Volume I

Our Sincere thanks to the following for their invaluable contributions to

this ebook :

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 Mandayam Sri K. Krishnaswamy

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(http://kirtimukha.com/chinnamma/sahasra/)

Providing the Sanskrit texts:

 Mannargudi Sri.Srinivasan Narayanan

Providing the images

 Sri. MuraLi Bhattar (www.srirangapankajam,com)

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Exclusive Artwork including Cover-Art

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 Sri. Muralidharan Desikachari

 CONTENTS
Introduction 1

A Comparison of the bhAshya-s of SrI Sa’nkara 15

and SrI bhaTTar

SlOkam 1 29

SlOkam 2 45

SlOkam 3 54

SlOkam 4 65

SlOkam 5 73

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SlOkam 6 82

SlOkam 7 90

SlOkam 8 98

SlOkam 9 106

SlOkam 10 112

SlOkam 11 117

SlOkam 12 125

SlOkam 13 132

SlOkam 14 139

SlOkam 15 144

SlOkam 16 149

SlOkam 17 155

SlOkam 18 163

SlOkam 19 172

SlOkam 20 182
 CONTENTS (Contd...)
SlOkam 21 191

SlOkam 22 200

SlOkam 23 207

SlOkam 24 214

SlOkam 25 223

SlOkam 26 232

SlOkam 27 244

SlOkam 28 250

SlOkam 29 257
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SlOkam 30 263

SlOkam 31 270

SlOkam 32 275

SlOkam 33 281

SlOkam 34 287

SlOkam 35 294
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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam (Vol. 1)

sadagopan.org

vaikuNThanaathan -ThiruvaikuNTha ViNNagaram

(Courtesy B.Senthil (http://thiruvaikuntavinnagaram.blogspot.com)
sadagopan.org

dasAvatAram
(Artwork Courtesy : Sow. R. Chitralekha)
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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam (Vol. 1)

Introduction
It is interesting to contemplate on the circumstances under which Sri Vishnu
Sahasranama Stotram came into existence. Yudhishthira, the eldest of the
five Pandavas, was mentally depleted because of the war with the Kauravas and

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the misery of death and suffering that was created by the war in which he had
been a major player. Bhishma, his dear grandfather, was lying on his deathbed.
With his passing away, his irreplaceable wisdom, based on the experiences of
his long life of virtue, righteousness and devotion, was about to be lost to the
world. Sage Vyasa and Sri Krishna advised Yudhishthira, who himself was an
epitome of righteousness and virtue, to seek the advice of Bhishma on any and
all aspects of life on which he had any doubts. Yudhishthira did as advised, and
a series of dialogs ensued between the two, witnessed by Lord Krishna
Himself, and by other great sages including Vedavyasa.

In one of these sessions, Yudhishthira sought Bhishma's advice on the easiest

and best means by which mankind can attain lasting happiness, peace of mind,
and relief from all bondage and sorrows. This was the setting in which Sri
Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram was imparted, with the welfare of future
generations also in mind, by Bhishma to Yudhishthira, as part of the advice
given by Bhishma in response to the above question.

The Composition

The following sloka in the prolog to Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram identifies

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 some important aspects pertaining to the composition of the stotram:

vishnor nama sahasrasya vedavyaso mahamunih |

chandonustup tatha devo bhagavan devaki sutah ||

Sri Vedavyasa is the rishi of Sri Vishnu's one thousand names, i.e., the sage
who strung together the thousand names as they were revealed by Bhishma to
Yudhishthira.

Anushtup (eight syllables per quarter) is its meter. Lord Krishna, the son of
Devaki, is the Lord being worshiped.

There are over forty commentaries on Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram. Sri
Adi Sankara's commentary is the earliest of them. Sri Parasara Bhatta, a
disciple of a disciple of Sri Ramanuja, has written a detailed commentary. Sri
Satyasandha Yatiswara from the Dvaita school is another prominent
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commentator. Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram, along with the Bhagavad Gita,
is an integral part of the epic Mahabharata composed by Sage Vedavyasa
(Vyasa is also the one who organized the vedas into the classifications as we
know them today).

Of all the commentaries written by Sri Sankara for our religious scriptures
(the Bhagavad Gita, the Brahma Sutras, etc.), that on Sri Vishnu Sahasranama
Stotram was the very first one. Sri Sankara emphasizes the importance of
reciting the Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram in his Bhaja Govindam (geyam gita
nama sahasram...). Six reasons are generally identified for the greatness of
the Stotram. These are:

1. 1. It is the essence of the Mahabharata.

2. 2. Sages such as Narada, the Alwars, and composers including Saint

Tyagaraja have made repeated references to the "Thousand Names of
Vishnu" in their devotional works.

3. 3. The person who strung together the thousand names as part of the
Mahabharata and preserved it for the world was none other than Sage
Vedavyasa, the foremost knower of the vedas, and considered an

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 incarnation of Vishnu (vyasaya vishnu rupaya vyasa rupaya vishnave
namo...).

4. It is the considered opinion of Bhishma that it is the best and easiest

of all dharmas, or the means to attain relief from all bondage.

5. It is widely accepted that the chanting of this Stotram gives relief

from all sorrows and leads to happiness and peace of mind.

6. It is in conformity with the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita,

Narayaneeya, etc.

The above reasons given to illustrate the importance of Sri Vishnu

Sahasranama Stotram become all the more obvious when we recount the
personalities involved in the events that resulted in the stotram. It was no
ordinary person's advice that was sought. No ordinary person was seeking the

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advice, and at no ordinary person's urging was the advice being sought.
Bhishma was the son of the Mother Ganga and a person sanctified by his
unswerving devotion to Lord Krishna, and one who had controlled and conquered
all his senses. Yudhishthira was the son of Dharma, and himself a practitioner
of justice, righteousness, truth, honesty and integrity. Vyasa was the knower
of all vedas. Lord Krishna was a witness to the whole event involving the advice
and revelation of the easiest and best means to achieve happiness and peace of
mind, given by Bhishma to Yudhishthira. As we know, the advice is in the form
of Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram. No other justification is needed to
recognize the greatness of the education that is imparted to the human race
through the medium of Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram by Vyasa and
Bhishma.

The Organization

Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram as printed for chanting purposes consists of

three sections:

1. A prolog, which gives the background on why the Stotram was imparted
to the great and just Yudhishthira by Bhishma.

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 2. The thousand names of Vishnu, organized in a poetic format in 107
stanzas, in the anushtup chandas, (a meter with eight syllables in a
quarter), with two quarters per line, and two lines per stanza.

3. The phala sruti, or a recounting of the benefits that can accrue by

chanting the Stotram.

The above is the typical organization of many stotrams, for example, the
Lakshmi Ashtottara Satanama Stotram with which many of us are familiar.

The Prolog

In the introductory part of the Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram, Yudhishthira

asks Bhishma six questions, related to how mankind can attain happiness. These
are contained in two stanzas starting with "kim ekam daivatam loke" in the
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Stotram. These questions are:

1. Who is the One (Supreme) Deity?

2. What is the highest goal of life?

3. By praising which Deity's auspicious qualities will human beings attain

prosperity in this world as well as bliss in the next?

4. By meditating on which Deity will human beings attain prosperity in this

world as well as bliss in the next?

5. By reciting which mantra will man be released from the bondage of the
cycle of birth and death?

6. Of the three means referred to above (i.e., recitation, praise or

archana, and meditation), which is the best means for attaining the
grace of the Supreme Deity based on your vast experience and
knowledge?

Bhishma's response to the above questions follows in the next ten stanzas. In
his considered opinion, a person tides over all the sorrows in this world by
reciting with undiluted devotion the Thousand Names of the Eternal Person,
worshiping Him always with devotion, meditating upon Him, glorifying Him,

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saluting Him by prostrating before Him, and adoring Him (dhyayan, stuvan,
namasyamsca, yajamanas tameva ca).

Bhishma adds that of all the dharmas, the dharma or practice involving service
done to the Lotus-eyed Lord Krishna, without any desire for benefit, through
worship (archana) and hymnal praise (stava), is the best dharma. Note that
praising is easy, involving only speech, and does not involve any material
sacrifice or bodily exertion. It is open to all, and does not need help from, or
dependence on, others. Other kinds of worship might require money or other
resources to perform the worship, or the need to impose on other people for
their involvement (e.g., a priest to give instructions on the method of worship
etc.). For the purpose of chanting the name of God, there is also no constraint
on the asrama (i.e., brahmacharya, grihasta, etc.) to which a person belongs,
unlike, for example, the constraints that the vedas place in performing the

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ceremonial rites with sacrificial fire. There is also no requirement regarding
time, place, status of purity, etc., for the chanting of the stotram. The key
element of the act of chanting as a means to attain the Lord's grace is the
sincerity and purity of mind, and there is no other constraint or consideration.

In summary, Yudhishthira asks Bhishma: "Given my despair and sorrowful state

of mind, I want to expend the least effort and get the most benefit out of it,
viz. relief from my despair. Please tell me the means for this." And Bhishma's
response is "Chant the thousand names of Lord Krishna WITH DEVOTION.
This does not require any effort other than the willingness to chant. This is
the best way to get relief from all miseries, sorrows, and sins".

The Thousand Names

The word sahasra in the title of the Stotram means "one thousand". The main
body of Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram consists of 107 stanzas which
contain the thousand names of Sri Maha Vishnu. Every one of the Thousand
Names in Vishnu Sahasranamam is full of significance in that it refers to one
particular quality, guna, characteristic or attribute of Paramatma. (yani namani
gaunani, where the emphasis is that each name is indicative of a guna of

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 Vishnu).

One could legitimately ask the question: Why were these 1000 names chosen?
Does the Parama Purusha get absolutely defined by these thousand names?
The obvious answer is that God is Infinite and Indescribable, and can only be
experienced, but cannot be translated into words and communicated from one
to another. The vedas conclude that God is neither accessible to words nor to
mind (yato vacho nivartante aprapya manasa saha - Taittiriya Upanishad). In
Isavasya Upanishad, it is said that you cannot reach (understand) the
Paramatma with the human mind (reasoning) alone even if you spend all your
life. This holds true even though mind can travel (think) faster than anything
known to us, including the speed of light (anejadekam manaso javiyo.... ). Given
this Infinite nature of the Paramatma who is not governed or constrained by
any of the physical laws as we know them, the choice of a thousand names of
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Vishnu by Bhishma should be recognized as a representation of some of the

better-known qualities of Sriman Narayana that are repeatedly described in
our great epics, vedas, puranas, etc., and sung by the devout sages repeatedly.

As was indicated earlier, the thousand names are strung together in a poetic
form by Sri Vedavyasa. While identifying the thousand names of Narayana
from this poetic composition describing the qualities of the Infinite
Paramatma, the different revered acharyas have come up with slightly
differing sets of thousand names. This is partly because of the ability of these
great acharyas to be able to enjoy the indescribable Parama Purusha in their
own ways, based on the unique philosophies which they have propounded.

Of the thousand names, some are repeated: For example, in Sri Parasara
Bhattar's choice of the thousand names, two names occur four times, 12 names
occur three times, and 82 names occur twice. When a name occurs more than
once, the revered commentators have interpreted the meaning of the name
differently in each instance depending on the context in which the name
occurs. They have also quoted extensive evidence from ancient scriptures in
support of their interpretation. The commentators have emphasized that the
recurrence is not the result of a dosha (deficiency of being repetitive) in the

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composition

The Benefits

As was pointed out earlier, traditionally our prayers end with a phala sruti - a
section on the benefits of reciting the prayer. The Vishnu Sahasranama
Stotram is no exception.

The necessity of cleansing our body regularly to maintain our physical hygiene
and good health is recognized by every one. But perhaps because we do not
"see" our mind the same way as we see our body (i.e., as an externally visible
entity), the necessity of keeping our minds clean is not as clearly recognized.
However, those who do not "cleanse" their mind on a regular basis become
"mentally" sick over a period of time, just as they become physically sick if
they do not cleanse their body on a regular basis. Prayers are a means to

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mental cleansing when they are chanted with sincerity and devotion. This
aspect of the usefulness of prayers in everyone's life is common to all prayers.

The importance of Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram is that the deity being
worshipped is none other than Vasudeva (sri maha vishnuh paramatma sriman
narayano devata; saktir devaki nandanah; itidam kirtaniyasya kesavasya
mahatmanah namnam sahasram divyanam aseshena prakirtitam; sahasram
vasudevasya namnam etat prakirtayet, etc.). Sri Vyasa points out that it is by
the power and command of Vasudeva that the sun, the moon, the stars, the
world, and the oceans are controlled (sa chandrarka nakshatra kham diso bhur
mahodadhih vasudevasya viryena vidhrtani mahatmanah). The whole universe of
the Gods, Asuras, Gandharvas, etc., is under the sway of Lord Krishna
(sasurasura gandharvam ....). In Bhishma's expert judgment, chanting
Vasudeva's name with devotion and sincerity will ensure relief from sorrows
and bondage. This in a nutshell is the phala sruti or the benefit of chanting Sri
Vishnu Sahasranamam.

Some have held the view that the phala sruti need not be, or even should not
be chanted, because they somehow feel that it smacks of selfish desires. This
is not consistent with the age-old practices of our ancestors. It is true that

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 the phala sruti says that anything that is desired can be obtained if the prayer
is sincere and offered with devotion. However, it is up to those who seek
benefits through prayers that they should seek things that elevate them in
life rather than lower them. An example of the latter type is the case of the
evil king Ravana, who had prayed and obtained enormous powers through his
prayers to Lord Siva. In the end, he lost all he had including himself by the
misuse of his powers.

The phala sruti in Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram was not just an add-on by
someone trying to popularize the Stotram, but is an integral part of the
Mahabharata text. Both Sri Sankara and Sri Parasara Bhatta have written
commentaries to the phala sruti slokas. Thus, what is stated in the phala sruti
has its authority from those who are worthy of great respect from us, and who
have found it fit to comment and elaborate on the advice and information given
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to us through the phala sruti.

Perhaps the most important of the benefits attained by one who chants the
Stotram with devotion and sincerity is the cleansing of one's mind from all evil
thoughts, and this is a very important and desirable benefit since this is the
first step towards achieving pure happiness and absolute bliss. Firmness of
mind, good memory, happiness of the self (inner happiness), and freedom from
anger, jealousy, and greed, are some of the benefits that accrue to one who
recites the stotram with devotion and eagerness. The key is the sincerity of
purpose and devotion.

The person who chants or recites is not the only one who benefits. Those who
for whatever reason are unable to chant, benefit by just hearing the chanting
(ya idam srunuyan nityam ....).

Importance of Chanting

Some might say that they do not understand the meaning of the Sanskrit
words in the stotram and therefore do not feel comfortable chanting it. Sri
Chandrasekhara Saraswathi Swami has given us his guidance on this issue in

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one of his discourses. He advises us that learning the chanting of prayers even
without knowing the meaning is a worthwhile act, and can be compared to
finding a box of treasure without the key. As long as we have the box, we can
open it whenever we get the key of knowledge later, but the treasure will be
already there.

Some could feel that they do not know the correct pronunciation, and so do not
want to chant incorrectly. H. J. Achar, in his book "Sri Vishnu Sahasranama - A
Study", H.J. Achar, Sharada Press, Mangalore, 1972, has given the analogy of a
mother to whom a child goes and asks for an orange. The child does not know
how to pronounce the word "orange", and so asks for "ange". The mother does
not turn away the child and does not refuse to give the child the orange just
because the child does not know how to pronounce the word. It is the spirit or
bhava that matters, and so as long as one chants the name of God with

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sincerity, considerations such as not knowing the meaning, not knowing the
pronunciation, etc., do not matter, and God who is the Mother of all of us will
confer His blessings on us.

The Final Word: Sage Vedavyasa concludes the Stotram with the assertion -
twice stated - that there is no way a devotee of Vishnu can meet with any
dishonor or disgrace of any kind (na te yanti parabhavam - ne te yanti
parabhavam om nama iti). If this is not worth striving for, with as little
investment as the mere chanting of the thousand names of Vishnu with
sincerity, then nothing else is worth striving for.

Those interested in more information may refer to the following works:

1. "Sri Vishnu Sahasranama with the Bhashya of Sri Parasara Bhattar,

with Translation in English", A. Srinivasa Raghavan, Sri Visishtadvaita
Pracharini Sabha, Madras, 1983.

2. "Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram", Keelathur Srinivasachariar, The

Little Flower Co., Madras, Reprinted 1981.

3. "Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram", C. V. Radhakrishna Sastri, C.

Venkatarama Sastri Trust, 1986.

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 In the previous write-up, I had presented the view that it is beneficial to
chant Sri Vishnu Sahasra NAma Stotram even if we do not know the meaning,
even if we do not know the correct pronunciation, etc. In the current and
subsequent articles, I am going to attempt to present the meanings of the
Names occurring in Sri Vishnu Sahasra NAmam. One can legitimately ask the
question: Why spend our time to learn the meanings, when the benefit of
chanting is obtained anyway even without knowing the meanings? In fact, one
of our devotees had sent me mail privately earlier, referring to the sloka that
occurs in the phala sruti portion:

sri rAma rAma rAmeti rame rAme manorame

sahasra nAma tat tulyam rAma nAma varAnane

(As stated by Lord Siva to PArvati - if you just chant the name "rAma",
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it is equivalent to chanting the 1000 names of Sri MahA Vishnu").

Sri Bhattar very nicely gives the explanation on why it is desirable to delve
into an analysis of the meanings behind the Names: "Names pronounced merely
and without knowledge of their meanings is beneficial (upakAriNAmapi), but
revelation through etymological interpretation quickly affords DELIGHT TO
MIND AND PURITY TO HEART (mana: prAsanatvam pAvanatvam ca).

Sri Bhattar also refers to the chapters in MahAbhArata relating to the

significance in knowing the meanings of the Names in addition to just chanting
without knowing the meanings:

nAma karmArtavit prApnuyAm purushottamam (Udyoga Parva 59)

While I am not proficient in Sanskrit, I certainly derive great mental delight in

trying to understand the meanings behind the Names; and in trying to
understand the grammatical interpretation behind these Names. The reason
for the latter is that it helps one to delve deeper mentally into the guNas of
Sri Vishnu and enjoy His qualities even more.

In his Bhagavad guNa darpana, Sri Bhattar proceeds to explain the names of
MahA Vishnu in accordance with rules of grammar, etymology, and

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interpretation by the great Sages, with special reference to their significance,
context, and propriety. Etymology according to the English dictionaries is the
analysis of a word, based on its origin and development, including how the
words are formed from their simple roots. Sri Bhattar also indicates in his
introduction that even though the same name may occur more than once, its
interpretation is different depending on the context in which it occurs, and
there is no redundance or repetition in Sri Vishnu SahasranAmam based on the
interpretation.

In his commentary on Sri Vishnu Sahasra Namam, Sri Bhattar has beautifully
traced a thread of connectivity in the sequence of the 1000 names as they
occur in the stotram. He has identified an organization and structure in the
composition that refers to the guNas of the Lord in the five manifestations in
which He has revealed Himself to us, as described in the PancharAtra Agamas.

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These manifestations are:

1. para,

2. vyuha,

3. vibhava,

4. archa, and

5. antaryAmi.

Thus, for instance, Sri Bhattar has noted that the first 122 names in the
stotram describe the qualities of the Lord in his para vAsudeva form. The next
set of names describe the vyuha forms etc. Thus the names as they occur in
the stotram are not just a random collection of names, but have a beautiful
thread of organization and structure to them. Sri Bhattar has identified 44
such manifestations of Bhagavan in his exposition. Sri Srinivasachariar, in his
editorial introduction to Sri Vishnu Sahasra Namam published by LIFCO,
(1967), describes this beautifully as an arrangement of the petals of a rose 44
layers deep, or a step of stairs with 44 steps leading to the enjoyment of the
Supreme. I will not go into the enumeration of these 44 forms at this stage.
but will identify these as we go along. The enumeration and the corresponding

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 slokas can be found in the LIFCO publication.

A brief introduction to the five types of manifestations of the Lord, to which

Sri Bhattar refers in his exposition of the significance of the 1000 names of
the Lord, is given below.

The para can be viewed as the full and undifferentiated manifestation of the
Lord in His complete and resplendent glory in which He has chosen to be
unlimited by anything. He does not assume this form as a result of another
object, and in this form He is endowed with the fullness of the six qualities -
jnAna, bala, aisvarya, vIrya, sakti, teja. In this form, He is the shAdguNya
paripUrNa, mahArNava, ni:sima - complete in all respects in the Six qualities,
the Great Ocean of all that is perfect, unlimited by anything. Sri Bhattar
refers to the sAtvata samhita in explaining the para-vyuha, and vibhava forms.
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"shAdguNya vigraham devam bhAsvajjvalana tejasam sarvatah pANi pAdam tat

iti upakramya param etat samAkhyAtam ekam sarvAsrayam vibhum".

"In the para form, the Lord has the body endowed with all six qualities;
He shines with intense brilliance and luminosity, and has hands and feet all
around. This form is unique, is the support of all, and is all-pervasive".

In the vyuha manifestation, the Lord assumes different forms which are rich
in some of the Six qualities, with different functions which emphasize these
qualities. The vyuha forms can be viewed as the differentiated forms which
arise from the para form. The vyuha forms are also referred to as Emanations
by the translator of the Bhagavad GuNa darpana, Sri A. Srinivasa Raghavan. In
particular, the following vyuha forms are identified:

1. pradyumna - aisvarya and vIrya - function of srshti or creation

2. aniruddha - sakti and tejas - function of sthiti or protection and

preservation

3. samkarshaNa - jnAna and bala - function of samhAra or destruction

The sAtvata samhita describes the vyuha forms as follows:

etat pUrvam trayam ca anyat jnAnAdyaih bheditam guNai: |

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viddhi etat vyuha samgjnam vai nissreyasa phala pradam ||

"From this para form emerge three other forms (SamkarshaNa, pradyumna,
aniruddha), which are distinguished by the possession of knowledge and other
qualities allotted to each one of them, and which bestow these benefits to the
devotees".

The vibhava is that group of manifestations which are taken by BhagavAn in

the form of god, man, animal, etc. (sura, nara, tiryagAdi). Vibhava is of two
kinds:

1. mukhya and

2. anuvrtti

also referred to as vibhava and vibhava antara.

Vibhava occurs in one of four forms:

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1. Some like matsya and kurma are direct manifestations

2. In some incarnations, the Lord enters into the bodies of distinguished

sages such as Sri VyAsa.

3. In others, He invests His sakti for some period of time in others.

The example of Puranjaya is given here, and we will dwell into the
details when we look at the explanation behind the nAma puranjaya
later on.

4. There are others in which He manifests Himself in idols as for instance

in the arcAvatAra.

It seems to me that Sri Bhattar, in his vyAkhyAna, has grouped the arcA form
as a subgroup of the vibhava form. I request the bhAgavatas in this group to
shed more light on whether I have misunderstood this explanation. Sri Bhattar
distinguishes the vibhava form from the Lord's creations such as the four-
faced Brahma, who are not manifestations of Bhagavan, but are the creations
of Bhagavan. Sri Bhattar refers to the following from the Paushkara samhita
to give us an understanding of the difference:

jnAnopadeshTA bhagavAn kapilAkshastu adhokshaja: |

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 vidyAmurti: caturvaktro brahmA vai loka pUjita: ||

tadamsa bhUto vai yasya visva vyanjana lakshaNa: ||

"The red-eyed BhagavAn, Adhokshaja, is the teacher of all knowledge. The

four-faced BrahmA who is the embodiment of learning and who is worshiped by
all worlds, is but a tiny amsa (part) of Bhagavan. He is the subordinate of
BhagavAn, and he only propounds the knowledge he got from Bhagavan to all in
the world".

These are distinguished as the prAdurbhAva and prAdurbhAvAntara forms.

Here the prAdurbhAva is the adhokshaja form, and the prAdurbhAvAntara is
Brahma. It is pointed out that the creations of the Lord such as Brahma, agni,
etc., are to be understood at a different level than the manifestations of the
Lord in His para, vyuha, and vibhava forms. This is the basis for why those who
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have been initiated in the worship of acyuta are to worship only Acyuta and not
the other gods (prAdurbhAvAnAm ArAdhyatvam .prAdurbhAvAntarANAm
ArAdhana nishedhasca).

With the above brief introduction, I will attempt to summarize the meanings
behind the Names in Sri Vishnu SahasranAmam. The main source I will be using
is the Bhagavad guNa darpaNa by Sri Bhattar. I will be using Sri Sankara's
commentary as a secondary reference.

As I am starting this attempt at learning, I am finding out that just by reading

books, and without the aid of an AcArya, it is impossible to gain knowledge.
However, this is all what I can do at this stage. My request to all of you is to
freely comment on and correct what I am saying because I know that it is full
of errors and misinterpretations. With that request which goes without my
repeating it for future write-ups as well, I present what I understand for the
first of the 1000 names.

Sri Bhattar interprets the first 122 nAmas in the stotram as describing the
para form of the Lord. Recall that the para form is the all-perfect,
undiminuted, absolute, manifestation of the Lord. The description of this form
includes all the nAmas starting from visvam and including varArohah in slokam

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13. Sri Bhattar views this segment of the stotram as Bhishma's response to
YudhisThira's first two questions:

kim ekam daivatam loke and kim vApyekam parAyaNam -

who is the one deity to be worshipped, and what is the supreme goal of
attainment.

The web-site of SV Temple, Pittsburg, USA contains both Audio and Complete
text of Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam and Sri Venkatesa Suprbhatam. The URL of
their Stotras site is: http://www.svtemple.org/stotra/stotras.htm

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 A Comparison of the bhAshya
bhAshya--s of
SrI Samkara and SrI BhaTTar
In this write-up, we will look at a comparison of the bhAshya-s of SrI Samkara
and SrI BhaTTar for SrI vishNu sahasranAmam, using a few select nAma-s
(about 10) as examples. The examples are drawn mostly from SrI P. B.
aNNa'ngarAcArya svAmi's Introduction to his vyAkhyAnam on SrI vishNu
sahasranAmam, even though I have added some examples from other
references. Admittedly, an analysis based on less than 1% of the total nAma-s
can be viewed as incomplete. A project wherein a systematic analysis of all the
nAma-s is undertaken, is a major undertaking, which has to be deferred for
the future.

For those who do not wish to go through the whole write-up, here is a brief
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summary of the trend of thought of this write-up:

1. As SrI PBA has clearly pointed out, SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam

emphasizes the guNa-s of saulabhyam and sauSIlyam of bhagavAn that
are so much in favor of His devotee, whereas SrI Samkara tends to
emphasize the parattvam of Brahman in his bhAshyam.

2. I also echo sentiments of SrI N. Raghunathan in his Foreword to "SrI

vishNu sahasranAmam" by SrI P. Samkaranarayanan, namely, that when
we get the benefit of different interpretations from different
vyAkhyAna-s, we should view these as complementing each other to
enhance the richness of the whole. (In my regular write-ups, I draw
information from about 10 vyAkhyAna-s which all have some unique
aspects as explained later). Thus, when we get the anubhavam of
different writers, what we derive is a "multiple bonus" by being
exposed to the different anubhavam-s based on the different
vyAkhyAna-s.

Now we will go into some specifics.

In looking at the vyAkhyAna's of SrI Samkara and SrI BhaTTar, one has to
keep in mind that SrI Samkara is the renowned advaitin, and SrI BhaTTar is

16
the adopted child of Lord ra'nganAtha and pirATTi ra'nganAyaki, the son of
kUrattAzhvAn who was a primary disciple of bhagavad rAmAnuja, and is a
great exponent of viSishTAdvaita school. To an advaitin the only truth is
nirguNa Brahman - One without any attributes. The saguNa brahman is only an
interim means to realize the real truth for the advaitin - namely the
realization of the nirguNa Brahman. Thus, it can be expected that the
vyAkyAnam of SrI Samkara deals at the level of significance and the
interpretation of the nAma-s at the etymological level, with support from the
Sruti-s and the smRti-s, but does not get into the deep anubhavam of these
guNa-s at the level of saguNa Brahman. He mostly gives his interpretations
emphasizing the supremacy of Brahman, the all-powerful nature of Brahman,
the difficulty in realizing It, etc.

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam deals with the interpretation of the nAma-s at

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the etymological level, and then proceeds further into the guNAnubhavam
based on the experiences of the AzhvAr-s, namely the emotion of intense love
and bhakti towards emperumAn, associated with the sauSIlyam and
saulabhyam of saguNa brahman which is an integral part of the viSishTAdvaita
philosophy. This seems to be the main difference between the vyAkhyAna-s of
the two great stalwarts.

In the case of most nAma-s, the literal meaning that SrI Samkara and SrI
BhaTTar assign will be the same, and when the literal meaning is different,
both alternatives are equally acceptable meanings for the nAma-s purely from
the point of view of samskRt. The difference arises in the further elaboration
of this meaning. SrI Samkara supports his interpretations with quotes from
the Sruti-s and smrti-s at the philosophical level. SrI BhaTTar quotes
evidences from these same sources, but the message he conveys emphasizes
the saguNa brahman so very much enjoyed by the AzhvArs in their divine
outpourings. He does not directly quote from the AzhvArs, just as SrI
rAmAnuja did not quote directly from the AzhvArs in any of his works. We
have already dealt with the reasons for this in previous discussion in this list.
But the anubhavam of the AzhvArs is loud and clear in SrI BhaTTar's

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 vyAkhyAnam. He repeatedly reminds us of bhagavAn's sauSIlyam and
saulabhyam - His ease of mixing with His devotees and His easy accessibility to
a true devotee, His Infinite Mercy, His waiting to help and forgive a devotee
from the enormous sins that have been committed, etc.

SrI PBA observes that both parattvam and saulabhyam are equally important
aspects of the greatness of emperumAn. We are given this birth to realize and
enjoy both these aspects equally. But of these two guNa-s, the one that
touches the devotee intensely and draws him to emperumAn's feet is
sauSIlyam. He gives the example of nammAzhvAr, who starts off describing
the parattvam of perumAL very nicely -

uyarvaRa uyar nalam uDaiyavan yavan avan.

nammAzhvAr does not become subject to visible external emotion during the
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description of bhagavAn's parattvam. But later on, when he starts describing

the sauSIlyam of perumAL - "ettiRam uralinODu iNaindirundu E'ngiay eLivE" -
he is completely overwhelmed by emotion, and passes out (loses his conscience)
for a long duration of six months at this very thought of perumAL's guNam of
sauSIlyam.

Thus, it is important to keep in mind that the discussion here is not meant to
suggest that the guNam of paratvam is not important, nor is it true that
AzhvArs do not sing about His parattvam equally along with His sauSIlyam and
saulabhyam. How ever, between the two paths, our viSishTAdvaita AcArya-s do
not miss the opportunity to emphasize the anubhavam of His sauSIlyam and
saulabhyam, and SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is an outstanding example of this.

If we were to summarize in one sentence the difference between SrI

Samkara's and SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAna-s, it is that the former emphasizes
the parattvam and aiSvaryam (Isitvam or ISvarattvam) of Brahman, and SrI
BhaTTar emphasizes the sauSIlyam and saulabhyam of perumAL.

We will go through just a few of the nAma-s, mostly used by SrI PBA in his
Introduction, just to illustrate the above points.

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sat saT--kRtih sattA….
sad--gatih saT
sat--kRtih (in Slokam 75) - sad

The simple meaning of the word sat-kRtih is "He of good acts".

The differences in the vyAkhyAnam arise when the vyAkhyAna kartA-s go the
next step, and give an explanation of what these "good acts" are. SrI Samkara
gives the example of His protecting all the creatures of this Universe as the
example of His "good acts".

SrI BhaTTar takes this meaning, and links his anubhavam of this nAma to the
previous Slokam, wherein the nAma vAsudevah occurs (vasuprado vAsudevo
vasur vasumanA havih). He interprets the nAma sat-kRtih in relation to the
childhood pranks of Lord kRshNa, such as His stealing butter from the gopi's
houses, being tied to the mortar by yaSodA, etc. One may ask the question:

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Why are these "good acts"? SrI BhaTTar's position is: Because, those who
meditate on these acts of bhagavAn are relieved from the bondage of samsAra
forever!

The examples given in both cases are relevant and appropriate. However, the
current example gives an indication to what we will notice as we see other
examples, namely, that SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam will echo the
guNAnubhavam of bhagavAn as echoed in the AzhvAr's outpourings.

vijitAtmA (Slokam 66):

The simple meaning of the words in the nAma is: He who has a mind that has
been conquered. It does not say "conquered by whom?". This is the place where
we see the different anubhavam-s of the two vyAkhyAna-s.

SrI Samkara has interpreted the nAma as One who has controlled His indriya-
s and mind - vijita AtmA mano yena sah vijitAtmA. In other words, bhagavAn is
referred to by this nAma here because He has conquered His own mind.

SrI BhaTTar sees here an example of how bhagavAn's mind is easily conquered
by His devotees. So he gives an interpretation which is in a sense the exact
opposite of that SrI Samkara - namely, He is one whose mind is easily

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 conquered by others, namely His devotees. So He is the One who is defeated in
His mind control, since He gives in easily to His devotees' wishes. This is
another example of how SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is oriented towards the
enjoyment of His saulabhyam and sauSIlyam as major aspects of His guNa.

vidheyAtmA or aa--vidheyAtmA (Slokam 66):

This nAma is the very next nAma after vijitAtmA which we discussed above.

Here the difference in interpretation is based on the pATha-bhedam - or the

difference in the words that constitute the Slokam. SrI Samkara has used
the pATham "vijitAtmA avidheyAtmA…", and SrI BhaTTar has chosen the
pATham "vijitAtmA vidheyAtmA".

Literally, vidheya means "submissive". vidheya AtmA is "One who is of a

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submissive nature", and a-vidheya-AtmA is "One who is of a non-submissive

nature".

SrI Samkara has given the interpretation in samskRt as "na kenApi vidheya
AtmA svarUpam asya iti a-vidheya-AtmA" - His nature is not under the sway of
anyone else. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri has translated it as "One who is not
under anyone else's control". This of course is true of His nature, IF that is
what He wants.

SrI BhaTTar uses the pATham "vidheyAtmA", and has the guNAnubhavam that
bhagavAn is completely subservient to His devotee. He describes that it is
bhagavAn's essential nature to be at the disposal of His devotees to such an
extent that He can be easily commanded by them to do whatever they want.
They can command Him 'Come here, stand here, sit here, eat this', etc., and
He will just obey if it is a command from His devotee. SrI PBA gives the
example of tirumazhiSai AzhvAr commanding to Sonna vaNNam Seida perumAL
- "kaNi kaNNan pOginRAn kAmarupU'nkacci maNi vaNNA! NI kiDakka vENDA",
and perumAL packs up His snake bed and leaves as commanded by AzhvAr.
Later, when AzhvAr tells perumAL - "painnAgap pAi virittuk koL", He gets back
and spreads out His snake bed and resumes His original sevai again. There is

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also the example of arjuna commanding Lord to take the chariot to the middle
of the two armies during the start of the mahAbhArata war, and bhagavAn
obeys arjuna's command.

So the difference in the vyAkhyAnam here is associated with the pATha

bhedam. But the example is another illustration where SrI BhaTTar's
vyAkhyAnam emphasizes His subservience, soulabhyam, and sauSIlyam to His
devotees, whereas SrI Samkara seems to direct His explanations in terms of
the absolute supremacy of brahman (paratvam, aiSvaryam, etc.).

Sat--kIrtih: (Slokam 66)

Sat

SrI Samkara's vyAkhyAnam for this nAma is: satI (a-vitathA) kIrtih asya iti
sat-kIrtih - He of true fame, One whose fame is true and well-established.

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This is the correct meaning of the word sat-kIrtih.

SrI BhaTTar stars with this meaning, and proceeds to attribute the source of
His true fame to His sauSIlyam - sausIlya, sattvena ati-mahatI kIrtih asya iti
sat-kIrtih - His kIrti is well established and true because of His being so
amiable and affable by nature. SrI BhaTTar continues and points out that His
kIrti is so great, that no matter what one says about His kIrti, it is true, but
it is only a small part of His kIrti; it is indescribable in words. Thus, in this
instance, SrI Samkara and SrI BhaTTar use the same meaning for the nAma,
but SrI BhaTTar emphasizes bhagavAn's sauSIlyam at every opportunity in his
vyAkhyAnam.

Chinna--samSayah: (Slokam 66)

Chinna

SrI Samkara vyAkhyAnam for the nAma is: He who sees everything with
clarity like a fruit in the palm, and so He who is free from any doubt. In other
words, it is bhagavAn who has no doubt of any kind, and so He is called chinna-
samSayah.

SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for the nAma is that He has the nAma chinna-
samSayah because He destroys the doubts in His devotees' mind. Both are

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 equally valid interpretations of the samskRt term "chinna samSayah".

SrI BhaTTar takes his interpretation and links it to His sauSIlyam. If anyone
has any doubts such as: "Can He can be easily known or is very difficult to be
known, Can He be easily pleased or difficult to please, Is He easily accessible
or difficult to access" - these doubts stand dispelled right away because His
sauSIlyam and saulabhyam are well-known. In other words, bhagavAn conducts
Himself in such a way that He removes any doubts anyone has about Him.

Once more, we see that SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam heavily emphasizes

bhagavAn's kalyANa guNa-s such as His sauSIlyam and saulabhyam, and uses
these in his interpretation to the utmost extent, and SrI Samkara keeps his
vyAkhyAnam in praise of the Supremacy of Brahman in all aspects.

anISah (Slokam 67):

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The literal meaning of the nAma is "Not-Master". This could mean that "There
is no Master above Him", or "He is not the Master when He chooses not to be
the Master".

SrI Samkara has chosen the former interpretation, and SrI BhaTTar has
chosen the latter. The first interpretation is obviously true of the Supreme
Brahman. SrI BhaTTar takes the side of the devotee. When it comes to the
devotee commanding Him to do anything, He just obeys, and loses His
Mastership very readily and willingly, and enjoys this loss of Mastership. One
is reminded of a father or mother losing willingly in a mock game with their
young child and delighting in losing. SrI BhaTTar gives the examples of our
giving Him a bath, tying Him up for dressing Him while decorating Him, etc.
When yaSodA tied Him up with a rope, or threatened to beat Him up for
stealing butter, etc., He was not the Master of the scene, but accepted all
that very willingly. SrI PBA points to periAzhvAr's pASuram -

nAraNA neerADa vArAi, inRu nI nIrADa vENDum empirAn ODAdE vArAi,

SeNbagap pUc cUTTa vArAi, iruvATcippUc cUTTa vArAi, etc., and He obeys
all these dictates from His devotee.

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sammitah (Slokam 12 - vasur vasumanAh….):

The difference between SrI Samkara's and SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAna-s here
arises because of pATha bhedam. SrI Samkara has used the pATham "a-
sammitah", and SrI BhaTTar has used the pATham "sammitah". Thus, they end
up with opposite meanings.

sammitah literally means "that which can be well-defined, easily understood",

or "that which is unlimited by anything".

SrI Samkara bhAshyam is "sarvaih a-paricchinnah amita iti a-sammitah" -

unbounded by anything, undefined precisely by anything, etc. This is how the
Sruti-s describe Brahman - The Unknown and The Unknowable.

But the bhakti school of AzhvArs is that He is Unknown and Unknowable only

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to those who do not seek Him with sincere devotion. To a true devotee, He is
as easily known as a "fruit in the palm". SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is
"hastasthah iti samyak paricchinnah" - His devotees understand Him well as
someone in their hands - well within their control. Such was the experience of
daSaratha, yaSodA, etc.daSaratha declares "Una shoDaSa varsho me rAmo
rAjIva locanah" - Note "me rAmo" - My rAma. Vasudeva declares "mama ayam
tanayo nijah" - Note again "mam tanayah". SrI PBA gives the quotes from peria
tirumozhi -

"azhugaiyum a'nji nOkkum an-nOkkum aNi-koL Sem Siru vAi neLippaduvum,

tozhugaiyum ivai kaNDa aSOdai tollai inbattu irudi kaNDALE" - She is
experiencing the ultimate in tollai in her interaction with Him.

mahA--koSah (Slokam 46 - vistArah sthAvarah ..):

mahA

KoSa means shield as well as treasure. SrI Samkara uses the former meaning,
and SrI BhaTTar uses the later meaning. SrI Samkara vyAkhyAnam for this
nAma is:

mahAntah koSA annamayAdayah AcchAdakA asya iti mahA-koSah - One who

has got as His covering the great sheaths like annamaya etc. I have copied part

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 of our previous write-up for this nAma in the list. The following description
shows how difficult it is to realize bhagavAn:

SrI Samkara's interpretation is based on the meaning "shield" for koSa. His
interpretation is that the real nature of the soul is shielded by the five koSas:

1. anna maya koSa,

2. prANa maya koSa,

3. mano maya koSa,

4. vij~nAna maya koSa, and

5. Ananda maya koSa,

and bhagavAn is the mahAkoSa who is shielded from all except the yogi-s. The
dharma cakram writer points out that:
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1. by control of our indriya-s we can cross the anna maya koSa,

2. by control of breath we can cross the prANa maya koSa,

3. by control of the mind the manomaya koSa is crossed,

4. by channeling one's intellect and through control of worldly desires and

passions we can cross the vij~nAnamaya koSa, and

5. through meditation on the Self we cross the Anandamaya koSa, and

ultimately realize Brahman.

SrI BhaTar's vyAkhyAnam is based on the meaning "treasure" for the term
koSa. In his vyAkhyAnam, mahA-koSa refers to bhagavAn being a vast,
inexhaustible treasure. Even though BhagavAn is giving away Himself and His
belongings always to His devotees in all ways, still it does not diminish. SrI
v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to "Unam il Selvam enko?", pointing to the un-
diminishing Affluence called BhagavAn.

Again we see the difference between the approaches of SrI Samkara and SrI
BhaTTar. While the former presents Brahman as the difficult One to realize
and not easily accessible, SrI BhaTTar emphasizes the easy accessibility of
bhagavAn, His infinite Mercy, His inexhaustible love to His devotee, etc.

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Needless to say, both aspects are true of bhagavAn, but the former probably
will appeal to those who can practice the intense discipline to realize Him
through the difficult and unsure path of yogic discipline, and the latter will
appeal to the ordinary people who are either unable or not qualified to practice
the former.

Another major aspect of SrI BhaTTar's bhAshyam is that in addition to giving

the etymological interpretation for each nAma, SrI BhaTTar sees a thread of
connectivity between the 1000 nAma-s, and groups the 1000 nAma-s into 44
groups. He associates each group with one of the incarnations or vibhUti-s of
bhagavAn. Thus, in his vyAkhyAnam, invariably one will see the explanation of
each nAma being linked to the vyAkhyAnam for the previous nAma within a
given group.

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For example, nAma-s 1 to 122 are explained by SrI BhaTTar as describing the
para vAsudeva form, nAma-s 123 and 124 describe samkarshaNa, etc SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives one example of how sometimes interpreting a nAma
in the context of the nAma-s that immediately precede or succeed the given
nAma can be much more enjoyable than when just the individual meaning of the
nAma is looked at.

In the sequence: anukUlah, SatAvartah, padmI, and padmanibhekshaNah, SrI

SAstri explains "anukUlah" as He who helps in reaching the goal (kUlam means
the shore, and anukUlah is One who takes us to the shore). SatAvartah means
One who repeatedly appears. SrI SAstri points out that it is much more
enjoyable to see this nAma in the context of the previous nAma, and interpret
"SatAvartah" as suggesting that He appears repeatedly and keeps offering
help repeatedly, to ensure that His devotee reaches the shore for sure. He
then proceeds to interpret padmI as referring to Him who has a lotus in His
hand to signify His easy accessibility when He offers this help to His devotee.
padma-nibhekshaNah is interpreted as indicating that He has eyes which
resemble the pleasant lotus flowers, re-assuring the devotee that He is there
to help them. Thus the interpretations of the four nAma-s are inter-related to
each other, and they all reinforce the idea that bhagavAn is intensely

25
 interested in helping His devotee, and manifests this interest in various ways.

Even though this example is SrI SAstri's own and is not drawn from SrI
BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam, nonetheless it is an excellent illustration of the
additional bhagavad guNAnubhavam that one derives when the nAma-s are
interpreted in the context of each other in some cases, rather than as
standalone nAma-s.

The Benefit to Us:

Readers are aware that I have used several vyAkhyAna-s in my write-up (those
by SrI BhaTTar, SrI Samkara, SrI v.v. rAmAnujan, SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri,
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha, the dharma cakram writer, SrI P. B.
aNNa'ngarAcArya, and SrI cinmayAnanda, SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj, and a
few others). Each one of these vyAkhyAna-s has some special aspect about it
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that is not found in the others. For instance, SrI Samkara's bhAshyam is the
oldest among those listed above, and is also the one which is probably the lead
text which all the later advaitin vyAkhyAnakartA-s have used. Similarly, SrI
BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is the first from one who is from the viSishTAdvaita
school, and has served as the basis from which other viSishTADvaita followers
have drawn. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan's work is unique in that it gives profuse
examples from divya prabandham for each nAma, mostly from nammAzhvAr's
tiruvAimozhi. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha is among the most thorough in looking
at the etymology of each nAma, and goes into great detail on the grammatical
derivation of each nAma from its root, without exception. In addition, he also
is unique among the vyAkhyAna kartA-s in that he has composed 1000 Sloka-s
for the thousand nAma-s, each Slokam summarizing his vyAkhyAnam for that
nAma. The dharma cakram writer takes elaborate effort to relate each mantra
(nAma) to the real world, and explains to the common man what lesson needs to
be taken from each nAma.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri summarizes both the bhAshya of SrI Samkara and
SrI BhaTTar in his text, but in addition has added his own quotes from the
Sruti-s and smriti-s in different places. SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj is a

26
samskRt scholar in his own right, and has given additional support for each
nAma from the Sruti-s and smRti-s as well. SrI cinmayAnanda's write-up is in
simple English that many of us can easily understand.SrI P. B.
aNNa'ngarAcArya's vyAkhyAnam is in tamizh and follows SrI BhaTTar's
bhAshyam, and is mainly meant for those who may not understand SrI
BhaTTar's detailed vyAkhyAnam in samskRt, but SrI PBA's introduction where
he compares the vyAkhyAna-s of SrI BhaTTar with some of the others, is a
contribution in itself that is not matched by any other writer.

I have drawn from all the above sources, and tried to bring the unique aspects
of the different vyAkhyAna-s together. The approach that has been taken is
to view the differences in the vyAkhyAna-s as a "multiple bonus" for us - that
when we look at the vyAkhyAna-s, we get multiple anubhavam-s of the Infinite
dimensions of the guNa-s of SrI mahA vishNu.

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I hope that the above summary places the readers in a better position to enjoy
the guNAnubhavam of vishNu as reflected in the summary of the meanings of
the nAma-s that is being presented in the series.

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

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 sadagopan.org

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29
sadagopan.org

viSva rUpa darSanam to arjun

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 SlOkam 1
ivñ< iv:[uvR;q!karae ÉUtÉVyÉvTàÉu>,

ÉUtk«ÑUtÉ&Ñavae ÉUtaTma ÉUtÉavn>.

visvam vishNurvashaTkArO bhUtabhavya bhavatprabhuh |

bhUtakrudbhUtabhrudbhAvO bhUtAtmA bhUuta bhAvanah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 1. ivñ< - visvam

a) Universe or Cause of Universe

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b) One who is full in all respects.

viSvAya namah.
The nAma is derived from the root viS - to enter. ViSvam means "Universe".
SrI BhaTTar gives the reference to the following verse from moksha dharma:

veSanAt viSvamityAhu: lokAnAm kASisattama |

lokAnSca viSvameva iti pravadanti narAdhipa ||

They say BhagavAn is viSvam because He enters all the worlds. (The worlds
themselves are called viSvam because of this). SrI BhaTTar interprets the
term "Worlds" or "Universe" here to denote entirety. He points out that it is
quite fitting that the first name of vishNu in SrI vishNu sahasranAmam
suggests His immense glory, the fullness to the brim of His essential nature,
form, qualities, etc., which are all natural, unexcelled, auspicious and superior.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan adds that this completeness is in respect of His rUpam,
svarUpam, guNam, and everything else. He quotes nammAzhvAr - uvaryaRa
uyar nalam uDaiyavan (tiruvAimozhi 1.1.1). It is to explain this aspect of the
fullness of bhagavAn in every aspect that the remaining 999 nAma-s follow the

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 nAmA viSvam, thus emphasizing the deep meaning embedded into this first
nAma as denoting bhagavAn's fullness in all respects.

SrI Samkara views that bhgavAn who is Brahman or the Supreme Person
created viSvam and is therefore, called viSvam. Brahman is the kartA or the
Creator here (the Cause), and viSvam is the creation or the effect. Because
the Cause who is Brahman is being called by the nAma viSvam which is the
effect, this is used by advaitins as an argument to say that effects are
nothing different from the Cause, and everything is Brahman. In other words,
the argument is advanced that Brahma who is the creation of vishNu, can be
praised as an appropriate form of vishNu. SrI BhaTTar points out that the two
terms, brahman and viSvam, should not be taken as referring to their being
identical. viSvam or Universe is just a mode or extension of bhagavAn, as are
the other 999 nAma-s.
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SrI v.n. vedAnta deSikan in his commentary on tiruvAimozhi, observes: "To

regard Brahman and World identical is samAnAdhikaraNya to which AzhvAr
does not subscribe. The world is the prakAra or vibhUti of the Lord. He is the
cause, sustainer, controller, and the soul of all things and beings".

SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma "viSvam" by referring to the viSva

rUpam or virAT purusha. He refers us to SrI vishNu purANam - sa eva sarva
bhUtAtmA viSva rUpo yato avayayah - (vishNu purA. 1.2.69). He is the soul of
all that exists, and everything is His body.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets the nAma viSvam or "Universe" as

indicating that everything in this Universe came from Him, and also everything
in this Universe goes back into Him. So in both senses, He is "viSvam".

It should be noted that the words viSvam is in the neuter gender. SrI
BhaTTar points out that it still is a nAma of vishNu, representing His guNa of
absolute fullness and power. Consistent with this, the nAma to worship is
"viSvAya namah" as adopted by the viSishTAdvaita school. The Samkara school
uses the form as "viSvasmai namah".

The different anubhava-s of the nAma viSvam can be summarized as:

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The nAma indicates His Fullness in all respects; the succeeding 999 nAma-s all
elaborate on this first nAma - the Fullness of Him in all resepcts. Nothing in
the Universe exists without Him, and everything in this Universe ultimately
finds refuge in Him, and in this sense also He is viSvam or "Universe".

nAma 2. iv:[u> - vishNuh

a) One who permeates everything, is inside every sentient and non-sentient

being.

b) One who surrounds everything.

vishNave namah.
This nAma occurs again as nAma-s 259 and 663.

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This nAma can be derived from the root vish - vyAptau - to pervade, or vis -
praveSane - to enter. SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is - sva vibhUti bhUtam cit
acit Atmakam sarvam viSati iti vishNuh. The idea is that keSava exists
everywhere and permeates everything that is His Wealth; He is unlimited by
space, time, and substance (SrI Samkara); He pervades the whole universe
internally and externally. SrI BhaTTar gives the following references in
support.

viveSa bhUtAni carAcarANi

He entered all beings, movable and immovable

tat srshtvA | tadevAnuprAvisat

Having created it, He entered into the same.

"vyApya sarvAn imAn lokAn sthitah sarvatra kesava: |

tatasca vishNu nAmAsi viserdhAto: pravesanAt ||

"KeSava exists everywhere having pervaded all these worlds.

Therefore His name is VishNu since the root viS denotes entry i.e., pervasion".

Under nAma 259, SrI BhaTTar explains vyApti (pervasion) further, and

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 explains the relation between bhagavAn and the jIva-s as of the nature of the
relation between fire and smoke. When there is smoke, there is fire, but the
reverse is not always true (as in the case of a red hot iron rod). Thus,
bhagavan and the jIva-s are related in the sense that without bhagavAn the
jIva-s do not exist. The supreme Person and the jIva-s are never identical, but
there is inseparable connection between bhagavAn and the rest. He is greater
by virtue of the diverse kinds of help He renders to all who are of a lower
order. SrI BhaTTar refers us to the gItA -

na tadasti vinA yat syAt mayA bhUtam carAcaram (10.39)

"There is no object, moving or non-moving, which can exist without Me".

Another anubhavam of this guNa of vyApti is that it is not just the fact that
He is in everything and is inseparably bound to everything, but it is one of His
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showering everything with His infinite Mercy (SrI v.v. rAmAnujan). His
sauSIlyam is to be enjoyed here. SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj derives the
meaning from the root vishu - secane - to sprinkle, to pour out;

veshati (si'ncati) bhakta tarUn ASIrvArIbhih iti vishNuh.

nammAzhvAr declares:

"tiDaviSumberivaLi nIr nilamivaimiSai paDar poruL muzhuvadumAiavai torum

uDan miSai uyir enak karandu e'ngum paranduLan"

(tiruvAimozhi 1.1.7)

The Lord created the five elements, and from them He created all others.
Indeed He became all others. He pervades everything in and out. He is the
Soul for the body of everything and every being. The term "He enters all the
worlds" should be understood as "He enters everything in all the worlds".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives another view of the reason why bhagavAn has
pervaded everything. It is for the purpose of ensuring that everything is in its
designated and assigned place, and things don't come into collision with each
other, for example, the different planets and constellations etc. He quotes
from the taittirIya AraNyaka, wherein first the question is asked -

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keneme vidhRte ubhe

"Who is keeping the two things from colliding with each other?", and responds:

vishNunA vidhRte bhumI; iti vatsasya vetanA

"vishNu is the One who is supporting them with His Sakti; this is the finding of
sage vatsa".

SrI Samkara gives the following supports for this nAma:

antar bahiSca tat sarvam vyApya nArAyaNah sthitah

(mahA nArAyaNa upa. 1.13)

nArAyaNa pervades the whole universe externally and internally.

"yasmAd vishTam idam sarvam tasya SaktyA mahAtmanah |

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tasmAd vishNuriti khyAto veSer dhAtoh praveSanAt ||

(vishNu purANam 3.1.45)

"Because the whole world has been pervaded by the energy of the great Self,
He is named vishNu, from the root viS - to enter or pervade."

vyApte me rodasI pArtha kAntiscApadhikA sthitA |

kramaNaccApyaham pArtha! VishNuriti abhisamgj~nita: ||

(mahAbhA. 350.43)

"As I have pervaded the horizons, my glory stands foremost, and as I have
measured by my steps the three worlds, O Arjuna! I am named vishNu".

SrI anatakRshNa SAstri interprets the term kAnti here as referring to His
Effulgence - His radiance pervades the firmament and transcends it.

SrI BhaTTar has given the explanation of the nAma vishNu in terms of His
power of pervasion (Sakti) under nAma 663. He refers to the mantra about
bhagavAn: sarva SaktyAtmane - He, Who is the embodiment of all powers. He
also gives reference to the Slokam: "yasmAd vishTamidam sarvam tasya
SaktyA mahAtmanah." given earlier. As an instance of this Sakti, the
trivikrama incarnation is also cited - the smRti declares "vishNuh vikramaNAt

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 devah" - mahA bhA. udyoga. 5.68.13, a reference to His name being vishNu
because He measured the three worlds with His steps.
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SrI vishNu
(Courtesy : www.stephen-knapp.com)
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr's praise of His Sakti:

"ennaik koNDu en pAvam tannaiyum pARak kaittuEzh ezhu piRappum mEvum tan
maiyamAkkinAn vallan empirAn en viTTuvE"

(tiruvAi. 2.7.4)

"He changed me from a nitya samsAri to a nitya sUri; He exterminated all my

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sins, those of my predecessors and my successors for several generations, so
that all of us have reformed to become His. Who did this? VishNu! He will do
this because His name implies all-pervasiveness".

SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma-s kRtAgamah, anirdeSya vapuh, vishNuh,

and vIrah (nAma-s 661 to 664) as indicative of His being the Lord of Sakti.

SrI cinmayAnanda refers us to ISAvAsya upanishad:

ISAvAsyam idam sarvam yat ki'nca jagatyAm jagat -

Everything that exists in the universe is nothing but of the nature of the Lord,
and without Him nothing exists. He pervades everything, unlimited by space,
time, or substance.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives an additional interpretation not found in

other vyAkhyAna-s:

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vi + shNuh = vishNuh - viSesheNa snAvayati prasrAvayati bhakta abhilAshAn
iti vishNuh

He who bestows the wishes of the devotees like a fountain. Note that the root
from which the second nAma is derived is the same as the root from which the
first nAma - viSvam - was derived. However, the interpretation is different.
The interpretation here is that BhagavAn has entered all beings - sentient and
non-sentient, that He has created. The meaning for the first nAma was that
bhagavAn is everything, the Absolute, full in all respects.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan nicely paraphrases the two nAma-s:

"a'ngu pUrtiyil nOkku, I'ngu vyAptiyil nOkku".

the first nAma emphasizes His Fullness and Perfection, and the second nAma
indicates that He permeates everything.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri observes that meditation on the significance of the

first two nAma-s - namely that Lord vishNu is in everything around us and in
every one of us, and that without Him nothing exists, will lead us closer to a
life of peace, tranquility, ahimsA, and selfless service to Him.

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 Sri Surin, in his commentary on amara KoSa, has given the following derivation
for the word VishNu - veveshti iti vishNu: - One who surrounds and envelops.
This is derived from the root word vesht - to surround (recall the word veshti
in Tamil for dhoti, which surrounds!).

One interesting question that can be raised is: Given that the stotram is called
vishNu sahasranAmam, why did Sri VyAsa not start the stotram as vishNur
viSvam vashatkAro, and instead chose to start it as viSvam vishNur
vashatkAro...?

Based on the SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam, viSvam is the name that symbolizes
the primary attribute of the para form as one of shAdguNya paripUrNatva,
and vishnu and the following names then elaborate on the name or the guNa
represented by the name viSvam.
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha rhetorically asks the question: If Lord vishNu is

everywhere, in everything, why is it that most of us don't see Him? The key is
the SraddhA.

SraddhayA vindate vasuh - Rg veda. 10.151.4

SraddhayAgnih samidhyate SraddhayA hUyate havih |

SraddhAm bhagasya mUrdhani vacasA vedayAmasi (Rg. 10.151.1)

SraddhAm prAtar havAmahe SraddhAm madhyam dinam pari |

SraddhAm sUryasya nimruci Sraddhe SraddhApayeha nah | (Rg. 10.151.5)

He who is endowed with the sAttavic disposition, or has developed it, keeps
seeing vishNu in everything around him all the time.

To summarize,
1. the nAma vishNu refers to the guNa of bhagavAn in pervading
everything He has created, including all sentient and non-sentient
objects from a blade of grass to brahma;

2. His pervasion is because of His Sakti; in other words, He is the power

behind everything that exists; an instance of His Sakti is illustrated by

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 His measuring the three worlds with His Foot;

3. His vyApati is indicative of the inseparable relation between Him and

everything else outside Him, in the sense that nothing exists without
Him.

4. His pervasion of everything is of the form of His enveloping and

showering everything around Him with His Mercy. It is not just His
sausIlya that is indicated by this nAma; all His powers including that of
creation, sustenance, His Lordship, etc., are to be understood by this
nAma.

5. It is because of His pervasion of everything in this universe that things

(for example the constellations, the planets, etc.)., are in their
respective positions without colliding with each other.

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He is also called vishNu because He bestows the wishes of His devotees
profusely like a fountain.

nAma 3. v;q!kar> - vashaTkArah

One who controls and directs (not merely pervades).

vashaTkArAya namah
Sri Bhattar interprets the names VishNu, vashatkAra, and bhuta-bhavya-
bhavat-prabhu, as additional elaborations of the name visvam. The root of the
word is vas - to control as He wills.

It should be noted that Sri Bhattar has pointed out in his commentary for
visvam that BhagavAn is everywhere with His shAdguNya paripUrNatva
WHICH IS NATURAL TO HIM:

1. in the commentary for vishNu that He permeates everything that HE

CREATES AND POSSESSES, and

2. in the current one for vashatkAra that He controls AS HE WILLS.

Thus, all these guNas are not something that have been acquired or imparted

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 by something external, but this is His will and schema.

The following passages from the sruti are given in support of the
interpretation of this nAma:

1. *sarvasya vaso sarvasya IsAna: - He is the Controller of all and the

Ruler of all.

2. *jagadvase vartatedam - The Universe is under His control.

The summarization from Nirukti is svecchayA yo sarvam vase karoti sa:

vashatkAra: - One Who controls and directs everything and everyone as He
wills.

Sri Sankara provides a very different interpretation for this nAma. He points
out that BhagavAn is Himself the vashatkAra mantra, where vashat is a sacred
sound (similar to PraNavam, svAhA, etc). used on sacrificial offerings. It is
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also used in the anganyAsa and karanYasa practice before chanting the sacred
slokas (e.g., sahasrArchis saptajihva iti saktyai sikhAyai vashat). Note the
similarity of vashatkAra to PraNavAkAra, a word with which we are familiar.
VashatkAra is thus a mantra, and BhagavAn is the mantra svarUpi. The
explanation in terms of BhagavAn having control over all His creations is
appealing because of the continuity it provides to the interpretations of the
previous nAmas.

nAma 4. ÉUtÉVyÉvTàÉu> - bhUta

bhUta--bhavya bhavat--prabhuh
bhavya--bhavat

The Master of all things past, future, and present.

bhUta-bhavya-bhavat-prabhave namah
Nirukti - trikAla vartinAm seshi

The Lord of all things that exist in the past, present, and future.

From the srutis, we have

"bhUta-bhavya-bhavan-nAtha: kesava: kesi sUdhana: "

Kesava, the slayer of Kesi, the asura, is the Lord of past, future, and present.

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The idea that BhagavAn is beyond the physical laws as we know them, such as
the laws and constraints of time, can be inferred from this nAma. In order for
Him to be the Lord of all things past, future, and present, He existed before
anything existed, exists now, and will exist forever into the future. Thus the
well-known and established physical law that all living things come to an end
does not apply to Him. He is beginningless and endless.

Sri Bhattar has explained that the nAmas 2, 3, and 4 elaborate the first nAma
by indicating how the All-pervading vAsudeva is :

1. in everything living and non-living,

2. controls everything, and

3. is the Master of everything past, future, and present.

He now proceeds to explain the next 5 nAmas as further expanding on this last

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aspect - how He is the Master of all things past, future, and present. We will
see that this is so because:

1. He is the creator of all beings (nama 5),

2. the supporter of all beings (this nAma 6 seems to be further

elaborated by nAmas 8 and 9),

3. has existence independent of any other being and as the Lord or

Director of all that exist (7),

4. supports all that He has created by being their antaryAmi or inner soul
(8), and

5. supports by nourishing them and growing them (9).

nAma 5. ÉUtk«t! - bhUtakrut

The creator of all beings.

bhUtakrute namah
Sri Bhattar points out that this act of creation of is done by Him without
dependence on anything external.

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 "sarvANi bhUtAni svatantra: srjati"

note the word svatantrata:

"bhutAni karoti iti bhUtakrt"

One who creates all the beings.

In BrhadAraNya upanishad -

"sa visvakrt sa hi sarvasya kartA"

He is the creator of the Universe and all the beings in the Universe.

"tvam kartA sarva bhUtAnAm"

You are the Creator of everything that exists - VishNu PurANa 1-4-15.

nAma 6. ÉUtÉ&t! - bhUtabrut

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The supporter of all things.

bhUtabrute namah
BhUtAni Bibharti iti bhUta-bhrt

One who supports all. (seems to be further elaborated by nAmas 8 and 9)

Sri Bhattar explains that this support is like that of the support at the center
for a wheel and its spokes. If this central support does not exist, the rest of
the spokes and the wheel collapse. Thus, one can think of this support as the
responsibility for the existence of all the things that He creates. This support
is in the form of being the inner soul or atman of all beings (nAma 8 below),
and as the One who nourishes and protects all beings (nAma 9 below).

Sri Radhakrishna Sastri in his work on Sri VishNu sahasranAma explains this
support as that provided by Adi Kurma to support this universe, or by Sri
VishNu as varAha mUrti when he retrieved and bore the world.

Sri Sankara interprets nAma 6 above as referring to the acts of creation or

destruction ("bhUtani krtanti krNoti hinsti iti bhUta krt"), and nAma 7 as
referring to the act of sustenance, in the context of the three functions of

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creation, sustenance, and destruction.

nAma 7. Éav> - bhAvah

1. He who exists with all the splendor

2. He who exists always, independent of anything else.

bhAvAya namah
This nAma is derived from the root bhU (bhavati - exists). Sri ChinmayAnanda
gives the derivation: "bhavati iti bhAva:"

nAma 8. ÉUtaTma - bhUtAtmA

The AtmA or soul of all beings - sarveshAm bhUtAnAm AtmA

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bhUtAtmane namah
All things are His body, and He is the soul of all things.
The soul enters the bodies, and directly controls and directs all their
activities.

Sri Sankara gives the following reference from BrhadAraNya Upanishad:

esha ta AtmA antaryamyamrtah (3.7.3)

The Lord is the soul, the antaryAmi or inner ruler of all beings, and amrta or
never ceasing to exist.

Sri Chinmayananda gives the following reference from Kathopanishad:

"eko vasI sarva bhUtAntarArmA rUpam rUpam pratirUpo bahisca"

The One Lord manifesting Himself as the souls of all beings who have
different external forms.

nAma 9. ÉUtÉavn> - bhUtabhAvanah

One who nourishes and nurtures all beings that He created.

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 bhUtabhAvanAya namah
The key word that both Sri Bhattar and Sri Sankara use in their vyAkhyAnas
for this nAma is vardhayati - makes them grow - the act of nourishing is
emphasized.

Sri Bhattar's words are:

tAni dhAraka poshaka bhogyapradAnena vardhayati iti bhUta-bhAvanah -

He is bhUta-bhAvana because He makes all things grow by bestowing on them

things that sustain them, nourish them, and contribute to their enjoyment.

Sri Sankara bhAshya says: bhUtAni bhAvayati janayati vardhayati iti vA

bhUta-bhAvanah -He makes them shine (bhA - to shine), generates or
invigorates, and makes them grow.
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With this, we have concluded the first sloka out of the 107 slokas. We notice
that Sri Bhattar has beautifully brought out the continuity in the description
between the 9 nAmas covered in this first sloka.

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 SlOkam 2
pUtaTma prmaTma c muKtana< prma git>,

AVyy> pué;Ssa]I ]eÇ}ae=]r @v c. 2.

pUtAtmA paramAtmA ca muktAnAm paramA gatih |

avyayah purushas sAkshI kshetrajn~O=kshara eva ca ||

nAma 10. pUtaTma - pUtAtmA

The Pure Self - One who is untainted by the effects of karma - good or bad.

pUtAtmane namah

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PUta AtmA yasya sa pUtAtmA

One who has the pure Atma is pUtAtmA.

Our Atmas reap the fruits of the actions that we are involved in because of
their association with our body. BhagavAn is also associated with the same
bodies since we are all extensions of His body. However, He is Pure Atman
because He is not affected by the fruits of the association with the bodies.

Sri Bhattar gives a very simple example to make this point. A teacher uses a
stick to strike a student. Both the teacher and the student come in contact
with the same stick, but the pain of association with the stick is felt by the
student, but not by the teacher. So also, even though both the Lord and the
jIvAtmans are associated with the bodies of the jIvAtmans, the Lord is not
affected by the fruits of the actions of the jIvAtmans.

In the Gita, Sri KrshNa says:

"na mAm karmANi lipanti"

actions do not taint me.

Also, the sruti says:

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 subhAsubah karmabhiryo na lipyati kadAcana

never tainted by actions, good or bad.

nAma 11. prmaTma - paramAtmA

The Supreme Soul - for whom there is no other guiding or superior soul

paramAtmane namah
paro mA asya .sa AtmA paramAtmA

That Soul for whom there is none superior is paramAtmA.

All of us have Him as our inner souls, but BhagavAn has no one as His Inner
Soul that guides Him. There is no one superior to Him. The author of Nirukti
says:
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"Atma IsvaratvAt paramAtmA"

One who is the Lord of Himself is paramAtmA.

Sri Eknath Easwaran indicates that Lord Krishna says in the GItA: "I am in
every one, but no one is in Me". He does not give the reference to the Sanskrit
sloka, and I am unable to reference it. I would like help from the Bhakti
members in identifying the relevant sloka. There are several pramAnas from
the srutis for this:

"na param puNdarIkAkshAt drsyate bharatarshabha"

There is nothing superior to the Lotus-eyed.

"param hi puNdarIkAkshAt na bhUtam na bhavishyati"

There was nothing in the past, and there will be nothing in the future, that is
superior to the Lotus-eyed Lord.

"na daivam kesavAt param:"

There is no God superior to Kesava.

"matta: para-taram nAnyat kincidasti"

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Greater than Myself, there is nothing else (GitA 7-7)

"param hi amrtam etasmAt visva-rUpAt na vidyate"

There is no greater nectar than the Lord of Universal form.

"parah parANAm paramah paramAtmA"

He is greater than the great; He is superior, and he is the Supreme Soul

(visHNu purANa - 1.2.10)

"paramAtmA ca sarveshAm AdhAra: paramesvara: |

vishNurnAma sarva-vedeshu vedAnteshu ca gIyate" ||

(VishNu purANa 6.4.10)

The Isvara above all Isvaras, the paramAtmA who is the supporter of every
being, is sung by all vedas and vedantas as Lord VishNu.

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nAma 12. muKtana< prma git> - muktAnAm paramA gatih

One who is the ultimate goal for all muktas or Released or Liberated Souls.

muktAnAm paramA gataye namah

Muktas are those who are already released from all bondage, and enjoy every
bliss that the BhagavAn has. They have equality with God in the enjoyment of
this Bliss. The goal that such a mukta longs for at this stage is to constantly
serve the Lord., and thus the Parama purusha is muktAnAm-paramA-gatih.

The muktas are compared to those who reside in the celestial world, the sveta
dvIpa. They have no needs such as food, no wants, no desires, etc. For these
people who have accomplished everything and who are equal to God in their
enjoyment of bliss, the one goal that is of interest is the unceasing servitude
to God, and thus God is the Supreme and Ultimate Goal for the muktas.

ParamA gati is the goal after attaining which you won't desire anything else. In
other words, this is the limit of the goal. Normally, the nature of any goal is
such that if you attain that goal, then you will want to attain the next higher

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 goal. This is not the case with paramA gati. Some pramANas from the srutis
are the following:

".....mAmeva anuttamAm gatim"

(They attain) Me, the unsurpassed goal -Bhagavad GItA 7.18

"sA kAshthA sA parA gatih"

He is the highest means; He is the Supreme Goal - kaThopanishad -3.11.

Sri Bhattar interprets the next 5 names in terms of why the muktAs choose
BhagavAn as their Supreme goal. It should be noted that Sri Bhattar's
vyAkhyAna weave a thread of continuity in the sequence of the names
occurring in the stotram, and for this reason Sri Bhattar extends the
interpretation to levels beyond what is etymologically derived from the word..
relatively speaking,
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Sri Sankara seems to more strictly adhere to the literal meaning of the word
in his vyAkhyAna.

Of course, there are also inevitable differences in interpretation because of

the visishtAdvaita vs. advaita philosophies.

The reasons for the muktAs choosing Sri MahA VishNu as their Supreme goal
are:

1. He does not send them back to the cycle of samsAra once they reach
Him (13),

2. He gives the enjoyment of His Bliss to the muktas in abundance (14),

3. He witnesses the muktas' enjoyment of Him and is in turn pleased,

which pleases the muktas (15),

4. He knows the right place for the muktas to get their eternal Bliss (16),
and

5. He is one whose Greatness never diminishes over time in spite of the

constant Bliss that He provides to the muktas (17).

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nAma 13. AVyy> - avyayah

a) One who does not send back anyone who has reached Him (to the cycle of
birth and rebirth (Sri Bhattar)

b) Indestructible (Sri Sankara)

avyayAya namah
Sri Bhattar's vyAkhyAna -

na vIyate - na vyapagamyate iti avyayah

He is avyaya because He does not send them back (to samsAra)

In the Yama Smrti, we find the following:

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"sattvam vahati sUkshmatvAt param nArAyaNam prabhum |

paramAtmAnam AsAdya param vaikunTam Isvaram ||

amrtatvAya kalpeta na nivarteta vai puna:| "

The Mukta bears a body of pure and subtle sattva and attains the Supreme
Lord nArAyaNa. Once he reaches the Supreme Lord in the supreme
VaikuNTha, he becomes fit for immortality and is not returned back to this
world any more.

Sri Sankara's vyAkhyAna -

Sri Sankara gives a different interpretation to this name - Indestructible -

based on na asya vyayah iti avyayah, where vyaya means something that can be
destroyed. He gives the following pramANa from the BrhadAraNya Upanishad:

"ajarah amarah avyayah"

He is undecaying, immortal, and indestructible" (6.4.25).

See also the nArAyaNa sUktam - anatamavyayam kavim ..... The Immortal and
Indestructible Seer.

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 nAma 14. pué;> - purushah

a) One who bestows on the Muktas the enjoyment of the Bliss of Himself in
plenty - puru sanoti iti purushah

b) One who is reclining in this body - puri sete iti purushah

c) One who existed before anything else existed - purA AsIt iti purushah

d) One who completes and fulfills existence everywhere - pUrayati iti purushah

purushAya namah
Puru sanoti iti purushah

One who gives in plenty; puru means plenty, and sanoti means giver.
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Or, purUNi phalAni sanoti - dadAti iti pururshah - One who gives plentiful
benefits.

We find in the taittirIya upanisahd -

"rasi vai sah , rasam hveyAm labdhvA AnandI bhavati" -

"He is Pure Bliss Itself. Having attained Him, the Mukta becomes endowed
with joy".

Several other explanations for this name are possible. One of these that is
also given by Sri Sankara in addition to the above that Sri Bhattar has also
chosen, is supported by the following in MahAbhArata

"navadvAram puram puNyam etairbhAvaih samanvitam |

vyApya sete mahAtmA yastasmAt purusha ucyate || (12-203-35)

"Since the great Soul pervades and resides in this holy city (the body) with
nine dvAras or gates, possessed of these organs (senses, etc.)., He is called
purusha".

Another alternative interpretation that Sri Sankara gives is

"puri sete iti purushah" - One who dwells in this Fort city - our body".

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He refers to the following from the taittirIya AraNyaka -

"pUrvameva aham iha Asam iti purushasya purusahtvam" - I indeed existed

here before; as I existed before, I am called purusha.

We recall that the purusha is sometimes pronounced as pUrusha in vedic

chantings (ato jyAyAgsca pUrushah - in purusha sUktam as an example). Pura is
used to refer to this body, as in Gita 5-13:

nava dvAre pure dehe.. the fortress with nine gateways.

Sri Chinmayananda suggests that these different ways of interpreting the

meanings of the names is a way to understand more and more about the Nature
of the Lord.

nAma 15. sa]I - SakshI

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One who directly witnesses everything, as it is.

The All-Knower, The Omniscient BhagavAn sees everything directly by His own
awareness without any instrument for seeing (such as the sense organs) in
between.

sAkshiNe namah
SAkshAt Ikshate - The Direct Cognizer.

Just as the sun illumines everything but is not affected in anyway by the state
of the objects it illumines, so also the Lord witnesses everything but is not
affected by all that He witnesses. The jIvAtmAs see everything through some
sense organ or the other, and so the deficiencies of these organs limits what is
seen. Not so in the case of the Lord.

Sri Bhattar interprets this name as indicating that the Lord witnesses the
muktas enjoying the Bliss that He confers on them, and is thus happy Himself.
Obviously, this give great pleasure to Mukhtas, since they are interested in His
happiness, and this is one of the reasons for His being their paramA gati.

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 nAma 16. ]eÇ}> kshEtraj~nah

One who knows, and can lead the muktas to the exact place where the muktas
will get their sought-after Supreme Bliss.

kshEtraj~nAya namah
Sri nArAyaNa is the vaikunTha vAsi. is the place after reaching which there is
no return to this world. That this is a place which even the greatest of sages
can realize only after intense meditation and devotion to the Lord is evident
from the following passage attributed to Sage Agastya in varAha purANa -

"adyApi tam lokavaram dhyAyan tishThAmi suvrata! |

kada prApyet tu asau loka: sarva loka varottamah ||

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"I am even now steeped in the meditation of that supreme world. When am I
going to reach that best and noblest of all worlds? This is the thought that is
haunting me".

In varAha purANa, BhagavAn tells Sage Agastya:

"pasya lokamimam mahyam yo na vedestu drsyate |

tvat-priyArtham ayam lokah darsitaste dvijottama ||"

" See this world which exists for my sake and which is not seen even by the
vedas. O best of Brahmins! This world has been shown to you in order to please
you". (Note that even a sage of the standing of Agastya has not seen this place
except when God chose to show it to him.)

Sri Sankara has interpreted this name based on Bhagavad GItA Chapter 13 -
slokas 1 and 2, in particular. Here, the word kshetra refers to the body, and
kshetrajna refers to One who knows (understands the principle or tatva
behind) all the bodies and is the direct witness of the actions of all the bodies
(by being directly inside the bodies and not needing any secondary means to
witness these). May be kshetrajna is a guNa of the Supreme Soul, and is an
elaboration of the name "bhUtAtmA".

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nAma 17. A]r> aksharah

One whose greatness never diminishes over time in spite of being enjoyed by
the muktas constantly.

aksharAya namah
na ksharati iti aksharah.

His greatness is innate, and does not derive from something external. So it
never diminishes.

In Nirukti, this is explained as follows:

"sadA anubhUyamAno'pi nissIma guNa gauravAt |

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muktai: kvacit na ksharati iti akshara: parikIrtita: ||"

Sri Sankara's interpretation is: "sa eva na ksharati iti aksharah - He alone
exists without dying. Sri Bhattar has thus explained nAmas 13 to 17 as the
reason why muktas consider the Lord the paramA gati.

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 SlOkam 3
yaegae yaegivda< neta àxanpué;eñr>,

naris<hvpu> ïIman! kezv> pué;aeÄm>. 3.

yOgO yOgavidAm nEtA pradhAnapurushesvarah |

nArasimhavapuh srImAn kEsavah purushOttamah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 18. yaeg> - yOgah

a) He Who is the sole means or upAya for salvation or mukti.

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b) He Who is reached through yoga (meditation).

yOgAya namah
The word yoga has several different meanings given in the amara koSa: means,
meditation, union, fitness, remedy, etc.

yogah sannahana upAya dhyAna sa’ngati yuktishu (amara koSa 3.3.22)

Given this diversity of meanings for the word ‘yoga’, now let us see the
different interpretations for the nAma ‘yogah’.

a) SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning ‘upAya’ or ‘means’ for the term ‘yoga’. His
interpretation for the nAma is that bhagavAn is the sole means or upAya for
mukti (salvation) – asyaiva nirupAdhika mukti upAyatvamapi vakti – yogah – He
alone is the natural and independent means for salvation. He further
comments – sa sAyujyasya ananyApekshah sAkshAt hetuh ityarthah – The
meaning is that He is the immediate cause of salvation, and does not stand in
need of the help of anything else.

He gives support the brahma sUtra and from the gItA:

tad-hetu-vyapadeSAc-ca (brahma sUtra 1.1.15) – He is the cause of the Bliss

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that all souls enjoy. – esha hveya AnandayAti (taitt. Ananda. 2.7.1)

aham tvA sarva pApebhyo mokshayishyAmi (gItA 18.66) – “I will release you
from all sins”.

SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives multiple interpretations, one of which uses the
meaning “upAyam” for the word ‘yoga’. The explanation is along the lines given
by SrI BhaTTar – bhatAnAm bhava taraNa upAya iti yogah – He Who is the
means of salvation for His devotees.

Another vyAkhyAna kartA who uses the meaning ‘upAyam’ for the word ‘yoga’ is
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj – yogah bhakta abhilAsha adhigamAya amogha
upAyah – The unfailing upAya or means for attaining the desires or wishes of
the devotees.

b) SrI Sa’nkara uses the meaning ‘union’ or ‘oneness’ for the term ‘yoga’, and

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gives an interpretation that supports the advaita concept that the individual
soul and the Supreme Soul are not different from each other. He notes that
yoga is the process of controlling the senses and the mind, and realizing this
"oneness", and He is called yogah because He is to be reached by means of
yoga as described here (in other words, by attaining this knowledge of
oneness).

(It should be noted that one of the main reasons for the great AcArya-s
undertaking to write commentaries on important works such as the vishNu
sahasra nAmam, the gItA, the brahma sUtra-s, the upanishad-s, etc., is to
show that their particular philosophy is what is supported and advocated by
the different smRti-s, Sruti-s, purANa-s, etc. To quote svAmi AdidevAnanda
from his Introduction to bhagavad rAmAnuja’s gItA bhAshyam, “Such a
method involves some text-torturing to get the meaning that one wants…. To
impart a sense of consistency of a text to their followers, they are compelled
to give interpretations that may sometimes look far-fetched to others”. SrI
AdidevAnanda is careful to point out that on the whole, the AcArya-s give a
reasonable and satisfying interpretation of their philosophy in the process.
This is not just limited to SrI Sa’nkara’s interpretation, and can be seen in all

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 interpretations. The current interpretation by Sri Sa’nkara is one example of
assigning interpretations that bring ‘support’ for their philosophy from the
ancient scriptures).

c) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN seems to use both the meanings ‘union’ and
'meditation’ for the word 'yoga', and gives the interpretation that bhagavAn
is called yogah, because the devotee’s mind becomes one with Him when the
devotee meditates on Him - yujyate manah asmin iti yogah samAdheh
SubhASrayah.

d) SrI cinmayAnanda uses the meaning ‘meditation’ for the term yoga, and
gives the interpretation for the nAma ‘yogah’ as “One Who is realized through
yoga”. His interpretation is “By withdrawing the sense-organs from their
objects of preoccupation, when the mind of the seeker becomes quiet, he is
lifted to a higher plan of consciousness, wherein he attains ‘yoga’, meaning he
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realizes the Reality”. He notes: “At such moments of equanimity and mental
quiet ‘yoga’ is gained – samatvam yoga ucyate (gItA 12.48)”. Note that while
SrI Sa’nkara also interpreted the nAma as “One Who is attained through yoga’,
his interpretation of yoga was ‘attaining knowledge of oneness of self and the
Self’, whereas SrI cinmayAnanda’s meaning for the word yoga is meditation by
quieting the mind and controlling the senses.

SrI satya sandha tIrtha also uses the meaning ‘meditation’ for the word yoga
in one of his interpretations – yujyate hRdi yogibhih dhyAyata iti yogah – He
Who is meditated upon by the yogi-s is yogah .

This nAma is probably a very good example where different vyAkhyAna kartA-
s use the diversity of meanings for a word, and give interpretations that
support their own schools of philosophy, and we get the benefit of diverse
enjoyment of His guNa-s in the process.

nAma 19. yaegivda< neta yOgavidhAm nEta

One who leads those who practise yogA until they reach their Goal.

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yOgavidhAm nEtrE namah
From Sankara BhAshya, a yoga-vit is one who inquires into, realizes, or acquires
yoga - yogam vidanti, vicArayanti, jAnanti, labhanta iti vA yoga vidah. Nayati iti
netA - one who leads .

In GItA, Sri Krishna says:

"ananyAs-cintayanto mAm ye janAh paryupAsate|

teshAm nityAbhiyuktAnAm yoga-keshemam vahAmyaham|| (GItA - 9-22)

" On those who meditate on me with single-minded devotion, those that want
to be with Me unceasingly, I confer on them .the Bliss of .union (yoga) with Me
constantly and never returning back to samsAra again (the safety or kshema)"

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nAma 20. àxanpué;eñr> - pradhAna
pradhAna--purushEsvarah

One who is the Lord of Primordial Matter as well as the Jivas.

pradhAna-purushEsvarAya namah
PradhAna here refers to the cause of bondage, and purusha refers to the
jivAtmA. Perhaps the easiest way to understand the concept of prakrti or
pradhAna is through the following explanation for the Brahma Sutra - deha
yogAdvA so'pi - This concealment of the true nature of jiva is caused by the
contact with the body (at the time of creation) or by the contact with the
Primordial Matter (prakrti or pradhAna) at the time of deluge. Thus prakrti or
pradhAna can be conceived of as the undifferentiated or 'asat' form of the
bondage of the jiva, and the sarIra or body can be conceived of as the sat
form that keeps the jiva in bondage.

Chapter 13 in the Bhagavad Gita deals elaborately with the concepts of prakrti
and jIvAtmA and their interrelationship to each other. In sloka 19 of chapter
13, BhagavAn points out that both prakrti and purusha have always existed,
and this nAma indicates that He is the Lord and Master of both. "prakrtim
purusham caiva vidyanAdau ubhAvapi". prakrti can be considered to be

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 composed of rajas, tamas and sattva, and from these all the rest such as the
panca bhUtas, the eleven indriyas, the five indriya-gocaras, etc. arise. These
are explained in detail in the gItA bhAshya by TirukkaLLam Sri
NrsimhAchArya.

nAma 21. naris<hvpu> - nArasimhavapuh

He Who is possessed of a body of man and lion combined.

nArasimha-vapushe namah.
SrI BhaTTar captures several thoughts about this incarnation of bhagavAn in
one sentence in his commentary: sva-bhaktyantarAyanivAraNam bhkata-
bhayApaha tadapekshA samakshaNa pratipannayathAkAma divya mahA-
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nRsimha samhananh.

1. This incarnation shows a removal of impediments to devotion to Him.

2. He takes incarnations at will.

3. His incarnations are divine.

4. They remove the fear of His devotees .

5. The incarnations are assumed the moment the request is made.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri elaborates on these, and add his own anubhava-s.
Among his additional thoughts are:

1. This incarnation shows that when it comes to bhagavAn, our "normal"

rationalization should not be applied to anything with Him. For instance,
we know that man is the best evolved species in the thinking capability
(brain power). Similarly, lion is the most evolved in physical strength.
Its strength is located in its body and its powerful nails. So, in order to
destroy a powerful asura such as hiraNya kaSipu, it would have made a
lot more sense if bhagavAn had taken a form with the head of a human
being (with the associated highly evolved brain), and the body of a lion
(the most evolved with respect to physical strength). BhagavAn does

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 exactly the opposite - the head of a lion, and the body of a human being.
This is a simple illustration of the point that He is beyond our
capabilities of analysis.

2. BhagavAn does whatever it takes to fulfill the request of His devotee,

irrespective of whether it shows Him in the best light or not. ANDAL
refers to His varAha incarnation as "mAnam ilAp panRi" - the shameless
boar with dirt dripping from all over its body, to go after another
rAkshasa, hiraNyAksha, the brother of hiraNyakaSipu. Anyone who
observes a scene of an asura being torn to pieces with its nails by a lion-
faced form with a human body, will be terror-stricken. And yet, we see
prahlAda standing in great reverence, unperturbed, and pleased at
having the divya darSanam of the Lord. But seeing the same form,
hiraNyakaSipu was terror-stricken as the half-man-half-lion form

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emerged from the pillar. Thus, at the same time, with the same form,
bhagavAn was pleasing to the eye of the devotee, and causing terror to
the devotee's enemy. This is another revelation of the greatness of
bhagavAn – that simultaneously He iswith all opposites at the same
time.

3. In addition to the aspect of His being able to induce fear or love at the
same time, there is the beauty aspect to His form of half-man half-lion.
Just for a moment, think of some human form with the head of a lion
appearing in front of us, and imagine the aversion that this sight will
induce in us. Not so with Lord nRsimha. He was absolutely beautiful in
this form, as SrI BhaTTar elaborates in the next nAma – SrImAn –
because He is always associated with SrI or Lakshmi. tirumazhiSai
AzhvAr describes His beauty as “ari po’ngik kATTum azhagu (nAnmugan
tiru. 21) – The beauty of nRsimha form looked like beauty bubbling and
spilling over because it can’t be contained anywhere.

4. In normal course of life, something that came from breaking a jaDa

form such as the pillar should be expected to be another piece of the
same jaDa form. One should expect a live form to be originating only

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 from another life form. Hers relating to Him, we should not be applying
normal logic as we are used to do.
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nArasimha vapu - mAlOlan - SrI ahObila Mutt

SvAmi deSikan describes this unusual birth of Lord nRsimha from the pillar in
his daSavatAra stotram in one of his poetic naya-s. He describes the lucky
pillar from which Lord nRsimha emerged, as the grandmother of brahmA –
mahAsura gRha sthUNA pitAmahyabhUt (Slokam 5). The “lineage” in this
description is that bhagavAn is the father of brahmA, and since the pillar gave
“birth” to Lord nRsimha, the pillar thus becomes the grandmother of brahmA.

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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha does not support the interpretation that bhagavAn
had an actual mixed body consisting of some aspects of man and some aspects
of lion. Instead, he suggests that the nAma means that He took a normal form
that possessed the best aspects such as the strength of a lion, and the best
aspects of man such as the ability to think. We will not go into the merits of
this interpretation. Only the interesting philosophical aspect that he brings
out is dealt with here. He sees in this nAma the illustration that neither karma
alone, nor j~nAna alone, are sufficient in the fulfillment of any undertaking,
and that both are needed. He quotes from the Srtuti-s in support:

idam me brahma ca kshatram ca ubhe Sriyam aSnutAm (yajur. 32.16)

yatra brahma ca kshatram ca samya'ncou caratah saha |

tam lokam puNyam pra~jnesham yatra devAh sahagninA || (yajur. 20.25)

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As a lesson to take from this nAma, SrI vAsishTha makes the point that
whatever action one undertakes, this should be done after fully analyzing and
understanding the consequences associated with this action. One can also
extrapolate from this the thought that it is not enough to have the ability to
use force, but also along with that, one should know how to use this force,
when to use this force, etc., in order for the force to have beneficial effects.

svAmi deSikan describes the six rahasya-s associated with bhagavAn’s

incarnationshis SaraNAgati dIpikA Slokam 17. All of these naturally apply to
nArasimha vapuh also. These are:

1. He takes many incarnations with different forms at will as needed –

nAnA vidhaih. One of these is the nRsimha incarnation.

2. The incarnations are all true forms that He assumes, and not just mAyA
forms – a-kapaTaih. Every incarnation of His is fully endowed with His
parattvam and all His kalyANa guNa-s in full, irrespective of the
incarnation He takes – ajahat-svabhAvaih

3. His forms in His incarnations are not made of pa’nca bhUta-s like ours,
but His tirumEni in His incarnations is also made of Suddha-sattva, and
so He is beyond the three guNa-s, sattva, rajas, and tamas – a-

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 prAkRtaih

4. The forms in His incarnations are taken as part of His leelA, and not as
a result of any karma as in our case – nij-vihAra-siddhaih

5. They are taken purely for the protection of His devotees and the
destruction of their enemies – AtmIya rakshaNa vipaksha
vinASanArthaih.

nAma 22. ïIman! - srImAn

One with a lovely form.

srImatE namah
In the context of the uncommon and frightful form of nara-simha that we
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encountered in the previous nAma, one would not normally expect this to be a
form of beauty. Not so in the case of BhagavAn, since His form is celestial,
charming and beautiful. It is difficult to translate the description that Sri
Bhattar has given in Sanskrit - soundarya lAvaNyAdibhih ati-manohara divya
rupa.

Sri Sankara interprets this name as One who has Lakshmi always with Him in
His vaksha-sthala - yasya vakshasi nityam vasati srI: sa srImAn. And for this
reason, even though He has the form of a man-lion, there is no diminution in
His beauty.

nAma 23.kezv> - kEsavah

One with lovely locks of hair.

kEsavAya namah
The name can be derived from the word kesa - hair. He is beautiful not only
because he has Lakshmi with Him, but because He is naturally beautiful.
"prasastah kesAh santu asya iti kesavah".

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An additional interpretation for this name, which is supported by VishNu
purANa, is given by Sri Sankara. This interpretation says that kesava derives
from the fact that KrishNa is the destroyer of the demon Kesi who was sent
to kill the child KrishNa by Kamsa.

"yasmAt tvayaiva drshTAtmA hatah kesI anArdana: |

tasmAt kesava nAmnA tvam loke jneyo bhavishyati || "

However, the name kesi-hA appears later on in the stotra, and this literally
means the destroyer of kesi. So a different interpretation here will be
appropriate since otherwise there is the punarukti dosha, or the fault of
repetition. In fact, the name kesava itself repeats later on in the stotra, and
we will wait to see what interpretation the great vyAkhyAna kartAs are going
to give us at that time (kesavah kesi-hA hari: ).

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nAma 24. pué;aeÄm> - purushOttamah

The Supreme amongst the purushas (i.e., individual souls).

purushOttamAya namah
Purushebhya: uttama:, purushANAm uttama:, purusheshu uttama: are all
possible derivations for this nAma.

We find the uttama purusha (purushottama) described in more detail in the

Gita in sloka 15.16 and 15.17. Here the purushas are described as of two kinds;

1. the kshara or those who have the association with prakrti and are under
the bondage of samasara, and

2. the akshara or the muktas who are released from bondage.

The uttama purursha is different from either of these kinds of purushas, and
is the paramAtmA who supports the acetana and the chetanas who are either
the baddhas (purushas under bondage) or muktas (purushas released from
bondage)..

In Gita 15-18, Lord Krishna summarizes the above as follows:

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 "yasmAt ksharam atIto'ham aksharAdapi cottama: |

ato'smi loke vede ca pratithah purushottama: ||

"Because I am superior to both kinds of purushas - the kshara and the

akshara, all the srutis and smrtis praise Me as purushottama."
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vishNu sahasra naama roopam

(drawing made out of the 1000 names of srI mahA vishNu)

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 SlOkam 4
svRZzvRiZzvSSwa[uÉURtaidinRixrVyy>,

sMÉvae Éavnae ÉtaR àÉv> àÉurIñr>. 4.

sarvas sarvas sivas sthANur bhUtAdir nidhiravyayah |

sambhavO bhAvanO bhartA prabhavah prabhurIsvarah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 25. svR> - sarvah (sa as in sanAtana)

One who is all - the cause of creation and destruction of all things.

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sarvasmai namah
We have the following from MahAbhArata -

"asatasca satascaiva sarvasya prabhavApyayAt

sarvasya sarvadA jnAnAt savamenam pracakshate" (MB .68.11)

"He is the origin and end of all things, chetana and achetana, and He has full
knowledge of all beings at all times, and so He is called sarva".

Sri ChinmayAnanda gives a very simple illustration to help understand the

concept behind this nAma. - "All waves arise from the same ocean, and so the
ocean is the essence in all waves".

nAma 26. zvR> - sarvah (sa as in kEsava)

The Remover of all sins

sarvAya namah
I am unable to get a good understanding of the interpretation of this nAma.
The word is derived from the root sr - to tear to pieces, to kill, to hurt.

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 Neither Sri Bhattar nor Sri Sankara have given references to other srutis for
this nAma. If any of you know of a context in the Gita or elsewhere that this
name occurs or is referred to, please advise me since I would like to
understand the significance of this nAma better.

Sri Bhattar's vyAkhyAna says that the Lord is called sarva because He
removes the evils of objects that are His body (sva sarIra bhUtAnAm
asubhamapi srNAti iti sarvah). Perhaps this means that BhagavAn destroys the
sins of His devotees, but the significance of the word . "asubhamapi" in the
above is unclear.

The author of Nirukti interprets Sri Bhattar's above vyAkhyAna as follows:

"sva sarIra jagad-duhkham sarva: sa sthAt srNAti yah"-

Sri Sankara interprets this word in terms of the action of BhagavAn at the
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time of pralaya in withdrawing all beings unto Himself - srNAti samhAra

samaye samharati samhArayati vA sakalAh prajA: iti sarvah.

In this context, SrI RadhAkrshNa Sastri points out that this destruction at
the time of prlaya is not really to be considered cruel, since this is like
"destroying" the shape of raw rice when it is cooked in order to make it edible
- the beings are destroyed in order to give them new life.

nAma 27. izv> - sivah

One who confers auspiciousness

sivAya namah
subha Avahasca sivah - One who bestows auspiciousness on all.

In Mahabharata Drona Parva (202), we have the following for supporting the
above interpretation:

"sameghayati yan-nityam sarvArthAn sarvakarmasu |

sivamicchan manushyAnAm tasmAdesha sivah smrtah ||"

"One who bestows all that is desired always by all His devotees is called Siva

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because of this guNa of His".

Two instances of Sri VishNu being referred to as Siva are in nArAyaNa

upanishad -

1. "sAsvatam sivam acyutam" - The Eternal, The Auspicious, and the One
Who never lets His devotees fall"

2. "sa brahma sa sivah sendrah so'ksharah paramah svarAt" - He is

Brahma, He is Siva, He is Indra, He is Eternal, He is Supreme, He is the
Lord of all.

nAma 28. Swa[u> sthANuh

One who is firm in His benefits and anugraha to the devotees.

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sthANavE namah
The name derives from the word stha - tisThati, indicating firmness or
steadiness. Sri Bhattar interprets this name as indicating that the result of
BhagavAn's anugraha is firm in its effect of blessing the devotee far beyond
what other lesser acts can bestow.

Sri Radhakrishnam Sastri indicates that sthANu is also the name for a tree
which has matured to such an extent that no changes affect it any more,
including sun, rain etc. He interprets this name as indicating BhagavAn's guNa
of not being affected by changes such as growth, decay, etc., nor impacted by
the changes of time, place, etc.

We will revisit the name sthANu again in the sloka "vistArah sthAvarah
sthANuh.....", where we should expect a different interpretation for this guNa
in the context that is applicable at that part of the stotram.

nAma 29. ÉUtaid> bhUtadih

a) One who is eagerly sought after by all beings

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 bhUtadayE namah
Sri Bhattar gives the interpretation bhUtaih sprhaNIyatanatayA AdIyate -
One who is eagerly sought after by all beings.

Sri Sankara gives the interpretation bhUtAnAm Adi-kAraNatvAt bhUtAdih -

BhagavAn is called bhUtAdih because He is the first cause of all beings. It is
possible that Sri Bhattar chose to interpret it differently because the second
interpretation is similar to the meaning for bhUtakrt (nAma 5). I would like to
request any of our bhaktas to comment further.

Sri ChinmayAnanda gives another plausible interpretation . - The very cause

for the first five great elements - the panca bhUtas - Space, Air, Fire, Water,
and Earth. BhUtAnAm Adih
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nAma 30. inixrVyy> - nidhirvyayah

The inexhaustible treasure.

nidhayE avyAya namah

Avayayah nidhih - He is like the wealth that is kept under safe keeping and
always available at the time of distress to His bhaktas.

Sri ChinmayAnanda points out that the term nidhi means that in which precious
things are stored away or preserved secretly - nidhIyate asmin iti nidhih.
Surely BhagavAn is a treasure that is not understood or obtained easily by
everyone.

Sri Sankara interprets this nAma as meaning that VishNu is the One in whom
all things go and lie merged therein temporarily till the next creation, and so
He is the Immutable Treasure Chest.

nAma 31. sMÉv> - sambhavah

(Though like a Hidden Treasure), One who manifests Himself at will to .those

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who sincerely seek Him.

sambhavAya namah
He manifests Himself at any place and at any time and in any form (e.g.,
nrsimha, matsya, kUrma, etc.).

Note the following:

"dharma samsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi yuge yuge" (GItA 4-8)

"svecchayA sambhavAmyevam garbha duhkha vivarjitah"

nAma 32.Éavn> - bhAvanah

(Having manifested thus), One who regenerates all by dispelling all their evils.

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bhAvanAya namah
The author of Nirukti summarizes Sri Bhattar's interpretation by the
following words: yo janitvA janAn ujjIvayati sah bhAvanah - One who, after
having manifested Himself (sambhavah - see above), brings back all to life.

Sri ChinmayAnanda points out that to do bhAvana is to give, and BhagavAn

gives the fruits of action as they deserve to all, and so He is bhAvana. This is
consistent with Sri Sankara's interpretation that BhagavAn is bhAvana
because He gives the fruits of actions to all jivas.

nAma 33.ÉtaR - bhartA

Supporter.

bhartrE namah
Sri Sankara gives the following vyAkhyAna - prapancasya adhishTAnatvena
bharaNAt bhartA - BhagavAn is bhartA (Sustainer) because He sustains the
universe as its Lord.

Sri Bhattar points out that He does this nourishing of His devotees by giving

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 Himself up to His devotees because this is His Nature - yasmAt pushNAti
Atma-dAnAt.

nAma 34. àÉv> - prabhavah

One whose birth is of a sublime nature.

prabhavAya namah
Asya bhavah prakrshTa iti prabhavah - His birth (bhava) is unsullied by any
blemish, and is capable of uprooting the fetter of birth of all those who
realize Him. Or, prakarsheNa bhavati .

nAma 35. àÉu> - prabhuh

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He who is all powerful.

prabhavE namah
Sri Sankara's vyAkhyAna is - sarvAsu kriyAsu sAmarthya atisayavAn prabhuh -
One who is the most powerful, showing it forth in all His actions.

The author of Nirukti summarizes Sri Bhattar's vyAkhyAna thus:

"brahmAdInAm ca sarveshAm bhoga-moksha-samarpaNe |

samarthah prabhu: ityuktah sarveshTa phalado manuh || "

He is prabhu - most powerful - because he can bestow fruits such as the

enjoyment of the pleasures associated with those of Brahma and even moksha.

nAma 36. $ñr> - Isvarah

a) One who has the supreme power of control over all beings

b) One who has the ability to do anything without the help of any other beings
or things

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IsvarAya namah
This nAma is interpreted based on its relation to the word aisvarya or to the
word ishta.

The first meaning derives from the word aisvarya - nirupAdhikam aisvaryam
asya iti Isvarah - He is Isvara because he has unlimited might or power. The
second meaning derives from IshTe iti Isvarah - One who can do whatever He
wills without the help of anything else.

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sadagopan.org

svayambhUh - para vAsudEvan - SrI ranga vimAnam

(Courtesy : www.srirangapankajam.com)

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 SlOkam 5
SvyMÉUZzMÉuraidTy> pu:kra]ae mhaSvn>,

Anaidinxnae xata ivxata xatuéÄm>. 5.

svayambhUh sambhurAdityah pushkarAkshO mahAsvanah |

anAdinidhanO dhAtA vidhAtA dhAturuttamah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 37. SvyMÉU> - svayambhUh

He who manifests Himself by His own free will.

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svayambhUvE namah
Svayameva bhavati iti svayambhUh - One who is self-born.

Sri RAdhA KrishNa Sastri gives the example of how in the case of the birth of
Lord KrshNa to Devaki and Vasudeva, the child was born unlike any other child,
decorated with beautiful jewels, smiling, lotus-eyed, with divya rUpa, etc., and
with no pain or discomfort to the mother. In Srimad BhAgavatam, we find the
following description:

tam adbhutam bAlakam ambujekshNam

caturbhujam sankha gadAryudAyudham |

srIvatsalakshmam galasobhikaustubham

pItAmbaram sAndra payodasoubhagam ||

"(Sri KrshNa at birth) was of magnificent appearance, lotus-eyed, adorned

with sankha, cakra, and gada, with four arms, the kaustubha around his neck,
adorned with pitAmbara (yellow silk cloth) around His waist, and beautiful like
the water-laden cloud".

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 nAma 38. zMÉu> - sambuh

One who causes happiness to everyone by the beauty of His appearance.

sambhavE namah
1. Sam bhAvayati iti sambhuh - here sam (sa as in Shiva) means sukham or
happiness. This happiness is caused by the sheer beauty of His
manifestation. In RAmAyaNa we see the following passages:

2. "rUpa audArya guNai: pumsAm drshti citta apahAriNam" - (Sri Rama)

attracts the eyes and hearts of beholders by His beauty, generosity,
and similar qualities.

3. "candra kAntAnanam rAmam atIva priya darsanam" - Rama who has a

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face lovelier than the moon, and who has an extremely pleasing
appearance.

nAma 39. AaidTy> - Adityah

a) The purusha in the Sun

b) One of the twelve Adityas

c) One who sustains and nourishes everything like the Sun

AdityAya namah
Sri Bhattar points out that this is one example of BhagavAn manifesting
Himself at His will.

We are all familiar with "dhyeyah sadA savtr-manDala madhyavarti

nArAyaNa...." -

Sriman nArAyaNa who is in the centre of the orb of the Sun must always be
meditated upon.

We also have "sa yascAyam purushe, yascAsAvAditye, sa eka:" (taittirIya

upanishad) -

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He is one and the same deity who is in the hearts of men and who is in the
middle of the Sun.

Sri Sankara gives the additional explanation that this nAma can refer to Lord
VishNu being one of the twelve Adityas or Aditi's sons. He gives the Bhagavad
Gita in support of this:

"AdityAnAm aham vishNur-jyotishAm raviramsumAn |

marIcirmaruTamasmi nakshtrANAm aham sasI || (10-21)

"Among Adityas, I am VishNu", (the twelfth Aditya) .........

Sri Chinmaya points out that BhagavAn incarnated as Aditi's son in His vAmana
incarnation. Sri Chinmaya also points out that another way to enjoy this nAma
is to realize that BhagavAn is like the Sun in that everything depends on the
Sun for its survival, and so BhagavAn is Aditya or the Sun or the supporter and

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nourisher of everything.

nAma 40.pu:kra]> - pushkarAkshah

The Lotus-eyed.

pushkaAkshAya namah
Sri ChinmayAnanda refers us to the famous quote "The eye is the reflection of
the mind", and points out that the reference to the beauty of the eye in this
nAma is to be contemplated on in terms of the Inner Joy and Peace that
BhagavAn beams out to all through His eyes and magically lifts out all the
sorrows in His devotee's hearts. This nAma re-occurs as nAma 561 later,
where we will find a new interpretation.

Pushkare akshiNI yasya sa pushkarAkshah;

PoshayatI bhUtAni pushkare akshiNI yasya sa pushkarAkshah.

nAma 41. mhaSvn> - mahAsvanah

He of the venerable sound (of the vedas)

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 mahAsvanAya namah
In BrhadAraNya upanishad, we have the following:
"asya mahato bhUtasya ni:svasitametad yad-rg-vedo yajur-vedah sAma vedo-
atharvAngirasa: itihAsa: purANam vidyA upanishada: slokA:
sUtrANyaNuvyAkhyAnAni vyAkhyAnAni" (4.4.10)

Thus has been breathed from this great Being what we have as Rg veda, Yajur
veda, sAma veda, and atharva veda, etc.

nAma 42. Anaidinxn> - anAdi

anAdi--nidhanah

One who is without beginning or end.

anAdi-nidhanAya namah
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Yasya Adi nidhanam na asti sa anAdi-nidhanah - One for whom there is neither
beginning nor end.

nidhana, which commonly refers to poverty or lack of wealth, also has a second
meaning, death or destruction. BhagavAn is anAdi-nidhana because His form is
not composed of earthly elements like fat, flesh and bone -

na tasya prakrtA mUrti:mAmsa-medosthi-sambhavA (varAha purANa 75.44),

His body is beyond the range of the sense-organs, and can be cognized only by
the eye of the mind - rUpam vA atIndriyam, antahkaraNapratyaksha nirdesAt,
His body is not made up of the combination of elements like earth, water, etc.
- na bhUta sangha samsthAno deho'sya paramAtmanah (MahAbhArata - sAnti
parva 206-60), etc.

nAma 43. xata - dhAtA

a) One Who created the Universe (dhA – to produce, or dhA – to lay upon).

b) He Who supports and sustains (dhA – dhAraN poshaNayoySca).

c) He Who has no support other than Himself (a-dhAtA).

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d) He Who ‘drinks’ everything during pralaya (dheT – pAne – to drink).

e) One Who is the antaryAmi of the four-faced brahmA.

dhAtrE namah
This nAma occurs again in Slokam 102 (nAma 951).The nAma can be derived
from the roots

1. dhA - to produce, to bear, to place, to lay upon; .

2. dhA – dhAraNa poshaNayoH – to support and nurture, or,

3. dhEt – pAne – to drink.

SrI Sa’nkara has also provided an alternate interpretation based on the

pATham a-dhAtA.

SrI BhaTTar interprets the current nAma as “The Creator of everything,

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including the four-faced brahmA”. has the responsibility for creation of
everything inside the brahmANDa, through the powers given to him by
bhagavAn. On the other hand, bhagavAn creates the brahmANDa itself, and
brahmA as the first one in the brahmANDa, before brahmA is given the
responsibility for the creation of the rest of the things inside brahmANDa.
BhagavAn performs the function of creation inside the brahmANDa by being
the antaryAmi of brahmA. Thus, bhagavAn is the true Creator of everything.
BhagavAn’s role as the true Creator is repeatedly sung by nammAzhvAr in his
tiruvAimozhi.

SrI BhaTTar’s interpretation for the current instance of the nAma can be
understood based on the root dhA – to put, place, lay, put in, lay on or upon
(SrI Apte’s dictionary). The main idea being conveyed here is that bhagavAn is
the Creator of all, including the four-faced brahmA, rudra, etc., all the way
down to the blade of grass.

SrI BhaTTar’s interpretation is:

aniruddha svarUpaH sarva yonau acit-samashTi bhUtAyAm prakRtau cit-

samshTi bhUtam viri’ncAtmakam garbham dadhAti iti dhAtA

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 BhagavAn, in the form of aniruddha, places the aggregate of sentient beings
(selves) into the prakRti (the aggregate of non-sentient principles), and it is
this ‘laying’ of one on the other, or association of one with the other by
bhagavAn, that is the cause of all beings, namely, creation. SrI BhaTTar gives
the gItA Slokam 14.3 in support of his interpretation:

mama yonir mahad brahma tasmin garbham dadhAmyaham |

sambhavaH sarva bhUtAnAm tato bhavati bhArata || (gItA 14.3)

"prakRti (referred to here by the term mahad brahma, meaning 'very large') is
like My womb. In that I lay the germ (garbham dadhAmi; the ‘germ’ or seed
referring to the collection of all the jIva-s), and this is what results in the
birth or creation of all life forms with a body associated with the self, O
bhArata!".
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SrI BhaTTar gives additional supports from two other sources:

1. dhAtA kshetre karma-bIja- bhUtam garbham dadhAti (maula samhitA)

2. ‘dhAtA’ places the foetus (the jIva, which is the seed for actions) in
the kshetra (prakRti).

3. Apa eva sasarja Adau tAsu vIryam apAsRjat (manu. SmRti 1.8) – First
He created the waters (referring to the aggregate of prakRti); and in
them hee put His vigor (the aggregate of sentients).

We also have references to His function of creation in the following:

tamasaH paramo dhAtA Sa'nkha cakra gadA dharaH

(yuddha kANDa 114.18)

where maNDodarI describes Lord rAma as dhAtA (The Creator).

sUrya candramasau dhAtA yathA pUrvam akalpayat|

divam ca RthivIm cAnthariksham atho svah|| (Rg. 10/190/3)

He recreates the world with the sun, moon, etc., the same way all over again
after each pralaya.

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SrI bala deva vidyA bhUshaN gives an interpretation along the lines of that of
SrI BhaTTar:

“utpatti vinASa virahAdanAdi nidhanaH kAraNatve

viri’ncyAdibhyo viSesham Aha dhAtA iti |

acit samashTau prakRti yonau cit samshTau

viri’nci garbhasya dhAraNAt ituarthaH |"

He Who is the cause of creation, protection and destruction, and He Who sows
the seed for brahmA (creates brahmA), by the union of the cit samashTi and
acit samsashTi (samashTi = conglomerate).

All the other interpreters that we cover have used the root dhA – dhAra
poshaNayoH, or the root dheT – pibe – to drink. These interpretations are

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covered under nAma 951 (Slokam 102).

nAma 44. ivxata - vidhatA

vidhAtre namaH.
a) He Who specially protected the seed He sowed for brahmA till the seed
fully developed into the creation of catur-mukha brahmA.

b) The Ordainer of the laws of conduct for all, including the likes of yama.

c) The Dispenser of the fruits of action and the inducer of action.

d) The Supporter of all supports such as AdiSesha.

e) He Who lays down the code of conduct and the fruits to be attained from
them.

f) He Who protects the beings of this world in diverse ways (vi-dhAtA; vi =

vividhaiH).

g) He Who bestows the desires of His devotees.

h) He Who is borne by garuDa, His vehicle (vi-dhAtA; vi = garuDa).

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 This nAma occurs again in Slokam 51 (nAma 485).

The meaning for the nAma can be understood based on the following meanings
given in the dictionary, and the derivation given by SrI vAsishTha, among
others:

1. vidhAtR – A maker, a creator. Grantor, giver, bestower.

2. vidhAnam – arranging, disposing.

3. vidhAnam - a rule, precept, ordinance, sacred rule or precept, sacred

injunction.

4. vidhAtA – vidhAnasya kartA – He Who ordains the rules etc.

For nAma 43, SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning “Creator” for the word dhAtA.
For the current nAma, he continues on this interpretation, discussed below.
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN also continues on this same line. All the other
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interpreters we have been covering, use one of the other meanings for their
interpretations. These other interpretations are covered under nAma 485 in
Slokam 51.

a) For nAma 44, SrI BhaTTar continues on the interpretation of nAma 43

(dhAtA – The Creator), and gives the explanation that bhagavAn is vidhAtA
because He not only initiated the creation of brahmA in the form of the
garbha (nAma 43), but also He protected the garbham until brahmA was born.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan explains that the nAma dhAtA refers to bhagavAn
creating the seed for brahmA, and vidhAtA as referring to nurturing this seed
and making it come into existence. SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan explains the
nAma as: viSesheNa dhAtA vidhAtA.

SrI BhaTTar gives several supporting references:

yo brahmANam vidadhAti pUrvam yo vai vedAnSca prahiNoti tasmai |

tam ha devam Atam buddhi prakASam mumukshur-vai

SaraNam aham parapdye || (SvetAS. 6.18)

“I, an aspirant after liberation, seek refuge in the effulgent God who created

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brahmA first, and who endowed him with the Vedas also, and on account of
whom my intellect shines”.

1. hiraNyagarbham paSyata jAyamAnam (tait. NArA.) – BhagavAn saw

brahmA as he was being born.

2. tasmAt virAT ajAyata (purusha.sUk.) – From Him, virAt (i.e., brahmA)

was born.

3. tasmin jaj~ne svayam brahmA sarva-loka pitAmahaH (manu. 1.9) –

Therein was born brahmA himself, who is known as the grandsire of the
universe”.

SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN’s interpretation is the same as that of SrI

BhaTTar – tam garbham pariNamayya AvirbhAvayati it vidhAtA. SrI kRshNan’s
anubhavam is that bhagavAn is called vidhAtA because He carefully protected

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brahmA in His beautiful nAbhI kamalam or the lotus in the navel, until he was
born.

Please see the write-up under Slokam 51 (nAma 485) for other interpretations.

nAma 45. xatuéÄm> - dhAturuttamah

a) One who is far superior to Brahma (dhAtr)

b) The best of all basic constituents

dhAturuttamAya namah
The first interpretation is self-explanatory based on the previous two nAmas.
Another explanation given is based on the word dhAtu, which means "element"
or basic constituent. He is the ultimate constituent of all, and so He is
dhAturuttama.

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 SlOkam 6
Aàmeyae ù;Ikez> pÒnaÉae=mràÉu>,

ivñkmaR mnuSTvòa SwivóSSwivrae Øuv>. 6.

apramEyO hrushikEsah padmanAbhO=maraprabhuh |

visvakarmA manustvashTA sthavishThas sthavirO dhruvah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 46. Aàmey - apramEyah

One who cannot be defined, explained, measured, etc. through logical means,
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(but who can only be experienced)

apramEyAya namah
pramAtum na yogya: aprameyah -

He is beyond reach through normal means because:

1. He is beyond sense organs (pratyaksha) such as our mortal eyes, ears,

etc.;

2. nor through inference (anumAna) because he is devoid of the marks

leading to inference (e.g., the presence of fire can be inferred through
smoke but, for this inference, one should have witnessed fire and
smoke together at least once. No one has seen the Lord with or without
anything associated);

3. nor through analogy or comparison (upamA), because He is without parts

and everything else is only parts, and hence no comparison can be made;

4. nor through Apta vAkya or shabda pramANa (someone else who has
seen Him telling us, or through sacred texts) because no one can see
Him, since even the muktAs only experience Him.

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Sri Bhattar goes on to point out that BhagavAn is aprameya because He is
beyond the sense organs of even Brahma and other gods (Sri RAdhAKrshNa
Sastri points out that the means of sensing is the same for Brahma and other
gods as it is for people). He is not describable as This or That, like this or like
that, or inferred because of this or because of that, etc., and so He is
aprameya.

nAma 47. ù;Ikez> - hrushIkEsah

a) The controller of the sense-organs of all including Brahma, Rudra etc.

b) One who, in the form of the Sun and the Moon, makes this world happy
through His rays

hrushikEsAya namah

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The two interpretations are derived by looking at this word as hrshIkA + Isa
or hrishI + kesa. The first explanation is derived from "HrshIkANAm Isah
hrshIkesah - The Lord of the sense-organs. The second interpretation is given
based on kesa - rays, hrshI - that give happiness.

Sri Sankara gives the following support from MahAbhArata, Moksha dharma,
SAnti parva for the second interpretation:

"sUrya candramasoh SaSa vadamSubhi: keSa samjnitaih |

bodhayan svApayanScaiva jagadutthisThAte prthak ||

bodhanAt svApanAccaiva jagato harshaNam bhavet ||

agnIshoma krtairebhih karmabhih pANdunandana |

hrIkeSo'hamIsAno varado lokabhAvana: ||"

"The sun and the moon through their kesa or rays always uphold the world by
awakening it and causing it to sleep. By such awakening and sleeping, the world
is delighted. It is in consequence of this act of fire (Sun) and Soma who uphold
the universe that I have come to be known as HrshIkeSa...".

Sri T.S. Krishnamurthy, who has written an English translation to Sri Sankara

83
 bhAshya, has taken this guNAnubhava one more step by saying that the keSa -
hair of the Lord in the form of the rays of the sun and the moon give delight
(harsha), and thus He is HrshIkeSa.
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hrushIkEsah

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nAma 48. pÒnaÉ> - padmanAbhah

One from whose navel the lotus (the cause of the Universe) emanates.
Sarva jagat kAraNam padmam nAbhau yasya sa padmanAbhah

padmanAbhAya namah
Sri Bhattar points out that this name substantiates or summaries all that has
been said through the previous nAmas about BhagavAn being the creator or
cause of Brahma (e.g., dhAtA, vidhAtA, dhaturuttamah).

Sri RadhAkrshNa Sastri gives a beautiful and simple explanation to enable the
appreciation of this nAma. In our normal life, the child before and at birth is
connected to the mother through the navel chord, and gets its nourishment
from the mother through this chord. Similar is the chord from the Lord's

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navel, which is nothing but the Universe in its prakrti form, and which looks
like a lotus which has not expanded. This is prior to its expansion through
Time, and He is the nourisher of this creation of His (which is none other than
Brahma).

nAma 49. AmràÉu> - amaraprabhuh

The Lord of the immortal gods.

amaraprabhave namah
AmarANAm prabhuh amaraprabhuh.

The Lord is amaraprabhu because He created the different devatAs and

entrusted them with acts such as creation, destruction, etc., made them
immortal because of their functions, and directs them in their functions.

Sri Bhattar quotes the following words ascribed to Brahma in Uttara kANda in
RAmAyaNa -

"mahArNave SayAnau'psu mAm tvam pUrvam ajIjana: |

prAhApatyam tvayA karma sarvam mayi niveSitam || (104-4)

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 "You were lying on the waters of the great ocean and you first of all created
me. The entire duty of the PrajApati (the rulership of the beings) was
entrusted to me by you".

Also, the following from MahAbhArata is given -

"etau dvau vibudha SreshThau prasAda-krodhajau smrtau |

tadAdarSita panthAnau srshTi samhAra kArakau ||" (169-19)

"These two great gods (Brahma and Rudra) are said to have emerged from the
sweet temper and wrath of BhagavAn respectively. They carry out the duty of
creation and destruction in the way shown by Him".

nAma 50. ivñkmaR - visvakarmA

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a) One who is the agent of all actions with regard to the Universe.
b) The Creator of the Universe

visvakarmaNe namah
viSvam karma jagad-vyApArah yasya sa viSva karmA. Sri Bhattar points out
that this name signifies that all the entire work with regard to the affairs of
the Universe are His alone either before or after the creation of Brahma. In
other words, He is the director and controller.

Among the many passages in the sruti that support the interpretation are:

"so'kAmayatabahu syAm prajAyeya iti" taittirIya AraNyaka - 6

He willed, I shall become many, I shall take birth".

"so'bidhyAya SarIrAt svAt sisrkshu: vividhAh prajA:"

"Brahman willed to create different kinds of beings out of Its body and so It
did"

nAma 51. mnu> - manuh

The Great Thinker:

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MananAt manuh
manavE namah
In the BrhadAraNya upanishad, we have

"nAnyo'to'sto mantA" (B.U. 3.7.23)

"There is no thinker but Him"

To mentally conceive an act prior to the act itself is mananam. BhagavAn has to
but think and not do anything else in order to achieve what He wills. The
creation of the cosmos was only a minute part of His will. Sri Bhattar uses the
word sankalpa lava mAtrAt - by the mere fraction (lava mAtrAt) of His will, to
explain this

nAma 52. Tvòa - tvashTA

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One who created all the different forms and names in this Universe.

tvashTrE namah
This name is derived from the root tvaksh - to pare, to reduce, to chisel. Sri
Bhattar uses this meaning to interpret this nAma to mean that BhagavAn has
"chiseled" so many diverse forms and names of gods, man, birds, plants,
insects, etc., and thus He is tvashTA. He gives the taittirIya araNyaka (3-11)
in support

tvashTAram rUpANi vikurvantam vipascitam.

Sri Sankara uses the same meaning to interpret this name as indicating that
BhagavAn pares down all the beings or makes them shrink at the time of
cosmic dissolution or pralaya. It is interesting to note that the first
interpretation refers to the creation of forms and shapes from the primordial
matter, and the second interpretation refers to the dissolution of forms and
shapes back into primordial matter.

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 nAma 53. Swivó> - sthavishThah

One who is exceedingly huge in size.

sthavishThAya namah
The name is derived from the two words sthUla and ishTha - One who willed to
be huge.

Sri Bhattar points out that this huge size is the manifestation of BhagavAn as
the brahmANDa (the egg-shaped universe) with the fourteen worlds. which are
the places of residences for all the beings that He has created, as
well as its sheath, and the sense-organs of all the beings, as well as the sound,
touch, and other qualities that are the objects of these sense-organs, as well
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as their effects. The fourteen worlds are referred to by Sri Ramanuja in his
Sri VaikuNTha-gadyam (caturdaSa bhuvanAntaram aNdam daSa
guNitottaram ....) in his reference to Sri VaikunTham's location far, far beyond
the limits of these fourteen worlds.

nAma 54. Swivr> - sthavirah

One who has always existed, Older than the oldest.

sthavirAya namah
The name is derived from the root stha - tishThati - to stand. This nAma
signifies that BhagavAn is not constrained by Time. All His creation goes
through the cycle of creation and pralaya, and He uses Time for His creation
and dissolution, but He is not constrained by it. Thus He is older than the
oldest.

nAma 55. Øuv> - dhruvah

One who is unaffected by Time, Unchanging, Permanent.

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dhruvAya namah
The word is derived from the root dhr - to carry, maintain, preserve, to be
eternal, immovable - (sthiratvAt dhruvah). The previous nAma indicated that
BhagavAn is the oldest of the oldest. This nAma signifies that He is
unchanging while Time keeps moving.

Perhaps because both the nAmas sthavira and dhruva refer to the quality of
BhagavAn being beyond the influence, effect, or control of Time, Sri Sankara
has chosen to interpret the two words as one nAma - sthaviro dhruvah - One
who is unchanging and older than the oldest.

Thus the sequence number for the nAmas that follow start differing from this
nAma between Sri Sankara bhAshya and Sri Bhattar's vyAkhyAna.

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 SlOkam 7
A¢aýZzañt> k«:[ae laeihta]> àtdRn>,

àÉUtiôkk…Ïam pivÇ< m¼¦< prm!. 7.

agrAhyah sAsvatah krushNO lOhitAkshah pratardanah |

prabhUtas trikakuddhAma pavitram mangaLam param ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 56. A¢aý> - agrAhyah

One who is beyond the grasp of others.

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agrAhyAya namah
The interpretation for this nAma by Sri Bhattar is that BhagavAn cannot be
physically grasped, controlled, or acted upon by anyone or anything, and is thus
beyond grasp. He gives the following reference to the sruti:

nainam Urdhvam na tiryancam na madhye parijagrabhat

One could grasp Him neither in the vertical dimension, nor in the horizontal
dimension, nor in the third dimension, or for that matter, any other dimension.

Sri Sankara's interpretation is karmendriayih na grhyata iti agrAhyah -

One who cannot be grasped by the organs of action. He gives the following
reference to taittirIya upanishad - yato vAco nivartante, aprApya manasA saha
- He cannot be described through speech, and cannot be reached by mind.

Sri ChinmayAnanda gives us yet another interpretation. He points out that the
Lord is not the "object" of perception ever by any one, but He is the "subject"
who perceives. Thus He is ever the Subject but never the object of
perception. He is imperceptible and incomprehensible. Sri Chinmaya refers us
to the kenopanishad passage "yat cakshushA na paSyati yena cakshUmsi

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paSyanti tadeva brahma tvam viddhi - Understand that Brahman is That which
cannot be seen by the eyes, but because of which eyes are perceiving other
things.

nAma 57. zañt> - sAsvatah

One who is eternal.

sAsvatAya namah
shASvat bhavatIti shAshvatah - That which remains the same at all times is
the Permanent.

Sri Bhattar points out that the fact that BhagavAn is SASvata is evident from
the eternal flow of action pertaining to the world (i.e., creation etc.).

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Sri Chinmaya points out that for something to be permanent, it has to be
changeless with time, and BhagavAn is the controller of time, and is not
controlled or affected by time, and so is Eternal and permanent.

nAma 58. k«:[> - krushNah

a) One who is always in a state of Bliss (with His sport of creation etc.).
b) One who has a dark-blue complexion.

krushNAya namah
The first interpretation is supported from the following verse in
MahAbhArata -

krshir-bhU-vAcakah Sabdo NaSca nirvrti vAcakah |

vishNus-tad bhAvayogAcca krshNo bhavati SASvatah ||

(MB Udyogaparva 5.68.5)

Approximately translated, this says: krishi means bhU, Na means nirvrtti or

happiness and bliss, and BhagavAn is called KrshNa because He is the union of
these two.

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sadagopan.org

SrI krushNa
(Courtesy:www.stephen-knapp.com)
Sri Sankara and Sri Bhattar interpret the name slightly differently with this
same starting point. Sri Sankara interprets bhU to mean existence (bhU - bhav
- to be), and Sri Bhattar interprets bhU to mean a receptacle or ground or
container (e.g., bhUmi). So Sri Bhattar says that krshNa here means the
receptacle of extreme joy because of His constant sport of creation etc.
referred to in the previous nAma. Sri Sankara interprets the name to mean
that He is the union of existence and bliss.

The second interpretation also has its support in the MahAbhArata -

krshAmi prthivIm pArtha bhUtvA kArshNAyaso halah |

krshNo varNaSca me yasmAt tasmAt krshNo'ham arjuna ||

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 SAnti parva 342.79

Note the words krshAmi, kArshaNa, and krshNa in the above. Each of these
words leads to a new and different interpretation of the meaning of the nAma
here. The meaning of the first line in the above sloka is "When the earth
becomes shelled by its hard crust, I shall turn myself into an iron plough-share
(black-colored), and shall plough the earth." The name krshNa can arise out of
the fact that He is doing the act denoted by the word "krshAmi".

Sri Chinmaya beautifully points out that this "ploughing" refers to His
ploughing all the stupidities in His devotees and preparing the heart-field,
weeding out all the poisonous growth of sin, and cultivating therein pure Bliss.

The second part of the verse means "O Arjuna! Because of my dark
complexion, I am called KrshNa". The dark complexion referred to above could

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be because He is the (dark colored) iron plough, or because He is dark
complexioned like the water-bearing cloud. Either way, because of His dark
complexion, He is called krshNa. Notice that the dark complexion is associated
with "kAr mugil vaNNan" or "nIla megha syAmalan" - One who has the color of
the rain cloud loaded with His limitless mercy.

Sri Chinmaya points out that the inner meaning behind the "dark" complexion is
that BhagavAn is not easily recognized (i.e., He is veiled behind some darkness)
by those who aspire to reach Him except through single-minded devotion.

The nAma krshNa can also be interpreted in terms of the word "AkarshaNa"
or magnetic attraction. He is krshNa because He irresistibly attracts all His
devotees. Or He sweeps away (like a magnet drawing away the iron filings) the
sins in the hearts of those who meditate upon Him.

This nAma occurs once more later as nAma 554 in "vedAh svAngo'jitah
krshNo.....". Sri Bhattar gives the meaning b) for nAma 554, and gives the first
explanation for the current nAma describing the paravAsudeva form.

nAma 59. laeihta]> - lOhitAkshah

One with eyes red like the beautiful lotus flower.

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 Lohite akshiNi yasya sah lohitAkshah.

lohitAkshAya namah
Sri Bhattar enjoys the beauty of this nAma by ascribing the redness in the
eye to the supreme joy that BhagavAn has. One can recall the mantra "sa mA
vrshabho lohitakshah sUryo vipaScit mansA punAtu", which we chant during
our sandhyavandanam. This is the second reference so far to the beauty of
BhagavAn's eyes (the earlier one was pushkarAksha).

While Sri Bhattar explains the redness of the eye as resulting from extreme
joy, another explanation given is that the redness is a result of BhagavAn's
anger towards the evil-doers, for the destruction of whom He takes the
different avatAras - vinASAya ca dushkrtAm.
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nAma 60. àtdRn> - pratardanah

The Destroyer.

pratardanAya namah
This name is derived from the root tardih - to cause destruction. Pra-tarda
means extreme destruction. Sri Bhattar gives the following from
kaThopanisahd - yasya brahma ca kshtram ca ubhe bhavatah odanah - He who
has for His food the brahmins and the kshatriyas (i.e., all beings of the
universe) at the time of pralaya. Sri RadhAkrshNa Sastri points out that given
the interpretation for this nAma, the redness of the eye in the previous nAma
can be appropriately the result of anger at the time of dissolution.

nAma 61. àÉUt - prabhUta

One who is affluent, ever full, and well-endowed with wisdom, greatness, and
other qualities.

prabhUtAya namah
Literally, the word means "born full" pra-bhUta. Even though at the time of

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pralaya, BhagavAn destroys everything, still His affluence remains since He
has the parama-pada (the transcendental world), which is full of Bliss. And His
essential Nature, well-endowed with jnAna, bala, aisvarya, vIrya, Sakti, and
tejas still remain. Even after reducing everything at pralaya, the vAmana can
be the trivikrama.

nAma 62. iÇkk…Ïama - trikakud dhAmA

There are three words in this name - tri, kakub or kakut, and dhAma.

1. tri means three;

2. kakub means the direction or quarter of a compass (for example);

3. kakut means the hump (such as the hump on the back of a bull, or a peak

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or mountain);

4. kakub and kakut also are interchangeably used for either meaning.

5. dhAma means abode or residence, and also a ray of light or brilliance.

Several interpretations arise depending on the choice of the meanings.

trikakuddhAmanE namah
We will start with dhAma meaning brilliance. Sri Bhattar indicates that if this
meaning is used, dhAma will have to be considered as a separate nAma. The
first part is then interpreted as tri-kakut, which refers to the incarnation of
BhagavAn as the varAha, the Boar with three horns. This interpretation for
tri-kakut is supported by the following sloka from moksha dharma in the
mahAbhArata -

tathaiva Asam tri-kakudo vArAham rUpam Asthitah |

trikakut tena vikhyAtah SarIrasya pramApaNAt || (moksha dharma 343-63)

"Then I assumed the form of a Boar with three horns. So I became known as
'tri-kakut'. With that form I killed the rAkshasa."

Sri Bhattar gives the above only as an alternative interpretation, but does not
interpret the phrase tri-kakud-dhaAma as two separate words as explained

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 above. Sri Sankara also interprets tri-kakub-dhAma as one nAma.

One interpretation Sri Bhattar gives for tri-kakud-dhAma is One who has as
His abode parama-pada, which is thrice as large as this universe. An alternative
interpretation given is that the three parts refer to the three groupings of
the six guNas (jnAna, bala, aisvarya, vIrya, Sakti, tejas), and since He is the
abode of these three groups of guNas, He is tri-kakud-dhAma.

Sri Sankara gives the interpretation that He is the base or support for the
three regions of the entire space, the upper, the lower, and the middle, and
therefore He is tri-kakud-dhAma.

Sri Chinmaya gives the vedAntic interpretation that He is the base or support
for the three states of consciousness, viz., the jAgrat, svapna, and sushupti,
and this is why He is called tri-kakud-dhAma.
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nAma 63. pivÇ< - pavitram

Purity Incarnate.

pavitrAya namah
Up to this point, the qualities, possessions, and body of BhagavAn have been
portrayed step-by-step. Now we are passing to His essential Nature which is
to be cognized through all of the above. The word is derived from poo - to
purify. Either He is the Deity that purifies, or He is the means of purification.
The purity referred to here is the inner purity of the mind, which He gives to
those who meditate on Him.

Both Sri RadhAkrshNa Sastri and Sri Chinmaya offer a second and more
uncommon interpretation - One who gives protection (trAyate) from the
thunderbolt of Indra (pavi). Sri Chinmaya points out that in vedAnta indra
refers to the mind (indriyANam rAjA indrah - the mind), and the thunderbolt
of mind can destroy all the accomplishments of a sAdhaka, and uninterrupted
medidation of Sri VishNu can give the protection against such distractions, and
thus VishNu is pavi-tra.

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nAma 64. m¼¦< prm! - mangaLam param

The Embodiment of Supreme Auspiciousness

mangaLAya parasmai namah

Sri Sankara quotes the following from VishNu PurANa -

aSubhAni nirAcashTe tanoti Subhasantatim |

smrti-mAtreNa yat pumsAm brahma tanmangalam viduh ||

"Brahman is known as beneficence because He wards off all evils and brings on
a series of benefits to men on being merely remembered by them".

param just emphasizes that He is the Supreme Beneficence. We may recall the

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introductory sloka "pavitrANAm pavitram yo mangalAnAm ca mangalam" by
Bhishma; two names occur now sequentially here.

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 SlOkam 8
$zan> àa[d> àa[ae JyeóZïeó> àjapit>,

ihr{ygÉaeR ÉUgÉaeR maxvae mxusUdn>. 8.

IsAnah prANadah prANO jyEshThas srEshThah prajApatih |

hiraNyagarbhO bhUgarbhO mAdhavO madhusUdanah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 65. $zan> - IsAnah

The controller
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IsAnAya namah
By this name, BhagavAn is clearly distinguished from the bound souls, released
souls, and ever-free souls. 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 66. àa[d> - prAnadah

The life-giver

prAnadAya namah
a) 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

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- 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 67. àa[> - prANah

Life.

prANAya namah
That which sustains is prANa - prANiti iti prANah. That which has prANa
functioning in it is a prANI. BhagavAn is PrANa because He sustains the
PrANi. The name can also be understood as referring to BhagavAn being the
cause of the pRANA or life-impulse in the air that sustains the life - in
kenopanishad we find the Supreme defined as prANasya prANah - the prANa

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of prANa itself.

nAma 68. Jyeó> - jyEshThah

Older than the oldest.

jyEshThAya namah
Vrddhatamo jyeshThah.

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. Sri ChinmayAnanda points out that jyeshTHa is the superlative of
vrddha (vrddha - aged; jyAyAn - more aged; jyeshTha - most aged).

nAma 69. ïeó> - srEshThah

Most praise-worthy.

srEshThAya namah

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 PraSasyatamo SreshThah.

SreshTha is the superlative of sreya - glorious. 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 70. àjapit> - prajApatih

Lord of the Ever-free Angels.

prajApatayE namah
PrakarsheNa jAyante iti prajAh, teshAm patih prajApatih - The leader of
those who have a glorious birth - the nitya-sUris, who are far superior to the
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baddha and mukhta, or the bound and freed souls.

An explanation which interprets the term prajA to mean all beings, rather than
the special class of Ever-free Angels, has also been provided, and thus the
meaning in this case will be Lord of all beings.

nAma 71. ihr{ygÉR> - hiraNyagarbhah

He who is in a lovely Abode.

hiraNyagarbhAya namah
The word hiraNya means golden. Sri Bhattar interprets it as fitting or lovely.
The word garbha means womb. Sri Bhattar interprets it as the Abode or Living
Place. Thus the meaning - One who is in a fitting or Lovely Abode, viz. The
Parama Padam. Or, He is the garbha , or originator, of hiraNya or gold, a term
used to refer to all that is the Object of fulfillment and joy.

nAma 72. ÉUgÉR> - bhUgarbhah

One for whom the Earth is the object of protection.

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bhUgarbhAya namah
He is the protector of Mother Earth. It can also mean One who has the
Universe in Himself - bhU garbhe yasya sah bhUgarbhah. Or, He is the garbha,
or Originator, of the Universe. BhU, which is His garbha, is constantly and
lovingly nurtured and nourished through His very Essence.

nAma 73. maxv> - mAdhavah

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.

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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,

mAdhavAya namah
The nAma mAdhava occurs three times (nAma 73, 169, 741) in Sri VishNu
sahasranAmam, and different interpretations are offered in the three
contexts. We will deal with all the different interpretations here, and will
refer back to this section for the future.

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 |

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 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".
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mAdhavan
(sri LakshmikAnta PerumAL at Hedathale, Mysore.)
(A rare image of the samaashrayaNa thirukolam with reverse aayudhams and
padmam and gadhai in upper hands)
(pic.Courtesy:Sri Lakshminarasimhan Sridhar, Bangalore)
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

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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. These are
expressed in the following Slokas:

mahAvibhUteh sampUrNa shAdguNya vapushah prabhoh |

bhagavad vAsudevasya nityaiva eshA anapAyinI ||

ekaiva vartate bhinnA jyotsneva himadIdhiteh |

sarvaSaktyAtmikA caiva viSvam vyApya vyavasthitA ||

sarvaiSvarya guNopetA nityam taddharma dharmiNI |

prANaSaktih parA hyeshA sarveshAm prANiNAm bhuvi ||

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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.

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 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. This
interpretation is included as one of the explanations for this name by
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ThirukkaLLAm sri NrsimharAghavAchAriAr in his bhAshya on Sri Bhagavad

GItA.

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

nAma 74. mxusUdn> - madhusUdanah

The slayer of the evil demon called Madhu.

madhusUdhanAya namah
In the MahAbhArata we have the following -

vishNu karNodbhavam cApi madhu nAma mahAsuram |

tasya tAvadvadhAdeva deva dAnava mAnavAh madhusUdhana

ityAhur-rshayaSca janArdanam ||

(MahAbhArata 2.63.13)

"Because Sri VishNu destroyed the mahAsuran by name madhu, He is called

MadhusUdhana by the sages, devas, asuras, and men".

Sri ChinmayAnanda indicates that madhu is a term used in vedAnta to refer to

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the fruits of actions. Since BhagavAn destroys the effects of the fruits of
actions of those who meditate on Him, He is madhusUdana.

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 SlOkam 9
$ñrae iv³mI xNvI mexavI iv³m> ³m>,

AnuÄmae Êrax;R> k«t}> k«itraTmvan!. 9.

IsvarO vikramIi dhanvI mEdhAvI vikramah kramah |

anuttamO durAdharshah krutaj~nah krutirAtmavAn ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 75. $ñr> - Isvarah

The Ruler.
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IsvarAya namah
This nAma occurred earlier (nAma 36). At that time we had indicated that the
name can be interpreted as One who has unlimited aiSvarya, or One who can do
whatever He wills (IshTe). AiSvarya means might or power, sovereignty,
affluence or wealth, etc. Sri Sankara seems to interpret the first occurrence
of this nAma as One who has unlimited might, and the next one as One who has
unlimited power. Sri Bhattar interprets the first occurrence as One who has
supreme power of rulership over all beings, and seems to interpret the second
one as One who does whatever He wills - yatra kAma gamo vaSI - He has self-
control and goes wherever He wants. Sri ChinmayAnanda interprets the first
occurrence as One who has the ability to do whatever He wants and the second
occurrence as One who is Omni-potent or All-powerful, with control over all
forms of Sakti - kriyA Sakti, icchA Sakti, and jnAna Sakti. However, all of
them seem to use the two variants we have covered under nAma 36.

nAma 76. iv³mI - vikramI

a) The most courageous, The most powerful.

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b) One who has the "Special" footsteps viz. Vamana

vikramiNe namah
Vikramah Souryam, tadyogAt vikramI - vikrama is courage; He who is ever a
courageous One, is vikramI.

Sri Bhattar points out that the name signifies that it is His nature that it
dispels all possibility of anything going against His will or desire.

Sri ChinmayAnanda gives the additional interpretation which uses the meaning
of krama as steps, and interprets the nAma as One who has "Special"
footsteps, referring to the vAmana incarnation.

nAma 77. xNvI - dhanvI

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The wielder of the bow.

dhanvinE namah
Dhanurasya asti iti dhanvI.

He is the wielder of the divine bow Sarnga. It is well-known that in His

incarnation as Sri Rama, He had to dedicate a substantial part of His life
wielding His bow.

In the GitA, Sri KrshNa says -

rAmah Sastra bhrtAmaham - I am Rama among the wielders of the bow.

nAma 78. mexavI - mEdhAvI

One who is capable of powerful memory.

mEdhAvinE namah
Sri Sankara gives the following definition -

"medhA bahugrantha dhAraNa sAmarthyam, sa yasya asti sa medhAvI - medhA

is the ability to grasp several ideas on different subjects at the same time;

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 One who has this ability naturally is medhAvI.

Sri RadhAkrshNa Sastri points out that BhagavAn is Isvara, vikramI, dhanvI,
etc., because He is a medhAvI, one who can command the knowledge of
anything at any time as desired.

nAma 79. iv³m> - vikramah

a) One with great strides (see nAma 76), such as in the vAmana incarnation

b) One who rides on the king of birds, the Garuda.

vikramAya namah
The first meaning has been explained under the earlier nAma 76. The second is
derived as follows: vi refers to the king of birds, Garuda; krama refers to His
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sancAra playfully on the Garuda who is the embodiment of the three vedas,
around the world.

nAma 80. ³m> - kramah

a) One who is the basis for the order in the Universe

b) One who controls and bestows the power of movement

c) One who is highly prosperous

kramAya namah
Krama can refer to systematization, sequence, ordering etc. (The word kramam
is commonly used in Tamil as a word acquired from Sanskrit with this meaning).
It can also refer to steps, as we indicated under vikramI, virkramah, etc., and
as a result, motion.

Based on the meaning as ordering or sequence, He is the one who makes the
events of the world conform to an order, for e.g., night and day following each
other.

Based on the meaning as steps or motion, He is responsible for the power of

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His creatures having the power of motion or movement.

According to PaNini sUtra 1.3.38, which reads "vrtti-sarga-tAyaneshu kramah",

krama also can indicate continuity, energy, or good progress or development.
Sri Bhattar uses the last of these, and gives the meaning "One who has great
prosperity".

nAma 81. AnuÄm> anuttamah

One for whom there is nothing superior or better.

anuttamAya namah
na vidyamAna uttamo yasmAt sah anuttamah - One for whom nothing superior
is known.

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The nirukti summarization of Sri Bhattar's vyAkhyAna is uttamo nAsti yasmAt
sah anuttama udAhrtah.

nAma 82. Êrax;R> durAdharshah

daityAdhibhih dharshayitum na sakyata iti durAdharshah -

One who cannot be overcome by the demons and others.

durAdharshAya namah

nAma 83. k«t}> krutaj~nah

One who is grateful.

krutaj~nAya namah
Sri Bhattar gives the following references from the GItA in support of this
interpretation:

api cet sudurAcAro bhajate mAm anayabhAk |

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 sAdhureva sa mantavyah samyag vyavasito hi sah || (9.30)

A portion of the translation of the bhAshya of Sri RAmAnuja for the above
sloka is: "If even the most sinful man worships Me with undivided devotion,
with worship as the only purpose, such a person must be considered highly
righteous. He is eminent among the worshippers of VishNu - a great Sri
VaishNava (vaishNava SreshThasara eva mantavyah are Sri RAmAnujA's own
words). He must be esteemed as fit for honor."

BhagavAn is so grateful that the mere worship of Him with sincerity is

sufficient for Him to forgive all other sins committed by the worshipper.

The second support given by Sri Bhattar for the gratefulness of BhagavAn for
a devotee who cried for help with full surrender to Him is from the
MahAbhArata -
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govindeti yadAkrandat krshNA mAm dUravAsini |

rNam pravrddhamiva me hrdayAt na apasarpati || (MB 3-58-22)

"That cry for help uttered aloud by Draupadi even from a distance, calling me
"GovindA" - that cry is never away from my mind like a debt that has increased
with the interest accumulated on it".

Sri Sankara points out that He confers emancipation (moksha) on those that
offer to Him in worship even such common objects as a leaf or flower -
patrapushpAdyalpamapi prayacchatAm moksham dadAti.

Another explanation given for this nAma is that BhagavAn is One who knows
the actions of all the other beings, good and bad - prANinAm puNya apuNya
Atmakam karma krtam jAnAti iti krtajnah. He is the one Knower who knows all
physical activities, all emotional feelings, and all intellectual thoughts and
motives.

Sri ChinmayAnanda points out that He knows the exact depth of sincerity, the
true ardency of devotion, the real amount of purity in the heart of His
devotees, and as a result of His gratitude, He brings joy and bliss to their
hearts because He is a krtajna.

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nAma 84. k«it> krutih

One who is the cause of the virtuous act of His devotees.

krutayE namah
In the previous nAma we saw that BhagavAn has great gratitude for the good
acts of His devotees. Through the current nAma it is pointed out that in
reality BhagavAn is really the cause behind the good deeds, and all we can and
should do is practice pure and sincere devotion.

Sri Bhattar points out that BhagavAn alone makes us do virtuous acts when He
wants to lift us up from the worlds of material existence. The virtuous act of
the Jiva owes its origin to the Lord when He is pleased - tacca teshAm

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sukrtam asmAdeva prasannAt iti krtih.

nAma 85. AaTmvan! - AtmavAn

The real Owner and Controller of the souls of those who do these virtuous
acts.

AtmavatE namah
The basic elemental fact that stands out from the last three nAmas is that it
is not we who bring about our salvation through our effort or actions; it is He
who makes it happen based on the sincerity of our devotion, trust, and
surrender to Him as the sole cause of our salvation. He is the krtajna who, just
pleased immensely by our small effort of sincere devotion, will cause our souls
which He owns, and divert it towards actions that He will then use as the hetu
or reason or pretext for conferring His blessings on us.

Another explanation Sri RAdhAkrshNa SAstri gives for this nAma is One who
is not dependent on anything else for His actions - for example when He killed
PUtanA the demoness, He drank the same milk that she gave Him to bring
about her destruction.

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 SlOkam 10
surezZzr[< zmR ivñreta> àjaÉv>,

AhSs<vTsrae Vya¦> àTyySsvRdzRn>. 10.

surEsassaraNam sarma visvarEtAh prajAbhavah |

ahassammvatsarO vyALah pratyayassarvadarsanah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 86. surez> - surEsah

a) The Lord of all the other gods.

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b) The best among those who can bestow their devotees' desires.

surEsAya namah
a) SurANAm ISah sureSah.

The word sura means one who can fulfill the desires of the devotees (sushThu
rAti - dadAti - iti surah. He is sureSa because He created the other gods
(sura) such as Brahma and Rudra and conferred on them the functions for
which they are responsible.

b) su rA Isah - Best among those who can bestow blessings on their devotees.
su - Sobhanam, rAti - dadAti, Isah - Their Lord or The Best. Thus sureSa
means the best among those who can fulfill the desires of the devotees.
Sriman nArAyaNa is the only one who can fulfill the ultimate desire of the
devotees - that of moksha.

nAma 87.zr[m! - saraNam

The Refuge.

saraNAya namah

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According to amarakoSa, SaraNam means protection as well as home -
SaraNam vadha rakshitror grha rakshaNayorapi. BhagavAn is the Ultimate
Refuge to those who are in misery - ArtAnAm Arti hantAram. He is the also
the final Goal or the Destination - nivasishyasi mayyeva ata Urdhvam na
samSayah; the one who realizes Him comes to live in Him. Sri ChinmayAnanda
points out that He is not only the Home for those who have realized Him, but
in pralaya time He is the home for all beings.

nAma 88. zmR sarma

One who is Bliss, the Highest Goal to be attained.

sarmaNE namah

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AmarakoSa gives this word as an alternative (i.e., with the same meaning) as
prIti, sukha, etc. In the vyAkhyAna for amarakoSa, LingAyasurin gives the
following derivation - SrNAti duhkham iti Sarma - One who destroys or
removes the sorrows. Both Sri Sankara and Sri Bhattar give the meaning
"Bliss". ParamAnanda rUpatvAt Sarma, and sukham paramprApyam iti Sarma,
respectively. I could not find the root word for the nAma from the dictionary.
Sir William-Monier's dictionary speculates that the name is probably derived
from Sri.

nAma 89.ivñreta> - visvarEtAh

The seed for the Universe.

visvarEtasE namah
retas means seed. ViSvam kAryam asya iti viSvaretA, or viSvasya kAraNatvAt
viSvaretA.

The name denotes that He is the seed from which the tree of life has sprung
forth. Later on, in nAmas 118 and 151, we will see that He is the also the
viSvayoni where the seed develops and takes full form. In other words,

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 everything results from Him and exists because of Him. Sri Bhattar notes that
the purpose of His creation is for His service and His service only. In vishNu
tatva, we have the following -

"vicitrA deha sampattih IsvarAya niveditum |

pUrvameva krtA brahman! Hasta-pAdAdi samyutA ||

"Brahman! This wonderful wealth, namely body, associated with hands, legs,
etc., has already been created by me with a view to enable beings to use them
in the service of the Supreme."

nAma 90. àjaÉv> - prajAbhavh

One from whom all beings have originated.

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prajAbhavAya namah
In nAma 70, prajApati, we found that prajA can refer to those special births
(prakarsheNa jAyante) such as the nitya suris. So here prajAbhava can refer
to the general interpretation that prajA refers to all beings, or more
specifically that He created all the other suris or Ever-Free Angels. Sri
rAdhAkrshNa SAstri points out that while normal evolution starts with
primitive forms and evolves to higher forms, BhagavAn deiced to create the
higher forms such as Brahma first, and then the forms that are not as
accomplished, such as all the animals, the humans, etc., later.

nAma 91. Ah> - ahah

a) One who never forsakes anyone.

b) One who is like the Day that awakens people from ignorance.

c) One who does not destroy His devotees.

The first interpretation is based on "na hInah asya asti iti ahah - There is no
one who is abandoned by Him. The second interpretation is based on the

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traditional meaning of the word aha - day. The third interpretation is derived
by a-ha, where ha means destroy; One who does not destroy is a-ha.

nAma 92. s<vTsr> - samvatsarah

He who lives for the uplift of His devotees.

samvatsarAya namah
This name repeats again as nAma 423. The meaning is derived from the root
vas - to live. samuddharaNAya samvasati iti samvatsarah. The term samvatsara
is also used to denote the year, and hence another interpretation for this
nAma is that BhagavAn is Time itself.

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nAma 93. Vya¦> - vyALah

a) One who accepts the devotees - e.g., vibhIshaNa.

b) One who is beyond grasp such as a vyAla - a serpent, an elephant,

a tiger, etc.

vyALAya namah
Sri Bhattar gives the first interpretation based on the root lA - to take or
accept. VyAla also means a serpent, a mad elephant, a vicious tiger etc.
BhagavAn is vyAla because He is slippery like a serpent to grasp, or beyond
grasp like a huge elephant. Or He is impossible to be controlled by the demons,
like a mad elephant - vyAlavat bhujangavat gajavat grahItum aSakyatvAt
vyAlah.

nAma 94.àTyy> pratyayah

One who can be relied upon.

pratyayAya namah

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 PratIyate asmin iti pratyayah - One in whom we can place confidence. In the
sabhA parva in mahA bhArata, we have

"yadi te hrdayam vetti yadi te pratyayo mayi |

bhImasenArjunau SIghram nyAsabhUtau prayaccha me || (20.7)

"If your heart understands me, and if you have FAITH in me, place BhIma and
arjuna immediately at my disposal".

nAma 95. svRdzRn> sarvadarsanah

a) One who shows all His grace to His devotees

b) The All-seeing.

saravadarsanAya namah
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Sri Bhattar interprets darSana to mean He shows everything, and Sri Sankara
interprets this word to mean He sees everything. Great indeed are the ways
great minds see and enjoy the BhagavAn in many different ways! Sri Sankara
gives the following reference to the sruti -

"viSvataScakshur viSvAksham - One who has eyes on all sides - One who has a
Universal eye". (taittirIya AraNyaka 10.1, 11).

SrI ChinmayAnanda gives the following reference to GItA -

sarvato'kshi Siromukham - One who has eyes and heads everywhere.

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 SlOkam 11
AjSsveRñriSsÏ> isiÏSsvaRidrCyut>,

v&;akiprmeyaTma svRyaegivinSs&t>. 11.

ajassarvEsvaras siddhah siddhis sarvAdiracyutah |

vrushAkapi ramEyAtmA sarvayOga vinissrutah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 96. Aj> - ajah

a) Unborn.

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b) The Remover of all obstacles.

c) One who moves in the hearts of the devotees

d) One who removes the ignorance from the hearts of His devotees

e) One who is the root of all sound (akshara "a").

This nAma occurs two more times later (nAma 206 and 524).

ajAya namah
a) The first meaning is derived as na jAyata iti ajah - One who is not born in
the traditional sense.

Sri Sankara gives the following from the srutis to support this explanation:

na jAto na janishyate (Rg veda 1.81.5)

He was neither born nor will be born

"na hi jAto na jAye'yam na janishye kadAcana |

kshetraj~nah sarvabhUtAnAm tasmAt aham ajah smrtah ||

MB SAntiparva 330.9

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 "I was not born, nor am I born, nor will I have a future birth; I am the soul in
all beings; hence I am called the Unborn".

Other references to the name aja are:

1. "ajo nityah SASvato'yam purANah" (kaThopanishad 1.2.18), and

2. "sa vA esha mahAn aja AtmA" (brhadAraNyaupanishad 4.4.22).

Sri Bhattar points out that BhagavAn only emerges out of a pillar etc., but is
not born like others (see the explanation for svayambhuh - nAma 37).

b) There are several interpretations of the nAma aja using the meaning
"movement" for the root aj - aja gati kshepaNayoh - The root 'aj' signifies
movement or throwing away .

Sri Bhattar uses this meaning and interprets the name as meaning "The
Remover of all obstacles" to ensure that His devotees accomplish in their
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objective of reaching Him.

Sri Sankara uses the same meaning for aja (movement, motion) and comes up
with the explanation - ajati gacchati kshipati iti vA ajah - He who moves into
the heart of His devotees.

Sri rAdhAkrshNa SAstri uses the meaning "movement" and interprets the
name as Remover of the ignorance in us, or One who goes to the bhaktas to
enable them to reach Him, or One who throws away His weapons at anyone who
disturbs or causes hardship to His devotees.

One other explanation given for aja is akAravAcyatayA jAtah - One who is
known through the letter "a". - akAra vAcyatayA jAtah ajah. In the gItA we
have "aksharANaAm akAro'smi - (gItA 10.33) - I am "a" among the syllables.
Sri rAdhAkrhNa SAstri points out that at the time of pralaya the panca
bhUtas coalesce into ether (the reverse of AkASAt vAyuh, vAyoragnih,
aganerApah, adbhyah pethivI, etc.)., and the ether coalesces into its
tanmAtra, the sound, and Sabda ultimately dissolves into the sound "a", which
is the form of BhagavAn at the conclusion of prlaya. The sruti is 'akAro vai
sarvA vAk". In tirukkural we have "akara mudalAya ezhutthellAm Adi

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bhaghavan mudatre ulagu".

nAma 97. sveRñr> - sarvEsvarah

a) One who reaches all who seek Him

b) One who is the Isvara for all isvaras

sarvEsavarAya namah
a) Sri Bhattar derives the first interpretation from the root aS to pervade. By
the uNAdi sUtra 738, aSnoterASukarmaNi varat ca - the affix varat comes
after the root aS - to pervade, when the word formed from it refers to
"having the power of granting success soon". Thus aS + varat = ISvarah. The
interpretation is that He is sarveSvara because He quickly reaches all those

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who have taken refuge in Him in order to avoid delay in dispelling their
uneasiness whether they are qualified or not. Or rather, the sufficient
qualification is that they have taken refuge in Him.

b) sarveshAm ISvarANAm ISvarah sarveSvarah. The Sruti says - esha

sarveSvarah - BrhadAraNya upanishad - 4.4.22 - He is the Lord of all lords.

nAma 98. isÏ> - siddhah

One who is available at the hands of His devotees.

siddhAya namah
niruktam summarizes Sri Bhattar's vyAkhyAna as svarUpeNaiva bhaktAnAm
siddhatvAt siddhah ucyate - He is in the hands of His devotees in His true
form. A siddha can also mean One who has accomplished all that has to be
achieved. Sri Sankara gives the interpretation that He is ever perfect - nitya
nishpanna rUpatvAt siddhah.

An interpretation for the amarakoSa gives the definition siddhyati iti siddhah.

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 nAma 99. isiÏ> - siddhih

The Goal.

siddhayE namah
The word siddhi literally means accomplishment, success etc. BhagavAn is
siddhi because He is the Goal or accomplishment by adopting the means. Or, in
the context of success or accomplishment, He is siddhi because He gives the
ultimate fruit of action, moksha. All other accomplishments can only give lesser
benefits such as the lesser joys of heaven etc., but only by attaining Him one
can get moksha, the ultimate success.
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nAma 100. svaRid> sarvAdih

The Origin or Cause of all things.

sarvAdayE namah
SarveshAm purushArtAnAm Adih sarvAdih or sarva bhUtAnAm
AdikAraNatvAt sarvAdih. One who is the very beginning of all; One who was in
existence earlier than anything else. Even before the effects arise, the Cause.
The Infinite whish was before creation, and from which the created beings
emerged out.

nAma 101. ACyut> - acyutah

a) One who has never slipped from His glory.

b) One who never lets His devotees slip.

c) One who undergoes no modifications such as birth, growth, decay,

disease, etc.

acytuAya nam

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 sadagopan.org
SrI acyutan - ThiruvahIndrapuram
(Courtesy:ramanuja dasargaL at www.pbase.com/svami)
This nAma occurs two more times later (320 and 557).

a) cyti means "fall" and cyuta means "fallen". acyuta means "One who has never
fallen from His true nature". Several explanations are given to further expand
this guNa of the Lord. Sri Bhattar points out that He does not ever fall from
His position of overlordship unlike Brahma, Indra, etc. who are subject to loss
of position, and therefore He is called acyuta. Sri rAdhAkrshNa SAstri points
out that He also does not slip from His position by being influenced by kAma
etc. unlike Brahma, Indra etc.

In mahAbhArata we have

"yasmAt na cyuta pUrvo'ham acyutastena karmaNA"

SAnti parva 12.330.16.

Sri Sankara and Sri Bhattar have interpreted the above sruti slightly

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 differently. Sri Sankara's words are - svarUpasAmarthyAt na cyuto na cyavate
na cyavishyata iti acyutah - He has not lapsed, is not lapsing, and will not lapse
from His own glory; hence the name acyuta. Sri Bhattar's interpretation of the
above Sruti lead to the second meaning, which follows:

b) Sri Bhattar's vyAkhyAna for the above is "I have never abandoned (my
bhaktas). Because of this act of mine, I am known as acyuta". His words are
"tebyah prapannebhyah na apagatah acyutah - He is never away from those who
have sought refuge in Him". Sri tirukkaLLam nrsimharAghavAchAryar in his
bhagavadgItA bhAshya has given the explanation na cyAvayati iti acyutah -
One who does not let His devotees slip - arjuna using this name here to call
Lord krshNa who has taken it upon Himself to be his charioteer and who will
not let him slip.

c) cyutam means modification. The upanishad says of BhagavAn - "SASvatam

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Sivam acyutam" - Eternal, Auspicious, and Changeless" - taittirIya AraNyakam

- 10.11). Sri rAdhAkrshNa SAstri points out that BhagavAn is acyuta because
he does not slip from stage to stage in the sequence of events such as birth,
living, growth, change in appearance, decay, and finally disappearance from the
body.

nAma 102. v&;akip> - vrushAkapih

One who lifted the Earth from the waters of adharma in the form of varAha.

vrushAkapayE namah
In the mahAbhArata we have

"kapir varAhah SreshThaSca dharmaSca vRsha ucyate |

tasmAd vRshAkapim prAha kASyapO mAm prajApatih || (Santi parva 330.24)

"The word vRsha means dharma, and the word kapi refers to boar (pA means to
protect and ka means water, and so kapi refers to varAha incarnation where
He protected the Earth from the waters). Sri chinmayAnanda points out that
the name derives from the fact that He protected the Earth from the ocean

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of adharma in His varAha incarnation. The meaning dharma for the word vRsha
is based on the ability of dharma to shower all that is desired.

Sri chinmayAnanda points out that this is one of the nAmas on which there is
wide controversy between the different vyAkyAna kartAs; however, in the few
tests that I have referred to, this indication of serious controversy is not
evident. If any of you can elaborate on other interpretations by our AchAryas
and other vyAkhyAna kartAs, I will be extremely grateful.

nAma 103. AmeyaTma - amEyAtmA

One whose Nature cannot be comprehended.

amEyAtmanE namah

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Ameya means unaccountable or incomprehensible. Sri ChinmayAnanda indicates
that the virAt purusha form of the Lord is suggested here. His self or nature
is such that it cannot be measured by any particular standard and determined.

nAma 104. svRyaegivinSs&t> - sarvayOgavinisrutah

a) One who is beyond any attachment

b) One who is easily attained by all means by His devotees

sarvayOgavinisrutAya namah
The word yoga can mean union or it can mean the means. Depending on which
one of these is chosen, we get a different interpretation. VinissRta means gone
forth or out, or escaped according to the Sanskrit dictionary by Sir William-
Monier.

Using the first meaning for yoga, we get the interpretation that He is free
from any and all of kind of bondage, and so He is sarva yoga vinissRta. Using
the second meaning, Sri Bhattar's interpretation is that He is attainable easily
by all means. His interpretation is -

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 1. yOgaih - upAyaih;

2. vi - viSheshENa - vEda parama guhyairiva;

3. nissRtah - prAptum yogyah, sugraha iti vA.

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 SlOkam 12
vsuvRsumnaSsTySsmaTma siMmtSsm>,

Amae"> pu{frIka]ae v&;kmaR v&;ak«it>. 12.

vasur vasumanAs satyas samAtmA sammitas samah |

amoghah puNDarIkAkshO vrushakarmA vrushAkrutih ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 105. vsu> - vasuh

a) One who dwells in the hearts of His devotees.

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b) One who dwells in the Milk-Ocean.

c) One who is the wealth that His devotees seek.

d) The best among the eight vasus - pAvaka.

e) One who lives in the sky.

vasavE namah
This nAma occurs two more times (nAma 271 and 701).

a) & b): vasati iti vasuh - One who dwells.

He dwells in the hearts of His devotees even with a small amount of devotion,
and He dwells in the kshIrArNava. SrI krshNa-prEmi in one his upanyAsas
remarks that SrIman nArAyaNa chose to dwell in the Milk-Ocean as if to be
nearer to those devotees who are not yet accomplished enough to join Him to
SrivaikuNTham, or as if He can be closer to the devotees so as to rush to help
those who need Him.

We have the following from the srutis -

"sa lokAnAm hitArthAya kshIrOdhE vasati prabhuh"

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 The great Lord resides in the milk ocean for doing good to the people of the
world.

"Esha nArAyaNah SrImAn kshIrArNava nikEtanah"

This nArAyaNa is always with Lakshmi, and resides in the Milk-ocean

(HarivamSa 113.62).

c) The word vasu also means wealth - vasati nItimatAm gRha iti vasu.
In gItA we have vAsudevah sarvam - vAsudeva is everything (gItA 7.19). He is
the wealth that great men seek.

d) He is vasu because He is one of the eight vasus. Sri Sankara gives the
following reference to the gItA to support this interpretation - vasUnAm
pAvakaScAsmi - I am pAvaka among the vasus (gItA 10.23).

e) One who, as air, moves about and has residence in the mid-region.
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In kaThopanishd we have vasurantiksha sat ( kaThopanisahd 2.5.2).

nAma 106. vsumna> - vasumanAh

a) One who has a 'wealthy' or rich mind.

b) One who has a mind which thinks of His devotees as a treasure.

vasumanasE namah
a) BhagavAn is vasu-manA because His mind is unpolluted by anything such as
rAga, dvesha (attachment, hate), and similar secondary afflictions such as
mada or infatuation. He has a mind which has none of the sins of passions and
pains, none of the storms of desires and jealousies, none of the quakes of likes
and dislikes.

b) Sri kRshNa says in the gItA that the high-souled man is very hard to find -
sa mahAtmA sudurlabhah - gItA 7.19.

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nAma 107. sTy> - satyah

a) The Truth

b) One whose form is made up of prANa, matter and sun

c) One who is well-disposed towards the good.

satyAya namah
This nAma occurs two more times later (nAma 213, 873).

a) The most commonly known meaning for this word is Truth. The direct
support for this interpretation comes from mahAbhArata -

"satye pratisThitah kRshNah satamasmin pratishThitam |

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sattAsattE ca gOvindah tasmAt satyah satAm matah ||

(udyOga parva 69.12.13)

"KRshNa is rooted in satya and satya is rooted in kRshNa. Existence and non-
existence are grounded in govinda. So great men opine that kRshNa is Truth
itself".

b) Sri Sankara gives the following from aitrEya AraNyaka in support of the
second interpretation -

saditi prANAstItyannam yamityasAvAdityah - sat means prANa, ti means food,

and yam the sun. He is satya because His form is made up of prANa, matter
and sun.

c) satsu sAdhutvAt satyah - He is satya because He is well-disposed

(excellent) towards the noble souls. The pANini sutra that supports this
interpretation is tatra sAdhuh (4.4.98) -

tatrEti saptamIsamarthAth sAdhurityEtasminnarthE yatpratyayO bhavati

The affix yat comes after a word in the locative construction, in the sense of
'excellent in regard thereto'.

Sri ChinmayAnanda points out that in philosophy, satya is that which is the

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 same in all three periods (past, present, and future). He is the only one who
fits this definition, and so He is satya.

nAma 108. smaTma - samAtmA

One who has an even mind.

samAtmanE namah
One whose mind is undisturbed by love or hatred. He is also sama AtmA since
He does not distinguish one from another when it comes to His thoughts on His
devotees. Since He is the soul in everything, He finds no distinction between
them. Since He is unattached to anything, He sees everything and everyone as
equal.
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nAma 109. siMmt> - sammitah

a) One who has let Himself be understood (controlled) by His devotees.

b) The One Truth who is accepted by the Rshis and revealed in the upanishads.

sammitAya namah
Either meaning seems to be based on the word sammata - accepted. The first
interpretation is by Sri Bhattar, who points out that this name signifies that
He willingly accepted the role of being 'controlled' by devaki, kausalyA,
yasoda, dasaratha, vasudeva, etc. He chose the parents to whom He was going
to be the child, and then 'played' the role of the child willingly.

Sri chinmayAnanda points out that sammita can mean that He is the only one
who is the accepted Truth or sammata by the Rshis and the upanishads.

The advaita pATha is asammita, which is interpreted as referring to One who

is limitless or immeasurable.

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nAma 110. sm> - samah

One who treats all His devotees equally.

samAya namah
In gItA we have "samO'ham sarva bhUtEshu" - I am equally disposed towards
all beings (gIta 9.29).

Sri Sankara interprets the meaning as One who is the same at all times.
He gives another interpretation also - He is (sa) with (mAyA) lakshmi always;
therefore, He is sama.

nAma 111. Amae"> - amOghah

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One who always gives fruits to those who worship Him.

amoghAya namah
MOgha means futile. Mogham nirarthakam is amrakOSa. AmOgha is the
opposite of it. We have the following from rAmAyaNa -

"amOgham darSanam rAma na ca mOghah tava stavah |

amOghAstE bhavishyanti bhaktimantaSca yE narAh ||

(rAmAyaNa yuddha 120.31)

"o rAma! A sight of You is never futile. The praise of You is also never futile.
Those who are endowed with devotion to You will always be successful in their
life".

nAma 112. pu{frIka]> - punDarIkAkshah

a) One whose eyes are beautiful like the lotus flower

b) One who resides in the heart space of everyone and observes all

c) One who is like the eye to the residents of SrIvaikunTham.

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 puNdarIkAkshAya namah
puNdarIkam means lotus flower. PuNdarIkE iva akshiNI yasya sah
puNdarIkAkshah - One whose eyes are beautiful like lotus flowers.

lingAyatasUrin in his bhAshya for amarakOSa gives a second interpretation as

well - puNdarIkam hRtkamalam akshatIti vA - One who pervades the heart
space - akshati pervades.

SrI Bhattar gives the meaning 'vaikuNTham' to the word puNdarIka based on
the following, and interprets puNdarIkAkshah as One who is the eye for the
residents of SrIvaikunTham -

puNdarIkam param dhAma nityam aksharam avyayam |

tadbhavAn pundarIkAkshah ........ ||

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PuNdarIka is the Transcendental world which is eternal, indestructible, and

immutable. You are like the eye to that world and so you are known as
puNdarIkAksha." - (MahAbhArata udyoga - 69.6).

nAma 113. v&;kmaR - vrushakarmA

One who is of righteous actions.

vRshakarmaNE namah
VRsha means dharma or virtue - abhilashitam varshatIti vRshah. SrI
chinamayAnanda points out that His actions are righteous, and He acts only to
establish righteousness - dharma samsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi yugE yugE.
In gItA BhagavAn says that He does his actions according to His dharma even
though He has nothing to gain or lose by any action - na anavAptam avAptavyam
varta eva ca karmaNi - 3.22.

nAma 114. v&;ak«it> - vrushAkruti

One who is an embodiment of dharma.

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vRshAkRtaye namah
vRsha - dharma, AkRti - form. One whose form is itself dharma. Lord Rama is
considered Dharma Incarnate. Or it can mean One who incarnates for the sake
of preserving dharma - dharma samsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi yuge yuge.

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 SlOkam 13
éÔae bhuizra bæuivRñyaeinZzuicïva>,

Am&tZzaZvtSSwa[uvRraraehae mhatpa>. 13.

rudrO bahusirA babhru visvayOnissucisravAh |

amrutas sAsvata sthANur varArOhO mahAtapAh ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 115. éÔ> rudrah

a) One who brings tears to the eyes.

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b) One who confers the good on the devotees

c) One who destroys misery.

rudrAya namah
rOdayati iti rudrah - Sri Bhattar interprets this to mean that He brings tears
of joy to the eyes of His devotees.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAStri gives an example from SrImad bhAgavatam in

support of this, but probably because of a typographical error in the book I
could not find the particular Sloka in my copy of SrImad bhAgavatam. The gist
of this reference is that one who is not shedding tears of joy on hearing of
bhagavAn's guNas, singing His praise etc., must indeed have a heart made of
stone. The reference given is MB 3.3.24.

It could also mean that He brings tears to the eyes of the beings when He
withdraws them during the pralaya.

Sri Sankara points out that it could also mean one who confers (ra) the good
(rud), or it could mean one who destroys (dru) misery and its cause (ru -
duhkham) - rum drAvayati iti rudrah.

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nAma 116. bhuizra> - bahu
bahu--sirAh

One who is multi-headed.

bahu-SirasE namah.
In purusha sUktam of Rg veda we have the description of the cosmic form of
BhagavAn described as "sahasra SIrshA purushah sahasrAkshah sahasra pAt -
The purusha of thousand heads, thousand eyes and thousand feet..... In gItA
we find the following description of the viSvarUpa of bhagavAn -
sarvAScaryamayam devam anantam viSvatOmukham - the rUpa with
uncountable faces in all directions (11.11). Again in gItA (13.13), we have
"sarvatahpANi pAdam tat sarvato'kshi SirO mukham - The Pure jivAtma

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savarUpa has hands and legs everywhere, has eyes, heads, and mouths
everywhere.....". Sri Bhattar has interpreted the name as referring to the form
of bhagavAn as ananta, in which form He has many faces and over a thousand
hoods.

nAma 117. bæu> - babruh

The Supporter.

babhravE namah
bibharti lOkAn iti babhruh - The one who supports the worlds. He as AdiSesha
supports the earth. He is also the supporter of the Earth as Adi kUrma, Adi
varAha, etc.

nAma 118. ivñyaein> - visvayOnih

a) The cause of this world.

b) One who unites His devotees with Himself.

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 viSva-yOnayE namah
yOni means cause. Since He is the cause of this world He is called viSvayOni.
In nAma 89 - viSvarEtA - we saw that He is the seed from which the world
originates. This nAma says that He is also the place where the seed develops
into its full blossom. yOni means womb, and He is the seed, the womb, the
sustainer after the birth of the world, the one who impartially observes as the
kshetraj~na, etc. Note that we have referred to the following from the gItA a
few times before, and it applies here again - vAsudevah sarvam.

The word yOni can also be derived from the world yu - to unite (yu miSraNE).
Thus yOni can refer to bhagavAn's act of uniting His devotees with Him.
Without His will, no one will be united with Him. He is viSvayOni because He
unites His devotees with Himself.
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nAma 119. zuicïva> - suci

suci--sravAh

a) One who listens to words which are pure.

b) One whose names are worthy of being heard.

c) One who has beautiful and divine ears.

Suci-Sravase namah.
a) SucIni SrAvaNyAni SRNoti iti Suci-SravAh

One who listens to words that are pure. Sri Bhattar gives the following
reference to mahAbhArata in support of this interpretation -

SucIni SrAvaNIyAni SRNomi iha dhanan~jaya |

na ca pApAni gRhNAmi tato'ham vai SuciSravAh ||

(MB Santi parva 344.61)

"O dhanan~jaya! I listen here to all that is pure and agreeable to hear. I do not
heed to what is sinful. I am known as Suci-SravAh".

In this context, Sri Bhattar points out the incident where bhagavAn just kept

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listening to the words of vidura which were full of dharma, and the night
passed away for KRshNa unnoticed -

dharmyA ramyASca arthavatIh vicitrArtha padAksharAh |

SRNvanto vividhA vAcah vidurasya mahAtmanah |

akAmasyaiva kRshNasya sA vyatIyAya SarvarI ||

(MB Udyoga 93.2)

b) Sri Sankara gives the following interpretation -

SucIni Sravamsi nAmAni SravaNIyAnyasyeti Suci-SravAh

One whose names and glories are very holy and purifying to hear.

c) The word Sravas also means ear. chinmayAnandA thus interprets the name
as meaning One who has divine ears - He is the Hearer of all ears.

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nAma 120. Am&t> amrutah

a) The unsatiating nectar to His devotees

b) One who is Immortal

amRtAya namah
a) The devotees never get satiated by doing service to bhagavAn, and He is
sweet to the devotees to an unlimited extent.

b) na vidyate mRtam maraNam asya iti amRtah - He has no decay or death. The
sruti says He is non-decaying and Immortal - ajarah amarah -(bRhadAraNya
upanishad 4.4.25).

Sri chinmayAnandA points out that He is amRtah because He can cure the
disease of ignorance in His devotees.

nAma 121. zaZvtSwa[u> - sAsvata

sAsvata--sthAnuh

One who is Eternally Firm.

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 SaSvata-SthANave namah.
The two parts of this name, SASvata and SthANu, occurred as separate names
earlier (SASvata - which occurred as nAma 57, and sthAnu as nAma 28).
sthANu also occurs as part of the current nAma and of nAma 427 - sthAvara-
sthANuh later. Recall that sthANu was earlier interpreted as One who is firm
in blessing His devotees, and SASvata was interpreted as One who is Eternal
because of His unceasing act of creation, sustenance and destruction.

SASvata-SthANu here is interpreted as one name in all the references I have,

and there is no discussion on why it is treated thus.

Sri Bhattar gives this name the meaning 'Eternal and Steady'. Unlike the
nectar for which the devas and asuras churned the Ocean, He is Eternal
because he cannot be taken away from those who enjoy Him. Sri Sankara gives
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the meaning "Eternally Firm". SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri gives the

interpretation that He is SASvata because He has no beginning or end, and
sthANu because He does not age or decay.

nAma 122. vraraeh> - varArOhah

a) One who is the most supreme object of attainment.

b) One of Excellent Ascent.

varArohAya namah.
Varam means supreme, and Arohanam means ascent. Sri Bhattar's
interpretation is that He is the Supreme object of attainment, since all other
objects are inferior. Sri Sankara gives the meaning that He is of Excellent
Ascent. Sri rAdhAkRshNa Sastri suggests that bhagavAn is varAroha because
He is reclining on AdiSesha, the high paryanka.

In the second or third article in this series, I had indicated that Sri Bhattar
interprets the first 122 nAmas as describing the para-vAsudeva form of the
Lord, which is not conditioned by any limiting adjuncts and which is not the

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effect of another object. It is endowed with six qualities (~jnAna, bala,
aiSvarya, vIrya, Sakti, tejas). This is the object of attainment of the released
souls. The transcendental nature (paratva) of bhagavAn has been spoken of
mostly by the names ending with the above nAma - varAroha. Sri Bhattar also
interprets the contents of the first 122 names as the response from BhIshma
to YudhisThira for the first two of the six questions posed to him -

1) kim ekam daivatam loke?

2) kim vApi ekam parAyaNam?

The next set of nAmas are interpreted by Sri Bhattar as a) representing the
vyuha (emanation) forms, and b) responding to YudhisThira's question -
stuvantah kim - eulogising whom? The vyuha forms are four in number -
vAsudeva, samkarshaNa, pradyumna, aniruddha. Of these, vAsudeva can be

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taken as having been included in the para form. The vyUha forms are in charge
of the work of creation, sustenance, and destruction; they propound the
Sastras, explain their significance, and give the fruits in accordance with the
rules laid down therein; they also teach the method of meditation and worship
of bhagavAn. The six qualities of the para rupa are distributed amongst the
four vyUhas and each has its own form and duties. They are the means for the
attainment of salvation.

The samkarshaNa form is associated with knowledge and strength. Starting

with the next nAma, the samkarshaNa form - the second in the vyuhas - is to
be dealt with.

nAma 123. mhatpa> - mahA

mahA--tapAh

One who is endowed with great knowledge.

mahA-tapase namah.
Tapas is given the meaning "great knowledge" based on muNdakopanishad -

yasya ~jnAnamayam tapah - Whose tapas is the nature of knowledge.

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 Mahat is pUjyam - worthy of respect. Here, knowledge is the ability to guide
people so that they may be rid of the miseries of the world which they have
been having from time immemorial.
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 SlOkam 14

svRg> svRivÑanu> iv:vKsenae jnadRn>,

vedae vedivdVy¼ae veda¼ae vedivTkiv>. 14.

sarvagah sarvavidbhAnuh vishvaksEnO janArdanah |

vEdO vEdavidavyangO vEdAngo vEdavit kavih ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 124. svRg> - sarvagh

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One who reaches all.

sarvagAya namah.
sarvatra gacchati iti sarva-gah - One who pervades everything.
Or, by His strength which displays His capacity to support, He supports
everything He has taken in during the pralaya, and thus He reaches all.

nAma 125. svRivt! - sarvavit

One who is the All-knower.

sarva-vide namah.
Sarvam vetti vindata iti vA sarva-vit - One who knows everything or One who
obtains everything.

In the first interpretation, bhagavAn is the knower in all - the inner soul.

In the second interpretation, He performs the function as pradyumna and

recovers or obtains all the jivas that have been absorbed into Him in the form
of samkarshaNa.

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 nAma 126. Éanu> - bhAnuh

One who shines.

bhAnave namah.
bhAti iti bhAnuh.

In spite of His act of creation and maintenance, He remains unchanged and

continues to shine undiminished.

nAma 127. iv:vKsen> - vishvaksEnah

One who has His army in all directions for the protection of all.
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vishvaksenAya namah.
SrI Bhattar interprets this nAma as referring to aniruddha, the protector.
The word senA is derived from "inena vartate iti senA" - where inena means
svAmin saha. So sena is one which is with the Lord always - seSvara. This nAma
indicates His Sakti which indicates His capacity. a-niruddha refers to One who
is not under anyone else's control. This nAma also indicates the gUna of the
Lord by which He is always there to protect His devotees.

nAma 128. jnadRn> - janArdanah

a) One who destroys the wicked.

b) One who protects people from the wicked.

c) One who is approached by devotees for their wishes.

janArdanAya namah.
SrI Bhattar gives the support from mahAbhArata - dasyu-trANAt janArdanah
(MB udyoga parva 71.6) -He is janArdana because He protects people from
dasyus (demons). SrI Sankara gives the following two interpretations: One who

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destroys those who are wicked - janAn - durjanAn, ardayati - hinasti
(destroys). and also means to beg, to ask - gatau yAcane ca. janaih ardyate -
yAcyate - One who is approached by His devotees for whatever they want.

nAma 129. ved> - vEdah

One who is the embodiment of scriptures.

vedAya namah.
Veda is derived from vid - to know. Vedayati iti vedah - One who explains
everything or That which explains everything - the Ultimate Truth - is vedah.
Since veda-s originated from His breath, they are not distinct from Him.

In mahAbhArata, we have

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"sarve vedAh sarvavidyAh saSAstrAh sarve ya~jnAh sarva ijyASca kRshNah"

"All the veda-s, all the vidyA-s, all the Sastra-s, all the ya~jna-s, and all
offerings, are kRshNa".

In SrI Bhattar's vyAkhyAna, this nAma again refers to the vyUha form of

nAma 130. vedivt! - vEdavit

The true knower of the meaning of the veda-s.

veda-vide namah.
This nAma appears once more in this slokam itself (nAma 133).

Vedam, vedArtham vetti iti vedavit. Or, vedAn vinte - vicArayati iti vedavit.
One who knows the veda-s, or One who spreads the knowledge of veda-s (e.g.,
in the form of pradyumna, vyAsa, etc.).

He is vedavit since He is the knower without any doubts or errors of

interpretation, and He is the only one.

In gItA the Lord says - vedAnta-kRt vedavideva ca aham - I am the author of

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 the upanishads - vedAnta-s, and I am indeed the knower of the vedas (gItA -
15.15).

He is also vedavit in the sense of knowing the true meaning behind the veda-s,
viz. dharma. SrI Bhattar interprets this nAma as representing the pradyumna
incarnation- as one who propounds the Sastra-s and explains their significance.
samkarshaNa who has knowledge as one of His attributes.

nAma 131. AVy¼> - avyangah

One who has no imperfections.

avya~ngAya namah.
vya~ngam is imperfection. a-vya~ngam is no imperfection. In the context of
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the previous nAma-s relating to His originating veda, and His full knowledge of
veda, this nAma means that He is not in any way deficient in the knowledge of
the chandas, kalpa, and other accessories of the veda-s which He himself has
created. One could also interpret the nAma as meaning that He is not deficient
in any way in any of the six guNas - ~jnAna, bala, aiSvarya, vIrya, Sakti, and
tejas.

nAma 132. veda¼> - vEdAngah

a) One who has veda-s as His body.

b) One who has the sruti-s and smRti-s as His body.

vedA~ngAya namah.
vedAh a~ngabhUtAh yasya sah vadA~ngah. In kenopanishad we have vedAh
sarvA~ngAni... - all veda-s are His limbs. Or He is vedA~nga since the sruti-s
and smRti-s are His commands. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the following
quotes from SrImad BhAgavatam in support of the interpretation that He has
veda-s for His body:

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"...trayIm tanum svAm paridhunvate namah - We offer our worship to One who
has veda for His body" - (SrImad bhAgavatam 3.13.34)

"trayImayam rUpamidam ca saukaram - One who has the varAha form which is
the veda svarUpam" - (SrImad bhAgavatam 3.13.41).

nAma 133. vedivt! - vEdavit

One who knows not only the veda-s, but the true meaning behind the veda-s,
viz. the dharma.

vedavide namah.
Please see the explanation under nAma 130 for the interpretation of the guNa
expressed by this nAma.

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nAma 134. kiv> - kavih

One who cognizes beyond ordinary perception.

kavaye namah.
krAnta-darSitvAt kavih - sarvadRk. One who sees beyond what is revealed only
by the senses.is the best among the kavi-s.

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 SlOkam 15
laekaXy]SsuraXy]ae xmaRXy]> k«tak«t>,

cturaTma ctuVyURhítud¡ò+ítuÉuRj>. 15.

lOkAdhyakshas surAdhyakshO dharmAdhyakshah krutAkrutah |

caturAtmA caturvyUhas caturdamshTras catur bhujah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 135. laekaXy]> - lOkadhyakshah

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nAma 136. suraXy]> - surAdhyakshah

nAma 137. xmaRXy]> - dharmAdhyakshah

The Lord of the worlds, of the deva-s, and of dharma.

lokAdhyakshAya namah.
surAdhyakshAya namah
dharmAdhyakshAya namah.
adhyaksha means master or superintendent. Loka refers to people whose duty
it is to practice dharma, sura-s refers to devas who are worshipped with the
dharma, and dharma signifies the means by which this worship is performed.
BhagavAn in the form of aniruddha is the presiding deity over all these, who
closely observes all these and grants the fruits of the dharmic acts. He also
ensures that the benefits are not obtained by those who do not observe the
dharmic acts, and ensures that those who observe the dharmic acts do not go
without the fruit.

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An alternate interpretation is that loka refers to the people, sura-s are those
who protect the people, and dharma is the means by which they protect them.
BhagavAn is the controller and supervisor or master of all these. For instance,
the deva-s control the natural elements and ensure that these perform in such
a way that they benefit the people. Thus the rising of the sun, the rains, etc.
are controlled. When the deva-s swerve from their path, BhagavAn takes over
and ensures that the violations are set right. For instance, when indra got
angry with the gokula-vAsi-s and tried to destroy gokulam with unending rain,
Lord KRshNa bore the govardhana mountain and protected the people from
indra's fury and brought indra under control.

nAma 138. k«tak«t> - krutAkrutah

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a) The grantor of fruits that are this this-worldly as well as those that are
eternal.

b) One who is both the cause and effect of all things.

c) One who has a form which is nitya or permanent, as well as transient forms.

krutAkrutayE namah
SrI Sankara interprets kRta as effect (kArya rUpa) and akRta as cause
(kAraNa rUpa), and thus he interprets this nAma as symbolizing that bhagavAn
is both cause and effect of all things. KRtam is vyaktam (that is manifested),
and akRtam is unmanifested or avyaktam. Or, the nAma can mean that
bhagavAn appears with a form that is akRtam or nityam in nature, and also in
forms which remain only for a limited time (kRtam).

A third interpretation is that He gives benefits which are this-worldly

(kRtam), as well as eternal (akRtam), and so He is kRtAkRta.

nAma 139. cturaTma - caturAtmA

One whose Self has a four-fold manifestation.

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 caturAtmane namah.
One explanation for this is the Self has control over the four-fold nature - the
wakeful state, the state of dreams, dreamless deep sleep, and turIya state
where even the breath is suspended. These involve the external senses, the
mind, breath, and suspended breath. These are also the four stages of
development which a worshipper who meditates upon the Lord goes through.

SrI Sankara interprets the nAma as signifying that bhagavAn expresses His
energies in four forms in each of His acts of creation, protection, and
dissolution. He quotes the following sloka in vishNu purANa -

brahmA dakshAdayah kAlas_tathaivAkhila jantavah |

vibhUtayo hareretA jagatah sRshti_hetavah ||

vishNur_manvAdayah kAlah sarva_bhUtAni ca dvija |

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stither_nimitta_bhUtasya vishNoretA vibhUtayah ||

rudrah kAlotankAdyASca samastAScaiva jantavah |

caturdhA pralayAyaitA janArdana-vibhUtayah ||

The four energies of Hari for creation are - brahmA, daksha and others, time,
and all creatures. The four energies of Hari for protection are - vishNu, manu
and others, time, and all creatures. The four energies of JanArdana for
dissolution are - rudra, time, the god of death, and all creatures. Thus He is
caturAtma at all times.

nAma 140. ctuVyURh> - caturvyUhah

One with four forms (the vyUha forms).

catur-vyUhAya namah.
This nAma is interpreted as signifying the four vyUha emanations (vAsudeva,
samkarshaNa, pradyumana, and aniruddha). SrI Sankara give the following
reference to support this interpretation. In my version of the vyAkhyAna, the

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original source for this reference is not given, but the quote is attributed to
vyAsa :

vyUhyAtmAnam caturdhA vai vAsudevAdi_mUrtibhih |

sRshtyAdIn prakarotyesha viSrutAtmA janArdanah ||

vishNu, of excellent fame, manifests Himself in four forms, vAsudeva, etc.

(vAsudeva, samkarshaNa, pradyumna, aniruddha) and carried on creation etc.

vyUha refers to a form that has a purpose associated with it. pradyumna is for
"padaippu" or creation; samkarshaNa is for samhAra or destruction; aniruddha
is for protection; vAsudeva is the overall leader of these three forms.
Pradyumna, the one in charge of "padaippu" or creation, is endowed with the
leadership of aisvarya and vIrya. pra-dymna means one who has enormous vIrya
in His responsibility of creation. aniruddha, in charge of protection, is endowed

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with immeasurable Sakti and tejas. a-niruddha means One who cannot be
obstructed in His function of protection. SamkarshaNa is endowed with
enormous ~jnAnam and balam. Sam-karshaNa means one who attracts (note
AkarshaNa - attraction) or draws everything towards Him and makes them
draw into Him during the pralaya or great destruction. VAsudeva is the form
endowed with all the six qualities and is the Supreme parabrahman.

nAma 141. ctud¡ò+> - caturdamsTrah

He of four teeth.

catur-damshtrAya namah.
damshtra refers to canine teeth. The reference here could be to the four full
and strongly developed, powerful, beautiful canine teeth in His incarnation in
nRsimhAvatAra. SrI Bhattar points out that catur-damshtratvam is a
mahApurusha lakshNam. He gives reference to the description of Sri Rama by
Hanuman to SItA devi - catur-daSa sam-dvandvah catur-damshtrah catur-
gatih - One who has the fourteen parts of the body such as the legs, the
hands, etc. fully symmetric with no blemishes, One who has four beautiful

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 canine teeth, and One who has the beauty of the walks of elephant, tiger, lion,
and bull. (VAlmIki RamayaNam Sundara kANdam - 35.19).

nAma 142. ctuuÉuRj> - caturbhujah

One with four arms.

catur-bhujAya namah.
The four hands carry the conch, the discus, the mace, and the lotus
respectively. SrI ChinmayAnanda gives a very nice explanation of how the four
arms are used by the Lord in maintaining dharma. The conch calls man to the
righteous path that directly leads to peace and perfection, the divine vishNu
padam. Not very many of us listen to this inner voice of conscience, the sound
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of the pAncajanya conch, and so He gently wields the 'Mace' and we come to
suffer small calamities and tragic jerks in our smooth existence. If the
individual still does not listen to the call of the 'Conch', the 'Chakra' - the
wheel of time, annihilates the entire being. This call and punishment are solely
meant to take man to the Ultimate Goal, symbolized by the 'Lotus' in His hand.

SrI RAdhAkRshNa SAStri gives the explanation that the four hands signify
that He gives the four purushArta-s (I assume dharma, artha, kAma, and
mokha are the four being referred to here). Or the four arms represent the
four tatva-s - satva, rajas, tama, and ahamkAra. "satvam rajas tama iti
aha~nkAraScaturbhujah" (gopAlottaratAmini 55).

Yet another explanation is that the Self functions in a four-fold pattern

involving mind, intellect, cit, and ego, and these are represented by the four
arms containing the conch, the mace, the cakra, and the padma. The cit is
represented by the Lotus or Padma, the intellect is the 'Conch', ego is the
'Mace', and mind is the 'Discus'.

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 SlOkam 16
æaij:[uÉaeRjn< Éae´a sih:[ujRgdaidj>,

An"ae ivjyae jeta ivñyaein> punvRsu>. 16.

bhrAjishhNur bhOjanam bhOktA sahishNur jagadAdijah |

anaghO vijayO jEtA visvayonih punarvasuh ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 143. æaij:[u> - bhrAjishNuh

One who is effulgent.

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brAjishNave namah.
bhrAjata iti tacchIlo bhrAjishNuh - One who has the habit of being effulgent.
The name is derived from the root bhrAjR and the pANini sutra 3.2.138 -
bhuvasca - which states that the afix ishNuc in the sense of "the agent having
such a habit etc." comes after the verbs such as bhU, bhrAjR etc. SrI Bhattar
points out that it is the nature of bhagavAn to show Himself to His
worshippers.

An author by name satyadevo vAsishTha, who has written a detailed

vyAkhyAna for Sri vishNu shasranAma in samskRt in this century, points out
that the radiance in the sun, the moon, etc. arise only because they derive it
from the effulgence of vishNu.

Sri rAdhAkRshNa Sastri points out that we see objects because of the light
that makes them visible, and we see the light only because it gets scattered by
the objects. But bhagavAn is Pure Effulgence without any association with any
object, and this is why the non-devotees don't see Him, though He makes
Himself visible to His devotees.

The yajurvedic passages given to support the interpretation for this nAma are:

149
 "brahma surya samam jyotih"; "suryo jyotir-jyotih surya" etc.

nAma 144. Éaejn< - bhOjanam

One who is the object of enjoyment.

bhojanAya namah.
taih bhujyate - sukhena anubhuyate iti bhojanam -

bhagavAn is bhojanam because He is enjoyed with pleasure by His worshippers.

bhojanam also means literally food or the means of sustenance. 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
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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.

nAma 145. Éae´a - bhOktA

The Enjoyer.

bhoktre namah.
He Himself is the Enjoyer since He enjoys the things offered by His devotees
like nectar.

In gItA we have

patram pushpam phalam toyam yo me bhaktyA prayacchati |

tadaham bahktyupahRtam aSnAmi prayatAtmanah ||

(gItA 9.16)

"If a devotee offers to me a mere leaf, flower, fruit, or water with sincere
devotion and love, I accept it as invaluable treasure."

150
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.

nAma 146. sih:[u> - sahishNuh

The Forgiver.

sahishNave namah.
The word is derived from sah - to put up with, forgive. Note the grammatical
rule quoted for bhrAjishNu earlier - the affix ishNuc is added to indicate one
having a habit etc. Thus it is His Nature to forgive. We have the yajurvedic
mantra "saho'si saho mayi dhehi".

