SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - phala Sruti Conclusion.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - phala Sruti - Conclusion.

 

This posting formally concludes this project on SrI vishNu sahasra

nAma that adiyEn started on May 7, 1997. Little did aDiyEn expect at

that time that it would take close to 10 years to complete. Whatever

little adiyEn knows about our sampradAyam, is completely owed to this

effort over a period of 10 years. It was of immense benefit to me in

taking me a tiny bit closer to the life's ultimate goal. In our

sampradAyam, our AcAryan is our Lord in real life. Today is the

SatamAna utsavam (centenary celebration) of our great AcAryan SrImad

tirukuDanthai ANDavan, and aDiyEn is delighted to present this

concluding write-up with the sweet memories of the few moments in my

life when aDiyEn was blessed with his kaTAksham, and place this work

at the Lotus feet of asmad AcAryan SrI ra'nga rAmAnuja mahA deSikan.

===================================================================

 

imam stavam bhagavato vishNor-vyAsena kIrtitam |

paThed-ya-icchet purushah Sreyah prAptum sukhAni ca || (21)

 

" That person, who desires to obtain supreme bliss and the pleasures

of the world, should read this stotra of bhagavAn vishNu sung by the

great sage vyAsa " .

 

SrI bhaTTar's comment can be summarized thus: " This stotra sings the

praise of Lord vishNu, possessed of unlimited greatness. The one who

praises him through this stotra is none other than Sage veda vyAsa,

who has drunk this greatness in full, and who has no shortness of

words to describe that greatness. This gem of a Hymn has the

greatness of the One who is praised as well as the one who is

praising Him. This world that is filled with destitution, is

eminently qualified to benefit by the chanting of this Hymn, which is

capable of redeeming this world from its destitution. Thus,

everything is perfect about this hymn – the person who is sung, the

person who sings, and the beneficiary who is qualified to benefit by

singing His praise. Therefore, any person desirous of supreme Bliss

or material pleasures, whoever he may be, can resort to it " . Some

of the original words used by SrI bhaTTar in giving his summary above

are: `stava ratnam' to describe the vishNu sahasra nAma

stotram, `mahA dAridRyam idam jagat' to describe the deplorable state

of this world which is straying away from dharma, `nirviSa'nkah

sevatAm' – the benefits will be attained without any doubt. The

Sloka itself declares that both Sreyas (denoting moksham), and the

lesser pleasures (sukhAni ca) are attained by the chanting of this

Hymn.

 

SrI Sa'nkara provides the following commentary for the Sloka: " imam

stavam ityAdinA sahasra SakhAj~nena sarvaj~nena bhagavatA

kRshNadvaipAyanena sAkshAt nArAyaNena kRtam iti sarvaireva arthibhih

sAdaram paThitavyam sarva phala siddhaya iti darSayati " – By the

verse beginning with `imam stavam', bhIshma indicates that this hymn

is composed by the revered kRsh dvaipAyana, the omniscient, the

knower of the thousand branches of veda, who is nArAyaNa Himself, and

hence this hymn is to be recited by all with faith, in order to

achieve all the ends.

 

viSveSvaram ajam devam jagatah prabhavApyayam |

bhajanti ye pushkarAksham ne te yAnti parAbhavam || (22)

 

" The Lotus-eyed bhagavAn is the birthless Supreme Deity, the Ruler of

the Universe, and the Cause of the creation and destruction of the

Universe. Those who sing His praise will never meet with disrespect

or discomfiture of any kind " .

 

We will first look at SrI Sa'nkara's commentary for this last Slokam,

and conclude with SrI bhaTTar's words of conclusion.

 

SrI Sa'nkara stresses the importance of worshiping Hari for the

fulfillment of all that is desired, for the removal of all

deficiencies in all karma-s performed with benefit as the objective,

etc. He then points out that worship of Hari will bestow moksham

itself – release from the bondage of samsAra. He concludes by

dedicating his bhAshyam at the Lotus Feet of Hari.

 

He gives the following Sloka-s in support of his vyAkhyAnam:

 

pramAdAt kurvatAm karma pracyavetAdhvareshu yat |

smaraNAdeva tad-vishNoh sampUrNam syAt iti Srutih || (garu.

PurA. 230.50)

 

" The Sruti-s say that any acts that have been carelessly performed,

such as irregular procedures in sacrifices etc., are rendered perfect

by meditating on vishNu " . (Note the Slokam – " kAyena vAcA manasA …

nArAyaNayeti samarpayAmi " .that is always chanted at the conclusion

of any karma by the followers of any sampradAyam of the Hindu faith).

 

SrI Sa'nkara quotes another Slokam from vyAsa:

 

AdareNa yathA stauti dhanavantam dhanecchayA |

tathA ced-viSvakartAram ko na mucyeta bandhanAt ||

 

" If one praises the Creator of the Universe with the same ardor with

which one praises a rich man to get wealth from him, would not one be

relieved from the bonds of samsAra? "

 

SrI Sa'nkara concludes his vishNu sahasra nAma bhAshyam with the

following Sloka of his own:

 

sahasra nAma sambandhi vyAkhyA sarva sukhAvahA |

Sruti smRti nyAya mUlA racitA hari-pAdayoH ||

 

" This commentary of sahasra nAma which brings happiness to all, and

which was written consistent with the Sruti, smRti and nyAya, is

dedicated to Hari (laid at His Feet) " .

 

SrI bhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is: " evam svabhAvata eva samasta-dvandva-

pratidvandvi –sakala kalyANa guNAkaram, prapanna pArijAtam,

puNDarIkAksham, lakshmI-patim, bhagavantam bhajamAnAnAm sa eva

sarvasvam iti, tad-sampado vAcAm agocarAh | kutah sAmsArika-

paribhava-prasa'ngah iti paryAptayati – visveSvaram iti || "

 

bhagavan nArAyaNa, the Consort of lakshmI and the Lotus-eyed Lord, is

by nature opposed to all kinds of unwelcome things (like happiness

and sorrow, good and evil), and is the mine of all auspicious

qualities. He is like the celestial pArijAta tree for those who have

resorted to Him. They consider that He alone is their wealth.

Therefore the riches and well being of those people are beyond

words. This being the case, where is there any occasion for them for

dishonor or disgrace?

 

Sage vyAsa concludes the Hymn with the oath repeated twice:

 

" na te yAnti parAbhavam ….. na te yAnti parAbhavam "

 

" NEVER DO THEY MEET WITH ANY DISRESPECT….

NEVER DO THEY MEET WITH ANY DISRESPECT " .

 

SrI bhaTTar concludes his bhagavad guNa darpaNam with the following

 

asmAkam atra ca paratra'nca sarva duhkham

unmIlya sampadam aSesha vidhAm vidhAya |

SrI ra'ngarAja mahishI sa ca vaishNavAnAm

sa'ngAt sukham saha jayena sadA kriyAstAm ||

 

" May both SrI ra'nganAyaki, the Queen Consort of SrI ra'ngarAja,

along with SrI ra'ngarAja, root out all the distress here and

hereafter, confer wealth of all kinds on us, and always bless us with

the company of the devoted SrI vaishNava-s, happiness and victory. " .

 

SrI kRshNArpaNamastu – Dedicated in all humility to Lord kRshNa.

 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan