SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 105 - nAma 981. yaj~nAnta-kRt.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 105 - nAma 981. yaj~nAnta-kRt.

 

981. yaj~nAnta-kRt – He Who produces the fruit of the sacrifices.

 

om yaj~nAnta-kRte namaH.

 

yaj~nasya antam = samAptim phalam vA karoti iti yaj~nAnta-kRt – He

Who brings about the successful conclusion of the yaj~na, or He Who

gives the fruits of the yaj~na. Thus, there are two approaches to

the interpretation of the nAma – One Who helps in the successful

conclusion of the yaj~na, or One Who gives the fruits of the yaj~na

at the conclusion of the yaj~na. Some interpreters have chosen both

the explanations, and others have chosen one of the two.

 

It should be remembered that yaj~na is a karma, and its goal is to

attain the true knowledge of bhagavAn, when it is performed without

material goals in mind. Sri BhaTTar's interpretation is that

bhagavAn is called yaj~nAnta-kRt since He makes the attainment of

true knowledge about Him as the end and the goal of all sacrifices –

yaj~na paryavasAnam sva-tattva j~nAnam karoti iti yaj~nAnta-kRt. (It

is well to remember here that in vedic parlance, `true knowledge'

about something means the conduct of one's life according to that

knowledge, and not the mere knowledge only). SrI BhaTTar quotes the

gItA in support of this concept:

 

SreyAn dravya mayAt yaj~nAt j~nAna yaj~naH parantapa |

sarvam karma akhilam pArtha j~nAne parisamApyate ||

(gItA 4.33)

 

" Of the two aspects of karma yoga – knowledge and material aspects,

the component of knowledge is superior to the component of material

sacrifices. O arjuna, all actions and everything else culminate in

knowledge " .

 

SrI vELukkuDi kRshNan refers us to the Sruti vAkyam – " tamevam vidvAn

amRta iha bhavati | nAnyaH panthA ayanAya vidyate " – He Who realizes

that great Brahman attains the moksha Ananadam; there is no other

path to attain moksha. In other words, it is the knowledge about Him

that ultimately leads to moksha according to this Sruti vAkyam.

BhagavAn gives this knowledge as a result of the karma of yaj~nam,

and so He is called yaj~nAnta-kRt.

 

SrI Sa'nkara gives both the interpretations mentioned in the

introduction to the nAma: a) He Who gives the fruits of the yaj~na

at the conclusion of the yaj~na – yaj~nasya antam phala prAptim

kurvan yaj~nAnta-kRt; b) He Who brings about the successful

conclusion of the yaj~na with the chanting of the vaishNavI Rk or the

pUrNAhuti mantra as the final oblation – vaishNavI Rk-Samsanena

pUrNAhutyA vA yaj~na samAptim karoti iti yaj~nanta-kRt. The idea

that even when there are deficiencies during the performance of the

yaj~na, bhagavAn makes the yaj~na complete and successful with the

final offering of the last Ahuti dedicated to Him with pure thoughts,

has been explained earlier in nAma 976 – yaj~na-bhRt. SrI rAdhA

kRshNa SAstri quotes the following Sloka in support:

 

yasya smRtyA ca nAmoktyA tapo yA Su-kriyAdishu |

nyUnam sampUrNatAm yAti satyo vande tam acyutam ||

 

" Our prostrations to acyuta Who brings to successful completion any

good act, by the very thought of Him or the mention of His nAma " .

 

SrI cinmayAnanda's explanation for the nAma is: " One Who performs

the last, concluding act in all yaj~na-s " . He follows the lead of

SrI Sa'nkara in interpreting the nAma as a reference to the final act

of pUrNAhuti offering to the Lord, and notes that " when total

surrender of all vehicles and their actions is accomplished (in the

form of pUrNAhuti offering), the transcendental experience of the

Self, nArAyaNa alone, comes to manifest in all His divine Splendor " .

 

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj notes that the nAma signifies that

bhagavAn blesses the conclusion of the yaj~na by His very auspicious

appearance, out of His sheer Mercy – yaj~nAnAm anto ramaNIyo bhagavad-

AvirbhAvavelA | tamapi kRpayA karoti it yaj~nAnta-kRt | He gives

support from SrImad bhAgavatam:

 

yatra yaj~na-patiH sAkshAt bhagavAn harir_ISvaraH |

anvabhUyata sarvAtmA sarva-loka-guruH prabhuH || (4.19.3)

 

" The Supreme Deity, Lord vishNu, Who has everything and everyone as

His body, and Who is the Lord and Master of all, was offered

worship " . (The subsequent Sloka-s, e.g. 4.19.6) describe bhagavAn's

actual appearance at the yaj~na, accompanied by the siddhas, kapila,

nArada, datta, etc.).

 

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha notes that the nAma signifies that bhagavAn

brings about the successful conclusion of the yaj~na by removing all

the obstacles, and also gives the fruits of the yaj~na to the kartA –

vighnAn vihRtya yo yaj~nam samApayati, sampAditasya tasya yaj~nasya

yo antam = phalam ca dadAti sa yaj~nAnta-kRt abhidIyate.

 

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN chooses the meaning that bhagavAn decides

the final fruit of the yaj~na – yaj~nasya antam phala niScayam karoti

iti yaj~nAnta-kRt.

 

In an alternative interpretation, SrI satya sandha tIrtha uses the

root kR – himsAyAm – to hurt, to kill, and explains the nAma as " One

Who destroys or kills the likes of subAhu and mArIci, who tried to

put a premature end to the ya~na by viSvAmitra in the rAma

incarnation – yaj~nasya anto nASo yebhyaH te yaj~nAntAH subAhu

mAricAdayaH, tAn kRNoti it vA yan~nAnta-kRt.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

 

(To be continued)