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sah also 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.

nAma 147. jgdaidj> - jagadAdija

He who was born at the beginning of the Universe.

jagadAdijAya namah.
jagat + Adi + jAtah = jagadAdijah.

151
 Before the world got created, one who had the ability to create the world had
to exist. Thus bhagavAn existed before the world was created. SrI
chinmayAnanda points out that this is the manifestation of bhagavAn as
HiraNyagarbha, the form where the world of all objects is submerged after
pralaya and before the manifestation of the gross world emerges out. This is
the manifestation of bhagavAn as the virAt Atma.

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
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Lord of the Universe. Thou didst assume the role of vishNu for the protection
of all the worlds."

nAma 148. An"> - anaghah

One who is Sinless, Un-contaminated.

anaghAya namah.
aghah pApam na vidyate asmin iti anaghah. Though He resides in the midst of
the samsAra in His incarnations, He is untainted by sins. Because He is
unattached, He is not contaminated by the effects of any actions. Several
passages in the sruti-s refer to this attribute - suddham apApaviddham - yajur
40.8, na puNya pApe mama (kaivalya 22), etc.

nAma 149. ivjy> - vijayah

Victory Incarnate.

vijayAya namah.

152
vividham viSesheNa vA jayati iti vijayah - One who wins over everything in
different and special ways. He is sat, cit, and Ananda rupa, and thus controls
everything including the prakRti and jiva-s. Or He excels in everything -
~jnAna, vairAgya, aisvarya, etc.

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).

nAma 150. jeta - jEtA

The Conquerer.

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jetre namah.
sarvam jagat sa jayati iti jetA. He is jetA because nothing ever can happen
that is not His will. All the other gods act His will. One who has satyam as His
sthira guNa never has any failure or defeat. He is satya kAma, satya samkalpa,
etc.

nAma 151. ivñyaein> - visvayOnih

The Cause of the Universe.

viSva-yonaye namah.
viSvasya - sakalasya yonih - kAraNam viSva-yonih.

Another interpretation is that He is viSva-yonih because He has the world as

His Cause, i.e., He manifests Himself in various incarnations because of the
condition of this world.

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 nAma 152. punvRsu> - punarvasuh

One who lives again and again as the antarAtmA of all His creations.

punarvasave namah.
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
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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)

154
 SlOkam 17
%peNÔae vamn> àa<zu rmae"ZzuicêijRt>,

AtINÔSs '!¢
AtINÔSs'! hSsgaeR x&taTma inymae ym>. 17.
¢hSsgae

upEndrO vAmanah prAmshuh amoghassucirUrjitah |

atIndrassangrahas sargo dhrutAtmA niyamO yamah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 153. %peNÔ> - upEndrah

a) One who appeared as the younger brother of indra to help him.

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b) One who is superior to indra.

upendrAya namah.
a) upagatah indram - One who assisted indra. SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri gives
the following instance in this context. PrahlAda's grandson Bali defeated Indra
by doing penances according to SukrAcArya's advice. Indra's mother aditi
prayed to God to get Indra's position back.

Since Bali had attained Indra's position through penance etc., there was no
way of getting back the position easily. So bhagavAn appeared as the younger
brother of indra by being born as the son of aditi, and restoring the position
of indra by asking for three feet of land from Bali in his yAga Sala.

b) indrasya upari indrah - One who is superior to indra. upa also means above or
superior.

Sri rAdhAkRshNa Sastri gives the example of Lord KRshNa subduing indra's
self-assumed superiority complex in gokulam when indra tried to flood and
destroy the place for not offering prayers to him.

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 nAma 154. vamn> - vAmanah

One with the Dwarf form.

vAmanAya namah.
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vAmanah
vAmayati tyAjayati madam balim - One who expelled the pride out of Bali. Vam
literally means to vomit out, and vAm could mean one who made Bali literally
vomit out his pride. LingAyatasurin gives the interpretation vAmo valgutvam
asya asti iti vAmanah - One who has a very charming short form. Or it can be
also be interpreted as vAmo vatutvam asya asti iti vAmanah - One who has a
short form of a gurukula student, which is how mahAvishNu appeared in front
of Bali to ask for the three feet of earth from him. The rupa soundaryam

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(valgutvam) of the vAmana incarnation is beautifully described in Srimad
bhAgavatam - e.g.,

yajamAnah pramudito darSanIyam manoramam|

rUpAnurUpAvayavam tasmA Asanam Aharat||

Bali, the yajamAna of the yAgaSala, saw the beautiful appearance of the
brahmachAri in the dwarf form and offered the seat to him with a completely
captivated heart (BhAgavatam 8-18-26).

Another interpretation - sarvANi vAmAni nayati iti vAmanah - One who

bestows all the desires of the devotees, or He produces joy in those who see
Him, by His effulgence. In chAndogyopanishad we have "esha u eva vAmanIh
esha hi sarvANi vAmAni nayati (chAndogyopanishad 4.25).

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nAma 155. àa<zu> - prAmsuh

The Tall.

prAmSave namah.
prASnute prakarsheNa Urdhvam iti prAmSuh -

In the vAmana incarnation, bhagavAn very quickly grew from His dwarf form
into a form which covered the three worlds under His two feet. As soon as Bali
poured the water to accompany his gift of three feet of land into the dwarf
hands, the dwarf was no longer a dwarf. The Lord manifested His universal
form; the earth was His feet, the sky His head, and the sun and the moon His
eyes. The vyAkhyAna kartA-s give the reference, from HarivamSa, to the
beauty of His growth from the dwarf form, in relation to fixed objects, the
Sun and the Moon. First, He assumed the tall form where the Sun and the
Moon were His two eyes. Then as He measured the earth, they were at the
level of His bosom. As He measured the space, the Sun was at the level of His
navel, and as He lifted His feet to measure the Heaven, the Sun and Moon
were just below His knees.

157
 tasya vikramato bhUmim candrAdityau stanAntare |
nabhah prakramANasya nAbhideSe vyavasthithau ||

(HarivamSa 31.89)

nAma 156. Amae"> - amOghah

One whose acts are never purposeless.

amoghAya namah.
na mogham ceshTitam yasya sah amoghah. When bhagavAn asked for three
feet of earth from bali, it helped indra; when Bali could not give the third foot
of earth, it helped subdue Bali and make him a great devotee on the spot;
subduing Bali led to Bali getting the status equal to indra in a trice, and led to
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all the gods partaking in the offerings made in the sacrifice. Thus every act of
His has a purpose.

nAma 157. zuic> - sucih

Pure.

Sucaye namah.
Sucyata iti Sucih - One who purifies is Sucih. BhagavAn is Pure because He is
the ParamAtmA who is uncontaminated by actions and their effects. He is
Sucih because One who contemplates on Him becomes pure, and thus
association with Him makes one pure. Whatever He does is uncontaminated by
anything other than dharma, and so His purity never diminishes. When He
helped indra by subduing Bali, one could say He was biased towards the deva-s;
not so, since He made Himself the door-keeper of Bali and thus Bali benefited
several-fold more than indra did in the process. He is pavitrANAm pavitram, or
purer than the purest. The several references from sruti attest to His purity -
Suddham apApa viddham - (ISAvasya - 8); asparSaSca mahAn Sucih etc.

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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha takes this interpretation one step further by
pointing out that everything bhagavAn does is resplendent with the beauty
that speaks of His purity. All one has to do to realize this is to look at the
beauty of His creations such as the flowers, the leaves, the waters of the
rivers, etc. So He is all around us displaying His innate quality of purity
constantly. He points out that thus guNa of bhagavAn should constantly remind
His devotees to be always pure in their actions, words, and deeds as a means to
attain Him.

nAma 158. ^ijRt> - Urjitah

One who is endowed with immense strength.

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UrjitAya namah.
UrjA means balam or strength. This is one of the shadguNa-s of bhagavAn
(~jnAna, bala, etc.). This strength is displayed whenever He has had to take
care of the evil demons. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that He is Urjita
not only because of His immense strength, but also because whatever strength
each being in His creation has, is because He is the source. He gives the
following vedic quotes to substantiate this interpretation -

UrjA detAm avasyojasA tvAm pibA somamadAya kam Satakrato (Rg. 8.36.3)

UrjA pinvasva samishodidehi na (Rg 3.3.7)

UrgasyAngirasyUrNamradA Urjam mayi dehi (yajur 4.15)

balamasi balam mayi dehi (yajur 19.9)

Urjo balam sa ojo ma Agan (atharva 18.4.53)

Ojo'si saho'si balamasi bhrAjo'si

As is evident, through many of mantra-s, the devotee is asking for balam from
bhagavAn i.e, He is the source of balam or strength in all His creations.

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 nAma 159. AtINÔ> - atIndrah

One who is superior to indra.

atIndrAya namah.
We saw how He surpasses indra by His lordship and glorious acts. Indra is the
king of gods, and bhagavAn exceeds him in wisdom, greatness, etc. SrI
chinmayAnanda points out that in vedAnta indra stands for mind-intellect, and
the paramAtmA or the Pure Self is superior to mind since it transcends the
mind.

nAma 160. s'!¢h> sangrahah

¢h>
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a) He who is easily reached.

b) He who has everyone under His control.

samgrahAya namah.
The meaning given in the dictionary by Sir William-Monier is "holding
together", "drawing together", etc.

a) SrI Bhattar gives the interpretation "atha bhaktaih ayatnena samgRhayata

iti samgrahah" - One who is reached by His devotees without any effort (other
than pure devotion).

b) SrI Sankara gives the interpretation "sarveshAm samhRtau pratisamhArAt

samgrahah" - One who withdraws everything into Him during pralaya.

c) SrI chinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is samgraha

because he holds the entire world of beings and things together. SrI satya
vAsishTha looks at the nAma as sama + graha, or holding everything together
in one form, viz. by being the Atma in everything.

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nAma 161. sgR> - sargah

The creator of Himself.

sargAya namah.
sRjati iti sargah - One who creates. The word sarga is derived from the root
sRj - to create. He is sarga since He created the whole world out of Himself.
Sarga refers to primary creation as opposed to pralaya or dissolution, and
sthiti or maintenance.

nAma 162. x&taTma - dhrutAtmA

The supporter of all the jivAtmA-s.

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dhRtAtmane namah.
dhRtah AtmA yena sah dhRtAtmA - One who supports all the jIvAtmA-s, or
One who supports (conducts) Himself uninfluenced by any change (birth, death,
likes, dislikes, etc.).

nAma 163. inym> - niyamah

The Controller.

niyamAya namah.
niyamayati iti niyamah - One who assigns and directs the different functions to
the different beings. The root yam has two meanings: yam uparame - to check,
and yam pariveshaNe - to surround. One who is the Creator of all beings is also
naturally the Controller of all those beings. It is He who orders all the mighty
forces of nature and prescribes for each the laws of their conduct, the ways
of their behavior and the methods of their functions. The Sun, Moon, Air,
Waters, Death, etc., are all appointed and controlled by the Lord.

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 nAma 164. ym> - yamah

The Ruler.

yamAya namah.
yacchati iti yamah or yamayati iti yamah - One who rules. He rules all our
selves from within. He also rules all the beings of the earth from within the
sphere of the Sun. We have the passage from bRhadAraNya upanishad -
yah sarvANi bhUtAni antaro yamayati (3.7.15). Other passages from the sruti-
s are "yah pRthivIm antaro yamayati - He who rules the earth from within" -
BRhadAraNya 3.7.3, yah AtmAnam antaro yamayati - He who rules the self
from within", etc.
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 SlOkam 18
ve*ae vE*SsdayaegI vIrha maxvae mxu>,

AtIiNÔyae mhamayae mhaeTsahae mhabl>. 18.

vEdyO vaidyas sadAyogI vIrahA mAdhavO madhuh |

atIndriyO mahAmAyO mahOtsAhO mahAbalah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 165. ve*> - vEdyah

a) He who can be realized.

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b) That which should be known or realized.

vedyAya namah.
veditum Sakyah vedyah,

vedanArhatvAt vedyah, or

veditum yogya iti vedyah.

SrI chinmayAnanda interprets the word to mean "That which should be known
- as the Ultimate Truth; having known which, everything else becomes known".
This is supported by the following from the gItA - "vedaiSca sarvairahameva
vedyah - I am the One who is to be known through all the veda-s" - gItA 15.15,
and vedair_anekair-ahmeva vedyah - kaivalya 22.

nAma 166. vE*> - vaidyah

The knower of vidyA or knowledge.

vaidyAya namah.

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 The word vaidya is related to the word vidyA. One who right from the
beginning of the world knew all the vidyA-s that went into the creation of this
Universe is vaidya. It is not only that He is the knower, but no one else is the
knower of creating all the wondrous and manifold objects in His creation. This
is supported by "viSvAni deva vayunAni vidvAn" - yajur 7.43. He is the sarva-
vidyA-maya vaidya. Also note "Isvarah sarva-vidyAnAm"- taittirIya AraNyaka
10.21.

The knowledge that we see displayed even in the insects, birds, etc., should be
a constant reminder of the vaidya or All-knower that is bhagavAn, and should
lead us to the constant awareness that it is His feet that we should worship.

SrI Bhattar points out that He knows the vidyA of releasing His devotees
from the cycle of rebirth, and so He is vaidya.
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In the traditional meaning of vaidya referring to a doctor, SrI chinmayAnanda

points out that He is vaidya since He alone can doctor to the world's suffering
from ego and ego-centric misconceptions. In SrI Bhattar's vyAkhyAna we find
a supporting reference -

"meru mandara mAtro'pi pApasya karmaNah |

keSavam vaidyam AsAdya durvyAdhiriva naSyati ||

(vishNu dharmam 69.110)

One might have accumulated sins the size of the meru mountain; however if
one worships keSava, the sins disappear just as the worst diseases disappear
when treated by a good vaidya or doctor".

nAma 167. sdayaegI - sadAyOgI

a) One who is always awake with respect to His devotees.

b) One who unites this Universe as the sarva-vyApi

c) One who always follows the dhArmic way.

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d) One who is in constant yogic meditation

e) One who always displays the samatva-bhAva, i.e., treats everyone equally.

sadA-yogine namah.
One explanation for this nAma is that bhagavAn is always attainable, and so He
is sada-yogI. SrI Bhattar interprets the nAma to mean that He is awake at all
times with respect to His devotees, and He is always awake as the antaryAmi
in all of us.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives three different interpretations for this nAma -
satah AyogI, sadA yogI, and sadA AyogI. Satas means equally, and Ayuj means
to unite or to join. The roots from which from the nAma can be derived are
also many - yugi varjane - to give up; yuj samAdhau - to concentrate the mind;
yuj yoge - to unite; yuj samyamane - to join;

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He is a sadA-yogi because He has always given up everything except the good
and the just, the dharmic way. He is also a sadA-yogI because He unites this
world into one through His sarva-vyApti, His pervasion into everything that
exists - sadaiva yojayati samyamayati visvAn lokAn sa sadA-yogI. He is also a
sada-yogI because He is constantly in yogic meditation, which is His nature.
Yoga here can be interpreted as samatva-bhAva. SadA yogah asya asti iti tam
sadA-yoginam, sadA yoga Silam svabhAva-dharmANam vA.

The vyAkhyAna in dharma cakram (whose author is not identified) points out
that people live one of three ways of life - a rogi, a bhogi, or a yogi. Of these,
the life of a yogi (who spends his life by diverting his senses away from sense-
enjoyment and towards the parama-purusha) is the one that leads to peace of
mind and bodily health. The yogic state of mind is naturally attained by one
who devotes one's mind to the worship of the Lord, the sadA-yogi.

nAma 168. vIrha vIrahA

The slayer of strong men of wicked nature.

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 vIraghne namah.
We may recollect "paritrRNAya sAdhUnAm vinASAya ca dushkRtAm" - 'For
the protection of the good and the destruction of the wicked'. If the quality
of being a vIra is used to commit adharma, bhagavAn destroys those vIra-s or
rAkshasa-s.

SrI Bhattar interprets the vIra-s here as referring to people who are
"kutarka-Sura-s" or those who put up false arguments to prevent people from
meditating on Him. He refers us to the sloka-s in bhagavad gItA in Chapter 16
starting from sloka 16-8 and ending in 16-19, where bhagavAn gives a
description of the kinds of behaviors that these kutarka-vAdi-s demonstrate -
claiming that God does not exist, or claiming that they are the God, etc.
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mAdhavan - SrI Malayappa swAmy with nAchchiyArs - Thirupathi

nAma 169. maxv> - mAdhvah

The propounder of the knowledge of the Supreme Being.

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mAdhavAya namah.
The detailed interpretations for this nAma have been given earlier under nAma
73. Please refer to that description.

nAma 170.mxu> - madhuh

One who is like honey to His devotees.

madhave namah.
He is madhu because He creates Nectarine Bliss in the hearts of His devotees.
He causes great satisfaction, like honey. We have from bRhadAraNya
upanishad - ayamAtmA sarveshAm bhUtAnAm madhu - 2.5.14. We also have
"thEnil iniya pirAne" as He is referenced by PeriyAzhvAr in his PoocchUttal.

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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha indicates that madhu also means knowledge (derived
from man- ~jnAne to know), and He is madhu because He knows everything by
His pervading everything - ~jnAna dharmeNa vyApnuvan sarvam viSvam
manyate jAnAti, tasmAt sa madhuh. We have the yajurvedic mantra -
tadantarsya sarvasya tadu sarvasyAsya bAhyatah - He is inside everything, and
He is also outside of everything, and by virtue of this, He is ~jnAna mayam or
Knower of everything.

The commentator in dharma cakram points out that madhu or honey is unique
among all the edibles that when consumed, all of it is digested into the system
with no waste products. He also points out that madhu is unique in that there is
no ill-effect that results from its consumption, unlike some of the other
edibles where an excessive consumption will lead to harmful effects. In our
context, bhagavAn is the knowledge that is madhu, from which only good can
result.

SrI Bhattar interprets the next several nAmas as descriptive of the six
celestial qualities of bhagavAn - ~jnAna, bala, aiSvarya, vIrya, Sakti, and tejas.

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 nAma 171. AtIiNÔy> - atIndriyah

He who is beyond the range of the sense organs.

atIndriyAya namah.
Only those objects that have a fixed shape, color, or other characteristics will
be recognizable by the indriya-s or sense organs. He is beyond these sense-
organs, and cannot be realized through these or through sheer reasoning. The
only way to realize Him is to experience Him through pure devotion. The two
mantra-s of ISAvAsya upanishad (anejadekam.., and tadejati tannaijati..)
remind us of this quality of bhagavAn in simple words.

In kaThopanisahd we have -
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indriyebhyah parAhyarthA ...avyaktAt purushah parah |

aSabdam-asparSam-arUpam-avyayamtathArasam nityam-agandhavacca yat |

(kaTho 1.3.10 etc.)

(He is soundless, untouched, formless, immutable, and so without taste,

eternal, smell-less.)

SrI chinmayAnanda points out that it is not just He is beyond the reach of the
sense-organs, but that the sense-organs don't exist without Him, and so
cannot sense anything without His power. So He is the very subject of the
sense-organs, and not the object of the sense-organs (the eye cannot see
itself, but only its reflection in a mirror!).

He is also not seen by the indriya-s because He is not anywhere outside where
the senses can sense Him, but is inside each of us in the cavity of our hearts
where the senses cannot reach, the size of a thumb - angusTha mAtrena.

nAma 172. mhamay> - mahAmAyah

One who is possessed of wonderful power of enchantment.

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mahA-mAyAya namah.
SrI Bhattar points out that this nAma signifies that He conceals Himself from
those who are not devoted to Him through His power of enchantment. This is
natural for one who is not within the reach of the senses-organs as we saw in
the previous nAma. Lord KRshNa says in the gItA - mama mAyA duratyayA -
My mAyA is very difficult to overcome - gItA 7.14). mAyA here is not to be
interpreted to as magic or illusion or untruth, but as something wonderful and
unusual. (sItA devi is referred to as devamAyA - janakasya kule jAtA
devamAyeva nirmitA). The mAyA referred to here is that bhagavAn
wonderfully conceals Himself from those who do not seek Him.

Other references to the sruti-s are - ati-mohakarI mAyA mama (Sarabha 24),
vidyAt mAyinam tu maheSvaram (SvetASvatAra 4.10).

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nAma 173. mhaeTsah> - mahOtsAhah

He of great enthusiasm.

mahotsAhAya namah.
SrI Bhattar points out that this nAma particularly indicates that unlike the
Isvara of the sAnkhya system who is possessed of knowledge but is a non-doer
of acts and is indifferent, Sri mahA vishNu is enthusiastic in performing acts
which signify His lordship, such as the varieties of His creation, their
sustenance etc. The mahotsAha is a guNa that bhagavAn has as an aiSvarya,
with no dependence on anything else for support. Because of this, He is
unceasingly creating, maintaining and withdrawing His creations, and managing
the affairs of the Universe. SrI chinmayAnanda points out that this world will
not exist without the endless enthusiasm of His Mighty Power. Just as the
ocean, with its endless waves is the "sleepless agitator", so also bhagavAn is
the Enthusiastic Accomplisher.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives a different interpretation to this nAma. He

looks at this word as mahAn + ut+ sAhah - mahAntam uccaistamam sAhah,

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 sahate, sAhayati, sahati vA sa mahotsAhah - One who has immense ability to
endure. Here sAhah has the same meaning as sahah - sahati. He gives
reference to the Rg vedic mantra nAkshastapyate bhUribhArah - 1.164.13 to
support this interpretation. He supports the Sun, the Moon, etc., tirelessly,
and He is also the self in every being that has been created, and it is His
mahotsAha that is manifested in His act. His guNa of endurance is also noted
through the yajurvedic mantra "saho'si saho mayi dehi (yajur 19/9)".

The word utsAhah traditionally means enthusiasm. The commentator in dharma

cakram points out that of the three qualities, the rajas, tamas, and satva
bhAva-s, actions that are done with enthusiasm and that benefit the rest of
mankind are those that are done by those with the satva disposition. The
actions by these are the ones that continue successfully, with full benefits to
His subjects. It is good to remind ourselves in this context that He is pure
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Satva, and one way of offering worship to Him is to follow this model and lead
a sAtvic life ourselves.

nAma 174. mhabl> - mahAbalah

One with immeasurable strength - The Omnipotent.

mahAbalAya namah.
SrI Sankara's vyAkhyAna is

"balinAmapi balavatvAt mahAbalah" - Being stronger than the strongest, He is

mahAbalah".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAStri gives several examples of this guNa of bhagavAn.

RAvaNa went to the pAtAla loka to win over bali. BhagavAn wo had established
Himself as the gatekeeper of bali temporarily made Himself invisible. RAvaNa
tried to move the kundalam of hiraNyakaSipu which was lying at the doorstep
as it has fallen from hiraNyakaSipu's ears at the time of his being slain by
Lord nRsimha. RAvaNa's hands got caught under the kundalam. BhagavAn
appeared on the scene, and kicked rAvaNa without effort and rAvaNa fell far

170
far away.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha starts from the root bal - prANane to live or to
breathe, and gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is mahAbalah because He
makes the world live or supports the world. He points out that there are
different kinds of balam, e.g., vidyA balam, senA balam, dhana balam, anna
balam, etc., and bhagavAn is the One who is the bestower of all the balams
(means of support) to the different devotees, and so He is mahA-balah.

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 SlOkam 19
mhabuiÏmRhavIyaeR mhaziKtmRha*uit>,

AindeRZyvpu> ïIman! AmeyaTma mhaiÔx&t!. 19.

mahAbuddhir mahAvIryO mahAshaktir mahAdyutih |

anirdEsyavapuh srImAn amEyAtmA mahAdridhrut ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 175. mhabuiÏ> - mahAa

mahAa--buddih

He of infinite knowledge.
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mahA-buddhaye namah.
SrI Bhattar points out that He is mahA-buddhi because His knowledge does
not depend on His sense organs or any external help. He sees and hears and
senses all at the same time with any of His organs or with no need for any of
the organs. This is supported by several passages from the sruti-s -
viSvataScakshuruta viSvatomukhah - He has eyes on all sides and faces on all
sides (taittirIya nArAyaNa upanishad 1.12); paSyat_yacakshuh sa SRNoti
akarNah - He sees without eyes and hears without ears (SvetASva 3.19);
sarvato'kshi Siromukham - He has everywhere eyes, heads, and mouths (gItA
13.13). We also have the venerable AcArya nAthamuni's words - yo vetti
yagapat sarvam pratyaksheNa sadA svatah - Who sees directly by perception
and of His own accord all things simultaneously (nyAyatatva).

The dhAtu word from which the name is derived is budh ~jnAne to know, to
understand. BhagavAn is the buddhi behind the functioning of all His creations,
and so He is the mahA-buddhi. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that the
behavior of many objects such as even the shedding of the leaves by the trees
during the winter months and the regeneration during the summer months etc.,

172
is indicative of knowledge that He has invested in them. The establishment of
the stars and planets in their respective positions and orbits is a totally
different dimension of the same mahA-buddhi of the Lord. The magic of
creation of the multitude of beings and their being held together as a
functional entity is beyond the knowledge of anyone else but Him. The author
also points out cases such as a "lajjAvanti" plant which survives and grows only
if a woman waters the plant, and dies if a man pours the water to the plant,
which are all examples of the wonders of the ~jnAna that is the mahA-buddhi.

In a publication titled dharma cakram published by SrI rAmakRshNa

tapovanam in India, a writer has given the additional example of a crow's
behavior when threatened by an enemy as an illustration of the knowledge that
He has invested in His creations. When a crow is chased by a small child, it
just displays minimal effort to get away. If a grown-up person chases it with a

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stick, it takes just a little bit more effort to run. If a person with a gun
appears, the crow will be nowhere to be seen. Who but the mahA-buddhi could
have given the crow this level of buddhi, which in addition gets transmitted
from parent to offspring in an unending chain?

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri points out that buddhi is the most important of the
four antah:karaNa-s. buddhi chooses between the options provided by the
manas, taking into account the pictures of previous experiences provided by
the cittam, before the ahamkAram takes over and executes the action. If the
buddhi makes a poor choice, then it becomes alpa-buddhi; if the buddhi always
chooses noble choices, then it is the mahA-buddhi.

nAma 176. mhavIyR> - mahA

mahA--vIryah

He of great virility.

mahA-vIryAya namah.
He is mahA-vIrya because He remains unchanged unlike everything else which
changes with time (e.g., milk changing to curd). It is but a tiny fraction of this

173
 quality of His that is reflected in the fact that that the Yogins are of steady
mind and do not get distracted. Just as flowers give out their fragrance to all
their surroundings with no effort on their part, bhagavAn performs all His
acts with no effort on His part, and this is an indication of His vIrya.

SrI chinmayAnanda points out that vIrya is the essence of all dynamism or
creative urges, and He is mahA-vIrya because He is the driving force from
whom alone all the dynamism for creation can manifest.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri explains that vIryam is the quality of achieving one's
objective no matter how difficult it is. bhagavAn's first accomplishment, the
creation of this Universe from the prakRti or primordial matter, is a result of
His vIrya.

In the vyAkhyAna in dharma cakram it is pointed out that one with the vIrya
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or creative energy should also be one who has complete control of the indriya-s
in order for this creative energy to be beneficial to every one else. From this
point, the Lord is the only one who can be called the mahA-vIrya.

nAma 177. mhaziKt> - mahA

mahA--saktih

Of immense power.

mahA-Saktaye namah.
SrI Bhattar points out that this nAma emphasizes that bhagavAn is not just
the sentient cause of this world, but is also the material cause of this world;
i.e., He is not only the brain behind the creation, but He is also the one whose
immense power caused the physical creation of this world from the prakRti.

SrI Bhattar indicates that this is unlike the view held by the pasupata school
that holds that Isvara is only the sentient cause and not the material cause.
He points out that the constant change going on in pradhAna or primordial
matter, milk, curd, etc., every moment, is but the result of a small fraction of
this Sakti of bhagavAn. Unfortunately I am unfamiliar with the details of the
point made here about the pasupata school of thought , and would like to invite

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additional comments/elaborations from the readers. The word can be derived
from Sak - marshane to endure, to be able, or Sak Saktau to be able, to
endure, to be powerful. Thus SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets the meaning
to be similar to be mahA-bala, mahotsAhah etc.

SrI Sankara interprets Sakti as sAmarthyam or skill, and Sri chinamayAnanda

follows up on this and indicates that He is mahA-Sakti because He is the cause
of the interplay of the three Sakti-s, the kriyA Sakti or the power-of-action,
the kAma-Sakti or the power-of-desire, and the ~jnAna Sakti or the power-
of-knowledge, which in turn is the cause of this Universe.

As pointed out under the previous nAma, He uses the mighty power for the
good of the world, and every instance of this Might should remind us of Him.

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nAma 178. mha*uit> - mahA
mahA--dyutih

He of great splendor.

mahA-dyutaye namah.
The derivation of this nAma is from the dhAtu dyuta dIptau to shine. dyotate
iti dyutih - One who is shining is dyutih, dyotayitA vA dyutih - One who makes
things shine is dyutih. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the following yajurvedic
mantras to support the point that all that shines in this world is because of His
effulgence -

yaste divi sUrye mahimA sambabhUva|

tasmai te mahimne prajApataye devebhyah svAhA ||

yaste nakshatreshu candramasi mahimA sambabhUva |

tasmai te mahimne prjApataye devebhyah svAhA ||

(yajur 23-2, 23-4)

SrI Bhattar explains that this nAma indicates that bhagavAn neither depends
on nor needs any external help for any of His actions, and the great splendor

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 (tejas) in His appearance reveals this. This tejas is capable of removing both
the outer and the inner darkness in us. The tejas of the Sun and the shining of
the precious jewels are but a tiny part of the tejas of the Lord. This tejas of
the Lord is so pleasing to His devotees, and so frightening to His enemies (we
may recall the description of the nAma nArasimha-vapu earlier, where we
emphasized the same point about the nRsimha avatAram).

The sruti references that support this are:

svayam jyotih - He is pure Effulgence Himself without the need for external
means to illuminate Him (bRhadAraNya upanishad 4.3.9),
jyotishAm jyotih - The Light among lights (muNdakopanishad 2.2.9), etc.

The dharma cakram writer points out that those who worship the Lord are
automatically blessed by the Lord with a part of this dyuti (The face is the
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index of the mind - agattin azhagu mugattil teriyum is the Tamil saying).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri points out that there are 43 nAmas in

sahasranAmam that start with mahA. Of these, the above six nAmas refer to
bhagavAn's qualities of overlordship, strength, knowledge, virility, power, and
effulgence. The combination of these six guNas is what makes bhagavAn the
mahA-mAya or the One who performs the wonderful acts which are His sport.

The six great qualities of bhagavAn that have been referred to in the previous
nAma-s 173-178 are also referenced in many sruti-s: (173 - mahotsAhah-
mahA-balah- mahA-buddhih176 - mahA-vIryah177 - mahA-Saktih- mahA-
dyutih)

parA asya Saktih vividhaiva SrUyate svabhAvikI ~jnAna bala kriyA ca

(SvetAsvatara U. 6-8)

He has varieties of Sakti-s in par excellence as part of His Nature. His

superior knowledge, superior might, and His power of creation etc., are some
examples.

~jnAna Sakti bala aiSvarya vIrya tejAmsi aSeshatah |

bhagavacchabda-vAcyAni vinA heyaih guNadibhih || (vishNupurANam 6-5-79)

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The word bhagaVan is associated with the six superior qualities of knowledge,
strength, lordship or non-dependence on anything else, virility, power, and
effulgence, with no association whatever with any negative connotations.

tejo bala aiSvarya mahA avabodha suvIrya SaktyAdi guNaika rASih|

(vishNu purANam 6-5-85)

The Lord is the abode for good qualities such as tejas, balam, aiSvaryam, great
knowledge, abudant vIrya, Sakti etc.

nAma 179. AindeRZyvpu> - anirdEsya

anirdEsya--vapuh

He who possesses an indescribable body.

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anirdeSya-vapushe namah.
Something that can be described as this or that, or can be pointed to as this
or that, is nirdeSa - idam tat ityAdi rUpeNa vi~jnApanam, ~jnApyasya
prakASanam vA nirdeSah. AnirdeSa is something that cannot be described as
above. vapu means SarIra or body. vapu also can be derived from the dhAtu
vap - bIjasantAne chedane ca - to sow, to scatter, etc. SrI satyadevo
vAsishTha uses this latter approach and gives a meaning for anirdeSyavapu as
One who cannot be easily described and who is the sower of the seed for this
Universe. He indicates that the word bAp, bApu etc., - father in Hindi is
derived from a colloquial derivative of vapu.

All beings who have a body as we know it have the body which is formed from
the panca-bhuta-s, mahat and ahamkAram. BhagavAn's body is different - it is
formed from the six maha-guNa-s that we just learned about. He becomes
whatever He wants to become. He is pure effulgence, pure knowledge, pure
power, pure lordship incarnate, etc. In vishNu purANa, we have "rUpa varNAdi
nirdeSa viSeshaNa vivarjitah - Regarding His form, color, etc., there is nothing
that can be compared to them" - (1.2.10). SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri remarks in
his commentary that the mahA-guNas cannot be visualized by the meager

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 knowledge that we possess, and it is only by the inner experience that He can
be realized.

SrI chinmayAnanda points out that He is the knowledge through which we can
describe everything else, but He himself cannot be described. (Just as the eye
can see others, but the eye cannot be used to see itself).

nAma 180. ïIman! - srImAn

Possessed of beauty.

SrImate namah.
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SrImAn - ThiruveLLarai PerumAl with nAchchiyArs

(Courtesy : www.srirangapankajam.com)
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 22, and will re-occur as nAma 222 later.
NAma 22 occurred succeeding the nAma nArasimha-vapuh, which was nAma 21,
and was interpreted in that context (viz., the nRsimha incarnation was of

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exceptional beauty). The nAmas immediately preceding nAma 222 are
interpreted by SrI Sankara and SrI Bhattar in the context of the matsya -
avatAra, and so they interpret nAma 222 as referring to the beauty of the
matsya-avatAra. For the current nAma, since this immediately succeeds the
description of the body of the Lord (anirdeSya vapu), they interpret this in
this context, and give the meaning that here it refers to the enormously
beautiful ornaments that decorate the body of bhagavAn (SrI Bhattar), or
they refer to the beauty associated with the six great qualities (SrI Sankara).
Note that even though the same nAma, SrImAn, occurs three times, both SrI
Sankara and SrI Bhattar interpret them differently each time depending on
the context.

SrImAn also refers to Sriyah pati, or the Lord of Sri or mahA-lakshmi.

BhagavAn's beauty is natural to Him because He has SrI in his vaksha-sthala.

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The dharma-cakram author interprets this nAma to mean that the prakRti and
purusha are inseparable, just as SrI and the Lord are inseparable, and are part
of the same para-brahmam.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the root as "Sri -sevAyAm" - One who is fit to
be served. SrI also means SobhA or beauty or "kAnti". He points out that the
beauty that is seen all around us in the trees, the birds, the rivers, the
flowers, the Sun, the Moon, the stars, etc., should remind us constantly of
bhagavAn, the SrImAn whose SrI is shining in everything. SrI also means
wealth. The wealth that humans have is transient, and can disappear any time.
BhagavAn is SrImaAn whose wealth is nitya or permanent.

nAma 181. AmeyaTma - amEyAtmA

He of an incomprehensible nature.

ameyAtmane namah.
SrI Bhattar explains that based on the diverse qualities which are in
abundance as described in the previous nAma-s, He is ameyAtmA.

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 SrI Sankara interprets the meaning of AtmA here as buddhi or intelligence,
and He is ameyAtmA because He has remarkable intelligence which is beyond
measure.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha starts from the root or dhAtu from which this nAma
is derived - mA mAne to measure, to compare with. MAtum arhah meyah; na
mAtum arhah ameyah. Here AtmA refers to the svarUpam. Since He in the
inner soul of everything, it is not possible to describe Him from outside, just
as an ocean cannot be precisely defined when you are in the middle of the
ocean.

nAma 182. mhaiÔx&t! – mahAdri

mahAdri--dhrut

The bearer of the great mountain.

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mahAdri-dhRte namah.
There are two instances of bhagavAn bearing the mountain. One was the
instance of bearing the mandara mountain during the time of churning of the
Milk Ocean, when bhagavAn appeared in the form of the Great Tortoise to
bear the churning stick (which was the mandara mountain) on His back. The
other is the instance when Lord KRshNa bore the govardhana mountain in
gokulam to protect the cows.

SrI chinamayAnanda points out that bhagavAn also supports the mind-intellect
of the sAdhaka while he is churning, through SravaNa (study) and manana
(reflection), his own milk-like pure heart of devotion in order to gain the
amRtam of immortality.

Some versions of sahasranAmam have this nAmam as mahAdridhRk instead of

mahAdri-dhRt. Sri rAdhAkRshNa Sastri points out the difference between
the two as follows: mahAdri-dhRk - One who is capable of bearing a huge
mountain (mahAdraye didhRshNoti); mahAdri-dhRt - One who bears a huge
mountain (mahAdrim dharati). My knowledge of samskRt grammar is not good
enough to explain this distinction clearly. I would request anyone who can

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explain the difference between the two versions based on etymological
considerations to contribute to clarifying this difference in meaning.

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 SlOkam 20
mhe:vasae mhIÉtaR ïIinvasSsta< git>,

AinéÏSsuranNdae gaeivNdae gaeivda< pit>. 20.

mahEshvAsO mahIbhartA srInivAsas satAmgatih |

aniruddhah surAnandO gOvindO gOvidAm patih ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 183. mhe:vas> - mahEshvAsah

a) The discharger of great arrows

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b) The wielder of the mighty bow

maheshvAsAya namah.
mahAn - manohArI - enchanting;

ishUNAm - arrows;

Asah - discharger.

SrI Bhattar gives the examples of Lord Rama discharging the arrows to
establish a bridge across the sethu river and at the time of destroying the
ten-headed RAvaNa.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that ishvAsa can mean the bow (that
which throws or discharges the arrows), and one who has the great dhanus is
maheshvAsa - mahAn ishvAsah asya asti iti maheshvAsah.

The dharma cakram author points out that even though modern science
provides a lot of facilities like being able to build bridges to cross great rivers
in times of war in a short time nowadays, the result is more war and more
insecurity and more evils. Not so with the Lord's arrows, which always achieve
their objective without fail (rAma bANam vIN pogAdu is a saying in Tamil -

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Rama's arrows never go to waste), and bring good to mankind.

nAma 184. mhIÉtaR – mahIbhartA

The bearer of the earth.

mahI-bhartre namah.
SrI Bhattar interprets this nAma as referring to bhagavAn bearing the earth
constantly as the Adi kUrma. SrI SrInivAsa rAghavAchAryAr has pointed out
in his nRsimha priyA articles that the following mantra in the nitya Ahnika
karma - (PraNavam) akhila jagadAdhArAya kUrma-rUpiNe nArAyaNAya namah
- is a reference to this act of Sriman nArAyaNa.

BhartA literally means husband or supporter. mahI means earth. mahI-bhartA

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means the Husband of Mother Earth. We have the description of how the
Lord, as the Great Boar (varAha) uplifted the earth from the "waters of
Deluge", and is still supporting the earth. The author in dharma cakram
surmises that the gravitational force which keeps everything in this universe in
its place is just a demonstration of the Sakti or power of this mahI-bhartA.

nAma 185. ïIinvas> - srInivAsah

In whom Lakshmi resides.

SrInivAsAya namah.
SrI refers to Lakshmi. NivAsam is the place or abode. Sri mahA-lakshmi
emerged from the ocean as one of the nectars as it was churned. All the deva-
s were watching and waiting, and She chose the Lord as She emerged.
BhagavAn greeted Her with sweet words and offered Her the place on His
vaksha-sthalam. This is one of His leela-s.

SrI chinmayAnanda points out that SrI connotes "all Glory and power,
faculties and strength, to be good and to perform creative acts of
righteousness". She never resides permanently in any bosom, and even great

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 saints and sages are known to have compromised the perfections in them in
recorded history. The only place where imperfections never enter to molest
the serene essence, is the seat of Eternal Perfection, which is the bosom of
nArAyaNa. This is a very elegant way of interpreting and understanding the
significance of the statement that SrI is always in the vaksha-sthalam of the
Lord.
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SrInivAsan - MalayappaswAmy in Muthangi SEva

with nAchchiyArs in Thirumala-Thirupathi

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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that SrI also means beauty (SobhA), fame
(vibhUti), wealth (dhana). One who is the residence of all these is SrI-nivAsa.

The statement that SrI resides always with mahA-vishNu in his vaksha-
sthalam emphasizes the concept that lakshmi and nArAyaNa should be viewed
as One, just as the fire and the heat associated with it are not two separate
things. SrI is the brightness, the success, the wealth, the beauty, associated
with nArAyaNa.

nAma 186. sta< git> - satAm gatih

The Ultimate Goal for all spiritual seekers.

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satAm-gataye namah.
sat refers to all spiritual seekers and all those who are virtuous. SrI
chinmayAnanda points out that this name implies that He is not only the final
goal for these, but also the very direction, path, and progress as well.
BhagavAn is the goal for the devotees because they do not want anything
except Him once they become His devotees.

nAma 187. AinéÏ> - aniruddhah

One who cannot be obstructed or resisted by anyone.

aniruddhAya namah.
Examples of this guNa of bhagavAn are seen all around us all the time. Nothing
can stop the rising and setting of the sun, the absorption of sun's energy by
the different things, etc. The laws of Nature are irresistible. In SrI
chinmayAnanda's words relating to this nAma, "Time and tide wait for none".
BhagavAn has been victorious and unobstructed in all of His incarnations. SrI
Bhattar gives the reference to maula smahitA to support the interpretation

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 for this nAma - aparimita cheshTo bhagavAn aniruddhah - Unlimited are the
exploits of bhagavAn aniruddha".

The writer in dharma cakram gives a very obvious example of the unobstructed
nature of bhagavAn's wishes. Kamsa tries many things to get rid of child
KRshNa right from the time of His birth, and in fact He had planned to get rid
of the child long before the child was to be born. We all know that nothing
worked, and the child kRshNa became the boy kRshNa and got rid of kamsa as
He had planned. This nAma not only says that no one can obstruct bhagavAn
helping His devotees, but it also says that no one can save His enemies.

nAma 188. suranNd> - surAnandah

One who gives delight to the gods.

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surAnandAya namah.
surAn Anandayati iti surAnandah. The word sura is composed of su - good, and
rA - to give. So bhagavAn is One who brings happiness to those who bring good
to the world (sura-s). He has assigned them the different functions on these
lines. He gives delight to the gods by helping them in times of distress. One
instance of this is when the Milk-Ocean was churned and the Lord gave the
amRtam to the sura-s. The instance that Sri Bhattar alludes to is the hamsa
incarnation which is extensively referred to in the divya prabandham. This is
covered in several places in the divya prabandham, and in addition there is a
whole chapter dedicated to this incarnation in SrImad-bhAgavatam. The
following are references in divya prabandham:

mun iv-Ezhu ulagu uNarvinRi iruL miga umbargaL tozhudEtta annamAgi anRu
aru-maRai payandavanE enakku aruL puri nIyE...

(periya tirumozhi 5.3.8)

"When all the seven worlds were immersed in darkness because of all kinds of
conflicting and contradictory beliefs, brahma and sanaka-sanandanAdi deva-s
prayed to Lord nArAyaNa, He appeared in the form of a hamsa (swan) and gave

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them the benefit of the knowledge of the path of righteousness."

The significance of hamsa here is that it is capable of separating the milk from
the water; so also, bhagavAn identified the good from the bad for the benefit
of the sura-s.

"tunni maNNum viNNAdum tOnRAdu iruLAi mUdiya nAL

annamAgi aru maraigaL aruLicceyda amalanidam.... "

(periya tirumozhi 5.1.9)

mannu mA-nilamum malaigalum kadalum vAnamum tAnavar-ulagum tunnu mA-

iruLAi tulangoLi Surungi tollai-nAnmaRaigaLum maRaiya pinnum vAnavarkkum
munivarkkum nalgi piRangiruL niRam keDa orunAL annamAi a~ngu arumaRai
payndAn aranga-mA-nagar amrndAnE.

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(periya tirumozhi 5.7.3)

"tunniya pEriruL Suzhndu ulagai mUDa manniya nAnmaRai muRRum maRaindiDa

pin ivvulagil pEriruL nI~nga anRu annamadAnE! AccOvaccO arumaRai tandAnE!
AccOvaccO!"

(periyAzhvAr tirumozhi 1.9.10)

In SrImad-bhAgavatam, chapter 13 of the 11th skandam is devoted to hamsa

avatAram. There bhagavAn describes how brahma meditated upon Him for
guidance in answering the question from sanaka-sanandanA-s on the
relationship between buddhi, AtmA, guNa-s, etc., and how He appeared in the
form of a swan incarnation and gave the upadeSa to them.

nAma 189. gaeivNd> - gOvindah

a) One who is praised by the gods (for His help).

b) One who dug out the Earth from the depths of the Ocean.

c) The protector of cows.

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 d) One who confers the veda-s

govindAya namah.
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gOvindan - MannArgudi rAjAgOpAlan

go in samskRt means "Earth", "cows", "speech", or "veda-s" - gaur-vANI,
dharA, dhenurvA. From this we derive gavAm, gAm, etc. vid - lAbhe to get, to
find, to feel is the root from which vinda is derived.

a) gavAm vindah govindah - gavAm - praise, vindah - recipient. He is govinda

because He is the recipient of praise by the gods for the help He renders as
outlined in the previous nAma.

b) Another interpretation is gAm avindat - One who retrieved the Earth from
the depths of the Ocean. The following is from Santi parvam in mahAbhAratam

nashTAm vai dharaNIm purvam avindam vai guhAgatAm |

govinda iti tenAham devair-vAgbir-abhishTutah||

(Santi - 330.5)

"I first rescued the earth which was carried away and hidden in depths of the
Ocean (by an asura); hence I am praised by the appellation Govinda by gods and

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scriptures".

The significance of this is pointed out by the dharma cakram writer. BhagavAn
is the One who truly understands the world and all its subjects.

c) gAvo vedavANyo yam vindanti labhante, yatra vA avatisThante sa govindo

bhagavAn vishNuh - One who is reached by vedic chanting, or One who is the
abode of the veda-s, is govinda or vishNu. In harivamSa we have the following -

gaureshA tu yato vANI tAm ca vindayate bhavAn |

govindastu tato deva! munibhih kathyate bhavAn! ||

(harivamSa 3.88.50)

gau means words. "You pervade all words giving them power. Sages, therefore,
call you govinda."

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d) The protector of the cows - again supported from harivamSa -

aham kilendro devAnAm tvam gavAm indratAm gatah |

govinda iti lokAstvAm stoshyanti bhuvi SASvatam ||

(harivamSa 2.19.45)

"I am indra, leader of deva-s. You have attained the leadership of the cows. So
in this world men praise You always addressing you as govinda". He is the
protector of the cows and played the part of gopAla in gokulam.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that the leadership of cows also suggests
the importance of milk, ghee, etc., in worship, yaj~na etc., and how these also
play a key role in the nourishment of the world.

An author by name ananta kRshNa Sastri, who has translated SrI Sankara's
vishNu sahasranAma vyAkhyAnam, gives 10 meanings for the combination go +
vid :

1. go-svargam - He transcends Heaven.

2. arrows - He knows all the weapons.

3. cattle - He is the leader of cows.

4. Speech - He is to be known by the veda-s.

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 5. Thunderbolt - He has the vajra marks on His feet.

6. Quarters - He is known in all quarters.

7. Eyes - He is the seer in every person.

8. The Sun - He is in the orb of the sun.

9. Earth - He recovered the Earth from the Ocean.

10. Waters - His seat is in the waters.

nAma 190. gaeivda< pit> - gOvidAm patih

The protector of those who know the veda-s.

govidAm-pataye namah.
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Here go means veda-s. vid is one who knows. pati is the leader or protector.
The significance to be recognized here is that He is the source of all
knowledge, and it is by His grace that knowledge is attained.

Recall from the previous nAma that the word go in samskRt has several
meanings, including speech, earth, cows, etc. This opens up the beauty of other
interpretations for the current nAma. BhagavAn is also the master of speech
of all other creations such as birds, etc., the leader of those who know the
principle (tatvam) of this Universe, etc.

I am indebted to Sri M. Srinivasan for helping me with identifying these

references.

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 SlOkam 21
mrIicdRmnae h<s> sup[aeR ÉujgaeÄm>,

ihr{ynaÉSsutpa> pÒnaÉ> àjapit>. 21.

marIcirdamanO hamsah suparNO bhujagOttamah |

hiraNyanAbhassutapAh padmanAbhah prajApatih ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 191. mrIic> - marIcih

Ray of light.

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marIcaye namah.
The word marIci means a ray of light. SrI Bhattar interprets this name as
indicating that bhagavAn reveals Himself to His devotees through the eye of
their devotion even though they can't see Him through their natural eye.
The author in dharma cakram indicates that this guNa of bhagavAn should
remind us that we should aim for the ray of light that will help us meditate on
Him. This we can achieve by first controlling our indirya-s, which then converts
the body's energies into mental energy. Then by control of the mind, this
energy is converted into the light that gives the clarity of mind that can help
us meditate on Him.

A different interpretation is given by SrI satyadevo vAsishTha for this nAma.

The word marIci is derived from mR prANatyAge to die, to perish. He
interprets marIci as one who destroys. Since it is one of bhagavAn's functions
to destroy the beings that He creates, He is marIci. To support this, he gives
the examples from bhagavad-gItA -

jAtasya hi dhruvo mRtyur-dhruvam janma mRtasya ca (gIta 2.25)

mRtyuh prajAnAm adhipatih (atharva 5.24.13), etc.

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 nAma 192. dmn> - damanah

a) Dispeller (of the samsAra bhAram)

b) Subduer - One who controls and punishes those who swerve from their
prescribed path.

c) He Who controls everything by pervading everything.

damanAya namah
The word is derived from the dhAtu - dam upaSame = to tame. damayati iti
damanah - One who dispels.

a) Continuing his interpretation of the previous nAma (One with great

radiance), Sri Bhattar interprets this nAma as indicating that He guides His
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devotees overcome the sufferings of samsAra or the material world through

His guiding Light – kAnti mandAkinIbhih bhava-tApam daayati iti damanah SrI
kRshNa datta bhAradvAj and SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN give similar
interpretations. SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN explains the nAma as “damayati
vicheda tApam sva-dhyAtRRNAm kAnti kantalIbhih iti damanah” – He Who
dispels the sufferings of those who meditate on Him through His kAnti. SrI
kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation: dAmyati upaSamayati
kAnti kiraNaih upAsInAnAm manas-tApam iti damanah – He Who removes the
sorrow in the minds of His devotees through His when they meditate on Him.

b) SrI Sankara interprets the nAma as “The Subduer” - One Who controls and
punishes those that swerve from their assigned duties (damayitum Seelam
yasya sa damanah). This could be in the form of a king while the people are in
their mortal bodies, as yama after they die, etc. SrI cinmayAnanda explains
that the damana aspect of bhagavAn is responsible for controlling the
rAkshasic impulses within every one of us. In the form of pain and agitation,
sorrow and death, it is He who controls all the negative tendencies in
everyone's heart. He also has controlled the vicious against the good in the
form of His ten incarnations.

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c) SrI vAsishTha interprets the nAma as “One Who controls everything in this
world by pervading everything and keeping things in order” – damayati –
upaSamayati yathA sthAnam prApayati, damana dharmeNa viSvam sa-
carAcaram vyApnoti, iti damanah.

d) SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives several interpretations for the nAma:

i) damanAsura samhAratvAt damanah – He Who destroyed the asura by

name damana.

ii) damana priyatvAt da-manah – He Who likes taming or subduing the

wicked.

iii) damo yeshAm asti iti damAh, tAn nayati iti dama-nah – He Who is the
Supreme among those who have control of the mind and the indriya-s (dama-
nah).

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iv) dam abhIshTa dAtR mano yasya sa iti vA da-manah – He Who has the
mind to bestow whatever is desired on His devotees (da-manah).

The author in dharma cakram points out that when one does not lead a life
based on strict sAttvic principles, including the food habits, etc., one gets
diseases and other mental pains. These are all acts of bhagavAn to discipline
the person with the intent of helping the person learn and realize the right
path. This is His act of damana, or controlling, punishing, guiding, etc.

The reader is also referred to nAma 864 (Slokam 92) - damayitA, which is
dervied from the root as the current nAma, damanah.

nAma 193. h<s> - hamsah

One who is like the swan.

hamsAya namah.
Hamsa is capable of separating milk from water and drinking only the milk and
leaving the water behind. Hamsa is also noted for its beauty, especially for its
walk. BhagavAn is hamsa in that He is everything that is good and nothing that

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 is not good. He is also hamsa for His beauty in thought, word, and deed.

We had made extensive reference to the hamsa incarnation of bhagavAn in the

explanation for the nAma surAnanda. Thus the current nAma can also be
viewed as a reference to the hamsa avatAra of bhagavAn.

Another interpretation, given by SrI Sankara, is that hamsah indicates that

bhagavAn kills (han) the fear of samsAra in those who realize that aham sah -
I am He. This (I am He) is traditionally quoted in discussions supporting the
advaita philosophy. In some of his upanyAsa-s, SrI kRshNa Premi describes
the following upa-katha involving a disciple who went alternately to an advaita
and a visishTAdvaita teacher, who taught him alternately their philosophy -
so'ham, dAso'ham, sadA so'ham, and dAsadAso'ham. Notice the play of words
here, adding dA to the first one, sa to the next one, and dA again to the third
word to get the fourth.
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Yet another interpretation is hanti gacchati sarva SarIreshu iti vA hamsah -

He moves in all beings and bodies and so He is called hamsa.

nAma 194. sup[R> - suparNah

a) (literally) One possessed of charming feathers – see below.

b) One who can lead men to the other shore across the ocean of samsAra.

suparNAya namah.
a) In SrImad-bhAgavatam we have - siddheSvarANAm kapilah suparNo'ham
patatriNAm - Among the siddha-s, I am Kapila, and among birds I am GaruDa
(11.16.15). In Bhagavad-gItA, we have mRgANAm ca mRgendro'ham
vainateyaSca pakshiNAM - Among beasts, I am the lion, their king, and among
birds, I am GaruDa, the son of VinatA (10.29). Thus, suparNa is interpreted as
referring to His being the Best of the best in all that exist.

b) parNa means wings. Sobhana parNatvAt suparNah - suparNa means One

with auspicious and beautiful wings. He is suparNa because He carries His

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devotees to the other shore of the ocean of samsAra.

c) In the upanishad-s, we have reference to two beautiful birds sitting on the

same tree - signifying the jIvAtmA and the ParamAtmA dwelling in the same
body. One (jIvAtmA) eats the fruits of actions, and the other (ParamAtMA)
just gazes on (sAkshI). VishNu is this all-experiencing Principle of
Consciousness.

"dvA suparNA sayujA sakhAyA samAnam vRksham parishvajAte

tayoranyah pippalam svAdvanti, anaSnan anyo abhicAkaSIti

(mundakopanishad - 3.1)

A pair of white-winged birds extremely friendly to each other sit on one and
the same tree; one eats the fruits, the other eats not and gazes on".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri refers to one as the great enjoyer (pErinbam), and

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the other as the Great Knower (pEraRivu).

d) The nAma can also relate back to the previous nAma – The hamsa
incarnation with beautiful wings.

nAma 195. ÉujgaeÄm> - bhujagOttamah

The Master of the Serpent AdiSesha.

bhujagottamAya namah.
bhujaga refers to the species which navigate using their shoulders or arms -
bhujena gacchanti, rather than through their legs. Here bhujaga refers to
AdiSesha. uttama can refer to 'one who is above'. Here it refers to bhagavAn
who is reclining on top of the AdiSesha. He is the SeshI or the Lord of the
Sesha. He is reclining on ananta the Serpent as the couch. Or the name could
also refer to bhujagAnAm uttamah - One who is the best among the serpents.
i.e., it can refer to ananta - see bhagavad-gItA 10-29 - anantaScAsmi
nAgAnAm.

Even though I am finding the interpretations of SrI satyadevo vAsishTha to

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 be on the side of being unconventional, I am including them since he supports
his interpretations with extensive support from grammar, quotes from sruti-s
etc. Here he starts with the dhAtu bhuj kautilye to bend, to curve. He points
out that bhagavAn is bhujagottama because He is the best of all that bend and
move. This includes air, birds, etc. Wherever anything of this category can
reach, no matter how fast they fly or move, bhagavAn is there before them.
Even the man-made machines that fly cannot go anywhere including other
planets faster than Him, since He is there before them. Not only that, even
the ability for those that fly etc. are given only by the Grace of the Lord.

nAma 196. ihr{ynaÉ> - hiraNyanAbhah

One who supports in His navel the creator, hiraNyagarbha.

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hiraNya-nAbhAya namah.
Literally the word means "One who has a beautiful navel with a golden hue".
Here it refers to the navel that is great by having created the catur-mukha-
brahmA who is also well-versed in the catur-veda-s. brahmA gets his greatness
because he creates all the beings thus giving them the opportunity to reveal
their greatness. This great brahmA was borne out of the navel of vishNu, and
thus the greatness of the navel that bore the great brahmA is evident. Just as
a nation that creates great people becomes known as a great nation, so is the
analogy here, to quote the dharma cakram writer.

nAma 197. sutpa> - sutapAh

a) One who is possessed of supreme knowledge.

b) One with consistent creative thinking.

sutapAse namah.
SrI Bhattar interprets tapas as knowledge, and gives the first interpretation
above.

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SrI Sankara uses the following from mahAbhArata - mansaScendriyANAm ca
hyaikAgRyam paramam tapah - The concentration of mind and senses is called
supreme tapas - (MB 12.242.4).

SrI chinmayAnanda gives the following support from the upanishad - sa tapah
taptvA idametadasRjat (He thought, and through thought He created all this).

The author in dharma cakram points out that the strength derived from tapas
is more powerful than any other strength, and gives the example of how
viSvAmitra's army was powerless against vasishTha's tapo-Sakti. It was
through tapas that viSvAmitra ultimately attained brahma-j~nAna, and it was
through tapas that dhruva attained the immortal position. Lord vishNu is
tapas-Incarnate (sutapAh), and thus guides His devotees in the path of tapas.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets tap to mean the ability to bear (kleS kA

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sahnA in Hindi). The example of a mother bearing the strain of an unborn child
for 9 months just so she can bring out the child to this world is but a
reflection of bhagavAn's su-tapa or His bearing the tejas of the likes of Sun
so that it can bring out the good for the beings of this world, without burning
them with its heat etc. So bhagavAn is the mahA-tapasvI.

nAma 198. pÒnaÉ> - padmanAbhah

a) One who has the lotus emanating from his navel (carrying brahma)

b) One who resides in the center of everyone's heart

padma nAbhAya namah.

This nAma had occurred earlier as nAma 48. There the interpretation was that
the lotus (the cause of the Universe) emanates from His navel. Another
explanation given by SrI Sankara for the current nAma is that bhagavAn is in
the centre of everyone's hRdaya kamalam or heart (nAbhI means also the
central part, and padmam in this context is heart).

The author in dharma cakram enjoys this nAma in various other ways. When
lotus (padmam) blossoms, it attracts the bees and other insects towards it; so

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 also, bhagavAn (padma-nAbhI) attracts all the jeevans to Him. Lotus is the
most beautiful and fragrant of flowers; so also our padma-nAbha is the
embodiment of beauty. Lord rAmA's beauty has been described by Sri Kamban
- tAL kandAr tALE kandAr. Unlike the bodily beauty which brings down people
to a lower level, the beauty of padma-nAbha can only elevate people to a higher
level.
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padmanAbhAn - Thiruananthapuram
(Courtesy: www.stephen-knapp.com)
Sri satyadevo vAsishTha gives additional insight into this nAma from yet
another perspective. Padmam also means knowledge - padyate j~nAyate anena
padmam j~nAnam. One who is the Center or reservoir of Knowledge, or One
who controls and rules over Knowledge is padmanAbha (the author uses the
term j~nAna-bandhanah as the equivalent of padma-nAbha based on this
explanation).

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nAma 199. àjapit> - prajApatih

The Lord of beings.

prajApataye namah.
tat padmodbhava-prabhRtInAm prajAnAm patih - The Lord of all beings
including brahma born of that lotus. This pertains to the creation and
destruction that take place periodically. Pati also means father, and since all
creatures have emerged from Him, He is prajApati. He is the Leader who
appears whenever needed to establish dharma.

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 SlOkam 22
Am&TyuSsvR†k! is<h> sNxata siNxman! iSwr>,

Ajae ÊmR;R[ZzaSta ivïutaTma surairha. 22.

amrutyussarvadruk simhah sandhAtA sandhiAn sthirah |

ajO durmarshaNas sAstA visrutAtmA suraarihA ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 200. Am&Tyu> - amrutyuh

One who is beyond death or decay.

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amRtyave namah.
mRtyuh yasya na asti iti amRtyuh. Birth, growth, decay, disease, and death, are
the five modifications through which every finite object must pass. Everything
that is born is bound to die. Since He is not born, He is beyond decay, death,
or other modifications.

The author in dharma cakram points out that this nAma should remind us of
the indestructibility or deathlessness of the jivAtmA, and should remind us of
the need to mediate on Him without associating ourselves with this perishable
body.

nAma 201. svR†k! - sarvadruk

All-seeing.

sarva-dRSe namah.
He is the Seer and Knower of everything at all times in all beings. He is the
witness of all, and sees those who are well-disposed or hostile or indifferent
to Him as the Ruler of all and rewards them according to their deeds. The

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author in dharma cakram points out the concept that is simple but worth
repeating - that this nAma should remind us that it is important to be pure in
thought, word, and deed, since He is ever watchful of these in all beings at all
times. It is easy to swerve from His path without any human being being aware
of it, but we should be aware that He is the All-seeing.

nAma 202. is<h> - simhah

a) The Lion

b) Destroyer

simhAya namah.
SrI Bhattar interprets the nAma as one who has assumed the body of man and

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lion.

SrI Sankara gives the meaning that He is the Destroyer (Lion) of sins. He
gives the following etymological derivation "hinasti iti simhah" - hinasti
smaraNa mAtreNa samasta pApAn iti simhah. According to this interpretation,
the word himsa changes to simha by transposition of letters according to the
grammatical rule "pRshodarAdIni yatopadishTam" (PANini 6.3.109).

SrI chinmayAnanda points out that even taking the literal meaning "Lion" for
simha, He is the Lion at the mention of whose name all the animal passions flee
from the jungle of the mind.

In the gItA we have "mRgANAm ca mRgendro'ham - Among the animals, I am

the king of animals - The Lion" - gItA 10.30.

In dharma cakram, the writer says that meditating on this nAma with its
meaning should give us the vIrya to destroy the evil in our thoughts, words,
and deeds. It is only a strong personality which can help us overcome the
negative forces around us and help us realize Him. It is necessary to be good
and to be strong (nallavanAgavum vallavanAgavum as stated in the tamizh
language).

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 nAma 203. sNxata - sandhAtA

a) One who unites His devotees with Him

b) One who unites the beings with the fruits of their actions

sandhAtre namah.
sandhatta iti sandhAtA - One who unites.

The first meaning is given by Sri Bhattar, giving the example of prahlAda. The
second meaning is given by SrI Sankara. The nirukti gives the description -
prahlAdAdyaih sandhAtA samSlesha-karaNAcca sah - One who makes the likes
of prahlAda join Him.
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nAma 204. siNxman! - sandhimAn

One who is always united with His devotees.

sandhimate namah.
sandhi is union. SrI Bhattar gives the explanation that this name indicates that
He is always united with His devotees, and so He is sandhimAn. Again, quoting
the nirukti, prahlAdAdyaih nityasandhih yasya syAt sandhimAn smRtah - One
who is in permanent union with the likes of prahlAda.

nAma 205. iSwr> - sthirah

One who is firm in His relation to His devotees.

sthirAya namah.
SrI Bhattar's interpretation is that He is sthirah since He is firmly attached
to His devotees in spite of any wrongs by them - apacAre'pi acAlyatvAt
sandhAne sthira ucyate. SrI Sankara gives the interpretation that He is sthira
in the sense that He is Constant, being always the same, free from birth,

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decay, etc. - sadaika rUpatvAt sthirah.

nAma 206. Aj> - ajah

a) Unborn

b) Remover of obstacles

c) One who moves in the hearts of the devotees

d) One who removes the ignorance from the hearts of His devotees

e) One who is the root of all sound (akshara "a")

ajAya namah.
We encountered this nAma as nAma 96 earlier. It will recur also as nAma 524.

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Please see the explanations under nAma 96.

nAma 207. ÊmR;R[> - durmarshaNah

The Unassailable.

durmarshaNAya namah.
dushkaram marshaNam asya iti durmarshaNah - One who cannot be overcome
by His enemies. SrI chinmayAnanda gives a very interesting perspective for
this nAma. We may swerve from His path, and satisfy our sensory urges, but
after being born over and over, we ultimately have no choice except to follow
His path. In the lesser levels of evolution, we may deny ourselves the peace
and joy of living the spiritual values, but in the end we will be seeking the feet
of vishNu for real happiness and true achievement. Thus, His is the final
victory.

The root from which this nAma is derived is mRsh - sahane to bear. Literally
this means One who is difficult to bear (for His enemies). SrI satyadevo
vAsishTha starts with this, and interprets the nAma to mean that bhagavAn is

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 durmarshaNa because His tejas cannot be confronted in His forms such as the
Sun. He also points out that this principle is demonstrated by bhagavAn in
everything in this world - the moon cannot stand the tejas of the sun, the
brightness of the stars is diminished by the presence of the moon, the power
of agni is subdued by that of water, and water disappears in the presence of
agni.

Two other explanations for which I could not corroborate the meanings from
the dictionary etc. are included as well. One of these is by SrI satyadevo
vAsishTha. He gives the alternate interpretation that durmarshNa also means
one who cannot be easily understood, based on the alternate meaning for
marshitum = ~jNAtum - duhkhena marshitum Sakyah durmarshaNah.

The other interpretation is by the dharma cakram writer who gives the
meaning that He is durmarshaNah because He destroys the evil asura-s ( I
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assume this derivation is based on based mR to kill), and protects the deva-s.
Meditating on this nAma with its meaning in mind will help in driving away the
evil thoughts from the devotee's mind, and help to develop the good thoughts
that will lead to realization of Him. VAlmIki who was ignorant in the beginning,
meditated on rAma nAma, and this led him in course of time to the realization
of Him.

nAma 208. zaSta - sAstA

The Teacher.

sAstre namah.
The word is derived from SAsu - anuSishTau to teach, to govern, to correct,
to advise. SAsti viSvam iti SAstA - One who teaches the veda-s to the world
and governs is SAstA. (The words Sastra, SikshA etc. are derived from the
same root).

He is constantly teaching us through our elders, through sruti-s, smRti-s,

watching us constantly by being the observer in us, etc. SrI Bhattar gives the

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meaning that He righteously punishes (teaches a lesson to?) those who are
hindrance to His devotees, and so He is SAstA.

nAma 209. ivïutaTma - visrutAtmA

a) One whose exploits are praised with wonder.

b) One who is called by special names (such as Truth, Knowledge, etc).

c) One whose praise is sung in various forms.

d) One whose AtmA is of a special Nature.

The interpretations except the last one result based on the different ways in
which the vyAkhyAna kartA-s have interpreted the "vi" in viSrutAtmA. SrI

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Bhattar gives the interpretation vismayena - with wonder, SrI Sankara has
interpreted it as viSesheNa - specially, and SrI satyadevo vAsishTha has given
the meaning vividhaih - through many forms.

Sru SravaNe to hear is the second part, and AtmA is the third part in the
above nAma. SrI Bhattar adds that this praise in wonder is by all, at all times,
and at all places. SrI Sankara points out that He is characterized through
special terms like truth, wisdom, etc., and specially glorified in Sruti-s. SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha points out that He is known through different forms like
Sun, Moon, etc. He gives the following corraboration from Sruti -

tadevAgnis-tadAdityas-tadvAyus-tadu candramAh |

tadeva Sukram tad brahma tA Apah sa prajApatih || (yajur 32-1)

He is also viSrutAtmA since he is sung through various means such as gAnam,

arcanam, etc., and through sAma veda, yajurveda, etc.

Interpretation (d) is based on viSesheNa Srutah (~jnAtah) AtmA yena sa

viSrutAtmA -

One who is known to be different from the jIvAtmA, One who is sarva~jna,
sarvaSakta, sarva-niyantA.

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 His AtmA is pure shAdguNya paripUrNa form, unassociated with an external
form, unimpacted by the effects of karma, etc.

nAma 210. surairha - surArihA

The slayer of the enemies of the gods.

surArighne namah.
The nAma consists of the three words sura, ari, and hA, where sura refers to
gods, ari is the enemy, and hA is the destroyer. SrI Bhattar reminds us of
bhagavAn's destruction of hiraNyakaSipu in this context. SrI chinmayAnanda
points out that meditating on this nAma's meaning leads to the destruction of
the enemies of our mind's aspiration to evolve, the enemies being "the
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sensuous claims of the flesh, the mild assertions of the ego, the nocturnal
devils of desires and passions". One who drives away all the above inimical
negative tendencies is surAruihA.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha has included the Rg vedic mantra 1.36.15 starting
with "pAhi no agne rakshasah" in his vyAkhyAna, and says that it is his own
personal experience that chanting this mantra helps in warding off all evils or
evil-doers. I have not included the full mantra because I am not sure about the
correct pronunciation etc. If anyone has the original mantra, please share it.

All the nAma-s in this Slokam have been interpreted by SrI Bhattar as
relating to the description of the guNa-s associated with the nRsimha avatAra.

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 SlOkam 23
guéguRétmae xam sTySsTypra³m>,

inim;ae=inim;SöGvI vacSpitédarxI>. 23.

gururgurutamO dhAma satyas satyaparAkramah |

nimishO=nimishas sragvI vAcaspatirudAradhIh ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 211. guéguRétm> - gurur guru--tamah

gurur--guru

The foremost among the preceptors.

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gurutamAya gurave namah.
guru means 'spiritual preceptor'. SrI Bhattar interprets the following phrase
'guru-tamah' as an adjective for guru, i.e., the guru who is the best of all guru-
s. SrI Sankara views this as two nama-s, guru and guru-tama.
He is the foremost of preceptors since he is the one who gave the veda-s to
brahma, who then is the source of the veda-s to the rest of the world. yo
brahmANam vidadhAti pUrvam yo vai vedAnSca prahiNoti tasmai- He who
brought brahma into existence and imparted the veda to him (SvetASvatara
6.18). We also have "guruh ka iti | guruh sAkshAd-AdinArAyaNah" - The
Ultimate guru is AdinArAyaNa (tripAdvibhUti mahAnArAyaNopanishat - 8.15).

In SrI SankarAcArya guru pramparA, the first guru is nArAyaNa - ArAyaNam

padmabhuvam vasisTham Saktim ca tatputra parASaram ca vyAsam
Sukam ........SrI SankarAcAryam. We all know that SrIman nArayANa is the
first and foremost in the SrIvaishNava guru paramparA.

In dharam cakram, the writer says that He is guru-tama because you don't
have to even go and look for Him. He pervades everything and is everywhere,
and all we need to get His teaching is to feel the need for it. All that is needed

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 is the thirst for His mercy in order for us to progress in getting true
knowledge instead of living the life of a stone or tree.

nAma 212. xam - dhAma

a) The Place of Residence.

b) The Supreme Light.

c) The Abode of all desired things.

dhAmne namah.
We encountered the word dhAma when we looked at the nAma tri-kakud-
dhAma (nAma 62). Some of the same thoughts presented there apply here.
SrI Bhattar interprets the nAma-s starting with the previous one as referring
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to the matsya incarnation. Because of my a~jnAnam, I was not able to

understand the connection with matsya avatAra for the previous nAma. For
the current one, he points out that bhagavAn is dhAma because He is like the
helmsman who steers the boat carrying the seeds of all the transitory moving
and non-moving objects at the time of pralaya.

SrI Sankara interprets the nAma as being the Supreme Leading Light. SrI
RAmAnuja in his gItA bhAshya for slokam 10.12 (param brahma param dhAma),
chooses the meaning "Supreme Light" in that context for the word dhAma -
dhAma Sabdo jyotirvacanah - param jyotih.

The writer in dharma cakram elaborates further on the term "Supreme Light".
The eye sees with the light from the Sun. But neither the Sun's light nor the
eye can see the Ultimate. For that you need the light called bhagavAn's Grace,
the Inner Light. This is what mahA vishNu is, viz. dhAma the Supreme Light,
which can reveal what no other light can. It is the eye of intense desire to
reach Him that can see this light, and no other eye can.
Other interpretations given include "He is the Abode of all desired objects",
"He is the Abode of all desires", "He is the Abode for all karma-s", etc.
SrI chinmayAnanda, in addition to the interpretation "Supreme Light", gives

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the alternate interpretation that He is dhAma because He is the Ultimate Goal
(dhAma = peak).

nAma 213. sTy> - satyah

The Good.

satyAya namah.
This naAma has occurred previously as nAma 107, and will re-occur as nAma
873. Please refer to the explanation for nAma 107.

In the current context of matsya avatAra, SrI Bhattar points out that He is
satya because He was good to sat-purusha-s such as Manu who sought His help
at that time.

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At the time I submitted the explanation for nAma 107, I did not have SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha's vyAkhyAna. Now I am adding some extracts from this
source. Under nAma 107, one explanation given was - satya is One who is
'excellent' in sat, based on the pANini sUtra 4.4.98. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha
refers us to the Slokam in bhagavad gItA (17.26 and 17.27) for a definition of
'sat' in Lord KRshNa's words.

sad bhAve sAdhu bhAve ca sadityetat prayujyate |

praSaste karmaNi tathA sac-chabdah pArtha ucyate ||

ya~jne tapasi dAne ca sthitih saditi cocyate |

karma caiva tadarthIyam sadityevAbhidIyate ||

(gItA 17.26 and 27)

The word 'sat' thus refers to existence, goodness, good acts, firmness in
sacrifice, austerities, and gifts, and any acts for such purposes. One who is
excellent in all these, or One who is excellent to (i.e., supports) those who do
acts along these lines, is satya.

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 nAma 214. sTypra³m> - satay
satay--parAkramah

One of unfailing valor.

satyaparAkramAya namah.
SrI Bhattar, continuing on his interpretation of this sequence of nAma-s in
terms of maysa avatAra, gives the example of bhagavAn performing truthfully
the courageous acts towards Manu and others. The writer in dharma cakram
points out that there can be two kinds of valor, one which is used for the good
of the people, such as that of SrI Rama, and the other that is used for
demonstrating power and for hurting others, such as RAvaNa's. Meditating on
mahA vishNu gives us the ability to develop the valor of the former kind.
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nAma 215. inim;> - nimishah

One whose eyes are closed (towards the enemies of His devotees).

nimishAya namah.
na Ikshate iti nimishah. His Graceful Sight does not fall on those who are
opposed to Him or His devotees. SrI Sankara gives the meaning that His eyes
are closed while He is in yoga-nidrA. SrI RAdhAkRshNa Sastri points out that
He is nimisha (with closed eyes) because He does not need His eyes to see, His
ears to hear etc. The dharma cakram writer points out that He of closed eyes
is seeing all because He is everywhere, in every one of us, all the time, and is
watching all that happens everywhere even without eyes. Those who can
contemplate on the yoga-nidrA of vishNu can close their eyes and meditate,
and over a period of time, will be able to divert their minds towards Him in
that state (normally, whether our eyes are open or closed, they wander in
worldly thoughts!).

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nAma 216. Ainim;> - animishah

One with eyes closed.

animishAya namah.
SrI Bhattar interprets the nAma in terms of the matsya incarnation. In His
celestial Fish incarnation, He never closes His eyes and is ever-watchful of His
devotees (Fish do not have eyelids, and so never close their eyes). SrI Sankara
gives two additional explanations - He is ever awake because of His wisdom, or
He is Atma svarUpa, and AtmA never sleeps.

The dharma cakram author gives the significance of this nAma as indicating
that one who contemplates on this nAma will be always spiritually awake, and

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bad thoughts and the worldly distractions won't enter his mind. One is
reminded of tiruppANAzhvAr's concluding pASuram in amalanAdipirAn "en
amudinaik kanDa kaNgaL maRRonRinaik kANAvE". While the AzhvAr sang this
when he was witnessing the beauty of the Lord in the temple, the statement
aptly applies to the inner eyes as well.

nAma 217. SöGvI - sragvI

Adorned with the garland (vaijayantI).

sragviNe namah.
srag means garland. According to PANinI's ashTAdhyAyI 5.2.121 - as mAyA
medhA srajo vinih - the affix vin coming after sraj indicates 'association with'.
So here the meaning is 'One who is associated with the garland always -
referring to the vaijayantI garland of vishNu. Prof. A. srinivAsa rAghavan
points out that the vaijayanti is composed of the five precious gems - pearl,
ruby, emerald, sapphire, and diamond. SrI Sankara refers to the vaijayanti as
referring to the garland made of the tanmAtrA-s or the rudiments of the five
basic elements (taste, sight, sound, smell, and sensation) of the pa~nca bhuta-

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 s. SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri gives the reference to vishNu purANa -

pa~nca svarUpA yA mAlA vaijayantI gadA bhRtah |

sA bhUta hetu sangAtA bhUta mAlA ca vai dvijah || (1.2.72)

The writer in dharma cakram suggests that we should divert all our tan-mAtra-
s to the service of vishNu (he gives the example of ANdAL who decorated
herself with the flower garland just to make sure it was good enough for Lord
RanganAtha).

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning starting from sRj to create or
set forth. Since all creations such as the stars, Sun, etc., are Hiscreations, He
is sragvI. In a garland, there may be different kinds of flowers, but they lose
their identity as soon as they are part of the garland. So also, all these
different creations are together the sragvI or bhagavAn vishNu. Or, just as it
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is common practice to identify an important person in our society by putting a

garland around the neck, bhagavAn is distinguished by this unique garland to
indicate His Lordship and superiority.

nAma 218. vacSpit> - vAcaspatih

The Lord of Speech.

vAcaspataye namah.
SrI Bhattar's interpretation is that He is vAcaspati because it was He who
propounded the knowledge of the veda-s through SrImad matsya purANa. It is
the power of expression in the matsya purANa that reveals the guNa of
vAcaspati in Him.

SrI Sankara interprets this nAma and the next one - udrAradhIh, as one
nAma, vAcaspatirudAradIh, meaning "The Lord of vidyA, being of magnificent
intellect. All the other interpretations I am using, except that of SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha, follow this same line. The latter gives the vyAkhyAna for
these as separate nAma-s, but lists the nAma as one, and points out that this
combining is done only to make sure the count of the nAma-s is exactly 1000.

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SrI Bhattar does not have the problem since there are other places where the
others consider two separate names whereas he combines them into one (e.g.,
gurur-guru-tama, the first nAma in the current posting).

According to satya bhAshyam (the name that SrI satyadevo vAsishTha has
given to his vyAkhyAnam), the term vAcaspati signifies that bhagavAn
protects, or is the Master of, vidyA or veda.

nAma 219. %darxI> - udAradhIh

One with vast knowledge.

udAra-dhiye namah.
dhI here means buddhi or intellect. UdAra means generous, noble, illustrious,

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etc. One who has a generous disposition towards His devotees, or one who has
an illustrious or special intellect that can capture all things at all times, is
udAradhIh. SrI chinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has a
large-hearted tolerance to appreciate the weakness of His devotees' heart,
and a great sympathy and infinite kindness towards sinners in general. He has
enough paternal kindness to overlook our trespasses, unlike the laws of
physical nature which are blind and uncompromising.

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 SlOkam 24
A¢[I¢aRm[I> ïIman! Nyayae neta smIr[>,

shömUxaR ivñaTma shöa]Sshöpat!. 24.

agraNeer grAmaNeeh srIimAn nyAyO nEtA samIraNah |

sahasramUrdhA visvAtmA sahasrAkshassahasrapAt ||

nAma 220. A¢[I> - agraNeeh

One who leads forward.

agraNye namah.
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agre nayati iti agraNIh - One who leads forward is agraNIh. SrI Sankara and
SrI Bhattar interpret the 'leading forward' as referring to bhagavAn's guNa
of leading His devotees to moksha.

The writer in dharma cakram gives an elaborate account of the kind of people
whom He will lead to moksha. The example compares people to four stages of
fish in a river in which a fisherman casts his net. The nitya sUri-s are like the
fish which do not get caught in the net - i.e., they do not fall for the bait, and
remain safely outside. The mukta jiva-s are those who get caught in the net,
but with their best effort, succeed in getting out. The mumukshu-s are like
the fish which keep trying to get out, even though they have not succeeded in
escaping. The baddha jiva-s are like the fish who enjoy the bait the fisherman
has provided, and remain happily in the net and become the food for the
fisherman. SrI vishNu's guNa of agraNI applies to those who are the
mumukshu-s, who constantly want to get out of this ocean of samsAra by
devoting themselves to the worship of Him. They are like the fish that has
been taken out of water and that is desperately trying to get into the water,
or like the man who has been thrown into water and drowning and who is
desperately interested in getting a breath of air. It is this kind of intensity in

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seeking Him that will qualify a person for the agraNI's dayA.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that this attribute of SrI vishNu in
'moving everything forward' is constantly demonstrated in everyone's life -
i.e., we only keep moving forward, and can never go backwards in time, and time
lost is lost forever. Not only we are moving forward, but we are moving
forward according to His will. This is true of the Sun, the moon, etc.

nAma 221. ¢am[I> - grAmaNeeh

Leader of the hosts of angels.

grAmaNye namah.
grAmam samAjam nayati iti grAmanIh - One who leads the group (of devotees).

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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that grAma refers to any collection, e.g.,
of several houses ( a village), of several indirya-s (the body), of several musical
instruments (sapta svarAs-trayo grAmA - in nAradIya SikshA), or the
collection of all created beings. The writer in dharma cakram interprets this
nAma in the context of the devotees who have unconditionally entrusted
themselves in His care that are led by Him to moksha. He gives the example of
one who is lost in a forest (of samsAra). If this person goes and seeks help for
getting out of this forest from others (such as his relatives, his friends, etc.),
who are also lost in this forest, this request for help is going to be futile. But
if they seek the help of vishNu who alone can lead us from the bondage of
samsAra, then and only then will they be able to get out of this forest. It is
this category of people who are led by this guNa of bhagavAn denoted by the
nAma grAmaNI.

nAma 222. ïIman! - srImAn

a) One who is endowed with wealth.

b) One who is full of all glories.

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 c) One who is radiant.
d) The Lord of MahAlakshmi
e) One who has MahAlakshmi in his vaksha-sthala.
f) One who is endowed with all the powers.
SrImate namah.
This nAma occurred previously as nAma-s 22 and 180. Under these names, the
translator of SrI Sankara's bhAshyam had added his own personal comments,
which I had incorrectly attributed to SrI Sankara. So I am revising the write-
up for SrImAn to correct this error as below.

Under nAma 22, I had incorrectly indicated that both SrI Sankara and SrI
Bhattar interpret the nAma as referring to the beauty of nRsimha avatAra.
SrI Bhattar does interpret nAma 22 as referring to the beauty of nRsimha
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incarnation. SrI Sankara interprets nAma 22 as 'One who has lakshmi on His
vaksha-sthalam'. A translator of Sankara bhAshyam, SrI ananta-kRshNa
SAstri, has added his own note that vishNu is SrImAn because there is no
diminution in His beauty even though He has the form of a man-lion. Probably
this note was added based on SrI Bhattar's vyAkhyAna. I had incorrectly
attributed the translator's note to SrI Sankara.

For nAma 180, SrI Bhattar interprets SrImAn as referring to the beauty of
the Lord decorated with celestial ornaments, and SrI Sankara interprets
SrImAn as referring to the Lord's prosperity (SrI), and the translator's note
adds that this refers to the six kinds of prosperity (shADgunya
paripUrNatva).

For the current nAma (222), SrI Bhattar's interpretation is that bhagavAn is
endowed with SrI or wealth. He makes reference to the "Lotus-eyed matsya
mUrti - matsyah kamala locanah", and indicates that based on this, the matsya
mUrti form is none other than SrImAn who is the paramAtmA. SrI Sankara
interprets SrI as kAnti or radiance in this instance, and gives the
interpretation that here SrImAn refers to the Lord who is more radiant or
resplendent than anything else that exists. Here again, the translator has

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added a note that though He incarnated as a fish, His splendor was supreme in
that form. Here again, the translator's note is probably based on Sri Bhattar's
vyAkhyAna.

SrI cinmayAnanda interprets SrI as Mother lakshmi, who is the total

manifested power potential and stands for all powers or all glories. VishNu is
SrImAn because He has all these powers in Him or is courted by all glories.

SrImAn also refers to Sriyah pati, or the Lord of Sri or mahA-lakshmi.

BhagavAn's beauty is natural to Him because He has SrI in his vaksha-sthala.
The dharma-cakram author interprets this nAma to mean that the prakRti and
purusha are inseparable, just as SrI and the Lord are inseparable, and are part
of the same para-brahmam.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the root as "Sri-sevAyAm" - One who is fit to

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be served. SrI also means SobhA or beauty or "kAnti". He points out that the
beauty that is seen all around us in the trees, the birds, the rivers, the
flowers, the Sun, the Moon, the stars, etc., should remind us constantly of
bhagavAn, the SrImAn whose SrI is shining in everything. SrI also means
wealth. The wealth that humans have is transient, and can disappear any time.
BhagavAn is SrImAn whose wealth is nitya or permanent.

nAma 223. Nyay> - nyAyah

a) The Just.

b) Logical arguments (tarka) and lines of contemplation (yukti) that help us in

arriving at the absolute experience.

nyAyAya namah
SrI Bhattar interprets this nAma as referring to the Lord's guNa of ensuring
that He does whatever is appropriate for His devotees, and ensures that
nothing faulty or unwelcome happens to them. SrI Sankara gives the
interpretation that He is nyAya because He is both the tarka (logical
contemplation) and yukti (the lines of contemplation) running through all

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 sources of knowledge (pramANAnugrAhakah). The sense here as expressed by
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri is that He is nyAya because He is the only one who
can give what is good for His devotees in a rational and consistent form that
cannot be refuted through counter-arguments (probably through the veda-s?).

The writer in dharma cakram elaborates on this further, and points out that
there are three types of tarka (lines of argument) - vAda, vitanDA, and jalpa.
Of these, vAda is done with the purpose of understanding and arriving at the
truth, and is undertaken with humility and sincerity. VitanDA is the argument
which is meant to just confuse the opponent, and is undertaken with a haughty
disposition and with ahankAra. Jalpa is the line of argument where the power
or position is used to subdue, frighten, insult and threaten the opponent. Of
these, vAda is the most appropriate way of argument, and will lead to
enhancing understanding. Devotees who worship mahA-vishNu are blessed by
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Him with the ability to analyze and understand the truth through the just
means, and they are saved from destructive thoughts and are led towards self-
realization. The example of Lord KRshNa's instructions to arjuna is given to
illustrate the instance that bhagavAn leads His devotees to the thought
process involving nyAya yukti, whereby arjuna's thoughts become clear, his
attachments are removed, and he acts on the right and just course of action.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha, in addition to the above explanation, derives his

interpretation based on nIyate prApyate iti nyAyah - One who ensures that
everything in this world is on its right track and reaches its destination is
nyAyah. The yantra that is this Universe, with its Sun, moon, stars, etc., is
functioning under the guidance of the nyAya that is vishNu. So also the
indriya-s in our bodies are directed by the SarIra-nyAya that is vishNu. The
word 'niyati', which means 'rule', is related to the word nyAya (nIyate).

nAma 224. neta - nEta

a) One who fulfills the requests of His devotees.

b) One who manages or regulates the affairs of the cosmos.

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netre namah.
a) niyuktam karoti iti netA (SrI Bhattar), or

b) jagad-yantra nirvAhakah netA (SrI Sankara).

The dharma cakram writer gives the analogy of objects attached to a rotating
wheel. The objects rotate because of the movement of the wheel. We are all
moving around because of His Will which is analogous to the rotating wheel.
However, we keep believing that it is we who are responsible for our motion,
and forget that it is He who is moving us as He wishes. Those who understand
this get out of the false belief that we are the ones who are achieving
everything around us. arjuna the jivAtmA was sitting in the chariot or the
body, and Lord kRshNa was driving both the chariot and arjuna. The chariot
did not have any feeling of responsibility for its motion, but arjuna believed

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that his actions were caused by his will. The Lord did not take up weapons, but
was witness to what was happening. Similarly, in our case bhagavAn is in each
of us watching and witnessing our actions. This nAma indicates that He is the
Controlling Force behind everything in this Universe.

nAma 225. smIr[> - samIraNah

a) One who performs acts which are delectable.

b) One who controls all movements (e.g., breath) in beings.

samIraNaya namah.
This nAma is derived from the root Ir- to move (IraNa). SrI Bhattar
associates this movement with that part of the matsya incarnation where
bhagavAn dove deep into the Ocean to retrieve the veda-s from the nether-
world from the asura named hayagrIva. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri associates
the motion implied by IraNa with the act of bhagavAn leading the boat with
the seeds of creation during the pralaya in His matsya incarnation. The
following is from SrImad bhAgavatam skandam 8, chapter 24, Slokam 33 -

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 trilokyAm lIyamAnAyAm samvartAmbasi vai tadA |

apsthAsyati nauh kAcit viSAlA tvAm mayA IritA ||

"When all the three worlds disappear under the Ocean, a large boat will be
steered by Me towards you" - note the use of the word IritA here.

SrI Sankara associates the motion or movement with the breath in living
beings. He is samIraNa because He controls the functioning of the body
through the breath. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha takes this concept of control
further, and points out that this control by bhagavAn is seen even in the fact
that man has had 32 teeth ever since creation, and will continue to have this
till the end of the kalpa, man gets the teeth twice in his life, and this is as it
has been since creation, and will continue till the end of kalpa, etc., and so will
the rising and setting of the Sun and the moon and the movement of the
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planets etc.

nAma 226. shömUxaR - sahasramUrdha

The thousand-headed

sahasra-mUrdhne namah

nAma 228. shöa]> - sahasrAkshah

The thousand-eyed

sahasrAkshAya namah

nAma 229. shöpat! - sahasrapAt

The thousand-footed.

sahasra-pade namah
SrI Bhattar interprets these three names together, and points out that the

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reference to head, eyes, and feet really includes all organs of knowledge and
action, and the reference to a thousand signifies 'innumerable'. What is
referred to here is that bhagavAn is endowed with infinite capacity to know
and act, which are the functions of these organs. Reference is made to the
following sruti-s:

sahasra SIrshA purushah sahasrAkshah sahasra-pAt- (purusha sUktam)

sarvatah pANi pAdam tat sarvato'kshi Siro-mukham (gItA 13.13)

viSvataScakshuruta viSvatomukho viSvato bAhuruta viSvatspAt

(taittirIya AraNyaka 10.1)

aneka vaktra nayanam anekAdbhuta darSanam (gItA 11-10)

rupam mahat-te bahu-vaktra-netram........bahu-bAhUru pAdam (gItA 11-23)

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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that reference is made to the head first
in the above sequence of nAma-s because head is the first one that forms
when a child is formed in the mother's womb, and head is the part of the child
that appears first when the child is born. Also, reference is made to head,
eyes, and feet because of their importance in exercising the j~nAna and kriyA
Sakti-s.

These three nAma-s also remind us that He is everywhere, in everything, all-

powerful, always observing everything in every one of us, etc. Many heads can
also refer to His unlimited intellect (SrI satyadevo vAsishTha). We are all part
of His body, and thus all our heads are His heads, and so also He is
sahasramurdhA. By the fact that He is the antaryAmi in all of us, and is always
observing all that we do and think from within each of us, He is sahasrAkshah.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha adds that "One who is of many legs" also suggests
that He has made his creations such that they can get around by many means
e.g., as two legged humans, as four-legged animals, as the hundred-legged
centipedes, as multi-legged millipedes, as no-legged serpents, as birds getting
around by flying, as fish by swimming, etc. In this sense, sahasrapAt really
reveals that He is ananta j~nAnavAn, or of Infinite Intellect, in having created

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 and supported this kind of immeasurable diversity. Note the similarity in the
vedic chanting "sahasra SIrshA purushah sahasrAkshah sahasrapAt", including
the sequence which is the same as in SrI vishNu sahasra nAma.

Sri cinmayAnanda points out that the "many heads", "many eyes", and "many
legs" together indicate that the One Infinite Consciousness expresses
everywhere in all forms and at all times through all these equipments of
thinking (head), perception (eyes), and action (legs).

nAma 227. ivñaTma - visvAtmA

The very soul of the Universe; the very inner Essence in all living creatures.

viSvAtmane namah.
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viSvasya AtmA viSvAtmA.

He is viSvAtmA because He pervades the entire Universe by His knowledge

and strength.

In gItA, Lord KRshNa says:

"ahamAtmA gudAkeSa! Sarva bhuta.... "

"Arjuna! I am the AtmA that resides in the heart of all beings" (gItA 10.20).

The writer in dharma cakram points out that the true significance in this nAma
lies in our realizing the unity among all the living beings, rather than seeing the
difference in our outer appearance or the difference in our thoughts etc. By
seeing the difference in our external appearance or in our thoughts, only
kAma, krodha, lobha, moha, matha, and mAtsarya grow and develop in us. Only
when we learn to see the unity behind our inner selves, we will qualify to
receive His dayA.

This is what sage yAg~nyavalkya taught to maitreyi viz. that when one loves
one's wife, it is not her shape that should be loved, but it is the AtmA in her
that should be loved, etc. (na vA are jAyAyai kAmAya jAyA priyA bhavati,
Atmanastu kAmAya jAyA priyA bhavati etc.). That is the true meaning of love.

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 SlOkam 25
AavtRnae inv&ÄaTma s<v&tSs<àmdRn>,

AhSs<vtRkae viûrinlae xr[Ixr>. 25.

AvartanO nivruttAtmA samvrutas sampramardanah |

ahassamvartakO vahniranilO dharaNeedharah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 230. AavtRn> - Avartanah

He who turns the wheel of worldly life or samsAra.

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AvartanAya namah.
samsAra-cakram Avartayitum Silam asya iti Avartanah. Avartanam means
repetition. BhagavAn is Avartana since He is the Unseen Dynamism behind the
ever-whirling wheel of time and the associated endless cycle of birth and
death. This is the cycle of night and day, life and death, joy and sorrow,
creation and destruction, which are all His play - His mAyA. In gItA, bhagavAn
says that He reveals the way to overcome this mAyA to those who surrender
to Him -

daivI hyeshA guNa-mayI mama mAyA duratyayA |

mAmeva ye prapadyante mAyAm etAm taranti te || (gItA 7.14)

nAma 231. inv&ÄaTma - nivrutAttmA

a) He whose nature rises above other things.

b) He whose mind is turned away from worldly desires.

c) He who is the AtmA of those who practice nivRtti dharma.

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 d) He who is beyond the bonds of samsAra.

nivRttAtmane namah.
This nAma occurs later as nAma-s 454, 604, and 780. This is another case
where when the same nAma occurs more than once, the interpreters have given
different interpretations for each occurrence. It is a characteristic of a
composition of quality that there is no redundancy in expression of thoughts.

a) For the first interpretation, SrI Bhattar gives the following references:

1. tripAdUrdhva udait-purushah - The Purusha stands eminent in the

parama-padawhich has thrice the glory of the material world" - purusha
sUkta 4.

2. parAt-param yan-mahato mahAntam - He is greater than the greatest,

more exalted than the most exalted. - taitti. nArAyanIya 1.5.
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b) parama vairAgya khyApanaAya vishayebhyah pratyAhRta-manAh

nivRttAtmA - To indicate His profound non-attachment to material objects, He
has His mind withdrawn from them. About His meditation it is said -
antarnivishTa bhAvam ca - He who has His thoughts concentrated on Himself.
Also, Atma-dhyAna parAyaNAya -To Him who has His thoughts concentrated
within Himself"; "hRd -admArpitamAnasam" - "Him with His mind fixed on the
lotus-heart", etc.

c) One who is the AtmA of those who practice the nivRtti dharma. (There are
two kinds of dharma - the pravRtti dharma and the nivRtti dharma. pravRti
dharma takes us to the world of the pitR-s where we enjoy the fruits of our
karma, and come back to this world with the balance of karma-s to our credit;
niv*ttidharma is that which leads one to moksha).

d) samsAra bandhAn nivRtta AtmA svarUpam asya iti nivRttAtmA. nivRtta

means that which has retreated totally, abstaining from worldly acts, etc. 09

SrI cinmayAnanda points out that in the example of the two birds sitting on
the same tree that is referred to in the munDakopanishad which has been
referred to earlier in our write-up, the nivRttAtmA is the one who is looking on

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without eating the fruits of the tree.

The writer in dharma cakram points out that the significance of this nAma is
to realize that we should live a life with detachment in material objects in
order to realize the Truth, and meditating on this nAma of mahA vishNu will
help us live that kind of life. Meditating on the Lord who has no attachments
will lead us to live a life without attachment. He gives the life of Lord Rama as
an example of the life of nivRttAtmA.

Some interpreters have identified the nAma itself as vimuktAtmA or

anivRttAtmA in one or more of the occurrences of this nAma later. We will
look at the interpretations of these under the later occurrences.

nAma 232. s<v&t> - samvrutah

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He who remains hidden.

samvRtAya namah.
samvRtatvAt samvRtah. The root is vRn~j AvaraNe to cover. He remains
hidden from the unenlightened in whom the tamo-guNa dominates - tamsah
parastAt. It is devotion to Him alone that can reveal Him to us. The dharma
cakram writer quotes nammAzhvAr's pASuram "mayarvaRa madi-nilam aruLinan
evan avan" - (We should worship the One) who can bless us with the j~nAna and
bhakti that can remove the ignorance, doubts, and viparIta j~nAnam - counter-
productive intellect?. Just as the sun creates the cloud which keeps the sun
covered from us, the a~jnAnam is covering us. Just as the sun's lustre is
untouched by the cloud, His lustre is untouched by our a~jnAna. It is his dayA
alone which can remove this a~jnAna, and it is devotion to Him alone that can
help in this.

nAma 233. s<àmdRn> - sampramadarnah

The dispeller (of the darkness).

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 sampra-mardanAya namah.
The nirukti author summarizes SrI Bhattar's vyAkhyAna by the following
words- tamaso vidyayA samyak mardanAt sampramardanah - He is
sampramardana because He dispels the enveloping darkness by the light of His
knowledge. SrI aNNangarAcArya gives the meaning that He dispels the mAyA
in His devotees.

SrI Sankara interprets the nAma based on mardana - to destroy, and gives the
meaning that He is sampramardana because of His act of destruction in the
forms of rudra, yama, etc. - samyak pramardayati rudra-kAlAdyAbhih
vibhUtibhih iti sampramardanah (see the similarity to pradardanah earlier).
Recall that SrIBhattar's interpretation is that mardana refers to destruction
of the darkness or mAyA. SrI cinmayAnanda interprets mardana as referring
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to the act of destruction of the evil-minded and sensuous and extrovert -

rAkshasa-s.

The dharma cakram author interprets mardana in the context of the act of
bhagavAn in helping us to destroy the pride and aham-kAra in us and to unite
with Him. Life consists of destroying certain things and preserving certain
things. A good life is that where we understand what is to be preserved and
preserve those values, and destroy those that need to be destroyed. It is thus
that Lord rAma had His kodanDam when He went to the forest - to help
preserve the Rshi-s and to help destroy the rAkshasa-s. Chanting the name of
rAma was sufficient to turn vAlmIki from the ignorant person that he was to
the great sage vAlmIki. The nAma sampramardana should lead to understand
the value of destroying the evil qualities in us and to develop the good qualities
that will help us in realizing Him, which is naturally accomplished when we
meditate on the guNa of bhagavAn expressed by this nAma.

nAma 234. AhSs<vtRk> - ahas

ahas--samvarthakah

The regulator of the day (time); The Sun.

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ahah-samvartakAya namah.
samyak ahnAm pravartanAt ahah-samvartakah - He who regulates well the
succession of day and night. He is the cause for the revolution of the day and
other divisions of time. The division of time into past, present, and future
provides the knowledge of objects as old or young. It brings about the
separation or union of prakRti and purusha (Matter and Soul). It is also the
cause of the six kinds of transmutations of prakRti (viz. birth, growth, change,
existence, decay, and final death).

SrI cinmayAnanda gives reference to the following Sloka from gItA -

yadAditya gatam tejo jagad bhAsayate'khilam |

yac-candramasi yaccAgnau tat-tejo viddhi mAmakam ||

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(gItA 15.12)

"Understand that I am the Light of the Sun that illumines all earth; and the
tejas in the moon and fire are all mine only". The one who dynamises the day
and gives life to all and lends energy to them to act, etc. is vishNu in the form
of the Sun.

The writer in dharma cakram points out that just as we can see an object close
to us easily once there is light even though we can't locate it in the absence of
light, bhagavAn is the generator of light that helps us realize the knowledge of
the Self, and in this sense also bhagavAn is ahah-samvartakah (the generator
of day). Just as the Sun causes all beings to wake up when it rises, mahA-
vishNu causes our desire to attain this knowledge of the Self to wake up in us.
Just as the fall of the rays of the Sun causes the life forms to become
rejuvenated, the thought of vishNu rejuvenates the jIvAtmA in us and makes
it shine. Just as the fall of the rays of the Sun on objects purifies them by
destroying the disease-causing germs etc., the thought of bhagavAn kills the
evil thoughts in us and purifies our thoughts. So vishNu is the Sun for our
inner self just as He is the Sun for the external world.

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 nAma 235. viû> - vahnih

The Bearer or The Carrier; The Fire.

vahnaye namah.
The root from which this nAma is derived is vah - to carry. SrI Bhattar
interprets the nAma as referring to the act of bhagavAn in supporting the
Universe in the form of space. SrI aNNangarAcArya gives the meaning that
He is the bearer (supporter) of everyone. Vahni also refers to fire, since fire
is the carrier of the oblations offered in homa etc. SrI Sankara interprets the
nAma in this context - devebhyo havyam vaha nah prajAnan - One who, as fire,
carries the oblations to the gods, or havir-vahanAt vahnih.
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nAma 236. Ainl> - anilah

a) The Giver of life-breath; The Air.

b) One who needs no goading to Help His devotees.

c) The Beginningless.

d) One who has no binding, unaffected by virtue and vice.

e) One who is beyond dissolution.

f) One who is omniscient - All-Knowing.

g) Easily accessible to His devotees.

h) One who has no fixed residence.

i) One who is not supported (by Earth etc).

j) One who does not hide anywhere i.e., who is present everywhere

k) One who is always awake.

anilAya namah.
This nAma occurs again as nAma 818.

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tadevAgnih tad-vAyuh - He is agni Himself and He is vAyu - (taittirIya
AraN.10), supports the interpretation of this and the previous nAma-s as agni
andvAyu respectively.

ananAt - ujjIvanAt anilah - Bestows the life-breath on all.

Ko hyevAnyAt kah prANyAt - Whoever can breathe and whoever can live if the
AkASa (i.e., paramAtmA) were not there? - (taittirIya nArAyaNa 7);
prAnAt vAyur_ajAyata - The wind was born out of His breath (purusha sUktam
14).

In the occurrence of the nAma as nAma 818, SrI Bhattar derives the meaning
based on ila - to urge, and so the meaning given is - One who does not need to
be goaded by any one to serve His devotees. Ilati preraNam karoti iti ilah,
tadrahitatvAt anilah - One who does not need a proposer or inducer.

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tadapyaprArthitam dhyAto dadAti madhusUdanah - When meditated upon,
bhagavAn madhusudana bestows His blessings on His devotee without the need
for anyone else urging Him - vishNu dharma 74.42.

SrI Sankara and other interpreters give several alternate interpretations in

addition to above two-

anAditvAt aniti yo'asu anilah (c above) - Beginningless,

anAdAnAt anilah - One who has no binding,

ilati svapiti iti ilah, tad-viparItah anilah - One who is ever awakened (f)

nilater-gahanArthAt ka-pratyayAntAt agahanah - anilah - One who is not

difficult to access for His devotees (g)

anilayah anilah (h) - One who has no fixed abode.

An interpretation for the occurrence of this word in amarakoSa is na vidyate

nilah nilayam sthAnam yasya.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri adds that ila is Earth, and since He existed before
the Earth existed, He is not supported by the Earth etc., and so He is anila (i).
An alternate interpretation is na nilIyate iti anilah - He is Omnipresent,
indestructible, in the form of anila - vAyu (j).

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 Yet another interpretation is an AdAnAt anilah - One who has no binding (d).

The dharma cakram writer gives us a view of how important the meditation on
this guNa of bhagavAn is for our life. Without food we can go on for many
days; without water we can survive for a few days; but without air, but a few
minutes. That is how important air is for our living; so is the meditation on
vishNu for our spiritual life. He quotes mahAtmA gAndhi in this context - that
he can survive without food for several days (and hasn't he proved it several
times!), but he cannot live without prayer for even a day. Another view
presented relates to arjuna's words to Lord kRshNa that mind wavers like wind
and he can't get it under control. BhagavAn, like vAyu, is spread everywhere,
and it is difficult to get a grasp of Him just as we can't get the mind under
control or keep the air static in one place without a sealed container. But just
as man has learned to control and contain air, he can learn to control his mind
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by constant meditation on vishNu. The uncontrolled mind is like a storm, and it

can be trained to becalm by meditation on vishNu.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation starting from ila - to sleep.
Thus one meaning given is One who never sleeps, or One who is always awake -
jAgRvim vibhum - Rg veda. This is reflected in His forms as the Sun, the rest
of the planets, the oceans, the wind, etc. In addition to this interpretation he
also gives the interpretations a) and h).

I was amazed to find that this seemingly simple nAma of two syllables has this
many interpretations.

nAma 237. xr[Ixr> - dharaNeedharah

The bearer of the Earth.

dharaNI-dharAya namah.
dharaNIm dhatta iti dharaNI-dharah - One who bears the Earth. SrI Bhattar
takes this simple interpretation one level further, and gives the significance
that He bears those who bear others, e.g., He bears AdiSesha, bhUmi, etc. SrI

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Bhattar gives the following supporting quotes

1. sa dAdhAra pRthivIm dyAm utemAm - He bore the Earth and all the
Heaven -yajur 13.4

2. uddhRtA'si varAheNa - Thou (O Mother Earth) hast been lifted up by

varAha -taitt. AraN. 10.8

"pRthivIm ca antariksham ca dyAm caiva purushottamah |

manasiava visRshTAtmA nayati AtmavaSam vaSI ||

'Purushottama, by His will, created Earth, the Interspace and Heaven; being
the Supreme Ruler, He keeps them all under His control.'

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives references to several other nAma-s which

express the above idea - mahI-bhartA (184), mahI-dharah (319, 371), triloka-
dhRt (757),dharA-dharah (762). In addition, some vyAkhyAna-kartA-s have

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interpreted nAma240 (which we will cover next week) as viSva-dhRk - One who
rules over the worlds, similar in purport to the current nAma.

The writer in dharma cakram brings the significance of this nAma to a level of
understanding that is easier to comprehend. When we say bhagavAn is the
bearer of the Earth, what we mean is that directly or indirectly He is
supporting all the life forms by providing food and shelter to all, irrespective
of whether we are devoted to Him or not, all the good and the bad. Either we
survive by drawing on the vegetables and other food that we directly get from
the earth, or some beings survive by preying on other life forms which in turn
live by drawing on the direct produce from the earth. So this nAma signifies
that He supports us physically in the form of the earth, and also sustains us all
through the food from the earth.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha adds that a mother bears and protects the children,
the husband protects the wife, and He protects everyone, and so the dharaNi-
dharatva guNa of bhagavAn is all around us.

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 SlOkam 26
suàsad> àsÚaTma ivñs&iGvñÉuiGvÉu>,

sTktaR sTk«tSsaxujRûunaRray[ae nr>. 26.

suprasAdah prasannAtmA vishvasrug visvabhugvibhuh |

satkartA satkrutas sAdhu: jahnurnArAyaNO narah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 238. suàsad> - suprasAdah

The Giver of good favors.

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suprasAdAya namah.
Sobhanah prasAdha dAtRtvAt suprasAdah - For those who surrender to Him
He confers all that is good. In fact He goes further and confers the good to
those who are His enemies as well, as in the cases of rAvaNa, SiSupAla,
duryodhana, etc., by conferring moksha on them ultimately. In other words,
whatever bhagavAn confers, it is for the good of the recipient. This concept is
repeatedly pointed by svAmi deSikan in the dayA-Satakam when he describes
the dayA aspects of the different incarnations. Thus for instance, in the
paraSu-rAma incarnation, when He destroyed the evil kshatriya kings, He
really got rid of their sins, and sent them to moksha. In the kalki incarnation,
when He will destroy those at the end of the kali-yuga who are soaked in sin, it
is only to wash them of their sins and re-establish adharma-oriented kRta yuga
where their jIva-s can flourish again that this act of His is undertaken. The
writer in dharma cakram points out that there are those of us who will do good
to those who are bad to us, in addition to those who follow the rule of an eye
for an eye, and worse still, there are those who do bad to those who are good
to them. SrI mahA-vishNu is one who does always what is good for everyone
irrespective of how they are towards Him. Meditation on Lord vishNu with this

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guNa implied by this nAma will give us the right frame of mind to follow the
sAttvic path.

nAma 239. àsÚaTma - prasannAtmA

He with a clear mind; Of delightful nature.

prasannAtmane namah.
He is of delightful nature because He has no desires and no wants since He has
realized all desires - avApta-sarva-kamatvAt. Or because He is extremely
merciful by nature - karuNArdra-svabhAvAt. Or He is prasannAtmA because
His mind is not contaminated by passion (rajas) and inertia (tamas). SrI P.B.
aNNangarAcArya svAmi points out that He has a clear mind because He is

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unaffected by likes and dislikes.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that He is All-Blissful because He

is not affected by sorrows resulting from association with matter and its
imperfections (guNa-s). He is of a clear mind, without being affected by the
tamasic and rajasic guNa-s.

The dharma cakram writer gives the example of the three brothers, rAvaNa,
kumbhakarNa, and vibhIshaNa, respectively dominated by rajasic, tAmasic,
and sattvic guNa-s. rAvaNa was indulging in non-righteous acts under the
influence of kAma, and brought self-destruction as a result. Kumbha-karNa
was inactive under the influence of tamas. VibhIshaNa on the other hand had
the clarity of mind aided by his sattvic guNa. He could save SrIlankA from
destruction and could attain the grace of the Lord because of his clear
thinking.

Meditating on the nAma prasannAtmA will lead to the clarity of mind that
bhIshma could command, when he advised duryodhana prior to the start of the
mahAbhArata war that they won't win a war fought on immoral and unethical
grounds, and the support of the Lord will be on the side of dharma. prasannatA
results out of the dominance of sattva guNa.

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 nAma 240. ivñs&k! - visvasrug

The Creator of the Universe.

viSva-sRje namah.
viSvam sRjati yo sa viSva-sRt. He created this Universe out of kindness
unmindful of its merits and deficiencies. In SankarapATham, this nAma is
given as viSva-dhRg - The Overseer of the cosmos. Prof. SrInivAsa rAghavan
points in his writings in SrI nRsimha priyA that other pATha-s are viSva-sRshT
and viSva-sRg. In the context of the interpretation based on viSva-dhRg - the
overseer or ruler of the cosmos, the dharma cakram commentator rhetorically
asks the question - Do we rule our mind, or does our mind rule us? If we learn
to rule over our mind, then we can rule our family, our nation, etc., and also
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know the Ruler of everything. And we get this conditioning of our mind through
meditation on the Lord who isviSva-dhRg.

SrI satyadevo vAsisshTha gives the meaning based on the rootdhRsh

prAgalbhye to be bold, confident, proud, or brave. He isviSva-dRk because He
has created this world with skill (cAturya), prouldy, boldly. Everything He has
created, including the different seasons, the flowers, the different forms of
life, etc., are constantly displaying His brilliance in the different ways they
reproduce themselves, the different forms in which they appear, etc.

nAma 241. ivñÉuiGvÉu> - visvabhugvibhuh

He who pervades all things and protects them.

viSvabhug-vibhave namah.
vyApya bhunakti - pAlayati iti viSvabhug-vibhuh. SrI Bhattar interprets this
phrase as one nAma, whereas SrI Sankara interprets it as consisting of two
nAma-s, viSva-bhuk and vibhuh. The interpretation for viSva-bhuk is given as
viSvam bhu~nkte -The Enjoyer of the Cosmos, or ViSvam bhunakti - The

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Protector. The dharma cakram writer points out that He is the Protector for
the Universe in its expressed form with all its created beings or in its
unexpressed or pralaya form as well. This compares with the situation of
mortals like us who cannot do any good in protecting this world either in our
wakeful state or in our sleep state. SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation
that He enjoys or swallows (bhuk) all experiences (viSva). The Supreme
Consciousness, apparently conditioned by the mind and intellect, is the
experiencer of joys and sorrows. Or, the term can mean "One who absorbs all
names and forms unto Himself at the time of pralaya". SrI rAdhAkRshNa
SAstri gives the reference to tiattirIya AraNyaka 10.91 - prabhuh prINAti
viSva-bhuk. SrI satyadevovAsishTha gives an alternate interpretation based
on bhuj kautilye to bend, to curve, and says that the nAma can mean that He
established the world by bending or extending it in all eight directions. Since

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SrI Sankara interprets vibhuh as a separate name, he gives the meaning - One
with multi-form - vividham bhavati iti vibhuh. He became many from
HiraNyagarbha downwards. Vividham bhAvayati is another interpretation, again
referring to the multi-forms. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the meaning that
He is vibhu because He fills everything everywhere - mahAntam vibhum
AtmAnam - kaThopanishad 2.22. The dharma cakram writer elaborates on the
multi-form by giving reference to LordkRshNa's words in the gItA in Chapter
10 starting with Slokam 21 and going up to Slokam 38, where bhagavAn gives
several examples of His vibhUti-s, and then says in Slokam 40 that there is
really no limit to His vibhUti-s.

nAma 242. sTktaR - satkartA

He who honors the good.

satkartre namah.
satkaroti pUjayati iti satkartA - One who adores those who are good and wise.
SatkAram is worship. SrI rAma was known as sajjanaprati pUjakah - He who
worships those in return who are good to Him. SrI radAdhAkRshNa SAstri

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 gives the reference to rAmAyaNa - bahu-SrutAnAm vRddhAnAm
brAhmaNAnAm upAsitA (2-2-33) - He worships those who are learned, old in
age, and brAhmaNas. The writer in dharma cakram points out the example of
Lord rAma praising hanumAn as soon as He saw him. The Lord rejoices to find
thosewho are in this category. The lesson we should take from this nAma
isthat we should do acts that will make us fit for this kind of recognition. Acts
that fall in this category are those that give peace of mind and inner happiness
to the doer. By corollary, we should desist from acts which lead to a feeling of
self-centered accomplishment, pride, etc. Our acts should be directed to His
service, and not for the satisfaction of the human ego.

nAma 243. sTk«t> - satkrutah

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He who is worshipped by the sAdhus (even by those who deserve to be

worshipped).

satkRtAya namah.
The word satkRta means pUjita - One who is worshipped. He is the Object of
worship for everyone. The nirukti summarizes SrIBhattar's vyAkhyAna for
this nAma as arcAdibhih sajjanaih yah pUjitahsatkRtah smRtah. Prof.
SrInivAsa rAghavAcArya svAmi in his commentary in nRsimha priyA points out
that when the ekAntins who worship only mahA vishNu make their offerings to
Him, no matter how small the offering is, He considers it big by considering it
as worthy of His Supreme Status, and receives through His head what is
offered at His feet, and receives it personally and not through other
intermediary gods. As if this is not enough, He then feels that whatever He
does to His devotees is inadequate in return (recall Lord kRshNa's feeling of
being indebted to draupati for ever when she cried out for help and He helped
but not by coming in person right away). The dharma cakram writer points out
that as a means of developing this devotion to Him, our vedas ask us to worship
our mother, our father, our teacher - mAtR devo bhava,pitRdevo bhava,
AcArya devo bhava.

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nAma 244. saxu> - sAdhuh

One who carries out (whatever His devotees say).

sAdhave namah.
sAdhayati iti sAdhuh - One who carries out, or sAdhnoti itisAdhuh - One who
makes it possible to carry out, through various means that He has provided for
the benefit of the beings that He has created. Going as a messenger, acting as
a charioteer, etc. are examples of His carrying out His undertaking. Even
though Lord kRshNa was Himself a king like duryodhana, He did not mind doing
the work of a messenger, and did not mind doing the work of a charioteer
which is like that of a servant to arjuna. Thus, sAdhu here refers to His act of

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carrying out whatever He has to do to take care of His devotees. He takes
several incarnations in which He suffers and gets insulted by the likes of
duryodhana, SiSupAla, rAvaNa etc., and appears as a fish, a boar, etc., and
undergoes suffering and misery as in the case of the rAma incarnation, all
because He is a sAdhu, who carries out what He has to in order to help His
devotees. The nAma sAdhu has also been interpreted as One who is righteous,
i.e., conducts Himself according to the code laid in the Vedas. And because He
follows the righteous path always, He accomplishes whatever He undertakes
always. The lesson to take here is (dharma cakram) that we should always
follow the righteous path in everything we do, and this will not only endear us
to Lord vishNu, but also lead to success in our just endeavors.

nAma 245. jûu> - jahnuh

The Concealer (of His greatness from the non-devotees).

jahnave namah.
This nAma is derived from the root hA-tyAge to forsake. abhakteshu Atma -
mAhAtmyam apahnute iti jahnuh. jahAti avidushah jahnuhis another derivation

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 for the same meaning - He leads those devoid of devotion away from the
Supreme. SrI Bhattar gives the following quote from udyoga parva:

"cakram tad-vAsudevasya mAyayA vartate vibhoh |

sApahnuvam pANdaveshu ceshTate rAhasattamah ||'

(udyogaparva 6.7.2)

"That discus of the Omni-present vAsudeva acts by His will for the benefit of
the pANdavas being invisible (to the eyes of others), O Great King!".

SrI Sankara gives an additional interpretation that He is jahnu because He is

the disintegrator of the Universe at the time of pralaya - janAn samhAra-
samaye apahnute apanayati iti jahnuh. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the
incidence of Sage Jahnu who hid the Ganges when bhagIrata brought Ganges
(jAhanavI) to the Earth. Similarly bhagavAn hides the Universe during pralaya
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into Himself, and so He is jahnu. In dharma cakram, we find a description of

how His act of hiding some things from us is really devoted to helping us in our
day-to-day life until we can really realize Him. Thus it is for our benefit that
we forget some of our bad experiences of the past, and do not know some of
the future incidences in our life ahead of time. In fact, this process of things
being hidden intermittently is the law of life, as for instance the child being
hidden in the mother's womb before being born, the seed being hidden
underground before it sprouts, the time of our body's demise being hidden
from us till the incident happens, the outcome of a contest between two
competing teams being hidden from them till the incident concludes, and the
same way, the jiva-s being hidden in Him before the world is re-created after
pralaya. This nAma should help us forget the wrong-doings of others, and
remember only the good things in life. This training will help us realize Him in
the process, and then He does not have to use His act of hiding anything from
us. SrI satyadevo vAsisshTha also starts with the root hA tyAge to give up,
and interprets the nAma to mean that He is jahnu because He is devoid of the
defects such as kAma, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, and mAtsarya, and is
Suddha svarUpa. Ganges is jAhnavI because Ganges washes away the sins.

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nAma 246. naray[> - nArAyaNah

The Supporter of the hosts of souls.

nArAyaNAya namah.
All the previous nAma-s referred to nArAyaNa through His other incarnations
or through His many guNa-s. Now SrI vyAsa gives the name that only refers to
mahA-vishNu, and that is not used to refer to any other gods (such as the
nAma-s rudra, Siva etc., which also occur in the Vishnu sshasranAma to refer
to mahAvishNu). SrI Bhattar points out that this nAma is spoken of in every
upanishad, and the veda itself gives the derivation of the name nArAyaNa
thus-

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yacca ki~ncit jagat sarvam dRsyate SrUyatepi vA |

antar-bahiSca tat-sarvam vyApya nArAyaNah sthitah ||

"Whatever object there is in the Universe that is seen or heard, nArAyaNa

remains pervading all that, both inside and outside". SrI Bhattar gives several
references to bring out the greatness of this nAma.

"nArAyaNAya vidmahe vAsudevAya dhImahi |

tanno vishNuh pracodayAt ||"

(taitti. nArAya. 6.1.28)

"nArAyaNa param brhma tattvam nArAyaNah parah |

nArAyaNa paro jyotir-AtmA nArAyaNah parah ||"

(taitt. NArAya. 6.11)

"eko ha vai nArAyaNa AsIt| na brhamA na ISAnah na Apah naagnishomi yau na
eme dyAvA pRthvI na nakshatrANina sUryah na candramAh|"

(mahopanishad)
etc. SrI Sankara gives the following interpretation: nara refers to Atman;
nAra refers to ether and the other effects produced from it; He, as their

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 cause, pervades them and they are thus His abode (ayana). Hence He is named
nArAyaNa. He gives the following quote from mahAbhArata supporting this
interpretation:

"narAjjAtAni tattvAni nArANIti tato vidhuh |

tAnyeva cAyanam tasya tena nArAyaNah smRtah ||"

(anu.Parva. 13.1.2)

"The tattva-s are called nAra since they are sprung from nara (Atman); He is
called nArAyaNa as they are His abode". Another interpretation he gives is
"narANAm jIvAnAm ayanatvAt pralaya iti vA -Whom the jIva-s approach and
enter (He is the abode of the beings during pralaya). This is supported by
'yatpryantyabhisamviSanti' - Whom they approach and enter - taittirIya
upanishad 3.1. Or He is nArAyaNa since He is the seat of the nAra-s or the
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tattva-s - nArANAm ayanam yasmAttasmAn - nArAyaNah smRtah-

brahmavaivarta purANa. (Note that this third interpretation is that He is
their seat, whereas the first interpretation was that they are His seat). Manu-
smRti gives the following definition -

"Apo nArAh iti proktAh Apo vai narasUnavah |

tA yadasyAyanam pUrvam tasmAn-nArAyaNah smRtah ||"

(manu-smRti 1.10)

"nAra refers to waters (the panca-bhUta-s before they inter-mixed and

became visible through forms etc.) which He created. As they are His original
abode (i.e., during pralaya), He is called nArAyaNa". SrI satyadevo vAsishTha
draws the parallel between the world being born out of the waters in which
nArAyaNa is floating, and the child that is born out of the mother's womb
after being supported by the waters in the mother's body. In narasimha
purANa, we have the following -

"nArAyaNAya nama ityayameva satyah

samsAra ghora visha samharaNAya mantrah |

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SRNvantu bhavyamatayo yatayo'starAgA

uccaistarAmupadiSAmyaham Urdhva-bAhuh ||

(narasimha purANa 18.31)

"This is the real mantra that destroys the deadly poison of samsAra -
nArAyaNAya namah. This I proclaim loudly with uplifted hands; let the
ascetics, with passions curbed and intellects clear, listen to me".

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SrIman nArAyaNan - melkote

(Courtesy:www.pbase.com/svami)

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 SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri reminds us that the mantra-devatA that we worship
through the gAyatri mantra is SrIman nArAyaNa - dhyeyah sadAsavitRmandala
madhyavartI nArAyaNah. The dharma cakram writer refers us to divya-
prabandham - "nalam tarum Sollai nAn kaNdu koNdEn nArAyaNAennum
nAmam" to remind us of the greatness of this nAma japam. It is very
important to note SrI Bhattar's concluding statement of his vyAkhyAnam on
this nAma. He points out that the secret of this sacred mantra should only be
properly learned by approaching an AcArya,and not by reading the explanations
like the one presented. His words are that he does not want to say anything
more on this nAma because its greatness can only be learned from an AcArya,
and is thus a matter that should be seen by four eyes (the two eyes of the
disciple and the two eyes of the AcArya) and not by six eyes viz. he does not
want to add his two eyes further. So no amount of explanation on paper can
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bring out the greatness of this nAma.

nAma 247. nr> - narah

a) He who is imperishable.

b) The Leader.

narAya namah.
SrI Bhattar gives the meaning that nara refers to one with imperishable
possessions, both sentient and non-sentient (both of which are eternal by
nature). SrI Sankara gives the meaning "Leader" to nara, and gives the quote
from vyAsa (the source is not identified in my book) - nayati itinarah proktah
paramAtmA sanAtanah - Because He directs everything, the eternal
paramAtman is called nara. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha also starts with the root
as nR nayeto lead, and gives the meaning as nayati - One who leads, or nRNati -
One who takes things away. He is nara since He takes this Universe from kalpa
to kalpa through many kalpa-s. nara also refers to water or fluid, since this
takes things from one place to another as it flows. That there was only water

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everywhere before sRshTi took place is supported by the following vedic quote
- tama AsIt tamasAgUDhamagre'prakRtam salilam sarvamA idam (Rg 10.129.3).
The dharma cakram writer points out that just as a mother leads a child with
the child's welfare in mind, and does not mind disciplining the child for its own
good when the child goes and eats dirt, or the teacher tries to discipline a
student who is not learning the knowledge from the teacher, so also nara, viz.
mahAvishNu, leads us all for our good even if He has to mete out some
punishment occasionally to get our ways straightened out.

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 SlOkam 27
As
AsŒŒ(eyae=àmeyaTma ivizòiZzòk«CDuic>,

isÏawRiSsÏs»Lp> isiÏdiSsiÏsaxn>. 27.

asankhyEyO=pramEyAtmA visishTas sishTakruc chucih |

siddhArthas siddhasankalpah siddhidas siddhisAdhanah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 248. As<Oyey> - asankhyEyah

One whose attributes, names, forms, etc. are Innumerable.

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asankhyeyAyanamah.
sankhyA is number. asankhyeya is One who cannot be quantified. In gItA,
arjuna describes Lord kRshNa as such -

aneka-bAhUdara vaktra netram paSyAmi tvAmsarvato'nanta rUpam |

nAntam na madhyam punas-tavAdim paSyAmi viSveSvaraviSvarUpa ||

(gItA 11.16)

"O Lord of the Universe! I see you with numberless arms, stomachs, mouths,
and eyes, of boundless forms on every side, and I do not see the end or the
middle or the beginning". He is of infinite knowledge, infinite bliss, infinite
manifestations, immeasurable strength, etc.

nAma 249. AàmeyaTma - apramEyAtmA

One who cannot be known through knowledge, direct or indirect.

aprameyAyanamah.

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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation "pramANaih pramAtum
aSakyah aprameyah". prameya is anything that can be known through intellect.
aprameya is one whose nature cannot be grasped by any of the existing means
of knowledge. We get an impression of an object by seeing it with our eyes,
and it is this vision of the color, shape, or other attributes, or the smell etc.,
that gives us a feel for an object. BhagavAn is beyond our senses. SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha gives the quote from yajurveda - na tasya pratimA asti
yasyanAma mahad-yaSah - yajur. 31.3. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out
the similarity between this nAma and the nAma-s aprameyah (46) and
ameyAtmA (103,181).

nAma 250. ivizò> - visishTah

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He who is Superior.

viSishTAyanamah.
SrI Bhattar interprets this nAma as signifying that He is Superior because He
does not have to depend on anything else and He excels in everything. SrI
Sankara gives the meaning that He transcends everything. The dharma cakram
writer points out that superiority in life is not achieved by just wealth, power
and fame, but true superiority results only when we develop bhakti to the Lord.
The other superiorities do not give us the purity of mind.

nAma 251. izòk«t! - sishTakrut

He who makes His devotees eminent.

SishTa-kRte namah.
Because of association with Him, He makes His devotees also superior.

An alternate interpretation given is that SishTa means discipline, good

manners. In this sense, the previous nAma would mean that He isviSishTa
because He is of Supreme discipline, and the current nAma would mean that He

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 helps His devotees acquire this discipline through the mental strength, etc.,
needed for this. SishTa also means Law, rules, or commands. The
interpretation then becomes He is One who makes the Law, One who
commands, or One who protects (though the laws). The greatest and most
significant of these commands is Love, through which mahA-vishNu rules over
us all, and this is the lesson to be derived from this nAma (dharma cakram).

nAma 252. zuic> - sucih

Pure.

Sucaye namah.
This nAma occurred earlier (157). His purity is such that association with Him
makes these devotees pure also. He is pure by body, mind, action, and all, and
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this is what makes Him viSishTa and SishTa-kRt. One commentator points out
that He makes us shine consistent with our devotion. (dharma cakram) - Just
as we clean our body to avoid diseases of the body, we can develop cleanliness
in our words through the chanting of bhagavan-nAma, and we can develop and
improve the cleanliness of our thoughts through the control of the five senses,
which are the means by which we get our input to our thoughts from the
external world. Worshipping the Lord in the temple, listening to the sound of
the bell during the worship, observing the karpUra Arati, listening to the
nAmasankIrtana, listening to the bhajans, offering fragrant flowers to the
Lord, observing the beauty of His decorated mUrti, smelling the divine
fragrance of His presence in the temple, etc., are the different ways that the
five indriya-s are exposed to opportunities for cleansing ourselves through
these indriya-s. Simultaneously, we should do everything to constantly divert
the mind from thoughts that are not conducive to the service of SrIman
nArAyaNa. Deep meditation on the Lord is one way to train our mind. The
constant training of our body, mind, word, and deed towards Him is the lesson
we should take from this nAma.

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nAma 253. isÏawR> - siddhArthah

One who is in possession of all desirable things.

siddhArthAya namah.
He already possesses all that is desirable in Him naturally and effortlessly.
SrI Sankara gives the passage "satyakAmahsatya-sankalpah" in chAdogya
upanishad (8.1) in support of this and the next nAma. SrI cinmayAnanda points
out that this name signifies that bhagavAn has already the four purushArtha-s
(dharma, artha, kAma, and moksha) that are the object of attainment for
mortals. He has attained (siddha) all that is to be attained (artha).

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nAma 254. isÏs»Lp> - siddhasankalpah

One whose wishes are always fulfilled.

siddha-sankalpAya namah.
One whose wishes are fulfilled at the very instance He wishes. Sankalpa means
intellectual willing and wishing. One who gains all that He wishes for, or One
who immediately gains what He wills is calledsiddha-sankalpah. The reference
in chAndogya upanishad (see previous nAma) conveys the same idea. Examples
in dharma cakram for His being asiddha sankalpah are the decision to make
sugrIva and vibhIshaNa the kings of their respective kingdoms, the
destruction of vAli, the sankalpam to fulfill daSaratha's promise to kaikeyi,
etc. The devotion to mahA-vishNu makes the devotees equally capable of
fulfilling their sankalpa-s with His help. Thus, bhIshma made Lord kRshNa
carry arms in the battle of mahA-bhArata (thereby Lord kRshNa proved that
He is the servant of His devotee, and will fulfill whatever they wish, even if it
involved His breaking His vow not to carry arms), and hanumAn fulfilled his
sankalpa to find sItA pirAtti. The way we become siddha sankalpa-sis to
entrust ourselves completely in His care, and He takes care of the rest for us,

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 since whatever we wish will then be for the cause of dharma.

nAma 255. isiÏd> - siddhidah

The bestower of siddhi-s or super-human powers.

siddhi-dAya namah.
There are eight siddhi-s or powers that can be acquired by yogi-s who
meditate on Him. These are aNimA (the ability to assume the size of an atom),
mahimA (the ability to assume a very huge size), laghimA (to make the body
weightless like a cotton ball), garimA (to assume heavy weight like an iron
mass), prApti (to obtain anything desired), prAkAmyam (to attain any desired
bhoga), ISitvam (to be able to assume rulership or Lordship over anything or
anyone), and vaSitvam (to get anyone to be under one's control). SrI Sankara
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interprets the nAma to mean that He provides benefits or fulfillment

according to our action.

nAma 256. isiÏsaxn> - siddhisAdhanah

One who makes the means for siddhi as pleasant as the fruit itself.

siddhi-sAdhanAya namah.
siddheh sAdhakatvAt siddhi-sAdhanah. He is the promoter of achievements.
He is the very secret force which enables the seeker to diligently continue all
efforts of his seeking. He is the sAdhana or means for all siddhi or fulfillment,
in particular the moksha siddhi, which no one else can help achieve except
SrIman nArAyaNa.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that the sequence "siddhArtahsiddha-

sankalpah siddhi-dah siddhi-sAdhanah" is a great mantra by itself, and
chanting it will be very beneficial for fulfillment of our endeavors without
interruption when we undertake a good deed and work towards attaining the
desired goal. The dharma cakram writer points out that the goal that is

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attained by chanting this mantra is the cleansing of our minds from worldly
thoughts, lust, etc., and concentrating the mind towards thoughts about Him.
By chanting this mantra, He ensures that we attain our goal.

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 SlOkam 28
v&;ahI v&;Éae iv:[u vR&;pvaR v&;aedr>,

vxRnae vxRmaní iviv´Zïuitsagr>. 28.

vrushAhI vrushabhO vishNuh vrushaparvA vrushOdarah |

vardhanO vardhamAnasca viviktas srutisAgarah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 257. v&;ahI - vrushAhI

a) One who shines in the form of dharma.

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b) One who makes His devotees shine like day because of their dharma.

c) One who makes the day auspicious when the devotee approaches Him.

d) One who reveals dharma.

e) One who is the devatA for the vRshAha sacrifice.

f) One who has the brightness of agni etc., or is the cause of the brightness of
all objects

vRshAhiNe namah.
This nAma is interpreted differently by different vyAkhyAna-kartAs. The
nAma is composed of two words, vRsha meaning dharma, and aha meaning day.
One interpretation is that He shines bright like day because of His dharma. Or
He makes those who adhere to dharma shine like day. Both these are given by
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri.

SrI Bhattar's interpretation is that He is vRshAhI because the day on which a

devotee approaches the Lord, is a day of auspiciousness -dharma, i.e., He has
the day which is made auspicious because of approaching Him.

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SrI Sankara's interpretation for this is vRshah dharmah tadeva Ahah - One
who reveals dharma. An alternate interpretation he gives is that vRshAha
refers to a ten or twelve-day sacrifice, and He is vRshAhI because He is the
performer or enjoyer as the devatA for the sacrifice.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meaning "fire" or "agni" to the term vRsha
based on vRsho agnih samidhyate (Rg veda 3.27.14), and uses ahah to mean
brightness or prakASa, and so gives the meaning that bhagavAn has the
brightness of agni and so is called vRshAhI. He then generalizes this and says
that vRshAhI really refers to One who has the brightness of anything that is
bright, such as the Sun etc., or in other words, their brightness is because of
Him. So is the brightness resulting from knowledge, brightness of life because
of the jIvAtmA, etc., which get their brightness from Him. He is the only one
who has svayam-prakASa.

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nAma 258. v&;É> - vrushabhah

a) He who showers (His grace).

b) He who shines because of His dharma.

vRshabhAya namah.
varshati esha bhaktebhyah kAmAn iti vRshabhah. He gives blessing to His
devotees and protects them from the fire of samsAra. He is also vRshbha
because He showers all that is desired by His devotees, e.g., glowing health,
burning devotion, etc. vRshAtmanA bhAti - One who shines in the form of
dharma, is the explanation given by SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri. (dharma
cakram): BhagavAn gives whatever is aspired by the beings, according to their
efforts. Of these, the real wish should be to realize Him. All other wishes,
while they will also be fulfilled by Him for those wish these lesser desires, will
only result in sorrow after the interim pleasure is over. The desire should be
"acyutA!amarar ERE! Ayar tam kozhundE! ennum iccuvai tavira yAn pOy
indiralOkam ALum acuvai perinum vEndEn".

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 nAma 259. iv:[> - vishNuh

One who pervades everything.

vishNave namah.
This nAma occurred as nAma 2, and will re-occur as nAma 663. The root from
which this nAma is derived is vish - to pervade. SrI BhaTTar gives the meaning
that this pervasion is in the sense of association such as between fire and
smoke. Wherever there is smoke there is fire, but when there is fire, smoke is
not necessarily present (e.g., in the case of a red-hot piece of iron). So also,
bhagavAn is there in association with His bhakta-s always, and renders all
kinds of help to His devotees as needed. It was mentioned in the introductory
article to this series that the vyAkhyAna kartA-s give different
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interpretations to the same nAma depending on the context. Since we are now
dealing with the sequence of nAma-s which describe the Lord's guNa of
helping His devotees in fulfilling their desired wishes, this new interpretation
is given.

nAma 260. v&;pvaR - vrushaparvA

He who has provided the steps of dharma to reach Him.

vRsha-parvaNe namah.
vRsha is dharma as has been noted before. ParvA refers to steps. SrI
BhaTTar's interpretation is that He is vRsha-parvA because He has revealed
the steps of varNASrama dharma as the means to attain Him. Other
vyAkhyAna kartA-shave included various steps such as j~nAna, bhakti, etc. as
the steps that He has established. These include SravaNam, mananam,
kIrtanam, sat-sangham, SraddhA, etc. These are like the steps of a ladder to
reach Him.

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nAma 261. v&;aedr> - vrushOdarah

One who has dharma as His mid-region or belly.

vRshodharAya namah.
Different interpretations are given for this nAma. One is that He is the
receiver of all the offerings through yag~na etc., and so He is the one with the
udara that receives all offerings of dharma. The other is that creations of
those who observe dharma such as Brahma originate from His belly. The third
is that this is where He keeps all the beings at the time of pralaya, and this is
where everything originates at the time of re-creation. In this context, the
meaning "shower" is used for the word vRsha. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha

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continues to interpret all the previousnAma-s and the current one using the
meaning "agni" for the word "vRsha". Thus, He is the One who has agni in His
stomach. This is known even for humans that we have the "agni" (the acid) that
digests our food, there is agni in the centre of the earth, in the centre of the
sun, the Oceans, etc. These are reflections of the principle of bhagavAn as
vRshodara.

nAma 262. vxRn> - vardhanah

He who nourishes.

vardhanAya namah.
vardhayati iti vardhanah. One who augments, increases, or nourishes. Following
up on the interpretation of the previous nAma, SrI Bhattar interprets this
nAma as One who keep the beings in His womb like a mother and nourishes
them. SrI P. B. aNNa~ngar AcArya svAmi gives the meaning that he is
vardhana because he 'grows' those who have resorted to Him more and more
(towards the spiritual path?). SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the example of
the offer of one handful of 'aval' - a form of compacted rice, by His friend
kucela, which was augmented so much in return that kucela became richer than

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 kubera. So is the offer of patram, phalam, pushpam, toyam, etc. that we make
to Him. Thus He is vardhana because an offer of the size of an atom to Him
with devotion results in a mountain of return and protects His devotees like a
mother. The dharma cakram writer points out that while everyone takes all the
efforts to grow his body and his wealth, the real effort should be in growing
the j~nAna and bhakti, and He helps those who are devoted to Him in this
area, and so He is vardhana.

nAma 263. vxRman - varadhamAnah

He who grows.

vardhamAnAya namah.
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In the previous nAma we saw that He makes things grow. In this nAma, it is
indicated that He Himself grows as a result or simultaneously. SrI BhaTTar
interprets vardhamAnah as one who grows happy as He sees His devotees
grow. Or He keeps growing in spite of His bestowing all that anyone asks for.
SrI cinmayAnanda points out that this name is indicative of the vAmana
incarnation in which He continued to grow to cover the three worlds. SrI
Sankara's interpretation is "prapa~ncarUpeNa vadhate iti vardhamAnah - One
who grows or multiplies Himself in the form of the Universe". SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri indicates that the 'ca' at the end of vardhamAnah is
because He grows at the same fast rate at which the Universe is growing.

nAma 264. iviv´> - viviktah

He who is unique.

viviktAya namah.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the root vij - pRthakbhAve to separate or to
distinguish as the etymological basis for this nAma. He gives a simple example
of a machinist who makes machines but is separate from it. So also bhagavAn

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creates all the beings and keeps them in shape and in action, but is unique and
separate from them. He gives the example of two birds in a tree, one enjoying
the fruits and the other watching and observing, which we have referred to
before (dvA suparNAsayujA sakhAyA etc. - Rg veda 1.164.20). This author
(SrI vAsishTha) has composed one Slokam of his own as the explanation for
each Slokam of sahasranAma, and I am just sharing one example here:

"sRTvA jagat sarva-vidham vidhAtA svayam vivikto hyajaro'marah sah|

sahasra-SIrshA sa sahasra-dRshTih sa sarva-bandhuh sa pRthak ca dRSyAt||

BhagavAn is unique in many ways. He is untouched by the effects of action

unlike His creations (nirlipta). He is unique because His activities are extra-
ordinary and superior to those of others in the world (SrI BhaTTar). Or it may
mean that He remains unique and distinct even though He pervades the

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Universe as described in previous nAma-s (SrI Sankara). He is also unique
because He is beyond our ability to be recognized by our intellect and logical
analysis alone (SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri; also recall the ISAvAsyaupanishad
Slokam 4 - anejadekam manaso javIyo ....).The dharam cakram writer points out
that this quality of being outside of, and unaffected by, our surroundings, is
the true basis of accomplishing our mission in life viz. realizing the
paramAtmA. If we do not get swayed by the pa~nca indriya-s, then in spite of
living in the midst of all the noise and pleasures around us, we will be able to
have control of our mind and divert it to the service of mahA vishNu. This is
the significance and lesson to take from this nAma.

nAma 265. ïuitsagr> - srutisAkarah

He who is the sea where all veda-s take us.

Sruti-sAgarAya namah.
Srutayah sAgara iva atra nidhIyante iti SrutisAgarah. Just as the ocean is the
final destination for all the rivers, so also all the veda-s lead us to Him, and He
is thus Ocean for the Sruti-s (Sruti-sAgarah). SrI BhaTTar refers us to

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 SrImad bhAgavatam (2.5.15)- nArAyaNa parA vedAh - The veda-s only speak
of nArAyaNa, and to the gItA 15.15 - vedaiSca sarvaih ahameva vedyah - "I am
the only one that is to be realized through all the veda-s".
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 SlOkam 29
suÉujae ÊxRrae vaGmI mheNÔae vsudae vsu>,

nEkêpae b&hÔUpiZzipivò> àkazn>. 29.

subhujO durdharO vAgmI mahEndrO vasudO vasuh |

naikarUpO bruhadrUpas sipivishTah prakAsanah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 266. suÉuj> - subhujah

One with majestic arms.

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su-bhujAya namah
SobhanA bhujAh asya iti subhujah. SrI BhaTTar interprets the majesty and
strength of His arms to always shoulder the burden of those that seek refuge
in Him. SrI Sankara extends this to refer to the protection of the whole
world. SrI cinmayAnanda refers to the beauty of the arms that always protect
and bless (abhaya and vara-da). SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri describes the
beauty of the arms that are always ready with the Ayudha-s for the
protection of the devotees lest there is any delay when the need arises to use
them.

pAtu praNata rakshAyAm vilambam asahanniva, sadA pa~ncAyudhIm bibhrat sa

nah SrIra~nga nAyakah.

The writer in dharma cakram points out that the term subhuja refers to the
hands of mahAvishNu that carry the Sa~nkha, cakra, gadA and padma. The
Sankha reminds us of the praNava mantra. The cakra both protects those that
follow the path of dharma and destroys those who follow the path of adharma.
The gadA functions to discipline the evil, and the padma shows His sweet
disposition towards those who seek Him.

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 nAma 267. ÊxRr> - durdharah

a) The irresistible.

b) One who is difficult to comprehend

c) One who is difficult to hold in concentration

d) One who cannot be supported by anyone or anything else

durdharAua namah.
Recall that SrI BhaTTar has interpreted the previous nAma in terms of the
strength of His arms. He continues with that thought, and interprets the
current nAma as indicating that the strength is such that it is irresistible like
the force of the gushing waters of a great ocean against a dam made of play
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sand. SrI Sankara gives the interpretation that He is difficult to be held, e.g.,
the yogi-s find it difficult to hold him in their thoughts during their
meditation. An alternate interpretation given by him is that nothing else can
support Him who supported everything else. SrI cinmayAnanda interprets the
nAma as one who is difficult to comprehend even by the great yogi-s. The
dharma cakram writer points out that we should develop a clean mind in order
to be able to retain Him in our mind. For this, recourse to such things as nAma
pArAyaNam are of help. Once the mind becomes clean, thoughts of mahA
vishNu occupy our mind, and bad thoughts do not occupy our mind.

nAma 268. vaGmI - vAgmI

a) He who has words which are praise-worthy.

b) He who has powerful words.

c) He from whom the veda-s originated.

vAgmine namah.
veda-s are but the words of bhagavAn. He also was powerful in persuading

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arjuna through His words (gItA) in the battlefield when arjuna had laid down
his arms. He is vAgmI also because His words are sweet and kind - buddhimAn
madhurAbhAshI pUrvabhAshI pryam vadah - rAma is wise and speaks sweet
words; He is the first to speak and also speaks kind words - ayodhyA kANdam
1.13. A very good summary of the power of His words is quoted in dharma
cakram from the gItA, reflecting arjuna's state of mind after listening to
Lord kr*shNa's words -

nashTo mohah smr*tir-labdhA taaaat-prsAdAn mayA acyuta |

sthito'smi gata-sandehah karishye vacanam tava || (18-73)

"acyuta! By your Grace (gItopadeSam) my ignorance has now gone; I have

regained my memory, and now I am steady and free from doubt and am ready
to act according to Your instructions"

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nAma 269. mheNÔ> - mahEndrah

a) He of great wealth.

b) The God of Indra and other gods.

mahendrAya namah.
The root from which this nAma is derived is idi - paramaiSvarye - to own great
wealth. Since He thus pervades everything in many different ways, He is the
Lord of everything. He is also mahendra because He is the Lord of Indra, who
is the representation of strength, which is one of the six qualities of SrIman
nArAyaNa. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives a second interpretation based indhI
- dIptau to shine, to kindle. Thus He is mahendra since He is the one who
kindles the light in every being or is the light in all beings.

nAma 270. vsud> - vasudah

The Giver of wealth.

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 vasudAya namah.
vasu - dhanam dadAti iti vasu-dah. One who bestows His wealth to the
devotees without their asking for it. He can give the lordship of the three
worlds to a devotee, or He can also give the lesser riches to those who want it.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that this act of bhagavAn giving wealth to
everyone is behind the act of anyone giving anything to anyone. For instance,
when one does vastra-dAnam, or anna-dAnam, or imparts knowledge to another,
or any other act of giving, it is a demonstration of the guNa of Giver of mahA
vishNu.

nAma 271. vsu> - vasuh

He who is Himself the wealth sought by those who have realized the Truth.
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vasave namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 105, and will re-occur as nAma 701. Please
refer to the previous write-up as well. vAsudevah sarvam iti sa mahAtmA
sudurlabhah - Rare indeed is the great soul who has realized that the ultimate
object to be attained is vAsudeva, and the means for attaining this wealth is
also vAsudeva (gItA 7.19). From the next nAma, SrI BhaTTar interprets the
nAma-s as illustrations of the cosmic form or the viSva-rUpa of the Lord.

nAma 272. nEkêp> - naikarUpah

He of Infinite forms (as seen in viSvarUpa).

naikarUpAya namah.
In gItA we have paSyAmi tvAm sarvatah ananta rUpam - I see You everywhere
with Your endless forms - 11.16. SrI cinmayAnanda gives the following quote -

"jalam vishNuh sthalam vishNuh vishNur_AkASam ucyate |

sthAvaram ja~ngamam vishNuh sarvam vishNu-mayam jagat ||"

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SrI rAdhAkr*shNa SAstri expresses his anubhavam of this nAma by pointing
out that this guNa of assuming multiple forms is consistent with (almost
necessitated by) His role is the Giver of wealth to everyone. For giving wealth
to everyone, He needed to be in multiple forms and at multiple places at the
same time.

nAma 273. b&hÔUp> - bruhadrUpah

He of an immense form.

br*had-rUpAya namah.
br*hat means mahat or big. SrI T. S. Kr*shNamUrti has translated this as
'mysterious'. He is of an immense form. SrI Sankara has given the example of

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the varAha incarnation where He carried the submerged Earth with a form
which was big enough to ensure that the Earth did not submerge again as it
was carried. The trivikrama incarnation is another example where His form
covered all the three worlds and the skies. SrI cinmayAnanda gives the
purusha sUktam passage - atyatishThat daSA~ngulam - He is not only of the
total size and dimension of the Universe but He stands beyond it by ten digits.
The dharma cakram author points out that to "see" this br*had-rUpam, the
mortal eyes are not sufficient, and it is thus that we do not just see Him but
have to experience Him. The more we see this immensity of His Nature and His
sarva vyApatitvam, the more we will get out of this "small" world or our bodies
and our small pleasures.

nAma 274. izipivò> - sipivishTah

He who pervades the rays.

Sipi-vishTAya namah.
The word Sipi has two meanings - rays and animals. Thus there are two
interpretations. The first is that He is Sipi-vishTa because He is in the forms

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 of rays for example the Sun's rays, the rays emanating from the fire, etc. SrI
BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is Sipayah - raSmayah, tAn sampravishTah -
vyAptavAn iti SipivishTah. He quotes Yaska from nirukata to support this -
Sipayo raSmayah ucyante, taih AvishTah. In the nirukti which is a summary of
SrI BhaTTar's interpretations by an unknown author, we have

Sipayo raSmayah proktAh vyApya teshvapi vartanAt |

SipivishTah samAkhyAtah sUryendy-agnAdi rUpavat ||

In mahAbhArata we have

Sipi-vhshTeti yaccAsya pItam romam ca yad-bhavet |

tenApi vishTam yat ki~ncit Sipi-vishTam hi tat-smr*tam ||

(Santi parva 343-41)

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"He has tawny hairs on His body; with that body He has pervaded all other
things. So He is known as Sipi-vishTa." In udyoga parva we have roma kupeshu
ca tathA sUryasyeva marIcayah - He who enters into the pores of the body
like the rays of the sun. lingAyatasUrin in his vyAkhyAna for amarakoSa has
given the following - Sipishu paSushu janeshu vishTo vyApta iti SipivishTah -
One who has pervaded all animals and humans is SipivishTah.

nAma 275. àkazn> - prakAsanah

a) One who shows Himself to His devotees.

b) One who illumines everything.

prakASanAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma to mean that BhagavAn shows His celestial
form to arjuna and others who long to see it. SrI Sankara's interpretation is
that He is prakASana because He illumines everything - prakASayati iti
prakASanah. The dharam cakram writer points out that the illumination He
provides is the path that leads to His realization.

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 SlOkam 30
AaejStejae*uitxr> àkazaTma àtapn>,

\ÏSSpòa]rae mÙíNÔa<zuÉaRSkr*uit>. 30.

OjastEjO dyutidharah prakAsAtmA pratApanah |

riddhas spashTaaksharO mantras candrAamsur bhAaskaradyutih ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 276. AaejStejae*uitxr> - Ojas

Ojas--tEjO dyuti--dharah
tEjO--dyuti

One who is endowed with strength, vigor and brilliance.

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ojas-tejo-dyuti-dharAya namah.
Ojas means strength or inherent vitality, tejas means reputation or power to
overcome enemies, and dyuti means effulgence or radiance. Since bhagavAn
alone has all of these, He is ojas-tejo-dyuti-dharah. Recall that we are now
going through the nAma-s that describe the viSva-rupa. SrI Sankara gives the
reference to gItA - tejas-tejasvinAmaham (7-10), and balam balavatAam
cAham (7-11).

nAma 277. àkazaTma - prakAsAtmA

He of a nature that is well-known to all.

prakASAtmane namah.
dhRtarAshtra was blind not only externally but also in his mind. Even to him,
bhagavAn made Himself known. In mahAbhArata -udyoga parva, dhRtarAshtra
says -

"tvameva puNdarIkAksha! Sarvasya jagatah prabhuh |

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 tasmAt te yAdava-SreshTha! PrasAdam kartumarhasi ||

"Oh Lotus-eyed One! You are the Protector of all the worlds. Therefore, the
foremost among the yAdavas! You should take pity on me. "Another
interpretation is that He has a form whose nature is of radiance. The writer in
dharma cakram points out that the prakASa or light from the sun and stars
can reveal external objects, but none of these can reveal the Absolute Truth.
This can be revealed only by mahAvishNu the prakASAtmA, who gives the
external light to the sun and stars in the first instance.

nAma 278. àtapn> - pratApanah

He who scorches (His enemies).

pratApanAya namah.
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SrI BhaTTar interprets this nAma in the context of the gItA where arjuna
says that he is unable to stand the sight of the magnificent viSva-rUpa
darSanam when Lord KRshNa reveals that the enemies in the kaurava side are
falling into the fiery mouth of the Lord and being scorched to their end -
tejobhirApUrya jagat samastambhAsastavogrAh pratapanti vishNo (gItA
11.30). SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that this can also refer to the
time of pralaya when the Lord scorches the Earth with the prlayAgni. SrI
Sankara gives the explanation that He is pratApana because He heats the
world through power manifestations like the Sun.

nAma 279. \Ï> - riddhah

He who is full in all respects.

RddhAya namah.
The root from which this word is derived is Rdh vRddhau - to prosper, to
increase. He is full of guNa-s like dharma, knowledge, dispassion, etc.

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nAma 280. Spòa]r> - spashTa
spashTa--aksharah

He of clear words (through the veda-s).

spashTAksharAya namah.
The reference here is to the veda-s. SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is that He
is spaTAksharah because He revealed Himself through the letters of the
veda-s very clearly. SrI Sankara's interpretation is that He has this nAma
because He is clearly indicated by the supreme sound of PraNavam. SrI
cinmayAnanda gives the reference to gItA in support of this interpretation -

mityekAksharam brahma vyAharan mAm anusmaran |

Yah prayAti tyajan deham sa yAti paramAm gatim||

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"One who chants my name (PraNavam) and leaves his body at the time of death
thus remembering Me, he shall go to the Supreme state". SrI satyadevo
vAsishTha gives a very different interpretation. He uses the root spaS
bandhane - to tie together, and akshara to mean things that don't disappear
but reappear again and again until (and even after?) pralaya - he uses the
words Apralaya sthAyI nakshatrAdi in Hindi), viz. the nakshatra manDala etc.
Thus he interprets this nAma's meaning as referring to mahA vishNu who has
thus tied together and is holding together this Universe with its constellation
of the heavenly bodies.

nAma 281. mÙ> - mantrah

The mystic word (He who protects those who meditate on His name).

mantrAya namah.
tan-mantAram trAyate iti mantArah, or mananAt trAyate iti mantrah -mantra
is that which protects him who meditates on it. In BrahmA purANa, BhagavAn
says -

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sadagopan.org

mantrAya namah
SrI Lakshmi HayagrIvan
PoundarIkapuram SrImad Andavan Ashramam - SrI Rangam

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thRshNA toya samAkIrNAt ghorAt samsAra sAgarAt |

apArAt pAramApnoti yo mAm smarati nityaSah ||

"He who thinks of me always, will certainly cross this vast and frightful sea of
samsAra which is filled with the waters of greed and avarice". SrI BhaTTar
also gives the reference to the varAha carama Sloka-s from varAha purANa -

sthithe manasi susvsthe SarIre sati yo narah |

dhAtu-sAmye sthithe smartA viSva-rUpam ca mAma ajam ||

tatastam mriyamANam tu kAshTha pAshANa sannibham |

aham smarAmi mad-bhaktam nayAmi paramAm gatim ||

"The man who, when his mind is in normal condition, when the body is not
shattered, and when the elementary constituents of his body (dhAtu-s) are in

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perfect equipoise, meditates on Me who has the world as My body and who am
not subject o births due to karmA - when that man lies like a log of wood or a
piece of stone in his dying moments, I think of this devotee of Mine and lead
to attain the Supreme Abode".

SrI Sankara gives the interpretation that He is the Sacred formula in the
form of the three veda-s. The writer in dharma cakram gives the perspective
on the importance of mantra-s in our scheme of life. Just as we take external
bath for keeping our bodies clean, mantra-s are the means to keep our minds
clean. This can be done either through constant repetition of the mantra-s
(japam), through deep and constant contemplation (meditation), through
musical singing (bhajans) etc. Recall tirumangai AzhvAr - nalamtarum Sollai nAn
kaNDu koNDEn nArAyaNA ennum nAmam - peria tirumozhi1-1-9).

nAma 282. cNÔa<uzu> - candrAamsuh

He who is possessed of the effulgent rays like those of the moon.

canDrAmSave namah.

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 The word canDra is derived from the root cadi AhlAde dIptau ca - to delight,
to shine. He brings delight to the minds of those who are scorched by the heat
of samsAra. He also nurtures the vegetable kingdom with nutrition -
paushNAmi caushadIh sarvA somo bhUtvA rasAtmakah - gItA15-13. It is
known in experience also that the cool rays of the moon are soothing. BhavAn
is like the rays of the moon for His devotees.

nAma 283. ÉaSkr*uit> - bhAaskaradyutih

He who has the effulgence of the sun.

bhAskara-dyutaye namah.
This effulgence is such that it shatters and throws His enemies in all
directions. Recall the reference to Lord rAma as rAma-divAkara -
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Sara jAlAmSumAnSUrah kape! RAma-divAkarah |

Satru-rakshomayam toyam uapSosham nayishyati ||

(sundara kANdam 37-18)

"O Monkey (HanumAn)! The sun-like rAma, who is valiant and who has heaps of
ray-like arrows, will certainly dry up the water of the inimical rAkshasa-s. "The
reference to SrI AndAl's tiruppAvai (kadir madiyam pOl mugattAn) is relevant
in this context. Dr. V. V. rAmAnujan in his vishNu shasranAma bhAshyam
points out the significance of the two nAma-s - candrAmSuh and bhAskara-
dyutih occurring side by side. It is unique that BhagavAn has at the same time
the comforting coolness of the moon and the scorching heat of the sun in Him
- He is soothing to His devotees and burning to His enemies. The description of
the viSva-rUpam continues, and we know from arjuna's description that the
tejas of the viSva-rUpam is scorching and frightful. An instance of this
simultaneous existence of the soothing and burning guNa-s of His tejas is the
nRsimha incarnation, where His form terrorized hiraNyakaSipu, and but was
divinely pleasing to prahlAda. He is bhAskara-dyutih also because He is the
cause for the dyuti or brightness of bhAskara or the sun, or for that matter,

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the brightness in every one of us. We can see the brightness of the sun but we
cannot seethe brightness of mahA vishNu. His effulgence is explained by
sanjaya in the gItA -

divi sUrya sahasrasya bhaved yugapadutthitA |

yadi bhAh sadRSI sA syAd-bhAsas-tasya mahAtmanah ||

(gItA 11-12)

"If simultaneously thousands of suns appear in the sky shining bright, the
tejas or effulgence that is seen can be compared to a fraction of the tejas of
paramAtmA".

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 SlOkam 31
Am&ta<zUÑvae ÉanuZzzibNÊSsureñr>,

AaE;x< jgtSsetu> sTyxmRpra³m>. 31.

amrutAmsUdbhavO bhAnus sasabindus surEsvarah |

aushadham jagatassEtus satyadharma parAkramah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 284. Am&ta<zUÑv> - amrutAmsUdbhavah

The source of nectar-rayed moon.

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amRtAmSUdbhavAya namah.
This nAma consists of three words - amRta, amSu, and udbhavah.

1. amRta means immortal or life-giving,

2. amSu refers to rays, and

3. udbhavah is one who created.

Both SrI BhaTTar and SrI Sankara have interpreted this as referring to the
creation of the moon by the Lord during the churning of the Milky Ocean. This
is generally the interpretation that most other authors have accepted. SrI
cinmayAnanda gives reference to the gItA to point out how the moon's rays
are life-giving to the plants - pushNAmi caushadhIh sarvAh somo bhUtvA
rasAtmakah - I become the life-giving rays of the moon and make all the plants
grow and flourish. SrI satyadevo vASishTha has given an independent
interpretation. He uses the meaning liquid or "jalam" for the word amRta, and
the meaning "distribute" from amSu - vibhAjane to distribute, and gives the
interpretation that the name means that He created the life-forms by
distributing the waters or amRta. He gives the example of how the life-form is
created in the mother's womb floating in the waters, and how the physical

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body is kept healthy and well-nourished by drinking the water and eating the
food.

nAma 285. Éanu> - bhAnu

The lustrous Sun or One who is Radiant.

bhAnave namah.
BhAtiiti bhAnuh - That which shines or One who shines. BhagavAn is the
source of radiance to the Sun itself. The passage from muNDakopanishad -
tameva bhAntamanubhAti sarvam, tasya bhAsA sarvamidam vibhAti -(muNda -
2.2.10). He illumines Himself, and illumines everything else in this world as well,
including the Sun, whose lustre is one-thousandth of His lustre. SrI satyadevo

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vAsishTha also points out that He is the lustre in all of us by being the agni or
fire in all bodies. As long as this agni is lit in our body, we are healthy; when
the fire subsides, the body is non-functional (death of the body occurs). So He
is the bhAnu in all of us. The dharma cakram author reminds us that the light
of the Sun can only give external light, but cannot help in revealing the
paramAtmA or the Supreme Soul. This can be done only by the paramAtmA or
bhAnu.

nAma 286. zzibNÊ> - sasabinduh

a) He who disowns the evil-minded.

b) The Moon

c) One who controls the paths of the planets and the stars.

SaSabindave namah.
SrI BhaTTar derives the interpretation from SaSa - pluta gatau - to swerve or
jump from the right path, and bindu derived from bidi - to disown. SrI Sankara
has interpreted the nAma as referring to the moon. The interpretation given is

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 - One who has the mark of a hare - viz. the moon. This is based on the words
SaSa meaning hare, and bindu meaning a dot. Since the moon has a mark which
looks like a hare, this interpretation is given. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha has
used the nAmaas SaSa-vinduh instead of SaSa-binduh. He uses the meaning
for SaSa as that which leaps or moves around, from the root SaS - pluta-
gatau. For vindu he derives the meaning from the root vid - j~nAne - to know
( based on the pANinisUtra vinduricchuh - 3.2.167) - vinduh = vedana SilAh -
intelligent. Thus for the nAma SaSavinduh, the meaning given is One who knows
(controls) the paths of all the planets and stars (the Sun, the moon, etc.).

nAma 287. sureñr> - surEsvarah

The Lord of the gods.

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sureSvarAya namah.
SurANAm IsvarahsureSvarah - One who is the Leader of all the gods. Just as
He disowns those who go in the wrong path (previous nAma), this name says
that he is the Leader of those who tread the good path. The word sura itself
is composed of su - Sobhana,and rA - dAnah i.e., one that brings or bestows
auspicious or good things. One who is the Lord of those who bestow
auspiciousness or do good in plenty is sureSvara. The dharma cakram writer
reminds us that the significance of this nAma is that by worshipping mahA
vishNu who is the sureSvara, we will move towards the path of the sura-s.

nAma 288. AaE;xm! - aushadham

The Medicine.

aushadhAya namah.
He is the Ultimate Medicine for the poison of samsAra, and there is no other
medicine for this. In mahAbhArata we have "devA devarshayaScaiva yam viduh
duhkha bheshajam"-The gods and the celestial sages know Him to be the

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remedy for distress - Santi parvA 79-22. Another quote in SrI BhaTTar's
vyAkhyAnam (the source is not given) is "ekAgratA mUlya balena labhyam
bhavaushadham tvam bhagavan! kilaikah"- Oh BhagavAn! Thou alone art verily
the recipe for the samSAra, and can be obtained by the high price of the
concentration of the mind on Thee". Dr.V.V. rAmAnujan has given the following
reference from divya prabandham in support of the interpretation of this
nAma - "tE~ngOda vaNNan varu naragamtIrkkum marundu" - 3rd tiruvandAdi -
3. The dharma cakram writer points out that BhagavAn who is Nature
Incarnate is aushdham in day-to-day life as well since inhaling the fresh air of
nature, eating food which is not synthetic, etc., lead to a healthier life.

nAma 289. jgtSsetu> - jagatassEtu

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a) The barrier for the world.

b) The bridge for crossing the ocean of samsAra.

c) One who binds and keeps in-tact all that moves in this world.

jagatah-setave namah.
He is the barrier that ensures that there is order in the different things in
this world, by making sure that the good and bad do not mix together in a
chaotic way. He ensures that there is no effect for the karma that is not
undertaken, there is always effect for the karma that has been undertaken.
Those who do good get the benefit for their good and those who indulge in bad
deeds get the benefit of their bad deeds, etc. The passage from bRhadAraNya
upanishad is given in support of this interpretation - eshahsetuh vidharaNa
eshAm lokAnAm asambhedAya - 6.4.22 (He is the bridge that supports all the
worlds so that they may not get into confusion). SrI Sankara gives an
additional interpretation, viz. that He is the bridge for crossing the ocean of
samsAra. SrI satdevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that BhagavAn ties
together all that exists in this world. This includes the function of holding
together the different bones, nerves, and muscles in the body, as well as the

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 system of stars and planets. Jagat is derived from gati - that which moves,
and setu - that which binds. He is the setu in all bodies, and in addition holds
all these bodies and other things that exist in this world together in order,
and thus He is hagatah-setu. The dharma cakram writer gives the example of a
river which is bound by its banks and kept in control, or the ocean which is
bound by the land surrounding it and kept under control. So also, BhagavAn has
kept the jIvAtmA under control by limiting it to the indriya sukham and the
ocean of samsAra. It is only mahA vishNu who can help this jIvAtmA out of
these bounds, and it is by meditating on Him that the jIvAtmA can get
liberated and cross the ocean of samsAra.

nAma 290. sTyxmRpra³m> - satyadharmaparAkramah

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One whose qualities and valor are always true.

satya-dharma-parAkramAya namah.
Here dharma refers to the auspicious qualities of BhagavAn, and parAkrama
refers to His valor. One in whom they are never failing (satya) is satya-
dharma-parAkramah. SrI cinmayAnanda interprets the nAmato mean that
BhagavAn is one who embodies satya (truth), dharma (righteous), and
parAkrama (heroism). In vAlmIki rAmAyaNa SrI rAma is referred to assatya-
parAkramah - One whose parAkrama is never in vain, and is always used for the
good of the world. The writer in dharma cakram points out that the nAma tells
us the importance of living a life of truth, righteousness, and the valor
resulting from this kind of life. Those who live a life along these lines are
bound to succeed in what they do, as evidenced by the lives of HanumAn,
BhIshma, etc.

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 SlOkam 32
ÉUtÉVyÉvÚaw> pvn> pavnae=nl>,

kamha kamk«TkaNt> kam> kamàd> àÉu>. 32.

bhUtabhavya bhavannAthah pavanah pAvanO=nalah |

kAmahA kAmakruthkAntah kAmah kAmapradah prabhuh ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 291. ÉUtÉVyÉvÚaw> - bhUtabhavya

bhUtabhavya--bhavannAthah

The Lord of all in the past, present and future.

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bhUta-bhavya-bhavan-nAthAya namah.
Sankara distinguishes the meanings of the two nAma-s by interpreting the
first one as "The Lord of Past, Present, and Future", or that He is beyond
time, and the current one as "The Lord of all beings in the Past, Present, and
Future". In other words, the first interpretation refers to His being Timeless,
and the second refers to His being the Lord of all beings in all time.

nAma 292. pvn> - pavanah

He who moves about (Wind).

pavanAya namah.
Pavata iti pavanah. SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation based on the root
pavi - to move about. He moves about in all places at al times with no
constraints. The wind's ability to do this is but a fraction of His ability in this
regard. pavatAm pavanah asmi (gItA 10-31) - Among those that move about, I
am the wind.

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 SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meaning for this nAma as One who is Pure,
and for the next nAma he gives the interpretation that in addition to His being
Pure (pavanah), He also purifies everything else -pAvanah).

nAma 293. pavn> - pAvanah

He who purifies everything.

pAvanAya namah.
pAvayati iti pAvanah. pAvanah sarva-lokAnAm tvameva raghu-nandana -Oh
Scion of raghu race! You alone are the purifier of all the worlds -rAmAyaNam -
uttara kANDam - 32.9. The power of Ganges to purify anyone from all sins is
because of its contact with His Sacred Feet. We have in SrI vishNu
sahasranAmam "pavitrANAm pavitram yo mangalAnAm camangalam - He is the
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Purest of the pure, and the Most Auspicious among those that are auspicious".
SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives the reference from tiruvAi-mozhi (2-8-5) - devAdi-
deva perumAn en tIrthanE - tIrthan here means Pure. Another reference he
has given is - karam nAngudaiyAn pErOdi tIrthakarar Amin (iraNDAm
tiruvandAdi - 14) - Let us become pure by chanting the name of the One with
Four Hands.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that it is mahA-vishNu's pAvana Sakti

that is at play when the effect of the poison of a crab bite is removed from
the body of a person by dropping the juice of red chile in the ears of that
person. He gives several other examples as well.

nAma 294. Anl> - analah

One who is never satisfied (in His Mercy or dayA).

analAya namah.
alam means "to be satisfied". analam is the condition of never being satisfied.
SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference to periya tiruvandAdi - unaDiyArkku en

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Seyvan enRE irutti nI (53) - "Always thinking about what You can do next for
Your devotees". He is the One who helped draupadi during her time of distress
and then forever felt that He did not do enough for her because He did not
personally appear in the palace when she called for Him, and when He
ultimately departed for SrI vaikunTham, still felt that He was indebted -
RNam pravRttam idam me hRdayAtnApasarpati.

analam literally refers to fire (since fire is never satisfied, and will keep
consuming more and more things if left uncontrolled). A certain amount of heat
is necessary in the body for the body to continue alive. Since He is the fire
that supports life in the body, He is called anala. The insatiable nature of His
dayA has been sung by SrI deSika in dayASatakam, where we find that no
matter what great sins we have committed, His dayA will consume (forgive) all
those when we surrender to Him with devotion and sincerity. The hunger of

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His dayA will not be easily quenched even by the enormous sins committed by
us, and He will forgive all these if we adopt the simple step of SaraNAgati to
Him (Slokam 29 of dayASatakam). He is like the fire that will burn all our sins
without limit. So He is analah in this sense as well.

nAma 295. kamha - kAmaha

The Destroyer of desires.

kAma-ghne namah.
He removes the desires in worldly matters in the minds of His devotees. SrI
cinmayAnanda gives an analysis of why it is necessary that desire should be
destroyed. When desire arises, there are two possibilities -either the desire is
fulfilled, or it is not. If it is fulfilled, the result is the desire for more - greed.
If it is not fulfilled, the outcome is anger and frustration. So for inner calm,
desire needs to be destroyed, and it is only His Grace which can cause this to
happen.

Someone who has successfully climbed a very high hill will not desire to

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 conquer a smaller hill. So also, one who has developed a desire for the
paramAtmA will not desire anything less or anything else. He iskAma-hA in the
sense that desire in Him will automatically destroy the desire in lesser objects.

nAma 296. kamk«t! - kAmakruth

One who creates desirable things, and also fulfils the desires.

kAma-kRte namah.
He fulfils whatever is desired, be it towards bhoga or moksha. SrI satyadevo
vAsishTha gives the explanation - kAmAn karoti pUrayati itikAma-kRt - One
who fulfils the desires. It is natural that a person with less wealth goes to a
person with more wealth for fulfilling his need. The only one who can ultimately
fulfill the desires of anyone is the One who has everything, vishNu the kAma-
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kRt. kAma-kRt can also mean One who creates desires; in this sense, He
creates the good desires, just as He destroys the undesirable desires (kAma-
hA).

The dharma cakram writer from mANikka vAcakar "vENDattakkadu aRivOy nI,
vENDa muzhudum taruvOy nI, vENDum pariSu onRu uNDu enil aduvum
undanviruppanRE". He also quotes tirumangai AzhvAr in this context -
kulamtarum Selvam tandiDum, aDiyAr padDum tuyar Ayina ellAm nilam
taramSeyyum nIL viSumbum aruLum aruLODu peru nilam aLikkum, nalam
tarumSollai nAn kaNDu konDEn nArAyaNA ennum nAmam. He gives the lesser
objects to those who desire this, and the very utterance of His nAma can give
moksham also.

nAma 297. kaNt> - kAntah

He who is charming.

kAntAya namah.
This nAma will re-occur as nAma 660 later. kAnta also means attraction. In

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tamizh, this word is used to refer to magnet. The dharma cakram writer
describes the different kinds of attraction, involving the five senses, as well
as the attraction involving thought and the one involving good behavior or
character. BhagavAn is kAntah because He is the One responsible for all the
different types of attractions, and in addition He is also attractive in every
one of these.

nAma 298. kam> - kAmah

The Lovable (or manmatha).

kAmAya namah.
People in this world are after dharma, artha, kAma or moksha. For all these
four, He is the one who is sought after. The dharma cakram writer points out

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that those who desire wealth or physical objects and are after sensuous
attraction lower themselves, whereas those who desire bhagavAn elevate
themselves. Those who desire the ultimate liberation know that the most
desirable is bhagavAn vishNu. kAma also refers to manmatha, who is
considered the god of desire. manmatha's ability to be desirable is but a
fraction of bhagavAn's.

nAma 299.kamàd> - kAmapradah

The Grantor of wishes.

kAma-pradAya namah.
He grants the wishes of those who desire Him as well as those who are after
trifles. For those who desire nothing other than Him, He fulfils their desire by
being in their mind constantly. He makes Himself available in any form that is
desired. In kaThopanishad we have "ekobahUnAm yo vidadhAti kAmAn (2.5)" -
The One who fulfils the desires of the many.

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 nAma 300. àÉu> - prabhuh

1. One who has the supreme power to attract the minds of all towards
Himself;

2. One who surpasses all in being.

prabhave namah.
Power to attract everyone's mind towards Him through His extreme loveliness.
SrI Sankara bhAshyam for this nAma is prakarsheNa bhavanAtprabhuh - One
who surpasses all in being. The dharma cakram writer gives examples of how
bhagavAn surpasses all in being: by not slipping from the right path (acyuta),
by always having the indriya-s under control (hRshI-keSah), by establishing
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dharma over adharma (paritrANAyasAdhUnAm vinASAya ca dushkRtAm), by

being the destroyer of the evil asura-s (madhu-sUdana, keSi-sUdana, kamsa
cANUra mardana, etc.)...

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 SlOkam 33
Starting from this, up to nAma 313, are interpreted by SrI BhaTTar as
referring to the vata-patra-SAyI avatAra or the incarnation as a Child on the
banyan leaf.

yugaidk«*ugavtaeR nEkmayae mhazn>,

A†Zyae Vy´têpí shöijdnNtijt!. 33.

yugAdikrut ugAvartO naikamAyO mahAsanah |

adrusyO vyaktarUpasca sahasrajidanantajit ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

sadagopan.org
nAma 301. yugaidkt! - yugAdikrut

The Creator at the beginning of a yuga.

yugAdi-kRte namah.
SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation "yugasya ante'pi Adim karoti" - Even at
the end of a yuga, He makes the beginning of another. Even at the dissolution
of the Universe, He saves it from the distress of Deluge by beginning the
Universe again; even at the end of the Universe through pralaya, He begins
Creation again.

SrI Sankara gives the derivation:

yugAdeh kAla-bhedasya kartRtvAtyugAdi-kRt

He is called yugAdi-kRt because He is the cause of periods of time such as

yuga.

According to SrI cinmayAnanda, Adi here refers to other divisions of time

such as centuries, years, months, days, etc.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri suggests that through these divisions of time, like

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 the day and night following each other, He gives a meaning of continuity to
time which is otherwise a never-ending cakra or circle with no beginning or end.
The word yuga is derived from the root yuj - yoge - to unite. He creates the
continuity or connectivity between one yuga and another by ensuring that the
life-forms are re-created according to their karma-s.

A related alternate interpretation given by SrI Sankara is yugAnAm

AdimArambham karoti iti yugAdi-kRt - The Institutor of the yuga etc. It may
be recalled that there are four yuga-s, kRta, tretA, dvApara, and kali.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets yuga as kAla-cakra, Adi as beginning, and

the term yugAdi as referring to the Sun, who is the cause of the division of
time as day and night etc. He then interprets yugAdi-kRt as the One who
created the Sun or One who created the kAla-cakra.
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The dharma cakram writer points outs the limited nature of our body and our
life in this world in the context of this huge, immeasurable, and unending, kAla
or time. Instead of wasting it on petty goals, and worrying about the past
which is gone or the future on which we have no control, we should learn to
meditate on Him in the present, over which we have control.

nAma 302. %gavtR> - ugAvartah

He who revolves the yuga-s or aeons.

yugAvartAya namah.
Avarta refers to revolution or rotation. SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is that
He is yugAvarta because He makes the kRta and other yuga-s go round again
and again with their respective dharma-s. (It is said that if the extent of
dharma in the society in kRta yuga is 100%, that in tretA yuga is75%, in
dvApara yuga is 50%, and that in kali yuga is 25%. kRta yuga is also called satya
yuga based on this). This rotation is seen in a dimension where we can relate to
it easily in the form of day and night, morning, afternoon, and evening, the four
seasons with their constant attributes (rain, snow, heat, etc.,) repeating again

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and again. He is not only the Creator of Time as we saw in the previous nAma,
but He is also the Administrator of Time as we see in this nAma.

nAma 303. nEkmay> - naikamAyah

He of multifarious wonders.

naika-mAyAya namah.
This is one of the nAma-s for which the interpretation of SrI BhaTTar and
SrI Sankara are purely based on the respective philosophies (viz.,
viSishTAdvaita and advaita respectively) to which they subscribed.

SrI BhaTTar points out that mAyA here refers to knowledge or wonderful
truths, and should not be interpreted as illusion. He is naika-mAya because of

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His innumerable and wonderful exploits. He gives several examples to point out
the use of the word not as illusion but as truth, knowledge, etc.
"mAyAm tu prakRtim vidyAt" - Know that mAyA is prakRti or Primordial
Matter.

"mAyA vayunam j~nAnam" - all signify knowledge, according to niruktam.

In vishNu purANa, there is mention of Lord vishNu destroying the thousands

of mAya-s of SambarAsura with His discus. If mAyA here refers to illusion,
then a discus was not needed to destroy it; so obviously here mAyA refers to
real objects.

SrI Sankara gives the interpretation that this nAma refers to His assuming
many forms of illusion.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning from the root mA - mAne - to
measure, and gives the interpretation that this nAma means that He has
innumerable dimensions to Him.

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 nAma 304. mhazn> - mahAsanah

He who is a voracious eater.

mahASanAya namah.
mahat aSanam yasya sah mahASanah. The root is aS - bhojane - to eat. The
reference here is to His swallowing the seven worlds. Recall the pASuram
"ulagam uNDa peru vAyA". Also we have from tiruvAi mozhi- "kArEzh kaDalEzh
malai Ezh ulagu uNDum ArA vayiRRAnai aDa~ngap piDittEnE" - 10-8-2.

SrI Sankara refers to His act of consuming everything during the time of
pralaya.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives another additional derivation for this nAma
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based on aS - vyAptau sa~nghAte ca - to pervade, to accumulate. So in addition

to the meaning that His food is huge, he also gives the alternate interpretation
that His pervasion or vyApti is large or extensive.

nAma 305. A†Zy> - adrusyah

He Who cannot be seen.

adRSyAya namah.
BhagavAn's acts are inscrutable. In mahAbhAratam, we have

katham nu ayam SiSuh Sete loke nASam upAgate |

tapasA cintayanScApi tam SiSum nopalakshaye ||

(vana parva -191-94)

"When the entire world has met with destruction, how come this child is alive
and lying down (on a leaf)? Even though I try to understand this through the
power of my austerities, I am unable to understand the true nature of this
child".

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SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr -

"katkilI unnaik kANumARu aruLAi tiruvAi mozhi 7.2.3.

katkilI here means One who cannot be seen through our normal vision.

In the upanishad-s we have

"adreSyam agrAhyamagotram...." (muNdakopanishad 1.1.6)

"adRSyam avyavahAryam agrAhymalakshaNam...SAntam Sivam advaitam..."

(mAnDUkya 1.7)

The dharma cakram writer points out that He is adRSyah because He cannot
be recognized through the five senses, nor by logical analysis. For that matter,
it is only His Grace that can make Him be realized.

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nAma 306. Vy´têp> - vyakta
vyakta--rUpah

He of a manifest form.

vyakta-rUpAya namah.
His celestial form is easily visualized by the sages such as mArkaNDeya.

atasI-pushpa samkASah SrI-vatsa kRta lakshNah |

sAkshAt lakshmyA iva AvAsah sadA pratibhAti me ||

(bhArata - vana 188.96)

"He, who is like the blue lily flower in color, and who is adorned by the
SrIvatsa mole, appears to me always as the abode of Lakshmi".

tasya tAmra-talau tAta! caraNau supratishThitau |

sujAta-mRdu-raktAbhih a~ngulIbhih alamkRtau ||

praNatena mayA mUrdhnA gRhItvA hyabhivanditau ||

(bhArata - vana 188.13)

"O Dear! His two feet with red surface adorned by the lovely soft and red

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 toes, were firmly placed on my head when I bowed with bent head and
worshipped Him". Notice that just in the previous nAma we had seen Him to be
adRSya, and now we encounter Him as vykata-rUpa. The difference is that in
the previousnAma we saw that He cannot be seen through the normal means of
perception. In the current nAma we see that He is easily perceived by His
devotees who have transcended the influence of the five senses.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that the ca in the Slokam - vyakta
rUpaSca - indicates that even while being adRSya, He is of vykata-rUpa or
manifest form to His devotees, through so many incarnations etc.

The dharma cakram writer points out that the previous nAma revealed
vishNu's attribute which is beyond our perception, and the current nAma
reveals His attribute of being present in everything as antaryAmi.
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nAma 307. shöijt! - sahasrajit

The Conqueror of thousands.

sahasra-jite namah.
SrI BhaTTar interprets the 'thousands' here as referring to thousands of
aeons or Time which He conquers by being in yoga-nidrA while everything else
is dissolved in pralaya.

SrI Sankara interprets it as referring to His conquering thousands of enemies

or asura-s in battle.

nAma 308. AnNtijt! - anantajit

One whose victory is endless, limitless, countless.

ananta-jite namah.
He is ananta-jit because He has everything that exists under His control. In
every incarnation He alone wins in the end. SrI BhaTTar gives the
interpretation that His mahimA or greatness is beyond comprehension.

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 SlOkam 34
#òae=ivizòiZzòeò iZzo{fI nhu;ae v&;>,

³aexha ³aexk«TktaR ivñbahumRhIxr>. 34.

ishTO=visishTas sishTEshTas sikhaNDee nahushO vrushah |

krOdhahA krOdhakruthkartA visvabAhur mahIdharah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

309.. #ò> - ishTah

nAma 309

a) One who is liked by everyone.

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b) One who is worshipped in ishTi or sacrifice.

ishTAya namah.
He is ishTa because He is liked by everyone and this is because He is the
Supreme Bliss. The dharma cakram writer emphasizes that there is nothing
else that is worth liking and going after, because nothing else is Permanent
Bliss. We should learn to convert the desire that we have for material objects
to the desire for understanding AtmA, and ultimately to the desire for
paramAtmA. The second interpretation is self-explanatory, and is related to
the termishTi which means sacrifice.

nAma 310. Aivizò> - avisishTah

a) He who is impartial to everyone.

b) He who cannot be distinguished.

c) He who has no equal.

aviSishTAya namah.

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 He protects everyone just as a mother protects all of her children without
partiality. Another interpretation is that He is aviSishTa because He cannot
be distinguished by virtue of the fact that He is the antaryAmi in everything.
It is unclear from the sources I have on whether SrI BhaTTar had
interpreted309 and 310 together as one nAma - aviSishTah ishTah - meaning
He is one who does not distinguish between beings and treats them all alike
like a mother her children. Two of the four sources I have that follow SrI
BhaTTar's vyAkhyAna treat the two together as one nAma. In the versions
which treat these as two nAma-s, there is a further variation for nAma 310 -
viSishTa instead of aviSishTa - One who is Special and Unique - One who is the
noblest and most sacred. This version is used by SrI cinmayAnanDa.

nAma 311. izòeò> - sishTEshTa

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a) He who is dear even to eminent persons.

b) He who dearly loves the eminent persons

SishTeshTAya namah.
a) SishTAnAm ishTah SishTeshTah or

b) SishTA ishTA asya iti SishTeshTah.

SrI Sankara gives reference to bhagavad-gItA - "priyo hi j~nAnino

atyarthamaham sa ca mama priyah (7.17)" - I am dear to a j~nAni beyond
description; and he is also very dear to Me. A j~nAni here refers to one who
has realized that the one goal that is worth striving for is He, and nothing
else; thus, by his very nature, the only thing dear to him is BhagavAn. SrI
v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruppAvai - "veLLattaravil tuyilamarnda
vittinai uLLattukkoNDu munivargaLum yOgigaLum".

nAma 312. izo{fI - sikhaNDee

a) He who has the plume (or effulgence) of Lordship

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b) He who wears a peacock feather

SikhanDine namah.
The word SikhanDa means a tuft of hair or the plume of a peacock. SrI
BhaTTar uses the meaning 'crest' to mean that He is at the crest or peak of
Lordship. SrI Sankara gives the interpretation that this nAma refers to Lord
KRshNa as a cowherd boy, with the peacock feather in His head.

nAma 313. nhu;> - nahushah

One who binds (the jiva-s by His mAyA).

nahushAya namah.
nahyati iti nahushah. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the interpretation that

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He binds all beings through His beauty and soulabhyam. SrI satyadevo
vAsishTha interprets this to mean that He binds (controls) all beings and so
He is nahushah. This binding extends in the world we observe even to the
different parts of the body being bound appropriately so that they function as
a unit. So also the different planets are bound together so that there is
order.

nAma 314. v&;> - vrushah

a) He who drenches (those who are scorched by the heat of samsAra).

b) He who showers His devotees with all that is asked for

c) He who is the embodiment of dharma.

vRshAya namah.
The word is derived from the root vRsh - to drench or to shower. He also
showers whatever is asked for on His devotees, and so He is vRshah in that
sense as well - kAmAnAm varshaNAt vRshah - SrI Sankara. He also gives the
following verse from mahAbhArata -

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 vRsho hi bhagavAn dharmah smRto lokeshu bhArata|

naighanTuka padAkhyAnaih viddhi mAm vRsha ityuta||

(SAntiparva 330.23)

"O arjuna! vRsha is explained by the lexicographers and likewise known in this
world as sacred dharma. Hence know Me as vRsha". Thus, vRsha and dharma
are synonyms. SrI BhaTTar interprets the next 8 nAma-s as referring to
paraSurAma or bhArgava rAma incarnation.

nAma 315. ³aexha - krOdhahA

a) He who gave up His anger.

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b) He who destroys the anger in sAdhu-s.

krodha-ghne namah.
krodham hanti iti krodha-hA. SrI BhaTTar's interpretation: At the mere
request of KASyapa mahArshi, He gave up His anger which had previously
resulted in the destruction of 21lineages of kshatriya-s. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan
gives reference to divya prabandham in support of this interpretation:
"mazhuvinAl avani araSai mUvezhu-kAl maNi-muDi poDi paDuttu
udirakkuzhuvAr punalil kuLittu ven-kopam tavirndavan" - periya tirumozhi 8-1-
6.SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that this nAma indicates that BhagavAn
can control His anger just at the mere thought of controlling it. In His
incarnation as Lord rAma, we find that He became intensely angry at times
(rosham AhArayat tIvram - 3-30-19), (krodhasya vaSameyivAn - 6-59-136),
but only He can also get rid of this anger at will in an instant. A lesson
applicable in this context to real life is given by the dharma cakram writer who
quotes SrI paramahamsa on how to handle situations which may require one to
be angry - "Hiss but don't bite". In other words, do not ever let your anger
get to a point where you cause harm to others. SrI Sankara's interpretation:
He is krodha-hA since He helps the sAdhu-sto overcome anger. Anger is a

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result of unfulfilled desires, and when desire is overcome, anger is also
overcome.

nAma 316. ³aexk«t! - krOdhakrut

He who developed anger.

krodha-kRte namah.
In His incarnation as paraSurAma, He got angry at kArta-vIrya and his
kshatriya race and destroyed 21 generations of them, before giving up His
anger as mentioned in the previous nAma. SrI Sankara gives the meaning that
He creates anger in people who are wicked or bad - asAdhushu krodham karoti
iti krodha-kRt, and they cause their own destruction because of this anger.

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nAma 317. ktaR - kartA

He who slays.

kartre namah.
Continuing his interpretation of the sequence of nAma-s as describing paraSu-
rAma incarnation, SrI BhaTTar interprets this nAma as referring to the
slaying of kArta-vIrya. SrI Sankara gives the meaning that He is kartA or
Creator of the Universe - kriyata iti karma jagat tasya kartA. SrI Sankara
gives the interpretation for 316 and 317 as individual nAma-s, and also
suggests that the can be considered as one nAma together -krodha-kRt-kartA
- One who destroys those who demonstrate anger viz. the asura-s. For the
purposes of accounting for 1000 nAma-s, 316 and 317 as treated as one nAma
in SrI Sankara bhAshyam, and as two in SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam.

krodha-kRt-kartre namah.
The interpretation in this case is krodha-kRtAm daityAdInAm kartA
chedakaiti ekam nAma. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation -

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 krodhamkaroti iti krodha-kRt krodha-kRtam kRntati chinatti hanti vA
sakrodha-kRt-kartA.

nAma 318. ivñbahu> - visvabahuh

He who has arms for the good of the world.

viSva-bAhave namah.
Bhagavan uses His arms for removing the thorns (evil-doers) for the good of
the world. Hence He is called viSva-bAhuh. Again the context in which SrI
BhaTTar interprets the nAma is with respect to paraSurAma incarnation, and
thus the reference here is to the destruction of 21 generations of rAkshasa-s.
SrI Sankara gives the meaning in a more general sense. He is viSva-bAhu since
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He has arms that are endless in number to support the world, and extend
everywhere for the same cause. In SvetASvatara upanishad, we have
reference to viSvato-bAhuh ( 3.3). Everything depends on Him, and in this
sense also He is viSva-bAhuh. Thus, He has infinite arms for both destroying
the evil-doers (SrI BhaTTar), and for helping His devotees (SrI Sankara). In
both cases, His actions are always for the good of the world. The dharma
cakram writer points out that as we use our hands in performing our karma-s,
BhagavAn performs the acts of creation, protection, etc. of the world, and in
this sense He is viSva-bAhu. The nAma should also remind us that these hands
of ours are for doing good to others.

nAma 319. mhIxr> - mahIdharah

The Supporter of the world.

mahI-dharAya namah.
mahIm dhatte iti mahI-dharah. He supports the world by removing the evil-
doers or wicked people in the world. SrI Sankara bhAshyam is that mahI
means both pUjA (mahatva) and earth. He is mahI-dhara because He accepts

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the offerings from devotees or because He supports the world. SrI
cinmayAnanda gives an example to explain the meaning of 'support'. This is
like the cotton supporting the cloth, the gold supporting the ornament, or the
clay supporting a clay pot. In this sense, His supporting the world is the same
as saying that the world and He are inseparable and same, and the world is one
of His manifestations.

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mahIdharah

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 SlOkam 35
ACyut> àiwt> àa[> àa[dae vasvanuj>,

ApaiÚix rixóanmàmÄ> àitiót>. 35.

acyutah prathitah prANah prANadO vAsavAnujah |

apAnnidhi radhishThAna mapramattah pratishThitah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 320. ACyut> - acyutah

He who does not fall from His status.

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acutAya namah.
This nAma occurred previously (nAma 101).

The different interpretations have been covered there. The additional

material below was not covered earlier. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan adds the following
reference from rAmAyaNa - "mitra-bhAvena samprAptam na tyajeyam
kathancana dosho yadyapi tasyasyAt " - "No matter what flaws a person has, if
he has come to Me seeking My friendship, there is no way that I will abandon
him under any circumstance". SrI rAmAnujan also gives the reference to divya
prabandham - "kArtigaiyAnum kari-mugattAnum kanalum mukkaN-mUrtiyum
mODiyumveppum mudugiTTu" - the reference here is to the story of
bANAsura who was abandoned by the other devatA-s when he approached
them for protection. Not so with bhagavAn - na me bhaktah praNaSyati - "My
devotee will never perish" - gItA. Another meaning for acyta is One who does
not slip from His position - nacyuta iti acyutah. The dharma cakram writer
points to the passage in muNDakopanishad which describes the two birds
sitting in different branches of the tree, one tasting the fruit and the other
just watching the bird that is tasting the fruit (of karma). This has been

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described in a previous write-up. BhagavAn is the acyuta, from His superior
position, watching the jIvAtmA which is tasting the fruits of karma in this
case.

nAma 321. àiwt> - prathitah

One who is famous, One who is of great reputation.

prathitAya namah.
The nAma is derived from the root prath - to become famous (prath -
prakhyAn - prasiddhi). This fame can be associated with the previous nAma -
His guNa of being acyuta, or on account of His creation, sustenance, etc. of
the Universe. Supports for the interpretation are:

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"tasya nAma mahad-yaSah" taittirIya nArAya.1.9

"yaSasaSca eka bhAjanam" rAmAyaNa - kishkindA 15.19

perumai uDiaya pirAnAr tiruvAi mozhi - 1-6-9

nagar-il- pugazhAi tiruvAi mozhi - 6-10-10.

The dharma cakram writer points out that the fame that is derived from
things such as wealth, position in life, etc. are impermanent and disappear as
soon as the underlying cause that resulted in this fame disappears. This is not
the case when the fame results from adherence to dharma, and in this case
the fame is permanent. This is as evidenced by the cases of hariS-canDra, the
pANDava-s, prahlAda, hanumAn, etc. BhagavAn is prathitah for the same
reason i.e., He is satya-parAkrama, satya, satya-kAma, satya-samkalpa, satya-
vrata, etc., and so He is prathitah.

nAma 322. àa[> - prANah

The Life-Breath.

prANAya namah.

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 He is prANa for those who resort to Him (SrI BhaTTar). He is also the life-
energy for all beings (SrI Sankara) - prANo vA aham asmi - aitareyaAraNyaka
2.2.3). SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference to prabandham - ulagukkEOr
uyirumAnAi - tiruvAi mozhi 6-9-7. The next 11 nAma-s are interpreted by SrI
BhaTTar as describing the kUrma (Tortoise) incarnation.

nAma 323. àa[d> - prANadah

The Life-Giver.

prANadAya namah.
Since He gave the strength to the deva-s to churn the Milky Ocean, He
isprANa-dah (SrI BhaTTar). SrI Sankara gives the interpretation that He is
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the Life-giver to everyone (deva-s and asura-s), and also gives an additional
interpretation using the meaning dyati - cuts - He cuts the strength of asura-
s. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the following explanation - prANan dadAti
dyati khaNDayati va sa prANa-dah - BhagavAn both gives life to all beings, and
takes away the life of all beings when the time comes, and so He is prANa-dah
in both senses. The dharma cakram writer points out that the different
aspects of our life and body - such as our thoughts, our words, etc., are all
different reflections of the prANa in us. Without prANa, our life will cease to
exist, and our body will cease to function. But by controlling this prANa, we
can control our body and all its actions. There is no limit to what can be
achieved by having control over our prANa or breath. This nAma of
mahAvishNu should teach us that the prANa that has been given to us by Him
should be used for good purpose.

nAma 324. vasvanuj> - vAsavAnujah

The younger brother of vAsava or indra.

vAsavAnujAya namah.

