SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - phala Sruti - Part 4.

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SrImate SrI ra'nga rAmAnuja mahA deSikAya namaH.

SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - phala Sruti - Part 4.

 

dyauH sa-candrArka nakshatrA kham diSo bhUh mahodadhiH |

vAsudevasya vIryeNa vidhRtAni mahAtmanaH || (14)

 

" The firmament, along with the moon, the Sun, the stars, the sky, the

directions, Earth, the great sea – are all supported by the valor of

vAsudeva, the Supreme Lord " .

 

Untold benefits have been mentioned in previous Sloka-s, including

moksham, for those who chant the stotram with devotion etc. SrI

BhaTTar points out that there may be those who, because of their

misfortune, may indulge in illogical reasoning, and doubt the above

statements about the fruits. He stresses that this view is

incorrect, and there is nothing to doubt about the power and

greatness of bhagavAn vishNu, as described in the current Slokam and

the next few – na ayam phala artha vAdah Sa'nkyah nir-bhAgyaih ku-

tArkikaih bhagavat-prabhAvasya asambhAvya abhAvena ativAda apavAdayoh

asambhavAt iti abhipriyan, tasya tam prabhAvam Aha.

 

SrI Sa'nkara has made the comment with regard to the purpose of this

Sloka – `dyauh sa-candrArka nakshatrA' ityAdinA stutyasya vAsudevasya

mahAtmya kathanena uktAnAm phalAnAm prApti vacanam yathArtha kathanam

na artha vAda iti darSayati – By the verse `dyauH' etc., it is

indicated that the effects of reciting this hymn as laid down, are

literally true and not merely glorifying utterance or hyperbole.

 

Note that both SrI Sa,nkara and SrI bhaTTar make similar comments for

this Slokam – rejecting the positions of non-believers.

 

A matter of grammatical interest is made here by SrI bhaTTar –

vidhRtAni nAnAli'ngAnAm " napumsakam a-napumsakena ekavat ca asya

anyatarasyAm " (ashTAdhyAyI 1.2.69) - Words in different gender

(firmament, moon, Sun, etc) occur in the Sloka. VidhRtAni is a word

in neuter gender that qualifies the words in different genders. The

grammatical rule stated says that the participle form of a neuter

verb is put in the neuter gender when one verb qualifies several

words in different genders, one of which is in neuter gender.

 

Having thus stated that everything functions by the power of

bhagavAn, next it is stated that He is also their Controller.

 

sa-surAsura gandharvam sa-yakshoraga rAkshasam |

jagad-vaSe vartatedam kRshNasya sa-carAcaram || (15)

 

" This world along with all the sentient and non-sentient objects,

with gods, asura-s, gandharva-s, as well as yaksha-s, serpents, and

rAkshasa-s, is under the control of SrI kRshNa " .

 

SrI bhaTTar notes that the joining of the words vartata and idam into

the compound word `vatatedam' is Arsha prayogam (ancient usage);

according to strict grammatical rule, the pATham should be `vartata

idam', alternatively, the pATham could be `avartata idam',

meaning `this was'.

 

SrI Sa'nkara does not provide a vyAkhyAnam for this Slokam

separately.

 

indriyANi mano buddhih sattvam tejo balam dhRtiH }

vAsudevAytmakAni AhuH kshetram kshetraj~na eva ca ||

(16)

 

" The sense-organs, mind, intellect, the quality of sttva, power

strength, firmness, as well as the body and the individual soul – all

of them have vAsudeva as their AtmA or Inner Soul. So it is stated

(by the SAstra-s) " .

 

vAsudevasya AtmakAni – all of them are His bodies. SrI BhaTTar

comments that this state of all things being under the control of

vAsudeva is particularized as the body-soul relationship between all

objects and bhagavAn in this Sloka. This relationship between the

individual soul and the Supreme Soul as one of body-soul relationship

is a key aspect of the viSishTAdvaita siddhAnta.

 

SrI bhaTTar comments that in this Slokam, it is pointed out that all

the tattva-s (Realities) are under the control of bhagavAn, as

declared by the SAstra-s, which are themselves under the control of

bhagavAn. In the next Slokam, it is pointed out that all the SAstra-

s that declare the injunctions for the practice of rites etc.,

including AcAra that forms the basis of all rites, are also under His

control. In other words, tattva SAstra-s as well as anushThAna

SAstra-s are under His control.

 

sarvAgamAnAm AcArah prathamam parikalpyate |

AcAra prabhavo dharmo dharmasya prabhur-acyutah || (17)

 

" Right conduct is the foremost discipline to be observed by all the

scriptures. Right conduct leads to a life of dharma, and bhagavAn

acyuta is the Deity for all dharma-s " (and hence He is the Deity to

be propitiated).

 

This Slokam emphasizes that purity of the body as well as conduct is

the most important of all observances as specified by all the SAstra-

s, and that acyuta is the Deity who is to be worshipped through this

dharma and who will assist in this conduct.

 

SrI bhaTTar has used the pATham `parikalpitah' in his vyAkhyAnam.

Another version found in other published books is `parikalpate'.

SrI bhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is: " sarva AgamAnAm – sarva dharma

pramANAnAm, prathamam parikalpitah – prathama pratipAdya dharmah,

AcArah – SaucAdi | tad-a'ngam Srauto dharmah iti | tasya ArAdhyah,

phaladah, sahAyaSca acyutah iti | " .

 

sarva AgamAnAm - Of all the SAstra-s that form the authority for

dharma, righteous conduct, AcArah – purity of body etc., prathamam

parikalpitah – is the first dharma that is taught (i.e., it is the

most important). SrI v.v. rAmAnujan translates AcAra

as `anushThAnam' – observances or practices. AcAra prabhavo dharmah –

All the other dharma-s arise from AcAram as their base. dharmasya

prabhuh acyutah - bhagavAn acyuta is the Lord of all dharma-s, (and

hence the Deity to be propitiated by this dharma). SrI bhaTTar's

words are that He is the One to be worshiped through this dharma, He

is the One who gives the benefits resulting from the worship, and He

is the One who aids in this worship.

 

SrI Sa,nkara's commentary for this Slokam is: " sarvAgamAnAm AcArah

iti anena avAntara vAkyena sarva dharmANAm AcAravatah eva adhikAra

iti darSayati | " – By this extra statement in this verse, it is

indicated that only the one who has character can aspire to practice

any of the dharma-s " . SrI rAdhAkRsNa SAstri notes that dharma is

the set of rules that bhagavAn has dictated for the proper conduct of

the world, and He Himself follows dharma in the conduct of this world.

 

AcArah denotes purity of body as well as conduct.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

(To be continued)