-born amongst the gods. Thou art the Lord of the Universe. Thou didst assume the role of vishNu for the protection of all the worlds."

146. Anaghah -Agham means sin (Paapa), impurities (mala); and therefore, Anaghah means One who has no imperfections and who is not affected by the good and bad Vaasanaas left over in the personality as a result of the wilful actions. He is the Uncontaminated (Aliptah) .The Light of Consciousness is the Illuminator of the mind, and so the peace of virtue or the agitations of the sin cannot affect the Illuminator -the Illuminator being always different from the illuminated. Chandogya Upanishad (8-1-5) says: "Apahata papma - He is free from Sin".

147. Vijayah –"The Victorious". One who realizes the Self can thereafter stand apart from the thraldom of matter, Victorious over the tyrannies of the flesh, feelings or facts. Thus, the Seat of Self is the Seat of Victory over matter. The Peace and harmony of the Self can never be assailed by the noisy hordes of the world of plurality. Vijaya is the name also of Arjuna and the Lord Himself says, "Among the Pandavas, I am Arjuna" - Geeta Ch. 10, St. 37. SrI Bhattar points out that He is vijaya because He controls everything that happens in this world, including the creation and destruction, which are performed by Brahma and Rudra with His help and guidance - "tad_AdarSita panthAnau sRshti samhAra kArakau - Guided by Him in the right way, Brahma and Rudra carry out the task of creation and destruction (MB moksha 169.19). Sri Sankara: One who has mastery over the whole universe by the virtue of his six special excellences like omnipotence, omniscience, etc., known as Bhaga.

148. Jetaa –"Ever Successful". In all undertakings He alone wins; One who never knows any defeat or failure. Upanishad says: "Truth alone wins, never falsehood".

149. Visvayonih -It can be interpreted in two ways as (a) He who is the Cause of the universe or (b) He who has the world as His Cause. The former is clear to those who have so far followed the commentary, and to them the latter may be a very confusing statement. From the standpoint of the Puranas, it is logical. The Self has manifested as the various Incarnations from time to time because of the condition of the world, and therefore, Visvam is the cause for His manifestations.

150. Punarvasuh -One who comes to live again and again in various equipments of living organisms is Punarvasuh: He is the antarAtmA of all the other gods whom He creates for different functions, beginning with rudra and brahma. In moksha dharma in mahAbhArata we have indra saying to rudra -

tavAntarAtmA mama ca ye cAnye dehi-samjnitAh -He is the Inner Soul of yourself and myself as well as those who are called the Released Souls" - MB moksha 179.4.

It can also mean that He is punarvasu because He recreates the world with the sun, moon, etc., the same way all over again after each pralaya -

sUrya candramasau dhAtA yathA pUrvam akalpayat |divam ca pRthivIm cAnthariksham atho svah || Rg 10/190/3)

Krishnarpanamastu!!