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SrI BhaTTar says in his vyAkhyAna that this nAma refers to BhagavAn being
born as the younger brother of indra in order to help him get the nectar which
he wishes to have.

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan points out that the reference in this nAma is NOT to
upendra or vAmana (nAma 153). I am unable to explain what this incarnation
is.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives an interpretation which does not involve a

reference to indra. He interprets vAsavAnujah to mean One who has entered
into everything in this world -

vasati sarvatra vaste sarvam iti vA vAsuh ISvarah;

vAsohidam vAsavam sarvam jagat;

vAsavam jagat anujAto = anupravishTovAsavAnujah.

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nAma 325. Apa< inix> - apAm
apAm--nidhi

The Sustainer of the waters of the ocean.

apAm-nidhaye namah.
SrI BhaTTar continues his interpretation of this nAma based on the kUrma
incarnation, and points out that this name indicates that He sustained the
great Ocean when it was being churned. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to
tiruvAi mozhi - appanE! Azh-kaDalaik kaDaindatuppanE! (4.7.5). SrI Sankara
gives the meaning "The Ocean" to this nAma based on "Apo yatranidhIyante
sah apAm-nidhih - The place where the waters get collected in abundance". He
also gives reference to the gItA - sarasAm asmi sAgarah -Among lakes I am
the Ocean - gItA 10.24. SrI cinmayAnanda points out that the glory and
might of the oceans are but a tiny reflection of bhagavAn's glory divine. SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri takes the anubhavam of this nAma a step further and
points out that just as the waters of all the rivers and canals ultimately reach
the ocean and lose their identity, so also those who worship BhagavAn become

297
 one with Him. In this sense He is apAm-nidhih, or the Ocean where everybody
merges in the end. The dharma cakram writer points out that just as the
ocean is the beginning and the end for the water (by evaporation of the waters
of the ocean, the vapor rises, condenses and comes back in the forms of rain,
which then forms the rivulets and rivers, and these in turn go back to the
ocean), so also the beings of this world originate from Him, and ultimately
merge back into Him. Just as the good water as well as the dirty water gets
into the ocean but then lose their identity and get merged into the ocean, so
also the jIvAtmA-s attain equality without distinction when they reach Him.
Unlike the bounds which man can place for the lesser bodies of water, there is
no bound that he can place for the ocean - another reflection of BhagavAn
asapAm-nidhih or Ocean. Though the external surface of the ocean is full of
waves, its deep inside is peace incarnate, and in this sense also He is apAm-
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nidhih.

nAma 326. Aixóanm! - adhishThAnam

The Support.

adhishThAnAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar interprets this as referring to His supporting the mandara
mountain in His kUrma incarnation. He gives reference to vishNu purANa in
support -

"kshIroda-madhye bhagavAn kUrma-rUpI svayam harih |

mandarAdreh adhishThAnam bhramato'bhUt mahA-mune ||

(1.9.88)
BhagavAn nArAyaNa Himself, in the form of kUrma, supported the mandara
mountain in the middle of the Milk Ocean when the mountain was revolving (at
the time of churning)". SrI Sankara gives the more general meaning that He is
adhishThAnam because He is the basis or support for everything in this
Universe - adhithishThantibhUtAni.

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nAma 327. AàmÄ> - apramattah

The Vigilant.

apramattAya namah.
He is extremely attentive in the protection of those who are in distress (SrI
BhaTTar). pramatta refers to one who is careless or inattentive. apramatta
refers to His guNa of extreme vigilance in protecting those who have
surrendered to Him - ASrita-rakshakan. SrI Sankara's interpretation is that
He is vigilant in awarding the effects of karma to those who are entitled to
them. SrI cinmayAnanda points out that pramada refers to one who makes
errors in judgment, and apramatta is One who does not make errors in

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judgment. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that the vigilance here could
also refer to bhagavAn being very careful and vigilant in distributing the
nectar that came out of the churning of the Milk Ocean to the appropriate
persons. The dharma cakram writer points out that the lesson we should take
from this nAma is that we should always be vigilant about the thoughts that
enter our mind, and ensure that our thoughts do not stray towards the
pleasures of indriya-s but instead meditate on Him constantly. Just as a thief
would not enter a house where people are awake, negative thoughts won't
enter one's mind when one is awake and vigilant in the thought of bhagavAn.
Whenever negative thoughts enter one's mind, one should divert those
thoughts to positive energy by chanting bhagavAn's nAma instead. This is the
lesson one should take from this nAma.

nAma 328. àitiót> - pratishThitah

He who is self-dependent.

pratishThitAya namah.
One who is supported and established in His own greatness, without any
support from external sources. The following upanishadic quote echoes this

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 explanation almost verbatim -

"sa bhagavah kva pratishThita iti | sve mahimni" (chAndogya 7.24.1)

To the question "Where is bhagavAn firmly established?", the reply is "In His
own greatness". In vishNu dharma (72.2), we have a similar statement - "sve
mahimni sthitamdevam" - "The Lord who rests on His own greatness". One who
supports the rest of the Universe obviously is not supported by something
external, since then His support will depend on something else. We get our
greatness from our wealth, our fame, etc., which are all impermanent; not so
with bhagavAn - His greatness is not dependent on impermanent things. SrI
cinmayAnanda explains this nAma in terms of cause and effect. Everything
else in this Universe has its cause, and thus everything else is an effect.
Unlike this, bhagavAn is the Ultimate Cause. The lesson we should take from
this guNa of bhagavAn is that we should learn to depend on the One who is
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Permanent in this Universe, and not be dependent on all the impermanent

things such as wealth, fame, etc. The dharma cakram writer gives the example
of pANdava-s and kaurava-s. We are constantly reminded of the impermanent
things in life by the occurrence of aging, death, loss of fame, friend becoming
enemy, etc., and all these should teach us that the life that is to be led is by
meditating on the One who is Permanent, viz. bhagavAn.

(To be Continued in Volume II)

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

300
Volume II
 Our Sincere thanks to the following for their invaluable contributions to
this ebook :

For hosting Sri VishNu Sahasra Naamam ebooks

Oppiliappan KOil Sri VaradAchAri SaThakOpan

Chief Editor, Sundarasimham & AhObilavalli eBooks Series

Providing the source for compiling the document:

 Mandayam Sri K. Krishnaswamy

(http://kirtimukha.com/chinnamma/sahasra/)

Providing the Sanskrit texts:

 Mannargudi Sri.Srinivasan Narayanan

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Cover Image
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 CONTENTS
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SlOkam 41 39

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SlOkam 43 57

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24 SlOkam 59 230

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26 SlOkam 61 258

27 SlOkam 62 268

28 SlOkam 63 282
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 ïI>.

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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam (Vol. 2)

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sadagopan.org
 SlOkam 36
SkNdSSkNdxrae xuyaeR vrdae vayuvahn>,

vasudevae b&hÑanuraiddev> purNdr>. 36.

skandas skandadharO dhuryO varadO vAyuvAhanah |

vAsudEvO bruhadbhAnu: AdidEvah purandarah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 329. SkNd> - skandah

He who dries up (destroys).

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skandAya namah.
skandayati Soshayati iti skandah - One who destroys the asura-s and other
evil-doers (SrI BhaTTar). skanda also can mean One who melts like butter
when it comes to helping His devotees, or flows like nectar in the thoughts of
His bhakta-s - skandati iti skandah (This is one interpretation that SrI
Sankara gives). SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives reference to gItA -
senAnInAmaham skandah (gItA 10.24) - I am skanda among the chiefs of
armies. Here skanda refers to subrahmaNya, who is considered the chief
among the chiefs of armies.

nAma 330. SkNdxr> - skanda

skanda--dharah

The Supporter of skanda.

skanda-dharAya namah.
(SrI BhaTTar) - BhagavAn is the supporter of skanda, the commander-in-chief
of the army of gods. The above quote from gItA thus states that skanda is
apart of bhagavAn's vibhUti or glory. SrI Sankara's interpretation for the

1
 term skanda is "righteous path - dharmapatham", and so the vyAkhyAna he
gives is that bhgavAn is the upholder of the path of dharma.

nAma 331. xuyR> - dhuryah

The Supporter.

dhuryAya namah.
One of the meanings for the word 'dhur' is load. He bore the weight of the
mandara mountain in His kUrma incarnation, and so He is the Supporter. He is
also the Supporter of the Universe - bhuvana-bhRte. SrI satyadevo
vAsisshTha gives an alternate meaning also for the word "dhur" - the front
part of an object, and interprets the nAma to mean that bhagavAn is them
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Arga-darSi or one who shows the path for everyone.

nAma 332. vrd> - varadah

The Grantor of boons.

varadAya namah.
varAh abhIpsitah arthah, tam dadAti iti vara-dah. varam also means "the
best", and so One who gives the best to those devotees who pray to Him with
detachment is vara-da. The dharma cakram writer reminds us that the best
for us is "nalam tarum Sollai nAn kaNDu konDEn nArAyaNA ennum nAmam" per
tirumangai AzhvAr. Needless to say what one gets by chanting the nAma of
nArAyaNa - "kulam tarum Selvan tandiDum aDiyAr paDu tuyar Ayina ellAm
nilamtaram Seyyum.... peRRa tAyinum Ayina Seyyum".

nAma 333. vayuvahn> - vAyu

vAyu--vAhanah

He who has vAyu as His vehicle.

2
vAyu-vAhanAya namah.
BhagavAn rides on and drives vAyu, the life-breath of the world.
IntiruvezhukkURRirukkai, we have - mEdagum aim-perum bhUtamum nIyE - He
controls the pa~nca bhUta-s such as air etc. The dharma cakram writer points
out that while air is very important for us to live, this nAma should remind us
that mahA vishNu who makes the air move is just as important to us, and thus
we should learn to meditate on Him. SrI Sankara gives the vyAkhyAna that
bhagavAn controls the atmosphere in the seven regions of space. SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri describes in detail about these seven regions which are
controlled by seven different sons of kaSyapaand diti, because of the powers
given to them by bhagavAn. They are called the sapta-maruta-s. Six of these
regions are listed by many of the authors. These regions are: the space
between earth and the clouds, that between the clouds and the sun, that

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between the sun and the moon, the moon and the stars, the stars and the
planets, and the planets and the sapta-RshimanDala. It is said that it is
because of the pressure exerted by these regions of air that the various
stellar objects keep from colliding with each other. The next 12 nAma-s are
interpreted by SrI BhaTTar as referring to adhyAtmavAsudeva or para
vAsudeva form of bhagavAn. Prof. A. SrInivAsa rAghavan notes that
coincidentally, the vAsudeva mantra also has 12 akshara-s in it.

nAma 334. vasudev> - vAsu

vAsu--dEvah

He who pervades and sports.

Vasu-devAya namah.
This nAma occurs again as nAma 701. The name indicates that bhagavAn is
vAsu and He is deva. vAsu is derived from vas - to reside and to envelope.
sarvam vasati - everything lives in Him, and sarvatra vasati - He lives
everywhere. He is vAsu since He lives in the world making it live within
Himself like a mother and also protects it by covering it like a bird that
protects its young ones with its out-spread wings. He is deva because He

3
 plays, wishes to conquer, and shines. He also protects the beings as described
above (vAsu) as a leelaa, and so He is vAsu-deva. The word devais derived
from div - krIDAyAm - to play. So all His acts are leelaa-s. The following
quotes are given by SrI Sankara and SrI BhaTTar to support the
interpretation:

"chAdayAmi jagad-viSvam bhUtyA sUrya ivAmSubhih |

sarva-bhUtAdhi-vAsaSca vAsu-devah tatah smRtah ||

(moksh dharma 12-328-36)

"Like the sun with his rays, I am covering the whole universe, and also I am
residing in all beings; hence I am called vAsudeva".

"vasanAt sarva-bhUtAnAm vasutvAt deva-yonitah |

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vAsudevastato j~neyah yogibhis_tattva darSibhih ||

(udyoga 69-3)

"I am the abode of all beings, and with a divine form I live in all of them.
Therefore I am known as vAsudeva by the yogi-s who have realized the truth".

"sarvatrAsau samastam ca vasatyatreti vai yatah |

tatah sa vAsudeveti vidvadbhih paripaThyate ||"

(vishNu purANam 1.2.12)

"Learned men declare that bhagavAn is called vAsudeva because He abides in

all things, and al things abide in Him".

"sarvANi tatra bhUtAni vasanti paramAtmani |

bhUteshu ca sa sarvAtmA vAsudevastatah smRtah ||"

(vishNu purA.6.5.80)

"All beings remain in the paramAtman, and He is in all beings; hence the
omnipresent is called vAsudeva".

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan points out that bhagavAn got this name also by His
incarnation as the son of vAsudeva.

4
The dharma cakram writer brings out the subtle point that bhagavAn is in
everything and everywhere, and yet successfully conceals Himself from all
except His devotees. He successfully conceals Himself while being present in
everything as the antaryAmi, controlling the air, the sun, the planets, etc.,
having svayam-prakASa, etc.

SrI BhaTTar points out that like the nAma nArAyaNa, this nAma is also
arahasyam whose meaning should be learnt from an AcArya, and so is not
discussed in further detail.

nAma 335. b&hÑanu> - bruhad

bruhad--bhAnu:

He of profuse lustre.

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bRhad-bhAnave namah.
bRhat means huge, very large. bhAnu means rays. SrI Sankara gives the
following reference:

"bRhanto bhAnavo yasya candra sUryAtigAminah |

tair-viSvam bhAsayati yah sa bRhad-bhAnurucyate ||"

(udyoga 70.4)

"He, whose great rays surpass the sun, moon, and others, and He who
illuminates the universe through them, is called bRhad-bhAnuh". SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the support from muNDakopanishad -

na tatrasUryo bhAti na candra tArakam nemA vidyuto bhAnti kuto'yamagnih |

tamevabhAntam anubhAti sarvam tasya bhAsA sarvamidam vibhAti||

(muNDaka Upa. 2.2.10).

The sun and moon get their luster from Him. The dharma cakram writer points
out that while the sun gives light to the external world, BhagavAn gives light
to the Sun as well as the light needed for us to realize our internal self.

5
 nAma 336. Aaiddev> - Adi
Adi--dEvah

The First Deity.

Adi-devAya namah.
That He sports with the worlds as He pleases is indicated by the nAmaAdi-
devah. As was seen earlier in "vAsu-devah", the term deva refers to His leelA
or sport in creation, protection, and destruction of all the beings. He plays
with the act of creation etc. just like a child playing on the seashore by
building and smashing sand-castles (SrI v.v.rAmAnujan). "akhilabhuvana janma
sthema bhangAdi leele" - It is His sport to go through this cycle of creation,
protection and destruction. SrI Sankara's vyAkhyAnam is "Adih kAraNam" -
The First Cause. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the definition from niruktam
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- "devo dAnAdvadIpanAdvA dyotanAdvA dyusthAno bhavati (7.25) - deva is

one who gives in plenty, one who shines and makes others shine, and one who
dwells in space". BhagavAn is Adi-deva in this sense.

nAma 337. purNdr> - purandarah

a) The Destroyer of the cities.

b) The Destroyer of the sufferings from the Adi-daivika causes

c) He who helps the devotee in transcending the attachment to sthUla,

sUkshma and kAraNa SarIra-s

d) He who brings an end to the bodies of all beings

purandarAya namah.
Puram dArayati iti purandarah - One who destroyed the cities.

a) bhagavAn was the antaryAmi of rudra in destroying the three cities as

referenced by nammAzhvAr in tiruvAimozhi 1.1.8 (SrI v.v. rAmAnujan). second
half of the pASuram is:

6
"puram oru mUnru eRittu amararkkum aRivu iyandu aran ayan ena ulagu
azhittu amaittu uLanE".

"EmperumAn is the One who destroyed the three cities in the form of rudra,
gave the knowledge of the veda-s to the deva-s in the form of brahma, and
performs the functions of creation, protection and destruction".

SrI kRshNadatta bhAradvAj gives the explanation-purANi

SambarAdInAmasurANAm nagarANi dRNAti iti purandarah. He gives
reference to the Rgvedic mantra 7.99.5 - indrAvishNU dRgmhitA Sambarasya
nava puro navatimca SnathishTham - Ye have destroyed, thou, Indra, and thou,
vishNu,Sambara's nine-and-ninety fenced castles.

SrI Samkara vyAkhyAnam is "sura SatrUNAm pura dAraNAt purandarah" -

Because He is the Destroyer of the cities of the enemies of the gods, He is

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called purandarah.

b) SrI BhaTTar: asurapurAni dArayati iti purandarah - The destroyer of the

cities of asura-s. This indicates the removal of fear from asura-s, piSAca-s,
thunder and lightning, planets and other troubles which go by the name "Adi-
daivika" - those that proceed from the gods.in this sense refers to the
"dwellings of asura-s".

c) SrI cinmayAnanda talks of the "cities" referring to the fields of

experiences - waking, dream and deep-sleep. Since bhagavAn helps in
transcending the Gross, Subtle, and Causal bodies (sthUla, suKshma, and
kAraNa), and then experience the self, at that moment the three "cities" are
burned down or pillaged or blasted. Without overcoming the attachment to
the sthUla, sUkshma, and kAraNa SarIra-s, we cannot experience the self.
The darma cakram writer graphically explains that if we consider the sthUla
SarIra as belonging to bhagavAn and surrender it in His service, then He helps
in overcoming our attachment to the sthUla SarIra. If we dedicate the mind
to His service and to meditation on Him, He helps us overcome our actions
being controlled by our mind. If we have mahAviSvAsam in Him and surrender
to Him unconditionally, He relieves us from the constraints of the

7
 kAraNaSarIram as well. This is when we are able to experience the self.
Since bhagavAn is the cause of the destruction of the three sArIra-s that are
standing in the way of our experiencing the self, He is called purandarah.

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha starts with the meaning "body" for the word pura,
and gives the interpretation that since bhagavAn puts an end to the body, He
is purandarah - puram dArayati iti purandarah.
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 SlOkam 37
AzaekStar[Star ZzUrZzaEirjRneñr>,

AnukUlZztavtR> pÒI pÒinÉe][>. 37.

asOkastAraNastAras sUrassaurir janEsvarah |

anukUlassatAvartah padmI padmanibhEkshaNah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 338. Azaek> - asOkah

The dispeller of sorrows.

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a-SokAya namah
SrI Sankara and SrI BhaTTar give differing but equally enlightening
vyAkhyAna-s for this. SrI BhaTTar points out that bhagavAn has this nAma
because He is the dispeller of the troubles such as sorrow, delusion, hunger,
etc. SrI Sankara gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is devoid of defects
such as sorrow, delusion, hunger, etc., and so He has this nAma. In SrI
BhaTTar's vyAkhyAna. this nAma is associated with His removing the sorrows
of the adhyAtmika kind. The next nAma will be interpreted in terms of Adi-
bhautika. nAma 336, purandarah, which was covered last week, covered the
category of sorrows designated as Adi-daivika. Thus, the sequence of nAma-s
purandarah, aSokah, tAraNah, and tArah, are interpreted as His guNa of
protecting us from all the different kinds of fears.

nAma 339. tar[> - tAraNah

He who takes others to the other shore (a boat).

9
 tAraNAya namah.
tArayati iti tArah - One who helps in crossing.

The interpretation that SrI BhaTTar gives, continuing on the vyAkhyAna he

gave for purandara and aSoka, is that this name refers to His assisting us in
overcoming the fears grouped as Adi-bhautika. SrI BhaTTar reserves the
explanation that He helps in crossing the ocean of samsAra for the next nAma,
tAra, whereas SrI Sankara associates the current nAma with this guNa of
bhagavAn. SrI cinmayAnanda seems to make a subtle suggestion that tAraNa
refers to bhagavAn "helping" others crossing the ocean of samsAra, whereas
the next nAma "tAra" refers to His saving others Himself. I wonder if the
difference is one of throwing a stick to someone who is drowning but trying to
swim, vs. pulling out the drowning person when he has given up swimming. This
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is the kind of distinction that is made sometimes between how the person who
is pursuing the bhakti mArga for attaining moksha is helped by bhagavAn vs.
one who is following the prapatti mArga.

nAma 340. tar> - tArah

The Savior.

tArAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is that He is tArah because He makes His
devotees cross over the ocean of samsAra. The following quote from atharva-
Siras (4) - "garbha-janma-jarA-maraNa- samsAra sAgara mahA
bhayAttArayati tasmAt ucyate tArah" One who takes His devotee across the
great fear of the ocean of samsAra consisting of garbha-vAsa or conception,
birth, aging, and death.

nAma 341. zUr> - sUrah

The Valiant.

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SUrAya namah.
This nAma is derived from the root "Su" to go, and signifies the urge for
victory. Perhaps to emphasize the "go" aspect of this nAma,

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives examples from divya prabandham which illustrate the
"go-get" nature of His victories. "SenRu a~ngu ten ila~ngai SeRRAn" -
tiruppAvai; "SenRu a~ngu vANanai Ayiram tOzhim tenRit tiSai tiSai
vIzhaccheRRAi" - periYAzhvAr tirumozhi 5.3.4 (Note the choice of the word
"SenRu" in both examples).

The dharma cakram writer illustrates the significance of this nAma for our
day-to-day life. He points out that whenever there is battle between the
deva-s and asura-s, the asura-s invariable win first, and then the deva-s seek
the help of mahA vishNu who then helps them defeat the evil asura-s. Our life

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is a replay of this scenario, with the constant battle between the bad qualities
in us and the good in us. Invariably, the bad will win out unless we seek the
help of mahA vishNu by chanting His nAma. This is what we should learn from
this nAma.

nAma 342. zaEir> - saurih

a) The son of valiant people like vasudeva, dasaratha, etc.

b) The grandson of SUra, the name of vasudeva's father.

c) The descendant of the group of people called SUra-s in the yAdava race.

Sauraye namah.
The above different interpretations are found for this nAma based on the
different vyAkhyAna-s. The first is from SrI parAsara BhaTTar and other
writers who base their vyAkhyAa-s on SrI BhaTTar. The second is from SrI
Sankara. The third is from SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri. In support of the first
interpretation, SrI v.v.rAmAnujan points out the valor of nandagopan -ODAda
tOL valian nadagOpan kumaran, the valor of dasaratha - dayaraRkkumaganAit

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 tOnRi - born as the son of the valiant dasaratha, etc. SrI Sankara's
interpretation is that bhagavAn in His incarnation as kRshNawas born as the
son of vAsudeva, whose father's name was SUra. SUrasyagotrApatyam
pumAn Saurih or SUra kulodbhavAt Saurih.

SrI rAdhAkRshNaSAstri points out that among the yAdava-s, there was a
group who were called the SUra-s. Since vasudeva was from this group,
kRshNa is Saurih.

nAma 343. jneñr> - janEsvarah

The Lord of the people.

janeSvarAya namah.
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janAnAm jantUnAm ISvarah janeSvarah - The Lord of all things that are born
or created. The dharma cakram writer points out that bhagavAn is the Leader
of everything by guiding them always as appropriate. When there is suffering,
those that meditate on Him benefit by those sufferings by reaching higher
levels, and those that don't benefit fall to lower level still they reach a point
when they feel they need to seek Him. At this point He guides them
appropriately to the higher levels. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the
interpretation that He is janeSvarah because He gives aiSvarya or wealth to
people.

nAma 344. AnukUl> - anUkulah

One who is within bounds.

anukUlAya namah.
kUlam means shore. kUlam anuvartate iti anukUlah - One who is constrained by
the limits. Lord rAma had great valor, but was not was conscious and wonder-
struck about that - "vIryavAn na ca vIeyeNa mahatA svena vismitah". SrI P.B.

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aNNa~ngarAcArya svAmi explains that in spite of His enormous and unbounded
greatness, He is easily accessible to those who seek Him. He is bound by
bhakti, and this is His AnukUlya svabhAva or ability to be within bounds. SrI
v.v.rAmAnujan points out the incident of His being bound by yaSodA - being
within the bounds of what a child is supposed to be -kaNNInUN SiruttAmbinAl
kattuNNap paNNiya peru mAyan. Aycci kaNNIkkayiRRinAl kaTTat tAn
kaTTuNDirundAn - mUnRAm tiruvantAdi - 91. Without knowing His identity,
YasodA challenges Him - Make yourself free if you can! - "yadi Saknoshi gaccha
tvam ati ca~ncala ceshTita!" - and He just remains tied, because He is
anukUlah. SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that He is anukUlah
because He always goes along with whatever anyone does. Thus a murderer
commits his murder, and another helps humanity, and bhagavAn just is the
Observer in both cases. He keeps Himself within His bounds. SrI

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rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the meaning that anukUla means going towards the
shore, based on kUla= shore. bhagavAn is anukUla because He helps His
devotees go towards the shore when they try to cross the ocean of samsAra.
The dharma cakram writer points out that bhagavAn is always acting His role
as an anukUlah to everyone (including the murderer in the above para) by being
the internal conscience of everyone and telling them what is right. The inner
conscience is always pointing to what is right and what is wrong. Those who
obey their inner conscience do not do anything that will be negative to their
path of progress towards Him, and those who disobey their inner conscience
deteriorate and move away from Him. But He does His job of being the
anukUlah in everyone's case all the time by being their inner conscience.

nAma 345. ztavtR> - satAvartah

a) He who has several incarnations to sustain dharma

b) He whose wealth is bubbling but not overflowing (like vortices)

c) He who maintains and manages several cycles - the cycle ofsamsAra for all
the beings, the cakra-s of graha-s, nakshatra-s etc.

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 SatAvartAya namah.
Sata means hundred. Here it means innumerable. For the protection of
dharma in the world, He takes infinite varieties of forms or incarnations, and
so He is called SatAvarta (SrI Sankara). Recall "dharamasamsthApanArthAya
sambhavAmi yuge yuge". Another interpretation, also by SrI Sankara, is that
it refers to the 100 nADi's or vessels that proceed from the heart and
maintain prANa or life in the body - nADI-Sate prANarUpeNa vartata iti vA.
dharma cakram: There are several examples which illustrate His guNa of
SatAvarta. He appears in the form of the sun everyday in order to sustain life
in this world. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the reference to atharva veda -
sUryasya AvRtam anvAvarte - 10.5.37. His repeated incarnations inhuman
form to protect dharma in this world is another example. His protection of
pAnDava-s and draupadi repeatedly when they were in distress is another
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example. He protected draupadi from duryodhana's evil act of stripping her in

public, from durvAsa's curse when he tested her by appearing in her house and
asking for food after she had cleaned the akshayapAtra, etc. He protected
prahlAda from all cruelties meted out to him byhiraNyakaSipu. He did many
wonders by protecting the yAdava people in His incarnations as kRshNa. Avarta
also means vortex. Since His riches (aiSvarya) are so enormous that they keep
expressing themselves without overflowing like hundreds of whirlpools, He is
called SatAvarta (SrI BhaTTar). In spite of this, He is easily accessible to
His devotees. This corroborates the Mantra of the para-aspect of the Lord -
SAntodita vij~nAna prANAya - Unto Him of tranquil and ever-growing
knowledge and life. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the meaning "many" for
Sata, and cycle (cakra) for Avarta, and gives the explanation that bhagavAn
has this nAma because He rotates or cycles the lives through cycles of
samsAra. Another way to look at this nAma is that He controls different
kinds of cycles - nakshatra cakra, rASi cakra, graha cakra, etc. The aspects of
para-vAsudeva with reference to His qualities have been described so far
(from the 334th nAma - vAsudeva). Now begins the rUpa or form of para-
vAsudeva in SrI BhaTTar's interpretation.

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nAma 346. pÒI - padmI

He who carries the lotus in His hand. padmam is what He carries in one of His
four hands (Sankha, cakra, and gadAare in the other three hands). The lotus
signifies the sAttvic qualities of bhagavAn viz. dharma, j~nAna, vairAgya, and
aiSvarya (SrI rAdhAkRshNaSAstri). He refers us to SrImad bhAgavatam -
itareNa dhunAnam abjam - with the other hand He is playing with the lotus
(10.23.22). The padmam is suggestive of His always being ready to welcome
anyone who comes to Him. SrI cinmayAnanda points out that bhagavAn first
blows His conch and invites us to offer His "knowledge" - signified by His
padma, and if they don't listen to this, He uses His gadA to give a gentle
knock, and if this does not yield results, then there is the cakra, which

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annihilates the evil and restores order again. One is reminded of sAma, dAna,
bheda, and danDa. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the meaning "knowledge" for
the word padma, and suggests that one who gives True Knowledge or one who
has True Knowledge is padmI.

nAma 347. pÒinÉe][> - padma

padma--nibhEkshaNah

One who has eyes which resemble the lotus.

padama-nibhkshaNAya namah.
This nAma describes the cool, benevolent, kind, inviting, consoling, appearance
of His eyes, which look like the lotus flowers. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan provides
references from prabandham - "un mugam maiyyal ERRimayakkum mAya
mandiram tAn kolO? ceyya tAmaraik kaNNinAi" - nAcciArtirumozhi 2-4;
"uvagaiyAl ne~njam uLLurugi un tAmaraik kaN vizhigaLin agavalaip paDuppAn" -
tiruvAi mozhi 6.2.7. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that the sequence of
nAma-s anukUlahSatAvartah padmI padma-nibhekshaNah all refer to the
quality of bhagavAn's helping nature when one seeks His help. The dharma
cakram writer reminds of the saying "The face is the index of the mind". In

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 this case, bhagavAn's lotus-eyes are conveying to us His Inner Nature. The
equivalent of this nAma in tamizh is "tAmaraik kaNNan".
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 SlOkam 38
pÒnaÉae=rivNda]> pÒgÉRZzrIrÉ&t!,

mhiÏR\RÏae v&ÏaTma mha]ae géfXvj>. 38.

padmanAbhO=ravindAkshah padma garbhas sarIrabhruth |

maharddhir riddho vruddhAtmA mahAkshO garuDadhvajah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 348. pÒnaÉ> - padma

padma--nAbhah

One with a lotus-like navel.

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padmanAbhAya namah
This nAma has occurred twice earlier. In the current context where the
beauty of the celestial form of para-vAsudeva is described, the nAma means
One with a lotus-like navel. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives references to
prabandham to support this interpretation - "ayanaip paDaitta ezhil
undiazhagu" - amalanAdippirAn; tAmarai undit tanip peru nAyagan -
tiruvASiriyam. The other interpretations - One who resides in the center of
the heart-lotus of every one, and One from whose navel, the Universe sprung
forth in the form of an eight-petalled lotus with the meru mountain as the
pericap, have been explained previously. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha's vyAkhyAna
is again unique in not following the other interpretations. He interprets padma
as "flower" or something that displays colorfully, and nabh as something that
does not express itself as brilliantly. Thus, he interprets padma-nAbha as one
who at the same time is the two extremes. He is the knowledge in the learned
and the lack of knowledge in the not-learned; the one who reveals Himself to
His devotees and hides Himself from the non-devotees, like the lotus that
blossoms in the presence of the sun and the same lotus that folds its petals
when the sun disappears.

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 nAma 349. ArivNda]> - aravindAkshah

The Lotus-eyed.

aravindAkshAya namah.
aravinda sadRSe akshiNi asya iti aravindAkshah. izahai koLSOdic-cendAmaraik
kaN pirAn

tiruvAi mozhi 6-5-5

SevvariyODi nINDaapperiavAya kaNgaL

amalanAdi pirAn - 8

rAmah kamala patrAkshah (sundara kANDa)

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are given as references by SrI v.v.rAmAnujan. The meaning is similar to that

of puNDarIkAkshah - nAma 40.SrI cinmayAnanda brings the similarity to the
lotus in that His eyes open to His devotees (like the sun opening up in the
presence of the bright sun), and closes to the non-devotees (when it gets
dark). SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning from the word "ar" which
meansgati, and vindati - prApnoti or One who has, and thus gives the meaning
"candra and sUrya" to aravinda. Thus he derives the meaning "One who has
candra and sUrya as His two eyes" for the nAma aravindAksha.

nAma 350. pÒgÉR> - padma

padma--garbhah

He who is installed in a lotus.

padma-garbhAya namah.
He is meditated upon as being seated on a lotus replete with fragrance and
delicacy suited to Him. The words "sarasijAsana sannivishTah" is all too
familiar to us. An alternate interpretation is that He is seated in the heart-
lotus of those that meditate on Him - daharam vipApmam para-veSmabhUtam
yat-puNDarIkam - The lotus (i.e., heart) which is subtle, flawless, and which is

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the seat of the Supreme Being. SrI rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvAi
mozhi - taNDAmarai Sumakkum pAdap-perumAn - 4.5.8. SrI Sankara gives the
interpretation that He is fit to be worshipped in the middle of the heart-lotus,
and so He is called padma-garbhah - padmasyamadhye upAsyatvAt padma-
garbhah.

nAma 351. zrIrÉ&t! - sarIrabhruth

The Protector of the bodies of everyone through food and life-energy.

SarIra-bhRte namah.
He is the Sustainer of the bodies of those who meditate on Him, since it is His
guNa-s on which they meditate that sustains them. sva-SArIra-

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bhUtamupAsakam pushNAti iti SarIra-bhRt - He considers their bodies as His,
and protects them (SrI BhaTTar). Or, He protects all the beings in this
Universe through food and life-energy- poshayan anna rUpeNa prANa rUpeNa
vA SarIriNAm SarIrANi dhArayati itiSarIra-bhRt (SrI Sankara). SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives yet another interpretation - He supports (bears)
different bodies in different incarnations for the protection of dharma and
elimination of adharma. Next the magnificence of bhagavAn is described.

nAma 352. mhiÏR> - maharddhih

He of immense riches.

maharddhaye namah.
mahatI Rddhih vibhUtih asya iti maharddhih - One who has enormous
prosperity (SrI Sankara). SrI cinmayAnanda points out that Rddhi refers to
the combination of prosperity and power. He has boundless riches which can
bring about the well-being and protection of His devotees - tad-yogakshema
nissIma vibhUtih (SrI BhaTTar). SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives the reference to
tiruvAi mozhi - vIRRirundu Ezh ulagum tanik-kOl Sella ALumammAn (4.5.1).The

19
 dharma cakram writer points out that wealth is of two kinds - the material
wealth (poruL Selvam) and the wealth of benevolence and Mercy (aruLSelvam).
Material wealth can be found both in the good and bad; but the wealth of
kindness and benevolence is found only in the good. bhagavAn is full of both
kinds of wealth, and so He is maharddhih. Those who meditate on mahA
vishNu's nAma of maharddhih will be blessed with these kinds of wealth.

nAma 353.\Ï> - Riddhah

One who keeps growing; Prosperous.

RddhAya namah.
He grows when His devotees grow. He crowned vibhIshaNa and as a result He
became happy and void of any worry; so He grows happy when His devotees
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grow. SrI Sankara points out that He is Rddhah because He is the expanse in
the form of the Universe - prapa~nca rUpeNa vardhamAnatvAt Rddhah. The
dharma cakram writer points out that He grows beyond the reach of the
knowledge of beings. It is only by meditating on His guNa-s that one can reach
Him. Thus He is Rddhah.

nAma 354. v&ÏaTma - vruddhAtmA

One who is full-grown.

vRddhAtmane namah.
vRddha means old. Since He is the oldest or the most ancient Self or AtmA,
He is called vRddhAtmA. A natural growth cycle for human beings is described
by the dharma cakram writer. A cycle of this in samsAra starts from the
womb, being born, growing up to be a child, a boy/girl, an older person, and IF
the person meditates on bhagavAn and leads the life that leads to moksha, and
reaching SrI vaikunTham at the time of the death of the body. This last stage
is the culmination of the full growth in this cycle. bhagavAn was in the full-
grown state before anything existed, without going through this cycle, and so

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He is vRddhAtmA. He was the Self before all creation.

nAma 355. mha]> - mahAkshah

a) He with a (vehicle of) powerful axle.

b) One with Great Eyes.

mahAkshAya namah.
aksha means axle. SrI BhaTTar points out that in this case this refers to a
chariot, by means of a figure of speech where a part is used to refer to the
whole. So mahAkshah means One who has a vehicle worthy of reverence. This
vehicle is garuDa, the embodiment of veda-s. aksha also means eyes.

SrI Sankara uses this meaning in his interpretation- mahatI akshiNI asya iti

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mahAkshah - One who has great eyes. They are great in the sense that they
can see not only the external object, but can see through everything
everywhere inside and outside without exception, and nothing is hidden from
them. These eyes see through all that is happening deep within the bosom of
all creatures (SrI cinmayAnanda).

SrI Sankara also gives an alternate interpretation - mahAntyakshAni asya iti

mahAkshah -The possessor of divine senses unattached to objects (SrI
anantakRshNaSAstri's translation), or One who has many glorious eyes (SrI T.
S.kRshNamUrti's translation). The dharma cakram writer points out that the
Greatness of His Eyes refers to their power to remove the darkness of
aj~nAna when they fall on His devotee. Meditating on this nAma of mahA
vishNu will give the ability to see things with the eye of detachment and
affection rather than with the eye of desire and greed, and in opening the eye
of j~nAna in the devotee.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the meaning "one who leads" to the word aksha
(this is also related to the meaning axle or vehicle), or one that helps in moving.
So mahAkshah is one who shows the path to everyone.

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 nAma 356. géfXvj> - garuDa
garuDa--dvajah

One who has garuDa in His banner.

garuDa-dvajAya namah.
bhagavAn has the unique symbol of garuDa as His banner, just as He has the
unique association with tulasi, with Goddess Lakshmi, etc. In addition to being
His vAhanam, garuDa is His banner as well. SrI cinmayAnanda points out that
the eagle soars high in the sky and can see even the minutest object on the
ground and purifies the land by removing the impurities such as the carrion
etc. Similarly, the Lord never allows any negative thoughts in the heart of His
devotees, and hence the eagle is considered as His symbol. SrI rAdhAkRshNa
SAstri refers to mahA bhAratam where garuDa requested SrIman nArAyaNa
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for permission to stand on top of Him when garuDa had to fetch amRta for
securing the release of his mother. bhagavAn made him His banner to grant
this request, and He also asked garuDa to be His vehicle. This is how garuDa
is both the flag and the vehicle. I do not have a copy of mahA bhAratam with
me to further elaborate on this reference. The dharma cakram writer points
out that garuDa being the vAhana for bhagavAn symbolizes that the jivAtmA
exists for the service of the paramAtmA, and the case of jaTAyu illustrates
that when the jIvAtmA devotes its life in the service of the paramAtmA,
moksham is the natural culmination. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points to the
powerful eagle moving fast while removing the poisonous serpents at sight,
similar to bhagavAn removing the sins of His devotees.

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 SlOkam 39
Atul> zrÉae ÉIm> smy}ae hivhRir>,

svRl][l]{yae lúmIvan! simitÃy>. 39.

atulah sarabhO bhImah samayajn~O havirharih |

sarvalakshaNa lakshaNyO lakshmIvAn samitinjayah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 357. Atul> - atulah

The Incomparable.

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atulAya namah
Readers may be familiar with the word "tulA", which is used to refer to a
balance. atulah is One who has no equal. tulopamAnam asya na vidyata itiatulah
- There is nothing known that is comparable to Him. SrI Sankara gives the
following references - "na tasya pratimA asti yasya nAma mahadyaSah" - For
Him whose name is Great Glory, there is no likeness -SveTasva. upa. 4.19; "na
tvat-samo'sti abhyadhikah kuto'nyah" - gItA 11.43- There is no one equal to
You, where is the question of someone exceeding You? SrI v.v.rAmAnujan
refers to tiruvAi mozhi - tan oppAr il appan -6.3.9.The dharma cakram writer
reminds us that the One who should be praised by us is mahA vishNu, and not
people around us for the benefit of some favor. Those who do the former
raise to the level that they praise Him, and those who do the latter fall
further from where they are. This is the significance of this nAma for real
life.

nAma 358. zrÉ> - sarabhah

a) The Destroyer (of those who transgress the bounds of ethics).

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 b) One who shines as the Inner Self.

SarabhAya namah.
a) SRNAti iti Sarabhah (SrI BhaTTar).

The interpretation is based on the verb SR - to injure, to destroy.

b) Sara means body for the following reason - SeeryaMANAt Sarah - That
which is perishable. BhA means to shine. Sarabhah thus refers to One who
shines in the body (SrI Sankara, SrI cinmayAnanda etc.). SrI rAdhAkRshNa
SAstri refers us to Sarabhopanishat (30) -

SarA jIvAs-tadan~ngeshu bhAti nityamharih svayam |

brahmaiva Sarabha sAkshAt.

SrI SAstri also gives an alternate interpretation - Sara refers to an arrow,

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but if this body is aimed at bhagavAn, then even the perishable body shines,
because He shines in that body.

nAma 359. ÉIm> - bhImah

The Formidable.

bhImAya namah.
bibhyati iti bhImah. The nAma is derived from the verb bhI - to fear. The
whole world operates in an orderly way in fear of violation of His will.
bhIshA'smAt vAtah pavate - The wind does not transgress its bound out off
ear from Him (taittirIya AraN 8). Also from kaThopanishad we have -

"bhayAdeva agnistapati bhayAt tapati sUryah |

bhayAt indraSca vAyuScamRtyur-dhAvati pa~ncamah ||" (2.6.3)

Only out of fear from Him the fire burns, the sun blazes, indra and vAyu
discharge their duties, and death, as the fifth, runs (performs its duties). The
same idea is expressed in the brahma sUtra 1.3.40 - kampanAt. SrI
v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference to the terror He created in the heart of

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hiraNyakaSipu. We have in tiruvAi mozhi 7.6.8 - ari kAN nariyAi
arakkarULaiyiTTu anRu ila~ngai kaDandu pilambukkoLippa - He made the
rAkshasa-s in lankA run and hide for cover like the wolves on seeing a lion. The
dharma cakram writer points out that as long as there are beings who do not
have God realization, the only thing that keeps them under control is fear, and
once they have realized Him, they do not have anything to fear. SrI Sankara
has also considered an alternate pATham - viz. abhIma - One who causes no
fear to those who follow the proper path.

nAma 360. smy}> - samayajn~ah

The Knower of the conventions.

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samayaj~nAya namah.
He is samayaj~na since He establishes the rules e.g., that when the fire burns,
the flame goes upwards, and also at the time of creation after the pralaya, He
establishes the path of the Sun, the moon and the planets -sUryA-candramaso
dhAtA yathApUrvam akalpayat (tai. nArA. 1). SrI Sankara refers to His
knowing the methods and timing of the acts of creation, preservation, and
dissolution of the Universe. Another way he has interpreted this nAma is as
sama yaj~nah - One who has the yaj~na or observance of treating everyone
equally without showing preferential treatment. He gives reference to vishNu
purANam - samatvam ArAdhanamacutasya (1.17.90).SrI BhaTTar also offers
an alternate interpretation - He knows the proper time when He should offer
Himself to the devotees, or the proper time when He should fulfill the vow of
protection He has taken. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers to the incidence of
nRsimha avatAra, where bhagavAn knew exactly when to appear in the pillar -
iraNiyan tUN puDaippaa~ngu appozhudE avan vIyat tOnRiya en Si~ngap-pirAn -
tiruvAi mozhi - 2.8.9. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri describes six kinds of
strategies that a king is supposed to adopt in warfare, including when to fight,
when to compromise, when to seek another's help, when to let two adversaries
collide with each other and thus weaken themselves, when to attack, and when

25
 to wait for the attack. He points out that Lord kRshNa amply demonstrated
these different techniques when He guided the pANDava-s in their war with
the kaurava-s, and this is an explanation for this nAma. SrI satyadevo
vAsishTha gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is the only one who knows
the past, present and future, the changes in climate, the path of the planets,
when the beings will be born and in what body, when this body will die, etc.
The dharma cakram writer adds more dimension to the anubhavam of this
nAma by pointing out that bhagavAn knows when He needs to appear among us
in His incarnations (dharma samsthApanArthAya sambahavAmi yuge yuge). He
also knew when to send kunti to karNa to get him to promise that he won't
attempt to kill any pANDava other than arjuna, etc.

nAma 361. hivhRir> - havir

havir--harih
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Hari who is the recipient of the havis offered in the yaj~na.

havir-haraye namah
This nAma has been considered as two separate nAma-s by some vyAkhAna-
kartA-s. So we will look at the interpretation for havir-harih, havih, and harih.
havis is the name given to the offering in a yAga. So one interpretation for
this nAma is Hari or vishNu who is the ultimate acceptor of the offerings -
yaj~neshu havir-bhAgam harati iti havir-harih. SrI Sankara gives reference to
the gItA - aham hi sarva yaj~nAnAm bhoktA ca prabhurevaca (9.24). The
word havis is derived from the root hu, which means both "to accept" and "to
offer". He both enjoys His devotees, and is the subject of enjoyment by His
devotees, and thus again He is havir-harih. The word "harih" is derived from
the root hR - to obtain. One who is obtained by offering of havis ishavir-harih.
Also we have in mahA bhArata -

hrAmyagham ca smartR*NAm havirbhAgam kratushvaham|

varNaSca me haridveti tasmAd harir_aham smRtah||

(SAnti parva 330.3)

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"I destroy the sins of those who remember Me, and also receive the oblations
in sacrifices; My complexion also is blue; hence I am named Hari". harih also
means one who removes the obstacles - harir harati pApAni. The following
nAma-s, up to 379, are interpreted by SrI BhaTTar in the context of the
lakshmI-patitvam (vishNu as the Consort of Lakshmi) of bhagavAn para-
vAsudeva.

nAma 362. svRl][l]{y> - sarva lakshaNa--lakshaNyah

sarva--lakshaNa

a) He who is the abode of all the auspicious qualities

b) He who is the ultimate definition of all good qualities

c) He who is pointed to as the Ultimate Truth through all analysis

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d) He who reveals Himself through everything around us

sarva-lakshaNa lakshaNyAya namah.

SrI BhaTTar gives the following dhyAna Sloka that identifies some of these
distinguishing marks.

"dhyAyet kamala-garbhAbham devam lakshmI-patim tatah|

kamalAlaya hetISa vibhUshita kara-dvayam||"

One should meditate on that Deity who is the Consort of Lakshmi, who has the
splendor of the inner part of a lotus, and whose two hands are adorned by the
lotus which is the abode of Lakshmi and cakra which is the lord of all weapons".
He also gives reference to the mantra "puNDarIkAksha! sakala-sukha
saubhAgyavAridhe!" - Oh the Lotus-eyed Lord! The Sea of Bliss and Good
Fortune! SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference to other examples from divya
prabandham - alarmEl ma~ngai uRai mArbA! nigar-il pugazhAi! ulagam mUnRu
uDaiyAi!;tiruvin maNALan - tiruvAi mozhi 1.9.1. He also refers us to vishNu
purANam- paSyatAm sarva-devAnAm yayau vaksha-sthalam hareh - When the
nectar by name Lakshmi came out of the Milky Ocean when it was churned, She
chose the vaksha-sthalam of mahA vishNu straight out of the Ocean even

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 though all the deva-s were standing there; such are His lakshaNa-s or
attributes. SrI Sankara's interpretation is He is the lakshaNya or end result
that is obtained through all lakshaNa-s or pramANa-s. i.e., all means of
investigation ultimately lead to Him as the Supreme Knowledge or the Ultimate
Truth. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that bhagavAn is the ultimate
definition for each and every lakshaNa or attribute, and so He is sarva-
lakshaNalakshaNyah. The dharma cakram writer points to four types of
pramANa-s which are used for recognizing something. These are: prakyaksha
pramANa (recognition through our senses, such as taste, touch etc.), yukti
pramANa (recognition through indirect evidence - such as recognizing fire
through smoke), SAstrapramANa (what is laid down in scriptures, and anubhava
pramANa (what we experience ourselves, e.g., head ache). He gives the
example of rAmakRshNaparamahamsa who recognized God as the Only Truth
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through all the sepramANa-s. He could talk to God, he could not live without
the thought of God just as we can't live without air, he recognized him through
the SAstra-s, and in essence he recognized God as the ultimate Truth through
all the pramANa-s. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha describes this nAma's
significance by pointing out that He is sarva-lakshaNa lakshaNya since
everything that we see points to Him as the reason behind it. He defines
Himself through everything that we can see or otherwise recognize.

nAma 363. lúmIvan! – lakshmIvAn

He who is always with Lakshmi.

lakshmIvate namah
Prof. SrInivAsa rAghavan, in his translation of SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAna,
adds a personal note that this tattvam, viz. the association between bhagavAn
and Lakshmi, should be learned through an AcArya. I am still adding the few
words that I am picking up from the translation. There are two things that
are eternal and always existed and will always exist, without beginning or end.
One is bhagavAn. The other is prakRti, the Primordial Matter that is the

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material from which all the things in this Universe are created. This
Primordial Matter signifies Lakshmi, the Universal Mother. The Universe is a
result of the Union of these two. Neither exists without the other. There is
change in the svarUpam of the prakRti depending on the proportion of the
three guNa-s viz. sattva, rajas and tamas, but prakRti does not end at the time
of pralaya, nor does it begin at the beginning of the world. The mUla-prakRti
which is beginningless and endless just like bhagavAn, is none other than
Lakshmi. SrI BhaTTar has given the following Sloka in support -

"dvayam devI-pariNaye leelayaiva samarpayan |

prakASayan anAditvam AtmanA prakRthe saha ||

mat-karaih anuviddheyam prakRtih prAkRtaih aham |

yato'ham ASritaSca asyA mUrtih mayi etat AtmikA ||"

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"At the time of my marriage with Lakshmi, I in a playful mood, revealed the
secret to all that the Supreme Reality is a couple, and not nArAyaNa alone, nor
Lakshmi alone. Then I also revealed that like Myself Lakshmi is also
beginningless (i.e. eternal). This prakRti was embraced by My hands, and I by
Her hands; wherefore I have resorted to Her, and She, in Her turn, has
resorted to Me. (So we are always together)".

SrI cinmayAnanda echoes the same spirit through the following words: "He is
the Spirit (purusha) that thrills the entire world-of-matter (prakRti). Matter
thrilled with the spirit is the dynamic world that we see around. Thus, the
manifested Lord is ever wedded to Lakshmi".

nAma 364. simitÃy> - samitinjayah

He who is victorious in battles.

samiti~njayAya namah.
One meaning for the word samiti is battle. samitim yuddham jayati
itisamiti~njayah - He who conquers the wars or battles (SrI Sankara). He is

29
 the destroyer of all pain in all the devotees. He helps overcome the feeling of
independence from Him in the jIvAtmA-s, and thus brings true happiness to
them by winning over their minds (SrI BhaTTar). SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri
uses the meaning "gathering" or "assembly" for the word samiti, and gives the
meaning that bhagavAn wins over the samiti no matter how large it is, if it is
ganged up against Him.
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 SlOkam 40
iv]rae raeihtae magaeR hetudaRmaedrSsh>,

mhIxrae mhaÉagae vegvanimtazn>. 40.

viksharO rOhitO mArgo hEturdAmOdaras sahah |

mahIdharo mahAbhAgO vEgavAnamitAsanah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 365. iv]r> - viksharah

He who never wanes.

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viksharAya namah
SrI Sankara bhAshyam is "vigatah ksharah (nASo) yasya asau viksharah" - One
who has no decay. SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that bhagavAn's love
for His devotees never diminishes, and He is vikshara by this reason.

nAma 366. raeiht> - rOhitah

He Who is of red complexion.

rohitAya namah.
kamala garbhAbatvAt rohitah - He who has the red color of the inside of a
lotus. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvAimozhi - 8.4.7: "tirucceyya
kamalak kaNNum Sev-vAyum SevvaDiyum Seyya kaiyum tiruc-ceyya
kamalaundiyum Seyya kamala mArbum". Seyya here means reddish colored,
kamala means lotus. rohita also refers to a species of fish, and SrI Sankara
has given the alternate interpretation that it can refer to His matsya
incarnation, in the form of a reddish hued fish. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha
derives the meaning from the root ruh - bIja janmaniprAdurbhAve ca - to

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 grow, to increase, to rise, to reach, and gives the interpretation
"prAdurbhavati iti rohitah - One who expresses Himself or One who causes all
beings to express themselves is rohitah.

nAma 367. magR> - mArgah

He who is sought after.

mArgAya namah.
mArgyate iti mArgah - He is mArgah because He is always sought after by His
worshippers. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvAi mozhi
nURRandAdi91 - "tAL aDaindAr ta~ngatku tAnE vazhit-tuNaiyAm kALa-
megattai" - He accompanies and shows the way to those who have surrendered
to Him. SrI Sankara gives an additional interpretation - He is mArga because
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He shows the way for the attainment of Supreme Bliss. SrI rAdhAkRshNa
SAstri gives another aspect - After the Universe disappears at the time of
praLaya, it is He who is the way for the world's re-appearance.

nAma 368. hetu> - hEtuh

The Cause.
hetave namah.
He is the cause for the realization of the desires of His devotees. Sri
Sankara gives the interpretation that He is both the instrumental and material
cause of the Universe. The dharma cakram writer nicely distinguishes between
bhagavAn the Cause, and bhagavAn the effects. He points out that in general
we see the effects, but we don't see the cause behind the effects as easily.
This is true in the different aspects of life - we use the Universe, but we
don't understand bhagavAn who is the Cause of the Universe. We see the
body, but we don't see the five elements which are the constituents of this
body. He is visible only to the yogi-s and the j~nAni-s as the Cause of the
Universe.

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nAma 369. damaedr> - dAmOdarah

1) He who has the worlds in His belly.

2) One who was tied around His waist by ropes by YaSodA

3) One who has happiness for His devotees

4) One who is attained by observances such as damA.

dAmodarAya namah.
The word dAma can refer to a rope, the worlds, happiness, etc. The word
daram means belly. Based on these, there are different interpretations.

1) udare dAmAni asya iti dAmodarah - One who has all the worlds in His belly.

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This interpretation is supported by vyAsa's words:

"dAmAni loka nAmAni tAni yasya udara antare |

tena dAmodaro devah SrIdharah Sri-samASritah ||"

(attributed to vyAsa but no reference given)

2) dAmnA udare baddha iti dAmodarah - One who was tied around His waist
witha cord. The support for this interpretation is from brahma purANa:

"tayor madhya-gatam baddham dAmnA gADham tayodare |

tataSca dAmodaratAm sa yayau dAma bandhanAt ||"

(brahmapuRaNa 76.14)

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to divya prabandham

veNNei vizhu~nga veguNDuAicci kaNNik kayiRRinAl kaTTat tAn

kaTTuNDirundAn

mUnRAm tiruvantAdi.

SrI A. SrInivAsa rAghavAcArya svAmi in his interpretation in tamizh in SrI

nRsimha priyA points out that the act of bhagavAn willingly getting Himself
tied around with a rope just demonstrates that He becomes abhakta-para-

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 tantran i.e., He subjects Himself to His devotees' wishes. In this case, He
subjected Himself to yaSodA's wish that He be constrained by the rope. He
even shed tears when He was tied in order to please her.
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dAmOdarAya namah
(Artwork Courtesy : Sow R.Chitralekha)

3) SrI BhaTTar gives an additional interpretation based on "devAnAm

sukhasamSitvAt dAmAt dAmodaram viduh" (udyoga parva 71.9)- They know

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Him as dAmodara because He has "dAma" or joy, indicating happiness for the
gods.4)

SrI Sankara has given the additional interpretation - damAdi sAdhanenaudarA

(utkRshTA) matih (yA tayA gamyata) iti dAmodarah - One who is known
through the mind which is purified (udarA or utkRshTA) by means of self-
control (dama) and other qualities. He gives the support from mahAbhArata -
damAt dAmodaro viduh (udyoga parva 5.69.8). The dharma cakram writer very
nicely remarks that the One who was tied by the rope can be known only by
"tieing" or controlling the pa~nca indriya-sand directing them towards Him and
His service.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that this nAma has the greatness that at
the same time it shows the greatness of bhagavAn in having the whole

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Universe inside Him and the simplicity of being tied by a rope and contained by
His devotee.

nAma 370. sh> - sahah

He who has patience.

sahAya namah.
sahate iti sahah. SrI BhaTTar links this nAma to the previous one by pointing
that He patiently accepted being tied by the rope as dAmodara. nammAzhvAr
sings this patience of Lord kRshNa - ettitRam! uralinODuiNaindirundu E~ngiya
eLivE (tiruvAimozhi 1.3.1) - referenced by SrI v.v.rAmAnujan. SrI Sankara
vyAkhyAna is that He forgives the lapses of His devotees - sahate sarvAn
abhibhavati iti sahah. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that He bears the
burden of the Universe for the sake of the welfare of the creatures in the
Universe. The dharma cakram writer points out that He patiently waits till we
attain the maturity needed to reach Him and be united with Him. He also
refers to the incident where He put up with SiSupAla's abusive words more
than a hundred times and had given word to SiSupAla's mother to that effect.

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 nAma 371. mhIxr> - mahIdharah

The Supporter of the Earth.

mahIdharAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 319. There the meanings given were that
He supports the earth by ridding it of evil-doers, or that He accepts the pUjA
from the devotees. Under the current nAma, SrI Sankara gives the
interpretation that He bears the Earth in the shape of mountains. He gives
reference to vishNu purANa -vanAni vishNur girayo diSaSca - (2.12.37) - The
forests, mountains, and directions are all vishNu. He bears the earth by
propping it up in the form of mountains. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers to His
bearing the Earth between His teeth in His varAha incarnation - eyiRRu iDai
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maN koNDa endai - periyAzhvAr tirumozhi 5.2.3.

nAma 372. mhaÉag> - mahAbhAgah

He who is extremely Fortunate.

mahA-bhAgAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar explains that Lord kRshNa has the good fortune (mahA bhAgya)
of being chosen for service as their Lord by the cowherdess nILa, sixteen
thousand celestial damsels, rukmiNi, satyabhAmA, jAmbavati, and others. SrI
v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to tiruvAimozhi - vaDivu iNai illA malar-magaLmaRRum
maN-magaL piDikkum mel-aDiyAn - 9.2.10. SrI Sankara gives the vyAkhyAna
that He is fortunate in being able to take any form He likes, or He who gets
the best of everything in His incarnations. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points
out that He is mahAbhAgah because He gets the major (mahA) portion
(bhAga) of any offering as He likes. He refers us to the incident of the
offering by the gopa-s to the govardhana giri instead of to indra at the
insistence of kRshNa. Lord kRshNa appeared at the top of the govaradhana

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mountain and accepted all the offerings.

nAma 373. vegvan! - vEgavAn

He who is quick.

vegavate namah.
SrI BhaTTar points out that even when He was child kRshNa, His actions were
displaying His irresistible supremacy and Lordship.

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to the incident of pUtanA, SakaTAsura, lifting of

govardhana giri at the tip of the finger, etc. tiruvAi mozhi 6.4 is full of these
incidents.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points to the incident of rukmiNi svayamvaram as an

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example of the quickness of action that He displays. SrI cinmayAnanda gives
the interpretation that He reaches His devotees fast the moment they think
of Him because He is everywhere and all-pervading. SrI Sankara interprets
the nAma in terms of the ISopanishad declaration (4) "anejadekam manso
javIyah - He is unmoving, but at the same time faster than the mind". The
context here is that He is inside us, but no amount of reasoning with our mind
can decipher Him and figure Him out. He cannot be understood by reason and
logic alone, since even a lifetime of reasoning with the mind that is faster than
anything that is known will not result in realizing Him.

nAma 374. Aimtazn> - amitAsanah

a) The voracious Eater.

b) He who gives unlimited supply of food to His creations.

amiTaSanAya namah.
amitam aSnAti iti amitASanah - One who eats huge quantities. SrI BhaTTar
points out that Lord kRshNa displayed His greatness, among other acts, by

37
 swallowing the unlimited quantity of food offered to govardhana giri, making
the cowherds exclaim in wonder - "devo vA dAnavo vA tvam" - "Who are you - a
deva or an asura?" - vishNu purANam 5.13.121. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to
divya prabandham - aTTuk-kuruvi SORRup-paruppadamum tayir
vAviyumneyyaLarum aDa~ngap poTTattuRRu - One who in a fraction of a
second consumed a huge amount of rice heaped like a mountain, a huge amount
of curd that looked like a canal, ghee that was poured like a big puddle, plenty
of vegetables, etc. (periyAzhvAr tirumozhi 3.5.1), and to "kArEzh
kaDalEzhmalai Ezhulagu uNDum ArA vayiRRAn - tiruvAi mozhi 10.9.2. This
nAma is similar to nAma 304 - mahASanah. SrI Sankara interprets the nAma
in terms of His swallowing the whole Universe at the time of praLaya. SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that there is nothing that He cannot digest,
since He is the jATarAgni that digests the food that every being consumes -
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aham vaiSvAnaro bhUtvA ....pacAmyannam caturvidham (gItA 15.14). The

dharma cakram writer points out that we can neither live and grow without
eating, nor live without digesting the food we eat, and both are made possible
by Him, and this is signified by this nAma. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the
above interpretation, as well as an alternate interpretation - amitAn prANinah
ASayati = bhojayati itiamitASanah - He is amitASanah because He gives
unlimited supply of food to His creation, which is itself immeasurable.

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 SlOkam 41
%Ñv> ]aeÉ[ae devZïIgÉR> prmeñr>,

kr[< kar[< ktaR ivktaR ghnae guh>. 41.

udbhavah kshObhaNO dEvas srIgarbhah paramEsvarah |

karaNam kAraNam kartA vikartA gahanO guhah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 375. %Ñv> - udbhavah

a) He who removes the bondage.

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b) He who is beyond the bondage of samsAra.

c) He who is the origin of the Universe.

udbhavAya namah
One who removes the bondage of samsAra of those who meditate upon Him.
SrI BhaTTar points out that those who meditate on the incident of His being
bound by the rope (kaNNinuN Sirut-tAmbinAl kaTTuNNap paNNiya
perumAyan) will be removed from the bondage of samsAra - udbhavo bhavah
asmAt iti udbhavah. SrI Sankara gives the interpretation is that He is free
from the bondage of existence, and so He is udbhavah - udgato bhavAt
samsArAt iti udbhavah. SrI Sankara's alternate interpretation is that He is
the Origin of the Universe - prapa~nca utpatti upAdAna kAraNatvAt
udbhavah.

nAma 376.]aeÉ[> - kshObhaNah

The Creator of a commotion.

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 khshobaNAya namah.
The nAma is derived from the root kshub - sa~ncalane to cause motion or
disturbance. kshobayati iti kshobaNah. SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam
isbandhArhAn kshobayati iti kshobhaNah - One who creates tumult in the
minds of those who are fit to be bound in samsAra. SrI Sankara's vyAkhyAna
is that He creates vibration and agitation in purursha and prakRti
(consciousness or jiva-s and primordial matter) at the time of creation by
entering them. He refers us to vishNu purANa in support -

"prakRtim purusham caiva praviSya AtmeccayA harih|

kshobhayAmAsa sarga-kAle vyayAvyayI || (V.P. 1.2.29)

An alternate interpretation, supported by SrI satyadevo vAsisshTha, SrI

cinmayAnada, etc., is that He is kshobaNah because He keeps the beings in the
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Universe vibrant by being their antaryAmi and constantly keeping them in

motion.

nAma 377. dev> - dEvah

He who sports Himself.

devAya namah.
dIvyati krIDati iti devah. He plays with the jiva-s by binding them with mAyA
or prakRti. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to divya prabandham - palapala mAya
mayakkukkaLAl inburum iv-viLaiyATTuDaiyAn (tiruvAimozhi 3.10.7). A similar
concept is expressed in nAma 312 (nahushah), 335 (Adidevah), etc. SrI
cinmayAnanda points out that the term dIvyati means "to shine', 'to conquer',
'to praise', etc. SrI Sankara includes the play of creation, the desire to
conquer the enemies of gods, functioning in all beings, shining in all beings,
being praised by the holy men, pervading all, etc., as the reasons for His being
the only deva. He quotes the SvetAsvatAraupanishad - eko devah sarva
bhUteshu gUDhah (6.11) - There is only one God who is hidden in all things that
exist - in support.

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nAma 378. ïIgÉR> - srI
srI--garbhah

a) He who has Lakshmi always with Him in His play as devah.

b) He who has Lakshmi in Him in the form of the Universe.

c) He who is the abode of all auspicious qualities (SrI).

SrI-garbhAya namah.
He is inseparably united with Lakshmi. In His play as the deva He has Lakshmi
always as His companion. vishNoh eshA anapAyinI - She is ever inseparable
from vishNu - vishNu purANa - 1.9.144. SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is "bhoga-
krIDA sahAyatvena vardhanIyA asya SrIh iti SrI-garbhah - He is inseparable
from SrI or Lakshmi in His sports. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers to divya

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prabandham - kOla malarp pAvaikku anbAgiya en appan - tiruvAimozhi10.10.7.
SrI Sankara gives the interpretation that He has Lakshmi or aiSvarya in His
belly in the form of the Universe. SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation
that He has all the glories (SrI) in Himself, and so He is SrI-garbhah. The
dharma cakram writer points out that just as the wealth that a mother
protects carefully is the child in her womb, a stingy person protects his
wealth, and a j~nAni protects his knowledge, so also mahAvishNu protects the
Universe. Just as the child cannot live independent of the mother, so also the
Universe can't exist without bhagavAn. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out
that bhagavAn is the antaryAmi inside everyone in this Universe (SrI), and this
is as if He is in the garbha of the Universe, and so He is called SrI-garbhah.

nAma 379. prmeñr> - paramEsvarah

The Supreme Ruler.

parameSvarAya namah.
aiSvarya means Lordship. BhagavAn is parameSvarah because He is the Lord
of all, including mahA Lakshmi - tiruvukkum tiruvAgiya SelvA - tirumozhi 7.7.1.

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 SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri derives the meaning from parA mA - paramA -
mahAlakshmi, One who is above all Sakti-s. This paramA voluntarily seeks the
place in His vaksha-sthala and serves Him; thus He is paramAyAh ISvarah-
parameSvarah. The dharma cakram writer indicates that just as a human being
does well in ruling over himself if he has full control of his indriya-s, BhagavAn
is in full control of al the beings as the parameSvarah or Ruler of the Universe.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives an interpretation based on mA - SobhA.
parameSvarah thus indicates One who has Supreme SobhA. One who has
Supreme SobhA, who is the Lord of this and also has full control of this, and
attracts and controls everything because of this, is parameSvarah - parA
mAyasya sa paramah. sa ca asau ISvarah parameSvarah.

nAma 380. kr[m! - karaNam

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The Means.

karaNAya namah.

nAma 381. kar[m! - kAraNam

The Cause - He who causes others to act.

kAraNAya namah.
The two nAma-s are being looked at together here because of their close
relation. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the derivation kriyate anena iti
karaNam -That by which or through whom an act is done. BhagavAn is the only
means for attaining Him. The eyes, ears, etc. which are the means of
knowledge are all aspects of this power of bhagavAn. kAraNam is the Cause
that makes the beings act using the karaNa-s. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan points us to
pANini's words - sAdhaka-tamam karaNam -karaNam is that which is the best
among means or sAdhana-s. He also reminds us of the nAma "hRshIkeSa" in
this context - He who is the eeSa or Lord of the indriya-s (the eyes, ears, etc.

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are the j~nAnendriya-s, and the legs, hands, etc. are the karmendriya-s).
Beyond these indriya-s, there are the antah-karaNa-s which are the citta, the
mind, buddhi, and ahamkAra, which are also controlled by bhagavAn. The
dharma cakram writer points out that for us to control the j~nAnemdriya-s,
the karmendriya_s, the antah-karaNa-s, etc., meditation on mahA-vishNu is
the means. He also refers us to the gItA to point out that the way to achieve
this control is firm determination (vairAgya) and repeated training (abhyAsa).
Following SrI Sankara's vyAkhyAna, SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri distinguishes
karaNam from the next nAma - kAraNam, by interpreting karaNam as "primary
cause", and kAraNam as the supplementary causes. BhagavAn is both the
primary cause as well as the supplementary causes in the creation. He gives
the example of the creation of a mud pot from clay. Both the clay and some
additional instruments are needed in this process. But these alone will not

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result in the mud pot, unless there is the involvement of the maker of the pot.
BhagavAn is the reason for not only the primary cause but the other causes as
well. SrI cinmayAnanda explains karaNam as "He from whom the Universe
arises", and kAraNam as "He who causes the Universe to arise".

nAma 382. ktaR - kartA

The Agent.
kartre namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 317. There the interpretation by SrI
BhaTTar was based on paraSurAma incarnation, as the one who slayed the
demon kArta-vIrya. In the current instance his interpretation is that
bhagavAn is the Agent who causes others to act. SrI cinmayAnanda quotes
pANini - svatantrah kartA - One who freely and independently performs the
functions of creation, protection and destruction, is the "Doer". SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that He is kartA because without Him, the
mere existence of the pa~nca bhUta-s etc. could not have resulted in the
Universe, just as the presence of clay etc. without the presence of a pot-

43
 maker could not have resulted in the creation of a pot. Even though the
jIvAtmA-s may think that they are independent in their acts, nothing
functions without His Will - avan anRi Or aNuvum aSaiyAdu. BhagavAn is the
only svatantra kartA - One who acts independently of everything else. SrI
v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to tiruvAimozhi 5.6.4 -

"SeikinRa kidi ellAm yAnE enRum

SeivA ninRanagaLum yAnE enRum

Seidu mun iRandavum yAnE enRum

Seiyap payan uNbEnum yAnE ennum

SeivArgaLaic ceivEnum yAnE ennum ....."

BhagavAn just does not stop with being the Agent, He also feels the effects
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of the actions of the jIvAtmA-s as if they were His own.

vyasaneshumanushyANAm bhRSam bhavati duhkhitah utsaveshu ca sarveshu
pitevaparitushyati - When the people suffered, RAma suffered more than they
did, and when they were happy, He felt happy like a father. After crowning
vibhIshaNa, Lord rAma felt very fulfilled - kRta kRtyah pramumoda ha.

nAma 383. ivktaR - vikartA

a) He who undergoes modifications.

b) He who created the world of varieties.

vikartre namah.
a) vikurvANah vikartA. In truth bhagavAn does not undergo any modifications.
He is avikAra. However, since the Universe is an extension of Him, and since
the Universe undergoes modifications constantly, it can be said that He
undergoes modifications. He has no joy or sorrow that results from His own
act; but since He considers others' acts as His own and feels one with the joys
and sorrows of His creations, the resulting vikAra or modification and feeling
of joy and sorrow is for the sake of His creation. Lord rAma did not

44
experience joy when He was to be crowned, no did He feel sorrow the next day
when He lost it.

b) SrI Sankara's interpretation is that bhagavAn is the creator of this varied

Universe - vicitram bhuvanam kRtavAn iti vikartA. SrI rAdhakRshNa SAstri
points out that His creation is vicitra because it is beyond comprehension, and
He did it out of His leelA. No two things in His creation are identical. The
dharma cakram writer points that in addition, no two minds are same, no two
faces are the same. We don't know our past, we don't know where we go after
we pass away, nor how many more births we will have to go through. We go
through birth after birth, and in each birth we learn that the external
pleasures are not real pleasures, but we don't carry this memory and
experience to the next birth. Time does not leave anyone behind, but we
ignore this and try to immerse ourselves in the pleasures of our indriya-s. All

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these are the vicitra-s of His creation.

nAma 384. ghn> - gahanah

He who is deep and inscrutable.

gahanAya namah.
He is beyond our intellect and reasoning. He is inside all of us, and yet we
don't know Him. yah pRthivyAs tishThan yam pRthivI na veda --He who is in
the earth but whom the earth does not know - bRhadAraNya upanishad 5.7.3.
He is in all the gods but the gods don't know Him - viNNavarkkueNNal ariyAn -
tiruvAimozhi 1.9.2 (v.v.rAmAnujan). He is both the eye and the object to be
seen - cakshuSca drashTavyam ca nArAyaNah. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri
refers us to kaThopanishad - tam durdarSam gUDhamanupravishTam
guhAhitam gahvareshTham purANam - 1.21. SrI Sankara points out that He is
Unknowable in regard to His Nature, capability or acts. The dharma cakram
writer takes us through several instances in young child kRshNa's leelA-s to
illustrate this point. The gopikA vastrApaharaNam, the instance of pUtanA,
the lifting of the govardhana giri, the episode of be ignited by yaSodA by a

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 rope, etc., illustrate our inability to understand Him through our logic and
rationale. The only way to understand Him is through devotion.

nAma 385. guh> - guhah

a) The Savior.

b) One who hides Himself effectively from non-devotees.

guhAya namah.
gUhati rakshati iti guhah. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvAimozhi
- kAkkum iyalvinan kaNNa perumAn - 2.2.9. This is SrI BhaTTar's
vyAkhyAnam.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri adds that this protection is like that of a child
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protected by the mother when the child is in her womb.

SrI Sankara interprets the nAma based on gUhate samvRNoti - He who hides
His Nature, and gives the reference to gItA - nAham prakASah
sarvasyayogamAyA samAvRtah - 7.25.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives reference to vishNubhAgavta 10.37.11 - gUDho

guhASayah sAkshI mahA purusha ISvarah - This Lord, the Great Purusha, the
witness who dwells in the vase most secretively.

MuNDakopanishad describes Him as "nihitam guhAyAm". SrI rAdhAkRshNa

SAstri refers us to kaThopanishad 3.12 - esha sarveshu bhUteshu gUDhAtmA
naprakASate, and to gItA -

avajAnanti mAm mUDhA mAnushIm tanuASritam |

param bhAvamajAnanto mama bhUta maheSvaram || 9.11

Yet another interpretation, given by SrI R. anantakRshNa SAstri, is that He

reclines in the heart (guhah) of all.

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 SlOkam 42
Vyvsayae VyvSwanSs<SwanSSwandae Øuv>,

priÏR> prmSpò> tuò> può> zuÉe][>. 42.

vyavasAyO vyavasthAnas samsthAnas sthAnadO dhruvah |

pararddhih paramaspashTah tushTah pushTah subhEkshaNah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 386. Vyvsay> - vyavasAyah

a) The Pivot (of the planets).

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b) One with a firm and resolute mind, One with True Knowledge about Self.

vyavasAyAya namaha
tiSayena sIyate (badhyate) asmin jyotiScakram iti vyavasAyah - The circle of
planets is tightly bound and closely fastened to bhagavAn, and so He is called
vyavasAyah. Space which is the support for the stars and planets is the body
of bhagavAn, and so He is tied to them tightly. SrI cinmayAnanda refers us to
two Sloka-s in the gItA where the term vyavasAya occurs. SrI rAmAnuja in
his gItA bhAshya (2.41) interprets the word as referring to "unshakable
conviction" (about the true nature of the self) - vyavasAyo niScayah. The
same interpretation is given in gItA 2.44.So vyavasAyah can refer to One with
a resolute mind, or One who has True Knowledge of the self.

nAma 387. VyvSwan> - vyavasthAnah

The basis.

vyavasthAnAya namah.

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 The basis for the nAma is the root sthA (sthiti). vyavasthAnam karoti iti
vyavasthAnah, or asmin vyavasthitih sarvasya iti vyavasthAnah. One who
establishes everything, or One on whom the basis of everything resides; or
One who regulates everything in the Universe and the associated functions.
vyavasthA is given the meaning "determination, decision, settlement" in Apte's
dictionary, and vyavasthit means 'established'. One who determines everything
is thus vyavasthAnah, and One who establishes everything in their respective
places or positions is vyavasthAnah. SrI BhaTTar associates this basis with
kAla or time, which is the basis for everything that happens in this world. This
again is determined by the movement of the planets, of which dhruva is the
pole or the pivot. SrI Sankara associates the nAma with bhagavAn being the
One who divides and regulates everyone including the different protectors of
the world, various types of beings, takes care of their survival and sustenance,
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etc.

nAma 388. s<Swan> - samsthAnah

The final end.

samsthAnAya namah.
sarvam etasmin santhishThate - samApyate iti samsthAnah.

One in whom all things have their ultimate end is samsthAnah.

Another interpretation, given by SrI v.v.rAmAnujan, is samApyate iti

samsthAnah - One who terminates everything at some stage is samsthAnah.

SrI Sankara gives an additional interpretation - samIcInam sthAnam asya

itisamsthAnah - He who has the supreme place.

This is elaborated by SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri as referring to the Milky

Ocean, the sUrya maNDala, the heart of the yogis etc., or His position as
dhruva in the dhruva maNDala.

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nAma 389. Swand> - sthAnadah

The Giver of the Supreme Abode.

sthAnadAya namah.
sthAnam dadAti iti sthAna-dah. da is "to give". There are many nAma-s that
end with the affix -da, and all of these can be understood based on this suffix.
Other examples are prANa-dah, mAna-dah, SAnti-dah, SrI-dah,darpa-dah,
sarva-kAma-dah, and svasti-dah. sthAna-dah is One who gives the best of the
sthAna-s, paramapadam. SrI Sankara gives a more general interpretation as
One who gives status tothe beings as they deserve - dhruvAdInAm
karmAnurUpam sthAnam dadAti itisthAna-dah. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri

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points out that bhagavAn is the One who gave the position to dhruva which is
unlike all the other stars viz. dhruva is fixed in position compared to the
others who are in constant motion. SrI cinmayAnanda gives references to
kathopanishad (yathAkarmam yathASrutam- 2.5.7), and quotes "karma phala
dAtA nArAyaNah" to support SrI Sankara's interpretation. The dharma
cakram writer gives reference to tirukkuraL tosupport the same interpretation

"vaguttAn vagutta vagai allAl kODi toguttArkkum tuyttal aridu".

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha comments that bhagavAn gives the position to the
stars in space, to the devas in the antariksha loka, to the water-living
creatures in the Oceans, etc. At a lower level, He has even created
appropriate places in our bodies for the refuse that results from the bodily
functions.

nAma 390. Øuv> - dhruvah

The Stationary (Fixed).

dhruvAya namah.
The root dhru means to be steady. He conferred a status on dhruva that is as

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 permanent as SrI vaikunTham. Since He can make any place as permanentas
His abode viz. SrIviakunTham, the significance here is that He is everywhere.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that bhagavAn conferred on dhruva that
which is only His Nature - viz. the indestructible status, and so dhruva is
bhagavAn Himself. The dharma cakram writer points out that in the midst of
the cycle of creation and pralaya where everything that has been created
merges in Him and then reappears, He is the only permanent or fixed one, and
so He is dhruva. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha takes the meaning "certain" for
dhruva, and points out that even though everything except Him in this
Universe is a dhruva, by His Nature of dhruvatva He gives a sense of certainty
to everything - thus the rising of the sun and the setting of the sun are dhruva
or certain, birth and death are certain, etc. Next begins the story of SrI
rAma. The next 16 nAma-s are interpreted by SrI BhaTTar in the context of
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rAmAvatAra. SrI BhaTTar titles this section as "The story of SrI rAma
which resuscitates even the dead". SrI v.v.rAmAnujan points out the "bias"
that SrI BhaTTar has for this incarnation shows in the vryAkhyAnam that he
gives for these nAma-s. The title is just the beginning.

nAma 391. priÏR> - pararddhih

He who is full of noble and auspicious qualities.

paraddhaye namah.
Rddhih means vibhUti or manifestation. parA Rddhih yasya sa pararddhih -One
who has a super-abundance of auspicious qualities or kalyANa guNa-s.

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan comments that it is not an exaggeration to say that in no

other incarnation do we find the perfection of auspicious qualities as in the
rAma incarnation.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to rAmAyaNa where some of these

qualities are described in Sloka-s 1.1.8 to 1.1.18 by sage nArada to vAlmIki.
The last two Sloka-s are given here as examples:

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"samudra iva gAmbhIrye dhairyeNa himavAniva |

vishNunA sadRSo vIrye somavat priyadarSanah||

kAlAgni-sadRSah krodhe kshamayA pRthivI samah|

dhanadena samstyAge satye dharma ivAparah||

"rAma has gAmbhIrya like an ocean, dhairya of himavAn, vIrya ofvishNu, the
sweet appearance of the moon, anger comparable to that of pralaya agni,
patience of Mother Earth, tyAga of kubera, and satya of dharmadevatA". SrI
rAmAnujan gives an additional interpretation: pareshAm RddhirevaRddhih
yasya - One who considers para samRddhih or the fulfillment of others as His
own. After crowning vibhIshaNa, Lord rAma felt happy by the sheer act of
fulfilling His word - kRta kRtyah tathA rAmah. He also quotes "utsaveshu ca
sarveshu piteva paritushyati" - When the citizens are happy, He feels happy

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like a father who feels pleasure at the happiness of the child".

nAma 392. prmSpò> - parama

parama--spashTah

He whose greatness is explicit.

parama-spashTAya namah.
spashTa (pratyaksha, dRshTA) pAramyah parama-spashTah. His greatness is
explicitly obvious. SrI BhaTTar refers us to rAmAyaNa - vyaktameshamahA-
yogI paramAtmA sanAtanah - (yuddha kANDam - 114.4). These are
mandodari's words when she sees rAma after He slays rAvaNa in the
battlefield. Similarly, tArA, vAli's wife, recognizes rAma's divine nature as
soon as she sees Him -

tvam aprameyaSca durAsadaSca.....manushyadehAbhyudam vihAya divyena

dehAbhydayena yuktah

(rAmAyaNa 4.24.31-32)

Lord rAma's only goal and firm determination (mahA-yogi) in this incarnation
was protection of the world, and His greatness can be clearly cognized by

51
 means of direct perception. sumitrA's words are: "sUryasyApi bhavet
sUryah" - He shines even brighter than the Sun, and He is the One who gives
brightness to the Sun. Other references to Lord rAma's explicit greatness
are His being called "pumsAm dRshTi cittApahAriNam", "rUpa samhananam
lakshmIm tadRSurvismitAkArAh", etc. The dharma cakram writer points out
that it is this explicit greatness that caused bharata to throw away the
kingdom that was offered to him and instead be devoted to rAma, lakshmaNa
to serve rAma for 14 years without food and sleep, and hanumAn to surrender
to rAma as soon as he met him and serve Him for the rest of his life. SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha gives an independent interpretation based on the root
spaS - to bind ( spaSati - badhnAti), and gives the meaning "One who binds
everything in a superb way" for parama-spashTa. The example of the complex
human body, which retains its beautiful appearance in spite of its internal
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complexity, is given as an example. He gives the following quotes in support:

asya spaSo na nimishanti (rg 9.73.4), divah spaSah pracaranti (atharva 4.16.4),
etc.

nAma 393. tuò> - tushTah

He who is full of happiness.

tushTAya namah.
Instead of being in SrIviakunTham where only a chosen few could be with Him,
He decided happily to choose dasaratha, a human, as His father, and be born in
this world so that He was within reach of everyone. When the deva-s
appeared before Him in His rAma incarnation and praised Him as bhagavAn, He
told them that He was happy to consider Himself as a human, the son of
dasaratha - AtmAnam mAnusham manye rAmam daSarathAtmajam. As we saw
before, He is one who was happy like a father of an accomplished child when
His citizens were happy - piteva paritushyati, and who attained unbounded joy
by just fulfilling His word to vibhIshaNa and crowning him as the king of
lankA- pramumoda ha. SrI Sankara interprets the nAma as referring to His

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being The Supreme Bliss. SrI cinmayAnanda explains that He is tushTa - One
who becomes happy even with the smallest of offerings. He refers us to

"patram pushpam phalam toyam yo me bhaktyA prayacchati|

tadaham bhaktyupahRtam aSnAmi prayatAtmanah ||

"I accept even if one offers some leaf or flower, fruit, or spoon of water,
happily, if it is offered in love". The dharma cakram writer points out that
bhagavAn is tushTa because He is not subject to the pains and pleasures that
other beings are subject to. rAma did not feel instant happiness when He was
going to become king, nor was He sad when He was asked to go the forest for
14 years. kRshNa only smiled when gAndhAri cursed that the yAdava race
should come to an end forever. bhagavAn is only the witness to all events, and
is not influenced in any way by any event, which for the outsiders is deemed

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good or bad, happy or sad etc. This nAma should teach us that the proper way
to realize bhagavAn is to be tushTa always, and be witness to the events
around us butnot be attached to them, and train to be a yogi - santhushTah
satatam yogI.

nAma 394. può> - pushTah

He who is full of noble qualities.

pushTAya namah.
pUrNatvAt pushTah. He is complete in every respect, and so there is no room
for likes and dislikes, wants and desires. The dharma cakram writer refers us
to vaLLuvar referring to bhagavAn as "vENDUdal vENDAmai ilAn". Meditating
on the significance of this nAma will lead us to move towards this state where
we overcome likes and dislikes. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha extends this meaning
to also suggest that He ispushTa because He keeps all his creations fulfilled by
making available the means for them to be fulfilled - pushNAti iti pushTah.

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 nAma 395. zuÉe][> - subhEkshaNah

He who has auspicious eyes.

SubhekshaNAya namah.
We have seen the nAma-s padmanibhekshaNah (346) and aravindAkshah (348)
earlier. SrI BhaTTar refers us to ayodhyA kANDam -

"yaSca rAmam na paSyettu yam ca rAmo na paSyati |

ninditah sa vaset loke svAtma'pi enam vigarhate ||"

(ayodhyA 17.14)

"Whoever has not seen rAma or whomsoever rAma has not seen, that person
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stands condemned by all people in this world, and even his own self condemns
him".

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to amalanAdipirAn - kariyavAgip-puDai

parandumiLirndu SevvariyODi nINDa ap-perivAya kaNgaL, sung by
tiruppANAzhvAr. subhRUh Ayata tAmrAkshah sAkshAt vishNuriva svayam -
He with such beautiful brows and bright long red eyes - He is none other than
vishNu, is the praise of the citizens of ayodhyA. hanumAn describes rAma to
sItAdevi as "rAmahkamala patrAkshah sarva sattva manorathah - where he
describes the greatness of seeing His eyes as well as being seen by His eyes.
sItA pirATTi herself describes Her Lord rAma thus - tam padma daLa
patrAksham .. dhanyAh paSyantime nAtham - Those who are blessed see the
beautiful lotus-like eyes of my nAtha. SrI Sankara elaborates on the power of
the beauty of His eyes thus:

"IkshNam darSanam yasya Subham Subhakaram narANAm,

mumukshUNAmmokshdam, bhogArthinAm bhogadam, pApinAm pAvanam, sarva
sandeha vicchedakAraNam, hRdaya-granther vicchedakaram, sarvakarmANAm
kshpaNam, avidyAyAScanivartakam sah SubekshaNah".

"His mere sight is so auspicious and bestows good on all beings; it gives

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moksham to the spiritually minded, enjoyments to those that desire them,
cleanses sinners, removes all doubts, burns up all the karma-s, and removes all
ignorance". He quotes the Sruti

"bhidhyate hRdaya-granthih chidyante sarva samSayAhkshIyante cAsya

karmANi tasmin dRshTe parAvare"

(muNDakppanishad 2.2.8)

The knots of the heart are cut....SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives us several
references to the Sruti. IkshANam also refers to the determination by
bhagavAn that He will become many from One. This samkalpam became the
auspicious decision which resulted in the creation of this Universe. Since He is
the One with the Subha IkshaNa or samkalpa, He is SubhekshaNa. SrI SAstri
gives the following quotes to support this interpretation: tadaikshata bahu

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syAm prajAyeyeti (chAndogya6.2); sa Ikshata lokAnnusRjA iti (aitareya 1.1.1);
sa IkshAm cakre (praSno6.3); seyam devataikshata hantAhamimAh tisro
devatA anena jIvenaAtmA'nupraviSya nAmarUpe vyAkaravANi (chAndogya
6.3).The dharma cakram writer points out several examples of individuals who
benefited by the mere sight of bhagavAn falling on them. arjuna asked Lord
kRshNa to bless him with His Merciful glance; as soon as this happened, all of
arjuna's doubts were cleared, and he realized the true nature of his soul
immediately. guha, hanumAn, paraSurAma, and Sabari are just among some of
the examples of people who gained immensely from the mere sight of Lord
rAma.

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sadagopan.org

rAmAya namah - KumbakONam SrI RAmar

(Courtesy :Sri. Sridhar Lakshminarasimhan)

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 SlOkam 43
ramae ivramae ivrtae (jae) magaeR neyae nyae=ny>,

vIrZzi´mta< ïeóae xmaeR xmRivÊÄm>. 43.

rAmO virAmO viratO (jO) mArgO nEyO nayO=nayah |

vIras saktimatAm srEshThO dharmO dharmaviduttamah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 396. ram> - rAmah

a) He who delights others.

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b) He in whom everyone delights.

rAmAya namah
There are two obvious interpretations for this nAma. One is that all the yogi-s
revel in His charm - ramante yoginah asmin iti rAmah. SrI Sankara gives
reference to pAdmapurANa - ramante yoginah anante nityAnande cidAtmani-
The yogins revel in Him who is Eternal Bliss, Pure Consciousness and Endless.
The other is that He who has a compelling charm about Himself and He who is
most Handsome - ramayati itit rAmah. SrI BhaTTar gives several references.
rAmo ramayatAm SreshThah - rAma is the foremost among those who delight
the minds of all people (rAmAyaNa - ayodhyA 53-1); guNAbhirAmam rAmam ca
- rAma who is filled with kalyANa guNa-s (mahAbhArata sabhA 58-42);

tathAsarva-prajA kAntaih prIti sanjananaih pituh |

guNaih viruruce rAmah dIptahsUrya iva amSubhih ||

- rAma who is liked by His citizens, who brings happiness to His father, and
who is full of klayANa guNa-s, shone like the Sun with its intense and bright
rays - ayodhyA 1.33. In tiruppAvai, ANDAL calls Him manatukku iniyAn. His

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 form is such that even His enemies get attracted to it. Even though mandodari
and vAli's wife are not in the categories of enemies of rAma, they were both
realized His divine Nature when they saw Him with their husbands dying or
dead. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers to SUrpanakA's description of rAma and
lakshmaNa - taruNau rUpasampannau sukumArau - puNDarIka viSAlAkshau....
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha and SrI v.v.rAmAnujan both refer to the root ramu -
krIDAyAm - He who derives pleasure out of His leelA-s, or He who makes
everyone happy because of His krIDA as part of His krIDA, is rAma. The
dharma cakram writer adds that there are two kinds of delight- delights of
this world which have sadness associated with them always as a consequence,
and the delight pertaining to the enjoyment of para brahmam which has pure
lasting happiness associated with it. rAma is the source of the later kind. The
writer refers us to Sabari's holding on to life only to have the darSan of
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rAma, the Rshi-s who delighted themselves in the sight of rAma, and the gopi-
s and gopAla-s who had bhagavad-anubhavam by being with kRshNa in
AyarpADi. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri reminds us that it is sage vasishTha, the
kula guruof daSaratha's family, that gave the name rAma to daSaratha's first
son.

nAma 397. ivram> - virAmah

a) He before whom all become powerless.

b) He who is the final goal of everyone.

virAmAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar has explained the nAma as follows: viramyate asmin
varapradaihbrahmAdibhih, varaiSca avadhyAdibhih, labdha-varaiSca
rAvaNAdibhih itivirAmah - Before rAma all become powerless, including the
likes of brahma who grant the boons, the boons themselves of indestructibility
even by death, and people like rAvaNa who acquired the boons by their
austerities. He quotes rAmAyaNa in this context - brahmA svayambhUh
caturAnano vA ...(Sundara kANDa 51.45), where hanumAn advises rAvaNa to

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understand rAma's prowess. SrI Sankara gives the explanation that He is the
final resting place or goal of all beings - virAmah avasAnam prANinAm asmin iti
virAmah. SrIrAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to rAmAyaNa wherein we find
that those who have seen rAma or have diverted their thoughts on Him do not
even try to get out of this mode.

na hi tasmAt manah kaScit cakshushI vA narottamAn |

narah SaknotyapAkrashTum atikrAnte abhi rAghave ||

(rAmA 2.18.13)

SrI cinmayAnanda explains that He is the final resting place because having
reached Him there is no return into the realm of experiences. He also points
out that some vyAkhyAna kartA-s interpret the meaning as "He in whom the
world of plurality merges during the deluge or pralaya". The dharma cakram

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writer comments that until the soul reaches Him i.e., attains moksha, there is
always re-birth, and He is the final resting place, attaining which alone one can
rest finally. So this nAma should remind us that the final goal is mahA vishNu,
and teach us to meditate on Him. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha nicely relates the
two nAma-s, rAma and virAma. ramante asmin iti rAmah, viramanti asmin iti
virAmah - One in whom people delight is rAma, and One in whom people find
final SAnti is virAma. The source of delight is also the end of delight - yatra
ramaNam tatra ramaNaavasAnam. He is the Creator and He is also the one
who ends the creation.This is the same principle involved in the body being
formed from the pa~ncabhUta-s and dissolving back into the pa~nca bhUta-s,
the sun rising in timeand settling back in time, etc. He gives numerous
references to theSruti-s to support this interpretation:

tasmin idam sam ca vicaiti sarvam sa otah protaSca vibhuh prajAsu

(yajur 32.8)

yo mArayati prANayati yasmAt prANanti bhuvanAni viSvA

(atharva 13.3.3)

kAlenodeti sUryah kAle niviSate punah (atharva 19.54.1)

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 yatrAmRtam ca mRtyuSca purushe'dhi samAhite

(atharva 10.5.17)

nAma 398. ivrt> (ivrjae magR>) - viratah (virajO mArgah)

One who shows the faultless path.

viratAya namah
- The Unattached

mArgAya namah
- He who is sought after

virajo-mArgAya namah
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- He who shows the flawless path

There is some confusion here as to whether this is to be interpreted as one

nAma (virajo-mArgah), or as two separate nAma-s.

SrI SrInivAsarAghavan discusses the terms viratah and mArgah separately

but lists them under the same number, and also indicates that virajo-mArgah is
the form when the nAma is considered as one nAma.

SrI aNNa~ngarAcArya and SrI v.v.rAmAnujan list viratah (virajah) and

mArgah as two separate nAma-s. The difference in numbering which started
with Slokam 34 (ishTo'viSishTah vs. ishTah and aviSishTah) between these
two sets of interpretations continues up to this nAma, where it synchronizes
again. bhagavAn is viratah because the spirit of detachment is natural to Him.
vigatam ratam asya vishayasevAyAm iti viratah - One in whom the desire for
pleasure in objects has ceased. When He lost the kingdom it did not deprive
Him of His splendor just as the night cannot take away the loveliness of the
cool-rayed of the moon.

"na cAsya mahatIm lakshmIm rAjya nASo'pakarshati |

loka-kAntasya kAntatvam SItaraSmeriva kshapA ||" (ayodhyA 19.32)

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sItA pirATTi's own words are:

"When SrI rAma abandoned the kingdom under the plea of dharma, and led me
to the forest where I had to move on foot, there was neither disappointment
nor grief, nor fear in rAma".

"dharmApadeSAt tyajataSca rAjyam |

mAm cApyaraNyam nayatah padAtim" ||

(sundara 36.29)

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan points out that another instance of this detachment is that
He did not have the faintest desire to have any part of SrIlankA for Himself
which he won in the battle with rAvaNa. He also gives references to
prabandham:

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pArALum paDar Selvam bharata nambikkE aruLi arum kAnamaDaindavan
(perumAl tirumozhi 8.5);

iru nilattai vENDAdE virainduvenRimaivAyakaLirozhindu tEr ozhindu

mAvozhindu vanamE mEviya em irAman

(perumAL tirumozhi 9.2)

Some versions have this nAma as virajah (rajo-rahitah). SrI cinmayAnanda

gives the interpretation that He is without the rajas or agitation of the mind,
and so He is virajah (passionless). He is the embodiment of Pure sattava guNa.
The dharma cakram writer points out that the difference between us and
bhagavAn is this - that we are attached and He is detached. He refers us to
tirukkuraL:

paRRuga paRRaRRAn paRRinai appaRRaip-

paRRuga paRRu viDaRkku.

The significance of this nAma is that we should learn to be detached by

meditating on this nAma of bhagavAn. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha has composed
one Slokam for each nAma to explain the nAma's significance, and thus there
are 1000 Sloka-s of his own in explanation of the 1000 nAma-s. I am including

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 his Slokam for the current nAma as an example:

"rajo na tasmin na tamSca tasmin, sattva-svabhAvo hi sa vishNuruktah|

so'sti svabhAvAt amita-prakASo, deve'sti gItah tamasah parastAt||

mArgah - He who is sought after.

mArgAya namah.
mArgyate iti mArgah.
The word is derived from the root mRjU Suddhau, to cleanse. He is the path
for those who lead a life as laid down in the SAstra-s. SrI BhaTTar remarks
that even sages like bharadvAja sought after Him. He is also the mArga
because He is the only means (upAya) to attain Him. SrI Sankara quotes the
taittirIya upanishad - nAnyah panthAvidyateyanAya (3.13). SrI rAdhAkRshNa
SAstri gives reference to bRhadAraNya upanishad - esha panthA brahmaNA
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hAnuvittah - 4.4.9). The dharma cakram writer gives examples of paraSurAma,

vAli, rAvaNa, etc., where bhagavAn was the means for their realization of
Him. SrI BhaTTar also remarks that virajo-mArgah is the version when the
two words are combined as one nAma, and the meaning is that He is the One
who shows the flawless path. SrI srInivAsarAghavan uses the nAma asvirato-
mArgah and gives the meaning that He is the path that is sought after even
though He Himself is unattached.

nAma 399. ney> - nEyah

He who lets Himself be governed (by His devotees)

neyAya namah.
netA refers to one who leads. neyah is one who is led. SrI BhaTTar gives the
derivation - niyoga arhatvAt neyah. niyogah means order. One who is to fit to
be entrusted with the responsibility to command is also neyah. SrI BhaTTar
gives the following references: "Ag~nyApyo'ham tapasvinAm" - I am agreeable
to be commanded by those who practice austerities - (rAmAyaNa AraNya
6.22); niyunkshva cApi mAm kRtye sarvam kartAsmi te vacah - KRshNa's words

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to yudhisThira - You may ask me to do whatever you want; I shall certainly
carry out your behests (mahAbhArata anuSAsana 33.25);

"ayam asmi mahAbAho brUhi yat te vivakshitam|

karishyAmIha tat sarvam yattvam vakshyati bhArata!" ||

- O Long-armed scion of the royal dynasty of bharata! I am here ready to do

whatever you want; I shall carry out your commands (mahA udyoga 71.5). SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning as "One who is fit to be sought"-
prApyah prAptum yogyah, or "One who is not attainable through any pramANa
except by contemplation, meditation, and devotion" - sarva
prmANaavishayatvAt sa manasA netum arhah = mantum yogyah mananIyo
bhavati. The key phrase is netum arhah neyah.

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nAma 400. ny> - nayah

He who draws everyone towards Himself.

nayAya namah.
nayati iti nayah - One who draws everyone towards Himself; one who leads
everyone in their spiritual illumination.

When rAma reached daNDakAraNyam,the Rshi-s there were drawn to Him,

and they entrusted their protection solely to Him, even though they had their
tapo-balam.

SrI v.v.rAmAnujanrefers us to bhagavAn's words in His varAha incarnation -

nayAmi paramAmgatim - I will lead everyone to the Ultimate, viz. moksham.

The dharma cakram writer points out the examples of arjuna being led in the
right path by bhagavAn through the gItopadeSam. Meditation on this nAma of
bhagavAn should reveal to us that the path to moksahm is to be drawn
towards Him and to follow His lead.

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 nAma 401. Any> - anayah

He who cannot be spirited away.

anayAya namah.
SrI bhaTTar gives the example of the futile effort of rAvaNa to lift and
carry away lakshmaNa when he was lying on the battleground after being
struck by the Sakti weapon by rAvaNa. He also gives an alternate
interpretation based on ayah - the means which brings prosperity; an-ayah
then means He without whom there is no prosperity. SrI Sankara's
interpretation that He is one who is not led by anyone, unlike He who leads
everyone in the spiritual path. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the examples of
bhagavAn being the opposites simultaneously. One meaning he gives for nayah
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is One who moves. anayah is One who does not move. He gives reference to :

'tadejati tanaijati',anejadekam manaso javIyo (ISAvAsya upanishad)

aram kAmAya harayovadhanvire sthirAya hinvan harayo harI turA

(Rg veda 10.96), etc.

The dharma cakram writer nicely illustrates how rAma always acted in the path
of dharma without anyone having to lead Him. When he had to go the forest,
others including sage vasishTha tried to persuade Him to accept the kingdom
instead and rule, but rAma did not swerve from the path of dharma and
adopted that path without having to be told by anyone.

When He returned back from the forest and became the king, some citizens
commented that sItAdevi had been in another person's house and should not
occupy the throne with SrI rAma. Because rAma wanted to set an example to
His citizens, He sent her instead to vAlmIki's ASramam, and showed them the
path of dharma of the king.

Thus, He never needed to be led by anyone, anayah.

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nAma 402. vIr> - vIrah

Valiant (See 664).

vIrAya namah.
He is vIra because He destroys at once those who are a source of suffering to
the pious by discharging His weapons which are ever ready to carry out His
commands. He is a source of terror to His enemies. SrI Sankara bhAshyam is
"vikramaSAlitvAt vIrah - One who is valorous". SrI v.v.rAmAnujan points out
that vIra, saurYa, and parAkrama are among the mahA-guNa-s of bhagavAn,
and the reference to vIrya here by bhIshma can be taken to refer to all three
guNa-s. vIrya is the quality of inducing terror in the hearts of the enemies;

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Saurya is derived from the word SUra - the ability to cause havoc among the
enemies' ranks by single-handedly penetrating their ranks; and parAkrama is
the ability to cause enormous damage to enemies' side while not being even
slightly hurt Himself. rAma is referred to as mahAvIra in raghu-vIra-gadyam
(The starting line is jaya jaya mahA-vIra!). SrI bhaTTar give as reference to
the following: mArIca tells rAvaNa about rAma -

"vRkshe vRkshe ca paSyAmi cIra kRshNAjinAmbaram |

gRhIta dhanusham rAmam pASa hastamiva antakam ||"

(rAmAAraNya 39.14)

"In every tree I see rAma dressed in tree bark and black deer-skin and His
bow drawn as though He is the god of death with the rope in hand".

"brahma-daNDa prakASAnAm vidyut-sadRSa varcasAm |

smaran rAghava-bANAnAn vivyate rAkshaseSvarah" ||

(yuddha 60.3)

"rAvaNa, the king of rAkshasa-s, became uneasy when he even thought of the
arrows of rAma, which had the luster of the club of brahma and the glitter of
the lightning".

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 "mAta~nga iva simhena garuDeneva pannagah |

abhibhUto'bhavad-rAjA rAghaveNa mahAtmanA" ||

(yuddha 60.2)

"The king (rAvaNa) was overpowered by the powerful rAma like the elephant
by the lion, and the serpent by garuDa".

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives several references to prabandham:- In tiruccanda

viruttam, tirumazhiSai sings - "anRu ila~ngai nIRu SeiduSenRu konRu venRi
koNDa vIraNAr";- in perumAltirumozhi we have "ve~nkadirOn kulattukkOr
viLakkAit-tOnRi viNmuzhudum uyyakkoNDa vIran tannai" (10.1); mazhu vAL
Endi vevvari naRcilaivA~ngi venRi koNDu vEl vEndar pagai taDinda vIran tannai
(10.3);- pollA arakkanaik kiLLik kaLaindAanai" in tiruppAvai, referring to the
ease with which rAma finished rAvaNa whose power was unheard of;-
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"vennarakam SerA-vagaiyE Silai kunittAn - tiruma~ngai in SiRiya tirumaDal

referring to rAma's act of torturing kara and dUshaNa during their fight to
the point that they did not need a separate anubhavam of living in narakam.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives references to the Sruti:

SRNve vIro vindamAno vasUni mahad-devAnAm asuratvam ekam

(Rg 3.55.10)

sa ghA vIro na rishyati yamindro brahmaNaspatih somo hinoti martyam

(Rg 2.28.4)

SrI rAdhAkRsNa SAstri gives a beautiful description of His vIra. The source
is not identified, but the description is worth repeating here:

"yasmat sva-mahimnA sarvAn lokAn sarvAn devAn sarvAn Atmanah

sarvANibhUtAni viramati virAmayati ajastram sRjati visRjati vAsayati, yato
vIrahkarmaNyah sudRksho yukta-grAvA jAyate deva-kAmah tasmAt ucyate
vIram iti".

He cannot be opposed, cannot be conquered, and His skills will be self-evident

and will subdue His enemies automatically.

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nAma 403. zi´mta< ïeó> - saktimatAm srEshThah

The Greatest among the powerful.

SaktimatAm-SreshThAya namah.
SaktimatAmapi SaktimattvAt SaktimatAm SreshThah. He is the most
praiseworthy among the powerful gods and others. He is more powerful than
the likes of brahma the Creator. The likes of indra could not destroy rAvaNa,
and they surrendered to bhagavAn as a result seeking His protection. rAma
with the axe (i.e., paraSurAma) says to SrI rAma: "aakshayyammadhu-
hantAram jAnAmi tvAm syreSvaram - I know that you are indestructible; You
are the slayer of madhu (the asura), and You are the Lord of all the

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gods" (rAmAyaNa bAla 76.17). SrI bhaTTar also gives reference to
hanumAn's words to rAvaNa -

"devASca daityASca niSAcarendra! gandharva vidyAdhara-nAga-yakshAh|

rAmasya lokatraya-nAyakasya sthAtum na SaktAh samareshu sarve||"

(sundara 51.44)

"O King of the rAkshasa-s! The gods and the asura-s, gandharva-sand
vidyAdhara-s, nAga-s, and yaksha-s - all these cannot stand against rAma, the
Lord of the three worlds, in the battle".

nAma 404. xmR> - dharmah

Virtue Incarnate.

dharmAya namah.
SrI satyadevo vAsisshTha derives the meaning from the root dhR~nj -
dhAraNeto support; dhArayati iti dharmah - that which supports is dharmah,
dhAryatevA yena jagat iti dharmah - He by whom this Universe is supported is
dharmah. SrI bhaTTar points out that He is Virtue Incarnate because He
sustains all beings by conferring prosperity and salvation on them. In yuddha

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 kANDa brahma says of Lord rAma - lokAnAm tvam paramo dharmah - Thou art
the Supreme Dharma in all the worlds. In mahAbhArata we have "sAkshAt
devahpurANO'sau sa hi dharmah sanAtanah - He is ancient God Himself and
also the eternal dharma incarnate". About kRshNa incarnation -

"ye ca vedavido viprAh ye ca adhyAtmavido janAh |

te vadanti mahAtmAnam kRshNam dharam sanAtanam" ||

"Those brAhmins who are well-versed in veda-s, and those who realized the
Brahman, declare in one voice that the great SrI kRshNa is the eternal dharma
incarnate".

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers to mArIca's words about rAma - rAmo

vitgrahavAndharmah - rAma is dhrama incarnate. He also points that ANDAL
calls Him "dharumam aRiyAk kurumban" in nAcciAr tirumozhi, obviously out of
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the sheer intense liberty she has towards her Lord, and out of her intense
fondness to Him. SrI cinmayAnanda discusses in some detail the significance
of this term "dharma". By example, he points out that the dharma of sugar is
sweetness, the dharma of fire is heat, etc., and thus the dharma of an the
individual in this sense is the soul, without which the individual does not exist.
Since bhagavAn is the one Self that supports all the individuals, He is the
Ultimate Dharma.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri reminds us of "dharmo rakshati rakshitah, dharma

evahato hanti" - dharma protects those who protect it, and destroys those who
destroy it. dharma is like the guides on both sides of the road; if we follow
them, we reach our destination safely; if we go outside the limit, or if we
collide with the guides, we encounter suffering. bhagavAn is this guide for
those who want to follow it. Those who don't follow it pay dearly. The dharma
cakram writer gives several examples of where dharma has protected those
who followed it, and destroyed those who tried to ignore it. In the former
category are hariScandra, the pANDava-s, etc. In the latter category are
rAvaNa, duryodhana, etc. BhIshma tried his very best to advise duryodhana
that no one who follows dharma can be defeated in the end, no matter how

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many bhIshma-s try to help duryodhana. But he won't listen, and ultimately
paid the price for adharma. Same was the case with rAvaNa, who would not
listen to vibhIshaNa-s advice. Meditation on this nAma of mahAvishNu should
teach us the basic lesson that dharma protects those who follow it, and
adharma will have no end other than self-destruction.

nAma 405. xmRivÊÄm> - dharmavid

dharmavid--uttamah

The foremost among those who are conscious of dharma.

dharma-vid-uttamAya namah.
No further evidence is needed for this than that sages such as vasishTha,
vAmadeva, and mArkaNDeya who were the guru-s for rAma resorted to Him

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for a knowledge of dharma (SrI BhaTTar). The dharma cakram writer remarks
that it is not easy to recognize what is dharma and what is not dharma.
bhagavAn has created the Sruti-s as His commandments to explain to us what
is dharma. To realize what is dharma, meditation on mahAvishNu is the path.
For this, a clean mind is necessary. This is what is taught in tirukkuraL -
manattuk-kaN mASilan Adal anaittu aRan. SrI Sankara points out that all
Sruti-s and smRti-s are His commandments, and hence He is called the
greatest of the knowers of dharma. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives
reference to vishNu dharmottara - Srutis-smRtI mamaivA~gnye (76.31).

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 sadagopan.org

vaikuNThAya namah - ThiruvaikuNTha ViNNagaram

(Pic Courtesy: http://thiruvaikuntavinnagaram.blogspot.com)

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 SlOkam 44
vEk…{Q> pué;> àa[> àa[d> à[v> p&wu>,

ihr{ygÉRZzÇu¹ae VyaÝae vayurxae]j>. 44.

vaikuNThah purushah praaNah praaNadah praNavah pruthuh |
hiraNyagarbhas satrughno vyAptO vAyuradhOkshajah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 406. vEk…{Q> -vaikunThah

Remover of obstacles (to union).

vaikunThAya namah
SrI BhaTTar derives the meaning from the root kuThi gati praghAte -

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obstructing the path. Thus kunThA signifies the obstacles to union. vaikunTha-
s are those whose obstacles have been removed. The obstacles to bhagavAn
are sins. He is the remover of sins, and so He is called vaikunTha.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains the nAma as vigatA kunThA tasyAh kartA -
One who regulates those that tend to go their own way if left unobstructed.
At the beginning of the earth, when the pa~nca bhUta-s tended to expand
uncontrolled without uniting with each other, bhagavAn controlled this and
made them co-exist through union with other.

SrI Sankara and SrI BhaTTar both quote the following Sloka from
mahAbhArata in support of the concept that bhagavAn brings about the union
of seemingly incompatible things:
"mayA samSleshitA bhUmih adbhir-vyoma ca vAyunA |
vAyuSca tejasA sArdham viakunThatvam tato mama ||

(SAnti343-50)

"By me the earth was united with water, ether with air, and air with fire. So I
am called vaikunTha".

He is vaikunThah also because He removes all obstacles to attaining Him for

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 His devotees, and unites them with Him (SrI P. B. aNNa~ngarAcArya).

SrI satyadevo vASishTha explains that One for whom all obstacles or
obstructions (kunThA) have been removed is vikunTha. Or One who removes
all obstacles is vikunTha also.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives yet another explanation. bhagavAn is called

vaikunThah because He was born to Subhra and vikunThA in the fifth
manvantara. He then married ramA and acceded to her request to create a
place for her enjoyment, and this place was called vaikunTha. He Himself is
this vaikunTha. This is supported by vishNu purANa 3. 2. 41 and bhAgavata 8.
5.4-5.

The dharma cakram writer takes the interpretation to a level where it applies
to lives of individuals for whom He removed the obstacles facing them from
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attaining Him and united them with Him. The cases of prahlAda, paraSurAma,
karNa, hariScandra, vAli, etc. are given as examples.

nAma 407. pué;> purushah

The Purifier.
purushAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier also (nAma 14), even though it was not identified
as a recurring nAma at that time. A summary of the vyAkhyAna given for
nAma14 is included here.

a. puru sanoti iti purushah - One who gives in plenty.

b. purA AsIt iti purushah - One who existed before anything else.

c. pUrayati itit putushah - One who completes and fulfils existence

everywhere.

d. puri Sete iti purushah - One who is reclining in this body.

In support of d) above, SrI Sankara gives the additional support from the
Sruti-s: sa vA ayam purushah sarvAsu pUrshu puriSayah (BR. Upa. 2. 5. 18) -

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He is indeed called purusha who lives in all the bodies.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives the following support from divya prabhandham in

support of a):
vENDiRRellAm tarum en vaLLal (tiruvAimozhi 3. 9. 5);
enakkE tannait-tandakaRpagam (tiruvAImozhi 2. 7. 11).

To the above four explanations, we now add the following:

e. "usha dAhe purUn sarvAn oshati dahati iti vA purushah" - He who

outshines everyone.

f. "pApmana oshah tasmAt purushah" - He who burns away all sins.

g. piparti pRNAti pAlayati pUrayati iti vA purushah - He who protects -

from pR pAlana pUraNayoh - to protect or nourish

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h. purah + kushan = purushah (from pura agragamane) - pura
agragamanepurati agragAmI bhavati iti vA purushah - He who is the Leader or
who is in the forefront.

i. pUrvah asmAt viSvAt tat AdikAraNatvAt iti purushah - He who is the

original cause of the world.

j. purUNi bhuvanAni samhAra samaye syati antam nayatIti purushah - He

who takes the worlds to their end at the time of samhAra or pralaya.

Under the current nAma, SrI BhaTTar gives the two new interpretations
above- One who burns (purifies) - oshah - all sins by nature: sa yat
pUrvahasmAt sarvasmAt pApmana oshah tasmAt purushah.

This is close to the Sruti passage that SrI Sankara gives as a support - sa
yatpUrvo'smAt sarvasmAtsarvAn pApmana aushat tasmAt purushah (Br. Upa.
1. 4. 1). The nAma can also be derived from the root pR to protect or nourish
(g). Also, from the uNAdi sUtra purah kushan and from pura agragamane (pANi
nisUtra), the meaning "One who leads or is in the forefront" (h) is derived.
SrI P. B. aNNa~ngarAcArya svAmi chooses this meaning in his abridged
commentary.

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 SrI v. v. rAmAnujan nicely summarizes the guNa-s indicated by then Ama
purusha as "rakshaka", phala prada" etc.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha, who gives most of the interpretations that have
been covered by other vyAkhyAna kartA-s, also adds the last one above.

nAma 408. àa[> prANah

The vital air (Life-breath).

prANAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier (nAma 67, 322). There the explanation given was
prANIti iti prANAh - That which gives or sustains life. In addition to giving
prANa to everything in this world, He is also the prANa for all the gods and
for all His devotees. As prANa, He causes the movements.
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SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives additional references

en Aviyai, naDuvE vanduuyyak koLginRa nAthanai
(tiruvAimozhi 1. 7. 5);
naRpAl ayOddhiyil vAzhumSarASaram muRRavum naRpAlukku uittanan
(tiruvAimozhi 7. 5. 1);
ottAiep-porutkum uyirAi
(tiruvAimozhi 2. 3. 2).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to "yad-vai prANiti sa

prAnah" (chAndogya 1. 3).

prANa--dah
nAma 409. àa[d> prANa

The Life-giver.
prANadAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier (66, 323), and will re-occur as nAma 956. The
interpretations were:

a) prANAn dadAti iti prAna-dah - He who gives life (SrI Sankara and SrI
BhaTTar);

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b) prANAn dyati iti prANah - He who takes away the vital airs at the time
of death (SrI Sankara); and

c) prANAndIpayati - He who purifies and brightens the vital airs (SrI

Sankara).

The aspect of His giving life has also been interpreted as His giving the ability
to the nitya-sUri-s to enjoy Him constantly, which is the sustenance of their
life. The dharma cakram writer points out that when bhagavAn gives life in the
form of the sun, the beings that receive this light are more lively than the
beings that do not get exposed to the sun. Similarly, those who identify
themselves with their body are not in an awakened and energized state
compared to those who realize that they are the belongings of bhagavAn.
bhagavAn in His mantra svarUpa awakens the spiritual light in those who chant

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the gAyatri mantra, and this in turn leads to God realization. Thus He gives
life in different ways to the beings of this world.

410.. à[m> praNamah

nAma 410

a) He who makes others bow before Him.

b) He who deserves to be worshiped.

praNamAya namah.
praNAmayati iti praNamah.

By His superior character, He makes others bow before Him.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to divya prabandham - "ilai tuNaimaRRen ne~njE!

ila~nkaiyai IDazhitta kURamban allAl kuRai (nAnmugantiruvantAdi 8)" - Except
for Lord rAma, there is no one else fit for us to worship.

An alternate version for this nAma is praNavah - He who is praised immensely.

SrI Sankara quotes sanatkumAra - praNamantIha vai vedAs-tasmAtpraNava

ucyate - He for whom prostrations are made in the veda, is praNavah.
praNavah refers to the praNava mantra, and this is considered the verbal
representation of bhagavAn - mantra svarUpi.

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 nAma 411. p&wu> pRthuh

Well-known.
pRthave namah.
The word pRthuh is derived from pratha prakhyAne - to become famous.

SrI BhaTTar gives references to the following:

pRthu-SrIh pArthivAtmajah

(bAlakANDa - 1. 8)

The son of king daSaratha is endowed with world-wide renown

teshAm atiyaSe loko rAmah

(bAla 77. 28)

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Amongst them rAma was the most reputed.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers to divya prabandham - nigar il pugazhAi -(tiruvAi

mozhi 6. 10. 10).

SrI Sankara gives the meaning "He who has expanded Himself as Cosmos".

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the explanation for this interpretation –

prathvistAre - to spread out, to expand. The viSva rUpa of mahA vishNu is an
example of pRthuh in both senses - He who is well-known through His
virAtsvarUpa or He who is spread throughout cosmos in His virAt svarUpa.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives an additional interpretation - His ninth

incarnation among His innumerable incarnations is as pRthu mahAraja who is
the father of pRthvI. This is described in SrImad bhAgavtam 1. 3. 14 -
Rshibhir-yAcito bheje navamam pArthivam vapuh - In response to the request
from the Rshi-s, He appeared in the form of pRthu.

hiraNya--garbhah
nAma 412. ihr{ygÉR> hiraNya

He who delights everyone's heart.

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hiraNya-garbhAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 71.

The interpretation given was

a) He who is in a lovely abode viz. parama padam, or

b) He who is the originator of all that is the object of fulfillment or joy.

hiraNya refers to gold. The analogy here is that just as gold is pure, very
attractive, and highly coveted, paramapadam is suddha-sattva, and hence the
reference to hiraNya. One who generates all that is great is hinraNya garbhah.
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvAimozhi 10. 9. 11 - toNDar ALvadu
SUzh-pon-viSumbe.

SUzh-pon-viSumbu here referring to - "niratiSaya tEjOrUpamAna

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paramapadam".

hiraNya also refers to the vIrya that He had in Him and that resulted in the
creation. This is another explanation for the nAma that is given by SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri. Just as gold is hidden in the heart of the earth, He is
hidden in the hearts of His devotees. He is hiraNyagarbha in this sense as
well (SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives a connected account of the nAma-s starting

with vaikunThah and ending with this nAma in terms of creation. BhagavAn
vaikunTha who has unobstructed and enormous energy, descended from His
state of parama purusha and decided to reside in the beings in this Universe in
the form of purusha in this body as if it is vaikunTha. Then He converted the
prAna Sakti which operates the prakRti into a form which supported the
beings, and thus became prANa-dah. Thus resulted this Universe, the AkASa
being the first of the bhUta-s (tasmAd-vA etasmAdAtmana AkASas-
sambhUtah). First there resulted the great sound of praNava (pEroli). From
this AkASa, there resulted the other bhUta-s (AkASAd-vAyuh, vAyoragnih,
agnerApah, adbhyah pRthivI), and thus He expanded into the cosmos (pRthuh).
This pRthu is the Father of this Universe. pRthvI is the daughter of this

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 pRthuh.

Starting from the sthUla form, and following through with the bestowing of
the SUkshma form, He then gave the prANamaya, manomaya, andvi~jnAna
maya koSa-s to His creations as the hiraNyagarbhah. Thus, starting from
the nAma viakunThah, and up to the nAma hiraNya garbhah, the secret of
creation is nicely revealed.

Satru--ghnah
nAma 413. zÇu¹> Satru

The Slayer of the enemies.

Satru-ghnAya namah.
Satrum hanti iti Satru-ghnah.

SrI BhaTTar points out that He subdues by His arrows of wisdom the senses
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which lead away the people to the enjoyment of earthly pleasures. That is,
when one mediates on Him, this is how He slays the enemies to the devotee's
realization of Him. The mind is compared to rAvaNa and his ten heads to the
ten sense-organs. SrI Sankara gives the interpretation that He is the
destroyer of the enemies of the gods. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets
the nAma as referring to His act of punishing those who violate His dictum.

nAma 414. VyaÝ> vyAptah

He who is full (of love and affection)

vyApatAya namah.
From nirukti we have - nIca pUjya avisesheNa vyApanAt vyApta ucyate -
Because He does not distinguish between young and old, master and servant,
friends and foes, when it comes to showering His affection.

SrI BhaTTar refers us to SrImad rAmAyaNa –

paurAn svajanavat nityam kuSalam paripRcchati |
puteshvagnishu dAreshu preshya-Sishya gaNeshu ca ||
nikhilena AnupUrvyAcca pitA putrAniva aurasAn ||

(AraNya2. 37,38)

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Also, "ripUNAmapi vatsalah" - Even towards His enemies rAma is "kind" -
yuddha 50. 56. Another interpretation given is that He pervades everything
(SrI Sankara,SrI cinmayAnanda, SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri).

nAma 415. vayu> vAyuh

He who moves (towards His devotees).

vAyave namah.
SrI BhaTTar: He is called vAyu because He Himself goes seeking His devotees
wherever they may be. Examples are His going to Sabari seeking her with
respect, His visit to bharadvAja in his ASrama, His friendship with guha,etc.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the derivation - vAti sarvatra gato bhavatiiti
vAyuh - vishNuh - He who is spread out everywhere in this Universe. There is

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not a single place in this Universe where air has not entered or does not exist.
This is the guNa of bhagavAn.

The dharma cakram writer reminds us that this is a nAma that emphasizes
bhgavAn's guNa of being all-pervasive. He gives reference to gItA -
"puNyogandhah pRthivyAm" - I am the principle of sweet fragrance in the
earth (7. 9).

We can survive without food or water for a few days, but without vAyu we
can't survive even for a few minutes. Without bhagavAn we can't survive,
period. This is the concept this nAma should remind us. vAyu comes to us
without our seeking; so does bhagavAn - He seeks His devotees and goes after
them (see SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam in the beginning). vAyu does not
distinguish between people in any way; so does bhagavAn mingle with everyone
with equality of disposition.

SrI cinmayAnanda points out that He is not just the air but the life-giving
force behind the air.

SrI Sankara derives the meaning from vAti - gandham karoti iti vAyuh – He
who is the cause of smell.

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 SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to the upanishad – vAyurasmai puNyam
gandham Avahati - (aitareya 1. 7.) - bhagavAn is the antaryAmi for vAyu, and
makes vAyu perform its functions
"yo vAyau tishThan-vAyorantaro yam vAyur-na veda yasya vAyuh SarIram
yovAyumantaro yamayati, esha te AtmAntaryAmyamRtah"

(bRhadA 3. 7. 7. )

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives several passages from the Sruti to bring out
the uniqueness and importance of vAyu among the devatAs.

The Sun, moon, fire and water all merge into vAyu when they disappear
vAyurvAva samvargoyadA vA agnirudvAyati, vAyumevApyeti,
yadA sUryo'stameti vAyumevApyeti,
yadAcandro'stameti vAyumevApyeti,
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yadApa ucchushyanti vAyumevApiyanti vAyuhyavaitAn-sarvAn-samvRkye

(chAndogya 4. 3).

When the indriya-devatA-s such as the sun and the moon enter the sushupti
state, vAyu continues to be active as the prANa vAyu

mlocanti hyanyA devatAh, navAyuh, saishA'nastamitA devatA vAyuh

(bRhadA 1. 5. 22.)

bhgavAn vishNu bears the earth through His vibhUti as vAyu

kim tad-vishNor-balamAhuh |vAtAt-vishNor-balamAhuh |

(taittirIya 1. 8. 3)

vAyu is the thread that keeps this world together like a string holding the
beads of a chain; without this the world will break apart like a chain with a
broken string; bhagavAn is this force
vAyurvai gautama tat-sUtram, vAyunA vai gautamasUtreNAyam ca lokah
paraSca lokah sarvANi ca bhutAni sandRbdhAni bhavanti

(bRhadA 3. 5. 2).

Thus vAyuh and its vital role in the existence and survival of this Universe is

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the reason for bhagavAn's nAma as vAyuh.

nAma 417. Axae]j> adhokshajah

He who does not get diminished.

adhokshajAya namah.
He is adokshajah because He never gets diminished even though He is enjoyed
by His devotees. SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives the most appropriate support for
this from nammAzhvAr -
"yAnum Etti mUvulagum muRRum Etti pinnaiyum tAnumEttilum tannai
Etta Etta engu eidum? tEnum pAlum kannalum amudamumAgit-tittippa"

(tiruvAimozhi 4. 3. 10.)

He is adhokshajah also because His vitality never diminishes, and He is not

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diminished by repeated births and deaths :

adho na kshIyate jAtu yasmAttasmAt adhokshajah

(mahAbhArata udyoga 4. 69. 10)

adhah means down or below, and kshIyate refers to getting diminished. SrI
Sankara gives an alternate interpretation - He who is perceived when the
sense organs (aksha gaNa-s) are made inward-looking. He gives reference to
the following verse, whose author or source are not known.
adho bhUte hyakshagaNe pratyag-rUpa-pravAhite |
jAyate tasya vai j~nAnam tena adhokshaja ucyate ||

Yet another interpretation given by SrI Sankara is "He who manifests Himself
as the virAt between the sky (aksha) and the region below (adhah) i. e. , the
Earth " - aksham adhah tayor-madhye vairAja rUpeNa ajAyata iti adhkshajah"

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri adds yet another dimension: "adhah -

j~nAtRtvabhAvAthInam, akshajam j~nAnam yasya sa adhokshajah " - He who
is not recognized by indriya-s such as the eyes etc. , even though He is
everywhere, in everything.

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 Slokam 45
\tuSsudzRn> kal> prmeóI pir¢h>,

%¢Ss<vTsrae d]ae ivïamae ivñdi][>. 45.

rutus sudarsanah kAlah parameshThI parigrahah |
ugras samvatsarO dakshO visrAamO visvadakshiNah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 417. \tu> Rtuh

Seasons (The Lord of Time who governs the seasons).

Rtave namah.
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The nAma is derived from the root Rgati-prApaNayoh - to go.

Rcchati iti Rtuh.

The term Rtuh which refers to seasons is based on the fact that the seasons
push one another and keep coming fresh and lively without interruption.

SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as referring to bhagavAn's auspicious guNa-

s which are unique and delightful and which present themselves like waves of
seasons in the hearts of His devotees and blesses them.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri: Rtu refers to a two-month period, of which there

are six in an year. These are called:

1. vasanta,

2. grIshma,

3. varsha,

4. Sarad,

5. hemanta, and

6. SiSira.

The cycle of time involves these Rtu-s successively moving one after the other

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without interruption. This nAma indicates that BhagavAn is in the form of
Time which is behind the cycle of seasons.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to aruNa praSnam (9)- Rtur-RtunA

nudyamAnah vinnAdAbhidhAvah - One season prods the other out and declares
its arrival loudly. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that bhagavAn is called
Rtuh because He is everywhere in the form of seasons.

nAma 418. sudzRn> sudarSanah

a) He of a delightful appearance that induces happiness in those who see Him.

b) He whose vision leads to moksham.

c) He whose eyes resemble the lotus petals.

d) He who is seen easily by His devotees.

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sudarsanAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that the nAma refers to His guNa that
the very sight of Him is a source of delight and is auspicious even to those who
may be ignorant of His qualities and greatness.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives the term "dRshThi cittApahAri" to describe this

guNa of BhagavAn.

SrI Sankara has given three interpretations:

a) su darSanam asya iti sudarSanah - He who has the good Vision that leads to
moksham. su - Sobhanam, nirvANa phalam; darSanam - j~nAnam, asya iti
sudarSanah.

b) He who has eyes that resemble the petals of lotus - Subhe darSane -
IkshaNe padma-patrAyate asya iti sudarSanah.

c) He who is easily seen by His devotees - sukhena dRSyate bhaktaih

itisudarSanah.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri relates this nAma to the previous one by

interpreting the current nAma as referring to the devatA for the

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 sudarSanacakra.
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sudarsanAya namah.
Thirukkudanthai ChakrapANi

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Just as time is spinning uninterruptedly in the form of the six Rtu-s, the six-
pronged sudarSana cakra is revolving powerfully and without interruption, and
BhagavAn is the devatA for this sudarSana cakram. He gives the following
reference in support of this interpretation
shaDaram vA etat-sudarSanam mahA-cakram tasmAt shaDarambhavati, shaD-
patram cakram bhavati, shaDvA Rtavah Rtubhih sammitambhavati, madhye
nAbhir-bhavati, . . . .

(nRsimha pUrva 7. 2).

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha observes that this nAma refers to bhagavAn's

ability to see and know everything in this Universe in and out clearly and
without blemish through His netra in the form of the Sun, and also through His
being the antaryAmi in everything.

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nAma 419. kal> kAlah

a) He who draws all towards Himself.

b) He who measures and sets a limit to everything

c) He who is Death or annihilation to all His enemies

d) He who measures everyone's karma and doles out the phala.

kAlAya namah
The nAma is derived from the root kala samkhyAne to measure or count.

SrIBhaTTar's bhAshyam for this nAma is carAcara sa~nkalanAt kAlah - He

who gathers everything - movable and non-movable, into Himself through His
delightful qualities (kalanAt kAlah).

SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam is kalayati sarvam iti kAlah - He who measures and
sets a limit to everything is kAlah. He gives reference to gItA -
kAlahkalayatAm aham (10. 30).

SrI rAmAnuja bhAshya for this part in gItA isanartha-prepsutayA gaNayatAm

madhye kAlah mRtyuh aham - Of those who reckon with the desire to cause

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 misfortunes or calamities, I am god of death.

tirukkaLLam SrI nRsimharAghavAcArya svAmi has commented that the

reference here is to the One who is proficient in keeping track of time for
everyone's end viz. citragupta. It can also mean that He is the Death or
annihilation to all His enemies (SrI cinmayAnanda).

SrI cinmayAnanda adds that this nAma signifies that bhagavAn measures the
merits and defects in each individual, and doles out the appropriate results -
kalayati iti kAlah.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha has also given this same interpretation - sarveSvaro
vishNureva kAlo, yato hi sa kalayatigaNayati samasta-prANi-karmANi,
tadanukUla phala-pradAya.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that among those that are used to
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measure or quantify things, kAla or Time is the most precise; it is not prone to
any error and keeps prodding everything to its destined end. This is
BhagavAn's act. He gives reference to the following passage –
"kAlo hinAma bhagavAn svayambhuh anAdi madhya nidhanah |
sa sUkshmAmapi kalAm nalIyate iti kAlah |
samkalayati kAlayati vA bhUtAni iti kAlah

(suSrutasUtra 6. 3).

nAma 420. prmeóI parameshThI

a) He who resides in the Supreme Abode, SrIvaikunTham.

b) He who resides in the Supreme cave of the heart.

parameshThine namah.
SrI BhaTTar gives the derivation - parame sthAne tishThati itiparameshThI -
He who resides in the Supreme Abode, SrIvaikunTham. After completing His
sport of hunting the rAkshasa-s, BhagavAn goes and stays in the Supreme
Abode, and so He is known as parameshThI.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to tiruvAimozhi 6. 4. 10 - mAya~ngaL Seidu

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SEnaiaip pAzh paDanURRiTTup pOi viN miSaittana tAmame puga mEvia SOdi
(jyoti).

SrI cinmayAnanda, who follows SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam, bases his explanation
on the kaThopanishad passage "parame vyomni prathisTHitah" - He who is
centered in the Supreme cave of the heart and readily available for
experience.

nAma 421. pir¢h> parigrahah

a) He who takes all with Him

b) He who is grasped on all sides by those who seek refuge in Him

c) He who accepts any offering by His devotees when offered with sincerity

d) He who has everything in this Universe under His control.

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parigrahAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar bhAshyam - atra tatra ca parito grahah asya iti parigrahah -
Here, there, and everywhere, He accepts all. Quite appropriately, this is the
last of the nAma-s that SrI BhaTTar interprets as referring to the SrIrAma
incarnation. When Lord rAma departed to SrIvaikunTham after the purpose
for his incarnation was completed, He took every ayodhyA-vAsi with Him,
including the gardens, trees, etc.

SrI nammAzhvAr very nicely describes this -

puRpA mudalAp pul eRumbu Adi onRinRiyE naRpAl ayoddhiyilvAzhum carAcaram
muRRavum naRpAlukku uittanan nAnmuganAr peRRa nATTuLE

(tiruvAimozhi 7. 5. 1).

SrI BhaTTar concludes his anubhavam of Lord rAma's guNa-s by singling out
His souSIlyam as the most outstanding guNa in SrI rAma avatAra - His guNa
of mingling with everyone without distinction regardless of His Supreme
Superiority.

Among the interpretations given by SrI Sa~nkara are:

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 a) parito gRhyate -He who is grasped on all sides by those who seek refuge in
Him; and

b) parigRhNAti iti parigrahah - He who receives (accepts) the offerings of

leaves, flowers, etc. offered by the devotees.

Recall "patram pushpamphalam toyam. . . " in the gItA (9. 26).

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is parigrahah

- paritah sarvatah grahaNam - He who has everything in this Universe under
His control through His power.
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ugrAya namah

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nAma 422. %¢> ugrah

The Formidable.
ugrAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar explains the next few nAma-s in terms of the kalki incarnation.
The nAma is derived from uc - samavAye - to collect together. At the end of
kali yuga, when all are more inclined to commit sins, and when there is great
confusion in the divisions of caste and the several stages of life, bhagavAn
becomes ugra- furious and wrathful, and takes the kalki incarnation and
destroys the hosts of mleccha-s.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan points out that when bhagavAn is unable to conquer

through His 'kUDArai vellum Sir" those who are bent on the path of adharma,

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it is then that He becomes ugra.

nAma 423. s<vTsr> samvatsarah

a) He who resides (in the pAtAla loka).

b) He in whom everything resides.

samvatsarAya namah.
The word is derived from the root vasati preceded by the preposition sam.

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn is reclining on the ananta-couch

in the pAtAla loka with all His weapons awaiting the time when He has to
appear as the kalki incarnation.

SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam: samvasanti bhUtAni asmin iti samvatsarah - He in

whom all beings reside.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives the meaning "Year" to the word samvatsarah, and
interprets this to mean Time, in the context of which all beings exist and
gather their experiences.

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 nAma 424. d]> dakshah

He who is quick in action.

dakshAya namah.
The word is derived from the root daksh - to grow or act quickly. (Note that
the word dakshiNA also results from the same root, since it is meant to grow
the welfare of the yajamAna).

SrI BhaTTar continues his interpretation in terms of the kalki incarnation, and
points out that this nAma refers to bhagavAn's quick action in eliminating the
dasyu-s (miscreants, looters) quickly during His incarnation.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr 4. 8. 1 -

kulam kulamA asurargaLai nIRAgum paDiyAganirumittup--paDai toTTa
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mARALan.

This nAma also occurs later as nAma 917, where SrI BhaTTar interprets the
word in terms of bhagavAn's being very fast in coming to the rescue of
gajendra, even though gajendra was just an animal.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan observes that SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam of this incident

is that bhagavAn was so fast when He came to the help of gajendra that He
did not have time to inform pirATTi, and when He found that the speed of
garuDa was not sufficient, He carried garuDa (instead of garuDa carrying Him)
and flew and landed on the banks of the pond with utmost speed.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives the explanation "He who is Smart", because He is very
prompt, efficient and diligent in His function of creation, protection, and
destruction of the Whole Cosmos. He also explains the nAmaas referring to
"bhagavAn's readiness to reach and help all, at all times, everywhere, under
every circumstance".

SrI Sa~nkara observes that daksha refers to one who has the three qualities,
immensity, strength, and quick execution (pravRddhah, Saktah,SIghrakArI ca
dakshah). This nAma conveys that all these qualities are natural to the
Supreme Being.

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nAma 425. ivïam> viSrAmah

a) The Place of Rest.

b) One who provides rest to all the beings.

viSrAmAya namah.
The word viSrAmah is derived from the word Srama. He is the place of rest
for those who are extremely tired by the heavy burden of their sins and the
experience of their fruits.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the derivation - viSrAmyati yasmin sarvam iti
viSrAmah. - BhagavAn is also the place of rest for all the jIva-s at the time of
pralaya. Another explanation provided by SrI satyadevo vAsishTha is -
viSrAmayatisarvam iti viSrAmah.

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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that BhagavAN created night after a
day's toil for the beings to rest, death after a life of karma-s, fire for those
who shiver from cold, shade to rest for those scorched by the sun's rays, etc.
and thus He constantly provides the comfort of rest for every tApa. When
those who suffer the effects of their karmA think of Him, He makes this
thought itself the shield for them from their sufferings, and provides the
needed comfort.

viSva--dakshiNah
nAma 426. ivñdi][> viSva

a) He who is well-disposed towards all.

b) He who offers the whole world as dakshiNA in the aSva-medha yAga.

c) He who is proficient in everything.

d) He who is more proficient than everyone.

viSva-dakshiNAya namah.
The first two interpretations are SrI BhaTTar's, and the next two are SrI
Sa~nkara's.
a) viSvasmin ishTa-anishTa kAriNiavisesheNa dakshate iti viSva-dakshiNah -

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 He shows His favor uniformly to all. This was the case in the trivikrama
incarnation, where He blessed everyone with His Feet in addition tomahAbali.
The word dAkshiNya (derived from the same root as dakshiNah) refers to the
guNa of forgiving enemies.
b) viSvam dakshiNA asya iti viSva-dakshiNah.

In vanaparva in mahAbhArata,we have "Then He will destroy all the robbers

and will offer this Earth asdakshiNA in the aSvamedha yAga to the officiating
priests".
"tataS-cora-kshaya kRtvA dvijebhyah pRthivIm imAm |
vAjimegha mahA-yaj~ne vidhivat kalpayishyati ||

(bhArata vana 191. 1)

c) viSveshu karmasu dAkshiNyAt viSva-dakshiNah - One who is proficient in

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everything.

d) viSvasmAt dakshiNah Saktah - One who is more skilled than everyone. SrI
cinmayAnanda elaborates that all the efficiency and skill in the universe among
the living dynamic creatures is but an expression of Him, since He is the
source of the skill and efficiency.

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 Slokam 46
ivStar> SwavrSwa[u> àma[< bIjmVyym!

AwaeR=nwaeR mhakaezae mhaÉaegae mhaxn>. 46.

vistArah sthAvarasthANuh pramaaNam bIjamavyayam |
artho=nartho mahAkOsO mahAbhOgO mahAdhanah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 427. ivStar> vistArah

a) He who spreads (the veda-s).

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b) He who is spread out in everything.

c) He who expands to contain everything (at the time of pralaya).

vistArAya namah
After destroying the kali yuga by force in His kalki incarnation, bhagavAn
establishes the kRta yuga and then spreads dharma through the veda-s.

SrI BhaTTar gives reference to the mahAbhArata:

tatah adharma vinASo vai dharma-vRddhiSca bhArata |
bhavishyati kRte prApte kriyavAn ca janas-tathA ||

(mahA. vana. 191. 7)

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr -

kaliyum keDum kaNDu koNmin;tiriyum kali-yugam nI~ngi devargaL tAmum
pugundu peria kida yugampaRRip-pErinba veLLam peruga

(tiruvAimozhi 5. 2. 1,2).

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that bhagavAn is vistArah because He

spreads Himself out in the form of all the beings He has created and all the
objects in the universe. Then at the time of pralaya, all these merge back into
Him, and He expands Himself to contain all the things. Thus the nAma visTara

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 applies both to His being spread out in all objects, and His spreading out to
contain all the objects within Himself.

SrI vAsishTha gives reference to the yajur-veda -

tadantarsya sarvasya tadu sarvasyAsyabAhyatah;
ISAvAsyam idam sarvam yat-kim ca jagatyAm jagat; etc.

He also gives the example of a seed expanding to a tree, and the tree being
contained in the seed back again.

The dharma cakram writer adds another dimension to the anubhavam of this
nAma. He observes that the viSva-rUpa that bhagavAn showed to arjuna is an
illustration of this nAma. This form with infinite faces, infinite eyes, with no
beginning or end, with all the beings including all the deva-s contained in this
form, with the Sun and the moon as His eyes, and with no top, middle or
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bottom, illustrates His nAma "vistArah".

svAmi vivekAnanda once made a statement to the effect that "Life is to

expand", meaning that we get closer and closer to God by expanding our love to
Him and our desire to reach Him. This is what the nAma "vistArah" should
remind us.

sthAvar--sthANuh
nAma 428. SwavrSwa[u> sthAvar

a) He who is tranquil after establishing the dharma in kRta yuga.

b) He in whom the earth etc. rest

c) He who is motionless, and in whom the earth etc. rest.

sthAvar-sthANave namah.
SrI BhaTTa's vyAkhyAnam is "evam dharme sthAvari_kRte, Same sthAsyati
itisthAvara-sthANuh", which supports interpretation a) above.

SrI Sa~nkara interprets the nAma as "sthitiSIlah sthAvarah;

sthitiSilAnipRthivyAdIni tishThanti asmin iti sthANuh; sthAvaraSca asau
sthANuScasthAvara-sthANuh".

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This is translated slightly differently by two different interpreters.:

One is that the apparently motionless objects such as the earth etc., rest in
Him.

The other interpretation is that this nAma refers to "He who is firmly
established, and in whom the apparently motionless entities such as the earth
are established, and He is both of these".

SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation "He is both Firm (shtAvara) and
Motionless (shtANuh)". He is motionless because He is All-pervading.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains sthAvara as referring to the pa~nca bhUta-

s that will continue till the time of pralaya, sthANuh as referring to One whose
state does not change, and interprets sthAvara-sthANuh as referring to One
who does not change in His state, and in whom the changeless pa~ncabhUta-s

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exist. The tamizh word "tAvaram" is related to the samskRt word "sthAvara".

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha observes that just as the road does not move
eventhough people keep moving on it, and the mother walks but the child in her
womb does not walk with her, so also bhagavAn has created all that is around
us but He Himself is sthAvarah.

nAma 429. àma[< - pramANam

The Authority.
pramANAya namah.
The root from which the nAma is derived is mA mAne to measure, to compare
with. pramANam is that through which everything is ascertained. In this case
it refers to bhagavAn who is the final proof or authority for everything.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that bhagavAn created this Universe the
way He wanted, including the decision on how many species should exist and
what attributes they should have, etc., and so He is the pramANam or
authority for everything. The nAma occurs again as nAma 959.

SrI BhaTTar interprets the current occurrence as referring to His being the

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 authority to decide what is good and what is bad for the people in the kRta
yuga, after the kalki incarnation.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri defines pramANam as that ability which helps us

decide between good and bad through data acquired using our sense organs
(ears, eyes, etc. ). BhagavAn is the One who controls this, and so He is Himself
pramANam.

bIjam--avyayam
nAma 430. bIjmVyym! - bIjam

The Seed Imperishable.

bIjAya avyayAya namah.
The nAma is bIjam (seed) that is avyayam (imperishable). Because dharma
grows again and again from Him after the end of each yuga, He is the
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Imperishable Seed (SrI BhaTTar).

SrI Sa~nkara vyAkhyAnam is that He is the cause of everything without

Himself undergoing any change (anyathA bhAvavyatih ekeNa kAraNam). The
dharma cakram writer gives a slightly different interpretation - Unlike some
seeds which may not produce a tree and which may decay in the form of the
seed itself, bhagavAn is the undecaying seed from which the Universe results.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to gItA 9. 18 - (aham)bijam-avyayam.

SrI rAmAnuja bAshyam for this passage in gItA is "tatra tatravyaya-rahitam

yat kAraNam tad aham eva" - "I alone am the imperishable seed that is the
exhaustless cause everywhere".

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha refers us to the vedic passage "ajAyamAno bahudA

vijAyate", which conveys a similar message.

He also gives a passage from vaiyAkaraNa defining the term avyayam-

sadRSam trishu li~ngeshu sarvAsu ca vibhaktishu |
vacaneshu ca sarveshu yan-na vyeti tad-avyayam ||

which can be approximately translated as;

"That which is equal and indistinguishable in the three genders and numbers as

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well as in its various declensions".

nAma 431. AwR> arthah

The Goal - He who is sought after.

arthAya namah.
That which is obtained or desired to be obtained is "artha".

SrI BhaTTar refers us to gItA - "j~nAnavAn mAm prapadye vAsudeah sarvam

iti" (7. 19).

SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam is : "sukha rUpatvAt sarvaih arthyata iti arthah" - He

who is sought after by all as He is of the nature of bliss.

SrIrAdhAkRshNa SAstri remarks that there are many things in this world
which are sought after with a view to deriving happiness, but they all end up in

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resulting in misery after they are acquired and enjoyed. Unlike these,
bhagavAn is sought after by those who have the j~nAna to know that He is the
only one to be sought for permanent bliss.

nAma 432. AnwR> anarthah

a) He who is not the goal for some.

b) He who is self-fulfilled and does not have any other end to seek.
anarthAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar explains that He is not sought after by those who have only a
little merit. They seek Him if at all, only for wealth. These are those who
want to regain their lost wealth, those who wish to acquire new wealth, and
those who seek the enjoyment of their own self (kaivalyam) without seeking
kaimkaryam to bhagavAn.

SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam is that bhagavAn is completely fulfilled and so does

not need any artha (i. e., He does not seek anything), and so He is anarthah.
The dharma cakram writer has devoted about one-and-a-half pages to this
nAma, and nicely describes how the current-day human being goes to great

97
 lengths to make himself/herself comfortable, and in the process keeps making
life miserable. The needs just keep increasing the more new things are
invented. The atom bomb is invented, and instead of protecting man it
becomes a threat to worry about. More and more cosmetics are invented, and
more and more diseases result as a result of their use. More and more things
are invented to satisfy our taste buds, and more and more problems result
because of over-consumption. This nAma should illustrate to us that life that
does not keep multiplying our needs is the life that will ultimately lead us to
the mental state where we can contemplate on bhagavAn.

mahA--koSah
nAma 433. mhakaez> mahA

a) He who has a great treasure.

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b) He who is a Great Treasure.

c) He who is shielded by the five koSa-s or shields.

mahA-koSAya namah.
koSa means treasure. mahA-koSa refers to vast, inexhaustible treasure.
Eventhough BhagavAn is giving away Himself and His belongings always to His
devotees in all ways, still it does not diminish.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to "Unam il Selvam enko?", pointing to the

undiminishing Affluence called BhagavAn.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha observes that from this Great Treasure-chest

(mahAkoSah) viz. bhagavAn, come out all these different worlds, and the
different life-forms in each of these worlds, but the Treasure-chest is not in
anyway diminished by this. We see this demonstrated even in day-to-day life,
in that the waters of the ocean never diminish even though the water is
constantly evaporating. So also, the beings are born one from the other just
because of the mahAkoSa.

SrI Sa~nkara's interpretation is based on the meaning "shield" for koSa.

This interpretation is that the real nature of the soul is shielded by the five

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koSa-s:

1. anna maya koSa,

2. prANa maya koSa,

3. mano maya koSa,

4. vij~nAna mayakoSa, and

5. Ananda maya koSa,

6. and bhagavAn is the mahAkoSa who is shielded from all except the
yogi-s.

The dharma cakram writer points out that:

1. by control of our indriya-s we can cross the anna maya koSa,

2. by control of breath we can cross the prANa maya koSa,

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3. by control of the mind the manomaya koSa is crossed,

4. by channeling one's intellect and

5. through control of worldly desires and passions we can cross the

vij~nAnamaya koSa,

6. and through meditation on the Self we cross the Anandamaya koSa, and
ultimately realize bhagavAn.

mahA--bhogah
nAma 434. mhaÉaeg> mahA

He who has objects of great enjoyment.

mahA-bhogAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar: He who has objects of great enjoyment. Great sensual
gratifications which have got to be acquired by means of wealth, they too can
be had from Him. The objects of desires that are obtained by the worship of
indra and other gods is but a blessing of bhagavAn - "labhate catatah kAmAn
mayaiva vihitAn hitAn" - gItA 7. 22.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr 3. 10. 3 - muttu il pal-

bhOgattorutani-nAyakan - bhagavAn has limitless and unbounded bhoga-s.

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 The dharma cakram writer points out that among the joys that one gets, there
are those which are conducive to desirable benefits, and there are those which
lead to misery as a result of the enjoyment. When one eats food for satisfying
hunger, this does not lead to suffering, but when one consumes food to satisfy
the taste buds, it is of the later kind. The enjoyment involving gambling,
intoxicating drinks, stealing other's wealth, etc., are bought at the price of
misery as a consequence. The term mahAbhogah indicates that bhagavAn is the
source of the bliss that is the greatest of all joys that lead to positive
benefits, the one that leads to Self realization.

mahA--dhanah
nAma 435. mhaxn> mahA

He of great wealth.
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mahA-dhanAya namah.
He is endowed with immeasurable and unlimited wealth to be given to those
who need it.

SrI BhaTTar quotes vishNu purANa -

marIcimiSraih daksheNa tathaiva anyaih anantatah |
dharmah prApatah tathA ca anyaih arthah kAmah tathA paraih ||

(vishNupurAna 1. 18. 23)

dharma in an endless manner has been obtained from Him by the revered
marIci, daksha, and others. Similarly wealth has been obtained from Him by
others. Likewise, by yet others kAma (the sensual enjoyment) has been
acquired.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that He is the possessor of the great
wealth that can be put in:

1. the mahAkoSa - great treasure chest (nAma 433),and

2. that is needed for the mahAbhoga - great enjoyment (nAma 434).

The dharma cakram writer discusses three kinds of wealth - material wealth,
knowledge, and devotion. The first two can be attained by anyone irrespective

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of their character etc. Those who have material wealth or knowledge are
praised by the people of this world, and as a result get intoxicated with pride.
But the third category of wealth is rewarded and praised by bhagavAn, and
does not lead to anything except bhagavAn Himself. Lord rAma during His
paTTAbhishekam gave away lots of material gifts to the participants, but He
did not give any material gift to hanumAn. When siTa pirATTi asked rAma
about this, He told her that He has already given to hanumAn what nobody else
knows, and that she can find out what it is from hanumAn himself. When
asked, hanumAn shows Lord rAma and sItA residing in His heart. This is what
vishNu's nAma of mahAdhanah indicates, viz. that He gives away the greatest
wealth there is, Himself, to His devotees.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha adds that He is mahAdhanah because He has wealth

that leads to absolute bliss, never diminishes, immense, cannot be counted or

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measured, and is prayed for by everyone else.

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 Slokam 47
AinivR{[> Swivóae ÉUxRmRyUpae mhamo>,

n]ÇneimnR]ÇI ]m> ]amSsmIhn>. 47.

anirviNNah sthavishTho bhUrdharmayUpO mahAmakhah |
nakshatranemir nakshatrI kshamah kshaamas samIhAnah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 436. AinivR{[> anirviNNah

He who is never despondent .

a-nirviNNAya namah.
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning starting from the root vid -
vicAraNe to discuss, to consider.

SrI BhaTTar explains this by indicating that bhagavAn does not become
despondent even though His expectations that we will resort to Him for our
redemption are not fulfilled. He just goes on with a new creation in the hope
that we will meet His expectations in our next chance.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr - SOmbAduip-palluruvai ellAm

paDarvitta vittA - periya tiruvantAdi 18.

SrI Sa~nkara gives the interpretation that He is never despondent because

He has no wishes that are not fulfilled. The term a-nirvedah is also used to
explain this nAma - One who is not despondent or in despair.

The dharma cakram writer points out that just as the heart ceaselessly keeps
beating in order to keep us alive but takes rest constantly in between the
beats and so never gets tired, bhagavAn ceaselessly creates this world and
rests also continuously in between and never gets tired. If we do our karma-s
with a sattvic attitude we also will never get despondent, but if we do our
karma-s either with the rAjasic or tAmasic disposition, we will get easily

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depressed. This is the lesson we should take from this nAma.

nAma 437. Swivó> sthavishThah

He who is Immense.
stahvishThAya namah.
The author of nirukti explains this nAma as "sthoulyAt sthavishThah". SthUla
means large, immense, huge.

SrI BhaTTar explains this sthoulya in terms of the huge grouping of stars
referred to SiSumAra in vishNu purANa 2. 9. 1 - tArA-mayam bhagavatah
SiSumArAkRtih prabhoh -The form of the mighty Hari which is present in
heaven, consisting of the constellations, is that of a porpoise, with dhruva
situated in the tail, etc.

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SrI v. v. rAmAnujan observes that this constellation is revolving constantly like
a cakra, and is being constantly drenched by the Ganges flowing from the satya
loka to this earth, and is a reminder that bhagavAn is constantly striving to
rejuvenate and sustain the beings of this Universe.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives reference to taitttirIya AraNyaka 2. 19, which

also describes bhagavAn in this great form of SiSumAra, the Gangetic
porpoise, with all the deva-s as part of His body - tasmai namas-tac-chiro
dharmo mUrdhAnam brahmottarAvishNur-hRdayam. . . . . sa vA esha divyah
SAkvarah SiSumArah.

SrI Sastri also refers us to the description of the huge form of bhagavAn in
SrImad bhAgavatam, 2. 1. 24 - 2. 1. 38, starting with viSeshas-tasya
deho'yamsthavishThaSca sthavIyasAm. Here He is described as:

sthUlasyAm sthUlah-the most huge among those that are huge (Slokam 24),
and sthavishThe vapushi (Slokam 38)-He with the form that is huge.

SrI Sa~nkara gives reference to another vedic passage - agnir-

mUrdhAcakshushI candra-sUryau - muNDakopanishad 2. 1. 4 - Agni is His head,
the moon and sun are His eyes.

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 nAma 438. ÉU> bhUh

The All-supporter.
bhuve namah.
bhu bhav - to be - He who exists, without any other support. Thus one
interpretation is that this refers to One who truly exists, unlike all other
beings which have only temporary existence in a bodily form. bhu also refers
to Earth, or in this case the support for all the stars in SiSumAra referred to
in the previous nAma. The vishNu purANa passage quoted in the previous
paragraph says that dhruva is in the tail of the SiSumAra group of stars, and
as dhruva spins, all the other stars spin with it, and is thus the supporter of
the SiSumAra constellation. Since dhruva is a form of bhagavAn, bhagavAn is
thus the supporter of all the stars of SiSumAra. This is SrI BhaTTar's
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vyAkhyAnam.

SrI rAmAnujan refers to nammAzhvAr -tiRambAmal maN kAkkinREn yAnE

(tiruvAimozhi 5. 6. 5), and to tirumazhiSaiAzhvAr - nAgamEndu maNNinai. . .
kAttu (tiruccandaviruttam 6) - He who supports the AdiSesha who supports
the Earth.

SrI Sa~nkara uses an alternate pATham as his primary text here, leading to
the nAma as a-bhuh- He who is not born, though he also refers to the possible
alternate pATham - bhuh, Existence.

dharma--yUpah
nAma 439. xmRyUp> dharma

He who is united with dharma.

dharma-yUpAya namah.
yu - miSraNe - to join.

yUpa refers to a post, e. g. , the sacrificial post to which sacrificial animal is

tied. Here it refers to His being the peg for all dharma-s.

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is - dharma-tattvam Sirah avayavatayA yauti

itidharma-yUpah - He in whom dharma is united as part of His body viz. head.

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The taittirIya AraNyakam passage referred to in nAma 437 starts with
"tasmainamas-tac-chiro dharmah" - He whose Head is dharma.

SrI BhaTTar quotes "dharmo mUrdhanam ASritah - dharma has resorted to

His head". dharma is His most important responsibility (v. n. vedAnta deSikan).

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives a different anubhavam of this nAma. dharma is

that which sustains - dhArayati iti dharmah.

yUpa as was pointed out earlier is derived from yu - miSraNe to join. The
pa~nca bhUta-s serve the purpose of sustaining life in this world. Since
bhagavAn unites the pa~ncabhUta-s which sustain the life in this world, He is
dharma-yUpah. The dharma cakram writer observes that dharma and bhagavAn
are not distinct. This nAma should remind us that those who follow dharma are
always protected by bhagavAn. This was the advice given to duryodhana by

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bhIshma when bhIshma had to fight on the side of duryodhana, viz. that
there is no way that the pANDava-s can be defeated because they are on the
side of dharma.

mahA--makhah
nAma 440. mhamo> mahA

The Great ya~jna-svarUpi.

mahA-makhAya namah.
makhah refers to yaj~na, sacrifice, or sacrificial oblation.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan points out that bhagavAn is ya~jna-svarUpan. This can

be best understood from SrI satyadevo vAsishTha's explanation that ya~jna is
something that gives whatever is desired on successful completion. BhagavAn
is the mahA-makhah since He bestows everything desired on His devotees.
The Universe and all the things He has created for the enjoyment and benefit
of the beings of this Universe are examples of things that resulted from this
'mahA-mahkah'. Another explanation is that dharma is the greatest ya~jna
(ya~jno dharmaScavi~jneyah), and since dharma is His head, He is Himself the
great sacrifice personified (mahA-makhah).

SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam is that He is mahA-makhah (The Great sacrificial

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 oblation?) because sacrifices or offerings to bhagavAn lead to moksha, the
greatest of the benefits.

nakshatra--nemih
nAma 441. n]Çneim> nakshatra

He who makes the stars move.

nakshatra-nemaye namah.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the derivation for nakshatra as-"na
ksharatikshIyate vA".

The word nemih is derived from the root nI to lead or carry. SrI BhaTTar
vyAkhyAnam is : "jyotiS-cakram nayati iti nakshatra-nemih". He refers to the
continuation of the vishNu purANam passage referred to in nAma438.
"evam bhraman bhrAmayati candrAdityakAn grahAn |
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bhramantamanu tam yAnti nakshatrANi ca cakravat ||*

(vishNu purANam 2. 9. 2. )

"As He (in the form of dhruva) goes round, He makes the sun, the moon and
other planets revolve. All the stars also follow Him like a wheel as Hemoves in
a circle".

VishNu purANam continues with

"SiSumArAkRti proktam yad-rUpam jyotishAm divi |
nArAyaNah param dhAmnAm tasyAdhArah svayam hRdi || (2. 9. 4)

"The porpoise-like figure of the celestial sphere is upheld by nArAyaNa, who

Himself, in planetary radiance, is seated in its heart". Reference to vishNu
being in the heart or center of the SiSumAra cakra and being responsible for
its movement is also made in the the svAdhyAyabrAhmaNa of taittirIya Sakha
referred to under nAma 437.

SrI Sa~nkara uses this reference to explain that bhagavAn is nakshatra-nemih

because He is in the center of the SiSumAra collection of stars, and is the one
who supports it like a nave at the center of the wheel.

The dharma cakram writer reminds us how important this function of

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mahAvishNu is. If only one of the millions of stars goes out of its path
prescribed by Him, the consequences will be disastrous for us. This nAma
should remind us that just as order in the macro level is important for our
survival, there is need for order at the thought level as well for the long-term
survival of all of us. If the thoughts are not good, and if they are not devoted
to the welfare of the world as a whole but are self-centered, the consequence
is the long-term destruction of the whole.

nAma 442. n]ÇI - nakshatrI

He who has (supports) the stars.

nakshatriNe namah.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha explains that just as one who has kshetra is called a
kshetri, or one who has SarIra is called a SarIri, one who has the stars is

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nakshatrI.

SrI BhaTTar explains that His being the Lord and driving force behind
SiSumAra is the reference here.

SrI Sa~nkara gives the interpretation that nakshatrI refers to His being the
Moon, the Lord of all the stars (nakshatrANAm aham SaSI - Among the stars,
I am the Moon - gItA10. 21).

nAma 443. ]m> kshamah

a) He who is competent.

b) He who has great patience.

kshamAya namah.
a) This interpretation is based on ksham - sahane to allow, to suffer.

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is - akhila bhuvana bhAram anAyAsena kshamate -

vahatiiti kshamah; He is known as kshamah because He bears the burden of
the entire Universe with ease.

SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam is "sarva kAryeshusamarthah kshamah" - He who is

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 clever and competent in everything.

b) SrI Sa~nkara gives an additional interpretation based on ksham - sahane -

to endure. He refers to SrImad rAmAyaNa - kshamayA pRthivI samah -
SrIrAma is like the earth in patience - bAla kANDa 1. 18.

The dharma cakram writer links the two interpretations nicely by pointing out
that in order to be competent and efficient, you have to act with patience.
And when we act with patience and thus become efficient in our acts, the
feeling we should have is that this is the kRpA of bhagavAn. This nAma
conveys the idea that in order to be efficient and proficient, weneed to be
patient and then dedicate the results of this efficient performance to
bhagavAn and grow our devotion to Him. This in turn will get us closer to
realization of Him.
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that when the jIva-s leave the vedic path
and pursue other paths, He does not lose His patience, but instead gives the
fruits that are consistent with these actions and thus makes them pure and
keeps giving them more opportunities to correct themselves. In a sense,
bhagavAn's guNa of kshamA is reflected in everything in this Universe
inherently. The individual soul puts up with the body for the duration that is
prescribed for it irrespective of all the actions of the body, every creation of
His puts up with the heat and cold to which they are exposed,etc.

nAma 444. ]am> kshAmah

a) He who is in a diminished form.

b) He in whom all forms diminish.

kshAmAya namah.
The root from which this nAma is derived is kshau - kshaye to waste.

SrI BhaTTar explains this nAma by pointing out that bhagavAn stands in the
form of dhruva in a diminished form at the time of the dissolution of the
Earth inclusive of the five elements. All the luminaries up to dhruva

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disappear,and dhruva alone remains shining in his place, as stated in vishNu
purANa -
"yAvan-mAtre pradeSe tu maitreyAvasthito dhruvah |
kshayamAyAti tAvat-tu bhumerAbhUtasamplave ||" 2. 8. 92

SrI Sa~nkara's vyAkhyAnam is that He is kshAmah - The Remainder, since He

alone remains when everything else has disappeared in pralaya. SrI satyadevo
vAsishTha gives the explanation that bhagavAn is kshAmah because He is
hidden in everything in this Universe.

nAma 445. smIhn> samIhanah

a) He who establishes all others (indra etc.) in their respective posts.

b) Well-wisher - He who works towards the welfare of His creation.

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samIhanAya namah.
The nAma is derived from the root Iha ceshTAyAm - to aim at, to desire, to
strive for. There are two aspects to striving for something. One is to strive by
oneself, and the other is to make others work. Thus there are two different
interpretations given for this nAma.

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn after the deluge, at the time of
creation, makes all the other deva-s do their work in their respective posts.
samIhayati iti samIhanah.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvaImozhi -

iRukkum iRai iRuttuNNa ev-vulagukkum tan mUrti niRuttinAndeiva~ngaLaga ad-
deiva nAyakan tAnE (5. 2. 8).

SrI Sa~nkara's vyAkhyAnam is that He is one who wishes well for His
creation- SRtyAdi artham samyagIhata iti samIhanah - Well-wisher.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives several references from Sruti-s to support the
interpretation of this nAma, among which is the following from Rg veda -
"sUryA-candram-asau dhAtA yathA pUrva-akalpayat |
divam ca pRthvIm ca antariksham atho svah ||" (Rg 10. 190. 3)

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 Slokam 48
y} #Jyae mheJyí ³tuSsÇ< sta< git>,

svRdzIR inv&ÄaTma svR}ae }anmuÄmm!. 48.

yaj~na ijyO mahejyasca kratussatram satAmgatih |
sarvadarsI nivruttAtmA sarvaj~nO j~nAmuttamam ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 446. y}> yaj~nah

The Sacrifice.
yaj~nAya namah.
This nAma occurs again as nAma 971.
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The spirit of the nAma is that He is yaj~na-svarUpi Himself, i. e., He practices

yaj~na of the Highest Order. The term yaj~na is nicely explained by the
dharma cakram writer. karma binds us to the phala-s deriving from these
karma-s; yaj~na releases us from the bondage of karma. In other words, any
act that is done without a selfish goal, for the benefit of others and for the
benefit of the world, with a spirit of sacrifice, performed without the feeling
of "I" associated with it, and acts done as bhagavad-ArAdhana, these qualify
as yaj~na. There is divinity associated with acts which are performed with
this spirit. This writer goes on to describe the different types of yaj~na:

1. dravyayaj~na (expending one's earnings for the public good),

2. tapo yaj~na (contemplating and meditating on bhagavAn and diverting all

thoughts towards Him),

3. yoga yagj~na (practicing utmost self-control and controlling all five

senses and leading a life consistant with conduct guided by this
principle), and

4. lastly the greatest of all yaj~na-s - dedicating oneself and one's

belongings towards the service of bhagavAn.

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When we have transformed all our acts so that they are not karma-s devoted
to our selfish goals, we have transformed the karma-s to yaj~na. The ultimate
yaj~na is when we have offered ourselves as the Ahuti in this yaj~na, i. e. , we
do everything for His benefit, not for our benefit. Since every one of
bhagavAn's acts is for the benefit of His devotees and nothing is for His own
benefit, He is the incarnation of yaj~na. Several references are provided in
support of this nAma.

SrI BhaTTar refers us to the Sruti - yaj~no vai vishNuh.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives several references to prabandham -

SeiginRa kidi ellAm yAne ennum (tiruvAimozhi5. 6. 4),

vEdamum vELviyum Adiyum AnAn (tirumozhi 9. 4. 9),

paNDai nAnmaRaiyumvELviyum tAnAi ninRa emperumAn (tirumozhi 5. 7. 1),

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viLa~ngum SuDarc-cOdiyaivELviyai (tirumozhi 7. 10. 9), etc.

SrI Sa~nkara extends this interpretation to include bhagavAn's nurturing all

the other gods. As yaj~na-svarUpi or sacrifice-bodied, He provides offerings
to all gods, thus causing their satisfaction and happiness - sarveshAmdevAnAm
tushTi-kArako yaj~na AkAreNa pravartata iti.

nAma 447. #Jy> ijyAyah

He who is the (only) object of worship.

ijyAya namah.
ijyAm arhati iti ijyah.

Those who worship anya-devatAs seeking temporary benefits of a lower order,

in reality worship only vishNu who is the antaryAmi or Inner Soul of all beings.
This is revealed in gItA -
ye tu anya-devatA bhaktA yajante SraddhayA anvitAh |
te'pi mAmeva kaunteya yajanti a-vidhi-pUrvakam ||

(gItA9. 23)

SrI BhaTTar also refers us to mahAbhArata -

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 ye yajanti pitR*n devAn brAhamNan sahutASanAn |
sarva bhUtAntarAtmAnam vishNumeva yajanti te ||

(SAnti 355. 24)

"Those who worship the spirits of their forefathers, the gods, the brahmins as
well as agni - they in reality worship only vishNu who is the Inner Soul of all
beings".

SrI Sa~nkara quote the harivamSa to support the same interpretation -

ye yajanti makhaih puNyair_devaTAdIn pitR*napi |
AtMAnam AtmanA nityam vishNumeva yajanti te || (3. 40. 27)

"Holy sacrifices to divinities and pitR-s are verily adoration of vishNu Himself,
who is the Self of all".
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nAma 448. mheJy> mahejyah

He who is the best among the objects of worship.

mahejyAya namah.
He is the best object of worship because He alone can give the final liberation
from the cycle of samsAra, whereas the other objects of worship can only give
the lesser fruits.

SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam is: "sarvAsu devatA sumoksha-phala-dAtRtvAt iti

mahejyah".

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan emphasizes the significance of this nAma - mahA vishNu is

the parama purusha, and we should worship the mahejyah directly instead of
offering worship to Him through the other deities for whom He is the
antarAtmA.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes in this context that agni is the nearest of
the devatA-s to us, and vishNu is the farthest : agniravamo devatAnAm
vishNuh paramah (taittirIyasamhitA 5. 5. 1).

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nAma 449. ³tu> kratuh

a) Object of worship through the sacrifices called kratu-s.

b) He who is behind the actions of everybody or He by whom everything is

done.
kratave namah.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that among the different types of yAga-
s, the type where one uses one's resources to perform a yAga with a definite
objective and within a prescribed duration, is called a kratu. This requires firm
dedication, sincere effort, and the firm belief that the desired result will be
obtained. Since He is the one worshipped by all these, He is kratuh. Or since
He is the personification of all these, He is kratuh. The term yaj~na we came

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across as nAma 446 is different from the term kratuh we have here, based on
the Sloka from gItA -
aham kratuh aham yaj~nah svadhA aham aham aushdham |
mantrah aham ahameva Ajyam aham agnih aham hutam || 9. 16

SrImad rAmAnuja in his gItA bhAshyam interprets kratuh as referring to the

vedic sacrifices such as the jyotishToma, and the term yaj~na ( nAma 446) as
referring to the mahA yaj~na, which is interpreted by SrI BhaTTar as
referring to the pa~nca mahA yaj~na-s, the seven pAka yaj~na-s, etc.

Prof. A. SrInivAsarAghavan explains the pa~nca mahA yaj~na-s further:

1. brahma yaj~na involving teaching and reciting veda-s,

2. pitRyaj~na - offering of libations of water to the deceased ancestors

daily (tarpaNa),

3. deva yaj~na - a sacrifice made to the gods through oblations to the

fire,

4. bhUta yaj~na involving offering a portion of the daily meal to all

creatures, and

5. manushya yaj~na - sacrifice offered to other people (hospitable

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 reception of guests).

The seven pAka yaj~na-s are:

1. aupAsana homa,

2. vaiSva-deva,

3. pArvaNa - sthAlI-pAka,

4. ashtakA-SrAddha,

5. mAsa-SrAddha,

6. sarpa-bali - oblation to the serpents, and

7. ESAna-bali (oblation to the gods).

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives a different explanation. He gives the

interpretation that He by whom everything is done is kratuh - kriyata iti
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kratuh. Or, that intellect through which everything is done, is kratuh,i. e. ,

jnAna.

nAma 450. sÇm! satram

a) He who is worshipped by the sacrifice called satram.

b) He who protects the good people

c) He who makes everything go.

satrAya namah.
satram is another type of sacrifice, this one done on an unlimited time scale,
devoted to world-welfare, with participation from multitude ofpeople. SrI
BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is: "dIrgha-kAla bahu-yajamAnakamAsacodanA-
lakshaNam satram".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that the activity that is commonly
undertaken to feed the pilgrims in large numbers in choultries (called Sattiram
in tamizh) is an example of this kind of selfless activity where many good
people participate for the welfare of a larger community of people.

Again bhagavAn is the object of worship of these activities, and so He is

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satra-svarUpi. SrI Sa~nkara gives an additional interpretation - He who
protects the good -satah trAyati iti sat-tram.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning from the root sad – sIdati
signifying movement. sIdati gacchati sarvatra - One who goes everywhere -
sattram.

Alternatively, satrayate vistArayati viSvam iti sattram - He who makes the

world go. Everything in His creation also has His guNa of movement, including
the human heart which goes constantly and yet which stays in one place.

nAma 451. sta< jit> satAm gatih

The Goal of the pious.

satAm-gataye namah.

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This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 186 - Slokam 20.

SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam is: "satAm - mumukshUNAm na-anyA gatih iti satAm-
gatih" - The sole support for those who seek liberation.

SrI BhTTar comments that whereas in previous nAma-s, bhagavAn is described

as the goal of those who follow the pravRtti-dharma, i. e. , dealing with the
pleasures and business of the world, this nAma signifies that He is also the
goal of those who follow the nivRtti-dharma, i. e. , discontinuance of worldly
acts or emotions.

SrI BhaTTar gives reference to vishNu purANam -

nirdhUta dosha-pa~nkAnAm yatInAm samyatAtmanAm |
sthAnam tat paramam vipra! puNya-pApa parikshaye || 2. 8. 94

"O brAhmin! That is the sublime place for yati-s (i. e. , yogins) who have
washed off the mire of sins and who control their minds when all their merits
and sins have been annihilated".

SrI cinmayAnanda comments that the term gatih in samskRt means both the
path and the goal. SrIman nArAyaNa is both the means and the end for the
sAdhu-s, and it is only by surrendering to Him that they reach Him.

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 sarva--darSI
nAma 452. svRdzI sarva

The All-Seer.
sarva-darsine namah.
One who, by His innate insight, is able to see all the good and evil actions of
living beings. Since He is the antaryAmi in everything, He sees everything even
without the awareness of the beings.

SrI cinmayAnanda observes that as the Sun is known as the "eye of the
Universe", bhagavAn is the Illuminator of everything.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that He observes everything irrespective

of whether:

1. we perform what are supposed to perform,

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2. we perform what we are not supposed to perform, or

3. we don't perform what we are supposed to perform.

The dharma cakram writer summarizes the purport of this nAma by pointing
out that when we act with the full realization that He is our Inner
Consciousness, and when we act consistent with that, we have understood the
meaning of this nAma. This is behind the concept that we should do every act
of ours by dedicating it to Him, and not perform any act that is not towards
His Will. (AnukUlaya sa~nkalpam, prAtikUlya varjanam).

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha summarizes the nAma as: "j~nAna cakshur

bhagavAnvishNuh".

He gives references to the well-known sruti:

sahasra-SirshApurushah sahasrAkshah sahasrapAt;
viSvataS-cakshuruta viSvato mukho viSvatobAhuruta viSvataspAt;
hiraNyayena saviTa rathenA devo yAti bhuvanAni paSyan; etc.

The gItA Slokam 13. 13, with a reference that is easy to remember,
alsoconveys this idea:
sarvatah pANi pAdam tat sarvato'kshi Siro mukham |

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sarvatah SrutimAn loke sarvam AvRtya tishThati ||

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to the related nAma-s sarva-darSanah

(Slokam 10), sarva-dRk (Slokam 22).

nAma 453. inv&ÄaTma nivRttAtmA

a) He whose mind is turned away from worldly desires.

b) He who is the AtmA of those who follow the nivRtti dharma.

nivRttAtmane namah.
The nAma nivRttAtmA occurred earlier in Slokam 25 (nAma 231), and will re-
occur as nAma-s 604, and 780.

Sa~nkara pATham in this instance is vimuktAtmA. In another place (Slokam83)

he uses the pATham a-nivRttAtmA. We will deal with his alternate

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interpretations under nAma 780.

SrI BhaTTar vyAkhyAnam:

a) This nAma illustrates that bhagavAn appeared as nara and nArAyaNa to

teach the nivRtti dharma to the world (as nArAyaNa), and to show how to
practice it with extreme detachment (in the form of nara). To indicate His
profound detachment (parama vairAgya) to material objects of pleasure, He
has His mind withdrawn from them.

The nara-nArAyaNa avatAra as well as the nivRtti dharma are embedded in

this nAma. The avatAara emphasized nivRtti-dharma and propagated the
sacred ashtAkshara. The essence of nivRtti dharma is the realization that
nothing is done for our benefit or by us, and everything is for the benefit of
nArAyaNa and happens because of Him. We are not for us or for someone
else, but only for nArAyaNa.

b) Under nAma 604, SrI BhaTTar gives the vyAkhyAnam that He is

nivRttAtmA also because He is the AtmA of those who practice the nivRtti
dharma.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan observes that another name for these practitioners of

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 nivRtti dharmA is j~nAnI, whom bhagavAn considers as His own soul.

Under nAma 780 SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is yet another variant of the
nivRtti concept. BhagavAn is also nivRttAtmA because, even though He
created this whole Universe, He remains totally detached from the worldly
affairs. He is associated with the Universe in that He created out of His
sheer Mercy, but His mind itself is not in any way affected by the worldly
things - svatastu tat a-sammata manAh.

SrI Sa~nkara pATham, vimuktAtmA, is interpreted as He who has the Soul

whichis ever-free. BhagavAn is untouched by the effects of karma, since all
Hisactions are for the benefit of others, His creations.

SrI satyadevovAsishTha observes that bhagavAn is inside everything in the

Universe as their antaryAmi, and yet is not bound by them, and thus He is
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nivRttAtmA.

nAma 454. svR}> sarvaj~nah

The Omniscient.
sarvaj~nAya namah.
This nAma occurs again as nAma 821.

SrI BhaTTar explains that He knows that He is the antaryAmi in everything,

and thus He is sarvaj~nah. He knows He is the best dharma, the best means,
and the best goal.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan quotes peria tirumozhi in support - ulagattu ellAm aRivIr -

4. 9. 6.

SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam is "sarvaSca asau j~naSca iti" - He who is all and who
knows all.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri has given several references to the Sruti -

yah sarvaj~nah sarvavit (muNDakopanishad 1. 1. 9);

sa sarvaj~nah sarvobhavati (praSna 4. 10);

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esha sarveSvara esha sarvaj~nah (mANDUkya 6);

saviSvakRt siSvavid Atmayonih j~nah kAlakAlo guNI sarvavidya (SvetASva 2.

6. 2,16).

j~nAnam--uttamam
nAma 455. }anm< %Ämm! j~nAnam

The Greatest Knowledge.

uttamAya j~nAnAya namah (or)
j~nAnAya uttamAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar points out that BhagavAn is the one who revealed the
vaishNavadharma which is the most superior of all the dharma-s - sarvah
paroviashNavo dharmah j~nAyate asmin iti j~nAnam-uttamam. He also refers
to the revelation of the pA~ncarAtra by bhagavAn as another instance that He

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is the uttama j~nAnam - paThantam aniSam Sastram pA~ncarAtra puras-
saram.

SrIv. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr - mikka j~nAnamUrtiyAgia

vEdaviLakku - tiruvAimozhi 4. 7. 10.

SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam for this nAma is - prakRshTam ajanyam

anavacchinnamsarvasya-sAdhakam iti j~nAnam-uttamam - Superior to all,
birthless, continuous and permanent (unlimited by Time and Space), and the
best means of achieving everything. He gives reference to "satyam j~nAnam,
anantambrahma" - Brahman is Truth, Knowledge, and Infinitude -
taittirIyaupanishad.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri contrasts the "limited" knowledge with the

"Superior" knowledge. An example of the former is the sight an observer
sees, with the limitation of the observer's eyes, the light that shines on the
object, the limitation of the observer (e. g., the state of mind of the
observer), as well as the limitations of the observed object (e. g., the relative
size of the object etc.). Not limited by constraints like these is the knowledge
that is revealed by the Self about the Self, which is unlimited by the sense
organs. This is the knowledge of bhagavAn.

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 SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives reference to the atharva vedic passage
"sUtramsUtrasya yo veda, sa veda brahmANam mahat" - He who has knowledge
of theSupreme Knowledge, knows the greatest there is to know.
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 Slokam 49
suìt> sumuoSsUúm> su"ae;> suod> suùt!,

mnaehrae ijt³aexae vIrbahuivRdar[>. 49.

suvratah sumukhas sUkshmah sughOshah sukhadah suhruth |

manOharO jitakrOdhO vIrabAhur vidAraNah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 456 su--vratah

456.. suìt> su

a) He of good vows - to protect anyone who surrenders.

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b) He who did intense tapas in His nara-nArAyaNa incarnation.

c) He who has good control of the offerings He accepts - e. g., from the likes
of kucela only.

d) He who observes nitya-karma-s in His incarnations just to set an example

to us.
su-vrtAya namah.
This nAma occurs later as nAma 824.

Under nAma 824 SrI BhaTTar gives the vyAkhyAnam that is most familiar to
allof us - Lord rAma's vrata expressed during vibhIshNa SaraNAgati through:
sakRdeva prapannAya tavAsmIti ca yAcate |
abhayam sarva-bhUtebhyo dadAmyetat vratam mama ||

(yuddha18. 34)

"To him who seeks my protection even once and begs of me saying "I am
Thine", to him I give protection from all beings. This is my vow".

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives the equivalent reference from nammAzhvAr's

SrIsUkti - SaraNamAgum tanatAL aDaindArgatkellAm - tiruvAimozhi9. 10. 5.

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 SrI Sa~nkara gives this interpretation under the current nAma, but gives a
different anubhavam for the nAma when it occurs later in Slokam 88. There
he interprets vratayati as enjoys, and su-vrata as referring to His enjoying the
offerings of bhakta-s such as kucela. vratam is control of the food one eats
and other controls.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri observes that bhagavAn had good control of His
habits when He was nara-nArAyaNa.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives another dimension of the nara-nArAyaNa incarnation

as its applies to the nAmna su-vrata - He who did intense tapas (su-vrata) for a
long number of years in the nara-nArAyaNa mount in BadrinAth. For the
current nAma, SrI BhaTTar gives another aspect of bhgavAn's su-vrata - good
deeds. BhagavAn has nothing to gain by observance of any karma such as the
prescribed kula dharma-s. Even so, bhagavAn observes all the anushTAna-s
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during His incarnations without any compromise. Thus He is a su-vrata. He

says in the gItA :
na me pArtha asti kartavyam trishu lokeshu ki~ncana |
na anavAptam avAptavyam varta eva ca karmaNi || 3. 22

"For me, arjuna! There is nothing in all the three worlds which ought to be
done, nor is anything that is not acquired that ought to be acquired. Yet I go
on working".

BhagavAn continues to work purely for the benefit of His creation. This is
the significance of His nAma as su-vrata. He says in the very next Sloka inthe
gItA that if He did not do this, He will set a bad example for others, and they
will not perform their prescribed duties and suffer for this lapse.

The dharma cakram writer gives some examples of the power of su-vrata.
BhIshma practised the su-vrata of brahmacarya, which gave him his enormous
greatness. hariScandra's story is an example of the greatness of satya-vrata.
The nAma-s from 457 to 463 that follow are interpreted by SrI BhaTTar
first based on the nara-nArAyaNa incarnation, and then he gives an alternate
interpretation based on the mohini incarnation.

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 su--mukhah
nAma 457. sumuo> su

He with a charming face.

su-mukhAya namah.
su - Sobhanam mukham asya iti su-mukhah.

This can be taken as a reference to His having a sweet countenance even when
He was chanting the mantra-s and meditating as nArAyaNa maharshi in His
nara-nArAyaNa incarnation.

SrI BhaTTar refers us to the mantra about kRshNa - kRshNAya kamala-dala

amala netrAya - To SrI kRshNa Who has a face with eyes pure and spotless
like a lotus petal.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to :

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nAcciyAr tirumozhi -"engaLai maiyal ERRi mayakka unmugam mAya-mandiram
tAn kolO" 2. 4;

amalanAdipirAn - ap-perivAya kaNgaLennaip-pEdaimai SeidanavE - 8;

prasanna vadanam dhyAyet etc.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri explains the significance of the nAma very nicely by
pointing out that normally with practice one overcomes the strain of severe
penance, and so the countenance will not reflect any strain. But in bhagavAn's
case we see cheerfulness instead of just the lack of strain. When He was told
to go to the forest just at the time He was decorated for
paTTAbhishekam,His face didn't have the slightest indication of
disappointment or sadness, but instead displayed the peace and satisfaction
typical of the greatest of those who have renounced the worldly things
(ayodhyA kANDa 19. 30-33).

kamban's description of rAma's face is "meit-tiruppadam mEvu enRa

pOdilum,it-tirut-tuRandu Egu enRa pOdilum, cittirattil alarnda Sen-
tAmaraiyaiottirukkum mugattinai unnuvAL" - Lord rAma's face resembled a
picture-perfect lotus-flower no matter whether He was asked to ascend the

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 throne or to forsake all and go to the forest.

SrI Sa~nkara gives reference to vishNu purANam and to several passages

from SrImad rAmAyaNa. In vishNu purANam we have - prasanna vadanam
cArupadma-patrAyatekshaNam (6. 7. 79)- His face is pleasing, handsome,
possessedof large eyes resembling the lotus-petal. In rAmAyaNa, SrI
Sa~nkara gives references to:

sundara kAndam 33. 24 :

sa pitur-vacanam SrImAn abhishekAtparam priyam |
manasA pUrvam AsAdya vAcA prati-gRhItavAn||

ayodhyA kANDam 24. 17 :

imAni tu mahAraNye vihRtya nava-pa~nca ca |
varshANiprama-prItah sthAsyAmi vacanam tava ||; and
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ayodhyA kANDam 19. 33 :

na vanamgantu-kAmasya tyajataSca vasundarAm |
sarva-lokAtigasyeva mano rAmasyavivyate ||

An alternate interpretation given by SrI Sa~nkara based on the Sruti passage-

yo brahmANam vidadhAti pUrvam - SvetA. upa. 6. 18, is that He has a very
satisfied countenance because He has imparted all the knowledge to brahmA.

nAma 458. sUúm> sUkshmah

Subtle, delicate and difficult to comprehend.

sUkhsmAya namah.
He is sUkshmah because He can be realized only by deep contemplation and
meditation which is performed without expecting any benefit. He can't be
comprehended through the physical organs such as the eyes and ears, and
can't be realized through the mind, but can only be experienced.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri nicely explains the power behind the concept of
sUkshma. The subtler the object, the more power it has. We all know the
ultimate power of the atom. If we start from the macro level of our body,

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and go through the different subtler levels such as the sense-organs, the
mind, the buddhi, and finally the soul, the power increases as the subtlety
increases. MahAvishNu is subtler than the subtlest of things, sUkshmah.

SrI Sa~nkara gives reference to the Sruti - sarva-gatam susUkshmam -

muNDakopanishad 1. 1. 6 - He who is very subtle and has entered into
everything. SrI cinmayAnanda points out that in vedAnta terminology,
sUkshma or subtlety implies pervasiveness, and bhagavAn's nAma of sUkshma
refers to His All-pervasiveness.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives a different perspective to the anubhavam of

this nAma by tracing the nAma to the root sUc - paiSunye - to point out, to
indicate by gesture. He gives the explanation that bhagavAn is suKshmah
because, even though He does not manifest Himself expressly, He expresses

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Himself to us through everything around us all the time. This is the sUkshma
behind vishNu the Sukshmah, viz. that He is all around us and has never really
hidden Himself from us in any way. Just as the sound made by the cow
identifies the cow even if the cow is not seen, or the sound (voice) created by
a person identifies the person even though the person is not seen, so also
everything around us that is created by bhagavAn identifies Him to us (e. g.,
the AkASa, the sound from the AkASa,etc).

su--ghoshah
nAma 459. su"ae;> su

a) He whose voice is itself the great veda-s.

b) He who is praised by the delightful voice of the veda-s.

c) He who has a very sweet, deep, and sonorous voice.

su-ghoshAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn is su-ghoshah because He is
proclaimed by the vedic voice of the upanishads. bhagavAn is veda-svarUpi
Himself.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to tiruvAimozhi - nAraNan, muzhuEzhulagukkum

nAthan, vEda mayan (2. 7. 2), and to peria tirumozhi 5. 5. 9, where tiruma~ngai

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 AzhvAr called bhagavAn "SandOgan, pauzhiyan, ain-tazhal Ombutaittiriyan,
Sama-vedI".

SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam is "su-Sobhano ghoshovedAtmako asya iti su-ghoshah"

- One whose auspicious sound is the veda-s. He also gives a more direct
alternate interpretation - He who has a voice deep and sonorous like that of
the cloud - megha-gambhIra ghoshatvAt.

The dharma cakram writer points out that when veda is chanted with the
proper intonations, the sound originates from the region of the diaphragm, and
this sound has the ability to cleanse and purify our mind. The sweet sound of
Nature, the sound arising from the trees and the birds, is soothing and
comforting to the mind. BhAratiyAr sings "kETkum oliyil ellAm nandalAlAundan
gItam iSaikkudaDA nandalAlA". All the musical instruments were discovered
as a result of listening to the sweet sound of Nature. This nAma should
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remind us that all the mantra-s sung in praise of bhagavAn and that sing His
greatness are su-ghosha-s.

SrI satyadevo vAsishsTha looks at the nAma from its root - hushir viSabdane-
to proclaim, to declare. The nAma su-ghoshah is formed by prefixing the
upasarga su- which means "Sobhana". su-ghoshah is thus the sound which
proclaims Him well repeatedly or loudly viz. the veda-s. Since the name and
the One who is referred to by that name are same, He becomes su-ghoshah.
BhagavAn manifests Himself through su-ghoshah in real life constantly
everywhere. The knowledge of the rain, that of the running water as well as
water that is obstructed from its natural flow, all these can be known from
the sound emanating from these. Just as a great artist is revealed by the art
he/she creates, bhagavAn is constantly revealed through the sweet sounds of
Nature that He has created.

sukha--dah
nAma 460. suod> sukha

He who Bestows Bliss.

sukha-dAya namah.

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BhagavAn bestows Supreme Bliss on those who practice:

1. sadAcAra (good conduct) and

2. samAdhi (deep meditation).

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is - sadAcArasamAdhi anushThApanena tan-

nishThebhyah phalam parama-sukham dadAti itisukha-dah.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan observes that bhagavAn just does not stop with giving the
fruits to those who observe sadAcAra, but He Himself observes these
anushTHAna-s to set an example to us so that we can follow His path and get
the parama-sukham. This is revealed by Lord kRshNa in the gItA inSlokam 3.
23 which we referred to earlier under nAma 456.

SrI rAmAnujan refers us to nammAazhvAr - "inbam payakka iniduDan

vIRRirundu iv-ezhulagaiAlginRa e~ngaL pirAn" - tiruvAimozhi 7. 10. 1.

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The dharma cakram writer points out that even though bhagavAn is the One
who bestows even the ordinary benefits such as wealth, health etc., based on
karma-s, the significance of the current nAma is that He alone can bestow the
Ultimate sukham viz. moksham.

SrI Sa~nkara gives an additional interpretation which means that bhagavAn

destroys the sukham of those who are wicked and evil - asad-vRttAnAm
sukhamdyati khaNDayati iti vA sukhadah.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha analyzes the word into three part su, kha, and da,
and gives an interpretation different from the above. He starts with khanu-
avadhAraNe - to dig, and equates su-kha with the SarIra with its outlets that
allow us to lead a life without sickness, disease etc. One who gives this sukha
sarIra is su-kha-dah - sukham khAtam tad-dah sukhadah vishNuh.

su--hRt
nAma 461. suùt! su

The good-hearted, a True Friend.

su-hRde namah.
BhagavAn is always on the lookout for ways to help even His adversaries, and

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 this is His Nature of being a su-hRt.

SrI BhaTTar vyAkhyAnam is - anupakAriNi api "kim asya bhavishyati? kim

karavANi" iti SubhASamsi SobhanahRdayatvam su-hRtvam. su-hRtvam or
friendliness is that quality of a benevolent person who wishes good even for
those who have not helped him in any way, and who, being apprehensive of any
evil that may befall them, always thinks "How shall I help them?".

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to SrImad rAmAyaNam - ripUNAmapi vatsalah -

A friend even to His enemies.

The dharma cakram writer observes that the heart which suffers when sorrow
hits, or rejoices when a favorable event occurs, is not the "good heart"
referred to here, but the heart that bleeds when others suffer is the good
heart. Lord rAma was not affected one way or the other when He was about
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to be crowned or when He was asked to leave for exile in the forest. He was
neutral in both circumstances. But the pure heart is one which anguishes
when someone else suffers, and rushes to help those who need help.
Meditating on the significance of this nAma will lead to the purification ofthe
heart of the devotee.

mano--harah
nAma 462. mnaehr> mano

He who captivates the heart.

mano-harAya namah.
Because of the innate benevolence noted above, He captivates everyone's
heart.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr - maiyal Seidu

ennaimanam kavarndAnE - tiruvAimozhi 7. 2. 6.

SrI cinmayAnanda has appropriately translated this nAma as "One who is the
looter of the mind". His vyAkhyAnam is "Not only is the Lord Beauty
Incarnate, but He compels the attention of the devotee to come away from all
other sense objects to dwell upon His enchanting form. Thus vishNu is one who

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generates an irresistible joy in the mind of His devotees and compels them to
spend their time in constant worship".

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that bhagavAn has created all things with
this mano-haratva attribute built into everything He created. Now we see all
these beautiful things around us, and our mind is captivated by this ingenuity
of the Creator, and we wonder aloud - "Who could it be that created this
marvel?" So He is mano-harah.

The dharma cakram writer generalizes the interpretation of this nAma to

suggest that bhagavAn gravitates the minds of people either towards Him or
towards the worldly objects depending on what they want. Those who want
materialistic pleasures, He gravitates their mind deeper towards the life of
short-term enjoyment; and those who have controlled their mind and senses,

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He gravitates these devotees closer and closer towards Him. So bhagavAn is
mano-harah for both categories of people.

jita--krodhah
nAma 463. ijt³aex> jita

He who has overcome anger.

jita-krodhAya namah.
Because BhagavAn has conquered all bad qualities including anger, He is jita-
krodhah. He gets angry only if He chooses to get angry by His own will.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives the following reference: In the beginning of SrImad

rAmAyaNa SrI vAlmIki asks the question "Who is the jita-krodhah" among
people, and nArada responds that it is rAma - ucyamAno'pi parusham
nauttaram pratipadyate - Even when others utter harsh words towards Him,
He does not respond with similar harsh words.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri distinguishes between three types of anger, all of

which have been mastered by BhagavAn.

1. manyu is the type of anger which is in the mind but which does not find
expression in words or in action.

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 2. When the anger spills out in the form of reddening of the eyes,
expression in the face, etc., this is called kopam.

3. When anger finds expression in harsh words, shaking of the body,

deeds which reflect harshness as a result of the anger, etc., then this
is called krodham.

It is to be noted that bhagavAn has not eliminated anger completely, but just
has conquered it, and will get angry when He feels the need for it.

SrI vAlmIki nicely expresses this through the words "krodham AhArayat
tIvram" - 3. 24. 33 - He brought Himself to be angry. When His devotee
hanumAn is hurt by rAvaNa, Lord rAma made Himself angry. (yuddha 59.
147).

SrI Sa~nkara points out that if He kills an asura, it is not because of anger but
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only to establish the vedic order of life.

SrI cinmayAnanda extends the anubhavam to include not just krodha, but all
the six types of afflictions that a man can suffer from:

1. kAma,

2. krodha,

3. lobha,

4. moha,

5. mada, and

6. mAtsarya.

This nAma indicates that bhagavAn has conquered all of these.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha, who in addition to his great mastery of samskRt, was
a great ayurvedic expert as well as a great astrologer, comments that krodham
is a result of some defects of the body, and is caused by an imbalance in the
bodily juices. Since bhagavAn is not subject to these deficiencies, He is not
subject to kAma, krodha etc.

The interpretations by SrI BhaTTar for nAma-s 457 to 463 that were given

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so far were based on bhagavAn's nara-nArAyaNa incarnation. He has also
given a set of alternate interpretations for these nAma-s based on the mohini
incarnation, which are covered below.

457. su-mukhah - He who has a charming face - He who shines with a face
which is delightful like the moon and which is replete with the nectar of Bliss
very much like the pot of nectar held in the hand.

458. sUkshmah - The Subtle - He is subtle because His thoughts were hidden
from the asura-s.

459. su-ghoshah - He who is the object of loud and delectable praise - His act
of churning was delectable and was praised loudly both by the gods and the
asura-s.

460. sukha-dah - The Giver of Joy - He gives joy to the gods by distributing

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the nectar to them.

461. su-hRt - The friend - because of His love for the deva-s.

462. mano-harah - The heart-ravishing - His form bewitched the minds of the
asura-s.

463. jita-krodhah - He who conquered the anger - On seeing His form the
minds of the asura-s became confounded with confusion and thereby He
overcame the anger of the asura-s against the gods.

nAma-s 464 to 470 which follow are also interpreted by SrI BhaTTar on the
basis of the mohini incarnation.

vIra--bAhuh
nAma 464. vIrbahu> vIra

He of mighty arms.
vIra-bAhave namah.
SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam of this nAma is that bhagavAn has a thousand arms
which are all vying with each other in the wonderful act of churning the Milk-
Ocean - arms which are shining with effulgent bracelets, armlets, and garlands.

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 SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to peria tirunozhi 5. 7. 4 -"Seyiru
viSumbum ti~ngaLum SuDarum dEvarum tAmuDan tiSaippa Ayiram tOLAlalai
kaDal kaDaindAn ara~nga mAnagar amarndAnE". We also have in tiruvAimozhi -
aSurarauit-tagarkkum tOLUm nAngu - 10. 1. 1.

SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam is that bhagavAn is vIra-bAhuh because he destroyed

the foes and established the moral law of the scriptures (veda-s).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri observes that a vIra is one who engages in his act
with intensity in a prescribed way without backing down. BhagavAn's four
hands with four different weapons in them simultaneously go into action
independently of each other, and accomplish the desired action flawlessly,
each one of them displaying the quality of the vIra independently.

The dharma cakram writer observes that a vIra is one who uses the might of
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his arms to help the cause of dharma and not for any selfish purpose. rAvaNa
was also one of mighty arms, not just two but twenty of them for that matter.
He cannot be considered a vIra, since all he could use his might for was to
nurture his kAma. This nAma of mahA vishNu should remind us that our
abilities should be put to use to protect dharma, and not for selfish purposes.

nAma 465. ivdar[> vidAraNah

a) He who cut (rAhu, hirNyakaSipu and others).

b) He who cuts the sins of His devotees.

vidAraNAya namah.
He who destroys (tears away) those who live contrary to dharma. He cut off
rAhu with His divya Ayudha during the distribution of the nectar to the deva-s
in the presence of the asura-s. He is also known as vidAraNah because He cuts
off the greatest of fears in His devotees - "samagra ugrabhaya vidAraNAya"
is the mantra about bhagavAn.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to tiruvAimozhi 9. 10. 6 - Sem-ponAgattavuNan

uDal kINDAvan - He who tore apart hiraNyakaSipu's body to help His devotee.

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The dharma cakram writer gives the interpretation that bhagavAn tears away
the association (bandham) between the AtmA or the soul and the body or
prakRti. BhagavAn is the one who separates or tears away the unchanging soul
from the ever-changing body.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out this guNa of separating - vidAraNa, in all
aspects of His creation. Thus man and woman, day and night, uttarAyaNa and
dakshINayana, pRthivI and antariksha, agni and soma, etc. are all
demonstrations or reminders of this guNa of mahAvishNu - vidAraNah. He is
the one who "tears away" or separates the child from the mother at the time
of birth so that the two live separately.

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 Slokam 50
SvapnSSvvzae VyapI nEkaTma nEkkmRk«t!,

vTsrae vTslae vTsI rÆgÉaeR xneñr>. 50.

svApanah svavasO vyApI naikAtmA naikakarmakruth |
vatsarO vatsalO vatsI ratnagarbhO dhanesvarah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 466. Svapn> svApanah

He who lulls people into sleep.

svApanAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn in His mohini incarnation lulled
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into sleep the asura-s who had not been put away as described in the previous
nAma, using His beautiful smile, sweet glances and the play of His eyebrows,
and thus made them forget that He was distributing the nectar to the deva-s
exclusively.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha's anubhavam of this nAma is "svApayati

nidrApayatipralayakAle sarvam prakRtAviti svApanah" - He puts everyone to
sleep at the time of pralaya. Even though He makes everyone sleep, He
Himself is wide awake. This svApanatva guNa of bhagavAn is reflected again
in everything He creates after the pralaya also. The Sun puts everyone to
sleep when the night comes, but the sun itself does not sleep.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri refers to gItA 7. 25 - "nAham prakASah

sarvasyayoga-mAyA-samAvRtah, mUDho'yam nAbhijAnAti" - His paratva has
been concealed to the non-devotee in bhagavAn's incarnations because He
appears like all of us in His body, appearance, and talk etc., and so they don't
recognize Him as paramAtmA. He who does not see what is in front of Him is
as good as a person who is sleeping.

The dharma cakram writer gives the analogy of the animal life vs. the human
life. Humans are "awake" in the world of intelligent reasoning, in which the

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animals are "asleep", i. e., they are not capable of operating in this domain as
well as humans can do. Similarly the ordinary human is asleep to the world of
the j~nAni. The path for the ordinary human to become awake in the world
of the j~nAni is to chant the nArAyaNa mantra - "nalam tarumSollai nAn
kaNDu koNDEn nArAyaNA ennum nAmam" is AzhvAr aruLic-ceyal. This is the
lesson we should take from this nAma.

sva--vaSah
nAma 467. Svvz> sva

He who is under His own control.

sva-vaSAya namah.
Continuing on his anubhavam of the mohini incarnation, SrI BhaTTar explains
that after bhagavAn put the asura-s to sleep, He plays as He likes with the

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deva-s, consistent with His absolute independence. The bhAvam here is that
bhagavAn is not under the control of anyone or anything else, and He is only
under His own control. He does not need anyone's help or support for whatever
He does. Everything else is under His control. He does His acts of creation
etc. as He wishes.

He does not also have any desire that is out of His reach (based on vaS -
kAntau to wish, to desire - SrI satyadevo vAsishTha). BhagavAn is sva-vaSah
because He has everything that He desires within Himself, does not have any
desire outside of Him, and rejoices with His own Self.

SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam is that bhagavAn is Independent, being the cause of

creation, preservation and withdrawal of the Universe - svatantrah.

The dharma cakram writer points out that it is only when one does not have
any need that one can be totally independent.

tiruvaLLUvar refers to bhagavAn as "vENDudal vENDAmai ilAn".

ANDAL's words are "kuRaivu onRumillAda gOvindA".

When we are under the control of our mind, we lose our independence, and do
whatever our mind dictates. Then we become dependent on others. This nAma

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 teaches us that we should learn to control our mind and get it under our
control instead of being controlled by our mind. Meditating on this nAma of
bhagavAn will give us this discipline. The more we are able to devote ourselves
to bhagavAn, the more our mind will get under our control.

nAma 468. VyapI vyApI

The Pervader.
vyApine namah.
SrI BhaTTar-s vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn pervades everyone with His own
Power and gives energy to them. At the time of churning the Mik-Ocean, He
pervaded the deva-s, the asura-s, the mandAra mountain, vAsuki and others,
and gave them the energy to churn the ocean.
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SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr 1. 1. 10 - "paranda taN paravai

uL nIr torum paranduLan. . . . karandue~ngum paranduLan ivai uNDa karanE".
(paravai here refers to an expanse of water - Ocean).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri gives reference to the Sruti - avyaktAt-tu

parahpurusho vyApakah ( muNDaka 2. 3. 8).

SrI cinmayAnanda points out that in philosophy pervasiveness indicates

subtlety. BhagavAn is all-pervasive, and so is subtler than the subtlest. Since
the cause pervades the effect (e. g., gold pervades all gold ornaments), so also
bhagavAn who pervades everything is thus the Cause of everything.

The dharma cakram writer observes that All-pervasiveness also implies

limitlessness, since whatever there is and wherever it is, BhagavAn pervades
it, and so there is no limit to Him. This limitless emperumAn just projects
Himself such that we see whatever little we see based on our limitations.
Meditating on this nAma of bhagavAn will broaden our ability to see this
Limitless vyApI.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives several references from the Sruti :

parItyabhUtAni parItya lokAn parItya sarvAh pradiSo diSaSca (yajur),

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RshTo divipRshTo agnih pRthivyAm pRshTo viSvA oshadhIrAviveSa (Rg),

yo agnau rudroyo apsv-antarya oshadhIr-vIrudha AviveSa (atharva); etc.

nAma 469. nEkaTma naikAtmA

He of diverse forms.
naikAtmane namah.
SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam is that bhagavAn assumed several forms at the time
of churning - as vishNu to help the gods and the asura-s to churn, as the
tortoise to support the mandAra mountain, and as mohini to distribute the
nectar.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri reminds us of the similarity between this nAma and
nAma 139 - caturAtmA. A more general interpretation is that bhagavAn

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expresses Himself through all the forms of His creation.

The dharma cakram writer points out that the different forms of gods that
the followers of different religions worship are all an expression of bhagavAn,
and it is because of their ignorance of bhagavAn being a naikAtmA that they
think they are worshipping different deities and fighting within themselves.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the root of the word AtmA as ata -
sAtatyagamane - to go constantly, which nicely explains the nature of the
AtmA. BhagavAn is everywhere in the form of the father, the mother, the
son, the disciple, the teacher, the husband, the wife, the friend, etc.,since He
is the antaryAmi in everything.

SrI vAsishTha gives several references to the Sruti in support of the

interpretation of this nAma, among which are the following -
tadev-Agnis-tad-Adityas-tadu vAyus-tadu-candramAh|
tadeva Sukram tad-brahma tA Apah sa prajApatih || (yajur. 32-1);

tvam hinah pitA vaso tvam mAtA Satakrato babhUvitha (Rg 8. 98. 11)

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 nAma 470. nEkkmRk«t! naika karma--kRt
naika--karma

He who performs diverse acts.

naika-karma-kRte namah.
SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma by giving the example of:

1. His churning the ocean,

2. supporting the mountain,

3. overcoming the enemies,

4. distributing the nectar, etc.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives the quotes from nammAzhvAr - kUDinIraik-

kaDaindavArum amudam dEvar uNNa asurargaLai vIDum vaNNa~ngaL
SeidupOna vittagamum (tiruvAimozhi 5. 10. 10), and from tirumaZhiSai AzhvAr
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- malaiAmai mEl vaittu vASugiyaic-cuRRi talai Amai tAn oru kai paRRi
alaiyAmalpIrak-kaDainda perumAn (nAnmugan 49).

SrI Sa~nkara points to diverse actions such as creation, sustenance, etc. as a

way of interpreting this nAma.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri points to His actions in the form of candra, sUrya,
agni, etc. and helping to serve us.

The dharma cakram writer gives a view which summarizes all the above by
pointing out that everything that ever takes place is His action and nothing
else. Examples of this abound. We are instruments in His creation, but we are
not creators. From one mango tree, only another mango tree can come, and we
can't create something else from a mango seed. We are the instruments and
He is the kartA. If we have this realization, the benefits (karma phalam) of
none of the actions for which we are the instruments will accrue to us.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha continues his interpretation based on his previous

interpretation of naikAtmA. BhagavAn who is in many forms (father,
mother,son. . . ), performs many actions in the form of the father, mother, son,
etc.

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nAma 471. vTsr> vatsarah

a) He who lives within all beings.

b) He in whom everything resides.

c) He who is the Infinite Time.

d) He who restored the calves to the gopa-s.

vatsarAya namah.
a) The word is derived from the root vas - to dwell. BhagavAn resides in all
beings as a way of administering His dharma - for bestowing fruits in a just
way for the acts of all. He also lives as antaryAmi in everyone in order to
guide them towards the path of dharma according to their merits and
qualifications.

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SrI BhaTTar refers us to the following mantra about bhagavAn which brings
out this point - sarvAntaScAriNe dharmAtmane - Unto Him Who is the
embodiment of dharma and Who lives in all beings.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to toNDaraDippoDi AzhvAr in tirumAlai -

uLLuvAruLLiRRellAm uDanirundu aRidi enRu (34).

b) SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam is 'vasati atra akhilam iti vatsarah' - He in whom

everything resides - The Abode of All.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives several references to the Sruti-s illustrating

the vyAkhyAna-s above:

ISAvAsyamidam sarvam yat-ki~ncit jagatyAm jagat(IsaVAsya);

amvatsaro'si parivatsaro'sIdAvatsro'sIdvatsaro'si vatsaro'si(yajur. 27. 45);

tvayi rAtri vasAmasi svapishyAmasi jAgRhu (atharva19. 47. 9); etc.

c) vatsarah also refers to time - the period of one year. BhagavAn is the
continuum of space and time, in which all creatures live - in the sense of b)
above. So He is the endless space and infinite time - vatsarah.

d) SrI cinmayAnanda decomposes the word as vatsAn rAti iti vatsarah. In His

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 kRshNAvatAra, He restored the calves to the gopa-s when they had been
taken away by the enemies - So He is vatsarah because He gave away the
calves (vatsa here is interpreted as calf).

nAma 472. vTsl> vatsalah

The Affectionate.

vatsalAya namah.
This nAma is formed from the word vatsa by adding the lach pratyaya
signifying loving, tender (based on 5. 2. 98 ashTAdhyAyI of PANini -
vatsaamsAbhyAm kAma bale). The nAma signifies that He has extreme love
for His devotees.

SrI cinmayananda translates the word as "Supreme Love", and points out the
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significance of this nAma - BhagavAn SrIman nArAyaNa is Love Incarnate.

SrI BhaTTar points out that this nAma explains why bhagavAn wants to guide
everyone by being their antaryAmi as expressed in the previous nAma - it is
because of His extreme kindness towards His devotees. This affection is like
that of a cow to its calf - kanaittu iLam kaRRerumai kanRukku ira~ngininaittu
mulai vazhiyE ninRu pAl Sora. sItA pirATTi's words of advice to rAvaNa were
- vihitah sa hi dharmaj~nah SaraNAgata-vatsalah - It is well-known that rAma
knows this great virtue, and that He is very affectionate towards those who
have sought refuge in Him.

The dharma cakram writer gives several examples of bhagavAn's guNa of

vAtsalya. guha became a close friend of rAma. bhagavAn also gave Himself
completely to hanumAn (which was revealed when hanumAn opened his heart
andshowed rAma residing there). sugrIva SaraNAgati, vibhIshaNa
SaraNAgati, etc. are other examples of His extreme love for His devotees.

nAma 473. vTsI vatsI

a) He who possesses lots of calves

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b) He who possesses lots of children whom He protects like a cow protects its
calves.
vatsine namah.
The first of these interpretations is a reference to His gopAla incarnation,
where He protected the calves during the episode involving indra. SrI v. v.
rAmAnujan refers us to kanRu mEittu inidu uganda kALAi (16). The second
interpretation refers to the innumerable hosts of souls who are to be always
tended by Him, like a cow tends to its calves with affection.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha observes that bhgavAn's guNa of being the

Protector exhibits itself throughout life. Even before the child is born to a
mother, He makes sure the mother has the milk to feed to the child as soon as
it is born, the mother bird and the child bird know how to transfer food

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through their beak, etc.

ratna--garbhah
nAma 474. rÆgÉR> ratna

a) He who is in possession of abundant wealth.

b) He who is the source of everything that can give happiness.

ratna-garbhAya namah.
Among BhagavAn's devotees there are those who are after wealth, and He has
immense wealth to take care of their needs. SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives
reference to nammAzhvAr 6. 7. 11 - vaitta mA-nidhiyAm madhusUdananai -
BhagavAn is like a treasure in deposit, available in times of need in future.

SrI Sa~nkara's vyAkhyAnam is based on the ratna-s or gems being treasured

in the depth of the oceans, and since bhagavAn is Himself in the form of the
Oceans, He is called ratna-garbhah.

SrI cinmayAnanda refers us to gItA 10. 24- sarasAm asmi sAgarah, and
observes that bhagavAn is ratna-garbhah like the Ocean and has all the
treasures within His control, and can bestow any wealth quickly to any devotee
as He desires.

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 SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri extends this to the presence of ratna in the hood of
the serpent and in the knots of the bamboo shoots, which are caused by none
other than bhagavAn. The name also suggests that bhagavAn protects His
devotees like gems, and assists them towards the path of realization of the
Self. Meditating on bhagavAn constantly instead of succumbing to the rAjasic
and tAmasic aspects dormant in us will elevate us so that we can realize Him.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning of ratna starting from the
rootram - krIDAyAm to play, to rejoice at. Thus, the word ratna denotes
everything that gives happiness. Since bhagavAn has the whole world in His
garbha, He has everything that can give happiness in Himself, and so He is
ratna-garbhah. He gives several examples from the Sruti:
hiraNyagarbhahsamavartatAgre bhUtasya jAtah patireka AsIt;
arcAmi satyasavam ratnadhAmabhipriyam matim;
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hiraNyAkshah savitA deva AgAt dadhat ratnA dASushe vAryANi, etc.

nAma 475. xneñr> dhaneSvarah

The quick giver of wealth.

dhaneSvarAya namah.
dhanAnAm ISvarah dhaneSvarah - He who is the Lord of all wealth, is the
interpretation given by SrI Sa~nkarAcArya, who interpreted the previous
nAmaas referring to bhagavAn's vibhUti as the Ocean which bears the gems.

Since SrI BhaTTar interpreted the previous nAma in a broader sense, viz., hat
He is the source of all wealth, he interprets the current nAma as referring to
bhagvAn's generosity in giving away this wealth quickly to His devotee who
wishes for it. He supports his interpretation based on the uNAdi sUtra 738 -
aSnoter-AsukarmaNi varat ca - The affix varat comes after the root aS - to
pervade, when the word formed from it refers to 'having the power of
granting success soon' - the emphasis being that bhagavAn is quick in giving
the benefit to His devotees.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr 3. 9. 7 - SErum koDai

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pugazh ellai ilAnai.

SrI anantakRshNaSastri gives the example of bhagavAn giving instantaneous

wealth to His devotee kucela.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri gives an alternate interpretation that this nAma

refers to bhagavAn's vibhUti of being in the form of kubera, the god of
wealth. Note gItA 10. 23 - vitteSo yaksha rakshasAm - where vitteSah
refers of bhagavAn's vibhUti as kubera.

SrI cinmayAnanda comments that the term wealth here refers to all things
that cause happiness. He is lakshmI-pati, the Lord of Goddess Lakshmi, and so
He is ever the Master-of-Wealth. The greatest of wealths is moksha, and
Lord nArAyaNa is Isvara of this great wealth, and is the Giver of thiswealth
to the prapanna-s readily.

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 Slokam 51
xmRguBxmRk«ÏmIR sd]rmsT]rm!,

Aiv}ata shöa<zu> ivxata k«tl][>. 51.

dharmagup dharmakrut dharmI sadaksharamasatksharam |
avij~nAtA sahasrAmsuh vidhAtA krutalakshaNah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

dharma--gup
nAma 476. xmRgup! dharma

He who protects dharma.

dharma-gupe namah.
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dharmam gopAyati rakshati iti dharma-gup.

SrI Sa~nkara gives reference to the gItA 4. 8- dharma sampsthAnaparthAya

sambhavAmi yuge yuge.

SrI satyadevovAsishTha observes that bhagavAn is dharma-gup because He

protects the beings through dharma systematically from the time of creation
to the time of destruction. An illustration of this is the rule that the seed
comes from the tree and the tree gives back the seed, thus continuing the
process of the existence and survival of life forms. He gives reference to the
Sruti -
trINi padA vicakrame vishNur-gopA adAbhyah |
ato dharmANi dhArayan||
(yajur. 34. 43).

The dharma cakram writer elaborates on this nAma by pointing out that
bhagavAn maintains dharma by rewarding those who observe dharma (with
wealth, health etc.) and punishing those who violate dharma (through disease,
suffering, etc.) so that they can be returned to the path of dharma. Peace in
the society, rain, good crops, and general prosperity result when the society as
a whole follows the path of dharma; disease, earth quakes, war, looting,

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famine, etc. result when the society fails to follow the path of dharma. Thus,
this nAma should remind us that our adherence to the path of righteousness in
everything we do (our relations with our wives/husbands, our treatment of our
parents, the behavior of the people who are involved in public projects on how
they treat their public responsibility, how a person who has renounced the
worldly life treats the wealth that he may be able to collect, etc.)., all reflect
in bhagavAn's administration of His dharma as the dharma-gup.

dharma--kRt
nAma 477. xmRk«t! dharma

a) He who induces His devotees to follow dharma.

b) He who practices dharma.

dharma-kRte namah.

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a) Those who follow dharma do so because of His anugraha. SrI BhaTTar
quotes:
dharmam sAmAnyam amalam anAdinidhanam vibhum |
durlabham yatprabuddhAnAm tat-prasAdayitA vinA ||

Ordinary flawless dharma, which is without beginning or end and all-pervasive,

cannot be attained without His Grace even by those who have great knowledge.
BhagavAn induces people towards the path of dharma for their own benefit,
and without any benefit for Him, out of His sheer Mercy.

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr 5. 6. 4 - SeivArgaLaic-

ceivEnumyAnE.

b) Even though He is Himself above dharma and adharma, He rigorously

observes the path of dharma so that He sets an example to the others -
dharma maryAdA sthApanArtham dharmameva karoti iti dharma-kRt -
SrISa~nkara.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri points out the importance of dharma in our lives. The
jIvAtmA is caged into this body as a result of the previous karmA-s. BhagavAn
has shown us the path of dharma in order for the jIva to get release from this
cage. BhagavAn does not have any such need to observe dharma etc. because

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 karma does not touch Him. Even so, He observes all the dharma-s consistent
with His avatAra. Lord kRshNa's words in the gItA ch. 3. 22-24 refer to this.
na me pArtha asti kartavyam trishu lokeshu ki~ncana |
na anvAptam avAptavyam varta eva ca karmaNi ||
yadi hyayam na varteyam jAtu karmaNyatandritah |
mama vartma anuvartante manushyAh pArtha sarvaSah ||
utsIdeyur_ime lokA na kuryAm karma cedaham |
s~ankarasya ca kartA syAm upahanyAm imAh prajAh ||

nAma 478. xmIR dharmI

He who has dharma as an instrument.

dharmiNe namah.
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dharmah asya asti iti dharmI. BhagavAn is known as dharmI because He

protects dharma, and uses it as a common means to protect His devotees.
nammAzhvAr refers to Him as "neRi ellAm eDuttu uraitta niRai j~nAnattu
orumUrti (4. 8. 6) - SrI v. v. rAmAnujan.

dharma is eternal and endless just as BhagavAn is eternal and endless. He is

dharma-svarUpi. Those who follow the path of dharma reach the fame that is
ever-lasting, and those who destroy dharma end up destroying themselves. All
this is illustrated by the case of the pANDava-s and the kaurava-s
respectively. BhagavAn constantly keeps imparting the path of dharma to His
devotees, in addition to setting an example to us by following dharma Himself.
When BhIshma was about to leave his material body, bhagavAn took
yudhisThira to his bedside and asked bhIshma to impart all his knowledge of
dharma to his deserving grandson.

This nAma of mahAvishNu should constantly remind us that bhagavAn is there

always striving to show us the path of dharma in every way. (dharma cakram).

The fact that bhagavAn is reflecting dharma all the time constantly to us is
evident when we see the sun, the moon etc. always following their prescribed
dharma without fail. The sun always rising in the east and setting in the west,

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the cycle of the moon, etc, are constant reminders to us of this fact (SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha).

The next four words are sat, aksharam, asat and ksharam, which are combined
in different sequence by SrI BhaTTar and by SrI Sa~nkara. SrI BhaTTar
uses the sequence "sad-aksharam asad-ksharam", and SrI Sa~nkara uses the
sequence "sat asat ksharam aksharam". The nAma-s they derive out of this
sequence are similar, except that SrI BhatTTar treats the word aksharam as
an adjective for sat, and the word ksharam as the adjective for asat. Thus
the nAma-s according to his vyAkhyAna are sat, sad-aksharam, asat, and asad-
ksharam. The nAma-s per SrI Sa~nkara are sat, asat, ksharam, and aksharam.
The nAma-s sat and a-sat can be treated as a pair of opposites, and the nAma-
s sad-aksharam and asad-ksharam can similarly be treated as a pair.

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nAma 479. st!! sat

a) He who is commendable.

b) He who is ever existent.

c) He who is in the form of good and meritorious acts.

sate namah.
In SrImad bhagavad gItA, bhagavAn instructs arjuna on the significance of
the three terms "(praNavam), tat, and sat" in chapter 17. Sloka-s 17. 26-27
deal with the word sat. sat refers to existence (sad-bhAva), goodness (sAdhu-
bhAva), and auspicious or commendable action (praSaste karmaNi). The Sloka
in gItA is -
sadbhAve sAdhubhAve ca sad-ityetat prayucyate |
praSaste karmaNi tathA sac-chabdhah pArtha yujyate ||

SrI BhaTTar points out that bhagavAn is sat because He is unconditionally

auspicious and commendable, and He is also eternal in existence. (nirupAdhikAt
sad-bhAvAt, sAd-guNyacca).

SrI P. B. aNNa~ngarAcArya svAmi gives reference to AzhvAr pASuram - uLan

kaNDAi nan-ne~njE uttaman enRu uLankaNDAi, in support of the second of the

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 above meanings. In advaitic interpretation, the meaning for this word is given
as "Truth".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri points out that in truth, there are two kinds - one is
pAramArthika sat - that which is true in all three time frames (past, present,
and future). The other is vyAvahArika sat - like this world, which originates
in the pAramArthika sat and merges back into the pAramArthika sat at the
time of pralaya. BhagavAn is the pAramArthika sat or nitya sat.

nAma 480. st! A]rm! (A]r< st!) aksharam (sat)

a) He whose existence is never diminished or destroyed in any way.

b) sad-aksharam - He who never for sakes the good.

akshara-sate namah.
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SrI BhaTTar points out that aksharam is an adjective for sat (the previous
nAma), and thus gives the current nAma as sad-aksharam or aksharam-sat.
ksharam is that which decays or diminishes, or something that does not stay
associated with something else, and aksharam is that which is never diminished
or decays. His sat or Existence, does not undergo any decrease or diminution.
This is also true of His svarUpa and His kalyANa guNa-s. So the meaning of
this nAma is - He who is ever existent without decrease or destruction.

SrI BhaTTar gives reference to vishNu purANam and to ChAndogya upanishad

apakshaya vinASAbhyAm pariNAmardhi-janmabhih |
varjitah Sakyate vaktum yah sadAstIti kevalam ||

VP1. 2. 11

"He is free from decrease, destruction, modification, growth andbirth. He

can only be spoken of as That which always is".

In ChAndogya upanishad 6. 2. 1 we have - sadeva somya! idamagra AsIt -

"Existence alone, My dear child, this was in the beginning, one only without a
second."

b)The root from which the word ksharam is derived is kshar - sa~ncalane to

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flow, to distil (SrI satyadevo vAsishTha).

In the context of SrI BhaTTar'svyAkhyAnam for nAma 482, sad-aksharam

could also mean He who never parts with or forsakes the good.

nAma 481. Ast! a-sat

a) That which does not exist now, but existed in the past as well as will exist in
the future.

b) He who is the cause of misery to those who do sinful acts.

c) He who is non-existent for those who do not follow the path of dharma.
a-sate namah.
a) In gItA 9. 19, bhagavAn says "amRtam caiva mRtyuSca sat asat ca aham
arjuna - "I am immortality as well as death, O arjuna. I am the being as well

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as the non-being".

SrI rAmAnujna bhAshyam for this stanza is: sat is that which exists now (sad
yad vartate), and asat is that which does not exist now but which existed
before and which may exist in the future (asadyad atItam ca anAgatam ca).
Thus bhagavAn is a-sat (non-being) in the sense of sat meaning existence as we
saw in the gItA Slokam 17. 26, and a-sat being the things that don't exist now,
but existed in the past and will exist in the future.

b) In the sense of sad referring to good acts (sAdhu-bhAve in gItA Slokam17.

26), bhagavAn is a-sat in the sense of being the cause of distress to those who
do sinful acts (SrI BhaTTar). This is in the form of the great misery of
endless samsAra (birth and death).

c) He is also non-existent (asat) with respect to those who do not follow the
path of dharma. SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to tirumAlai 15 -
meyyarkkEmeyyanAgum vidi ilA ennaipOla poyyarkkE poyyanAgum puT-koDi
uDaiya kOmAn, and to nammAzhvAr - meyyanAgum virumbit-tozhuvArkkellAm
poyyanAgum puRametozhuvArkkellAm (tiruvAimozhi 9. 10. 7).

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 asat--ksharam
nAma 482. Ast! ]rm! asat

He who moves away from the bad.

asat-ksharAya namah.
ksharam refers to something perishable or impermanent. ksharam also means
something which flows away (kshar sa~ncalane to flow, to distil). BhagavAn
does not associate with the bad, and so He is ksharam with respect to the asat
(SrI BhaTTar).

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets ksharam as referring to this Universe

(the dynamism associated with it), and to aksharam as referring to the
antaryAmi in everything, which is responsible for all the movement in the
Universe. Thus, bhagavAn is simultaneously ksharam (moving) and aksharam
(the cause of this movement). He nicely illustrates this demonstration of the
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ksharam and aksharam aspects of bhagavAn by a simple day-to-day example-

when we walk, one leg is moving while the other leg is stationary. Similarly,
bhagVaN is both kshara in the form of all things moving in the Universe, and
akshara in the form of the antaryAmi supporting this movement. The author
gives several examples from the Sruti, one of which is the ISAvasya upanishad
verse -
tadejati tan-naijati tad-dUre tadv-antike |
tadantrasya sarvasya tadu sarvasya bAhyatah ||

SrI cinmayAnanda gives an example of the concept of bhagavAn being ksharam

and a-ksharam at the same time - the waves of the ocean rise and decay, but
they are nothing but the ocean that is non-decaying. So they are both part of
the same thing.

nAma 483. Aiv}ata avij~nAtA

The Non-cognizant.
avij~nAtre namah.
SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that He is non-cognizant of the faults of His

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devotees. He observes that it is a great commendable quality of bhagavAn that
He is willing to forget and forgive the sins of those who have surrendered to
Him unconditionally. It is said of Lord rAma that He never even responds back
to those who speak harsh words towards Him - ucyamAno'piparusham nottaram
pratipadyate (ayodhyA 1. 10).

SrI BhaTTar quotes his revered father, SrI kUrattAzhvAn - "Oh Lord! We
refute the statement that you are a sarvaj~nA! It is obvious You are totally
ignorant of the faults of your devotees!" - sarvaj~natAm evam upAlabhAmahe,
tvam hi aj~na evaAsrita-dosha-joshaNah.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to periAzhvAr's outpouring - en aDiyAr

aduSeyyAr seidArEl nanRu seidAr enbar (4. 9. 2) - My devotee would not have
committed this sin, and if he did, then as far as I am concerned, it is a good

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deed. He also gives reference to the gItA (9. 30) -
api cet sudurAcArobhajate mAm ananya-bhAk |
sAdhureva sa mantavyah . . . ||

(Even if someone does not follow the AcAra for his jAti etc., as long as he
worships me with singular devotion and without expecting any other benefit, he
is a paramaviahsNava to Me).

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning by looking at the word as avi
+j~nAtA instead of the traditional a+vij~nAtA. Then he derives the meaning
from av rakshaNAdau - to protect, to do good, and j~nAtA - One who knows.
Thus his meaning for avij~nAtA is One who knows how to protect, or He who
protects everyone. Thus it refers to His being antaryAmi in everything, His
being the Protector of those who surrender to Him, etc.

SrI satyadevovAsishTha gives reference to the atharva-vedic mantra "avirve

nAmadevatartenAste parIvRtA" (10. 8. 31) to support this interpretation.

SrI Sa~nkara interrpets vij~nAtA as referring to jIva with the distorted

knowledge of being responsible for its own actions etc. (Atmani
kartRtvAdikalpa vij~nAnam kalpitam iti jIvo vij~nAtA). He who is above this
distorted knowledge is a-vij~nAtA (tad-vilakshaNo vishNuh a-vij~nAtA).

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 nAma 484. shöa<zu> sahasrAmSuh

He who has a thousand rays (of knowledge).

sahasrAmSave namah.
amSu means ray. sahasra here refers to infinite or countless. SrI BhaTTar
interprets amSu as referring to radiating knowledge, and thus sahasrAmSuh
refers to One who is possessed of infinite knowledge. nammAzhvAr says -
mikka j~nAna mUrtiyAya veda viLakkinai (4. 7. 10) - BhagavAn is pure and
unalloyed radiating knowledge, who revealed the veda-s to us, and who is
revealed to us by the veda-s.

SrI Sa~nkara interprets the nAma as referring to His being the Sun with
countless rays. yena sUryas-tapati tejaseddhah - (tai. brA. 3. 12. 9) -Lighted
by His effulgence, the sun shines. SrI Sa~nkara also gives reference to the
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gItA to support his interpretation - yad-Aditya gatam tejah. . . yac-

candramasi yac-cAgnau tat-tejo viddhi mAmakam - 15. 12 - O arjuna! know
that the tejas of the sun, the moon, agni, etc. is mine viz. I am the One who
bestowed this tejas on them.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha's interpretation is that BhagavAn radiates His

knowledge and His tejas everywhere, and so He is sahasrAmSuh (anata
j~nAnaananta prabhaSca vushNuh ata sahasrAmSuh).

nAma 485: ivxata vidhAtA.

vidhAtre namaH.
a) He Who specially protected the seed He sowed for brahmA till the seed
fully developed into brahmA’s creation.

b) The Ordainer of the laws of conduct for all, including the likes of yama.

c) The Dispenser of the fruits of action and the inducer of action.

d) The Supporter of all supports such as AdiSesha.

e) He Who lays down the code of conduct and the fruits to be attained from

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them.

f) He Who protects the beings of this world in diverse ways (vi-dhAtA; vi =

vividhaiH).

g) He Who bestows the desires of His devotees.

h) He Who is borne by garuDa, His vehicle (vi-dhAtA; vi = garuDa).

We studied this nAma earlier in Slokam 5 (nAma 44). Interpretation (a) by Sri
BhaTTar and SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN are described there. The other
interpretations are discussed below.

The meaning for the nAma can be understood based on the following meanings
given in the dictionary, and the derivation given by SrI vAsishTha, among
others:

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1. vidhAtR – A maker, a creator. Grantor, giver, bestower. vidhA in the
dictionary is given the meaning "division, part, portion", and based on
this, vidhAtA means one who apportions, controls, distributes, creates,
etc. li~ngayasUri defines the meaning as "vidhatta iti vidhAtA" in his
amarapadavivRti.

2. vidhAnam – arranging, disposing.

3. VidhAnam - a rule, precept, ordinance, sacred rule or precept, sacred

injunction.

4. vidhAtA – vidhAnasya kartA;

a) See the write-up for nAma 44.

b) For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma in
terms bhagavAn being “The Supreme Controller” and the “Ordainer of the laws
of conduct for all” - (vidhAnam – arranging, disposing; a rule, precept,
ordinance, sacred rule or precept, sacred injunction. Also see vAsishTha -
vidhAtA – vidhAnasya kartA). He explains the nAma in the context of the
meaning of avij~nAtA that he gave earlier - bhagavAn ignores the faults of His
devotees. Then one can ask the question "what happens if someone else, like
yama for instance, who is impartial in his treatment of everyone for their sins

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 as well as good deeds, punishes the devotees of vishNu for their sins?". This
nAma says that bhagavAn controls yama and all other gods, and so they won't
punish a vishNu-bhakta, and they will inform their servants not to punish a
vishNu-bhakta in any way.

Thus, SrI BhaTTar picks an example of bhagavAn’s guNa of ordaining or laying

down the rules that brings out bhagavAn’s eternal mercy towards those who
are devoted to Him. Even though yama is authorized by bhagavAn to be
impartial in punishing the jIva-s for their karma-s, at the same time, using His
powers as the Ordainer, bhagavAn has ordained yama to be lenient and gentle
when it comes to punishing His devotees. Since yama is under the total control
of bhagavAn, he follows the orders of bhagavAn, and instructs his servants to
keep away from vishNu bhakta-s at the time of their death. This mRdutvam of
bhagavAn in exercising His Control (as vidhAtA, the Controller) such that it
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benefits the jIva-s that follow the path that leads to Him, is declared in
several places: vishNu purANa, brahma purANa, vAmana purANa, nArasimha
purANa, lai’nga purANa, vaishNava dharma, SrI vishNu tattva, and SrImad
bhAgavatam. In vishNu purANam, we have:

parihara madhu sUdana prapannAn prabhur-aham anya nRNAm na

vaishNavAnAm (VP 3. 7. 14) -“Keep clear of the worshippers of madhusUdana.
I am the lord of all except the vaishNava-s” (yama’s word to his servants).

hari guru vaSago’smi na svatantraH prabhavati samyamane mamApi vishNuH |

(VP 3. 7. 15) - “He Who obeys Hari, as his spiritual guide, is independent of
me; for, vishNu is of power to govern and control me”.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives references to divya prabandham, again referring to

this soft side of bhagavAn’s role of ultimate Controllership:
tiRambEnmin kaNDIr; tiruvaDi tan nAmam
maRandum puram tozhA mAndar – iRai’njiyum
SAduvarAip pOdumingaL enRAn namanum tan
tamaraik kUvic cevikku
(nAnmugan tiruvantAdi 68)

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“yama instructs his servants through message given secretly in their ears:
Don’t forget my orders. When you approach anyone who does not worship
anyone other than Lord vishNu even by oversight or forgetfulness, just
worship them, and peacefully move away from them. Do not in any way use any
force against them. ”
avan tamar ev-vinaiyar Agilum em kOn
avan tamarE enRu ozhivadu allAl- naman tamarAl
ArAyappaTTu aRiyAr kaNDIr – aravu aNai mEl
pEr Ayarkku ATpaTTOr pEr.
(mudal tiruvanTAdi 55)

“When the servants of yama encounter a devotee of kaNNan who rests in the
Milky Ocean, they do not go further and enquire anything more about these
devotees, but praise them and get away from them. They realize that their

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leader – yama, is also a devotee and servant of the same kaNNan, and do not in
any way harm the vishNu bhakta-s”.
talaip-pei kAlam naman tamar pASam viTTAl
alippUN uNNum av-allal ellAm agala
kalai-pal j~nAlattu en kaNNanaik kaNDu koNDu
nilaip peRRu en ne’njam peRRadu nIDuyirE
(tiruvAi. 3. 2. 10)

“When the last breath is to leave the body, merciless messengers from yama
release their death-rope and drag you, and you experience the excruciating
agony. This is all described in elaborate detail in several places. But this is
not what happens in the case of bhgavAn’s devotees. For them, bhagavAn
appears in front of them at this crucial moment, and suddenly all the shivering
and fear is gone, and their soul gets fresh and eternal hope and energy”.

c) SrI Sa’nkara’s interpretation for the nAma in Slokam 5 is “karmaNAm tat-

phalAnAm ca kartA vidhAtA" – He Who specifies the various karma-s and their
benefits; The dispenser of the fruit of actions and the inducer of actions.

d) For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 51, SrI Sa’nkara interprets the

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 nAma as One Who supports the earth in the form of AdiSesha, the eight
elephants, etc., which in turn bear all other things – viSesheNa Sesha dig-gaja
bhU dharAn dhAtRRn dadhAti it vidhAtA. In other words, bhagavAn is the
Support of all other supports.

e) SrI vAsishTha gives the interpretation: vede manushyasya kRte

kartavyANam vidhAnakartRtvena vidhAtA, i. e., vidhAnasya kartA vidhAtA -
He who lays down the rules for the vedic rites to be observed by people.
BhagavAn is also called vidhAtA because He specifies the karma-s to be
observed and the fruits to be attained - karmaNAm phalAnAm yathArthatvena
vidhAtRtvAt vidhAtA sa vishNuH – He is also the One who bestows the
benefits for the karma-s that are observed.

SrI vAsishTha gives a quote from the ISAvAsya Upanishad for an example of
one of the rules laid down by bhagavAn (vidhAnam etat – This is the Ordained
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rule):
kurvanneveha karmANi jijIvishet Satam samAH |
evam tvayi nAnyatheto’sti na karma lipyate nare ||
(ISAvAsya. 2)

“One should desire to live a hundred years just performing nishkAmya karma-s
(accessory to upAsana). For an aspirant (of moksha) there is no other way.
Karma will not cling to such a person (who is a knower of Brahman). ”

This laying down of the rules is one aspect of bhagavAn being vidhAtA –
vidhAnasya kartA. The other aspect of His being vidhAtA is that He is the
Bestower of the fruits of any action – karmaNAm phalAnAm yathArthatvena
vidhAtRtvAcca ‘vidhAtA’ sa vishurasti iti vidhAtA. Again, SrI vAsishTha gives
another reference from the Sruti:
sa paryagAt Sukram akAyam avraNam asnAviram Suddham apApaviddham |
kavir-manIshI paribhUH svayambhUH yAthAtathyato’rthAn vyadadhAt
SasvatIbhyaH samAbhyaH ||
(ISA. 8)

“He the Seer, the Controller of the mind, the Conquerer of enemies like desire

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etc., the self-existent, attains the effulgent, the one with no body associated
with karma, the soreless, the one without sinews, the one ever pure, the one
never tainted by sin. The seer has borne in his mind all things as they are
(such as the end of life, way, the obstacles, etc. ) for numberless years”.

In other words, for one who has led a life of nishkAya karma as laid down by
the vidhAtA vishNu, Lord vishNu in turn gives the benefit (vidhAtA) in the
form of the realization of Himself to such a practitioner of this dictum from
Him.

f) SrI vAsishTha gives another interpretation based on the root dhA –

dhAraNa poshaNayoH – to support, to nurture. In this interpretation, vi- is a
prefix that indicates "in a number of different ways - vividha". Vi-dhAtA thus
refers to “One who protects the beings in a variety of ways”. A simple

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illustration of this is the protection by the Lord, of both the mother and the
child in the womb of a pregnant mother, simultaneously, but in different ways.

g) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as “vidadhAti kAmAn sva-
janAnAm iti vidhAtA – He Who bestows the desires of His devotees. He gives
support from the Upanishad-s:

- nityo nityAnAm cetanaS-cetanAnAm eko bahUnAm yo vidadhAti kAmAn

(SvetAS. 6. 13; kaTho. 5. 13) - “The One Eternal Sentient who bestows the
desires of the many eternal sentients (is to be known in order to be
liberated)”.

h) One of SrI satya sandha tIrtha’s interpretation is: – viH garuDo dhAtA
yasya iti vi-dhAtA - He Who is carried by garuDa

kRta--lakshaNah
nAma 486. k«tl][> kRta

a) He who has prescribed the distinguishing characteristics for the pious.

b) He who has created distinguishing marks for Himself.

c) He who has created the veda-s.

d) He who distinguished the different species by external and internal

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 attributes.
kRta-lakshanAya namah.
This nAma means "He who has laid down the lakshaNa-s or distinctions".

SrISa~nkara and SrI BhaTTar give different anubhavam-s of this aspect of

bhagavAn's guNa. Meaning (a) is from SrI BhaTTar and (b) to (d) are fromSrI
Sa~nkara.

a) SrI BhaTTar had interpreted nAma 483 - avij~nAtA, as indicative of

bhagavAn overlooking the defects of His devotees. Here it is indicated that
bhagavAn does not ignore everyone's faults, but only the faults of those who
have certain distinguishing characteristics, which He Himself has laid out -
kRtalakshaNah. SrI BhaTTar gives the following references where bhagavAn
has identified these attributes:
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1. mitrabhAvena samprAptam - yuddha kANDa 18. 3 - "He who has come to

Meas a friend";

2. amyag vyavasito hi sah - gItA 9. 30 - "He who has rightly resolved in his
mind that bhagavAn is everything", and

3. does not look for any other benefit - ananya bhAk (same Slokam in
gItA);

4. cakrA~nkitAh praveshTavyAh (harivamSa 21. 24) - "They who bear the

mark of the discus on their bodies".

This mark is to be cherished by a vishNubhakta just as a chaste woman

cherishes her mangala sUtra and other ornaments when her husband is alive
(vishNu tattva).

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan addsfurther support from divya prabandham - tIyil

poliginRa Se~ncuDarAzhi tigazhtirucc-cakkarattin kOyil poRiyAlE oRRuNDu
ninRu kuDi kuDi AtceyginROm -tiruppallANDu. In addition to the above
lakshaNa-s that SrI BhaTTar has identified, SrI v. v. rAmAnujan adds the
following as the most important lakshNa: maRandumpuRam tozhA mAndar
(nAn~gAm tiruvantAdi 68) - "He who does not worship anyadevatA-s even

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absent-mindedly".

The dharma cakram writer points us to gItA chapter 12, Sloka-s 13 to 20,
where Lord KRshNa has laid down the lakshaNa-s of His bhakta, starting with
adveshTA sarvabhUtAnAm. . ., and ending with SraddadhAnA mat-paramA
bhaktAste atIva mama priyAh.

SrI Sa~nkara gives different alternative interpretations:

b) He created(kRt) the veda-s (lakshaNah).

c) He has also distinguished Himself with the SrIvatsa mark on His vaksha-
sthalam.

d) He has created the different species with distinguishing marks that

identify the species uniquely through external as well as internal distinguishing
marks. He is kRta-lakshNah from all these aspects.

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SrI cinmayAnanda points out that bhagavAn is kRta-lakshaNah since He
distinguishes Himself through the six attributes - aiSvarya dharmah
yaSaScaSrIh j~nAnam vairAgyam (glory, righteousness, fame, wealth,
knowledge, and detachment).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri observes that bhagavAn has distinguished Himself

through His unique attributes of being sat, cit, and Ananda svarUpa, and other
aspects such as His AdiSesha Sayanam, garuDavAhanam, megha SyAmam,
San~kha and cakra Ayudha-s, pItAmbara vastra, etc.

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 Slokam 52
gÉiStneimSsÅvSwiSs<hae ÉUtmheñr>,

Aaiddevae mhadevae devezae devÉ&Ì‚é>. 52.

gabhastinemis sattvasthas simhO bhUtamahesvarah |

AadidevO mahAdevO devesO devabhrut guruh ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

gabhasti--nemih
nAma 487. gÉiStneim> gabhasti

a) He who has the effulgent cakra as His weapon.

b) He who enlightens everything by His effulgence.

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c) He who is the Center of the planetary system (viz. the Sun)

gabhasti-nemaye namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is "gabhastih dIpyate jyotir-mayam,nemi-
lakshitam cakram yasya iti gabhasti-nemih - He who possesses the effulgent
cakra. His cakra is bhAsvara-sahasrAra-cakrah - the effulgent cakra with a
thousand spokes. yama and yama-dhUta-s don't even come anywhere close to
those who bear the mark of cakra on their bodies (see SrI BhaTTar's
vyAkhyAnam for the previous nAma), since their savior is gabhasti-nemih who
has as His weapon the thousand-spoked effulgent cakra. Note the words from
tiruppallANDu - tIyil poliginRa Se~n-cuDarAzhi tigazh tiruc-cakkarattan (SrI
v. v. rAmAnujan).

The dharma cakram writer comments that this cakram in bhagavAn's Hand
denotes the dharma cakram which controls, guides and directs everyone
towards the path of dharma, and is the kAla cakram which shows the never-
ending nature of time which is His manifestation.

b) SrI satyadevo vAsisTha derives the meaning of the nAma from the roots
bhasdIptyoh to shine, and nI prApaNe to lead. The word gabhasti is derived
from the root bhas bhartsana dIptyoh - to censure or to shine. The latter

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meaningis relevant for this nAma. The word nemi is derived from the root nI
prApaNe - to lead. nemi is given the meaning "the circumference or rim of a
wheel".

Thus gabhasti-nemih means He who by His Effulgence enlightens everything.

We all know that the Sun gives light to everything. But it is bhagavAn the
gabhasti-nemih, who gives light to the Sun. He is br*had-bhAnu or "many suns
all in one".

c) SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam is that bhagavAn is the Center of the planetary

systems - gabhasti-cakrasya madhye sUryAtmanA sthita iti gabhastinemih.
SrIrAdhAkr*shNa Sastri refers us to the Sruti -
Adityo vA esha etan-maNDalam, ya esha etasmin maNDale'rcidIpyate |
ya esha etan-maNDale'rcishi purushah ||

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(tait. Ara N. 10. 14),

and also to "dhyeyas-sadA savitr*-maNDalamadhyavartI nArAyaNah" - He who

is meditated upon as Lord sUryanArAyaNa at the centre of and controlling the
sUryamaNDala".

sattva--sthah
nAma 488. sÅvSw> sattva

a) He who is in the hearts of the devotees.

b) He who abides in sattva-guNa.

c) He who resides in all beings.

sattva-sthAya namah.
The dictionary gives the meanings entity, mind, goodness, etc. for the word
sattvam. The three interpretations below are based on these different
meanings.

a) SrI BhaTTar points out that when bhagavAn is in the heart of the devotees,
there is no karma in them since darkness does not exist where there is sun.

The nirukti description for this nAma is "sattve hr*di sthitatvAt sa

sattvasthah samudIritah" - As He stays in the heart of beings, He is known as

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 sattvasthah. "When Lord Hari, who is imperishable and eternal, and who wields
the discus and the mace, abides in the heart of a person, how can sin exist
there?" -
sphatika maNi SilAmalah kva vishNuh |
manasi nr*Nam kvamatsarAdi doshah?
(vishNu purANam 3. 7. 22.)

He stays in the hearts of the devotee with His cakra and thus makes sure that
yama and yama-paTa-s don’t come near this devotee -
"ki~nkarA daNDa pASau vA na yamo na ca yAtanAh |
samarthAhtasya yasyAtmA keSavAlambanah sadA ||"

(vishNu purA. 2. 2. 28).

b) SrI Sa~nkara interprets sattva here as referring to the sattva-guNa, and

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gives the meaning that bhagavAn abides in the sattva guNa - sattvam
guNamprakASakam prAdhAnyena adhitishThati iti - He who chiefly presides
over the quality of sattva guNa which is radiant.

dharma cakram: Of the three guNa-s that are reflected in everyone,

sattvaguNa is the one that results in the clarity of mind that is necessary for
realizing the Absolute Truth. The food we eat, the thoughts we think, etc.,
should all be directed towards development of this sattva guNa in us. Habits
like getting up in the brahma muhUrta (~ 4 a. m. ), observing japa, dhyAna, etc.
at this time, performing one's prescribed duties with the welfare of the
fellow-beings in mind, never harming anything else, etc, are habits that will
foster the development of sattava guNa in us. This nAma teaches us that
leading our life with sattava guNa is the path to the realization of bhagavAn.

c) SrI Sa~nkara's alternate interpretation is that sattva-s refers to all

beings, stha means residing, and sattva-sthah can mean that He resides in
allbeings.

nAma 489. is<h> simhah

a) He who punishes (those who harm His devotees).

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b) He who took the nr*simha form.

c) He who is most powerful.

simhAya namah.

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simhAya namah
SrI BhArghava narasimhan - ahobilam
This nAma has occurred earlier (nAma 202). There SrI BhaTTar had
interpreted the nAma as referring to bhagavAn's nr*simha incarnation. For
the current nAma, he continues his interpretation in terms of bhagavAn

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 protecting His devotees by punishing if necessary anyone who even tries to
harm His devotee.

Thus He punishes yama and his servants if they approach a vaishNava with the
intent of harming him without realizing that he is vishNu's devotee.
SrIBhaTTar gives examples from vishNu tattva, vhshNu dharma, and lai~nga
purANa to illustrate this.

SrI Sa~nkara's earlier interpretation was that bhagavAn is the Destroyer of

sins. His vyAkhyAnam for the current nAma is that bhagavAn is like the lion
when it comes to His Power, and so He is referred to as simha.

SrI rAdhAkr*shNa Sastri suggests that bhagavAn is the lion that gets rid of
the deer in the form of asura-s. Alternatively, SrI Sa~nkara points out that
simhah may be considered a short form for His full nAma -nr*simha.
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning from the root sic - ksharaNe to
sprinkle, to impregnate, and interprets simhah as He who bestows the karma-
phala to everyone impartially. His alternate interpretation is that bhagavAn is
of infinite Power, which is indicated by His nAma of simhah. He takes away the
life of everything in their due time, including the manvantara-s, the kalpa-s,
and the mahA-kalpa-s, and merges them all into Himself. Just as we refer to a
great medical doctor as vaidya kesari, bhagavAn is the kesari of all kesari-s or
lions.

bhUta--maheSvarah
nAma 490. ÉUtmheñr> bhUta

The Supreme Lord of all beings.

bhUta-maheSvarAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that BhagavAn is the Supreme Lord of all
beings, asevidenced by His being the Lord of the likes of brahma, yama etc.
who are themselves the lords of beings.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to divyaprabandham in support -

1. niruttinAn deiva~ngaLAga ad-deiva nAyakan tAnE - He, the Lord of all

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 the other gods, established these other gods (tiruvAimozhi 5. 2. 8);

2. mUvar mudalvan Or mUvulagALi - The foremost among the trinity, and

the Supreme ruler of all the three worlds - tiruvAimozhi 8. 9. 8;

3. peria appanai, piraman appanai, uruttiran appanai, munivarkku

uriyaappanai, amarar appanai, ulagukkOr tani appan tannai - He is the
Father and Lord of all including brahma, rudra, the sages, all the gods,
and everything in all the worlds - tiruvaimozhi 8. 1. 11.

SrI Sa~nkara interprets the nAma as bhUtAnAm mahAn-Isvarah - He who is

the Great Lord of all beings. His alternate interpretation is bhUta - truly,
maheSvarah - nArAyaNa is the Supreme Lord. bhUtena - satyena, sa eva
paramAtmA mahAn Isvara iti bhUta-maheSvarah.

SrI rAdhAkr*shNa Sastri refers us to the gItA where bhagavAn points out

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that sadly the foolish people do not recognize His glory as the bhUta-
maheSvara because they think He is just a human even though He has assumed
the human form out of sheer Mercy towards to them so that He is easily
accessible to them (gItA 9. 11).

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives several references to the Sruti-s:

bhavASavau mr*Datam mAbhi yAtam bhUtapatI paSupatI namo vAm

(atharva 21. 2. 1).

ya Ise asya dvipadaS-catuspadah kasmai devAya havishA videma

(yaju. 23. 3)
yo bhUtAnAm adhipatir yasmin loke adhiSritAh |
ya Ise mahato mahAns-tena gr*hNAmi tvAm aham ||

(yaju. 20. 32).

hiraNyagarbhah samavartatAgre bhUtasya jAtah patireka AsIt

(r*g. 1. 121. 1. )

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 Adi--devah
nAma 491. Aaiddev> Adi

a) He who is the first cause and is endowed with effulgence.

b) The Foremost Deity.

c) He who swallows the three worlds at the time of pralaya, and releases at
the time of creation.
Adi-devAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 335 (Slokam 36). SrI BhaTTar's
vyAkhyAnam is Adih dyotamAnaSca Adi-devah. Adi - The cause, and deva -
ever-shining. He is the cause of all the other gods, and is possessed of great
splendor that subjugates them. SrI BhaTTar gives one example of this -
bhIshA'smAt vAtah pavate (taittirIya - Ananda valli 8. 1) - The wind blows out
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of fear from Him.

SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam is - sarva bhUtAni AdIyante anena iti Adih; AdiSca
asu devaSca iti Adi-devah. He is the first through whom all beings come to
exist, and He is divine as well.

Unlike SrI BhaTTar and SrI Sa~nkara who both have treated Adi and deva as
two separate aspects of bhagavAn's guNa, SrI cinmayAnanda treats Adi as
the qualifier for deva, and gives the meaning that bhagavAn is the First Deity.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is Adi -

Adatte grasati jagat-pralaya kAle sa Adih - He who swallows the worlds at the
time of pralaya, and deva - datte visr*jati ca bahih sarga kAle sa devah - He
who releases the beings from Him at the time of creation, and so He is Adi-
devah.

The dharma cakram writer remarks that this nAma indicates that bhagavAn is
not governed by nature as we know it, where everything has an origin - e. g.,
the tree comes from the seed, and the seed comes from the seed, the deva-s
come from bhagavAn, but He is Adi-deva who has no origin. Everything that is
created has an end, but He has no end. Even the gods can't comprehend Him
fully. We who have an origin and an end can't fully comprehend Him who has

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neither origin nor end, and the more we meditate on the significance of the
nAma Adi-devah, the more we are closer to realizing Him.

mahA--devah
nAma 492. mhadev> mahA

The great Player.

mahA-devAya namah.
As we have seen earlier, the word devah is derived from the root div-
krIDAyAm to play. He is superior to all the gods and for Him they are like
playthings (SrI BhaTTar). This indicates His Lordship over all the other gods.

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr - inbuRum iv-

viLaiyATTuDaiyAn (tiruvAimozhi 3. 10. 7).

In his vyAkhyAnam for this pASuram, SrI V. N. vedAnta deSikan points out

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that the inbam or leelA here is that He gives us all the means to reach Him
(such as His arcA rUpa which is close to us, His bestowing on us the caitanyam,
the ability to think and understand what is good for us, etc. ), and still we
decide not to use any of these means that He has given us and go astray. This
amuses Him, and this is the krIDA or leelA that is implied here. Or, since He
performs His great leelA of creation etc., using all the gods that He has
created such as brahma, He is mahA-devah (SrI P. B. aNNa~ngarAcArya).

SrI cinmAyananda explains that since all the other gods came from Him, He is
the mahA-deva or Supreme Lord or Great Deity.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the meaning mah - pUjAyAm - to honor, and
interprets the nAma s meaning "He who is fit to be worshipped to the
exclusion of others". He gives examples of the stars losing their importance
as soon as the Sun appears, or the AtmA being of supreme importance in the
context of the indirya-s which are like the deva-s.

493.. devez> deveSah

nAma 493

The Ruler of Gods.

deveSAya namah.

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 devAnAm Isah deveSah.

SrI cinmayAnanda explains "He is the very Consciousness in all the other
gods". Consciousness here can be interpreted to mean "antarAtmA". He is the
God of all the gods, and of course everything else that exists.

"vAnOr perumAn mAmAyan vaikunThan emperumAn" are nammAzhvArs's

words (tiruvAimozhi 1. 5. 4) - v. v. rAmAnujan.

SrI P. B. aNNa~ngarAcArya svAmi elaborates that since bhagavAn is the one

who assigns the other deva-s such as brahma in their respective functions, He
is the Isa or Lord for all the deva-s.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives several supporting quotes from the Sruti:

- yo deveshu adhi-deva eka AsIt kasmai devAya havishA vidhema

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- r*g. 10. 121. 8.

- yo jAta eva prathamo manasvAn devo devAn r*tunA paryabhUshat

- athar. 20. 34. 1.

- sa devAnAm adhipatir babhUva so asmAsu draviNamAdadhAtu

- athar. 7. 5. 2.

- tam ISAnam jagats-tasthushaspatim dhiyam jinvamase hUmahe vayam

- yajur. 25. 18.

deva--bhr*t
nAma 494. devÉ&t! deva

The Supporter of gods.

deva-bhr*te namah.
SrI BhaTTar points out that bhagavAn assigns the different deva-s to their
duties based on their abilities, and thus protects them.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr 8. 1. 5 - maniSarkku

dEvar pOla dEvarkkum dEvan.

SrI Sa~nkara and those who base their interpretations on him (e. g., SrI

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cinmayAnanda etc. )., combine the current nAma and the next as one nAma -
deva-bhr*t-guruh - and gives the meaning that bhagavAn is the guru (One who
taught the veda-s) to deva-bhr*t (the king of all deva-s, indra). Their
alternative interpretation is still to consider the nAma as deva-bhr*t-guruh,
but treating the nAma as referring to two different attributes in one nAma -
deva-bhr*t - He who nourishes all the deva-s, and guruh - He who promulgates
all knowledge.

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam to the next nAma, guruh, essentially corresponds

to bhagavAn being the source of all knowledge in the form of the veda-s.

nAma 495. gué> guruh

The Preceptor.

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gurave namah.
SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation mentioned earlier viz. bhagavAn is guruh
because He gave the veda-s to the deva-s. In vishNu purANam, brahma is
quoted as saying: hari-guru-vaSago'smi (3. 7. 15) - I am under the control of
my Guru - bhagavAn Hari. We have from the Sruti - yo vai vedamSca
prahiNoti tasmai - (Sve. 6. 18) - He who teaches him (i. e., brahma) the veda-s.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan reminds us that bhagavAn is the prathama AcAryan in our

guru-paramparA.

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 Slokam 53
%Ärae gaepitgaReÝa }angMy> puratn>,

zrIrÉUtÉ&Ñae´a kpINÔae ÉUirdi][>. 53.

uttarO gOpatirgOptA j~nAnagamyah purAtanah |
sarIrabhUtabhrut bhOktA kapIndrO bhUridakshiNah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 496. %Är> uttarah

a) The Rescuer (of brahma and others from the asura-s)

b) The Savior (of devotees from samsAra)

c) He who transcends the bounds of birth and transmigration.

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uttarAya namah
uttAraNat uttarah - He who rescues.

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn is the Rescuer of brahma and

others from the asura-s.

SrI Sa~nkara givesthe interpretation "janma samsAra bandhanAt uttarati

itiuttarah" - The Savior from the ocean of samsAra.

SrI T.S. Kr*shNamUrti has translated this as "He who transcends the bounds
of birth".

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha supports the last two of these interpretations by

deriving the meaning from the words ap -waters, and tara to cross, to swim
across. Alternatively, ut can refer to utkarshaor atiSaya - extraordinary,
exalted,etc., and tara referring to crossing, and uttara can thus refer to
bhagavAn being the best means (the only means!) for crossing the ocean of
samsAra.

The dharma cakram writer gives the significance of this nAma in our day-to-
day life. Our mind is normally torn by all kinds of desires, bondage, etc., and
these are trying to puncture holes in our mind which is the boat we need to

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safely cross this ocean of birth. Rocks in the form of aha~nkAra, mamakAra,
etc. are trying to wreck this boat. Till we cross this life span, we need to have
this boat intact without being wrecked or punctured. Meditation on bhagavAn
is essential in order for us to accomplish this. The following from tiruvaLLUvar
is relevant in this context – "piRavip-perum kaDal nInduvar, nIndAr iRaivan
aDiSerAdAr".

go--patih
nAma 497. gaepit> go

a) The Master of all words (veda-s as well as all languages).

b) The Protector of His own word.

c) The Protector of His bhakta's words.

d) Protector of the cows in His kr*shNAvatAra.

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e) Protector of all that moves around.

f) The Lord of Mother Earth.

g) The Lord of the (celestial) world.

This nAma re-occurs as nAma 599.

go-pataye namah.
The word go means cow, words, veda-s, earth,etc. Thus there are several
interpretations for this nAma. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha nicely summarizes
many of these meanings through the following words:
"gAvovAco, gAvah paSavo, gaur-bhUmiSca viSvanirmANe kAraNam iti
bhAvArthah|eva~nca - gopatih catushpadAm gavAm vAcAm bhUmeSca
rakshaka ityarthah|".

The concept that bhagavAn is the Master of all words is interpreted by SrI
BhaTTar as referring to His being the One who gave the veda-s as well as all
the languages to us.

The dharma cakram writer interprets this as meaning that bhagavAn keeps His
word to His devotees, as well as meaning that He ensures that His bhakta's

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 words come true. We know of bhagavAn's promise to protect those who
surrender to Him unconditionally, and we know that He ensured that
bhIshma's promise to make Him take to weapons in the war against His own
promise come true. He also made the words of prahlAda come true that
BhagavAn will be in the pillar when hiraNyakaSipu challenged the young
prahlAda.

The roots of interest in understanding the meanings for this nAma are: gam -
gatau to go, and pA- rakshaNe to protect. In this sense, go can also refer to
indriya-s since they wander towards material objects, to mind since mind
wanders on all kinds of thoughts, to AtmA since AtmA moves from one body to
another, to body since the body moves from one place to another, and on and
on. BhagavAn is the patih for all these. Among His creations for which He is
the patih, veda is the one that is heard, and the Universe is the one that is
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seen. Veda-s expound the way of life of the world, and the world is an
expression of the veda-s, and He is the patih for all of these.

nAma 498. gaeÝa goptA

a) The Savior.

b) He who hides Himself from non-devotees.

goptre namah.
This nAma re-occurs as nAma 600.

The nAma is derived from the root gup -rakshaNe to protect. SrIBhaTTar
interprets the nAma as referring to bhagavAn being the protector of all
knowledge, thus extending the interpretation offered in the previous nAma (a).

SrI Sa~nkara gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is the protector of all
beings and all the worlds.

SrIrAdhAkr*shNa Sastri gives the reference from atharvaSiras 5 -

samsr*jyaviSvA bhuvanAni goptA.

Among the supporting quotes given by SrIsatyadevo vAsishTha is the Sruti -

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trINi padAvicakrame vishNur-gopAadAbhyah - yajur. 34. 43. He points out
that bhagavAn's guNa of protection of all that is on this land, in the sea or in
the air, is His dharma. SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam for nAma 600, the second
occurrence of this nAma later, is that He is the Protector and Administrator
of the wheel of karma -bestowing the fruits of karma to the beings for their
acts, good and bad, the cycle of birth and rebirth etc.

Another meaning for the word gup is to hide, to conceal. Based on this, SrI
Sa~nkara interprets the second occurrence of this nAma as meaning that He
hides Himself (from non-devotees) through His mAyA.

SrIrAdhAkr*shNa Sastri uses both the meanings of gup (hide and protect),
and gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is goptA because He protects His
devotees by hiding them from their enemies, and from all obstacles.

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The dharma cakram writer observes that this nAma should remind us that
bhagavAn is the one who is constantly protecting everything He has created.
Those who think they are protecting themselves or are being protected by
some other human being have this thought because of their sheer ignorance.
This nAma should remind us of this simple fact.

j~nAna--gamyah
nAma 499. }angMy> j~nAna

He who is to be realized by knowledge.

j~nAna-gamyAya namah.
SrI cinmayAnanda points out that the knowledge referred to here is not the
mere knowledge of things.

SrI M. V. rAmAnujAcArya remarks that the knowledge referred to here is

para vidyA - The knowledge of the Supreme Self, which is attained only by
absolute meditational unison - samAdhinishThA. The dharma cakram writer
elaborates on this further.

Knowledge can be considered to be of two kinds- that which is obtained by

external indriya-s like the eyes, ears, etc., or by mind - aparavidyA, and that

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 which is beyond the reach of the indriya-s -paravidyA.

Among the means that aid in attaining this para knowledge are j~nAna, bhakti,
karma, and yoga. Practices on a continuing basis such as nAma samkIrtanam
(chanting bhagavAn's nAma), SravaNam (listening to bhagavAn's nAma,
purAna,itihAsa, . . . ), kaimkaryam (performing duties in support of temple
services, making garlands, cleaning the temple-premises..), etc., facilitate in
purifying our mind and developing bhakti. Bearing with patience any difficulties
that arise in our life, not rejoicing at any good things that happen in our life
but dedicating them to bhagavAn, etc., will also help in directing our mind
towards Him. j~nAnam in our context is the realization of the relationship
and association between us and our Creator. This j~nAnam will materialize for
us only by His Grace. This nAma conveys to us that BhagavAn is realizable only
through the j~nAnam, and He is the only One who can bless us with this
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j~nAnam, but what we can do is prepare ourselves to receive this j~nAnam

when He decides to bless us with it.

nAma 500. puratn> purAtanah

The Ancient.
purAtanAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar explains the significance of the nAma in terms of the previous
nAma-s, indicating that He is Ancient in that He has been giving us knowledge
and protecting it not only in this kalpa, but in all previous kalpa-s as well.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr - UzhitORUzhi vaiyam kAkkum

Azhi nIr vaNNan (tiruvAimozhi7. 3. 11).

SrI Sa~nkara's bhAshyam is "He who is not limited by Time and who existed
before anything else".

The dharma cakram writer observes that this nAma also conveys several other
thoughts - viz. that bhagavAn is beginning-less, not born, not governed by
Time, not comprehended by the mind, the Origin of everything that exists, etc.

SrI cinmayAnanda points out that "Ancient" here refers to that from which

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the concept of time itself originated, and thus He is the Truth that cannot be
measured in terms of Time.

nAma 501. zrIrÉUtÉ&t! SarIra bhUta--bhr*t

SarIra--bhUta

a) He who supports all the tattva-s which constitute the SarIra.

b) He who supports all beings which are part of His body.

c) He who protects the devatA-s who are associated with different parts of
the body.
SarIra-bhUta-bhr*te namah.
The term bhUta can refer to the pa~nca mahAbhUta-s, the 24 tattva-s or
Reals of which the pa~nca mahA bhUta-s are a subset, or to the entire
universe of all beings. Thus there are different interpretations for the nAma.

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SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning of bhUtaas referring to the 24 tattva-s or
Reals that are the elements involved in creation -

1.prakr*ti,

2.mahat,

3.ahankAra,

4.sound,

5.ether,

6.touch,

7.air,

8.sight,

9.light,

10.taste,

11.water,

12.smell,

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 13.earth,

14.mind,

15.eye,

16.ear,

17.nose,

18.mouth,

19.skin,

20.tongue,

21.hand,

22.leg,
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23.anus, and

24.the organ of reproduction.

These are the SarIra-bhuta-s are the elements of creation. BhagavAn

supports these tattva-s through His body, i. e., they are part of Him.

SrI BhaTTar gives reference to mahAbhArata - tasya mUrdhA

samabhavatdyauhsa-nakshatra devatA - His head was the sky along with the
stars and the deities - SAnti parva 348. 49.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers to tiruvAimozhi 10. 7. 10 where nammAzhvAr

refers to these 24 tattva-s: "po~ngaimpulanum poRi aindumkarumEndiriyam
aim-bUtam I~ngiv-vuyirEipirakiruti mAnA~ngAra mana~ngaLE" - the five
senses such as sound, the five sense-organs, the five action-oriented limbs,
the five elements like earth, prakr*ti, mahat, ahamkAra, and manas or mind. A
more general meaning for the word bhUta is anything that exists (from bhU -
satyAyAm - all that is true or exists - SrIv. v. rAmAnujan). Since all these
beings are His body, and since He supports(bhr*t)these bhUta-s which are
part of His SarIra, He is SarIra-bhUta-bhr*t. SrI v. v. rAmAnujan and SrI P.
B. aNNa~ngarAcAryasvAmi have given this interpretation. SrI v. v.

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rAmAnujan gives the support again from tiruvAimozhi 10. 7. 2 -
"tAnEyAginirAindu ellA ulagumuyirum tAnEyAi… ninRozhindAn".

SrI Sa~nkara gives the interpretation that since bhagavAn nourishes the
elements of the body, and since He Himself is the prANa (the vital air), He is
SarIra-bhUta-bhr*t.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives an alternate interpretation. Different devatA-

s are associated with different parts of our body - the Sun with the eyes, the
moon with the mind, the skin with vAyu, the color or vArNa with ISA etc.
BhagavAn is the Protector of these SarIra-bhUta-s or devatA-s, and so He is
called SarIra-bhUta-bhr*t.

nAma 502. Éae´a bhoktA

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The Enjoyer.
bhoktre namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 145. There the nAma was explained as
referring to bhagavAn's guNa of enjoying even the simplest offerings from
His devotee. "patram,pushpam, phalam, toyam. . . " from the gItA (9. 26) was
referenced. He is also the Ultimate Enjoyer of the offerings to all the gods
(bhoktAramyaj~na tapasAm sarvaloka maheSvaram… gItA5. 29). Under the
current nAma SrI BhaTTar extends this guNa of bhokta to include not only
the offerings to the gods (havya), but also to the kavya, the offering toour
pitr*-s or the deceased ancestors -

havya kavya bhujo vishNohudak-pUrve mahodadhau (mahAbhArata Santi parva

348. 3) - bhagavAn is stationed in the north-east ocean and consumes the
havya and kavya that are offered with sincerity.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives several references to support the interpretation:

- tiruvAimozhi 5. 6. 4 - Seigaip-payan uNbEnumyAnE ennum (5. 6. 4);

ahamannamahamannamahamannamahamannAdo'hamannAdo'hamannAdah-
taittirIya upanishad - I am the food or the object of enjoyment for My

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 devotees, and I am the Enjoyer or consumer of the offerings of My devotees
as well;

nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi 9. 6. 10 - vArik-koNDu ennai vizhun~guvankANil

enRu…. ennil munnam pArittu tAn ennai muRRap paruginAn – AzhvAr and
bhagavAn are competing with each other to enjoy each other, and bhagavAn
succeeds in the competition! ;

tiruvAimozhi pASuram 10. 10. 11 - avAaRac-cUzh ariyai - He who mingles with

His devotees intimately and to His heart's content.

The obvious examples of kaNNan accepting with great delight the handful of
puffed rice from kucela, and His accepting the food offered by vidura over
that offered by duryodhana are well-known.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives two derivations for the meaning for bhoktA-bhunakti
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iti bhoktA - The Protector, and bhunkte iti bhoktA -TheEnjoyer.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha nicely expresses this - rakshakobhakshaNaSca. He

creates, protects, and then swallows at the time ofpralaya.

The dharma cakram writer explains the function of bhagavAn as bhoktA in a

way that applies to our day-to-day life. BhagavAn is in all of us - in some cases
He is the observer, in others He is the guide, in yet others He is the Enjoyer,
etc. (gItA 13. 22). For those who spend their time in worldly pursuits, He is
just the observer. For those who observe the path of dharma, He is the
bhartA in times of need - as in the case of pANDava-s. For those who offer to
bhagavAn the worldly gains that they get, such as the fame etc. that come to
them, He is the bhoktA, i. e, He accepts these as offerings, and He bestows on
them His anubhavam instead. The more we dedicate our actions and the
benefits of these actions to Him, and thus make Him the bhoktA, the more He
reveals to us what true happiness is, and the more we are relieved of
undesirable attributes such as ahamkAram, mamakAram, etc. The significance
of this nAma thus is for us to realize that we should dedicate all our actions
and their effects to bhagavAn as the bhoktA,and we should instead enjoy Him
and attain eternal bliss.

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SrI BhaTTar interprets the next few nAma-s in terms of the guNAnubhavam
of the incarnation of bhagavAn as SrI rAma.

Earlier, nAma-s 390 to 421 had been interpreted also in terms of SrI
rAmAvatAra.

nAma 503. kpINÔ> kapIndrah

a) The Lord of the monkeys.

b) The Great Boar - varAha.

c) He who controls all movement in everything.

kapIndrAya namah.
kapInAm indrah kapIndrah.

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SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is: BhagavAn assumed the human form which was
very different from His Nature in order to propagate the performance of
sacrificial acts laid down in the veda-s which He had Himself promulgated
earlier in the form of hayagrIva, and the deva-s assumed the form of monkeys
which are even more different from their nature. He was the indra or the
Lord for the gods who were his servitors, and hence He is called kapIndra.
This is supported by the following Sloka from vAlmIki rAmAyaNa
sarva-lokeSvarahsAkshAt lokAnAm hita-kAmyayA |
sarvaih parivr*to devaih vAnaratvam upAgataih ||

(yuddha 114. 16)

loka here means the world, the people of the word, and also the veda-s. So His
incarnation is for the protection of the world and its people, but also for the
protection of the veda-s.

SrI rAdhAkr*shNa SAstri observes that for One who could control thousands
and thousands monkeys, it is a trivial task to control the indriya-s of mortals
like us.

The dharma cakram writer points out that our mind which is like a monkey can
be controlled if we seek the help of bhagavAn and meditate on Him, and then

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 we can win over the aj~nAna just as the controlled monkeys won over rAvaNa
in the battle. Our soul is caged and imprisoned by the aj~nAna, just as sItA
pirATTi was imprisoned by rAvaNa, and it is only by controlling the mind which
is like a monkey that we can get rid of this aj~nAna and release the soul from
its bondage. This nAma should teach us that it is possible to achieve this with
the help of bhagavAn, kapIndrah.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets the word kapi based on kapisa~ncalane -

anything that moves about, and applies this to the sun, the moon, and all other
objects that move. He thus interprets the nAma to mean "He who gives the
power of movement to everything that moves". This can then be extended to
even the movement of the pure blood and impure blood simultaneously inside
the body without getting mixed up, the AtmA moving from one body to
another, etc., and thus He is kapIndrah, the Controller of movement in
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everything and everywhere.

SrI Sa~nkara points out that kapi can also refer to a boar (varAha), and so
kapIndrah can also refer to His varAha incarnation. The term kapih was
interpreted earlier in nAma 102 - vr*shAkapih -in this sense.

bhUri--dakshiNah
nAma 504. ÉUirdi][> bhUri

a) The giver of liberal gifts.

b) He who makes things grow fast and move fast.

c) He who is extremely dextrous.

bhUri-dakshiNAya namah.
bhUri means "much, abundant, numerous, copius". dakshiNah has been
interpreted as one who gives dakshiNA. vyAkhyAnakartA-s have interpreted
the nAma as a reference to the incarnations in which bhagavAn has performed
numerous sacrifices to uphold dharma and to set an example to the rest of the
world, and in these He has made large gifts to the participants to set an
example to others.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan points out that this example should extend to the vaidika

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karmA-s such as SrAddha, in which the dakshiNA should be liberal to the
participants. He gives the example of Lord kr*shNa's guru dakshiNA-that of
bringing back sAndIpani's dead son to life again - maRi kaDalvAimANDAnai
Oduvitta takkaNaiyA uruvuruvE koDuttAn (periAzhvArtirumozhi 4. 8. 1).

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives his interpretation based on dakshvr*ddhau

SighrArthe - to grow, to go in speed, and gives the meaning that bhagavAn
makes things that He creates grow very fast, as also move about with speed as
soon as they are born. A bird starts eating things as soon as it is born without
worrying about whether something is raw or ripe, and starts growing. A human
child starts drinking milk the moment it is born, and a young animal starts
walking as soon as it is born as well. This aspect of bhagavAn where He makes
everything grow fast and move around fast is suggested by the nAma bhUri-
dakshiNah according to this interpretation.

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The word dakshiNa is also given the meaning dexterous, able, clever(pANini 1.
1. 34). Thus the nAma could mean that bhagavAn is extremely dexterous. This
interpretation is mentioned in passing by SrIrAdhAkr*shNa Sastri.

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 Slokam 54
saempae=m&tp> saem> puéijTpuésÄm>,

ivnyae jy> sTysNxae dazahR> saTvta< pit>. 54.

sOmapO=mrutapah sOmah purujit purusattamah |

vinayO jayah satyasandhO dAsArhah sAtvatAm patih ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 505. saemp> somapah

a) He who drank the soma juice after performing sacrificial offerings in His
rAma incarnation.

b) He who, in the form of the deity being invoked in a yaj~na, accepts the soma
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juice by the householder performing the yaj~na.

somapAya namah.
soma juice is the extract from a plant, and is the most important ingredient in
ancient sacrificial offerings. SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that the nAma
signifies that Lord rAma performed several yaj~na-s, and drank the juice from
the soma plant after performing these sacrificial offerings.

SrI Sa~nkara gives the additional interpretation that bhagavAn accepts the
offering of the soma juice in all sacrifices in the form of the deities to whom
the sacrifice is addressed.

The dharma cakram writer points out that the juice of the soma plant is
comprised of a constituent that gives long life - like nectar. This is offered
first to the deva-s to whom the yaj~na is dedicated, and then the yajamAna
partakes of this prasAdam.

nAma 506 - Am&tp> amr*tapah

The drinker of ambrosia.

amr*tapAya namah.

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amr*ta refers to ambrosia or nectar.

SrI BhaTTar gives two interpretations for this nAma depending on - pah in the
nAma being interpreted as pibati - drinks, or pAti - protects. The oblations
offered in sacrifices as prescribed in the veda-s along with the recitation of
mantra-s are transformed by the god of fire into ambrosia and given to vishNu
"yat ki~ncit hUyate vahnauhavir-mantrair-vidhAnatah |
tat sarvam amr*tam kr*tvA vishNavesamprayacchati || "

Thus bhagavAn is the drinker of the nectar -amr*tapah.

The alternate interpretation is that bhagavAn Himself is the amr*ta, and He

protects it for the benefit of His devotees so that they can enjoy Him in the
Transcendental World after following the path of dharma shown by Him in the
discharge of daily duties in this world. The Sruti-s quoted in support are:

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amr*tasya esha setuh (muNDakopanishad 2. 2. 5) - He is the bridge for the
amr*ta i. e., the procurer of the nectar; yasya chAyA amr*tam (tai. yaju. 4. 1)
- He whose shadow is ambrosia i. e., He whose protection is amr*tam itself.

SrI Sa~nkara refers to the incident of mohini incarnation in the context of

this nAma, where bhagavAn restored the amr*ta stolen by the asura-s,
protected it, made the deva-s drink it, and also drank Himself.

SrI rAdhAkr*shNaSAstri suggests that since bhagavAn is in the form of

deva-s who drink the nectar, He is amr*tapah, the drinker of ambrosia.

SrI cinmayAnanda comments that as the Infinite Truth bhagavAn enjoys

blissful immortality (amr*tatvam) at all times, and in this sense He is One who
has partaken of amr*tam

nAma 507. saem> somah

a) The Nectar.

b) The moon.
somAya namah.
BhagavAn is called soma (nectar) here because He is sweet like nectar to the

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 bhakta-s who enjoy Him.

SrI BhaTTar gives reference to SrImad rAmAyaNam - rAj~nA daSarathenAsi

labdho'mr*tamiva amaraih (AraNya. kANDam) - daSaratha obtained rAma like
the nectar by the gods. He also refers us to the Sruti - Santi samr*ddham
amr*tam (tai. SIKshA. 6) - Brahman is replete with tranquility and immortality
(amr*tam). BhagavAn's tirunAmam ArAvamudan expresses the same idea - The
Insatiate Nectar.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives references to divya prabandham

1. ANDAL - manattukku iniyAnai pADAvum nI vAi tiravAi - in tiruppAvai;

2. The outpouring by nammAzhvAr in tiruvAimozhi 10. 7. 2 - enakkut tEnE!

pAlE! kannalE! amudE! - He is everything to me, like honey, milk, sugar
candy, nectar, etc.
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3. nammAzhvAr again in tiruvAimozhi 2. 5. 4 - eppozhudum nAL ti~ngaL

ANDuUzhi torum appozhudukku appozhudu en ArA amudamE! - You are
Insatiate Nectar to me always, no matter how much I enjoy you - for
days, months, years, yuga-s. You are the fresh nectar every time, even
if I have your anubhavam continuously.

soma also refers to the moon. SrI Sa~nkara uses this meaning in one of his
interpretations for this nAma.

SrI rAdhAkr*shNaSAstri and SrI cinmayAnanda give reference to gItA 15. 13

in support - pushNAmicaushadhIh sarvAh somo bhUtvA rasAtmakah -
Becoming the moon radiating the life-giving rays, I nourish all herbs. The
interpretation of soma here as referring to the moon is given by tirukkaLLam
SrI nr*simhAcAryasvAmi in his gItAvyAkhyAnam.

puru--jit
nAma 508 - puéijt! puru

The Conquerer of all.

puru-jite namah.
SrI Sa~nkara gives the vyAkhyAnam -

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purUn - bahUn jayati iti puru-jit - He who conquers many.

SrI BhaTTar refers to SrImad rAmAyaNam in support of his vyAkhyAnam

giving this meaning. King daSaratha pleads with kaikeyi to spare him from the
torture of separation from rAma who is the personification of everything that
is good. In this context, he tells kaikeyi - rAma has conquered the world
through truth, the poor by charity, the teacher by his dedicated service, and
the enemies by His mighty bow, i. e., He has conquered many or all.
satyena lokAn jayati dInAn dAnena rAghavah |
gurUn SuSrUshayA vIro dhanushA yudhi SatravAn ||

(ayodhyA. 12. 29)

This same guNa of bhagavAn viz. puru-jit, is referred to by

tiruma~ngaiAzhvAr in periya tirumozhi 1. 10. 2 and 4. 3. 5 (SrI v. v.

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rAmAnujan):

1. ila~ngaip patikku anRu iRaiyAya arakkar kulam keTTu avar mALakkoDip-

puL tirittAi!(1. 10. 2), and

2. tI-manttu arakkar tiRal azhittavanE(4. 3. 5).

SrI rAmAnujan also observes that Lord rAma has the distinction of winning
over three from the same family - rAvaNa was won over by His valor,
vibhIshaNa by His dharma and character, and SUrpanakhA by His appearance.
Thus again He has conquered many through many means.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha extends the interpretation to cover the whole

Universe which is under the control of bhagavAn -
asa~nkhyAta tArAgrahaupagraha sahitam
tathA vana-upavana samudrAdi sahitam
kha-gola bhUgolaAtmakam sarvam viSvam
yena vaSikr*tam sa puru-jid vishNuh

He who has under His control all the constellations, the lands, the oceans, the
different worlds, all the souls, and everything there is, is puru-jit.

The dharma cakram writer observes that the same attributes that helped

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 rAma win over everyone viz. dharma, truth, humility, etc., are the same
attributes that we need in life to overcome obstacles in life. When obstacles
arise for those who practice these traits, these should be only taken as
temporary incidences that are meant to reinforce their faith in following the
good traits that ensureultimate success. This was true in the case of
hariScandra and the pANDava-s. This nAma of bhagavAn should teach us to
follow the traits that will ensure success in life in the long run.

puru--sattamah
nAma 509. puésÄm> puru

a) He who remains with the great.

b) He whose form is of cosmic dimensions, and who is the best of all

puru-sattamAya namah.
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There are many different interpretations for this nAma. SrI BhaTTar's
vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn remains with many great ones such as Hanuman
who are always desirous of drinking the ocean of His nectar-like qualities. He
gives the following words of HanumAn in support:
sneho me paramo rAjan! tvayi nityamapratishThitah |
bhaktiSca niyatA vIra! bhAvo nAnyatra gacchati ||

(uttara. 40. 15)

"O King! My love for Thee is very great and it is firmly planted in Thee. O
Warrior! My devotion to Thee is even more steady. I can not think of going
anywhere else (leaving this world where Thou hast enslaved me)".

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to tiruma~ngaiAzhvAr -

1. Sindai tannuLnI~ngAdirunda tiruvE! maruviniya maindA! (tirumozhi 4. 9.

2); and

2. EttuvAr tam manattuLLAn - tirumozhi 1. 8. 4.

SrI Sa~nkara interprets the nAma as consisting of two attributes, puruh and
sattamah, the first referring to the multi-faced, multi-headed, multi-eyed,
multi-dimensioned, viSva-rUpa form, and the second referring to His being the

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best of all, sattama. viSvarUpatvAt puruh, utkr*shTatvAtsattamah.

SrI ChinmayAnanda gives the meaning "great" to the word puru, and interprets
the nAma as bhagavAn being the Greatest among the great. He opines that
the pATham purushottamah is used in some versions for this nAma, and the
meaning then is given in terms of purushah and uttamah -Omnipresent and
Best.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets the nAma in terms of three constituents

of the nAma - puru, sat, tama. Taking sat to mean existence here, He is far
superior to anything that exists, since everything except Him is impermanent
or anityam, and He is the only nityam. A trivial example for lack of a better
one is the relative impermanence of a pot compared to the maker of the pot.
Thus the interpretation given is that of the amr*tatvam of bhagavAn.

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The dharma cakram writer gives the meaning "He who shines through many
great forms", and refers to the vibhUtiyoga in SrImad bhagavad gItA. He is
the Sun and the moon in those that shine, sAma veda among veda-s,indra among
the deva-s, etc.

nAma 510. ivny> vinayah

a) The Subduer.

b) He who leads well.

vinayAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar vyAkhyAnam is vinIyante damyanteiti vinayah - He who subdues.
He gives the example of the subduing of mArIca by Lord rAma through His
valor. Or because He causes the evil-doers to have modesty (vinayam) by
punishing them, He is vinayah.

SrI ChinmayAnanda observes that the direct meaning of the word vinayah is
"He who shows supreme humility". Here it means "He who humiliates those
who are unrighteous". He also gives an alternate interpretation- vi-nayah,
where nayah refers to He who leads (netA etc.)., and vi-nayah refers to the
Lord who leads well the seekers steadily through the path of truth and

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 righteousness.

nAma 511. jy> jayah

a) He who is conquered.

b) He who is victorious.
jayAya namah.
SrI Sa~nkara bhAshyam is samastAni bhUtAnijayati iti jayah - He who is
victorious over all beings.

SrI BhaTTar gives the first interpretation. The nirukti description for SrI
BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is Asritaih jIthate yasmAtvidheyokriyatejayah - One
who has been conquered by the devotees and who acts according to their
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wishes.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan comments that even though the interpretation that He is

one who has jaya SrI with Him can be given, SrI BhaTTar's choice of his
interpretation is to bring out the dominant guNa-s of bhagavAn such as
souSIlyam. SrI BhaTTar gives examples of this quality of Lord rAma from
SrImad rAmAyaNa -

1. "Aj~nApyo'ham tapsvinAm" - "I am to be commanded by the sages -i. e.,

I am at their disposal" (bAla. 3. 37);

2. tato nArAyaNo vishNuh niyuktaihsura-sattamaih - Then nArAyaNa was

directed bythe great gods (bAla. 16. 1).

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha observes that jayah connotes bhagavAn being

everywhere, in everything, controlling everything, having conquered everything
and everyone, being unconquerable ever by anything, etc.

The dharma cakram writer explains the context of being victorious for our
day-to-day life - the lesson we should learn from this nAma. There are always
two aspects to our character - acquiring and practicing qualities that are
conducive to our realization of bhagavAn, or indulging in activities that are

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contrary to this. Being subservient to wealth, committing even heinous crimes
in order to acquire and accumulate wealth, going after name and fame instead
of devoting ourlife in kaimkaryam to bhagavAn, etc. are some examples of the
latter. rAvaNa, duryodhana, etc. were examples of characters who fell prey to
their inferior instincts in their lives. The victory that we should aimfor is over
the base instincts that will result in our defeat in our effort to cross the
ocean of samsAra. For real victory in this life, we should develop and practice
characters such as kindness towards others, sacrifice for the welfare of
others, vairAgyam, bhakti,etc.

satya--sandhah
nAma 512. sTysNx> satya

a) He whose promises are always true.

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b) He of firm resolve.
satya-sandhAya namah.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meaning pratij~nA or promise to the word
sandhA. Thus satya sandhah means He whose promises are always true.

SrI BhaTTar quotes Lord rAma's words to sItA pirATTi about this aspect of
bhagavAn's guNa -
apyaham jIvitam jahyAm tvAm vA sItesa-lakshmaNam |
na tu pratij~nAm samSrutya brAhmaNebhyo viSeshatah ||

(AraNya. 10. 19)

"O sItA! I would rather give up my life, or even you and lakshmaNa, than break
my promise especially that which has been made to brahmins".

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr in tiruvAimozhi 9. 10. 6-

nALum tan meyyarkku meyyanE - always true to His true devotees. SrI
rAmAnujan comments that bhagavAn was not only true to His devotee
PrahlAda, but He became true (i. e., made His appearance) to even His
adversary hiraNyakaSipu in the process (poyyanukkum meyyan!). BhagavAn's
own words to SrI rAmAnuja as conveyed in SaraNAgati gadyam - rAmo dvir-
nAbhibhAshate, and anr*tam nokta pUrvam me na ca vakshyekadAcana- come

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 to mind. Instances of daSaratha keeping his word to kaikeyi, dharmaputra
going to the forest and undergoing aj~nAtavAsam just for the sake of
fulfilling his word, the story of hariScandra, etc. are examples of great people
caring to keep their words. This is why they are great, and dear to bhagavAn.

SrI Sa~nkara gives the derivation satyA sandhA (samkalpah or priatij~nA)

asya iti satya-samkalpah - He who has firm resolve and determination that
always becomes true.

Both SrI R. anantakr*shNaSasti and SrI cinmayAnanda quote the following

from purANa, but I am unable to locate the reference: "Heavens might fall,
earth might crumble down, the Himalayas might be crushed, the ocean might
become dry, but My word uttered shall never become vain".

nAma 513. dazahR> dASArhah

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a) He who is worthy of gifts.

b) He is worthy to be possessed as a gift.

c) He who was born in the race of daSArhah i. e., the yAdava race.
dASArhAya namah.
The nAma is derived from the root dASr* dAne -to give away, and arhah
meaning deserving. Thus there are two interpretations given. The first is that
He is fit to be worshipped through offerings of gifts, and the second is that
He is fit to be aimed for as the ultimate gift.

SrI Sa~nkara has given the interpretations a and c, and SrI BhaTTar has given
all three interpretations. SrI BhaTTar explains that He is fit for us to offer
our selves to Him, or alternately, He considers His Supreme Self fit to be
offered to His devotees.

Along the lines of interpretation (a), SrI cinmayAnanda observes that

bhagavAn is fully competent to receive all the offerings made with devotion in
the ritualistic sacrifices.

The third interpretation is based on bhagavAn kr*shNa being born in the

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daSarha clan or tribe of the yAdava race. SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to
nammAzhvAr-
enadu AviyuL kalanda perunal udavikkuk kaimmARu
enadu Avi tandu ozhindEn ini mILvadenbadu uNDE

(tiruvAimozhi 2. 3. 4)

in support of SrI BhaTTar's interpretation along the lines of (a) referring to

His being fit for our Atma samarpaNam. An example of where bhagavAn sees
it fit to give His gift to the devotees is the mohini incarnation where He
bestowed the nectar that He Himself churned out of the milky ocean to the
deva-s who wanted it. BhagavAn is "perumakkaL uLLuvar tam
perumAn" (tiruvAimozhi 3. 7. 4) -He who resides inside the great people who
chant His name, where He is sought as the gift by these great people.

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In support of the interpretation a), the dharma cakram writer observes that
bhagavAn is fit for our offerings over anyone else, since He accepts all our
offerings including our sins, and if we offer our karma-phalan to Him, He
relieves us of all the effects of our karma and bestows moksha on us.

sAttvatAm--patih
nAma 514. saTvta< pit> sAttvatAm

The Lord of the sAttvata-s.

sAttvatAm-pataye namah.
SrI BhaTTar gives a detailed derivation of theword sAttvata starting from
the word sat meaning either Supreme Brahman or the quality of sattva.
sattvAn is one who knows brahman or one who is possessed of the quality of
sattva. sAttvata signifies the act of a sattvAn in knowing brahman or in
acquiring the quality of sattva or the scriptures followed by a sattvAn.
sAttvata-s are thus bhAgavata-s. Since bhagavAn is the Lord of the
sAttvata-s or bhAgavta-s, He is sAttvatAm-patih.

The yAdava race is also called the sAttvata race. Since Lord kr*shNa is the
Lord of the yAdava-s, He is called sAttvatAm-patih.

Another interpretation, given by SrI Sa~nkara and those that follow his

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 vyAkhyAnam, is that bhagavAn is sAttvatAm-patih since He is theLeader of
those who follow the tantram called sAttvatam, the scriptures which are
essentially sAttvic in nature.

SrI cinmayAnanda observes that the path of the sAAttvata-s is single-pointed

meditation upon the form of Lord vishNu with absolute devotion. For this
reason, the pA~ncarAtrins are also called sAttvata-s.

SrI P. B. aNNa~ngarAcArya svAmi explains that this nAma refers to bhagavAn

being the Originator of the pA~ncarAtra system and thereby being the
Protector of the sAttvata-s or bhAgavata-s.
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 Slokam 55
jIvae ivniyta sa]I muk…Ndae=imtiv³m>,

AMÉaeinixrnNtaTma mhaedixzyae=Ntk>. 55.

jIvO vinayitA sAkshI mukundO=mitavikramah |

ambhOnidhiranantAtmA mahOdadhisayO=ntakah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 515. jIv> jIvah

He who gives true life to His devotees.

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jIvAya namah.
jIvayati iti jIvah (SrI v. v. rAmAnujan). He helps bhAgavata-s keep away from
committing sinful acts and thereby bringing about their ruin, and instead
makes them lead a life of Bliss by doing service to Him. SrI rAmAnujan
corroborates this interpretation of SrI BhaTTar by reference to periAzhvAr
- eyiRRiDai maN koNDa endai irAp-pagal Oduvittuennaip-payiRRip-paNi
koNDAn (5. 2. 3). He even made the squirrels do service to Him and thus enjoy
the bliss of kaimkaryam to Him.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the more general interpretation viz. that
bhagavAn is the cause of sustenance of everything - jIvayati prANAn
dhArayati iti jIvah

nAma 516. ivniyta vinayitA

a) The Savior.

b) He who shows the path to everyone.

vinayitre namah.
SrI BhaTTar derives the interpretation from the root nay, which has two
meanings - gatau rakshaNe ca - to go or to protect. SrI BhaTTar uses the

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 second of the two meanings. In fact he states that bhagavAn protects His
devotee-s with love and affection and treats them like princes -rAjakumAra
lAlanena rakshati.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives the moving example of Lord rAma's words of

concern to sugrIva after his first fight with vAli, where he was defeated and
had to come back. rAma says "tvayi ki~ncit samApannekim kAryam sitayA
mama" (yuddha kANDam) - "Of what use is it to me to get sItA if even the
slightest harm has been caused to you?" - such was the concern and love that
he had for a mere monkey-king. We have nammAzhvAr's words in tiruvAimozhi
- j~nAlattUDE naDandum ninRum kiDandirundum SAlap pala nALugandOr
uyirgaL kAppAnE (6. 9. 3) - You show your standing pose, your reclining beauty,
your sitting posture on different occasions to sustain the lives of those who
seek Your protection.
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha bases his interpretation using the first meaning
given above for nay viz. to go. His interpretation is - sarvasya jagato gatim
prAyayitA gater-dAtA ityarthah - He shows the path to everyone, or gives
direction to everyone.

nAma 517. sa]I sAkshI

The Observer.
sAkshiNe namah.
BhagavAn is the Observer within every one ofus. uLLuvAr uLLiRRellAm uDan
irundu aRidi - tirumAlai 34 (SrI v. v. rAmAnujan). SrI BhaTTar's
interpretation is that bhagavAn is so concerned about the welfare of His
devotees that He constantly observes them to make sure no harm comes to
them.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation - sAkshAt drashTA sAkshI

- He Who sees things as they truly are, or it can also mean He who sees things
for Himself. Since bhagavAn is inside us, outside of us, and is everywhere and
in everything, He is the the sAkshI of everything that happens inside us and

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outside of us. SrI vAsishTha has composed the following Slokam as his
interpretation for this nAma -
sAkshI sa vishNuh sa hi darSano vA drashTA svayam sa hi sUrya cakshuh |
j~nAnam hi cakshuh r*tamAtrabodhah so'ntargatah paSyati viSvamAtram ||

SrI Sa~nkara and others who follow his vyAkhyAnam have interpreted nAma-s
516 and 517 together as one nAma - vinayitA_sAkshI - He who witnesses or
observes the humility of His devotees.

mukundAya namah
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ulaguyya ninRa perumAL - Thirukkadalmallai
(Courtesy: http://thirukadalmallai.blogspot.com)

nAma 518. muk…Nd> mukundah

He who gives moksha.

mukundAya namah.
Both SrI Sa~nkara and SrI BhaTTar give the same vyAkhyAnam - muktim

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 dadAti iti mukundah. SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives several references to divya
prabandham:
pul eRumbu Adi onRu inRiyE naRpAl ayoddhiyil vAzhum
arASaram muRRavum naRpAlukku uyttanan

(tiruvAimozhi 7. 5. 1)

anRu SarASara~ngaLai viakundattERRi

(perumAL tirumozhi 10. 10)

viNNulagam taruvAnAi viraiginRAn

(tiruvAimozhi 10. 6. 3) etc.

Both SrI Sa~nkara and SrI BhaTTar have given reference to the pANini sUtra
6. 3. 109 - pr*shodarAdIni yathopadishTam - to support the derivation of the
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word mukunda from muktim dadAti - "The elision, augment and mutation of
letters to be seen in pr*shodara etc., while not found taught in treatises of
grammar, are valid, to that extent and in the mode, as taught by the sages".

amita--vikramah
nAma 519. Aimtiv³m> amita

a) He of boundless valor.

b) He of the three great strides (tri-vikrama).

amita-vikramAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn is the Supporter of all Realities
such as prakr*ti. He is known by the name AdhAraSakti - AdhAra Sakti
samj~nasya amUrtasya ca vai vibhoh (SrI paushkara).

SrI V. N. vedAnta deSikan's English translation of of the vyAkhyAnam for this

nAma by SrI M. V. rAmAnujAcArya is "The Lord is of inestimable capacity to
bear".

SrI Sa~nkara gives two interpretations for the nAma. One is based on
vikrama referring to Saurya, which means strength, power,might - amitam
vikramaNam Sauryam asya iti amita-vikramah. The nAma occurs in SrImad

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bhagavad-gItA in Slokam 11. 40 - anantavIryAmitavikramastvam …., which is
translated by SrI tirukkaLLam nr*simharAghavAcAryasvAmi as immeasurable
parAkramam, which stands for heroism, prowess, courage,valor.

The second interpretation SrI Sa~nkara gives for the nAma is based on the
meaning "stride, step, pace" for vikramah,or vikramaNa - amitA aparicchinnA
vikramAstrayah pAdavikshepA asya - He whose three strides, or steps, were
immeasurable. The reference here is to the tri-vikrama incarnation. The
Lord's steps were so vast, they were indeed immeasurable.

The root kram - pAdavikshepe - to walk, tostep, is the basis for the derivation
of the interpretation by SrI satyadevo vAsishTha, which is the same basis on
which SrI Sa~nkara's second interpretation above rests.

However SrI vAsishTha interprets the nAma as meaning that bhagavAn has

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innumerable or countless strides in His manifestations. This diversity or
extensive manifestation is also reflected in everything around us - the Earth,
the sky, and the region in between; rajas, tamas and sattva guNa-s; sun rise,
mid-day, and the sunset; etc.

SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma-s 520 to 528 which follow in terms of the
kUrmAvatara.

ambho--nidhih
nAma 520. AMÉaeinix> ambho

a) He who has the waters as His abode (kUrmaincarnation)

b) He who is in the form of the Oceans

c) He who sustains the ambhA-s (devas, men, manes, and asura-s)

ambho-nidhaye namah.
SrI BhaTTar gives the first interpretation- pAtAlAmbhasi akhila-
jagadAdhAra-pITha nidhIyate iti ambhonidhih - He has kept His form as a
Tortoise in the waters of the pAtAla loka as the base plank to support the
Universe. The mantra quoted by SrI BhaTTar in support is: "ananta bala
Saktaye bhuvanabhr*te kacchapAtmane" - Unto Him of unlimited power and

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 strength Who supports the worlds in the form of a Tortoise.

nidhi means reservoir, abode,receptacle. SrI Sa~nkara gives the second and
third interpretations - bhagavAn is the Ocean or the reservoir of water. He
quotes the gItA - sarasAm asmiSagarah - 10. 24. His alternate interpretation
is based on the term ambhA as representing the deva-s, the asuras,the people
of this world, and the pitr*-s, as defined in the tait. brAhmaNa2. 3. 8 -
"tAni vA etAni catvAryambhAsi |
devo manushyAh pitaro'surAh ||"

Thus the nAma can be interpreted to mean that bhagavAn is the abode or
resting place of all the ambhA-s.

The dharma cakram writer points out that while these ambhA-s are the ones
who control the rest of the life forms, bhagavAn controls the ambhA-s, and
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thus He controls everything. BhagavAn also supports the life forms as kUrma
mUrti when everything gets submerged under the water during pralaya. Thus,
this nAma signifies that bhagavAn is the Support of all life forms at all times.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets the nAma as meaning that bhagavAn

establishes (nidhAnam) water in various forms and with various attributes and
sustains life - the blood stream running in several life forms, the water that
seeps through the root from the earth to sustain the trees and other plant
forms, etc. Water is one of the essentials in sustenance of life. He gives the
quote from atharva veda - apAm retAmsi jinvati.

nAma 521. AnNtaTma anantAtmA

The Inner Soul of ananta.

anantAtmane namah.
SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as referring to bhagavAn being the Inner
Soul of ananta, who bears the Universe standing on top of the kUrma.

SrI Sa~nkara's interpretation is that bhagavAn is the Indefinable Soul

(AtmA), not limited by Time, Space, or Substance (ananta).

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SrI rAdhAkr*shNa SAstri elaborates on this further by observing that for all
objects in this Universe, if they are in one place they can't be in another place,
and if they are in one form they can't be in another form at the sametime.
BhagavAn is not subject to these constraints, signified by the nAma
anantAtmA.

mahodadhi--Sayah
nAma 522. mhaedixzy> mahodadhi

He Who is reclining in the vast ocean.

mahodadhi-SayAya namah.
The words comprising the nAma are mahA, udadhi,and Sayah. SrI BhaTTar's
vyAkhyAnam is that BhagavAn lies on the couch-like serpent-body of ananta in
the Milk-Ocean at the time of the final deluge. This is expressed by

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periAzhvAr in periAzhvAr tirumozhi 5. 1. 7 - veLLai veLLattin mEloru pAmbai
meddaiyAga virittu adan mElE kaLLa nittirai koLginRa mArgam kANa, and by
nammAzhvAr in tiruvAimozhi 3. 4. 9 - acyutanai anantan mEl naNNi
nanguuRaiginRAnai (SrI v. v. rAmAnujan).

SrI Sa~nkara gives the interpretation that during pralaya bhagavAn

disintegrates everything and reduces them all into one ocean and reclines in
those primeval waters.

SrI cinmayAnanda suggests that the nAma can also be interpreted as

referring to bhagavAn reclining on a fig-leaf on the waters after the deluge
(Alilai mEl paLLI koNDAn).

nAma 523. ANtk> antakah

He Who beings out the end of all.

antakAya namah.
SrI Sa~nkara gives the derivation "antamkaroti bhUtAnAm itit antakah".

SrI BhaTTar gives several supporting quotes. ante pr*thivyAm salile dr*Syase
tvam mahoragah (SrImad rAmAyaNa, yuddha. 120. 23)- "At the time of the

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 end of this world, Thou art seen on the AdiSesha in the waters of the deep";
"kalpAnte yasya vaktrebhyo vishAnala Sikhojvalah |
samkarshaNAtmako rudro nishkramya atti jagat-trayam ||

"From His mouths, at the end of the kalpa, proceeds the venomed fire that,
impersonated as rudra, who is one with balarAma, devours the three
worlds" (vishNu purANam 2. 5. 19).

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan quotes nammAzhvar - yAvarum yAvaiyum ellAp-poruLum

kavarvinRit tannuL oDu~nga ninRa Azhi am-paLLiyAr - tiruvAimozhi 2. 2. 6.

SrI cinmayAnanda adds that as Time He brings an end to all things thus
creating constant changes in this world, without which no evolution or creative
development is ever possible, and in this sense bhagavAn is the antakah.
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 Slokam 56
Ajae mhahR> SvaÉaVyae ijtaimÇ> àmaedn>,

AanNdae nNdnae nNd> sTyxmaR iÇiv³m>. 56.

ajO mahArhah svAbhAvyO jitAmitrah pramOdanah |
AanandO nandanO nandah satyadharmA trivikramah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 524. Aj> ajah

a) He who is signified by the letter 'a'.

b) He who is not born.

c) He who drives away the darkness in the mind of the devotee.

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d) He who goes where the devotee is.

e) He who is the cause of motion in the heart.

f) He who is ever active in bestowing the effects of karma.

g) The collections of things that exist.

h) He who is everywhere and in everything.

ajAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier twice (96, 206). Based on the root aja - gati
kshepaNayoh - which signifies motion or throwing away, SrI BhaTTar
interpreted the first of these occurrences as referring to BhagavAn being the
remover of obstacles (kshipati iti ajah). He dispels the darkness of ignorance
by means of the luminous lamp of knowledge. The second occurrence was
interpreted based on na jAyate iti ajah - He who is not born. The current
nAma is interpreted as "akAra vAcyatayA jAtah" - He who is signified by the
sound a or the letter a.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains that when the world comes to an end, after
the world submerges into earth, earth into water, water into air, etc.,

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 ultimately what is left behind is the sound of praNava, and then its root or
origin or base, the sound 'a' (akAram), which symbolizes bhagavAn.

The other interpretations which have been given by other vyAkhyAna kartA-s
are summarized under the discussion relating to the nAma-s 96 and 206.
Briefly, SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is the Mover in
the heart of the devotee - ajati gacchati kshipati vAajah.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the interpretation that bhagavAn reaches out
(gacchati) to where His devotees are, or He is ever active in ensuring that
everyone gets the effects of their karma without discrimination.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning(g) above starting with 'a'
referring to vishNu, and ja referring to everything that is born from vishNu
when combine with 'a'. He relies on mahAbhArata Santi parva 341. 74 in
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support of theinterpretation (b):

na hi jAto na jAye'ham na janishye kadAcana |
kshetraj~nah sarva-bhUtAnAm tasmat aham ajah smr*tah ||

nAma 525. mhahR> mahArhah

He who is worthy of worship.

mahArhAya namah.
maham - pUjanam arhati iti mahArhah. maham means worship. SrI v. v.
rAmAnujan adds that the pUjA referred to here is Atma-samarpaNam or
prapatti. This principle of nyAsam or bhara samarpaNam is revealed to us in
the upanishad. SrI BhaTTar refers us to -
brahmaNe tvA mahasa (praNavam) iti AtmAnam yu'njIta
etad-vai mahopanishadam devAnAm guhyam ||
taittirIya nArAyanIyam 21

"The great secret which the gods are keeping, and which is revealed to us by
the great upanishad, is that the jIva is to be offered to bhagavAn, the
Supreme Brahman, by means of the praNava, the first letter of which, 'a',
signifies the paramAtmA, and the last letter, 'm' signifies the jIvAtmA. "To

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Thee, the Brahman of great effulgence, I offer myself through the mantra
'(praNavam)' ".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri adds that of all the worships offered to bhagavAn,
the worship offering our own selves, which is nothing but prapatti, is the
greatest and the most supreme. This nAma indicates that He is One who is
deserving of prapatti.

nAma 526. SvaÉaVy> svAbhAvyah

a) He who is to be meditated upon by those who belong to Him.

b) He who is by nature fit to be the Master.

c) He who is naturally without a beginning.

d) He who is present everywhere and in everything without exception.

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svAbhAvyAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is "svabhUtaih (Atmabhih) bhAvanIyatvAt
svAbhAvyah" - He who is fit to be meditated upon by the individual souls who
are His property.

Alternatively, svAbhAvikatvena bhAvyatvAtsvAbhAvyah - He who is naturally

accepted (as the Master) because everything else His property, He being the
Creator.

SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is "svabhAvenaabhAvyah" - He who is naturally

without a beginning, because He is eternally perfect.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning based on sva +bhU + vyat, where
he uses the meaning bhU - bhav to be, and the pANini sUtra orAvaSyake - the
affix vyat comes after a root ending in short or long u whenthe sense is that
of necessity.

Thus, the meaning he gives is that bhagavAn exists everywhere and in

everything as a matter of inevitability i. e., svAbhAvyah means that bhagavan
is One who is present everywhere and in everything naturally and without
exception.

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 nAma 527. ijtaimÇ> jitAmitrah

a) He who helps His devotees conquer enemies such as anger, kAmam,

ahamkAram, mamakAram, etc.

b) He who has conquered anger, kAmam, etc.

c) He who has conquered His enemies such as rAvana etc.

jitAmitrAya namah.
amitrAh jitAh anena iti jitAmitrah - He by whom the foes have been
conquered. SrI BhaTTar indicates that the foes referred to here are kAmam,
aham-kAram and mama-kAram in the devotees. kAmam is the desire in the
devotee for material objects, ahma-karam is egotism, and mama-kAramis the
feeling that all things that one possesses are one's own (and not bhagavAn's).
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One translator has translated the later two as I-ness and mine-ness. These
are the enemies that prevent us from having the svarUpa j~nAnam, and
bhagavAn helps His devotees by removing them in His devotees. Lord kRshNa
reveals the powerful negative nature of these enemies (desire, anger, etc. )., in
bhagavad-gItA 3. 37 to 3. 43
(kAma esah krodha esha rajod-guNa samudbhavah |
…. . jahi Satrum mahAbAho! kAmarUpam durAsadam ||).

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives several references from the Sruti-s for
bhagavAn's nAma of jita amitrah: dyumAgm amitradambhanah (Rg 4. 15. 4),
amitra senAm maghavan (atharva. 3. 1. 3); etc. He also points out that those
who follow bhagavAn and dharma come out victorious in whatever they
undertake, whereas those who forsake dharma are guaranteed to fail in the
end as well.

This guNa of bhagavAn in removing the foes of self-realization in His devotees

is also described in the prabandham (v. v. rAmAnujan) -

"en peru vinaiyaik kiTTik kizha'ngoDu tan aruL ennum oL vAluruvi veTTik
kaLaindavan";

SeyyEl tIvnai enRu aruL Seyyum en kaiyArcakkarak kaNNa pirAnE

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 (tiruvAimozhi 2. 9. 3).

SrI Sa'nkara also adds the aspect of bhagavAn's conquering the enemies such
as rAvaNa, SiSupAla, etc. There is also the interpretation that He has
conquered these enemies such as kAma, krodha,etc., Himself; thus, He has
conquered the enemies within as well as outside.

nAma 528. àmaedn> pramodanah

a) He who delights His devotees.

b) He who is always joyful.

pramodanAya namah.
pramodam karoti iti pramodanah - He who fills with joy the minds of those who
meditate on Him.

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The nAma is derived from the root mud - harshe- to rejoice, to be glad. SrI
BhaTTar connects the interpretation of this nAmato the previous one by
indicating that when the devotees realize that bhagavAn has removed the foes
such as anger, desire, etc., they feel delighted, and He is pramodanah in this
sense.

SrI Sa'nkara also gives an alternate explanation -pramodate iti pramodanah -

He is ever joyful.

SrI PBA, SrI v. v. rAmAnujan etc. connect both interpretations (a) and (b)
nicely through the following anubhavam - The devotees feel delighted that
enemies such as ahamkAram, mamakAram, fear, anger, etc.,have been removed
from them by bhagavAn; bhagavAn in turn feels delighted when He finds that
His devotee is delighted. This is like the parents feeling delighted when their
child is happy.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that while modah refers to the pleasures
associated with day-to-day life, pramodanam is the delight that is associated
with the realization of the true nature of the self.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha remarks that the extent to which bhagavAn keeps

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 His creations happy can be seen by the fact that everyone wants to cling to
this material body and no one really wants to leave this body that they get
because of their prior karma!

nAma 529. AanNd> Anandah

He Who is Bliss.
AnandAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar interprets the next few nAma-s in terms of bhagavAn's kapila
incarnation (The nAma kapilAcAryah is embedded in the next Slokam). He is
called Anandah because He is endowed with a Bliss that is beyond description
or imagination (vA'ng manasa dur-graho mahA Anandah asya astiiti Anandah).
SrI BhaTTar reminds us of the discussion of the nature of His Bliss in
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Anandavalli in taittirIya upanishad.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan explains that the choice of the attribute of Anandah to

describe kapila is because kapila was devoid of all attachments. The Sruti is
"Srotriyasya ca a-kAmahatasya"- where the reference is to one who has
overcome kAma or desire (kAmahata refers to one who is afflicted with kAma,
and a-kAmahata is one who has overcome kAma). brahmAnandam is Bliss or Joy
that is beyond description and imagination. kapila was a brahmin who had
overcome all desire, and the Bliss of such a one is the state of brhamAnandam.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives references to the Sruti referring to bhagvAn

being Ananda-svarUpan - AnandarUpam amRtam yadvibhAti (muNDaka. 2. 2.
7); Ananda AtmA (taitt. 2. 5); Anando brahma (taitt. 3. 6).

nAma 530. nNdn> nandanah

The Bliss-Giver.
nandanAya namah.
nandayati iti nandanah. BhagavAn gives this brahmAnandam (described in the
previous nAma) to the liberated souls (mukta-s) when He confers moksham to
them, and as a result He Himself rejoices. The previous nAma signified that

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He is the embodiment of Bliss, and the current nAma indicates that He gives
this happiness to the mukta-s. This happiness is in no way different from the
happiness that He Himself enjoys.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that the mukta-s derive this Bliss by His
mere nearness to them, just as the mere presence of a child near them makes
the parents happy.

nAma 531. nNd> nandah

He Who is full of things that are Blissful.

nandAya namah.
He has with Himself, in full, the enjoyable materials, the instruments for
enjoyment, the modes of enjoyment, the people who enjoy, etc., at all times.

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SrI v. v. rAmAnujan elaborates on this further by pointing out that since
BhagavAn is unattached to anything, and does not have any need or desire, He
has everything that is needed for Absolute Bliss.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets the nAma as- nandanti samardhante asmin
viSvarUpe purusha iti nando vishNuh - BhagavAn vishNu is called nandah
because all jIva-s derive their final happiness in Him Who is the pUrNa
purusha.

SrI Sa'nkara also gives an alternate nAma - anandah - instead of nandah, and
gives the meaning that BhagavAn is devoid of all worldly pleasures which result
from sense-contacts.

satya--dharmA
nAma 532. sTyxmaR satya

a) He Who performs His dharma truthfully.

b) He Who protects those who have surrendered to Him without exception.

c) He Who truly has all the kalyANa guNa-s in perfection

satya-dharmaNe namah.
SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that BhagavAn is called satya-dharmA

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 because He is noted for His uprightness towards His devotees right from the
time they begin to approach Him up to the time of their attainment of Him (a).
His dharma is well-known to be sAdhu-paritrANam and SaraNAgata -
paritrANam.

SrI P. B. aNNa'ngarAcArya svAmi and SrI M. V. rAmAnujAcArya svAmi

interpret the nAma as expressing the guNa of bhagavAn that He protects
those who have surrendered to Him without exception (b).

BhagavAn's own words to Bhagavad rAmAnuja in SaraNAgati gadyam explain

the dharma of bhagavAn:
anRtam nokta pUrvam me na ca vakshye kadAcana|
rAmo dvir-nAbhibhAshate ||
sakRdeva prapannAya tavAsmIti ca yAcate |
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abhayam sarva-bhUtebhyo dadAmyetad vratam mama ||

sarvadharmAn parityajya mAm ekam SaraNam vraja|
aham tvA sarva-pApebhyo mokshayishyAmi mA Sucah ||

He is true to what He has declared as His dharma, and so He is called satya-

dharmA.

SrI Sa'nkara interprets the term dharmA to refer to guNa-s such as j~nAna,
and SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri elaborates further and explains the nAma as
indicating that bhagavAn is the Abode in Perfection for the six guNa-s -
j~nAna, bala, aiSvarya, vIrya, Sakti and tejas

SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that BhagavAn has all the true
dharma-s such as kindness, charity, etc., to perfection, and so He is satya-
dharmA. He also gives the alternate interpretation that bhagavAn is the
embodiment of yoga, and supports it with the upanishad declaration "aym hi
paramo dharmah yad-yogena Atma-darSanam"- "That alone is Supreme Dharma
which is to experience the Self throughyoga".

tri--vikramah
nAma 533. iÇiv³m> tri

a) He Who pervades the three veda-s.

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b) He Who measured the three worlds with three strides.

c) He Who pervades all the three worlds completely.

d) He Who has transcended the waking, sleep, and deep-sleep states.

tri-vikramAya namah.

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tri-vikramAya namah.
(Courtesy : Sri Gopal gopalramanuja@gmail.com))
SrI BhaTTar interprets "tri" here as referring to the three veda-s (Rk, sAma,
and yajur veda-s). The terms trayI and tri are used for the three veda-s, and
tri-vikramah has been interpreted as referring to His pervading the three
veda-s, viz. He is the object of the three veda-s. SrI BhaTTar gives
reference to the following:
trirityevam trayo vedAh kIrtitAhmuni-sattamaih |
kramate tAn tathA sarvAn tri-vikrama iti smRtah ||

SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning "veda"for the word "loka" in this reference,
whereas SrI Sankara uses the meaning "world" for this same word in his

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 interpretation (b) whichfollows.

b) SrI Sankara gives the interpretation in terms of the trivikrama incarnation

- trayo vikramAs-trishu lokeshu krAntA yasyasah tri-vikramah (b). He gives
supporting quotes from Sruti - "trINi padAvicakrame (tait. brA. 2. 4. 6); and
from harivamSa (279. 50) - "trirityevam…" which we saw in the previous
interpretation.

c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the third interpretation in addition to the

first two viz. that bhagavAn is tri-vikramahin the sense of pervading
everything in all the three worlds.

d) SrI ChinmayAnanda uses the same harivamSa reference and interprets the
word loka to mean the three "fields of experience - the waking, dream, and
deep-sleep conditions", and gives the meaning that bhagavAn is One Who has
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trancended these three states and reached the Infinite Consciousness, ie., He
is the paramAtman. Thus, this nAma illustrates that the spiritual seeker has
to just to take the three steps viz. cross the waking, dream, and deep-sleep
states, to realize the centre of self in himself.

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 Slokam 57
mhi;R> kiplacayR> k«t}ae meidnIpit>,

iÇpdiôdzaXy]ae mhaï&¼> k«taNtk«t!. 57.

maharshih kapilAcAryah krutaj~nO medinIpatih |

tripadas stridasAdhyakshO mahAsrungah krutAntakrut ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 534. mhi;R> maharshih

The Great Seer.

maharshaye namah.
BhagavAn is maharshih because, in His incarnation as kapila, He realized the

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three veda-s by intuitive perception (Rshir-darSanAt- niru. 2. 11 - satyadevo
vAsishTha). He is known for chanting all the veda-s without a break - SrutIh
RgAdyAh vaktrebhyah prodgirantam atah smaret. SrI BhaTTar gives
reference to SvetASvataropanishad 5. 2 - Rshim prasUtam kapilammahAntam
(kapila, who was a seer from his birth). He is also a maharshi for his
propounding the sAnkhya system - sAnkhyasya vaktA kapilah paramrshih sa
ucyate (source of quotation unidentified).

SrI Sa'nkara gives reference to the gItA,where bhagavAn kRshNa declares

that "Of the perfected ones, I am the sage kapila" - siddhAnAm kapilo munih
(gItA 10. 26).

SrI Sa'nkara comments that those who envisioned part of the veda are
referred to as Rshi-s, and those who envisioned the entire veda are referred
as the "Great Rshi-s (maharshi-s)". Of these, Lord kRshNa ranks kapila as the
foremost (the gItA reference above). SrI Sa'nkara combines this nAma and
the next one as one nAma - maharshihkapilAcAryah - kapilAcArya, the great
sage. We already saw why kapila is called a maharshi. He is also an AcArya
because he propounded the sAnkhya system.

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 nAma 535. kiplacayR> kapilAcAryah

He Who is of brown complexion and also an AcArya.

kapilAcAryAya namah.
kapilaScAsau AcAryaSca iti kapilAcAryah. kapilam refers to the color of the
inside of a tree; Sage kapila's name signifies his complexion which resembles
that of smokeless fire. The mantra to meditate on him is "nirdhUmA'ngAra
varNAbham Sa'nkha padmAksha sUtriNam"- He who is possessed of a lustre
like the burning and smokeless ember, and has San'kha and padma beads in his
hand. The reference to kapila being like the smokeless and burning ember also
can be taken to refer to his character which is flawless like the smokeless
fire, and the similarity to the burning fire a reference to his extra-ordinary
j~nAnam. The mantra referring to this attribute is "samvit prakASanAya" -
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To Him Who spread the knowledge of His system.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives a nice and crisp definition of an AcArya -

Acarati svayam, SishyebhyaSca AcAram grAhayati iti AcAryah - An AcArya is
one who observes the sad-dharma himself, and also imparts the knowledge of
this sad-dharma to his disciples.

nAma 536. k«t}> kRtaj~nah

a) He Who remembers the good deed done.

b) He Who is both the Created and the Creator.

c) He Who knows everything about His Creation.

kRtaj~nAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 83 (Slokam9). Please refer to the earlier
explanation or additional guNAnubhavam.
sukRtameva j~nAtavAn iti kRtaj~nah

He Who remembers only the good acts done.

SrI BhaTTar explains this nAma in the context of sage kapila and the sons and

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grandson of sagara, a descendant of the ikhsvAku race. The sons of king
sagara offended sage kapila and he reduced them to ashes. But later on,
amSumAn, the grandson of sagara, came before kapila and bowed with respect,
and pleaded on behalf of his ancestors. kapila remembered only this good act,
and immediately conferred a boon to amSuman to ask whatever he wants.

SrI Sa'nkara interprets kRtam as referring to the Universe which is created,

and j~nah as referring to the Knower or the AtmA which is not created. Since
bhagavAn is both the Created and the Creator, He is kRtam and j~nah (SrI
rAdhAkRshNa Sastri).

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation - kRtam jAnAti iti

kRtaj~nah - He Who knows precisely everything there is to know about His
creation. He knows the why, when, how, where, what, and precisely for how

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long, of everything He has created.

medinI--patih
nAma 537. meidnIpit> medinI

The Lord or Protector of the Earth.

medinI-pataye namah.
At the time of creation, when the Earth sank under water, at the request of
brahmA, bhagavAn took the yaj~navarAha incarnation, and supported the
Earth and brought it out. In the form of kapila in the pAtALa loka, bhagavAn
is supporting the Earth through His yoga-Sakti. In SrImad rAmAyaNam, we
have
yasyeyam vasudA sarvA vAsudevasya dhImatah |
kapilam rUpamAsthAya dhArayatyaniSam dharAm ||

(bAla. 1. 40. 2)

"All the Earth belongs to the omniscient vAsudeva; taking the form of kapila,
He always bears the Earth".

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives the reference totiruvAimozhi which conveys the

same thought: peria appan, piraman appan,uruttiran appan, munivarkku uriya
appan, amarar appan, ulagukkOr taniyappan (8. 1. 11).

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 tri--padah
nAma 538. iÇpd> tri

a) The Propounder of the three tattva-s.

b) He Who is in the form of praNava mantra with three letters.

c) He Who assumed the form of a Boar with three humps.

d) He Who triumphed over the worlds with three steps.

e) He Who is the Lord of the past, present, and future.

tri-padAya namah.
The three tattva-s referred to here by SrI BhaTTar are:

1. pradhAna (non-sentient matter),

2. purusha (the individual soul), and

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3. paramAtmA.

These are also referred to as:

1. bhoktA (the individual self),

2. bhogya (the objects of enjoyment or the non-sentient matter), and

3. niyantR (Ruler).

SrI BhaTTar gives reference to vishNudharma 63. 59:

sattvAnAm upakArAya pradhAnam purusham param |
darSayishyAmi lokeshu kApilam rUpam Asthitah ||

"For the benefit of all beings in the world, having assumed the form of kapila,
I am going to reveal the three Realities viz. pradhAna, purusha, and
paramAtmA".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains that the three tattva-s refer to the three
states in which bhagavAn manifests Himself - as One who protects the world,
as one who protects the devatA-s who protect the world, and as SrI vaikunTha
nAthan disassociated with this world.

SrI BhaTTar gives two other alternate interpretations.

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b) tri-padah can also mean that He is represented by the three words or
syllables of the praNava - A U M.

c) In His varAha incarnation, BhagavAn assumed the form of a boar with three
humps (tri-padah) - tavaivAsam trika-kudo vArAhamrUpamAsthitah (mahA.
moksha. 343. 63) - "I assumed the form of varAha (Boar) with three humps".

d) SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma in terms of the tri-vikrama incarnation,

and supports it with the quote from taitt. brAhmaNa 2. 4. 6 - trINipadA
vicakrame - "He who triumphed over the three worlds by His three strides".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the following interpretation to the trivikrama

incarnation: bhagavAn measured this world with one step and covered all the
sthUla belongings of mahAbali, with the second step He measured all the
sUkshma belongings of bali such as svarga which he would have achieved in his

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future births through His current good deeds, and through His third step He
removed the ahamkAra mamakAra-s of bali and sent him to the eternal parama
padam.

e) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri also gives an alternate explanation that bhagavAn

has His Feet (i. e., His Adhipatyam) in the past, present, and future, and so He
is called tri-padah.

nAma 539. iÇdzaXy]> tridaSAdhyakshah

a) The Savior of the thirty-three gods.

b) The Master of the three states.

c) The Master of the three guNa-s.

tridaSAdhyakshAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar interprets the term tri-daSa to refer to the thirty three gods
and explains the nAma as signifying that bhagavAn is their adhyaksha and
helps brahma and others when they encounter difficulties in their functions
after the pralaya (brahmAdeh pralaya Apat sakhatvAt).

Prof. SrInivAsa rAghavan adds that the term tri-daSa, which means three

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 times ten or thirty, is a rounded number which refers to the thirty-three gods
(eight vasu-s,eleven rudra-s, 12 Aditya-s, and the two aSvin-s). In tiruppAvai
(20) we have reference to the thirty three deva-s - muppatti mOvar amarkku
mun SenRu kappamtavirkkum kali (SrI v. v. rAmAnujan).

SrI rAmAnujan explains how bhagavAn has been the Savior of the gods during
the creation soon after pralaya. When the world was submerged under water,
and brahma could not proceed with creation, bhagavAn took the form of the
big boar and lifted the earth out of water and thus helped brahma in his task.

SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as tri-daSAadhyakshah, where the term

tridaSA refers to the three states - waking, dream, and deep-sleep states.

SrI cinmayAnanda extrapolates the term to mean the rajas, tamas, and sattva
guNa-s. Thus bhagavAn is the Lord of the three states, or One who has
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mastery over the three guNa-s.

mahA--SR'ngah
nAma 540. mhaï&¼> mahA

a) The Big-tusked varAha.

b) He who took the matsya rUpam with the big horn.

mahA-SR'ngAya namah.
SR'nga refers to the horn of an animal. SrI BhaTTar gives interpretation (a),
and quotes the reference from SrImad rAmAyaNam- ekaSR'ngo varAhastvam
(yuddha. 120. 14) - in support of his interpretation. He lifted the Earth from
the waters with the tip of His tusk, and the Earth appeared like the leaf of a
lotus besmeared with mud on the tusk of an elephant that has entered a lotus-
pond (vishNu purANam 1. 4. 36).

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan explains that the horn or tooth of this varAha rUpam was
so huge (mahASR'nga) that the Earth looked like a small particle of food stuck
at the tip of the tooth of this huge form ( SrImad bhAgavatam).

SrI Sa'nkara gives interpretation (b) - that the nAma refers to matsya
incarnation, where bhagavAn towed the boat tied to His big horn with

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satyavrata in it and sported Himself in the pralaya waters.

kRtAnta--kRt
nAma 541. k«taNtk«t! kRtAnta

a) The Slayer of hiraNyAksha.

b) He who kills death himself.

c) He who proclaimed the kRtAnta (siddhanta).

d) He who brings about the end to the manifested condition of the Universe.

(a) and (b):

kRtAntam kRttavAn iti kRtAntakRt (SrI BhaTTar);

kRtAntam mRtyum kRntati iti kRtAntakRt (SrI Sa'nkara).

Both the interpretations have the same meaning. kRtAnta refers to yama.

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SrI Sa'nkara takes the literal meaning of kRtAnta, and gives the second
meaning above, viz. when bhagavAn brings an end to everything, this includes
yama also. SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation (a), that bhagavAn is the
Slayer of hiraNyAksha who was like yama.

c) SrI BhaTTar gives an alternate interpretation as well. kRtAnta refers to

sidhhAnta, and bhagavAn is kRtAntakRt since He has promulgated His doctrine
of protecting those who seek refuge inHim.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to peria tirumozhi of tiruma'ngai AzhvAr (2. 6.

3) where the varAha avatAram is described as the personification of j~nAnam-
Enattin uruvAgi nilama'ngai ezhil koNDAn j~nAnattin oLi uruvai ninaivAr
ennAyagarE.

d) SrI Sa'nkara also gives an alternate interpretation -

kRta anta kRt - kRtasya antam samhAram karoti iti kRta anta kRt,meaning He
brings about the destruction of kRta or manifested condition of the Universe.

The dharma cakram writer adds that just as the farmer who sows the crop
also destroys it for the ultimate benefit of His creatures, bhagavAn creates
and then destroys what He created, for the ultimate benefit of the jIva-s.

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mahAvarAhAya namah

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 Slokam 58
mhavrahae gaeivNd> su;e[> knka¼dI,

guýae gÉIrae ghnae guÝí³gdaxr>. 58.

mahAvarAhO gOvindah susheNah kanakAngadI |
guhyO gabhIrO gahanO guptas cakragadAdharah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

mahA--varAhah
nAma 542. mhavrah> mahA

He Who appeared in the form of the Great Boar.

mahA-varAhAya namah.
This nAma refers to the varAha incarnation. SrI BhaTTar gives reference to

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the description in vishNu purANam -

tatahsamutkshipya dharAm sva-damshtrayA

mahA-varAhah sphuta-padma-locanah |

rasAtalAtutpala-patra-sannibhah

samutthito nIla ivAcalo mahAn || (1. 4. 26)

"The Great varAha bhagavAn, Who has eyes like full-blown lotuses and the
complexion like that of blue lotus-petal, lifted the Earth from the rasAtala
(nether-world) by His tusk and emerged as a great blue mountain".

Similar description of the beauty of the eyes of varAha mUrti is found in

tiruc-canda viruttam 45 - "perum kEzhalAr tanperum kaN malarp-puNDarIkam
nam mEl oru'ngE pizhara vaittAr (SrI v. v. rAmAnujan).

SrI cinmayAnanda comments that the varAha rUpa was taken to heave up the
world from the slush that formed naturally when the waters of the deluge
receded.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation based on mahA + vara + Aha
= He who bestows great blessings on others.

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 nAma 543. gaeivNd> govindah

a) One who is praised by the gods (for His help).

b) One who dug out the Earth from the depths of the Ocean.

c) The protector of cows.

d) One who confers the veda-s

e) He who rescued the Earth.

f) He who is known by vedic sentences.

g) He who is responsible for all things that move.

govindAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 189. Please see the detailed explanation
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in Slokam 20 also. Explanations a) to d) were given under Slokam 20.

SrI BhaTTar gives interpretation (e) to a variation of explanation (b) - under

the current nAma viz. bhagavAn is govindah because He rescued the Earth
from the rAkshasa.

SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation f) under the current nAma: "gobhih -
vANibhih vindate" - He Who is known (vid) through words i. e., vedic sentences.
SrI Sa'nkara gives the reference from vishNutilaka - gobhireva yato vedyo
govindah samudAhRtah - "You are named govinda as You are to be known
through scriptual texts".

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives his interpretation starting from the root
gam - gatau - to go (gacchati iti gauh), and gives the meaning "to possess" to
the word vid (vid - lAbhe - to get), and thus derives the interpretation (g)
above. His explanation is that anything that moves, including our mind, our
indriya-s, the Sun, etc., are His possession, and so He is called govindah. He
gives this interpretation for the nAma "govidAm patih" also. He supports his
interpretation based on "gacchati iti jagat" - BhagavAn is present everywhere
as seen by the movement of everything in this world. The life in all things that
live is associated with movement, and He is the One who is behind this

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movement -govindah.

nAma 544. su;e[> susheNah

a) He who is equipped with a body with Suddhasattva Sakti-s that are like an
army.

b) He Who has an army of auspicious associates.

susheNAya namah.
a) SrI v. n. vedAnta deSikan comments that from this nAma onwards, certain
abstruse or rather esoteric meanings are implied, which are only to be learned
through the AcArya-s, and are not communicated in print. Thus the
explanations found in print are cryptic.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan adds that the current nAma and the following few nAma-s

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are in the category of what sage viSvAmitra refers to when he says "aham
vedmi" etc. to daSaratha when he persuades daSaratha to send rAma with
him. He reassures daSaratha that he, and not daSaratha, can understand the
greatness of young rAma because he is a king of Rshi-s, whereas daSaratha is
only a king of men.

susheNah is interpreted as su-senah (One who has a good army) by SrI

BhaTTar. He explains that bhagavAn has a body which is pure suddha-sattva,
and the constituents of this suddha sattva body are like an army that can win
over the baddha-s, mukta-s and nitya-s and make them join Him in mutual
enjoyment of Bliss. The constituents of bhagavAn's body are the pa'ncamahA
Sakti-s:

1.parameshThi,

2.pumAn,

3.viSvah,

4.nivRttah, and

5.sarvah,

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 just as our human body is constituted of the pa'nca bhUta-s. The pa'nca mahA
Sakti-s are all suddha sattva dravya-s, and they can be realized and
understood properly only through the upanishads. Therefore they are also
referred to as the pa'ncaupanishad mayam. These pa'nca mahA Sakti-s or the
pa'nca-mahopanishad-mayadravya-s constitute the senA referred to in this
nAma.

SrI P. B. aNNa`ngarAcArya svAmi summarizes the above as indicating that

bhagavAn has the multitude of means that are useful in having His devotees
under His sway.

nammAzhvAr refers to bhagavAn's guNa-s being His Strength or army in the

following reference given by SrI v. v. rAmAnujan -"mazhu'ngAda j~nAnamE
paDaiyAga" - (tiruvAimozhi 3. 1. 9).
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b) SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is susheNah because

He has a distinguished army at His command.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri elaborates that this includes the following 9 gaNa-s:

1.12Aditya-s,

2.10 viSvedeva-s,

3.the ashTha vasu-s,

4.26 tushita-s,

5.64 AbhAsvara-s,

6.49marut-s,

7.30 mahArAjika-s,

8.12 sAdhya-s, and

9.11 rudra-s.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the nAma from the root si - bandhane - to
bind. He gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is One who binds everything
well (His devotees to Him, His army of deva-s, sages,etc. together well, He

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Who holds all the beings of the world together well, He Who binds all the
constellations together well, holds this frail body of ourstogether well even
after the jIva departs from the body, etc. He gives references to the Sruti
for this nAma in yajurveda - ayamuparvAg-vasus-tasyasenajiica susheNaSca
(yajur. 15. 19), satyajicca senajicca susheNaSca (yajur. 17. 83).

nAma 545. knka¼dI kanakA`ngadI

He Who is adorned by armlets of gold.

kanakA`ngadaye namah.
kanaka literally means gold, but here is not to be taken literally as the material
gold that we are used to. The term "gold" used in the current context just
refers to the superiority of His bhUshNa-s.

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SrI v. v. rAmAnujan points out that in antarAditya, bhagavAn is described as
resembling gold in appearance - antarAditye hiraNmayah purushahdRSyate.
nammAzhvAr calls bhagavAn by the names "mANikkamE! en marakatame!
maRRoppAraiyillA Anip ponnE!" in tiruviruttam 85. What is referred to here is
the extraordinary brilliance of His appearance and the extreme attractiveness
of His tirumeni.

Thus, the reference in this nAma to kanaka is to the non-material, suddha-

sattva. The ornaments referred to here are not the ones composed of the
material of this world and made of up of the three guNa-s -sattva, rajas, and
tamas, but are ones composed of celestial matter (Suddhasattva), which set
off the beauty of His celestial body described earlier.

a`ngadam means armlet. Again, the reference is not only to the armlet, but all
the tiru AbharaNa-s of bhagavAn. The armlets are one example of these
ornaments that adorn His body. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that the
armlets, kirITam, keyUram, etc., are the ornaments of vIra-s.

SrI BhaTTar points out that the ending ini in this nAma refers to the constant
and permanent association of the brilliance referred to in this nAma with His
tirumeni (nityayoge inih).

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 SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets the nAma in terms kanaka, a`nga, and da,
meaning The Giver (dah) of brightness (kanaka) to everything and the One who
keeps things moving (a`nga from a`ng - to go). The association or connection
between the kanaka and a`nga aspects can be seen by noting that as long as
the body keeps moving, it has the brightness in the eyes, and the brightness
ceases when the body ceases to move.

nAma 546. guý> guhyah

He who is concealed.
guhyAya namah.

SrI BhaTTar points out that He is concealed by the possession of a body which
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is made of the celestial matter (Suddha sattva), which fact is revealed by the
great upanishads. Thus His divya Atma-svarUpa cannot be comprehended by
us.

nammAzhvAr declares: j~nAlam uNDu umizhnda mAlaieNNumARu aRiya

mATTEn (tiruvAimozhi 3. 4. 9) - "I can't comprehend this emperumAn who
swallowed the whole world and then recreated it".

SrI Sa'nkara gives two interpretations:

1. rahasya upanishad vedyatvAt - One who is to be known only by the

esoteric knowledge conveyed by the upanishad-s; and

2. guhAyAm hRadayAkASe nihita iti vA, guhyah - He who is hidden in the

guha or the heart.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri elaborates on this further and points out that the
idea here is that He is not realized through the ordinary senses or the
reasoning by the mind, but only by deep inward meditation and contemplation.
He cannot be revealed by someone else to us, but only by our own inward
search. Thus He is guhya or concealed.

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nAma 547. gÉIr> gabhIrah

He who is deep or mysterious.

gabhIrAya namah.
He is gabhIrah because of His gAmbhIrya - His Majesty which is deep and
cannot be completely comprehended. BhagavAn is called deep because His
Nature is not easily understandable; His majesty can only be approximately
conceived. If the bound souls which are tainted by deep beginningless
Nescience can become pure by merely coming into contact with Him, this can
give an approximate idea of His greatness. This is like the muddy water which
becomes clean by coming in contact with the kataka seed.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri adds that BhagavAn is mysterious because He has

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the simultaneous co-existence in perfection of all the six guNa-s - j~nAna,
bala, aiSvarya, vIrya, Sakti, and tejas. Just as the bottom of a very deep lake
with very clear water looks like it is very near in spite of its depth, BhagavAn's
depth is impossible to find even though it appears that He can be easily
comprehended. He is very far though He appears to be very near for the
ordinary beings.

nAma 548. ghn> gahanah

a) He who is deep, Impenetrable, Inexplicable.

b) He who is the witness in everyone

gahanAya namah.
gahanam refers to a forest, a fortress etc. We cannot see or figure out what
is inside a dense forest or in a well-built fortress. BhagavAn's Nature is
similar (SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri).

In his commentary on amarakOSam, appayArya gives the explanation

"gahanamdushpraveSa sthAnam" - A place which is difficult to access.

SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as dur-avagAhah, and SrI Sa'nkara gives the

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 description "dushpraveSatvAtgahanah", both of which convey the above idea.
Even though we can see the bottom of the Ocean when the water is clear, it is
very difficult to access the bottom of the Ocean floor. So also, even though
bhagavAn may seem easy to realize because of what is revealed in the
upanishad-s, all the same it is difficult to grasp His Nature. The Sruti
declares Him as "aprApya manasAsaha - Inaccessible to the mind" (SrI v. v.
rAmAnujan).

b) The alternate interpretation for gahanah is based on its derivation from the
root gAhU - viloDane - to dive into. BhagavAn is called gahanah because He is
inside everyone and everything, and is the witness of everything in its waking,
dream and sleep states (SrI Sa'nkara). Through these three states we get an
understanding of what is within our ability to comprehend. But through these
three states, we cannot get an idea of One who is the Witness of these three
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states in all of us (SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri).

nAma 549. guÝ> guptah

He who is hidden.
guptAya namah.
This nAma is formed from the root gup -rakshaNe to protect, to conceal. SrI
BhaTTar explains that BhagavAn's Greatness is guarded and protected well by
the pUrvAcArya-s who knew His Greatness by His Grace. One cannot hope to
learn of the Lord's mahimA except by being guided by these AcArya-s of our
sampradAyam. Even the upanishads cannot completely reveal BhagavAn to us.
He is known only to the likes of viSvAmitra who declares "ahamvedmi
mahAtmAnam - I know the greatness of young rAma". It is only by following
the sampradAyam of the AcArya-s and following their instructions with
sincerity that one can realize Him who is hidden to us otherwise.

He is also One who is protected with great care by the likes of anantAzhvAn,
garuDa, vishvaksena, etc. Even in paramapadam where it is not easy for anyone
to go, He is protected by ananta who is spitting poisonous fire - "a'ngu

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AravAram adu kETTu azhal umizhum pU'ngAraravaNaiyAn pon mEni" -
(nAnmugan tiru antAdi 10) - SrI v. v. rAmAnujan.

SrI Sa'nkara explains that BhagavAn is hidden because He is not accessible

through words, thought etc. - va'ng manasaagocararvAt guptah. Even though
He is in every being, He is not manifested - esha sarveshu bhUteshu gUDhah
AtmA na prakASate - kaTha upanishad 3. 12. We also have "yato vAco
nivartante aprApya manasA saha" - brah. valli 4 of taitt. upa.

nAma 550. c³gdaxr> cakra gadA--dharah

cakra--gadA

The bearer of the discus and the mace.

cakra-gadA-dharAya namah.
This nAma of bhagavAn is referenced in yuddhakANDam 114 - tamasah paramo

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dhAtA Sa'nkha cakra gadA dharah. SrI nammAzhvAr refers to Him as "nAngu
tOLan, kuni Sar'ngan, oN Sa'ngu gadai vAL AzhiyAn" (tiruvAimozhi 8. 8. 1) -
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan. While the superficial reference in this nAma is that
BhagavAn is the bearer of cakra, gadhA, etc., SrI M.V. rAmAnujAcArya
explains that the reference to the pa'nca mahAyudha-s (Sankha, cakra, gadA,
Sar'nga, and nandaka) has deeper signifcance. These are also the incarnations
or personifications of the pa'nca Sakti-s viz. sRshTi, sthiti, samhAra, nigraha,
and anugraha. These pa'nca mahAyudha-s are an integral part of bhagavAn's
SarIram which is of Suddha-sattva made of these five mahA Sakti-s, and are
like His instruments in His five functions of creation, protection, destruction,
giving punishment, and giving benefits. The pa'nca mahA Sakti-shave been
referred to earlier (in nAma 544).

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan adds that in addition, the pa'nca Ayudha-s are also none
other than the nitya sUri-s e. g., sudarSana AzhvAn, pA'ncajanya AzhvAn, etc.
Note that the five paramAtma Sakti-s are here associated with the five
functions (sRshTi, sthiti etc. ), the five Ayudha-s of bhagavAn, the nitya sUri-
s, etc. in a simple way and clearly.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri quotes passages from SrI vishNupurANam (1. 22.

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 69-74) to identify the five Ayudha-s as representations of the different
tattva-s BhagavAn supports:

1. egotism (rAjasa ahamkAram and mAnasaahamkAram, into the five

elements and the five organs of sense) in the emblems of His conch-
shell and His bow;

2. in the form of His discus, He supports the mind (manas), whose

thoughts, like the weapon, fly swifter than the winds;

3. The bright sword of vishNu is the holy wisdom (vidyA);

4. Intellect (buddhi) abides in mAdhava in the form of the mace (gadA).

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cakra-gadA-dharAya namah.
Thiruvaheendrapuram dEvanAtha perumAL - rathnAngi kaimkaryam
This nAma refers to His form where He holds the manas tattva and the buddhi
tattva in His two hands in the forms of the cakra and gadA respectively. The
broader meaning of the whole passage in SrI vishNupurANam is that BhagavAn

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is the source and repository of everything there is - soul, nature, intellect,
egotism, the elements, the senses, mind, ignorance, and wisdom. All that is
wisdom, all that is ignorance, all that is, all that is not, all that is everlasting, is
centered in Him. He is time, He is earth, He is sky, He is heaven, etc. Those
interested should read the section of SrI vishNu purANa for a continuation of
this beautiful description of His "viSva rUpa". Thus the nAma also signifies
that bhagavAn is the source and controller of everything there is, was and will
be.

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 Slokam 59
vexa> Sva¼ae=ijt> k«:[ae †F> s»;R[ae=Cyut>,

vé[ae vaé[ae v&]> pu:kra]ae mhamna>. 59.

vedhAh svAngo=jitah krushNO druDhah sankarshaNO=cyutah |

varuNO vAruNO vrukshah pushkarAksho mahAmanAh ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 551. vex> vedhAh

a) The Provider.

b) The Doer (of auspicious happenings).

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c) The Creator.
vedhase namah.
SrI BhaTTar derives the meaning from "vidadhAtiiti vedhAh" - He is the Giver
or Provider of unlimited and varied objects of splendor. SrI kRshNa datta
bhAradvAj gives the derivation "vidadhAtikAmAn svajanAnAm iti vedhAh". He
also gives the reference to kaThopanishad- "eko bahUnAm vidadhAti
kAmAn" (2. 2. 13).

SrI P. B. aNNa'ngarAcArya svAmi gives the second interpretation -

"anbargaLukku ma'ngalamAna vibhava'ngaLiac ceibavar".

SrI Sa'nkara bhAshyam is vidadhAti sRjati itividhAtA vedhAh - The Creator.

In amarakoSa we have srashTA prajApatir vedhAvidhAtA viSvasRT vidhih (1.
17), and the explanation vidadhAti karoti iti vedhAh, offered by li'ngAyasUrin.

nAma 552. Sva¼> svA'ngah

a) He who has the marks of sovereignty which are His own.

b) He who is both the Instrumental Cause and the Material Cause of the
Universe.

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c) He who has beautiful, well-proportioned limbs.

d) He who, in the form of the Universe, moves by Himself.

The term a'nga here refers to the celestial marks of sovereignty such as the
chatra (umbrella), cAmara and other things which are His own and unique (sva
a'ngah). He is the Supreme King of all the worlds, and has the unique marks
associated with this.

SrI kRshNadatta bhAradvAj gives the following explanation: "svanyante

Sabdyante sUktibhiriti svAni;tAdRSAni a'ngAni yasya iti svA'ngah".

SrI Sa'nkara bhAshyam is "svayamevakAryasya karaNe a'ngam sahakaroti iti

svA'ngah" - He is Himself the instrument in accomplishing His works. The idea
communicated is that bhagavAn is the Material Cause as well as the
Instrumental Cause of this Universe (SrI cinmayAnanda).

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SrI cinmayAnanda also indicates that the nAma can be interpreted to mean
that bhagavAn has beautiful, well-proportioned a'nga-s or limbs.

SrIsatyadevo vAsishTha uses the meaning a'ng - to go (agi - gatyarthaka

dhAtu), and gives the interpretation that bhagavan has His movement by
Himself, unlike all the other life forms which move only because He is present
in them as the antaryAmi. When the self leaves the body, the body loses the
ability to move. Unlike these, e. g., in the form of the Sun, bhagavAn moves by
Himself without the need for any other external source.

The dharma cakram writer gives the meaning that He is One who helps
Himself. He observes that meditation on this nAma of mahAvishNu should
reveal to us that when we worship Him, there is no need for any external help
for us from anyone or anything in this world, since all the things we need will
be met from within ourselves. It is only when we go after material pursuit
that we need the support of others. BhagavAn is in the ultimate state where
He needs nothing from anyone or anything.

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 nAma 553. Aijt> ajitah

a) He who is unconquered, and unconquerable.

b) He who is the Chief of the Unconquerable place called ajita or

SrIvaikunTha.

c) He who took the amSAvatara in the 6th manvantara as ajitah to help in

churning the Milk Ocean.

d) He who is unconquered in His vow to protect those who have surrendered to

Him.

(SrI BhaTTar): ajitA, aparAjitA, etc. are also names for paramapadam, and
He is the Chief of SrIvaikunTham, and so also He is called ajitah. He and His
abode SrI vaikunTham and everything therein are composed of celestial
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matter called Suddha sattva, which is not under the sway of birth and death.
He is thus unconquered by the sway of birth, aging, decay, and death which are
characteristic of those that pertain to the world of prakRti.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to SrI rAmAyaNam yuddha kANDam

where bhagavAn's nAma ajita occurs (120. 16 - ajitah khaDgadhRg vishNuh
kRshNaScaivabRhad balah). Here ajitah is interpreted by SrI P. S.
kRshNasvAmi iye'ngAr as referring bhagavAn being undefeated in His ASrita
samrakshNam or His vow to protect those who have surrendered to Him even
once).

(SrI Sa'nkara): na jita iti ajitah - One who has never been conquered, and can
never be conquered, is ajitah.

SrI kRshNadatta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation - na jitah kenApi

tribhuvane iti ajaitah - One who has never been conquered by anyone ever in all
the three worlds. He has never been conquered by anyone in any of His
incarnations, and so also He is ajitah.

He is satya svarUpi and dharma svarupi, and so also He is unconquered and

unconquerable (dharma cakram) - satyameva jayate. The dharma cakram

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author gives innumerable examples to illustrate that satya and dharma are
unconquerable, including those involving prahlAda, hariScandra, the pANDavas,
etc. The lesson to take from meditating on this nAma is the greatness of
dharma and satya, and the life led conforming to these values.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives yet another interpretation based on SrImad

bhAgavtam. BhagavAn SrIman nArAyaNa appeared as ajitah in the sixth
manvantara as the son of sambhUti and helped in the churning of the Milk
Ocean to get the amRta for the deva-s. He also took the kUrmAvatAra to
support the mandara mountain in the process –
tatrApi devah sambhUtyAm vairAjasya abhavatsutah |
ajito nAma bhgavAn amSena jagatah patih ||

(SrImad bhAgavatam 8. 5. 9).

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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that there is a question of one being
conquered by another only when they can be compared to each other. In the
case of mahAvishNu, there is no one else to compare to Him, and so there is no
question of His being conquered by any other, and so He is ajitah or
unconquerable and unconquered.

nAma 554. k«:[> kRshNah

a) One who is always in a state of Bliss (with His sport of creation etc. ).

b) The Dark-hued.

c) He who irresistibly attracts His devotees to Him through His infinite

kalyANaguNa-s.

d) He who cultivates the Earth like a plough and makes it suitable for life
forms to form and nourish.

e) He who appeared as veda vyAsa or kRshNa dvaipAyana.

f) He who cultivates the minds of devotees by providing the veda-s in His

incarnation as kRshNa dvaipAyana.

g) The Dark, Mysterious, and Unknowable except by deep devotion.

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 This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 58. Please refer to the detailed
interpretation provided there as well. The first four interpretations were
covered there. Some additional details are provided here. In support of
interpretation (a), SrI v. v. rAmAnujan observes that unlike in rAma
incarnation where bhagavAn went through enormous difficulties -
nATTilpiRandu paDAdana paTTu - nammAzhvAr tiruvAimozhi 7. 5. 2, in kRshNa
incarnation it was "inbuRum iv-viLaiyATTuDaiyAnaip peRRu (tiruvAimozhi 3. 10.
7)","kanRinai vAlOlai kaTTi (periAzhvAr tirumozhi 2. 4. 8)", etc. Another
anubhavam of SrI v. v. rAmAnujan is that bhagavAn is laughing at us mockingly,
seeing that we are not putting to good use the hands and legs and all the
indriya-s He gave us to help us attain Him, but instead we are misusing these
and getting into the cycle of birth and rebirth.

Under the current nAma, SrI ParASara BhaTTar gives one more of his
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anubhava-s of this nAma, and indicates that the Suddhasattva material which
His body is made of has a fascinating complexion dark like the blue cloud. One
of the grammar rules (uNAdi sutra 3. 4) states that when the root kRsh - to
plough is followed by affix nak, it means one of the colors -kRsher varNe. It is
interesting to note that one name for grapes is kRshNA because of this
connotation of color. So also, iron is called kRshNA because of its black color.
This latter meaning is used to explain the significance of bhagavAn's nAma as
kRshNa in mahAbhArata SAnti parva 143. 49 -
kRshAmi medinIm pArtha! bhUtvA kRshNAyasomahAn|
kRshNo varNaSca me yasmAt tena kRshNoham arjuna||

This is a slight variation of the Sloka also quoted from mahAbhArata under
the explanation given under nAma 58. The two Sloka-s are too similar to each
other to suggest that these are variants of the same reference. I do not have
the original version of mahAbhArata to check the authenticity of the
references.

In support of interpretation (b), SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives references to the

following: kaNNan enum karum daivam (nAcciyArtirumozhi 3. 1), kariyAn oru
kALai (tirumozhi 3. 7. ), etc.

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SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the following explanation along the lines of
interpretation :karshati bhagavAn AtmAnam prati vayovarNa rUpaa lAvaNya
madhurI rasotkarsheNaiti kRshNah, or kRshate AtmAnam prati bhaktAn sa-
soundaryeNa iti kRshNah, based on (kRsha vilekhanam AkarshNam ca).

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha and others also support this interpretation along
with the other two.

SrI Sa'nkara interprets this instance of the nAma of kRshNah as referring to

veda vyAsa (e), who is none other than an incarnation of bhagavaAn according
to SrI vishNupurANa -
kRshNadvaipAyanamvyAsam viddhi nArAyaNam prabhum |
ko hyanayh puNDarIkAkshAn mahAbhAratakRtbhavet ||

(VP 3. 4. 5).

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The dharma cakram writer uses the concept of bhagavAn being like a plough
(the basis of interpretation d), combines this with SrI Sa'nkara's
interpretation (e), and offers a new interpretation (f). His anubhavam is that
in the form of veda vyAsa, bhagavAn cultivates the minds of people by
providing to us the veda-s, and so vyAsa, who is none other than nArAyaNa, is
referred to by the nAma kRshNa here.

SrI cinmayAnanda uses the meaning "dark" for the word kRshNa, and suggests
that this nAma of bhagavAn signifies the "unknown factor" that expresses
through us - whose manifestations are all our physical, mental, and intellectual
capabilities. Except by deep and sincere devotion, He cannot be comprehended,
and so He is kRshNah - Dark and Mysterious.

nAma 555. †F> dRDhah

a) He Who assumes firm, concrete vyUha forms for the benefit of His
devotees.

b) He Who is firm and determined in His thoughts, words and deeds.

c) He Who is firmly established and cannot be negated as the Supreme Deity

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 by counter-arguments.

d) He Who is huge and strong.

dRDhAya namah.
dRDha literally means solid, firm, strong, massive, etc. The root word from
which the nAma dRDhah is formed is dRh -vRddhau - to be fixed or firm, to
grow. SrI v. n. vedAnta deSikan gives the interpretation in English as: Para
vAsudeva takes the vyUha forms which are firm and concrete and are not
merely of a nebulous, imaginative level. In other words, the term dRDhah here
refers to forms that can be more easily comprehended and meditated upon.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to the nRsimha incarnation - tiNNiyadOr

ari uru, where ari means lion.

b) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri interprets the nAma as referring to bhagavAn

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being firm in His actions - one meaning for acyutah which we will encounter
later in this write-up.

SrI cinmayAnanda observes that even though bhagavAn is firm in His Infinite
Justice, this Justice becomes a-dRDhah when a great sinner surrenders to
Him, and bhagavAn immediately reaches out to help the sinner.

c) SrI PBA gives the interpretation that bhagavAn s dRDhah because He if

firmly established as the Supreme Deity by vedic pramANa-s, and no amount
of false arguments by the "bAhya ku-dRshTi-s" can negate that.

d) dRDhah also means huge, mighty, strong, etc. - dRDhau sthUlobalavAn vA.
Since bhagavAn assumes huge and strong forms when He takes His
incarnations to destroy His enemies, this nAma can be interpreted as a
reference to this guNa of His.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the explanation dRDahu sthUlobalavAn vA. He

also gives another view - everything that bhagavAn creates reflects His guNa
of firmness. The Oceans have always been firm in keeping the massive amount
of water in their bounds without exception, and the skeleton that holds the
body together is firm from birth to death and never collapses from its shape,

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and the earth holds all its subjects and contents firmly. BhagavAn who is
giving all of these their firmness, is thus also called dRDhah.

nAma 556. s»;R[> sankarshaNah

He Who draws others near Him.

sankarshaNAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is "samsAre cit-acitohAtmani samam karshaNAt
samam karsham nayati" - In this world, He draws towards Himself both the cit
and acit in the same way and unites them - His power of attraction is uniform,
and so He is called samkarshaNa.

SrI Sankara specifically refers to this attraction as referring to the time of

cosmic dissolution, when bhagavAn draws everything towards Himself.

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SrI kRshNadatta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation - samyak karshati iti
sankarshaNah; SrI bhagavAn svajanAn AtmAnamprati svakIyaih vAtsalya
mAdhuryAdi guNaih karshati - He who draws His devotees towards Him
through His infinite guNa-s such as vAtsalyam, His exquisite beauty, etc.

SrI Sankara combines this nAma with the next one, acyutah, and interprets
sankarshNocyutah as one nAma, meaning that bhagavAn draws everything at
the time of dissolution towards Himself (samkarshNah), while Himself not
slipping from His Real Nature (acyutah).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri gives yet another anubhavam for the sequence
dRDhah, sankarshNah, and acyutah:

1. dRDhah - He is one who is firm in His Nature,

2. sankarshNah - He who draws those who are caught in the ocean of

samsAra towards Him with firm determination and Mercy, and

3. acyutah - He Who is firm and does not slip while drawing the entire
group of these cetana-s towards Him.

The dharma cakram writer gives a simple analogy to illustrate the above. To
drag someone who has fallen into a forceful river to safety, the savior should

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 be strong enough not to be drawn by the river himself, but also should have
the strength to drag the other individual against the force of the river.
BhagavAn is the acyutah who has the firmness, resolve, and the power to save
the samsAri-s from the ocean current of samsAra.

nAma 557. ACyut> acyutah

a) One who never slips from His glory.

b) One who never lets His devotees slip.

c) One who undergoes no modifications such as birth, growth, decay, disease,

etc.
acyutAya namah.
We came across this nAma twice before (nAma-s101 and 320). The contents
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of the previous explanations have been included in the following summary.

a) cyuti means "fall" and cyuta means "fallen". acyuta means "One who has
never fallen from His true nature". Different anubhava-s are given to further
expand this guNa of the Lord. Sri Bhattar points out that He does not ever
fall from His position of overlordship unlike Brahma, Indra, etc. who are
subject to loss of position, and therefore He is called acyuta. In support of
the interpretation that bhagavAn does not undergo transformations like
others, SrI BhaTTar quotes the following:
cyavanotpattiukteshu brahmendra varuNAdishu |
yasmAn na cyavase sthAnAt tasmat samkIrtyase acyutah ||

The source of this reference has not been provided in Prof. SrInivAsa
rAghavan's text. The meaning is: "Whereas brahma, varuNa, and others are
subject to birth and death and fall down from their position, Thou dost not fall
down like that. So Thou art called acyuta".

Sri rAdhAkrshNa SAstri points out that He also does not slip from His
position by being influenced by kAma etc. unlike Brahma, Indra etc. In
mahAbhArata we have "yasmAt na cyuta pUrvo'ham acyutastenakarmaNA" -
SAnti parva 12. 330. 16.

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Sri Sankara interprets the above as meaning "svarUpasAmarthyAt na cyuto na
cyavate na cyavishyata iti acyutah"- He has not lapsed, is not lapsing, and will
not lapse from His own glory; hence the name acyuta.

The dharma cakram writer points to the passage in muNDakopanishad which

describes the two birds sitting in different branches of the tree, one tasting
the fruit and the other just watching the bird that is tasting the fruit (of
karma). This has been described in a previous write-up. BhagavAn is the
acyuta, from His superior position, watching the jIvAtmA which is tasting the
fruits of karma in this case.

b) Sri Bhattar also gives the alternate vyAkhyAna: "I have never abandoned
(my bhaktas). Because of this act of mine, I am known as acyuta". His words
are "tebyah prapannebhyah naapagatah acyutah - He is never away from those

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who have sought refuge in Him".

Sri tirukkaLLam nrsimharAghavAchAryar in his bhagavadgItA bhAshya has

given the explanation na cyAvayati iti acyutah - One who does not let His
devotees slip. arjuna calls Lord kRshNa as acyuta since He has taken it upon
Himself to be his charioteer and will ensure that arjuna will not slip.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan adds the following reference from rAmAyaNa in support

of the interpretation "He who does not let His devotee slip" - na cyAvayati -
"mitra-bhAvena samprAptam natyajeyam kathancana dosho yadyapi tasya syAt
" - "No matter what flaws a person has, if he has come to Me seeking My
friendship, there is no way that I will abandon him under any circumstance".
SrI rAmAnujan also gives the reference to divya prabandham -
"kArtigaiyAnum kari-mugattAnum kanalummukkaN-mUrtiyum mODiyum veppum
mudugiTTu" - the reference here is to the story of bANAsura who was
abandoned by the other devatA-s when he approached them for protection.
Not so with bhagavAn - na me bhaktah praNaSyati - "My devotee will never
perish" - gItA.

c) cyutam means modification. The upanishad says of BhagavAn - "SASvatam

Sivam acyutam" - Eternal, Auspicious, and Changeless" - taittirIya AraNyakam

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 - 10. 11). Sri rAdhAkrshNa SAstri points out that BhagavAn is acyuta because
He does not slip from stage to stage in the sequence of events such as birth,
living, growth, change in appearance, decay, and finally disappearance from the
body.

nAma 558. vé[> varuNah

He Who envelops.
varuNAya namah.
The word is derived from the root vr~nj varaNeto envelop. SrI BhaTTar gives
the example of "yena AvRtam kham ca divammahIm ca - He by Whom are
covered the Ether, the svarga, and the Earth" - taittirIya upanishad 1. 1. In
other words, He surrounds all the three worlds (SrIrAdhAkRshNa SAstri).
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varuNa is also the term used for the evening sun. Like the sun who withdrawing
his scorching rays unto himself in the evening, the Lord withdraws all the
pluralistic world unto Himself. The Eternal Reality, functioning through the sun
as the sun's energy and light, is described in the upanishads as the "Golden
One", and hence the appropriateness of using this term varuNa for nArAyaNa
(e. g., the designation sUrya nArAyaNa (SrI cinmayAnanda).

The dharma cakram writer lists the following anubhava-s related to this
mantram (note how the learned people view the nAma-s of the Lord that occur
in sahasranAmam): varuNa is the the Lord of the waters; He is also the setting
sun in the evening; He is also the Lord of the western direction. Just as
darkness envelops us when the sun sets, those who do not have the thought of
bhagavAn fall into darkness. As long as they have the thought of bhagavAn in
their mind, there is the brightness of j~nAna guiding them.

nAma 559. vaé[> vAruNah

a) He Who is with those who have sought Him as their Lord or svAmi.

b) The Son of varuNa.

c) He Who removes the adversities of His devotees

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vAruNAya namah
a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as: tamsvAmitvena vRNute iti varuNah;
tatra bhavo vAruNah - varuNa refers to one who seeks Him as his master;
bhagavAn is called vAruNa since He is always with this seeker. The nirukti
author gives the following interpretation of SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam -
svAmitvena vRNAneshu sthito vAruNa Iritah. SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives
references to the following from divya prabandham which convey the thought
consistent with this interpretation - "vandAi en manam pugundAi mannininRAi"
- tirumozhi 1. 10. 9; "unnaik koNDu ennuL vaittEn" -periAzhvAr tirumozhi 5. 4.
5).

b) SrI Sa'nkara bhAshyam is "varuNasyaApatyam vasiThah agastyo vA

vAruNah - vAruNa refers to the son of varuNa, viz. vasishTha or agastya, who

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are both incarnations of bhagavAn

c) SrI kRshNa dattabharadvAj gives the interpretation (c) above: vArayati

nivArayati vipadamsvajanAnAm iti vAruNah.

nAma 560. v&]> vRkshah

a) He Who provides shade like a tree (i. e., He is the Resort) for the wise.

b) He Who is firm like a tree.

vRkshAya namah.
a) vRksha is derived from the root vRj varaNeto seek or resort to (SrI
BhaTTar). SrI BhaTTar points out that like a shady tree, bhagavAn is
possessed of all things required by those who resort to Him, and He gives
shade to even those who insult Him, just as a tree gives shade to even those
who cut it.

SrI P. B. aNNa'ngarAcArya svAmi points out that bhagavAn is waiting for the
devotee to come to Him with His protection always available to them. So He is
called vRksha.

SrI BhaTTar gives the following references in support of his interpretation -

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 nivAsa vRkshah sAdhUnAm ApannAnAm parA gatih - He is the one Resort for
the good and the supreme refuge in distress (rAmA. kishkindA. 15. 19); vRksha
iva stabdho divi tishThatyekah - Like an unmoving and firm tree He stands in
the Heavens - mahA nArA. u. 10. 4).

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan observes that there are several who get saved by this
"vAsudeva taruc chAyA" or the shade from the tree by name vAsudeva. He
also refers us the prabandham -"tan oppAr illppan tandanan tana tAL
nizhalE" (tiruvAimozhi 6. 3. 9).

b) SrI Sa'nkara uses the same upanishad passage we referred to above

(vRksha iva stavdho divi tishThatyekah) and interprets it to mean that
bhagavAn is referred to vRksha because He is firm like a tree.

SrI T. S. kRshNamUrti elaborates on this and suggests that the firmness here
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refers to bhagavAn being firmly established in the spiritual realm. SrI

cinmayAnanda explains the nAma in terms of the world itself emerging out of
bhagavAn being described as a "tree" in the upanishads - UrdhvamUlam adhah
SakhAm Asvattham prAhuravyayam (gItA 15. 1); Urdhva mUla avAk Sakhaesha
Asvatthah sanAtanah (kaTho. 2. 6. 1).

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives different examples from the Sruti-s where the
term vRksha is used to refer

1. to a tree (vRkshona pakvah - Rg. 4. 20. 5),

2. to the sun (kah svid vRksho nishThito madhye arNasah - Rg. 1. 182. 7),

3. a woman (maryo na yoshAmabhi manyamAnah - Rg. 4. 20. 5),

4. prakRti (dvAsuparNA sayujA sakhAyA samAnam vRksham

parishasvajAte… (Rg. 1. 164. 20),

5. paramAtmA (yasmin vRkshe madhvadah suparNAh niviSante stuvate

cAdhi viSve (Rg. 1. 164. 22) etc.

Since bhagavAn appears in all these forms of vRksha, His nAma is vRksha.

SrI vAsishTha also gives another anubhavam for this nAma. vRksha could also
mean tearing apart, separating - based on vraSc - chedane - to cut, to tear.

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The jIvAtmA separates the bodies, bhagavAn separates the different jIva-s
in His creation, He keeps the starts and the planets separated, the sun tears
apart the darkness, the tree separates out the fruits from the leaves and the
branches, etc. So these are all vRksha-s viz. those that separate out
different things. BhagavAn has thus manifested Himself in His vRksha aspect
and expanded this world in its variety. SrI vAsishTha proceeds to comment
that one who understands this secret behind bhagavAn who is a vRksha, will
succeed in tearing apart from the tree of desire and reach bhagavAn the
vRksha from all aspects and dimensions.

The dharma cakram writer points out that the lesson to take from this nAma is
not to just seek the shade alone from this Tree as duryodhana did, but to
really benefit from the fruit from this Tree as arjuna did. If one only wants
the temporary shade, then the shade of the tree keeps shifting with time

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relative to the sun's position, and so seeking the shade in the form of
temporary benefits is not what will lead to permanent God realization. Instead
of asking for the kRshNa's army and rejecting kRshNa as duryodhana did, one
should seek Him as arjuna did, which will then take care of all the other needs.

nAma 561. pu:kra]> pushkarAkshah

a) He Who has nourishing eyes.

b) He Who has beautiful lotus-like eyes.

c) He Who pervades all space.

d) He Who has the Sun and the Moon as His eyes.

e) He Who shines as the light of consciousness when meditated upon in the

lotus of the heart.
pushkarAkshAya namah.
a) SRI BhaTTar derives the interpretation based on the root push - pushTau -
to nourish. svAmi deSikan describes His eyes in SrI bhagavd dhyAna sopAnam
as "svAgata udAra netram" - Lord ra'nganAtha's Merciful and welcoming eyes
always look at the devotee who is approaching Him. The beauty of His eyes are

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 again described in SrI daSAvatArastotram as resembling a forest of beautiful
lotus flowers - aravinda gahanAnitanvan iva datta kshaNair vIkshaNaih
(Slokam 2).

b) pushkara refers to a lotus, and aksha means eyes. So pushkarAkashah

refers to One with lotus-like eyes. SrI kRshNadattabhAradvAj gives the SrI
rAmAnuja-fame quote "tasya yathA kapyAsampuNDarIkam eva akshiNi" from
chAndogyopanishad 1. 6. 7.

c) pushkara also means Universal Space, and akshu means pervading, and SrI
cinmayAnanda follows SrI Sa'nkara in interpreting the nAma as "He Who
pervades all space".

d) In addition to c), SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses a variant of the above, and
also gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has the two eyes in space, viz. the
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sun and the moon (yasya sUryaS cakshuScandramASca punarNavah - atharva.

10. 7. 33).

e) When pushkara is interpreted as the heart-lotus, pushkarAksha can be

interpreted as referring to One who illumines the heart-lotus when meditated
upon (SrI Sa'nkara). The dharma cakram writer, whose name is not given but
who is a sanyAsin of the SrI rAmakRshNa tapovanam Order, observes that for
a beginner who wants to practice meditation, concentrating on the heart-lotus
is easier than concentrating on the space between the two eye-brows etc.
(The later can cause a head-ache for a novice who is not used to meditation!).

mahA--manAh
nAma 562. mhamna> mahA

a) The Broad-minded.

b) He Who has a great (highly capable) mind.

c) He Who has a mind (intellect) with unlimited capability

mahA-manase namah
a) SrI BhaTTar: Since bhagavAn has a generous, deep, and broad mind towards
His devotees, He is called mahA-manAh.

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SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to peria tiru antAdi 53 - un aDiyArkku en
Seyvan enrEirutti nI (note the emphasis in enrE instead of just enru!), and also
to tiruvAimozhi 9. 4. 10 - aDiyAn ivan enRu enakku Ar aRuL Seyyum neDiyAn.
The instance of His feeling forever that He had not done enough to help
draupadi after she cried out for Him and He saved her from being defamed by
duryodhana also comes to mind. His Nature is that He forgives even the worst
of sinners when they surrender to Him - such is His broad-mindedness.

b) SrI Sa'nkara: By His mind alone, He performs the creation, preservation,

and withdrawal of the world - such is the capability of His mind. The
karmendriya-s are not involved in this process. SrI Sa'nkara quotes the
vishNu purANa in support - manasaiva jagat-sRshTim samhAramca karoti yah
(5. 22. 15).

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c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha: BhagavAn is mahAmanAh because He has
knowledge which supercedes anyone else's knowledge in this Universe, and also
as antaryAmI in everything that exists, He knows everything there is to know.
All great ones pray to Him for knowledge -
yAm medhAmdevagaNAh pitarSca upAsate |
tayA mAm adya medhayA agne medhAvinam kuru ||

(yajur. 32. 14).

The dharma cakram writer observes that in the sequence "body, indriya-s, and
mind", body is the sthUla or bigger one, and mind is the subtle one or sUkshma.
The subtler one is the more capable in this sequence, and without the mind the
indriya-s don't function, and without the indriya-s the body does not function.

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 Slokam 60
Égvan! Égha nNdI vnmalI hlayux>,

AaidTyae JyaeitraidTy> sih:[ugRitsÄm>. 60.

bhagavAn bhagahA nandI vanamAlI halAyudhah |
AadityO jyOtirAdityah sahishNur gatisattamah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 563. Égvan! bhagavAn

a) He Who is worthy of worship.

b) He Who is full of the six attributes

c) He Who knows the origin and the end of all beings.

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bhagavate namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as referring to His being worthy of
worship because of His essential nature whic his antagonistic to all defects and
which is endowed with all auspicious qualities. The word bhaga has a special
meaning which refers to the six attributes, but SrI BhaTTar does not use this
meaning here to interpret this nAma, which the other vyAkhyAna kartA-s use.
Instead, he gives the interpretation "He Who is worthy of worship". In
amarakOSa vyAkhyAnam, there is a reference to "bhajyata iti bhagah", which
seems to fit SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for the current nAma. He uses the
reference to the six attributes in interpreting the next nAma "bhagahA". In
support of SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for the current nAma, SrI v. v.
rAmAnujan gives reference to AzhvAr aruLicceyal: uyarvaRa uyar nalam
uDaiyavan (tiruvAimozhi1. 1. 1), tIdu il SIr nalam tigazh nAraNan; andam il
Adiyam bhagavan (tiruvAimozhi1. 3. 5).

b) SrI Sa'nkara and other vyAkhyAna kartA-s interpret the current nAma
based on the word bhaga referring to the six attributes.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the derivation - bhago j~nAnAdishaTkam

vidyate niratiSayam yasmin iti bhagavAn - He in whom the six attributes

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(j~nAna etc. ), which are called bhaga-s, are present in perfection and fullness
is called bhagavAn.

SrI Sa'nkara gives reference to vishNu purANam supporting his

interpretation:
aiSvaryasya samagrasya vIryasya yaSasah Sriyah|
j~nAna vairAgya yogaScaiva shaNNAm bhaga itI'nganA ||

(V. P. 6. 5. 74)

"He Who possesses the attributes of aiSvaryam or Lordship, dharma, fame,

wealth, j~nAna and vairAgya in full is called bhagavAn". There are differing
versions of the Sloka, with dharmasya replacing vIryasya, "j~nAna
vairAgyayoScaiva" replaced by "vairAgyasyAthamokshasya", etc.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the following brief explanation of the six

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attributes referred to above:

1. aiSvarya - The quality of being the Lord of all - He can control and rule
over all things at all times, and thus He is the Supreme over all. (na
tasya ISe kaScana - tait. AraN. 10. 10)

2. vIrya - The ability to be victorious over any enemy (ugram

vIrammahAvishNum)

3. yaSah - kIrti - Worthy of praise by all without exception (tasyanAma

mahad-yaSah - (tait. AraN. 10. 1)

4. SrI - Wealth - He is One Who has mahAlakshmi always residing as part

of Him (Sriyam lakshmIm aupalAm ambikAm gAm)

5. j~nAna - Because He is the Knower of the past, present, and future and
the Lord of the three - bhUta bhavya bhavan-nAthah (yah savaj~nah
sarvavit yaysj~nAnamayam tapah - muNDako. 1. 1. 9)

6. vairAgya - Being unattached to anything (savA ayamAtmA brahma

akAma mayah - bRhadA. 4. 4. 5)

c) SrI Sa'nkara gives an alternate interpretation as well, also based on another

Slokam from SrI vishNu purANam:

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 utpattim pralayam caiva bhUtAnAm Agatim gatim |
vetti vidyAm avidyAm ca sa vAcyobhagavAn iti ||

(V. P. 6. 5. 78)

"He is named bhagavAn who knows the origin and the end, the arrival and the
exit, of all beings, and also vidyA and avidyA".

nAma 564. Égha bhagahA

a) He Who is possessed of auspicious qualities.

b) He Who gets rid of the wealth etc. from everyone during praLaya.
bhagaghne namah.
a) As was pointed out in the last para, SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for
bhagahA uses the meaning of bhaga referring to the six attributes, and here
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he quotes the same vishNu purANam reference that SrI Samkara uses for the
last nAma (VP 6. 5. 74). The literal interpretation is "bhagaSabdyAn sa
kalyANa guNAn hanti tu gacchati" - He Who goes to (i. e., has) all the six
attributes referred to by the term bhaga. The usual meaning for hA is "to kill,
to destroy" - e. g., vIrahA. But SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning "hanti - goes" in
his interpretation.

SrI kRshNa dattabhAradvAj also adopts the same interpretation - bhagam

mAhAtmyam jihIte gacchatiprApnoti iti bhagahA.

b) SrI Samkara uses the meaning of hA - to kill, and interprets the nAma as
meaning that He is the Remover of all things such as wealth from everyone at
the time of pralaya - aiSvaryAdikam samhArasamaye hanti iti bhagahA.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives a different elaboration of this idea - bhaga

represents the vastness of things, and hA represents the contraction of this
vastness. Thus He is called bhaga-hA because He reduces the vastness of His
creation by contracting it all into Himself at the time of pralaya.

svAmi cinmayAnanda points out that in this sense, it is not "destruction" of

things, but an absorption of things back into Himself that initially came from

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Him.

The dharma cakram writer observes that the impermanence of things like
wealth, fame, etc. is what is being imparted to us here, and the more we
understand this and remove our attachment to these, the closer we would have
understood the significance of this nAma.

nAma 565. nNdI nandI or AnandI

a) He Who has nanda as His father.

b) He Who is ever blissful by Nature, and also because of His prosperity and
the six guNa-s.

c) He Who is ever happy by association with His devotees.

d) He Who gives Bliss to His devotees.

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nandine namah
Anandine namah.
SrI BhaTTar gives both the above nAma-s, and SrI Samkara gives the latter
nAma. In both the interpretations, SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as
referring to balarAma as the samkarshaNa form of bhagavAn, and SrI
Samkara interprets the nAma as AnandI, referring to bhagavAn in HiskRshNa
incarnation. Others interpret the nAma as nandI or AnandI, both referring to
Lord kRshNa.

a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma nandI as referring to balarAma whose

father is nandagopa. BhagavAn who was samkarshaNa in the vyUha form took
incarnation as balarAma in the vibhava form with nanadagopa as His father.

SrI cinmayAnanda chooses to interpret the same as referring to Lord kRshNa,

who was brought up by nandagopa (nandagopan kumaran nArAyaNan).

b) SrI Samkara interprets the nAma as AnandI, signifying that He is ever

prosperous because He is rich in everything, or because His Nature is Bliss -
sukha svarUpatvAt AnandI, or sarvAbhih sampadbhihsamRddahtvAt AnandI.

c) SrI BhaTTar interprets the term AnandI to refer to balarAma who made

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 Himself and all around Him happy in AyarpADi.

The dharma cakram writer uses the same sense and interprets the nAma to
refer to kRshNa who made Himself and all around Him happy in AyarpADi.

d) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the intepretation - nandati samRdhyati

iti nandI - He Who gives delight to His devotees.

SrI cinmayAnanda observes that those who move towards Him in pure
surrender come to share His divine nature of All-Bliss. The term AnandI can
also be interpreted to mean this same idea.

The dharma cakram writer points out the significance of the nAma AnandI -
that we are inherently blissful, but just as those who have eyes can choose to
close their eyes and suffer in darkness, we close our eyes to j~nAna and
suffer in misery and distress. The means to get out of this state of suffering
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is to realize bhagavAn's and our true svarUpam. This realization can be

attained only through His grace, and so worshipping Him with devotion is the
only means for everlasting happiness. The gopi-s of AyarpADi were happy
always because they did not have any other thought except the thought of
Him, and so they were devoid of any worldly thought. The significance of this
nAma is to teach us that the means to true happiness is to immerse ourselves
in His thought rather than divert ourselves into worldly thoughts.

nAma 566. vnmalI vanamAlI

He Who has the vanamAlA garland.

vanamAline namah.
He is known s vanamAlI because He is adorned by the vyjayantI Garland, which
is the presiding deity over the pa'nca bhUta-s and the pa'nca-tanmAtra-s (the
five elements in their gross and subtle form), and also over the quality of
fragrance. The pa'nca tanmAtra-s or the five subtle elements are Sabda,
sparSa, rasa, rUpa, and gandha - sound, touch, taste, sight, smell. The pa'nca
bhUta-s associated with these tanmAtra-s are: AkAsa or ether, air, fire,
water, and earth. vana mAlai literally refers to a garland made of flowers that

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grow in the forest. For the purpose of making it, five different colors are
used to string the garland, representing the five tanmAtra-s. The symbolic
meaning is that He wears this Universe with its diverse variety like a garland
around His neck.

The dharma cakram writer observes that we experience the five tanmAtra-s
through the five j~nAnendriya-s or sense organs. This nAma teaches us that
we should surrender or dedicate the five senses to Him and worship Him with
devotion, instead of diverting them to the sensuous enjoyment of this world.

nAma 567. hlayux> halAyudhah

One Who has the plough in His hand.

halAydhAya namah.

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SrI Samkara gives the explanation - halamAyudham asya iti halAyudhah. This
thus refers to the incarnation as balarAma.

SrI BhaTTar points out that bhagavAn works like an agriculturist with a plough
in His hand for the prosperous growth of the pa`nca mahA bhUta-s (earth,
water, air, etc. ).

nAma 568. AaidTy> Adityah

a) Son of devaki who was aditi in her previous birth

b) Son of aditi (and kaSyapa) in His vAmana incarnation

c) BhagavAn samkarshaNa, who is attained through the bIja mantra "A"

d) He from Whom moksha is obtained.

a) SrI BhaTTar gives reference to vaishNava dharma in support of the first

interpretation:
dAkshAyaNi tvam aditih sambhUtA vasudhAtale |
nityaiva tvam jagad-dhAtrI prasAdam te karomyaham ||

(vishNu dharma 93. 44 )

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 " You are dAkshAyaNi (the daughter of daksha) born as aditi in this world.
You are the mother eternal of the world. I confer favors on you".

b) SrI Samkara interprets the nAma as referring to bhagavAn's vAmana

incarnation as aditi's son - adityAm kaSyapAtvAmana rUpeNa jAta Adityah.
SrI kRshNadatta bhAradvAj gives reference to the following, but the source
is not identified:
"bhAdramAse site pakshe dvAdaSyAmSubhavAsare |
kaSyapAt aditer-mAtuh bhagavAn vAmanah abhavat ||"

c) SrI BhaTTar gives the alternate interpretation: "A" varNAt Atah ityah -
prApyah iti Adityah - He Who is realized by the mystic letter "A" which is the
bIja mantra for samkarshaNa.

d) SrI cinmayAnanda uses the same basis as c, and interprets At to mean

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"from vishNu", and ityah to mean "to be attained", and interpret a Adityah to
mean "He from Whom moksha is obtained". The next segment is interpreted
by SrI BhaTTar as pertaining to the incarnation of bhagavAn as nArAyaNa.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan points out that while the nAma "nArAyaNa" is very
special, it also refers to one of the incarnations He took (nara and nArAyaNa
forms) in badri.

jyotir--Adityah
nAma 569. JyaeitraidTy> jyotir

a) The Resplendent Aditya.

b) He Who resides in the disc of the sun.

c) He Who glows like the sun

jyotir-AdityAya namah.
a) His tejas is such that it makes the sun look like a dark spot by comparison.

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is "divyAScaryajyotir-mayatvAt apUrvah jyotir-

Adityah. He gives reference to mahAbhArata: "nishprabhANi ca tejAmsi
brahmA caiva AsanAt cyutah" (SAnti. 344. 90) "When nara and nArAyaNa
began to fight with bhava (rudra), all the luminaries became void of their

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luminosity, and brahma too slipped from his seat".

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives the references to divya prabandham: nandAda

kozhum SuDar (tirumozhi 1. 10. 9), umbar vAnavar Adiyamjyoti.

b) He is the cause of the brilliance of the sun (dhyeyah sadA savitRmaNDala

madhyavartI nArAyaNah sarasijAsana sannivishTah). He is jyoti of the Aditya
or the sun - the antaryAmi of the sun.

SrI Samkara'svyAkhyAnam is: jyotishi savitRmaNdale sthitah, jyotir-Adityah.

c) SrI kRshNa bhAradvAj gives the interpretation -

dyotate dIpyati iti jyotih |

jyotih Aditya iva itijyotirAdityah||

He Who shines like the sun. He gives the following support:

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"vedAhametam purusham mahAntam |
Aditya varNam tamasah parastAt ||

(SvetAS. Upa. 3. 8),

and
"sarvasya dhAtAram acintya rUpam Aditya varNam tamasahparastAt"

(gItA 8. 9).

nAma 570. sih:[u> sahishNuh

a) He Who is endowed with enormous patience.

b) He Who forgives.

c) He Who suffers patiently for us with perfect detachment.

d) He Who conquers His foes.

e) He Who willingly accepts the offerings of His devotees.

f) He Who can bear the opposites - like heat and cold.

sahishNave namah.
This nAma has occurred before as nAma 146. See the write-up under that

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 nAma as well.

a) SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is "aparAdhasahanAt sahishNuh" - Because He

puts up with all kinds of aparAdha-s. SrI BhaTTar refers to the "fight that
bhagavAn had with Siva", and bhagavAn's putting up with Siva's aparAdham
and forgiving him after he was defeated. It appears that the reference here
is to the yuddha where Siva tried to support bANAsura against bhagavAn.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives other instances where bhagavAn has displayed His
enormous patience. He put up with the enormous abusive language from
SiSupAla - kETpAr Sevi Sudu kIzhmai vaSavugaLE vaiyumpazham pagaivan
SiSupAlan tATpAl aDainda tanmaiyan (tiruvAimozhi 7. 5. 3); palapala
nAzha'ngaL Sollip pazhitta SiSupAlan tannai alaivalaimai tavirtta azhagan
(periAzh. 4. 3. 5).
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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives reference to SrImad rAmAyaNam - kshmayA

pRthivI samah - Lord rAma's patience is like that of Mother Earth herself,
who puts up with all our abuses and still does not retaliate. Another of his
very interesting observations is that He was born to the likes of devaki, aditi,
kausalyA etc., and so inherited the patience from them (recall the life
histories of the three!), and displayed it in each of His incarnations.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha notes that patience is bhagavAn's Nature, His

dharma, His conduct - sahate tat Silah, tad-dharmah, tad-sAdhuh. His dharma
of patience is inculcated in every aspect of His creation, including the
structure of the body which is provided with a skeleton that bears the weight
and structure of the rest of the body without collapsing etc.

b) Under the vyAkhyAna for nAma 146, SrI BhaTTar eloquently describes
bhagavAn's guNa of forgiving the apacAra of His devotees when they
surrender to Him:
"prAk, Urdhvam ca, sa'ncitAnAm, buddhyA,abuddhyA, sakalakaraNaih,
sarvadA, sarvathA ca, pracIyamAnAnAm, vidhi-nisheda Sasana
atila'nghanAtmanAm, sAdhAraNAnAm, asAdhAraNAnAm ca,
svAvaj~nA-nindAnInAm, sarvamsahena svenApi dus-sahAnAm, sva-bhakta

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vishayANAm ca, anavadhikAnAm aparAdhAnAm, sahishNuh"

"He forgives the accumulated sins that were committed in the past or to be
committed in the future, sins committed consciously or unconsciously by all the
organs of sense at all times and in all ways, sins committed by not observing
the SAstric injunctions or by doing acts forbidden by the SAstra-s, sins that
are common and uncommon, sins committed by insulting Him and abusing Him,
as well as the sins against His own devotees".

In SaraNAgati gadyam, SrI bhagavad rAmAnuja lists some of the enormous

apacAra-s that we all commit, and asks His forgiveness on our behalf. "mano
vAk kAyaih anAdikAla pravRtta anantaakRtyakaraNa akaraNa bhagavad-
apacAra bhAgavata-apacAra asahya-apacAra-rUpanAnA-vidha-asahya
apacArAn Arabdha kAryAn anArabdha kAryAn kRtAn
kRiyamANAnkarishyamANAnSca sarvAn aSeshatah kshamasva" - "apacAra-s

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performed through thought, word and deed, sins committed through the
infinite number of births, the infinite sins accrued from performing acts that
are forbidden and from not performing karma-s that are prescribed, the
apacAra-s committed towards Him and towards His devotees (bhAgavata-s), all
the varieties and shades of sins that we commit that can't possibly be
tolerated and forgiven, those that have already begun to fructify and those
are still to take their effects, the sins that we have committed in the past,
those that we are actively committing now,and those that we will commit in the
future" bhagavAn forgives all these without any left-over IF WE
UNCONDITIONALLY SURRENDER TO HIM. This is the basic concept of
prapatti.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to divyaprabandham - "tan aDiyAr tiRattagattut

tAmariyAL Agilum Sidagu uraikkumElen aDiyAr adu SeyyAr SeidArEl nanRu
SeidAt enbar pOlum (periAzh. 4. 9. 2)", to show the magnanimity of His
forgiving nature. Interpretations b, c, and d are covered in the earlier write-
up for nAma 146.

e) SrI kRshnadatta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation - "sahitum tRptim

anubhavitum bhakta upahRtaih phalAdibhihSilam yasya iti sahishNuh", and

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 "sodhum tRptim anubhavitum svajasevayASilam asya iti sahishNuh", which
signify that He willingly accepts and is satisfied by even the simple offerings
such as fruits by His devotees, and by the services that they offer. Recall
"patram pushpam phalam toyam…"in SrImad bhagavadgItA (9. 26).

f) SrI Samkara's vyAkhyAnam for the current instance of this nAma is that
He is capable of putting up with opposites like heat and cold - dvandvAni
SitoshNAdIni sahata iti sahishNuh. For bhagavAn, there is no difference
between these opposites, since He is unaffected by any of these such as
happiness vs. sorrow.

SrI anantakRshNa SAstri observes that this was vividly demonstrated by

bhagavAn in His intense penance as nara nArAyaNa in badari.

gati--sattamah
nAma 570. gitsÄm> gati
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a) The best instructor in the path of dharma.

b) The Best among the refuges to be sought.

c) The Ultimate Support and the Greatest of all beings.

gati-sttamAya namah.
The several ways in which this nAma has been interpreted correspond to: sad-
gatih tamah; gatih sattamah ca; sat tamahgatih; etc.

a) SrI BhaTTar gives the vyAkhyAnam - sa evaparama dharmAdhvadesikatvena

gati-sattamah - gatau pratyayita tamah - He is the Best Instructor there is
for dharma (He gave us the gItA, the veda-s, etc. ).

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvAimozhi which conveys the same

idea: ARRanalla vagai kATTum ammAn (4. 5. 5); "nambanE! navinREtta
vallavargaL nAthanE! (periAzhvAr tiru. 5. 1. 9); neRi vASal tAnEyAi ninRAn
(mudal tiru. 4) - where neRi means the path of dharma.

b) SrI Samkara interprets this nAma as representing the two attributes of

bhagavAn - gatih and sattamah - He is the path and He is the Best - gatiSca
asau sattamaSca iti gati-sattamah. He is the ultimate resort and support of all

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(gatih), and He is the greatest of all beings (sat-tamah).

c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the interpretation that He is the best

among the objects/places that are to be sought. This is because He is
forgiving and patient (previous two nAma-s), and so He will not ignore those
who have sinned, and so He is the easiest path and therefore the best path in
this sense also.

SrI kRshNadatta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation: "gantavyasthAne

gatiprayogah - The term gatih is used in the sense of the place worthy of
reaching". He further adds: "SrIman nArAyaNa caraNAvinda
sAnnidhyamevasavottamam gantavyam".

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha also echoes the same interpretation - gati Sabdena
iha gatirASrayah gRhyate, tena gatirASritAnAmSreshThatamo gatisattamah.

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 Slokam 61
suxNva o{fprzudaRé[ae Ôiv[àd>,

idivSp&KsvR†GVyasae vacSpitryaeinj>. 61.

sudhanvA khaNDaparasurdAruNo draviNapradah |
divispruk sarvadrugvyAsO vAcaspati rayonijah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

su--dhanvA
nAma 572. suxNva su

He Who has a splendid bow.

su-dhanvane namah
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The literal meaning is "One who has a splendid bow". The vyAkhyAna kartA-
shave different anubhavam-s in interpreting the nAma based on this meaning.

SrI BhaTTar gives the instance of the fight that ensued between the deva-s
and the asura-s as a result of the distribution of the nectar, and the resulting
demonstration of the splendor of His bow in bringing about the end to that
conflict.

SrI Samkara's interpretation is: Sobhanam indriyAdi-mayam SAr'nga dhanuh

asya asti iti su-dhanvA - the great bow in His hand represents His being the
controller and supporter of the indriya-s.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to SrI vishNu purANam 1. 22. 69, wherein
reference is made to the significance of the dhanus in His hand -
bhUtAdim indiryAdim ca dvidhA aha'mkAram ISvarah |
bibharti Samkha rUpeNa Sar'ngarUpeNa ca sthitam ||

BhagavAn's dhanus symbolizes the senses (the eyes and the rest), and He
supports the ego or awareness due to the senses (indriya ahamkAra),
represented by the SAr'nga bow in His hand. (The other verses inSrI vishNu
purANam continue to describe how bhagavAn is the source and supporter of

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everything in the Universe as represented by the different Ayudha-s and
aspects of His Form, and thus gives one mode or representation of a way of
meditating upon Him in the forms that are more easy for the mind to grasp
than to meditate on an abstract truth).

References in divya prabandham that convey the sense of this nAma are
(from SrI v. v. rAmAnujan):

1. tadavarai tOL cakrapANi SAra'nga vil SevaganE! (periAzhvAr 5. 4. 4),

2. paramETTi, pavittiran, SAr'ngam ennum vil ANDAn (tiruppallANDu).

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the analogy of the function of bhagavAn

inprotecting the world from the asura-s with His dhanus, just as the bow-
shapedeye-brow protects the eye of everyone from unwanted foreign objects.

khaNDa--paraSuh
nAma 573. o{fprzu> khaNDa

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He with the broken axe.
khaNDa-paraSave namah.
Khanu - bhedana = avadhAraNa (khaDi - bhedane- to break), and param SRNAti
iti paraSuh Satram, together make the nAma khaNDa paraSuh - One with the
broken axe (SrI satyadevo vAsishTha). Alternatively, one can look at it as
khaNDayatiSatrUn iti khaNDah, khaNDah paraSuh yasya iti khaNDa paraSuh -
He whose axe punishes or destroys the enemies (SrI kRshNa datta
bhAradvAj) .

SrI BhaTTar quotes the incident involving bhagavAn's fight with rudra, where
He discharged the axe which became broken. So bhagavAn says He is known
as "One with the broken axe".
atha rudra vighAtArtham ishIkAm nara uddharan |
mantraiSca samyuyojASu so'bhavat paraSur-mahAn ||
kshipataSca sahasA rudre khaNDanam prApavAnstathA |
tato'ham khaNDa-paraSuh tatah paraSu-kahNDanAt ||

(mahAbhA. Santi. 362. 49)

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 "Then for the destruction of rudra, nara took a reed and by the recitation of
mantras gave new power to it. At once it became an immense axe. It was
thrown on rudra with great force. But then it broke. Because of the breaking
of the axe, from that time I came to be known as "khaNDa paraSuh - the Lord
with the broken axe".

SrI Samkara interprets the nAma in terms of the paraSurAma incarnation -

where, as Jamadagni's son, He punished His foes. Alternatively, SrI Samkara
suggests that the nAma can be taken as a-khaNDa paraSuh, He who wields an
invincible axe - the nAma being given as a-kahaNDA-paraSuh in this case.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan quotes irAmAnuSa nURRantAdi-56 which supports the

interpretation in terms of the paraSurAma incarnation - kOkkula
mannaraimUvezhukAl oru kUr mazhuvAl pOkkiya dEvanaip pORRum punitan, in
referring to bhagavad rAmAnuja. Another reference is to tiruvAimozhi 6. 2.
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10: ninRila'ngu muDiyinAi irupattOr kAl araSu kaLai kaTTa venRi nIr mazhuvA.

nAma 574. daé[> dAruNah

a) The Splitter.

b) He who is merciless to those who deviate from the path of virtue.

dAruNAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is "bAhyAbhyantara ari dAraNAt dAruNah - As
indicated above, He splits into pieces (destroys) the enemies both internal and
external. So He is called dAruNah.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvAimozhi 9. 9. 2 - igal iDattu

aSurargaL kURRam, and to Siriya tiru maDal 41 - avaTku mUttOnai ven-
narakam SerA vagaiyE Silai kunittAn.

SrI Samkara vyAkhyAnam is san-mArga virodhinAm dAruNatvAt dAruNah -

He who is harsh and merciless towards those who follow the evil path.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives a nice explanation that when He punishes anyone, it is

for the ultimate good of the one who is being punished. "Up to a point the Lord

260
is All-Mercy, but when He finds out that no other method can save the
individual, like a surgeon at the operation theater, He appears to be relentless
- merciless".

The next few nAma-s are being interpreted by SrI BhaTTar in terms of
bhagavAn'svyAsa incarnation.

draviNa--pradah
nAma 575. Ôiv[àd> draviNa

The Bestower of wealth.

draviNa-pradAya namah.
Here SrI BhaTTar refers to the wealth in the form of the SAstra-s - He
gave the substance of all the SAstra-s and their meaning. The dhyAna
Sloka on vyAsa is:

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vahan vai vAma hastena sarva SastrArtha samcayam |
dakshiNena ca SAstrArthAn AdiSamScayathA sthithAn ||

"vyAsa holds in his left hand the collection of all the SAstra-s and their
purport, and propounds by his right hand (the upadeSa mudrA) the true
import of all the SAstra-s".

nammAzhvAr calls bhagavAn "paNbuDai vEdamparanda payan" in tiruvAimozhi

6. 6. 5.

SrI Samkara interprets the nAma more generically - "The Bestower of the
wealth as desired by the devotee".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri explains that draviNam derives from the concept
that it is wealth that is fluid- drava - that can be used right away as needed.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning for draviNa as wealth from
dravati - gacchati iti draviNam dhanam - that which never stays in one place.
He gives the following references from the Sruti in support of the
interpretation for the nAma:
dadhAti ratnam draviNam ca dASushe agne sakhye mA rishamA vayam tava

(Rg. 1. 94. 14)

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 yatkAmAs te juhumas tanno astu vayam syAma patayo rayINAm

(yajur. 40. 16)

The dharma cakram writer has written his explanation for this nAma in Vol.
45. 5 of dharma cakram, the beauty of which is lost somewhat in translation.
He describes wealth as of two kinds: preyas and Sreyas. Preyas is that which
causes priyam or worldly satisfaction. Sreyas is that which gives spiritual
satisfaction. To the first category belong the material wealth, the official
position, the wife, the husband, children, etc. preyas gives problems at one
stage or the other. Sreyas removes all problems and sufferings, and leads to
moksham ultimately. After getting the wealth of Sreyas, there is nothing more
to get. Preyas is transient wealth, and Sreyas is permanent wealth. BhagavAn
is ever ready to give either of the wealths one seeks, and most go after the
transient worldly pleasures, and very few seek Sreyas.
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There is the vedic story of naciketa, who requested the wealth of Sreyas from
yama, and yama offered to give him the preyas instead. naciketa told yama
that he did not need yama's help for preyas, because he could get that by his
own effort; yama's help was needed only for Sreyas, since this is something
that cannot be obtained by one's own effort alone. The lesson to take for us
is that we should pray to bhagavAn for Sreyas, since this is the wealth that we
cannot attain by our own effort and without His Grace. This is the tAtparyam
behind this nAma.

divi--spRk
nAma 576. idivSp&k! divi

He Who touches the skies.

a) through His knowledge

b) by His being not only in the form of this Universe, but also far beyond it.

c) By His vAmana incarnation.

d) By His viSva rUpa revealed to arjuna.

e) By His being the antaryAmi for sUrya and the other planets.

262
divi-spRSe namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as referring to the unbounded extent of
His knowledge. By His para vidyA (brAhmic or Supreme knowledge), He touches
the mystic nature of His Reality as it is in the paramapada.

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvAimozhi 3. 1. 9 -

mazhu~ngAdaj~nAnamE paDaiyAgatozhumbAyArkkaLittAn.

b) It can also mean that He resides in His para form in the regions far beyond
the skies. The Sruti declares that one-fourth of His form is in the form of
this Universe, and three-fourths is beyond the Universe (tripAdsyAmRtam divi
- chAndogyopanishad 3. 12. 6) (SrI rAdhAkRshNaSAstri).

c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the nAma as divah spRk, and explains
that in the vAmana incarnation, bhagavAn touches the skies while measuring

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the three feet of land that were promised to Him by mahAbali -
vAmanAvatAre SrI bhagavAn svacaraNa kamalena vardhamAnenadivam
pasparSa.

d) SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that He revealed His Universal

form to arjuna as divah spRk.

e) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives references to the Sruti to interpret the

association with divi as referring to the sun.
vAtasya nu mahimAnam rathasya rujanneti stanayannasya ghoshah |
divi-spRgyAtyaruNAni kRNvannuto eti pRthivyA reNumasyan ||

(Rg. 10. 168. 1)

He points out that the terms:

divi-kshayam,

divi-kshitA,

divi-carAh,

divi-jAh,divi-yajah,

divi-yonih,

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 divi-Sritah,

divishadah,

divi-sadam,etc.,

are used repeatedly in the veda-s to refer to the sun. So he interprets the
nAma divi-spRk as referring to bhagavAn as the antaryAmi of the sun and all
the graha-sthat are in the skies.

sarva--dRk
nAma 577. svR†k! sarva

The All-seer.

a) He who sees everything - the totality of para tattvam. .

b) He who is in the form of knowledge of all forms.

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c) He who is the Creator of all forms that can see under different conditions.
sarva-dRSe namah.
a) sarvasya drashTA sarva-drk - He who has realized the totality of the para
tattvam. The nirukti description is "sarva darSanAtsarva-dRk". sarva-dRk
means He who is Omniscient - He who sees everything, He who is the eye of all.
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvAimozhi 3. 10. 10 -taLarvinRiyE
enRum e~ngum parandatani mudal j~nAnam.

b) sarva-dRk can mean "j~nAnam, knowledge". He who is in the form of

knowledge of all forms ( P. SamkaranArAyaNan - BhavAn's Publications).

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha elaborates on His being able to see everything,

from another viewpoint. He points out that bhagavAn has created all the
different creations that can see in water, in air, in space, and even in darkness.
He has spread Himself in the Universe in diverse forms which are endowed
with bodies to suit these different conditions, and equipped with indirya-s
which make them function well under these different circumstances. Ants can
smell from very faraway, there are birds that can hear from a long distance
away, the camel can drink water and store it for a long time, etc.

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nAma 578. Vyas> vyAsah

The Arranger.

a) He who arranged the veda-s into its four divisions, the purANa-s into 18,
etc.

b) He who divided time as well as His creation into its various sub-divisions
(e. g., day and night, Sukla paksha and kRshNa paksha, man from woman, sUrya
from candra, etc.)

c) He whose ornaments (like kaustubha) shine distinctly.

vyAsAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that because bhagavAn divided the veda
that was originally in a single form into its four divisions (Rg, yajus, sAma, and

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atharva), He has the name vyAsa - vibhajanstu caturdhAvai vedamekam
trikAlavititi vyAsah. This was done by bhagavAn in His incarnation as vyAsa
just to make it easier for people whose knowledge diminishes in accordance
with the changes of the four yuga-s.

SrI Samkara gives the interpretation in terms of the division of the veda-s,
and also refers to the division of the purANa-s - anyAni capurANAni
vyastAnianena iti vyAsah.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the derviation "vyasyante -

pRthakkriyanteanena iti vyAsah - He by whom things are separated or divided
is vyAsa. He then suggests that the nAma can be interpreted based on
bhagavAn being the One who separates day from night, dakshiNAyana from
uttarAyaNa, Sukla paksha from kRshNa paksha etc. He also separates sUrya
from candra, and for that matter makes this world function by its various
divisions.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives yet another dimension to the

interpretation - (yasyakaustubhAdIni AbharaNAni viSeshena asantidIpyanti sa
vyAsah) - He whose ornaments like the kaustubha shine distinctively is known
as vyAsah.

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 SrI Samkara and the others who follow his vyAkhyAna have interpreted the
above two nAma-s together as one nAma - sarva-dRk vyAsah. It can simply
mean "The omniscient vyAsa".

SrI cinmayAnanda has given perhaps the best interpretation for the single
nAma- He who creates many omniscient men of wisdom. One who encourages
the spread of knowledge and thus turns out many men of wisdom and clearer
understanding of life and the world.

vAcas--patih
nAma 579. vacSpit> vAcas

The Master of words.

(See also 218)

vAcaspataye namah.
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This nAma has occurred earlier as nAma 218. Please refer to Slokam 23 for
the interpretation provided therein. SrI BhaTTar interprets the current
occurrence as referring to vyAsa's authorship of the mahAbhArata - He is the
Master of words which are in the form of the fifth veda - i. e., mahAbhArata.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvAimozhi 5. 6. 8 -"uraikkinRa

munivarum yAnE".

SrI Samkara interprets the nAma as "vAco vidyAyAh patih vAcaspatih"- The
Master of all learning. He interprets this nAma along with the next one
together as one nAma - vAcaspatir-ayonijah - He who is the Master of all
learning, and who is not born in a mother's womb.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri comments that one who has mastered the words also
does not waste words, and is precise. This certainly applies to bhagavAn giving
us all the instructions for all aspects of life concisely in the form of the veda-
s, the brahma sUtra-s etc.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that the nAma means "One who is
eloquent in championing the Supreme Law of life". It almost seems like he had
gItAcAryan in his mind.

266
Some people have interpreted the term vAcah to refer to sarasvati, and thus
conclude that vAcaspatih refers to brahma, the pati of sarasvati. BhagavAn
being the antaryAmi of brahma will justify this interpretation.

nAma 580. Ayaeinj> a-yonijah

The Unborn.
ayonijAya namah.
In SrI BhaTTar's interpretation of the current group of nAma-s as referring
to the vyAsa incarnation, he explains the current nAma as referring to vyAsa
being created out of sound by bhagavAn as sArasvata-
atha bhUyo jagat sRshTvA "bho" Sabdena anuvAdayan |

sArasvatIm uccacAra tatra sArasvato'bhavat||

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(mahAbhA. Santi. 350. 37)

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives the support from peria tirumozhi 4. 3. 2 - piRappoDu

mUppu onRillavan.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha observes that bhagavAn created the sun, and we can
easily perceive that the sun was not born like the normal humans, and so it is
easy to perceive that bhagavAn is a-yonijah.

SrI Samkara and others following his interpretation have interpreted the
above two nAma-s as one nAma - vAcaspatir-ayonijah - He who is theMaster of
words and who is unborn.

267
 Slokam 62
iÇsama samg> sam invaR[< Ée;j< iÉ;k
iÉ;kœœ,

s<Nyask«CDmZzaNtae inóa zaiNt> pray[m!. 62.

trisAmA sAmagah sAma nirvaaNam bheshajam bhishak |
sannyAsakruc chamassAntO nishThA sAntih parAyaNam ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

tri--sAmA
nAma 581. iÇsama tri

He who is propounded by the three-fold sAma veda.

tri-sAmne namah.
There are three important kinds of sAma veda - bRhat, rathantara, and vAma-
sadagopan.org

devya, all of which sing His praise. This nAma signifies this aspect of
bhagavAn. These three branches are together called deva-vrata.

Of the four veda-s (rG, yajus, sAma, and atharva), sAma veda is the one that
has the praise of the various deities as its principal theme. It is musical to
hear when it is chanted with the proper intonations. BhagavAn declares in
SrImad bhagavad gItA - vedAnAm sAmavedo'smi (10. 22) - Among the veda-s,
I am the sAma veda. Thus it is a vibhUti of bhagavAn Himself.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives a slightly different interpretation - He indicates that

among the singers who praise Him through the sAma gAna are three who are
well-known- deva-s, vrata-s and sAman-s.

sAma--gah
nAma 582. samg> sAma

a) The singer of sAma.

b) He who is praised by the sAma.

sAma-gAya namah.
a) BhagavAn Himself sings the sAma in His svAnubhavam and so He is called
sAma-gah. The mukta-s in paramapadam sing the sAma in bhagavad-anubhavam

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- etat sAma gAyannAste (taiitirIya.). SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri gives the
following reference which sings the greatness of the sAma veda -

He who knows the sAma veda, is the knower of brahman -

Rco ha yo veda sa veda devAn yajUgumshi yo veda sa veda sarvAn |
sAmAni yo veda sa veda sarvam ||

A couple of writers have emphasized the role of the music in the power of
sAma veda in bringing about the brahmAnubhavam.

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the second explanation - sAmabhih

mantraih gIyate iti sAma-gah.

nAma 583. sam sAma

a) He who removes the sins of those who sing about Him.

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b) He who is in the form of the sAma veda Himself.

c) He who is soft and sweet.

sAmne namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar derives the meaning from the root sho (so) - anta-karmaNi - to
destroy, to bring an end to. (pApam) syati iti sAma - He who brings an end to
the sins of those who sing about Him.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives references to tiruvAimozhi 3. 6. 2 - Savam uLLana

nIkkuvAnai, pAva nASanai, pa~ngayat taDak kaNNanaip paravuminO; naraga
nASan (periAzhvAr tirumozhi 4. 4. 4).

b) SrI P. B. aNNa'ngarAcArya svAmi interprets the nAma as referring to His

being the sAma veda Himself - vedAnAm sAma vedo'smi (gItA 10. 22).

SrI cinmayAnanda observes that this is to express the very sacredness of the
veda itself.

c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri uses the meaning of sAma in the sense of sAma,
dAna, bheda, and daNDa, and interprets the word sAma as referring to His
being soft and sweet. The means which He used to try to urge duryodhana to

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 follow the path of dharma is the sAma mArga - that of being soft and gentle in
His persuasion. He gives the support from the Sruti - yat khalu sAdhu tat
sAmetyAcakshase (chAndogya. 2. 1. 1).

The dharma cakram writer observes that sAma vedam is so called because of
its sweetness and softness.

nAma 584. invaR[< nirvANam

The Bliss.

a) He who is the cause of Bliss to His devotees

b) He who is the embodiment of Bliss Himself

nirvANAya namah.
nirvANam refers to Absolute Bliss. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that
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vANam refers to body, and the state of being beyond the 'I' and "mine"
feeling associated with the body, is nir-VANam.

SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is called nirvANa because
He is the cause of attainment of the state of Bliss by those whose sins have
been eliminated as stated in the previous nAma. The state when even the wind
that blows is not felt by the body is the state of nirvANa, where there is total
disassociation with the identity of the body with the self.

The dharma cakram writer points out that suffering is of three kinds - bodily,
mental, and that associated with a~jnAna. Animals have bodily suffering, most
humans have bodily and mental sufferings, and those among humans who try to
realize the self also have the suffering from aj~nAna. Thus, the more evolved
a being, the more the causes for suffering. One who transcends all these
sufferings is the one who realizes Absolute Bliss. As long as the animals have
no hunger and no disease, they are happy. But a human who is free from
hunger and disease, all the same makes himself unhappy by pursuit of misery in
the form of worldly pleasures. These include the inability to dominate others,
the inability to get whatever they want for their materials pleasures, the
desire for material wealth, the desire for success in everything they

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undertake, and on and on. It is when humans try to satisfy the five indirya-s
through external means that they invite and incur suffering and sorrow. It is
by getting to the state of nirvANa (the total disassociation of the identify of
the body with the self) that one starts to overcome this kind of suffering.
This can only happen by meditating on bhagavAn who is the embodiment of
nirvANa. This is the lesson to take from this nAma.

nAma 585. Ée;jm! bheshajam

The Remedy.
bheshajAya namah.
He is the only remedy for the otherwise incurable disease of samsAra. SrI
BhaTTar gives reference to the bhIshma stava rAja (mahAbhArata):

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nArAyaNAt Rshi-gaNAh tathA siddhA mahoragAh |
devA devarshayaScaiva yam viduh duhkha bheshajam ||

"The groups of Rshi-s, siddha-s, the serpent-gods, and godly seers came to
know of this medicine for the disease of samsAra from nArAyaNa".

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to mUnRAm tiruvantAdi (4) - marundum

poruLum amudamum tAnE; and to peria tiruvantAdi 62 - na~ngaL piNikkAm
peru marundu.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri's anubhavam is that He is the medicine that leads to

nirvANa, the tender and soothing medicine for the disease of samsAra.

The dharma cakram writer observes that for self -realization one needs good
bodily health but more importantly good mental health. For both of these, one
should lead a life of control of the senses and control of the mind. Just as we
take medicine for rectifying the illness of the body, we should resort to the
medicine of meditating on Him so that we can avoid the disease of the mind.
Health of the mind is something that most of us don't worry about, but this is
very important for attaining Bliss.

Chanting His nAma and meditating on Him are the means to maintain the health
of the mind; hence He is the Medicine. This is the lesson to take from this

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 nAma.

nAma 586. iÉ;k! bhishak

The Physician.
bhishaje namah.
BhagavAn is the expert Physician who treats the disease of the fear of
samsAra in His devotees through the teaching of the brahma vidyA in the
form of the gItA and other upanishads. SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to the
divya prabandham - maruttuvanAi ninRa mA-maNi vaNNA.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that the mantra "nirvANam bheshajam

bhishak" should be recited by those who seek relief from diseases. That
bhagavAn is the first and foremost of the physicians is supported in the
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taittirIya upanishad - prathamo daivyo bhishak (4. 5. 1).

The dharma cakram draws analogy between the physician who treats the
diseases of the body, and bhagavAn who treats the diseases of the mind.
Unlike the bodily cure which is transient and temporary, the treatment that
bhagavAn gives by removing the aj~nAna or ignorance is permanent. This is
the spirit with which one should meditate on this nAma.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives an alternate explanation - that this nAma can refer to
bhagavAn in His form as dhanvantari, the Deity of Medicine in the Indian
system of Medicine. Since He appeared in this form as the Lord of Physicians,
He is called "The Physician - bhishak".

sannyAsa--kRt
nAma 587. s<Nyask«t! sannyAsa

a) He Who cuts asunder the bonds when desires are renounced.

b) The Institutor of the samnyAsa ASrama for the attainment of moksha.

c) He Who shows the path of SaraNAgati to His devotee.

sannyAsa-kRte namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar interprets this nAma in relation to the previous nAma, and

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explains how bhagavAn treats those with the affliction of the bondage of
samsAra. "sAttvikena sanyAsena rajas-tamasau kRtanti iti sannyAsa-kRt "- He
who cuts the bonds in the form of rajo and tamo guNa-s in those who perform
all their acts in a disinterested manner with a spirit of renunciation of desire
for the fruit. Another name for this is also sAttvika-tyAga - The abandonment
of all the fruits of any action we perform, and assignment of these benefits to
Him and Him alone; in other words, every act that we perform should be for
His benefit and His pleasure. This is the gist of karma yoga that is enunciated
in the gItA. The word san-nYasa here signifies surrender of the burden to the
Master, and this surrender alone is the remedy for samsAra.

SrI BhaTTar gives reference to the Sruti –

"vedAna vij~nAna suniScitArthAs-sanyAsa yogAt parimucyanti sarve |
te brahma loke tu parAntakAle parAmRtat parimucyanti sarve |" -

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Those who have acquired the true knowledge of tattva, hita and purushArtha
through the study of the upanishads, do yoga by doing acts renouncing the
desire for fruits and giving up the idea that they are the chief agents of the
acts. By this process their minds become pure and they practice bhakti yoga.
At the end of their last body they attain the brahman and become free from
all karma.

b) SrI Samkara vyAkhyAnam is "mokshArtham caturtham ASramam kRtavAn

iti snanyAsa-kRt" - He Who instituted the fourth ASrama of samnyAsa for the
attainment of moksha.

c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri brings out the point that while samnyAsa - the
surrendering of the burden for our acts and the fruits thereof to Him - is the
only means for relieve from samsAra, it is also He alone who shows this path
of samnyAsa to His devotee; in other words, He is the One who leads His
devotee to perform samnyAsa. SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj echoes this when
he gives the following interpretation for the nAma -
"samyak nyAso nikshepah samnyAsah shad-vidha SaraNAgateh
ekatamam a~ngam Atma nikshepaNAm adheyam |

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 tam karoti draDhayati bhakta-hRdaye iti samnyAsa-kRt."

Thus, bhagavAn is samnyAsa-kRt in the sense that He is the One who blesses
His devotee so that He performs the act of surrender or saraNAgati. He is
also the One who gives the needed qualifications to those who undertake the
samnyAsa ASrama - SrI cinmayAnanda.

d) The dharma cakram writer brings out the importance of leading a life
devoid of attachment caused by the indriya-s. He gives the analogy of a child
forming in the mother's womb, which has to give up the mother's womb at the
appropriate time if it were to live. Similarly, the jIva has to give up the life
dominated and controlled by the indriya-s if it is to evolve to a higher level
than to be part of the cycle of samsAra. This act of being relieved from the
negative guNa-s of prakRti viz. rajas and tamas is samnyAsa. The current nAma
emphasizes the importance of leading a life of detachment and renunciation.
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nAma 588. zm> Samah

a) He Who instructs on how to control anger etc.

b) He who instructs that control of mind is the principal dharma for

samnyAsin.

c) He who controls all beings, including during pralaya.

d) He Who has absolute control of mind - He Whose nature is Calmness.

e) He who puts an end to the darkness in His devotees' mind.

SamAya namah.
The root from which the word is derived is Samu - upaSame - to grow calm,
to put an end, to stop (note the link to SAnti). So the meaning is - One who
puts an end to, One who quiets down or calms down, etc. Thus, the
interpretations are related to: He puts an end to qualities like tamas in His
devotees, He puts an end to all things at the time of pralaya, He gives
instructions on how to calm down the mind, He controls all beings, etc. SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha observes that by meditating on this quality of bhagavAn,

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the person who meditates will himself become quieted down in his mind, and
attain SAnti.

a) SrI BhaTTar continues the link with his interpretation for the previous
nAma, and interprets this nAma as referring to bhagavAn being the
Instructor of how to control the desire, anger, fear etc. He gives reference
to the gItA 5. 29, where bhagavAn tells us that He is the real enjoyer of the
fruits of all sacrifices and austerities –
bhoktAram yaj~na tapasAm sarvaloka maheSvaram |
suhRdam sarvabhUtAnAm j~nAtvA mAm Santim Rcchati ||

b) SrI Samkara ties the interpretation to his interpretation of the previous

nAma as referring to the samnyAsa ASrama, and indicates that bhagavAn is
the instructor of the rule of Sama or control of the mind for the samnyAsin,

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and he quotes the smRti -
yatInAm praSamo dharmo niyamo vanavAsinAm |
dAnameva gRhastAnAm SuSrUshA brahmacAriNAm ||

c) He also gives the alternate interpretation - sarva bhUtAnAm Samayitaiti

Samah – He controls all the beings.

SrI anantakRshNa Sastry interprets this as referring to His quieting or

calming down everything during the pralaya.

d) SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that bhagavAn Himself is the

embodiment of calmness, and so He is called Sama Himself.

The dharma cakram writer elaborates on how the ancient traditional system
ensured that this control of the mind was built into the duties of all the four
ASrama-s. In the brahmacarya stage, practices such as getting up early in the
morning, taking a cold bath, chanting veda-s, performing the mantra japam,
serving the guru, and being kept active throughout the course of the day, was
part of the training, and so the control of the mind was constantly inculcated.
Similarly, the gRhasta was supposed to involve himself actively in performing
religious rites such as yaj~na-s etc., which kept him involved in mind control
through involvement in these activities. Similar discipline applies to the

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 vAnaprastha and samnyAsa ASrama-s. The current nAma reveals to us that
control of the mind and channeling of the mind towards acts that please Him
should be our goal in life.

e) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets Samah to mean that bhagavAn puts an

end to the darkness in us - tamobhavAni kAryANi Samayati niSAcarANAm.

nAma 589. zaNt> SAntah

He whose mind is always tranquil.

SAntAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar comments that even though bhagavAn's greatness is such that it
can express itself like a rising ocean, He chooses to be tranquil like a calm and
waveless ocean. A poet has said of sage vyAsa: His tranquility is such that
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even the wild animals become tranquil at his very sight. It can also be said
that in spite of all the oceans of apacAra-s that all of us commit, which can
justifiably make Him boil with anger at our deeds, He still keep Himself
tranquil and always willing to forgive us.

SrI Samkara's vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn is peaceful because He is

completely unattached to the sense world - "nishkalam, nishkriyam, Santam" -
SvetAsvatara. 6. 19. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the additional
reference to praSna upanishad 7. 5 - SAntam ajaram amRtam.

The dharma cakram writer observes that the more one gets involves in the
desire for material objects, the more one gets lack of peace of mind. The
more one draws one's interests inward, the more one finds peace. Thus
control of the mind is the path to attaining peace. The more one meditates on
this mantra which represents the guNa of tranquillity in bhagavAn, the more
our mind will become tranquil.

nAma 590. inóa nishThA

a) The object of concentration.

b) The stable Abode of all during pralaya.

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nishThAyai namah.
a) nishThA essentially means a pivot, firm support. SrI BhaTTar's
vyAkhyAnam for the nAma is "vyutthita cittaih SubhASrayabhUte asmin
nishThIyate iti nishThA" - Those who have achieved a deep level of
concentration have Him and His body as the object of their meditation. The
root from which the word is derived is shThA (sthA) - gati nvRttau - to stand,
to wait, to be at hand etc.

SrI kRshNadatta bhAradvAj gives the derivation of this nAma as - niyatam

sthAnam ni-shThAnam svajanakAmAnAm iti nishThA - He is the firmly
established abode as the object of desire of the devotees.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives refers to peria tirumozhi 4. 9. 2 - Sindai tannuL

nI~ngAdu irunda tiru.

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b) SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that He is the stable final Abode for
all the beings during pralaya - pralaye nitarAm tatraiva tishThanti bhUtAni iti
nishThA.

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha comments that while bhagavAn has permeated

everything in this world and makes everything else go, He Himself is fixed.
Just as a worm inside a stone cannot move the stone while the worm itself
keeps moving, the rest of the world keeps moving within Him and because of
Him, but He is fixed - nishThA.

The dharma cakram writer observes that the significance of the nAma lies in
realizing the importance of having our thoughts centered and anchored on
bhagavan-nAma-dhyAnam. The more we let it wander in search of worldly
objects, the more we will be plagued by needless and meaningless fears and
confusion on the real purpose of our existence, and the more we will slip and
fall from that great Object whom we should attain in order to be relieved of
the cycle of samsAra. We should meditate on Him with "nishThA" or firmness.

nAma 591. zaiNt> SAntih

a) Peace.

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 b) The object of meditation

c) The Ultimate Support.

SAntaye namah.
The root from which the nAma is derived is Samu – upaSame – to grow calm, to
put an end to, to stop. Use of the pANini sUtra 3. 3. 94 – striyAm ktin – adds
the affix ktin to the root. The paNini sUtra 6. 4. 15 leads to the lengthening
of the vowel associated with Sa to SA. He Who is calm, and in Whom
everything else becomes calm, is called SAntaH – SAmyati yatra sarvam iti
SAntiH, Samanam vA.

a) When a devotee has attained the perfect calm in the final state of
meditation, this state is called samAdhi. At that stage, the Lord makes the
devotee enjoy Him and Him alone, and forget all else including the self, other
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activities, interests, etc. This quietening of all the person's interests and
activities is called SAnti, which is granted only by the Lord. Those who have
abandoned everything else find peace in Him who is the Ultimate Peace. So He
is called SAntih. This is the final stage of perfect meditation. SrI BhaTTar
explains the nAma as: tatra parama-samAdhau vismRta-sarvAdhikArAH
SAmyanti iti SAntiH – In the final stage of perfect meditation they (the
meditators) forget all other activities and become tranquil, (and this occurs
because He grants them this peace, and so he is called SAntiH).

SrI kRshNan indicates that when one is meditating on Him through the yoga
mArga, nothing else distracts them, and there are in continuous and direct
communication with Him, and there is absolute tranquility in their mind.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan quotes from the Sruti - yatra nAnyat paSyati nAnyat
SruNoti tad bhUmA - when you enjoy Him and His greatness, nothing else is
seen or heard or enjoyed. He also quotes from the prabandham - ippAl kai
vaLaiyum mEgalaiyum kANEn, kaNDEn ghana magarak kuzhai iraNDum nAngu
tOLum (tiru neDuntANDagam 22) - When tiruma~ngai AzhvAr had Him in his
mind, he did not remember anything about himself; he only saw bhagavAn and
His beauty, His AbharaNams, etc.

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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives reference to kaThopanishad 2. 2. 13 - teshAm
SAntih SAsvatI na itareshAm - Permanent Peace is to be found in Him and
nowhere else.

SrI Sa’nkara vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn is devoid of all avidyA-s, and so

He is the personification of the peace that results from the total absence of
avidyA in Him. SrI cinmayAnanda substitutes avidyA with desire. Agitations
are caused by desire, and since bhagavAn is All-Full and has no desire to be
fulfilled, there is no agitation in Him and He is thus Peace itself.

SrI cinmyAnanda explains the nAma as “One Whose very nature is peace
(SAnti)”. He elaborates: “Agitations are caused by desires and the consequent
temptations to strive form acquire and indulge in them. In the All-Full, there is
no desire, hence He ned not seek His fulfillment among the perishable objects

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of the universe, and so He is Peace.

b) SrI kRshNadatta bhAradvAj explains the meaning based on the root Sama
- Alocane - to look at, and explains the nAma as indicating that He is the
object of meditation of the devotees - bhaktAnAm Alocana vishayatvAt
SAntih.

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation based on Sam- upaSame -

to grow calm, to put an end to, to stop - and interprets the nAma on the basis
of the Sruti - dyauH SAntiH antariksham SAntiH pRthivI SAntiH Apah
SAntiH. Here the word SAnti can be interpreted as each level supporting the
previous level. Everything else is ultimately supported by Him and ends in Him,
and so He is called SAntih.

SAntaH, SAntiH, SAnti-daH – The later means that when we meditate on Him,
we forget everything else disappears from our mind, and so He is SAnti
Himself.

kai vaLaiyum mekalaiyum kANEn …. (tiruma’ngai)

nAma 592. pray[m! parAyaNam

a) The Ultimate Means.

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 b) The Best Goal.

c) He Who has the Best Abode to seek.

parAyaNAya namah.
The first interpretation is that He is the Means, and the second one is that
He is the End. Both are appropriate since bhagavAn is really both the upAya
and upeya.

a) Param ayanam parAyaNam. The root from which the word "ayanam" is
derived here is ay- gatau - to go. He is the best means for attaining Him,
since the highest bhakti that is needed for attaining Him is acquired from Him
alone. SrI BhaTTar gives reference to the gItA, 18. 53-54, in support of the
interpretation:
nir-mamah SAnto brahma-bhUtAya kalpate ||
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brahma-bhUtah prasannAtmA na Socati na kAnkshati |

samah sarveshu bhUteshu mad-bhaktim labhate parAm ||,

Also we have in Slokam 11. 54 –

bhaktyA tu ananyayA Sakya aham evamvidho arjuna |
j~nAtum drashTum ca tattvena praveshTum ca parantapa ||

In amarakOSam, ayanam is given as a term that is equivalent in meaning to

mArga, or path - ayante anena iti ayanam.

b) SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that He is the best goal to aim for,
since this way one is assured that there is no return to samsAra. SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to the words "paramam yah parAyANam"
which occur in the introductory part of sahasranAmam.

SrI cinmayAnanda give the quote from gItA 15-6 – yad gatvA na nivartante tad
dhAma paramam mama – He is the Supreme Goal, and there is no return to
samsAra after reaching Him.

SrI BhaTTar has interpreted the word parAyaNam in the introduction

involving the question from yudhishThira - "kim ekam daivtam loke, kim
vA'pyekam parAyaNam" - as referring to the end (upeya) in his vyaAkhyAnam

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to the introduction. (paramam upeyam pRccati - kim vA'pi ekam parAyaNam
iti; ayanam - prApyam; evam upeyam dvidhA pRshTam etc. are extracts from
his vyAkhyAnam to the Slokam kim ekam daivatam loke ).

c) SrI P. B. aNNa'ngarAcArya svAmi points out there an alternate pATham is

parAyaNah, which means that He is the One who has the best sthAnam - the
best place to offer - param ayanam yasya sah parAyaNam.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that the japa on "sannyAsa kRt Samah
SAnto nishThA SAntih parAyaNam" will bring peace to a disturbed and
agitated mind .

The dharma cakram writer nicely contrasts the state we achieve when we
control our indriya-s and our mind, and the state we achieve when we let the
indriya-s and mind control us. In the former case we reach the state of no

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more birth in this world, and in the later we are back to the cycle of samsAra.
When we perform any action, we should remember that He is the doer and we
are only His instrument. This is how we can elevate ourselves through karma
yoga. When we convert our desire for worldly pleasures into a desire for Him
instead, we elevate ourselves through bhakti yoga. When we realize the true
nature of the self and the distinction of the body and the mind, and realize
that we are subservient to Him and Him alone, we elevate ourselves through
j~nAna yoga. Thus, it can be seen easily that He is the means for attaining
Him.

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 Slokam 63
zuÉa¼> zaiNtd> öòa k…mud> k…vlezy>,

gaeihtae gaepitgaeRÝa v&;Éa]ae v&;iày>. 63.

subhAngah sAntidah srashTaa kumudah kuvalesayah |
gOhitO gOpatirgOptA vrushabhAksho vrushapriyah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 593. zuÉa¼> SubhA'ngah

a) He Who possesses and gives the eight auspicious accessories of yoga.

b) He Who has a handsome form.

c) He Who has a form that bestows ma'ngaLam to those who meditate on It.
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d) He Who makes everything auspicious by His presence, movement, etc.

The same nAma occurs again as nAma 788.

SubhA'ngAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the term a'nga here to refer to the eight
accessories of yoga - ashTA'nga yoga

1. yama,

2. niyama,

3. Asana,

4. prANAyAma,

5. pratyAhAra,

6. dhAraNa,

7. dhyAna, and

8. samAdhi.

All of these are auspicious (Subha) on account of the devotion to Him and are
obtained by His favor. It is He who helps the devotee to begin and complete
the meditation on Him.

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The dharma cakram writer nicely explains how the practice of asTA'nga yoga
results in the realization of Oneness with bhagavAn. One gets control of the
mind by practicing yama and niyama, the first two of the 8 a'nga-s of the
ashTA'nga yoga, with their aspects

1. ahimsA, satya, brahmacarya, asteya, and aparigraha as part of yama,

and

2. Sauca, santosha, svAdhyAya, tapas, and Atma samarpaNam as aspects

of niyama.

Asana and prANAyAma help in developing the body so that it is fit for the
meditation on Him. The next four a'nga-s of the ashTA'nga yoga - pratyAhAra,
dhAraNa, and dhyAna, and samAdhi - develop and nurture the thought and
concentration on Divinity continuously with each step,the ultimate end being

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the realization of Him - samAdhi.

b) SrI Samkara interprets the term a'nga here to refer to His form, and so
the meaning given is - sundarAn tanum dhArayan SubhA'ngah.

SrI BhaTTar gives this interpretation for nAma 788 - He Who has a
bewitching form. It is so beautiful that with this form He beguiled and
deluded the asura-s when He appeared as mohini.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to peria tirumozhi 4. 9. 8 - ponnin vaNNam

maNiayin vaNNam puraiyum tirumEni.

SrI anantakRshNa SAstri refers us to the beauty of Lord kRshNa that

showered happiness on the gopi-s. References to Lord rAma's beauty are
numerous. HanumAn describes in many verses the beauty of Lord rAma to sIta
pirATTi when he first meets her in aSoka vanam.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives the upanishadic support - Santam, Sivam, sundaram

(Peace, Auspicouness, Beauty) is how the Infinite Lordis described in the
upanishads. In chAndogya upanishad (1. 6. 7), we have the description -
ya esho'ntarAditye hiraNmayah purusho ucyate |
tasya yathA kapyAsam puNDarIkaevamakshiNI. . ||

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 He shines like gold in the middle of the Sun, and His eyes shine like the
blossoming lotus.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives an additional interpretation - BhagavAn is

SubhA'ngah since He has 788 beautiful a'nga-s in His tirumeni. A reference
tothe original source of this information is not available.

c) SrI kRshNadatta bhAradvAj interpets the nAma as "One Who has the form
that bestows Subham or ma'ngaLam on those who meditate on His caraNam
(Feet),vadanam (tirumeni), nayanam (lotus eyes), etc. - SubhAni - darSakAnAm
mangalotpAdakAni; a'ngAni - caraNa vadana nayanAdIni; yasya iti SubhA'ngah.

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets the word a'nga based on the root a'ng -
to go, and his anubhavam of this nAma is that bhagavAn is SubhA'ngah since
He makes everything auspicious by His very movement in every form, of His
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very presence in everything that is moving, for example the Sun.

To summarize, the vyAkhyAna kartA-s have given two different

interpretations for the term a'nga that occurs as part of this nAma. The first
refers to the eight a'nga-s of the ashTA'nga yoga, and the second refers to
the auspicious parts of bhagavAn's body. The meanings given are thus:

a) He is One who blesses the devotee with the means of the a'nga-s of the
ashTA'nga yoga and the success in it, and

b) He is One who has the captivating auspicious form that the devotee
meditates on.

SAnti--dah
nAma 594. zaiNtd> SAnti

The bestower of eternal peace.

SAnti-dAya namah
SrI BhaTTar continues the interpretation of this nAma in the context of the
previous one - to those who have thus perfected their devotion to Him through
observances such as the yoga referred to above, He bestows ever-lasting
peace in the form of His own realization. For them there is no longer any fear

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of rebirth in this world. In other words, SAnti here refers to moksha, and He
is the moksha-pradan. SrI BhaTTar gives the support from:

1. SvetASvatara upanishad 2. 7 - viSvasyaikam pariveshTitAram j~nAtvA

SivamSAntim atyantam eti - If a person realizes the auspicious God who
pervades the Universe, He attains perfect peace;

2. SvetAS. 3. 11 - tam ISAnam varadam devamIDyam nicAyya AtmAnam

SAntim atyantameti - When a person realizes that God who is the
Ruler, the grantor of boons, worthy of praise and is the Inner Soul, he
obtains the highest peace; and

3. the gItA 18. 59 - mat prasAdAt param SAntim sthAnam prApsyasi

SASvatam - By My Grace, you will attain supreme tranquillity and the
eternal world as well.

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SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to tiruvAimozhi 3. 7. 7 - aDiyArgaLaik
koNDupOi tanmai peRuttit tan tALiNaikkIZh koLLum appan.

SrI Samkara's vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn bestows peace of mind

characterized by complete absence of likes and dislikes, and so He is called
SAnti-dah. True peace of mind results only when there are no likes and
dislikes. One cannot get contentment as long as one has likes and dislikes.

The dharma cakram writer refers us to tiruvaLLuvar who defines God as one
who is "vENDudal vENDAmai ilAdAn". By our dedicating our thoughts to Him,
we can get to the stage where we will be able to get away from likes and
dislikes, and thus attain true inner peace.

The lesson to take from this nAma is that He is the Bestower of the Ultimate
Peace - moksha, which one gets by constant meditation on Him.

nAma 595. öòa srashTA

The Creator.
srashTre namah.
This nAma also occurs later as nAma 990.

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 SrI BhaTTar: The root from which this nAma is derived is srj - to create. Just
as He bestows moksha to those who long for it, He also bestows samsAra who
ask for it through their karma. Thus He is the Creator as well.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives the anubhavam of nammAzhvAr:

kaDal j~nAlam SeidEnum yAnE (tiruvAimozhi 5. 6. 1),

mun-nIr j~nAlam paDaitta em mugil vaNNanE (3. 2. 1),

and Lord kRshNa's own words from the gItA 7. 6 - aham kRtsnasya jagatah
prabhavah - I am the Source of the entire creation.

SrI Samkara: BhagavAn is srashTA - Creator - in that He brought forth

everything at the start of the creative cycle - sargAdau sarva bhUtAni sasarja
iti srashTA.
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SrI kRshNadatta bhAradvAj explains - sRjati lokAnAm iti srashTA. He quotes

from the Rg veda 10. 81. 3 - dvAvA bhUmI janayan deva ekah.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to SvetASvatara upanishad 4. 14 -

viSvasya srashTAram aneka rUpam, and to aitareya upanishad 1. 2 - sa imAn
lokAn asRjata.

The root srj also means to let loose, to send forth - visarge. SrI satyadevo
vAsishTha uses this meaning, and his anubhavam of this nAma is that bhagavAn
keeps all the beings inside Himself at the time of pralaya, and then puts them
out at the time of sRshTi, and so He is srashTA.

The dharma cakram writer looks at the positive aspect of creation - by giving
the body to the jIva, bhagavAn gives the jIva one more opportunity for it to
seek and attain Him. The beauty of this anubhavam is that whatever He does,
He does it for our welfare, including all the punishments that He gives us.

SrI cinmayAnanda observes that He is the Creator of brahma, whose function

is to create, and it is only because of the abilities and capacities derived from
vishNu that brahma can perform his functions of creation. Thus one can see
that He is the antaryAmi behind all the other gods, and their powers derive
from Him.

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All interpretations converge on His function as the Creator. The different
vyAkhyAna-s emphasize the different aspects of His function of creation. He
created everything to start with, the cycle of creation keeps happening from
Him after each pralaya, this creation is an inevitable consequence of the karma
of the beings who insist on being on born again and again, this act of creation
by bhagavAn is an expression of His extreme kindness to us in that this gives
the jIva one more opportunity to realize Him, and all this is happening because
He is the Power behind everything. Thus, all vyAkhyAna kartA-s are using the
meaning "Creator" for the nAma, and yet we get the benefit of the richness of
the diversity of the anubhavam-s here.

ku--mudah
nAma 596. k…mud> ku

He who is happy in His relation to this world in various forms.

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kumudAya namah.
This nAma also occurs as nAma 813.

SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as ku-mudah. ku refers to the prakRti

maNDalam - the world that consists of objects that are a source of pleasure
for all created objects from brahma to a tiny blade of grass. He gives these
objects rUpam, rasam, Sabdam etc., and gives the beings the ability to have
the anubhavam of these objects. BhagavAn makes all those beings enjoy these
objects,and He Himself feels delighted by that (modate). So He is ku-mudah.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvAimozhi 3. 10. 7 - pala pala mAya

mayakkugaLAl inbuRum iv-viLaiyATTuDaiyAn.

Based on the same derivation, SrI BhaTTar gives yet another anubhavam -
kaumodate iti kumudah - bhagavAn delights Himself even in the prakRti
maNDalam because of His company with His devotees.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan elaborates: In this world which can make rAma cry and
suffer - nATTil piRandu paDAdana paTTu, losing sItA, being kicked out His
kingdom, being forced to live in a forest, losing jaTAyu, etc., He still finds it
His pleasure to be in the company of bharadvaja, atri, agastya, etc.

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 nammAzhvAr describes how bhagavAn mingles with His devotee - oru iDam
onRu inRi ennuL kalandAn (tiruvAimozhi 2. 5. 2).

SrI Samkara interprets the nAma as suggesting that He gives joy to this
earthby freeing it of its burdens (at the time of pralaya?) - kum -
dharaNimbhArAvataraNam kurvan modayati iti kumudah.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri's anubhavam, starting with the same meanings for
the words ku and muda, is that He delights in His company with bhUmi pirATTi,
and so He is called ku-mudah. Or, He takes incarnations in this earth to get
rid of the evil and to protect the good, and thus He delights Himself with this
earth.

SrI cinmayAnanda interprets the nAma as indicating that bhagavAn delights

Himself by creating this world of plurality which is the joyous expression of
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the infinite potentialities of bhagavAn.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha's anubhavam is based on a line of thought entirely

different from all the above. He derives the meaning based on the root kai -
Sabde - to sound, and thus interprets the nAma as indicating bhagavAn's guNa
of deriving pleasure through Sabda, in the form of giving this experience to
His creations in the form of their power of speech, hearing, music etc. One
could also think of His deriving pleasure in hearing the chanting of the veda-s
andthe sAma gAna.

The dharma cakram writer illustrates the dimension of the pleasure that is
derived by bhagavAn in this world through an example. He refers us to the
pleasure that a small ant derives out of a huge mound of sugar. Even though
there is this huge source of pleasure for the ant, all the ant sees of this is the
few particles of sugar that it needs to fill itself, and then a few more particles
to save for the future in its nest. The pleasure that we see in this world
through our five indirya-s etc. is similar to what the ant enjoys, and most of us
miss out on the great store of pleasure called bhagavad anubhavam. What
bhagavAn offers and derives out of this world is the huge mound that we don't
take advantage of. This nAma illustrates to us that the true pleasure tobe

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derived out of this world is the greater pleasure, which is accessible to usby
meditating on His nAma and by seeing beyond the sense-pleasure, by
dedicating ourselves to His kaimkaryam.

Thus, to summarize the different vyAkhyAna-s, the nAma indicates that

bhagavAn delights Himself with this earth in various ways: by creating the
diverse beings, by giving them the anubhavam of rUpam, rasam, Sabdam etc.,
bydestroying the evil and protecting the good through His different
incarnations,by having bhUmi pirATTi as His consort, by being in the company
of His devotees,by relieving the earth of its burden at the time of pralaya, by
giving the veda-sto us, by hearing us sing His praise through songs and through
the veda-s, etc.

nAma 597. k…vlezy> kuvaleSayah

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a) The Controller of the jIva-s who wander in this world with the thoughtthat
they are the masters of their bodies.

b) He Who is reclining in the waters surrounding this earth.

a) SrI BhaTTar derives the meaning by looking at the nAma as ku_vala-ISa-ya.

ku refers to the world as pointed out in the previous nAma. vala means valanti-
wandering. ISa means Ruler. Thus, ku-vala-ISa refers to the jIva-s who
wander around in this world with the thought that they are the masters of
their bodies and that they control everything about themselves. Yah is the
part that refers to bhagavAn who goes after (yAti - goes) these jIva-s, i. e.,
keeps them under control.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr - "ulagam mUnRu uDaiyAi!ennai

AlvAnE! (tiruvAimozhi 6. 10. 10).

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha also looks at the nAma as ku + vala + ISah + yah.
However, he interprets the nAma as referring to bhagavAn who has control
(ISah) over all those that make sound (kai - Sabde - to sound, see previous
nAma), all those that walk or move (vala), etc. In other words, He is the
antaryAmi in everything.

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 b) SrI Samkara derives different interpretations, all based on looking at the
nAma as kuvale Sayah, where Sayah refers to reclining. His different
interpretations are based on different meanings for the term kuvala. One of
the interpretations is: koh kshiteh, valanAt - samsaraNAt, kuvalam - jalam;
tasminSeta iti kuvale-Sayah. In other words, He is kuvale Sayah because He is
reclining in the waters that surround the earth.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that since the earth originated from water -
adhbhyah pRthivI - water surrounds the earth.

Another interpretation that SrI Samkara gives is that kuvala can refer to the
underside of the serpent, since it crawls on the earth with its stomach - kau -
bhUmyAm, valate - samSrayata iti sarpANAm udaram kuvalam, tasmin Seta iti
kuvale-Sayah - He reclines on the serpent, and so He is called kuvaleSayah.
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The dharma cakram writer explains that the pa'nca bhUta-s evolved in the
sequence AkASa, vAyu, agni, waters, and earth. Since earth arose from
waters,the waters surround the earth. The pa'nca bhUta-s all arose from Him,
and so a simple way to understand the statement "He is reclining in the
waters" is to remember that bhagavAn is in the Nature that originated from
Him.

To summarize, there are essentially two different ways that this nAma has
been interpreted. One is kuvala + ISa + yah - He is the controller or Master of
everything that moves around, and the other is kuvale + Sayah - He Who
reclines in the waters, or He Who is reclining on the AdiSesha.

go--hitah
nAma 598. gaeiht> go

a) He Who looks after the welfare of the world.

b) He Who protected the cows by lifting the govardhana mountain.

go-hitAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that "go" here refers to prakRti (the Primordial
Matter) which is the field where the seeds for samsAra are sown. Hitah
refers to Him who gives hita to this world, who controls and looks after the

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welfare of this world.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujam gives the support from tiruvAimozhi - koLLa mALA inba
veLLam kOdila tandiDum en vaLLal (4. 7. 2). The inba veLLam that
nammAzhvAr refers to is of course the bhagavad anubhavam.

SrI Samkara gives the meaning "cows" to the samskRt word "go", and thus
interprets the nAma in terms of the hitam that bhagavAn did to the cows
through the lifting of the govardhana mountain - gavAmvRddhyartham
govardhanam dhRtavAn iti gobhyo hito go-hitah. He gives an additional
interpretation based on the meaning "bhUmi" for the word "go" - gohitah in
this sense being a reference to His protecting this world through different
incarnations to destroy the evil and protect the good.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the root gatau - to go, and gives the

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interpretation that bhagavAn is go-hitah because He facilitates the movement
of all beings in this world.

In summary, "go" can refer to cows in particular or to the world and its people
in a more general sense. Either way, go-hitah refers to His being the One who
facilitates their existence.

go--patih
nAma 599. gaepit> go

a) The Lord of the Celestial world.

b) The Lord of the indriya-s.

This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 497 (Slokam 53). Please refer to the
write-up under that nAma, which is fairly detailed and is supplemental to the
write-up that follows.

SrI BhaTTar interprets the word "go" in current occurrence of the nAmaas
referring to the bhoga bhUmi svarga, and thus gives the meaning to this
instance of the nAma as "He Who is the Lord of those in svarga". pati refers
to His role as the rakshaka or Protector. BhagavAn is the Lord of this world
as well as the Celestial world, and time and time again He comes to the rescue

291
 of the deva-s when the asura-s get the upper hand.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives the tiruvAimozhi reference - kaN AvAn enRum

maNNOr viNNORkku(1. 8. 3).

SrI cinmayAnanda interprets the term "go" as referring to cows, people,

sense-organs (indriya-s) etc. Since He is the pati or Lord of all the things, the
term means that He is the Lord of all.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meaning that He is the Protector of all,
starting with the meaning gau - to go for the term "go". In other words, He
shows the path for all the beings, and protects all beings even as the sArati of
a chariot sits in the driver's seat and directs the chariot and the horses
pulling the chariot, and protects them and looks after their welfare.

nAma 600. gaeÝa goptA

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The Protector.
goptre namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 498 (Slokam 53). Please read the write-
up under that nAma.

The different interpretations offered are all based on either the meaning gup
- to protect, or gup - to conceal. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha's anubhavam is that
He keeps Himself hidden (svayam Atma guptah), and at the same time protects
everyone because this is His dharma (goptA sa vishNuh sa hi goptRdharmA).
Thus, he uses both the meanings of gup in his vyAkhyAnam.

The summary of the different interpretations is that He is called goptA

because He is:

a) the Protector of everything, the Protector of the veda-s, the Protector of

the wheel of dharma, the wheel of karma etc., or

b) He conceals Himself from those to whom He does not want to reveal

Himself, or He conceals His devotees from the bad, He conceals the Inner
Self from those who are not qualified to realize it, He remains concealed from

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everything and at the same protects everything etc. gopAyati- satatam
rakshati svabhaktAn nityadA iti goptA.

The dharma cakram writer points out the lesson to take from this nAma - Only
He can protect us, and no one else can. It is not just that He is the Protector,
but there is no one else who can protect us. Recall svAmi deSikan's beautiful
expression of this -
bhayam kutah syAt tvayi sAnukampe |
rakshah kutah syAt tvayi jAtaroshe ||
(SrI ashTabhujAshTakam 5)
tava pravRtte mama kim prayAsaih |
tvayyapravRtte mama kim prayAsaih ||
(SrIashTabhujAshTakam 6)
tvayi rakshati rakshakaih kim ananyaih |

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tvayi cArakshati rakshakaih kim ananyaih ||
(SrIkAmAsikAshTakam 8)

(For meanings, please refer to the write-ups on SrI deSika stotram in this
list).

nAma 601. v&;Éa]> vRshabhAkshah

a) He Who is the Support for the cycle of samsAra in the form of dharma.

b1) He Whose Eyes shower all fruits desired.

b2) He who has dharma as His objective.

vRshabhAkshAya namah.
The two parts of this nAma are vRshabha and aksha. vRshabha is derived from
the root vRshu - secane - to shower, to rain. vRshabha is also a term that
denotes dharma. The word aksha means axle or eye. The union of the two
words then leads to the different interpretations.

a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is the dharma axle
that supports the wheel of samsAra. vRshabha means dharma because it
showers the fruits of actions - phala varshI vRshabho dharmah. BhagavAn is

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 the support for samsAra cakra or the wheel of samsAra, for which He is the
support or axle in the form of dharma (sah akshah - samsAra cakra AdhArah).
nammAzhvAr refers to Him as "tani mudalAi mUvulagum kAvalOn
(tiruvaimozhi2. 8. 5) - v. v. rAmAnujan.

b1), b2) SrI Samkara vyAkhyAnam is - sakalAn kAmAn varshuke akshiNI asya
itivRshabhAkshah - He whose eye rains the fulfillment of all the devotee's
wishes. All He has to do is look at the devotee with the samkalpam that He
wants to bestow His devotee with his wishes, and the devotee's wishes will be
fulfilled. Alternatively, His vision or look is dharma - vRshabhah dharmah sa
eva vA dRshTih asya iti vRshabhAkshah; that is, He only has dharma as His
objective.

The dharma cakram writer points out the example of duryodhana and arjuna,
and shows how dharma is what protects one ultimately. bhIshma told
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duryodhana when the latter asked bhIshma to fight on his side, that no matter
who fights on duryodhana's side, he will lose because he is following the path
of adharma, and arjuna's side will win because he is following the path of
dharma. This nAma teaches us that bhagavAn will always be on the side of
dharma, and if we follow the path of dharma, He will bestow His blessings on
us.

The summary of the different interpretations is that He uses dharma to run

the samsAra cakra by bestowing the benefits of the karma-s to the devotees
accordingto their karma-s.

vRsha--priyah
nAma 602. v&;iày> vRsha

a) dharma-lover.

b) Dear to the virtuous.

vRsha-priyAya namah.
vRsho dharmah priyo yasya iti vRsha-priyah. SrI BhaTTar gives the
interpretation that bhagavAn is vRsha-priyah because He is pleased with
dharma -both pravRtti dharma and nivRtti dharma. It is His pleasure with the

294
dharma performed by His devotee that results in His bestowing the desired
fruit. pravRtti dharma helps the jIva-s continue in this world; nivRtti dharma
helps its practitioners attain Him instead.

The dharma cakram writer gives the example of one who practices pravRtti
dharma - one who earns money through honest profession and then spends the
proceeds in a dhArmic way - this person is one who is interested in the life of
this world and observes the pravRtti dharma. One who is not involved in the
material world and who instead meditates on Him as the sole purpose of life is
a practitioner of nivRtti dharma. The life led by svAmi vivekAnanda's father is
given as an example of pravRtti dharma, and the life of svAmi vivekAnanda as
an example of nivRtti dharma. The point to note is that both the paths follow
dharma, and are thus dear to Him.

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SrI Samkara gives an additional interpretation - that bhagavAn is dear to the
virtuous - priya for vRsha-s.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that dharma is so dear to bhagavAn that

He takes birth among the likes of us just to protect and preserve dharma -
dharmasamsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi yuge yuge (gItA 4. 8).

(To be Continued in Volume III)

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

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Volume III
 Our Sincere thanks to the following for their invaluable contributions to
this ebook :

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 CONTENTS
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SlOkam 65 16

SlOkam 66 29

SlOkam 67 40

SlOkam 68 51

SlOkam 69 63

SlOkam 70 76

SlOkam 71 91

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 . ïI>.

. ïImte ramanujay nm>.

. ïImte ingmaNt mhadeizkay nm>.

ïImte ïI r¼ramanuj mhadeizkay nm>

SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam

(Volume III)

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Birth of SrI vishNu sahasranAma

(Arttwork Courtesy: Sow. R. Chitralekha)

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 sadagopan.org

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 Slokam 64
AinvtIR inv&ÄaTma s<]eÝa ]emk«iCDv>,

ïIvTsv]a> ïIvas> ïIpit> ïImta< vr>. 64.

anivartI nivruttAtmA samksheptA kshemakrucchivah ||
srIvatsavakshAh srIvAsah srIpatih srImatAm varah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 603. AinvtIR a-nivartI

a) He who does not turn away those who are inclined to comeback to this world.

b) He Who does not turn away from His battles with the asura-s.

c) He Who does not turn away from dharma under any circumstance.

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d) He whose creations never turn back in their shape, form etc. till pralaya.
a-nivartine namah.
The term nivartana means causing to return, returning, turning back etc.

a) SrI BhaTTar: na nivartayati iti a-nivRtI. For those who are attached to the
pravRtti dharma, bhagavAn does not let them turn away from samsAra -
(pravRtti dharma nishTargaLai samsArattai viTTu nivarttikkacceiyyAdavar -
SrI P. B. aNNa'ngarAcArya svAmi)

b) and c): SrI Samkara gives two alternate interpretations.

1. devAsura samgrAmAt na nivartata iti a-nivartI - He who never turns

away in His battles with the asura-s; and

2. VRsha priyAt dharmAt na nivartata iti a-nivartI - He who, being

devoted to dharma, never turns away from it.

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation - na nivartitum SIlam

asyaiti a-nivartI - He who does not have the characteristic of coming back.
He elaborates by pointing out that bhagavAn's creations are such that they do
not lose their attributes until the end of creation, until pralaya.

In summary, two main interpretations are given:

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 a) SrI BhaTTar - (samsArAt) na nivartayati iti a-nivarti - One who does not let
those who observe pravRtti dharma turn back from samsAra, and

b) SrI Samkara - na nivartata itia-nivartI - One who does not turn away
Himself from certain things.

nAma 604. inv&ÄaTma nivRttAtmA

a) He whose Nature is superior to other things.

b) He who is the AtmA of those who practice the nivRtti dharma.

c) He whose nature is that He is free from the bonds of samsAra.

d) He whose mind is turned away from worldly attachments.

e) He whose mind turns away from any feeling of self-glory over His kIrti or
fame.
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f) He who naturally turns away from the objects of senses.

g) He who does not turn away from anywhere because of He is Omnipresent.

nivRttAtmane namah.
This nAma is one of the two nAma-s that occur 4 times in SrI BhaTTar's
interpretation (231 - Slokam 25, 453 - Slokam 48, 604 - Slokam 64, and 780 -
Slokam 83). (The other nAma which occurs 4 times in SrI
BhaTTar'sinterpretation is prANa-dah). Please see the write-ups under Sloka-
s 25and 48. The write-up below supplements the previous write-ups.

nivRtti refers to detachment. SrI BhaTTar uses the word in this sense, as
also with the meaning "superior" - nivRttam - udgatam - superior. His
interpretation of the nAma in Slokam 25 uses the meaning "superior",
indicating that bhagavAn's Nature rises above all other things. The
interpretations of the other three instances of the nAma are based on the
meaning "detachment", and correspond to d) for nAma 453,b) for nAma 604,
and e) for nAma 780.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan elaborates on how bhagavAn is the AtmA of those who

practice the nivRtti dharma (interpretation b). These are the jIva-s who do

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not have any interest in pravRtti dharma, and live their lives with the sole
objective of doing kaimkaryam to Him. They are not interested in any fruit
out of their action except the bhAgyam of doing kaimkaryam to Him.
BhagavAn gives them exactly that, namely He gives them His lokam from where
there is no return to samsAra - viNNulagam taruvAnAi variaginrAn
(tivuvAimozhi 10. 6. 3). In fact, even though bhagavAn is AtmA of these
nivRtti dharma practitioners just as He is the AtmA of all other creations, yet
He considers that these nivRtti dharma followers are His soul, that is, He
cannot live without them.

SrI rAmAnujan also gives his anubhavam of bhagavAn's detachment from any
feeling of self-glory over His greatness (interpretation e). Here He is, creating
this great wonder with all its innumerable creatures and all the planets and the
different worlds. He is the svAmi of all these worlds - vIRRirunduEzhulagum

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tanik kOl Sella; varambilAda mAyai mAya!. varambilAda kIrtiyAi!
(tiruccandaviruttam 96). With all this greatness, one would expect that He
should have some attachment of ownership to His wonderful creation, and
pride of this great creation of His. Yet, He does not have any of this sense
ofpride, and is only interested in our welfare instead, in whatever He does.
Such is His greatness.

In the four instances where SrI BhaTTar uses the nAma nivRttAtmA as
referred to above,

SrI Samkara uses the nAma nivRttAtmA in Sloka-s 25 and 64, the nAma
vimuktAtmA in Slokam 48, and gives interpretations using the pATha as a-
nivRttAtmA or alternatively as nivRttAtmA in Slokam 83.

His interpretations are:

Slokam 25: "He whose nature is that He is free from the bonds ofsamsAra -
samsAra bandhanAt nivRtta AtmA svarUpam asya iti nivRttAtmA".

Slokam 64: "He who naturally turns away from material pleasures -
svabhAvatah vishayebhyo nivRtta AtmA manah asya iti nivRttAtmA".

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 Slokam 48, where Samkara pATham is vimuktAtmA: "He who is the free Self -
svabhAvena vimukta AtmA yasya iti vimuktAtmA". Note that He is unbound by
the effects of karma, and so by nature He is vimukta AtmA - the unbound
Self.

Slokam 83: a-nivRttAtmA: "He who never turns away from anywhere because
He is omnipresent - sarvatra vartamAnatvAt a-nivRttah kuto'pi iti a-
nivRttAtmA. If the nAma is taken as nivRttAtmA, SrI Samkara's
interpretation is: "By nature He turns away from the objects of the senses -
nivRtta AtmA mano vishayebhyo asya iti vA nivRttAtmA".

SrI cinmayAnanda observes that the significance of the nAma lies in indicating
to us that we have to detach our mind from sense indulgences in order to
realize Him.
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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that bhagavAn is the only one who can
retrieve those who are attached to all kinds of material and sense objects,
beause He is the only one who is not attached to anything. Only the one who
is not stuck in the mud can retrieve one who is stuck in it.

Summarizing the four instances of this nAma, bhagavAn is called nivRttAtmA

because His Nature is superior to all other things, He showed how to practice
the nivRtti dharma in His incarnation as nara-nArAyaNa, He is the soul of
those who practice the nivRtti dharma, His nature is that He turns away from
material pleasures, sense objects, etc., and He turns away from any self-glory
about His immeasurable greatness and instead does everything only for the
pleasure of His devotees.

nAma 605. s<]eÝa samksheptA

a) He who constrains or limits (the field of light ofknowledge of those who

practice the pravRtti dharma).

b) He who, at the time of cosmic dissolution, contracts the expansive

Universeinto a subtle state.

c) He who minimizes the misfortunes of His devotees.

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samksheptre namah.
The term samkshepa means shortened, abridged, contracted, etc. (e.g.,
samkshepa rAmAyaNam). Different vyAkhyAna kartA-s have different
anubhava-s of this guNa of bhagavAn.

a) SrI BhaTTar continues to interpret this nAma in relation to his vyAkhyAna

of the previous nAma-s, in terms of pravRtti and nivRtti dharma-s. Thus, his
interpretation in the current instance is that bhagavAn constrains the
knowledge field of those who observe the pravRtti dharma such that they
don't see the light completely, and are born again in samsAra instead of
attaining Him. Associated with birth in this world, there is a diminution of the
natural knowledge consistent with the pUrva karma-s.

b) SrI Samkara interpets His constraining act in terms of the contraction of

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the whole Universe in His body in a subtle form - vistRtam jagat samhAra
samayesUkshma rUpeNa samkshipan - samksheptA.

c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation that He is

samksheptA because He reduces or minimizes the misfortunes of His devotees
- samkshipatinyUnayati bhaktAnAm vipattIh iti samksheptA.

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha's anubhavam of this nAma is that bhagavAn

contracts a huge tree in the form of a small seed, and the same dharma applies
to all of His creations in the whole huge Universe.

e) SrI cinmayAnanada and SrI anatakRshNa SAstri point to an alternate

pATham, with the nAma being given as a-samksheptA, meaning He who never
abandons His devotees.

The dharma cakram writer remarks that the deeper we get involved in this
worldly life, the more we are contracting or constraining our knowledge of Him.
The purpose of life properly lived is to expand the knowledge of Him. Those
who live a life of involvement in the material and sensual aspects of life, are
living and yet not living (that is, they have not achieved the purposeof this
precious life).

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 The idea to take from the different interpretations is that bhagavAn
incorporates different constraints on His creatures as part of the
administration of dharma and as part of the administration of His function of
the cycle of creation. This is seen in different forms: in the form of limiting
the knowledge of the followers of the pravRtti dharma, the form in which the
huge tree is contained in a small seed, the way in which He assimilates all the
innumerable jIva-s into Himself at the time of pralaya, the way in which He
minimizes the suffering of His devotees, etc.

kshema--kRt -
nAma 606. ]emk«t! kshema

a) He who does what is good for His devotees.

b) He who protects what has been acquired by His devotees.
kshema-kRte namah.
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SrI BhaTTar: BhagavAn does what is good for the practitioners of

nivRttidharma by removing the obstructions to their knowledge.

SrI Samkara: upAttasya kshemam - parirakshaNam karoti iti kshema-kRt.

This has been translated differently by two different translators. SrI T. S.
kRshNamUrti gives the translation - He who gives kshema or protection to
those who go to Him. SrI R. anantakRshNa SAstri gives the meaning - He who
protects what has been acquired by His devotees.

SrI cinmayAnanda notes that bhagavAn not only preserves that which has been
attained by His devotees, He also helps them attain what has not been
attained so far - ananyAS cintayanto mAm. . . . yoga kshemam vahAmyaham -
gItA 9. 22. Here yoga refers to what has not been attained yet, and kshema
refers to what has been already acquired. tirukkaLLam

SrI nRsimha rAghavAcArya svAmi explains yoga and kshema as follows: a-

labdhasyalAbho yogah, labdha rakshaNam kshemah - attaining something that
we don't have is yoga, and preserving what we have is kshema.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives a similar explanation - aprAptasya

prApaNam yogah, yogasya rakshaNamkshemah. BhagavAn gives yogam in the

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form of moksham to the devotee who longs for it, and then gives kshemam by
making sure he does not lose it (kshemam).

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr - perum tunbam vEraRa

nIkki tantALin kIzh SErttu avan Seyyum SEmattai eNNit teLivuRRE? -
tiruvAimozhi 7. 5. 10. Note that the kshemam referred to here is moksham.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meanings: dwelling or residing - nivAsa,

going or in movement - gati, to diminish or extinguish - kshaya, to hurt or cause
pain- himsA, etc. to the word kshema, starting from the roots kshi kshaye,
kshinivAsa gatayoh, and kshi himsAyAm, in addition to the traditional meaning,
to bestow welfare. He thus gives the interpretation to the nAma as indicating
that bhagavAn resides in everyone and everything (nivAsa), He gives it
movement (gati), and in the end He takes away the soul from the body

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(kshaya). He knows the beginning, the end, and the in-between of all the jIva-s.
Hence He is kshema-kRt in all thesenses.

The dharma cakram writer gives the analogy of a mother who protects the
child when the child is in her womb, and then for as long as the child seeks the
mother's support, she provides this support by loving the child even more than
her own self. That is the way bhagavAn looks after His devotees
(bhagavAnbhaktan mIdu pittuk koNDuLLAr).

This nAma should remind us that it is He protects us, and does whatever is
good for us no matter what He does.

nAma 607. izv> Sivah

a) He who gives auspicious things to His devotees.

b) He who purifies those who meditate on Him.

c) He in whom the whole Universe rests at the time of pralaya.

d) He who resides in everything and everywhere.

SivAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar: Sivam karatvAt Sivah - He does what is auspicious for all

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 whether they desire the enjoyment of worldly pleasures or whether they seek
moksha - whether the aspirant is a bubhukshu or a mumukshu. SrI BhaTTar
refers us to - SrI mahAbhArata - Sivo SivAnAm a-Sivo a-SivAnAm- He does
good for the good, and bad for the bad. - SrI vishNu purANam (6. 7. 62)-
samsAra moksha sthiti bandha hetuh - He is the cause of the bondage of
worldly existence, also for the release from it.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to tirumozhi 1. 1. 9 - aruLoDu peru

nilamaLikkum nAraNan, and to tiruvAimozhi 1. 5. 7 - SeDiyAr Akkai aDiyAraic
cErdaltIrkkum tirumAl.

The idea emphasized here is that a) whatever He does is for our good, and b)
He does whatever we deserve to get based on our karma.

b) SrI Samkara: He is Sivah because He purifies everyone by the mere

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remembrance of His name.

c) Both SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj and SrI satyadevo vAsishTha give the
alternate interpretation based on the root SI'ng - svapne to sleep. Sete
sarvam jagat pralaya velAyAm yasmin iti Sivah - He in whom the whole
Universe rests at the time of pralaya is Sivah (SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj).

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha also gives the alternate interpretation based on

the root Syai - to go, the meaning given being that He is present everywhere,
He is in everything - SyAyate sarvam iti prApnoti iti arthah.

Thus, the nAma Sivah indicates that whatever bhagavAn gives us is what is
good for us, and is meant for our purification and for our reaching Him. The
punishment He gave to the demons such as rAvaNa, kamsa, etc. were all for
their ultimate good. It should be realized that when we encounter some
sufferings in life that are obviously given to us by bhagavAn, we should accept
these as willingly as when He gives us things that make us happy, because
whatever He does is for our good.

SrIvatsa--vakshAh
nAma 608. ïIvTsv]a> SrIvatsa

He who has the SrIvatsa mole on His chest.

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SrIvatsa vakshase namah.
SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma-s starting from the current one and up to
nAma 619 as praising His sambandham with pirATTi. The nirukti description
for the current nAma is:
lakshmI-vallabhya saubhAgya cihnam SrIvatsa nAmakam |
SrIvatsa vakshA asya asti vakshasi iti sa tu smRtah ||

The SrIvatsa mark is the unique sign of He who is the lakshmI vallabhan.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to SrI vishNu purANam where parASara

narrates to maitreyi what has been communicated to him by vyAsa, on how
vishNu bears the whole world, abiding in His nature, characterized by
ornaments and weapons. In this description, the SrIvatsa mark is described as
the pradhAna seated in the Eternal:

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SrIvatsa samsthAna dharam anante ca samASritam (1. 22. 67)

The glorious Hari wears the pure soul of the world, undefiled, and void of
qualities, as the kaustubha gem. The chief principle of things, (pradhAna) is
seated on the Eternal, as the SrI vatsa mark. Intellect abides in mAdhava, in
the form of His mace. . .

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers to another passage in SrImad bhAgavatam

(12. 11. 10) where the SrIvatsa mark is described as the reflection of the
kaustubha gem that bhagavAn wears, representing His Atma-jyoti (translated
as Suddha jIva caitanyaby a translator):
kaustubha vyapadeSena svAtma jyotih bibharti ajah |
tat-prabhA vyApinI sAkshAt SrIvatsam urasA prabhuh ||

Similar to the description in vishNu purANam, this section of SrImad

bhAgavatam gives details of how bhagavAn bears on Him everything that
constitutes everything that exists.

SrI cinmayAnanda refers to the story of bhRgu maharshi's testing who among
the trinity was the superior one, and kicking Lord vishNu on His chest. He
indicates that the mark of bhRgu's foot is the SrIvatsa mark on the

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 Lord'schest, since the Lord offered to bear the mark of bhRgu's foot as an
indication of how He values the touch of the feet of His devotee. He gives the
reference to the story of bhRgu maharshi in SrImad bhAgavatam (10-89),
wherein bhagavAn says that mahAlakshmi will henceforth reside in His vaksha
sthalam because it has now been purified by the touch ofthe sage's foot -
adyAham bhagavan lakshmyA Asam ekAnta bhAjanam |
vatsyati urasi me bhUtih bhavat pAda hatAmhasah || (10. 89. 12)

SrI cinmayAnanda interprets this to mean that the SrIvatsa mark itself is the
mark of SrI on His chest ("bhagavAn says - He will ever bear the mark of the
sage's foot as SrI on His chest". ).

The SrIvatsam mark on bhagavAn's chest is thus the representation of

pradhAna as being supported by Him, as the unique of Him who is the SrI
vallabhan, as the reflection of the kaustubha gem that bhagavAn wears, and as
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the symbol of how He values His devotee as reflected by the incident involving
bhRgu maharshi.

SrI--vAsah
nAma 609. ïIvas> SrI

The Abode of lakshmi.

SrI-vAsAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar gives reference to SrImad rAmAyaNam - yuddha kANDam 114.
15 - referring to Lord as nitya SrIh. He is like the garden consisting of kalpaka
trees, and She is kalpaka valli, who freely roams around as She pleases in the
kalpaka tree garden.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan quotes "agalagillEniRaiyum enRu alarmEl ma'ngai uRai

mARban" - tiruvAimozhi 6. 10. 10.

SrI Samkara's vyAkhyAnam is "asya vakshasi SrIh anapAyinI vasati iti SrI-
vAsah" - One on whose chest SrIdevi dwells uninterruptedly.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj adds - "SobhA soundarya sampannah" as his

explanation for the nAma - He who is always full of eternal luster and beauty.
SrI cinmAyananda gives a similar interpretation - SrI vasati asminiti SrI-

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vasah - SrI - all glory and riches, ever dwell in His bosom of love and beauty.

The dharma cakram writer refers to different kinds of wealth, which all can
be grouped under the six categories - SrI, kIrti, aiSvarya, j~nAna, vIrya, and
vairAgya. The term "bhagavAn" refers to One who has all these six kinds of
wealth. In the case of others, if theys how the slightest sign of having any
one of these in some measure, we talk of his having been blessed with "lakshmI
kaTAksham". The more one devotes one's life in the thought and service of
bhagavAn, the more these qualities start demonstrating themselves in the
individual. This should be the purpose of life correctly lived - Meditation on
Him and association with Him will lead to our acquiring these traits, just as:
"poovODu Sernda nArum maNam peRum".

SrI vAsah thus refers to Him who has SrI in the form of lakshmi with Him

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always on His vaksha sthalam, as well as One who has all the SrI's (kIrti-s) in
full measure with Him always, undiminished, undiluted, and uninterrupted.

SrI--patih
nAma 610. ïIpit> SrI

a) The Consort of lakshmi.

b) The Master of the Supreme Cosmic Power.

SrI-pataye namah.
BhagavAn is the Eternal and suitable Consort of lakshmi in all the incarnations,
and She accompanies Him whatever form He takes in His incarnation. SrI
BhaTTar gives reference to SrI sUktam - asyeSAnA jagato vishNupatnI - She
is the Ruler ofthis Universe and the Consort of vishNu, and to sundara
kANDam 16. 5 - RAghavo'rhati vaidehIm tam ceyam asitekshaNA - Only Lord
rAma is fit for sItA, and only sItA is fit for rAghava.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives references to divya prabandham - tiruvin maNALan

(tivuvAimozhi1. 9. 1); tiruvukkum tiruvAgiya SelvanE! (peria tirumozhi 7. 7. 1) -
He who isthe Wealth (Consort) of One who bestows wealth on all; kOla malarp
pAvaikuanbAgiya en anbEyO! - You who are LOVE personified to mahAlakshmi,
and who is LOVE itself for me (tiruvAimozhi 10. 10. 7).

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 SrI Samkara refers to the incident of the churning of the Milky Ocean,
wherein mahAlakshmi appears from the Ocean, and chooses mahAvishNu as
Her consort, from among all the deva-s who are present - amRta mathane
sarvAn surAn asurAdInvihAya SrIh enam patitvena varayAmAsa iti SrI-patih.
SrI Samkara gives an alternate interpretation as well: SrI means Supreme
Cosmic Power, and bhgavAn is the Master of this Power, and so He is SrI-
patih.

Thus, SrI patih refers to Him who is the Consort of mahA lakshmi, the Master
of the Supreme Cosmic Power, and the Master and Bestower of all that is
auspicious.

SrImatAm--varah
nAma 611. ïImta< vr> SrImatAm

a) The Best Among those who possess affluence.

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b) The Best among those who possess knowledge of the veda-s.

srImatAm-varAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar refers to the incident of the churning of the Milky Ocean for
the interpretation of this nAma. Goddess lakshmi chose by Him among all
thedeva-s that were assembled, and He is the Object of her full and loving
glances always; after being seated in His vaksha-sthalam (chest), she blesses
the deva-s such as brahma by her casual glances or blessings occasionally.
Thus, He is the best among those who receive lakshmi's kaTAksham. SrI
BhaTTar gives reference to SrI vishNu purANam (1. 9. 106-107), describing
the above.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan elaborates further by pointing that bhagavAn is the Only

One who is SrImAn of Possessor of all wealths; the others can be qualified as
SrImAn because they may possess some wealth in some specific area for some
breif period of time. He gives references to nacciyAr tirumozhi 10. 10 -
nAgaNaimiSai nam parar Selvar periyar; nammAzhvAr's tiruvASiriyam 1 - Sivan
ayanindiran ivar maudal anaittOr deivak kuZhA'ngaL kai tozhak kiDanda tAami
undittanip peru nAyakan.

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b) SrI Samkara interprets the term "SrI" here as a reference to the veda-s,
and his anubhavam of this nAma is that bhagavAn is the Best among those who
have the knowledge of the veda-s. He gives reference to the Sruti -

Rcah sAmAni yajUgmshi |

sA hi SrIamRtA satAm ||

(taitt. BrAhmaNam 1. 2. 1)

The Rg, yajus, and sAman are the imperishable SrI or welath of the wise. SrI
Samkara's interpretation is: Rg yajus sAma lakshaNA SrIh; yeshAm teshAm
sarveshAm SrImatAm virincyAdInAm varah pradhAna bhUtah
SrImatAmvarah.

SrI cinmayAnanda builds on the above, and gives another interpretation: varah
means blessing; so the nAma can also mean that He is the Blessing that is

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sought by those who are the students of the veda-s.

The nAma can also be interpreted to mean that He is worshipped as the Chief
Deity by those who have the veda-s as their wealth.

To summarize, the nAma means that bhagavAn is the wealthiest of all those
who possess wealth, He is the One who possesses all the wealth all the time,
His wealth is permanent and ever-existent unlike all the others whose wealth is
only transient and temporary, He is the One sought by those who are
proficient in the veda-s, He is the Chief Diety that is praised by the veda-s,
etc.

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 Slokam 65
ïId> ïIz> ïIinvas> ïIinix> ïIivÉavn>,

ïIxr> ïIkr> ïey> ïIman! laekÇyaïy>. 65.

srIdah srIsah srInivAsah srInidhih srIvibhAvanah |
srIdharah srIkarah sreyah srImAn lOkatrayAsrayah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 612. ïId> SrI dah

The Giver of Glories.
SrI-dAya namh.
As mentioned in the beginning of the explanation for nAma 608,
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SrI BhaTTar continues to interpret the nAma-s up to 619 in terms of

bhagavAn's inseparable association with pirATTi. For the current nAma, his
explanation is that bhagavAn is the Giver of glory to lakshmi in the form of
supreme love which is eternal, fresh, and spontaneous. The SrI that He gives
lakshmi is makes her declare "agalagillEn iRaiyum" (SrI v. v. rAmAnujan).

SrI bhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is: nitya nUtana, nir-vyAja praNaya rasa Sriyam
tasyai dadAti iti SrI-dah. That is to say, He is Her life itself. He gives
references to:

1. SrI vishNu purANam 1. 9. 144 vishNoreshA anapAyinI - She is ever

inseparable from vishNu;

2. yuddha kANDam 121. 19 - ananyA hi mayA sItA bhAskareNa prabhA

yathA - (rAma's words) - SitA cannot be without Me even as the Sun
and its luster cannot be separated from each other;

3. sundara KANDam 21. 15 - (SitA's words) - ananyA rAghaveNAham

bhAskareNa prabhA yathA - Just as radiance cannot be separated from
the Sun, I cannot be separated from rAma.

If SrI is taken to mean wealth, then the interpretation is that He is the Giver
of wealth to His devotees. This is SrI Samkara's vyAkhyAnam - Sriyam dadAti

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bhaktAnAm iti SrI-dah. SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam centralizes this to the
case of SrI Herself - He is the One who gives Her the quality of SrI, just as
She is the One who gives Him the pUrNatvam. The idea is that the two are
One inseparable tattvam.

Since bhagavAn is the Giver of wealth, the question arises: What kind of
wealth should we seek? The dharma cakram writer clarifies this. There are
two kinds of wealth. One is called preyas and the other is called Sreyas (this
has been explained in a previous write-up as well). Preyas is the search for
material wealth, and Sreyas is the search for spiritual wealth. This is dealt
with in detail in kaThopanishad. We should learn to worship vishNu with the
interest in seeking Sreyas, and not preyas, even though bhagavAn will bestow
whatever the seeker seeks. The lesson to take from this nAma is that we
should seek Sreyas in this life by worshipping vishNu, as the means for

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attaining mukti.

In summary, the nAma illustrates that He is the Giver of wealth to His

devotees, and He is the Giver of the attribute of SrI to lakshmi, just as She is
the Giver of pUrNatvam to Him, and thus the two are one inseparable tattvam.
PerumAL and pirATTi are like the Sun and its prabhA or luster.

SrI--Sah
nAma 613. ïIz> SrI

a) He Who is the ISa or Lord of SrI.

b) He Who has SrI as His Ruler.

SrISAya namah
SrI + ISah = SrI-Sah. Here again the inseparable Oneness of the tattvam of
bhagavAn and pirATTi is reflected. SrI BhaTTar gives reference to the
description of lakshmi as:
"AdAvAtma guNatvena bhogya rUpeNa vigrahe |
AdhAraka svarUpeNa dAsI bhAvena vA sadA || "

"lakshmi is ever with bhagavAn either as His innate qualities in His

Transcendental Form, or in a delightful form in His body, or as His support by

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 Her essential nature as a devout servant".

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan explains this as: "pirATTi is in the form of His auspicious
qualities in His Transcendental Form, as His beauty (saundaryam) in His divya
ma'ngala vigraha form, and as His Support as well as servant", as described in
the SrI pA'ncarAtra samhitA. She is also His Ruler in that He does not act
without consent and approval from Her - SrI ISAh asya sa SrI-Sah. SrI v. v.
rAmAnujan points to the nAma SrI-patih (nAma 610) in this context.

SrI BhaTTar also refers us to SrI sanatkumAra samhitA 113, describing

lakshmi as the Ruler of bhagavAn: - "pum pradhAna Isvara IsvarI" - lakshmi is
the Ruler of the individual souls, or prakRti, and of the Ruler Himself.

SrI Samkara interprets the nAma as meaning that He is the Lord of wealth -
Sriya ISah SrISah.
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The nAma can thus be understood as illustrating that bhagavAn is the Lord of
all wealth, and He is also the Lord of lakshmi, who in turn is His Ruler as well.

SrI--nivAsah
nAma 614. ïIinvas> SrI

a) The Abode of lakshmi

b) The Support of lakshmi.

c) He who dwells in purified hearts.

d) He who resides where lakshmi resides.

SrI-nivAsAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 185 (Slokam 20). The gist of the
vyAkhyAnam for the nAma in Slokam 20 is included here.

a) In Slokam 20, SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma based on the incident of
bhagavAn churning the Milky Ocean. lakshmi emerges from the Ocean and
takes Her place on His vaksha-sthalam, with the declaration as captured by
nammAzhvAr: "agagillEn iRaiyum enRu alarmEl ma'ngai uRai mArban (tiruvAi
mozhi 6. 10. 10)".

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives several references:

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 1. paSyatAm deva devAnAm yayau vaksha sthalam hareh (SrI vishNu
purANam);

2. en tiru vAzh mArvar (tiruvAimozhi 8. 3. 7);

3. malindu tiru irunda mArvan (mUnRAm tiruvantAdi 57);

4. tiru ma'ngai ta'ngiya Sir mArban (nAcciyAr tirumozhi 8. 4).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri describes the inseparable oneness of bhagavan and

pirATTi in terms of pirATTi being the amRta creeper that surrounds bhagavAn
who is like the kalpa vRksham - yato lakshmIs-tato harih.

SrI Samkara bhAshyam for the occurrence of this nAma in Slokam 20 is:
yasya vkashasi anapAyinI SrIh vasati sah SrI-nivAsah - He in whose vaksha-
sthalam SrI always resides is SrI-nivAsah.

SrI cinmayAnanda describes SrI as connoting "all Glory and power, faculties

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and strength, to be good and to perform creative acts of righteousness".
She is found to never reside permanently in any bosom, except that of Lord
vishNu. Even great sages and saints in recorded history have come to
compromise the perfection in them. The only place where imperfections never
enter to molest the serene essence is the seat of Eternal Perfection, which is
the bosom of nArAyaNa. Hence mahA vishNu is indicated as SrI-nivAsa - The
Permanent Abode of lakshmi.

b) In the current Slokam, SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma in terms of the
Oneness of bhagavAn and pirATTi - He is the contiguous support of lakshmi -
note the word nitya in the vyAkhyAnam - divya vallyA iva kalpa drumah tasyAh
nitya aupaghnah SrI-nivAsah.

c) SrI Samkara bhAshyam in the current instance of the nAma is: SrImatsu
nityam vasati iti SrI-nivAsah - He who dwells in devotees who are endowed
with SrI or virtue.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that SrI here refers to those who
are pure at heart, wherein the passions and lusts have been removed, and
peace, joy, devotion, and understanding reside. BhagavAn lives in the hearts of

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 these, who are here referred to as SrImAn's, or those who have SrI in them.

d) SrI anantakRshNa SAstri gives the explanation that bhagavAn resides

where SrI resides, which is suggestive of the togetherness of bhagavAn and
pirATTi. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri quotes: yato lakshmIs tato harih.

Under Slokam 20, SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as referring to

bhagavAn being the Permanent Abode of all auspicious qualities, unlike in the
case of everyone else, whom She blesses for a brief period of time with a tiny
part of some aspect of auspiciousness. Please see the detailed description
under Slokam 20.

The nAma "SrI-nivAsah" thus signifies that

- SrI lives in His vaksha sthalam inseparably (SrI referring to pirATTi),

- He lives in those who are blessed with SrI or virtue (SrI referring to the
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virtue in the devotees of bhagavAn)

- BhagavAn is the permanent Abode of all auspicious qualities (SrI or virtue
residing in Him always in full)

SrI--nidhih
nAma 615. ïIinix> SrI

a) He who has lakshmi as His wealth.

b) He in whom all wealth resides.

c) He who is the treasure house for SrI.

SrI-nidhaye namah.
a) nidhi means wealth. He who has SrI as His wealth is SrI-nidhih. SrI
BhaTTar's anubhavam is that SrI has been placed in bhagavAn like a gem-
studded jewel in a casket.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri describes that SrI is the personification of all His
Sakti, and He treasures her and protects her in His vaksha-sthalam and keeps
her protected with His pItAmbaram. She is the incarnation of all Sakti, and
He is the resort where all Sakti resides.

b) SrI Samkara gives the interpretation - sarva Saktimaye asmin akhilAh

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Sriyoh nidhIyanta iti SrI-nidhih - He who is the resort of the entirety of
wealth, as He is all-powerful.

c) SrI cinmAyananda interprets the nAma as "He who is the nidhi for SrI",
and notes that He is All-Full and Perfect, all glories draw themselves from Him
alone. In this sense, SrI also draws her vitality from Him, and He is thus the
nidhi of SrI.

The dharma cakram writer explains the meaning behind the nAma as follows:
SrI refers to all that is good. As bhagavAn has declared - He takes
incarnations to protect the good and destroy the evil - paritrANAya
sAdhUnAm vinASAya ca dushkRtAm. This nAma indicates His protecting SrI -
the incarnation of all that good and virtuous. This nAma teaches us that just as
the good part of the food that is consumed is converted into blood etc. and

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the bad part is discarded as waste, we should retain what is good around us
and discard what is not good. Meditation on this nAma of vishNu with this
understanding of the meaning of this nAma will give us this ability.

The nAma SrI-nidhih thus means:

- He has SrI as His treasure

- SrI has Him as her treasure
- He is the resort of all wealth

SrI--vibhAvanah
nAma 616. ïIivÉavn> SrI

a) He who owes His greatness to lakshmi.

a) He who bestows greatness on all according to their karma.

b) He who makes lakshmi's fame (vivhavam) known to everyone.

SrI-vibhAvanAya namah
SrI BhaTTar gives the reference to sage vAlmIki - aprameyam hi tat tejah
yasya sA janakAtmajA (AraNya. 37. 18) - "The tejas or splendor of SrI rAma,
who has sItA as His pirATTi, is beyond all measure". These are the words of
mArIca to rAvaNa. ANDAL dramatically describes the extent of trouble He

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 went through to get pirATTi - uNNAdu uRa'ngAdu oli kaDalai UdaRuttu peN
Akkai AppuNDa SelvanAr (nAcciyAr tirumozhi 11. 6). peN here refers to
pirATTi who has no one to compare with.

b) SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that He is SrI-vibhAvanah because

He gives various forms of prosperity to all according their karma-s -
karmAnurUpeNa vividhAh Sriyah sarvabhUtAnAm vibhAvayati iti SrI-
vibhAvanah.

c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the interpretation that He is SrI-

vibhAvanah because He spreads the fame of lakshmi by proudly displaying His
association with lakshmi, and by bestowing blessings on all devotees through
His association with lakshmi.

The dharma cakram writer explains in simple terms the complimentary nature
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of perumAL and pirATTi. The analogy he gives is that when wealth is in

someone's possession who does not use it for anything good, it is wasted.
Neither the wealth of this person acquires fame, nor does the possessor of
this wealth. The dharma cakram writer gives the example of a poor man who
got seven jars of gold, six of them full, and the seventh half full. He was taken
by greed that the seventh jar was only half full, and so started living a life
with the aim of trying to get the seventh jar filled up, and in the process
suffered even more in poverty than before he got the gold jars. This is not the
purpose of getting wealth.

Instead, there are those who get wealth and then use it to help those in need.
They attain fame because of their wealth, and their wealth also becomes
famous because it is used for the right purposes. BhagavAn has the wealth in
the form of SrI (mahAlakshmi), and He bestows all His devotees with
blessings according to their karma, and so He gets His fame. SrI gets the
fame since the wealth that He has because of His association with her is being
used for protecting dharma. Thus, the mutually complimentary nature of
bhagavAn and pirATTi is conveyed in this nAma, as in other nAma-s of this
group.

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 SrI--dharah
nAma 617. ïIxr> SrI

The Bearer of SrI.

SrI-dharAya namah.

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SrI-dharAya namah.
SrI Malayappa SwAmy - Thirumalai
The inseparable nature of the relationship between SrI and bhagavAn is once
again revealed in this nAma. SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is: ratnamiva
arcisham, pushpamiva surabhim, induriva candirkAm, amRtamiva svAdutAm,
autpattikena sambandhena Sriyam dharati iti SrI-dharah - Just as the gem
bears its luster, the flower its fragrance, the moon her moonlight, and nectar
its sweetness, so also vishNu bears lakshmi in Him by an innate relationship.
He also quotes the following support from SrImad rAmAyaNa - na hi
hAtumiyam SaktyA kIrtirAtmavato yathA (ayodhyA. 3. 29) - It will be
impossible for rAma to abandon sItA even as the fame of a virtuous man
cannot be abandoned by him.

It is not possible to separate the quality of an object from the object itself.

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 Similarly, it is not possible to separate bhagavan from lakshmi, just as it is not
possible separate the heat from the fire, the whiteness from the milk, the
prakASam from the Sun, etc., as additional examples.

SrI--karah –
nAma 618. ïIkr> SrI

a) He who makes lakshmi (follow Him in His incarnations)

b) He who confers SrI (spiritual wealth) on the devotees, including moksham

(nitya-SrI)

c) He who makes His devotees shine with SrI (glory).

d) He who has taken the hand of SrI (mahA lakshmi).

SrI-karAya namah.
Sriyam karoti iti SrI-karah.
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SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn makes lakshmi incarnate Herself

in a suitable form when He comes down into this world in His incarnations, and
thus He is called SrI-karah. 'devatve deva deheyama maushyatve ca mAnushI'
is from SrI vishNu purANam (1. 9. 145) - She assumes the deva deham when
He is in daiva lokam, and she assumes a human form when He takes a human
form.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan quotes the following support from nammAzhvAr: ezhil

malar mAdarum tAnum iv-Ezh-ulagai inbam payakka AlginRa e'ngaL pirAn
(tiruvAi. 7. 10. 1).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri elaborates on this, and adds that after making
lakshmi incarnate in a suitable form with Him, (such as sItA when He came as
rAma, rukmiNi when He came as kRshNa etc.), He spreads her fame, and
ensures that she blesses those who worship Him, including nitya-SrI
(moksham) to those devotees who have matured to that level.

SrI Samkara vyAkhyAnam is: smaratAm, stuvatAm, arcayatAm ca bhaktAnAm

Sriyam karoti iti SrI-karah - He is called SrI-karah since He confers spiritual
wealth on His devotees who think about Him, praise Him, and worship Him.

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SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation - SriyAm - svajana
kIrtInAm karah iti SrI-karah - BhagavAn is SrI-karah because He gives
expression to the kIrti or fame of His devotees.

Based on the vyAkhyAnam by SrI Baladeva vidyAbhUshaN, yet another

interpretation suggests itself - He is SrI-karah because He has taken SrI's
(mahA lakshmi's) hand in marriage.

Thus, the significance of this nAma can be summarized as:

1. bhagavAn is called SrI-karah because He causes lakshmi follow Him in

an appropriate form whenever He takes an incarnation

2. He bestows SrI (spiritual wealth) including moksham, on His devotees

according to their karma and maturity level in their bhakti

3. He gives expression to the SrI (kIrti) in His devotees.

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4. He has taken the hand of mahA lakshmi.

Sreyas--SrImAn
nAma 619. ïey> ïIman! Sreyas

a) He that has lakshmi who is resorted to by devotees for attaining the good.

b) He who is decorated with the exquisitely beautiful wealth of ornaments

such as His nUpuram, keyuram, kaTakam, kirITam, etc.
SreyaS-SrImate namah.
Here Sreyas or Sreyah refers to the Spiritual Good. In kaThopanishad, yama's
description of Sreyas, and its difference from preyas (the material wealth), is
nicely presented. In the current nAma, SrI BhaTTar interprets laskhmi as
Sreyas-SrI, who bestows the spiritual benefits to those who worship her.
BhagavAn is SreyaS-SrImAn, the One who possesses her. Thus, again the
inseparable nature of perumAl and pirATTi is brought out. SrI BhaTTar gives
the following quotes in support of his interpretation:
praNipAta prasannA hi mythilI janakAtmajA |
alameshA paritrAtum rAkshasyo mahato bhayAt ||

(sundara. 58. 92)

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 "Mythili (sItA), the daughter of Janaka, is surely bent upon showing her grace
to those who make their obeisance to Her. O rAkshasis! She is capable of
protecting us from this danger" - words of trijaTA to rAkshasi-s.

SarIra Arogyam AiSvaryam ari paksha kshayah sukham

(vishNu purANam 1. 9. 125)

She bestows bodily health, wealth, destruction of enemies, and happiness.

vimukti phala dAyinI

(vishNu purANam 1. 9. 120)
She is the grantor of the fruit of release from bondage.
yasyAm hiraNyam vindeyam gAmaSvam purushAnaham
(SrI sUktam 2)
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(She) from whom I shall get gold, cows, horses, and sons.
Sriyam loke devajushTAmudArAm (SrIsUktam 5)
lakshmi, who is worshipped by the gods for getting their ends accomplished, or
who is loved by nArAyaNa Himself, and who is bounteous in Her gifts.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the explanation that bhagavAn has the
nAma SreyaS-SrImAn because He possesses the most exquisite SrI-s in the
form of His ornaments etc. -

SreyasI atiSaya SobhamAnA SrIr-vesha racanA nUpura yugala kA'ncI kaTaka

keyUra kuNDala kirITAdimatI yasya iti Sreyah SrImAn.

He gives the support from amarakoSa - SreyAn-SreshThah pushkalah syAt

sattamS-cAtisobhane (3. 1. 58).

In SrI Samkara vyAkhyAnam, this nAma is treated as two separate nAma-s -

Sreyah and SrImAn. In this interpretation, bhagavAn is called Sreyah because
He is Salvation, the Ultimate Goal of Eternal Bliss. He is called SrImAn
because He is the Possessor of SrI (SrI here meaning His power, splendor, and
supreme wisdom).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri quotes from the kaThopanishad, referenced earlier

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in this nAma, to explain the significance of the term "Sreyah" -
"anyat Sreyah anyadutaiva preyah, . . .tayoh Sreya AdadAnasya sAdhu bhavati,
Sreyo hi dhIro'bhi preyo vRNIte" -

(extracts from KaThopanishad 2-1and 2).

"Sreyas and preyas take one in two entirely different paths; Sreyas brings
good (Spiritual realization) to those who aspire for it. The wise ones chose
Sreyas over preyas (sensual and materialistic pleasures)".

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha equates preyas and Sreyas to pravRtti and nivRtti
mArga-s respectively, and gives the quote from the Rg veda to indicate how
preyas and Sreyas can go together to achieve the final liberation - by acquiring
material wealth and using it properly to attain the Higher Spirit -
paricinmartto draviNam mamanyAdRtasya pathA namasA vivAset |

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uta svena kratunA sam vadeta SreyAmsam daksham manasA jagRbhyAt ||
(Rg 10. 31. 2)

loka--trayASrayah
nAma 620. laekÇyaïy> loka

a) He Who is the Resort for all three worlds.

b) He who is the substratum for the worlds-of-experiences of waking, dream,

and deep sleep.
loka-trayASrayAya namah.
trayANAm lokAnAm AsrayatvAt loka-trayASrayah (SrI Samkara) - One who is
the refuge for all the three worlds.

SrI BhaTTar: BhagavAn and lakshmi, like father and mother, are the one
resort for all beings in all three worlds. SrI BhaTTar gives the reference to
indra's words in SrI vishNu purANam - tvam mAtA sarva lokAnAm devadevo
harih pitA (1. 9. 126) - "Thou art the Mother of all the worlds, and Hari, the
God of all gods, is the father".

SrI anantakRshNa Sastri interprets the "three worlds" as referring to the

earth, the atmosphere, and the heavens.

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 SrI cinmayAnanda interprets the "three worlds" as referring to the three
"worlds of experiences", namely, waking, dream, and deep-sleep. Thus, he
explains the nAma as referring to bhagavAn being the substratum (ASraya)
for these three worlds-of-experiences in every being; without the presence
of nArAyaNa in everyone of us, we will not be able to experience anything in
any of these states.
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 Slokam 66
Sv]> Sv¼> ztanNdae niNdJyaReitgR[eñr>,

ivijtaTma ivxeyaTma sTkIitRiZDÚs<zy>. 66.

svakshah svangah satAnandO nandir jyOtirgaNesvarah |
vijitAtmA vidheyAtmA satkIrtis chinnasamsayah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 621. Sv]> svakshah

The Beautiful-Eyed.
svakshAya namah.
The nAma can be understood by looking at the two parts which constitute the

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word- su + akshah. SrI Samkara's vyAkhyAnam is su - sobhane
puNDarIkAbheakshiNi asya iti svakshah - He whose eyes resemble the lotus-
petals.

SrI BhaTTar continues his anubhavam of seeing pirATTi and bhagavAn

together - his interpretation is that bhagavAn has these beautiful eyes which
are thoroughly proficient in the art of the enjoyment of the nectarine ocean
of Her beauty. We may recall that the hue of bhagavAn's kaDaik-kaN is
described as reddish, and pirATTi's eyes are dark-hued. The anubhavam of
this by our elders is that His kaDaik-kaN (corner of the eye) is reddish in
color because He is always looking at the beautiful reddish complexion of
pirATTi through His side glances, and Her eyes are dark because She is always
enjoying the beautiful dark complexion of bhagavAn. She is "nArINAmuttamA
vadhU" (SrI v. v. rAmAnujan). tiruppANAzhvAr describes the beauty of His
eyes - "kariya Agip puDai parandu miLirndu Sevvari ODiap-periavAya kaNgaL
ennaip pEdaimai SeidanavE".

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is svakshah

because He views the whole universe seated in the Sun chariot, and He is the
eye of everything that exists.

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 nAma 622. Sv¼> sva'ngah

The Lovely-bodied.
sva'ngAya namah.
The interpretation is similar to the previous nAma - su + a'ngah = sva'ngah. Su
- SobhanAni a'ngAni asya iti sva'nah - One whose limbs are beautiful (SrI
Samkara). He has a beautiful form that captivates all His devotees. See the
anubhavam of tiruppANAzhvAr, svAmi deSikan, hanumAn, etc., referenced
below.

SrI BhaTTar'as anubhavam is that He has a celestial body that is worthy of

being admired by even lakshmi. SrI Baladeva vidhyAbhUshaN echoes the same
anubhavam - lakshmI spRhaNIya divya SarIra dhArI. BhagavAn's soundaryam
leads Her to declare "agalagillEn" (SrI v. v. rAmAnujan). In sundara kANDam,
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vAlmIki gives a very detailed description of every aspect of Lord rAma's

beauty through 16 Sloka-s in hanumAn's words (35,7-22). We also have
tiruppANazhvAr's beautiful description of Lord ra'nganAtha's beauty in his
amalanAdi pirAn. His beauty just makesAzhvAr just conclude his praise of the
Lord with the declaration "enamudianik kaNDa kaNgaL maRRonRinaik kANAvE".
svAmi deSikan describes Lord ra'nganAtha's beauty in bhagavad dhyAna
sopAnam and many other stotra-s.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives his interpretation using the root agi - gatau -
to go, to move around, and gives the explanation - SobhanAni a'ngAni -
gamanAniyasya sa sva'ngah - He who has beautiful paths or gaits is sva'ngah.
He gives the quote from Rg veda to support his interpretation:
agre bRhannushsAmUrdhvo asthAnnirjaganvAn tamaso jyotishAgAt |
agnirbhAnunA rushatA sva'nga A jAto viSvA sadmAnyaprAh ||

(Rg. 10. 1. 1)
"High hath the Mighty risen before the dawning, and come to us with light
from out of the darkness. Fair-shapen agni with white-shining splendor hath
filled at birth all human beings" (translation from Ralph Griffith).

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Alternatively, since bhagavAn has created this Universe with beings which all
have the capability to move around and perform their functions, He is called
sva'ngah.

nAma 623. ztanNd> SatAnandah

He of infinite Bliss.
SatAnandAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that He has boundless Bliss which is ever
flowing on account of the mutual love of pirATTi and bhagavAn. SrI v. v.
rAmAnujan comments that the number "hundred" here does not mean the
number "100", but stands for the greatness of the extent of the Bliss.

SrI Samkara interprets the nAma in terms of His being of the form of

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Infinite Bliss, and quotes from the bRhadAraNya upanishad - etasyaiva
AnandasyaanyAni bhUtAni mAtrAm upajIvanti (4. 3. 32) - "Compared to His
Bliss,the bliss of all other beings is a but a minute fraction".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains that Anandam is of different kinds at the

level of the different beings; man gets one type of Anandam, the animal enjoys
a different kind of Anandam, the deva-s yet a different type, the Rshi-s
adifferent type, etc. Thus, the Anandam varies depending on the enjoyer
ofAnandam. The j~nAni who is disinterested in worldly affairs derives the
great Anandam that those who are interested in worldly pleasures get only
inbits and pieces. All these bits and pieces of Anandam that every creature
derives is what flows from Him who is the Supreme Bliss, SatAnandah. SrI
SAstri gives the support from taittirIya upanishad 2. 8 –
te ye Satam mAnushAh, devAnAm, indrasya, prajApateh
AnandAh sa eko brahmaNa Anandah |
Srotriyasya cAkAmahatasya |

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives yet another view of the Infinite Bliss of
bhagavAn. Other than Him, each creature feels pleasure when it is in some
particular environment, and feels pain when it is in a different environment.

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 Thus, a fish feels pleasure when in water, and feels pain when outside water.
For human beings, it is exactly the reverse. For birds, it is a different kind of
medium. But for Him, His Bliss in independent of any constraint, and thus He
is of Infinite Bliss. The Anandam of everything else flows from the One and
Only source of true Anandam - SatAnandah.

The dharma cakram writer explains the concept of pErAnandam starting with
the little Anandam of the immobile (sthAvara) beings such as plants, which
derive their pleasure through the sense of touch alone. The worms derive their
pleasure through the sense of touch and taste. Slightly more evolved beings
such as the ants derive their pleasure from the sense of touch, taste, and
smell. Beings such as the bees derive their pleasure from the sense of touch,
taste, smell, and sight. The animals derive their pleasure from the additional
sense of hearing. Man derives his pleasure from the mind in addition. Yet
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ordinary people seek cheap material pleasures with all these gifts, and end up
enjoying the impermanent pleasures, just as the fish enjoys its sense of taste
and falls prey to the fisherman's hook. Only a true yogi reaches the next
level, that of AtmAnandam. This nAma should teach us to meditate of on the
"SatAnanda" mantra on Him, and derive the permanent Anandam.

nAma 624. niNd> nandih

He who is ever delighted.

nandaye namah.
nandati iti nandih - He who is delighted is nandih.

SrI BhaTTar: He is nandi because He is ever prosperous by virtue of His being

with SrI at all times, at all places, and in all ways. His constant and inseparable
association with SrI is the reason for His constant delight.

SrI Samkara: paramAnanda vigraho nandih - One who is the embodiment of

Supreme Bliss.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri: His Anandam is such that the humans and the
deva-scan look to Him to derive the true Anandam - He is the Bestower of

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their true Anandam.

nAma 625. JyaeitgR[eñr> jyotir

jyotir--gaNeSvarah
a) The Lord of the host of lustrous deities (nitya sUri-s).

b) The Lord of the luminaries (the stars, sun, moon, etc. ).

jyotir-gaNeSvarAya namah.
The simple meaning of the nAma is - He who is the leader of the luminaries.
The difference in the vyAkhyAna-s centers around who the luminaries are that
is being referred to in the nAma.

a) SrI BhaTTar refers to the host of nitya-sUri-s like AdiSesha, vishvaksena,

etc., who are constantly at the service of bhagavAn and pirATTi, and who are
themselves lustrous. He refers us to purusha sUktam -

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marIcInAmpadamicchanti vedhasah - "Wise men desire to attain the world of
theradiant souls", referring the world of nitya sUri-s as the world of radiant
souls. MarIci here refers to those who are radiant.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan nicely translates "jyotir-gaNeSvarah" to "ayarvaRum

amarargaL adhipati" of nammAzhvAr. The nitya sUri-sare shining with the
kaimkarya SrI to bhagavAn and pirATTi.

b) SrI Samkara gives the same meaning, but interprets the term "jyotir-gaNa"
to the luminaries, namely the stars, the Sun, etc.

SrI kRshNa dattabhAradvAj gives the derivation of the meaning - jyotishAm -

nakshatrANAm, gaNAiti jyotir-gaNAh; teshAm ISvara iti jyotir-gaNeSvarah.
SrI Samkara gives the support from kaThopanishad -tameva bhAntam
anubhAti sarvam tasya bhAsA sarvamidam vibhAti (2. 2. 14)

When He shines, all the others shine after Him. "Everything here shines by
His effulgence"; and from the gItA - yadAtiya gatam tejah (15. 12) - referring
to the brilliance which is in the sun.

The dharma cakram writer gives the analogy that just as a person who does not
have eyesight cannot see the light around him, one who does not have j~nAnam

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 will not be able to see the jyoti-gaNeSvarah residing in him. One has tofirst
rid oneself of the darkness of kAma, krodha, etc. in him, before one can see
the light inside. This is the lesson to take form this mantra.

nAma 626. ivijtaTma vijitAtmA

a) He whose mind has been conquered (by His devotees).

b) He who has conquered His Mind.

vijitAtmane namah.
SrI BhaTTar has thus far interpreted the previous nAma-s 608 up to 625 in
terms of His association with pirATTi. Now he proceeds to interpret the next
few nAma-s in terms of His extreme sauSIlyam (the quality of amiability).

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam for the nAma "vijitAtmA" is that bhagavAn revels
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in being conquered by His devotee; this is His real nature. When a devotee
goes and bows before Him with devotion and sincerity, bhagavAn is easily
conquered by the devotee. Recall that kRshNa makes the promise at the start
of the mahAbhArata war, that He won't take to weapons during the war. Then,
in the course of the war, bhIshma, the great devotee of kRshNa, takes a vow
in front of kRshNa that he will make kRshNa take to weapons the next day
during the fighting. Everyone including bhIshma knew kRshNa's earlier vow
not to take to arms. And yet, since His great devotee declared that he will
make kRshNa take to arms, kRshNa made that word of His devotee come true,
and did exactly as his devotee wished the next day. Such is His compassion to
His devotee, that He will even break His own promise in order to make His
devotee's words come true.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi 1. 3. 1 - pattuDai

aDiyavarkku eLiyavan … ettiRam. nammAzhvAr who could sing bhagavAn's
parattvam in a clear state of mind, could not bear to describe His soulabhyam
and the troubles He went through to remain bound to the ural (mortar), get
beaten up by yaSodA, etc. AzhvAr passed out and lost His conscience of the
external world for six months since He could not bear to think of perumAL

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going through all this suffering, just to please His devotees.

b) SrI Samkara bhAshyam is - vijita AtmA mano yena sah vijitAtmA - He by

whom His mind has been subdued or controlled, is vijitAtmA.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri adds that bhagavAn possesses everything there is

to possess, and so He has nothing to desire, and thus He is of a mind that is
absolutely controlled.

The dharma cakram writer indicates that that meditation on this nAma of
bhagavAn will lead one to better mind control, and ultimate God-realization.

Note that this is one of the nAma-s that was discussed in the posting
comparing the bhAshya-s of SrI Samkara and SrI BhaTTar, where the point
was made that SrI Samkara tends to emphasize the parattvam, aiSvaryam,
etc., of Brahman, and SrI BhaTTar emphasizes the soulabhyam of perumAL

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repeatedly. SrI P. B. aNNa'ngarAcArya selects all the four nAma-s starting
with the current one for his comparison of the bhAshya-s of SrI Samkara and
SrI BhaTTar to establish his point.

nAma 627. ivxeyaTma vidheyAtmA

a) He who is of a submissive nature (to His devotees).

b) He who has the jIva-s as subservient to Him.

c) If a-vidheyAtmA, then He who is subservient to no one.

vidheyAtmane namah.
vidheya means subservient. As mentioned in the previous nAma, SrI BhaTTar
interprets the nAma in terms of bhagavAn's being subservient to the devotee
and His enjoying His subservience. Sri BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that it is
bhagavAn's essential nature to be at the disposal of His devotees to such an
extent that they can easily command Him to do whatever they want. He gives
examples of "Come here, stand here, sit here, eat this", etc. (SrI v. v.
rAmAnujan refers to periAzhvAr calling Him - pUc cUDa vA, nIrADa vA,
ammam uNNAi, etc. ).

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 SrI PBA gives the example of Sonna vaNNam Seyda perumAL. When
tirumazhiSai AzhvAr asked Him to pack up His snake bed and leave town, He
obeyed as He was told, and later when AzhvAr commanded Him to go back
when the king repented, perumAL obeyed AzhvAr's command as well. SrI PBA
also gives the example of Lord kRshNa obeying the command of arjuna when
the latter ordered Him to take the chariot and position it in between the two
armies at the start of the mahAbhArata war - "Senayorubhayor madhye
ratham sthApaya me acyuta!".

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives the example from peria tirumozhi 11. 5. 5. - vaNNak
karum kuzhal AycciyAl mottuNDu kaNNik kuRum kayiRRAl kaTTuNDAn.

Similar to SrI v. v. rAmAnujan's examples of "pUc cUDa vA", SrI satyadevo

vAsishTha gives the examples from the Sruti-s: "udbhudyasva, pratijAgRhi,
ishTApUrtam samsRja", etc. ("udbudhyasvAgne pratijAgRhi tavam ishTApUrte
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samsRjeyAmayam ca" - yajur. 15. 54), ("deva savitah prasuva, yaj'nam prasuva,
yaj'na patim bhagAya" - yajur. 32. 15).

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation - vidheyAh -sevakA

AtmAno - jIvA yasya iti vidheyAtmA - He who has the jIva-s who are
subservient to Him.

c) SrI Samkara in this case uses the pATham a-videhyAtmA instead of

vidheyAtmA, and gives the meaning "One who is not subservient to any one".

Using this pATham, the dharma cakram writer notes that the requirement for
one to be not subservient to anyone else, is to win over his/her own self. When
one has controlled his/her own indriya-s and manas, then there is nothing that
this person needs or wants, and so there is no need to be subservient to
anyone else. He gives a story to illustrate the point that want is what makes
people subservient to others. Traditionally, the priests of a particular temple
were brahmacAri-s, and were devoting themselves whole heartedly to the
worship of God. The local king tried to get them to come to His palace and do
some things according to his wish, and they refused to leave their service to
Lord. He consulted with his ministers, and the ministers advised the king that

36
if the king can get the priests married, the problem of the king will go away.
The king accordingly made efforts to get the priests married, and succeeded
in this effort. Once they got children, their materialistic needs increased, and
they voluntarily took temple prasAdam and started visiting the king, in
expectation of some material gift from him. So they automatically became
subservient to the king without his effort. So the lesson to take from this
nAma is that the key to being not subservient to another human being is to win
over oneself first - get control of one's own indriya-s and mind.

SrI PBA addresses the difference between the pATha-s used by SrI Samkara
and SrI BhaTTar, and observes that the version used by SrI BhaTTar is more
appealing to a devotee since it brings out the aspect of saulabhyam in perumAL
which is in favor of His devotees.

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sat--kIrtih
nAma 628. sTkIit> sat

He of true renown.
sat-kIrtaye namah.
SrI BhaTTar associates bhagavAn's kIrti as resulting from His sauSIlya -
sauSIlya sattvena asya ati-mahatI kIrtih iti sat-kIrtih. SrI BhaTTar points
out that no matter how well we praise His kIrti, it is still only an under-
statement. In addition, His kIrti is all truth and no exaggeration.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers to nammAzhvAr: "nigar il pugazhAy" - He whose

kIrti has no comparison.

SrI Samkara emphasizes the "sat" in sat-kIrtih as referring to the true

nature of His kIrti - satI- avitathA kIrtih asya iti sat-kIrtih.

SrI cinmayAnanda associates the kIrti with His being the Consort of lakshmi.

The dharma cakram writer describes two kinds of fame - the fame that comes
from material wealth, official status, etc., and the fame that comes because
one follows the path of dharma. The former type of kIrti is temporary and
transient - one loses it as soon as the wealth or the position that brought the
fame are gone, and they go one day or the other anyway. But the followers of

37
 the path of dharma - such as dharmaputra or hariScandra - do not ever lose
their kIrti; the world praises them forever. It is the kIrti that comes out of
following the path of dharma and the worship of bhagavAn that one should
follow in order to realize sat-kIrtih, the mantra contained in this nAma.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha explains that He is sat-kIrti also because it is only

by constantly worshipping Him and singing His praise that one can attain true
kIrti; all the other kIrti-s attained through any other means will be not true
kIrti. Readers may recall that SrI satyadevo vAsishTha, in addition to giving
detailed explanations of the derivation of the nAma-s and their
interpretations, has composed one Slokam for each nAma that contains his
interpretation. His Slokam for the current nAma is: vishNuh sadA
sarvaguNAbhirAmah samkIrtyate svAtma tamah pramRshTyai | mantrair-
vrataih satya-japais tapobhir nAnyas-tatah kIrtim upaiti satyAm ||
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chinna--samSayah
nAma 629. iDÚs<zy> chinna

The Dispeller of all doubts.

chinna-samSayAya namah.
chinnAh samSayA bhaktAnAm yena iti chinna-samSayah (SrI kRshNa datta
bhAradvAj) - He by whom all doubts of His devotees are dispelled is called
chinna-samSayah.

SrI BhaTTar comments that because of His reputation of being endowed with
extreme sauSilyam and saulabhyam, all doubts that anyone may have about Him
- such as: "Can He be easily known or is it difficult to realize Him?", "Can He
be easily pleased or is it difficult to please Him?", "Can He be easily
approached or is it difficult to approach Him", etc. - stand easily dispelled.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan quotes arjuna's words to kRshNa from the gItA: "None
but You (kRshNa) can possibly dispel my doubt":
etat me samSayam kRshNa chhettumarhasi aSeshatah |
tvat ananyah samSayasya asya chhettA na hyupapadyate ||

(gItA 6. 39)

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SrI cinmayAnanda points out that after Lord kRshNa gave the upadeSam to
arjuna, the later declares that all his doubts are now cleared:
sthito'smi gata-sandeahah karishye vacanam tava

(gIta 18. 73)

SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is called chinna-samSayah
because He has no doubts of any kind Himself - He realizes everything directly
like a fruit in the palm - karatala amalakavat sarvam sAkshAtkRtavatah kvApi
samsAyo nAsti iti chinna-samSayah. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha observes that
the lack of any doubt in bhagavAn is revealed in the flawless way He executes
His acts of creation all the way up to pralaya.

Note that SrI BhaTTar links his interpretation to bhagavAn's sauSIlyam, as

was pointed out in a recent comparison of the two vyAkhyAna-s.

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 Slokam 67
%dI[R> svRtí]uurnIz> zañtiSSwr>,

ÉUzyae ÉU;[ae ÉUit> Azaek> zaeknazn>.67.

udIrNah sarvatascakshuranIsah sAsvatas sthirah |
bhUsayO bhUshaNO bhUtih asOkah sOkanAsanah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 630. %dI[R> udIrNah

a) He Who visibly manifests Himself through His incarnations.

b) He who is superior to all beings

c) He who elevates His devotees to His level.

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udIrNAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar interprets this nAma and the subsequent few nAma-s as
describing the arcA form of bhagavAn. In this context, he interprets the
nAma "udIrNah" as "ullasitah" which means "shining, bright, becoming visible"
and gives the meaning "He has a pleasing and splendid form that is clearly
visible to the eyes of the devotee".

b) and c) SrI Samkara's interpretationis "sarva bhUtebhyah samudriktatvAt

udIrNah" - He who is superior to all beings.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the words starting from the upasarga "ut"
and the root Ru - gatau - to go,and gives the meaning - One who is above all
beings. Alternatively, he says that the nAma can signify that He is udIrNah
because He lifts everyone up. SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj essentially gives
the same explanation - ut -abhyudayam, Rccahati - prApayati sma eva sadaiva
svASritAnAm iti udIrNah. Thus, he also derives the nAma from ut, and the
root R - to go, and gives the meaning that bhagavAn is called udIrNah because
He lifts up His devotees so that they reach Him.

The dharma cakram writer illustrates at different levels how bhagavAn is

superior in all respects. In sheer size of His form, He permeates everything,

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and everything is His body, so there is no one who has a bigger form than Him.
In superiority of Power, we know through His incarnations that there is no one
superior to Him in His Power. In the area of controlling indriyas and mind,
bhagavAn is the yogISvara, and there is none superior to Him in this aspect
also. In the area of Love to everyone, bhagavAn demonstrated that there is
none equal to Him in this aspectby His leelA-s in gokulam. When it comes to
knowledge, there is nothing more to know for one who has known mahA vishNu;
since He is the ultimate in knowledge. Thus, no matter what aspect one looks
at, there is nothing superior to Him. This nAma should reveal to us this great
and at the same simple Truth, and thus lead us to meditate on Him.

sarvataS--cakshuh
nAma 631. svRtí]uu> sarvataS

a) He Who is visible to the eyes of all.

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b) He who has eyes everywhere, and sees everything through His
consciousness.
sarvatas-cashushe namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar: He is sarvataS-cakshuh because He is visible to the likes of
even ordinary people like us. He has been visible to the people of His time when
He took incarnationas rAma, kkRshNa, etc., and He is visible to us today in the
form of arcA mUrti in the temples and in our houses. This again supports His
beingchinna-samSayah as we saw in nAma 629. He delights His devotees with
His complete darSanam.

b) SrI Samkara: He is sarvataS-cakshuh because He has eyes everywhere, and

thus sees everything through His consciousness. Sarvatah sarvam sva-
caitanyena paSyatiiti sarvatS-cakshuh. Through His caitanyam which is natural
to Him, He sees everything always. The Sruti says - He has eyes on all sides -
viSvataS-cakshuruta viSvatas-pAt (SvetASva. 3. 3).

nAma 632. AnIz> anISah

a) He Who is not the Master.

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 b) He Who has no one above Him as the Master.
anISAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar: He is called anISah since when it comes to His devotees, He
does not assert or display His rulership, and instead, is completely subservient
to them. We already saw several examples of this in our explanation of the
nAma 627 - vidheyAtmA.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan presents this idea more graphically by pointing out that
bhagavAn becomes dependent on the likes of us to bathe Him and feed Him in
His arcA form! PeriAzhvAr describes this act of His becoming dependent on
His devotees thus - AycciiyAgiya annaiyAl anRu veNNei vArttaiyuL
sIRRamuNDu azhukUtta appan (tiruvAi. 6. 2. 11). He just puts up a show of
weeping and crying to show how subservient He is to yaSodA at the very
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thought that she may get angry at the remote suggestion that He may be
involved in any reported incident of butter being stolen.

b) SrI Samkara: He is called anISah because He has no one above Him as His
Master - na vidyate asya ISa iti anISah. He quotes from the Sruti - na tasya
ISe kaScana - nArAyaNa. Upa. 3. 2.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the additional example - na tasya kaScit

patirasti loke na ceSilA - SveTASva. 6. 9.

The dharma cakram writer points out that the lesson to take from this nAma is
that one who is devoted to bhagavAnhas bhagavAn Himself under his control,
and so devotion will lead one to the state where there is no one who will be a
master of the bhakta. This is the greatness of devotion or bhakti.

SASvata--sthirah
nAma 633. zañtiSSwr> SASvata

He Who iseternally existent and steady.

SASvata-sthirAya namah.
SASvata means eternal, always, and sthirah means stable.

SrI BhaTTar: He assumes thevarious forms of the images (arcA forms) which

42
continue to exist for ever and which are directly perceptible to the eyes, at all
times. SrI BhaTTarquotes from the sAttvata samhitA - bimba AkRtyA
AtmanA bimbe samAgamyaavatisThate - "He assumes a form similar to that of
the image (fashioned by us), enters into it and remains there". The reference
here is to the arcA mUrti-s.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also interprets the nAma in terms of bhagavAn's
vAtsalyam to His devotees - He is eternally stable in His vAtsalyam to His
devotees. His vyAkhyAnam is: SASvat bhava iti SASvato nityah | sa ca asau
sthira iti SASvata-sthirah -nityam svASrita vAtsalya pratishThitah |

SrI Samkara: Even while being Eternal, He is also unchanging and stable -
SaSvat bhavannapi, na vikriyAmkadAcit upaiti iti SASvata-sthirah.

The dharma cakram writer points out that when our mind is involved with

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things that change, our likes and dislikes are also changing. For example, if we
get attracted to a body that is young, we lose the attraction when the body
becomes older. But if we involve our mind with paramAtmA, who is never
changing, there is no question ofour changing constantly between likes and
dislikes. One who involveshis mind in the Supreme Self also attains eternal and
stable piece, knowledge, and love. The likes of us who have an impermanent
body and live in this impermanent world can attain permanent peace and
permanent joy by meditating on the etrnal and stable Self - the SASvata-
sthirah. This is the significance of this nAma.

bhU--Sayah
nAma 634. ÉUzy> bhU

a) He who lies in His arca form wherever the devotee installs Him

b) He Who lay on the sea shore on His way to SrIla'nkA.

c) He who lies inside every one of His creations as their antaryAmi

d) He in whom the whole world rests at the time of pralaya.

bhU-SayAya namah.
a) Continuing his interpretation of the current set of nAma-s in terms of His
arcA incarnations, SrI BhTTar gives the vyAkhyAnam to the current nAma as

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 follows: He is called bhU-Sayah since He defers to the request of His
devotees to appear in this world, and makes His appearance in different forms
such as svayam-vyakta, siddha, mAnusha, etc., and even stays put in these
places by lying down there permanently in order to bless the devotees.

1. svayam-vyakta forms are those where the Lord has chosen to manifest
Himself without the effort of anyone;

2. siddha are those forms where the image of the Lord has been
consecrated by siddhas or perfected beings (such as brahma etc. )., and

3. mAnusha are places where the Lord is installed by ordinary human

beings.

SrI P.B.aNNa'ngarAcArya describes his anubhavam of bhU-Sayah as "He Who

just stubbornly lies down and stays wherever His devotees ask Him to be",
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which is the best I could translate from his tamizh sentence "anbargaLuganda
iDa'ngaLil paDu kADu kiDappavar".

b) SrI Samkara gives reference to Lord rAma's resting on the sea shore while
proceeding to SrI lankA for destroying rAvaNa.

c) SrI cinmayAnanda gives an additional alternate interpretation – He in whom

the whole world rests at the time of dissolution - bhUh Sete asmin iti bhU-
Sayah.

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that since He rests in all
things that exist in the form of antaryAmi, He is called bhU-Sayah - bhUshu
Sete.

Thus, in summary, the nAma bhU-Sayah is enjoyed by the different vyAkhyAna

kartA-sin various ways:

a) He responds to the devotee's wishes by lying down wherever they install

Him in the form of acrA mUrti, so that they can worship Him easily;

b) He is called bhU-Sayah because He lied down on the ground(on the sea

shore) on His way to SrIla'nkA;

c) He lies in the heart lotus of allthe creatures as their antaryAmi;

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d) All the creatures (referred to by the term bhU here), rest in Him (Sayah)
at the time of parlaya.

nAma 635. ÉU;[> bhUshaNah

He Who becomes adorned, or He Who adorns.

a) He who wears the ornament of saulabhyam as His bhUshaNam

b) He who is decorated with all kinds of different and wonderful ornaments as

described by emperumAnAr in SrI SaraNAgati gadyam

c) He who adorns this world with His different incarnations at His wish

d) He Who adorns every creature by His being their antaryAmi

e) He who beautifies this world by His variety of creations

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bhUshaNAya namah.
The literal meaning of the term bhUshaNam is "decoration, adornment,
ornament". bhUshaNah is thus One who is decorated or adorned, or one who
decorates or adorns. The different vyAkhyAna kartA-s give different
anubhavams of what he is decorated with, or what He decorates with.

a) SrI BhaTTar looks at His saulabhyam as His most important bhUshaNam -

His easy accessibility to His devotee. The act of climbing down from His
paratvam to the level of His devotees and mixing with them, is only
bhUshaNam for Him and not a dUshaNam.

b) SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives the additional explanation in terms of His divya

bhUshNa-s as described by emperumAnAr in SrI SaraNAgati gadyam: kirITa
makuTa cUDAvatamsa makara kuNDala graiveyaka hAra keyUra
kaTakaSrIvatsa kaustubha muktAdAama udara bandhana pItAmbara
kA'ncIguNa nUpurAdiaparimita divya bhUshNa - He is decorated with all sorts
and kinds of ornaments, most wonderful to behold, ever-lasting, faultless,
sweet-smelling, soft to touch, wonderful with splendor, such as the crown
bearing the central diadem of lustrous stone, other head ornaments, ear
ornaments, necklaces and neck ornaments, garlands, shoulder-bracelets,

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 bracelets in the hands, SrI vatsa and kaustubha, pearl garlands, waistlets, lace
cloths, gold waist band and leg ornaments and others precious and innumerable.

c) SrI Samkara views His taking the numerous incarnations at His wish as His
act of bhUshaNam or adorning this world - "sva icchA avatAraihbahubhih
bhUmim bhUshayan bhUshNah". SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the example
of bhagavAn decorating gokulam by His very presence.

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the example of the soul or AtmA being in
the body as itself a decoration or adornment of the body. When the soul
leaves the body, the body becomes unattractive by the second. Similarly,
bhagavAn is the adornment for the whole world. That which is the life of
something is the bhUshaNa for it as well. For instance, bhagavAn is bhUshaNa
for the universe in the form of the sun and inthe form of the antaryAmi of the
sun.
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e) SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that He makes this world

beautiful (adorns) with the varieties of His creation. He gives love and other
finer instincts, and He is the One behind all great, noble, and beautiful
thoughts that have enriched human life.

The dharma cakram writer points out that all the different kinds of beauties
that we experience in nature (through sound, sight, touch, thought, intellect,
etc. )., are present in Him. In His form as kRshNa, He was exquisitely beautiful
to see, the sound of His flute stole the hearts of all the gopi-s, the bhagavad
gItA that He gave us is the incarnation of knowledge, His characteris absolute
perfection, etc. The same is true of His incarnation as Lord rAma. Lord rAma's
divine beauty was well-known, the Rshi-s were immensely moved by the beauty
of His character, vAlmIki lost himself in the nAma of rAma, and hanumAn lost
himself in His service. BhagavAn is thus the bhUshaNa above allbhUashaNa-s
to His devotees.

The different interpretations for this nAma are thus based on:

a) His being decorated or adorned with qualities that are beneficial to His
devotees;

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b) His being adorned with all different kinds of beautiful ornaments;

c) His adorning this Universe with all kinds of beautiful creations and equipping
them with qualities such as love and intellect, and above all, giving them the
vital force of life by being their antaryAmi;

d) His adorning the Universe through His different incarnations, and thus
decorating the place where He is by His very presence.

nAma 636. ÉUit> bhUtih

a) He Who is wealth to Hisdevotees.

b) He Who is the personification of Glory.

c) He Who is the cause of all glory in His creations.

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d) He Who exists in the forms of all His creations.
bhUtaye namah.
The root from which the nAma can be derived is bhU - sattAyAm - to be, to
live,to be born.

The nAma can also mean vibhUti - wealth. SrI cinmayAnanda quotes amarakoSa
- vibhUti bhUtir_aiSvarye. The other amara koSa definitions are bhavati iti
bhUtih, and bhavati anayA SrImAn iti bhUtih, which support the two meanings
indicated. The different interpretations for this nAma are centered on these
two meanings.

a) SrI BhaTTar explains that He is the wealth in every way to those who
havetotally surrendered to Him, and so He is called bhUtih. nammAzhvAr
captures this sentiment in tiruvAimozhi 5. 1. 8: "SelEi kaNNiyarum perum
Selvamum nan makkaLum mElAt tAi tandaiyum avarE iniAvArE" (SrI v. v.
rAmAnujan). SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj echoesthe same idea in his
interpretation - paramA sampath bhaktAnAm iti bhUtih.

b) Among the interpretations SrI Samkara gives are: a) BhavagavAn is called

bhUtih because He Himself is the embodiment of Glory (vibhUtih), or, b) He is
the cause of all glories in all His creations, or the source of all glorious

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 manifestations - sarva vibhUtInAm kAraNatvAt bhUtih.

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is called

bhUtih because He exists everywhere in the forms of all His creations, in the
forms of the sun, the stars, etc. , and He also is the cause of all the glory that
His creations display.

d) The dharma cakram writer gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is One
who is the personification of greatness. He observes that the significance of
the nAma lies in our realizing that we should not go after the transient and
false greatness that comes with impermanent and materialistic benefits, but
instead, learn to meditate on Him in thought, word, and deed so that we aim
towards the realization of that One True Greatness.

vi--Sokah
nAma 637. Azaek> a-Sokah or vi
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He Who is without sorrow.

a-SokAya namah.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the derivation - vigatah Soko yasya sa vi-
Sokah,or avidyamAnah Soko yasya sa a-Sokah. (SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj:
na Soko yasya iti aSokah nitya Ananda mayah).

a) SrI BhaTTar continues to stress bhagavAn's concern for the devotee in

everyone of his interpretations. For the current nAma, his interpretation is
that bhagavAn has no need to be sorrowful because He never abandons any
anAtha who has no other help and seeks His help.

b) SrI Samkara continues to stress bhagavAn's paratvam, His being without

blemish, etc. For the current nAma, his interpretation is that bhagavAn is
Griefless, being absolute Bliss.

One might raise the obvious question: Lord rAma was struck with extreme
sorrow when He was separated from sItA. How can one say He is without
Sokam? SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the explanation straight from
SrImadbhAgavatam 9. 10. 11 - Lord rAma went through this act in His role of
showing us all how ordinary mortals who are attached to a woman dear to them

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behave: priyayA viyuktah strI sa'nginAm gatimiti prathayanS-cacAra.

SrI cinmayAnanda observes that it is because of disturbances at the body-

mind-intellect level that one experiences sorrow. Since bhagavAn isbeyond
these agitations, He is ever Blissful, desireless, ever contented, and thus never
experiences sorrow.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj quotes from chAndogyopanishad in support of

the vyAkhyAnam for this nAma - ya AtmApahatapApmA vijaro vimRtyur-viSoko
avijighatsoapipAsah satyakAmah satya samkalpah sonveshTavyah sa
vijij~nAsitavya. (chA. 8. 7. 1), wherein one of the many attributes of Brahman
is given as viSokah.

Soka--nASanah
nAma 638. zaeknazn> Soka

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The Destroyer of sorrows.
Soka-nASanAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that He removes the sorrow of the
devotee who suffers from separation from Him, by helping the devotee cross
the ocean of samsAra.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan observes that while all wealthin this world causes sorrow,
He is the only Wealth who removes the sorrow. How does He do that?SrI
rAmAnujan refers us to tirumazhiSai AzhvAr's tiruccandaviruttam 115: attan
Agi annai Agi, Alum empirAnumAi, ottu ovvAdapal piRappu ozhittu nammai AT-
koLvAn - He becomes the devotee's whole Wealth, He becomes the devotee's
Father, Mother, and Lord, gets into the devotee's heart, and redeems the
devotee from the ocean of samsAra, and thus removes the devotee's sorrow
once for all.

b) SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that by the very remembrance of

Him, the sorrow of the devotee is removed - smRti mAtreNa bhaktAnAm
Sokam nASayati itiSoka-nASanah.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives reference to the upanishads - He who knows

the Self has no sorrow:

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 tarati Sokam Atmavit (chAndogya. 5. 1. 3);

tatra ko mohah kahSokah (ISAvAsya. 7).

SrI cinmayAnanda gives reference to gItA -

teshAm aham samuddhartA mRtyu-samasAra sAgarAt |
bhavAni na cirAt pArtha mayyAveSita cetasAm ||

(gItA 12. 7)
"Of those whose minds are thus focused on Me, I become soon their savior
from the ocean of mortal life".

The dharma cakram writer points out that when there is moham (attachment),
the result is Sokam. Thus, to be rid of Sokam, one has to overcome
attachment. This is accomplished by meditating on bhagavAn. He gives the
example of arjuna. gItA begins with the expression of Sokam in arjuna's mind
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because of his moham or attachment to all his relatives and AcArya-s, whom he
faces in the battlefield. Because of this Sokam, arjuna loses his heart
completely, his bow is slipping from his hand, his mind is tired, he is unable to
stand up, his body perspires and he is shivering with nervousness. The whole
gItA isimparted to arjuna by bhagavAn just so he can overcome his moham and
thus his Sokam. At the end of receiving the instruction from bhagvAn, He
asks arjuna if he has overcome his Sokam because of the realization of the
truth, and arjuna confirms that by listening to His instructions, he has been
able too vercome the Sokam. The lesson to take from this nAma is that by
meditating on Him we can overcome Sokam.

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 Slokam 68
AicR:manicRt> k…MÉae ivzuÏaTma ivzaexn>,

AinéÏae=àitrw> à*uçae=imtiv³m>. 68.

arcishmAnarcitah kumbhO visuddhAtmA visOdhanah |
aniruddho=pratirathah pradyumnO=mitavikramah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 639. AicR:man! arcishmAn

He Who has great lustre.

arcishmate namah.
The word arcis refers to a ray of light. This is the basis for the interpretation

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of this nAma. He Who possesses arcis or great lustre is arcishmAn.

a) SrI BhaTTar: bhagavAn has the great lustre that He reveals to His true
devotees. Ordinarily, people are unable to realize His greatness. However, in
the case of a few like arjuna, He gave divine vision so that they could see His
true greatness.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives an alternate interpretation that this can refer to

His jyoti in His arcA form.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also gives this interpretation – arci-vigraha

kAntih | tadasya asti iti arcishmAn |

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains that He reveals His lustre or greatness to

His devotee just at the level that the devotee can enjoy. He also gives the
ability to His devotees such that they can experience His greatness. In truth,
His Divine Lustre is beyond nature, and so no one can ordinarily realize its
depth and magnitude.

b) SrI Samkara bhAshyam is that He is the principal Luminary by whose

radiance the sun, the moon, and the others shine. Archishmanto tadIyena
arcishA candra sUryAdayah, sa eva mukhyah archishmAn. SrI rAdhAkRshNa
SAstri elaborates that just as a hot iron rod acquires redness like fire when it

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 is associated with fire, so also the sun and the moon shine because they are
associated with (have as their antaryAmi) bhagavAn.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives reference to the gItA – jyotishAmapi taj-jyotih

tamasah param ucyate (13. 17) – The light of all lights, this is said to be beyond
tamas. He also refers us to kaThopanishad 2. 5. 15 –
na tatra sUryo bhAti na candra tArakam
nemA vidyuto bhAnti kuto’yamagnih |
tameva bhAntum anubhAti sarvam
tasya bhAsA sarvamidam vibhAti ||

“There, neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, nor the lightning has any
effulgence; how then can this Fire-light illumine It? By Its Light alone, all else
in the world illumined”.
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c) SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN, who is a follower of the gauDIya

sampradAyam, gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is called archishmAn
(jAjvalyamAnah) because He was shining with anger on hearing that kamsa had
disgraced his father (ugrasena) by putting him in prison and dethroning him –
kamsAt pitror-avaj~nayA jAjvalyamAnatvAt archishmAn. This is an example of
how the different vyAkhyAna kartA-s have the anubhavam of the different
bhagavan nAma-s to even better enjoy their own sampradAya-s.

nAma 640. AicRt> arcitah

He Who is worshipped.
arcitAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar: All the guNa-s that have been described so far are consistent
with Him being arcitah – To be worshipped. This nAma also refers to His
incarnation in the arcA form. The other incarnations are limited to us by the
time in which they took place (rAma, kRshNa, etc.), or the place where He is
found in these incarnations (for example, the para rUpa in SrI vaikunTham).
Unlike these, the arcA form is not at all limited in any way in Its accessibility
to us, and is available to us in holy places, temples, and even houses at all times.

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The mysterious truth (guhyam) about the arcA form can be found in bhagavat
SAstra (the pA’ncarAtra Agama), bodhAyana smRti, vaishNava purANa, and
other scriptural texts.

SrI BhaTTar gives the following passage from vaishNava dharmam, which
describes the benefit of the worship of the arcA mUrti:

su-rUpAm pratimAm vishNoh prasanna vadanekshaNAm |

kRtvA’’tmanah prItikarIm suvarNa rajatAdibhih ||

tAm arcayet tAm praNamet tAm yajet tAm vicintayet |

viSatyapAsta-doshastu tAmeva abrahma rUpiNIm ||

“After having shaped a beautiful image of vishNu with a lovely face and lovely
eyes, out of gold, silver, and the like in a manner that would be pleasing, one

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should worship it, do sacrifice to it, and meditate on it. By doing so, one would
enter into that form which is none other than Brahman itself, and will have all
the sins dispelled”.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to mudal tiruvantAdi 44 – “tamar

ugandadu evv-uruvam avv-uruvam tAnE, tamar ugandadu ep-pEr, ap-pEr” – He
assumes whatever shape His devotees want Him to assume, accepts whatever
name they give Him, and becomes whatever form the devotees give Him when
they meditate on Him. SrI rAmAnujan also refers us to gItA Slokam 4. 11,
which conveys the same thought.
ye yathA mAm prapadyante tAns-tathaiva bhajAmyaham |

nammAzhvAr tells us the same truth in tiruvAimozhi 3. 6. 9 – ne’njinAl

ninaippAn yavan avanAgum nIL-kaDal vaNNanE – We do not need to worry
about our inability to access Him in His para rUpam in SrI vaikunTham; He will
assume whatever form we give Him even in our thoughts.

b) SrI Samkara’s interpretation is that the Lord is arcitah because He is

worshipped and adored even by the likes of brahma.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that the likes of sUrya, candra, brahma
etc. worship Him just so that they can have a fraction of His divya Sakti.

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 SrI cinmayAnanda points out that the name “Worshipped” is given to Him
because He is worshipped by Siva, brahma, etc.

The dharma cakram writer points out that from this nAma, we can take the
lesson that He can be worshipped in whatever form one chooses to worship
Him, depending on one’s mental maturity in the path of sAdhanA.

Note that the orientation of SrI BhaTTar’s interpretation is always in terms

of bhagavAn always doing everything He does for the sake of His devotees,
while SrI Samkara’s interpretation in invariably in terms of His parattvam.
Almost without exception, this aspect is noticeable in every nAma, and the
reader should keep this in mind in order to enjoy the different vyAkhyAna-s to
the fullest extent. This point will not be repeated for every nAma, but seems
to be true without exception for every nAma.
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nAma 641. k…MÉ> kumbhah

a ) He Who is an object of desire.

b) He Who shines in this world.

c) He Who fills this world with His fame.

d) He in Whom everything is contained.

e) He Who envelops the earth.

kumbhAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar gives two derivations for the nAma:

a) The first of these meanings – “He Who is desired”, is derived from the root
kamu – kAntau, and the uNAdi sUtra kameh kum ca. (I could not find this
specific sUtra in my copy of the siddhAnta kaumudi, but both SrI BhaTTar and
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha have referred to this sUtra in explaining this nAma.
An example of the application of this sUtra is in the formation of the word
kumAra, which is also derived from the same root – kamu kAntau – to desire).
Thus one interpretation for the nAma is He Who is desired – kAmyata iti
kumbhah. He is desired by the devotees because He is the Ultimate in beauty,

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He is the One by reaching whom there is no more return to the ocean of
samsAra, there is nothing more to desire after reaching Him, etc.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to:

1. tirumozhi – accO oru azhagiyavA (9. 2. 1);

2. to tiruppANAzhvAr – en amudinaik kaNDa kaNgaL maRRonRinaik

kANAvE; and

3. to tirumAlai – mAdaraAr kayarkaN ennum valaiyuL paTTu azhunduvEnaip

pOdarE enRu Sollit tan pAl Adaram peruga vaitta azhagan ara’ngan,
which all illustrate His being the Object of desire for His devotees.

b) SrI BhaTTar gives the alternate interpretation based on the root bhA – to
shine, in association with the word kum – this world. So He Who shines in this
world is kumbhah – kau bhAti iti kumbhah. SrI BhaTTar attributes His shining

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in this world to His presence as the arcA mUrti in the shrines, and gives
several quotes to support the sanctity of the areas around the sacred shrines,
the power of the presence of His shrine in the temples etc. The reference to
bhUmi here is thus to the divya deSam-s. Birth, living, or death in a divya
deSam is the most purifying for any one. Yama and his servants won’t dare to
approach one who dies close to a divya deSam.

c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation which is a variation of

the above – kuh bhUmih prapa’nca pratIkah; umbhati pUrayati iti umbhah; koh
prapa’ncasya umbhah – pUrakah sva-yaSasA iti kumbhah – BhagavAn fills this
world with His fame and thus makes it complete, a fit place to live.

d) SrI Samkara uses the meaning “container or pot” to the word “kumbhah”,
and gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has this nAma because everything
in this Universe is contained in Him like in a pot.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri elaborates on this – BhagavAn protects everyone in

this Universe like a vessel that protects the water contained inside it. He
gives the following supports from the Sruti-s: ubhe asmin dyAvA pRthivI
antareva samAhite (chAndogya. 8. 1. 3), and tasmin sarvam pratishThitam
(bRhadA. 1. 5. 1).

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 SrI cinmayAnanda gives yet another variation of the interpretation – He is
called “The Container”, because everything that happens only takes place
within Him.

The dharma cakram writer explains that what is meant here is the He is the
support for everything. All our friends and relatives can at best be supports
for us only as long as we live; after that they can’t support us. He is the One
who supports the jIva all the way until it attains mukti. But the jIva-s who are
steeped in aj~nAna only think of the support from their friends and relatives,
and do not realize that the real support comes from Him. We find many means
to keep our eyes and ears in good shape, but we don’t spend the time to keep
our minds in shape. This nAma tells us that He is the Only One who can support
us in achieving this.

e) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning from the root kubhi
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AcchAdane – to envelop, to cover, and explains that bhagavAn envelops the

earth in the form of the sun etc., and so He is called kumbhah.

nAma 642. ivzuÏaTma viSuddhAtmA

He of a pure nature.
viSuddhAtmane namah.
SrI BhaTTar’s anubhavam is that because bhagavAn sacrifices all that He has
on His devotees, He is One of pure nature. AzhvAr’s equivalent nAma is amalan
Adi pirAn, vimalan, etc.

SrI Samkara gives the interpretation – viSuddha AtmA – The pure Atman – He
who is beyond the influence of the three guNa-s – sattva, rajas and tamas,
which keep influencing our actions and thoughts, and thus keep us attached to
this body and ultimately bind us in samsAra. Since He is beyond the influence
of prakRti whose attributes are these three guNa-s, He is not influenced by
these, and thus He is pure. He is beyond all passions and desire, and all
disturbances arising from these – triguNAtItah (SrI cinmayAnanda).

SrI kRshNa datta bharadvAj gives the interpretation – viSesheNa Suddhah

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AtmA svarUpam yasya iti viSuddhAtmA.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the following reference from the Sruti which
describes His Suddha svarUpam:

sa paryagAt Sukram akAyam avRaNam asnAviram Suddham apaApaviddham

(ISAvAsya. 8)
etonvindram stavAma Suddham Suddhena sAmnA |
SuddhairuktairvAvRdhvAmsam Suddha ASIrvAn mamamttu ||
indra Suddho na Agahi Suddhah SuddhAbhirUtibhih |
Suddho rayim ni dhAraya Suddho mamaddhi somya ||
indra Suddho hi no rayim Suddho ratnAni dASushe |
Suddho vRtrANi jighnase Suddho vAjam sishAsasi ||

(Rg. 7. 95 –7,8,9)

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nAma 643. ivzaexn> viSodhanah

The Purifier.
viSodhanAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar: viSodhayati iti viSodhanah. bhagavAn has the nAma “Purifier”
since He purifies those who give up their body in a holy shrine, by making them
fit to attain Him. This is reflected in nammAzhvAr’s tiruvAimoshi 2. 7. 4 –
ennaik koNDu en pAvam tannaiyum pARak kaiitu (tanna0) mevum tan mayam
AkkinAn em pirAn vittu. viSesheNa Sodhayati vimalI karoti samArAdhana
niratAn iti viSodhanah (SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvaAj).

b) SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that He is the Purifier because the
very remembrance of Him purifies us by destroying our sins – smRrti mAtreNa
pApAnAm kshapaNAt viSodhanah. This purification happens because
remembrance of Him keeps our mind from being influenced by the three guNa-
s (sattva, rajas and tamas), and thus it enables us to realize Him (SrI
rAdhAkRshNa Sastri). By remembering Him, the human heart becomes
cleansed of its sins, immaculately swept of all consequent feelings of
restlessness (SrI cinmayAnanda).

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 c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that bhagavAn purifies this universe in
various ways – by the process of creation (navo navo bhavati jAyamAnah), by
His being unconstrained and unrestrained in any way (indrasya bAhvor
bhUyishThamojah) – amogha Sakti, in the form of the Sun, etc. Through
creation, He renews the old into the new, and thus makes us feel like one who
wakes up from sleep and feels fres

SrI BhaTTar interprets the next few nAma-s as describing the vyUha
(Emanations) and vibhava (Incarnations) of bhagavAn in the holy shrines.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan adds that the forms described are His representations in
the para, vyUha, and vibhava forms in different kshetra-s. Note that the
vyUha forms are the ones which are the precursors to the vibhava forms in
the viSAkha yUpa tree, and are the forms which He assumes in the process of
creating and maintaining the various beings in the Universe.
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nAma 644. AinéÏ> aniruddhah

a) He Who is in the form of aniruddhah.

b) He Who is unobstructed.
aniruddhAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 187. The root from which the word is
derived is rudhir – AvaraNe to oppose, to besiege. niruddha means obstructed,
hindered, restrained, etc. a-niruddha is one who is unrestrained or
unrestrainable. The nAma literally means “One who cannot be obstructed in
any way” – na asti nirodho yasya sa aniruddhah (SrI satyadevo vAsishTha).

SrI BhaTTar has explained nAma 187 by pointing that this Unobstructed
Power is used by Him to protect all beings and to repel all opposition in this act
of His. (Note that always bhagavAn’s acts are for the good of His creation,
His devotees, His Sesha-s, and never for His pleasure or benefit! This is also
seen in all His incarnations, such as the rAma and kRshNa incarnations, where
none could stop Him from fulfilling the purpose of His incarnation). The
aniruddha form is considered one of the vyUha forms. His main function in this

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form is protection of the beings (SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri terms this form as
“kAppuk kaDavuL”).

The dharma cakram writer observes that this form of bhagavAn also
illustrates that He has the unobstructed Power to help His devotees who want
to overcome the influence of the indriya-s.

SrI cinmayAnanda refers to the law of Truth and dharma being irresistible, as
a demonstration of His irresistible power.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the example of the inability of anyone or any
way to prevent the jIva from leaving the body when the time comes for this to
happen.

For the current occurrence of the nAma aniruddhah, SrI BhaTTar gives the
interpretation as referring to bhagavAn’s nitya vAsam as janArdana in the part

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of this earth called vasubhANDa. Some translators of SrI BahTTar’s
bhAshyam refer to vasubhANDa as a kshetram.

prati--rathah
nAma 645. Aàitrw> a-prati

The Matchless.
aprati-rathAya namah.
prati-rathan is one who can oppose another in a fight mounted in a chariot.
a-prati-rathan is One who has no such person who can confront Him thus.
bhagavan is matchless in the sense that no one can stand directly in front of
His chariot and engage successfully in a war with him. na prati-rathah samAna
SaktimAn ko’pi yasya iti a-prati-rathah (SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj).

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives the reference to tiruvAimozhi 2. 3. 2 – “ottAr

mikkArai ilaiyAya mAyan”.

SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that as janArdana (The Tormentor of

people who are wicked by nature), He is matchless in this task, and there is no
one who can stop Him.

SrI Samkara bhAshyam is – prati-rathah pratipakshah asya na vidyata iti a-

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 prati-rathah.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives reference to the gItA – na tvat

samo’styabhyadhikah kuto’nya… (11. 43) – “There is no one equal to You. How
then could there be another greater than You in the three worlds?”.

SrI cinmayAnanda’s anubhavam is that in the loving Presence of vishNu,

everyone is vanquished, and there is no one even to threaten Him.

nAma 646. à*uç> pradyumnah

a) He Who illumines the jIva-s.

b) He Whose wealth is of a superior order.

c) The Bestower of all desires.

d) He Who is endowed with great strength.

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pradyumnAya namah.
The word dyumnam means wealth as well as lustre. SrI Samkara uses the
former meaning and SrI BhaTTar uses the latter. Other interpretations are
based on the meaning “desire”, “strength”, etc. for the word “dyumnam”.

SrI BhaTTar’s explanation is “Atma pradyotavAn pradyumnah” – He who makes

the individual souls effulgent. Per information in SrI v. v. rAmAnujan’s book,
we can worship pradyumna in tiru-allik-kENi. I believe tirunaRaiyUr or
nAcciyAr koil is another kshetram where bhagavAn is present in the four
vyUha forms.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha, who analyzes the meaning of each nAma by looking
at the word syllable by syllable, derives the meaning from pra + dyu + mna (pra
- prakRshTa, utkRshTa – Superior; dyu – lustre; mnA – abhyAse - repeatedly).
Thus, he gives the interpretation that bhagavAn displays His special lustre
again and again in the form of the sun, and so He is called pradyumna; or
because He gives lustre to the jIva-s repeatedly birth after birth. We can also
extrapolate and have the anubhavam that because He takes several
incarnations and keeps displaying His superior luster repeatedly, He is also

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called pradyumna. Thus, SrI satyadevo vAsishTha’s interpretation draws
heavily on “mnA – abhyAse – repeatedly, again and again.

SrI Samkara gives the interpretation “prakRshTam dyumnam draviNam asya iti
pradyumnah” – One who has wealth of a superior order, or One who has
enormous wealth. SrI cinmayAnanda adds that as lakshmI-pati, He is endowed
with all the riches, and in His benevolence, He gives riches and mighty glory to
all His devotees.

Again, we note the difference in the approach of the vyAkhyAna-s of SrI

Samkara and SrI BhaTTar – SrI BhaTTar emphasizes bhagavAn’s qualities in
terms of helping the jIva-s, and SrI Samkara emphasizes His parattva.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the additional meaning “desire” to the word
dyumnam. pradyumna is the Deity for manas, and in this role He creates the

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desires in us that contribute to the sustenance of creation.

The dharma cakram writer gives the interpretation that the desires being
fulfilled are those of the devotees to realize the Self. The best of desires
that for Self-realization and for performing eternal service to Him. He is the
Only One who can fulfill this, and so He is called pradyumna – The Bestower of
all desires.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning “balam” or strength for the
word dyumnam, and gives the meaning “He who has distinguished strength” -
prakRshTam dyumnam balam yasya iti pradyumnah. He quotes the support from
medinI kOSam 1. 20. 11 – dyumnam vittam bale’pi ca. SrI baladeva
vidyAbhUshaN also gives the same interpretation – prakRshTam anantam balam
asya iti pradyumnah.

amita--vikramah
nAma 647. amita
He of immeasurable steps.
amita-vikramAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 519. See the write-up under Slokam 55.

vikrama means stride. SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as a reference to His

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 tri-vikrama incarnation – trilokye’pi aparya vasita vikramatvAt trivikramah
amita-vikramah – “In His incarnation as trivikrama, all the three worlds were
no match for His three steps. So He is tri-vikrama”.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan takes amita as a reference to “innumerable”, and gives the

interpretation that He has innumerable feet – tALgaL AyirattAi pErgaL
AyirattAi tamiyanEn periya appanE (tiruvAi. 8. 1. 10). Note the declaration in
purusha sUktam – sahasra SirshA purushah; sahasrAkshah sahasra pAt. SrI
Samkara has given this as the first of his two interpretations fpr the earlier
occurrence of this nAma (Slokam 55).

Vikrama also means prowess, heroic valor. For the current occurrence of the
nAma, SrI Samkara uses this meaning and gives the interpretation that He is
amita-vikramah because of His unequaled prowess which cannot be injured by
any one – amitah atulitah vikramah asya iti amita vikramah; a-himsita vikramo
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vA. This interpretation in terms of His boundless valor was given by SrI
BhaTTar for the earlier occurrence of this nAma (519). SrI rAdhAkRshNa
SAstri makes a connection to the previous nAma by observing that since
pradyumna is the Lord of manas, He acts with unlimited speed of mind (power
of mind) in His role as pradyumna, and so He is also called amita-vkramah. SrI
cinmayAnanda remarks that as SrIman nArAyaNa, He is Omnipotent, and none
can stand against Him.

SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN, a follower of the gauDiya vaishNava

sampradAyam, interprets the nAma in terms of the Prowess displayed by child
kRshNa – ati-vikramiNAmapi cANUrAdInAm helaiva vinASanAt amita-vikramah
– He is called amita-vikrama because He destroyed the likes of the mighty
cANUra as if in a sport. Thus we see that the different interpreters
interpret the nAma-s in terms of their sampradaAya-s, all of which are equally
valid except when it comes to deep philosophical differences. Thus, in most
instances, we benefit by getting exposed to multiple, equally enjoyable,
anubhavam-s of His kalyAna guNa-s.

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 Slokam 69
kalneiminha zaEir> zUr> zUrjneñr>,

iÇlaekaTma iÇlaekez> kezv> keizha hir>. 69.

kAlaneminihA saurih sUrah sUrajanesvarah |
trilOkAtmA trilOkesah kesavah kesihA harih ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

At the outset, we will note that there are different versions of this Sloka in
use, where the nAma-s 649 and 650 occur as follows. vIrah SUrah, Saurih
SUrah, Saurir-vIrah, vIrah Saurih, etc. Thus the two names are chosen from
vIrah, Saurih, and Surah, depending on the pATham that is being used.

nAma 648. kAla nemi--nihA

kAla--nemi

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a) The destroyer of the wheel of ignorance of Time.

b) The Destroyer of the asura by name kAlanemi.

c) He Who sets the direction for the sun who is the controller of Time.

d) He Who is beyond the wheel of Time.

kAla-nemi-nighne namah.
a) nemi refers to the outer ring of a wheel; nihanam means killing, slaughter.
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan comments that the wheel of Time represents avidyA;
since bhagavAn destroys this avidyA, He is called kAlanemi-nihA.

SrI M. V. rAmAnujAcArya explains that kAlanemi – the wheel of Time- refers

to the bane of kali, and since He destroys the effect of kali, namely avidyA, by
firmly residing in the holy places and shrines, He is called kAlanemi-nihA.

SrI BhaTTar quotes the following words of bhagavAn in support, but the
reference is not available:
avidyAkhyA ca yA nemih kAlacakrasya durdharA |
sA mayIyam samASritya vigraham vidhunoti ca ||

“avidyA (Ignorance) is an irresistible folly of the wheel of Time; when it comes

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 to Me, it loses its form”.

The nine-syllabled mantra containing this nAma “(praNavam) kAla-nemi-nighne

namah” removes the root-cause of avidyA or ignorance, as summarized by the
author of nirukti:
kAla-cakrasya yA nemih avidyAklhyA ca durdharA
tAm nASayati yaScAsau kAla-nemi-nihA smRtah ||
navAksharo manurayam avidyA-mUla mocakah ||

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains that for those who are caught up in the
wheel of time (being born again and again?) because of avidyA, He stops this
wheel for them when they seek His help. He destroys their karmA-s
accumulated over time; He ensures that kAla (yama) does not get them in his
cycle, to be born again.
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b) SrI Samkara interprets the nAma as a reference to His destroying the

asura by name kAlanemi – kAalanemim asuram nijaghAna iti kAlanemi-nihA.
kAlanemi was born later as kamsa, and bhagavAn destroyed kamsa also; so the
nAma can be interpreted as as a reference to His destroying kamsa.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives reference to SrImad bhAgavatam (10. 51.
42 – kAlanemi-hatah kamsah …), and gives the interpretation – kAlanemih
kamsah tasya nihanteti kAlanemi-nihA.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri also makes a reference to kamsa’s killing as an

interpretation for this nAma.

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives a different explanation. He uses the root hA

– to go, and interprets nihA as One who gives directions or makes things
happen. He interprets kAla as time, and nemi as the wheel, or that which keeps
going. So kAla nemi is interpreted as referring to the sun, and kAla-nemi-nihA
as He who makes the sun go, or who sets the direction for the sun, which sets
the direction for time.

d) SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that the Supreme Self is called
kAlanemi nihA because Self is beyond the reach of intellect, and time is but a
concept of intellect only, and since He is beyond this wheel of Time, He is

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called kAlanemi-nihA.

e) The dharma cakram writer points out that we should learn to use “time”
without wasting it for our personal pleasures, but to overcome the karma-s of
the past and to avoid accumulating karma-s for the future. The clock was
invented to measure time, and we use that to beautify ourselves instead of
learning to use it for making the best use of it. The nature of time is that you
don’t get it back after it is past. He who does not waste even a single moment
of it and devotes all the time in the service of God and His creatures is the
one who has utilized time properly, and thus won over time. Of all the indriya-
s that we have for utilizing time, at least one of these indriya-s should always
be in the service of Him. The most precious possession that God has given to
mankind is Time. Those who use it properly overcome Time itself and reach
Him who is beyond Time.

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nAma 649. zaEir> Saurih

a) The son of SUra (another name for vasudeva), or He Who is born in the race
of SUra-s, a yAdava clan.

b) A reference of Sauri rAjap perumAL of tirukkaNNapuram

c) He Who is ever valiant and victorious.

This nAma has been presented earlier as nAma 342 (Slokam 37). Please see
the previous write-up as well.
Sauraye namah.
a) He is the son of vasudeva, who is also called SUra - SUrasya – vasudevasya
apatyam iti Saurih (SrI BhaTTar). Or, because He is born in the kulam of
SUra, He is called Saurih – SUra vamSa prAdurbhUtatvAt Saurih – SrI
kRshNa datta bhAradvAj.

(Note: Under nAma 342, it has been indicated that kRshNa is the grandson of
SUra. This was based on SrI anantakRshNa SAstri’s explanation. Under the
explanation given for this nAma in Slokam 37, SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri
indicates that since Lord kRshNa was born in the race of yAdava-s by name

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 SUra-s, He is called Saurih, and both vasudeva and his father were known by
the name SUra).

b) Or, He is in the form of Sauri rAjap perumAL in tirukkaNNapuram

(utpalAvartaka), as Lord kRshNa (SrI BhaTTar).

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the meaning from the root SUra –
vikrAntau – to be heroic. Thus Saurih means One who is heroic and victorious –
SUrayata iti Saurih. The alternate meaning he gives is: SUrasya apatyam
Saurih - atyanta SUrah. apatyam normally means progeny, as SrI BhaTTar has
used above, but SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that it can also mean
atyanta “the Ultimate”, based on a reference from niruktam (6. 32).

SrI Samkara uses the pATham “vIrah” in place of “Saurih” in this place, and
his next nAma is Saurih. The meaning of “vIra” is “He Who is valiant”.
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The dharma cakram writer observes that unlike for all other creatures, for
man there are two types of potential enemies – those from outside and those
from inside. The enemies from inside are the more difficult to overcome –
desire, anger, fear, jealousy, pride, lust, etc. One who does not win over these
enemies will not make progress in life. A vIra is one who does not run away
from these enemies, but fights valiantly and overcomes them. For these
enemies who are fighting us from within, it is not enough for us to fight alone –
we need His help to overcome them. It is only when we realize this that He
helps us, as evidenced in purANa-s over and over again. It is only when the
deva-s realize that they can’t by themselves be victorious over the asura-s,
and go to Him and seek His help, that He takes His incarnations and comes and
helps them overcome the asura-s. We should learn to seek His help in fighting
and overcoming the internal enemies inside us.

Under the earlier occurrence of this nAma, SrI Sankara's interpretation is

that bhagavAn in His incarnation as kRshNa was born as the son of vasudeva,
whose father's name was SUra. SUrasya gotrApatyam pumAn Saurih or SUra
kulodbhavAt Saurih. This is the same as explanation a) for this nAma by SrI
BhaTTar for the current occurrence for this nAma.

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nAma 650. zUr> SUrah

The Valiant.
SUrAya namah.
The sequence in Samkara pATham is “kAlanemi-nihA vIrah Saurih Sura-
janeSvarah”, and BhaTTar pATham is “kAlanemi-nihA Saurih SUrah SUra-
janeSvarah”. The nAma “SUrah” occurs once in Samkara pATham, in Slokam
37 (nAma 341); in BhaTTar’s pATham, it occurs twice, the second one being
the current occurrence. He explains the first occurrence in terms of the
generic guNa of His valor (Sauryam), and the second occurrence as specifically
referring to His incarnation as Lord rAma, whose valor is well-known.

The derivation of the meaning from its root is explained under nAma 341. SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha’s anubhavam is that He is unrestrained not only in the

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sense that His valor is unconstrained, but He is also:

1. unconstrained by deSa, kAla, etc. (kAla dig deSa vibhAga muktah),

2. unconstrained in fulfilling the desires of His devotees (dadAti varyam),

3. pervades this Universe unconstrained in His functions of creation,

protection, and destruction,

4. sustains all creatures by being unconstrained and appearing in the form

of the Sun as mitra, varuNa, and agni in the morning, afternoon and
evening (mitrasya varuNasyAgneh…), etc.

SUra--janeSvarah
nAma 651. zUrjneñr> SUra

The Chief of the SUra-s or the valiant people.

SUra-janeSvarAya namah.
SUra janAnAm ISvarah Sura-janeSvarah – The Chief of the valiant people.
SrI aNNa’ngarAcArya and others give the example of His being the Chief of
valiant warriors of the likes of hanuman, sugrIva, etc.

SrI Samkara gives the example of His being the Lord of indra and others.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that bhagavAn is the Lord of gods like

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 indra, men like arjuna, and monkeys such as sugrIva and hanuman.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives another dimension of this guNa of bhagavAn –

He is the one from whom all that moves in any form has originated, and thus
He is the Lord of all.

SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN gives the interpretation that He has this nAma
because He is the Lord or Chief of the SUra klan, through acts such as the
destruction of kamsa.

tri--lokAtmA
nAma 652. iÇlaekaTma tri

a) He who ever moves about in the three worlds.

b) He Who makes the three worlds move about.

c) He Who is the AtmA for everything in all the three worlds.

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tri-lokAtmane namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar gives his interpretation based on the derivation of the word
"AtmA" from the root ata - to be always moving about (ata sAtatyagamane) -
trIn lokAn atati satatam gacchati.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvAimozhi, where nammAzhvAr

beautifully expresses this concept -
"viN mIdiruppAi! malai mEl niRpAi! KaDal SerppAi!
maN mIduzhalvAi! ivaRRuL e'ngum maRainduRaivAi!
eN mIdiyanRa puRavaNDattAi!. ."

tiruvAimozhi (6. 9. 5).

He keeps moving about in all the three worlds in order to be easily accessible
to everyone.

b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha extends this anubhavam to point out that not only
does He move about in the three worlds, but He is the One who makes
everything move about in all the three worlds - avan anRi Or aNuvum aSaiyAdu.
So He is tri-lokAtmA in this sense as well.

c) SrI Sankara gives the interpretation that He is the AtmA of everything in

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all the three worlds - trayANAm lokAnAm antaryAmitayA AtmA iti tri-
lokAtmA. The three worlds here refer to the earth, the world above and the
world below. SrI cinmayAnanda interprets the term tri-loka to refer to the
three states of experience - the waking, the dream and the deep-sleep, and
gives the interpretation that He is the Reality, the Self of the all the three
worlds of experiences.

Thus, He is called tri-lokAtmA because He moves about in the three worlds,

He is the antaryAmi of everything in the three worlds, and He makes
everything in the three worlds move about.

tri--lokeSah
nAma 653. iÇlaekez> tri

The Ruler of the three worlds.

tri-lokeSAya namah.

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tri-lokAnAm ISatayA tri-lokeSah - By virtue of His being the Lord or Ruler of
the three worlds, He is known as tri-lokeSah. NammAzhvAr's well-known
pASuram "agalagillEn" refers to Him as as "ulagam mUnRu uDaiyAi
(tiruvAimozhi 6. 10. 10).

SrI Sankara elaborates His Rulership thus - trayo lokAh tadA~jnayA sveshu
sveshu karmasu vartanta ititri-lokeSah - The three worlds, in obedience to
Him, attend to their respective functions.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives support from the Sruti-s - esha loka pAla esha
lokeSah (kaushItakI 3).

nAma 654 (23). kezv> keSavah

a) One who has beautiful locks of hair

b) He whose hair is of supreme fragrance

c) He who is the source or origin of brahmA and Siva.

d) He who is the source of the rays emanating from the Sun etc.

e) The Slayer of keSi

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 f) The tormentor of His enemies

g) One who has Adhipatyam over water (oceans etc. )

h) One who has Adhipatyam over the different kinds of sukham (including
moksham)
keSavAya namah.
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keSavAya namah.
adanur-SriAndalakkumAiyyan ( Pic Courtesy : B. Senthil)
This nAma occurred as nAma 23 in Sloka 3.

The word keSa refers to hair, as also rays of light. Some of the
interpretations are based on these two meanings. Another approach at
interpreting the nAma is based on the word kam = water or sukham. Yet
another interpretation is based on the root kliS - to torment. There is also one
which is based on kah + Isah = keSah.

From amara pada vivRti of lingayasUrin, we have the following:

a) SobhanAh keSA yasya sah keSavah - He who has beautiful hair. keSa means
hair, and the suffix va is added to keSa to denote the "beauty" of the hair, by

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a grammatical rule - "keSAdvo'nyatarasyAm" iti praSamsAyAm vah (SrI
BhaTTar). SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya svAmi nicely translates the nAma in tamizh
as "kuzhal azhagar".

Under nAma 23, SrI BhaTTar adds that by implication, this nAma indicates
that the Lord is possessed of qualities like supremacy and loveliness which are
all His own by nature. He possesses curly locks of hair, which are sublime, soft
and blue (praSasta - snigdha - nIla - kuTila - kuntalah).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri adds to this anubhavam further. In His incarnation

as nRsimha, the beauty of His Lion's hair (piDari mayir in tamizh) was
exceptionally beautiful. MArIca has described Lord rAma's hair as "SikhI
kanaka mAlayA" - beautiful like a golden garland. The gopi-s describe Him as
"kuTila kuntalam komalAnanam - One with curly locks of hair and lotus-like

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face. SrI Samkara bhAshyam is "abhirUpAh keSAh yasya sah keSavah" - "His
hair's beauty is compatible with His divya ma'ngala rUpam" - black, curly,
consistent, just indescribably beautiful.

NammAzhvAr describes the beauty of the keSam of bhagavAn as well as its

fragrance in 7. 7. 9 - tiruvAimozhi:
koLginRa kOLiruLaic cugirndiTTa kozhum SuruLin
uL koNDa nIla nan-nUl tazhai kol? anRu . . .

"I thought may be the darkness of His hair can be compared to the thread
made out of the darkness that results at the time of pralaya kAlam; but no,
this is not a good enough comparison - there is no comparison. The comforting
fragrance of tulasi that emanates from His kuzhal has completely stolen my
AtmA, and only I can feel it and feel about it".

b) vAnti gandhayanti iti vAh gandhavantah keSAh yasya iti keSavah (based on
the root vA - gatigandhanayoh)- He who has fragrant keSa. We just saw
nammAzhvAr's reference in the previous para to the fragrance of tulasi
emanating from His kuzhal.

c) bhagavAn is called keSava because ka - brahmA, and ISa - Siva, originated

from His body. SrI Sankara and SrI BhaTTar quote the following from

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 harivamSa: ka iti brahmaNo nAma (brahmeti samAkhyAta) ISo'ham sarva
dehinAm | AvAm tavA'nge sambhUtau (tavAmSa sambhUtau) tasmAt keSava
nAmavAn || - (harivamSa 3. 88. 48)

The above are words of Siva to bhagavAn - (ka is the name of brahma, and I
am ISa who rules over all the embodied beings. Both of us have been born out
of Thy body, and therefore Thou art known by the name keSava). Thus, the
nAma signifies that brahma and Siva originated from bhagavAn.

d) SrI Samkara gives the additional interpretation that He is the owner of the
keSa-s or rays that emanate from the Sun, the moon, and all the effulgent
objects in the cosmos, and so He is called keSava. He gives the support from
mahAbhArata:
amSavo ye prakASante mamaite keSa sam~jnitAh |
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sarvaj~nAh keSavam tasmAt mAm Ahuh dvija-sattamAh ||

(mahA. 12. 328. 43)

(Literally, the above says: "The rays that are emanating from Me are called
keSa-s, and so the learned Brahmins call me by the name keSava").
e) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives a reference from vishNu purANam, and
narrates that when brahmA with the other deva-s sought the help of Lord
nArayaNa against the terror from asura-s, the Lord plucked two keSa-s (hairs
- one black and one white), and told brahmA that those two hairs will descend
on earth as kRshNa and balarAma, and relieve the earth of the burden of the
demons:
evam sastUyamAnastu bhagavAn parameSvarah |
ujjahArAtmanah keSau sita-kRshNau mahAmune ||
uvAca ca surAnetau mat-keSau vasudhAtale |
avatIrya bhuvo bhAra kleSa hAnim karishyatah ||

(vishNu purA. 5. 1. 59-60)

(The commentator indicates that the above should be taken just as an
indication by bhagavAn that His hair should be sufficient to take care of the
asura-s, and should not be literally taken to suggest that the two hairs took
incarnation).

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f) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha has another anubhavam of this nAma - He derives
the meaning that keSavah signifies One who torments His enemies - based on
the root kliS - vibAdhane - to torment, to distress, and the uNAdi sutra
(kliSeran lo lopaSca). kliSnAti, kliSyate vA anena iti keSavah.

g) Two more interpretations by SrI satyadevo VasishTha: kam refers to water

and to sukham: kam = jalam or sukham;

1. He who has the Adhipatyam over water (oceans etc. ) is keSavah - jalam
tamIshTa aiSvarya bhAvAya nayati iti keSah (kam + Isah); or,

2. He who has control over the sukham (aihika as well as Amushmika) of

the jIva-s.

h) In the explanation under nAma 23, the interpretation of the nAma based on
His destroying keSi has been covered. This is also explicitly the subject of the

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next nAma.

keSi--hA
nAma 655. keizha keSi

a) He who killed the asura by name keSi.

b) He who directs agni, sUrya, indra, vAyu etc. in their functions.

keSighne namah.
a) keSi-nAmAnam asuram hatavAn iti keSi-hA. kamsa sent the asura keSi to
destroy child kRshNa, and keSi who took the form of a horse to destroy
kRshNa was destroyed by kRshNa. The references in tiruppAvai to "mA vAi
kINDAn", and in 2nd tiruvantAdi to "kUndal vAi KINDAn" are to this incident.

b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha takes the meaning of the root hA- to go, and
derives his interpretation for the nAma based on the Rg-vedic description of
keSi referring to agni, vAyu, and sUrya (see the mantra below. KeSi is one who
has keSa or hair. smoke is the "hair" of the fire; the rays of sUrya are the
keSa-s of sUrya; indra (lightning) is the keSi which is not seen - the reference
to dadRSe na rUpam in the mantra (Ralph Griffith translates this as referring
to vAyu instead of indra in his traslation); These are explained in Yaska's
niruktam in detail (12-24,25).

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 The Rg-vedic mantra he quotes in support is:
trayah keSina RtuthA vicakshate samvatsare vapata eka eshAm |
viSvameko abhicashTe SacIbhirdhrAjirekasya dadRSe na rUpam ||

(Rg 1. 144. 44)

Thus, in this interpretation, bhagavAn is called keSi-hA because He directs
agni, sUrya, indra, or vAyu perform their functions.

SrI vAsishTha has given several other interpretations for this nAma (e. g.,
keSi referring generically to a horse, keSi referring to AtmA, heart, etc.),
which are not being covered here. Those interested can refer to his original
vyAkhyAna in samskRt, with translation in hindi.

nAma 656. hir> harih

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a) The Green-hued.

b) He Who removes the distress of His devotees

c) He Who wards off samsAra with its cause from His devotees.

d) The Destroyer of the Universe at the time of pralaya.

haraye namah.
a) The term hara refers to green color. BhagavAn's words from mahA bhArata
are given in support by SrI BhaTTar:

iDopahUtam ……. varNaSca me harih SreshThah tasmAd harir-iti smRtah ||

(mahA. SAnti. 343. 39)
"My superior complexion is green, and therefore I am called Hari".

One is reminded of the familiar pASuram "paccai mA-malai pOl

mEni…" (tirumAlai 2).

b) SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya gives the interpretation "ArtigaLai harippavar" - He

who removes the distress of His devotees.

c) (samsAram) harati iti harih - He who wards off samsAra with its cause from
His devotees is harih (SrI Samkara). Alternatively, pApAnAm harati iti harih -
He who wards off the sins of His devotees.

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d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha extends the anubhavam to include bhagavAn's
destruction of the world at the time of pralaya, and His destruction of the
darkness in our minds always.

The dharma cakram writer observes that the sight of green gives a feeling of
peace to the mind; the thought of Hari, the green-hued One, similarly gives
peace to the mind. The "hari nAma" is chanted whenever one starts anything
auspicious, and this is to remove all obstacles and sins that may be committed
in the process.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that in kali santaraNa Upanishad, the

repetition of the 16 nAma-s in the following familiar chant is prescribed for
the removal of all sins caused by kali:
hare rAma hare rAma rAma rAma hare hare |

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hare kRshNa hare kRshNa kRshNa kRshNa hare hare || (6. 2)

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 Slokam 70
kamdev> kampal> kamI kaNt> k«tagm>,

AindeRZyvpuivR:[u> vIrae=nNtae xn<jy>. 70.

kAmadevah kAmapAlah kAmI kAntah krutAgamah |
anirdesyavapur vishNuh vIrO=nantO dhananjayah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

kAma--devah
nAma 657. kamdev> kAma

a) The One who grants all desires.

b) The Lord who is desired by those who seek the four purushArtha-s.
kAma-devAya namah
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a) SrI BhaTTar derives his interpretation kAmAn dIvyati iti kAma-devah -

One who gives as a gift all that His devotees desire. The term "dIvyati"
signifies dAna-karmA. He gives the support for this interpretation from mahA
bhAratam:
kAmadevastu bhagavAn sarveshAm sarva-kAmadah |

(bhA. Santi. 343. 39)

" The Lord has the name kAma-deva as He grants all the desires of all beings".
b) SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has this nAma because
Heis the God (deva) who is desired (kAma) by those who seek the four kinds of
goals - dharma, artha, kAma, and moksha. (kAmyata iti kAmah - kAma because
He is desired, and devaSca - God).

kAmam or desire can be that which is consistent with dharma, or that which is
contrary to dharma. The kAma that one should seek is the one that is
consistent with dharma. BhagavAn refers to this in gItA 7. 11 -
dharmaaviruddho bhUteshu kAmo'smi bharatarshabha - In all beings, I am the
kAma which is unopposed to dharma.

The dharma cakram writer points out that by worshipping bhagavAn, the

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kAma-deva, one can develop the enrichment of the desire that is consistent
with dharma, and move away from the kAma that is opposed to dharma. He
points out that those with the right kind of kAma see God in the world, and
those who have the wrong kind of kAma see the world in God. To win over the
worldly kAma and to grow the godly kAma, one should chant the nAma of
kAma-deva with this meaning in mind.

kAma--pAlah
nAma 658. kampal> kAma

a) The Protector of the gifts that He bestows.

b) The Protector of those who desire Him.

kAma-pAlAya namah.
a) In the previous nAma, SrI BhaTTar interpreted kAma-devah as One

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whobestows the gifts that the devotee desires, thus kAma referring to the
giftsdesired by the devotee. He interprets the current nAma as referring
tobhagavAn's guNa of protecting that which He has bestowed - sa eva datta
(kAmAn)anupAlanAt kAma-devah.

SrImad baladeva vidyAbhUshaN, a follower of the gauDiya vaishNava

sampradAyam, specifically refers to bhagavAn fulfilling the wishes of the
deva-s by killing keSi - keSi vadhena teshAm kAmam abhilAsham pAlayati
pUrayati iti kAma-pAlah.

b) In one of the interpretations that SrI cinmayAnanda gives, he interprets

kAmaas referring to those who desire Him, and then assigns the meaning to
kAma-pAlahas One who protects those who desire Him.

nAma 659. kamI kAmI

a) He who has all things that are desirable.

b) He who is of fulfilled desires.

kAmine namah
a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that He is kAmI because He has

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 everything that is desired.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan emphasizes the abundance of all good things that He

possesses, such that He can bestow anything to the devotees that they want.

b) SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that He is kAmI because He is One

who has all His desires fulfilled (pUrNa kAma svabhAvatvAt). He isreferred
to as avApta-sarva-kAman.

nAma 660. kaNt> kAntah

a) He Who is charming.
b) He Who causes the end of brahma at the end of his period.
c) He Who is present everywhere, and Effulgent.
kAntAya namah.
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We encountered this nAma earlier in Slokam 32 (nAma 297).

SrI BhaTTar gives the vyAkhyAnam - sa eva svayameva kamanIyah kAntah - By

Himself He is fascinating.

Under the earlier occurrence of this nAma, he indicates that this natural
charm of bhagavAn is because of His eternal saukumAryam, saundaryam, etc. -
svayam saundarya, saukumAryAdi rUpaguNaih.

SrI v. v.rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvar's tiruvAimozhi - paruguinnamudE

(7. 1. 7). Unlike the deva-s who made Him strain Himself by churning the
ocean for getting the amRtam for them, AzhvAr just wants to drink Him
directly, because He is the amudam Himself! SrI rAmAnujan also gives
reference to kulasekhara AzhvAr's perumAL tirumozhi 8. 2: "kaNDavartam
manam vazha'ngum kaNa purattu en karu maNiyE!" - Those who see Him in
tirukkaNNapuram, just lose their mind to Him and surrender to His beauty -
such is His charm.

b) SrI Samkara gives an alternate interpretation - kasya brahmaNah antah

asmAtiti kAntah - Since He is the cause of the end of brahma at the end of
the parArdha (100,00 billion years), He is called kAntah - kasya antah kAntah.

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c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives another interpretation based on the root
kani- dIpti kAnti gatishu, and gives the meaning that He is around everywhere,
and He is Effulgent.

nAma 661. k«tagm> kRtAgamah

a) The Revealer of the sacred mantra-s to the pure-minded.

b) He who has propounded the pA'ncarAtra Agama-s.

c) He Who has given us the Sruti-s and the smRti-s.

d) He from Whom the kRta yuga emerged

e) He who victoriously entered the gathering of His kith and kin after slaying
keSi

f) He Who appears to His devotees again and again in whatever form they

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desire.
kRtAgamAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as referring to His being the Revealer of
the mantra-s to those who are pure-minded. Every mantra has associated with
it a mantra-drashTA, the Seer or sage who is associated with the revelation of
that mantra. It is He who is in the form of the mantra Itself, and reveals
Himself to the mantra-drAshTA in the form of the mantra. Thus, His nAma as
kRtAgamah.

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the derivation thus - kRto viracita
upadishTo vA Agamah pA'ncarAtra-SAstram yena iti kRtAgamah - He is called
kRtAgamah because He propounded the pA'ncarAtra Agama. The pA'ncarAtra
Agama was given to us directly by bhagavAn, and thus has the same authority
as the veda-s. Readers are referred to the series on pA'ncarAtra that has
appeared in this list for more details on pA'ncarAtra and its origin.

c) SrI Samkara interprets the term "Agama" in a generic sense to refer to all
Sruti-s and smRti-s, and thus gives the interpretation that He is called
kRtAgamah because He is the author (originataor) of the Agama-s - the Sruti-

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 s and smRti-s. He quotes bhagavAn's own words - Sruti smRtI mamaiva A~jne -
The Sruti and smRti are My commands. Later on in SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam,
Sage vyAsa declares - vedAh SastrANi vi~jnAnam etat sarvam janArdanAt -
The veda-s, SAstra-s, wisdom, and all these, came from janArdana (Lord
vishNu).

SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya gives the following crisp interpretation from

prabandham, which contains an ocean of thoughts - "kalaigaLum vedamum nIdi
nUlum kaRpagamum SoL poruL tAnum maRRai nilaigaLum vAnavarkkum
piRarkkum nIrmaiyinAl aruL Seidavar" (peria tirumozhi 2. 8. 5) - He Who gave
the veda-s, vedAnta sUtra-s, itihAsa-s, kalpa sUtra-s, vyAkaraNa, mImAmsA,
etc., to the deva-s and to the mansuhya-s, by His sheer kindness towards
them.

d) SrI cinmayAnanda gives yet another angle - consistent with the

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interpretation that He is the Destroyer of brahmA at the time of pralaya for

the previous nAma, the current nAma can be interpreted as One who then
inaugurates the kRta yuga (kRta Agamah). Thus, He is the One into whom the
whole world dissolves at the time of pralaya, and from whom the world re-
emerges at the beginning of the next yuga.

e) SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshan continues his thoughts from the previous

Slokam dealing with keSi vadham, and gives the interpretation to the current
nAma that He is kRtAgamah because He finished off kESi and then
victoriously entered the assemblage of His kith and kin (probably the root he
draws on is kR himsAyAm - to kill, and gam gatau - to go). Here kRta refers to
the act of destruction of keSi, and Agamah refers to His gamana or arrival in
the midst of His kith and kin.

f) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the roots kR karaNe - to do, and gam gatau -
to go, to derive his meaning, and gives the following interpretation - kRta
Agamo yena sa kRtAgamah - BhagavAn does the act of appearing to His
devotees in whatever form they desire, in response to the stuti of the stotrA-
s of the devotees. He bases his interpretation on the Rg-vedic mantra 8. 3.

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13-14:
kadu stuvanta Rtayanta devata Rshih ko vipra ohate |
kadA maghavan indra sunvatah kadu stuvata Agamah ||

"What prayers shall we the mortals sing, so that You will appear in response to
the call of the praiser?"

The dharma cakram writer, in the issue of May 1998, describes the Agama-s
and the veda-s under the term darSana, and then gives a detailed description
of their different classifications under the groups of nyAya, vaiSeshika,
mImAmsa, sAnkhya, yoga, and vedAnta. He also goes into further sub-
classifications under these. He points out that all these different categories
of darSana-s are provided to us by bhagavAn Himself, or by those who are
blessed with the right knowledge by Him, in order to guide us towards Him.

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This is the explanation for the nAma kRtAgamah that is provided by the
dharma cakram author.

anirdeSya--vapuh
nAma 662. AindeRZyvpu> anirdeSya

a) He of indefinable form
anirdeSya-vapushe namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 179 (Slokam 19). Please visit the write-
up for nAma 179 as well.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the derivation thus: na nirdeshTum

Sakyamvapuh yasya iti anirdeSya-vapuh - He is anirdeSya-vapuh because He
has a body that is beyond the reach of the mind, words, etc.

In his vyAkhyAnam for this nAma under Slokam 19, SrI BhaTTar quotes from
maula samhitA, and gives an analysis of the difference between the nature of
bhagavAn's form vs. our forms. Our body is formed by the seven great
elements - the pa'nca bhUta-s, plus mahat and ahamkAra. We possess
intellect, mind, body and limbs. From the SAstra-s we know that bhagavAn also
has intellect, mind, body and limbs. So the question arises: "Of what substance
is bhagavAn's body composed?", and the answer is given: "BhagavAn's body is

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 composed of His form itself". In other words, there is nothing else of which
He is composed, and so He can't be described in terms of something else. This
a-nirdeSya-vapuh is further revealed thus: "BhagavAn is of indescribable form
because His body is knowledge incarnate, lordship incarnate, power incarnate,
like the glowing ember, of the burning khAdira or silk-cotton that has fire on
all sides, like pure honey, when drunk, that is sweet on all sides, like a bar of
gold that is being polished is gold all around, like a mansion that will be
attractive when viewed from all angles. Similarly, bhagavAn is entirely lordship
and power in full. Whatever He wants to become, He becomes". It is very clear
that this description keeps looking for similes to describe Him unsuccessfully,
illustrating that He can't be described.

SrI BhaTTar also gives reference to SrI vishNu purANa (1. 2. 10-1. 2. 12),
which states the impossibility of describing Him: "Who can describe Him who
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is not apprehended by the senses, who is the best of all things, the Supreme
Soul, Self-existent, who is devoid of all the distinguishing characteristics
ofform, color, etc., is exempt from birth, growth, aging, death or decay, who
exists everywhere and in whom everything exists always……. . ". - varjjitah
Sakyate vaktum yah sadA asti iti kevalam - All we can do is say that He exists
always, but we can't describe Him in words.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri quotes kaThopanishd 2. 2. 14 -

"anirdeSyamparamamsukham" in support of the interpretation of this nAma.

Those who have realized Him give up after struggling for words in their
description of Him, as evidenced by the pASuram-s of AzhvArs. The thought is
poured out by tiruma'ngai AzhvAr in his 3rd pASuram in tiruneDunTAnDakam
(referenced by SrI v. v. rAmAnujan):

tiruvaDivil karu neDu mAl Seyan enRum, tirEdaik kaN vaLai uruvAit
tigazhndAnenRum peru vaDivil kaDal amudam koNDa kAlam, perumAnaik karu
nIla vaNNan enRumoru vaDivattu Or uru enRu uNaral AgAdu, Uzhi tORu Uzhi
ninRu Ettal allAl karuvaDivil Se'nkaNNa vaNNan tannai, kaTTuraiyE yAr oruvar
kANgiRppArE?

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"By nature, He who has immense Mercy towards His creation is dark like the
water-laden clouds; in tretA yugam, He is known to have a reddish color; in
kRtayugam His complexion is white like that of the conch. In each yugam
devotees can worship Him in whatever form(s) He chooses to present Himself
in, but beyond worshipping, we cannot precisely understand His true form.
People can describe this nIla megha SyAmalan with lotus-like reddish eyes as
they want, but none can describe Him in the form in which He has revealed
Himself to me".

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan also gives reference to:

1. nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi 8. 8. 2 - paDiyE idu enRu uraikkalAm

paDiyan allan paramparan - His Nature is not such that it can be
described as such and such;

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2. IDum eDuppum il ISan - There is nothing that is equal to Him or above
Him (tiruvAi. 1. 6. 3);

3. oruvaraiyum ninoppAr oppu ilA enginRALAl (peria tirumozhi 8. 1. 2) -

There is no one comparable to Him.

4. In praising Lord oppiliappan of tiruviNNagaram, nammAzhvAr refers to

Him as "tan oppAr il appan" - oppu ili appan (tiruvAi. 6. 3. 9).

There are vast numbers of additional references in divya prabandham pointing

to the indescribable nature of bhagavAn, but one more from nammAzhvAr is
included:
kOlamE! tAmariak kaNNadOr a'njana
nIlamE! ninRu enadAviyai IrginRa
SilamE! SenRu SellAdana munnilAm
kAlamE! unnai ennAL kaNDu koLvEnE?

(tiruvAi. 3. 8. 8)
One can feel the depth of feeling that the great AzhvAr is trying to convey
through words, of the experience that cannot be described in words.

We have the tiatittirIya upanishd mantra - yato vAco nivartante, aprApya

mansAsaha (Anandavalli - anu. 4) - He is inaccessible to words or to mind; He

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 can only be experienced. Similar passages abound in veda; e. g., kenopanishad 1.
5 to 1. 9 - Brahman is that which reveals speech, but which cannot be revealed
by speech; that which gives us the ability to see but which cannot be seen,
etc.; ISAVAsya upanishad mantra 4-5 (The Self is inaccessible to the mind
since it is faster than the mind; it is beyond the reach of the senses; It moves
and moves not; It is far for those who are ignorant, and near for those who
are wise; It is within and without; etc. ).

Under the current nAma, SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam is that bhagavAn assumes
different forms in the different yuga-s as needed in order to bless the
devotees, and so He is called a-nirdeSya-vapuh.

The nirukti author summarizes SrI BhaTTar's thoughts thus - yugAnusAri

rUpatvAt a-nirdeSya-vapuh.
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha observes that He is inside everyone, permeates

everything inside and out, has a virAT SarIra (viSva rUpa), is neither born nor
ends nor ages, and this is His guNa of anirdeSya-vapuh.

b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha also gives an alternate interpretation that is not

given by any of the other major vyAkhyAna kartA-s, based on the root vap -
bIjasantAne chedane ca - to sow (the seed, vapati).

Since bhagavAn is the One who sows the seeds that result in the creation of
the Universe, and since He is indescribable, He is the Indescribable Originator
or the seed-sower. He relates the origin of the word bAp or bApu in hindi to
this root vap - to sow.

nAma 663. iv:[u> vishNuh

The Pervader.
vishNave namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma-s 2 and 259 (Sloka-s 1 and 28).

Please refer to the nAmaas 2 and 259 in vol I for a detailed commentary on
the nAma vishNuh

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nAma 664. vIr> vIrah

a) The Valiant.

b) The swift Mover (into the hearts of His devotees or against demons).

c) He Who destroys His enemies

d) He Who makes the enemies tremble in front of Him and run, showing their
backs.
vIrAya namah.
This nAma was described earlier under Slokam 43 - nAma 402.

a) SrI BhaTTar derives the interpretation for the nAma from the root aja -
gatikshepaNayoh - to drive or to lead, and a grammatical rule which states

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that vI is the substitute for aja under certain conditions (ashTAdhyAyI 2. 4.
56), and gives the meaning - He Who is valiant.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the interpretation - vIrayate iti vIrah - He
who displays valor is called vIrah, and expands - ripu damanAya vikramate - It
is for the destruction of the enemies.

SrI BhaTTar describes that it is for the destruction of the enemies of His
devotees that He uses His valor. Thus, the anubhavam here, as in all the
vyAkhyAna-s of SrI BhaTTar, is that whatever bhagavAn does is for the sake
of His devotees. SrI BhaTTar describes the nature of this valor - He induces
terror in the hearts of His devotees' enemies - rakshsAm ati-bhaya calana
hetutvAt vIrah.

b) SrI Samkara gives an additional interpretation based on the root vI - gati,

vyApti, prajanana, kAnti, asana, khAdaneshu - to go, to pervade, to obtain, to
throw, to conceive, to be born, to shine, to be beautiful, to desire, to eat.
Thus, the root denotes motion, creation, radiance, existence and consumption.
As He has all these qualities, He is called vIrah -gatyAdimattvAt vIrah.

SrI anantakRshNa SAstry extends this anubhavam and gives the

interpretation that this speed is displayed in His swift entry into the hearts of

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 His devotees, as well as His swift move against His devotees' enemies.

This guNa of bhagavAn, namely His swift entry into the heart of His devotee
to please the devotee, and His swift effect on His devotees' enemies by
causing them terror, reminds one of the nArasimha vapuh incarnation (see the
detailed explanation for this nAma under Slokam 3). In this incarnation,
bhagavAn's form as Lord nRsimha terrorizes hiraNyakaSipu, but at the same
this same form is so pleasing to prahlAda. This is one more example of the
guNa of His possessing the anirdeSya-vapuh that we encountered in the
previous nAma - the form that cannot be described as this or that, because
simultaneously it is everything.

c), d) Other interpretations for this nAma that are given in the vyAkhyAna for
amarakoSa are: viruddhAn rAti hanti iti vIrah - One who destroys the enemies;
vidvishTAn Irayati iti vIrah - One who makes the enemies tremble and run
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showing their backs (Ira -gatau kampane ca).

When this quality of being valiant applies to us human beings, the dharma
cakram writer emphasizes that we should be valiant against the internal
enemies even more than the external enemies. It is the fight against the
internal enemies - kAma, krodha, lobha, moha, bhaya, etc., that one should
learn to win effectively. It is by resorting to prayer and devotion to bhagavAn
that we can effectively overcome these internal enemies. Meditating on this
nAma of bhgavAn will help us achieve this objective.

References to the Sruti, smRti, divya prabandham, etc., that have been given
by the great AcArya-s in support of their interpretations for this nAma, have
been provided under nAma 402.

nAma 665. AnNt> anantah

a) The Limitless.

b) One who is beyond the reach of those who are not of pure mind.
anantAya namah.
Note that this is one of the nAma-s from the trio - acyuta, ananta, govinda,

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that is uttered several times daily by vaishNava-s.

Starting from this nAma, and up to nAma 683 (mahA havih), SrI BhaTTar
interprets the nAma-s as describing His limitless vibhUti-s.

a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation - na asya deSa kAla vastutah

avadhayah santi iti anantah - He for whom there is no limitation of space, time
or object. He is ananta-mUrti - One of unbounded form. In the gItA,
bhagavAn declares: nAstyanto vistarasya me (10. 19) - There is no limit to My
auspicious manifestations (vibhUti-s). SrI BhaTTar also gives reference to
the Sruti-s: "satyam, j~nAnam anantam brahma" (tait. Ananda. 1) - Brahman is
Existence, Knowledge, and Infinite; "athaitasyaiva anto nAsti tad
brahma" (tait. yajur. 7. 3. 4) - There is no limit or end to this object known as
Brahman.

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SrI Samkara gives additional reasons for His being called ananta - vyApitvAt,
nityatvAt, sarvAtmatvAt, deSatah, kAlatah, vastutaSca aparichinnah anantah -
Because He is all-pervading, eternal, and the Self of all, and because He is
unlimited by space, time, or substance, He is known as anatah. In addition to
the upanishadic support, he also gives additional support from SrI vishNu
purANa -
gandharvApsarasah siddhAh kinnaroraga cAraNAh |
nAntam guNAnAm gacchanti tena anantah ayam avyayah ||

(VP. 2. 5. 24)
"The gandharva-s, apsara-s, siddha-s, kinnara-s, uraga-s, and the cAraNa-s are
unable to find the end of His attributes; hence, the imperishable Lord is called
ananta".

nammAzhvAr refers to bhagavAn as "kaNakku aRu nalattanan, antam il Adi am

bhagavan" (tiruvAi. 1. 3. 5) - "bhagavAn possesses limitless kalyANa guNa-s,
He is the beginning of everything, and He has no end". He captures the ananta
nature of bhagavAn nicely in the pASuram
nAm avan ivan uvan avaL ivaL uvaL evaL
tAm avar ivar uvar adu idu udu edu

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 vImavai ivai uvai avai nalam tI'ngavai
Am avaiyAi avaiyAi ninRa avare

(tiruvAi. 1. 1. 4)
"We are but He; What one indicates as that man, this man, that woman, this
woman, that object, this object; on whatever we indicate in plural similarly, all
are but He and He alone; Things with good traits or bad traits, things there or
here, things that go off, things that will come one day, all are merely He. All
are aspects of His splendor" (translation copied from Sri V. N. Vedanta
deSikan).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri elaborates further on His being unlimited by time,

space, and substance.

1. Since He existed before everything else, He exists now, and He will

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exist for ever in the future, He is unlimited by time (bhUta-bhavya-

bhavan-nAthah). Thus He is nitya - nityo nityAnAm (kaTha. 2. 2. 13);

2. Since He pervades everything and is everywhere inside and out, He is

unlimited by space (vishNu); eko devah sarva bhUteshu gUDhah sarva-
vyApI ca bhagavAn (SvetASva. 3. 11).

3. Since He is everything there is, it is not possible to precisely say that

He is this, that, man, woman, or any one thing, and so He is unlimited by
form; naiva strI na pumAn eshah ( SvetASva. 5. 10).

b) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the interpretation that He is anantah

because He is beyond the reach of those who are not pure in their mind - a-
viSuddha manasAm a-nikaTatvAt anantah.

nAma 666. xn<jy> dhana'njayah

a) He Who surpasses all other wealth in being desired.

b) One Who manifested Himself as arjuna, the conqueror of wealth.

dhana'njayAya namah.
a) He is the source of redemption for everyone, and those who know this will

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seek Him above all other wealth like gold and diamond, because of His far
superior qualities and possessions. Those who know the Truth will seek Him
above all, and will want to keep Him secure with them. The nirukta author
summarizes SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam as follows: maNi-mauktika ratnAdi
hema-rUpyAdikam dhanam jayati - adhah karoti iti dhanan'njayah - As wealth
that is to be desired, He is the wealth who surpasses all other wealth such as
gold, diamond, etc. Those who know His value will consider the likes of gold
and diamond as less than grass.

One is reminded of svAmi deSikan's views in this context from his vairAgya
pa'ncakam, on which a write-up on which can be found in one of my previous
postings in the list. SvAmi deSikan points out that the real dhanam or wealth
is "dhana'njaya vivardhanam dhanamudUDha govardhanam su-sAdhanam a-
bAdhanam su-manasAm samArAdhanam" - The true wealth that will never

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diminish, that will always give the utmost pleasure to those who are of pure
mind, that is the surest means of attaining anything that is desired, is the One
that bore the govardhana mountain, and that gave arjuna the greatness that
he attained.

nammAzhvAr describes Him as "enakkut tEnE, pAlE, kannalE, amudE" - He is

the honey, milk, sugar-candy, nectar, everything for me (tiruvAi. 10. 7. 2) -
(quote from v. v. rAmAnujan).

b) dhana'njaya is a common name for arjuna, because he conquered several

kings and accumulated enormous wealth to facilitate the rAjasUya yAga by
dharma putra. In the gItA, Lord kRshNa declares that arjuna is a vibhUti or
manifestation of Himself - pANDavAnAm dhana'njayah (gItA 10. 37). Thus,
SrI Samkara interprets this nAma as referring to Him as the Conqueror of
wealth in His manifestation as arjuna. dhanam ajayat iti dhana'njayah.

Just as an example of how the different devotees enjoy bhagavAn's nAma-s in

their own way, Sri baladeva vidyAbhUshaN, a gauDIya vaishNava sampradAya
follower, gives interpretations for most nAma-s based on Lord kRshNa's life in
this world. For the current nAma, he gives the interpretation that bhagavAn

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 is called dhana'njaya because He won over all the wealth of kamsa, and gave
them to ugrasena - kamsa sampado dhanAni jayati, jitvA ugrasenAya dadAti iti
dhana'njayah.

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that the whole Universe
belongs to Him, and all this is under His control, and so He is dhana'njayah -
the Conqueror of all wealth.
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 Slokam 71
äü{yae äük«d!äüa äü äüivvxRn>,

äüivd!äaü[ae äüI äü}ae äaü[iày>. 71.

brahmaNyO brahmakrudbrahmA brahma brahmavivardhanah |
brahmavit brAhmaNO brahmI brahmaj~nO brAhmaNapriyah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

The word brahman or a derived word occurs in this Slokam repeatedly. It will
be useful to have some basic understanding of this term before proceeding
with the explanation of the nAma-s.

The word brahman is derived from the root brah, which means vastness,
power, growth, etc. Anything that is big is covered under the term brahma.

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The term can refer to penance, veda-s, brAhmaN-s well-versed in scripture,
wisdom, etc. - tapo vedASca viprASca, j~nAnam ca brahma sam~jnitam.

The word brahman can also denote the Supreme Being, veda, prakRti, and the
Atman (jIva). The last one is particularly used in the bhagavad rAmAnuja
school, because the jIva in its essential nature is unlimited in its power, and
thus is brahma in nature.

Any limitation it suffers is temporary, and the limitation is only when the jIva
is associated with a body.

The Atman or self possesses the quality of "infinite extensiveness" as its true
nature, even though it is conditioned by the limitations of the body when it is
associated with a body.

As a proper noun, the term brahmA refers to the four-faced brahmA, and
ofcourse, the word stands to denote bhagavAn when it comes to the creation
of the four-faced brahmA.

The different interpreters use one or more of the above meanings for the
term brahman in their vyAkhyAna-s for the following nAma-s. This is partly
the source of the differences in the different anubhava-s.

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 nAma 667. äü{y> brahmaNyah

a) He who is beneficial to all the big things both a-cetana and cetana, namely
prakRti and Atman.

b) He who is beneficial to Brahman, namely the veda, brAhmans well-versed

inscripture, penance, etc.
brahmaNyAya namah.
In chapter 5. 1 of pANini's ashTAdhyAyI, sUtra-s 4 to 7 deal with the affix
yat, and indicate that the suffix means "good for that" under certain cases;
specifically, sUtra 5. 1. 7 - khala yava mAsha tila vRsha brahmaNah ca (yat)-
states that the affix ya after brahman denotes "good for Brahman".

Since bhagavAn is the cause for the existence and enjoyment of prakRti and
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purusha, He is beneficial to them. Thus, SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for this

nAma is that He is beneficial to the jIva and to prakRti, and so He is called
brahmaNyah. The vastness of prakRti, jIva, and paramAtmA (and thus all
being Brahman) is nicely captured by nammAzhvAr in tiruvAumozhi 10. 10. 10 as
referenced by SrI v. v. rAmAnujan:
SUzhndu aganRu Azhndu uyarnda muDivil perum pAzhEyO
SUzhndu adanil peria para nan malarc cOdIyO
SUzhndu adanil peria SuDar j~nAna inbamEyO
SUzhndu adanil peria ennavA aRac cUzhndAyE.

"Oh the antarAtmA of the mUla prakRti, which evolves into mahat, ahamkAra,
etc., which pervades all space, and is infinite! Oh the antarAtmA of the
jIvAtmA-s, who encircle, extend over, and are larger than, the prakRti in
extant, whose j~nAna is unlimited, and whose very nature is characterized by
j~nAna, Ananda, and tejas! Oh the unique possessor of samkalpa j~nAna, which
extends beyond the above, and has its halo even beyond still further, which is
pure Bliss innature! My desire to join you is even larger than your samkalpa
j~nAna. But You have now enveloped me, and I am a drop in your vastness of
nectar ocean. My long-time ambition is fulfilled".

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The first line above refers to the vastness of prakRti, the second refers to
the vastness of the j~nAna of the Atman, and the third line refers to His
vastness. When the term Brahman refers to the Supreme Being, it is qualified
by both cit and acit, or has both conscious and unconscious entities as His
body; when it refers to prakRti, it is qualified by only acit or insentiency; and
when it refers to Atman, it is qualified by only cit or consciousness.

b) SrI Samkara interprets the term brahma in this nAma as referring

collectively to penance, veda-s, brAhmaN-s well-versed in scripture, and
wisdom - tapovedASca viprASca, j~nAnam ca brahma sam~jnitam, and gives
the interpretation to the nAma that because He is beneficent to them all, He
is called brahmaNyah.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives examples of this: bhagavAn retrieved the

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veda-s from the asura by name hayagrIva in His matsya incarnation; He showed
the path of penance in His nara-nArAyaNa incarnation; He gave us the
knowledge of the veda-s through His teaching of the gItA; He takes several
incarnations to protect the brAhmaNa-s (vipra-s) in their times of distress.

As examples of bhagavAn being beneficent to the brAhmaNa-s, SrI kRshNa

dattabhAradvAj gives the example of Lord kRshNa doing pAda pUjA for all
the brAhmaNa-s who came for the rAjasUya yAga performed by yudhisThira,
and SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshan gives the example of Lord kRshNa retrieving
the son of His guru from yama loka.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha observes that He is called brahmaNyah because He

is big, and He makes His devotees big, by giving them all the things to enjoy,
and by supporting them and protecting them.

nAma 668. äük«t! äüa brahma kRt--brahmA

brahma--kRt
The Creator Who created brahmA, the creator of big things.
brahma-kRt-brahmaNe namah.
SrI BhaTTar explains this nAma again using the generic meaning “big” for the
word brahman. The creator of the world, the four-faced brahmA, is brahma-

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 kRt because he creates the big things, namely the worlds. BhagavAn is the Big
One who creates this brahmA. So He is called brahma-kRt-brahmA.

SrI nammAzhvAr captures this thought in his pASuram 2. 2. 4 intiruvAimozhi

(quote from SrI v. v. rAmAnujan): dEvum epporuLum paDaikka, pUvilnAn-
muganaip paDaitta dEvan emperumAn

“This emperumAn created the four-faced brahmA so that he could create all
the other things including all the deva-s,and all the sentient and non-sentient
objects”.

SrI Samkara considers “brahma-kRt-brahmA” as two nAma-s, brahma-kRt, and

brahmA. For brahma-kRt, he assigns the generic meaning tapas etc. for the
word brahma, and thus interprets the nAma as meaning that He is the
Originator of tapas etc.
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SrI cinmayAnanda gives a slight variant – He is brahma-kRt because He

performs the brahma – tapas etc., and abides in tapas.

SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN gives asimilar explanation – brahma karoti

brahmacarya lakshaNam tapas carati itibrahma-kRt.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meaning that bhagavAn makes His devotees
big, and so He is brahma-kRt. Or, He created the four-faced brahmA, the
veda-s, the brAhamaNa-s, tapas, etc. as special (magnanimous), and so He is
brahma-kRt (SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri).

For the second part, SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that He is brahmA
the creator. Since He is the antaryAmi ofbrahmA the four-faced creator, He
is the real Creator.

nAma 669. äü brahma

TheSupreme Brahman, parmAtmA.

brahmaNe namah.
This nAma signifies that He is the paramAtmA. There are two aspects to this
that are brought out by the vyAkhyAnakartA-s:

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1) He is Big, and

2) He makes everything big.

His “Bigness” is explained in terms of His parattvam in the vyAkhyAna-s of SrI

Samkara and those following him, and the emphasis is placed on His unlimited
kalyANa guNa-s in the vyAkhyAna-s of SrI BhaTTar and those following his
school. Please refer to the write-up comparing the different vyAkhyAna-s
that was presented in this series earlier. The root is the same as for the
previous nAma-s, namely bRah – to grow, to increase. SrI BhaTTar quotes the
following in support: “bRhatvAtbrahmaNatvAcca brahmeti parikIrtyate” – He
is called Brahman because He is big, and He also makes others big. He is
everywhere, He is in everything, He makes everything big, His guNa-s are big,
and He performs all His actions without any other support and by His mere

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samkalpam. He expands the non-sentient matter into gross and subtle, He
sustains these in a form that is useful for the jIvAtmA-s to enjoy, He sustains
the jIvAtmA-s, He grows them towards their ultimate goal, namely His
realization. He does all these only for the benefit of the jIva-s. He is big
with countless unsurpassed qualities, by His essential nature, by the glory of
His possessions, etc. His greatness is such that He can lift a baddha jIva – an
ordinary samsAri – to the level of a nitya sUri through His Infinite Mercy (SrI
v. v. rAmAnujan).

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAjgives the interpretation – bRmhayati prajAh sva-

dayAdRSA iti brahma – He Who enhances His devotees by His mere Merciful
glance (kaTAKsham), is Brahma.

SrI Samkara emphasizes His being Great (bRhatvAt), as signified by His all-
pervasiveness, His expanding into everything, etc. He quotes from the
vishNupurANa (6. 7. 53) – sattA mAtram, a-gocaram vacasAm, Atma
samvedyam, tad j~nAnam brahma – That which is Pure Existence, is beyond the
reach of words, and can only be experienced, is Brahma.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation – bRmhatvAt brahma – Because He

is the Biggest, the Vastest, the All-Pervading.,He is called Brahma.

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 brahma--vivardhanah
nAma 670. äüivvxRn> brahma

a) He Who makes dharma grow.

b) He Who grows and nurtures everything in a big way.

brahma-vivardhanAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation here uses the meaning "tapas", whichin itself
includes dharma, for the term brahma. The Sruti text is "tapobrahma", and He
Who makes it grow is brahma-vivardhanah - tapo brahma, tamvivardhayati iti
brahma-vivardhanah.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha givesreference to the Sruti - brahma vai yaj~nah

(aiyt. BrAh. 7. 22).

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan adds that tapas involves getting detached from objects of
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sensual enjoyment; the more one grows tapas, the more will be the growth
towards enjoyment of Him.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation that because He

nurtures the tattva of brahma in the hearts of His devotees, He is called
brahma-vivardhanah- brahma tattvam, tat viSesheNa vardhayate sva-jana
hRdayeshu itibrahma-vivardhanah.

SrI cinmayAnanda includes austerities, veda-s, truth,and knowledge under the

term tapas, and since He grows these in His devotees, He has this nAma.

b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives another interpretation which uses the

meaning "big" for brahma. Because He grows things indefinitely and infinitely,
as in the case of a seed yielding a tree, which yields many more seeds, and the
process continue on and on, He is called brahma-vivradhanah -
vivardhanam viSvamidam samastam yatah svayam brahma-vivardhanah sah |
bIjAcca vRksham kurute vivRddham vRkshAcca bIjAn kurute bahUn sah||

The dharma cakram writer includes tapas, dhAnam, and yaj~nam under the
term brahma for this nAma. I have summarized his write-up in the following:
tapas is the means by which one keeps improving his or her own self. When one
sacrifices what one has for the benefit of the society, it is called dhAnam.

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Doing all our actions through thought, word, and deed without feeling self-
ownership, and dedicating them to bhagavAn, is yaj~nam. All karma should be
performed without attachment. This way of doing karma leads one to forsake
the worldly pleasures, and seek union with God instead. All the actions that one
undertakes with this feeling become tapas, dhAnam, or yaj~nam. The more we
indulge in actions in this spirit, the more the world improves and becomes
purer. tapas through deed, or through body, is the service to bhAgavata-s.
Talking only good things, chanting the veda-s,etc., become tapas by word.
Thinking only good thoughts, and not thinking bad thoughts, becomes tapas
through thought. All this tapas should be undertaken with no desire for fame
or name, and should be as ordained in the SAstra-s. Similarly, dhAnam should
be done with full joy in giving, and not with reservation or sadness that one is
parting with one's possessions,or expecting something in return. Yaj~na should

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again be undertaken with selflessness, and not for show or recognition, and
should be consistent with SAstra-s, and performed with SraddhA. It is His
thought that grows this path of tapas, dhAnam, and yaj~nam. Therefore He is
called brahma-vivardhanah.

The above ideas (of sAttvic tapas, dhAnam and ya~jnam) are clearly
enunciated by bhagavAn in gItA Chapter 17 - SraddhA traya vibhAga yogah.

brahma--vit
nAma 671. äüivt! brahma

a) The Knower of the veda-s.

b) He Who restored the veda-s during His matsya incarnation.

c) He Who knows everything big, both seen and unseen, and those that can only
be inferred.
brahma-vide namah.
brahma vetti iti brahma-vit - He Who knows brahma is brahma-vit.

a) The term brahma in the current nAma is interpreted as referring to the

veda-s by SrI BhaTTar. The veda-s are endless - anantA vai vedAh, and Lord
SrIman nArAyaNa is the Only One who knows all there is to know of the veda-

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 s in their entirety:
anAdi nidhanam brahma na devA na Rshayo viduh |
ekas tad veda bhagavAn dhAtA nArAyaNah svayam ||

(mahA. Moksha. 380. 19)

"The veda is both beginningless and endless. Neither the gods, nor the sages,
know it in entirety. The one great Creator, bhagavAn nArAyaNa alone knows
it, by Himself". Note that the veda-s are the ones that reveal Him, and just as
He cannot be entirely known, so also the veda-s cannot be entirely known,
except by Him.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to the gItA - vedAnta-kRt veda-videva

cAham (15. 15) - "I am the One who brings about the fruition of the vedic acts,
and I am the Knower of the veda-s".
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bhagavad rAmAnuja in his commentary on verse 15. 15 of the gItA indicates

that by "knowledge of the veda" is meant the understanding that He is the
Onewho is the object of worship to all other devatA-s such as agni, vAyu, etc.
- aham hi sarva yaj~nAnAm bhoktA ca prabhureva ca (9. 24), that He is One
who brings fruition to all the offerings - labhate ca tatah kAmAn mayaiva
vihitAn hitAn (7. 22), that He is the One to be known from the veda-s -
vedaiSca sarvaihahameva vedyah (15. 15),. Anyone who does not clearly
understand these, and interprets the veda-s in any other sense, is not a
knower of the veda-s.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives references to peria tirumozhi of tiruma'ngai AzhvAr

in support of SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnakm:

1. paNDAya vEda'ngaL nAngum ainduvELvigaLum kELviyODu a'ngam ARum

kaNDAnai (2. 5. 9),

2. paNDai nAn maRaiyumvELviyum kELvip pada'ngaLum pada'ngaLin

poruLum… tAnAi ninRa em perumAn (5. 7. 1).

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning vid - lAbhe - to get or to
find, and interprets the nAma in terms of His matsya incarnation where He
restored the veda-s when they were escaping from brahma's mouth -

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visramsitAn uru bhayesalile mukhAt me AdAya tatra vijahAra ha veda mArgAn
- SrImad bhAgavatam - 2. 7. 12) - (The four-faced brahma's words - Because
of my great fear at the vast waters at the end of the millennium, the veda-s
came out of my mouth, and the Lord who enjoys those waters protected the
veda-s).

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meaning brahma = anything big, seen or
unseen, and gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is brahma-vit, because He
alone knows all things big, that are seen or unseen, or that can be perceived
only through j~nAna, and He is the One who creates them, sustains them, and
grows them bigger. His samkRt wording is worth repeating -
vivRddhamvivardhanam vA brahma, dRSyam adRSyam j~nAna mAtra gamyam ca
yat, tad sarvam kovetti iti praSne vaktum Sakyate, sa eva sarvasya AdhAro
bhagavAn vishNuh vettiiti, tasmAt sa brahma-vit.

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The dharma cakram writer points out that the true knowledge of the veda-s
lies in understanding the differences between the prakRti, the jIva, and
paramAtman, and in particular, in realizing the distinction between the jIva
and the Supreme One. Those who try to analyze and dissect the lives of rAma,
kRshNa, etc.,as if they are ordinary jIva-s like us, are the ones who are truly
ignorant of the veda-s, since they have not realized the difference between
the jIvAtmA and paramAtmA. The veda-s are a secret(maRai) to those who
don't have the mental maturity to realize the truth behind the veda-s. The
realization that He is not just a purusha but the purushottama, that He is
beyond the three guNa-s, that He is the Supreme in everything, that there is
nothing that binds Him or constrains Him, etc., is the true knowledge of the
veda-s.

nAma 672. äaü[> brAhmaNah

The Instructor of the veda-s.

brAhamNAya namah.
Etymologists give the derivation - brahma nayati, aNati iti brAhmaNah - He
Who guides or recites the veda is a brAhamNa (SrI BhaTTar). (The relevant

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 roots for aNati are aN - Sabde to sound, or prANane - to live). SrI BhaTTar
refers to bhagavAn's taking birth in the atri gotra as dattAtreya, and other
such births as brAhamaNa in order to establish the teachings of the veda in
this world.

In the amarakoSa vyAkhyAnam, a brAhmaNa is described as one who engages

in the six-acts - yajana yAjana adhyayana adhyApana dAna pratigraha
lakshNAni :

1. the act of sacrificing,

2. the act of helping in conducting a sacrifice,

3. learning the veda-s,

4. teaching or instructing of the veda-s,

5. giving dAnam to others, and

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6. receiving or accepting alms from others.

The dharma cakram writer summarizes the qualifications for a brAhamaNa:

He knows the true nature of Brahman, and devotes his entire life in the
service of Brahman; he has no attachment to his body or to material things in
this world; he has absolute trust in bhagavAn's kalyANa guNa-s; he dedicates
himself through thought, word, and deed to bhagavAn; every act of his is
dedicated to His service and to the service of His devotees; by nature he has
control of his mind and indriya-s; he is not interested in worldly enjoyment; he
devotes his life in the pursuit of eternal service to Him; he has naturally purity
in thought, word, and deed; he accepts whatever difficulties confront him
without question, and does not cause harm to others in return; he is
straightforward in thought, word, and deed; he will have full trust and faith in
veda-s, SAstra-s, and bhagavAn; he will learn the veda-s, and teach the veda-s
to others; he will get enormous delight in learning the veda-s and SAstra-s
from the learned, and in living a life based on these teachings; he will be
dominating in sattva guNa; his dharma will be to live for the veda-s, to learn
the veda-s and to impart the knowledge of the veda-s to others; he will
dedicate himself to live in such a way that by his example he will teach others

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what it is to live a life of righteousness and love towards others.

nAma 673. äüI brahmI

a) He who possesses all that goes by the term brahma - prakRti, purusha,
ISvara, veda, etc.

b) He Who has the four-faced brahmA in His nAbhI-kamalam.

brahmiNe namah.
The etymology for the nAma is given by SrI satyadevo vAsishTha based on the
pANini sUtra "vrIhyAdibhyaSca" (5. 2. 116) and "nastaddhite"(6. 4. l44),
whereby the addition of the affix ini to the word brahma gives the meaning
"having or bearing brahma".

a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that He is called brahmI because He

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possesses all that is in the form of pramANa (the means of knowledge), and
prameya (the objects of knowledge).

SrI SrInivAsa rAghavan notes that this includes the veda-s (pramANa), and
prakRti, purusha, ISvara, etc. (the prameya-s - those that are to be known
from the veda-s).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that the veda-s, the four-faced brahmA,
the braAmaNa-s (vipra-s),tapas, etc., are all there to reveal His true nature,
and since they are all His possessions, He is called brahmI.

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation that because He has
the four-faced brahmA in His nAbhI-kamalam (in the lotus in His navel), He
has the nAma brahmI - sa nAbhIkamale vishNoh sthito brahmA prajApatih -
(mArkaNDeya purA. 78. 51).

The dharma cakram writer observes that the significance of this nAma is to
realize that just as the body which is made of the pa'nca bhUta-s needs their
support for its survival, the realization of the paramAtmA who resides within
us requires the support of His possessions, namely the veda-s, the brAhMaNa-
s (vipra-s),and tapas. One should learn the veda-s, live the life revealed by the
veda-s, and live the life of a brAhmaNa as described in the previous nAma,and

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 this yogic way of life will lead to His realization.

nAma 674. äü}> brahma~njah

The Knower of the inner meaning of the veda-s.

brahma~jnAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar distinguishes between this nAma and the earlier nAma brahma-
vit(671), as follows:

"brahma-vit - anatA vai vedAh; tAn avadhinA vetti iti brahma vit" - veda-s are
limitless; He knows the the veda-s to completion or to the ultimate limit, and
so He is called brahma-vit.

"brahma~jnah - vedAn artha-paryantam sAkshAtkaroti iti brahm~jnah" – He

perceives, apprehends, and knows the veda-s inclusive of their significance or
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meanings, and therefore He is called brahma~jnah.

The nirukti author gives the corresponding summary for veda-vit as "yo vedAn
antato vetti sa brahma-vit udIritah" - He Who knows the veda-s to their full
extent is brahma-vit is called brahma-vit, and for brahma~jnah as "yo vedAn
arthato vetti so'yam brahma~jnah Iritah" - He Who knows the veda-s with
their true inner meanings is veda~jnah.

Based on the above, one can say that in the first nAma, SrI BhaTTar
emphasizes the breadth of knowledge of the veda-s, and in the second one the
depth of knowledge is indicated.

SrI Samkara differentiates the two nAma-s as follows: brahma-vit -

vedamvedArtham ca yathAvat vetti iti brahma-vit; brahma vedAn
svAtmabhUtAn jAnAti itbrahma~jah. Thus, in this case, the first
interpretation includes the knowledge of the meanings of the veda-s, and the
second one states that He knows the veda-s which are born of Himself.

SrI cinmayAnanda comments for the first one as "One who has intuited the
veda-s and their full commentaries", and for the second one, "One Who knows
the nature of Brahman as no one else can; He being the very Brahman, no one
else knows His nature as He Himself can".

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Other interpreters have used other ways to distinguish between the two
nAma-s. SrI kRshNa datta bhaAradvAj uses the meaning "to find, to get", to
the word "vid", in the nAma brahma-vit - "brahma vedah; tad vindati
matsyAvatAre iti brahma-vit", and uses the meaning "One who knows" for
"j~nah" in "brahma~jnah". - brahma SrIvishNor vibhUtih; tad sva vibhUti
rUpam jAnAti iti brahma~jnah (brahma refers to all His manifestations; He
who knows this brahma in truth is brahm~jnah).

The best way to view the interpretation of the two nAma-s seems to be to
consider them as complimentary to each other, the two nAma-s together
signifying His perfect knowledge of all there is to know of the veda-s, in
completion and with the complete understanding of the significance of the
veda-s.

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brAhmaNa--priyah
nAma 675. äaü[iày> brAhmaNa

a) He for Whom the brAhamaNa-s are of specialliking.

b) He Who is specially liked by the brAhamaNa-s.

a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is that the brAhamNa-s are extremely dear

to Him, and so He is called brAhmaNa-priyah. He gives the example of how
bhagavAn treated bRgu maharshi when the latter kicked Him in His vaksha
sthalam (chest). SrI BhaTTar quotes several supports:
"ghnantam Sapantam parusham vadantam
yo brAhmaNam na praNayet yathA'ham…. . "

(itihAsa samuccaya 30. 100)

"Though a brAhmin beats a person, curses him, or utters harsh words to him,
one should bow to the brAhmin as I did to bRgu. One who does not respect the
brAhmin this way will be consumed by the wild fire of the brAhmin's anger,
and he deserves to be killed and punished. He is not Mine".

This extreme respect for brAhmins from bhagavAn is because "they are the
ones who follow the virtuous conduct of karma yoga as instructed by Me, who
are full of faith, and who hold Me as the Highest Deity, and so they are dear

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 to Me" -
ye tu dharmyAmRtamidam yathoktam paryupAsate |
SraddhAnA mat-paramA bhaktAste atIva me priyAh ||

(gItA 12. 20)

"I am victorious over the asura-s because of the blessings of the brAhmins"-
vipra prasAdAt asurAn jayAmi
(vishNu dharma 52. 23).
Buried in this vyAkhyAnam is also a summary of how a brAhmaNa should
conduct himself, that justifies the great respect that bhagavAn holds for
them. SrI rAdhA kRshNa SAstri gives the following explanation: "The
brAhmins are very dear to Him because they live for the sole purpose of
chanting the veda-s as well as teaching the veda-s. Since the veda-s are the
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Lord Himself, the love of a brAhmin in the veda-s as He chants them

transforms into a love to Him; and since the brAhmin gives the place for Him in
them in the form of the veda-s,the brAhmin is dear to Him".

The dharma cakram writer adds that those who live for Him are brAhmins, and
those who live for themselves are the rest.

b) SrI Samkara gives the first interpretation as well as the second one
brAhmaNAnAm priyah brAhmaNa-priyah |
brAhamNAh priyaA asya iti vA|

He also gives the support given under a) from itihAsa samuccayam.

c) SrI bala deva vidyA bhUshaN, who gives all his interpretations based on
Lord kRshNa's life in this world, gives the example of His pleasing sAndIpani
by bringing back his child alive, as the explanation for this nAma.

d) SrI cinmayAnanda observes that the term brAhmaNa here refers to the
class of people who have the supreme experience-divine, those men of
complete realization, and not to the brAhmins by caste.

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 Slokam 72
mha³mae mhakmaR mhateja mhaerg>,

mha³tumRhayJva mhay}ae mhahiv>. 72.

mahAkramO mahAkarmA mahAtejA mahOragah |
mahAkratur mahAyajvA mahAyaj~nO mahAhavih ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

SrI BhaTTar enjoys bhagavAn's greatness in terms of His unbounded

vAtsalyam towards His devotees in the next few nAma-s. The interpretation of
SrI BhaTTar is in terms of His relation with His devotees, how He makes it
easy for the worshipper to worship Him, etc.

mahA--kramah
nAma 676. mha³m> mahA

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a) He Who provides easy step-by-step access for the elevation of His devotee.

b) He of the three great strides (in His tri-vikrama incarnation).

c) He Whose strides are great in that He reaches everything fasterthan

anyone else.

d) He Whose Feet are great (to surrender).

The word kramam refers to step or pace (of the feet), and also to a
systematic orgradual approach. SrI Samkara uses the first meaning to explain
thenAma in terms of His tri-vikrama incarnation, and SrI BhaTTar uses the
second meaning and interprets the nAma in terms of bhagavAn's making it easy
for devotees to reach Him through gradual steps.

a) Since bhagavAn provides a systematic approach to elevate us who are at the

bottom of the pit of samsAra from our lowly levels to His level, He is called
mahA-kramah. SrI BhaTTar provides a very lucid analogy to make this point
clear. Just as a mother starts feeding breast milk to the child first for easy
digestion, and then slowly starts feeding cow's milk, then other fluids, and
then solid food, so also bhagavAn provides gradual steps to His devotees to
reach Him. At first, He removes from our mind the dislike against Him; then

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 He makes us believe in Him and His vedic injunctions; then He makes us obey
these injunctions with pleasure; after this, He bestows knowledge and
devotion, and generates deep faith in Him; ultimately He makes us attain Him.
Even though this takes several births in the cases of most of us, He keeps at
it till He gets us to Him. SrI BhaTTar quotes the following in support:
janmAntara sahasreshu tapo dhyAna samAdhibhih |
narANAm kshINa pApAnAm kRshNe bhaktih prajAyate ||

(laghuatrismRti)
"The sins of human beings get annihilated over a period of several births by
means of austerities, meditation, and contemplation on Him, and devotion to
Lord kRshNa results in the end".
ahUnAm janmanAm ante j~nAnavAn mAm prapadyate
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(gItA 7. 19)
"It is only at the end of many births that a wise man resorts to Me".
AbhyAsa yogena tato mAm icchAptum dhana'njaya |

(gItA 8. 8)
"O Arjuna! Strive to attain Me by constant practice of meditation".

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives related reference from divya prabandham:

"ARRa nalla vagai kATTum ammAn" (tiruvAi. 4. 5. 5), and "neRi vASal tAneyAi
ninRAnai…" (mudal tiruvantAdi 4)

SrI v. n. vedAnta deSikan in his tamizh vyAkhyAnam for the first reference
brings out the point that bhagavAn shows this path to arjuna step by step,
gradually, and not all at once. Doing so all at once would have only confused
arjuna profusely. The second reference stresses that it is only by His Grace
that the step-by-step path will be revealed, and not otherwise; Siva tried his
best to realize Him by controlling all his indriya-s, and could not find Him.

b) SrI Samkara interprets the nAma as referring to His tri-vikrama

incarnation - mahAntah kramAh pAda-vikshepA asya iti mahA-kramah. He
gives reference totaittirIya Upanishad in support - Sanno vishNur-uru-kramah

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(1. 1).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri adds that the significance of mahA here is that
these measures are nothing known to us, and beyond our comprehension - we
can't define what each "step" of bhagavAn means in this context of tri-
vikrama incarnation. All we can say is that His steps are "big".

c) SrI cinmayAnanda interprets the "long stride" to refer to His being able to
permeate and pervade everything, one of meanings of the term "vishNu"; He
reaches everything and everyone earlier than anything else or anyone else, and
so He is mahA-kramah, or One with great strides, in this sense as well.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha conveys this anubhavam in his vyAkhyAnam as well -

"na cAsti ki'ncit bhuvi vartamAnam mahAkramo yan-na vaSe karoti…" -There is
nothing in this universe that is not under the control of this mahA-kramah.

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d) The dharma cakram writer gives yet another anubhavam - His steps (Feet)
are so great that by resorting to them one crosses the ocean of samsAra; our
ordinary steps only allow us to cross short distances in this earth. The lowliest
of beings here will become the greatest of mukta-s just by surrendering to His
steps - such is their greatness.

mahA--karmA
nAma 677. mhakmaR mahA

He of great actions.
mahA-karmaNe namah.
This nAma occurs as nAma 793 again (Slokam 84).

mahAnti karmANi yasya iti mahA-karmA - One Whose actions are great is
mahA-karmA. SrI BhaTTar and his followers interpret the nAma in terms of
His great actions in helping His devotees. Other interpretations emphasize His
great actions in the form of His creation etc.

SrI BhaTTar refers to His actions as "ati-vismayanIyam" - extremely

surprising, and refers to bhagavAn's action in lifting the likes of worms,
germs, and less, from those low levels to the level where they are capable of
enjoying His supreme glory. He lifts us from our very low levels to the level of

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 a nitya sUri, a wonder that can't even be comprehended by us.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr (tiruvAi. 7. 5. 1):

"…. puRpA mudalAp pul eRumbu enRu Ado onRu inRiyE naRpAl
ayottiyil vAzhum SarASaram muRRavum naRpAlukkumuittanan…" -

Lord rAma lifted all the jIva rASi-s starting from the blades of grass, the
ants, and all other life forms that existed in His land ayodhyA with Him to SrI
vaikunTham when He departed this world after His avatAra kAryam ended.
KulasekharaAzhvAr refers to the same incident in perumAL tirumozhi 10. 10 -
"anRuSarASara'ngaLai vaikundattu ERRi…", where His makA-karmA aspect is
sung.

His great actions do not stop with just directly helping His devotees by lifting
them to His level, but also in His acts in punishing His devotee's enemies,
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including tricking them as part of His leelA. SrI BhaTTar interprets the
occurrence of this nAma in Slokam 84 in this sense (in terms of His
BuddhaavatAra, where He intentionally taught those who were averse to Him
to follow the non-vedic path). These great acts of His are also just, since they
are aimed at punishing those who are set against Him.

SrI Samkara interprets the nAma in terms of His great karma or act in the
form of His creation of this Universe etc. - mahat jagat utpatyAdi karmA asya
itimahA-karmA.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the example of His swallowing the entire
universe at the time of dissolution. In the later occurrence of this nAma in
Slokam 84,

SrI Samkara brings out another aspect of His great creation - that of bringing
out the great elements etc. - mahAnti viyadAdInibhUtAni karmANi kAryANi
asya iti mahA-karmA.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj refers to Lord kRshNa's words in the gItA that
His actions are "divya" karma-s (divine actions) - janma karma ca medivyam …
(gItA 4. 9.).

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The dharma cakram writer explains His "great action" in terms of His
supporting whatever a jIva is after: if the earthly pleasures is what one wants,
He supports that by providing the means for these; if after some stage this
person realizes that it is not worth going after earthly pleasures, He provides
the necessary means for them to follow the yogic path; when the person
matures in this path over several births, and starts feeling the desire to seek
Him, He aids this person in this path as well, and ultimately unites this person
with Him. He does all these things simultaneously to all the beings, according
to their wishes and desires.

For the English-speaking world, SrI cinmayAnanda's description for this nAma
is a good summary, which is similar to SrI Samkara's interpretation: "To
create a cosmos so scientifically precise and perfect out of the five great
elements, and to sustain them with an iron hand of efficiency, all the time

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presiding over acts of destruction without which the world of change cannot
be maintained, is, in itself, a colossal achievement".

mahA--tejAh
nAma 678. mhateja> mahA

He of great Resplendence.
mahA-tejase namah.
SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is that He is called mahA-tejAh because He has
the effulgence which destroys the darkness of the beginningless ignorance of
even those who are tAmasic by nature.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives referenceto the Sruti - "nArAyaNa paro jyotih".

The jyoti of a thousand Suns is a but a small fraction compared to His jyoti.
tirumazhiSaip pirAn called Him "SodiyAda Sodi nee" - "You are the
unquestionable jyoti" (tiruccanda viruttam 34).

SrI Samkara's anubhavam is that He is called mahA-tejAh because of His

radiance through which the Sun and other luminaries possess their light. The
Sun is known to illumine everything around us, but this Sun itself gets its tejas
from a minute fraction of His tejas. SrI Samkara quotes the Sruti

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 "yenasUryas-tapati tejaseddhah" (tait. brAh. 3. 12. 9) - "By whom the sun
shines, illuminated by His effulgence". He also gives referenceto the gItA -
yad-Aditya gatam tejo jagad-bhAsayate'khilam |
yac-candramasi yac-cAgnau tat-tejo viddhi mAmakam ||

(gItA 15. 12)

"Know that tejas (Light) to be Mine which is residing in the Sun and which
illumines the whole world, and that is in the moon and in the fire".

SrI cinmayAnanda gives reference to muNDakopanishad II. 2. 10 - na tatra

sUryo bhAti na candra tArakam nemA vidyuto bhAnti kuto'yamagnih| tameva
bhAntam anubhAti sarvam tasya bhAsA sarvam idam vibhAti || - "Even the
Sun, moon, the stars and fire have no light of their own. By Him they shine,
the Giver of light in all". He also gives another reference to the gItA –
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"jyotishAmapi taj-jyotih tamasah param ucyate" (13. 17) – "That Light of all
lights, is said to be beyond darkness".

SrI Samkara also gives the alternate interpretation that He is endowed with
brilliance of various excellences like harshness towards His enemies, valor,
etc., and so also He is called mahA-tejAh - kraurya SauryAdibhih dharmaih
mahadbhih samalamkRta iti vA mahA-tejAh. His being merciless towards
dushTa-s, being aggressive against conquering even the strongest of enemies,
being unconquerable, etc., are all aspects of "tejas". His tejas is supreme, and
so He is called mahA-tejAh (SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri).

The dharma cakram writer observes that while the Sun eliminates the
darkness outside us, He eliminates the darkness inside us, while at the same
time He provides the light to the Sun and other objects that remove the
darkness outside. Just as the Sun reveals itself as well as the objects outside
with its light, He reveals Himself in addition to enlightening the innerselves of
all of us.

nAma 679. mhaerg> mahoragah

a) He Who is great, and enters into our heart (uras).

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b) He Who has a great heart (uras), and blesses us.

c) He Who manifests Himself in the form of the great serpent ananta,

vAsuki,etc.

d) He Who has the serpent ananta as His bed.

e) He Who traverses everywhere in the form of the Sun with His broad chest.
mahoragAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar derives his interpretation by using the combination mahA +
urah + gah. Uras refers to chest, and in this context it refers to the heart
within us. urah pradarSitam hRdayam, yad-dvArA tAn (adIyAn) gaccgatiiti
mahoragah - He is called mahoragah because He reaches us who are small like a
particle of dust compared to Him, through our hearts. SrI BhaTTar poses the
rhetorical question: "How does He enter our heart?", and gives the answer that

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He enters our heart the same way the material objects of pleasure enter our
heart, namely through our indriya-s. We see His form through our eyes, we
hear His praise through our ears, etc., and He slowly gets into our heart
through our own indriya-s, and occupies it after displacing our materialistic
desires from our hearts.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives several references to prabandham in support of SrI

BhaTTar's interpretation:

"vandAi! En manam pugundAi, manni ninRAi, nandAda kozhum SuDarE!

E'ngaLnambi!"
tiruma'ngai AzhvAr, tirumozhi 1. 10. 9;
"eNNam pugundu tittikkum amudE! imaiyOr adhipatiyE"

tiruvAimozhi 6. 10. 3;
"muttanAr mukundanAr pugundu tammuL mEvinAr; ettinAl iDar kaDal kiDatti?
Ezhai ne'njamE"

tiruccanda. 115;
"vandu aruLi en ne'nju iDam koNDa vAnavar kozhundu"

tiruvAi. 5. 7. 7.

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 b) While SrI BhaTTar interprets uras as referring to our heart, the term can
also refer to His great heart in blessing the lowest of creatures - mahatA
urasA hRdayena gacchati sva-bhaktam mucukundam iti mahoragah (Sribaladeva
vidyA bhUshaN).

SrI vidyA bhUshaN uses the term "bhakta praNayittvam", or love for the
devotee, to describe the significance of this nAma. He gives examples of Lord
rAma's getting into guha's heart by His Ali'nganam or embrace, His showing
His magnanimous heart in performing the last rites for jaTAyu, and His
showing His great affection for His devotee by accepting the fruits offered
by SabarI.

c) uragah means serpent. The snake or serpent moves around on its chest
(uras),and so it is called uragah - urasA gacchati iti uragah. SrI Samkara uses
this meaning for urgah, and gives the interpretation that bhagavAn manifests
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Himself in the form of the great serpent vAsuki, and so He is called

mahoragah. He supports his interpretation with the quote from gItA 10. 28 -
sarpANAmapi vAsukih. Lord kRshNa also declares that He is ananta among
the many-hooded serpents - anataScAsmi nAgAnAm (10. 29), and based on
this, SrI cinmayAnanda interprets the nAma as indicating that He has this
nAma because He manifests Himself in the form of ananta.

d) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj suggests that the nAma is suggestive of His
having ananta as His bed - mahAn - mahanIyah, uragah - anantah, SayyA-
rUpeNa yasya iti mahoragah.

e) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the same etymological approach as SrI

BahTTar (mahA+ uras+ gah), but comes up with the interpretation that He is
mahoragah because He moves relentlessly with His great (broad?) vaksha-
sthalam (chest), in the form of the Sun.

In passing, I would like to point out that most of SrI satyadevo vAsishTha's
interpretations are based on an assumption of identity between Lord vishNu
and the Sun, even though I have not represented his interpretations in this
view. The significant value I have derived from his vyAkhyAnam is the very

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detailed etymological derivation of each nAma, which is thorough, with
references to the pANini sUtra-s, and detailed vedic references. In this
aspect, his vyAkhyAnam is superb.

mahA--kratuh
nAma 680. mha³tu> mahA

a) He Who is worshiped by the great yAga-s.

b) He Who can be easily worshiped.

c) He Who can be worshiped in many ways

d) He Who is the Great Sacrifice (that gives the best results)

e) He Who performed the great sacrifice called the pA'ncarAtra kratu.

mahA-kratave namah.

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The word "kratuh" occurred as nAma 449 in Slokam 48, and the meaning of the
term was explained there. Briefly recapitulating, the term "kratuh" refers to a
particular type of sacrifice, or can also refer to bhagavAn since He is the
object of the yAga-s. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha also gives the explanation
"karoti iti kratuh, kriyate vA kratuh" - One who performs is a kratuh, or that
which is performed is kratuh.

The term "mahA" is used in the sense of "great","many", "great because of its
ease", etc., in the different interpretations.

a) SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya gives the interpretation "He Who is the object of

worship of the great yAga-s". "mahA" is interpreted here with the meaning
"great".

b) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that He is mahA-kratuh because "He

is the Great Lord Who has the easiest means of worship" - mahat
sarvasukaram ArAdhanam asya iti mahA-kratuh. Based on the supporting
references he has quoted in his interpretion, I feel that he is using the term
"mahA" or "great" here in two ways:

1. to mean "easy or simple for the devotee", and thus "great from the
point of view of the devotee",

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 2. to refer to the multitude of easy ways that are available to worship
Him.

He gives reference to vishNu dharma (90. 69), and to gItA (9. 27), where he
emphasizes the ease of worship:
yo na vittair na vibhavaih na vAsobhir na bhUshNaih |
toshyate hRdayenaiva kas-tam ISam na toshayet ||

(vishNu dharma-90. 69)

"Who will not endeavor to please that God Who is pleased by just sincerity of
heart alone, but not by wealth or riches, clothes or ornaments?"
yat karoshi yad-aSnAsi yaj-juhoshi dadAsi yat |
yat-tapasyasi kaunteya tat-kurushva madarpaNam ||

(gItA 9. 27)
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"Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever
you give, whatever you practice as austerity, O kaunteya, do it as an offering
to Me".

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshan also associates the ease of His worship with this
nAma, and explains that He is mahA-kratuh because He has such great (easy)
ways of worship such as being offered the tulasi leaves, in order to obtain the
greatest of blessings.

c) In his commentary, SrI BhaTTar also says that "He is to be worshiped by all
acts which have been prescribed by the Agama SAstra-s, and by offering to
Him, these acts become sanctified and sweet "-samarpaNa samskArasvAdu-
kRtaih Agama SAstra kArita sarva vyApAraih ArAdhyatvAt" - from which it
may be inferred that the term "mahA" may refer to the many ways of offering
worship.

d) SrI Samkara's interpretation is that He is mahA-kratuh because He is

Himself the Great Sacrifice - mahAnSca asau kratuSca iti mahA-kratuh.
Akratuh is a sacrifice that is performed for specific benefits, and thus it is a
sacrifice that yields specific benefits. We note that bhagavAn declares that
He is kratuh Himself, in gItA 9. 16:

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aham kratur-aham ya~jnah svadhAham aham aushadham |
mantro'ham ahmevAjyam aham-agnir-aham hutam ||

(gItA 9. 16)
"I am the kratu; I am the sacrifice; I am the offering to the manes; I am the
herb; I am the mantra; I am myself the clarified butter; I am the fire; I am
the oblation". This Slokam is explained in greater detail under the nAma mahA-
havih (nAma 683).

e) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation - mahAn

kratuhpa'ncarAtro yaysa it mahA-kratuh. SrI Ramachandra Rao in his AgAma
kOSa vol.IV, quotes from the Satapata brAhmaNa which says that purusha
nArAyaNa performed the great pA'ncarAtra kratu or sacrifice, and attained
superiority over all beings and became all beings Himself:

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"purusho ha vai nArAyaNo'kAmayata atitishTheyam |
sarvANi bhUtAni ahameva idam sarvam iti |
sa etam purushamedham pA'ncarAtram ya~jna
kratum apaSyat tam Aharat tena ajAyata teneshTam |
atyatishTatsarvANi bhUtAnIdam sarvam abhavat || " (13. 6. 1)

mahA--yajvA
nAma 681. mhayJva mahA

a) He Who performs great sacrifices.

b) He Who has the special class of devotees (mahA-yajvA-s) of a superior

nature.

According to pANini sUtra 3. 2. 103 (suyajor'ngvanip), the word yajvA is

derived from the root yaj - to sacrifice, with the addition of the affix
'ngvanip. When the affix 'ngvanip is added to the root yaj, the result is yajvA
with a past signification, and thus means "one who has sacrificed". SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha gives the etymological derivation "mahAntam ya~jnam
kRtavAn itimahA-yajvA" - He Who has performed great sacrifices.

a) SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that He is called mahA-yajvA because

He has performed great sacrifices. SrI cinmayAnanda gives the example of

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 the aSvamedha yAga in His incarnation as Lord rAma. He is also the yajAmana
of all sacrifices performed by all devotees, since He ensures their successful
completion, and in this sense also He is mahA-yajvA, the Great Sacrificer.

b) SrI BhaTTar interprets the term "mahA-yajvA" as a reference to the

superior class of devotees who worship vishNu with single-minded
devotion,without worshiping any other devatA for any reason. In this
derivation of the interpretation, a yajvA is one who offers worship, a mahA-
yajvA is one who offers the superior form of worship whereby he worships
only Lord vishNu without worshiping anya devatA-s, and bhagavAn is Himself
referred to as mahA-yajvA because He has this superior class of devotees, or
because He is the Leader of these devotees. He is also a mahA-yajvA because
He worships (values) these mahA-yajvA-s as His AtmA, and uplifts the
devotees who worship Him specially incomparison to those who worship anya-
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devatA-s (sva-yAjinAm anya-yAjimyo'piatyutkarshatvAt mahA-yajvA - SrI

BhaTTar).

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan has given the meaning in tamizh for SrI BhaTTar's
vyAkhyAnam(tannai ArAdhippavargaLaicciRappUTTubavan).

SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya svAmi's interpretation is "tannaiArAdhippavargaLaic

ciRandavargaLAgac ceibavar" - "He Who especially elevates those who worship
Him exclusively".

The superiority of His exclusive devotees derives from the fact that these
are the ones who seek the best of all blessings - moksham, to the exclusion of
all other worldly benefits.

mahA--ya~jnah
nAma 682. mhay}> mahA

a) He Who is the best among those to be worshiped.

b) He Who manifests Himself in the form of the best of ya~jna-s.

c) He Who is worshiped by the great j~nAni-s, or He Who is worshiped

through great sacrifices.
mahA-ya~jnAya namah.

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As in the previous nAma, the root from which ya~jna is derived is yaj- deva
pUjA sa'ngati karaNa yajana dAneshu - to sacrifice, to make an oblation to, to
give, to associate with, etc. The act of sacrifice, or one who is worshipped
through a sacrifice, are both referred to by the term ya~jnah - yajanam
ya~jnah, ijyate iti vA ya~njah (SrI satyadevo vAsishTha).

a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for this nAma is "He Who is the best among
those to be worshiped". SrI v. v. rAmAnujan explains this interpretation as
follows: ya~jnam is bhagavad ArAdhanam; ya~jnah is the object of this
ArAdhanam; MahA-ya~jnah is the Most Superior Object of bhagavad-
ArAdhanam, or He Who is the best among those to be worshiped. SrI
BhaTTar points out that the term ya~jna includes such ways of worship as
singing suprabhAtam to emperumAn, respectful approach, offering sweet
things such as mixture of honey etc., prostrating at His Feet, etc. The best of

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ya~jna-s is when these are offered to Him rather than any to other devatA.
SrI BhaTTar points out that worship of Lord vishNu is the best because "He
protects His devotees as if there were His own body" - rakshate bhagavAn
vishNuh bhaktAn Atma-SarIravat, "He accepts the rites performed by His
devotees with great joy and with a bowed head" - tAh sarvAh SirasA devah
prati-gRhNAti vai svayam (mahAbhArata moksh. 17. 163), vidhi prayuktAm
pUjAm ca gRhNAti SirasA svayam (SAnti. 353. 64), etc.

b) SrI Samkara gives the interpretation for the nAma as "He who manifests
Himself in the form of the Great Sacrifice", and gives the support from the
vibhUti yoga in gItA: "ya~jAnAm japa ya~jno'smi" (gItA 10. 25)- "Of
sacrifices, I am the sacrifice of japa".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that unlike kratu which is a sacrifice

performed with a specific benefit in mind, ya~jna is a sacrifice that is done as
part of one's duty, and is not done with a specific benefit in mind. Among the
ya~jna-s, the japa ya~jna (silently repeating a sacred mantra) is declared as
the best by bhagavAn in the referenced gItA Slokam. The japa ya~jna can be
performed easily, without interruption, and with no accessory needed other
than the desire to perform this ya~na.

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 c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meaning "He Who is worshiped by great
ya~jna-s", or "He Who is worshiped by the great j~nAni-s" - mahat yajanam
yasya, mahadbhih ijyata iti vA.
The dharma cakram writer explains the spirit behind offering worship to
bhagavAn who is the mahA-ya~jnah (the personification of the ya~jna-s)
through five types of ya~jna-s that are expected of each one of us:

1. the bhUta ya~jna,

2. the pitR ya~jna,

3. the nara ya~jna,

4. the Rshi ya~jna, and

5. the deva ya~jna.

bhUta ya~jna involves our rendering service and assistance to the life forms
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that are below our level. This involves the protection of plants, trees, the
four-legged animals, etc., all of which are rendering service to us in various
ways, and making our life possible.

The pitR ya~jna involves our devotion and service to our elders, to our parents,
etc., who have devoted their lives to bring us up, educate us, and help us live
the way we live, and thus made our lives possible.

The nara ya~jna involves service to our fellow humans in the society, including
how we treat others in our thought, word, and deed. Without the help of the
others in the society, we will not be able to lead our lives, and in return, we
owe the debt to society to make it better by spreading good thoughts, good
word, and good deed.

The Rshi ya~jna involves learning, chanting, protecting, and propagating the
mantra-s, veda-s, and the knowledge that the Rshi-s have given us. This will
lead to our acquiring the kind of knowledge that they possessed, over time.

The deva ya~jna involves our worshipping Him with constant and uninterrupted
devotion, which will result in our attaining Him.

The significant point to take from this discussion is that we should perform all

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the above five types of ya~jna-s with the full realization that these are all
offerings to Him, since He is the mahA ya~jnah who is worshiped by al these
offerings. They should be performed for His pleasure and not with any benefit
for us in mind, with the clear understanding that He is the Doer who is just
using us as the means for getting these done, etc.

mahA--havih
nAma 683. mhahiv> mahA

a) He Who is worshiped with supreme oblations.

b) He Who manifests Himself in the form of the great Offering.

c) He Who accepts the whole Universe as havis at the time pralaya.

mahA-havishe namah.
The root from which the word havis is derived is hu - dAnAdAnayoh - to offer,

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to perform a sacrifice, to eat. The word havis is explained by the uNAdi sutra
"arci Suci hu sRpi chAdi chardibhya ish (268), and has the meaning "clarified
butter offered in sacrifice". In common usage, the term is used for referring
to the material used in the oblation to the fire. mahA-havis is the greatest of
these oblations, and mahA-havih refers to the One who is the recipient of the
supreme oblations. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha indicates that the term havih can
also refer to one who is making the offering, one who is the object or recipient
of the offering, that by which the offering is made, etc.

We will see in the interpretations below that He is mahA-havih in all the above
senses: He is mahA-havih because:

1. He is worshiped by the offerings that are themselves supreme in nature

(e. g., in the form of our AtmA);

2. He is the Great or Supreme acceptor of the meager offerings that we

make;

3. Everything is but a form of Him, or His manifestation, and He manifests

Himself in the form of the Great Sacrifice.

a) SrI BhaTTar interprets havis as referring to the offerings, and thus mahA-
havis refers to the great offerings; mahA-havih is the recipient of the great

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 offerings. SrI BhaTTar explains what these "great offerings" are, or why the
offerings to Him are great or supreme: He can be worshiped without killing of
any animal - na tatra paSu ghAto'bhUt (mahA. SAnti. 337. 9); the sacrifices
to Him that He likes best are the offering of our mind, buddhi, and indriya-s
to Him, and best of all, Atma-samarpaNa (ahamevan mAm juhomi - tait. nArA.
41; pratyagAtma havishTvAt, ahimsram AtMAdi havih yasya syAt sa
mahAhavih).

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's Atma-samarpaNam to Him in

pASuram 2. 3. 4 in tiruvAimozhi - "enadAviyuL kalanda peru nal udavik
kaimmARu enadAvi ozhindEn ini mILvadenbadu uNDE…".

SrI ALavandAr also refers to Atma samarpaNam in his stotra ratnam (53) -
"aham adyaiva mayA samarpitah". Even though this AtmA belongs to Him to
start with, we offer it to Him as if it is an offering from us of something that
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belongs to us, and He is kind enough to accept it as a supreme offering.

The concept of offering the AtmA as an oblation to the fire is to be

understood as referring to the burning of the feeling, or getting rid of the
feeling once for all, that our AtmA belongs to us and that we have independent
ownership of our soul.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives an interpretation similar to that of SrI

BhaTTar, and gives different examples of the great offerings that He likes -
namaskAra, svAdhyAya, aushadi rUpatvena ati-pavitratvAt anya havibhyo
mahAnti havImshi yasya sa mahA-havih

(He is called mahA-havih because He has the offerings that are suprmely pure,
in the form of namaskAra, chanting of veda-s, and offerings of tulasi leaves).
He quotes the following in support:
tulasI dala mAtreNa jalasya culukena ca |
vikrINIte svam AtmAnam bhaktebhyo bhakta-vatsalah ||

(quote from vishNu dharma)

"bhagavAn who dearly loves His devotees, just trades away His own Self in
exchange for the offering of some tulasi leaves or a palm's content of water".

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He also quotes from moksha dharma, where it is stated that no matter what a
person who has single-minded devotion offers to Him, He accepts it with a
bowed head:
yAh kriyAh samprayuktAh syuh ekAnta gata bhuddhibhih |
tAh sarvAh SirasA devah pratigRhNAti vai svayam ||

(from moksha dharma)

A brAhmaNa qualifies for the title of brAhmaNa by pure nAma japam, and
nothing else is required:
japyenaiva hi sam-Suddhyet brAhmaNo nAtra samSayah |
kuryAd-anyan-na kuryAt maitro brAhmaNa ucyate ||

(from moksha dharma)

b) SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that bhagaVan is Himself the Great

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Sacrifice. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives reference to the gItA in support:
aham kratur-aham ya~jnah svadhAham aham aushadham |
mantro'ham ahmevAjyam aham-agnir-aham hutam ||

(gItA 9. 16)
"I am the kratu; I am the sacrifice; I am the offering to the manes; I am the
herb; I am the mantra; I am myself the clarified butter; I am the fire; I am
the oblation".

Bhagavad rAmAnuja explains the concept in his vyAkhyAnam for Slokam 9. 15.

"… vividha vibhakta nAma rUpa sthUla cit acit vastu SarIrah syAm iti
samkalpya, sa ekadeva eva tiryang manushya sthAvarAkhya vicitra jagac-
charIrah avatishThate iti anusandhAnASca mAm upAsate. . "

The Lord wills thus: May I become embodied in gross animate and inanimate
entities, distinguished variously by name and form. He alone then abides, with
the variegated cosmos as His body, comprising gods, animals, men, and immobile
things. (The mahAtma-s) worship Me contemplating on Me thus.

Thus, everything is part of His body, His form. In the context of the current
nAma, He is Himself the havis also - aham hutam (SrI tirukkaLLam svAmi

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 reminds us that this does not mean that everything or everyone is identical to
Him, but that everything is part of Him).

The concept that He is the AtmA of everything, is also conveyed in Slokam 4.

24 of gItA:
brahmArpaNam brahma havih brahmAgnau brahmaNA hutam |
brahmaiva tena gantavyam brahma karma samAdhinA ||

(gItA 4. 24)
"Brahman is the instrument through which the offering is made; The offerings
are Brahman; The One who offers is Brahman, and the offering is made into
the agni which is Brahman. One who performs all actions with this
understanding and knowledge of the Supreme Brahman, attains none other
than Brahman".
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SrI rAmAnuja again explains that the ladle with which the offering is made is
Brahman because it is an effect of Brahman, (who is the material cause of this
universe); The oblation likewise is Brahman; It is offered by the agent
Brahman into the fire of Brahman. Again, identity is not to be inferred from
this, but the sense that He has all these as His body.

c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri gives the additional interpretation that He is

mahA-havih since He accepts as an offering the whole universe at the time of
pralaya, and contains it all within Him. Just as an offering made to fire
becomes fire itself, the offering made to Him at the time of pralaya becomes
a part of Brahman Himself.

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 Slokam 73
StVy> Stviày> StaeÇ< Stut> Staeta r[iày>,

pU[R> pUriyta pu{y> pu{ykIitRrnamy>. 73.

stavyah stavapriyah stOtram stutah stOtA raNapriyah |
pUrNah pUrayitA puNyah puNyakIrtiranAmayah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

SrI BhaTTar has described His worship through body and mind in the previous
few nAma-s. He interprets the next few nAma-s in terms of His worship
through word.

nAma 684. StVy> stavyah

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a) He Who is worthy of praise.

b) He Who is praised by all, but who does not have to praise anyone else.
stavyAya namah.
The root from which the word stavyah is derived is stu - to praise. The affix
yat is added in the sense of "he deserves praise" (SrI BhaTTar).

a) stavam arhati iti stavyah. SrI BhaTTar explains that only Lord vishNu is
endowed with the innumerable auspicious qualities which are eternal, boundless
and flawless, and thus He is worthy of praise over any other god. Praising Him
will lead to the release of bondage from samsAra. He refers us to the
following in support:

AdareNa yathA stauti dhanavantam dhanecchayA |

evam cet viSva-kartAram ko na mucyeta bandhanAt ||

(bRhaspati samhitA)
"If one praises the Creator of the Universe the same way one praises a rich
man just to get some wealth from him, is there any doubt that he will be
relieved from the bondage of samsAra by praising the Creator?".

Such is the power of His praise.

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 In the phala-Sruti for SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam, bhIshma tells yudhisThira:
itIdam kIrtanIyasya keSavasya mahAtmanah |
nAmnAm sahasram divyAnAm aSesheNa prakIrtitam ||

"Thus the thousand divine names of bhagavAn keSava, the Supreme Being,
Who is worthy of being praised, have been sung in their entirety". Here the
choice of the word keSava signifies that He is the Creator of Siva and brahma;
mahatmA refers to His being the Supreme Person; the term divya signifies
that these thousand nAma-s are worthy of being recited both in this world and
in parama-padam; and the word kIrtanIyasya emphasizes that He is worthy of
being praised.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr (tiruvAimizhi 3. 9. 1),

where he declares that bhagavAn is the Only One who is worthy of praise with
his words, and no one else.
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SonnAl virodham idu, Agilum Solluvan kENminO

en nAvil in kavi yAn oruvarkkum koDukkilEn ….
....tiruvE'nkaTattu
en Anai en appan emperumAn uLan AgavE

(tiruvAi. 3. 9. 1)
"Even though it is unpleasant for you (those of you who waste your time
worshipping other deities) to hear this, I am going to say it, and please listen
(for your own good): I will not waste my sweet words of praise on anyone
except My Lord who stands like an elephant in tiruvE'nkaTa malai. "

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives an interpretation similar to that of SrI

BhaTTar - stotum yogyah sarvottamatvAt iti stavyah - Because He is Supreme
in all respects, He is fit to be worshiped.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that bhagavAn's divya guNa-s are infinite, and
no matter for how many thousands and thousands of years we sing His praise,
we will still be not be done, and can keep praising Him; such are His natural
guNa-s. He gives reference to the SvetASvatara upanishad: "tam ISAnam
varadam devam IDyam" (4. 11) - "He Who is the Lord of all, benevolent, divine,

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and worthy of praise"; "tam viSva rUpam bhava-bhUtam IDyam" (6. 4) - He
Who has the Universe as His form, He who is the cause of all origin and
existence, and who is praiseworthy".

b) SrI Samkara's interpretation is: sarvaih stUyate, na stotA kasyacit iti

stavyah - He who is praised by everyone, but who does not need to praise
anyone. SrI cinmayAnanda adds that "all the jIva-s invoke Him, but He does
not invoke the jIva-s".

SrI bala deva vidyA bhUshaN comments that He is stavyah or worthy of praise
because it is easy to praise His infinite kalyANa guNa-s through mere use of
words - vAg-vyApAreNaiva samArAdhyatvAt nitya kalyANa guNakatayA
stotum arhah stavyah.

The dharma cakram writer gives some examples of the way the AzhvAr-s have

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praised Him: uyarvaRa uyar nalam uDaiyavan, mayrvaRa madi nalam aruLbavan,
amarargaL adipati, nalam tarum Sollai nAn kaNDu koNDEn nArAyaNA ernnum
nAmam, acyutA amarar Eru, Ayar tam kozhundu,… etc. But He is not fully
described by any of these; these are just some limited ways through which His
true devotees have enjoyed Him. Knowing the inner meaning of songs in praise
of Him and singing them, nAma japam, meditating on Him, dedicating all that
we do to Him, etc., are among the different ways in which He can be praised.

stava--priyah
nAma 685. Stviày> stava

He Who is pleased by the praise in whatever form it is offered.

stava-priyAya namah.
In his interpretation, SrI BhaTTar points out that when anyone praises Him in
any manner (even in a negative manner!), in any language (even if it contains
errors in diction or meaning), even if it is adverse to His splendor, bhagavAn
accepts it as praise. SrI BahTTar's exact words are:

1. yathA katha'ncit (in whatever manner),

2. yayA kayAcit bhAshayA (in whatever language - even in negative

language),

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 3. yena kenApi (by anyone - even including those who denigrate Him),

4. tejaskarah tiraskaropi vA (either in praise of His qualities or in

negative terms),

5. stavah priyatamah asya iti stava-priyah (He accepts them as praise of

Him - because these actions are done while thinking of Him).
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stava-priyAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar gives an example of this guNa of bhagavAn by referring us to the
incident of ghaNTAkarNa, who did not like to hear even the name of vishNu
being uttered by anyone even casually. So he suspended two bells from his
ears, and at the very utterance of the name of vishNu, he will shake his head
violently, so that these words won't fall in his ears. But in order to ensure
that he shake his head at the mere mention of the name of vishNu, he had to

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always be thinking of vishNu, and watching for even a casual mention of the
name of vishNu. The Lord took this as constant meditation on Him, and gave
salvation to ghaNTAkarNa for this constant meditation on Him. This is an
example of how He takes even the negative thought about him as praise of
Him.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan adds to this the example of SiSUpAlan, who got moksham
even though all he was doing was using abusive language to talk about Lord
kRshNa at every possible opportunity - "kETpAr Sevi SuDu kIzhmai
vaSavugaLaiyE vaiyum pazham pagaivan SiSupAlan". nammAzhvAr concludes
one of his dacads in tiruvAimozhi by pointing out that no matter how we say
His name - knowing the meaning or not knowing the meaning, etc., - the final
outcome is that it will always lead to good for us - "e'nganE Sollinum inbam
payakkumE" (7-9-11).

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SrI rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi pASuram 5. 1. 1,
which supports the interpretation that SrI BhaTTar has given for this nAma -
perumAL is stava-priyah because His Grace is such that even if we don't mean
to praise Him, as long as we say something about Him, even without sincerity,
He will accept it as praise, in order to help us reach Him - such is the destiny
of the jIva:
kaiyAr Sakkarattu en karu mANikkamE enRenRu
poyyE kaimmai Sollip puRamE puRamEyADi
meyyE peRRozhindEn vidi vAikkinRu kAppAr Ar?
AiyO! KaNNa pirAn! aRaiyO inip pOnAlE

(tiruvAi. 5. 1. 1)
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that bhagavAn's pleasure when He is
praised is not because He is happy that people are praising His qualities, but
because He is pleased that the jIva-s are putting to appropriate use the
indriya-s that He has given to the jIva-s. When the thought, word, and deed
are all directed appropriately for His praise, He is all the more happy. By
praising Him, we are getting closer to Him, and this is exactly what He wants
of the jIvAtmA-s, and this makes Him happy.

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 The dharma cakram writer gives the analogy of the parents who feel happy
when the child does well in the school. The body and the indriya-s that He has
given us are for serving Him, and, just like the parents who feel happy when
the child does well in the school, He is happy when we do well with the
facilities He has given us.

nAma 686. StaeÇ< stotram

The Eulogy Incarnate.

stotrAya namah.
The word stotram is derived from the root stu - to praise, through the
addition of the affix shTran, which gives the sense of instrument (i. e, means
of praise), according to pANini sUtra 3. 2. 182. The nAma means that
bhagavAn is stotram incarnate.
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SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is that bhagavAn is the cause or the instrument

of the stotram or praise, because it is only by His anugraham that the devotee
praises Him. SrI BhaTTar gives the example of child dhruva who was spell-
bound when bhagavAn appeared before Him, and could not utter even a word.
Then bhagavAn gently touched dhruva's cheek with His conch, and immediately
words of praise of bhagavAn started pouring out form dhruva's mouth. Thus,
bhagavAn was the true instrument for His praise in this case. SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers to the following words of dhruva:
yo antah praviSya mam vAcam imam prasuptAm
sa'njIvayatyakhila Sakti dharah sva dhAmnA |
anyAmSca hasta caraNa SravaNa tvagAdIn
prANAn namo bhagavate purushAya tubhyam ||

"I worship that Lord who entered into me,

gave life to my words which were more or less dead, and
with His unique Sakti, rejuvenated my hands, legs, ears, skins, etc.,
and gave movement to them".
SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvAimozhi 10. 7. 5, where

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nammAzhvAr echoes this same sentiment: paNNAr pADal in kavigaL yAnAit
tannait tAn pADi…, where nammAzhvAr says that bhagavAn sang His own
praise by Himself through tiruvAimozhi using nammAzhvAr as the vehicle or
means.

SrI Samkara's interpretation is that bhagavAn is Himself the Hymn. SrI

cinmayAnanda explains this by pointing out that when a glorious hymn, praising
His Divine Nature, is sung with full devotion and ardent aspiration to realize
Him, this praise lifts the devotee into the experience of the Nature of Truth.
Thus, the nAma (praise here) and the nAmee are one and the same in
experience.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that words that praise Him are by their
very nature good words, and so they are His manifestation (Note that Lord

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kRshNa declares in the gItA that all that are best in this world are but His
manifestations).

The dharma cakram writer explains that the great Rshi-s to whom bhagavAn
has revealed Himself, have a mind which is pure and where He resides. When
these sages reveal their experience of Him through words to others, this
becomes the mantra or the word of praise or stotram. Thus the stotram or
the mantra becomes the representation of Him. This is what AzhvAr declares
when he says: "nalam tarum Sollai nAn kaNDu koNDEn nArAyaNA ennum
nAmam". One is reminded of the incident of draupadi being saved by invoking
the nAma of kRshNa which saved her even before kRshNa could personally
come and save her. In this sense, the nAma or the stotram is even more
powerful than Him.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets stotram in the current context to refer

to veda - stUyate anena iti stotram vedah - that by which bhagavAn is praised,
is veda.

Since bhagavAn is the object of praise of the veda-s, He is stotram Himself:

vedasya pradhAna vishayatvA brahmApi stotram.

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 nAma 687. Stut> stutah

He Who is praised.
stutAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn is called stutah because He is
praised by everyone including the nitya sUri-s for the attainment of their
respective desires. This includes the thousand-hooded AdiSesha, garuDa who
is the embodiment of the three-fold veda-s, brahma and other gods, and also
byhuman beings like ourselves
sahasra-phaNa trayI-mayAdibhih anantaih brahmAdibhih
asmadAdibhiSca tat-tad-abhilAsha siddhaye stuta iti

SrI BhaTTar gives reference to the Sruti

"dhAtA purastAt yamudAjahAra
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Sakrah pravidvAn pradiSaS-catasrah"

purusha sUktam
"At first, brahma, the creator, praised Him, then indra of great knowledge
extolled Him, and then the four directions". The reference to the four
directions indicates that He is the Object of praise by all beings like
ourselves.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi 3. 3. 5,

which conveys this idea - "SodiyAgi ellA ulagum tozhum Adi mUrti enRAl
aLavAgumO?".

SrI Samkara pATham for this nAma is stuthih - the act of praise. SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that with SrI Samkara's version, the previous
nAma refers to the words of praise, and the current nAma will refer to the
act of praise.

With SrI BhaTTar's version (stutah), the previous nAma says that He is the
instrument for His praise (including the words and the acts), and the current
nAma indicates that He is the object of these words and acts of praise.

The dharma cakram writer notes that it is only when we have a mind that is

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clean, and is occupied by Him, that meaningful and proper stuti comes out
through our words. It is then that the greatness of bhagavAn takes shape in
the form of words and comes out as stuti. Thus, it is He who causes the stuti
to occur, and hence He is called stutih.

nAma 688. Staeta stotA

a) He Who praises those who extol Him.

b) He Who is also the form of the Eulogizer of bhagavAn.

stotre namah.
SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is "sva-stotAram stotum Seelam asya iti stotA" -
He Whose nature it is to praise those who praise Him is stotA. He quotes from
vishNu dharma in support:

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"yam stuvan stavyatAmeti vandamAnaSca vandyatAm" (75. 55) - "He Who
praises bhagavAn is praised by bhagavAn Himself, and he who adores bhagavAn
becomes an object of adoration for Him".

SrI BhaTTar gives the example of bhagavAn's kailAsa yAtra in His kRshNa
incarnation. The incident referred to is Lord kRshNa's praise of Siva in the
form of a hymn during the kailAsa yAtra. Siva constantly meditates on
bhagavAn through the tAraka mantra, and so He becomes an object of stuti by
bhagavAn, as He says in hari vamSa - "One who praises Me becomes
praiseworthy".

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the same interpretation as SrI BhaTTar -
stauti sva-janAn iti stotA.

SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshan gives the reason for bhagavAn praising His
devotee - He wants to bring out the greatness of such a devotee. He quotes
from the gItA - j~nAnI tvAtmaiva me matam (7. 18). Slokam 7. 17 of the
gItA also conveys this idea:
teshAm j~nAni nitya-yukta eka-bhaktir viSishyate; |
priyo hi j~nAnino'tyartham aham sa ca mama priyah ||

where Lord kRshNa declares that the devotee who has exclusive devotion to

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 Him is extremely dear to Him.

SrI cinmayAnanda refers us to the gItA Slokam 12. 14 - mayyarpita mano-

buddhir yo mad-bhaktah sa me priyah.

The dharma cakram writer elaborates on the attributes or qualities of the

devotee whom bhagavAn praises. This devotee :

1. shows kindness to all,

2. has overcome anger,

3. considers pleasure and pain as equal,

4. is pure in thought, word and deed,

5. dedicates all his actions to bhagavAn,

6. is neither happy when he obtains objects of pleasure nor unhappy when

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he is faced with objects of displeasure,

7. is neither positively influenced by praise nor negatively influenced by

unkind words, etc.

Lord kRshNa describes such a devotee in Chapter 16 of the gItA among other
places.

b) SrI Samkara's vyAkhyAnam is - stotA api sa eva, sarva AtmakatvAt - so He

is the Eulogizer as well.

SrI cinmayAnanda obsrves that the true devotee who sings the divine hymns
of the Lord dissolves in the Lord (becomes one with theLord), and is in at-one-
ment with Him.

raNa--priyah
nAma 689. r[iày> raNa

a) He Who delights in battle.

b) He Who delights in the auspicious sounds in places of worship.

c) He Who moves around happily in the form of the Sun etc.

raNa-priyAya namah.
The word raNa has two meanings - raNa gatau, raNa Sabda arthah- it can mean

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motion or sound. The different interpretations draw on these two different
meanings.

Generically, raNa-priyah thus means one who delights in moving around,

accompanied by sound. Thus, the term raNa is used to refer to battle, where a
vIra purusha moves around with joy in confronting his enemies. SrI Samkara
and SrI BhaTTar use this meaning (battle) in their interpretations. SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha uses the meaning "movement", while SrI kRshNadatta
bhAradvAj uses the meaning "sound".

He is raNa-priyah when it comes to dealing with the enemies of those who have
surrendered to Him and sought His protection. He delights in battle for the
purposes of protection of those who seek refuge in Him, and for protection of
righteousness. The fight against rAvaNa in His rAma incarnation, and the

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destruction of duryodhana and other demons in His kRshNa incarnation are
among the widely known examples of His guNa of raNa-priyah. These are for
the protection of the good and the destruction of the evil -
paritrANAyasAdhUnAm vinASAya ca dushkRtAm
dharma smasthApaNArthAya sambhavAmi yuge yuge.

SrI BhaTTar quotes sage vAlmIki in yuddha kANDa:

tatah sakAmam sugrIvam a'ngadam ca mahA-balam |
cakAra rAghavah prIto hatvA rAvaNamAhave ||

(yuddha. 111. 31)

"Sri rAma killed rAvaNa in the fight and felt happy that

He fulfilled the desires of the powerful sugrIva and a'ngada".

SrI Samkara refers to His carrying the great pa'ncAyudha-s ever ready for
the protection of the world - yatah pa'nca mahAyudhAni dhatte satatam
lokarakshaNArtham ato raNa-priyah.

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives an interpretation which is different

fromthe other vyAkyAna kartA-s: raNo ravah mandireshu ma'ngala dhvanih;
sa priyo yasya iti raNa-priyah - The auspicious sound in the temples is called

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 raNah or ravah; since these arepleasant to Him, He is referred to as raNa-
priyah.

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the meaning of movement for raNa, and gives
the interpretation that He is called raNa-priyah because He delights in moving
around in the hearts of everyone and removing the darkness in them and
enlightening them, or He delights in moving around in the form of the Sun and
removing the darkness in the world.

The dharma cakram writer points out that life intrinsically is a struggle of one
thing vs. another. For one life to live, some other life or some aspect of
another life is destroyed. For us to be relieved from evil influences, we have to
fight to overcome the evil. bhagavAn has the big task of fighting against the
evils of the world, and this is what He signifies by carrying the pa'ncAyudha-s.
This nAma of bhagavAn should remind us that our life is a big struggle and a
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fight to keep the bad from us, and to constantly assert the good in us.

nAma 690. pU[R> pUrNah

He Who is complete.
pUrNAya namah.
The root from which the nAma is derived is pUrI - ApyAyane - to fill, to
satisfy.

SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that since He is avApta-samasta-kAman

(One Who has all His desires fulfilled, and has nothing else to wish for), He is
pUrNah. SrI BhaTTar notes that this is why it is easy to please Him with just
words of praise, with no expenditure of any kind involved, no physical strain,
and no need for elaborate worship.

nammAzhvAr sings His pURNattvam in tiruvAimozhi (4. 5. 7, 4. 510) - ellA

ulagum uDaiyAn tannai, tanadEulagena ninRAn tannai (references from SrI v. v.
rAmAnujan).

SrI cinmayAnanda points out that He is lakshmI-pati, and there is nothing that
He does not have.

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SrI Samkara comments that He has all objects of desire, and all Sakti-s or
energies, and so He is pUrNah - sakalaih kAmaih, sakalAbhih SaktibhiSca
sampannaiti pUrNah. Thus, He not only has all that is desired, but also has all
the powers to fulfill all that is desired. He is also pUrNah in the sense that He
is everywhere, and permeates and pervades everything (SrI rAdhAkRshNa
SAstri). Since everything is part of Him, and there is nothing that is not part
of Him, there is nothing for Him to desire.

SrI SAstri refers us to the well-known upanishadic passage

pUrNamadah pUrNamidam pUrNAt pUrNamudacyate;
pUrNasya pUrNamAdAya pUrNamevAvaSishyate

(SAnti pATha of ISAvAsya uapnishad, bRhadA. 5. 1. 1)

He is complete in all respects; whatever emanates from Him is complete; His

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fullness is such that even though many things emanate from Him that are
complete, He remains complete in all respects. Other upanishadic references
he gives are: pUrNam apravarti (bRhaDA. 2.1.5),and tadetat pUrNam apravarti
(chAndoygya. 3. 12).

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj adds additional anubhavam for this nAma - a) He
isfilled with infinite kalyANa guNa-s, and so He is pUrNah - pUryate ApyAyate
smakalyANa guNaih iti pUrNah; b) He is easily fulfilled and satisfied withthe
simple offerings from His devotees, such as flowers, fruits, etc. -
bhaktArpitaih phala kusumAdibhih tarpita iti pUrNah.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN builds on his vyAkhyAnam for the previous nAma,
and interprets the current nAma to mean that He is perfect in the sense of
finishing off His enemies once for all without trace.

Thus, among the different anubhavam-s for this nAma are:

1. He is full, with all desires fulfilled;

2. He is complete with all the kalyANa guNa-s;
3. He is easily satisfied and fulfilled with the simple offerings of His
devotees;
4. He is filled with all the Sakti-s that are needed to fulfill any possible

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 desire;
He permeates and pervades everything, and there is nothing that is not part of
Him.
The dharma cakram writer discusses the implications of this nAma to our daily
life. PUrNa is the fulfilled or completely satisfied state. The general
observation in our lives is that as we succeed more in our material life, we
become more and more dissatisfied, because our needs and wants keep growing
more. The modern day education only helps grow this material need. The
term 'kalvi' signifies 'kalludal', digging into. The true purpose of kalvi should
be to bring out the good in us and to develop the desire to seek Him. But the
modern day education only digs out more desire, more wants, and helps us lose
whatever little good we might have had to start with. We become even more
of pleasure seekers and wealth seekers as we get the modern education. The
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more devices we discover to defend ourselves, the more the fear in us

increases of possible attacks. Lack of trust and faith in Him is the general
result of the education we receive nowadays. The significance of this nAma for
us should be to realize that the joy we are seeking externally is really within
us, and to realize our true nature and become fulfilled through this realization
of the true nature of our selves.

nAma 691. pUriyta pUrayitA

The Fulfiller of the desires of His devotees.

pUrayitre namah.
bhagavAn has the nAma pUrayitA because He bestows anything that anyone
desires depending on their merit - dharma, artha, kAma or moksha. SrI
BhaTTar gives the interpretation that He has this nAma because He fulfills
the desire of the devotees to sing His praise. In other words, bhagavAn is
pUrayitA by becoming a stava-priyah (nAma 685) for the sake of His devotees,
and fulfilling their desire to praise Him, even through He is a pUrNah (previous
nAma), and thus does not need the praise of the devotees. His true devotees

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would only seek the chance to do kaimkaryam to Him by pleasing Him through
praise etc., and this is what He fulfills, as signified by the nAmapUrayitA.

SrI Samkara continues on his interpretation for the previous nAma, and points
out that bhagavAn is not just fulfilled Himself (pUrNah), but He makes others
fulfilled as well (pUrayitA) at the appropriate time, by bestowing whatever
they seek.

The dharma cakram writer gives some instances of the unique ways in which
bhagavAn fulfils the desires of those who seek His help, all the time upholding
dharma. The story of arjuna and duryodhana seeking help from Lord kRshNa
for the mahAbhArata war is interesting. Lord kRshNa bestowed both arjuna's
and duryodhana's wishes, though ultimately He made sure that dharma won.
BhIshma, the great devotee of kRshNa, declared to duryodhana that he will

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fight so ferociously that he will make kRshNa break His vow and take to arms
during the war. BhagavAn fulfilled bhIshma's promise, because it was the wish
of a devotee. By fulfilling His devotees' wishes, all He is doing is fulfilling His
own wishes, since He wants to ensure that His devotees' words are true. The
reason that bhagavAn always fulfills His devotees' wishes is because their
wish is never contrary to His wish under any circumstance. In the
mahAbhArata war, even though bhIshma was on duryodhana's side, he blessed
yudhisThira that he should win the war, which was the same as bhagavAn's
wish.

nAma 692. pu{y> puNyah

a) The Purifier.

b) He Who is excellent in performing pious activities.

puNyAya namah.
This nAma occurs again as nAma 925 in Slokam 98.

There are two ways the derivation of the word "puNyah" has been approached
- one from the root pU - pavane - to purify, and the other puN- Subha karmaNi
- to be pious. The details will be seen below under the respective authors.

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 SrI BhaTTar gives the definition - punAti iti puNyah - He who purifies is
puNyah, which is derived from the root pU - pavane to purify. SrI BhaTTar
points out that bhagavAn has this nAma because He purifies even the worst of
the sinners and makes them fit for extolling Him.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan observes that the nAma "puNyan" for bhagavAn in tamizh
is a favorite of the AzhvArs. Among the references he gives are from
tirumazhiSaiAzhvAr - "anantan mEl kiDanda em puNNiyA!" (tiruccanda
viruttam45), and from tiruma'ngai AzhvAr - "un aDiyEn manam pugunda
appulava! puNNiyanE!" (periya tirumozhi 3. 5. 7).

SrI Samkara interprets this nAma to mean that He is a Purifier because

thought about Him purifies the person who thinks about Him -
smRtimAtreNakalmashANi kshapayati iti puNyah.
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The dharma cakram writer explains that just as the thoughts of indriya-
sukham are thoughts that are not conducive to His realization, the thoughts
about Him produce the purity that leads to His realization.

Under nAma 925, SrI BhaTTar gives the above as his second interpretation
for this nAma - that by the mere contemplation of His kIrti pertaining to His
helping His devotees, we become pure. He gives the example of bhagavAn's
protection of gajendra, and observes that the meditation of His kIrti through
acts such as this will purify us. This same interpretation and example are
presented by SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN for this nAma under Slokam 98.

For the occurrence of this nAma in Slokam 98, SrI Samkara gives the
interpretation that bhagavAn has the nAma puNyah because He enables all to
be righteous by His teachings through the Sruti-s and smRti-s -
sarveshAmSruti smRti lakshaNayA vAcA puNyam AcashTa iti vA puNyah.

Under the current Slokam, SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN comments that

bhagavAn is a Purifier of this world in the sense of eliminating or removing the
wicked (such as kamsa).

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the nAma starting from the root pU -
pavane- to purify, and gives the derivation - pavata iti, pUyate vA anena

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itipuNyah - pavitrah pApAnaviddhah Subho vA - He who purifies, or One by
whom things are purified is puNyah; or, One who is pure, devoid of any sin,
auspicious, etc. He gives the example of bhagavAn in the form of the Sun
purifying all objects in the universe, in addition to being pure Himself.

In addition to the above derivation and interpretation, both SrI satyadevo

vAsishTha and SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also give the alternative
derivation of the nAma starting from the root puN - Subha karmaNi - to be
pious.

SrI bhAradvAj gives the derivation as "puNati Subhamkarma Acarati iti

puNyah" - One Who observes pious activities is puNyah. By the grammatical
rule "tatra sAdhuh" (ashTAdyAyI 4. 4. 98), with the addition the yat pratyaya
to puNa, the term puNyah means "One who is excellent in observing the pious

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activities", and not just in the sense of being good. BhagavAn sets the
example to His devotees on performing pious acts by performing them Himself.
He leads by example.

Thus, bhagavAn is puNyah (the Purifier) because:

1. He purifies even the worst of sinners by making them think of Him;

2. He purifies this worldby eliminating the wicked from our midst during His
incarnations;
3. His thought is a purifier for those who meditate on Him;
4. He purifies everything in the form of the Sun;
He guides us to be righteous through the Sruti and smRti.
Alternatively, He is puNyah (One who excels in observing pious activities)
because He excels in the practice of pious activities so that He sets an
example for others to follow.

puNya--kIrtih
nAma 693. pu{ykIitR> puNya

He Whose kIrti or praise is also purifying (in addition toHim being the
Purifier).
puNya-kIrtaye namah.

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 SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as signifying that His kIrti is purifying when
it is sung by His devotees; in other words, nAma samkIrtanam by His devotees,
which involves singing His kIrti, purifies the devotee, and so He is called
puNya-kIrtih. SrI BhaTTar gives several references that indicate the
purifying nature of His praise.
nAma samkIrtanam pumsAm vilAyanam anuttamam |
maitreya! aSesha pApAnAm dhAtUnAmiva pAvakah ||

(vishNu purA. 6. 8. 20)

"Maitreya! Just as fire purifies the metals, the unequalled recitation of the
names of bhagavAn, which have unsurpassed greatness, destroys all sins of
man".
avaSenA'pi yan-nAmni kIrtite sarva-pAtakaih |
pumAn vimucyate sadyah simha-trataih mRgairiva ||
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(vishNu. PurANam. 6. 8. 19)

"Those who, even without being aware of it, pronounce the name of bhagavAn
are freed from their sins the same way a deer is freed from the attack of the
beasts when they run away on hearing the roar of a lion nearby".
dhyAyan kRte yajan ya~jnais-tretAyAm dvApare'rcayan |
yadApnoti tadApnoti kalau samkIrtya keSavam ||

(vishNuPurANam. 6. 2. 17)
"By the mere mention of the name of bhagavAn, a man in kali yuga attains the
same fruits that one obtained in the kRta yuga by abstract meditation, in the
tretA by sacrifice, and in the dvApara yuga by adoration".

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference to ANDAL's tiruppAvai pASuram

"mAyanai"– vAyinAl pADi manttinAl Sinndikka pOya pizhaiyum
pugutaruvAnninRanavum tIyinil tUSAgum - (pizhai here refers to our sins or
pApam).

The dharma cakram writer gives the additional reference to: "nalam tarum
Sollai nAn kaNDu koNDEn nArAyaNA ennum nAmam".

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SrI Samkara also gives the interpretation that this nAma signifies that He has
kIrti which brings purity to people- puNyam Avahati asya kIrtih nRNAm
itipuNya-kIrtih.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri seems to draw a connection between the previous

nAma and the current nAma. SrI Samkara interprets the previous nAma as
referring to His being a puNyah or Purifier in the sense that mere thoughts
about Him by the devotee lead to the purification of the devotee -
smRtimAtreNa kalmashANi kshapayati iti puNyah. In order to have this smRti
of Him, one should first realize His greatness. The current nAma provides this
basis, namely His fame, which induces thoughts about Him in the devotee,
which then leads to the smRti of bhagavAn. Thus, His kIrti has the effect of
being a purifier (this nAma), just as His smRti is (the previous nAma).

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SrI cinmayAnanda explains that whoever glorifies Him becomes holy, and so in
this sense His glory is purifying.

an--Amayah
nAma 694. Anamy> an

a) He Who removes the disease of samsAra.

b) He Who is beyond pain or suffering - internal, external, karma-related, etc.

an-AmayAya namah.
The root from which this nAma is derived is mI - himsAyAm, to die, to perish.
The term Amayah refers to disease or sickness. He Who is beyond disease or
sickness is an-Amayah.

a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that He is called an-Amayah because

He is the adversary for the worst Amayah, namely the disease of samsAra, in
His devotees - samsAra mahA-vyAdhi virodhI. samsAra is considered a disease
because it is an obstacle to the power of enjoyment of the glory of bhagavAn.
SrI BhaTTar quotes from chAndogyopanishad and indicates that those who
have realized the true nature of samsAra declare that "they are full of
disease" - "vyAdhibhih paripUrNo'smi" (chAn. 4. 10. 3). nammAzhvAr refers
to Him as "vani tIr marundu" (tiruvAi. 7. 1. 4) -reference from SrI v. v.

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 rAmAnujan.

b) SrI samkara gives the interpretation that He is called an-Amayah because

He is free from all ills produced by karma - internal or external.

SrI kRshNadatta bhAradvAj gives the derivation - na Amayo rogo yasya iti
anAmayahdivya-ma'ngala vigrahah - His divya ma'ngala vigraham is beyond any
kind of disease or illness. His Nature is of pure unstained divine essence, and
He is thus beyond the mental restlessness or physical pangs that constantly
haunt us because of our karma (SrI cinmayAnanda).

The following summary from dharma cakram is educational and informative:

"Disease is whatever causes discomfort to the body or mind. The body is
sthUla and the mind is sUkshma. When the sthUla body feels suffering, it
impacts the sUkhsma mind, and the reverse is also true. Since jIvan is
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associated with the body and mind, the pain felt by either is felt by the jIvan
or soul also. BhagavAn is beyond all these, and so He is an-Amayah".

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 Slokam 74
mnaejvStIwRkrae vsureta vsuàd>,

vsuàdae vasudevae vsuvRsumna hiv>. 74.

manOjavas tIrthakarO vasuretA vasupradah |
vasupradO vAsudevO vasur vasumanA havih ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

mano--javah
nAma 695. mnaejv> mano

He Who is swift as thought.

mano-javase namah.
The word javah is derived from the root ju'ng - gatau - to go. The amara

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koSam commentator observes that the series of words related to javah all
indicate movement with speed - etAni sa-vega-gati nAmAni. SrI kRshNa datta
bhAradvAj gives the definition - manaso java iva javo yasya itimano-javah - He
Who has speed like that of the speed of the mind.

a) SrI BhaTTar comments that He is called mano-javah because He is faster

than thought itself in implementing all the acts described in previous nAma-s in
purifying a devotee. SrI BhaTTar gives supports from the gItA and the
vishNu dharma:
kshipram bhavati dharmAtmA SaSvat SAntim nigacchati |
kaunteya pratijAnIhi na me bhaktah praNaSyati ||

(gItA 9. 31)

"The devotee who is solely dedicated to Me quickly becomes righteous and

obtains everlasting peace. Affirm, on my behalf, arujuna, that My devotee
never perishes".
sapta-janma-kRtam pApam svalpam vA yadi vA bahu |
vishNor-Alaya vinyAsa prArambhAdeva naSyati ||

(vishNu dharma 83. 20)

"The sins committed in seven births, be they many or a few, are all destroyed

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 the moment a man begins to place his foot in the temple of vishNu".

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to gajendra moksham, where bhagavAn was not

willing to depend solely on the speed of garuDa, and hurried out without even
worrying about His appearance.

nammAzhvAr also describes His extreme speed in removing the sins of His
devotees:
kaDivAr tIya vinaigaL noDiyAm aruLavaikkaN
koDiyA aDu puL uyartta vaDivAr madhavanArE

(tiruvAi. 1. 6. 10)
Especially because of mahA lakshmi's proximity, it takes Him less than the
time it takes us for producing the sound of a noDi (the sound produced by two
fingers), to remove all our sins from beginningless time.
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SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya svAmi notes that this nAma signifies that He fulfils His
devotees' wishes with the speed of mind. (He can fulfill whatever He decides
by His mere samkalpam - samkalpa mAtreNa).

SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN comments that He has this nAma because He

removes the obstacles of samsAra extremely fast for those who surrender to
Him.

b) SrI Samkara observes that bhagavAn has the speed like that of the mind in
that He is everywhere at the same time - manaso javah, vega iva vego'sya
sarva-gatatvAt iti mano-javah.

The ISAvAsya Upanishad mantra describes His speed:

anejadekam manaso javIyo nainad-devA Apnuvan pUrvam arshat |
tad-dhAvato'nyAn atyeti tishThat-tasminn-apo mAtariSvA dadhAti ||

(ISA. 4)
"Although fixed in His abode, God is swifter than the mind and can overcome
all others running. ……".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri's comments for this nAma can be summarized as

follows: Time, place, or things (kAla, deSa, vastu) can obstruct one's speed.

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But in bhagavAn's case, none of these come as impediments; He is everywhere
already (deSa) ; He is not limited by past, present, or future (kAla); He is the
Controller of everything, and so nothing can obstruct Him (vastu).
SveTASvatara Upanishad (3-19) declares - a-pANI pAdo javano grahItA
paSyati a-cakshuh sa SRNoti a-karNah | sa vetti vedyam na ca tasya asti vettA
tam Ahuh agryam purhsham mahAntam || - "Without use of His hands and
feet, He moves and grasps; He sees without use of His eyes, hears without
need for His ears. He knows whatever is to be known, and of Him there is no
knower. They speak of Him as the first, the purusha, the Great".

The dharma cakram writer points out that the more we think of Him, the more
our mind get these attributes of being unconstrained by deSa, kAla, and vastu,
and the more we become closer to Him. He quotes rAmakRshNa paramahamsa,
who says that the more we proceed towards the east, the farther we get away

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from the west. The more we get closer to Him, the farther away we move
from the worldly attachments, and the faster He can grasp us towards Him
like a powerful magnet.

tIrtha--karah
nAma 696. tIwRkr> tIrtha

a) He Who is the source of the holy waters.

b) He Who makes us cross over the ocean of samsAra.

c) He Whose touch of hand is purifying.

d) He Who has provided simple steps to access Him through His various
incarnations.
tIrtha-karAya namah.
The word tIrtham is derived from the root thRR - plavana taraNayoh - to
swim, to cross over. That through which one crosses over or swims is tIrtham.
The term tIrtham is used to refer to sources of water that purify a person.
The term is also used to refer to the sacred scriptures which purify a person
through their learning - taratyanena pApam aj~nAnam iti tIrtham, or making it
easier for us to reach Him through His various incarnations (para, vyUha,

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 vibhava, arcA, antaryAmi). The "crossing over" can also refer to crossing over
the ocean of samsAra, the crossing over of all sins, etc.

nammAzhvAr''s tiruvAimozhi pASuram 7. 10. 1 captures the full significance of

the word "tIrtham":
tIrthanukkaRRa pin maRROr SaraN illai enRu eNNi, tIrthanuukE
tIrtta manattanan Agi, Sezhum kurugUr SaThakOpan Sonna
tIrtha'ngaL AyirattuL ivai pattum vallArgaLai, dEvar vaikal
tIrtha'ngaLe enRu pUSittu nalgi uraippar tam dEviyarkkE

(tiruvAi. 7. 10. 11)

The reference to "tIrthan" in the first line is to perumAL; the "tIrtham" in
the 3rd line refers to nammAzhvAr's pASuram-s which are purifying to those
who chant them, and are even more purifying than Him ; the reference to
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tIrtham in the 4th line is to those who have learned the purifying pASuram-s,
who are even more pure than the pASurams themselves (SrI V. N. vedAnta
deSikan from ARAyirap paDi). Thus, tIrtham here refers to the three levels -
perumAL, the sacred AzhvAr's pASurams, and the devotees who chant them.
bhUtattAzhvAr also refers to those who sing His praise as "tIrtha-kara-s" -
eN tiSaiyum pErtta karam nAngu uDaiyAn pEr Odip pediagAL - tIrtha karar
Amin tirindu (iraNDAm tiruvantAdi - 14). - reference from SrI v.v.
rAmAnujan.

The term karah is used in two ways by the vyAkhyAna kartA-s: The Doer, from
the dhAtu kR - karaNe - to do; or to refer to karah - hand.

Thus, tIrtha-karah means tIrtham karoti iti tIrtha-karah - He Who creates

the tIrtha-s is tirtha-karah (SrI satyadevo vAsishTha), or He Who creates
the SAstra-s etc. that purify the person who resorts to them, or He has the
divine hands whose touch purify the devotee - tIrthah tArakah karo yasya iti
tIrtha karah (SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj).

a) SrI BhaTTar gives three interpretations:

1) He has this nAma because He is the source of the holy rivers such as the
ganges, and the holy lakes such as the pushkara, which purify those that

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mediate on them or recite their names, just as His nAma purifies them.

2) He is the Originator of yoga, j~nAna, sAmkhya (science, craft and other

arts, Vedas, SAstra-s, and music) - yogo j~nAnam tathA sAmkhyam…(mahA
bhArata, Anu. 150. 141).

3) He, Who is deep like an unreachable ocean, but makes it possible for the
devotees to reach Him through a series of incarnations that are like steps to
reach Him.

In dayA Satakam, svAmi deSikan prostrates to the AcArya paramparA as the

steps that make it possible to have access to Him who is otherwise
inaccessible like the deep ocean (Slokam 2 - vigAhe tIrtha bahulAm. SitalAm
guru-santatim…). One is reminded of the sAmyam of AcArya-s with bhagavAn
that svAmi deSikan refers to in nyAsa vimSati Slokam 2. I feel that, along the

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lines of SrI BhaTTar's third interpretation above, bhagavAn is tIrtha-karah
also in the sense that He has provided this great AcArya paramparA starting
with Him, followed by pirATTi, vishvakesenar, etc., all the way down to our
current AcArya in order to enable us to reach Him.

b) SrI Samkara uses the meaning "vidyA" for tIrtham, and gives the
interpretation - caturdaSa vidyAnAm bAhya-vidyA-samayAnAm ca praNetA
pravaktA ca iti tIrtha-karah - He is the Teacher of the fourteen vidyA-s and
the auxiliary sciences, and so He is called tIrtha-karah. These include the
veda-s and other vidyA-s which He taught to brahma and the deva-s, as well
the other sciences that are contradictory to the vedic teachings that He gave
to the asura-s to deceive them.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers to the 14 or 18 vidyA-s or the "ghats of

knowledge - kalvit tuRaigaL" - the four veda-s, the six vedA'ngga-s (SikshA,
vyAkaraNa, chandas, niruktam, jyotisham, kalpam), the two darSana-s
(mImAmsA, nyAaya), dharma SAstra, and purANa-s, and the four additional
ones - Ayurveda, dhanurveda, gAndharva, artha SAstra. Among the vidyA
divisions that are non-vedic in nature and meant for misleading those who are
Asuric are the bauddha, jaina, etc. branches.

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 SrI cinmayAnanda comments that He is tIrtha-karah because He is the most
ancient Teacher of vidyA-s or tIrtha-s.

c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning "hand" for the word karah,
and gives the interpretation that He is called tIrtha-karah because He has
hands whose mere touch alone can purify anyone or anything - tIrthah tArakah
karo yasya iti tIrtha-karah. He gives support from SrImad bhAgavatam where
we find that the mere touch of bhagavAn was able to lift gajendra from his
a~jnAnam, to which he had been subjected through a previous curse (SApam)
from agastya muni. .
gajendro bhagavad-sparSAt vimuktah aj~nAna bandhanAt |
prApto bhagavato rUpam pItavAsAS-caturbhujah ||

(bhAga. 8. 4. 6)
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"By the touch of bhagavAn the elephant-king was relieved from the bondage of
a~jnAnam, and attained sArUpyam with bhagavAn, wearing the yellow silk
garment and endowed with four hands".

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha comments that the nAma signifies that He is the
One who makes the Sun and all the other planets move around (tIrtham is used
in the sense of crossing over, and karah in the sense of making this possible
for the graha-s).

vasu--retAh
nAma 697. vsureta> vasu

a) The Source of Lustre.

b) He Who shines like gold in the context of creation.

c) He Who is the cause or origin of the universe.

vasu-retase namah.
Starting from this nAma, up to nAma 786, SrI BhaTTar bases his
interpretations on the kRshNa incarnation of bhagavAn.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan has grouped the nAma-s up to 848 under the major title
"dushTa nigraha SishTa paripAlanam - the destruction of dushTa-s and the

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protection of the virtuous".

vasu as a noun can mean a class of deities (deva-bhedah), fire (analah), a ray of
light (raSmi), a rein or halter (vasU), gem (ratna), wealth (dhana), vishNu, the
intelligent or wise (vedhAh), etc.

The following is from amara koSam (3-4- 288):

deva-bhede'nale raSmau vasU ratne dhane vasu |
vishNau ca vedhAh strI tvASIr-hitASamsAhidamshTrayoh ||

The word retah is derived from the root rI - sravaNe - to flow. The term
retas is used to refer to the semen or seed, cause, etc.

a) SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning "lustre", related to "raSmi" for the word
vasu - vasu iti jyotih paryAyah, and the meaning "cause or source" for the word
retas, in his interpretation for the nAma, and thus gives the meaning "He Who

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is the Source of the Divine Lustre". He is also the One from Whom the other
objects including the Sun get their light.

The nirukti summary for the nAma is -

vasu Sabdo jyotir-artho retas-tat-kAraNam matam |
divya-jyotih kAraNatvAt vasu-retAh prakIrtitah ||

SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya gives the interpretation for the nAma as "He Who has
His divya tejas as the cause for His incarnations".

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives the example of His kRshNa incarnation, where He

entered the garbham of devaki in the form of His jyoti.

b) SrI Samkara's interpretation is - vasu suvarNam retAh asya iti vasu-retAh.

This has been translated as "He Whose essence is gold" by one translator. SrI
Samkara quotes the following from vyAsa in support:
devah pUrvam apah sRTvA tAsu vIryam upAsRjat |
tad-aNDam abhavat haimam brahmaNah kAraNam param ||

"The Lord created the waters, and cast His Power into them. It became the
golden Egg, the prime source of Brahma".

As extract of the description of SrI cinmayAnanda for the above follows: "In

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 the beginning of creation were the primeval waters. In this Ocean the Lord
dropped His Essence and it became a Golden Egg from which brahma, the
Creator, first arose. Thus, Lord, as the womb of all Creation, is mentioned in
the purANa-s as hiraNya-garbha, the Golden Womb".

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the root vas - nivAse - to dwell, and derives
the meaning that One in Whom the whole universe resides is vasu. He uses the
meaning "root" or "cause" for the term retah, and thus gives the
interpretation that vasu-retA refers to One Who is the cause of all things in
this universe.

The dharma cakram writer gives the analogy that just as gold serves as the
base material for all gold ornaments, so also He serves as the base from which
all other beings arise. He shines like gold in the context of creation. Just as
gold needs to be admixed with a small amount of copper in order for it to be
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used in making jewels, so also the joining together of His vIryam with the
moola-prakRti results in the creation of the universe, with its pa'nca bhUta-s
etc.

vasu--pradah
nAmas 698, 699. vsuàd> vasu

a) The Giver of Treasure (in the form of Himself).

b) The Giver of Glory or Dignity.

c) The Bestower of moksham

d) He Who provides the place for dwelling for all beings

vasu-pradAya namah.
This nAma repeats itself as the next nAma also. It is also similar to the nAma
270 in Slokam 29 (vasu-dah). The difference between nAma 270 and the
current nAma is the addition of "pra" in pra-dah. This stands for prakarsheNa
- in a special way. In general, the vyAkhyAna kartA-s have interpreted nAma
270 as referring to His bestowing any wealth in general; the current and the
next nAma are interpreted as referring to His bestowing special wealth such
as the wealth similar to that of kubera, Himself, moksham, ever-lasting fame,

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etc. One could think of nAma 270 as referring to His being the Bestower of
any wealth at all (the transient wealth etc. ), and nAma-s 698 and 699 as
referring to His being the Bestower of ever-lasting wealth and the associated
joy. The vyAkhyAna-kartA-s give their interpretations such that redundancy in
the meanings is avoided, thus establishing that there is no fault of punar-ukti
(redundancy or repetition) in the composition of vyAsa just because the nAma
repeats itself - the meaning is different in each of the occurrences.

vasu dhanam prakarsheNa dadAti iti vasu-pradah - One Who bestows wealth in
an eminent or superior way is vasu-pradah.

a) SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam for nAma 698 is that He gives the best of wealth
to the true seeker, in the form of Himself - thus He gives the parama nidhi -
the Treasure, to the true devotee. SrI BhaTTar gives the example of

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bhagavAn giving Himself as a son to devaki and vasu-deva.

For nAma 699, SrI BhaTTar gives the explanation that in the process of
offering Himself as their son to devaki and vasudeva, the Lord also gave them
the kIrti (vasu) of being His parents, and so He is vasu-pradah in this sense as
well. He also gave kIrti to daSaratha when He was born as rAma - ellai il SIr
daSarathan tan maganAit tOnRi (perumAL. 10. 11).

b) c) For nAma 698, SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that He has this
nAma because He is the true Giver of wealth even to the likes of kubera. Even
though kubera has the fame that he is the giver of wealth, he gets his fame as
giver of wealth purely by bhagavAn's Grace. For nAma 699, SrI Samkara
interprets the term wealth to specifically refer to the best of wealths, namely
moksham, and thus the interpretation here is that He is this nAma because He
is the Bestower of the greatest of wealths, which He alone can give.

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the meaning "dwelling" for vasu, and gives the
interpretation that He has the nAma vasu-pradah because He provides Himself
as the place for the existence of all beings - vastatyasmin iti vasuh vAsastam
pradadAti iti vasu-pradah. In the next occurrence of the nAma, he interprets
the nAma as "The Giver of wealth".

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 Thus, the nAma vasu-pradah has been interpreted variously as:

a) He Who gives Himself to His devotees as the best of treasures that they
seek;

b) The Bestower of kIrti to His devotees;

c) He gives immeasurable wealth to the likes of kubera;

d) He provides the dwelling place for all beings at the time of pralaya;

e) He is the Bestower of moksham.

vAsu--devah
nAma 700. vasudev> vAsu

a) He Who pervades and sports.

b) The Son of vasudeva.

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c) The presiding Deity of the well-known 12-lettered vAsu-deva mantra.

d) The Deity Who is adored by His devotees.

e) He Who lives in everything and Who keeps them moving around.

vAsudevAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier asnAma 334 (Slokam 36), and will occur again as
nAma 714 (Slokam 76). The meaning given for this nAma under Slokam 36 was
"He Who pervades and sports". Please refer to the write-up under Slokam 36
for the many references. SrI BhaTTar points out under nAma 334, that this
nAma, like the nArAyaNa nAma, is aguhya mantram, and its meaning should be
properly learnt from a qualified AcArya. I am sharing what little I understand
based on what is written in the different vyAkhyAna-s.

a) For nAma 334, SrI BhaTTar's interpretation was that bhagavAn is called
vAsu-deva because He is vAsu (One inwhom everything lives like in a mother,
and One who envelopes and protectseverything like a bird with its wings), and
He is a deva (One Who sports, or has this process of pervasion, permeation,
creation, protection, destruction, etc.,as a part of His leelA). So He is both a
vAsu and a deva, and so He is called vAsu-devah.

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 sadagopan.org
vAsudevAya namah.
vimAna_vAsudhEvan-kadalmallai (Pic Courtesy ; B. Senthil)
For this nAma in Slokam 36, SrI Samkara also derives the meaning based on
the combination of the words vAsu anddeva, but he suggests that in addition
to His divine play in permeating everything and being the dwelling place for
everything, His play includes His covering everything with His mAyA (vasati -
AcchAdayati - covers, conceals,sheaths, envelops, etc. - vasati, vAsayati,
AcchAdayati vA sarvam itivAsuh). For the nAma in Slokam 76, he unequivocally
associates His play (being a deva) with enveloping the whole universe (vAsu)
with His mAyA - jagat AchchAdayati mAyayA iti vAsuh sa eva deva iti vAsu-
devah. The term 'mAyA' in the advaita system is interpreted as "illusion",
whereas in the viSishTAdvaitic system it refers to the wonderful power of
ISvara, whose effects are very real.

b) For the current occurrence of the nAma, both SrI Samkara and SrI
BhaTTar gives the explanation that He is called vAsu-deva because He is the

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 son of vasudeva (vasudevasya apatyamvAsu-devah). SrI kRshNa datta
bhAradvAj gives the support from SrImad bhAgavatam, where bhagavAn
declares that He is called vAsu-deva because He was born as the son of vasu-
deva in the yadu kulam:
avatIrNo yadukule gRha Anakadundubheh |
vadanti vAsu-deveti vasu-deva-sutam hi mAm ||

(bhAga. 10. 51. 41)

c) Under Slokam 76, SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma vAsu-deva in terms of
the twelve-lettered mantra, namely that the nAma vAsu-deva refers to the
Deity that presides over this (vAsu-deva) mantra. The same para-vAsu-deva
from SrI vaikunTham took incarnation asvyUha vAsudeva in the Milky Ocean
(SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for nAma 714), and He also took the incarnation
as the son of devaki and vasu-deva in mathurA (SrI BhaTTar's interpretation
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for nAma 700).

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan observes that it is the same vyUha vAsu-deva that

descended from SrI vaikunTham, that also took birth as the child of vasu-
deva, delighted the hearts of the gopi-s, was the para-tattvam for the yogi-s,
and at the same time was the death for kamsa and a terror for his other evil-
minded associates.

d) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj includes an additional interpretation that has

not been given by the others - He has the nAma vAsu-deva because He is
adorned by His devotees - vAsyate sevyatebhaktaih iti vAsuh; sa cAsau deva
iti vAsu-devah. The root from which he derives this interpretation is vAs -
upasevAyAm - to scent, to make fragrant.

e) One of the meanings for the root "div" (from which the word deva is
derived) is "to move around" - div krIDA vijigIshA vyavahAra dyuti stuti moda
mada svapna kAntigatishu. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses this last meaning
(gacchati, gamayati) for the word deva, and gives the interpretation for the
nAma as"One Who dwells in everything, and makes it possible for everything to
movearound". He gives reference to the ISAvAsya Upanishad mantra

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"ISAvAsyam idam sarvam yad-ki'nca jagatyAm jagat" as support.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that He has this nAma since He
lives in every living entity asthe jIva-entity. He supports his interpretation
with a reference to the gItA Slokam 18-61:
ISvarah sarva bhUtAnAmhRd-deSe'rjuna tishThati |
bhrAmayan sarva bhUtAni yantrArUDhAni mAyayA ||

(gItA18. 61)
"The Lord, O arujuna, abides in the heart of every being, spinning them round
and round, mounted on a wheel as it were, by His power".

The gItA bhAshyam for this Slokam by bhagavad rAmAnuja indirectly

supports this interpretation by the useof the name vASu-deva for bhagavAn in
this context - "ISvarahsarva-niyamana-Seelo vAsu-devah sarva-bhUtAnAm

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hRd-deSe sakala-pravRtti-nivRttimUla-j~nAnodaye deSe tishThati".

nAma 701. vsu> vasuh

a) The Dweller (in the hearts of His devotees)

b) The Best of wealths that is sought after.

c) He Who resides in the Milk-Ocean.

d) He Who is in the form of the vasu-s.

e) He Who lives in everything and in whom everything lives.

f) He Who conceals Himself (from those who are not devoted to Him).

g) He Who is the final dwelling place for all.

vasave namah.
We encountered this nAma earlier as nAma-s 105 (Slokam 12) and 271 (Slokam
29).

The term vasu refers to one who dwells, wealth, one who conceals, etc. (see
nAma 697).

a) For the first occurrence of this nAma in Slokam 12, SrI BhaTTar comments

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 that bhagavAn is vasuh because He dwells in the hearts of His devotees as He
is pleased even with the slightest of devotion. SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us
to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi 8. 8. 1, where he declares this saulabhyam of
perumAL: kaNgaL Sivandu peria vAi…. . on Sa'ngu gadai vAL AzhiyAn oruvan
aDiyEn uLLAnE (The one unique Lord shines as my soul's soul inside me). Sri
rAmAnujan's anubhavam is that if someone counts number sequentially starting
from one, when they count 26, He will consider that they have finished
counting the 24 tattva-s, and the 25th as AtmA, and when they count the
number 26, He will consider that this person is thinking of Him as the 26th,
and will rush to dwell in this person. If someone casually keeps recalling the
names of familiar hills, and somewhere mention the names of tirumalai or
tirumAl irum Solai, He will consider this as their recollecting His place, and will
rush to their side. Such is His desire to help the devotee and redeem the
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jIva.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN quotes bhagavAn's own words - mad-bhaktA

yatra gAyanti tatra tishThAmi nArada - "Wherever my devotees invoke My
name, I am present there. "

b) Under Slokam 29, SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is that bhagavAn is vasuh

because He is the wealth or treasure sought after by great people to the
exclusion of all other wealth - "vAsu-devah sarvam" iti prakAreNa garIyasAm
svayameva dhanam iti vasuh. SrI rAmAnujan points out that these are the
people who consider that "uNNum SORu parugu nIr tinnum veRRilai ellAm
kaNNan" (tiruvAi. 76. 7. 1).

The dharma cakram writer points out that just like a child which gets
distracted with some toys and forgets its mother, we get distracted with the
trivial materialistic wealth often and forget Him; but just as the mother
embraces the child when it cries for her, bhagavAn embraces us when we cry
for Him instead of for the materialistic pleasures, and realize that He is the
wealth of all wealths.

c) For the current occurrence of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is in

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the context of kRshNa incarnation, and he explains the nAma vasuh as
referring to His dwelling in the Milk-Ocean, from where He takes His
incarnations for our benefit. SrI BhaTTar quotes the following in support:

sa lokAnAm hitArthAya kshIrode vasati prabhuh | (mahA bhAra. SabhA. 47.

26) - "The great Lord resides in the Milk-Ocean for doing good to the people
of the world"
esha nArAyaNah SrImAn kshIrArNava niketanah |
nAga parya'nkam utsRjya hyAgato mathurAm purIm ||

(harivamSam 113. 62)

"This nArAyaNa, Who is always with lakhsmi, resides in the Milk-ocean; He has
come to the city of MathurA leaving serpent-couch (AdiSesha).

d) e) f) SrI Samkara's interpretation in Slokam 12 is that that nAma signifies

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that He is the in-dweller in all beings, and all beings dwell in Him, or that He is
one of the eight vasu-s Himself (vasUnAm pAvakaScAsmi - gItA 10. 23); In
Slokam 23, SrI Samkara gives several interpretations: He is the Wealth that
He gives Himself to His devotees; He is vasuh because He conceals Himself
with His mAyA (vas to cover); He is one of the vasu-s in the form of vAyu
(vasur-antarikshasat - kaThopanishad 2. 2. 3 - He is vasu dwelling in the
atmosphere.

The dharma cakram writer identifies the nAma with fire, which according to
him is the most important of the ashTa vasu-s in nature.

g) SrI cinmayAnanda gives the explanation that He is the final refuge of all,
and this is what is signified by this nAma.

vasu--manAh
nAma 702. vsumna> vasu

a) He Who has a Mind which thinks of His devotees as a treasure.

b) He Whose mind is always with vasu-deva.

c) He Who has a golden mind - pure, without any afflictions.

d) He Who has a pure mind (He dwells in every thing without distinction)

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 e) He Who has a mind which is filled with vAtsalyam to His devotees.

f) He Who has a mind that leads to His removing the difficulties of His
devotees.

g) He Who has complete knowledge of the type of body and other needs of all
beings.

h) He Whose mind was with bhIshma as he lay in his death-bed of arrows.

vasu-manase namah.
We encountered this nAma earlier as nAma 106. The sequence vasuh and
vasu-manAh occurred as nAma-s 105 and 106, and now we see the two nAma-s
consecutively as nAma-s 701 and 702.

a) In Slokam 12, where SrI BhaTTar interpreted the nAma vasuh as "He Who
dwells in His devotees' minds" even when they display the slightest of
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devotion, he explained the next nAma - vasu-manAh, as indicating further that

bhagavAn considered these devotees as a treasure which is hard to find (vasuh
interpreted as wealth, and manas interpreted as mind; vasu-manAh - He Who
treasures the devotees in His mind). SrI BhaTTar gave the reference togItA
7. 19 - sa mahAtmA su-durlabhah, indicating how the pure devotees are a hard
treasure for Him to find.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN comments that all that bhagavAn look for is the
wealth of pure devotion to Him from His devotees - aki'ncana bhaktadhaneshu
mano yasya sa vasu-manAh.

In his first pASuram of tiruvAimozhi, nammAzhvAr refers to perumAL's

tiruvaDi as "tuyar aRu SuDar aDi". The traditional meaning given for this is:
The glorious tiruvaDi that removes the sufferings of His devotees.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan gives this as a support for the current nAma, and
comments that perumAL's tiruvaDi shines brightly when He is relieved of His
sorrow on finding His devotee.

SrI B. R. Purushottam Naidu explains this in his work on IDuvyAkhyAnam in

tamizh. bhagavad rAmAnuja has given this alternate explanation for this

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phrase of nammAzhvAr: It is bhagavAn whose tuyar or sorrow is removed,
and His Divine Feet shine brilliantly, as they get in contact with His dear
devotees. Such is the importance of the devotees and their happiness to
bhagavAn. Bhagavad rAmAnuja's anubhavam is that He suffers when the
devotees suffer, and He feels happy when the devotee feels happy, as
described in SrImad rAmAyaNam, ayodhyA kANDam, 2. 42:

vyasaneshu manushyANAm bhRSambhavati duhkitah |

utsaveshu ca sarveshu piteva paritushyati ||

SrI rAmAnujan also gives support for this interpretation of SrI BhaTTar from
tiruma'ngai AzhvAr's tiruneDuntANDakam (1) - endai taLir puraiyum tiruvaDi
entalai mElavE.

SrI periyavAccAn piLLai explains that it is only after coming into contact with

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AzhvAr's head that His tiriuvaDi got their life; until that time they were like
dried leaf. The point to be noted is thatfor bhagavAn, association with His
devotee is the most important treasure, which He longs for - hence His nAma
as vasu-manAh.

b) For the current occurrence of the nAma vasu-manAh, SrI BhaTTar follows
up on his interpretation of the previous nAma (701) - vasuh, which he
interpreted as "One Who dwells in the Milk-Ocean ready to take the different
incarnations for the benefit of mankind". He interprets the current nAma as
indicating that though He was resting in the Milk-Ocean, His manas was with
vasu-deva - vasu-manAh (the term vasu in this nAma referring to vasu-deva),
to whom He decided to be born as the son for His kRshNa incarnation. SrI
BhaTTar points out that just as the term 'datta' without any other
qualification always refers to deva-datta, and the term 'bhAmA' refers to
satyabhAmA, so also scholars in mahA-bhAshya have interpreted the name
vasu to refer to vasu-deva. Even though He resides in the Milk-ocean, the
birth place of lakshmi, His mind is with vasu-deva, and this is why He chooses
to be born as vasu-deva's child.

c) d) For this nAma in Slokam 12, SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that

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 He has the nAma vasu-manAh since He has a manas which is vasu (pure,
excellent, superior); His mind is not polluted with desire, aversion, pride, etc.
(raga-dveshAdibhih kleSaih madAdibhih up-kleSaiSca yato nakalushitam cittam
tatah tan-manah praSastam; praSastam mano yasya sah vasu-manAh). For the
current occurrence of this nAma, SrI Samkara gives the interpretationthat
He is has a mind which is pure and excellent in the sense that He dwells
ineveryone's mind without distinction, and treats everyone equally - a-
viSesheNasarveshu vishayeshu vasati iti vasuh, tAdRSam manah asya iti vasu-
manAh.

The dharma cakram writer explains that while most people are used to think of
only their own selves and their own welfare, a person who strives to put
vedAnta into practice will have the broad mind to think of the welfare of
others, and will see God in everything he encounters. He realizes that
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bhagavAn is the only One who is worthy of worship. He acquires unshakable

devotion to Him. This is not easy to attain, and it may take several births to
achieve. Meditation on the current nAma, with an understanding of its
significance, will help us all move closer to this objective in life.

e) f) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses yet other meanings for the word vasu
(vas- snehe - to love, and vas- apaharaNe - to take away, based on vas -snehac-
cheda apaharaNeshu - to love, to cut, to take away). His first interpretation is
that this nAma signifies bhagavAn's vAtsalyam (vasu snehahvAtsalyam tan
manasi yasya iti vasu-manAh). His second interpretation, based on vas -
apaharaNa - to take away, is that He has this nAma because He has a mind
which makes Him take away or remove the sufferings of His devotees -
vAsayati apaharati vipadahsva-janAnAm iti vasu; tAdRSam mano yasya iti vasu-
manAh.

g) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the root man - j~nAne - to know, to think, and
gives the interpretation that this nAma signifies that bhagavAn is the Knower
ofthe type of body, and the relative requirements of heat, air, water, etc., for
the different kinds of beings, and so He is vasu-manAh - One Who knows the
various needs, constitution, etc., of all the creatures (yena

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prakAreNanivasitum arhati, pRthak pRthak SarIra-kRte katham vidhasya
aushNyasya, kim vASitasya, kim vA jalasya, kim vA vAyoh AvaSyakatA astiiti
sarvam vishNuh jAnAti,tasmAt sa vasu-manAh ukto bhavati).

h) SrI baladeva vidyA-bhUshaN specifically takes the reference to "vasu" as a

reference to bhIshma, and gives the interpretation for the nAma as "He Who
had bhIshma in His mind". bhIshma is one the ashTa-vasu's who was born to
ga'ngA devi with santanu. SrI vidyA bhUshaN quotes the following in support:
Saratalpo gato bhIshmah Samyanniva hutAsanah |
mAm dhyAyati purusha-vyAghra tato me tad-gatam mana ||

nAma 703. hiv> havih

a) The Sacrificial Offering.

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b) He Who is satisfied or pleased.
havishe namah.
The word havih is derived from the root hu - dAnAdanayoh - to offer, to
performa sacrifice. The derivation and the different interpretations for the
nAma mahA-havih (nAma 683 - Slokam 72), has been given before. Briefly,
the term havis refers to any material offered in a sacrifice in general.

a) In the context of kRshNa incarnation, SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam for this

nAmais that it signifies that bhagavAn was given away (sacrificed) by devaki
andvasudeva to yasodA and nandagopa as soon as He was born. Even though
childkRshNa did not have anything to fear from kamsa, He let Himself be given
away tonandagopa just for the peace of mind of vasudeva and yasodA.

The dharma cakram writer observes that when something is offered in

sacrifice by one person to another, both benefit in the process. In the case of
Lord kRshNa, devaki and vasudeva who gave Him away were released from the
atrocity of kamsa, and yaSodA and nandagopa who received Him derived
immense joy by having Him with them. That is the greatness of sacrifice.
However, it is important to note that sacrifice should be performed without
the feeling of ownership, and without the desire for benefit.

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 In a more general sense, bhagavAn describes Himself as havih in gItA
Slokam4. 24. This Slokam and its meaning have been explained under nAma 683
(Slokam72) in detail. SrI Samkara gives his interpretation for the current
nAma as "He Who is the Oblation in the sacrifice", and gives the above-
referenced gItA Slokam in support. His explanation is that a Brahman-knower
knows that the havis is nothing but Brahman - brahma arpaNam yenakaraNena
brahma-vit havih agnau arpayati tat brahmaiva iti paSyati.

b) A different derivation is given by SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj and SrI

baladeva vidyA bhUshaN. They derive their interpretations based on the root
hu (hinv) - prINane - to please, and thus give the interpretation for the nAma
as "He Who is pleased or satisfied" - hUyate prIyate iti havih. Following on his
explanation for the nAma vasu-manAh in terms of bhIshma, SrI vidyA
bhUshaN observes that He was pleased with bhIshma's meditation as He was
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lying on the bed of arrows, and bestowed moksham on him, and this is what is
signified by the nAma "havih".

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 SlOkam 75
sÌit> sTk«it> sÄa sÑUit> sTpray[>,

zUrsenae yÊïeó> siÚvas> suyamun>. 75.

sadgatih satkrutih sattA sadbhUtih satparAyaNah |
sUrasenO yadusreshThah sannivAsah suyAmunah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

sad--gatih
nAma 704. sÌit> sad

a) He Who provides the right path for the good.

b) He Who is Himself the right path for the good.

c) He Who has superior intellect.

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d) He Who is attainable by the good.

sat refers to that which is good, or those who are good. gatih means path.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the derivation as - satAm sAttvika-

sajjanAnAm gatih iti sad-gatih. We have seen the nAma "muktAnAm paramA
gatih" (nAma 12, Slokam 2) earlier, which conveys that He is the Supreme Goal
for all the Released souls. The current nAma describes His showing the right
path for those who seek the Truth. The inner significance of the nAma sad-
gatih is that He removes the shackles of samsAra and liberates His devotees
and shows them the right path.

a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation for the current nAma as "One Who
provides the right path for the good or virtuous". The "right path" is that
which leads to eternal peace and tranquility. SrI BhaTTar gives the example of
how even at time of birth of Lord kRshNa, the virtuous people saw all signs of
tranquility all around them. He gives support from vishNu purANam, 5.3, which
elaborately describes the tranquility and auspicious signs at the time of birth
of child kRshNa to devaki. One of the Sloka-s from the reference is:
santah santosham adhikam praSamam canDa mArutah |

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 prasAdam nimagnA yAtA jAyamAne janArdane ||

(vishNu purA.5.3.4)

"The virtuous experienced new delight, the strong winds subsided, and the
river glided tranquilly, as janArdana was about to be born".

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives additional examples. As soon as Lord kRshNa was
born to devaki, He unfettered vasudeva from the shackles that held him in
prison; Even as a child, and He ridded the asura-s from amongst the gopi-s and
gopa-s in nandagopa's place. SrI rAmAnujan observes that in addition to His
being sad-gatih (the path for the good), He is also asad-gatih - The Redeemer
of the bad also, like SiSupAla. So He is the gati for asat-s also.

nammAzhvAr refers to Him in his tiruvAimozhi pASuram 7.2.7 as

"paRRilArpaRRa ninRAn" - He Who is the Refuge for even those such as
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kAkAsuran.

b) SrI Samkara gives the significance of the nAma as "He Who is the Goal or
Refuge for the good". He quotes from taittirIya Upanishad, which says that
"If a person knows that Brahman exists, then the wise call him good" - asti
brahmeti ced veda, santamenam tato viduh (taitt. 2.6).

c) SrI Samkara also gives an additional interpretation using the meaning

"intellect" for the term "gati". Thus the nAma can also mean "He Who has a
superior intellect".- sati gatih, buddhihsamutkRshTA asya iti vA sad-gatih.

d) SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN uses the meaning "accessible or attainable" to

the term "gatih", and gives the interpretation that He is accessible to the
good, such as bhIshma - satAm bhIshmAdInAmprApyatvAt sad-gatih.

sat--kRtih
nAma 705. sTk«it> sat

He of lovable acts, and full of good actions.

sat-kRtaye namah.
a) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the explanation - sati satyA SobhanA ca
kRtIracanA yasya iti sat-kRtih. SrI BhaTTar gives the examples of His

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stealing butter, getting tied to the mortar, etc. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers to
bhagavAn's own words about His acts - janma karma ca me divyam (gItA4.9),
where He Himself describes His karma-s or acts as divine. The mere
contemplation of even His acts will release the person who contemplates on
these from the bondage of samsAra.

His divine acts do not just stop with the lovable acts in His childhood, but
extend to all aspects of creation, protection and destruction. nammAzhvAr
starts the description of His leelA-s in 6.4.1, and goes on listing more and more
of His acts in the next 11 pASuram-s, frequently interspersing with
"maRRumpala", indicating that they are countless, even though he is listing
some examples (This list reminds one of Lord kRshNa's description of just a
few examples of His indescribable vibhUti in chapter 10 of the gItA):

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kuravai AicciyarODu kOttadum, kunRam onRu Endiyadum,

uravu nIrp poigai nAgam kAindadum maRRum pala … (6.4.1);

kEyat tI'nkuzhal UdiRRum nirai mEittadum, keNDai oN kaN

vASap pU'nkuzhal pinnai tOLgaL maNandadum maRRum pala.. (6.4.2);

nigar il mallaric ceRRadum, nirai mEittadum, nIL neDum kai

Sikara mAkaLiRaTTadum, ivai pOlvanavaum piRavum (6.4.3);

nOva Aicci uralODu Arkka ira'ngiRRum, va'njap peNNaic

cAvap pAl uNDadum, Ur SakaDamiDac cADiyadum (6.4.4);

vENDi dEvar irakka vandu piRandadum, vI'ngu iruL vAi

pUNDu anRu annai pulambap pOi a'ngu Or Aikkulam pukkadum,

kANDal inRi vaLarndu ka'njanait tu'nja va'njam Seidadum … (6.4.5);

igal koL puLLaip piLandadum, imil ERugaL SeRRaduvum,

uyar koL SOlaik kurundu oSittadum uTpaDa maRRum pala …. (6.4.6);

manap parippODu azhukku mAniDa SAdiyil tAn piRandu

tanakku vENDu uruk koNDu tAn tana SIRRattinai muDikkum

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 punat tuzhAi muDi mAlai mArban … (6.4.7);

nInilattoDu vAn viyappa niRai perum pOrgaL Seidu

vANan Ayiram tOL tuNittadum uTpaDa maRRum pala

mANiyAi nilam koNDa mAyan….. (6.4.8);

kalakka Ezh kaDal Ezh malaiyum ulagam Ezhum kazhiyak kaDAi

ulagat tEr koDu SenRa mAyamum uTpaDa maRRum pala… (6.4.9);

maN miSaip perum bAram nI'nga Or bhArata mA perum pOr

paNNiya mAya'ngaL Seidu SEnaiyaip pAzh paDa nURRiTTup pOi

viN miSai tan tAmamE puga mEviaya SOdi …. (6.4.10);

nAyagan muzhu Ezh ulagukkumAi muzhu Ezh ulagum, tan

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vAiyagam puga vaittu umizhndu avaiyAi avai allanumAm kESavan… (6.4.11).

In the issue of dharma cakram 48.8, several of kaNNan's sat-kRti-s are

described, and the associated lesson that is intended to be taught to us by
each of these acts is also described.

b) SrI cinmayAnanda reminds us that even those acts of His that may seem
destructive (such as His role in the mahA bhArata war, the killing of the
rAkshasa-s such as rAvaNa etc.), are really for the good of the individual and
for the protection of the world. All His actions are in harmony and are meant
for the establishment of peace.

SrI Samkara specifically emphasizes that His acts are sat-kRti-s because they
are meant for protecting the universe - sati kRtih, jagad-rakshaNAdi
lakshaNA asya yasmAt tena sat-kRtih.

c) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the interpretation that He is sat-kRtih

because at the time of giving up the body by a devotee, if this devotee is not
capable of thinking of bhagavAn as a result of his/her physical condition,
bhagavAn takes the responsibility to give this soul moksham.
yadi vAtAdi dosheNa mad-bhakto mAm na ca smaret |

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aham smarAmi mad-bhaktam nayAmiparamAm gatim ||

nAma 706. sÄa sattA

Existence Incarnate.
sattAyai namah.
a) The word sat refers to existence. Slokam 17.26 of bhagavad gItA explains
the meaning of the word sat:
sad-bhAve sAdhu-bhAve ca sad-ityetat prayujyate |
praSaste karmaNi tathA sac-chabdah pArtha yujyate ||

(gItA 16.26)

"The term sat is used in the sense of existence and goodness. And so also, O
arjuna, the word is applied to an auspicious action".

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The addition of the affix tva or tal (ta or tA) to a word in the sixth case leads
to the sense of "the nature thereof" according to pANinisUtra 5.1.119 (tasya
bhAvah tva-talau) - SrI satyadevo vAsishTha. Thus, sattA means "He Who is
of the nature of Existence".

b) SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that He has this nAma signifying that He is

the very existence of the good and the pious and all other things. There is
indeed nothing that can exist without Him -

sattAdi satAm svayamevaiti sattA |

na hi tad-vyatirekeNa ki'ncit syAt.

SrI BhaTTar gives reference to the gItA in support:

yac-cApi sarva-bhUtAnAm bIjam tad-aham-arjuna |

na tad-asti vinA yat-syAt mayA bhUtam carAcaram ||

(gItA 10.39)

"I am also that which is the seed of all beings, O arjuna. Nothing that moves or
is stationary, exists without Me".

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 SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to tirumazhiSai AzhvAr’s nAnmugan tiruvantAdi
(7) –

nanRaganAn unai anRi ilEn kaNDAi,

nAraNanE! nee ennai anRi ilai –

“Without You we do not exist, and as for You, if we are not the ones You
protect, there is nothing else for You to protect”.

b) SrI Samkara gives the meaning "Existence" to the nAma - sajAtIya

vijAtIya svagata bheda rahitA anubhUtih sattA. One translator has given the
meaning as "The state which is devoid of difference as regards its own
species, as well as others" (explained further in the next para). SrI Samkara
quotes the chAndogya Upanishad in support: ekam eva advitIyam - chAndogya.
6.2.1 - "He remains ever the same, One without a second".
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The dharma cakram writer elaborates on the above vyAkhyAnam of SrI

Samkara. He notes that sajAtIya bhedam is the difference that we see
between the different members of a given species - such as the difference
between one human being and another. Seeing this difference externally takes
us away from realizing the truth that we are all His property, and He is our
antaryAmi and we are His Sesha-s. True knowledge consists in seeing the unity
and serving everyone as God's creation. BhagavAn does not have this sajAtIya
bhedam that we are subject to.

The vijAtIya bhedam is the difference that we observe between the different
species, such as the difference between man and animal. It is because of
vijAtIya bhedam that a dog attacks the cat, and one species attacks another.
One who has true knowledge sees all species as equals, and shows respect and
love for all without distinction. Again, bhagavAn is beyond this kind of bhedam
as well.

svagatabhedam is the difference we observe in ourselves - such as the

difference in appearance between the different parts of our body. We humans
feel one part of the body is attractive, and another part is not attractive.
Seeing these kinds of distinctions only leads us away from realizing the truth.

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BhagavAn is beyond all these bheda-s (the root cause of our not realizing Him.
The nature of sat is to see unity in everything at all levels. When this state is
reached, it is the pure personification of sat or good. Such is bhagavAn, and so
He is called sattA.

c) BhagavAn is also "Existence Incarnate", "One without a second", and "Pure

Existence" in the sense that He is unchanging, never subject to aging, disease,
death, etc., to which everything else is subjected.

d) SrI vAsishTha gives the interpretation that the act of protection or

preservation is sattA - sattA hi Atma-dhAraNam. In this sense, only He is
sattA, since He alone protects everyone and everything, and no one else is
capable of protecting or preserving himself.

sad--bhUtih
nAma 707. sÑUit> sad

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a) The wealth, in all forms, for the good.

b) He Who is endowed with rich glories (aiSvaryam)

c) He Who alone truly exists.

d) He Who manifests Himself in infinite forms.

sad-bhUtaye namah.
The term bhUti can refer to wealth, prosperity or existence (amara koSam) -
bhavatyanayA SrImAn iti bhUtih; bhavatAt iti vA.

a) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the derivation - satAm mahAtmanAm

bhUtih sampattih iti sad-bhUtih - The wealth for the good.

SrI BhaTTar points out that for the true devotee, He is the son, friend,
messenger, charioteer, and everything else also.

SrI aNNan'ngarAcArya svAmi points out that this means that He is their help
in all forms.

b) SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that this nAma means "One Who
has Rich Glories". He interprets bhUti as referring to His aiSvaryam - wealth,

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 power, happiness, etc. Alternatively, he gives the interpretation that the nAma
refers to "One Who has taken different incarnations", exhibiting in all of them
the glories of the Supreme.

c) SrI Samkara gives the meaning bhAsamAnatvam (Effulgence) to the term

'bhUti", and "true existence" to the term sat, and thus gives the
interpretation that this nAma of bhagavAn signifies that He alone truly exists,
and has the effulgence which is revealed without any other external object.
Without Him nothing else exists, and without His Effulgence, nothing else is
revealed. One translator has translated SrI Samkara's original vyAkhyAnam as
follows: "As the supreme Self is ever-existing as Consciousness and shining, He
is unsublated being".

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the root bhU - sattAyAm - to be, to live, for
the term bhUti, and thus gives the interpretation suggestive of "His truly
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existing in different forms" (sati = SASvatI, bhUtih = bhavanam = vividha

bhAvena pariNAmah, sad-bhUtih). He gives as an illustration the fact that the
tree exists in the seed, and the seed exists in the tree, and both are real and
true. Time does not destroy this relationship, and this relationship is eternal.
This same relationship extends to everything in the universe. Thus, bhagavAn
is both the nimitta kAraNam and the upAdAna kAraNam (tathaiva idam brahma
jaDa cetana rUpasya asya viSvasya nimittam kAraNam na tu upAdAna
kAraNam, bIjAnAm vapte ca).

sat--parAyaNam
nAma 708. sTpray[> (or) sTpray[m! sat

a) The Support for the good.

b) The supreme Goal for the good.

c) He Who has the good people as His support.

sat-parAyaNAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar gives two alternate versions for this nAma - sat-parAyaNam or
sat-parAyaNah. The first version is in neuter gender, and the second one is in
masculine gender. SrI BhaTTar's interpretation corresponds to the meaning

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"BhagavAn is the supreme support for the good" for the first version, and for
the second, he gives the interpretation "The good are His supreme support".

a) sat-parAyaNam: satAm parama ayanam iti sat-parAyaNam (SrI kRshNa

datta bhAradvAj) - "He Who is the Supreme Support for the good". In support
of the interpretation of the nAma as "sat-parAyaNam", SrI BhaTTar quotes
the mahA-bhArata Slokam 173.24 from droNa parva:

kRshNASrayAh kRshNa balAh kRshNa-nAthASca pANDavAh |

kRshNah parAyaNam teshAm …………………… ||

"The pANDava-s have kRshNa as their resort, kRshNa as their strength,

kRshNa as their savior. In short, kRshNa is their great support". So He is
their sat-parAyaNam.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan quotes nammAzhvAr's well-known agagillEn pASuram "pugal

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onRu illA aDiyEn un aDi-kIzh amarndu pugundEnE" (tiruvAi. 6.10.10), as support
for SrI BhaTTar's interpretation.

b) Among those who have provided translations for SrI Samkara's

vyAkhyAnam, some have used the version "sat-parAyaNah" and some have used
"sat-parAyaNam". SrI Samkara's vyAkhyAnam is - satAm tattva vidAm param
prakRshTam ayanam iti sat-parAyaNam or sat-parAyaNah, depending on the
source. Translators have interpreted the nAma as meaning that He is the
supreme Goal for the good people. SrI Samkara elaborates that "satAm" here
refers to those who are the knowers of Reality, or the true nature of God -
satAm - tattva vidAm.

c) sat-parAyaNah: If the version "sat-parAyaNah" is used, SrI BhaTTar gives

the interpretation "santoh asya parAyaNam" - The good are His supreme
support. For this interpretation, SrI BhaTTar quotes the following in support:
mama prANA hi pANDavAh (mahAbhA. Uttara. 90.33) - "The pANDava-s are
verily my life-breath"; j~nAni tvAtmaiva me matam (gItA 7.8) - "It is My view
that the wise men are my inner soul".

tirumazhiSai AzhvAr sings this dependence of bhagavAn on His bhakta-s -

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 "nAraNanE! nee ennai anRi ilai!" (nAnmugan tiru. 7), which has been referenced
before (e.g., under nAma 706 in this Slokam).

SUra--senah
nAma 709. zUrsen> SUra

a) He with a valiant army.

b) He Who keeps everything that moves around, bound together and

functioning as a unit.
SUra-senAya namah.
a) The word SUra is derived from the root SUra - vikrAntau - to act the hero.
The amara koSa vyAkhyAnam for the noun senA is "inena prabhuNA saha
vartata iti senA" - That which has a powerful, mighty, leader is senA. The term
is thus used to refer to an army. The term sUra-senah thus refers to One who
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has a mighty army. SUrA senA yasya iti SUra-senah (SrI kRshNa datta
bhAradvAj).

SrI BhaTTar observes that bhagavAn had a great army of yAdava-s and
pANDava-s when He relieved the Earth of her burden by eliminating the
wicked kaurava-s.

SrI Samkara refers to Lord rAma's great and valiant army consisting of the
likes of hanuman –

hanUmat pramukhAh sainikAh SaurySAlino yasyAm

senAyAm sA SUrA senA yasya sah SUra-senah.

nammAzhvAr sings the praise of the SUra-sena aspect of bhagavAn in his

tiruvAimozhi pASuram 6.4.10 - "Or bhArata mA perum pOr paNNi Senaiyaip
pAzh paDa nURRiTTa Sodi nAthan" - (reference - SrI v.v. rAmAnujan; SEnai in
the context of this pASuram refers to the army of the opponents).

b) Alternately, SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the word SUra from the root
Su - to go, based on the uNAdi sutra - Su si ci mInAm dIrghASca (sutra 185) -
the root is elongated and the rak pratyaya is added, leading to SUra. He
derives the word senA from the root si - bandhane - to bind. Thus, he gives

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the interpretation that this nAma indicates that bhagavAn binds the creatures
that have the ability to move around such that they function as a unit with all
their parts intact. We are given the ability to walk and to run fast, but we do
not ever worry about our legs falling apart as we run. We watch a dancer
dance, and in the process our eyes move all around, but there is never a
thought in us that the eyes will fall out as they move around constantly. This
general rule, trivial as it may seem, is an important part of the whole world
functioning - when the planets keep moving around, we do not worry about
their falling apart, colliding with each other, etc. All this is because of
bhagavAn- the SUra-sena, who keeps everything bound in a way that
everything functions as a unit and all things co-exist with each other. SrI
vAsishTha-s summary of this interpretation is - evameva sakalam carAcara
dRSyam adRSyam ca cintayam acintayam ca jagat tasya vishNoh SUra-senatva

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lakshaNam guNam prakASayan SUra-sena abhidhAnam labhate.

The learned people know and understand that bhagavAn has given us the
freedom to move around, and at the same time He is the One who keeps us all
together as one unit, and has established the rules for all of us to follow. The
mahA-purusha-s understand this simple and universal secret that permeates in
everything all around, and praise this SUra-sena and thereby all their sins are
removed.

The dharma cakram writer illustrates the significance of this nAma in terms of
the mahA bhArata war. In that war, bhagavAn used the pANDava army
consisting of the good people such as arjuna, and defeated the wicked kaurava-
s. When duryodhana enlisted good people such as bhIshma and droNa on his
side, and when arjuna hesitated to kill them for the sake of dharma, bhagavAn
imparted true knowledge to him and made him fight. It was thus with
bhagavAn's help that arjuna could win the war.

We have to constantly fight the Asuric tendencies in us in order to elevate

ourselves. For this, we need His help. It is only by removing our association
with the materialistic desires, and by strengthening our connection with
bhagavAn, that we can succeed in overcoming the Asuric tendencies in us. This

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 is the lesson that we should take from this nAma.

yadu--SreshThah
nAma 710. yÊïeó> yadu

a) The pre-eminent among the yAdava-s.

b) He Who is Best among those who strive (for the redemption of the jIva-s).
yadu-SreshThAya namah.
a) yadushu SreshThah iti yadu-SreshThah (SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj) - He
Who is the most praise-worthy among the yadu-s; yadUnAm paradhAnatvAt
yadu-SreshThah (SrI Samkara) - The Chief of the yadu-s, the clan to which
kRshNa belonged. SrI BhaTTar gives support from vishNu purANa (5.20.37):

ayam sa kathyate prAg~jnaih purANArthAvalokibhih |

gopAlo yAdavam vamSam magnam-abhyuddharishyati ||

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"This is He who has been foretold by the wise, skilled in the sense of the
purANa-s, as gopAla, who shall exalt the depressed yAdava race".

The depressed state of yAdava kulam was because of kamsa (SrI v.v.
rAmAnujan). SrI aNNan'garAcArya refers to yayAti's curse on the yadu kulam
as the reason for the depressed state of the yadu clan.

b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives his interpretation from the root yat -
prayatne - to attempt, to strive for, and gives the meaning "One whose nature
it is to strive for" (yateh yatuh prayatna-SIlah); SreshThah is explained on
the basis of the pANini sUtra "praSasya Srah" (sutra 5.3.60), which states
that Sra is substituted for praSasya when followed by the affix "ishThan".
The affix ishThan represents the superlative (pANini sutra atiSAyine tamap
ishThanau - 5.3.54). Thus, SreshThah refers to One who is the most
praiseworthy. Thus, the meaning that SrI vAsishTha derives for the nAma
yadu-SreshThah is "One who is most praiseworthy among those who strive, or
put in effort". He gives the examples of bhagavAn constantly nourishing and
sustaining the different life forms in the form of the Sun, and His being the
Soul of all the souls in our heart, and constantly driving the function of the

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heart to sustain life. In fact, even after the body falls, the AtmA continues to
live and does not get destroyed. This principle is true of everything else as
well (the principle of conservation of energy?). Perhaps the best example of
His being "the Best among those who strive - yadu-SreshThah", is in His
constantly striving to reach the jIva-s and trying to provide for opportunities
for them to re-unite with Him;

He does this by providing the veda-s to us for our guidance, by taking the arcA
form so that He is always accessible to us, by providing opportunities again and
again for us by giving us a body so that we can use it to reach Him, etc. On a
different level, His efforts to bring a reconciliation between the pANDava-s
and the kaurava-s by repeatedly trying His very best to impart sense in the
kaurava-s to avoid the war, is also an example of His being the best among
those who strive hard to achieve the best for everyone.

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As with all other nAma-s, the dharma cakram writer relates the significance of
the nAma to our day-to-day life. He points out that in the case of Lord
kRshNa, because He was born in the yadu kulam, the clan itself became
famous, the place He lived - gokulam - became well-known, the day He was born
is widely celebrated, and both His natural parents and His adopted parents
became famous. Thus, when one is praiseworthy, everything else associated
with this individual also becomes praiseworthy. This is how kRshNa's guNa of
yadu-SreshThah is to be meditated. TiruvaLLuvar says: "tOnRin pugazhoDu
tOnRuga; ahdu ilAdAr tOnRalin tOnRAmai nanRu". We should use this gift of
life in a way that our life is praiseworthy; if we don't live such that our life
and everything associated with us is praiseworthy, we would have wasted this
precious gift of life.

The lesson to take from this nAma is that we should meditate on this quality
of bhagavAn, and live a life that leads to the mental maturity to constantly
meditate on Him and elevate ourselves to be SreshTha-s in our worship of Him.

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 san--nivAsah
nAma 711. siÚvas> san

The Abode of the saintly.

san-nivAsAya namah.
The word nivAsah is derived from the root vas - nivAse - to dwell. nivAsa
refers to a place of dwelling or a resting place. SrI BhaTTar gives the
interpretation that bhagavAn has this nAma because He is the abode of rest
for great saints like Sanaka, even though He has assumed the human form and
the actions of ordinary human beings. PeriAzhvAr refers to this guNa of
perumAL as "Ayar puttiran allan arum daivam" (peria. tiru. 1.1.7); in
tiruvASiriyam (1), nammAzhvAr describes His being worshiped by Sivan, ayan,
indiran, etc. - "Sivan, ayan, indiran ivar mudal anaittOr daivak kuZhA'ngaLkai
tozhak kiDanda tAmarai undit tanip-perum nAyaka" (references from SrIv.v.
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rAmAnujan).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the support from rAmAyaNa, where tArA
praises rAma as "nivAsa vRkshah sAdhUnAm ApannAnAm parA
gatih" (kishkindA. 15.19).

SrI BhaTTar gives the reference from vishNu purANam, where akrUra
describes his anubhavam of sanandana and other seers meditating intensely on
bhagavAn:

sanandanAdyair-munibhih siddha yogair-akalmashaih |

samcintyamAnam tatrasthaih nAsAgra nysta-locanaih ||

(vish. PurA. 5.18.42)

"(SrI kRshNa in gokulam) is the object of meditation for sanandana and other
seers, who remain there, who are flawless, who have attained perfection in
yoga and who do the meditation with their eyes fixed at the tip of their nose".

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha takes "sat" to mean "those that are permanent and
unchanging" - (satAm - vinASa rahitAnAm, pravAhato nityAnAm,Apralaya
sthAyinAm), and gives the interpretation that this nAma indicates that He is

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the dwelling place of all these jIva-s who are eternal, and who do not go
through the cycle and birth and dealth (the nitya sUri-s), and He also dwells in
them (loka lokAntarANi nija sattAyAm vAsayantam, teshu vA vasantam iti
bhAvah).

su--yAmunah
nAma 712. suyamun> su

a) He with the delightful sport in the yAmuna river.

b) He Who is attended by the good yAmuna-s.

c) He Who has beautiful collyrium in His eyes.

d) He Who lifts up and protects the jIva-s during the time of pralaya.
su-yAmunAya namah.

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The term yAmunah has been interpreted by SrI BhaTTar as "One who is
associated with the river yamunA". YAmunam also means a kind of colyrium
that is applied to the eye; some interpreters have used this meaning as the
basis for their interpretation.

a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation "He with the delightful sport in the
yAmuna river" - Sobhanam pAvanam manoharam yamunAsambandhi jala-
krIDApushpAcaya rAsa-krIDAdi yasya iti su-yAmunah - "He is su-yAmunah
because of all of His activities that are connected with yamuna, activities
which are pure, auspicious and fascinating like water-sport (in its waters),
culling of flowers (on its banks), and dance with the gopis (on its sands)".

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to "tUya peru nIr yamunait turaivan" (tiruppAvai).

Because of association with Lord kRshNa, yamunA is considered sacred even
now. nAthamunigaL is said to have looked for any left-over from the divine
gopi-s on the banks of the yamunA river.

b) SrI Samkara interprets the term yAmuna to refer to the gopa-s who lived
on the banks of the river yamunA (yamunA sambandhinah yAmunah); since
Lord kRshNa was surrounded by the good yAmuna-s such as devaki, vasudeva,
nanda,yasodA, balabhadra, subhadrA, and others, He has this nAma su-

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 yAmunah.

SrIcinmayAnanda comments that these yAmuna-s were not just keepers of

cows, but were indeed the keepers of the milk of knowledge of the upanishads.
He quotes from nArAyaNIyam in support:

tAruNyAramya ramyam parama sukha rasa svAda romA'ncitA'ngaih

AvItam nAradAdyaih vilasat upanishad sundarI maNDalaiSca ||

(nArAyaNIyam daSaka 100.1)

"(I behold) the form of a divine boy, attractive with the advent of adolescence
and surrounded by nArada and others with their limbs covered with hairs
standing on end at the taste of the Bliss Supreme, and by that bevy of
charming maidens of the form of shining upanishads".
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c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning "a type of collyrium" for the
term yAmunam, and gives the interpretation "sundaram yAmunam
nayanaa'njanam yasya iti su-yAmunah" - He Who has beautiful collyrium
decorating His eyes.

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the root yam - uparame - to lift up, as the
basis for his interpretation. He gives the meaning "yacchati,uparamayati" -
"He who lifts up", to the word yAmunah. His interpretation is thus - Sobhano
yAmunah su-yAmuno vishNuh - One Who lifts up (the souls) in an auspicious
way (during the time of pralaya) -

bhagavAn vishNuh mahApralaye svakIyayA vyavasthayA kArya kAraNa

rUpam idam samastam viSvam yacchati, pariNatam uparamayati, Samayati.

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 Slokam 76
ÉUtavasae vasudev> svaRsuinlyae=nl>,

dpRha dpRdae=†Ýae ÊxRrae=wapraijt>. 76.

bhUtAvAsO vAsudevah sarvAsunilayO=nalah |
darpahA darpadOdruptO durdharO=thAparAjitah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

bhUtA--vasah
nAma 713. ÉUtavas> bhUtA

a) He Who is the abode of all creatures.

b) He Who dwells in the hearts of His devotees.

c) The dwelling place of the Great Elements.

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bhUtA-vAsAaya namah.
The word bhUtAh can be derived from the root bhU - bhav - to be; bhavantiiti
bhUtAni. The word vAsAh is derived from the root vas - nivAse - to dwell.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the derivation - samantAdvasanti bhUtAni
yasmin sah bhUtA-vAso vishNuh - He in Whom all beings everywhere live is
bhUtA-vAsah.

The nirukti description (a summarization of SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam) for

the nAma is "yasmin vasanti bhUtAni bhUtA-vAsa sa kathyate" - He in Whom
all beings reside is called bhUtA-vAsah.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan comments that Lord kRshNa revealed through several
viSva rUpa darSana-s that He is bhUtA-vasah, One in Whom all beings reside.
SrI rAmAnujan gives references to the gItA and to divya prabandham in
support:

paSyAmi devAns-tava deva dehe sarvAns-tathA bhUta viSesha sa'nghAn |

brahmaNam Isam kamalAsanastham RshiNSca sarvAn uragAnSca dIptAn ||

(gItA 11.15)

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 "O Lord, I behold in Your body all the gods and all the diverse hosts of beings,
brahma, Siva, the seers, and the lustrous snakes" - (arjuna's words as he has
the viSva rUpa darSanam).

mattah parataram nAnyat ki'ncidasti dhana'njaya |

mayi sarvam idam protam sUtre maNigaNA iva ||

(gItA 7.7)

"There is nothing higher than Myself, O arjuna.

All this is strung on Me, as rows of gems on a thread".

nammAzhvAr refers to perumAL as "uyirgaL ellA ulagum

uDaiyavan" (tiruvAi.3.2.11); - He is the Soul of all souls.

periAzhvAr describes yaSOdA's anubhavam of finding all the universes inside

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His mouth - "vaiyam Ezhum kaNDAL piLLai vAyuLE" (periAzhvAr tiru. 1.1.6)

SrI Samkara vyAkhyAnam is: bhUtAni atra abhimukhyena vasanti iti bhUtA-
vAsah - He in whom all beings, in essence, dwell, is bhUtA-vAsah.

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj interprets the nAma as "He who dwells in the
devotees who perform His worship and sing His praise" - bhUteshu bhajana
parAyaNeshu prANishu AvAso yasya iti bhUtA-vAsah.

c) SrI cinmayAnanda interprets the terms bhUtAh as referring to the five

Great Elements, and thus interprets the nAma to mean "He Who is the very
dwelling place for the Great Elements". He quotes the following from
harivamSa as support: "vasanti tvayi bhUtAni bhUtAvAsas-tato
bhavAn" (279.52).

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives some examples to illustrate His guNa of

bhUtAvAsah in the context of His being the Controller of the five great
elements. Even though we human beings are constituted of the five great
elements, our principal nature is that of pRthvI, while that of the fish is
primarily the nature of water. The fish is created such that its lungs don't fill
with water as it lives in water, whereas the fish cannot live outside the water

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and on the land. Those that fly in the air are primarily of the nature of vAyu.
He says that if the ashes from burnt cow dung are let stand for 50 years,
there will be an insect that originates from this that will be fire-proof, and
thus has fire as its principal nature. Thus, bhagavAn has created the
different creatures in different ways, and associated them with the pa'nca
mahA bhUta-s indifferent ways. There is variety also in the way the different
creatures reproduce themselves. Some creatures that live in water lay their
eggs outside water, on land, because of the need for heat in hatching the egg.
Even in poison, there are germs that survive and live and thrive. All these are
illustrations of the fact that He is bhUta AvAsah - One in Whom everything
lives, and One Who lives in everything. SrI vAsishTha refers us to the Rg
vedic hymn - vishNoh karmANi paSyata (1.22.19) - Look at vishNu's works,
whereby He has let His great ways be seen.

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vAsu--devah.
nAma 714. vasudev> vAsu

vAsu-devAya namah.
This nAma has been covered under nAma 700.

sarvAsu--nilayah
nAma 715. svaRsuinly> sarvAsu

The Abode and support of all souls.

sarvAsu-nilayAya namah.
The word sarvAsu-nilayah consists of three parts: sarva, asu, and nilayah. asu
is derived from the root as - bhuvi - to be (asti); asti iti asuh (SrI vAsishTha).
The word asu is also used to refer to life, breath, etc. nilaya means abode,
derived from the root lee - SleshaNe - to stick, to lie on.

The interpretations for the nAma cover the following:

a) BhagavAn is the necessary and essential support for His true devotees who
cannot live without Him;

b) He is the support and vital life-force for all beings;

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 c) He is the final resting place for all souls at the time of pralaya.

The sum total of all this is that all the beings dwell in Him and have Him as
their support during their existence in this world and during their laya in Him
during pralaya.

SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has this nAma indicating
that He is the indispensable support for His devotees - sarva prANa
Alambanam sarvAsunilayah. Alambanam means abode or support. SrI BhaTTar
gives support from mahA bhArata, uttara kANDam (28.22), which describes
how kRshNa's arrival at hastinApuram was greeted by the people there with
the joy that one would feel if the sun appears all of a sudden in a place that
has been dark for a long time, or when breeze arrives in a region where there
has been no wind for a long time:
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a-sUryamiva sUryeNa nivAtamiva vAyunA |

kRshNena samupetena jahRshe bhAratam puram ||

SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya's anubhavam is that everyone is so captivated by Him

that their very life depends on Him, and this why He is called sarvAsu-nilayah -
"ellArum tammiDattilEyE prANanai vaittirukkum paDiyAga manOharamAi
iruppavar".

SrI Samkara interprets asu as prANa, the life-energy, the indestructible jIva,
and explains the meaning of the nAma as "He Who is the abode of all life-
energies, being the indestructible jIva Himself" -

sarva eva asavah prANA jIvAtmake yasmin

avyaye nilIyante sa sarvAsu-nilayah.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri suggests the explanation for the nAma as "He Who
is the final resting place for all jIva-s" - "ellA uyirgaLum oDu'ngum iDam". Just
as the indriya-s act as if they are independent of the jIva in the waking state,
but lose this so-called independence in the sleeping state, the jIva merges into
Him at the time of pralaya, and so He is the nilaya or the final resting place
for all the asu-s or jIva-s.

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 an--alah
nAma 716. Anl> an

a) He Who is never satisfied that He has done enough for His devotees.

b) He Who cannot tolerate the offense committed to His devotees.

c) He Who receives the prANa Sakti as His own and functions in the form of
the jIvAtmA (SrI Samkara).

d) He Who is beyond smell etc.

e) He Who is unlimited (in His Glories) (alam - paryApti - end).

f) He Who is in the form of Fire.

g) One Who has no end (alam - paryApti - end)

h) One Who has no opposition (alam - opposition)

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i) He who rejuvenates His devotees who intensely long for Him (an - prANane ).
analAya namah.
This nAma occurred as nAma 294 in Slokam 32 earlier.

The reader is referred to this earlier write-up as well.

The nAma can be looked at as an-alah, a-nalah, or ana-lah.

The different interpretations are derived based on the different ways of

looking at the word.

a) For the occurrence of this nAma in Slokam 32, SrI BhaTTar uses the
meaning al - paryApti - to be satisfied, and gives the interpretation to the
nAma an-alah as "He Who is not satisfied". In spite of all that He does for His
devotees, He feels that He has done nothing to help His devotee - "na ki'ncit
kRtam eshAm mayA iti avitRptah". SrI BhaTTar quotes the incident from
mahA bhArata, where Lord kRshNa expresses His feeling of being permanently
in debt to draupadi who cried out for His help.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan describes that even though He protected her when she
cried out for help, and even though in addition He helped the pANDava-s by

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 changing the day into night, violating His promise not to take to arms during
the war, etc., still His heart was heavy that He did not do enough to help
draupadi. As Lord kRshNa was departing to SrI vaikunTham after the purpose
of His incarnation was completed, He said relating to this incident: RNam
pravRddhamiva me hRdayAt nApasarpati (udyoga. 28.22) - "(That cry of help
uttered by draupadi even from a distance calling me "govinda", even though I
was far away in dvArakA) - that cry is never away from My mind, like a debt
that has increased over time with interest accumulated on it".

nammAzhvAr describes this guNa of bhagavAn in peria tiruvanTAdi 53 - "un

aDiyArkku en Seivan enRE irutti nee" - "Your preoccupation is in contemplating
on what You can do to help your devotee always". In this aspect, He is like the
fire that is never satisfied with anything that is offered to it; it keeps
consuming whatever is offered, and grows more eager to consume ever more.
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For this reason, the term analah also refers to fire.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives another dimension to His not being "satisfied"
- He is not satisfied with just the materialistic offering during His worship,
but will be satisfied only when it is offered with bhakti or devotion. Bhakti is
the only requirement for satisfying Him, and not any accompanying
materialistic offerings.

b) For the current occurrence of the nAma an-alah, SrI BhaTTar gives the
additional interpretation that bhagavAn has this nAma because of His guNa of
not being able to put up with apacAram to His devotees. SrI BhaTTar quotes
the following words of bhagavAn:

dvau tu me vadha kAle'smin na kshantavyo katha'ncana |

ya~jna vighna-karam hanyAm pANDavAnAm ca dur-hRdam ||

(bhA. sabhA.68.26)

"At the time of destruction, two persons will not at all be forgiven by Me. I will
kill Him who obstructs the conduct of this sacrifice, and also him who is ill-
disposed to the pANDava-s".

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SrI rAmAnujan also refers us to the incident where Lord kRshNa refused to
take the offering in duryodhana's house because of duryodhana's attitude of
hatred towards the pANDava-s.

c) Under Slokam 32, one of the interpretations given by SrI Samkara is based
on looking at the nAma as ana-lah. ana refers to prANa, and the root lA means
"AdAne dAne ca - to take, to obtain". His interpretation is "anAn prANAn
Atmatvena lAti iti ana-lah". The translators have generally translated this to
mean that He receives the prANa Sakti as His own and functions in the form
of the jIvAtmA, and hence this nAma.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the same approach as above, but gives the
interpretation that since bhagavAn ultimately takes away the prANa-s to Him,
He is called ana-lah.

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d) Another alternate interpretation that SrI Samkara gives is based on the
root nal - gandhe bandhane ca - to smell, to bind. In this interpretation, the
nAma is explained as a-nalah; na alam asya sah a-nalah - He Who is beyond
smell etc. SrI Samkara gives support from bRhadAraNya upanishad:
a-sthUlam anaNvahrAsvam a-dIrgham a-lohitam a-sneham acc-chAyam …..
a-mAtram anantaram a-bAhyam …(3.8.8.) -

Brahman is neither big nor small, neither short nor tall, not colored, not
wettable, can't be measured, etc.

e) For the current occurrence of the nAma analah, SrI Samkara uses the
meaning "limit" for alam - paryApati, and gives the interpretation that this
nAma signifies that bhagavAn is unlimited in His energies and powers - alam
paryAptih Sakti sampadAm na asya vidyata iti an-alah.

SrI cinmayAnanda quotes the gItA in support:

nAnto'smi mama divyAnAm vibhUtInAm paramtapa | (gItA 12.5) - "Of My

Divine Glories, there is no end".

This interpretation of SrI Samkara brings out the parattvam of bhagavAn.

Notice that Sri BhaTTar has used this same root (al - paryApti), and given the

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 interpretation that bhagavAn is unlimited in His desire to help His devotees
(see above). Both experiences are true, and are different dimensions of His
guNa, the first expounding His parattvam, and the second expounding His
vAtsalyam. Further appreciation of this difference in approach between SrI
Samkara and SrI BhaTTar can be gleaned from the article that was posted
earlier, comparing the two vyAkhyAna-s.

f) SrI cinmayAnanda takes the meaning "fire" for "analah", and comments that
the nAma can refer to His being in the form of Fire and sustaining our body
with the right amount of warmth that is needed for the sustenance of our
body.

g) h) Using the meaning "paryApti - tRpti vacana" for the term alam, SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha interprets an-alah as "One Who does not have an end". In
addition, using the meaning vAraNa - resistance or opposition for the word
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"alam", he gives the alternate interpretation "He Who has no one to oppose
Him" for the nAma an-alah. He gives several Sruti references:

na tvadanyah kavitaro na medhayA dhIro varuNa svadhAvAn

(atharva. 5.11.4);

na dvitIyo na tRtIyah

(atharva. 13.4.16);

aham indro na parAjigye

(Rg. 10.48.5);

sarvam tadindra te vase

(Rg. 8.93.4; atahrva. 20.112.1; yajur. 33.35).

i) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj takes an approach different from others, and
gives his interpretation starting with the root an - prANane - to live, to
breathe. Using the uNAdi sUtra "vRshAdibhayaScit - (1.106)" - he derives the
word analah, and gives the interpretation "Anayati samujjIvayati tapah: kRSAn
sva-janAn sva-darSanena iti analah" - He Who rejuvenates His devotees who

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are engaged in intense tapas on Him, by giving His darSanam to them.

darpa--hA
nAma 717. dpRha darpa

The Destroyer of pride.

darpaghnAya namah.
The root from which the word darpa is derived is dRp - harsha mohanayoh - to
be glad, to be proud; hA is derived from the root han - to kill. So the nAma
darpa-hA means "He Who kills or destroys the pride in those who are afflicted
with pride".

SrI BhaTTar gives the above interpretation, and points out instances of
bhagavAn destroying the pride of the deva-s and asura-s without destroying
the deva-s or asura-s themselves. He gives as examples the instance of

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BhagavAn lifting up the govardhana mountain against the lashing rains caused
by indra, the carrying away of the pArijAta tree from the garden of indra,
chopping off the grove-like arms of bANAsura, etc.

SrI Samkara explains the nAma as referring to bhagavAn repressing the pride
of those that stray from the path of dharma.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that darpam refers to acts that are
undertaken when one becomes ecstatic without knowing one's own position
(relative to bhagavAn), and starts indulging in actions that are not consistent
with dharma. This applies to those who do not follow the path of dharma, as
well as to those who follow dharma but momentarily get carried away from the
success of their dhArmic acts and start feeling pride in their
accomplishments. In these later cases, bhagavAn imparts a lesson to these
people by temporarily posing some obstacle.

The dharma cakram writer gives a similar explanation, and describes darpa as
the act performed by us when we do not realize that the self is different
from the body, and falsely feel ownership for our action. BhagavAn creates
obstacles as needed under these circumstances, and strives to remove this
pride.

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 SrI satyadevo vAsishTha explains the darpa-hA guNa of bhagavAn by alluding
to the day-to-day events in our lives. He observes that most jIva-s consider
themselves independent of Him and feel proud. Then, off and on when these
same jIva-s observe someone else undergo suffering, momentarily their pride
gives way to a temporary annihilation of a tiny part of their pride. Thus He
performs His act of destroying the pride constantly (darpa-hA), even as He is
the Bestower of pride to us (see next nAma).

darpa--dah
nAma 718. dpRd> darpa

a) The Bestower of pride (to His devotees).

b) The Bestower of beauty and attractiveness in everything.

darpa-dAya namah.
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a) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the explanation - darpo harshah; tam
sAttvikebhyo dadAti AtmAnam pradarSya iti darpa-dah. BhagavAn makes His
true devotees proud by revealing Himself to them.

SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya svAmi's anubhavam is that bhagavAn gives full

enjoyment of Himself to His true devotees, and makes them feel proud of this
experience. tiru ara'ngattu amudanAr expresses this kind of pride arising out
of his association with emperumAnAr - "enakku Arum nigar illaiyE"; "Ar enakku
inRu nigar, Sollil?", "enakku enna tAzhvu iniyE?".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains that bhagavAn gives pride (darpo garvah) to
His devotees when they have to face the opponents of dharma. He gives the
example of Hanuman bubbling with God-given pride when he was crossing the
ocean going in search of sItA pirATTi, when he was addressing rAvaNa, etc.
Thus bhagavAn gives the strength in the form of pride to His devotee as
necessary.

SrI cinmayAnanda points out that bhagavAn creates this pride in His devotees,
which helps them in their urge to be the best among the righteous and the
virtuous. This pride is their protection from compromising in even a small way
in any act. This is positive 'pride' of a higher order, and not the pride referred

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to in the previous nAma.

The dharma cakram writer comments that pride per se is not bad. If it is used
negatively then it is bad, but if it is used to advance dharma, then it is good. It
is like a knife that can be used to cut a fruit or cut the hand. A pure devotee
of vishNu should feel proud about his position, and this will help him advance
further spiritually. The feeling of pride reflecting as "I am following the path
of dharma; I am a sesha (servant) of the Lord; I cannot be defeated in my
objective of attaining Him" is a positive pride that is good.

b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets the term darpa as referring to

attractiveness, beauty etc. (dRp - harsha mohanayoh). His anubhavam is that
the nAma indicates that anything that is attractive or beautiful around us has
this beauty because Lord vishNu, the darpa-dah, has given this attractiveness

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to this object. In addition to his expertise in samskRt grammar, the veda-s,
etc., SrI vAsishTha's expertise also includes Ayurveda, jyotisha etc. For this
nAma, he indicates that the aspect of attractiveness arises from the influence
of moon and Venus, and they in turn have their powers because of bhagavAn.
He gives reference to the Sruti - tadevAgnis- tad-Adityas-tad vAyus-tadu-
candramAh (yajur. 32.1).

Some interpreters suggest the pATham a-darpa-dah. SrI cinmayAnanda gives

the meaning "He Who never allows His devotees to become proud". The LIFCO
publication, "SrI vishNu sahasra nAma stotram", which gives the alternatives
for the viSishTAdvaita, dvaita, and advaita pATham-s, does not give this
alternate version; thus, this version is probably a later addition by the more
recent interpreters.

nAma 719. A†Ý> a-dRptah

a) He Who is not proud Himself.Or dRptah -

b) He Who is ever happy;

c) He Who is proud.
a-dRptAya namah.

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 SrI BhaTTar gives his vyAkhyAnam using the nAma a-dRptah first, followed by
the vyAkhyAnam for the nAma as dRptah as an alternate. SrI Samkara uses
dRptah in his vyAkhyAnam.

a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for a-dRptah is - "One Who does not become
proud". In His kRshNa incarnation, even though He did many great things, He
never became proud, because of His majestic nature. SrI BhaTTar quotes the
following in support:

evam vidhAni karmANi kRtvA garuDa-vAhanah |

na vismayam upAgamat pArameshThyena tejasA ||

(mahA. SabhA. 51.28)

"Even though He did so many great things like these,

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He never became proud, because of His majestic nature".

He is "nanadagopan kumaran", in other words, One Who is an obedient Son to

His father. (SrI v.v. rAmAnujan).

SrI vAsishTha's anubhavam is that bhagavAn is a-dRptah (One Who is not

proud) since He never violates any of His commandments under any
circumstances, even though He is the Ultimate Controller of everything.

b) dRptah - He Who is ever happy.

SrI BhaTTar's interpretation if the nAma is taken as dRptah, is that He is

delighted with the love and care given by yasodA and nandagopa - yasodA-
nanda-lAlana dRptah. He is "yasOdai iLam Si'ngam" (SrI v.v.rAmAnujan). SrI
Samkara gives the interpretation that He has the nAma dRptah because He is
ever blissful/satisfied, and is immersed in His true nature which is Pure Bliss -
svAtmAmRta rasAsvadanAt nitya-pramudito dRptah.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj interprets the nAma as "nityam harsha mayatvAt
dRptah", and "garva rahitatvAt a-dRptah" - "He is dRptah because of His
eternal Blissful nature", and "He is a-dRptah because He is devoid of pride".

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c) dRptah - He Who is proud. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri follows this line, and
gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is proud as the Fighter for dharma.

SrI vAsishTha: He is dRptah - dRpyati iti dRptah - One Who causes us to

wonder as to who created all these worlds etc, (dRp – harsha mohanayoh). This
is what causes the wise to seek the Ultimate Cause of everything, and thus
releases them from sorrow. This dRptah-adRptah combination is analogous to
His nAma-s vi-Sokah and Soka-nASanah, tadejati tan-naijati (ISAvAsya
upanishad), etc.

dur--dharah
nAma 720. ÊxRr> dur

a) He Who is difficult to control (as child kRshNa).

b) He Who cannot be constrained by the evil-minded (duryodhana).

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c) He Who is difficult to be held in concentration (except by those of trained
mind).
dur-dharAya namah.
The word dharah is derived from the root dhR - dhAraNe - to hold, to bear, to
support; The word duhkhena is interpreted in the sense of "with great
difficulty or trouble". Thus, the meaning of the nAma dur-dharah is "One Who
can be held in one's mind only with great difficulty", or "One Who is difficult
to control and be held down physically (as child kRshNa)". SrI BhaTTar uses
the latter meaning and interprets the nAma in terms of kRshNa's childhood
leelA-s. The other vyAkhyAna-kartA-s use the former meaning to illustrate
the difficulty of meditating on Him and realizing Him except by those with
trained minds.

a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is - "bAla leelAdiprasa'ngeshu matta-

mAta'ngatvAt tAbhyAm dur-dharah durvAra-ca'ncala ceshTitah" – He (Child
kRshNa), in His sportive activities in His childhood, was uncontrollable by
yasodA and nandagopa, like an elephant in ruts. SrI BhaTTar quotes the
support from vishNu purANam (5.6.15): yadi Saknoshi gaccha tvam ati-
ca'ncala-ceshTita - "O Thou of naughty acts! Now run away if Thou

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 canst" (yasodA's words to kRshNa after He was tied to a mortar).

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives support from divya prabandham: "kaDainda naR-
pAlum tayirum nee piRandaduvE mudalAgap peRRaRiyEn empirAnE!", veNNaik
kuDattai uruTTi iLam piLLai kiLLi ezhuppi kaNNaip puraTTi vizhittu
kazhagaNDu Seiyum pirAnE!", "kanRinai vAlOlai kaTTi kanigaL udira eRindu, pin
toDarndu ODi Or pAmbaip piDittuk koNDATTinAi pOlum nin tiRattEn allEn
nambi!" (all from periAzhvAr's neerATTam).

b) In another sense, the nAma can be interpreted to mean that bhagavAn

cannot be restrained by the evil-minded people under any circumstance. SrI
BhaTTar gives the following supports:

imam hi puNDarIkAksham jidhRkshanti alpa-medhasah |

paTenAgnim prajvalitam yathA bAlo yathA'balAh ||

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(bhAra.udyoga. 129.16)

"These men of little knowledge want to seize and bind Him just as a weak boy
or girl think of keeping under control the blazing fire with a piece of cloth".

dur-grahah pANinA vAyuh duh-sparSah pANinA SaSau |

dur-dharA pRthivI mUrdhnA dur-grahah keSavo balAt ||

(bhAra. Vana.309.28)

"The wind cannot be caught by hand, nor can the moon be touched by the hand,
nor the Earth be supported by the head of a man; so also, keSava cannot be
caught by force".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers to kRshNa showing His viSva rUpam like an
uncontrollable elephant under rut when duryodhana tried to bind kRshNa in his
court.

c) A third interpretation for the nAma is that bhagavAn is beyond the grasp of
anyone except through intense concentration and meditation extending over
several births, and in this sense also He is dur-grahah.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri indicates that dhAraNa is an a'nga of yoga that is

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between dhyAna and samAdhi, and is attained only after practicing dhyAna
over several births. SrI Samkara gives this interpretation, and quotes the
gItA in support:

kleSo'dhika-taras-teshAm avyaktAsakta-cetasAm |

avyaktA hi gatir-duhkham dhavadbhir-avApyate || (gIta 12.5)

"Greater is their trouble whose minds are set on the Unmanifest; for,

the path of the Unmanifest is very hard for the embodied to tread".

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the derivation "duhkhena dhartum Sakhyo dur-
dharah" - One Who can be realized only with great difficulty. SrI kRshNa
datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation - duhkhena AyAsena dhriyate
hRdaye a-samAhita-mAnasaih iti dur-dharah - He Who can be held only with
great difficulty by those who do not have a collected and composed mind.

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atha Sabdam following dur-dharah: When atha Sabdam occurs in the middle of
a sentence, it usually has the context of a ma'ngaLa vAkyam - atheti grantha
madhye ma'ngalam (SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN). Apte in his samskRt
dictionary indicates that the word "atha" is considered to be indicative of
auspiciousness, since this word, along with the praNava, came out of the throat
of brahma as the first words:

OmkAraS-ca atha-SabdaS-ca dvAvetau brahmaNah purA |

kaNTham bhitvA viniryAtau tena mA'ngaLikAvubhau ||

nAma 721. Apraijt> a-parAjitah

The Invincible.
a-parAjitAya namah.
This nAma will re-occur in Slokam 92 (nAma 866). Please refer to nAma 866
for additional anubhavam-s.

The root from which this nAma is derived is ji - jaye - to conquer. SrI kRshNa
datta bhAradvAj gives the explanation - na parAjitah kadApi kenApi iti a-

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 parajitah - He Who cannot be conquered by anyone and through any means is a-
parAjitah.

SrI BhaTTar quotes several examples where the deva-s have declared over
and over again that bhagavAn cannot be vanquished by anyone.

ekam hanishyasi ripum garjantam tam mahAmRdhe |

na tu tam prArthayasyekam rakshyate sa mahAtmanA ||

yam Ahur-veda-vidusho vArAham a-jitam harim |
nArAyaNam a-cintyam ca tena kRshNena rakshyate ||

(bhA. udyo.129.40)

indra tells karNa: "In the great fight, I give you the power to kill one
thundering warrior, but this cannot be the one you wish to kill (arjuna), since
he is protected by the Great Lord (kRshNa). KRshNa is none other than the
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Invincible Hari, Who had assumed the form of the Wild Boar, and Who is the
Incomparable nArAyaNa, as declared by the vedic scholars".

The same message is given to jayadratha by rudra:

a-jayyAnScApi a-vadhyAnSca vArayishyasi tAn yudhi |

Rte arjunam mahA-bAhum devairapi durAsadam |

yam Ahuh amitam devam Sa'nkha-cakra-gadA-dharam |

pradhAnah so'stra-vidushAm tena kRshNena rakshyate ||

(bhA. vana.260.75)

"In the fight you can ward off the attacks of all invincible and indestructible
warriors except the long-armed arjuna who is unassailable even to the gods,
since he is protected by kRshNa who is the Unknowable Deity Who bears the
conch, discus and mace as arms".

BhIshma, droNa, etc., declare that they could have annihilated the pANDava-s
without a trace if only vishNu had not been their Protector, and that just as
certainly as truth rests with a brAhmin, humility is certain in the pious, and
wealth is sure in the skillful, so also victory is certain for nArAyaNa:

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dhruvam vai brAhmaNe satyam dhruvA sAdhushu sannatih |

SrIr-dhruvA cApi daksheshu dhruvo nArAyaNe jayah ||

We also have the vishNu sahasranAma phala-Sruti Slokam which we will

encounter later:

yatra yogeSvarah kRshNo yatra pArtho dhanur-dharah |

tatra SrIr-vijayo bhUtir-dhruvA nItir-matir-mama || (gItA 18.78)

Where kRshNa, the Lord of the yoga-s is, and where pArtha, the bow-armed
arjuna is, there is prosperity, there is victory, there is wealth, and there is
firm justice - this is my conclusion".

SrI BhaTTar quotes from the Ayurveda caraka samhitA, where again the
invincibility of bhagavAn is conveyed:

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yathA'ham nAbhijAnAmi vAsudeve parAjayam |

mAtuSca pANigrahaNam samudrasya ca SoshaNam |

etena satya-vAkyena sicyatAm agado hyayam ||

"On the veracity of the following statements, may this medicine be pounded
and be effective: "There is no defeat for vAsudeva"; "I have not witnessed
the marriage of my mother"; "the ocean will never become completely dry".
(These are all absolute true statements)".

In vaitaraNa, the following is used to invoke the efficacy of the poison-

removing mantra:

ratnAkara iva akshobhyo himavAniva ca acalah |

jAtavedA iva adhRshyo nArAyaNa iva ajayah ||

"Let this poison-removing mantra be effective just as the ocean is

imperturbable, himAvan is unshakable, fire is unapproachable, and nArAyaNa is
unconquerable".

SrI BhaTTar also gives references to SrImad rAmAyaNam and

mahAbhAratam: a-jayyah SASvato dhruvah (yuddha. 114.15); a-jitah khaDga-

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 dhRk (yuddha. 120.14); yatah kRshNah tato jayah (bhA. udyoga. 6.79); etc. -
"He is Inivincible, eternal and steady"; "He is unconquered, and is the Wielder
of the Sword", "Where kRshNa is, there victory is certain".

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives references to divya prabandham in support of SrI

BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam: "paRpanAbhan uyarvuRa uyarum perum
tiRalOn" (tiruVai. 2.7.11); anRu aivarai velvitta mAyap pOrt tErp pAganAr
(tiruvAi. 4.6.1).

b) SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is a-parAjitah since

internally, desire and the rest cannot conquer Him, and externally, demons and
others cannot conquer Him.

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha also derives the interpretation for the nAma
starting from the word para meaning Supreme - para eva kaScin-nAsti "na
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dvitIyo na tRtIyah" iti atharva vacanAt, tasmAt parAjitvasya a-sambhavAt

bhagavatah aparAjita iti nAmnA samkIrtanam upapadyate - Since there is no
one who is para (Supreme) except Him, there is no possibility of His being
vanquished by anyone else, and so He is called a-parAjitah.

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 Slokam 77
ivñmUitRmRhamUitR> dIÝmUitRrmUitRman!,

AnekmUitRrVy´> ztmUitR> ztann>. 77.

visvamUrtir mahAmUrtih dIptamUrtiramUrtimAn |
anekamUrti ravyaktah satamUrtih satAnanah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

viSva--mUrtih
nAma 722. ivñmUitR> viSva

a) He Who has the Universe as His body.

b) He Who has a beautiful Form that finds entry into the mind, eyes, etc., of
His devotees.

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c) He Who has mAyA Sakti in the form of the Universe.

d) He Who has a Form that can induce mAyA in everything.

viSva-mUrtaye namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as indicating that bhagavAn has the whole
Universe as His body. He is the Inner Soul who resides in the hearts of all
beings - "ahm AtmA guDAkeSa! Sarva-bhUtAtaya-sthitah" (gItA 10.19). SrI
BhaTTar points out that the reason why the strong ones always do not always
win in conflicts with the weak is because bhagavAn is sitting in the hearts of
the weak also, ensuring that dharma is preserved at all times and under all
conditions.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan observes that this is why the kauravas, with a might army
and with the support of the likes of bhIshma and droNa, could not defeat the
pANDava-s. nammAzhvAr sings this "viSva mUrti" form of bhagavAn in
tiruvAimozhi 6.9.7:

ulagil tiriyum karuma gadiyAi ulagamAi

ulagukkE Or uyirumAnAi...

"You are the karma-s; You are the worlds in which they are performed; You are

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 the Soul of all beings;." .

SrI Samkara vyAkhyAnam is "viSvam mUrtih asya sarvAtmakatvAt iti viSva-

mUrtih" - He Who has the whole universe as His body or form, since He is soul
of all.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri identifies viSva mUrti with "viSva rUpam" that
bhagavAn revealed in duryodhana's palace and other instances. He also gives
references to the Sruti - "viSvAtmAnam parAyaNam" ( tait. AraN. 10.13),
"Urdhvaretam virUpAksham viSvarUpAya vai namo namah" (tiat. AraN. 10.14).

The dharma cakram writer comments that in order to appreciate the

significance of this viSva rUpam of bhagavAn, first one should develop the
mental maturity required for that. In the case of arjuna, he asked Lord
kRshNa to show him the viSva rUpam, but when bhagavAn showed the viSva
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rUpam to him, he was completely bewildered and confused. This nAma signifies
to us the need for developing our mind so that we can comprehend the viSva
rUpam aspect of bhagavAn.

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning of the root viS - to enter,
and gives the interpretation - viSati mano nayanAni satAm iti viSvA; tADRSI
kamanIyA mUrtih yasya iti viSva-mUrtih - He Who has such an attractive
Form that It finds entry into the minds, eyes, etc., of the good people.

c) d) In addition to the meaning "rUpam" or "Form" for the word mUrtih, SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha gives the additional meaning "mAyArUpA mohikA Saktih"
for "mUrti" from the root murcchA - moha samuchrAyayoh - to faint, to
become senseless, to grow, to prevail, to be a match for. Thus he gives the
following interpretations to the nAma viSva-mUrtih - "viSvameva mUrtih
AkAro yasya sah viSva-mUrtih", viSvameva mAyA = vimohikA Sakti yasya sa
viSva mUrtih"; "vISvasya mohikA Saktih yasya sa viSva-mUrtih", which can be
approximately translated as: "He Who has the Form of the Universe", "He
Who is the mAyA Sakti in the form of the Universe", or "He Who can bind the
Universe with mAyA".

Even though every single thing in this universe is but a clear and vivid

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expression of bhagavAn's Sakti, most of us do not recognize any of that, and
we look at our own form and conclude and feel proud that we are in sole control
of that. All this is the result of bhagavAn's mAyA or leelA.

The common dictionaries do not give this later meaning for the term
"mUrti" (namely, mAyArUpA mohikA Saktih), but Prof. A. A. Ramanathan has
included this interpretation in his collection of amara koSa vyAkhyAna-s -
mUrchyata iti mUrtih.

e) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN links his interpretation for the nAma "viSva
mUrtih" to the previous nAma a-parAjitah. His anubhavam is that bhagavAn is
a-parAjitah or Unconquerable because He resides in and controls all the bodies
of all the deva-s, gandharva-s, mAnava-s etc. - deva gandharva mAnavAdi sarva
SarIrah.

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mahA--mUrtih
nAma 723. mhamUitR> mahA

a) He of Immense form.

b) He Who is immensely worthy of worship.

mahA-mUrtaye namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar explains that His body is immense because it is the resort for
everything in the entire Universe. He gives reference from the gItAas
support:

ihaikastham jagat kRtsnam paSyAdya sa-carAcaram |

mama dehe guDAkeSa! yacchAnyat drashTum icchati ||

(gItA 11.7)

"guDAkeSa! See now the whole Universe with all the things moving and non-
moving, in one corner of My body, and you may also see (in My body) anything
else you wish to see (because everything is part of My body)".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to gItA 11.13, which describes arjuna's

seeing the whole Universe in His body:

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 tatraikastham jagat-kRtsnam pravibhakta-manekadhA |

apaSyat deva-devasya SarIre pANDAvas-tathA ||

(gItA 11.13)

"There (in that form) arjuna beheld the whole Universe, with its manifold
divisions gathered together in one single spot within the body of (Lord
kRshNa) the God of gods".

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruma'ngai AzhvAr's peria

tirumozhi,where AzhvAr describes perumAL's mahA mUrti form - aLattarkku
ariyAi - beyond measure. If this whole Universe is but a tiny part of His body,
one can only try to imagine His true mahA mUrti form.

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhArdvAj interprets the word mahA as "pUjanIya",or

worthy worship, instead of "big" in size. His interpretationis - mahatI
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pUjanIyA mUrtih AkRtih yasya iti mahA-mUrtih.

The dharma cakram writer comments that the mahA mUrti form of bhagavAn
illustrates a few points: It illustrates unity in diversity. Even though each
embodied soul has its body, all are ultimately dependent on Him, and are part
of His body. BhagavAn's body includes sRshTi (creation), sthiti (existence),
as well as samhAram (destruction). In order for one life to live, another life is
destroyed. In order to realize Him, sAdhanA is required, and for this a body is
required. All these functions are happening in Him because these are essential
for the jIva-s to ultimately evolve towards Him and realize Him. The
embodied souls do not realize Him because of the screen they have created
between Him and them through their karma-s. When they refine their minds
through several births and divert their minds towards Him, He will bless them
with His anugraham, and they will see His mahA mUrti form and beyond.

dIpta--mUrtih
nAma 724. dIÝmUitR> dIpta

He with a shining form.

dIpta-mUrtaye namah.

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dIptA a-prAkRta tejomayI mUrtih AkArah yasya iti dIpta-mUrtih - He Who
has a form which shines exceptionally. SrI BhaTTar observes that anything in
this Universe which shines is only because it gets its shine from Him. He
quotes the gItA Slokam 10.41 in support:

yad-yad vibhUtimat sattvam SrImad-Urjitameva ca |

tat tadevAvagaccha tvam mama tejo'mSa sambhavam ||

"Whatever being is possessed of power, or of splendor, or of energy, knowthat

as coming from a fragment of My power".

Sri rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives reference to kaThopanishad - tameva bhAntam

anubhAtisarvam (2.2.15) - While shining by Itself, It also illuminates
everything else.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives references to divya prabandham in support: nandAda

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kozhum SuDarE! e'ngaL nambI (peria tirumozhi 1.10.9); oLi maNi vaNNan
(tiruvAimozhi3.4.7) - describing His dIpta mUrti character or guNa.

SrI Samkara's vyAkhyAnam is that He is called dIpta-mUrtih because He is

the incarnation of Wisdom (dIptA j~nAna mayI mUrtih yasya iti dIpta-
mUrtih), or because He assumes the radiant form at His own will (svecchayA
gRhItA tejasImUrtih asya iti vA dIpta-mUrtih). SrI cinmayAnanda gives
reference to gItA11.12, where sa'njaya describes the splendor of Lord kRshNa
to dhRtarAshTra -divi sUrya-sahasrasya bhavedyugapadutthitA - If a
thousand Suns were to blaze simultaneously in the sky, the splendor of this is
only a fraction of the splendor of that Mighty Being.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the term dIpta not only in the sense of
resplendence, but also in the sense of "explicit", and not hidden. Thus he
comments that unlike the humans who sometimes tend to hide what they do
from others, bhagavAn does not have a need to hide anything from anyone. He
gives the example of a woman who is to deliver a baby, the signs of which are
explicit right up to the time of the baby's delivery.

The dharma cakram writer distinguishes between two types enlightenment:

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 the enlightenment of the objects externally through the sunlight, and the
enlightenment of the mind through knowledge. BhagavAn enlightens everything
externally in the form of the Sun, and He enlightens us internally through our
minds. The bad acts in the external world invariably take place when the Sun
is out, and when it is dark. It is the external light of the Sun that keeps crime
away. Similarly, the internal light is needed for keeping the mind clean, and
keeping negative thoughts away. The gAyatrI mantra is one way that bhagavAn
has provided for inducing and enlightening the mind. The significance of this
nAma is to realize that bhagavAn controls everything in this world both
externally and internally by being the antaryAmi of everything, and cultivating
our mind to seek Him who enlightens our minds.

nAma 725. AmUitRman! a-mUrtimAn

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a) He Who has even the subtle and formless things as His possessions.

b) He Who Forms that are not the result of karma.

c) He Who has a disposition that is not hard, inflexible, etc.

d) He Who has Forms that are indescribable, and not fixed.

e) He Who takes whatever Forms He pleases as His incarnations, and thus One
Who has no fixed forms.
a-mUrti-mate namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as "He Who owns even the forms which
are a-mUrti's", such as earth, fire, water, wind, etc. He gives several
references in support:

bhUmir-Apo'nalo vAyuh kham mano buddhireva ca |

ahamkAra itIyam me bhinnA prakRtir-ashTadhA ||

(gItA 7.4)

"Earth, water, fire, air, ether, manas, buddhi, and ego-sense - thus My PrakRti
is divided eightfold".

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yasya avyaktam SarIram - He Whose body the Unmanifested prakRti is-
subAlopanishad 7.

yasya AtmA SarIram - He Whose body the individual soul is - Satapata brAh.
14.6.30).

The pANini sutra 5.2.94 says that the affix matup comes after a word in first
case in the sense of "whose it is" - tat asya asti asmin iti matup. Thus, SrI
BhaTTar points out that the interpretation should be "One Who has as His
possession the a-mUrti objects", and not as "He Who does not have a specific
murti or form". The latter interpretation will take away the significance and
purpose of the specific use of the matup affix in this case. Thus, according to
SrI BhaTTar, the nAma a-mUrtimAn should not be taken to signify the
negation of a form for BhagavAn. In addition to the matup violation, such an

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interpretation will be contrary to the earlier and later nAma-s, such as viSva
mUrtih, mahA mUrtih, dIpta mUrtih, aneka mUrtih, etc.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives references to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi, where

AzhvAr refers to emperumAn as aru - meaning One He is formless, as well as
of such complex forms that He cannot be understood:

1. puRa aNDattu alagil polinda tiSai pattAua aruvEyO (tiruvAi. 6.9.7) - You
are the (Formless) soul of the countless mukta jIva-s that are in all the
directions of SrIvaikhunTham

2. tollai nan nUlil Sonna uruvum aruvum nee (tiruvAi. 7.8.10) - You are the
Only One with a beautiful, enjoyable Form, and you are the also the One
who is the abstract, invisible, soul of all things in the world!

3. OnRalA uruvAi aruvAya nin mAya'ngaL (tiruvAi. 5.10.6)- (I wonder) at

Your wonders - You who has innumerable Forms, as well as One who is
the (Formless) soul of all beings.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives support from the Upanishads expressing that
bhagavAn has as His Form the unmanifested objects as well as the manifested
ones: divyo hyamUrtah (muNDako. 2.2); dve vA va brahmaNo rUpe mUrtam ca
a-mUrtam ca (bRhadA. 3.1).

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 b) SrI Samkara interprets the nAma as signifying that He has no form brought
on by karma - karma nibandhanA mUrtih asya na vidyata iti a-mUrtimAn.

c) As an extension of the meaning "that which has a form, shape, etc.", the
term mUrti also stands for "One who is hard, stubborn, etc. - mUrtih
kAThinyam" - amara koSa. SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses this meaning for
the word mUrti, and gives the interpretation that because bhagavAn has a
disposition that is not hard, inflexible etc., (krUra, kaThora), He has the nAma
a-mUrtimAn.

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that because bhagavAn

has forms which are indescribable, He is not of a fixed form and therefore,
He is called a-mUrtimAn.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives a similar explanation - The limited alone has a form,
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but He being Unlimited, like "Space", has no limited form.

e) The dharma cakram writer comments that bhagavAn takes the forms that
He desires when He takes His incarnations, but He is not constrained in any
way by that form. This is like the lotus leaf that remains in water but is not
wetted by the water, or the fish that lives in mud but is not soiled by the mud.
He takes His forms just for the protection of the good and the destruction of
the bad.

aneka--mUrtih
nAma 726. AnekmUitR> aneka

He of many forms.
aneka-mUrtayenamah.
SrI kRshNa dattabhAradvAj gives the derviation – anekA bahavo mUrtayah
AkArAh svecchA parigRhItA yasya iti aneka-mUrtih – He Who can assume
many different forms as He desires at will is aneka-mUrtih.

SrI BhaTTar gives the example of Lord kRshNa assuming 16,100 forms in
order to bealways in the company of His 16,100 Queens. He gives the following
reference from vishNu purANam in support:

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shoDaSa strI sahasrANi Satamekam tato’dhikam |

tAvanti cakre rUpANi bhagavAn devakI-sutah ||

(vish purA. 5.31.18)

“In order to be always in the company of His 16,100 Queens, Lord SrI kRshNa,
the Son of devaki, took as many forms”.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr’s tiruvAimozhi:

“pErumpala palavE, pala palavE Sodi vaDivu” (2.5.6) – He has manifold variety in
all aspects, such as in names, some relating to valor, some related to qualities;
manifold forms of divine effulgence, etc.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the support from Sruti – “ekam sad viprA
bahudhA vadantyagnim yamam mAtariSvAnam Ahuh (Rg.1.164.46).

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SrI Samkara interprets the nAma as a reference to bhagavAn taking different
incarnations for the protection of the world.

nAma 727. AVy´> a-vyaktah

He Who is not manifest; He Who cannot be easily realized.

a-vyaktAya namah.
vyaktam means "manifest". vyaktam is anything that can be perceived through
the sense-organs. Since bhagavAn is beyond the sense organs, He is a-vyaktah.

SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is called a-vyaktah

because in His human incarnations such as the kRshNa incarnation, His true
nature is not manifest to everyone. SrI BhaTTar gives the support for his
interpretation from the gItA:

nAham prkASah sarvasya yoga mAyA samAvRtah |

mUDho'yam nAbhijAnAti loko mAm ajam avyayam ||

(gItA7.25)

"Veiled by My mAyA, I am not manifest to all. The deluded world does not
recognize Me as the unborn and immutable."

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 nAham vedair na tapasA na dAnena na ca ijyayA |

Sakya evam vidho dRashTum dRshTavAnasi mAm yathA ||

(gItA 11.53)

"Not by the veda-s, nor by austerities, nor by gifts, nor by sacrifice, can I be
seen in such a form as you have see Me" (kRshNa-s words to arjuna).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives references to the Sruti in support of His a-

vyaktaguNa: na sandRSe tishThati rUpamasya na cakshushA paSyati
kaScanainam (SvetA. 4.20) - His form does not exist within the range of
vision; no one sees this One with the eye.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha quotes support from the atharva veda and from
SvetAsvatara upanishad:
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anti santi na paSyati anti santam na jahAti |

devasya paSya kAvyam na mamAra na jIryati ||

(atharva.10.8.32)

which conveys the idea that even thou bhagavAn is close by and never far
away, He is not seen, and He neither ages nor decays - such is His wonder.

eko devah sarva bhUteshu gUDhah (Sve. 6.11) - He is One Deity, but He
remains hidden in all beings.

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives support from the prabandham: "yavarkkumcindaikkum

gocaram allan" (tiruvAi. 1.9.6) - He is beyond the grasp of anyone through mere
logical analysis; "yArurmOr nilaimaiyan ena aRivaRiyaemperumAn" (tiruvAi.
1.3.4) - (Except for His devotees) His true Nature is beyond comprehension.
Even when He reveals Himself at times momentarily, He immediately withdraws
that memory from them, and becomes a-vyaktan again. He revealed His viSva
rUpam to arjuna, but after this incident passed, arjuna treated kaNNan as His
charioteer only. He revealed Himself to yaSodA, and following this incident,
she continued to tie Him up and beat Him for His mischief anyway.

SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that even though he has various forms in

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His incarnations, He is called a-vyaktah because He cannot be defined
precisely in His true state in terms such as "He is of this nature, He is like this
etc." - yadyapi aneka mUrtitvam asya (previous nAma), tathApi ayam IdRSaeva
iti na vyajyata iti a-vyaktah.

Sata--mUrtih
nAma 728. ztmUitR> Sata

He with a hundred forms.

Sata-mUrtaye namah.
The nAma Sata-mUrtih is very similar to the nAma aneka-mUrtih (nAma 726).
The term "hundred" in the current nAma is just a figurative expression, and
means "many". The Sata Sabdam, the sahasra Sabdam, etc., are indicative of
"many". In this sense, the words "Sata-mUrtih, sahsra-mUrtih, aneka-mUrtih,

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bahu-mUrtih, etc. all signify the same concept. SrI BhaTTar seems to
distinguish between the two nAma-s by interpreting "aneka-mUrtih" as
representing different forms that He took as different incarnations at
different times, and interpreting "Sata-mUrtih" as referring to His
simultaneous display of different forms to the seer in His one form at a given
instant in time. (It should be noted that this distinction is not the result of
anything specific to the words involved in the two nAma-s, but is the result of
the bliss of different anubhavams by the vyAkhyAna kartA for the two nAma-
s, and a great example of how the great interpreters avoid punarukti or
redundancy in the interpretation of the thousand nAma-s). After assuming a
cosmic form for the sake of arujuna, Lord kRshNa tells arjuna - paSya me
pArtha! RUpANi SataSo'thasahasraSah (gItA 11.4) - "O arjuna! Look at My
bodies which are in hundreds and thousands".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives a different anubhavam of His one form

showing itself as different forms - Whereas SrI BhaTTar's example was of
arjuna seeing different forms in bhagavAn's ViSva rUpam, SrI SAstri gives
the example where different people see bhagavAn's one form differently at
the same time, as He enters the stage that kamsa had set for trapping
kRshNa, illustrating His guNa of being Sata-mUrtih:

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 mallAnAm aSanih nRNAm nara-varah strINAm smaro mUrtimAn

gopAnAm svajanah asatAm kshitibhujAm SastA sva-pitro SiSuh |

mRtyuh bhoha-pateh virAt avidushAm tattvam-param yoginAm

vRshNInAm paradevatA iti viditah ..

(bhAga. 10.43.17)

"As kRshNa enters the stage set by kamsa with His brother balarAma, the
boxers saw in Him a thunder arriving, the men folk saw Him as the best of
men, the womenfolk saw in Him manmatha arriving, the gopa-s saw their friend
arriving, the kings affiliated with kamsa saw Him as the enemy arriving to met
out punishment to them, devaki and vasudeva saw their child arriving, kamsa
felt that death was approaching him in kRshNa's form, the ignorant saw a king
coming, the yogi-s realized that the para tattvam was in front of them, and the
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yAdava-s felt that some divine force has arrived to redeem their prestige".

SrI SAstri also gives the analogy of the kalpaka vRksham - the tree that can
give anything that anyone wishes while standing under that tree. For example,
all the different fruits and flowers that normally appear indifferent seasons
will all be found at the same time in the kalpaka vRksham, and whoever wishes
whichever species of fruits or flowers will just see what he/she wishes in the
tree at any given time. BhagavAn is exactly that - He will appear in whatever
form anyone wishes to see Him - Sata-mUrtih.

SrI Samkara distinguishes between the nAma-s aneka-mUrtih and Sata-

mUrtih as follows: He interprets aneka-mUrtih in terms of His different
incarnations, and for Sata-mUrtih, he explains that even though vishNu is of
the form of pure consciousness, He projects Himself as of many different
forms by His own thoughts - nAnAvikalpajA mUrtayah samvida-kRteh santi iti
Sata-mUrtih.

nAma 729. ztann> SatAnanah

a) He Who is many-faced.

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b) He Who has provided many different means (such as nose, mouth, etc.) for
life to be sustained.

c) He Who has created various life-forms and provided easy means for their
survival.

d) He Who is viewed in different "faces" (in different ways) by different

faiths.
SatAnanAya namah.
SrI satyadevo VasishTha gives the derivation of Ananam from the root ana -
prANane - to breathe. According to pANini sUtra 3.3.117 - karaNa
adhikaraNayoSca - the affixlyuT (ana) comes after a root, when the relation
of the word to be formed to the verb is that of an instrument or location.
The definition that SrI vAsishTha gives is A = samantAt anyate = prANyate

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anena iti Anananm = mukham - The part of the body which contains the means
for breathing, namely the face. The word Sata has the same meaning as in
the previous nAma, namely, many, uncountable, etc. Thus the explanation for
the nAma is: SatamAnanAni yasya sa SatAnanah =anantAnanah - He Who has
innumerable faces.

SrI BhaTTar gives the support from gItA 11.10:

aneka vaktra nayanam anekAbhuta darSanam |

aneka divyAbharaNam divyAnekodyatAyudham ||

(gItA 11.10)

"With innumerable mouths and eyes, many marvelous aspects, many divine
ornaments, and many divine weapons" - This is how sa'njaya starts the
description of the viSva rUpam that bhagavAn shows to arjuna.

SrI cinmayAnanda refers us to Lord kRshNa's words in gItA Slokam 13.13,

which conveys the same concept when He describes Brahman:

sarvatah pANi-pAdam tatsarvo'kshi-Siro-mukham |

sarvath Srutiman-loke sarvam-AvRtya tishThati || (gItA 13.13)

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 "Everywhere are Its hands and feet; Its eyes, heads, and mouths are
everywhere; Its ears are on all sides; and It exists encompassing all things."

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives support from tiruvAimozhi:

tOLgaL AyirattAi! muDigaL AyirattAi! tuNai malark kaNgaL AyirattAi!

tALgaL AyirattAi! pErgaL AyirattAi! tamiayanEn peria appanE!

(tiruvAi.8.1.10)

where nammAzhvAr refers to Him as "Oh Lord with a thousand shoulders,

faces, eyes, feet, names", etc.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives reference to the SvetASvtara Upanishad

wherein Brahman is described as "sarvAnana SirogrIvah sarva bhUta
guhASayah" - (3.11) - "He Who has many faces, heads and necks, and resides
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in the hearts of all the beings".

b) SrI satyadevo vAsishThagives a second interpretation, in which he takes

Ananam to mean "the means for sustaining life", and gives the meaning to the
nAma as "He Who has provided innumerable ways (such as nose, mouth, face,
etc.), through which life is sustained for the different creatures" - jIvana
upAyAnAm ca bAhuvidyam, tathA cayadyad jIvane Silpa vaiSishTyam tattat
tasyaiva bhagavata ityAkhyAtum SatAnananAmnA bhagavAn vishNuh stUyate.

c) Yet another interpretation provided by SrI vAsishTha is based on the

pANinisUtra 3.1.26 - hetumati ca - which states that the affix Nic is employed
after a root when the operation of a causer is to be expressed. Thus, he
interprets the term "Ananah" as "Anayati iti Ananah" - "One Who causes, or
makes it possible to live". Ananam is here interpreted as referring to
bhagavAn's action in creating the different life-forms which have different
ways of sustaining life. Ananah is thus given the meaning "jIvan dAtA - the
life-giver". The meaning given here is thus "He Who has created various life-
forms" - catur-vidha SrshTi udvhAvinah anantAn jIvAn tat-tat jIvanaih
upakaraNaih Anayati = jIvayatiiti SatAnanah.

d) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains the nAma in terms of bhagavAn being

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seen in different "faces" by the different faiths such as the jaina matam, the
bauddha matam,etc., and also viewed differently by nyAya, mImAmsA, etc.,
the dvaiti-s, adviati-s, etc.

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 Slokam 78
@kae nEk> sv> k> ik< yÄTpdmnuÄmm!,

laekbNxulaReknawae maxvae É´vTsl>. 78.

ekO naikah savah kah kim yattat padamanuttamam |
lOkabandhur lOkanAthO mAdhavO bhaktavatsalah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 730. @k> ekah

One Who is Unique and matchless in all respects.

ekAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar gives his interpretation of the nAma ekah based on the root iN -
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gatau - to go, with the addition of the affix kat per uNAdi sUtra 326 - iNa
bhIkA. kan, with the meanings "one, chief, alone" for the word ekah.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha explains ekah as "eti - gacchati sarvatra iti ekah" -
He Who is present everywhere.

When we have more than one of anything with similar attributes, we refer to
them as "two brAhmaNa-s, five kshatriya-s", etc.; however, in the case of
bhagavAn, there is no one else to compare to Him,and so He is ekah. SrI
BhaTTar's actual words are - ukte mahimni sajAtIyasamkhyeya asambhavAt
advaitam gacchati iti ekah - With reference to His Supreme greatness, there
is no one who can be compared with Him, and so He is called ekah.

SrI BhaTTar gives the Sruti vAkhyam "eka id-rAjA jagato babhUva" (tait.yaju.
4.1.8) - "He was the only King of the whole world" in support.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the following references:

 dyAvA bhUmI janayan deva ekah - Rg. 10.81.3 - "He, the Sole God, producing
earth and heaven ,.";

 yadi no bhagavAn prIta ekah sarva-guNASrayah - bhAga. 9.5.11 - "If it is

true that bhagavAn, who is the antaryAmi of all the beings and the abode

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 of all kalyANa guNa-s, is pleased with us, then let this braAhmin be
relieved of his suffering".

nammAzhvAr refers to Him as "oruvan" (One without a second) in many places.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives the following references:

arakkarai uruk keDa vALi pozhinda oruvanE

(tiruvAi. 8.6.2)

kaNgaL Sivandu periyavAi, vAyum Sivandu kanindu,..,

oN Sa'ngu gadai vAL AzhiyAn oruvan aDiyEn uLLAnE

(tiruvAi. 8.8.1)

ilanadu uDaiyan idu ena ninaivu ariyavan .an-nalanuDaiya oruvanai

(tiruvAi.1.1.3)

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j~nAlam uNDu umizhnda endai eka-mUrtikkE

(tiruvAi. 1.1.3)

b) SrI Samkara gives the interpretation - "paramArthatah sajAtIyavijAtIya

sva-gata bheda vinirmuktatvAt ekah " - The One, being devoid of any
distinction such as sajAtIya, vijAtIya, and svagata". The concepts of sajAtIya,
vijAtIya, and the svagata bheda are explained under nAma 706 in Slokam 75.
BhagavAn is unique in not discriminating between the different members of
the same species, members of different species, etc., and so He is ekah
(Unique). SrI Samkara gives the support from chAndogya upanishad - ekameva
a-dvitIyam (6.2) - He is One without a second.

c) SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN links this nAma to the nAma-s of the previous
Slokam, and comments that even though He has many forms, many faces, etc.,
(Sata-Murtih, SatAnanah), He is still One and Only One, and so He is referred
to as ekah in this nAma.

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the analogy of the one father for the many
children; BhagavAn vishNu is the One Father who creates everything in this
Universe, and so He is called ekah. In the sahasra nAmAvaLi, the mantra is

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 "ekAya namah" according to the followers of viSishTAdvaitam and dvaitam, and
"ekasmai namah" according to the adviata sampradAyam. Similar difference
exists in many nAma-s: viSvAya namah vs. viSvasmai namah (First nAma of SrI
vishNu sahasra nAmam); naikAya namah vs. naikasmai namah for nAma 731, etc.
The difference seems to arise as a result of the fundamental difference in the
philosophies of thevyAkhyAna kartA-s.

When a word is a pronoun or a sarvanAma, (and the words viSvam, ekah etc.
are sarvanAma-s when they have their traditional meanings), then it is declined
similar to the word sarva, and the dative singular is "sarvasmai, viSvasmai,
ekasmai etc." (pANini sUtra 1.1.27). However, when this same words is not
treated as a pronoun, and instead refers to something special, like the specific
name of a person (e.g., ekah as a person's actual name), then the word is
declined like an ordinary noun such as narah, and not as a pronoun. Then the
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dative singular is declined as sarvAya, viSvAya, ekAya, etc.

The example given in explanation of this sUtra by SrISa Candra Vasu in his
"AshTAdhyAyI of pANini" is that of the word "sarva" meaning "everything" (a
pronoun) vs. sarva being the name of a person (an ordinary noun). The former is
declined as a pronoun, and the latter is declined as an ordinary noun like narah.

The followers of the advaita sampradAyam seem to consider the different

sarvanAma-s that occur in SrI vishNu sahasra nAma as pronouns representing
Brahman, whereas the followers of the viSishTAdvaita sampradAyam seem to
treat each of the nAma-s as a distinct personification of bhagavAn in His
different Forms. Thus each sarvanAma word that occurs as a nAma in sahasra
nAmam is treated as a special nAma of bhagavAn with its own special meaning,
each a proper noun in its own right, and not treated as a pronoun standing for
Brahman. This seems to explain the difference in the nAmAvaLi, based on
grammar as well as the difference in the different philosophies.

nAma 731. nEk> naikah

He Who is not One only.

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naikAya namah
(naikasmai namah in Samkara pATham - see nAma 730).

a) SrI BhaTTar explains how He is One (the previous nAma), and also "Not one
only" (the current nAma). He is One in the sense of being unique in having
everything in all the Universe as His possession; but He is not one only, since
there are all these other things which are His glorious vibhUtis or extensions
which are of a nature different from His. He is the antaryAmi of all that
exist. SrI BhaTTar's words are - vibhUtitayA vijAtIyena sarveNa
dvitIyavAneva itinaikah - Since He has as His glorious possessions all that are
of a nature different from His, He is not One only. He quotes from the gItA in
support - "nAnto'sti mama divyAnAm vibhUtInAmparamtapa" (11.40) - "O
arjuna, There is no end to the divine glories of Mine (What I have stated in

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detail is only a small part of My glories)".

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives support from nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi:

…tIyAi nIrAi nilanAi viSumbAik kAlAi

tAyAit tandaiyAi makkaLAi maRRumAi muRRumAi

nIyAy nI ninRavARu ivai enna niyAya'ngaLE?

(tiruvAi. 7.8.1)

"You are the Fire, Water, Earth, Ether, and Air.

To us You are the mother, father, children, other relatives all rolled into one.

You are more; You are the whole Universe. Yet I enjoy You in Your own
beautiful Form.

Now pray tell me the secret of all this. I don't understand this high-level
abstract mysticism".

nIrAi nilanAi tIyAi kAlAi neDu vAnAi

SirAr SuDargaL iraNDAi SivanAi ayan AnAi …

(tiruvAi. 6.9.1)

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 "You are Water, Earth, Fire, Air, and Ether, the Sun and the Moon., Siva and
Brahma.

(You are antaryAmi of all of them; You became all of them; You entered into
them all)."

Since He is AtmA of all the AtmA-s, He has all of these as His body. Thus He
is not only One, but He is also Many.

SrI Samkara explains the nAma naikah - He Who is not one only, by attributing
His many forms to His mAyA - mAyayA bahu-rUpatvAt naikah. In the
nAmAvaLi, the advaita pATham is "naikasmai namah".

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives a different interpretation - naikah -

dvitAm vindamAnah; mAta-pitR-bhAvanayA SrI-lakshmI-nArAyaNa
rUpeNavirAjamAnah | - He is not One but should be recognized as two - in the
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form of our Father and Mother, in His Form as SrI lakshmI-nArAyaNa.

SrI cinmayAnanda observes that His being One (ekah) is to be realized at the
"knowledge" level, but His being Many is realized at the "Being" level. He is in
everything that exists, and without Him, nothing exists; so He is Many.
However it is He and He alone who is in everything making everything function,
and so He is One.

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha's explanation is that He is called naikah because

there is no identity in anything that is created by Him, and everything is
different - na eko yasmAt iti naikah. (na tasya pratimA asti - yajur. 32.3.). SrI
vAsishTha refers to this as the naikattva dharma of bhagavAn.

nAma 732. s> sah

a) He Who spreads knowledge.

b) He Who is the final authority on all knowledge.

c) He Who destroys all obstacles to His devotees.

d) He Who is easily accessible, to the point of being pointed out as "He" by the
youngsters of AyarpADi.

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e) He Who is of the form the soma sacrifice (when the nAma is taken as savah)

f) He Who is the final Knowledge, and Who dwells everywhere (savah)

sAya namah.
The root from which the word sah is derived in the interpretation of this
nAma is so - antakarmaNi- to destroy, to bring to an end.

a) SrI BhaTTar gives the vyAkhyAnam - sva-vishaya j~nAnam syati iti sah- He
Who spreads knowledge about Him is sah. The explanation of this
interpretation starting from the root so -antakarmaNi, is given under item ii)
under "savah" below (syati = antayati= niScayati sva-vishaya j~nAnam). SrI
BhaTTar gives the example of Lord kRshNa spreading knowledge about Him
right from His childhood to everyone.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives the support from embAr's interpretation for

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periAzhvAr's "ap pUcci kATTuginRAn" pASurams - the reference here is that
even as a child, kRshNa reveals His tiru Azhi and tiruc ca`ngu to even the
children of AyarpADi and reveals His greatness to them. nammAzhvAr
declares that he has realized the whole truth about emperumAn because he
has been bestowed with "mayarvaRa madi nalam" by perumAL - avanE avanum
avanum avanum avanE maRRellAmum aRindanamE (tiruvAi. 9.3.2, and the
associated vyAkhyAnam by SrI V. N. VedAnta deSikan).

b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has this
nAma because He ultimately determines (brings to a conclusion, ends the
discussion on) how everything in this Universe functions etc. (see the
additional explanation under ii) for the nAma interpreted as "savah"below.

c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation - syati vinASayatisva-

jana vipada iti sah - He is called sah because He destroys the obstacles of His
devotees.

d) SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya svAmi seems to give his interpretation using the

direct meaning of the word sah - He. His actual words are: "appaDip paTTavar
enRu koNDADat takkavar" - He Who is worthy of being praised as such and
such", where I assume that the reference "appaDip paTTavar" refers to His

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 previous nAma-s such as ekah, naikah, etc.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives a similar interpretation, and notes that He has
the nAma sah because He was such ( a saulabhyan) that the other young and
innocent gopa-s in AyarpADi could point to Him and say "He" is kRshNa.

savah:

i) While SrI BhaTTar treats sah (the current nAma) and vah (the next nAma)
as two separate nAma-s, SrI Samkara treats the two words as forming one
nAma - savah (savAya namah). savah is defined in the amarakoSa vyAkhyAna as
"sUyate abhishUyatesomah atra iti savah" - that event in which the soma juice
is offered is called savah, namely the soma sacrifice. SrI Samkara's
explanation is that He is the soma sacrifice Himself, and so has this nAma.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that the term savah refers to the somayAga
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because the juice extracted from the stems of the soma plant (soma latA) is
used in this sacrifice. He adds that the inner meaning is that bhagavAn is the
essence or the final extract of everything that exists.

ii) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the above interpretation, and also gives an
alternate interpretation: savah - yo hi syati = antayati - niScAyayati sva-
vishayam j~nAnam, vasati casarvatra, iti savah - He Who gives the final
knowledge about Him to His devotees, and also dwells everywhere, is savah.

nAma 733. v> vah

The Dweller.
vAya namah.
The nAma vah is derived from the root vas - nivAse - vasati iti vah- He Who
dwells as the antaryAmi of everything. The pANini sUtra anyeshvapi dRSyate
(3.2.101) is applied in the derivation of this word from its root , similar to jah
standing for "one who was born" (e.g., najAyate = a-jah, dvir-jAtah = dvi-jah,
etc.).

SrI BhaTTar gives support from SrI vishNu purANam for his interpretation:

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vasanti tatra bhUtAni bhUtatmanyakhilAtmani |

sa ca bhUteshvaSeshesu vakArArthas-tato mune || (6.5.76)

"All beings dwell in Him Who is Himself all beings and the Inner Soul of all.

He also dwells in all of them without exception.

Therefore, O sage, He is signified by the letter 'va'."

(The above Slokam in SrI vishNu purANam occurs in the context where all the
letters of the word "bhagava" is explained).

nammAzhvAr refers to His being everywhere always, in his tiruvAimozhi

pASuram 2.8.9, in the context of the description of prahlAda caritram (ref:
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan): e'ngum uLan kaNNan enRa maganaik kAyndu, I'ngu illaiyAl
enRu iraNiyan tUNpuDaippa..

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SrI v.v. rAmAnujan also gives reference to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi
pASuram1.1.10:

paranda taN paravaiyuL nIr torum paranduLan

paranda aNDam idu ena nila viSumbu ozhivaRak

karan Sil iDam toRum iDam tigazh poruL toRum

karandu e'ngum paranduLan ivai uNDa karanE

(tiruvAi.1.1.10)

"He is present in every atom in the cool waters that are widely distributed
everywhere;

He permeates everything everywhere in the land and in the sky in all the
Universes;

He is present in the minutest of things, and also in the AtmA of everything;

He Who swallowed all these things and kept them in His stomach,

is present in everything without their even knowing that".

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation - "He Who goes to the

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 abodes of those who sing His praise", using the meaning vAti = gacchati; vAti
gacchati sva janAyojita bhajanabhavanam iti vah.

As pointed out under the previous nAma, vah is not treated as a separate
nAma by SrI Samkara and those who follow his bhAshyam.

nAma 734. k> kah

a) He Who shines.

b) He Who is invoked or praised through words by devotees.

c) He Who is the personification of happiness.

d)He Who remains an unanswered Question Mark when approached through

"intellection".
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kAya namayh.
The root from which this nAma is derived is kan - dIpti kAnti gatishu- to shine
etc.

The same grammatical rule which applied for vah above (pANini 3.2.101) is used
here to derive the nAma kah from kanati - He shines.

a) SrI BhaTTar points out that even though He dwells even in things that are
dirty (as the Soul of their soul), He Himself is ever-resplendent -
maleemaseshu vasannapi kanati iti kah. Even though bhagavAn is the antrayAmi
in everything including those that are impure, sinful, etc., their impurity or sin
do not affect Him or His luster in any way.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan adds that in His case, His luster is natural, unlike in the
case of people like us whose appearance is dependent on the clothes we wear,
the talk we talk etc. - vastra AbharaNa vapushA vAcA. Based on kan - dIpti
kAnti gatishu,

SrI vAsishTha gives the explanation that because He shines everywhere, and
He is present everywhere (gati), and enlightens everything or makes
everything shine (dIpti), thus in all senses He is called kah. At an individual
level, we see that the kAnti that a living being has is only so long as He is in

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that body as the Soul of the soul; when the Soul leaves the body, the luster is
gone also. This whole Universe shines because He is present everywhere and in
everything, illuminating all.

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the root kai - Sabde - to sound, and gives
the interpretation - kAyate Sabdyate AhUyate bhaktaih iti kah - He Who is
invoked by devotees or praised by them through sound is kah.

c) One of the meanings of the word kam is happiness - kam sukhe'pivijAnIyAt -

(as quoted by A. A. Ramanathan in his title "amarakoSa" - Part 2, p.228, 1978
edition). SrI Samkara uses this meaning, and gives the interpretation that
bhagavAn is called kah because He is the personification of happiness. He gives
the support from chAndogya Upanishad 4.10 - kam brahma - Happiness is
Brahman.

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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri adds that the limit of happiness is the tyAga of
ahamkAra and mamakAra, and bhagavAn is One who has realized the limit of
this.

The dharma cakram writer points out that there are two kinds of happiness:
the happiness of the body and the happiness of the soul. The first one leads to
sorrow, but this is the happiness that most people go after. It is only by
sacrificing this bodily happiness that the happiness of the soul is achieved, and
the latter is achieved only to the extent that the former is sacrificed. It is
the happiness of the soul that should be sought after, and this is the lesson to
be learnt from this nAma.

d) SrI cinmayAnanda adds a new interpretation based on the common meaning

of kah- "Who?". His interpretation is that this nAma says that bhagavAn is a
Question Mark with no answer when approached with the human intellect or
reasoning alone; He can only be experienced when one transcends the intellect,
and not through "intellection".

nAma 735. ikm! kim

a) He about Whom all questions are asked by seekers of Truth (such as –

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 Where is He, What is He, Who is He, etc.)

b) He Whose praise is sung by His devotees

c) He Who is fit to be enquired about or sought after.

kime namah
(kasmai namah in Samkara pATham – see explanation under ekAyanamah,
nAma 730). The common usage of the word kim is to represent the question
“What?”. The word kim is derived from the root praccha – j~nIpsAyAm – to
ask, to seek. Here it is used as a noun, and means “He about Whom all questions
are asked by seekers of Truth”.

SrI sataydevo vAsishTha comments: "pRcchati iti kim | pRcchyata iti vA kim |”
- He who asks is kim, or He about whom questions are asked is also kim. Here
bhagavAn is called kim in the context of the latter of the two. In other words,
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all questions that are asked by those who want to realize Him, are questions
about Him, since they all lead to Him in the end.

SrI vAsishTha gives an alternate derivation as well, starting from the root kai–
Sabde – to sound, leading to “kAyati iti kim” – He about Whom questions are
asked, such as “Who is He, What is He, Where is He”, etc., is kim. Those who
seek Him start with the enquiry of “What”, and end up with Him after they
realize that He is the ultimate answer to every enquiry.

SrI BhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam is: tat tat sarvepsituh buphutsUnAm nirupAdhika

prashTavyatvAt kim – He is enquired into by all those who are desirous of
knowing the ultimate objects of their desire without any other motive, and so
He is called kim. SrI BhaTTar gives the support from the Sruti - sa
anveshTavyah, sa viji~njAsitavyah – ChAndogya. 8.7.1 – He is to be sought
after, He is to be known with eagerness.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvAimozhi 5.6.2, where nammAzhvAr

declares about perumAL: “kaRkum kalvic cAramum yAnE”. In fact, every line
of each pASuram, starting with 5.6.1 (kaDal j~nAlam SeidEnum yAnE
ennum…),all the way up to 5.6.10 (kOlam koL Suvarkkamum yAnE ennum …….),
are beautiful singing of His being everything, line after line.

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SrI Samkara’s interpretation is: “sarva purushArtha rUpatvAt Brahmaiva
vicAryam iti Brahma kim” – As Brahman is the supreme goal among all aims of
life, He is to be inquired after, and so is called kim. He refers us to the first
Slokam of chapter8 of Bhagavad gItA, where arjuna precisely starts with this
question:

kim tad brahma kim adhyAtmam kim karma purushottama |

adhibhUtam ca kim proktam adhidaivam kim ucyate ||

(gItA 8.1)

“What is that Brahman? What is adhyAtma? What is karma? What is said to

be adhibhUta?

O Supreme Person, who is said to be adhidaiva?”

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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives similar passages from the Rg veda, which ask
similar rhetorical questions about Brahman:

1. ambhah kim AsIt gahanam gabhIram (10-129-1) - Was water there,

unfathomed and deep?

2. kutah AjAtA kuta iyam visRshTih (10-129-6) – Whence was it born, and
whence comes this creation?

3. yo’syAdhyakshah parame vyoman (10-129-7) – (He) whose eye controls

this world in highest heaven, he verily knows it, or perhaps he knows
not.

Thus, He is called “kim - What” because He is the Ultimate answer to all the
questions.

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the root ku~ng – Sabde – to sound, and
the uNAdi sutra kAyater dimih (siddhAnta kaumudi, uNAdisutra 600) to derive
the word kim, and gives the definition – kUyate – AhUyate svajanaih
bhajamAnaih iti kim – He Whose praise is sung by His devotees is kim.

c) SrI aNNa’ngarAcArya gives the interpretation that this nAma means that
He is One who is worth being sought after; One Who is described as

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 anveshTavyahin the Upanishads: sa anveshTavyah, sa viji~njAsitavyah –
ChAndogya. 8.7.1 – He is to be sought after, and He is to be known with
eagerness.

The dharma cakram writer elaborates that bhagavAn is called kim – He Whose
Nature is contemplated on by those who seek the Truth, because it is by
knowing this Truth that everything there is to be known is known. That which
is beyond time, space, etc., that which never changes and is eternal, that which
is beyond the reach of the senses and is only reached by true devotion and
meditation, that which is in everything and everywhere, is the Ultimate answer
to all questions asked by those who seek the Truth.

nAma 736. yt! yat

a) He Who takes efforts.

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b) That Which already exists.

c) That from Which everything in this Universe came about.

yate namah
(yasmai namah in Samkara pATham, when yat is interpreted as asarvanAma
or pronoun).

SrI BhaTTar derives the interpretation from the root yat – prayatne– to
attempt. to strive after, etc. His vyAkhyAnam is: “teshAm rakshAyai yatate iti
yat” – He Who takes all efforts for the protection of His devotees.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj elaborates further on the same concept: yatate
prayatate sva-samkalpa mAtreNa svajana Apat nivAraNAya iti yat.

SrI BhaTTar quotes the following words of bhagavAn:

kRshNa kRshNeti kRshNeti yo mAm smarati nityaSah |

jalam bhitvA yathA padmam narakAt uddharAmyaham ||

“Whoever remembers Me always repeating the name “kRshNa, kRshNa,

kRshNa”, I lift him up from naraka just as one takes a lotus free from water

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by brushing aside the water”.

aham smarAmi mad bhaktam nayAmi paramAm gatim | (varAha caram

Slokam)- “I remember My devotee and take him to the Supreme abode”.
Even if the devotee in his final state is unable to think of bhagavAn,
bhagavAn thinks of the devotee, and takes him to His abode.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr’s tiruvAimozhi 5.8.9 –

“iSaivittu ennai un tAL iNaik kIzh iruttum ammAnE” – nammAzhvAr says that
bhagavAn took the effort to impart Atma j~nAna to even him who was
unrelenting, sensually disposed, haughty enough to be an incorrigible soul-thief,
etc. (nammAzhvAr’s naicya bhaAvam is what is reflected here).

b) SrI Samkara interprets the nAma using the conventional meaning “Which”
for the word yat. His interpretation is: yat Sabdena svatah siddha vastu

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uddeSa vAcinA brahma nirdiSyata iti brahmayat – The word yat indicates a
self-sustaining entity, can only denote Brahman, who is by nature always
existing. He quotes the taittirIya Upanishad in support– yato vA imAni
bhUtAni jAyante (3.1) – From which all these beings come out….

c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri uses the above Sruti vAkyam and gives the
interpretation that yat refers to “That from Which all the other things in the
Universe came into existence”.

SrI cinmayAnanda quotes another similar usage: yato vAco nivartante aprApya
manasA sah (tiatt. Up. 2.9.1) – That from which words retire, along with the
mind, unable to reach.

nAma 737. tt! tat

a) He Who increases (the j~nAnam and bhakti about Him in the devotees).

b) He Who increases the kIrti (fame) of His devotees

c) He Who expands the Universe from its subtle form to its visible form

d) He Who is not seen by senses etc.

tate namah

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 (tasmai namah in Samkara pATham).

The root from which the nAma is derived is tanu – vistAre – to spread, togo
(tanoti – vistRNAti – expands).

SrI BhaTTar’s bhAshyam is “sva j~nAna bahktim tanoti iti tat” – He Who
increases the j~nAnam and bhakti in His devotees. He gives the support from
taittirIya nArAyaNIyam (27) – tat savitur vareNIyam – That superior lustre
of the Lord, the cause of the Universe.

The term tat is given another meaning in the gItA. The term refers to the
veda-s. and to the acts of sacrifice that are undertaken without any
expectation of a benefit, as prescribed in the veda-s.

(pravaNam)-tat-sat iti nirdeSo brahmaNah tri-vidhah smRtah |

brAhamaNAs-tena vedASca ya~jnASca vihitAh purA ||

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(gItA 17.23)

“Brahman (the veda) is denoted by the three-fold expression: (PraNavam),

tat,sat.

Associated with these, the BrAhamaNas, the Vedas, and sacrifices were
ordained in the past”.

In Slokam 7.25, the term tat is explained further:

tad-iti anabhisandhAya phalam ya~jna tapah kriyAh |

dAna-kriyASca vividhAh kriyante moksha kA’nkshibhih ||

“Acts of sacrifice, austerity and various gifts are performed without aiming at
reward by those who seek release (moksha), after pronouncing tat”.

In our samkalpam for many religious rites, we start with “Harir-om tat”.
Bhagavad rAmAnuja explains in his vyAkhyAnam for gItA Slokam 7.25, that
whatever acts such as the study of the Vedas, sacrifices, austerities and gifts
are done without aiming at results by those of the first three stations, seeking
only final release – these are designated by the term tat, referring to
Brahman, since they constitute the means for attainment of Brahman. He also

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refers inthis context to the current Slokam (78) of SrI vishNu sahasra
nAmam, and observes that it is thus well-known that the term tat refers to
Brahman- “sa vah kah kim yat tat padam anuttamam iti tat-Sabdo hi brahma
vAcIprasiddhah".

In the context of the above gItA Slokam, SrI rAmAnuja interprets the term
tatas referring to Brahman, or to the means of attaining Brahman such as the
study of the Vedas etc.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan links the previous nAma (yatate – takes special efforts to
protect us), with the current nAma (tanoti – increases the bhakti in us towards
Him as part of that effort). While SrI Samkara’s vyAkhyAnam is also “tanoti
iti tat”, in the nAmAvalI, the mantra is “tasmai namah”, signifying that the
nAma is treated again as a sarva nAma or pronoun, meaning “That”, the term

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standing for Brahman.

b) The beauty of the diverse anubhavam-s of the great vyAkhyAna kartA-s is

seen in the diverse ways in which they interpret the same explanation “tanoti–
vistRNAti – expands”. We already saw SrI BhaTTar’s interpretation, that He
expands the j~nAnam and bhakti in His devotees.

SrI kRshNa dattabhAradvAj gives the interpretation “tanoti vistArayati sva-

janAnAm kIrtim ititat” – “He is called tat because He spread the kIrti or fame
of His devotees”.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains the action of bhagavAn in His guNa of tat
as “spreading and pervading into everything”, which is yet another way that He
enables the jIva to function in this world to attain Him.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that this nAma signifies
that He expands the sUkshma jIva-s into the visible world forms and shapes
(seed below) Whether it is in the form of increasing our j~nAnam and bhakti
about Him so that we can reach Him, or it is in the form of His spreading the
fame and kIrti of His devotees so that others learn from this and follow the
correct path for their attainment of Him, or it is in the form of His spreading
into everyone as their antaryAmi and supporting and guiding them, in the end

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 everything that He does is for the sake of His devotees

c) SrI vAsishTha gives the interpretation – tanoti viSvam iti tat – He Who
expands the Universe. His explanation is that bhagavAn is called tat because
He expands the Universe that is inside Him in the sUkshsma state, into a
Universe that is in the sthUla and visible state, just as the mother gives
expression to a child which is contained in her in an unseen state.

d) satya sandha yatirAja, an AcArya from the madhva sampradAyam, explains

the nAma tat as referring to “that which is not seen” – paroksham vastutat
Sabda vAcyam, haristu pratyakshAt avedyatvena mukhyto vedaika gamyatvAt
vAguNaih tatatvAd-vA tat iti ucyate.

nAma 738. pdmnuÄmm! padam anuttamam

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a) The Supreme Goal.

b) The Unexcelled Protector of His devotees.

padAya anuttamAya namah.
The root from which the word padam is derived is pad – gatau – to go, to
attain.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meanings – padyate = gamyate,

j~nAyate,prApyate, yatyate vA tat padam, and summarizes the meaning of the
word padam to mean “that for the attainment of which, or the knowledge of
which, effort is to be undertaken”. na uttamam yasmAt iti anuttamam – That
which is not surpassed by anything else is anuttamam. Padam anuttamam thus
refers to “That which is unsurpassed by anything else, and for whose
attainment knowledge and effort deserve to be undertaken”.

SrI BhaTTar’s bhAshyam is “teshAm parama prApyatvAt – padam anuttamam”-

He is the Supreme Goal for His devotees.

SrI aNNa’ngarAcArya summarizes this in tamizh as “tamakku

mElprApaymAnadu onRillAda paDi parama prApayamAnavar”.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives support from nammAzhvAr’s tiruvAimozhi, where

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AzhvAr declares that he does not want even SrI vaikunTham, but he only
wants to have the Lotus Feet of bhagavAn on his head. In other words, His
Lotus Feet are the Supreme Goal: "nin SemmA pAda paRput talai Serttu ollai …
ammA aDiyEn vENDuvadu ihdE” (5.9.1).

In tiruvAimozhi 3.7.6, nammAzhvar declares that bhagavAn is the Supreme,

unexcelled rakshakan (padam anuttamam):……… oLi koNDa Sodiyai uLLattuk
koLLum avar kaNDIr

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning “trANam – rakshaNam –

protection” to the word padam, based on amara koSam: padam vyavasiti
trANasthAna lakshmA’nghri vastushu (3.3.93), and gives the interpretation to
this nAma as: “padam trANam | anuttamam sarvottamam iti padam anuttamam |
arthAt sarvottamo rakshakah SrI bahagavAneva sarvottmas-trAtA sva-

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janAnAm|”- The Unexcelled Protector of His devotees.

c) SrI cinmayAnanda’s interpretation is: “Lord VishNu has this nAma because
He is the way (pada), the goal (pada), and the pilgrimage (pada)”. He gives
support from the gItA Slokam 7.18, where bhagavAn declares that He is
anuttama gati (Supreme path, Supreme Goal):

udArAh sarva evaite j~nAnI tvAtmaiva me matam |

Asthitah sa hi yuktAtmA mAmeva anuttamAm gatim ||

“All these are indeed generous, but I deem the man of knowledge to be Myvery
self; for he, integrated, is devoted to Me alone as the Supreme end”.

loka--bandhuh
nAma 739. laekbNxu> loka

a) The Relative of the World.

b) One to Whom everything is bound since He is their Support

c) One to Whom everything is related since He is their Best Friend – their

Father

d) One Who provides instructions as a kinsman on what is right and what is

wrong through the SAstra-s.

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sadagopan.org

loka-bandhave namah.
(Artwork Courtesy: Sow R. Chitralekha)

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e) One Who limits everything through things such as limited life etc.
loka-bandhave namah.
The mutual and inseparable relation between us and bhagavAn is what is
revealed in this nAma.

a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has this nAma because
He is the Relative of everyone in this world without exception, and blesses all
without exception – evam a-viSesheNa a-Sesha anugrahe a-varjanIyam
bAndhavam nibandhanam Aha – loka bandhuh. He gives the following in
support: - mAtA pitA bhrAtA nivAsah SaraNam suhRt gatih nArAyaNah
(subAlaopanishad 6) – nArAyaNa is the mother, father, brother, abode,
refuge, friend, and the final goal”.

pitA aham asya jagato mAtA dhAtA pitAmahah |

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vedyam pavitram om-kAram Rk sAma yajureva ca ||

(gItA 9.17)

“I am the father, mother, creator, and grandfather of the universe.

I am the purifier. I am the syllable (PraNavam) and also Rk, sAma, and yajus”.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to gItA 9.29, which conveys the very same
thoughts that SrI BhaTTar has given in his bhAshyam:

samo’ham sarva bhUteshu na me dveshyo’sti na priyah |

ye bhajanti tu mAm bhaktyA mayi te teshu cApyaham ||

(gItA 9.29)

“I treat everyone in creation the same way. There is none whom I like more or
dislike more.

But those who worship Me with devotion abide in Me and I abide in them.”

Other references given by SrI v.v. rAmAnujan to emphasize this point are:

1. "o un tannODu uRavEl namkku I’ngu ozhikka ozhiyAdu” – (tiruppAvai 28)

– The relationship between You on the one hand, and all of on the other,

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 is permanent, and never alterable.

2. "o nAn unnai anRi ilEn kaNDAi nAraNanE nI ennai anRi ilai" – (nAnmugan
tiru. 7) – I have no refuge other than Yu, and You have no one who is
more worthy anddeserving of protection than me.

3. "o ….. ennap peRRa at-tAyAyt-tandaiyAy aRiyAdana aRivitta

attA" (tiruvAi. 2.3.2) – You are my Father, my Mother, my AcArya.

4. "o ….tAyAit tandaiyAi makkaLAi maRRumAi muRRumAi nIyAi nI ninRavu

ivai ennaniyAya’ngaLE?….. "(tiruvAi. 7.8.1) – You are the Mother, Father,
Children, other relatives all rolled into one. You do all that a father
does, a mother does, children do (to the parent at the latter’s old age).
You are more. You re the whole Universe; yet I enjoy You in your own
beautiful Form. Now pray tell me what is the secret of all this. I don’t
understand this abstract high-level mysticism!
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b), c) & d) SrI Samkara gives three alternate interpretations:

i) All the worlds are bound to Him since He is the support of all –
AdhArabhUte’smin sakalA lokA badhyanta iti lokAnAm bandhuh lokabandhuh;

ii) He is the relative of all, since He is the Creator of all and so He is related
to all and there is no greater friend than the father – lokAnAmjanakatvAt
janakopamo bandhur-nAstIti vA;

iii) He instructs the world as a kinsman in right and wrong, through Sruti and
smRti – lokAnAm bandhukRtyam hitAhitpadeSam Sruti smRti lakshaNam
kRtavAn itivA.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the root bandh – to bind, and gives the
anubhavam that He is loka-bandhuh because He binds His devotees with His
affection – badhnAti prema –pASena iti bandhuh | lokAnAm bandhuh iti
lokabandhuh.

e) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the explanation for the nAma starting with
the roots lok – darSane, to see, to perceive, and bandh – to bind, to attract,
etc. One interpretation he gives is that bhagavaAn has this nAma because He

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binds all things that are seen, for instance with limited life etc.– badhnAti iti
bandhuh.

Another interpretation that SrI VasishTha gives is that He binds all the jIva-
sto their karma without a rope or such things, and so also He is called loka-
bandhuh. Or, He binds the dealings between the people of this world through
His vedic teachings, and so also He is loka-bandhuh.

The dharma cakram writer elaborates on the guNa of loka-bandhu of

bhagavAn. BhagavAn gives whatever a devotee prays for; but the devotee can
pray either for worldly comfort or for the attainment of true Realization.
Most people prefer to ask Him for the worldly comforts (the kaThopanishad
describes the two aspects– preyas or pleasant, and Sreyas or the good)
BhagavAn acts in the role of the worldly relatives and bestows preyas or

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pleasure in the form of wife, children, father, mother, etc., or He bestows
Sreyas in the form of the guru when we seek Sreyas. The dharma cakram
writer comments that the lesson to take from this nAma is to realize that He
is our bandhu either way, and we need to realize what is truly good for us, and
seek that from Him.

loka--nAthah
nAma 740. laeknaw> loka

a) The Protector of the world.

b) He Who bestows aiSvaryam on all as a result of His unlimited aiSvaryam

c) He Who is sought after or prayed by all

d) He Who shines in the world, or He Who regulates the world by energizing

e) He Who comforts or blesses the world

f) He Who rules over the world

g) He Who gives troubles as needed to those who need to be disciplined.

loka-nAthAya namah.
The roots involved in the nAma are: lok – darSane – to see, to perceive, or lok –
bhAshAyAm dIptau ca – to behold, to shine, to know, to seek; and nAth – yAc,

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 upatApaih, aiSvaryASIhshu – to ask, to be master, to harass.

Based on these, the word lokam signifies the world, and the word nAtha is
interpreted in the sense of nAthyate – One Who is sought, or nAthate –One
Who seeks. In the former sense, He is One Who is sought by the people of the
world, and the latter sense, He seeks His devotees and blesses them. The
different interpretations below are combinations of the above meanings.

a) SrI BhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam is that He is addressed as loka nAthah because

of His unique relationship to all the creatures, which is the cause of His
attachment which is natural to Him, as their Master – tan-mUlam
asAdhAraNam svAbhAvikam ca sambandham Aha – loka nAthah. His
interpretation is that through this nAma, the specific relationship between
bhagavAn and us, that is the cause of His natural attachment to us, is
delineated – He is our svAmI or Master, and we are His belongings, and so He
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is naturally attached to us.

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives references from prabandham, that reflect this

concept:- iv Ezh ulagai inbam payakka iniduDan vIRRirundu AlginRa e’ngaL pirAn
(tiruvAi.7.10.1) – BhagavAn is seated together with pirATTi in all the divya
deSam-s only to ensure that His creations in all the seven worlds are happy.

j~nAlattUDE naDandum ninRum kiDandu irundum SAlap pala nAL ugandu Or

uyirgaLkAppAnE – (tiruvAi. 6.9.3) – “You have appeared in various Forms in

this world at various times only for the protection of the all the creatures
in Your creation”.

“ulagam mUnRu uDaiyAi! ennai AlvAnE” (tiruvAi. 6.10.10) – You Who is My

Lord, and Who owns the three worlds (the three types of cetanas–baddha,
nitya, mukta, and the three types of acetana-s – time, prakRti, Suddha
sattva).

b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the following interpretation: lokam nAthati –

sva aiSvarya yogena aiSvaryavantam karoti iti loka nAthah – He Who bestows
aiSvaryam on all as a result of His unlimited aiSvaryam, is lokanAthah.

SrI Samkara gives four explanations for the nAma (b, c, d, e):

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c) lokaih nAthyate yAcyate – He Who is sought after or prayed by all; (SrI
kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives a similar explanation – that they pray to Him
for dharma, artha, kAma, and moksha – lokhaih nAthyate yAcyate dharmaartha
kAma mokshAn iti loka nAthah);

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the explanation – lokaih prANibhihsvartha-

siddhaye nAthyate prArthyata iti loka nAthah – He Whose favor is sought by
the beings of the world for the fulfillment of their desires is lokanAthah.

d) lokAn upatapati – One Who shines in the world, or Who regulates the world
by energizing;

e) ASAste – One Who comforts or blesses the world; or

f) lokAnAm IshTa – One Who rules over the whole world.

g) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri interprets upatapati (see c above for SrI

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Samkara) as “One Who gives punishments as needed”, and gives the meaning
that this nAma can be interpreted as “One Who gives punishments as needed
and disciplines the world (ulagai vATTi nal vazhi paDuttubavar).

The dharma cakram writer weaves all the above explanations under the general
concept that bhagavAn is the Lord of the world. In this role, He ensures that
the evil is destroyed and good is established. He ensures that all the
creatures, who are His belongings, attain Him ultimately. If anyone
transgresses dharma, He ensures that they are adequately disciplined and
brought back to the proper way of life. Those who follow dharma always live in
peace, and those who follow a-dharma live a life of unrest. This is the constant
rule in His role as loka-nAthah.

nAma 741. maxv> mAdhavah

The Consort of Lakshmi.

mAdhavAya namah.
a) The Consort of MA or Lakshmi

b) The Bestower or Propounder of Knowledge about Himself.

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 c) One Who is attained through the madhu vidyA.

d) One Who is attained through mauna, dhyAna and yoga

e) One Who is born in the race of madhu, a yAdhava

f) The nAma that reveals the eternal relationship of the Mother and Father
with the rest of the Universe.

g) One for whom there is no Lord above

The nAma mAdhavah occurs three times (nAma-s 73, 169, and 741). The
description below extends the description given under nAma 73, with
additional information included.

a) mAyAh dhavah mA-dhavah – The Lord or consort of MA or Lakshmi. The

concept here is that BhagavAn and SrI are eternally and constantly associated
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with each other, and inseparable. As if to emphasize this, SrI BhaTTar gives a
very detailed explanation for the qualities of MA or Lakshmi under this nAma,
rather than dwell on the guNa-s of bhagavAn. In the end, he concludes with
one sentence: “The secret about the true nature of SrI is that Lord VishNu
gets His Lordship because of His association with Lakshmi”. All this detailed
explanation is provided by Sri BhaTTar under the very first occurrence of the
nAma, in Slokam 8.

SrI BhaTTar gives reference to the Sruti vAkhya-s which establish the
interpretation for a start: - hrIScsa te lakshmISca patnyau (purusha sUktam)
– Bhumi and Lakshmi are Thy spouses - asyeSAnA jagato vishNu-patnI (nIlA
sUktam) – Lakshmi, who is the Ruler of this universe the spouse of VishNu.
Then he proceeds to explain the qualities of Lakshmi in the following words:

AsyAh svarUpavat nitya-nirmala-rUpatvam,

nirupAdhika paramaiSvaryAdi,jagan-mAtRtvam,

autpattiko bhagavat-sambandho nitya anapAyaSca

ityAdi tattvapareshu SastreshuamaryAdam |

vedeshu tAvat SrI-sUktam, medhA sUktam,

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uttara nArAyaNam, kaushItakI brAhamaNamityAdau.

“The essential Nature of Lakshmi is described in the Sastras dealing with the
Supreme Reality as follows: Her From is eternal and spotless; Her Supreme
Rulership is not restricted by any limiting adjunct; Her universal Motherhood,
Her natural association with bhagavAn, are all delineated in great detail in the
SAstra-s. In vedic literature, the SrI sUkta, SraddhA sUkta, medhA sUkta,
uttaranArAyaNa, kaushItakI brAhamaNa and others deal with this subject”.

Then SrI BhaTTar gives several references from the purANa-s etc., that
speak of the Supremacy of pirATTi, starting with the following reference
from SrI vishNu purANa:

nityaiva eshA vishNoh SrIr-anapAyinI |

yathA sarvagato vishNuh tathaiveyamdvijottama ||

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(vishNu purANa 1.8.17)

“This Lakshmi is eternal, the universal Mother, and is ever in union with
VishNu. Just as VishNu pervades all things, she also does, O best of Brahmins”.

In Brahma PurANa, we have

tat Saktih durjayA bhImA vishNu-Saktih iti smRtA |

sarva bhUta hRdabjasthA nAnArUpa dharA parA ||

prANAkhyA mantra-mAtA ca viSvasya jananI dhruvA |

devI bhinnA’njana SyAmA nirguNA vyoma eva hi ||

"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 lotus-like hearts of
all beings of the universe and She is endowed with diverse forms. Her name is
prANa or life. She is the Mother of all mantras, and is the eternal Mother of
the Universe”.

tathaivaikA parASaktih SrIh tasya karuNASrayA |

j~nAnAdi shADguNya mayI yA proktA prakRtih parA ||

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 ekaiva Saktih SrIh tasya dvitIyA parivartate |

parAvareNa rUpeNa sarvAkArA sanAtanI ||

ananta nAmadeyA ca Sakti-cakrasya nAyikA |

jagat carAcaram idam sarvam vyApya vyavasthitA ||

“Likewise, Lakshmi is His Supreme Power, and She is endowed with the quality
of Mercy. She is called the Supreme prakRti and possesses the sixqualities,
knowledge and others. Lakshmi is the supreme, unique, and eternalSakti of
BhagavAn; She is His second and transforms Herself into diverse forms, high
and low. She has innumerable names, and is the head of the Sakti-cakra – the
wheel of powers. She stands steady, pervading the entire universe, moving and
non-moving”.

In SrI LahsmI sahasra nAmam, She is described as follows:

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mahA-vibhUteh sampUrNa shad-guNya vapushah prabhoh |

bhagavad-vAsudevasya nityaiva esha anapAyinI ||

ekaiva vartate bhinnA jyotsneva hima dIdhiteh |

sarva SaktyAtmikA caiva viSvam vyApya vyavasthitA ||

sarvaiSvarya guNopetA nityam tad-dharma dharmiNI |

prANa Saktih parA hyeshA sarveshAm prANinAm bhuvi ||

SaktInAm caiva sarvAsAm yoni-bhUtA parA kalA ||

“She is eternal and inseparably associated with BhagavAn vAsudeva, who is the
Master of great glory, who is endowed with the six qualities, and who is all
powerful. She is like the moon-light of the cool-rayed moon; She is one with
Him, yet remains distinct. She pervades the Universe, and is the very
embodiment of all Sakti-s. She is endowed with all glory and qualities, and is
eternal. Her dharma isthe same as that BhagavAn. She is the life-giving Sakti
of all beings on earth. She is the source of all Sakti-s and is the sublime
element in all”.

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yasmAt lakshmyamSa sambhUtAh Saktayo viSvagAh sadA |

kAraNyatvena tishThanti jagatyasmin tadAj~nayA ||

tasmAt prItA jaganmAtA SrIh yasya acyuta-vallabhA |

suprItAh Saktayah tasya siddhim ishTAm diSanti ca ||

“All the Saktis that have emanated from Lakshmi are always pervading the
entire Universe. They remain, under the command of SrI, as the cause.
Therefore, when Lakshmi, the Mother of the Universe and the beloved consort
of Bhagavan Acyuta is pleased with someone, these Saktis themselves highly
pleased, bestow prosperity which one desires.”

After this detailed description of Lakshmi’s qualities, SrI BhaTTar points out
that this subject is more fully dealt with in vaishNava smRti and other dharma

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SAstra-s.

rAmAyaNa also declares the greatness of Lakshmi in the Sloka in bAla

kANDam(4.7):- kAvyam rAmAyaNam kRtsnam sItAyAh caritam mahat – "The
entire epic poem of rAmAyaNa is but the glorious story of sItA”.

SrI BhaTTar concludes his vyAkhyAnam for the nAma mAdhava in its first
occurrence in Slokam 8 (nAma 73), by elaborately dwelling on the qualities of
Lakshmi, and then ending with one line for mA-dahva, where he attributes the
greatness of mAdhava to His association with SrI: “SraddhayA devo
devatvamaSnute – Lord VishNu gets His Lordship because of His association
with Lakshmi. This is the secret about the true nature of SrI”.

Under nAma-s 169 and 741, SrI BhaTTar gives alternate explanations for the
nAma mA-dhavah, but these a couple of sentences each in length, compared to
the very elaborate description above that he has given for the first
occurrence of the nAma in Slokam 8 (nAma 73). It is clear that SrI BhaTTar’s
thoughts are about our Mother SrI in his anubhavam of the nAma mA-dhava
for the Lord.

b) The Bestower of Knowledge (mA – The vidyA or knowledge of Hari; dhava–

Lord, Preceptor, Propounder) For the nAma mA-dhava in Slokam 18 (nAma 169),

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 both SrI Samkara and SrI BhaTTar give the interpretation in terms of His
being the Propounder (dhavah) of the mA vidyA – the knowledge of Hari. They
both quote the support from the harivamSa:

mA vidyA ca hareh proktA tasyA Iso yato bhavAn |

tasmAt mA-dhava nAmAsi dhavah svAmIti Sabditah || (3.69.4)

The knowledge about of Hari is called mA. Thou art the Master of that
knowledge.

Therefore Thou art known as mAdhava. It has been stated that dhava means
“Lord”.

SrI cinmayAnanda elaborates further on the above. He Who helps

introspection and meditation in the seeker is Madhava.
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SrI BhaTTar gives additional support from the mahAbhArata:

madhu vidyA avabodhatvAt dhAvatvAt-vA Sriyo’niSam |

maunAd-dhyAnAcca yogAcca viddhi bhArata mAdhavam ||

(mahA. 3.69.4)

There are three explanations that are given in the above Sloka for the nAma
mAdhavah.

c) first is that since He is cognized through madhu vidyA, He is called

mAdhavah (madhu vidyA is referenced in chAndogya Upanishad 3.1,
bRhadAraNya upanishad 2.5); the second explanation is that He is the Lord of
SrI (the explanation discussed in detail under a) for this nAma;

d) and the third one is that because He is recognized through dhyAna, mauna,
and yoga, He is called mA-dhavah.

The dharma cakram writer explains mauna, dhyAna, and yoga further. Mauna
results in the control of the indriya-s; dhyAna focuses the mind in the thought
of the Atma tattvam, and yoga solidifies and consolidates this thought on a
permanent basis.

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e) Under the current nAma, both SrI Samkara and SrI BhaTTar give the
interpretation that He is a scion of the Race of the Madhus, and therefore has
the name mAdhavah (madhu kulodhbahavAt mAdhavah, or madhu kule jAtatvAt
mAdhavah).

f) Another explanation given by SrI BhaTTar for the nAma is that this nAma
is an illustration of the togetherness of SrI and BhagavAn as Mother and
Father of all of us. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan comments the importance of this
special relationship of bhagavAn and pirATTi to the world, and their
togetherness always, in the protection of the jIva-s. It is of because of the
Mother’s nearness that bhagavAn forgives the countless apacAra-s committed
by the cetana-s. It is in this sense that it is important for all of us that He is
“agalagillEniRaiyum enRu alrmEl ma’ngai uRai mArban” (tiruvAi. 6.10.10), and
She is always with Him.

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g) SrI tirukkaLLam nRsimha rAghavAcArya in his gItA bhAshya, has given
another interpretation – mA dhavah yasya sa mAdhavah – He for Whom there
is no Master.

Since there is no one above Him in any sense, and since He is the Lord of
everyone and every thing in all the universes, He is called mA-dhavah.

bhakta--vatsalah
nAma 742. É´vTsl> bhakta

a) Affectionate towards the devotees.

b) He Who goes to the devotees who makes offerings to Him through yaj~na

c) He Who takes the devotees to Him, who are dear to Him like a calf to the
cow
bhakta-vatsalAya namah.
The term bhakta is derived from the root bhaj – sevAyAm – to serve, to honor
(bhajati bhajate sevate iti bhaktah - kASakRtsna dhAtu vyAkhyAna
1.695,referenced by SrI satyadevo vAsishTha). Thus, one who serves, honors,
praises, etc.,is a bhakta. The word vatsalah is derived from the word vatsa,
which by itself means calf. However, by pANini sutra 5.2.98, the addition of

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 the affix lac after the word vatsa gives it the meaning “love” – vatsa
amsAbhyAmkAma bale. Thus, the word vatsala means kAmavat, snehavat, etc. –
one who is in love, one who is friendly. Bhakta vatsalan in thus One Who is
affectionate towards His devotees.

a) SrI BhaTTar’s anubhavam is that this nAma brings out the special attitude
of BhagavAn towards His devotees, who are eager to cultivate the relationship
with Him as Master and kinsman (i.e., as bhakta-s towards Him). SrI BhaTTar
comments that His joy of having attained His bhakta-s is so great, that He
forgets all other desires – tal-lAbha sambhrama vismRta anya-kAmah.

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan elaborates on the term vatsalah, or vAtsalyam of BhagavAn

towards His devotees. As mention earlier, vatsa refers to a calf. Vatsalah also
refers to affection, of the kind that a cow shows towards its calf. The cow
licks and removes any dirt or other material that may be found on the body of
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the calf, on in other words, it treats even the blemishes on its calf as bhogyam
for itself. BhagavAn’s love towards His devotees is similarly one of ignoring
their faults, and enjoying their devotion instead. SrI rAmAnujan gives two
examples.

1. When Vidura was offering worship to kRshNa at his house, he was

totally immersed in looking at Lord kRshNa with devotion and affection,
and he was peeling off the outer layer of the banana, and giving the
peeled skin to kRshNa for eating instead of giving the peeled fruit by
mistake. Lord kRshNa was so immersed in His devotee that He did not
also realize that the skin was what He was being given, and He also ate
the skin as a bhogya vastu, because it had been offered with the
utmost devotion.

2. When BhIshma was lying on the death-bed of arrows and meditating on

Lord kRshNa, the Lord just informed the fellow pANDava-s: “The Lion
of men is lying there, just thinking of Me and meditating on Me”, and
having said that, He Himself was lost on the thought of His bhakta and
forgot Himself and His surroundings.

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b) In addition to giving the above interpretation (bhakteshu vAtsalyavAn), SrI
satya sandha yatirAja gives two other interpretations for the nAma. One of
these is based on the meaning “cooked rice or food” for the term bhakta (see
the explanation for bhakta vilocanan in the nAcciyAr tirumozhi posting for
pASuram 12.6). In this interpretation, SrI satya sandha yatirAja looks at the
nAma as bhaktavat-salah, and gives the interpretation: “bhaktam annam
yeshAm asti iti bhaktavanto yaj~na kartAro brAhmaNAn, tAn pratisalati
gacchati iti bhaktavat-salah” – He Who goes to the devotees who make
offerings to Him through yaj~na (the rootsal – to go, to move is used for the
interpretation of the second part, salah).

c) The other interpretation given by SrI satya sandha yatirAja is “bhaktA eva
vatsAh, tAn lAti iti bhaktavatsa-lah” – "He Who takes the devotees to Him,
who are dear to Him like a calf to the cow”. (The root lA – AdAne dAne ca – to

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take, to obtain, is used in this interpretation).

The dharma cakram writer compares the relationship between BhagavAn and
us to that between the mother and the child. The mother has selfless
affection to the child, and the child trusts the mother solely and exclusively
for its survival. A true devotee will be like the child towards the mother, and
BhagavAn is of course like the Mother towards all.

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 Slokam 79
suv[Rv[aeR hema¼ae vra¼íNdna¼dI,

vIrha iv;m> zUNyae "&tazIrclíl>. 79.

suvarNavarNO hemAngO varAngas candanAngadI |
vIrahA vishamah sUnyO ghrutAsIracalascalah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

suvarNa--varNah
nAma 743. suv[Rv[> suvarNa

The golden-hued.
suvarNa-varNAya namah
Sobhana varNa su-varNa, suvarNamiva varNam yasya sa su-varNah - "He Who
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has a hue that is attractive like gold". Thus, the literal meaning of the nAma is
"He Who is golden-hued". Gold is known for its purity and its untarnished
nature, its effulgence, its being highly desired by people, etc. All these
aspects of bhagavAn are brought out by this nAma, namely His Effulgence, His
blemishless nature, His Illuminating Power, His Purifying Nature, His being
desired and coveted by all His devotees, etc. The term suvarNa here stands
for "that which is extremely desired and longed for, that which is flawless and
pure", etc.

SrI aNNan'ngarAcArya gives the explanation: "He Who has the divya
svarUpamwhich is blemishless like gold". nAma-s similar to the current one are
used in the outpourings of AzhvArs who grope for words to describe the
aunbhavam that they have had of the indescribable emperumAn.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives several examples from prabandham.

tiruma'ngai AzhvAr describes Him in tiruk kuRum tANDakam (6) as sweet

song,fresh honey, shining gold, the flower that the nitya sUri-s wear on
their head,etc. - "inbap-pAvinai, paccait tEnai, paim-ponnai, amarar Sennit
pUvinai".

nammAzhvAr describes Him in tiruviruttam (85) as "ualgu aLanda

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 mANikkamE!En maradagamE! MaRRu oppArai illA Anip ponnE!" - The Gem
that measured thethree worlds! My favorite Emerald! The Incomparable
Pure Gold!

Tirum'ngai AzhvAr describes the beautiful golden hue of perumAL in

periatirumozhi 4.9.8 as follows: "ponnin vaNNam maNiyin vaNNam puraiyum
tirumEni" - (in tretAyugam), Your hue is golden, and (in dvApara yugam),
Your hue is blue..

SrI bhaTTar gives supports from the Sruti and smRti-s, where
paramAtman'ssuvarNa varNam is referenced:-

yadA paSyah paSyate rukma varNam kartAram

ISam purusham brahma yonim

(muNDakopanishad 3.3)

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"When the seer sees the purusha, the golden-hued, creator, lord...".

praSasitAram sarveshAm aNIyAmsam aNorapi |

rukmAbham svapanadhIgamyam vidyAttam purusham param ||

(manu smRti - 12.122)

"Let him know the Supreme Purusha, the Sovereign Ruler of them all, smaller
than the smallest, bright like gold,

and perceptible by the intellect only when in a state of abstraction".

Aditya varNam

(purusha sUktam 20)

He Who has the lustre of the sun.

ya eshontarAdiye hiraNmayah purusho dRSyate

hiraNya smaSruh hiraNya keSa ApraNakAt sarva eva suvarNah |

(chAndog. 1.6.6)

"That golden Person who is seen within the sun, with golden beard and golden

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 hair,

golden altogether to the very tip of His nails".

SrI cinmayAnanda explains the significance of this Sruti vAkhya: Upon

witnessing the Self-Effulgent (Golden) Being, the seer's realization is
completely transformed, and "then, the wise one, shaking off all deeds of
merits and demerits, becomes stainless, and attains the supreme State of
Equipois".

PirATTi is also described along the same lines in the veda-s: "hiraNyavarNAm
hariNIm..." (SrI sUktam). SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives additional
support from SrImad rAmAyaNam, where sItA pirATTi describes rAma as
"One Who has golden hue":

kaccin-na tad-hema samAna varNam..."

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(sundara. 36.28).

nAma 744. hema¼a> hemA'ngah

He of golden-hued limbs.
hemA'ngAya namah.
SuvarNa and hema are equivalent words that refer to gold. The word hema is
derived from the root hi - gatau, vRddhau ca - to go, to promote. SrI kRshNa
datta bhAradvAj gives the following derivation for the nAma :

hinvanti vardhayanti SobhAm iti hemAni |

taDRSAni a'ngAni yasya iti hemA'ngah | -

He Who has limbs that promote the beauty of His tirumeni,

or He Who has limbs that resemble gold in promoting His beauty.

SrI bhaTTar interprets the nAma as referring to the limbs of His body which
are eternal, celestial, and composed of suddha-sattva material. nityam, divyam,
sattva mayam a'ngam asya iti hemA'ngah. This nAma is a logical extension of
the previous one - Since He has a body which is golden-hued, His a'nga-s

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likewise are golden-hued. All the pramANa-s quoted in support of the
interpretation for the previous nAma are applicable here as well. Additional
supports given under this nAma, which equally apply to the previous nAma, are:

"dhyeyas-sadA, savitR-maNDala madhyavartI nArAyaNa ... hiraNmaya

vapuhdhRta sa'nkha cakrah....."

(in sandhyAvandana mantram)

pon AnAi! Pozhil Ezhum kAval pUNDa pugazh AnAi! .... ImayOrku enRum mudal
AnAi!

(tirumangai AzhvAr, tiruneDum tANDakam 10)

nAma 745. vra¼> varA'ngah

a) He Who displayed His Divine Form to devaki in response to her prayers.

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b) He Who has beautiful limbs.

c) He Who has a lovable Form that is pleasing to those who meditate on Him.
varA'ngAya namah
Among the dictionary meanings for the term vara are: i) best, excellent, most
beautiful; ii) boon; iii) a wish; etc. Different interpretations use these
different meanings.

a) SrI bhaTTar uses the meaning "wish" or "prayer" for the term vara, and
gives the interpretation that because He manifested the form with celestial
marks etc., that are concealed from mortal eyes, to devaki in response to her
prayer, therefore He is named varA'ngah: tadetat aupanishadamdevakyA
vriyamANam atinihnuta divya cihnam AvishkRtam iti varA'ngah. SrI bhaTTar
refers us to SrI vishNu purANam 5.3.8, which describes this beauty of child
kRshNa in vasudeva-s words:

phullendIvara patrAbham catur-bAhum udIkshya tam |

SrIvatsa vakshasam jAtam tushTAva Anakadundhubhih ||

"Anakadundhubhi (vasudeva) beheld the Child, of the complexion of the petal

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 of a full-blown blue lilly,

having four arms, and the mystic mark of SrIvatsa on His chest, and started
praising Him".

b) SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning "beautiful" for the word vara, and gives the
interpretation for the nAma as "varANi SobhanAni a'ngAni asyaiti varA'ngah"
- One Who has beautiful limbs.

c) SrI cinmayAnanda interprets the nAma as: He Who has a Form that is
pleasing (lovable) to those who meditate on Him. Thus he gives the meaning
"lovable" to the term vara.

We have seen three nAma-s above in sequence, which all describe the beauty
ofHis form: suvarNa-varNah, hemA'ngah, varA'ngah. SrI rAdhAkRshNa
SAstri gives his anubhavam of the subtle difference in the ideas conveyed by
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the three nAma-s.

1. suvarNa-varNah - One Who has the natural form of sheer exquisite

brilliance-

2. hemA'ngah - One Who has beautiful limbs that attract and hold the
attention of everyone. -

3. varA'ngah - One Who has all the sAmudrikA lakshaNa-s brought

together in one place, in His Form.

The dharma cakram writer comments that even as beauty in human form tends
to evoke kAmam, the beauty of the divine form evokes bhakti. The three
nAma-s that we have just gone through, convey to us the beauty of the Divine
Form of Lord vishNu, that evokes bhakti in those who mediate on His Form.

nAma 746. cNdna¼dI candanA'ngadI

a) He Who is adorned with delightful armlets.

b) He Who is besmeared with pleasing sandal.

c) He Who provides us all with the means and ways to be happy.

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d) He Who has a'ngada as His pleasing devotee.
candanA'ngadine namah.
The word candana is derived from the root cand - AhlAde dIptauca - to be
glad, to shine. That which causes pleasure is candana - candyateanena,
candayati vA yat, tat candanam iti (SrI satyadevo vAsishTha) - That through
which happiness is attained, or that which is instrumental in bringing happiness,
is candana. The word a'ngada is derived as - a'ngam dayate, dAyati,dyati vA.
The relevant roots are: de'ng - pAlane - to protect, to cherish (dayate);or daip
- Sodhane to purify, to be purified (dAyati); or do - avakhanDane - to cut, to
divide, to move (dyati). The term is used for the ornament worn on the upper
part of the arm (keyUram). The armlets are ornaments of defense worn on the
upper arm to protect the shoulders from enemy swords. Thus we get the
meaning "He Who is adorned with delightful armlets" for the nAma.

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a) SrI bhaTTar notes that bhagavAn's Body is itself an infinitely beautiful
jewel, and objects like the a'ngadI get their pleasing appearance when they
get attached to His Body, and so He is called candanA'ngadI. So it is not that
beautiful jewels decorate His Body, but His beautiful Body decorates the
jewels that are placed on His Body, and make them beautiful. The a'ngada or
keyUra is only one example of the kinds of jewels that get their pleasing
appearance by association with Him. nammAzhvAr describes in tiruvAimozhi
2.5.6 - pala palavE AbharaNam pErum pala palavE - Countless are the jewels
that are on Him. The beauty of bhagavAn as every part of His body competes
and complements the beauty of all the other parts, is captured by
nammAzhvAr in tiruvAimozhi pASuram 8.8.1, starting with "kaNgaL Sivandu
periyavAi, vAyum Sivandu kanindu,..makara kuNDalattan.oruvan aDiyEn
uLLAnE".

The reader is encouraged to delve deep into the meaning of this pASuram to
get the true anubhavam. bhagavad rAmAnuja pours out his anubhavam of
bhagavAn's beautifully decorated tirumEni in his SrI vaikunTha gadyam:

"ati manohara kirITa cUDAvatamsaka makara kuNDala graiveyaka hAra

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 keyUra kaTaka SrIvatsa kaustubha muktAdAma udara bandhana pItAmbara

kA'ncIguNa nUpurAdibhih atyanta sukha sparSaih divya gandhaih bhUshitam."

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to tiruvAimozhi 10.1.8, where nammAzhvAr

describes the Jewel that is perumAL: "tayarathan peRRa marakata maNit
taDattinaiyE". Marakata maNi has the characteristic that it will remove the
fear from poisonous creatures, because they won't even approach anywhere
close to its location. Similarly, enemies won't even get close to where Lord
rAma is. The word taDam refers to a cool reservoir of water, which is liked
and desired by everyone.

b) SrI ananta kRshNa SAstri ues the meaning "sandal" to the term candana,
and gives the interpretation that He has this nAma because He is adorned with
pleasing sandal on His body.
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c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the meaning "pleasing" to the term candana
as we indicated earlier, and the root a'ng - to go, and interprets the nAma
candanA'ngadI as referring to "He Who gives the means or ways for all of us
to be happy" - (AhlAdalarIm gatim yo dadAti).

d) SrI satyasandha yatirAja gives an interpretation where he links the nAma

to a'ngada, the son of vAli. He gives the meaning "pleasing" or "devout" to the
term candana, and interprets the nAma as referring to "One Who has a'ngada
as a pleasing devotee".

The dharma cakram writer sees the nAma as revealing to us the guNa of
bhagavAn whereby we derive mental peace by the very meditation on the Form
of bhagavAn.

vIra--hA
nAma 747. vIrha vIra

a) The Slayer of the strong demons.

b) The Destroyer of those who indulge in vain arguments and distract others
from meditating on Him.

c) The Destroyer of the bonds of yama.

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d) He Who leads the jIva-s to moksha by showing them the right path.

e) He Who provides different ways for His creations to move around.

f) He Who is accompanied by garuDa and vAyu when destroying the asura-s.

g) He Who ends the various paths that go from birth to birth.

vIraghne namaH.
We have delved into the anubhavam of this nAma earlier (nAma 168 - Slokam
18), and we will see the nAma again in Slokam 99 - nAma 927). The term vIra is
traditionally used to refer to the attribute of a person who is heroic and
exhibits valor towards his enemies in war. Based on amara koSa vyAkhyAnam:
viruddhAn rAti hanti iti vIrah (rA - dAne, chedane ca) - One who destroys his
enemies; vIrayati iti vA vIrah (vIr - vikrAntau - to display valor) - He who
displays valor. So the nAma ‘vIra-hA’ literally means "He Who destroys the

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vIra-s".

Based on the attribute of bhagavAn described here, namely that He is One

Who destroys ‘vIra-s’, some interpreters have given the meaning to the term
"vIra” itself, with a negative connotation (instead of the meaning ‘brave’, they
interpret the term as referring to ‘those who violate dharma’, based on the
root Ir – gatau – to go, or, Ir – kshepe – to move, to throw, to cast off, to
discard). In this interpretation, those who discard the path of dharma are
being referred to as ‘vIra-s’, or those who go in the wrong path are called
‘vIra-s’ (see the interpretations of SrI vAsishTha and SrI kRshNa datta
bhAradvAj below).

To understand the interpretation of the nAma with the positive meaning

‘brave’ for ‘vIra’, we should remember that all vIra-s are not followers of
dharma. In this nAma, bhagavAn's guNa of destroying the vIra-s who resort to
a-dharma is what is addressed. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha elaborates that it is
only where vishNu is that victory is, and it is not necessarily where a vIra is.
Victory is where dharma is. A person who has the strength, but who tortures
the innocent, is called an "aparAdhI" or one who has committed an aparAdham.
It is these people that are destroyed by bhagavAn in the end without a trace.

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 Grammatically, words such as vIra-hA kAma-hA, etc., signify a past action (one
who has destroyed) - pANini sUtra 3.2.87.

a) SrI BhaTTar gives examples of the "vIra-s" covered under this nAma: It is
the likes of pUtanA, SakaTa, the twin arjuna trees, and such others who tried
to kill child kRshNa deceitfully.

nammAzhvAr describes some of these instances in his tiruvAimozhi pASuram

5.3.8) (SrI v.v. rAmAnujan):

peI mulai uNDu SakaTam pAindu marudiDaip pOi mudal SAittu

puL vAi piLaNdu kaLiraTTa tU muRuval toNDai pirAnai......

(Note the references to pUtanA, SakaTAsuran, the twin maruda trees,

bakAsuran, kuvalayApIdam, etc. He killed all these, and then just smiled with
His bright teeth showing through the red lips in a mild artistic smile that is
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characteristic of Him whenever He achieves a feat).

tiruma'ngai AzhvAr refers to Him as "the vIra beyond all vIra-s" - vem tirAl
vIraril vIrar oppAr (periya tirumozhi 2.8.2).

SrI vAsishTha gives the derivation - viruddha gatIn hanti iti vIra-hA. Along
the same lines,

SrI kRshNa datta bhArdvAj gives the interpretation: viSesheNa Irayanti

kshipanti dharma mArgam iti vIrAh kamsa rAvaNa prabhRtayah; tAn vIrAn
hanti iti vIra-hA - He destroys those that discard the path of dharma, such as
kamsa, rAvaNa etc..

b) Another interpretation that SrI BhaTTar gives for the term ‘vIra-s’ in the
context of this nAma are those that are proficient in words, but misuse their
skill to give fallacious arguments and prevent people from meditating on Him.
BhagavAn destroys them, and so also He is referred to as vIra-hA (sva-vedana
vihantRRn haituka-vIrAn hatavAn iti vIra-hA).

c) For the third instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as
referring to "One Who removed the strong bonds with yama for gajendra".
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN explains the nAma as: "vIram vikrAntam graham

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hatavAn iti vIra-hA” – He Who destroyed the ferocious crocodile. BhagavAn
removed the bonds of yama from gajendra by releasing him from the
crocodile's jaws - mokshayAmAsa nagendram pASEbhyah SaraNAgatam
(vishNu dharma 69). The nirukti author summarizes the vyAkhyAnam: vIram
tad-bAdhakam mRtyum hatavAn vIra-hA matah.

d) One of the interpretations that SrI Sa'nkara gives is that BhagavAn is

called vIra-hA because He destroys the asura vIra-s (covered under a). In
addition, he gives an alternate interpretation that bhagavAn has this nAma
because He shows the right path to the samsArin-s and gives them salvation,
by taking them away from following the various wrong paths - vividhAH
samsAriNAm gatIh mukti-pradAnena hanti iti vIra-hA. SrI ananta kRshNa
SAstry indicates the derviation of this interpretation as: “The Destroyer (hA)
of various (vi-) wrong paths (Ira), by conferring salvation on the devotees”.

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e) In addition to the interpretation a), SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the
roots Ir -gatau - to go, and hamm - gatau - to go, to give another
interpretation: vividham Irati iti vIrah - referring to all the different
creatures which move in different ways; tAnsca yo hanti - gamayati - He Who
makes it possible for them to go, is vira-hA - sarveshAm bahudhA irANAm
jantUnAm gamayitA vishNuh.

f) One of the interpretations given by SrI satya sandha tIrtha is: vih =
garuDah, Irah = vAyuh; tAbhyAm hanti gacchati iti vIra-hA - vishNu is called
vIra-hA because He goes along with garuDa and vAyu in destroying the asura-s.

g) In one of the interpretations, SrI cinmAyananda takes the term vIra to

mean "various or different paths or ways", (this is probably derived from the
root Ir - gatau - to go), and gives the interpretation to the nAma as "He Who
ends the passage from birth to birth".

The dharma cakram writer observes that just as there are those who follow
the path of a-dharma and are destroyed by BhagavAn, there are the internal
enemies in each one us in the form of kAma, krodha, moha and lobha, which are
also destroyed by Him when we devote ourselves to Him. The lesson to take

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 from this nAma is that the chanting and meditation on the mantra derived
from this nAma will result in His destroying these internal enemies in us, that
obstruct us from realizing Him.

nAma 748. iv;m> vishamah

a) He of unequal (conflicting) acts towards His devotees vs. His enemies

b) He for Whom there is no equal.

c) He Who destroyed the effect of the poison that was consumed by rudra
during the churning of the Milk Ocean.
vishamAya namah.
The word vi-shamah is derived by the combination: vi + samah = vishamah -
vigatah samo yasya iti vi-shamah - One Who is devoid of equals is vishamah.
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When the prefix vi is combined with the word samah, the sa becomes sha
according to pANini sUtra 8.3.88 (ashTAdhyAyI) - su-vi-nir-durbhyah supi,
sUti, samAh - The s of svap, sUti, and sama, is changed to sh after su, vi, nir,
and dur.

a) SrI bhaTTar's anubhavam is that His guNa of vi-samam reflects in His

conflicting behavior in His treatment of the good vs. the bad. His
interpretation is that bhagavAn is "One with unpredictable and conflicting
acts" - vi-samah, because He acts in different ways with different persons. He
is very benevolent with His devotees, and He is fearsome and terrific with
those who are offenders of dharma.

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to tiruvAimozhi 2.6.1, where nammAzhvAr

describes this guNa of bhagavAn: "vaikunthA maNi vaNNanE en pollAt
tirukkuraLA .. Sei kundA varum tImai un aDiyArkkut tIrttu aSurarkkut
tImaigaL SeikundA!

nammAzhvAr names some of His "viDam'ngaL' in tiruvAimozhi pASuram7.8.3:

"Sittirat tEr valavA! Tiruc-cakkarattAi!..ivai enna viDama'ngaLE!" He was the
charioteer for arjuna in the mahAbhArata war. As arjuna's charioteer, He will
either depress the whole chariot slightly or raise it slightly, such that the

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arrows of bhIshma aimed at arjuna will miss him, and the arrows of arjuna
meant of the enemies will hit their targets without fail. In the war between
arjuna and jayadratha, He just wielded His cakra to interchange day and night,
so that jayadratha who was hiding till he thought the sun had set, could be
eliminated by arjuna. These are just some instances of His "viDama'ngaL".

The same idea is conveyed by SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN, who gives the
interpretation "bhakta pakshapAtittvAt" vishamah - Because He is biased
towards His devotees, He is called vi-samah.

b) SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is that He is vishamah because He has no

equal in any sense, and He transcends everything - samo na asya vidyatesarva-
vilakshNatvAt iti vishamah. He refers us to arjuna's words from bhagavad-
gItA (11.43):

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pitA'si lokasya carAcarasya tvamasya pUjyasSca gurur-garIyAn |

na tvat-samosti abyadhikah kuto'nyo loka-trayepyapi apratimaprabhAva ||

"You are the Father of this world, of all that moves and that does not move.
You are its Teacher and the One most worthy of reverence. There is none
equal to You. How then can there be another greater than You in the three
worlds, O Being of matchless greatness?"

nammAzhvAr describes perumAL in his tiruvAimozhi as: "ottAr mikkArai

ilaiyAya mA-mAyA (2.3.2)" - "You are a mA-mAyan without a peer or a
superior".

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha comments that it is precisely this vishama guNa of

bhagavAn that He reflects in all His creation - no two creations are exactly
identical in all respects, and every single creation is unique. No two children of
any parent are identical, and nothing is identical to another in this universe
consisting of countless creations. As has been indicated in a few places before,
SrI vAsishTha, who explains the intricate grammatical basis for each of the
nAma-s in great detail, also has composed a Slokam for each nAma explaining
the significance of the nAma, in addition to giving a detailed vyAkhyAnam. His
Slokam for the current nAma is:

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 sa vishNureko vishamah purANah karoti viSvam vishamam svabhAvAt |

tamAnukurvan vishamam pravRttA sampat vipac-cApi jagat prasRptA ||

"The purAna purusha, vishNu, is distinct from everyone else, and is distinct.
Consistent with this guNa of His, He has also created everything else such
that nothing is same as another in His creation. This guNa is spread not only in
species of different kinds, but also in members of the same kind".

c) SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives the interpretation that He has the nAma
vishamah because He nullified the effect of the poison that was consumed by
rudra during the churning of the Milk Ocean (visham rdura pItam mInAti
hantisva-nAma-smaraNena iti vish-mah). The root mI - himsAyAm - to kill, to
lesson, to change, to be lost is used in this interpretation).

The dharma cakram writer gives several examples to illustrate that bhagavAn
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is unique and without anyone to compare to Him - vi-samah.

a) He is hRshIkeSan - One Who is unexcelled in His control of His indriya-s,

and even more so, He is the sole Controller of all our indriya-s.

b) He is keSavan, KeSi nishUdanan, madhu sUdanan, etc. In other words, there

is no one comparable to Him in assisting the deva-s when they are harassed by
the asura-s, and in destroying the asura-s.

c) He is govindan, since there is no one comparable to Him in knowing the

nature of the jIva-s.

d) He is janArdanan; there is no one as determined and powerful as He is

inchastising the wicked people.

e) He is vishNu; He pervades everything and He is everywhere. Without Him

nothing exists and functions.

f) He is yogISa and yogavidAm netA - The best among the yogi-s and the
Leader of all those who follow the path of yoga.

g) He is bhagavAn, who is unique in His shad-guNya paripUrNattvam - the

qualities of j~nAna, Sakti, bala, aiSvarya, vIrya, and tejas.

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h) He is acyuta, Who neither slips from His vow, nor lets His devotees slip
away from their goal. These are just a few instances that bring out His vi-
samattvam, and so He is known as vishamah.

nAma 749. zUNy> SUnyah

a) He Who is devoid of defects when He takes births as one of us.

b) He Who is without any attributes (advaita interpretation)

c) He Who goes everywhere, or is present everywhere.

d) He Who cleans out everything at the time of pralaya.

e) He Who is not accessible when we seek Him through our senses.

SUnyAya namah.

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The word SUnyam means empty, void, etc. The nAma is interpreted by
different vyAkhyAna kartA-s in terms of His being devoid of defects, His
destroying everything completely at the time of pralaya, His ridding His
enemies completely without trace, etc.

a) SrI bhaTTar's interpretation is that He has this nAma because He was

without any trace of any type of defect even though He took human
incarnations.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi pASuram 3.10.6:

tuyar il SuDAroLi tannuDaic cOdi ninRa vaNNam niRkavE

tuyarin maliyum maniSar piRaviyil tOnRik kaN kANa vandu

tuyara'ngaL Seidu tan deiva nilai ulagil puga uykkum ammAn

tuyaram il SIrk kaNNan mAyan pugazh tuRRa yAn Or tunbam ilanE.

BhagavAn is without any trace of defect, and this is well accepted. But He
takes birth among the grief-stricken human beings. Even so, He continues to
have all His parattvam intact in His incarnations, and so He is without any
defect. He takes these births so that He is accessible to the people. He
continues to torture His enemies through His weapons etc., and He continues

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 to torture His devotees because of even the minutest separation from Him.
But for nammAzhvAr there is no tuyaram in this world because he is constantly
having the anubhavam of His thought.

svAmi deSikan describes the six rahasya-s of bhagavAn's incarnations, in his

SaraNAgati dIpikA, Slokam 17:

1. nAnA-vidhaih (they are of different types, e.g., matsya, nArasimha,

kRshNa,etc.),

2. a-kapaTaih (they are all His true Forms, not just appearances),

3. ajahat-svabhAvaih (He is full of all His qualities of parattvam during

these incarnations,

4. a-prAkRtaih (His tirumeni during His incarnations are made of suddha-

sattva, and not of the pa'nca bhUtas as in the case of His creations);
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5. nija vihAra vaSena siddhaih (These Forms are not a result of pUrva
karma, as is in our case; they are assumed as part of His leelA, by His
own Free Will);

6. AtmIya raksha, vipaksha vinASanArthaih (They are assumed for the

protection of His devotees, and for the destruction of their enemies,
and not for the expiation of the karma accumulated in previous
countless births as in our case). It is clear that bhagavAn is a Big Zero
when it comes of to any form of defect even when He is born among us
humans!

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation that the nAma signifies
that bhagavAn is completely devoid of any guNa-s associated with prakRti -
prAkRta guNa virahitatvAt SUnyah, which is item 4 in svAmi deSika's list
above.

b) SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is a reflection of his advaita philosophy - He

is called SUnyah because He is devoid of any attributes - sarva
viSesharahitatvAt SUnyavat SUnyah.

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the root Sun - gatau - to go, and interprets

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the nAma as referring to "One Who goes everywhere, or is
everywhere" (SunatiprApto bhavati sarvatra iti SUnyo vishNuh). He points out
that kham - the word for sky, also means "void" or "a cipher". It is because
there is a void that a motion or movement from another place to this void is
possible, and thus void leads to motion, and motion leads to void. He points out
the importance of SUnya by reminding us how the number "1" undergoes a ten-
fold increase in value by the placement of just a SUnyam next to it in the
number system.

d) SrI satyasandha yatirAja gives the interpretation that He is SUnyah

because He clears out everything in this universe with nothing left, at the time
of pralaya - pralaya kAle sarva padArtha SUnyatvAt SUnyah.

e) The dharma cakram writer gives yet another anubhavam: bhagavAn is called

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SUnyah because He is not accessible to our senses, no matter how much we
try. We are used to believing that something exists only if we can relate to it
through our senses. He is not accessible to the senses, and so He is SUnyah.

nAma 750. "&tazI> ghRtASIh

a) He Who sprinkles the world with prosperity

b) He Who is desirous of the butter in the gopis' houses.

c) He from Whom all desires have flown away.

d) He Who enjoys the offering of ghee in the homa etc.

ghRtASishe namah.
The two parts that make up this nAma are ghRtam and ASIh. There are
several meanings for the word ghRtam - secanam, ksharaNam, dIpanam vA
ghRtam -sprinkling, flowing, or shining. ghRtam also refers to ghee or butter.
The word ASIh is derived from the root A'ng - SAsu - icchAyAm - to expect,
to bless. The different combinations result in the different interpretations.

a) SrI bhaTTar derives his interpretation using the meaning ghR - secane - to
sprinkle, to cover. SrI bhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is - ghRtam - secanam, sva-

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 guNaihjagat ApyAyanam - He makes the world prosperous by means of His
benevolent qualities.

b) An alternate interpretation given by SrI bhaTTar is based on the meaning

"ghee or butter" for the word ghRtam. Since He has great desire (ASAsti) for
the butter (ghRtam) in the gopis' homes, He is called ghRta-ASIh - gopa gRha
gavye ASAstih asya iti ghRtASIh (ghRte ASIh kAmo yasya sa ghRtASIh).

c) SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is: ghRtAh vigalitAh Asishah prArthanAh asya

iti ghRtASIh - He of non-existent requests is ghRtASIh.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri paints a picture of this guNa by pointing out that
"the qualities of desiring something, seeking someone's grace to get it,
receiving it from someone, etc., which are common sequences for many of us in
day-to-day life, have melted away like ghee, and dripped off or oozed out from
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Him, and so He is devoid of all these qualities of need, want, etc".

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretations that He is ghRtASIh

because He desires or enjoys the offerings of ghRtam or ghee in the fire
offerings; or, He is ghRtASIh because He likes the offering in the form of
alighted dIpam.

nAma 751. Acl> a-calah

a) He Who is unshakable against His enemies.

b) He Who is immutable in His nature, power, wisdom, etc.

c) He Who does not move anywhere, because He is everywhere already.

a-calAya namah.
The root from which the nAma is derived is cal - kampane - to stir, to shake.
That which does not move, or He Who is firm in His conviction and action, are
called a-calah.

a) SrI bhaTTar gives the interpretation: duryodhanAdhibhih durAtmabhih a-

bhedyaha-calah - He is called a-calah because He is not stirred by the evil-
minded duryodhana and others.

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b) SrI Sa'nkara's anubhavam is: na svarUpAt na sAmarthyAt na ca
j~nAnAdikAt guNAt calanam vidyate asya iti a-calah- He is Immutable, or a-
calah, because He undergoes no change in His nature, power, wisdom or any
other attributes.

The reader is again referred to the article that had been posted earlier,
comparing the approaches of SrI Sa'nkara and SrI BhaTTarto the vyAkhyAna
of SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam. The difference we see in the interpretation of
the current nAma is another illustration of this difference.

c) One of the interpretations that SrI cinmayAnanda gives is that because

bhagavAn is everywhere (All-pervading), and there is no place that He is not,
therefore He is a-calah. He gives the gItA Slokam 2.24 as support:

ac-chedyo'yam a-dAhyo'yam a-kledyo'Soshya eva ca |

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nityah sarva-gatah sthANuh a-calo'yam sanAtanah ||

"It cannot be cleft; It cannot be burnt; It cannot be wetted and It cannot be

dried;

It is eternal, all-pervading, stable, immovable, and primeval".

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha observes that bhagavAn Who is a-calah, has also
inculcated in all His creations, the principle of a-calattvam in some form. Thus,
for instance, the tree or plant that comes out of a given seed is only of the
same type as the seed, and not of a different type. This dharma is not violated
ever. When a fire shoots out, it is always directed in an upward direction, and
not in a downward direction. Thus, even those that are moving and active, are
bound by His principle of a-calattvam.

The dharma cakram writer gives a real-world analogy to illustrate the

importance of this nAma. A small wind is able to move and shake small plants; a
bigger cyclone is able to uproot even big trees; however, a mountain is not
moved by any of these. Similarly, people who are involved and entangled in
worldly joys and sorrows are shaken up and tossed around emotionally; even
arjuna got totally confused and disheartened when he entered the battlefield.

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 It is very rare indeed to find human beings who are not tossed around, because
their indriya-s control them. But he who controls his manas and indriya-s isfirm
in his resolve, and he is not tossed around or shaken by happenings around him.
His mind becomes a-cala manas. The peace that comes out of this disposition is
the true peace that we should aim for.

nAma 752. cl> calah

a) He Who swerves. b) He Who moves (in the form of vAyu etc.). c) He

Whorushed out of SrI vaikunTham at the cry for help from gajendra. d) He
Who isfull of leelA-s.
calAya namah.
We just saw in the previous nAma that bhagavAn is a-calah. Now we see that
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He is also calah, He Who swerves. His a-cala guNam or firmness was towards
His enemies; his cala guNam is reserved for His devotees.

SrI bhaTTar gives the well-known instance of His carrying arms against
bhIshma after making a promise earlier that He will never take to arms in the
mahA bhArata war. Thus, He swerved from His word, and so He was a calah in
this case. A couple of reasons are given for His breaking His own promise. One
was that He wanted to save His dear devotee, arjuna, from the wrath of
bhIshma, and so decided to go with His cakra against bhIshma to protect
arjuna. The second reason given is that bhIshma, who was a great devotee of
kRshNa, had taken an oath in front of kRshNa the previous evening that he will
fight so ferociously the next day as to make kRshNa break His promise and
take to arms; what was at stake was the word of His devotee bhIshma, and
kRshNa had to protect the word of His devotee even if it meant that He had
to break His own promise. Making His devotee's word come true was more
important for Him than to keep His own promise. So He took to arms, and thus
became a calah - One Who swerves for His devotee. Another instance was His
cheating jayadratha by converting day into night. The real truth to be
understood in the above instances that He is the One who establishes what is
right and what is wrong, and so by definition, what He decides is Justice.

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b) SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is that He is calah, or One Who moves, in the
form of air - vAyu rUpeNa calati iti calah.

c) SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry has added an interpretation that He is called

acalah because He rushed out of SrI vaikunTham to help the elephant-king
gajendra when he cried out for help.

d) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the root cal - vilasane - to sport, to
frolic, and gives the interpretation that He has this nAma because He is full of
leelA-s -

calati vilasati iti calah

vilAsa leelA sampannah.

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 Slokam 80
AmanI mandae maNyae laekSvamI iÇlaekx&t!,

sumexa mexjae xNy> sTymexa xraxr>. 80.

amAnI mAnadO mAnyO lOkasvAmI trilOkadhruth |
sumedhA medhajO dhanyah satyamedhA dharAdharah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 753. AmanI aa--mAnI

a) He Who is not proud.

b) He Who does not mistakenly identify things such as the body with Atman.

c) He Who is beyond all measure in all respects.

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a-mAnine namah.
a) The nAma is derived from the root mAn - pUjAyAm - to honor, to worship.
mAna means garva (pride), ahamkAra (the feeling of "I"), etc. - garvoabhimAno
ahmakArah (amara koSam 1.7.22). The word a-mAnI means One Who has no
garva or ahamkAra (na mAno garvo yasya aiti amAnah). He is unconcerned
about being respected by others - Atma-sammAna bhAva rahitah (SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha), even though He is the prabhu Who is worshipped by the
likes of brahma.

SrI bhaTTar gives the example of bhagavAn undertaking to be a messenger

for the pANDava-s, even though He had to face indignities in the process. His
being the charioteer for arjuna is another example of the same guNa of
bhagavAn. For the good of the world, He does not hesitate to take incarnations
even as a Boar, a Fish, a Form with the face of a Lion, etc.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives references to prabandham in support:

mun Or tUdu vAnarattin vAyil mozhindu .. ............... avanE

pin Or tUdu Adi mannarkku Agi peru nilattAr "innAr tudan" ena ninRAn.

(periya tirumozhi 2.2.3)

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"He became the messenger to the pANDava kings, and let Himself be referred
to as "so-and-so's messenger", even though He is the Supreme Lord".

ANDAL describes Him in Her nAcciyAr tirumozhi 11.8 as "One Who is willing to
become mAna ilAp panRi":

pASi tUrttuk kiDaNda pAr magaTkup paNDoru nAL mASu uDambil nIr vArA
mAnamilAp panRiyAm...

"He shamelessly took the Form of a varAha, with a dirty body and water
dripping all over, just for the sake of retrieving bhU devi who was lying under
the Ocean with fungus growing all over Her..".

nammAzhvAr refers to Him as "nADuDai mannarkkut tUdu Sel nambi" in

tiruvAimozhi 6.6.4.

b) SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is that He is called a-mAnI because He has no

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mistaken notions of Atman in things that are not Atman - anAtma
vastushuAtmAbhimAno na asti asya iti a-mAnI.

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives an additional interpretation using the root

mA - mAne - to measure, to compare with, and gives the meaning "One Who
cannot be measured (with regard to strength, power, or any of the other
auspicious qualities)". The sense conveyed here is that bhagavAn is a-prameya-
Beyond the scope of definition.

mAna--dah
nAma 754. mand> mAna

a) He Who honors others.

b) He Who confers rewards on His devotees, or denies rewards for the

unrighteous (Sa'nkara)

c) He Who removes the false understanding of Atman in true seekers, or

induces a false sense of Atman in non-seekers (Sa'nkara)

d) He Who gives spiritual enlightenment to His devotees.

e) He Who gives a measure and dimension to everything in the Universe.

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 mAnadAya namah.
The same root that was used in the last nAma applies for the current nAma as
well.

a) SrI bhaTTar's interpretation is that BhagavAn is called mAna-dah because

He always honors His devotees. He gives the instances of Lord kRshNa's
honoring arjuna by making him the master of the chariot, making ugrasena the
Ruler and being his vassal, and making yudhisthira the king and respecting him -
arjunaugrasena yudhisthirAdibhyo rathitva, Adhi-rAjya , bahumAnam dattavAn
mAna-dah.

There are numerous other instances where bhagavAn has exhibited His guNa
of being a mAna-dah. His being born as a son to daSaratha, vasudeva, etc., are
all examples where He bestows honor on these great devotees of His.
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b) & c) SrI Sa'nkara gives multiple interpretations for the nAma:

In the first of his interpretations, SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning

AtmAbhimAnam for the word mAnam, and gives the interpretation that Lord
vishNu induces a false sense of Atman through His mAyA - He creates the
false attachment in objects that are not the self, and makes people get
attached to them as if they are the self - sva-mAyayA sarveshAm anAtmasu
mAnam AtmAbhimAnamdadAti it mAna-dah.

1. His second interpretation is that vishNu is mAna-dah because He

confers rewards on His devotees - bhaktAnAm mAnam satkAram dadAti
iti vA.

2. The third interpretation is that He prevents rewards to the

unrighteous - a-dharmishThAnAmmAnam sat-kAram dyati khANDayati
iti.

3. The last interpretation of SrI Sa'nkara is that He has this nAma

because He destroys the wrong notions of Atman in earnest seekers -
tattva-vidAm anAtmasumAnam AtmAbhimAnam dyati khaNDayati iti vA
mAna-dah.

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d) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning "citta samunnati" or
"elevation of mind" to the word mAna, and thus interprets the nAma as
meaning that He gives spiritual enlightenment to His devotees, and so He is
mAna-dah - mAnam citta-samunnatim dadAti iti mAna-dah (mAnaS-citta
samunnatih - amara koSam).

e) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the meaning "parimANam" or measure to the

word mAnam, and gives the interpretation that the nAma means "One Who
gives dimension to everything". SrI vAsishTha uses both the roots dad - dAne-
to give, and dau - avakhaNDane - to cut, to divide, in his interpretation of the
nAma simultaneously, and points out that bhagavAn has this nAma because He
establishes a definition of everything in this universe by both the principles of
attraction and repulsion (AkarshaNam and vikarshaNam) to achieve this
function of giving dimension to everything (mAna-dah) - mAna dadAti

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AkarshaNena,mAna dyati khaNDayati vikarshaNena.

He gives the example of the various planets having their shapes, orbits, etc.,
only because of this function of bhagavAn as mAna-dah. He also points out
that the very shape of the body, with its different parts, is because of His
giving dimension and definition to all these, and thus His guNa of mAna-dah is
reflected in everything we see. SrI vAsishTha-s anubhavam of the nAma goes
further, and he points out that because bhagavAn has thus given the definition
and dimension to everything, He has shown us the principle of the airplanes
through the birds that fly, the principle of the ship etc., through the
creatures that navigate in water, etc. Water quenching fire, and fire
evaporating away water, are all instances of His giving dimension and definition
to these elements, such that everything works together in unison.

Drawing from the thoughts conveyed by the dharma cakram writer, the lesson
to take from this nAma is that just as bhagavAn gives respect to His devotees,
we should learn to give respect to Him and to His devotees, and to devote our
energy to Atma vishayam, and not waste our life and time by giving respect to
things that do not deserve true respect, such as a-dharma, injustice, etc.

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 nAma 755. maNy> mAnyah

The Object of honor.

mAnyAya namah.
This nAma again has the same root as the previous two nAma–s: mAn –
pUjAyAm – to honor, to worship. mAnayitum yogyo mAnyah pUjanIyah iti
mAnyah– He Who is fit to be worshipped or honored is mAnyah.

SrI bhaTTar comments that bhagavAn is worthy of respect because of His

special relationship towards His devotees based on His affection towards
them– tadIyatvena sanmantavyo mAnyah. SrI bhaTTar gives the example of
Lord kRshNa’s concern for arjuna through the following verse in mahAbhArata:
“na sAratheh sAttvata kauravANAm kruddhasya mucyeta raNe’dya kaScit”-
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“In the battle of kurukshetra today, no sAttvata or kaurava is going to escape

death because the Charioteer of arjuna is angry”.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr’s periya tiruvantAdi 53, where

AzhvAr points to this guNa of bhagavAn: un aDiyArkku en Seivan enrE irutti nI
– You are constantly thinking of the good that You can do to Your devotees.

SrI Sa’nkara’s vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn is worthy of being worshipped by

all because of being the SarveSvaran – sarvaih mAnanIyah pUjanIyah
sarveSvaratvAt iti mAnyah.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that rightly He is worthy of being

worshipped, because it is because of Him that everything exists and functions–
ISAvAsyam idam sarvam yat kim ca jagatyAm jagat (ISAvAsya upanishad -
mantra1). He is the Lord, Creator and Protector of everything.

SrI cinmayAnanda refers us to another work of SrI Sa’nkara, viveka

cUDAmaNi, where Sa’nkara uses the term mAnyah to refer to those blessed
souls who have been able to realize the Supreme Being – dhanyah sa mAnyo
bhuvi. If the people who have realized the Supreme Being are mAnyah or
worshippable, what words can be used to describe the worship-worthiness of
the Supreme Being Himself!

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It is noted again that SrI bhaTTar’s anubhavam of the nAma-s are primarily
oriented towards enjoying bhagavAn’s guNa-s as being subservient to the
welfare of His devotees, and SrI Samkara’s vyAkhyAnam is primarily oriented
towards bringing out His parattvam and Supreme Rulership.

SrI SAstri reminds us of the idea conveyed by the three nAma-s, a-mAnI,
mAna-dah, and mAnyah: bhagavAn does not show Himself as One Who deserves
to be supremely respected and honored (a-mAnI), He ensures that His
devotees are respected (mAna-dah), and this is where all His feeling of
respectability lies (mAnyah).

The dharma cakram writer observes that even though bhagavAn is mAnyah (To
be worshipped), it is only His true devotees who realize this, and it is to those
that He gives the ability to overcome the lower desires, and realize Him.

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We will use this nAma to bring out an important point about understanding the
reason for the existence of different vyAkhyAna-s for the same vishNu
sahasranAma stotram. One of the reasons is of course the difference in the
anubhavam-s of the different vyAkhyAna-kartA-s, who are all great devotees
of the Lord. Another reason is that the interpreters try to interpret ancient
works such as the Sruti, smRti, itihAsa-s and purANa-s so that they can claim
authority and authenticity for their specific school of philosophy through their
interpretation of these scriptures. We will see this briefly for the dvaita
interpretation for this nAma. In the dvaita philosophy, the view on pirATTi is:

1. She is a jIva, but a higher jIva than all the other jIva-s;

2. She is vibhu, but less than vishNu in Her parattvam.

Two of the interpretations that SrI satyasandha yatirAja, one of the AcArya-
s in the dvaita lineage, gives for this nAma (mAnyah), are based on looking at
the nAma as (mA + anyah):

1. mAyA ramAyA anyA ceshTanIyA asya iti mAnyah; and

2. mAyA ramA upalakshita jIva rASeh anyo bhinna iti mAnyah.

Both of these support the elements of their philosophy that are given above.

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 It is worth nothing that both SrI Sa’nakara and SrI bhaTTar chose to use only
the root mAn as the basis for their interpretation of the nAma, and gave the
meaning to the nAma as “He Who is worthy of worship”, while the dvaita
interpreter chose to see the nAma as mA + anyah.

loka--svAmI
nAma 756. laekSvamI loka

The Master of the Universe.

loka-svAmine namah.
One meaning for the word svam is aiSvaryam. The amara koSavyAkhyAnam for
svAmI is svam aiSvaryam asya asti iti svAmI. There is a pANini sUtra, svAmin
aiSvarye (5.2.126), which equates the word svAmin with aiSvaryam. The affix
Amin after the word sva comes in the sense of lordship. aiSvaryam refers to
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sovereignty, Lordship, power, wealth, etc. Thus, one interpretation for the
nAma is: He is called loka-svAmI because He is the Lord of the Universe.

The thread in SrI bhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam is worth revisiting for the full
enjoyment of his vyAkhyAnam. BhagavAn is called amAnI (nAma 753) because
He is not proud of any of His possessions or guNa-s, He is mAna-dah
(nAma754) because He honors His devotees, and he is mAnyah (nAma 755)
because He considers Himself worthy of respect because of His special
relationship of affection to His devotees. Now we come to His nAma – loka-
svAmI (nAma 756) – The Master of the Universe. In what sense? According to
SrI bhaTTar, it is not because of His superior power or wealth or parattvam,
but because He is the Master in simplicity, based on the previous three nAma-
s, and so He is loka-svAmI in soulabhayam. This anubhavam of bhagavAn as
living for the devotees and acting for the devotees, is the crowning aspect of
SrI bhaTTar’s bhAshyam, which can be seen throughout the vyAkhyAnam. His
interpretation for the current nAma is: he is loka-svAmI because He is a-
mAnI, mAna-dah, and mAnyah as explained above – ka evam karmakarah? loka-
svAmI.

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 sadagopan.org

lOkaswAminE namah - adanur pranavakara vimanam

(Pic Courtesy: B. Senthil)

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 The idea that SrI bhaTTar reflects is conveyed by nammAzhvAr in
tiruvAimozhipASuram 4.5.7:

enRum onRAgi ottArum mikkArgaLum, tan tanakku

inRi ninRAnai ellA ulagum uDaiyAn tannai

kunRam onRAl mazhai kAtta pirAnai….

The important point here that bhagavAn is not only superior because of His
parattvam, but more so because He is unique and excels everyone in His
soulabhyam by His own choice; He behaves and sees Himself as another human
being, even though in every sense He retains His parattvam in His human
incarnations – aham mAnusham manye.

SrI Sa’nkara’s vyAkhyAnam is that He is loka-svAmI because He is the Lord of

the fourteen worlds, the seven worlds above and the seven worlds below –
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caturdaSAnAm lokAnAm IsvaratvAt loka-svAmI.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives support from the kaushItakI Upanishad –

eshalokAdhipatih (3.9).

SrI cinmayAnanda comments that He is loka-svAmI in the sense that He is the

Creator, Controller, Director, the Lord and the Governor of all fields-of-
experience of all creatures, at all times, everywhere; He is the Consciousness
that illumines matter.

SrI vAsishTha gives an alternate interpretation, based on “One Who has lokam
or the Universe as His svam or aiSvaryam”. Adding the affix Amin to the word
loka-svam, he derives the meaning for the nAma as “The Lord Who has the
Universe as His wealth”.

nAma 757. iÇlaekx&t! tri loka--dhRt

tri--loka

a) He Who supports the three worlds (the worlds above, the worlds below, and
earth in the middle).

b) The Supporter of the three states of experience (waking, dream and deep
sleep)

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tri-loka-dhRte namah.
a) SrI bhaTTar’s interpretation is that He is One Who has the burden of
responsibility for the support and nourishment of the entire Universe, and so
He is called tri-loka-dhRt – aSeshANAmapi dhAraNa poshakayoh
bhArakatvAtloka-svAmI (the root involved is dhR – dhAraNe – to hold, to bear,
to support). Because He created us, therefore He necessarily has the burden
of responsibility for supporting us, just like the responsibility of a father to
his children.

SrI Sa’nkara bhAshyam is: trIn-lokAn dhArayati iti tri-loka-dhRt – The

Supporter of the three worlds.

b) In addition to the meaning “world” for the word “loka”, SrI cinmayAnanda
also gives an alternate interpretation where he takes tri-loka to mean the

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three states of waking, dream and deep sleep. He then gives the interpretation
that bhagavAn has this nAma because He is the Supporter, in the form of
Consciousness, of the three states of experience, since without the kindling
support of life in the bosom, it would be impossible for us to have any
experience.

Another variant of the nAma is tri-loka-dhRk. The interpretation given is

essentially the same as for tri-loka-dhRt. SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives
the interpretation – tir-loka-dRg-iti dhArakatayA pAlakatayASca tri-lokIm
dharjati gacchati iti tasyasvAbhAviko’yam dharmah – It is His dharma to
sustain this universe and keep it going by supporting and protecting all the
creatures of the three worlds. Here he uses the root dhRj – gatau – to go, to
move, as the root for this explanation.

SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives the interpretation – tri-lokAndyu pRthivi

antarikshAn dharati iti tri-loka-dhRk, where the root dhR –dhAraNe – to hold
(dharati) is used.

Without getting into intricate grammatical rules, it is difficult to distinguish

between the two versions. However, it is to be noted that SrI Sa’nkara and
SrI bhaTTar have explained the nAma using the version tri--loka-dhRt, and

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 SrI satya sandha yatirAja has explained the nAma as tri-loka-dhRk.

su--medhAh
nAma 758. sumexa> su

The Well-Intentioned.
su-medhase namah.
medhA means memory or intellect. su is a prefix or an upasarga which means
“superior”. So the nAma means “One Who has a Superior intellect or memory”.
The different interpretations involve different anubhavam-s of what “good
intellect” means.

a) SrI bhaTTar’s anubhavam is that His buddhi is su-medhA or “Superior

buddhi”, because He constantly thinks of the good of His devotees –
ArAdhakasu-sAdhu buddhih su-medhAh.
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SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the derivation – SobhanA medhA

dhAraNavatIdhIh asya iti su-medhAh, which also conveys the above idea.

SrI Sa’nkara bhAshyam is “SobhanA medhA pra~jnA asya iti su-medhAh – He

of bright intelligence.

SrI rAdhakRshNa SAstri elaborates that “superior intellect” consists in

anticipating future events or outcomes, not being disturbed or impacted by
surrounding events, etc.

SrI cinmAyananda points out that when applied to us, the term su-medhA can
refer to the ability of the self to realize its true nature, something that is not
new information, but that has been temporarily forgotten by us. So he
interprets the nAma as meaning “Divine memory Power”.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meaning to medhA as “the intellect that
gives protection or support”, and explains the nAma as referring to the
memory of bhagavAn that is always aware of everything that is going on
everywhere, as well as events associated with all beings – past, present, and
future. He comments that the intellect of each of us is directly proportional to
the extent to which we are able perceive the medhA of bhagavAn.

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The dharma cakram writer explains medhA as that power which enables us to
understand and realize “That which is the biggest of the big and the smallest
of the small”. All of us have this power potentially, and can realize it once we
know how to control our thought, word and deed and realize the potential
power that we have in us.

medha--jah
nAma 759. mexj> medha

a) He Who was born as a result of a sacrifice.

b) He Who is realized as a result of sacrifices.

c) He Who makes His presence in the gatherings of bhakta-s.

medha-jAya namah.
The term medha refers to ya~jna or sacrifice. SrI bhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam is:

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ato medhe – devakI putrIya vrata rUpe ya~jne jAtah iti medha-jah – He has
this nAma indicating that He was born to devaki as a result of the medhA or
sacrifice in the form of austerities performed by her to get Him as son. This
was revealed by Lord kRshNa Himself as soon as He was born to devaki
(vishNupurANam 5.3.14):

stuto’ham yat tvayA pUrvam putrArthinyA tadadya te |

saphalam devi! Sa’njAtam jAto’ham yat tavo’darAt ||

“O Revered Lady! You praised Me before, desirous of having Me as Your son.

Your prayers have been fruitful today since I have taken birth out of your
womb”.

SrI bhaTTar also gives support from vishNu dharma:

sabyagh-ArAdhitenoktam yat prasannena te Subhe! |

tat kRtam saphalam devi! … ||

(vishNu dharma 33.39)

“O Auspicious Lady! When you worshipped Me in the proper manner before, I

became pleased and made a promise to you (that I would be born as your son).

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 That has been carried out now”.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives other instances where bhagavAn has taken birth as
the child of devotees, as a result of their yAga, vrata, etc. He was born in His
incarnation of vAmana as aditi’s son as a result of her payo-vratam; it is well-
known that Lord rAma was born as a son to daSaratha as a result of the putra
kAmeshTi yAgam; yaSodA and nandagopan had Lord kRshNa as their son
because of their tapas.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the additional instances of Lord varadarAja,

Who manifested Himself from the sacrificial fire of brahmA in kA’nci.

b) SrI cinmayAnanda comments that because bhagavAn makes His appearance

in every yaj~na in His pure Form, we can say that He is born in yaj~na. Based
on the gItA, he gives the definition for yaj~na as "a co-operative endeavor
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wherein we offer our capacity into a field of chosen work invoking in it the
unmanifested Lord, who pours His blessings in terms of profit”. In this sense,
when all the personality layers are offered in an act of total surrender, the
spiritual experience of the Self is born. Thus bhagavAn is the result of the
medha or sacrifice (medha-jah), and to the student of vedAnta, the term is
rich in its suggestiveness.

The dharma cakram writer describes the five types of yaj~na-s that each of
us should be observing, and indicates that the realization of the Self is a
result of observing these pa’nca mahA yaj~na-s, and this is the significance of
this nAma for us. In other words, He becomes accessible and available to us as
a result of our observing the pa’nca mahA yaj~na-s (medha-jah). The
pa’ncamahA yaj~na-s are: bhUta yaj~na, pitR yaj~na, nara yaj~na, Rshi yaj~na,
and devayaj~na. These have been described before, under nAma-s 449 and
682.

c) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN uses the root med, medh – sa’ngame – to meet,
as the basis for his interpretation: medha – bhakta sa’ngame jAyate prAdur-
bhavati iti medha-jah – He Who makes His presence in the gatherings of
bhakta-s.

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nAma 760. xNy> dhanyah

The Blessed.
dhanyAya namah.
The word dhanam refers to wealth. The amara koSa vyAkhyAnam is
“dhanadharma sAdhuh dhanyah” – One Who excels in wealth and dharma is
dhanyah. By pANini sUtra “dhana gaNam labdhA” (4.4.84), the addition of the
yat pratyayato dhana gives the meaning to this nAma as: “One who obtains
dhana or wealth”.

What wealth does bhagavAn have to attain, that He does not have? SrI
bhaTTar’s anubhavam is that He considered being born to devaki as the wealth
that He coveted. Since He got His desired wealth by being born to devaki, now

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He is dhanyah – tad-janma dhana lAbhAt dhanyah.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan’s anubhavam is that since bhagavAn is One Who does not
have birth normally, this is a great blessing for Him!

(I am reminded of an article that I recently received from a friend of mine. In

this moving article, the well-known Sri candra sekhara sarasvati (the previous
AcArya of kA’nci Sa’nkara maTham), feels intensely sorry that his position as
the sanyAsi and head of his Asrama had permanently deprived him of the
privilege of prostrating at the feet of elders right from a very young age,
since he became the head of the maTham when he was probably less than 10.
So he feels intensely for his situation, that falling at the feet of elders and
prostrating was a bhAgyam that he was permanently deprived of in his life
because of his position).

SrI Sa’nkara bhAshyam is that since every wish of bhagavAn is fulfilled, He is

dhanyah – kRtArtho dhanyah – He is self-satisfied, and so He is Blessed.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the amaram “sukRti puNyavAn dhanyah”,
and gives the interpretation that BhagavAn accepts the sincere offerings in
the form of flowers etc., and constantly keeps thinking of their welfare; This
is sukRtam and puNya kAryam, and so He is dhanyah – sukRtI or puNyavAn.

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 The dharma cakram writer dwells on the lesson to take from the nAma, as he
invariably does for all the nAma-s. In common use, the word dhanyah refers to
“one who is benefiting from the good karma-s in his previous
birth” (dhanyo’smi– I am blessed). The antima smRti is a determinant of the
next birth. In order to have good antima smRti, one should train oneself
throughout one’s life to be involved in good deeds, thoughts and words. This is
what will make one adhanyah in the future births. This is the lesson to take
from the concepts behind this nAma.

satya--medhAh
nAma 761. sTymexa> satya

a) He of true thoughts – honest, straightforward.

b) He of true knowledge – with foresight and minuteness.

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c) He of true knowledge – of the Vedas and their numerous branches.

satya-medhase namah.
a) SrI bhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn is satya-medhAh because He
is sincere in whatever He says, and it is not just for pretence – medhA
satyAasya, na naTana mAtram iti satya-medhAh. SrI v. v. rAmAnujan describes
this guNa of bhagavAn as Arjavam – straightforwardness. SrI bhaTTar quotes
the instance where bhagavAn addresses His gopa friends, after they see Him
perform the govardhana episode and wonder aloud whether He is really one of
them:

yadi vo’sti mayi prItih SlAghyo’ham bhavatAm yadi |

tad-Atam-buddhi sadRSI buddhir-vah kriyatAma mayi ||

(vishNu purANam 5.13.11)

nAham devo na gandharvo na yaksho na ca dAnavah |

aham vo bAndhavo jAtah na vaS-cintyam ato’nyatA ||

(V.P. 5.13.12)

“If you have real love for me and think that I am worthy of praise from you,

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then you must think of me as you think of yourselves (i.e., you must think of me
as a gopa, as you all are). I am neither a god, nor a gandharva, neither a yaksha
(a demi-god), nor a dAnava (demon). I am a born relative to you all. You must
not think of me any other way”.

Similarly, rAma declares: “AtmAnam mAnusham manye rAmam

daSarathAtmajam” –

I consider myself as a human being, and the son of daSaratha.

b) SrI Sa’nkara vyAkhyAnam is that He is of unfailing intelligence – satyA

avitathA medhA yasya iti satya medhAh. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments
that true knowledge (satya medhA) consists of the ability to foresee things
and to see the inner aspects of things (nuN aRivu), so that there are no
obstructions caused because of unanticipated or overlooked aspects of things

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during execution of any action. If one’s knowledge is useful in times of need
with these attributes, then any action undertaken by this person will be bound
to succeed. Since bhagavAn is One Who is equipped with such knowledge, He is
called satya-medhAh.

c) SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry gives the interpretation that because bhagavAn
has the true knowledge of the veda-s and their numerous branches, He has the
nAma satya-medhAh.

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives yet another anubhavam for the nAma –
because bhagavAn has the unfailing knowledge that keeps all the multifarious
creations right from the beginning of the kalpa to the end with their proper
perspectives, He is called satya-medhAh.

The dharma cakram writer observes that because bhagavAn unfailingly

bestows true knowledge on those who follow the path of dharma, and thereby
gives them a mind that is directed towards realization of Him, therefore He is
called satya-medhAh. So the lesson for us from this nAma is that we should
follow the unfailing path of dharma so that we will bestowed with true
knowledge.

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 nAma 762. xraxr> dharAdharah

a) He Who supported the Mountain (govardhana).

b) He Who supports the earth.

dharAdharAya namah.
The word dhara means mountain, and the word dharA refers to earth. So the
nAma can be viewed as dhara + Adharah, dharA + dharah, dharA + Adharah,
etc. The different vyAkhyAna kartA-s come up with their interpretations
depending on which combination they choose.

a) SrI bhaTTar gives the interpretation using the word dharam – mountain.
The nirukti description for the nAma is dharam dhRtavAn dharAdharah – He
Who bore the mountain. The reference here is to Lord kRshNa’s bearing the
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govardhana mountain to protect the cows and cowherds when indra caused
trouble to them (dharasya govardhanasya girer-dharaNAt dharAdharah – SrI
baladeva vidyA bhUshaN). SrI bhaTTar gives the following reference to
bhagavAn’s thoughts described in vishNu purANam prior to His lifting the
Mountain:

tad-etad-akhilam goshTham trAtavyam adhunA mayA |

imam adrim aham dhairyAt utpATyA’’Su SilAdhanam |

dhArayishyAmi goshThasya pRthucchatramivAparam ||

“The cowpen with all the cows and cowherds should be protected by me now. I
shall by force uproot this mountain with big boulders at once and hold it over
their heads as a big umbrella and save them all (from this distress)”.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives several references to AzhvArs on this incident:

kal eDuttuk kal mAri kAttAi (tiru ma’ngaiAzhvAr, tiru nedum tANDakam 13 )

kaDu’nkAl mAri kallE pozhiya …. neDu’nkAl kunRam kuDai onRu Endiniraiyaic

ciramattAl naDu’ngA vaNNam kAttAn

(tiruma’ngai AzhvAr, periyatirumozhi 6.10.8)

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"tiRambAmal malai eDuttEnE ennum…." (tirambAmal – flawlessly)
(nammAzhvAr, tiruvAi. 5.6.5)

Eleven pASurams of periyAzhvAr tirumozhi (3-5) are all dedicated to the

govardhana incident.

b) SrI Sa’nkara’s interpretation uses the meaning dharA – earth.

dharAmdhaArayan dharAdharah. His actual vyAkhyAnam is: “amSaih aSeshaih
SeshAdyaih a-SeshAm dharAm dhArayandharah" – He Who supports all the
earths through His amSa-s such as Adi-Sesha.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out the other forms, such as varAha, the
eight elephants of the eight directions, etc. He quotes the Sruti vAkhyam in
support: yene me vidhRte ubhe; vishNunA vidhRte bhUmi; dAdhartham
pRthivImabhitomayUkahih |

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SrI cinmayAnanda gives a different anubhavam of His being the “sole support
of the earth”. He interprets earth here to refer to matter in general, and
observes that bhagavAn is the very essence from which matter has come to
express itself, both its gross and subtle forms. He continues: “Geographically,
the earth is supported by water, water by atmospheric air, and air by space. If
one enquires further and questions what supports space, we know that space is
a concept which we experience by our intellect. All experiences of the intellect
are established in Consciousness, and therefore, the ultimate support for the
entire world is the Supreme nArAyaNa”, and so He is dharAdharah.

The dharma cakram writer explains bhagavAn’s “support of the earth”, starting
from the pa’nca bhUta-s in their sUkshma form, and how they combine
together to evolve into their sthUla forms. His “support of the earth” is really
a part of His support of the pa’nca bhUta-s. He is the Creator of everything,
and He is the ultimate Abode of everything, and so He is dharAdharah. Several
are the concepts that are hidden in this mantra “dharAdharAya namah”. Just
like all the other mantra-s (and remember that each nAma is a mantra), this is
another very potent mantra.

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 Slokam 81
tejae v&;ae *uitxr> svRzôÉ&ta< vr>,

à¢hae in¢hae Vy¢ae nEkï&¼ae gda¢j>. 81.

tejOvrushO dyutidharah sarvasastrabhrutAm varah |
pragrahO nigrahO vyagrO naikasrungO gadAgrajah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

tejo--vRshah
nAma 763. tejaev&;> tejo

a) He Who showers His splendor on His devotees in

the form of His protection.

b) He Who showers rain through the sun.

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c) He Who showers His radiance on everything.

d) He Who showers His fierce weapons on His enemies in defense of His

devotees.
tejo-vRshAya namah.
The two roots applicable to this nAma are given by SrI satyadevo vAsishThaas:
tij – niSAne – to whet, or tej – niSAne, pAlane ca – to whet, to protect, and
vRsh – secana – to rain, to shower. tejah also can refer to tejas – lustre, light,
brilliance, splendor. varshati itivRshah. Thus, the nAma can mean One who
showers brightness, One who showers protection, etc.

a) SrI bhaTTar emphasizes the meaning “protection” in his interpretation:

"evam suhRt-pAlana lakshaNam tejo varshati iti tejo-vRshah" – “Thus He
showers splendor in the form of protection of the good-hearted beings. So He
is tejo-vRshah”.

As all of us know, SrI bhaTTar sees a connection through the sequence of

nAma-s,and the current nAma-s are being interpreted as referring to the
kRshNa incarnation. So here the protection of the cows and the cowherds that
we saw in the previous nAma is being referred to.

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SrI v.v. rAmAnujan explains the nAma as referring to bhagavAn showering His
tejas or Sakti on His devotees in the form of His protection. The innocent
folks in AyarpADi loved kaNNan with all their hearts, and He showered His
Grace and protection on them even as the mother cow secretes the milk for its
calf with all its heart.

b) The word tejas also refers to water, and SrI Sa’nkara uses this meaning in
his interpretation – tejasAm ambhasAm Aditya rUpeNa varshaNAt tejovRshah
– He always showers rain through the medium of the sun.

SrI ananta kRshNa SAstri elaborates: tejAmsi AdAya Aditya rUpeNavarshati

vA.

The dharma carkam writer points out that just as the sea water, which by
itself is unusable for most purposes, is converted by the sun into potable and

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usable water, so also the thought of bhagavAn distills our mind and purifies it
from bad thoughts. Just as we cannot live without water, we cannot live
without Him either. Just as the sun keeps functioning behind our conscious
thoughts to purify the sea water into a form that is usable by us, so also His
Grace is always functioning to purify our thoughts constantly.

c) The anubhavaam of SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj is that this nAma

indicates that He showers His luster on everything because of His divine and
auspicious Form – SrI vigrahAt tejasvinah prabhA kiraNAh sarvatah
prasaranti. Whatever radiance a living organism has, is a result of a miniscule
fraction of His tejas.

d) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN has yet another different interpretation: sva-
bandhu rakshAyai cakrAdi duh-sahAni tejAmsi varshati iti tejo-vRshah– He
Who showers His magnificent weapons such as the cakra (on the enemies) in
the cause of protection of His bhandu-s (devotees), is tejo-vRshah.

dyuti--dharah
nAma 764. *uitxr> dyuti

He Who possessed a majesty.

dyuti-dharAya namah.

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 We encountered the phrase dyuti-dharah as part of nAma 276 – ojas-tejo-
dyuti-dharah (Slokam 30). dyuti refers to effulgence or radiance. The root
involved is dyut – dIptau – to shine. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that
dyuti is the term that refers to the unique effulgence that is characteristic of
deva-s. The word dharah can refer to “One Who protects” or “One Who
bears” (see nAma dharAdharah in previous Slokam).

SrI bhaTTar gives the interpretation for the nAma as “One Who had the
effulgence or radiance even at a very young age in His kRshNa incarnation,
that could be dazzle devendra”.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj describes His unique kAnti – atiSayita

kAntisampannah.

SrI Sa’nkara refers to the kAnti in all of bhagavAn’s limbs as his

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interpretation for this nAma (Recall the Slokam 79 nAma-s: suvarNa-

varNahhemA’ngah varA’ngah candanA’ngadI, where the beauty and kAnti of His
limbs are described).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that bhagavAn is called dyuti-dharah

because He supports the dyuti that is characteristic of the sun, the moon, all
the deva-s, lightning, ratna, etc. In fact, whatever radiance we all possess in
us, is but a tiny part of His radiance.

SrI cinmayAnanda points out that it is this kAnti in us that enables us to be

aware of all our perceptions,emotions, and thoughts.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha treats the word dyuti itself as referring to “One
Who possesses effulgence”, and then treats the word dharah as “One Who
protects”, and thus gives the meaning to the nAma “dyuti-dharah” as “One Who
has Effulgence, and Who protects and everyone and everything” – svayam
prakASamAnah sarvam dharati iti; vAsatavika arthah prakASamAnahsarvasya
AdhAraSca iti arthah.

The dharma cakram writer comments that the dyuti that is referred to here is
not the physical beauty that one sees in the body, but the radiance that
emanates from the inner AtmA, and is reflected in the same body. Unlike the

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physical beauty which stirs thoughts of kAmam in the observer’s mind, the
beauty that is seen in the body because of the dyuti emanating from the
AtmA, kindles thoughts of bhakti in the observer. He quotes the famous
saying in tamizh: “rAman irukkum iDattil kAman illai; kAman irrukkum iDattil
rAman illai”- “There is no kAma where rAma is, and there is no rAma where
kAma is” .

This nAma signifies to us that every part of bhagavAn’s Form is such that it
evokes extreme devotion on the devotee. One should go through some of
svAmi deSikan’s stotra-s such as SrI bahgavd-dhyAna sopAnam, SrI
devanAyaka pa’ncAsat,etc., to appreciate the truth of this statement as svAmi
deSikan has the anubhavam of emperumAn.

sarva--Sastra
nAma 765. svRzôÉ&ta< vr> sarva bhRtAm--varah
Sastra--bhRtAm

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The Best among those warriors who are armed with all weapons.
sarva-Sastra-bhRtAm-varAya namah.
The relevant roots for this nAma are (SrI satya devo vAsishTha): - Sas –
himsAyAm – to cut up, to destroy; based on the pANinisUtra 3.2.182 – dAmnI
Sasa yu yuja ….karaNe (shTran), whereby the root Sas with the affix shTran
gets the sense of instrument. Thus, the word Sastra gets the meaning “a
weapon”. - bhR – dhAraNa poshaNayoh – to hold, to support; bhRt means One
Who holds. - vR – varaNe – to choose. VarItum arhah varah – One Who is fit
to be chosen is varah. So the nAma means “He Who is Best among all those who
hold or carry weapons”. – sarveshAm Sastra-bhRtAm madhye varah –
SreshThah.

a) SrI BhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam is that He has the nAma indicating that He was
the foremost among the wielders of weapons in His fight against the asura by
name naraka, king jarAsandha, and others. SrI bhaTTar emphasizes that it was
child’s play for the Lord during His incarnations to wield these weapons against
His enemies:

manushya dharma leelasya leelA sA jagat-pateh |

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 astrANyaneka rUpANi yad arAtishu mu’ncati ||

(vishNu purANa 5.22.14)

“For the Lord of the world Who was diverting Himself with the activities of
the human beings it was mere play to discharge different kinds of weapons
against His enemies”.

SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry gives the support from bhagavad gItA 10.31:

pavanah pavatAm asmi rAmah Sastra-bhRtAm aham |

jhashANAm makaraS-cAsmi srotasAm asmi jAhnavI ||

(gItA10.31)

“Of moving things, I am the wind.

Of those who bear weapons, I am rAma.

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Of fishes, I am makara, and of rivers, I am ga’ngA”.

SrI cinmayAnanda points out that bhagavAn is the “Best” among those Who
wield weapons, because He uses them to bring about “constructive
destruction”, as opposed to other weapon-wielders who bring
about“destructive destruction”. His words are: “The Lord never uses His
weapon of annihilation indiscriminately – for He is ever just. It is also
significant that all destructions in nature are always ‘constructive
destructions’; therefore, the Lord’s Discus is itself called ‘the auspicious
vision’ – su-darSana. In the maturity of one’s evolution when one becomes fit
for one’s own inner unfoldment, slowly but irresistibly, the seeker can ever
detect a secret hand that diligently cuts off all this connections with the
outer world, and compels him to lean more and more on the higher. Our
purANic literature is replete with instances, and, without exception, in all of
them SrI nArAyaNa is described as using His weapon to destroy the devilish –
and to give him moksha! – “the auspicious vision” – su-darSana. Others, when
they employ their weapons of destruction, the result invariably ends in a sad
“destructive destruction”,and therefore, to invoke Him as the “the best among
those who wield weapons” is most significant for a seeker.”

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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha asks the rhetorical question as to why He should be
considered the “Best among those with weapons”, and answers it by pointing
out that it is because He has expressed Himself by equipping every living
creature with the appropriate weapon for its own protection and for its
enemies’ destruction. On the one hand, He has equipped the different
creatures with different claw types for those creatures with claws, the
different types of teeth for those that protect themselves with their teeth
from their enemies, with their fangs, horns, etc. However, it is to be noted
that each creature has only one or two such weapons for its own protection. He
is the origin of all these Sastra-s, and so He is rightly known as the sarva-
Sastra-bhRtAm-varah. He also reserves for Himself the ability to strike with
all the weapons as necessary and when necessary. Thus, the enormous
earthquakes, the great epidemics that strike down masses of people, etc., are

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weapons that He wields as He deems necessary on a mass scale.

The dharma cakram writer comments that it is because rAma and kRshNa used
their weapons for the destruction of evil and for the protection of the
good,that they were SreshTha-s or vara-s among wielders of weapons. Those
that used their weapons for committing atrocities only ended up being ruined.
The lesson to take from this in these modern days of invention of more and
more technologically advanced weaponry, is that they should be used for the
good of mankind, and not for their destruction.

nAma 766. à¢h> pragrahah

The Controller.
prgrahAya namah.
pra is an upasarga or prefix, and the root involved in the nAma is grah –
upAdAne – to take hold of, to seize. prakarshaNena gRhNAti iti pragraphah
(SrI satya devo vAsishTha) – He Who controls in a special, excellent, or unique
way. The different bhAshya-s differ on what is controlled by Him. SrI
Sa’nkara uses the meaning “He receives” for the term grah in his primary
interpretation.

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 a) SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as referring to Lord kRshNa’s excellent
control over arjuna, even though He was only arjuna’s charioteer. It should be
kept in mind that SrI bhaTTar is continuing the thread of kRshNAvatAram
starting from nAma 697, all the way up to nAma 786. Lord kRshNa controlled
arjuna like the reins that control the horse. The word pragraham refers to
reins (see kaThopanishad – manah pragrameva ca – mind is like the reins , with
AtmA the the master of the chariot, the body is like the chariot, etc. –
AtmAnam rathinam viddhi, SarIram rathameva ca, bhuddhim tu sArathim
viddhi, manah pragrahameva ca).

b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha explains the nAma by referring to bhagavAn’s

exceptional control of everything in the universe – prakarshaNena
gRhNAtiviSvam iti.

c) SrI Sa’nkara uses the meaning “to receive” for the word grah, and gives the
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interpretation that bhagavAn has the nAma parigrahah because He receives

offerings such as leaf, fruit, etc., from His devotees – bhaktaihupahRtam
patra pushpAdikam pragRhNAti iti pragrahah. SrI cinmayAnanda gives a
different dimension to this notion – He is pragrahah because He is the
ultimate recipient of the worship offered by people of all creeds and races,
and all animals, men, plants, etc.

d) SrI Sa’nkara gives an alternate interpretation along the lines of vyAkhyAna-

s (a), and (b) also. Here, he refers to the overall control that bhagavAn exerts
on a devotee’s otherwise uncontrolled horse-like senses roaming over the
forest of sense-objects –

dhAvato vishaya AraNye durdAnta indiriya vAjinaha,

tat-prasAdena aSmineva badhnAti it vA pragravat – prgrahah.

It is because of His anugraham that a true devotee is able to overcome the

involvement in sense-objects, and proceeds to the true realization.

e) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj takes the prefix pra as representing

prakRshTa– special, exalted, and the word grahah as One Who accepts or
receives, and gives the interpretation – prakRTo grahah svIkAro yasya iti

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pragrahah – One Whose acceptance (of saraNAgati) is unique, exceptional,
special, exalted. His vyAkhyAnam is: svajanam sakRdapi SaraNAgatam
svIkRtya punah kadApi tam na partityajatiiti prakRshTa eva grahah prabhoh –
He is the Lord Who accepts the SaraNAgati from His devotee the very first
time,and will never ever forsake the devotee; such is the superiority of His
acceptance of SaraNAgati.

nAma 767. in¢h> nigrahah

a) The Subduer.

b) He Who has a firm control over all creation.

nigrahAya namh.
The word nigraha means restraining, keeping in check; nigrahaNa means

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holding back or down, suppressing. Thus, the nAma means “One Who
restrains”, “One Who keeps in check”. The different vyAkhyAna kartA-s give
different instances of His restraint as illustrations of this nAma.

a) SrI bhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam is that He has this nAma since He successfully

subdued all the enemies in the mahAbhArata war by His skill as a Charioteer,
without expecting the support of arjuna or his valor.

SrI Sa’nkara’s vyAkhyAnam is that the nAma signifies that He controls all
things independently – sarvam sva-vaSena nigRhNAti iti nigrahah.

SrI satya sandha yati raja alludes to His subduing all the asura-s – nigRhNAti
daityAn iti nigrahah.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation – nigRhNAti

vipathagAminah iti nigrahah – He restrains those who stray away from the
path of dharma.

SrI bala deva vidyA bhUshaN refers to His control of the enemies of
pANDava-s in the form of yama – nigRhyante pArtha-Satravah kaka-dRshTinA
anena iti nigrahah.

b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives a different interpretation from the above.

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 Taking the upasarga ni, and the root grah – upAdAne – to take hold of, to
seize, SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation: niScayena gRhyate
yena iti nigrahah vishNuh - bhagavAn has a firm grasp and leads everything in
this universe as He wishes, creating what is fit to be created, destroying what
is fit to be destroyed, etc.

c) SrI cinmayAnanda literally translates the nAma “nigrahah” as “The Killer”,

and points out that such a nAma is justified for bhagavAn in the context of
His destroying the ego in His devotees. This is like a doctor who “murders” the
diseases in the patients, the sun is the destroyer of darkness, etc. The nAma
also means “One Who absorbs the devotees unto Himself”.

nAma 768. Vy¢> vyagrah

a) He Who was very enthusiastic (to destroy the enemies of His devotee
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during the mahAbhArata war).

b) He Who has no end.

c) He Who moves around in many different ways.

d) (a-vyagrah – He Who is not confused – dvaita pATham)

e) He Who uses garuDa as His vehicle.

vyagrAya namah.
The root from which the term agrah is derived is agi –gatau. Through the
uNAdi sutra 2.28, the addition of the affix ra leads to the wordsagra, which
mean “front, first”.

a) SrI bhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam is that Lord kRshNa took the lead as needed in
the mahAbhArata war, because He could not put up with any delay in putting
down the enemies of arjuna. This is evidenced by His action against bhIshma:

ye yAnti yAntyeva Sini-pravIra! Ye’vasthitA satvaram te’pi yAntu |

bhIshmam rathAt paSyata pAtyamAnam droNam ca sankhye sa-gaNam

mayA’dya||

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……. rathAt avaplutya visRjya vAhAn || (mahA bhArata,bhIshma. 59.86)

“O Sini-pravIra (referring to Satyaki)! Those who have gone, have gone

forever. Those who are still left, let them all go at once. You will see now that
bhIshma is thrown from his chariot, and also droNa with his army”. So saying,
kRshNa jumped down from the chariot , and leaving the horses, advanced
forward against bhIshma.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan translates the above quote from mahA bhArata slightly
differently: He describes the scene where the pANDava forces are running
confused at the intensity of bhIshma’s attack, and then kRshNa declares:

“Let those who run keep running, and let the remaining watch Me defeat
bhIshma and droNa”; so saying, He jumps from His chariot, even forgetting
His own promise not to take to weapons. Thus, He is One Who does not delay

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when it comes to His determination to get rid of enemies. Thus, the nAma
indicates His intolerance and impatience when it comes to getting rid of the
enemies of His devotees.

nammAzhvAr beautifully captures this guNa of bhagavan in tiruvAimozhi

9.2.10: amararkku iDar keDa aSurarukku iDar Sei kaDu vinai ne’njE! – “You are
One with the determined Mind to do whatever You have to do eliminate the
demons when it comes to protecting the deva-s”. (SrI v.n.vedAnta deSikan
comments that in this regard, He is the efficacious poison to the asura-s that
will not fail, and for which there is no antidote).

b) SrI Sa’nkara uses the meaning “end” for the word “agram”, and gives the
interpretation that because He has no end, He is vyagrah – vigatamagram asya
itit vyagrah (agram – antah, vinASah).

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the derivation “vividham gamanam yovidhatte

sa vyagra ucyate – He Who moves around using many different ways is vyagrah.
He points out that everything that is moving is a manifestation of His guNa of
vyagra, or movement in various ways.

d) SrI satya sandha yatirAja uses the pATham a-vyagrah for the nAma as his
primary interpretation. The meaning is “One Who is not confused” – vyagro na

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 bhavati iti a-vyagrah. (In this interpreatation, vgagrah means “One who is
confused”, and avyagrah is the opposite. vividham agramasya iti vyagrah – One
Who is confused, with multiple paths and not knowing what to choose – amara
koSa vyAkhyAnam).

e) In his alternative interpretation using the pATham “vyagrah”, Srai satya

sandha yatirAja gives the explanation: “vih garuDo agre asya sa vygrah” – He
Who has garuDa as His vehicle (togo, to move around).

naika--SR’ngah
nAma 769. nEkï&¼> naika

a) He Who adopted diverse tactics for controlling His devotees’enemies.

b) He Who can be brought under control (realized) through the four horns in
the form of the four veda-s.
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c) He Who can be controlled (reached) through the praNavam, with its four
“horns” – akAra, ukAra, makAra, and nAda.

d) He Who has the four horns in the form of the four veda-s, to control the
world through dharma.

e) He Who has many dimensions to His Lordship (prabhutvam).

f) He Who has many aspects to His role as a Bestower of His devotees’ wishes.

g) (eka-SR’ngah – satya sandha yatirAja) – He Who took incarnation as the one-

horned varAha.

h) He Who has many rays of effulgence radiating from Him.

i) He Who has provided diverse means to the different living beings to cause
harm to their enemies, as also to defend themselves from their enemies.
naika-SR’ngAya namah.
The root involved in the nAma is SRR – himsAyAm – to tear to pieces, to kill, to
hurt. The word SR’ngah is derived from this root by the application of the
uNAdi sUtra 126, SRNAter-hrasvaSca. SrI satyadevovAsishTha gives the
meanings – dIpti (radiance), “means of destruction”, and “means for protection

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against obstacles from others”,for the word SR’ngam – SR’ngam iti dIpter
nAma, himsA-sAdhanam tathApara-kRta-bAdhA-nivAraNa-sAdhanamapi
SR’ngam. The word SR’nga also means horn, and SrI Sa’nkara uses this meaning
in his interpretation.

a) Of the above, SrI bhaTTar has used the meaning ‘himsA sAdhanam” in his
interpretation. na + eka + SR’ngah = naika-SR’ngah – He Who has multiple
means for causing distress to His enemies. SrI BhaTTar elucidates his
interpretation using the instances of mahA bhArata –

buddhi-yogah sArathyam anAyudha grahaNa vyAjah prAptakAle tad-grahaNam

iti bahu-vairi-bAdhakam asya iti na-eka-SR’ngah

“He is naika-SR’ngah since He adopted several devices for bringing about

thefall of the enemies, like giving sound advice, skillfully driving the chariot,

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pretending that he would not use a weapon but actually making use of His
weapon at the opportune moment, etc”. Interchanging day and night is another
of the tactics that He used.

nammAzhvAr’s tiruvAimozhi 6.4.10 describes this guNa of His (SrI

v.v.rAmAnujan):

maN miSaip perum bhAram nI’nga Or bhArata mA-perum pOr

paNNI mAya’ngaL Seidu Senaiyaip pAzh paDa nUtRiTTup pOi….

“To reduce the weight of this world caused by the ahamkAra of people, the
Lord caused the mahA bhArata war, performed many miracles, as if some
mantra was invoked for each step, and made sure that His design succeeded”.
(nooTriTTu– fabricated, as it were, all these mAya-s).

b) SrI Sa’nkara uses the meaning “horn” for the word SR’ngah, and gives the
meaning “He With Many Horns”.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains that just as the animals with horns come
under control when their horns are seized, bhagavAn comes under control of
His devotees through the four veda-s – the four “horns” referred to by
SrISa’nkara – catuh SR’ngah naika-SR’ngah.

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 SrI San’kara gives support from Rg veda – catvAri SR’ngA (RV 4.58.3) -

catvAri SR’ngA tray’sya pAdA dve Sirshe sapta hastAso’sya |

tridhA baddho vRshabho rorarvIti mahAdevo martyAgm AviveSa ||

(Ralph T. H. Griffith gives an explanation based on SAyaNa bhAshya for the

above in his translation of the Rg vedic hymns. The four horns refer to the
four veda-s, the three feet refer to the three daily sacrifices, etc.).

c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives other interpretations from the

SAyaNabhAshyam, which includes the four “horns”, namely akAra, ukAra
makAra, and nAda for the PraNavam – akAra ukAra makAra nAdarUpaSR’nga
catushTayopetah; from the niruktam - catvAri SR’ngA iti vedA vA uktah.

d) A thought that comes out of b) is that bhagavAn has the four horns in the
form of the four veda-s, that He uses to control the world through dharma.
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SrI cinmayAnanda interprets the reference to “the four horns

“catvAriSR’ngA” in the Rg vedic quote above (4.58.3) as a reference to the
four States of Consciousness – the waking, dream, deep-sleep, and Pure
Awareness. He interprets the three feet as the three states of gross, subtle
and causal bodies respectively.

e) The word SR’ngam also means Lordship, supremacy, etc. SrI kRshNadatta
bhAradvAj uses this meaning, and gives the interpretation that the nAma
refers to His many aspects to His Lordship –

naikam vividham SR’ngam prabhutvam yasya iti naika-SR’ngah.

He quotes medinI in support – SR’gam prabhutve Sikhare

(medina 3.25).

f) SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives the interpretation – na eka SR’ngo, na ekAni
– anekAni SR’ngANi yasya vRsha rUpe sanaika-SR’ngah, which can be translated
as “He Who has multiple forms in His aspect as the Bestower, or One Who
establishes dharma” (vRsha – dharma).

f) In his alternate interpretation, he splits the word as nA eka-SR’ngah, and

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explains the word nA separately as referring to the parama purushatvam of
bhagavAn (parama purshatvAt nA), and then takes eka-SR’ngah as the nAma,
and gives the interpretation that it refers to vishNu’s form as the one-horned
varAha incarnation. He quotes moksha dharma in support –

eka-SR’ngah tato bhUtvA varAho nandi-vardhanah|

imAm ca udhRtvAt bhUmimeka-SR’ngah.

h) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the meaning “dIpti” for the word
“SR’nga”,and interprets the nAma as referring to One Who has many radiant
rays emanating from Him. He also gives two other interpretations –

1. He Who has many ways of causing himsA; and

2. He Who provides many ways to ward off from himsA (see the first
paragrapah).

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As illustration of the third interpretation, he points out the sharp nails in the
paw of the lion are its horns (SR’nga) for its protection, the horns of the
buffalo are its way of protection, the hands for the man are his SR’nga’s for
protection, the tusks of the elephant are its SR’nga for protection, etc. All
these same instruments for their protection are also the same instruments for
destruction or himsA, and thus the same examples hold for the 2nd
interpretation above as well.

nAma 770. gda¢j> gadAgrajah

a) The elder brother of gada.

b) He Who was born as a result of mantra.

c) He Who pervades those who walk and talk (gada + agra + jah)

d) The Foremost among those who created sound (in the form of veda-s)

e) He Who keeps the brAhamaNa-s healthy (spiritually)

gadAgrajAya namah.
a) SrI bhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that kRshNa is the elder brother of a child

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 named gada, born to vasudeva after kRshNa. Gada's mother is sunAmA, one of
the wives of vasudeva.

b) SrI Sa'nakra sees the nAma as (ni) gada-agrajah, or born as a result of

mantra (as in the case of Lord rAma who was born as a result of putra
kAmeshTiyAgha). He treats ni as lopa (left out, elided) in this interpretation -
nigadena mantreNa agre jAyata iti "ni" Sabda lopam kRtvA gadAgrajah.
(gadyateiti gadah, referring to mantra-s). He also gives the interpretation
"Elder brother of gada" as his second interpretation.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that in her letters to kRshNa, rukmiNi calls
Him by this name, gadAgrajah.

c) SrI vAsishTha gives a different interpretation: He looks at the nAma as

gada + agra + jah. For gada, he derives the meaning from gada vyaktAyAm vAci
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-to speak; For agra, he derives the meaning from agi - gatau - to go; and he
uses the meaning jAta - anupavishTa - who enters or pervades, for the part
jah. Thus, his interpretation for the nAma is "He Who pervades (in the form
of the soul) those that speak and those that walk or move around. Gadeshu -
gadana Seeleshu,agreshu - gamana Seeleshu, anupravishTo jAta iva
pratIyamAno gadAgraja itivishNor nAma. SabdAyamAne, gamanaSIle ca jIvita
SarIra eva jIvAtmAno'vabhAsahprakASa ityarthah.

d) Another alternate interpretation by SrI vAsishTha is: gadAnAm vyaktam

Sabdam kurvatAm manushyANAm agrajah -= jyeshThah = SreshThah - The
foremost and the best among those who have produced sound. The reference
here is to His revelation of the veda-s. For this reason, He is also called
vAcaspati.

e) SrI satya sandha yatirAja, in addition to the interpretation for gadAgrajah

as "the elder brother of gada", also considers the alternate pATham
agadAgrajah, and sees the nAma as agada + agrajah. Here agada means
healthy, without disease, and agraja refers to brAhmins. His interpretation is:
agadA nIrogiNo agrajA brAhmaNA yasmAt iti agadAgrajah - He because of
Whose Grace the brAhmaNa-s are healthy. The reference can be to spiritual

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health because of the vedic chanting.

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 Slokam 82
ctumURitRítubaRhuítuVyURhítugRit>,

cturaTma ctuÉaRvítuveRdivdekpat!. 82.

caturmUrtis caturbAhus caturvyUhas caturgatih |
caturAtmA caturbhAvas caturvedavidekapAt ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

catur--mUrtih
nAma 771. ctumURitR> catur

He of Four Forms.
catur-mUrtaye namah.
The nAma means He of Four Forms.
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Different vyAkhyAna kartA-s have anubhavam of His four folded-ness in

different ways. SrI bhaTTar comments that the reference to “Four Forms”
immediately reminds one of the four vyUha forms (vAsudeva, sa’nkarshaNa,
pradyumna, and aniruddha). These four vyUha forms preceded the vibhava
incarnations such as rAma, kRshNa, etc. Even in His vibhava form as Lord
kRshNa, He had four forms, in the forms of balabhadra, vAsudeva, pradyumna,
and aniruddha (balabhadra is the elder brother of kRshNa, pradyumna is His
son, and aniruddha is His grandson). Similarly, in His incarnation as rAma, the
four brothers (rAma, lakshmaNa, bharata, and Satrughna) originated from the
same pAyasam that was given to daSaratha at the end of the putra kAmeshTi
yAgam.

SrI Sa’nkara refers to His Four Forms as virAT, sUtrAtman, avyAkRta, and
turIya (gross, subtle, uncompounded, and transcendent).

SrI rAdhAkRshNaSAstri provides the following explanation for the four

forms:

1. In the process of creation, the first tattva is called avyakta, the state
of mUla prkRti before it started evolving.

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 2. virAT refers to the sthUla form of the evolved state of mUla prakRti,
before bhagavAn entered it in the form of antaryAmi and made it
functional.

3. SUtrAtman refers to the prANa Sakti in all of us; SrI SAstri refers to
this form as HiraNyagarbha. This is the form in which bhagavAn
manifests Himself in our buddhi and manas (sUkshma form);

4. The turIya state is the one that is beyond the three states above, and
is called parama pursha or purshottama. This is the state in which
everything is contained in Him, and He alone exists, with His Supreme
effulgence, before the jIva-s get their forms etc.

SrI cinmayAnanda refers to His four forms with four different colors in the
four yuga-s:

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1. white in kRta yuga,

2. red in tretA yuga,

3. yellow in dvApara yuga, and

4. dark (black) in kali yuga.

He also refers to the four states of the self – the waking state, the dream
state, the deep-sleep state, and the Pure Self state. In the microcosm, these
are called viSva, taijasa, praj~nA, and turIya, and in the macrocosm, they are
called virAt, hiraNyagarbha, ISvara, and paramAtman. This latter is similar to
the interpretation by SrI Sa’nkara.

Again, SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri describes the terms viSva, taijasa,

prAj~na,and turIya. SarIram has three aspects to it:

1. sthUla,

2. sUkshsma, and

3. kAraNa.

 sthUla is the external appearance, with a shape and a form.

 sUkshma aspect refers to manas, prANan, etc.

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  The kAraNa SarIra aspect is reflected in the memories acquired
from previous births.

An example of this is the knowledge that a child has as soon as it is born, that
by crying it will get milk, by sucking at the mother’s breast it will be fed, etc.
The viSva, taijasa, and prAj~na are the states of the jIva associated with the
sthUla, sUkshma, and kArANa SarIra-s. These are also associated with the
person in the waking, dream, or sleep states. In all the above states, the jIva
wrongly considers that the sarIra belongs to “It”, and has the feeling of
ownership for its body etc. When the jIva realizes the truth and passes
beyond this feeling of “I” ness, this state is the turIya state.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj refers to His four forms in SrI vaikunTha,
satyaloka, Sveta dvIpa, and kshIrAbdhi respectively. He quotes the following
insupport:
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vaikunThe prathamA mUrtih satya loke tathA’parrA |

Sveta dvIpe tRtIyA ca caturthI kshIra sAgare ||

catur--bAhuh
nAma 772. ctubaRhu> catur

The Four-armed.
catur-bAhave namah.
This nAma is equivalent to the nAma 142 (Slokam 15) – catur-bhujah. It has
been pointed out earlier that SrI BhaTTar interprets different groups of
nAma-s as connected to each other in a string that describes a particular form
or incarnation of bhagavAn. nAma 142 occurs in the segment where he
describes bhagavAn’s vyUha incarnations, and the current nAma (772) is in the
segment where he is having anubhavam of the vibhava incarnation of Lord
kRshNa. Correspondingly, his interpretation of nAma 142 refers to bhagavAn's
vyUha incarnation with four arms, and the current interpretation refers to His
vibhava incarnation in His birth to devaki as child kRshNa with four arms.
Several references are given under both the nAma-s in support.

Under nAma 142 in Slokam 15, catur-bhujah, SrI BhaTTar gives the following

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references:
- “catur-bhujam udArA’ngam cakrAdyAyudha bhUshaNam”

(vishNu purANam);
- “tamasah paramo dhAtA Sa’nkha cakra gadhA-dharah”

(SrImad rAmA. yuddha. 114.15);

- “bhujair-caturbhih sametam”

(mahA bhArata moksha. 5.34).

For the current nAma, catur-bAhuh, where the interpretation is in terms of

the kRshNa incarnation, we have a reference to His appearance as child
kRshNa to devaki with the four arms etc., in SrImad bhAgavatam - tam
adbhutam bAlakamambujekshaNam catur-bhujam…. (SrImad bhAgavatam
10.3.9). SrI BhaTTar gives reference to vishNu purANam in support, as

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devaki describes Him soon after He was born:

upasamhara sarvAtman rUpametat catur-bhujam |

jAnAtu mA’vatAram te kamso’yam diti-janmajah ||

(V.P. 5.3.13)

“O The Inner Soul of all beings! Please withdraw this four-armed form within
Yourself. Let not this kamsa that belongs to the asura race know that you are
the incarnation of vishNu”.

nammAzhvAr refers to Him as nAngu tOLan - tiruvAimozhi 8.8.1 (v.v.

rAmAnujan). It is as if He has four long arms instead of the normal two, just
to embrace AzhVar!

In gItA Sloka-s 11.45 and 11.46, arjuna refers to His divine form with four
hands:

kirITinam gadinam cakra hastam icchAmi tvAm drshTum aham tathaiva |

tenaiva rUpeNa catur-bhujena sahasra bAho bhava viSva mUrte ||

“I wish to see You adorned in the same way (as before) with crown and with
mace and discus in hand. Assume again that four-armed shape (that is, in the

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 divine form of vishNu – deva rUpam as mentioned in the previous Slokam), O
Thou Universal Being with the thousand-arms”.

ANDAL describes Him as “Ir IraNDu Mal varait tOL Se’nKaN tiru mugattu
Selvat tirumAl” (tiruppAvai30).

PerukkAraNai SrI cakravartyAcArya’s anubhavam is that the four arms for

bestowing the four purushAtha-s. It is as if He just keeps increasing the
number of arms as needed, to carry many more weapons to protect His
devotees as occasion demands. Thus, when He came to protect gajendra, He
came with eight arms; sudarSana AzhvAr that He carries has 16 arms, and 16
weapons in those hands (SrI shoDaSAyudha stotram of svAmi deSikan).

tiruma’ngai AzhvAr also refers to His four arms in periya tirumozh 8.1.1 –
“malai ila’ngu tOLnAngE maRRu avanukku! eRRE kAN”.
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SrI Sa’nkara points out that the nAma catur-bAhuh is traditionally reserved
for vAsudeva (recall Sa’nkha cakra gadA pANe dvArakA-nilayAcyuta govindaa
puNDarIkAksha raksha mAm SaraNAgatam).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that vishNu is typically personified with
Sa’nkha, cakra, gadA, and either lotus or dhanus in the four hands.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the reference to SrImad bhAgavatam

describing bhagavAn as One with Four arms:

- catur-bhujah Sa’nkha gadAbja cakrah piSa’nga vAsA nalinAyatekshaNah

(bhAga.8.18.1);

-tam adbhutam bAlakam ambujekshaNam catur-bhujam Sa’nkha

gadAyudAryudham
(bhAga. 10.3.9).

Under Slokam 15, SrI cinmAyananda describes the four arms of bhagavAn
carrying the Sa’nkha, cakra, gadA, and padmam. These are meant for
maintaining dharma among mankind. The conch calls man to the righteous path
that directly leads to Peace and Perfection, to His Lotus Feet. But most of us,
in the enchantment of the immediate sense-joys, refuse to listen to the small

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inner voice of conscience from His conch. For those, He wields the Mace
(gadA) very gently, and we suffer small calamities and tragic jerks in our
otherwise smooth existence, in the form of communal, social or national
calamities. If still the individual is not listening to the call of the “conch”, then
the cakra - the Wheel of Time, annihilates the entire being. The call and the
punishment are all only to take man towards his Ultimate Goal, represented by
the “padma” in His hand.

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Chaturbhuja gopalan-arimeya viNNagaram

(Pic Courtesy: Sri. B. Senthil)

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 For the nAma catur-bAhuh, SrI cinmayAnanda’s anubhavam is that the four
hands represent the four factors that together constitute the inner
equipments in man – mind (manas), intellect (buddhi), thought flow towards
objects (citta), and ego (ahamkAra). These are the four agents through which
all the physical activities are controlled, regulated, and constantly commanded
from within the body.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the following support:

"sattvam rajas tama iti aha~nkAraScaturbhujah"

(gopAlottaratApini 55).

A related explanation is that the Self functions in a four-fold pattern involving

mind, intellect, cit, and ego, and these are represented by the four arms
containing the conch, the mace, the cakra, and the padma. The cit is
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represented by the Lotus or Padma, the intellect is the 'Conch', ego is the
'Mace', and mind is the 'Discus'.

For catur-bhujah, SrI satya sandha yatirAja has given the following
interpretations:

1. bhun’gte bhunakti iti bhujah; caturNAm dharma artha kAma

mokshANAmbhujah catur-bhujah – vishNu is catur-bhujah since He
makes dharma, artha, kAma, and moksha to be experienced by the
deserved.

2. caturbhyah vedebhyah bhavati iti catur-bhug j~nAnam tena

jAyateabhityAjyate iti catur-bhujah – vishNu is known as catur-bhujah
since He can only be known by the four veda-s.

catur--vyUhah
nAma 773. ctuVyURh> catur

a) He of the form of four Emanations (vyUha forms).

b) He Who had four manifestations in His vibhava form (as kRshNa, balarAma,
pradyumna, and aniruddha).

c) He Who manifests Himself as purusha, chandah purusha, veda purusha, and

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mahApurusha.

d) He Whose Supremacy is established by the four-fold veda-s.

e) He Who is in the form of four divisions of speech (three veda-s, and

ordinary speech)

f) He Who has four kinds of greatness (vyUha = mahimA).

catur-vyUhAya namah.
We dealt with this nAma in Slokam 15 (nAma 140). The root is Uh – vitarke– to
conjecture, to reason, to infer. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the expansion –
viSishThA UhA vyUhA – He Who forms Himself into four forms for the
purposes of creation etc.

Following is a recap with some additional information, mostly taken from Vol.4

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of the Agama-koSa published by the Kalpatharu Research Academy (S.
K..Ramachandra Rao), dealing with the pA’ncarAtra Agama.

The term vyUh means to divide, to distribute, to separate, to resolve, etc. It

is used to refer to the four forms in which para vAsudeva or nArAyaNa
decided to divide Himself for His functions of creation, preservation, and
destruction. This is a fundamental and integral concept of the pA’ncarAtra
Agama. In this concept, in the para or transcendental mode, the Deity is like an
ocean of nectar altogether devoid of waves, quiet, profound, still, limitless and
unfathomable, un-fragmented by space or time. This is His form in SrI
vaikunTham. It is the plane in which knowledge and bliss abound unobstructed,
and which is populated by the nitya sUri-s (who are never involved at any time
in transmigration etc.), and by the mukta-s. The para form is full of the six
attributes – j~nAna, bala, aiSvarya,, vIrya, Sakti, tejas. The vyUha mode of
bhagavAn emphasizes the differential manifestations and functions of the six
attributes. This creative configuration of the attributes is for the sake of
creation and evolution of the world, for maintaining the world and protecting
the devotees, and for leading the devotees to salvation. The vyUha forms are
four in number: vAsudeva, samkarshaNa, pradyumna, and aniruddha. VAsudeva
has all six attributes in their fullness and equal dominance. VAsudeva appears

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 as three additional sequential emanations as follows:

1. j~nAna + bala = SamkarshaNa

2. aiSvarya + vIrya = pradyumna

3. Sakti + tejas =aniruddha

As in the case of the other nAma-s of this Slokam that are common with
Slokam15, the first instance of this nAma is explained by SrI BhaTTar in
terms of the vyUha incarnations of bhagavAn, and the second in terms of His
vibhava incarnation as Lord kRshNa.

a) As part of his description of this nAma in terms of the vyUha incarnations

(vAsudeva, samkarshaNa, pradyumna, and aniruddha), SrI BhaTTar points out
that each of the vyUha forms have their own limbs, color, ornaments, weapons,
vehicles, banners, etc. These forms are assumed by bhagavAn for the purpose
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of meditation and worship (dhyAna and ArAdhana) by His devotees. The four
states of meditation that are associated with each of these four forms are:

1. jAgrat –Wakeful state;

2. svapna - State of dreams;

3. sushupti – Deep sleep; and

4. turIya –The fourth and Final State.

In the Wakeful state, the external senses function; in the svapna state, they
do not function, but only the mind is active; in the Sleep state, even the mind
does not function, and there is only breathing; and in the turIya state, even
the breath is suspended.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj refers us to SrImad bhAgavatam, where the

four vyUha-s are mentioned:

namaste vAsudevAya namah sa’nkarshaNAya ca |

pradyumnAya aniruddhAyasAttvatAm-pataye namah || (bhAgavatam. 10.40.21)

b) For the nAma 773, where SrI BhaTTar continues his description of
bhagavAn’s vibhava incarnation as Lord kRshNa, the explanation he gives is the

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four forms of kRshNa or vAsudeva, balabhadra (balarAma, His brother),
pradyumna (His son),and aniruddha (His grandson). Just as in the vyUha
incarnation, in the vibhava incarnation also, kRshNa was full of all the six
qualities, and baralAma (sankarshaNa), pradyumna, and aniruddha had two of
the six qualities dominating.

SrI Sa’nkara gives two different interpretations for the nAma in their two
instances, consistent with the trait of being free from punar-ukti dosham of
authentic vyAkhyAna-s. For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 15, he gives
the interpretation in terms of the four vyUha incarnations. He quotes the
words of vyAsa in support:

vyUhya AtmAnam caturdhA vai, vAsudevAdi mUrtibhih |

sRshTyAdIn prakarotyesha,viSrutAtmA janArdanah ||

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“He Who is known as viSrutAtmA, janArdana, etc., divides Himself into four
forms, and performs the functions such as creation”.

c) For the current nAma catur-vyUhah, he uses the generic meaning

“manifestation”, and using the aitareya AraNyaka declaration, describes the
four manifestations as the purusha in the body, the purusha in the chandas,
the purusha in the veda-s,and the great purusha – SarIra purushaS-chandah
purusho veda purusho mahApurushah (ait. AraN. 3.2.9). SrI rAdhAkRshNa
SAstri expands on this: purusha or SarIra purusha refers to the soul or AtmA
in the SarIra of the cetana-s; chandahpurusha is the AtmA in the form of the
correctly pronounced mantra-s; the vedapurusha is the AtmA in the form of
the veda-s; and the mahA purusha refers to the purusha in the form of kAla or
Time.

d) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshan gives the explanation that He has this nAma
because His Supremacy is established by the four divisions of the veda-s – Rg,
yajus, sAma, and atharva: caturbhih vedaih vyUhyate pareSatvena vRdhyate
yam iticatur-vyUhah.

e) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the Rg vedic passage “catvAri vAk

parimitApadAni" (1.164.45), and interprets the nAma as referring to “four

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 divisions of speech”. The passage continues to say “The brAhmins who have
understanding know them”. Ralph Griffith interprets this as a reference to
three veda-s, and to ordinary speech as the fourth one.

f) The dharma cakram writer gives a different interpretation. He takes

vyUhato mean “greatness”, and then interprets the nAma as representing
bhagavAn as having the following four mahimA-s:

1. Performing the function of creation, destruction etc., just as part of

His leelA-s;

2. Revealing the greatness of parA-bhakti (extreme devotion) through

rAsa-krIDA;

3. The revelation of the relation between jeevAtmA and paramAtmA by

being the nAtha simultaneously for innumerable gopi-s; and
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4. The calm acceptance of the curse of gAndhAri relating to the

destruction of the vRshNi race.

catur--gatih
nAma 774. ctugRit> catur

a) He Who is in the form of the four purushArtha-s.

b) He Who provides the four goals: indra, brahma, kaivalya, and moksha.

c) He Who has the four gaits (vRshabha, gaja, vyAghra, and simha gati)

d) He Who is the goal of the four varNa-s and the four ASrama-s.

e) He Who is the Refuge for the four kinds of bhakata-s (Arta, ji~jnAsu,
arthArthI, and j~nAnI)

a) SrI bhaTTar interprets the nAma as referring to His being the path for all
the four goals desired by His devotees – upAsaka abhiyoga tAratamyakRta-
kramAt catasrah prAptayah asmin iti catur-gatih.

SrI bhaTTar does not explicitly specify what the four goals are that he has in
mind. Two different interpretations have been given by the subsequent
interpreters. One is that the four goals are the four purushArtha-s – dharma,

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artha, kAma, and moksha.

b) An alternate interpretation, given by SrI aNNa’ngarAcArya and a few

others, is that, depending on the merit of the upAsaka, bhagavAn takes the
upAsaka to one of the four goals: the position of indra, brahmA, kaivalyam, or
moksham.

c) In SrImad rAmAyaNam, hanuman describes Lord rAma to sItA pirATTi with

the name catur-gatih (sundara kANDam 35.20 – catur-daSasamadvandvaS-
catur-damshTraS-catur-gatih). This is traditionally translated using the
meaning “gait” for the word “gatih”, giving the meaning to the nAma as “One
Who has the four kinds of gaits”. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to the
ARAyirap paDi vyAkhyAnam for tiruppAvai pASuram 23 – "mArI
malaimuzha’ngil”, for the part “un koil ninRu I’nganE pOndu aruLi”. emperumAn’s

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naDai is enjoyed in four different ways in SrI ra’ngam utsavam-s. These are
the:

1. Rshabha gati (the walk of a bull, characterized by pride and exultation),

2. matta gaja gati (the gait of an infatuated elephant, characterized by

majesty),

3. the vyAghra gati (associated with the anger of an angry tiger), and

4. simha gati (the walk of lordliness associated with its position as the
king of the four-legged species and by its ability to overpower and
conquer the other four-legged species).

In SrImad rAmAyaNam we have the reference to the beauty of Lord rAma’s

gait – gaja simha gatI vIrau SardUla vRshabhaupamau, referring to the four
gaits described above.

d) SrI Sa’nkara uses the meaning “goal” (the ultimate end) for the word gati,
and gives the interpretation that the nAma means “He Who is the Goal of the
four varNa-s and ASrama-s” – ASramANAm varNAnAm caturNAmyathokta-
kAriNAm gatih catur-gatih – He is the goal of the four stages of life or
ASrama-s (brahmacarya, gRhasta, vAnaprastha and sannyAsa), and the four
castes (brAhmaNa, kshatriya, vaiSya, and Sudra), when their respective codes

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 of conduct are observed.

e) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the interpretation that He has this nAma
because He is the Refuge for the four kinds of bhakta-s – the Arta, ji~jnAsu,
arthArthI, or j~nAnI – caturNAm ArtAdInAm bhaktAnAm yathA-bhAvam
AsryatvAtcatur-gatih.

SrI satya sandha yatirAja also gives this interpretation, and gives the
reference to the gItA Slokam 7.16:

catur-vidhA bhajante mAm janAh sukRtino’rjuna |

Arto ji~jnAsur-arthArthIj~nAnI ca bharatarshabha ||

(gItA 7.16)

“Four types of men of good deeds worship Me, O arjuna. These are the
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distressed, the seekers after knowledge, the wealth-seekers, and men of

knowledge”.

catur--AtmA
nAma 775. cturaTma catur

a) He Who has four forms in His vyUha incarnation

b) He Who has four manifestations in His vibhava incarnations of kRshNa and

rAma

c) He Who has a four-fold manifestation in His functions of creation,

preservation and destruction.

d) He Who is skilled in keeping His AtmA pure from attachment etc. (catura -
cAturya AtmA)

e) He Who is behind the functions of manas, citta, buddhi,and ahankAra.

f) He Who manifests Himself in four forms to support the jIva in its four
states - viSva, taijasa, prA`jna, and turIya.

g) He Who is the antaryAmi of the four types of devotees - Arta, arthArthI,

etc.

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h) He Who created the fit being - the four-faced brahmA (catura = kuSala,
fit)

i) He Who manifest Himself in four kinds of AtmA-s: jIva, antarAtmA,

paramAtmA, j~nAnAtmA.
catur-Atmane namah.
We dealt with this nAma in Slokam 15 (nAma 139). The term Atman usually
refers to the individual soul, but is also used refer to the Supreme Self
(ParamAtman), one’s essential essence or nature, Form, image etc. (VAman
Apte’s dictionary). The nAma-s catur-mUrtih (nAma 771 in the current
Slokam), catur-AtmA (nAma 139 in Slokam 15, and the current nAma), and
catur-vyUhah (nAma 140 in Slokam 15, and the previous nAma in the current
Slokam have interpretations that are some what related. So I am re-visiting all

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the above nAma-s here.

It has been pointed out in many places before, that a unique feature of SrI
BhaTTar’s bhAshyam is that he sees a connection between groups of nAma-s in
SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam, and has grouped the 1000 nAma-s into 44 groups,
like 44 petals of a lotus flower. So in SrI BhaTTar’s bhAshyam, we will see the
interpretation that is most appropriate to the form of bhagavAn that he is
dealing with for any instance of a given nAma. For instance, he interprets:

1. the nAma-s 123 to 146 in terms of His vyUha incarnations (vAsudeva,

samkarshNa, pradyumna and aniruddha), and nAma-s 697 to 786 in
terms of the vibhava incarnation of bhagavAn as Lord kRshNa.

2. the occurrence of catur-AtmA and catur-vyUhah as nAma-s 139 and

140 in terms of the vyUha incarnation, and the occurrence of the same
nAma-s catur-AtmA and catur-vyUhahas nAma-s 775 and 773, in terms
of His kRshNa incarnations.

Thus, he uses the meaning “Emanation” or vyUha incarnation in the former

instance of the term vyUha, and refers to His four vyUha incarnations for the
nAma 139, and deals with why He took these forms, for nAma 140.

When interpreting the series of nAma-sunder the kRshNa incarnation, he

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 refers to the four manifestations of kRshNa as vAsudeva (Himself),
samkarshaNa (His brother), pradyumna (His son), and aniruddha (His grandson)
for catur-mUrtih (nAma 771), the distribution of the six qualities between
them for nAma 773, and the meditation of these four forms bythe devotees
under nAma 775.

The point to be made is that even though the nAma-s may have outwardly same
or similar meanings, the interpretation is made with emphasis on different
aspects of bhagavAn’s manifestations and guNa-s, and thus the full benefit of
the diversity of the guNAnubhavam is provided to us, with no dosham of
repetition or punar-ukti.

Even though SrI Sa’nkara has not adopted a scheme of interpretation where
he weaves a thread of connection between groups of nAma-s as a rule (as SrI
BhaTTar has done), he also avoids punar-ukti or repetition because this is a an
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“accepted” and expected trait or lakshaNa of the great vyAkhyAna kartA-s.

He uses different meanings for the words in his interpretations for the two
instances of catur-AtmA. In the first instance, he uses the meaning “four",
and explains the nAma in terms of four manifestations of His in each of His
roles of protection, creation, and destruction, based on quotes from SrI
vishNu purANam. In the second instance of the same nAma, he views the nAma
as catura +AtmA, and gives the meaning “cAturyam” to the word catura, and
gives the interpretation that the nAma refers to His skill in keeping His AtmA
or Self pure from any attachment etc. Similarly, for the first instance of the
nAma catur-vyUhah, he uses the interpretation in terms of the four vyUha
incarnations, and for the second instance of the same nAma, he gives a
different interpretation, based on the different forms of purusha - The
purusha in the body, the purusha in the chandas, the purusha in the veda-s, and
the great purusha. For the nAma catur-mUrtih, he draws on yet another
aspect of bhagavAn’s guNa-s – His appearing with different colors in the four
yuga-s: white, red, yellow and black bodies.

With that diversion on how the great vyAkhyAna kartA-s provide us with
diverse anubhavam-s of bhagavAn’s guNa-s and eliminate the purnar-ukti

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dosham, we will briefly summarize the anubhavam of the current nAma – catur-
AtmA.

a) As pointed out in the previous paragraph, for nAma 139 SrI bhaTTar gives
the interpretation that He manifests Himself in four vyUha forms – vAsudeva,
samkarshaNa, pradyumna, and aniruddha. Here the meaning given for the term
AtmA is rUpam, based on the nirukti description – vAsudevAdi rUpatvAt
caturAtmA itikathyate.

b) For the instance of this nAma in the current Slokam, he gives the
interpretation that bhagavAn makes Himself available for experience of the
devotees both in sthUla and in sUkshma form, in any of the four states of
experience: the waking state, the dream state, the sleep state, and the turIya
state, depending on the capacity of the devotee to meditate on Him.

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c) SrI Sa’nkara’s vyAkhyAnam for this nAma in Slokam 15 is that His Sakti is
expressed in a four-fold manifestation in each of His functions of creation,
preservation, and destruction. These four forms are:

1. In creation: brahmA, daksha and others, time, and all creatures

2. In preservation: vishNu, manu and others, time, and all creatures

3. In dissolution: rudra, yama and others, time, and all creatures.

He supports this interpretation from vishNu purANam 1.22.30-32:

brahmA dakshAdayah kAlah tathaiva aklhila jantavah |

vibhUtayA hariretAjagatah sRshTi-hetavah ||

vishNur manvAdayah kAlah sarva bhUtAni ca dvija |

sthiter nimitta bhUtasyavishNoretA vibhUtayah ||

rudrah kAlah antakAdyaSca samastASvaiva jantqavah |

caturdhA pralayAyaitAjanArdana vibhUtayah ||

d) For the current instance of the nAma caturAtmA, SrI Sa’nkara views the
nAma as catrura + AtmA, where he uses the meaning cAturyam for the word
catura. His interpretation here is that He has this nAma because He is skilled

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 in keeping His AtmA or Self pure and free from attachment etc. – rAga
deveshAdirahitatvAt catura AtmA mano asya iti caturAtmA.

e) An alternate interpretation by SrI Sa’nkara is that He is in the form of, or

behind, the four types of internal organs – mind, intellect, sense(ego), and citta
(intuition), and so He is in these four forms – catur-AtmA. SrI Sa’nkara’s
words are: mano buddhi ahankAra cittAkhyAntah karaNacatushTaya
AtmakatvAt catur-AtmA.

SrI rAdhakRshNa SAstri elaborates on this. He describes the four as the

mind function, the buddhi function, the citta function, and the aha’nkAra. The
mind function involves thinking of doing something, the buddhi function is one
of analysis, the citta function is one of drawing on prior experiences in
execution, and the aha’nkAra is the feeling of accomplishment at the end of
this process. These four are called the four antahkaraNa-s, or internal organs.
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Since bhagavAn is the AtmA of function behind these, He is called catur-

AtmA. –

mano buddhir-aha’nkArah cittam karaNamAntaram |

samSayo niScayo garvas smaraNam vishayA amI ||

SrI cinmAyanada gives the pATham as catvarAtmA as the one corresponding

to this interpretation –catvara + AtmA – “The One Infinite Effulgence that
expresses Itself as the four aspects of our inner equipment – antah karaNa
catushTaya.

f) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives a interpretation based on nRsimhottara

tApinI. This describes His manifesting His Self in four forms. The first is the
manifestation where He supports the sthUla SarIra of the jIva (called viSva),
in His form as virAT. The combined form of viSva and virAT is otA. The second
form is where He supports the sUkshma SarIra of the jIva called taijasa, in
His form as sUtra. This combined manifestation is called anuj~nAtA. There is
third aspect or dimension of the soul, which is called kAraNa SarIra (also
called prA~jna), which is responsible for memories that are carried over from
previous birth, such as the memory of the newborn child that crying will result

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in its getting milk. The manifestation of His Self that supports this kAraNa
SarIra of the soul in His form as ISvara is called anu~jnaikarasa. His Self
which is past these three aspects of the soul, and which is realized through
brahma j~nAna is called avikalpa. The nAma caturAtmA, based on the
nRsimhottra tApinI, refers to the four forms of His Self described above –
otA, anu~jnAtA, anu~jnA ekarasa, and avikalpa – atha turIyaS-caturAtmA
turIyAvasitvAt ekaikasya otAnu~jnAtranu~jnAvaikalpaih (1.11). The first three
forms lead to the fourth form – the paramAtman, through knowledge and
realization.

SrI T. S. Raghavendran gives reference from mArkaNDeya purANa which

declares that paramAtmA enters the bodies of all creatures with the four
forms of viSva, taijasa, prA~jna, and turIya:

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paramAtmA catu-rUpah sarva-prANi-sarIragah |

viSvaSca taijasahprA~jnas-trIyaSceti kathyate ||

In his explanation, SrI Raghavendran associates the viSva form with the
wakeful state of the jIva, the taijasa with the dream state, the prA~jna with
the sleep state, and the turIya with the state that is above all the other
three, the moksha state.

g) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation that the nAma refers
to His being the antaryAmi of the four types of devotees – the Arti,
arthArthI,j~nAnI and mumukshu – those who worship Him for relief from
sufferings, those who seek wealth, those who seek knowledge, and those who
seek moksha – caturNAm Arta arthArthi ji~jnAsu mumukshUNAm AtmA
antaryAmI priya iti caturAtmA.

SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives an interpretation that is based His being the
cause of the four types of desires in the devotees: caturshu dharma artha
kAmamoksheshu janAnAm yogyatAnusAreNa AtmA mano yasmAt sa
caturAtmA.

h) SrI satya sandha yatirAja also gives another anubhavam: BhagavAn is called
caturAtmA because He created the fit being for purposes of creation, in the

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 form of brahmA - caturah kuSala AtmA catur-mukho yasmAt iti caturAtmA.

i) Another of SrI satya sandha yatirAja’s interpretations is that bhagavAn has

the nAma caturAtmA because He has all the qualities of the four types of
AtmA-s: AtmA, antarAtmA, paramAtmA, and j~nAnAtmA (catvAra AtmAnah –
AtmA,antarAtmA, paramAtmA, j~nAnAtma lakshNA yasya iti caturAtmA).

SrI T. S. Raghavendran explains that parmAtmA, in the rUpa of AtmA, resides

in our hearts, and resides in the rUpa of antarAtmA in the heart of the soul.
paramAtmA is the Supreme Soul. He explains j~nAnAtmA by referencing the
taittirIya Upanishad – satyam j~nAnam anatam brahma. He is prANa maya,
mano maya, anna maya, vi~jnAnamaya, and Ananda maya. Manomaya and Ananda
maya here refer to His manifestations as j~nAnAtmA according to the
explanation provided by SrI Raghavendran. He also quotes the bRhat samhitA
to distinguish between AtmA and antarAtmA as distinct manifestations of
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hari:

AtmA antarAtmA iti harir-eka eva dvi-vidhA sthitah |

nivishTo hRdaye nityamrasam pibati karmajam ||

catur--bhAvah
nAma 776. ctuÉaRv> catur

a) He Who gives expression to the four vyUha forms through four kinds of
actions.

b) The Source of the four – varNa-s, ASrama-s, pururshArtha-s, etc.

c) He Who created the four kinds of species.

catur-bhAvAya namah.
The root from which the word bhAvah is derived is bhU - sattAyAm – to be, to
live, to be born. SrI vAsishTha notes that the meaning for the word bhAva can
be “One who exists, one through whom existence takes place, one who came
into existence by himself, one who makes others appear” etc.

a) SrI bhaTTar interprets the word ‘bhAva’ as standing for ‘bhAvanA’, which
means ‘manifesting, revealing’. – bhAvah = bhAvanA = abhivya’njanam, which

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means ‘manifesting, revealing’. He continues his interpretation linking the nAma
to the previous ones, which dealt with His vyUha forms, and interprets the
current nAma as revealing the expression of these vuYha forms through
actions. Creation, sustenance, protection of the beings, and propagation of the
SAstra-s are the four actions or duties. These are distributed respectively as
follows:

1. vAsudeva – sRshTi, universe creation;

2. sa’nkarshaNa – sthiti, keeping the universe in form;

3. pradyumna – rakshaNa, protection;

4. aniruddha – sAstrapradAnam – bequest of a good number of

instructional scriptures as guides for living.

5. abhivya’njanam – manifesting, revealing.

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b) SrI Sa’nkara gives the interpretation that the nAma represents bhagavAn
as the Source of the four kinds of purushArtha-s: dharma, artha, kAma and
moksha – dharam artha kAma mokshAkhya purushArtha catushTayam bahavati
– utpadyate asmAt iti catur-bhAvah.

SrI cinmayAnanda takes the generic meaning “The Source of the Four”, and
then expands on it. He is the Source of the four varNa-s, the four ASrama-s,
the four purushArtha-s etc. (see b above). He gives reference to the gItA
Slokam 4.13 in support:

cAtur-varNyam mayA sRshTam guNa karma vibhAgaSah |

tasya kartAramapi mAmviddhi akartAram avyayam ||

(gItA 4.13)

“The system of four stations was created by Me according to distinction of

guNa-s and karma. Though I am their creator, know Me as non-agent and
immutable”.

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that the current nAma
signifies His creation of the four kinds of species: svakRtavyavasthayAcatur-
vidhAm sRshTim utpAdayati – One Who has created the four kinds of species

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 through His own Free Will. The four species are: those that come from an egg,
such as birds, serpent, etc.; the humming kind, such as the mosquito, bee, etc.;
the species such as trees, and the human species.

nAma 777. ctuveRdivt! catur veda--vit

catur--veda

a) He Who is known by those who are learned in the four veda-s.

b) He Who is the Knower of the four veda-s.

c) He Who makes it possible to know the four veda-s.

catur-veda-vide namah.
Literally, the term catur-veda-vit refers to one who is an expert in all the four
veda-s. This unequivocally applies only to bhagavAn. Other who are learned in
the four veda-s, see but a drop of the Great Ocean that He is, because the
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magnificence displayed in the vyUha and vibhava is vast like the ocean, which
cannot be comprehended by anyone.

a) nammAzhvAr addresses Him as “maRaiyAya nAl vEdattuL ninRa malarc

cuDarE” in tiruvAimozhi 1.3.10 (SrI v.v. rAmAnujan).

SrI V. N. Vedanta deSikan points the use of the two words maRai and vedam, in
this pASuram. MaRai refers to this great secret being concealed from the
undevoted, and vedam refers to its being revealed to the great devotees. In
gItA 15.15, Lord kRshNa reveals that He is the Only One Who is to be known
from all the veda-s, He is the One Who created the veda-s, He is the One Who
brings about the fruition of the rituals of the veda-s, and He is the One Who
knows the veda-s –

“vedaiSca sarvam ahamevavedyah |

vedAnta-kRt, veda-videva cAham ||”.

To know Him as He is in parama padam is extremely difficult, to say the least.

But in His vyUha and vibhava incarnations, with His Grace, a tiny part of His
mahimA can be realized.

b) SrI Sa’nkara’s vyAkhyAnam is that He has this nAma because He is the Only

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One Who knows the meanings of the veda-s as they are - yathAvat
vetticaturNAm vedAnAm artham iti catur-veda-vit.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives a similar interpretation –

catvAro vedA RgAdayah |

tAn aSeshAn vetti iticatur-veda-vit.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri comments that not only it is true that He alone
knows the four veda-s completely and with their correct meanings, but He is
also the veda-s Himself. Thus, knowing Him is only possible for those who have
learned the veda-s correctly and with their true meanings.

SrI cinmayAnanda comments that a student of veda can be considered to have

achieved his study’s objective only when he has realized the Lord.

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c) SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN has a different anubhavam of the nAma –
bhagavAn has this nAma because He is the One Who enables His devotees to
know the four veda-s – caturo vedAn vedayati bhaktAn iti catur-veda-vit. In
other words, only through devotion to Him will a student of veda be able to
know and understand the veda-s and their meanings correctly.

eka--pAt
nAma 778. @kpat! eka

a) He Who manifests only a part of His mahimA when He takes incarnations

amongst humans.

b) He Whose manifestation in the form of this Universe is only one-fourth of

Himself.

c) He Who is constantly on the look-out as our Sole Protector (ekapo + at)

eka-pade namah.
(Both SrI satyadevo vAsishTha and SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj give the
mantra corresponding to this nAma as eka-pAde namah).

The word pAda refers to a quarter of anything (one-fourth), or to the foot.

Generically, the term is also used to ‘a part or a fraction’ of something.

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 a) SrI bhaTTar gives the interpretation that bhagavAn chooses to show only
apart of His greatness when He takes incarnations amongst us. (This does not
mean that He actually has only part of His mahimA during the incarnations. He
has His complete and undiminished attributes at His command, but He just
does not invoke them or use them. This is revealed in SrImad rAmAyaNam,
where Lord rAma emphasizes that He is only a human – (aham mAnusham
manye), even though viSvAmitra and others know His true Nature. See svAmi
deSikan’s description of the six rahasya’s of His incarnations in Slokam 17 of
SaraNAgati dIpikA, which has been described previously).

SrI BhaTTar gives the following references:

amSAvatAro brahmarshe! Yo’yam yadu kulodbhavah

(V.P. 5.1.2)
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“O Brahmarshi! This incarnation of the Lord as kRshNa in the yadu race is only
asmall part of Himself”.
AmSAmSena avatIrya urvyAm

(V.P. 5.1.3)

“He has come down to this world only with a part of a part of Himself”.

VishNor-ardham mahA bhAgam putram ikshvAku nanadanam

(bAla. 18.12)

“rAma, the delight of the ikshvAku race, took birth as half the amSam of
vishNu”.

b) SrI Sa’nkara gives the interpretation in terms of the purusha sUktam

passage

“etAvAn asya mahimA | ato jyAyAgmSca pUrushah |

pAdo’sya viSvAbhUtAni | tri-pAdasyAmRtam divi |

tri-pAd-Urdhva udait-purushah | pAdo’syehAbhavAtpunah |

tato vishva’ng vyakrAmat | sASanAnaSane abhi | “

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In his purusha sUkta vyAkhyAnam, SrI K. SrInivAsa aiye’ngAr gives the
interpretation that the leela vibhUti which is expressed in His manifestation
through this universe is only a fourth of His mahimA. The remaining three-
fourths is found in parama padam in His nitya vibhUti. The reference to one-
fourth and three-fourth here really are parts of His immeasurable mahimA.

SrI Sa’nkara gives reference to the gItA in support:

athavA bahunA etena kim j~nAnena tava arjuna |

vishTabhAyahamidam kRtsnamekAmSena sthito jagat ||

(gItA 10.42)

“But of what use to you is all this extensive knowledge O arjuna?

I stand sustaining this whole universe with a fragment of Mine (My power)”.

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SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN gives the following reference from the smRti:

aNDAnAm tu sahasrAnAm sahasrAnyayutAni ca |

IdRsAnAm tathA tatra koTi koTiSatAni ca ||

All the thousands of universes together are nothing more than a tiny part of
Him.

c) SrI satya sandha yatirAja bases one of his interpretations by looking at the
nAma as ekapo + at, and using the root at – sAtatyagamane – to go constantly
(atati). His interpretation is “ekapo mukhya pAlakah san atati” – He Who is
constantly on the lookout as the Sole Protector.

The root pA – rakshaNe – to protect (pAti – protects), also suggests that the
nAma can be viewed as meaning that He is the Sole Protector.

(To Be Continued in Vol. IV)

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

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Volume IV
 Our Sincere thanks to the following for their invaluable contributions to
this ebook :

For hosting Sri VishNu Sahasra Naamam ebooks

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Chief Editor, Sundarasimham & AhObilavalli eBooks Series

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Mandayam Sri K. Krishnaswamy

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Providing the Sanskrit texts:

Mannargudi Sri.Srinivasan Narayanan

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 CONTENTS
SlOkam 83 3

SlOkam 84 33

SlOkam 85 48

SlOkam 86 67

SlOkam 87 82

SlOkam 88 105

SlOkam 89 127

SlOkam 90 150

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SlOkam 91 171

SlOkam 92 198

SlOkam 93 225

SlOkam 94 245

SlOkam 95 266
sadagopan.org
 . ïI>.

. ïImte ramanujay nm>.

. ïImte ingmaNt mhadeizkay nm>.

ïImte ïI r¼ramanuj mhadeizkay nm>

SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam

(Volume IV)

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 sadagopan.org

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 Slokam 83
smavtaeR inv&ÄaTma ÊjRyae Êrit³m>,

ÊlRÉae ÊgRmae ÊgaeR Êravasae Êrairha. 83.

samAvartO nivruttAtmA durjayO duratikramah |
durlabhO durgamO durgO durAvAsO durArihA ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 779. smavtR> samAvartah

a) He Who takes incarnations again and again for the benefit of His devotees.

b) He Who performs His function of creation again and again in cycles.

c) He Whose true thoughts are always revolving around what He can do to help

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His devotees.
samAvartAya namah.
sam is an upasarga here, and can mean “well”, “from all sides”, etc. The term
Avarta means “turning around, revolving”. The root from which the word
Avarta is derived is vRt – vartane – to exist, to happen, to live on, to occupy
etc. The amara koSa vyAkhyAnam is: Avartate carkravad bhrAmyati iti
Avartah – That which rotates around like a wheel.

a) SrI bhaTTar’s interpretation is that bhagavAn has this nAma because He

takes incarnations again and again repeatedly as needed, for the benefit of His
devotees, even though He is birthless. nammAzhvAr refers to Him as piRappu
ilpal piRavi perumAn in tiruvAimozhi 2.9.5 (SrI v.v. rAmAnujan).

b) SrI Sa’nkara gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has the nAma
samAvartah because He skillfully turns the wheel of worldly life –
samsAracakrasya samyag-Avartaka iti samAvartah.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the same interpretation - samyag

Avartayati samsAra cakram iti samAvartah.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN expresses the same idea – because bhagavAn

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 repeatedly continues His creation in cycles, He is called samAvartah – samyak
tAnAvartayati punah punah sRjati iti samAvartah.

c) An alternate interpretation by SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj is that

bhagavAn is called samAvartah because His true thoughts are constantly
revolving around what He can do to protect His devotees – samIcInah
AvartanaS-cintanamsvajana avanamayam yasya iti samAvartah.

nAma 780. inv&ÄaTma nivRttAtmA

a) He whose Nature is different from, and superior to, everything else

(Transcendental Form).

b) He whose mind is turned away from worldly attachments. (nara-nArAyaNa

incarnation)
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c) He who is the AtmA of those who practice the nivRtti dharma (Bestower of
benefits according to karma).

d) He whose nature is that He is free from the bonds of samsAra, even when
He takes His incarnation amongst us (kRshNa incarnation).

e) He who does not turn away from anything or anywhere because He is

Omnipresent. (a-nivRttAtmA - Sa’nkara)

f) He Who withdraws the jIva-s into Him during pralaya

g) He Who has permeated everything completely.

h) He Who is Himself un-impacted or withdrawn with respect to the effects of

pralaya of sRshTi.

i) He whose mind turns away from any feeling of self-glory over His kIrti or
fame.
nivRttAtmane namah.
The nAma nivRttAtmA occurs 4 times in SrI BhaTTar’s system of
interpretation. This is one of only two nAma-s that occur this many number of
times (the other nAma is prANa-dah). The instances of the nAma nivRttAtmA
in SrI BhaTTar’s scheme of interpretation are: nAma 231 (Slokam 25), nAma

4
453 (Slokam 48), nAma 604 (Slokam 64), nAma 780 (Slokam 83)

SrI Sa’nkara has given the nAma-s as nivRttAtmA in Sloka-s 25 and 64, as
vimuktAmA in Slokam 48, and as a-nivRttAtmA in Slokam 83, with nivRttAtmA
being his alternate version in Slokam 83.

What follows is a consolidation of the previous write-ups for this nAma. The
nAma has been explained in detail in the previous three instances, using the
approach that I have taken for all other nAma-s, namely, giving the different
anubhavam-s of the different vyAkhyAna kartA-s for the nAma in one place.
We will take a look at the vyAkhyAna for this nAma from a different
perspective in the current write-up.

There are two unique contributions that SrI BhaTTar has made in his
vyAkhyAnam for SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam. These are:

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1. He has approached the elucidation for all the nAma-s with the emphasis
on bhagavAn’s guNa-s of saulabhyam and sauSIlyam towards His
devotees as the primary guNa-s of bhagavAn that are of interest from
the devotees’ perspective. SrI Sa’nakra generally gives his
interpretations with emphasis on the parattvam or Supremacy of
vishNu in his interpretations. This point has been brought out in detail
in my write-up comparing the two vyAkhyAna-s, and has been mentioned
as a reminder under different nAma-s.

2. SrI BhaTTar is unique in viewing the 1000 nAma-s as a collection of 44

discrete groups, each group consisting of a series of nAma-s describing
a specific incarnation or manifestation of bhagavAn. This aspect has
also been mentioned off and on during the discussion of the nAma-s.

Because of the general approach I have taken throughout, of summarizing the

different anubhavam-s of several interpreters under each nAma, I have
inevitably lost the stress on the second aspect of SrI BhaTTar’s contribution
in my write-ups, even though I try to mention this aspect off and on. In the
currentview of the nAma nivRttAtmA, we will emphasize this second aspect of
Sri BhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam for the four instances of this nAma.

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 SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma-s in the following contexts:
nAma 231 – as part of the group of nAmas from 226 to 247, reminiscent of the
purusha sUkta-upanishad pratipAdita virAT svarUpam. nAma 453 – as part of
the group of nAma-s from 451 to 463, describing the nara-nArAyaNa
incarnation, as the nivRtti dharma pravartaka. nAma 604 – as part of the group
of nAma-s from 590 to 606, describing His guNa as a conferrer of benefits to
jiva-s based on their karma. nAma 780 – as part of the nAmas from 697 to
786, describing His kRshNa incarnation.

The meaning for the word nivRtta is to turn away, to abstain from, to be above
worldly acts, etc.

a) SrI BhaTTar’s interpretation for nAma 231 (in the group of nAma-s
describing the Transcendental Person described in purusha sUkatam etc.,), is
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that bhagavAn’s svabhAva (Nature) is past the prAkRta svabhAva (the

ordinary nature of mortals), and the meaning given is that His Nature as the
Supreme purusha is superior to anything else, and stands above all other
things. He is the Master of the Transcendental Glory that is thrice the glory
of the material world. He is the svAmI or Lord of all that is this Universe, and
all that is beyond this Universe. SrI Bhattar gives the following references:
tripAdUrdhvaudait-purushah - The Purusha stands eminent in the parama-pada
which has thrice the glory of the material world" - purusha sUkta 4. parAt-
param yan-mahatomahAntam - He is greater than the greatest, more exalted
than the most exalted.- taitti. nArAyanIya 1.5.

SrI satya devo vAsishTha gives reference to the muNDakopanishad passage,

of two birds sitting in the same tree, one representing the jIva and the other
the Supreme Soul. His interpretation is: ni is an upasarga; the root involved is
vRt– vartane – to exist, to happen, to live on, to occupy; or vRt – varaNe– to
choose, to divide. The word nivRtta means One Whose Nature is different–
svarUpa paryAyah (SrI vAsishTha).

dvA suparNA sayujA sakhAyA samAnam vRksham parishasvajAte |

tayoranyahpippalam svAdvat-anaSnan-anyo abhicAkaSIti || (muNDa. 2.1.)

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The above sloka talks of two birds, one representing the paramAtmA and the
other the jIvAtmA, one watching and shining brilliantly, while the other enjoys
the fruits of the karma. It thus illustrates the different nature of the
superior Soul, who turns away from the enjoyment that the jIva goes after
(nivRtta -anaSnan). SrI vAsishTha captures the spirit of the nAma through
the Sloka he has composed for describing the meaning of this nAma, just as he
has composed his own Sloka as his interpretation for each of the 1000 nAma-s:

ja~jne sa viSvam sa bibharti viSvam sakhA sa jIvasya samAna Sakhah |

nASnanjagaj-jAta rasAn aseshAn nivRtta mAtro’Snuta eva sarvam ||

“BhagavAn creates the universe and protects everything, and is a Friend of the
jIva-s and treats everything in His creation equally. He does not consume any
of the fruits of this world, but withdraws everything into Him at the time of

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pralaya”.

b) In SrI BhaTTar’ interpretation for nAma 453 in Slokam 48 (in the group
dealing with the nara-nArAyaNa incarnation), the anubhavam is that bhagavAn
has His mind turned away from worldly desires. Since the nara-nArAyaNa
incarnation deals with the life of austerity that He adopted, and He taught the
nivRtti dharma to nara, this is an appropriate interpretation in this context.

BhagavAn appeared as nara and nArAyaNa to teach the nivRtti dharma to the
world and to practice it with extreme detachment (BhagavAn’s form was
nArAyaNa in the role of the teacher, and nara in the role of the student). To
indicate His profound detachment (parama vairAgya) to material objects of
pleasure, He had His mind withdrawn from them. The nara-nArAyaNa avatAra
as well as the nivRtti dharma are embedded in this nAma. The avatAara
emphasized nivRtti-dharma and propagated the sacred ashtAkshara. The
essence of nivRtti dharma is the realization that nothing is done for our
benefit or by us, and everything is for the benefit of nArAyaNa and happens
because of Him. We are not for us or for someone else, but only for
nArAyaNa.

SrI BhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam here is: parama vairAgya khyApanaAya

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 vishayebhyahpratyAhRta-manAh nivRttAtmA - To indicate His profound non-
attachment to material objects, He has His mind withdrawn from them. About
His meditation it is said - antarnivishTa bhAvam ca - He who has His thoughts
concentrated on Himself. Also, Atma-dhyAna parAyaNAya - To Him who has
His thoughts concentrated within Himself"; "hRd - admArpita mAnasam" - "Him
with His mind fixed on the lotus-heart", etc.

c) For nAma 604, which is in the group of nAma-s dealing with His relation with
the jIva-s in giving them the results of their karma-s, SrI BhaTTar gives the
interpretation that He has this nAma because He is the AtmA of those who
practice the nivRtti dharma, or the life of renunciation.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan elaborates on how bhagavAn is the AtmA of those who
practice the nivRtti dharma. These are the jIva-s who do not have any interest
in pravRtti dharma, and live their lives with the soul objective of doing
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kaimkaryam to Him. They are not interested in any fruit out of their action
except the bhAgyam of doing kaimkaryam to Him. BhagavAn gives them exactly
that, namely He gives them His lokam from where there is no return to
samsAra - viNNulagam taruvAnAi variaginrAn (tivuvAimozhi 10.6.3). In fact,
even though bhagavAn is AtmA of these nivRtti dharma practitioners just as
He is the AtmA of all other creations, yet He considers that these nivRtti
dharma followers as His soul that supports Him. Another name for these
practitioners of nivRtti dharmA is j~nAnI, whom bhagavAn considers as His
own soul.

Of the two kinds of dharma - the pravRtti dharma and the nivRtti dharma,
pravRti dharma takes us to the world of the pitR-s where we enjoy the fruits
of our karma, and come back to this world with the balance of karma-s to our
credit; nivRtti dharma is that which leads one to moksha.

d) For the current instance of this nAma in the context of the kRshNa
incarnation, SrI BhaTTar’s anubhavam is that even though He took the
incarnation among us for our benefit, and even though we are deeply immersed
in pravRtti dharma, He keeps Himself in the nivRtti dharma, and is not in any

8
way affected by worldly things, and so He continues to be a nivRttAtmA.

Thus, even though the nAma is the same, the anubhavam is related to the
context of the particular aspect of bhagavAn that is emphasized in that
context. This vision of SrI BhaTTar in recognizing the connectivity between
the different nAma-s in sequence has also naturally taken care of the issue of
avoiding punar-ukti.

Part-2
(The following list has been revised, and is slightly different from the on e
posted yesterday. So it is included here).

nAma 780. inv&ÄaTma nivRttAtmA

a) He whose Nature is different from, and superior to, everything else

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(Transcendental Form).

b) He whose mind is turned away from worldly attachments. (nara-nArAyaNa

incarnation)

c) He who is the AtmA of those who practice the nivRtti dharma (Bestower of
benefits according to karma).

d) He whose nature is that He is free from the bonds of samsAra, even when
He takes His incarnation amongst us (kRshNa incarnation).

e) He who does not turn away from anything or anywhere because of He is

Omnipresent. (a-nivRttAtmA - Sa’nkara)

f) He Who withdraws the jIva-s into Him during pralaya

g) He Who has permeated everything completely.

h) He Whose Mind turns away from sacrifices that are performed by those
who are not qualified.

i) He Who is Himself un-impacted or withdrawn with respect to the effects of

pralaya of sRshTi.

j) He whose mind turns away from any feeling of self-glory over His kIrti or

9
 fame.
nivRttAtmane namah.
(Interpretations (a) to (d) were posted yesterday. This is the continuation).

For the rest of the write-up, new information that was not included in the
previous write-ups is included below.

SrI Sa’nkara’s interpretation in Slokam 25 is that bhagavAn is called

nivRttAtmA because He is free from the bonds of worldly life – The unbound
Self – samasAra-bandhAn nivRtta AtmA savrUpam asya iti nivRttAtmA.

SrI BhaTTar’sinterpretation a) above is along the same as lines as this. For the
incidence of the nAma in Slokam 48, SrI Samkara vyAkhyAnam is – svabhAvato
vishayebhyonivRtta AtmA manah asya iti nivRttAtmA – He turns away from
material pleasures naturally. SrI BhaTTar’s interpretation b) is along the same
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lines, eventhough SrI BhaTTar links the guNa to His nara-nArAyaNa

incarnation specifically.

e) For the current instance, SrI Sa’nkara uses the pATham a-nivRttAtmA, and
then gives the interpretation that because He is present everywhere, there is
no turning away from anything for Him, and so He is a-nivRttAtmA.

New interpretations (f, g, and h - below) that have not been presented earlier
are from satya sandha yatirAja:

f) nivRttAAtmAno yena pralaya iti – He is nivRttAtmA because He withdraws

the AtmA-s (jIva-s) into Him during pralaya.

g) ni – nitarAm – wholly, completely; vRttah – sakala vishayeshupravRttah –

exists in everything; One Who exists in everything, On Who has permeated
everything completely.

h) ayogya-kRta ya~jnAdibhyo nivRtto vA AtmA mano yasya sa nivRttAtmA – He

Whose mind turns away from the sacrifices that are made by those who are
not authorized or not qualified to perform these sacrifices.

i) For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 64, SrI vAsishTha uses the meaning
“asa’nga - unassociated with” for the word nivRtta, and gives the interpretation

10
that bhagavAn is called nivRttAtmA because at the time of pralaya He is not
impacted by the effect of pralaya (i.e., He does snot cease to exist), and at
the time of creation He is not impacted by the effect of creation (that is, He
is not created). So He is unassociated with the effects of the pralaya, sRshTi,
etc. –

bhagavAn vishNuh sRshTi kAle pralaya kAle ca sRshTim pralayauyathA-kramam

vidadhadapi,

sva-svarUpavato nivRttAtmA bhavati asa’ngah,

pralayakAle vA sRshTer nivartata iti nivRttAtmA vishNurukto bhavati.

j) SrI rAmAnujan also gives his anubhavam of bhagavAn's detachment from

any feeling of self-glory over His greatness. Here He is, creating this great
wonder with all its innumerable creatures and all the planets and the different

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worlds. He is the svAmi of all these worlds - vIRRirundu Ezhulagum tanik kOl
Sella;varambilAda mAyai mAya!. varambilAda kIrtiyAi! (tiruccanda viruttam
96). With all this greatness, one would expect that He should have some
attachment of ownership to His wonderful creation, and pride of this great
creation of His. Yet, He does not have any of this sense of pride, and is only
interested in our welfare instead, in whatever He does. Such is His greatness.
In this sense also, bhagavAn is nivRttAtmA.

SrI cinmayAnanda observes that the significance of the nAma lies in indicating
to us that we have to detach our mind from sense indulgences in orderto
realize Him.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that bhagavAn is the only one who can
retrieve those who are attached to all kinds of material and sense objects,
because He is the only one who is not attached to anything. Only the one who is
not stuck in the mud can retrieve one who is stuck in it.

The writer in dharma cakram points out that the significance of this nAma is
to realize that we should live a life with detachment from material objects in
order to realize the Truth, and meditating on this nAma of mahA vishNu will
help us live that kind of life. Meditating on the Lord who has no attachments

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 will lead us to live a life without attachment. He gives the life of Lord Rama as
an example of the life of nivRttAtmA.

SrI Sa’nkara pATham: As indicated earlier, for the four instances of

nivRttAtmA in SrI BhaTTar’s scheme of interpretation, the corresponding
treatment by SrI Sa’nkara is the use of the nAma nivRttAtmA in Sloka-s 25
and 64, vimuktAtmA in Slokam 48, and a-nivRttAtmAin Slokam 83. The
adoption of a specific pATham by a given vyAkhyAna kartA can be for one of
the following reasons:

1. It may be a result of the specific anubhavam that these great devotees

of nArAyaNa have, and the way they feel the enjoyment of the nAma.

2. In addition to the above, the specific pATham may give a beneficial

edge in providing an interpretation that supports the specific
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philosophy that the particular vyAkhyAna kartA propounds or follows.

3. Adopting different pAThams may be a way of avoiding the issue of

punar-ukti (repetition or redundancy).

SrI Sa’nkara’s interpretations for the above nAma-s in Sloka-s25, 48, 63 and
83 respectively, do not seem to suggest that he has adopted the pATham that
he has chosen, for illustration of any specific advaita philosophy related issues.
So it can be assumed that his choice is more a reflection of 1and/or 3 above.

vimuktAtmA:
a) He Who is a naturally free Soul, since He is never born, not touches by
effects of karma, etc.

b) He Who liberates the souls or jIva-s.

SrI Sa’nkara’s alternate pATham in Sloka-s 48 is vimuktAtmA. We did not

cover this as part of Slokam 48, and so we will cover this here. The root
involved is muc – mokshaNe – to set free, to leave, to abandon. Vi is an
uapasarga.

a) The interpretation given by SrI Sa’nkara is: svabhAvena vimuktaAtmA yasya

iti vimuktAtmA – One Who is naturally free.

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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the interpretation that the nAma stands for
One Who has attained “viSeshamukti”, or liberation in a unique or special way.
BhagavAn is naturally free in a unique way since He does not have birth and its
associated avidyA, desire, etc., like every one else does. He is not affected by
karma, the three guNa-s, etc.

SrI cinmayAnanda translates the nAma as “The ever-liberated Self”.

b) SrI satya sandha yatirAja, a follower of the dvaita tradition, also uses the
pATham as vimuktAtmA here, and gives an interpretation different from SrI
Sa’nkara– vimuktA AtmAno jIvA yena iti vimuktAtmA – He by Whom the jIva-s
are liberated or released is vimuktAtmA.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha observes that there is essentially no difference in

the meaning of the words vimuktAtmA and nivRttAtmA.

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The dharma cakram writer describes the four kinds of karma – nitya,
naimittika, kAmya, and nishiddha. nitya karma-s are (such as
trikAlasandhyAvandanam) those which are to be done necessarily; doing them
does not accumulate puNya, but not doing them accumulates papa. Performance
of naimittikakarma-s (such as observance of ekAdaSi) will lead to specific
benefits. Acts that are done with specific desire for benefits (such as special
sacrificial rites undertaken with specific benefits in mind) are called kAmya
karma-s. The nishiddha karma-s are the ones that are forbidden. BhagavAn is
not subject to the effects of any type of karma, because He does not
undertake any karma for His benefit; whatever He does is for the benefit of
the jIva-s.

a-nivRttAtmA:
SrI Sa’nkara’s interpretation for this version is that bhagavAn is a-
nivRttAtmA, One Who never turns away from anything, because He is in
everything and everywhere – sarvatra vartamAnatvAt s-nivRttah kuto’pi a-
nivRttAtmA. Not too many other interpreters have used this version.

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 dur--jayah
nAma 781. ÊjRy> dur

a) He Who cannot be under control except by devotion.

b) He Who is Invincible.

c) He Who makes it possible for us to conquer duhkham.

d) He Who can be won over by difficult practices such as samAdhi etc.

dur-jayAya namah.
dus is an upasarga. ji – jaye – to conquer, is the root involved.

a) SrI BhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam is that it is impossible to bring Him under

control by the ordinary power of human or divine beings. The only thing by
which He can be conquered is through total surrender (SaraNAgati) or through
total devotion (bhakti), of which SaraNAgati is an a’nga.
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha observes that anyone who follows the SAstric rules,
and who performs actions consistent with His dictates, will always be
successful. This is because bhagavAn resides in these people in His form as
dur-jayah.

This nAma is essentially same as the nAma a-parAjitah (nAma 721, Slokam
76,and nAma 866 in Slokam 92), and ajitah (nAma 553 in Slokam 59). In SrI
BhaTTar’s scheme of organization of the nAma-s into groups, nAma 553 is
interpreted in the group of names that describe Him as Suddha-sattva-
svarUpI, nAma 721 is part of the same group that the current nAma belongs
to, in that they both are part of the description in terms of the kRshNa
incarnation. nAma 866 is part of nAma-s that stress His guNa as a dushTa-
nigrahan – One Who punishes the dushTa-s. So it is interesting to see how SrI
BhaTTar achieves differentiation in the interpretation of these three similar
nAma-s in their four instances.

For nAma 553, where SrI BhaTTar’s interpretation is in terms of bhagavAn

being of Suddha-sattva svarUpam, his anubhavam is that bhagavAn has this
nAma because He is the Owner of parama padam, whose other names are ajitA,
aparAjitA, ayodhyA, etc. Everything here is composed of Suddha-sattva

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material, and birth and death are unknown because nothing is composed of
perishable material. See Slokam 59 for details on this nAma.

For nAma 721, SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation in terms of Lord kRshNa’s
role in the mahAbhAratra war (see the detailed write-up for nAma 721 in
Slokam76).

For the current nAma, SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that He cannot
be brought under control or won over, except when He wishes to reveal
Himself – yan-na darSitavAn esha kas-tad-anveshTum arhati – “If He does not
show Himself, Who can succeed in seeking and finding Him?”

For nAma 866, in the guNAnubhavam of His dushTa nigrahatvam, the

interpretation given is that it is impossible for anyone to obstruct Him, at
anytime, through any means, in His function as the Ruler over everyone and

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everything. In fact, all that is required to ensure invincibility for anyone is His
blessing:

yasya mantrI ca goptA ca suhRc-caiva janArdanah |

haih trai-lokya-nAthah sankim nu tasya na nirjitam ||

(mahA bhArata udyoga.)

“What is there in this world that cannot be conquered by that person

who has bhagavAn Hari as his mentor, protector, and friend?”

Thus, all four interpretations describe His invincibility, but in each instance a
different aspect of His invincibility is stressed.

b) The corresponding vyAkhyAna-s of SrI Sa’nkara are:

1. For nAma ajitah in Slokam 59, “He Who has never been conquered in
any of His Incarnations” – kenApyavatAreshu na jitah iti ajitah.

2. for aparajitah in Slokam 76, “He Who has conquered desires and the
rest internally, and the demons and others externally”.

3. For dur-jayah in the current Slokam, “He Who is Invincible” – jetum na

Sakyata iti dur-jayah. - For the instance aparAjitah in Slokam 92,

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 “Unconquered by gods and men” – Satrubhih naparAjita iti aparAjitah.

c) Coming back to the interpretations for the specific nAma dur-jayah, in

addition to the interpretation ‘jetum na Sakyah dur-jayah’, SrI satya
sandhayatirAja gives an alternate interpretation that He has the nAma dur-
jayah because He makes it possible for us to conquer duhkha – duhkhasya jayo
yasmAtiti dur-jayah.

d) SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN gives yet another diversity to the anubhavam:

duh-sAdhena samAdhinA jIyate hRdi vaSIkriyate iti dur-jayah – He Who is
won over by the difficult practices such as samAdhi etc.

dur--atikramah
nAma 782. Êrit³m> dur

a) He Who cannot be by passed by those who seek relief from samsAra.

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b) He Who cannot be transgressed because of fear of the consequences of

disobeying Him.

c) He for whom all sorrow is bypassed.

d) He by transgressing whose orders, sorrow is the result.

dur-atikramAya namah.
The root involved in the nAma is kramu – pAda vikshepe - to walk, to step.
atikrama means overstepping, going beyond, breaching.

a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that it is impossible to have any

recourse except Him if we wish to cross the ocean of sorrow. He gives several
supporting references:

yadA carmavad-AkASam veshTayishyanti mAnavAh |

tadA devam avij~nAya duhkhasyAntam nigacchati ||

(SvetA. 6.20)
“The success with which one can reach the end of sorrow without resorting to
God, is the same as the success one would have in rolling the whole firmament
and putting it into a small leather bag”

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vAsudevam anArAdhya ko moksham samavApnuyAt

“Who can attain salvation without worshipping vAsudeva?”

na hi vishNumRte kAcit gatiranyA vidhIyate |

ityevam satatam vedA gAyante nAtra samSayah ||

(lai’nga purANam 24.43)

“All the veda-s are always singing in chorus that there is no other means of
redemption except the worship of vishNu. There is no doubt about this”.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers to the kAkAsura episode in support. He went round
all three worlds for someone to protect Him from the astra of Lord rAma, and
ultimately had to come back to His feet for rescue. In SrImad rAmAyaNam,
hanuman declares that if rAma decides that someone should be killed, then no
one in all the three worlds, including indra, brahma, rudra, or any other devatA

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can protect that person. nammAzhvAr reveals the same truth in his
tiruvAimozhipASuram 10.1.1 (kALamEgattai anRi maRRu ilam gatiyE), and 10.1.6
(tirumOgUrAttan – Aptan tAmarai aDi inRi maRRu ilam araNE) – There is no
recourse for us except His Feet.

b) SrI Sa’nkara vyAkhyAnam is also that He cannot be transgressed. This is

because He is the source of fear for those who transgress His orders, and
none will dare to disobey them. He gives kaThopanishad insupport:

bhayAt asya agnis-tapati bhayAt tapat I sUryah |

bhayAindrSvca vAyuSca mRtyur-dhAvati pa’ncamah ||

(kaTho. 6.3)
“Through fear of Him burns the fire, through fear of Him shines the sun,

through fear of Him functions indra, the wind, and Death as the fifth”.

We have a similar passage in the taittirIya upanishad:

bhIshAsmAt vAtah pavate, bhIsdhodeyti sUryah, bhIshAsmAd

agniScendraSca, mRtyur-dhAvati pa’ncama iti | (taitti. 2.8.1)

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 “Out of His fear the wind blows; Out of fear the Sun rises;

Out of His fear runs Fire, as also Indra and Death, the fifth”.

c) SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives the explanation – duhkhasya atikramo yasya
sa dur-atikramah – He for whom all sorrow is bypassed.

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha explains the nAma as meaning that He by

transgressing whose order, sorrow is the result – yo bhAgavatam niyamam
ulla’ngatesa SaSavat dukkhameva Apnoti iti dur-atikramah.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives a similar interpretation – duhkhadah

atikramah Sasana ulla’nghanam asya itidur-atikramh – Bypassing His order will
lead to sorrow.

dur-labhah, dur-gamah. dur-gah, dur-AvAsah

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NOTE: The next four nAma-s: dur-labhah, dur-gamah, dur-gah, dur-AvAsah

have similar meanings. In fact, the one-line translation in English given by SrI
Srinivasa Raghavan is almost identical for the first three of these:

1. dur-labhah – He Who is difficult to be attained. -

2. dur-gamah – He Whom it is impossible to attain. -

3. dur-gah – He Who cannot be entered into. -

4. dur-AvAsah – He Whose place of residence is not easy to attain.

At first look, the above meanings seem very similar. So here we have another
opportunity to enjoy how SrI BhaTTar and SrI Sa’nkara deal with the
interpretation of the nAma-s such that there is no redundancy.

First, let us look at SrI BhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam.

The general idea that is being described is that He is difficult to attain. This
may be because of:

a) Deficiencies in the approach of the seeker;

b) Attributes that pertain to the Sought, that make it difficult to access Him;

c) Barriers between the seeker and the sought;

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d) The limitations imposed by the place where the person that is sought is
located.

These are precisely the four aspects that SrI BhaTTar addresses, and assigns
one of these for each nAma, each of which contributes to the difficulty in His
unattainability. Thus once again he has nicely handled the issue of avoiding
punar-ukti in the interpretation.

dur--labhah
nAma 783 ÊlRÉ> dur

(a) He Who is difficult to attain for those who are not single-minded in their
devotion to Him.
dur-labhAya namah
The root involved is labh – prAptau – to get. SrI BhaTTar gives the

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interpretation that bhagavAn is difficult to attain for those who are not
single-minded in their devotion to Him - ajitendriya dushprApo dur-labhah sa
cakathyate – He is not easy to access to those who have not controlled their
indriya-s. SrI BhaTTar gives support from vishNu dharma and from
mahAbhArata:

tasyApyanya manaskasya sulabho na janArdanah”

(vishNu dharma 73.6)

"janArdana is not within easy reach of those who have their minds after things
other than Him."

aprApyah keSavo rAjan! Indriyaih ajitaih nRNAm

(mahAbhA.udyoga. 78.21)
"O King! KeSava cannot be attained by men if their senses are not conquered
by them."

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr pASuram – tiruvAimozhi 1.3.1:

pattuDai aDiyavarkku eLiyavan, piRargaLukku ariya vittagan – “He is easy to
access to the devotees who worship Him as their Lord, but for others, He is
not easily accessible”.

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 SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN refers us to the following, which indicates how
difficult it is for one to get to follow the path of bhakti:

janmAntara sahsreshu tapo dAna samAdhibhih |

narANAm kshINa pApAnAm kRshNebhaktih prajAyate ||

It takes countless births of austerities and other good deeds before a human
being is rid of sins and develops devotion to kRshNa.

dur--gamah
nAma 784 ÊgRm> dur

(a) He Who is difficult to attain because of His Effulgence.

dur-gamAya namah
The root involved in this nAma is gam –gatau – to go. The meaning given by SrI
BhaTTar is “He to whose nearness One cannot go”. SrI BhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam
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here is:

dur-gamah – netra durbalAnAm iva madhyAhna bhAskarahapradhRshya tejAh

daNDA pUpikayA dur-gamah – Just as the mid-day sun cannot be seen by men
with weak eyes, so also bhagavAn who is endowed with the brilliance and
splendor of a thousand suns, cannot be accessed by weak-minded people.
(SrIBhaTTar invokes the “daNDa pUpikA” nyAayam here, to reinforce his
point: If a cake with some sticks embedded in the cake is left in a room, and if
someone declares that sticks have been eaten away by rats, then it goes
without saying that the cake has been eaten by the rats too. So also, if a
trivial sun cannot be seen by our eyes, need we say anything about our seeing
bhagavAn with the radiance of a thousand such suns)?

dur--gah
nAma 785 ÊgR> dur

He Who is separated from us by our avidyA which acts like afortress between
Him and us.
dur-gAya namah
The root is the same as for the above nAma: gam – gatau – to go. Here SrI
BhaTTar ascribes His inaccessibility because of curtains or protections that

20
are too difficult for us to go through, in the form of our a-vidyA or Nescience:
avidyA AvaraNaih dush-praveSaSca dur-gah. The term dur-gah usually refers
to a fortification for a fortress, such as a moat. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives the
derivation – duhkenApi gantum aSakyah – One Who cannot be reached even
with difficulty.

SrI cinmayAnanda translates the nAma as “Not easy to storm into” (since one
meaning for the word dur-gah is fort). He observes that the essence of
nArAyaNa is fortressed around by the matter vestures and their objects of
fascination. Attracted by them, our attention is always distracted towards the
joy contents in them. This seducing power of the matter vestures is itself the
mighty mAyA, which is crossed over only by very rare, courageous, and blessed
ones”. He gives reference to the gItA:

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daivI hyeshA guNamayI mama mAyA duratyayA |

mAmeva ye prapadyante mAyAm etAmtaranti te ||

(gItA 7.14)
“This divine mAyA of Mine consisting of the three guNa-s is hard to overcome;

but those who take refuge in Me alone shall pass beyond this mAyA”.

The upanishads say that the Truth cannot be perceived by the senses,
imagined by the mind, or thought of by the intellect. These being the only
source of our knowing, it seems almost impossible to realize the Truth – yato
vAconivartante… (tait. upa. 2.9.1).

SrI cinmayAnanda reminds us that “He is in our heart, but even then He is not
easily realized”.

dur--AvAsah
nAma 786 Êravas> dur

a) He Whose place of residence is not easy to attain.

dur-AvAsAya namah.
Here SrI BhaTTar refers to the sheer inaccessibility of parama padam for us,
and thus the impossibility of accessing Him in this birth to perform

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 kaimkaryam to Him in parama padam – evam ca dUre dushkarah tat-pada AvAsa
iti dur-AvAsah.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri indicates that there is a version “dUr-AvAsah” also

in use, and then it means: “One Who is far, far, away, and thus is not easily
accessible”.

Now let us see how SrI Sa’nkara distinguishes between the four nAma-s so
that there is no redundancy in interpretation.
dur-labhah – dur-labhayA bhaktyA labhyata iti dur-labhah

He Who is not easily attained except through intense devotion

dur-gamah – duhkhena gamyatej~nAyata iti dur-gamah

One Who is known only with difficulty

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dur-gah – antarAyapratihataih duhkhAt avApayata iti dur-gah.

He Who can be attained only by overcoming several unanticipated obstacles in

our attempts to realize Him

dur-AvAsah – duhkhena avAsyate cite yogibhih samAdhAviti dur-AvAsah.

He Who is not easily retained for prolonged periods even by yogin-s during
deep meditation

The distinction made in the first two nAma-s is “labhayata” vs. “j~nAyata”.
Literally, the first refers to “getting Him”, and the second refers to “knowing
Him”. The first can refer to those who can attain Him through pure devotion,
without necessarily having the deep detailed knowledge of SAstra-s etc., and
the second can refer to the mastery over the actual SAstric knowledge. The
path of bhakti is tedious, and so is the acquisition of knowledge about Him.

In SrI Sa’nkara’s interpreatation, dur-gah refers to the multitude of

unanticipated obstacles in attaining Him, in addition to the known and inherent
obstacles involved in the path of bhakti; and dur-AVAsah refers to the
difficulty in meditating on Him for prolonged period of time, even for the best
of yogin-s.

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Additional details on the interpretation of the four nAma-s for SrI Sa’nkara’s
interpretation are given below:

dur--labhah - He Who can be attained only through extreme

dur
devotion.

SrI Sa’nkara quotes vyAsa:

janmAntara sahasreshu tapo j!nana samAdhibhih |

narANAm kshINa pApAnAm kRshNebhaktih prajAyate ||

“Devotion towards kRshNa comes to those men whose sins are burnt up

byausterities, wisdom and meditation, practiced in thousands of lives”.

He also gives support from the gItA (8.22):

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purushah sa parah pArtha bhaktyAlabhayas-tad-ananyayA |

The Supreme Person can be attained only by undivided devotion, and by no

other means.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to the kaThopanishad passage 1.2.7:

SravaNAyApi bahubhir-yo na labhyah SrNvantopi bahavo yam na vidyah |

AScaryovaktA kuSalo’sya labhdhA Ascaryo j~nAtA kuSalA’nuSishTah ||

“Even to hear of It is not available to many;

many, even having heard of It, cannot comprehend.

It is rare to find a good teacher for It,

and equally rare to find a good student.

Wonderful indeed is he who comprehends It

when taught by an able preceptor.”

dur--gamah – He Who is known only with difficulty.

784b. dur

The root from which this nAma is derived is gam – gatau – to go;

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 duhkhenagamyate = j~nAyate, j~nApyate vA dur-gamah.

The distinction between dur-labhah and dur-gamah based on the words

“labhyata” vs. “j~nAyata” in SrI Sa’nkarabhAshyam has already been pointed
out earlier.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains this nAma as referring to the difficulty

that people have in developing the desire for Him for a start, with means such
as SravaNam (the knowledge imparted by a guru about the SAstra-s etc.),
mananam (individual enquiry based on the above knowledge), or nididhyAsanam
(intense meditation). He gives reference to the kaThopanishad passage (1.2.23)
–nAyamAtmA pravacanena lbhyo na medhayA nabahudhnA Srutena.

SrI cinmayAnanda interprets dur-gamah as referring to the difficulty in

treading the path of devotion that was referred to in the previous nAma (dur-
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labhah). He gives the support from kaThopanishad: He for Whose attainment

one has to tread a path that is like walking on a razor’s edge –

kshurasya dhArA niSitAduratyayA

durgam pathas-tat kavayo vadanti

kaTho. 1.3.14.

dur--gah – Not easily realized due to obstacles and difficulties.

dur

SrI Sa’nkara’s interpretation is: antarAyapratihataih duhkhAt avApayataiti

dur-gah - Even for those who attempt the difficult means towards bhakti yoga,
there will be many unexpected obstacles that will keep cropping up. It is
probably these difficulties that are being referred to here.

dur--AvAsah – Not easily retained in their mind by even yogins

786b. dur
during deep meditation.

SrI Sa’nkara’s words are: duhkhena AvAsyate citte yogibhih samAdahu itidur-
AvAsah.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives a similar interpretation – “Not easy to lodge” within

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the heart steadily for even the great seekers who are diligent in their
consistent pursuit. Arjuna declares this condition experienced by the likes of
him in the gItA:

yo’yam yogastvayA proktah sAmyena madhusUdana |

etasyAham na paSyAmi ca’ncalatvAtsthiti sthirAm ||

(gItA 6.33)

“This yoga of equality, which has been declared by You, O kRshNa,

I do not see that it can be steady because of the fickleness of the mind”.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN intereprets the nAma as referring to the

difficulty of retaining Him in our hearts – duh-sAdhayA prapattyA vAsyate
hRdiiti dur-AvAsah – He Who will be retained in our hearts constantly only

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through the difficult path of prapatti. (According to the rAmAnuja
sampradAyam, prapatti is the easiest way to attain Him, as long as one can
qualify with the five a’nga-s of prapatti. One of these is mahA viSvAsam, or
the unshakable faith that He will definitely protect us once we surrender to
Him. Perhaps, this is one of the most difficult mental states to acquire, and so
one can consider that prapatti is difficult in this sense.)

Other anubhavam-s:
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives interpretations that suggest that all these
statements about bhagavAn being difficult to attain, difficult to know,
difficult to access, difficult to retain, etc., all apply to only those that do not
strive with sincerity. His interpretations clearly bring out this point:

duhkhena labhyo mRduvega ArAdhakaih iti dur-labhah

He is difficult to attain for those who seek Him only with mild effort

duhkhena AyAsena gamyatej~nAyayate manta-matimadbhih iti dur-gamah

He is difficult to know for thosewho are not smart enough to seek Him

duhkhena gamyate prApayate a-tIvrasamvegaih iti dur-gah

He is not accessible and impenetrable like one in a fortress for those who are

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 not excited enough about attaining Him

duhkhenaAvAsyate hRdaye a-samAhitaih iti dur-AvAsah

He is difficult to retain in heart for those who are not collected and calm
enough in their meditation

Thus, SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj’s interpretation is that He is a sulabhan,

or easy of access, for a true devotee. He is easy to attain, easy to retain, easy
to access, etc., as far as a sincere devotee is concerned.

dur--labhah:
dur

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the anubhavam that even though bhagavAn is
present in everything and everywhere, and in all of us, and is the force behind
our every action, still it is so difficult for us to appreciate this and even
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accept this. Given this state of affairs, to know His svarUpam is next to
impossible for most of us. Hence He is called dur-labhah. SrI vAsishTha points
out that this jIva does not have the ability to know when life will leave this
body, and when the jIva will take the next SarIra, or anything else. He
rhetorically asks the question of how much more difficult it will be to know His
true nature in full, and to attain Him. He observes that even the likes of sage
MarkaNDeya with his long life did not succeed in understanding Him fully. So
SrIvAsishTha’s interpretation is that bhagavAn is called dur-labhah because
He is difficult to attain even for the best of the sages.

dur--gamah:
dur

For the nAma dur-gamah, SrI vAsishTha gives the anubhavam that the nAma
refers to bhagavAn’s Eternal Principle that He reflects everywhere in His
creation – namely, that even though He is inside all of us and thus very near to
us, still He is very far for most of us, and so inaccessible. It is the reflection
of this Eternal Principle of dur-gamatvam that we cannot accompany the jIva
with our body when it departs the body after our death, no one knows exactly
what another person’s thoughts are, etc.

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 dur--gamah :
784c. dur

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN interprets the nAma dur-gamah as follows: duh
sAdhena upanishad vicAreNa gamyate budhyate iti dur-gamah – He Who is
known through the tedious and difficult process of inquiring into the
upanishads.

dur--gah:
785c. dur

SrI vAsishTha points out that bhagavAn is ananta or Infinite, and the success
in realizing Him is related to the effort that is put in, but is never complete.
This is the sense of the nAma dur-gah - He Who is difficult to be accessed in
His totality. For humans who are constrained by the limitations of their antah-
karaNa-s (the seat of thought and feeling, the mind, the thinking faculty, the

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heart, the conscience, the soul), He is dur-gah.

dur--gah
785d. dur

SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives the interpretation – durgo duhkhamgamayati

daityAn prati iti dur-gah – He Who causes pain and suffering to the evil-
minded rAkshasa-s. The root used here is gam – gatau – to go.

dur--gah
785e. dur

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN interpets the nAma dur-gah using the root gai –
Sabde – to sing, and gives the interpretation that the nAma refers to His
being sung through sAma gAnam which is difficult to learn, practice and
master.

dur--AvAsah
786c. dur

AvAsah refers to the place or location of a person. SrI vAsishTha observes

that because He is everywhere and in everything, it is impossible to precisely
say where He is, and so He is called dur-AvAsah – One Whose place or location

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 is impossible to pinpoint precisely. He quotes the atharva vedic passage:

antariksham utodaram divam yaScakre mUrdhAnam tasmai jyeshThAya

brahmaNenamah |

(atharva. 10.7.32)
“Reverence to the Supreme Brahman, whose base is earth, whose stomach is
air, and whose head is the sky”.

dur--AvAsah
786d. dur

SrI vAsishTha gives an alternate interpretation also – Because bhagavAn

sustains the lives of even the creatures that do not have access to common
needs of life such as air, water, etc., He is called dur-AvAsah – durgatamapi
prANivargam yathAvyavastham duhkham anubhavantam AvAsyati itdur-
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AvAsah.

To recapitulate, the different anubhavam-s for the four nAma-s above are:

dur--labhah:
783. dur

a) He Who can be attained only by single-minded devotion

dur--gamah:
784. dur

a) He Who is unapproachable in the context of His Effulgence.

b) He Whose True Nature can be known only with difficulty

c) He Who can be known only by the difficult process of enquiry into the
upanishads etc.

dur--gah:
785. dur

a) He Who is shielded from us like One in a fortress by our avidyA

b) Nor easily realized because of unanticipated obstacles during our efforts to

seek Him

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c) He Whose realization is constrained by our own limitations.

d) He Who causes pain and suffering to the evil-minded rAkshasa-s.

e) He Who is praised by the sAma gAnam which is difficult to master.

dur--AvAsah: .
786. dur

a) He Whose place (SrI vaikunTham) is inaccessible to us.

b) Not easily retained in their mind for prolonged intervals even by yogin-s
during meditation

c) He Whose precise location can never be specified because He is everywhere

and in everything.

d) He Who supports the lives of even those creatures which do not have

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access to the essentials of life as we know them.

It is important to keep in mind the point brought out by SrI kRshNa datta
bhAradvaj in the context of these four nAma-s, namely, that in the case of
those who long for Him, He removes the obstacles, and makes sure that He is
easily accessible. He uses diverse means to get rid of the enemies or mislead
them etc. We will see this aspect in the next series of nAma-s, 787 to 810 in
SrI BhaTTar’s scheme of interpretation.

durAri--hA
nAma 787. Êrairha durAri

a) The Dispeller of the evil-minded enemies.

b) The Dispeller of evil thoughts from the minds of the devotees.

durArighne namah.
This is the first of the series of nAma-s that are interpreted by SrI BhaTTar
in the context of bhagavAn’s Buddha incarnation.

The word is made up of dur + A + ari + hA. dur and A are upasarga-s. dur here
means bad. A stands for samanta – complete, entire (A samantAt – SrI
vAsishTha); ari refers to foe, and hA stands for destroying or killing, derived

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 from the root han – to kill, to destroy. SrI vAsishTha explains the term
durArih as meaning “one who causes pain and misery from all sides” – duhkham
samantAt arpayati prApayati iti durArih. The nAma durAri-hA stands for “He
Who destroys the durAri-s” – durArih tAn hanti iti durAri-hA.

a) SrI BhaTTar’s anubhavam is that bhagavAn uses different means to get rid
of the evil-minded asura-s. One of them is to make them weak by turning them
away from the veda-s. He gives a quote from vishNu purANam:

mAyA mohena te daityAh prakAraih bahubhih sadA |

vyutthApitA yathA naishAmtrayIm kaScit arocayat ||

hatASca te’surA devaih san-mArga paripanthinah ||

(vishNupurA. 3.18.34)
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“By His powerful skill, He confounded in several ways their minds, and led them
astray, as a result of which there was no one amongst them who had a liking
for the veda-s. They became averse to going in the right path, and they were
easily disposed of by the gods”.

To understand the significance of the above, it should be kept in mind that

even the daitya-s or asuras will have the good effects of practicing the veda-s,
and their power will correspondingly increase. And the asura-s use this power
to cause misery to His devotees. This is illustrated by the might of rAvaNa,
who has accumulated enormous powers by the practice of austerities, and then
used it to create terror among the deva-s. When the asura-s use these
acquired powers to perpetrate evil further, in the interests of protection of
the world, bhagavAn thinks of ways to diminish this power of the asura-s. It is
in this context that He decides to take some deceitful incarnations so as to
mislead the evil-doers, and steer them away from the practice of the veda-s
etc., so that they do not keep increasing their powers. This is described in SrI
vishNu purANam 3.17, where the deva-s who have been defeated by the asura-
s come and seek the help of bhagavAn, and after listening to them, bhagavAn
shows them a deceptive form, and responds to them as follows:

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mAyA mohao’yam akhilAn daityAnstAn mohayishyati |

tato vadhyA bhavishyantiveda mArha bahishkRtAh ||

(VP 3.17.42)
sthitou sthitasya me vadhyA yAvantah paripanthinah |

brahmaNo ye’dhikArasyadevadaityAdikAh surAh ||

(VP 3.17.43)
“This deceptive form of Mine shall wholly beguile the daitya-s, so that, being
led astray from the path of the veda-s, they may be put to death, for be they
gods, demons, or others, those who are opposed to the authority of the veda-s,
shall perish by My might, which is exercised for the protection of the world”.

SrI BhaTTar explicitly refers to the Buddha incarnation in the above context

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in his interpretation of the nAma-s 787 to 810 – idam daurlathyam
aprapipsupApavishaye prayacchan budddhAvatAram niyacchati – durAri-hA.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to tiruvAimozhi 5.10.4: .

kaLLa vEDattaik koNDupOyp purampukkavARum,

kalandu aSurarai uLLam pEdam SeidiTTi uyir uNDa uPAya’ngaLum….

“Your spreading anti-vedic religions, say, as Buddha, your contriving to seduce

asura-s at the time of distribution of nectar as Mohini, …These melt my heart.
Why do you do all this, My Lord?”.

This concept of bhagavAn creating mAyA Sastra and other ways to mislead the
asura-s is also mentioned in svAmi deSikan’s dayA Satakam 47:
“mAyASastrANyapi damayitum tvat-prapanna-pratIpAn” – to control the
enemies of Your devotees, You create the mAyA SAstra-s also.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives reference to the kaushItakI upanishad, which

also reveals this same truth: “eshau evainam asAdhu karma kArayati tam
yamadho ninIshate” (3.9) - He makes them deviate from the good and proper
karma-s, and makes them perish in the process.

b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives a different anubhavam. He takes the term

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 durAri to refer to the bad aspects of our intellect, and gives the
interpretation that the nAma means “One Who destroys the negative aspects
in our mind when we resort to Him” – dur-matih tAm hanit iti durAri-hA. He
indicates that this is the worship we do through the mantra “tat savitur
vareNyam bhargo devasya dhImahi dhiyo yo nah pracodayAt”.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives a similar explanation – bhagavAn is called durAri-hA

because, out of His compassion, He destroys the Asuric tendencies in us and
redeems us from its sad consequences, when we invoke Him.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives a different derivation for the nAma,
eventhough the meaning is the same – He Who destroys the enemies who make
a mockery of the dharma mArga. He uses the root dula – utkshepe – to shake
to and fro, and gives the derivation –
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dolyate utkshipyate dharma mArgo yaih tedulAh; delA eva durAh;

te ca arayah iti durArayah; tAn hanti iti durAri-hA

He destroys those who flout the dharma mArga and who are His enemies.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN interprets the nAma as referring to bhagavAn

being the One Who destroys the likes of kAma etc. that represent the great
the enemies in our desire to reach Him –

dushTArim pratigacchanti iti durAriNah kAmAdayah,

tAn hatavAn iti tatra sAhAyyakAritvAt na atikashTam iti artha

With His help, it is not at all difficult to overcome the enemies such as kAma,
in our path to Him.

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 Slokam 84
zuÉa¼ae laeksar¼> sutNtuStNtuvxRn>,

#NÔkmaR mhakmaR k«tkmaR k«tagm>. 84.

subhAngO lOkasArangah sutantustantuvardhanah |
indrakarmA mahAkarmA krutakarmA krutAgamah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 788. zuÉa¼> SubhA’ngah

a) He with a bewitching form that mesmerizes the asura-s and misleads them.

b) He with an auspicious form that is meditated upon by His true devotees.

c) He Who makes the ashTA’nga yoga successful for those who follow this path

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with devotion

d) He Who has beautiful gaits

e) He Who pervades everywhere at all times with His auspicious form

f) He Who makes things functional in this Universal in a beautiful way.

g) He Who brings the auspicious aspects such as trust in SAstra-s, guru’s

words ,etc., to His devotees.
SubhA’ngAya namh.
We studied this nAma earlier in Slokam 63 (nAma 593). The details covered
here are supplemental to the information presented for nAma 593.

The word a’nga refers to a limb or part of the body, a constituent part or an
essential component, a part of a division or part of anything, etc.

a) SrI BhaTTar has interpreted nAma 593 as part of the description of the
auspicious qualities of bhagavAn in bestowing benefits to His devotees
according to their efforts. In that context, he uses the meaning “a constituent
part or an essential component” as the meaning for the word a’nga. His
anubhavam there was that bhagaVan is called SubhA’ngah because He makes
His devotees succeed in the eight a’nga-s of bhakti yoga, for those who

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 undertake this path with faith in Him (For details, please see under Slokam63).

b) For the current instance of the nAma SubhA’ngah, SrI BhaTTar continues
his interpretation in terms of bhagavAn’s Buddha incarnation. He gives the
meaning “He Who had limbs that were bewitching”, or “He Who had a
bewitching form”, in reference to the Buddha incarnation – a form that could
easily convince the asura-s that His words of deceit were trustworthy, even
though He took this form only to succeed in misleading them by diverting them
from the vedic observances. SrI BhaTTar’s words are: “katham
tAnanupravishTah? SubhA’ngah” – How did He enter in their fold? By taking a
bewitching form that made them feel comfortable with Him and believe that
He is trustworthy. This deceitful form that He took was also one of perfection
– in deceit (vastreNa, vapushA, vAcA – by His dress, His appearance, His
words, etc., to use v.v. rAmAnujan’s quote).
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Thus, for the two instances of the nAma SubhA’ngah, SrI BhaTTar
differentiates the interpretations by using two different meanings for the
word a’nga.

c) SrI Sa’nkara’s interpretations are:

1. sundarIm tanum dhArayan SubhA’ngah (Slokam 63) – One Who has a

handsome form

2. Sobhanaih a’ngaih dhyeyatvAt SubhA’ngah (current instance) – One

Who is to be meditated upon with a form of auspicious limbs.

Thus, while SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma SubhA’ngah in its current
instance as His kapaTa vesham or deceitful form to fool the ausra-s, SrI
Sa’nkara interprets the auspicious form that is worshipped by His true
devotees. Note that both are forms taken for the benefit of His devotees -
for the destruction of His devotees’ enemies in the former case, and for the
benefit of meditation of His true devotees in the later case.

SrI cinmayAnanda translates the nAma SubhA’ngah as “One with enchanting

limbs of perfect beauty”.

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SrIrAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to the anubhavam of His bewitching form
by sage nArada and by hanuman, as revealed to us by vAlmIki in rAmAyaNa.
SrImad rAmAyaNam begins with vAlmIki’s question to nArada: “Who is the
best guNavAn, vIryavAn, dharmaj~nah, kRtaj~nah, satya-vAkyah, and dRDha-
vratah in ths world?”. nArada responds to vAlmIki and tells him that there is
no one other than rAma, born to daSaratha, who qualifies for all these in one
Person. In three Sloka-s (bAlakANDam1.9-11), nArada describes the beauty of
rAma’s form:

vipulAmso mahA-bAhuh kambugrIvomahA-hanuh |

mahorasko maheshvAso gUDha-Satruh arindamah |

AjAnubAhuhsu-SirAh su-lalATah su-vikramah ||

samah sama-vibhaktA’ngah snigdha-varNah pratApavAn |

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pIna-vakshAviSAlAksho lakshmIvAn Subha-lakshaNah ||

“rAma is One with broad shoulders, long arms, beautiful neck, great facial
features, broad chest, great at wielding weapons, a muscular body, one who
subdues His enemies easily, long hands that reach up to His knees, beautiful
head and forehead, beautiful gait, …”.

In sundara kANDam, sitA pirATTi asks hanuman to describe rAma and

lakshmaNa to her, partly because she wants to make sure that hanuman has
been genuinely sent by rAma, and partly because she wants to enjoy the
anubhavam of His beauty being described to her. In Sloka-s 9-22 of the 35th
sargam in sundara kANDam, hanuman describes the beautiful appearance of
Lord rAma. to sItA – Lord rAma Who is SubhA’ngah.

A similar anubhavam of His beautiful form is by SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN,

who gives the interpretation:SubhAni darSakAnAm ma’ngalotpAdakAnia’ngAni
caraNa-vadana nayanAdIni yasya iti SubhA’ngah – He Who has a form that
bestows auspiciousness to those who meditate on Him - His Lotus Feet, His
lotus eyes, His beautiful form etc.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha takes a different root to the interpretation. He

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 interprets the part a’nga based on the root agi –gatau - to go, and gives several
alternate interpretations (d, e, f).

d) SobhamAno a’ngati – gacchatiyah sa SubhA’ngah – He Who has a beautiful

gait. (Recall the simha gati, gajagati, etc. that peruMALhas in SrI ra’ngam
during utsava-s).

e) a’nganam – sArva-kAlikamsArva-deSikam ca vyApanam; Subham a’nganam

yasya sa SubhA’ngah – He Who pervades everywhere at all times with His
auspicious form Universal in a beautiful way.

g) Using the same approach for the word a’nga, SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN
interprets the nAma as signifying that bhagavAn makes accessible to the
devotees the auspicious things such as the trust in Sastra-s, the trust in the
words of the AcArya-s, etc. – SubhAni guru Sastrokti viSvAsa svapna
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AsvAsanalakshaNAni a’ngyati utpalambhayati iti SubhA’ngah.

loka--sAra'ngah
nAma 789. laeksar¼> loka

a) He Who preached the superficially acceptable goals in the world.

b) He Who grasps the essence of the world like a sAra'nga or honey-bee.

c) He Who is reachable through the essence (sAra) of the veda-s, namely

praNava.

d) He Who is the object of devotion (loka-sAra)

e) He Who is attracted by bhakti

f) He Who bestows moksham, and He to whom the j~nAni-s are attracted.

g) He Who has devotees singing His auspicious qualities.

loka-sAra'ngAya namah.
a)SrI BhaTTar gives the vyAkhyAnam - "loke yat sAram tat gacchati itiloka-
Sara'ngah" – He Who preached what was more immediately appealing outwardly
from the veda-s. SrI BhaTTar continues that in His deceitful role, He taught
them that there are only two things to worry about: 1. How to enjoy while we
live, and 2. How to get moksham at the end.

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He told them "kurushvam mama vAkyAni yadi muktimabhItshTatha" (VP 3.18.5)
– "If you want salvation, follow my words". One should go through the entire
chapter of SrI vishNu purANam 3.17 and 3.18 to have a full understanding of
the Buddha incarnation.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives support from nammAzhvAr's tiruviruttam 96:

vaNa'ngumtuRaigaL pala pala Akki madi vikaRpAl

piNa'ngumSamaya'ngaL pala pala Akki, avai avai tORu

aNan'ngumpala pala Akki nin mUrti parappi vaittAi

iNa'nguninnOrai illAi….

"You created several ways to worship You, including those that conflict with,
and contradict each other; You created several gods, but there is nothing that

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can equal You".

SrI K.Ve'nkaTasAmi reDDiyAr has written a uRai for this pASuram, in which
he explains that the reference here is to the different paths that He has
created for worship for the rAjasic and tAmasic people, including the gods and
processes of worship associated with them.

SrI Sa'nkara uses the same meanings as above for the three parts of the
nAma –loka, sAra, and a'nga, and gives two interpretations:

b) lokAnAm sAram sAra'ngavat bhR'ngavat gRhNAti iti loka-sAra'ngah – He

Who grasps the essence of the world like a sAra'nga or honey-bee.

c) He Who is reachable through the sAra or essence of the veda-s, namely the
praNava. loka-sArah – praNavah, tena pratipattavya iti loka-sAra'ngah.

d) e) SrI satya devo vAsishTha derives the nAma starting from the roots lok –
darSane – to see, to perceive; sR – gatau – to go; and a'ng– to go. His
approach is: loka – He who is in the purview of vision is lokah, or He who shines
with different aspects; sR – gatau– to go. By use of pANini sutra 3.3.17, (sR
sthire) the word sArah refers to something that moves while remaining
fixed; for instance, candana sArah – the essence of sandal. sthiro bhavati iti

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 sArah– One who moves while remaining fixed throughout time is sArah.
Choosing the second of the two meanings given for loka, loka- sAra is
interpreted by SrI vAsishTha as referring to bhakti towards bhagavAn (loke
sAro bhagavti prema). He Who is the recipient or object of this bhakti, or He
Who is attracted by bhakti, is loka- sAra'ngah– loka sArah tad gacchati =
prApnoti, tat prati AkRshTo bhavatiiti loka-sAra'ngo vishNuh.

So the two interpretations that SrI vAsishTha gives for the nAma are:

1. He Who is the object of devotion (loka-sAra), or

2. He Who is attracted by bhakti

f) SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives the interpretation by viewing the nAmaas
loka-sAh + ra'ngah. He uses the roots san – dAne – to give, and ra'nj – rAge –
to be devoted to, in his interpretation. His vyAkhyAnam is: lokam vaikunThAdi
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lokam sanoti dadAti iti loka-sAh; rajyantej~nAninah atra iti ra'ngah; loka-sAh
asau ra'ngaSca iti lokasA-ra'ngah– He Who bestows SrI vaikunTham, and He
to Whom the j~nAni-s are devoted, is lokasA-ra'ngah.

g)The word sAra'nga also refers to a conch shell or a kind of musical

instrument. SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN takes the word lokA to refer to
bhakta janAh – the devotees, and sAra'nga as a reference to a conch shell or a
kind of musical instrument, and gives the interpretation for the nAma as: "He
Who has devotees singing His auspicious qualities" – lokA hari-bhakta-janAh
Sara'ngA monodvatad guNagAyakA yasya sa loka-sAra'ngah.

su--tantuh
nAma 790. sutNtu> su

a) He who has a powerful net of threads to capture the asura-s and retain
them from escaping.

b) He Who has expanded this Universe starting from Himself.

c) He Who has progeny such as brahmA.

d) He Who expanded the yAdava race in auspicious way by being born as the
son of vasudeva.

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su-tantave namah.
su is an upasarga. tantu is derived from the root tanu – vistAre– to spread, to
go. Among the meanings for the term tantu are thread, cord, wire, string,etc.

a)SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning "a net of threads" for the term "tantu", and
gives the meaning "One Who has such a net to capture the evil-minded folks",
for the term tantuh. BhagavAn puts in an appearance of tranquility and
meditation in this deceitful role, and the asura-s are caught up in this net, and
could never get out of it. This interpretation is a continuation of SrI
BhaTTar's elucidation of the nAma-s 787 – 810 in terms of the Buddha
incarnation.

SrI SAstri explains that the net is beautiful and attracts the asura-s, and at
the same time is very strong, and so they can't out once get caught in this net.

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b) SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation – Sobhanah tantuh vistIrNah
prapa'nco'syaiti su-tantuh. One translator gives the meaning as "He Who is
beautifully expanded, like the universe", and another gives the meaning "He,
through whom this universe is beautifully and auspiciously expanded as a
thread".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains that since bhagavAn created everything

started from Him, like a long piece of thread from a small ball of cotton, He is
called su- tantuh.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha develops his interpretation based on the meaning "to
expand" for the root tanu – vistAre, consistent with the second translation
above –

tanyata iti tantuh Sobhanah tantuh yasya sasu-tantuth vishNuh;

Sobhanam tanyate viSvam yena sa su-tantuh iti arthah.

Consistent with this act of the beautiful expansion that He does, we see that
right from the start of creation, and up to the time of pralaya, the different
species remain the same and keep expanding at the same time. They have
expanded before, they are expanding now, and they will continue to expand in

39
 the future (expansion here is to be understood in terms of new members of
each species being created, while old members die).

c) SrI satya sandha yatirAja uses the sense of visTara or expansion for the
term tantu, and interprets the nAma as signifying that bhagavAn has the nAma
su-tantuh because He has the likes of brahma as His son – Sobhanas-
tantuhcatur-mukhAdi santAno yasya sa sau-tantuh.

d) SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry uses a similar approach, but gives the
interpretation that because bhagavAn expanded the race of yAdava-s in an
auspicious way being the progeny of vasudeva, He is called su- tantuh.

tantu--vardhanah
nAma 791. tNtuvxRn> tantu

a) He Who increases the meshes.

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b) He Who augments the expansion of Himself into this world, by protecting it.

c) He Who withdraws this world into Himself after creating it.

d) He Who expanded the vasudva family through pradyumna and others.

tantu-vardhanaya namah
The word vardhanah is derived from the root vRdh – vRddhau – to grow. So
this nAma can be viewed as an extension of the previous nAma– One who
increases the meshes in the net, or One Who continues to maintain or sustain
the growth or vistAra of this universe.

a)SrI BhaTTar gives the vyAkhyAnam – evam papa rUcibhih amsubhiriva

samsAra-tantum santanoti ititantu-vardhanah – "Thus, by aggravating the
taste for sin in these people (who deserve to be punished), He strengthens the
snare of samsAra as if by strong fibers." SrI BhaTTar quotes from the
following sources in support:

tAnaham dvishatah krUrAn samsAreshu narAdhamAn |

kshipAmyajastramaSubhAn AsurIshveva yonishu ||

(gItA 16.19)

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"Those haters, cruel, the vilest and the most inauspicious of mankind, I hurl
forever into the cycles of births and deaths, into the wombs of demons".

trayI-mArgasamutsargam mAyAmohena te'surAh |

kAritAs-tanmayAhyAsan tathA'nye tat-pracoditAh ||

tairapyanye'paretaiSca tairapyanye pare ca te |

(VP 3.18.32)
"The foes of God being thus induced to apostatize from the religion of the
veda-s by the enchanting power of vishNu, became in their turn teachers of
the same heresies, and perverted others; and these, again, communicating
their principles to others, by whom they were still further disseminated, the
veda-s were in a short time deserted by the daitya race".

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This is how bhagavAn "increased the meshes" – tantu-vardhanah.

b) SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is that the nAma signifies that He augments

the web of this world, by protecting the world that Heexpanded from Himself
- tameva tantum vardhayati iti.

c) Alternatively,SrI Sa'nkara gives another interpretation – He Who

withdraws the world (at the time of pralaya) – vardhayati – chedayati – cuts
down. SrI Sa'nkaravyAkhyAnam is chedayati iti vA tantu-vardhanah.

d) SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry continues on his idea d) in the previous nAma,
and interprets the nAma tantu-vardhanah as referring to His extending the
progeny of the vasudeva family through pradyumna and others.

indra--karmA
nAma 792. #NÔkmaR indra

a) He Who did all this for the sake of indra.

b) He Who is responsible for the powers of indra.

c) He Who performs acts that reflect His Supreme Lordship.

indra-karmaNe namah.
The root from which the word indra is covered is ind – paramaiSvarye– to have

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 great power, and the addition of the affix ran per uNAdi sutra2.28; the
resulting word indra means "foremost". The word also refers to the god indra.
SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation using the reference to the god indra,
and others use the generic meaning of the word indra – foremost.

a) SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn took this Buddha incarnation

in order to assist indra and other gods in response to their request for help.
He gives support from SrI vishNu purANam:

tamUcuh sakalA devAh praNipAta purassaram |

prasIdanAtha! daityebhayah trAhi iti SaraNArthinah ||

(VP 3.17.36)
"All the gods prostrated before Him and said: O Lord! Be merciful towards us.
Please save us from the asura-s. We seek refuge in Thee". This is part of the
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description in SrI vishNu purANam, leading to the Buddha incarnation.

b) SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation that He has this nAma because His
actions are great and glorious, like those of indra – indrasyakarmeva karmA
asya iti indra-karmA – aiSvarya karmetyarthah. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri
gives the interpretation that He has the nAma because He has the actions of
indra as His own; in other words, He is the antaryAmi of indra, and is thus the
cause behind indra's power.

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the generic meaning ind – paramaiSvarye, and
gives the interpretation – indrANi karmANi yasya – pramaiSvryaSalIni
karmANi yasya sa indra-karmA – He Whose actions reflect His Supreme
Lordship, is indra-karmA. SrI vAsishTha gives examples of His indra-karmA-s
– the support of the all the worlds, ensuring that the planets function in their
correct paths with their correct periods, bestowing the sun with its power,
etc.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives a similar interpretation - "One Who always performs

gloriously auspicious actions".

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 mahA--karmA
nAma 793. mhakmaR mahA

He of magnanimous actions.
mahA-karmaNe namah.
mahAnti karmANi yasya sa mahA-karmA – He Whose actions are great and
magnanimous. The difference in the different interpretations relates the
specific anubhavam of the vyAkhyAna-kartA-s on His mahA karma-s.

a) SrI BhaTTar continues the thread from the earlier nAma-s. "Even though
bhagavAn is of a merciful nature, deceitful acts were perpetrated by Him for
the sake of the protection of the prapanna-s - those who had taken refuge in
Him, and for the destruction of those who were wedded to unholy practices.
Since all His acts were thus justifiable, He is mahA-karmA"– evam prapanna
paripAlanArthatvAt durAcAra-daNDanArthatvAccaparama - kAruNikasyaiva

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vipralambha sambhavah | evam nyAya vRttatvAtmahA-karmA. One is reminded
of the well-known Slokam

"paritrANAya sAdhUnAm, vinASAya ca dush-kRtAm,

dharmasamsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi yuge yuge"

(gItA 4.8).
SrI Sa'nkara gives examples of a different kind for the great deeds referred
to in this nAma – such as the creation of ether, earth, water, air, and fire –
mahAnti viyatAdIni bhUtAni karmANi kAryANi asyaiti mahA-karmA.

SrI cinamyAnanda elaborates on this – "To create a cosmos so scientifically

precise and perfect out of the five great elements, and to sustain them all
with an iron hand of efficiency, all the time constantly presiding over the acts
of destruction without which the world of change cannot be maintained, is in
itself, a colossal achievement of Absolute Intelligence".

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvaj gives the interpretation that He has this nAma
because He performs divine actions – mahat mahanIyam divyam karmayasya iti
mahA-karmA. He gives the support from gItA 4.9 – janmakarma ca me divyam
– "My birth and My actions are of a divine nature".

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 SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN's anubhavam of the mahA karmA's is the
incident involving Lord kRshNa restoring indra's royal umbrella and adiTi's
earrings and giving them back to their owners – mahAnti bhaumavadha maNi
parva chatra aditi kuNDala AnayanAni karmANi yasya samahA karmA. The
reference to these incidents is found in SrImad bhAgavatamin skanda 10,
adhyAya 59, Sloka 2:

indreNahRtac-chatreNa hRta-kuNDala-bandhunA |

hRtaamara adri sthAnena indreNa j~nApito bhauma ceshTitam |

sa-bhAryogaruDArUDhah prAg-jyotisha puram yayau ||

(bhAga. 10.59.2)
"Having been requested by indra for His help in recovering his royal umbrella,
his mother's ear-rings, and his seat called maNi parvatam in sumeru hill, that
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has been forcibly taken away by narakAsura, Lord kRshNa went to the city of
narakAsura with satyabhAmA, riding on His garuDavAhanam". The chapter in
SrImad bhAgavatam then extensively describes kRshNa-s fight with
narakAsuran, and the slaying of narakAsura in the end. Then in Slokam 43,
Lord kRshNa is referred to as a-tarkya-kRt – He Who performs acts that are
unarguably great. The use of the word atarkya-kRtah here is the same as the
sense conveyed by the current nAma – mahA-karmA.

kRta--karmA
nAma 794. k«tkmaR kRta

a) He Who practiced the acts He preached to the asura-s, in order to convince

them.

b) One Who has achieved all there is to achieve.

c) One Who keeps repeating the processes of creation etc., with perfection

d) One Who has performed acts that no one else can ever perform.
kRta-karmaNe namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn played His role of deception
by following the practices that He preached to the asura-s, to ensure that

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they believed in Him completely – svayam anushThita tad-AcArah.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan comments that bhagavAn stressed the motto "ahimsA
paramo dharmah" to the exclusion of every other code, and made sure that the
asura-s rejected vedic sacrifices and such other acts.

b)SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation that He has the nAma because "He is
One of fulfilled activities", that is, He has nothing more to achieve – na
kartavyam ki'ncidapi karma asya vidyata iti kRta- karmA.

SrIkRshNa datta bhAradvAj refers us to gItA 3.22:

name pArtha asti kartavyam trishu lokeshu ki'ncana |

naanavAptam avAptavyam varta eva ca karmaNi ||

(gItA 3.22)

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"For Me, arjuna, there is nothing in all the three worlds that is left yet to be
done, nor is there anything unacquired that ought to be still acquired. Yet I go
on working."

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that the nAma signifies
that bhagavAn is "One Who keeps repeating the process of creation,
protection, and destruction in cycles – One Who keeps doing these actions
again and again" – kRtameva jal-lakshaNam karma punah punahkaroti. He gives
the Rg vedic mantra "yathA pUrvam akalpayat" (Rg.10.190.3) – "He created
everything as before", in support.

d) SrI vAsishTha gives an alternate interpretation as well – He Who performs

the work that no one else can do" – anyaih kartum anarham bahubhirapiyat
karma, tat karoti iti kRta-karmA. He gives the example of the function of the
sun appearing and setting unendingly everyday from the beginning of the world,
and continuing till the end of the world. This process of creation is something
that no one else do, with perfection, over and over again.

SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN, a follower of the caitanya tradition, has the

anubhavam of the nAma in terms of the many acts of kRshNa that are in the
category of "No one else can do" – the slaying of narakAsura,the liberation of

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 the 16000 rAja kumAri-s who had been imprisoned by him, the fetching of
pArijAta tree for satyabhAmA, the victory over rudra in the battle with
bANAsura, the freeing of aniruddha and usha, etc.

nAma 795. k«tagm> kRtAgamah

a) The Propounder of Agama-s (Spiritual texts) including those dealing with

Buddhism, Jainism, etc..

b) He Who propounded the Vedas – Rg, sAma, etc.

c) He Who is the Originator of the pA'ncarAtra Agama.

d) He Who made His appearance at dvArakA after performing His several

leelA-s.

e) He Who makes His appearance repeatedly through different incarnations.

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kRtAgamAya namah.
The term Agama is derived from the root gam – gatau – to go. SrI vAsishTha
gives the derivation – Agamyate anena iti Agamo vedah – That through which
knowledge is obtained is Agama, namely, the veda- s. He Who created the
veda-s is kRta-Agamah– kRta Agamo yena sa kRtAgamah.

a) SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as a continuation of His acts of deceiving

the evil people. To make them believe Him in these acts, He further
propounded spiritual texts propounding the faiths of Buddhism, Jainism, etc. –
Buddha arhata sAmayika Agamah kRtAgamah.

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan describes these Agama-s as attractive to the outward

mind, very appealing, and something that can easily distract and deceive one
intellectually.

b) SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as referring to bhagavAn being the

Origin of the veda-s – kRto vedAtmaka Agamo yena iti kRtAgamah. He quotes
the bRhadAraNya upanishad:

"asya mahato bhUtasya niSvasitam etat Rg vedo yajur-vedah sAma

vedoatharvA'ngirasa

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itihAsahpurANam vidyA vidyA upanishadah SlokAh sUtrANyanuvyAkhyAnAni
vyAkhyAnAni…."

"The Rg veda, yajur veda,sAma veda, atharva veda, are the breath of this
Supreme Being". The term Agama refers to scriptures.

c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as referring to His being
the Originator of the pA'ncarAtra Agama – "pA'ncarAtrasya kRtsnasyakartA
nArAyaNah svayam" – The whole of pA'ncarAtra was originated by nArAyaNa
Himself.

d) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN interprets the word Agama as "arrival", and
gives the meaning for the nAma as referring to the arrival of Lord kRshNa in
dvArakA after performing several of His leelA-s - kRtas-tat-tatcaritAni
prakASya dvArakAyAm Agamo yena sa kRtAgamah.

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e) The term Agama also means "appearance". SrI vAsishTha gives an
interpretation using the meaning "Avarta" – revolution or repeated
appearance. He gives the example of the sun appearing repeatedly, as
avibhUti of bhagavAn. BhagavAn Himself appears in His incarnations
repeatedly, and in this sense also He is "Agamah" – He Who appears
repeatedly.

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 Slokam 85
%Ñv> suNdr> suNdae rÆnaÉ> sulaecn>,

AkaeR vajsin> ï&¼I jyNt> svRiv¾yI. 85.

udbhavah sundarah sundO ratnanAbhah sulOcanah |
arkO vAjasanih srungI jayantah sarvavijjayI ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 796. %Ñv> udbhavah

a) He Who rose above samsAra.

b) He Who is of a superior birth, taking birth as He likes, where He likes, when

He likes.
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c) He from Whom everything originated.

d) He Who resides in an exalted place ( SrI vaikunTham).

e) He Who created the exalted gods and goddesses.

f) He Who is born again and again for the protection of dharma.

udbhavAya namah
We had the anubhavam of this nAma in Slokam 41 (nAma 375). SrI BhaTTar's
interpretation of nAma 375 was in the context of bhagavAn as para vAsudeva,
lakshmI-pati.

ud is an upsarga; the root for bhava is bhU – sattAyAm – to be, to live, to be

born. The term udbhava refers to origin, source, creation etc. The difference
in the different interpretations mostly arises from the different ways in
which the vyAkhyAna-kartA-s interpret the upasarga "ut" (e.g., udgata – rising
above, utkRshTa - excellent, uttama – best or superior, uccaih – high, etc.).

SrI BhaTTar interprets both the instances of the nAma as "udgatah bhavAt
iti udgatah" – "He Who pulls us out of the cycle of samasAra". He distinguishes
between the two instances of the nAma as follows: In Slokam 41, he interprets
the nAma in terms of bhagavAn's act of releasing His true devotees from

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samsAra. In the current instance, his interpretation in terms of the Buddha
incarnation is that He misled the asura-s on the path of release from samsAra.

In the context of Slokam 41, SrI BhaTTar points out that by meditating on
His being released from the bondage to which He subjected Himself when
yaSoDA tied Him to the mortar, we will be released from our bondage of
samsAra – "dAmodaram bandha haram".

a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for the current instance is "muktyupadeSa

nATitakena bhavAt udgata iti udbhavah" – He was preaching the wrong way to
attain salvation, and then pretended that He has indeed achieved the objective
of rising above samsAra through these wrong means.

b) SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is – "utkRshTam bhavam janma svecchayA

bhajati it udbhavah" – He Who is of superior birth, being born of His free will,

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wherever He likes.

SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation for this nAma in Slokam 41 was:

1. bhagavAn is called udbhavah because He is the Origin of the Universe,

being its material cause – prapa'nca utpatti upAdAna kAraNatvAt
udbhavah; Or,

2. udgato bhavAt iti udbhavah – He Who is free from birth or worldly

existence is udbhavah.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the interpretation – "uttamo bhavo yasya sa

ud-bhavah" – He Whose birth is superior, which is similar to the above. He
gives the support from SrImad bhAgavatam 10.3, which describes child
kRshNa's birth to devaki in the prison. His birth is superior because it is unlike
any other birth that is known, and is accompanied by wonderful and uncommon
events. Unlike other children who are born, His eyes were not closed at birth,
but He appeared with beautiful lotus eyes open; He was not connected to His
mother through the umbilical cord at birth; He was not covered with the signs
of being inside a mother's womb, but appeared with a clean and beautiful body,
bearing the conch, the cakra etc.; the waves dashing against the shore sounded
like the beautiful beat of the drum as an auspicious sound at the time of His

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 birth; and all kinds of other unusual and auspicious things that happened when
this One Who has no birth, "was born" to devaki.

c) An alternate interpretation by SrI Sa'nkara is – udgatam apagatam janmA

asya, sarva kAraNatvAt – He Who has no birth or origin, since everything
originated from Him.

SrI satya sandha yatirAja conveys a similar idea. His interpretation is:
"bhavAt samsArAt utpatter vA udgata iti ud-bhavah – He Who is beyond
samsAra, birth etc., is udbhavah.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives the meaning "source or origin" for the word udbhava,
and gives his interpretation for the nAma as "The ultimate source" – He from
Whom everything originated – the very spring of Creation. He gives the gItA
Slokam 14.4 in support:
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sarva yonishu kaunteya mUrtayah sambhavanti yAh |

tAsAm brahma mahad-yonih aham bIja-pradah pitA ||

(gItA 14.4)
"Whatever forms are produced in any womb, O arjuna, the prakRti is their
great womb, and I am the sowing father". The meaning is that bhagavAn is the
One who decides the birth of each individual according to each one's karma –
He decides whether one is born a deva, a gandharva, an animal, etc., according
to their karmA.

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the meaning uccaih for the upasaraga ut – ud
upasarga uccaih arthe. Using the root bhU – sattAyAm, he gives the
interpretation – uccaih bhavanam yasya sa udbhavah – He Whose place of
existence is at a high level. SrI vAsishTha gives the example of sun moving
around in a high position as a manifestation of bhagavAn being in a high
position. The meaning is more enjoyable if we take the reference to the "high
place" as SrI vaikunTham.

e) Among the alternate interpretations that are given by SrI satya sandha
yatirAja is one which describes this nAma as referring to His being the

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Creator of exalted beings such as pArvati – utkRshTah pArvatyAdibhyo bhavo
yena iti udbhavah.

f) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives another interpretation – He has this

nAma because He is born again and again to protect dharma – dharma
samsthAnapArthAya sambhavAmi yuge yuge (gItA 4.8).

nAma 797. suNdr> sundarah

a) He Who is handsome.

b) He Who has the beautiful conch – pA'ncajanyam.

c) He Who killed sunda through upasunda (sunda-rah)

d) He Who is exceedingly well regarded and worshipped

e) He Who has separated or divided the different creatures well in many ways.

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sundarAya namah.
The word sundara means "handsome". The word dara by itself means "a conch
shell". Most interpreters use the former meaning; SrI satya sandha yatirAja
uses the second meaning and gives an alternate interpretation.

a) SrI BhaTTar explains that He was handsome in the eyes of the asura- s, and
so He is described as sundarah in the context of the Buddha incarnation – tad-
dRshTi manoharah sundarah. SrI V.N. veDantadeSikan gives the explanation in
English as "He Who had a captivating form so as to impress and attract a large
following."

SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation that He is of a handsome form, as one

of His inherent and natural qualities – viSvAtiSayi saubhAgyaSalitvAt
sundarah. tiruma'ngai AzhvAr describes this beauty of bhagavAn in periya
tirumozhi 9.2.4 "vambu avizhum tuzhAi mAlai tOL mEl;…..accO! oruvar
azhagiyavA!" _ "Oh! What a bewitching beauty He is! How can I describe this
beauty!".

In fact, in all the ten pASurams under periya tirumozhi 9.2, AzhvAr just keeps
wondering about this indescribable beauty of emperumAn.

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sadagopan.org

undaraya nama - azhagiyamanavalam sundararaja perumal

(Pic Courtesy: Sri Murali BhaTTar - www.srirangapankajam.com)

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tirumazhiSai AzhvAr describes His beauty as "ari po'ngik kATTum azhagu
(nAnmugan tiru. 21) – The beauty of nRsimha form looked like beauty bubbling
and spilling over because it couldn't be contained anywhere. tiruppAN AzhvAr
is unable to contain His exuberance at the beauty of Lord ra'nganAtha, and in
two of the total of ten pASuram-s that are attributed to him, he exclaims at
His beauty by crying out "aiyO!" – What a Beauty! (Seyya vAi aiyO –
amalanAdipirAn 7; nIla mEni aiyO – amalanAdi pirAn 9).

SrI cinmayAnanda relates the term "beauty" here to the mental peace that is
derived from meditation and contemplation on SrIman nArAyaNa. He observes
that when meditation leads to the joy of ecstasy, the mind feels the peace,
and it is at these moments of supreme inner satisfaction that the flashes of
beauty-experiences flood the bosom. This is nothing but the manifestation of
SrIman nAraAyaNa, and this is why He is referred to as "Peace -

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Auspiciousness - Beauty" – "SAntam Sivam, sundaram" in the upanishads.

b) SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives his first interpretation as "sundarah

soundarvAn". Using the meaning "a conch shell" for the word dara, he gives the
additional interpretation – Sobhanam darah Sa'kho yasya iti sun-darah – "He
Who has the beautiful conch – pA'ncajanyam".

c) Another interpretation by SrI santya sandha yatirAja is "sundam

upasundena repayati nASayati iti sunda-rah" – He Who killed sunda through
upasunda". The story related to this incident is given in Apte's dictionary
under the meaning for the word “sundah". sunda and upasunda were sons of the
demon nikumbha, and had managed to get a boon from brahmA that they would
be not be killed unless they destroyed each other. They became very
oppressive, and ultimately indra had to send a nymph named tilottamA, and
while fighting for her between themselves, they killed each other. Since all
creation and destruction is because of bhagavAn, and since He made sure that
sunda was destroyed through upasunda, He is called sunda-rah – the Destroyer
of sunda.

d) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives yet another anubhavam – sutarAm

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 driyate praSasyata iti sundarah – He Who is exceedingly well regarded and
worshipped (using the meanings sutarAm – exceedingly, dRyate from the root
dR – to worship, to regard). He gives the support from SrImad bhAgavatam:

prasAdAbhimukham SaSvat prasanna vadanekshaNam |

su-nAsam su-bhruvam cAru-kapolam sura-sundaram ||

(bhAga. 4.8.45)
"He Who is always interested in bestowing His blessings on His devotees, He
with a happy countenance, beautiful eyes, nose, cheeks, He who is the most
beautiful of all gods, … should be meditated upon with single-minded devotion."

e) SrI satya devo vAsishTha derives the meaning based on the root dR –
vidAraNe – to tear, to divide. Using su an upasarga meaning "well", he gives the
meaning "He Who divides or separates well" for the nAma – su = sushTu
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"nirdosham" vidAraNam yah kurute sa su-darah sanneva varNAgamena sundra

ityukto bhavati. His interpretation is in terms of all the parts of the bodies of
the different creations being properly divided or separated (such as the two
wings of the birds, the branches of the trees, etc. Part of the Slokam that he
has composed to explain this nAma is – "sa sundaro vishNur-ananta rUpo yonIh
samagram vividham dRNAti" – vishNu who has many forms, has separated or
divided the different creatures in different ways.)

nAma 798. suNd> sundah

a) He Who presents Himself as a very soft person to the asura-s in order to

convince them to follow His deceitful methods.

b) He Who is soft to His devotees.

c) He Who bestows joy and happiness on His devotees.

sundAya namah.
su is an upasarga. The root involved in the nAma is und – kledane – to wet, to
moisten. sushThu unatti iti sundah – He Who softens.

a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that He is called sundah because He

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melted the hearts of the asura-s by His fascinating form, and drew them
towards Him. This is true of His mohini incarnation as well as His Buddha
incarnation.

b) SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is "He Who is of a melting nature because of

His great compassion". SrI cinmayAnada's words describing His Mercy are:
"Whatever be the amount of vAsanA-s hoarded in our personality, because of
our ego-centric, extroverted activities, once a devotee turns unto Him in total
surrender, all the vAsanA-s are purified, and the devotee moves more and
more towards Him". In His infinite mercy, bhagavAn forgives all sins that a
person might commit in his ignorance.

c) SrI satya sandha yatirAja's interpretation is that He has this nAma

signifying that He is the Bestower of joy and happiness to His devotees – sum

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sukham dadAti iti sum-dah on sundah.

d) SrI satysdevo vAsishTha uses the meaning und – kledane – to wet, and
attributes the nAma to His providing every living being with the requisite
amount of water and other fluids, the crops with the requisite amount of rain,
etc. – yo vRsha karmaNA samyag unatti; loke'pi ca paSyAmah, manushyo jalena
kvacit bahu-kRtvah si'ncati, kvacicca alpaSah; esha yo niyamo sa tasyaiva
vyApakasyavishNoh, etc.

ratna--nAbhah
nAma 799. rÆnaÉ> ratna

a) He with a gem-like navel.

b) He Who has the navel from which the gem among men –brahmA – originated.

c) He Who destroys the asura-s (aratna-nAbhah).

d) He Who has ratna in His navel - in the form of ratna-s in the oceans.
ratna-nAbhAya namah.
ratna here represents beauty. The following derivation is given by SrI
vAsishTha: The word ratna is derived from the root ramu - krIDAyAm - to
play, to rejoice, and the application of the uNAdi sUtra 3.14 - ramesta ca,
leading to the word ratnam which means gem. The word nAbhi is derived from

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 the root nah - bandhane - to tie, to bind, and the application of the uNAdi
sUtra 4.126 - naho bhaSca, leading to the word nAbhI. The siddhAnta kaumudI
gives the meaning - "a khshatriya" to the word in the masculine gender, and the
meaning "navel" in the feminine gender. The kaumudi also points out that
sometimes the meaning navel is given in the masculine gender as well. The term
nAbhah means "one with the nAbhi", and so the meaning "navel" is the one that
is relevant here, and the one used by all the vyAkhyAna-kartA-s. He Who has a
beautiful navel is ratna- nAbhah.

a) SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam is that He showed off His beautiful navel as a

sign of His pANDityam or learning, again to convince the asura-s of His
teachings in the Buddha incarnation – pANDitya viDambana mRshTodara vyakta
ramya nAbhI ratna-nAbhah. From many translations of the above, it appears
that one of the external gesticulations of a learned person is to massage the
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belly (SrI v.n.vedAnta deSikan's translation in English, SrI v. v. rAmAnujnan's

translation in tamizh, etc.).

SrI vedAnta deSikan's translation is: "In the form of Buddha, the imposture
like a great scholar required certain external gesticulations like massaging the
belly, when His navel was displayed as a beautiful gem".

SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is also a reference to the beautiful navel of

bhagavAn – ratna Sabdena SobhA lakshyate; ratnavat sundarA nAbhih asya iti
ratna-nAbhah.

SrI cinmayAnanda describes the significance of the navel as the origination

point of the thought process in the devotee who performs meditation. He
describes the findings of deep thinkers about the process of origination of
thought. According to them, all thoughts arise in their seed form from the
Infinite before manifestation. From this womb (origination), they become
manifest, and the individual becomes dimly aware of thoughts in their embryo
form – vague, incomplete, and as yet not fully formed (paSyantee). In the next
stage, they get translated into expressions (madhyamA), and in their last and
full stage of manifestation, they express themselves as actions in the outer

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world (vaikharee). In this chain of processes on how the thoughts become
manifest for the thinker, the seat of the paSyantee stage is said to be navel
region (nAbhI). When one considers the seat of origination of all thoughts of
all thinkers, this seat is the ratna-nAbhI of bhagavAn, and hence He is called
ratna-nAbhah. SrI cinmayAnanda suggests that this may be significance of
the representation that the Creator, brahmA, originates from the lotus from
the navel of bhagavAn.

SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives two explanations, both of which are different
from the above. These are based on his taking the nAma as ratna-nAbhah or
aratna-nAbhah.

b) Taking the nAma as ratna-nAbah, he gives the interpretation - ratnam pum-

ratnam catur-mukho nAbahu yasya – He Who has the navel from which the gem

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among men – brahmA – originated.

c) Taking the nAma as aratna-nAbhah, his interpretation is: aratnAn arat-

daityAn nabhati iti a-ratna-nAbhah – He Who destroys the asura- s. He uses
the root nabha – himsAyAm abhAvepi – to kill, to hurt, in this interpretation.

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation - ratnam nAbahu yasya iti
ratna-nAbhah - He Who has ratnam in His navel is ratna- nAbhah. He proceeds
to interpeet the nAma as indicating that He has endowed the oceans with
ratnam, which is like ratnam in His navel - sa ratna-nAbho bhagavAn vareNyo
loke samudre vidadhAtiratnam.

su--locanah
nAma 800. sulaecn> su

a) One with bewitching eyes.

b) He of superior wisdom.

c) One Who has the wisdom and the vision of the Self.

d) He Who gives everyone else the ability to see.

su-locanAya namah.
su is an upasarga. The root involved is loc – darSane – to see.

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 a) SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is – tathA hRdayAlu-cora-locanah su- locanah –
He is called su-locanah because (in His Buddha incarnation) He had charming
eyes which enticed the tender-hearted. He gives support from vishNu purANa
- punaSca raktAmbaradhRk mAyA-mohah a-jitekshaNah (VP 3.18.16) – He was
clad in crimson robes, and had eyes which were unconquered; and He deluded
the minds of all by His mAyA.

As we all know, His beauty is not something that is used by Him only for
deluding the asura-s, but also for drawing His devotees closer to Him. ANDAL
praises His beauty in many places in her pASuram-s, and SrI v.v. rAmAnujan
refers us to one of these instances, in nAcciyAr tirumozhi 11.2 –

en ara'ngattu in-amudar kuzhal-azhagar vAi-azhaghar, kaN-azhagar,

koppUzhil ezhu-kamalap pU-azhagar em-AnAr –

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"My sweet nectar who resides in SrI ra'ngam, the One Who has beautiful hair,
beautiful mouth, beautiful eyes, One from whose beautiful navel sprouts the
beautiful lotus, the One Who has subjugated me as His own by His beauty".
One almost senses the exclamation "aiyo" of tiruppANAzhvar here.

The nAlAyiram is full of references to the beauty of His eyes and the beauty
of His tirumEni (Sem tAmariak kaNNan, pavala vAi, kamalac ce'nkaN,.. ..), and
they are too numerous to list.

b) SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation that He has the nAma because of His
beautiful eyes, and alternatively, assigns the meaning "j~nAnam" to the word
locanam, and gives the alternate meaning – He of superior wisdom – Sobhanam
locanam nayanam j~nAnam vA asya iti su-locanah.

c) SrI cinmayAnanda points out that in addition to the beauty of His form that
is reflected and enhanced by His beautiful eyes, the significance of the term
"beauty" here is that His eyes can see constantly the infinite purpose and goal
of the entire creation. These eyes of His can simultaneously perceive
everything that is happening in all the three worlds all the time, not only the
present, but the past and the future as well. Thus, he gives the meaning "One
who has the wisdom of the Self", to this nAma.

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d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meaning that He has this nAma because
of His beautiful eyes, and in addition, he gives the alternate interpretation
that the nAma signifies that because of Him, the rest of the creation is able
to see well, in His manifestation as the sun – samyag locante prANino yasmin
udite sati iti su-locanah sUryah. The sun and the moon are considered His two
eyes – candra sUryau ca netre.

Thus ends the commentary on the Eight Hundred names of Lord SrI MahA
vishNu.

nAma 801. Ak›> arkah

a) He Who is praised.

b) He Who is in the form of the sun.

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arkAya namah.
The root from which this nAma is derived is arka – tapane stavane ca – to heat,
to praise. arcyate – stUyata iti arkah – He Who is praised is arkah.

SrI satya devo vAsishTha points out that the meaning can also be derived
starting from the root Rc – stutau – to praise, and from the root arc-pUjAyAm
– to worship. Based on the meaning arka – tapane – to heat, arkah also refers
to the sun.

a) SrI BhaTTar gives the meaning that He has an adorable form, and indicates
that He was praised in His Buddha incarnation by His followers as "aho!
mahAtma! ati-dhArmikah!" – "Oh! A great soul and a highly virtuous one!".

SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation that He is adored by even the likes of
brahmA – brahmAdibhih pUjyatamairapi arcanIyatvAt arkah.

The same idea is given by SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj – arkyate stUyate
brahmAdibhih iti arkah. He gives the support from SrImad bhAgavatam: yam
brahmA varuNendra marutah stuvanti divyaih stavaih (bhA. 12.13.1) – He Who
is worshipped through divine adorations by brahmA, varuNa, indra, vAyu,etc.

b) SrI cinmayAnanda interprets the nAma as referring to His being in the

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 form of the Sun, using the meaning "sun" for the word "arkah". The Infinite
Consciouness, SrIman nArAyaNa, is the one source of light and energy
illumining and nourishing everything. Once He leaves the body of any creature,
the body cannot be maintained.

vAja--sanih
nAma 802. vajsin> vAja

a) He Who advocated eating a lot (a Preacher of mundane pleasures, like

eating).

b) He Who provides for the nourishment of all His creation.

vAja-sanaye namah.
SrI BhaTTar gives the nAma as vAja-sanih, and SrI Sa'nkara's version is
vAja-sanah. SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives both versions, and points out that
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"vAja-sanih" is "vaidika pATham". This is probably based on the fact that this
nAma is referred to in the veda-s as "vAja-sanih"– for example, (Rg. 9.110.11),
(Rg. 3.51.2), (Rg. 10.91.15)

The term vAja refers to annam or food. The root from which sanah or sanih is
derived is san – sambhaktau, dAne – to divide, to give.

a) SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is – nAstikya vAdena aihikam annAdikamevasam

bhajati iti vAja-sanih – By His atheistic teachings He created a taste in them
for the enjoyment of pleasures in this world itself. SrI BhaTTar notes that it
is the vow of a buddhist monk that he should consume mouthfuls of curd-rice
every day early in the morning – kshapaNaka vratam hIdam yat prAtah prAtah
dadhyodana kabalAn gRhNate iti.

b) SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation – vAjam – annam arthinAm sanoti–

dadAti it vAja-sanah – He Who gives food to those who pray for it.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri adds that the nAma signifies that He has made
provision for all living beings for their food even before they are born, such as
providing for the milk for the child from the mother's breast even as the child
is born. So He plans and provisions for sustenance of all creatures even before
He creates the world.

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SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that the nAma signifies His being
the source or nurturer of the entire world of "emotions-feelings-and-
thoughts" for the experiences of the body, mind and intellect of all creatures.

For the interpretation in terms of His being the provided of food to all beings,
SrI cinmayAnanda gives references to the gItA:

gAm-AviSya ca bhUtAni dhArayAmyaham-ojasA |

pushNAmi caushadhIh sarvAh somo bhUtvA rasAtmakah ||

(gItA 15.13)
"And entering the earth I uphold all beings by My strength. I nourish all herbs,
becoming the juicy soma".

nAma 803. ï&¼I SR'ngI

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a) He Who appears like one having a horn (with a bunch of peacock feathers in
his hand).

b) He Who had a horn in His matsya and varAha incarnations.

c) He With the peak of govardhana mountain on His hand.

d) He Who has provided every creature with the means to express its SR'nga
or expression of power.

e) He Who destroys the fear of birth in His devotees.

SR'ngiNe namah.
The word SR'ngam refers to a horn. It also refers to the top of a mountain,
sovereignty, etc. The root and the different meanings and interpretations for
the word SR'gan have been covered previously in nAma 540, Slokam 57 -mahA-
SR'ngah; and nAma 869, Slokam 81 - naika-SR'ngah.

a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as One who has a horn, and associates it
with His carrying a bunch of peacock feathers in his hand in His incarnation to
delude the asura-s, as a symbol of his doctrine of ahimsA. He gives support
from vishNu purANam:

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 tato digambaro muNDo barhi-patra-dharo dvija |

mAyA moho'surAn SlakshNam idam vacanam abravIt ||

(VP 18.2)
"Approaching the daitya-s engaged in ascetic penances, He approached them in
the semblance of a naked mendicant, with his head shaven, and carrying abunch
of peacock's feathers, and addressed them in gentle accents thus". H.H.
Wilson adds a footnote in his translation, that "a bunch of peacock feathers is
still an ordinary accompaniment of a Jain mendicant. According to the Hindi
poem, the pRthu rAi caritra, it was borne by the Buddhist amara sinha".

b) SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma in terms of the matsya incarnation,

where bhagavAn had a horn with which He guided the boat with satya vrata in
it – pralaya ambhasi SR'ngavAn matsya viSesha rUpah SR'ngI – He Who is
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horned, during pralaya when He assumes the form a special fish.

SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry comments that the nAma can also be a reference
to His varAha incarnation, where He supported the earth at the tip of His
horn.(see nAma 542, Slokam 58 – mahA-varAhah).

c) SrI satya sandha yatirAja uses the meaning "summit of a mountain" for the
word SR'nga, and gives the interpretation that the nAma is a reference to His
carrying the govardhana mountain – SR'ngANi govardhanaSR'gANi asya santi
iti SR'ngI.

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets the term SR'nga as meaning a ray or

emanation, or any kind of energy, and gives the interpretation that the nAma
signifies that bhagavAn has enabled all beings with different ways of giving
expression to their energy, and so He is SR'ngI – the fangs of a serpent are
the SR'nga-s of the serpent, and the tail of a scorpion is the SR'nga of the
scorpion, as examples.

e) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj interprets SR'nga as "destroying", (The root

is SR – himsAyAm – to hurt, to kill), and gives the interpretation for the nama
as "He Who destroys the fear of re-birth in His devotees"– SRNAti bhava-

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bhayam iti SR'ngam avicintya- sAmarthyam; tad-asya asti itiSR'ngI.

nAma 804. jyNt> jayantah

The Conquerer.
jayantAya namah.
The root from which the nAma is derived is jI – jaye – to conquer. jitavAn iti
jayantah.

a) SrI BhaTTar continues with the elucidation of the point that just as the
good things that exist in this universe are because of Him, the negative things
that exist are also caused by Him, with a purpose. Thus, the creation of the
mAyA SAstra-s etc., are also part of His leelA. His interpretation here is that
this nAma indicates that He conquered the advocates of theism among the

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asura-s by means of His false doctrines that the world is an illusion, and that
the soul is nothing but knowledge – Astikya-vAdinah samvidAtmatva-
prapa'ncamithyAtva-mithyA vAsaih jitavAn iti jayantah. The reason for His
doing this should be clearly understood to be because there were, among the
asura-s some who believed in practicing theism just to get the powers, which
they would then misuse for causing harm to His devotees (the case of
SukrAcArya, the guru of the asura-s, and rAvaNa, who was a great expert in
the veda-s, are examples.) The reference here is not to the theists who
worship Him with the desire to attain Him. In this latter case, bhagavAn only
helps them more to attain Him the more they wish it.

b) SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is that the nAma signifies that He is the

Conquerer of enemies, or is the cause of the victory of the deva-s over the
asura-s – arIn atiSayena jayati, jaya-hetur-vA jayantah.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points to His help to the pANDava-s to gain victory
over the kaurava-s.

SrI cinmayAnanda points out that it is His jayantah guNa that helps us "to
conquer our lower impulses, our endless desires for the sensuous – and our
craving for the cruel pleasures of indulgence", because it is the "grace of the

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 mind and intellect, in attunement with the Self" that helps us achieve this.

c) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN's anubhavam is more along the lines of the
enjoyment of kRshNa as a youth – He is jayantah because He always won in
hand combat as well as verbal combat with His friends – jayati sakhAn bAhu-
yuddhevAg-yuddhe vA iti jayantah.

d) SrI vAsishTha captures the spirit of the nAma thus – yo ho sarvadAjayati,

na kadAcit parAjayam labhata iti jayanatah – He Who is always victorious, and
can never be defeated under any circumstances by anyone at anytime, is
jayantah.

SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma in terms of bhagavAn being victorious over
all the beings of the Universe, and keeping everything under His control.
Wherever there is His blessing, there victory is guaranteed irrespective of
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the other conditions that surround the situation. He summarizes his

interpretationin the following words:

evam hi yo vetti jayantamagRyam vishNum sa sarvam jayatIti bodhyam |

yasyAsti savye bhagavAn jayantah kim Satravas-tasya narasya kuryuh ||

No amount of powerful weapons or anything else can prevent the victory of one
who has His support and blessings.

One is reminded of the words of vedAnta deSika in SrI kAmAsikAshTakam

(6):

tvayi rakshati rakshakaih kim ananyaih

tvayi cArakshati rakshakaih kim ananyaih |

"When you are the Protector, where is the need for other protectors, and
when You have decided not to protect, what is the use of any other
"protector"?"

Again in abhIti stavam, svAmi deSikan points out that for His devotee, there is
no fear ever, from anywhere, under any circumstance – kadAcana
kutaScanakvacana tasya na syAt bhayam (abhIti. 5).

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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the following references to Sruti where the
nAma jayantah occurs:

jayantam tvam anumade soma

(Rg. 1.91.21)

devasenAnAm abhibha'njatInAm jayantInAm maruto yantvagram |

(Rg. 10.103.8)

nAma 805. svRiv¾yI sarva vij--jayI

sarva--vij
a) The Conqueror of those who had learnt all things.

b) He Who is Omniscient and Victorious.

c) He Who had won over the hearts of the all-knowing sages.

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sarva-vij-jayine namah.
The nAma consists of sarva + vid + jayI. (sarva means "all" – sarati iti sarvah;
vid – j~nAne – to know, or vid – vicAraNe – todiscuss; ji – jaye - to conquer).

a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is that He won over the learned people (among
the asura-s who were believers in the efficacy of following vedic procedures
etc. for acquiring special powers, which then were misused to harm the
followers of dharma) by His sweet words and convincing arguments.

b) SrI Sa'nkara treats the nAma as "One Who is sarva-vit", and "One Who is
"jayI". His explanation for the nAma is that bhagavAn is Omniscient (sarva-vit)
and Victorious (jayI) –

sarva-vishayam j~nAnam asya iti sarva-vit;

AbhyantarAn bAhyAn hiraNyAkshAdInSca

dur-jayAn jetum Seelam asya iti jayI

(He Who is complete in knowledge, and He Who overcomes the internal foes
such as desire, and also the mighty external foes such as the demon
hiraNyAksha).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives reference to the Sruti for the nAma sarva-vit:

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 yah savar~jnah, sarva-vit

(muNDa. 1.1.9, 2.2.7).

He also provides the link between the two part of the nAma – because He is
sarva-vit, He is able to conquer the inner enemies such as kAmaand krodha.

SrI vAsishTha comments that it is by knowing the inner secrets of one's

enemy that one can be assured of victory over the enemy. Since bhagavAn is
the Knower of everything – sarva-vid, He is the Conqueror under all
circumstances –jayI.

A different anubhavam is given by SrI cinmayAnanda: Even those who boast of

their wisdom –" Prattlers of wisdom, however eloquent in their discussions,
must become utterly silent in their moments of samAdhi, in the presence of
the Self, SrI nArAyaNa" – So He is sarva- vij-jayI.
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SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj interprets the term sarva-vit as a reference to

the all-knowing brahmA and the like, and since He is above them all because of
His Supreme and perfect knowledge, He is sarva-vi-jayI –

sarvam vidanti iti sarva-vido brahmAdayah;

tAnapi niratiSaya sarva~jnatayA jayati iti sarva-vij-jayI.

c) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the same meaning for the term sarva-
vid– all-knowing, as the other interpreters have given, but interprets the word
jayI not in the sense of victory over an adversary, but as One Who is held in a
position of respect and esteem by very learned people – His interpretation is
that the Lord had a distinct position of eminence and glory with the all-learned
people such as vasishTha, vAmadeva, etc. – sarva-vitsu vasishTha
vAmadevAdishu jayo mahotkarsho'sya nityam asti itisarva-vij-jayI.

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 Slokam 86
suv[RibNÊr]ae_y> svRvagIñreñr>,

mhaÿdae mhagtaeR mhaÉUtae mhainix>. 86.

suvarNabindu rakshObhyah sarvavAgIsvaresvarah |
mahAhradO mahAgartO mahAbhUtO mahAnidhih ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

suvarNa--binduh
nAma 806. suv[RibNÊ> suvarNa

a) He Who concealed the truth of the vedic path from the asura-s with sweet
words.

b) He Who has a beautiful form with golden-colored beautiful limbs.

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c) He Who is in the form of the auspicious praNava mantra.

d) He Who has a beautiful form, and Who has beautifully divided the
creatures of the universe into their various parts.

e) The Knower of the veda-s consisting of auspicious letters.

f) He Who has the beautiful golden-colored sandal wood marks on His

forehead, cheeks, etc.
suvarNa-bindave namah.
su is an upasarga; varNa is derived from the root vR – varaNe – to choose;
varNa refers to color, letter, etc. The word bindu is derived from the root
bind – avayave – to split, to divide, or vid – j~nAne – to know. Because of a
generally accepted rule of non- distinction between ba and va by grammarians
(ba-va-yor-abhedena), vindu and bindu have the same meaning. SrIBhaTTar
uses the root bidi – apalApe – to conceal, in his interpretation. The word bindu
also refers to the decorative mark applied between the eyebrows, the
anusvAra, the marks on the body of a deer, etc. The different interpretations
below are a result of these variations.

a) SrI BhaTTar uses the root bidi – apalApe – to conceal, and the meaning

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 "letters" to the word varNa, he continues his interpretation in terms of
bhagavAn's Buddha incarnation, specifically taken to deceive the evil-minded
people and thereby punish them for their karma-s. Here, the interpretation is
that bhagavAn successfully used "sweet" words to conceal the truth of the
vedic path from the asura-s, and to create a distrust in the vedic practices
among those asura-s who believed in using vedic rites in order to get
powers,and then using these powers to harm the deva-s. The cases of
SukrAcArya, indrajit, rAvaNa, etc., who got powers by performing vedic rites,
and then used those powers to harm His devotees, are examples.

b) Sri Sa'nkara uses the meaning avayavah – limbs, for the word bindu, and
gives the interpretation to the nAma as "One having limbs radiant like gold" –
bindavah avayavAh su-varNa sadRSA asya iti su- varNa-binduh. We came
across the beauty of His form and limbs in the nAma-s suvarNa-varNah,
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hemA'ngah, varA'ngah, and candanA'ngadI (Slokam 79, nAma-s 743 – 746).

Please refer to these write-ups for a detailed account of His tirumEni to be
enjoyed from the different interpreters' perspectives.

SrI vAsishTha gives the above as one of his two interpretations: su

=Sobhanam; varaNIyam = dRSyam rUpam yasya sa su-varNah; su-varNA
bindavahavayavAh yasya sa su-varNa-binduh. One Who has a beautiful
complexion and beautiful limbs is su-varNa-binduh.

SrI rAdhARshNa SAstri adds another dimension to the anubhavam of His

golden tirumEni. He refers to bhagavAn rising with a golden form from the
agni-kuNDam in ya~jna-s performed by several devotees. We know of kA'nci
pEraruLALan who took his arcA mUrti incarnation from the agni kuNDam when
brahmA performed his penance in this kshetram.

c) An alternate interpretation by SrI Sa'nkara is based on the meaning

"aksharam" for "varNa", and "anusvAra" for "bindu", thus giving the meaning
"One Who in the form of the auspicious praNava" – Sobhano varNah aksharam
binduSa yasmin mantre tan-mantrAtmA vA su- varNa-binduh.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives references to the Sruti in support: omiti

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brahma (taitt.1.81); tat-te padam sa'ngraheNa bravImyomityetat (kaTha.
1.2.15).

d) Based on the root bind – avayave – to divide, to split, and using the uNAdi
sUtra bindur-icchuh (uNAdi. 3.2.169), SrI vAsishTha interprets the word
binduh as referring to "one who divides" – bindati – avayavAnkaroti, or "one
who performs the kriyA of avayava or division. In this interpretation, SrI
vAsishTha gives the meaning "One Who Himself is of beautiful form (su-
varNa), and Who has divided (binduh) the creatures beautifully into their
different parts, while operating as the Undivided One in all of them" – as in
the case of a tree, into its branches, leaves, etc.,or the different planets of
the solar system – yathAyam sUryastathAyamsamastah prapa'ncah parasparam
avayava-avayava vibhAvam Apannah, patra-phala-pushpa-SakhAdIni
vRkshasyeva.

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e) SrI satya sandha yatirAja uses the meaning "letter" for the word bindu, and
interprets the term suvarNa as a reference to the veda-s. He uses the root
vid – j~nAne, and gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has this nAma
signifying that He is the "Knower of the veda-s" – SobhanA varNAyasmin sa
su-varNo vedah; tasya binduh – j~nAtA su- varNa-binduh.

f) Using the meaning "a decorative mark on the forehead" for bindu,SrI bala
deva vidyA bhUshaN gives the interpretation – su-varNo lalATasthobinduh
asya iti – He Who has golden mark of decoration on His forehead, or He Who a
decorative mark on His golden forehead.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also gives a similar interpretation – suvarNamiva

pItAbhA bindavah candana-bindavoyasya cibuka kapola mastake sa su-varna
binduh – He Who has the decoration with the golden-colored sandal wood on
His cheeks etc.

nAma 807 - A]ae_y> a-kshobhyah

a-kshobhyAya namah.
The root from which the nAma is derived is kshub – sa'ncalane – to disturb, to

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 be agitated.

a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for the nAma is that when He presented His
arguments as Buddha to the asura-s, no one could stand up against his
arguments, because he was possessed of impenetrable thoughts –
gambhIrASayatvena a-vikAryah.

b) SrI San'kara's interpretation is that the nAma indicates that He is

unshaken by desire, hatred, etc., by the objects of senses such as sound etc.,
and by the external foes such as the enemies of the deva- s, etc. –
rAgAdibhih,SabdAdi-vishayaiSca, tri-daSa-aribhiSca, na kshobhyata iti a-
kshobhyah.

SrI cinmayAnanda's translation for the nAma is "One who is unruffled". He

explains that while ordinarily an individual gets disturbed, subjectively, by the
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presence of desires, anger, passions, etc., and objectively an average man is

constantly stormed by the enchanting dance of beautiful sense-objects all
around him, the Lord is not subjected to any of these. He refers us to the
description of a sthitapra~jna in the gItA by Lord kRshNa, in response to
arjuna's question in Slokam 2.54 (sthita pra~jnasya kA bhAsha…etc).
bhagavAn's response is contained in Sloka-s 2.55 to 2.61, where He outlines
the attributes of a sthita-pra~jna. Those are also the characteristics of an a-
kshobhyah.

c) SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives an anubhavam not shared by the others. In
addition to treating the nAma-s suvarNabinduh and akshobhyah as two
separate nAma-s and giving interpretations for these, he looks at these two
combined as one nAma also – su-varNa- bindu + rakshah + bhyah. His
interpretation is: suvarNa bindavo yasmin tat suvarna-bindu; suvarNa-binduvat
rakshaScasuvrNa-bindu- raksho mArIcah; tam bhyAsayati bhIshayati iti
suvarNa-bindu-raksho-bhyah - The term suvarNa-bindu rakshah refers to the
demon by name mArIca, since he had golden dots (bindu-s) all over his body.
BhagavAn has the nAma suvarNa-bindu-raksho-bhyah since He caused fear in
the mind of this rAkshasa, mArIca, with the golden dots all over his body. The

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root bhya – bhaya is used in this interpretation.

sarva--vAg
nAma 808. svRvagIñreñr> sarva ISvara--ISvarah
vAg--ISvara
The Lord of all who have a mastery over all words.
sarva-vAg-ISvara-IsvarAya namah.
He Who is the Lord of all who have mastery over vAk or speech is sarva-vAg-
ISvara-ISvarah – The ISvara of those who are "sar-vAg- ISvara-s". The
different interpreters give different anubhavam-s on who these "masters over
speech" are.

SrI BhaTTar continues his interpretation in terms of bhagavAn's Buddha

incarnation. He interprets the nAma as signifying that bhagavAn was the clear
winner over the "learned masters" among the rAkshasa-s in arguments and

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disputations.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan comments that vAcaspati is known for piling points after
points in support of his position in any argument. That skill of vAcaspati is but
a tiny fraction of bhagavAn's power. The point to be kept in mind here is that
in his Buddha incarnation, bhagavAn was advancing arguments to promote
nAstikam among the asura-s, and so his arguments in the current context were
not consistent with the SAstra-s.

SrI Sa'nkara interprets sarva-vAg-ISvara as a reference to brahmA, and

since bhagavAn is the Lord of brahmA, He has the nAma saarva-vAg- ISvara-
ISvarah.

SrIrAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that brahmA with his four faces and four
mouths,gives the veda-s to the rest of the world, and so he is sarva-
vAgISvaran, and he got this power from bhagavAn, the sarva-vAg-ISvara-
ISvara.

SrI satya sandha yatirAja considers the reference of the phrase "sarva-vAg-
ISvarato rudra, and so describes the namA as indicating that He is the Lord of
rudra: sarveshAm vAcah sarva-vAcah tAsAm Isvarasya rudrasya ca
ISvaratvAtsarva-vAg-ISvara-ISvarah.

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 SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN lists brahma, rudra, etc., as those learned in the
SAstra-s, and bhagavAn being the Lord of all of them, has this nAma – sarvAh
SrutyAdilakshaNA vAco yatra sa sarva-vAk; nikhilaSAstra pratipAdya
ityarthah; yata ISvara-ISvara vidhi- rudrAdi niyAmakah.

Same idea is reflected in SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj's interpretation –

sarveshAmvAg-ISvarANAm sura-guru- druhiNAdInAm ISvarah – SastA iti
sarva-vAg-ISvara-ISvarah.

SrI cinmayAnanda quotes the kenopanishad passage where the question is first
asked:

keneshitAm vAcam imam vadanti

At whose behest do people utter speech?,

and the answer is given:

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tadeva brahmam tad viddhi

It is Brahman from which all these arise.

SrI cimnayAnanda explains the nAma thus: "It is not the instruments of
actions and perceptions that act by themselves, as they are all made up of
inert matter. The immediate animation to the equipment is given by the 'inner
instruments'.

Therefore, for all the sense-organs, the mind-intellect-equipment is their

immediate lord. But these subtle instruments themselves get their dynamism
to act only in the presence of SrI nArAyaNa".

SrI vAsishTha comments that the gods or devatA-s for speech and sound are
vAcaspati, agni, vidyut, etc., and He is the Lord of all those gods who are the
gods of vAk, and so He is called sar-vAg-ISvara- ISvarah – sarva
vAgISvarANAmapi ISvarah.

SrI vAsishTha comments that even though there are a large number of
species, each with its own unique structure of the organs that produce sound
from them, all of these originate from Him, and ultimately subside in Him.

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 mahA--hradah
nAma 809. mhaÿd> mahA

a) The Vast Lake in which the sinners drown never to rise again, and the
devotees dip again and again to get relief.

b) He Who is associated with the deep waters, as in kAlIya mardanam, or in

His reclining on the Milk Ocean.

c) He Who has created the great oceans so that the earth does not become
completely dry and perish.
mahA-hradAya anamah.
The root from which the word hrada is derived is hrAda – avyakte Sabde –to
sound, to roar. That which makes indistinct, undefined sounds is called hradah.
That which is huge, and makes this sound is mahA-hradah. The term isused to

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refer to a deep lake, an ocean etc. – hRadate iti hradah.

a) SrI BhaTTar's explanation for the nAma is that bhagavAn as Buddha was
like a deep lake in which the evil-doers sank, never to rise again – yatrapApa-
karmaNah a-punar-utthAnam nimajjanti. He refers us to Lord kRshNa's words
in the gItA:

tAn aham dvishatah krUrAn samsAreshu narAdhamAn |

kshipAmi ajastram aSubhAn AsurIshveva yonishu ||

(gItA 16.19)
"Those haters, cruel, the vilest and the most inauspicious of mankind, I hurl
forever into the cycles of births and deaths, into the wombs of demons".

SrI BhaTTar also points out that while He is the deep lake where the sinners
will drown, He is also the deep lake where the devotees will find their great
comfort, and will bathe again and again without ever getting satisfied –

pApa-karmANah apunar-utthAnam nimajjanti,

puNya- kRto gAham gAham tRpyanti, samahA-hrAdah.

One is reminded of the nRsimha incarnation, where bhagavAn was

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 simultaneously a cause of terror for hiraNyakaSipu, and with that same form,
He was the cause of great delight for prahlAda.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan describes the term hradah as eddy, the deep ditch that
sometimes lies in the path of running waters. If one gets caught in one of
these, it is well near impossible to get out of it alive. BhagavAn is like one of
these for the asura-s. nammAzhvAr refers to bhagavAn as:

"vallarakkarpukkazhunda tayaradan peRRa marakata maNit taDam"

tiruvAimozhi 10.1.8
bhagavAn is described as the large cool tank in which so many devotees
immerse and benefit, and He is also the large tank in which the cruel asusra-s
fall and drown, never to return (val arrakar pukku azhunda). The reference to
bhagavAn as the "cool reservoir of waters" for the devotees is common in
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AzhvArs' aruLic-ceyal-s and other works: tiruma'ngai AzhvAr in

tirunenDumtANDakam (19) – poRRAmaraikkayam neerADap ponAL, and the
reference in SrImadbhAgavatam – esha brahma pravishTosmi grIshme
Sitamiva hradam, are given as examples.

SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is that He is like the great lake since the yogi-s
remain peacefully in His bliss by plunging into it – avagAhyatadAnandam
viSramya sukham Asteyogina iti mahA-hradah.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains the nAma in tamizh as "aNDa

muDiyAdaAzhnda nIrt tEkkam pOnRu uLLa Anandak kaDal".- The not-so-easily
accessible deep reservoir of water that is the Bliss of Ocean personified.

b) SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives the explanation as `One Who is associated
with the deep waters in kALIya mardana, or as He reclines in the Milk Ocean" –
mahAn hrado yasya kAlIya mardana kAle vA, samudra Sayana kAle vAsa mahA-
hradah.

c) SrI satya devo vAsishTha explains the nAma as referring to His creating
the great oceans so that the world does not become completely dry and perish.
Here is his vyAkyAnam in his traditional Sloka form:

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mahA-hrado vishNur-amogha karmA

karoti viSvam bahu- sAdhanAptam |

mahA-hradam sa kurute samudram

Sushyen-na bhUh sUrya- kharAmSupAtaih ||

mahA--gartah
nAma 810. mhagtR> mahA

a) He Who pushes the great sinners into the great pit of samsAra.

b) The Great Charioteer of mahAbhArata fame.

c) The One with the Great Chariot (with the garuDa in its flag).

d) He Who resides in the great mountains such as SeshAcala.

e) The Great Pit in which everything in this Universe originates, resides, and

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merges back.
mahA-gartAya namah.
The root from the word garta is derived is gRR – nigaraNe – to swallow, to
devour, to emit.

The term is used to refer to a ditch, and also the seat of a war-chariot.

a) SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning "pit" for "garta", and equates the pit in this
nAma to the naraka loka-s such as the raurava, into which bhagavAn casts away
those who have lost their souls by following the path contrary to the path of
dharma – evam bAhya-kudRshTi vinisvishTa nashTAtmanAm rauravAdi-gartA
asmAt itimahA-gartah. He quotes the gItA Slokam 9.3 in support:

aSraddadhAnAh purushA dharmasyAsya parantapa |

aprApya mAm nivartante mRtyu samsAra vartmani ||

(gItA 9.3)
"Men devoid of faith in this dharma, O scorcher of foes,

ever remain without attaining Me, in the mortal pathway of samsAra".

In his vyAkhyAnam to this Slokam in gItA, bhagavad rAmAnuja indicates that

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 the people referred to here are those who have attained the fitness to
practice the proper dharma of worship, but then deviate from the path
because of aSraddhA or lack of faith. He exclaims at the end of his
vyAkhyAna for this Slokam in his gItA bhAshyam – "aho! mahad idam
AScaryam!" – "O! How strange it is! (that people just ignore their dharma and
fall into the pit).

SrI Sa'nkara describes Him as "The great Chasm", because His mAyA is very
difficult to cross. He gives the gItA Slokam 7.14 as support:

daivI hyeshA guNa-mayI mama mAyA duratyayA |

mAmeva ye prapadyante mAyAmetAm taranti te ||

(gItA 7.14)
"For, the divine mAyA of Mine consisting of the three guNa-s is hard to
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overcome;

but those who take refuge in Me (prapadyante) alone shall pass beyond the
mAyA".

b) SrI Sa'nkara gives an alternate interpretation based on the meaning "a

chariot" to the term garta. This meaning is given in the nirukatam 3.5:

ratho'pi garta ucyate | gRNAteh stuti-karmaNah |

stutatamam yAnam | "A rohatho varuNa mitra gartam".

SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam for this nAma is: garta Sabdo ratha paryAyo
nairuktair- uktah, tasmAt mahA-rathah – mahA-gartah.– The Great Charioteer.
His skill in this area is famous in His role as theCharioteer of arjuna in mahA-
bhArata war.

c) Using the same meaning as above for garta, namely ratha or chariot,
SrIkRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation: – mahAn garto garuDa-
dvaja ratho yasya iti mahA-gartah – He Who the Great Chariot with the
garuDa dvajam is mahA-hradah.

d) SrI satya sandha yatirAja uses the meaning "mountain" for the word aga,

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and looks at the nAma as mahA + aga + a part based on the root R – gatau – to
go (R – gatua kartari ktah).

His vyAkhyAnam is: mahAntSca te agASca SeshAcalAdayah tatra Rcchati iti

mahA-gartah – He Who goes to (resides) in the High Mountains such as
SeshAcala.

e) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN give another perspective on the nAma – He is

"The Great Pit" because everything that exists is part of Him, and can be
found in Him –

ihaikastham jagat kRtsnam paSyAdya sa-carAcaram |

mama dehe guDAkeSa yaScAnyat drashTum icchasi ||

(gItA 11.7)

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"Behold here, O arjuna,

the whole universe with the mobile and immobile things centered in My body,

and whatever else you desire to see".

This is the last of the nAma-s that SrI BhaTTar interprets in terms of the
role of bhagavAn in misleading the evil-minded people in his Buddha
incarnation. It is more pleasant to enjoy His guNa-s in His role of saulabhyam
and sauSIlyam towards His devotees, than His role as One who punishes those
who violate the path of dharma. However, it is important to realize that
whatever happens anywhere in any part of the Universe at any time, are all His
actions, and are carried out for the benefit of His creation. Thus, it is
necessary to realize that the incarnations such as the Buddha incarnation are
taken by Him for the purpose of doling out the effects of their karma to
those who follow the path of adharma.

In the next few nAma-s, we will see how His guNa-s are displayed in His
SishTa-paripAlanam role.

mahA--bhUtah
nAma 811. mhaÉUt> mahA

a) He Who considers great men as His own.

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 b) He Who is a Great Being.

c) He Who is the Origin of the five elements.

mahA-bhUtAya namah.
The root from which the nAma can be derived is bhU – sattAyAm – to be, to
live, to be born.

The term bhUta also is used to refer to the pa'nca bhUta-s – earth, water,
fire, air, and AkASa (prithivI, ap, tejas, vAyu, and AkASa).

a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the term mahA-bhUta as referring to "great

being", and gives the meaning "One Who possesses mahA-bhUta-s or great
beings as His own" is called mahA-bhUtah. The "great beings" referred to here
are those who are single-minded in their devotion to Him are great beings.
Since bhagavAn considers them as His own, He is the "Owner ofthe mahA-
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bhUta-s" – mahA-bhUtah. nammAzhvAr refers to this guNa of bhagavAn in his

tiruvAimozhi pASuram2.3.6: tIrndAr tam manattup piriyAdavar uyirai SorndE
pOgal koDAc cuDar – He is like the flame that stays in the hearts of His true
devotees, to ensure that they do not suffer because of separation from Him.
He will not like to be separated from those given to devotion to Him. They too
cannot bear a separation from Him.

b) SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as referring to bhagavAn as "The Great

Being", because He is unlimited by the three dimensions of time – the past, the
present, and the future – kAla-trayAnavacchinna svarUpatvAt mahA-bhUtah.
The nAma gives another instance where we can see the difference in approach
between SrI Sa'nkara and SrI BhaTTar.

SrI Sa'nkara stresses the Supremacy aspect of bhagavAn, and SrI BhaTTar
emphasizes the saulabhyam and sauSIlyam aspects. As has been pointed out
before, both are valid aspects of bhagavAn's guNa-s, but His saulabhyam and
sauSIlyam are the guNa-s that give hope to most of us who commit enormous
sins constantly knowingly and unknowingly, in this birth as well as in the
countless previous births.

c) SrI satya devo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is mahA-

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bhUtah because it is from Him that the five great elements – air, water, etc.,
originated. SrI satya sandha yatirAja also gives a similar explanation – mahAnti
bhUtAni AkASAdIni yasmAt iti mahA- bhUtah.

mahA--nidhih
nAma 812. mhainix> mahA

a) He Who has the great treasure in the form of His devotees.

b) He Who is a great treasure for His devotees.

c) He Who is the Abode of everything in the Universe.

d) He Who is like a treasure from which His devotees can draw at will.
mahA-nidhaye namah.
a) ni is an upasarga – prefix.

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The root on which the nAma is based is dhA – dhArana poshaNayordAne ca – to
put, to grant, to produce, to bear; nitarAm dhIyate pushyata iti ; nidhIyate
atra iti nidhih; That in which things are stored is nidhi. Usually the term is
used to refer to treasure. nitarAm – wholly, entirely, continuously, always. nidhi
– reservoir, receptacle, abode

a) SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning "treasure" for the term "nidhi", and gives
the vyAkhyAnam that bhagavAn has this nAma because He values the devotees
as His treasure – they are so dear to Him: te nidhivat ati-priyA asya iti mahA-
nidhih.

nammAzhvAr captures this aspect of bhagavAn in his tiruvAimozhi pASuram

10.7.8:

triup pArkkaDalE en talaiyE; taN tiru vE'nkaTamE enadu uDalE;

manamE vAkkE karumamE oru mA noDiyum piriyAn

"bhagavAn loves my head with the same attachment He has for tirup
parkkaDal; He loves my body with as much intensity as He likes tiru vE'nkaTam;
He now appears to be a complete dependent on my body for His very
sustenance".

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 SrI v.n. vedAnta deSikan's interpretation for this pASuram, in part, is: "The
Lord bestows the same attachment on my body and limbs as He does on divya
deSa shrines. He appears to love my head as much as He does tirumAl
irumSolai and tiruvE'nkaTam".

b) SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAam is: sarva bhUtAni asmin nidhIyanta iti nidhih –
He is called mahA-nidhih because He is the great Treasure House of all beings.
He protects all beings inside Him like a treasure at the time of pralaya.

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that the nAma symbolizes
that He is the abode of everything in the Universe, including such great things
as the sun – mahAntah sUryAdayo'pi grahA yatra pakshiNa iva nihitA iti
mahatAm nidhitvAt samahA-nidhih – all the planets reside in Him like birds.

d) SrI cinmayAnanda translates the nAma as "The Great Abode". He explains

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the nAma as: "The Eternal Source from which everything springs forth, and
the Infinite substratum upon which the entire play of the finite is held in
animated suspension". He also notes the meaning "treasure" for the word nidhi,
and observes that SrI nArAyaNa is the richest treasure of all for His
devotees – to loot at will!".

The idea is that His devotees will never be satiated with His anubhavam, and
He is always there for them to eternally enjoy.

AzhvArs refer to bhagavAn as their nidhi in this sense of His being available
for their enjoyment and support always.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives several references:

1. tiruma'ngai AzhvAr in tiruk kurum tANDakam (1) – nidhiyinai,

pavaLattUNai… - He is the Treasure who comes forth without fail when
we are in need; He is like the pillar that comes for our support like the
pillar made of pavaLam.

2. tiruma'ngai AzhvAr – periya tirumozhi 7.1.7: gatiyEl illai nin aruLEl

enakku nidhiyE - I have no recourse to any help except Your Mercy; You
are the treasure in reserve for me when I am in need".

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 3. nammAzhvAr, tiruvAimozhi 6.7.11: vaitta mA nidhiyAm madusUdanaiyE
alaRRi…..-MadhusUdanan is like a great treasure in reserve (vaitta mA-
nidhi), available in time of need in future.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj interprets the nAma as a combination of two

guNa-s- that He is great and He is also held as a treasure by His devotees -
SrI bhagavAn hi bhaktaih prathamam pUjyate tataSca tasya manomayI
pratimA hRdayenidhIyate dhyAyate ca.

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 Slokam 87
k…mud> k…Ndr> k…Nd> pjRNy> pavnae=inl>,

Am&tazae=m&tvpu> svR}> svRtaemuo>.87.

kumudah kundarah kundah parjanyah pAvanO=nilah |
amrutAsO=mrutavapuh sarvaj~nah sarvatOmukhah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 813. k…mud> kumudah

a) He Who is on this earth with delight by enjoying the association with His
devotees.

b) One Who gladdens the earth by ridding it of the evil-doers.

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c) One Who bestows the auspicious world of parama padam.

d) One Who delights in the sky, in the form of the sun.

e) He Who wears a garland made of blue lilies.

kumudAya namah.
The nAma consists of two or three parts, depending on the interpretation. One
way to look at the nAma is as ku + mudah. The first part is derived from the
root kai - Sabde - to sound. kauti dhvanati iti kuh - that which is full of sound.
The amara koSam gives the meaning "world" to the word kuh- kuh pRthivI
prthvI. mudah is derived from the root muda - harshe - to rejoice, to be glad.
modata iti mudah - One who rejoices, or modayatiiti mudah - One Who makes
others rejoice. Another way to look at the nAma isku + mu + dah (see c below).

a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma in terms of ku + mudah. His vyAkhyAnam

is kau - prakRti maNDale - (even) in this world of prakRti; mudah - (taih saha)
modate - (In the company of His devotees) He rejoices. So He is known as
kumudah.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan wonders aloud how difficult it must be for bhagavAn to
have to be part of us just to enjoy our company. By coming into this world,

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Lord rAma had to undergo lots of miseries - "nATTil piRandu paDAdana paTTu"
is how He had to live - such is life in this world, that it will make even the
parama purushaN undergo enormous suffering and misery. Lord rAma Himself
describes His miseries –

rAjyAt bhramSah vane vAsah sItA nashTah hato dvijah

(AraNya kANDam 67.24)

"I was driven away from My kingdom, I have to live in the forest, I have lost
sItA, and now this great bird (jatAyu, the eagle) has been slain".

And yet, He chooses to live amongst us just for the company of, and
association with, the likes of bharadvAja, atri, agastya, etc.

SrI cinmayAnanda interprets the nAma thus: "One Who gladdens the earth",
or "One Who is gladdened by the earth". He explains that bhagavAn's delight

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is a sheer expression of His Omnipotence - the very fact that He has created
this dynamic, complex, cosmos that is so scientifically precise, is a matter of
delight, since it is the fulfillment of His Omnipotence.

b) SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is - kum dharaNim bhAra avataraNam

kurvanmodayati iti ku-mudah - He Who frees the earth from its burdens and
gives joy to the beings of the earth.

SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry observes that this lightening of the burden is
through the elimination of the wicked people (dushTa nigraham).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the example of His taking many incarnations
for the same purpose - to destroy the wicked people and protect His devotees.

Here is one more instance of seeing the difference in the approaches of

SrISa'nkara and SrI BhaTTar in their general approach to their
interpretations. SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma as His giving joy to the earth
by freeing it of its burdens, and SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as His
rejoicing and deriving pleasure by the company of His devotees. We should
keep in mind that both the interpretations are valid anubhava-s of bhagavAn.
The difference in approach is that one emphasizes His Power, and the other

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 emphasizes His saulabhayam and sauSIlyam.

c) SrI M. V. rAmAnujAcArya gives an additional interpretation: He Who

bestows the world of mukti, or parama padam - ku = bhUmi, mu = mukti; dah=
Giver or Bestower.

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meaning "sky" to "ku" (based on kai -
Sabde), and gives the interpretation to the term "kumudah" as "One Who
delights in the sky, in the form of the sun" - Sabdavat AkASe modayati iti
kumudah; SabdASraye khe modata iti kumudah sUryah.

e) The word kumuda is also used to refer to the blue lily or to lotus. He Who
wears a garland made of these is kumudah - utpala dhAro kumudah (SrI
baladeva vidyA bhUshaN).

nAma 814. k…Ndr> kundarah

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a) The Bestower of the knowledge of the Supreme Reality (kunda-rah).

b) He Who dissolves or eliminates the sins accumulated over countless births

(kun-darah).

c) He Who bestows benefits as agreeable as the kunda flower (kunda-rah).

d) He Who accepts offering that are pure like the kunda flowers (kunda-lah).

e) He Who pierced the earth in His varAha incarnation in search of

hiraNyAksha (kum-darah).

f) One Who gives what is sought or what is desired.

g) He Who created the oceans by tearing apart the earth (kum-darah).

h) He Who is very pleased with the offerings of the kunda pushpa-s by His
devotees (kunda-rah).
kundarAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar uses the word kundam as referring to "The knowledge of the
Supreme Reality" or para-tattva j~nAnam. This is based on his interpreting the
term ku as a reference to "mukti-bhUmi", rather than just as meaning "bhUmi".

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kundam is that which gives the mukti-bhUmi, namely the knowledge of para-
tattva. Since He is the Giver of this knowledge, He is kunda-rah (rAti = dadAti
= gives).

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi pASuram 2.3.2,

where he addresses bhagavAn as "aRiyAdana aRivitta attA!" – "You are the
AcArya Who imparted the true knowledge to me". We have also Lord kRshNa's
declaration in the gItA:

teshAm satata-yuktAnAm bhajatAm prIti-pUrvakam |

dadAmi buddhi-yogam tam yena mAm upayAnti te ||

(gItA 10.10)
"To those who are ceaselessly united with Me and who worship Me with
immense love,

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I lovingly grant that mental disposition (buddhi-yoga) by which they come to
Me".

This is the para-tattva-j~nanam that SrI BhaTTar is referring to.

b) The nirukti author has added an interpretation to this nAma, that is

borrowed from SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for the next nAma, kundah.This
involves the use of the meaning "sin" for the word ku – kumavyayam pApa-vAci,
tasya dAraNAt kun-darah – He Who dissolves or eliminates the sins
(accumulated over countless births).

SrI satya devo vAsishTha also includes this as one of his three interpretations
for the nAma (the other two are covered below). The amara koSavyAkhyAnam
gives the following as an illustration of the use of the word ku with the
meaning "sinful" - tyajet ku-jana-sa'ngam - Leave the association with sinful
people. SrI vAsishTha's vyAkhyAnam is: kum = pApamdRNAti sva-sevAnAm iti
kum-darah – He who tears apart or removes the sins of His devotees. He
makes them see knowledge by removing the sins from their mind– sa eva
buddhim jaritur-viSodhya su-medhasam tam kurute sa vishNuh ||

c) SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is that the nAma signifies that He bestows

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 fruits that are as pure and agreeable as the kunda (jasmine) flowers –
kundapushpa tulyAni SuddhAni phalAni rAti dadAti iti kunda- rah.

d) Alternately, SrI Sa'nkara gives the explanation – He Who accepts offerings

that are pure like the kunda flower - kunda pushpa tulyAni SuddhAniphalAni
lAti Adatte iti kundarah (based on the root lA – AdAne dAne ca –to take, to
obtain). Here he uses the rule of mutual interchange of ra and lain conventional
usage – ra-la-yoh ekatava smaraNAt.

e) A third interpretation given by SrI Sa'nkara is that He has the nAma

representing His action of tearing the earth or piercing the earth (dara – to
tear) in search of hiraNyAksha in His varAha incarnation: kum – dharAm
dArayAmAsa hiraNyAksha jighAmsayA vArAham rUpam AsthAya it vA kun-
darah.
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f) SrI vAsishTha indicates the root for the word kunda as kamu – kAntau– to
desire, and the application of the uNAdi sutra abdAdayaSca (uNAdi. 4.98),
leading to the word kundah. He gives the interpretation kAmayata iti
kundahkamanIyah – That which is desired or sought for is kunda. Using the
root rA – dAne – to give, kundarah means "One Who gives what is sought or
what is desired" – kamanIyam vA'ncitam dadAti iti kunda-rah.

g) An alternate interpretation given by SrI vAsishTha is: kum –

pRthivIdArayati iti kun-darah - (based on the root dRR – vidAraNe – to tear,
to divide). He is referring to bhagavAn creating the great oceans by tearing
apartthe bhUmi – sa kun-daro nAma vidArya bhUmim sa Atma-SaktyA kurute
samudram |

h) SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives the interpretation – bahkta-samarpita

kunda pushpeNa ramati iti kunda-rah – He Who is very pleased with the
offerings of the kunda pushpa-s by His devotees.

nAma 815. k…Nd> kundah

a) He Who grants the successive stages of higher knowledge.

b) He Who cleanses the sins of His devotees.

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c) He Who is pure and beautiful like the kunda (jasmine) flower.

d) He Who bestows purity like the kunda flower to His devotees.

e) He Who has the spear by name kunta (kuntah)

f) One who is sharp like the kunta spear in removing the sins of His devotees
(kuntah).

g) He Who gave an offering of the earth to kaSyapa Rshi.

h) He Who eliminated the bad kshatriya kings from the earth.

i) He Who cleanses the earth through the sun, rain, etc.

kundAya namah.
As explained in the previous nAma, the word ku refers to bhUmi as well as sin;
the word kunda itself refers to the jasmine flower. The previous nAma,

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kundarah, and the current nAma, kundah, are somewhat similar. The part - dah
is interpreted as dadAti - gives, dAyati - cleanses, or dyati - eliminates, thus
leading to the different interpretations.

a) We had seen that the meaning "para-tattva-j~nAnam" was given by SrI

BhaTTar to the word kunda. kundah is One Who bestows this knowledge.
kundarah was also assigned the same meaning earlier. SrI BhaTTar
distinguishes the current nAma from the previous one by referring in the
current nAma, to bhagavAn's giving the para-tattva knowledge to those that
have started climbing the steps of knowledge through self-control etc., in
steps of para-bhakti,para-j~nAnam, and ultimately parama-bhakti.

b) SrI BhaTTar also gives an alternate interpretation. We saw in the previous

nAma the assignment of the meaning "sin" to the word ku, and an
interpretation added by the nirukti author for the previous nAma based on
this meaning for the word ku. While we saw the interpretation "He Who
destroys the sins" for the previous nAma, the interpretation given for the
current nAma is "He Who cleanses the sins", based on the meaning ku = pApam,
and the root daip = Sodhane - to purify; pApam dAyati Sodhayati iti kundah.
He first removes the sins from His devotee (kundarah), and then cleanses the

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 sins so that they do not get back to the devotee again (kundah) - pApam
dArayati itikundarah, api ca vidAritam pApam Sodhayati iti kundah.

This is also one of the interpretations given by SrI vAsishTha - kum

itipApArthakam avyayam, tad khaNDayati iti kundah; yad-vA kum = pApam
dAyati +Sodhayati iti kundah (do = avakhaNDane, daip = Sodhana).

c), d) nammAzhvAr uses the nAma kunda in tiruvAimozhi pASuram 2.6.1 - Sei
kundA varum tImaigaL un aDiyArkkut tIrttu aSurarukkut tImaigaL Sei kundA -
He removes the sins of His devotees, and gives them to the evil-doers as the
phalan for their karma-s. Here, the meaning given by the vyAkhyAna kartA-s
for the word kunda is "One Who is pure like the kunda pushpam - the pure
white fragrant jasmine flower". In tamizh, the word kunda can also be
considered as standing for the word kurundam flower - a pure white flower
representing purity. So the nAma can be understood as "One Who is pure like
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the kunda flower", or "One Who bestows purity like that of the kunda flower
to His devotees".

SrI Sa'nkara gives several interpretations for the nAma. The first of these is:
"He Who is as pure and beautiful as the kundaflower" - kundopama
sundarA'ngatvAt svacchatayA sphaTika nirmalah kundah.

e), f) SrI v.v. rAmAnujan comments that the term can also be taken to mean
"One who has the spear called kunta" - (nin kaiyil vEl pORRi - tiruppAvai).

SrI uttamUr vIrarhAvAcArya svAmi also refers to this as one possible

interpretation for the occurrence of this word in nammAzhvAr's pASuram.
The nAma in this case will be "kuntah" instead of "kundah". The meaning then
could also be "One who is sharp like the kunta spear in removing the sins of His
devotees".

g) One of Sri Sa'nkara's alternate interpretations is: "One Who gave an

offering of "ku" or earth to kaSyapa Rshi" as indicated in the following quote
from hari vamSa:

sarva pApa viSuddhyartham vAjimedhena ceshTavAn |

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tasmin ya~jne mahA dAne dakshiNAm bhRgu-nandanah ||

mArIcAya dadau prItah kaSyapAya vasundharAm ||

(hari vamSam 31.106)

"The son of bhRgu, in order to purge all his sins, performed the horse
sacrifice. In that sacrifice that required great gifts to be given away, He, in
His incarnation as the son of bhRgu, made a gift of the earth to mArIca with
great pleasure".

h) The third interpretation by SrI Sa'nkara is: "He Who got rid of the
kshatriya-s from the earth" - kum pRthvIm dyati khaNDayati vA kundah. He
gives the support from vishNu dharma for this interpretation:

nih-kshatriyAm yaSca cakAra medinIm anekaSo bAhuvanam tathA'nchinat |

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yah kArtavIryasya sa bhArgavottamo mamAstu mA'ngalya vivRddhaye harih ||

(vishNudharma 43.37)

"Let Hari, the best of the bhRgu family, who made the earth free from wicked
kshatriya-s many a time, and who cut off the thousand arms of kArtavIrya, be
with me for the increase of prosperity".

i) SrI satya devo vAsishTha gives an additional interpretation using

themeaning "earth" for ku, and dAyati = Sodhayati for dah. He who cleanses
the earth of its impurities through rain etc. - pRthivIm varshaNena Sodhayati
iti kundah.

nAma 816. pjRNy> parjanyah

a) He Who bestows His blessings on the devotees like the rain-cloud.

b) He from whom a superior birth is attained.

c) He Who protects.
parjanyAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar derives the nAma from the root aja – ardane - to dispel. He
explains the nAma in terms of His removing (dispelling), like a rain-cloud, the

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 three kinds of tApa-s – the tApa-traya-s – AdhyAtmika, the Adhi-daivika, and
the Adhi-bhautika types. These three are: the pain cause by one's own mind
etc., the pain caused by fate or gods, and the pain caused by animals, other
people, etc.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan adds that it is by bestowing the knowledge about Him that
He relieves us from the tApa-traya-s. BhagavAn is frequently referred as the
rain-cloud by AzhvArs for showering His blessings on His devotees:

1. tiruma'ngai AzhvAr's tiru neDum tANDakam (30) – minnu mA mazhai

tavazhummega-vaNNA!;

2. tiruma'ngai – periya tirumozhi 7.9.9: karu mA mugil uruvA!Kanal uruvA!

Punal uruvA!

You who are like the rain cloud for some, like the fire for some, and like the
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comforting water for many!

SvAmi deSikan refers to bhagavAn's guNa of removing the tApa-traya-s of

the devotees who are immersed in devotion to Him in his SaraNAgati dIpikA:

tApa-trayeNa vihatim na bhajqanti santah

samsAra gharma janitenasamAdhimantah ||

(SaraNAgati dIpikA 23)

"Those j~nAni-s who are immersed in bhakti yoga towards You do not suffer
from the tApa-traya-s that are caused by the heat of samsAra".

SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is also in terms of His removing the three types
of tApa-s – parjanyavat AdhyAtmikAdi tApa-trayam Samayati iti – "He
extinguishes the three kinds of burning miseries concerning the body and the
rest, even as the rain-charged cloud cools the earth by its downpour".

SrI Sa'nkara's alternate interpretation is that this nAma signifies that He

showers all desired objects on His devotees like rain – sarvAn
kAmAnabhivarshati iti parjanyah.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj looks at the nAma as pari-janyah, which is

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treated same as parjanyah by dropping the –i in pari. His interpretation is
"paritaAsInA janAh parijanAh; tebhyo hita-tamah iti pari-janyah; ikAra-lope
parjanyah" – pari-jana-s are those that are around Him – those that worship
Him; He Who bestows welfare on them is pari-janyah, which is same as
parjanyah in SrI bhAradvAj's interpretation.

SrI vAsishTha derives the nAma starting from the root pRsh – secane – to
sprinkle, and the application of the uNAdi sutra "parjanyah" (3.103), with the
meaning "cloud". That which wets or drenches is parjanya – parshati – si'ncati
iti parjanyah.

SrI bala deva vidyA bhUshaN gives a similarinterpretation: tasyAm cinta-

bhUmau varshati nija-rUpa amRtam iti parjanyah – He Who showers His actual
Self in the thoughts of His devotees is parjanyah.

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b) SrI satyasandha yatirAja gives the interpretation – param janyam
yasmAtparjanyah – He from whom a superior birth is attained.

c) SrI vAsishTha gives at least six different ways of deriving the nAma,
starting from different roots.

One of these is pR – pAlana pUranayoh – to protect, to fill, to bring out; with

the addition of the anya pratyaya, this becomes parjanyah, which means "One
Who protects".

nAma 817. pvn> pavanah

a) He Who is the form of the wind.

b) He Who moves to His devotees to remove their distress.

c) He Who purifies in the form of wind, agni, water, etc.

d) He Who protects the protectors – the kings (pA + avanah).

pavanAya namah.
We saw this nAma earlier in Slokam 32 (nAma 292). SrI BhaTTar indicates the
root for the nAma as pavi – to go. The amara koSa vyAkhyAnam indicates the
derivation from the root pU'ng – pavane; pavata iti pavanah; punIte vA; The

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 meanings are thus: that which goes, that which blows, that which purifies, etc.

a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for nAma 292 was that He has the nAma
signifying that He moves about in the form of the wind, with just a fraction of
His power.

nammAzhvAr conveys this in his tiruvAimozhi pASuram 5.7.3 – kANginRa ik-

kARRellAm yAnE ennum….

The ten pASurams in tiruvAimozhi 5.7 sum up the truth that bhagavAn is
everything without exception.

SrI cinmyAnanda conveys the same thoughts in the following words:

"He Who manifests as the life-giving atmosphere around the world and
sustains the existence everywhere".
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In Slokam 32, SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation for the nAma is that He is the
Purifier in the form of the wind. He has given the reference to gItA Slokam
10.31 as support: pavanah pavatAm asmi rAmah Sastra-bhRtAmyaham | "Of
moving things, I am the wind. Of those who bear weapons, I am rAma".

b) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for the current instance of this nAma is that
bhagavAn goes Himself (pavi – to go) to His devotees to remove their distress-
pavate iti pavanah.

This is expressed by tiruma'ngai AzhvAr in periya tirumozhi 1.10.9: vandAi; en

manam pugunDAi; manni ninRAi – You came of Your own free will, entered my
mind, and have decided to stay there.

nammAzhvAr conveys the same thought in his tiruvAimozhi 5.7.7 – vandaruLi en

ne'njiDamkoNDa vAnavar kozhundE! … aDiyEnai agaRRElE – Oh Lord! You have
been kind enough to come and take a place in my heart. Only, now please do not
ever leave me.

c) SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation for the current instance of the nAma is that
He purifies anyone who merely remembers Him – smRti- mAtreNa punAti iti
pavanah.

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In the context of bhagavAn being the Great Purifier, SrI rAdhAkRshNa
Sastri comments in his vyAkhyAnam for the Slokam "pavitrANAm pavitram
yah..", that acts such as taking a bath in the holy waters, visiting divya
kshetra-s, etc., are ways of our ridding ourselves of sins, when we undertake
these acts with the faith and belief that bhagavAn is present in these rivers
and divyakshetra-s. Thinking of Him, worshipping His divya ma'ngaLa vigraha-s,
singing His praise, performing pUja for Him, meditating on Him, prostrating,
etc., are all ways to remove our sins through His purifying power.

SrI cinmayAnanda uses the version "pAvanah" in Slokam 87, and gives the
translation for the nAma as "One Who ever purifies". He comments that "The
impurities of a personality are gathered when the mind and intellect, in a
natural impulse of animal voluptuousness, rush towards the sense-objects with
ego-centric passion". The purification by His power occurs when we peacefully

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let our minds settle in contemplation of the divine nature and eternal glory of
SrI nArAyaNa.

c) SrI vAsishTha also uses the version "pAvanah", but indicates that the
interpretation is the same whether the nAma is taken as pavanah or pAvanah.
He gives the meaning "He Who purifies", for the nAma. He points out that
bhagavAn purifies in many ways: in the form of the wind by blowing, fire by
burning, water by washing, earth by consuming, etc. So His purifying power is
manifest all over. He gives the reference to Rg vedic hymn: punAti dhIro
bhuvanAni mAyayA – Rg. 1.160.3, and also to niruktam 5.6: vAyuhpavitram sa
mA punAtu agnih pavitram sa mA punAtu. He also has summarized his
vyAkhyAnam in the form of the following Sloka:

sa pAvano vishNur-amartyakarmA punAti viSvam vividha- prabhedaih |

sa evasUrya sa hi vAsti vAyau jale sthale vA pavitA sa eva ||

d) In one of his interpretations, SrI satya sandha yatirAja uses the version
"pAvanah", and looks at the nAma as pA + avanah – He Who protects the
protectors or kings. His vyAkhyAnam is: pAnti iti pA rAjAnah; teshAm
avanamyasmAt iti pAvanah.

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 nAma 818. Ainl> anilah

a) He Who need not be goaded by anyone in His blessing the devotees (an-ilah).

b) He Who has no enforcer above Him.

c) He Who is easily accessible to His devotees (a-nilah).

d) He Who is the Giver of life-breath to everything else.

e) He Who is ever awakened.

f) One Who needs no support

g) One Who does not have a fixed residence, One Who is in the form of the
wind, etc.

h) He Who has no end.

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i) One Who has no binding to pApa, puNya, etc.

j) He Who gave the kingdom (to ugrasena after killing kamsa).

k) He Who spent sleepless nights (planning how to save rukmiNi).

anilAya namah.
We looked into this nAma in Slokam 25 (nAma 236). The root word from which
the nAma can be derived is ila – preraNe – to urge. Apte's dictionary also gives
the meanings: to sleep, to go, to move, to throw, etc., for the word ila (ila –
svapna kshpaNayoh – to sleep, to throw). SrI BhaTTar also derives the nAma
from the root ana – prANane - to live, to breathe. ilA also means the
earth.These different meaning and combinations are used in arriving at the
different anubhavam-s below.

a) For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar derives the
interpretation based on the root ila – preraNe – to urge. ila refers to that
person who urges another to do an act. Since bhagavAn does not have to be
urged by anyone to bless those who worship Him, He is called a-nilah. His gives
the following in support: tadapyaprArthitam dhyAto dadAti madhusUdanah -
When meditated upon, bhagavAn madhusudana bestows His blessings on His

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devotee even when the devotee does not pray for them - vishNu dharma 74.42.

b) One of SrI Sa'nkara's interpretations is that bhagavAn has this nAma

because He has no enforcer above Him: ilati preraNam karoti iti ilah, tad-
rahitatvAt an-ilah.

c) SrI Sa'nkara also gives another interpretation that is related to

bhagavAn's ease of approach to His devotees. This is based on the root nil –
gahane – to become thick, deep, hard to be understood. Using the noun form
nilah meaning "difficult to understand", SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma a-
nilah as "One Who is not difficult to understand for the devotee"- a-gahanah –
a-nilah - bhaktebhyah sulabhah – Easily accessible to bhakta-s.

d) For the instance of this nAma in Slokam 25 (nAma 236), Sri BhaTTar
derives the meaning based on the root an – prANane - to live, to breathe, and

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the application of the uNAdi sUtra 1.54 – sali-kal-ani-mahi-bhaDi-bhaNDi-
SaNDi-piNDi-tuNDi-kuki-bhUbhya-ilach – which states that the affix ilach
comes after the verbs sal – to go down (salilam – water), kal– to count (kalilam –
covered with, mixed), an – to live (anilah –wind), etc. Thus, the meaning given
for nAma 236 was – ananAt – ujjIvanAt anilah – Because He sustains the life of
everything through life-breath, He is anilah.

nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi 5.6.2 declares: kANginRa ik-kARRellAm yAnE – all

this air and wind around us is but a tiny fraction of Me - The well-known wind is
but a tiny fraction of this anila that is bhagavAn. He gives support from the
following: ko hyevAnyAt kah prANyAt - Whoever can breathe and whoever can
live if the AkASa (i.e., paramAtmA) were not there? - (taittirIya nArAyaNa 7);
prAnAtvAyur_ajAyata - The wind was born out of His breath (purusha sUktam
14). Note that in this interpretation, anilah is not equated with air or wind, but
as His breath – prANa, that supports the wind and all other life.

e) SrI Sa'nkara gives several alternate interpretations for the nAma in

addition to b) above. One of these is based on the meaning "sleep" for the
word ila – ilati svapiti iti a~jna ilah; tad- viparItonitya-prabuddha-svarUpatvAt
iti vA anilah – ilati means sleeps, that is, ignorant; a condition opposed to

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 ignorance is that of ever wakeful state; therefore, One Who is ever awakened
is an - ilah.

f) For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 25, SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri looks
atthe nAma as an + ilah, where ilA refers to bhUmi, used in the sense of
support here – avidyamAnA ilA AsrayatayA an-ilah. Since He needs no support
of the earth, air, etc., He is anilah.

g) Or, one can use the amara koSa vyAklhyAnam – na vidyate nilah
nilayamsthAnam yasya iti anilah – He Who does not have a fixed place is anilah.

h) Another interpretation given by SrI Sa'nkara is: anAditvAt anilah – One

Who has no beginning or end;

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri's interpretation is - nanilIyate naSyati iti anilah.

i) One more of SrI Sa'nkara's interpretations is: anAdAnAt anilah – One Who
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has no binding.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains this as na nilAti Adatte puNyampApam vA –

Neither puNyam nor pApam stick to Him.

j) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN seems to use the pATham nilah instead of
anilah in his interpretation – nitarAm lAti gRhNAti aikAntino bhaktAn iti –
Since He totally attracts the single-minded devotees, He is ni-lah.

j) An alternate interpretation by SrI vidyA bhUshaN is that He has the nAma

signifying that He gifted the kingdom to ugrasena after killing kamsa –
kamsavada nirjitAyA ilAyA bhUmeh ugrasenAya dAnAt.

k) Yet another anubhavam of SrI vidyA bhUshAn is in terms of the sleepless

nights that kRshNa spent planning on how to rescue rukmiNi. The term ilA is
used here with the meaning "sleep", and the pATham used is anilah. rukmiNi-
spRhayA nidrAparityAgAt anilah. He quotes Lord kRshNa's words to support
this interpretation: tathAhamapi tac-citto nidrAm ca na labhe niSIti.

The dharma cakram writer gives the meaning for this nAma that bhagavAn is in
the form of air, and gives us a view of how important the meditation on this
guNa of bhagavAn is for our life. Without food we can go on for many days;

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without water we can survive for a few days; but without air, but a few
minutes. That is how important air is for our living; and so also is the
meditation on vishNu for our spiritual life. He quotes mahAtmA gAndhi in this
context - that he could survive without food for several days (and hasn't he
proved it several times!), but he could not live without prayer for even a day.
The air is also spread around everywhere, just as mahA vishNu is. Our mind
wanders around everywhere, and occupies everything, just as air occupies all
available space. Man has learned to control and contain air. So also, he can
learn to control his mind by constant meditation on vishNu. This is another
lesson we can take from this nAma.

nAma 819. Am&taz> amRtASah

a) He Who feeds His devotees with the Nectar - Himself.

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b) He Who consumed the nectar after churning the Milk Ocean.

c) One Who has an ever-living will to give fruits.

d) One Whose wishes are failure-proof.

e) OneWho is dear to the mukta-s.

f) One Who provides unending means of survival for His creation.

amRtASAya namah.
The nAma consists of a + mRta+ ASah. a-mRta refers to undying or eternal, or
to nectar. ASah is derived from the root aS – bhojane – to eat. One Who
consumed amRtam, or One Who gives amRtam to others, is ASah - aSnAti
ASayati vAASah.

a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is – tAn sva-guNa amRtam ASayati

itiamRtASah – He Who feeds His devotees with the Nectar of His guNa-s.

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers to tivruvAimozhi 8.8.4, where nammAzhvAr conveys

this: …. tEnum pAlum kannalum amudum Agit tittittu en UNil uyiril uNarvinil
ninRaonRai uNarndEnE.

"I can feel that He is in my body, flesh and blood, life-breath and the faculty

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 of thinking. He is sweet like honey, milk, sugar, candy, and what not".

nammAzhvAr also describes that bhagavAn voluntarily entered into him and
gave him bliss as the insatiable nectar - ArA amudamAi al AviyuL kalanda
kArAr karu mugil pOl en ammAn akkaNNanukku (tiruvAi. 2.5.5)

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives a similar interpretation – amRtam

ayAcitammoksham ASayati bhojayati bhkatAn iti amRtASah – He Who feeds –
bestows moksham to His devotees unasked, is amRtASah.

b) SrI Sa'nkara gives multiple interpretations. The first one is that bhagavAn
is called amRtASah because He consumes amRta or Immortal Bliss, which is
His Own nature – sva-rUpa amRtam aSnAti iti He also refers to bhagavAn's
churning of the Milk-Ocean and consuming the amRtam from this action in
addition to giving it to the deva-s.
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c) d) Sri Sa'nkara gives an additional interpretation using the meaning "desire

or will" for the word "ASA", and gives the meaning to the nAma as "One Who
has an ever-living will to give fruits" – One Who has amRtA ASA – amRtA
avinaSvara phalatvAt ASA vA'ncA asya itiamRtASah.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains this as referring to "His desires or wishes

being failure-proof – amRta".

e) One of SrI satya sandha yatirAja's interpretations is based on the meaning

"desire or attachment" for the word "ASA", and the meaning "mukta-s" for the
word "amRta-s" – "One Who is very dear to the mukta-s" – amRtAnAm
muktAnAm ASA icchA yasmin vishaya itiamRtASah.

f) One of the interpretations given by SrI vAsishTha is that bhagavAn has the
nAma indicating that He provides for the unending supply of means of survival
for all His creation - pravAhato nitya-sthAyIdam catur-vidha bheda
vibhaktamyathAtadarha jIvana sAdhanAni ASayati = bhojayati iti amRtASo
vishNuh.

amRta--vapuh
nAma 820. Am&tvpu> amRta

a) He of a Nectar-like body.

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b) He Who has an immortal form.

c) He Who sows and cuts the lives of this Universe continuously irrespective of
time.
amRta-vapushe namah.
The term amRta was explained for the previous nAma. The term amRta means
"undying, non-decaying". It is also used to refer to nectar, or amRtam. vapuh is
derived from vap – bIjasantAne chedane ca – to sow, to scatter, toweave, to
cut, to shave. The term vapu is used to refer to the body, appearance, etc. In
their interpretation for this nAma, SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning "Nectar"
for the term amRtam, and SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning "undying".

a) SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is – bhagavAn has a body that is like Nectar.

His devotees meditate on His divya ma'ngala vigraham – His tirumEni, and

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never get satiated. BhagavAn is called ArAvamudan (of tirukkuDantai fame).
nammAzhvAr dedicates tiruvAimozhi pASuram 5.8.1 to 5.8.11 to sing the praise
of ArAvamudan– the Nectar that never gives fulfillment of satisfaction, no
matter for how long we stand in front of Him and worship Him. He again calls
out to His ArAAmudam in pASuram-s in 2.5.4 (appozhudukku appozhudu en ArA
amudamE), 2.5.5 (ArAamudamAi al AviyuL kalanda), 10.10.5 (enakku ArA Amudu
AnAyE) , 10.10.6 (enakkuArA amudamAi), etc.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan remind us of emperumAnAr's SrI vaikunTha gadyam,

where he describes the experience of bhagavAn in SrI vaikunTham – amRta
sAgarAntar-nimaghnah sarvAvayavah sukhamAsIta.

b) SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is – mRtam maraNam tad-rahitam vapuh asya

itiamRta-vapuh – He Who has an immortal form is amRa-vapuh. Immortal means
"unconditioned by time". BhagavAn's tirumEni is not made of the perishable
material that our bodies are made of, but instead, its constituent is Suddha-
sattva material, that is eternal and non-decaying.

SrI rAdhAkRshNaSAstri's anubhavam is that bhagavAn who took incarnations

as rAma, kRshNa etc., is giving His darSanam to us still in that form, even
after the passage of time, with that same tirumEni (this is precisely the

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 concept behind the arcA rUpam of perumAL in our temples).

c) One of the interpretations given by SrI satya devo vAsishTha ues the
meaning "one who sows" for vapuh – va – bIjasantAne chedane ca – to sow, to
cut. His interpretation is bhagavAn pravAhanityam idam viSvam vapatisantanoti
tathA sarvam antakAle cchinatti – bhagavAn has this nAma signifying that He
is the One Who sows the seed of life continuously in this Universe, and when
the time comes, He is the One who cuts it also. He is the One Who propagates
the vistAra dharmA – of propagation of each species from other members of
the same species, with no violation of this rule anywhere.

nAma 821. svR}> sarvaj~nah

a) He Who knows all.

b) He Who knows all the needs of all His devotees.

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sarvaj~nAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier in Slokam 48 - nAma 454.

a) In Slokam 48, SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is

sarvaj~nah because He knows that He is the antaryAmI in everything – tathA
sarvAtmanA AtmAnam jAnAti iti sarva~jnah. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers
to us bRhadAraNya Upanishad, which conveys this message: idam sarvam yad
ayam AtmA (bRha.6.5.7). He knows that He is the best means and the best end
(best upAyam and best upeyam).

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi 4.7.7, where

AzhvAr refers to emperumAn as "nirainda j~nAna mUrti" – sarvaj~nan.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri has given several additional references to the

Srutiwhere Supreme Brahman is referred to as sarvaj~nah:

- yah sarvaj~nah sarvavit (muNDakopanishad 1.1.9);

- sa sarvaj~nah sarvobhavati (praSna 4.10);
- esha sarveSvara esha sarvaj~nah (mANDUkya 6);
- saviSvakRt siSvavid Atmayonih j~nah kAlakAlo guNI sarvavidyah (SvetASva.

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2.6.2,16).
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha comments that as the Maker of everything that
exists (the Creator), He knows the in and out of everything there is to know
about everything. He gives several Sruti references, where He is referred to
as "One Who knows everything":

tvam indra asi viSva-jit sarva-vit puruhUtas-tvam=indra |

(atharva.17.1.111)

sa no bandhur-janitA sa vidhAtA dhAmAni veda bhuvanAni viSvA |

(yajur. 32.10)

yo nah pitA janitA yo vidhAtA dhAmAni veda bhuvanAni viSva |

(Rg.10.82.3)

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yas-thishThati carati yaSca va'ncati yo nilAyam carati yah prata'nkam|

dvau sannishadya yan-mantrayete raja tad veda varuNas-tRtIyah ||

(atharva.4.26.2)

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj brings out the significance of the "all-knowing"
aspect through the following words – SrI bhagavAn hi sarvam sarvatra sarvadA
sarvathA ca jAnAti – He knows everything, always, everywhere, through all
means. He is the Only One Who knows the past, present and the future –
bhUta-bhavad-bhavishyAdInAm j~nAnam. He is inside everyone and
everything. All the bodies and all the souls are His body, and nothing is beyond
His reach. His sarva~jnatvam thus covers everything that is known, and
everything there is to know.

b) While SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam for the previous instance of this nAma (in
Slokam 48) was that He knows that He is the antaryAmI in everything, his
vyAkyAnam for the current nAma is in terms of what is particularly beneficial
for the devotee - that He knows precisely what is useful for the devotee. His
vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn knows what is in the power of His devotees and
what is not in their power, what they can accomplish by themselves and what

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 they cannot accomplish by themselves – teshAm Sakya aSakya sAdhya
asAdhyAdika manusandatte iti sarvaj~nah. The benefit to us from this is that
He will help us achieve things that we cannot achieve by ourselves, depending
on our wishes.

SvI v.v. rAmAnujan reminds us of tiruma'ngai AzhvAr's pASuram of this

quality of perumAl, where AzhvAr takes issue with perumAL for not revealing
Himself to AzhvAr right away, without delay, even after knowing fully well how
much AzhvAr is suffering from the separation from Him:

nallAr aRivIr, tIyAr aRivIr;

namakku iv-ulagattil ellAm aRivIr,
EdE ariyIrindaLUrIrE !
(periya tirumozhi 4.9.6)
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"You know who Your devotees are that cannot bear separation from You, and
who those people are that do not know the value of their association with You!
You know everything else in this universe too! But somehow You do not seem
know the purity and simplicity of the intense pain that I am undergoing right
now, because You are not giving Your darSanam to me right away!"

SrI Sa'nkara bhAshyam for the instance of this nAma in Slokam 48 is

"sarvaScaasau j~naSca iti sarva~jnah" - He who is all and who knows all. For
the current instance of the nAma, his interpretation is – sarvam jAnAti
itisarva~jnah – He Who knows all. The difference is that in the first case he
treats the nAma as sarvah + j~nah (sarvah as a noun or pronoun), and in the
second case as sarvam + j~nah (as qualifying j~nah).

c) SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation as "One Who illumines all– "The
Illuminator of all thoughts, all intentions, motives, emotions,and all sense
perceptions in an individual".

sarvato--mukhah
nAma 822. svRtaemuo> sarvato

a) He Who can be approached from many paths.

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b) He Who has faces on all sides.
sarvato-mukhAya namah.
sarvatah means "from all sides, in every direction, everywhere". mukham means
mouth, face, and in a generic sense, to an opening.

a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that the nAma signifies that there
are many ways of accessing and attaining Him. He has not laid down any rule
that He can be attained only by a particular means and not by another. On the
other hand, He can be easily attained by means that are sometimes
inexplicably simple – yena kenApi vyAjena supraveSatvAt sarvato-mukhah.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to SaraNAgati gadyam 17, where emperumAn

tells bhagavad rAmAnuja: yena kenApi prakAreNa dvaya vaktA tvam kevalam
madIyayaivadayayA – As long as one surrenders with the utterance of the

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dvaya mantra with or without sincerity, the natural Divine Grace of bhagavAn
will protect this person. Be it with sincerity (sa-hRdaya), or with feigned
sincerity (a-hRdaya), one who needs immediate help (Arta), or one who may
need support sometime in the future (dRpta), one who is His friend or one who
is His sworn enemy (such as rAvaNa), as long one approaches Him in the name
of SaraNagati, it is His vow to protect that person. During vibhIshaNa
saraNAgati, Lord rAma tells sugrIva that He considers it the sworn duty of a
dharmishTan to protect anyone who surrendersto him, even by giving up his
own life if needed –

Arto vA yadi vA dRptahpareshAm SaraNAgatah |

arih prANAn parityajya rakshitavyah kRtAtmanA ||

(yuddhakANDam 18.28).
b) SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is that the name signifies that bhagavAn has
faces on all sides –

sarvatah pANi-pAdam tat sarvato'kshi Siro mukham |

sarvatah Srutiman lokesarvam AvRtya tishThati ||

(gItA 13.13)

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 "Everywhere are Its hands and feet; Its eyes, heads and mouths are
everywhere; Its ears are on all sides; and It exists encompassing all things".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives references to the Sruti in support:

viSvataS-cakshuruta viSvato-mukhah

(tai. AraN. 10.1)

pratya'ng-janAs-tishThati sarvato-mukhah

(SvetASva. 2.16)
pratya'ng-mukhAs-tishThati viSvato-mukhah

(tait. AraN. 10.1)

SrI cinmayAnanda gives the analogy of the sun whose light shines in all
directions, or the light from a lamp that shines in all directions simultaneously.
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Yet another anubhavam is given by SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj – Bhakta-s

are singing His praise from all sides simultaneously, and He has faces on all
sides to listen to all of them simultaneously - sarvAsu diSAsu
bhajamAnaihbhaktair-hi SrImad bhagavato mukham avalokyate |

A similar interpretation isgiven by SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN – atah

sarvato-mukhahsarva-dig-deSa-vartishu bhakteshu mukham asya iti sarvato-
mukhah.

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 Slokam 88
sulÉ> suìt> isÏ> zÇuijCDÇutapn>,

Ny¢aexaeÊMbrae=ñTwía[UraNØin;Udn>. 88.
sulabhah suvratah siddhah satrujicchatrutApanah |
nyagrOdhO dumbarOsvatthas cANoorAndhra nishUdanah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

su--labhah
nAma 823. sulÉ> su

a) He Who can be easily attained.

b) He Who makes it possible to attain sukham (sukham labhata).

su-labhAya namah.

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su is a prefix (pratyaya) meaning sukham or saukaryam here. The root involved
in the nAma is labh – prAptau – to get. sukhena saukaryeNa vA labhyahsu-
labhah – He Who is attained easily.

In SrI viSishTAdvaita sampradAyam, His soulbhayam is one of the two most

important guNa-s that is enjoyed by the devotees very much (the other being
His sauSIlyam).

a) SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is – anargho'pi mUlya-bhAsena svIkartum

Sakyah – su-labhah – Even though He is priceless, He can be easily attained as
if for a small price. SrI BhaTTar gives the example of a woman of multi-
defaced body (kubjA) who offered some sandal paste to Lord kRshNa and got
Him to visit her house – She seized govinda by the dress and said "Come to my
house": vastre pragRhya govindam mama geham vrajeti vai (vishNu purANam
5.20.11).

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives instances from AzhvAr's SrI sUkti-s:- pattuDai
aDiyavarkku eLiyavan (tiruvAi. 1.3.1) – He is extremely easy of access to those
who approach Him with devotion.

(After describing bhagavAn's parattvam in the first two tiruvAimozhi- s of

the first pattu (decad), nammAzhvAr starts to describe His saulabhyam, and

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 this is the first pASuram of the third tiruvAimozhi, where he starts
describing the incident where He just let Himself be bound to the mortar just
to please yaSOdA. Tradition has it that nammAzhvAr was so moved by this
soulabhyam of perumAL that He passed out at this simple, unassuming, virtue
of emperumAn mingling with all, and was in this state of lost consciousness for
six months before regaining consciousness. That is the kind of anubhavam that
the AzhvAr-s had of emperumAn. For those who have gone through ANDAL's
nAcciyAr tirumozhi, to understand ANDAL's outburst of emotion, it is
important to understand that this is the level where she was in her anubhavam
of perumAL).

eNNilum varum en ini vENDuvam (tiruvAi. 1.10.2) – if we count numbers and

utter the number 26, He thinks we are referring to Him, and uses this as an
excuse to come to us.
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(Among the tattva-s, the twenty-fifth is the soul (jIva), and the 26th is
paramAtmA. If someone counts numerals just for counting purposes, and
accidentally utters the number 26, He is willing to assume that this person is
thinking of Him as the 26th tattvam, and is willing to appear before this
person to bless him. Such is His willingness to be easily accessible).

aNiyan Agum tana-TAL aDaindArgatkellAm (tiruvAi. 9.10.8) - He is very near to

those who surrender themselves to Him.

SrI v. n. vedAnta deSikan comments that when sugrIva surrendered to rAma

for help in getting his kingdom and his wife, rAma considered it His supreme
responsibility to protect sugrIva above any other responsibility of His,
including protecting sItA. Such is the power of surrender to Him. Lord rAma
tells sugrIva:

tvayi ki'ncit samApanne kim kAryam sItayA mama |

bharatena mahAbAholakshmaNena yavIyasA |

Satrughnena ca Satrughna sva-SarIreNa vA punah ||

(yuddha.41.5)

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"If you meet with death (by My lack of protecting you), I do not care if any of
the others are left behind – such as sItA, lakshmaNa, bharata,Satrughna, or
for that matter, Myself".

That is the level of His ease of accessibility through the simple act of
surrender. SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is: patra-pushpAdibhih bhakti-mAtra-
samarpitaih sukhena labhyata iti su-labhah – He Who is easily attainable even
by the offer of leaves, flowers, fruits, etc., with full devotion. The key words
are "with devotion". SrI Sa'nkara quotes from mahA-bhArata:

patreshu pushpeshu phaleshu toyeshu akrIta-labhyeshu sadiava satsu |

bhaktyeka-labhye purushe purANe muktyai katham na kriyate prayatnah ||

"The Ancient Purusha is easily attainable by devotion alone, with the offer of
leaves, flowers, fruits, and even water, which are always attainable without

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cost. When such is the case, how is it that people do not even want to try to
work towards emancipation?"

SrI cinmayAnanda quotes the gItA Slokam where bhagavAn Himself declares
that He is "sulabhah":

ananya-cetAh satatam yo mAm smarati nityaSah |

tasyAham su-labhah pArthanitya-yuktasya yoginah ||

(gItA 8.14)
"I am easy of access, O arjuna, to that yogin who is ever integrated with Me,
whose mind is not in anything else but Me, and who ceaselessly recollects Me at
all times".

b) SrI satya sandha yatirAja givea a new anubhavam – sukham labhata iti
sulabhah – He Who bestows happiness is su-labhah.

su--vratah
nAma 824. suìt> su

a) He Who has taken a good, strong vow.

b) He Who accepts only the pure food that is offered with sincerity by His
selfless devotees.

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 c) He Who controlled what He consumed appropriately in His nara-nArAyaNa
incarnation.

d) He Who controls everything in this universe and keeps them in order.

e) He Who observed all the vrata-s rigorously in His kRshNa incarnation, even
though He was the Supreme Soul.
su-vratAya namah.
su is an upasarga (prefix). vrata means "promise, vow".
a) SrI BhaTTar points to His su-vratam as "dRDha vratam" – strong vow.
"yathA katha'ncit pravishThAnAm sarvathA paripAlana dRDha vratah su-
vratah"– He Who has taken a strong vow to protect those who come to Him
through by one means or another, through whatever means it takes, is su-
vratah. He quotes Lord rAma's vratam:
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sakRdeva prapannAya tava asmi iti yAcate |

a-bhayam sarva-bhUtebhyo dadAmyetat vratam mama ||

(rAmA. yuddha. 18.33)

"To him who has sought my protection only once, and begged of me saying "I
am Thine", to him I give protection from all beings. This is my vow".

We also have His own assurances to bhagavad rAmAnuja in SaraNAgati gadyam

about how serious He is in His vratam:

anRtam nokta pUrvam me na ca vakshye kadAcana

I have never uttered a lie before, nor will my words ever be false.
sarva-dharmAn parityajya mAm ekam SaraNam vraja |

aham tvA sarva pApebhyo mokshayishyAmi mA Sucah ||

(gItA 18.66)

"Completely relinquishing all dharma-s, seek Me alone for refuge.

I will release you from all sins. Grieve not".

rAmo dvir na abhibhAshate

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"rAma does not do double-talking".

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi 9.10.5, which

reflects this su-vratam of bhagavAn:

SaraNam Agum tanaTAL aDaindArgaTkellAm

maraNam AnAl vaikunTham koDukkum pirAn

(tiruvAi. 9.10.5)
"The Lord grants SrI vaikunTham to whomsoever that has surrendered at His
feet. This He does at the time of their death".

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to the following in SrI vacana bhUshaNam 381:

"en Uraic connAi, en pEraic connAi, en aDiyArai nOkkinAi,

avargaL viDAiyait tIrttAi, avargaLukku odu'nga nizhal koDuttAi, …..

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janma paramparaigaL tORum, …. tAnE avaRRai onRu pattAkki naDattik koNDu
pOrum"-

If someone says the name of a divya deSam without evening thinking about it
as a divya deSam, He is willing to give credit to this person for having
mentioned the name of His divya deSam etc. And then, He keeps accumulating
these over several of our births, and then multiplies them ten-fold, and then
considers these as our good deeds, and protects us.

b) SrI Sa'nkara associates the term vratam with consumption of food. His
vyAkhyAnam is: Sobhanam vratayati bhunkte.

Different translators give different meanings for this. SrI ananta kRshNa
SAstry gives the interpretation that the nAma signifies that He accepts only
the pure food that is offered with sincerity by His selfless devotees such as
Kucela.

c) The alternate interpretation by SrI Sa'nkara is that He controlled what He

consumed appropriately – bhojanAt nivartayati iti su-vratah – such as in His
nara-nArAyaNa incarnation, and this is symbolized by this nAma.

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha views the term vratam as signifying control or

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 restraint – niyamanam, and gives the interpretation that the nAma signifies
that He controls the worldvery effectively – suvratati niyamayati iti su-vratah.
This is also ascribed to fear of Him even by the likes of vAyu, agni., etc., on
the consequences of transgressing His orders – bhIshAsmAd-vAtah pavate
etc. He gives the following references to the instance of His function of vrata
or niyamanam from the Sruti:

yasya vrate prithivI nannamIti yasya vrate Saphavaj- jarbhurIti |

yasya vrate oshadhIr-viSva rUpAh sa nah parjanya mahi Sarma yaccha ||

(Rg.5.83.5)

e) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the explanation that bhagavAn, in His
kRshNa incarnation, was observing all the vrata-s – rituals etc.,meticulously,
and this is what is conveyed by this nAma – SobhanAni paramotsava rUpANi
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janmAshTamI-kArtika-niyamAdIni vratAni yasya sasu-vratah.

nAma 825. isÏ> siddhah

a) He Whose protection is ever available without any special effort on the part
of His devotees.

b) He Who is the siddhopAya – the already existing means - for attaining

moksham.

c) He Who is fully accomplished, without dependence on anyone or anything

else.

d) He Who makes His devotees accomplished – in their tapas and other efforts
to attain Him.

e) He Who gave us the SAstra-s, or He Who bestows auspiciousness on us

f) The final conclusion – the Ultimate Truth – through all means of proof
available to us.

g) He Who accomplishes all His undertakings flawlessly to completion and

perfection.
siddhAya namah.

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The root from which the nAma is derived is sidh – samrAddhau – to reach, to
attain one's end, to succeed, to accomplish. We came across a series of nAma-
s based on this root in Slokam 27 – nAma-s 253 to 256 - siddhArthah,siddha-
samkalpah, siddhi-dah, siddhi- sAdanah. In the current context, the nAma is
interpreted as "One Who is already materialized as a Protector of us, One
Who helps us materialize our objectives, One Who is perfect, One Who makes
us perfect", etc.

a) SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that His protection is available to His

devotees without any special effort on their part. The act of protecting His
devotees is natural to Him, is ever existent in Him, and is not conditioned by
anything –

asya goptRtvam aupAdhikam,

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sadA svata eva sarva-goptRtvAt ,

a-yatna sAdhyahsiddhah.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi 5.7.10 in support:

ARu enakku nin pAdamE SaraN enRu ozhindAi - "My goal is Your Feet. The
means, or upAya, is also to cling to Your Feet".

These Feet of emperumAn already exist for our clinging without any effort on
our part, and so He is siddhah.

nammAzhvAr describes that bhagavAn is already materialized for our

protection (siddhah) since He rushes to us to give us vaikunTham just for our
chanting His many nAma-s:

naNNinam nAraAyaNanai nAma'ngaL pala Solli

maN ulagil vaLam mikka vATTARRAn vandu ninRu

viN ulagam taruvAnAi viraiginRAn vidi vagaiyE

eNNinavARAgA ik-karuma'ngaL en ne'njE!

(tiruvAi. 10.6.3)
"We approached nArAyaNa by reciting His names which are expressions of His

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 qualities. The Lord comes and hastens to hand over SrI vaikunTha lokam itself
to us, to enjoy at our will, whenever we wish it. He has come the whole way
through, taken residence near us in TiruvaTTARu, and waits, even though He is
in a great hurry to take me. O my mind! You were very co-operative; otherwise,
this could not have happened".

b) SvAmi deSikan explains that among the upAya-s or means for attaining Him,
He is Himself the already existing siddha upAyam – siddhopAyastu
muktauniravadhika dayah SrI-sakhah sarva-Saktih – SrIman nArAyaNa, with
infinite mercy and infinite Sakti, is the siddha upAyam in the matter of
bestowing moksham (nyAsa vimSati 17) – the means that already exists without
requiring any special effort on our part to create this upAya or means; all we
need to is follow one of the sAdhya upAya-s - either the bhakti or the prapatti
mArgam, and He is the pre-existing means (siddha upAya) that will grant the
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moksham.

c) SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation that the nAma signifies that He is
perfect – fully accomplished, without dependence on anyone else –
ananyAdhIna siddhitvAt siddhah.

d) SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry gives the interpretation that the nAma can also
mean that He is One who makes others perfect through their devotion to Him
–The good ones attain perfection or full fruition in tapas, salvation, etc., by
serving Him.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri also gives a similar dual interpretation – He is

siddhah because He gives siddhi to the practitioners of the vrata- s etc., and
He is siddha because He has attained siddhi in all respects. He gives support
from nRsimhottara tApanI 9.9 - sadevapurastAt siddham hi brahma.

e) SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives a new interpretation – sidham ma'ngalam

SAstram vA dhatta iti sid-dhah - He Who gave us the SAstra-s, or He Who
bestows auspiciousness on us.

He uses the root shidhU – SAstre mA'ngalye ca – "to ordain, command,

instruct, to turn out well or auspiciously", and the root dhA – dhAraNa

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poshNayoh dAne ca – "to put, to grant, to produce, to bear" in this
interpretation.

f) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the explanation that the nAma means
that bhagavAn is the Ultimate End or the Final conclusion of all enquiries –
siddhyati sma siddhah – bhagavAn hi sakalaih pramANaih siddhah;
tatrapratyaksham pramANam bhaktAnAm, anumAnam pramANam
tArkikANAm, Sabda pramANam caSruti-SAstrANAm, evam pramANa-
tryamapi Sri bhagavantam sAdhayati – For the devotees, He is the prayaksha
pramANam, for the analysts He is the final result of the analysis, and He is
the Sabda pramANam as declared loudly in the Sruti-sand SAstra-s. So He is
the end result of all means of establishing the UltimateTruth.

g) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha's anubhavam is that the nAma refers to "One Who

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accomplishes everything there is to accomplish, with no effort" – Srama
klamtandrAbhih varjito yatnApekshAsiddhiSca siddhah. Or, "He who
accomplishes everything to completion and perfection always" is siddhah –
sarvato bhAvinI SAsvatI siddhih asya iti siddhah. He refers to bhagavAn's
creation of the universe and its functioning flawlessly, with the right mix of
air, heat, water, different species, etc., as He decides.

SrI BhaTTar has interpreted the nAma-s in terms of bhagavAn's direct

incarnations. The interpretation of the next few nAma-s will be in terms of His
indirect incarnations – that is, those in which He enters into others and acts.

Satru--jit
nAma 826. zÇuijCDÇutapn> Satru Satru--tApanah
jit--Satru
He Who occupies the bodies of Satru- jits to torment His devotees' enemies.
Satru-jit-Satru-tApanAya namah.
All interpreters other than SrI BhaTTar and those who follow him, treat this
as two nAma-s: Satru-jit and Satru-tApanah. The essential meaning of the two
interpretations is same – BhagavAn ensures that the enemies of the gods are
punished and conquered; either He Himself does this (SrI Sa'nkara's
interpretation), as rAma, kRshNa, etc. in the case of rAvaNa, kamsa, etc., or

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 He does it by entering into someone else with His Sakti (sva-tejasA
ApyAyitaih), and then accomplishes the destruction of the enemies of the gods
(SrI BhaTTar's interpretation).

Thus, SrI BhaTTar treats the nAma as Satru-jit-Satru-tApanah, and gives the
explanation that (in addition to using His powers directly in destroying the
enemies of His devotees), He also uses His powers by entering into others with
His tejas, and then defeats the enemies of His devotees as well. Thus, his
interpretation for this nAma is that He is Satru-tApanah (Torturer of His
devotees' enemies) by using Satru-jits (those who conquer their enemies) as
His vehicle. SrI BhaTTar gives examples for this interpretation from SrI
vishNu purANam:

"para'njayo hi nAma SaSAdasya ca rAjarshes-tanayah kshatriya- varyah |

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tac-charIre aham amSena svayameva avatIrya tAn aSeshAn asurAn

nihanishyAmi"

(V.P. 4.2.8);
"With a part of Me, I will descend into the body of para'njaya and annihilate
the asura-s Myself".

"kakutsthah bhagavatah carAcaraguroh acyutasya tejasA ApyAyito

devAsura sa'ngrAme samastAneva asurAn nijaghAna"

(V.P. 4.2.11).
"Then, kakutstha (para'njaya), infused with the power of the Eternal Rulerof
all movable and immovable things, destroyed in the battle all the enemies ofthe
gods ".

"…Atha bhagavAn Adi-purushah purushottamo yauvanASvasya

mAndhAtuhpurukutsa nAmA putrastam aham anupraviSya etAn aSesha dushTa
gandharvAn upaSamam nayishyAmi"

(V.P.4.3.7)
"The Adi-purusha and purushottama replied: I will enter into the person of
purukutsa, the son of mAndhAtri and yuvanASva, and in him I will quiet these

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iniquitous gandharva-s.".

"rasatala gataSca asau bhagavat tejasA ApyAyita Atma-vIryah

sakalagandharvAn jaghAna"

(V.P. 4.3.9)
"Reaching the regions below the earth, and being filled with the might of the
Supreme Deity, he (purutkutsa) destroyed the gandharva-s".

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha also gives this as his interpretation, the idea of His
indirect incarnations, for the nAma satru-tApanah – sarva - suhRdah sAdhUn
dvishanti ta eva Satrvah, tAnSca yah sva - paradatta-Saktibhih mahA-
purushaihtApayati iti Satru-tApanah – He gives His Sakti to the mahA-
purushas, who inturn go after those who harm His devotees, and punish them.
He gives the following support from atharva veda, where this guNa of

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scorching the enemies is referred to:

dvishas-tApayan hradah SatrUNAm tApayan manah |

dur-hrAdah sarvAs-tvam darbha dharma ivAbhIntsam tApayan ||

(atharva. 19.28.2)
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj treats the nAma as "Satru-jit-Satru- tApanah",
but gives the interpretation in terms of the two parts: "He Who is Satru-jit
and also Satru-tApanah" –
"Satayanti utpIDayanti dhArmikAn iti Satravah;
tAn jayati iti Satru-jit;SatrUn tApayati iti Satru-tApanah;
Satru-jit ca asau Satru-tApanan iti Satru-jit- Satru-tApanah".

The interpretation for Satru-jit and Satru-tApanah as separate nAma-s by

SrISa'nkara and his followers is given below:

Satru--jit:
Satru

a) He Who conquers His enemies.

b) He Who helps us defeat our worst enemy – the identity of the body with
the soul.

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 c) He Who gives His creation the means to defend themselves against their
enemies.

a) Satrum jayati iti Satru-jit – He Who conquers the enemy is Satru- jit. SrI
Sa'nkara's interpretation is: sura-Satrava eva asya Satravah, tAn jayati
itiSatru-jit – The enemies of the gods are His enemies, and He is the
Conqueror of those, and so He is Satru-jit.

b) SrI cinmayAnanda sees in this nAma the message that bhagavAn is the One
who can drive away the worst of all the enemies, that in our mind: "In the
bosom of man, his enemies are none other than consciousness of his body and
the consequent passions of the flesh – both objective and subjective. The
seeker feels that these urges in him constitute a very powerful team of
belligerent forces, and against their concerted onslaught he feels helpless".
But when an alert seeker turns to nArAyaNa who is in his own heart, all
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obstacles whither away, and thus He is the "Supreme Conqueror of all

enemies". In other words, it is the identification of the body with the soul that
is the worst of our enemies. Meditation on Him is the only means to conquer
this enemy, and so He is called Satru-jit.

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha comments that bhagavAn displays His guNa of

conquering the enemy, by giving His creation different means to defend
themselves, such as the horns for the horned species, the nails for the lion
etc., and other means for the other species to defend themselves.

Satru--tApanah:
Satru

a) The Torturer of the foes of His devotees.

b) He Who destroys the negative tendencies in the devotee's heart.

a) SrI Sa'nkara gives the explanation – sura-SatrUNAm tApanAt Satru-

tApanah –

a) The Tormentor of the foes of the gods: SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri

comments that this act of tormenting the Satru-s is to punish the evil-doers
even when they are alive, by meting out severe and unbearable punishments to

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them.

b) SrI cinmayAnanda continues along the lines of his interpretation for the
previous nAma, and comments that bhagavAn's nAma "Satru- tApana" indicates
that "When the devotee offers himself at the altar of His Feet, He
(bhagavAn) burns down all the negative tendencies polluting this devotee's
heart.

nyag--rodhodumbarah
nAma 827. Ny¢aexaeÊMbr> nyag

He Who has the Supreme Abode with Lakshmi and everything that is
magnificent, but Who is at the command of the devotees who approach Him
with folded hands.
nyagrodhodumbarAya namah.

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This is another nAma which is treated as two separate nAma-s by most
vyAkhyAna-kartA-s except SrI BhaTTar and his followers. This nAma is an
outstanding example that illustrates the uniqueness of SrI BhaTTar's
vyAkhyAnam. But first, let us look at the individual meanings of the two parts:

nyagrodhah

a) He Who is controlled by those who stand below, bowing to Him with folded
hands.

b) He who controls those below Him.

c) He Who is Primordial, and is above all.

d) He Who is firmly rooted, and extends in all directions in the form of the
universe.

e) He to Whom those below make a plea for benefits that they desire.

f) He Who subjugates the enemies of His devotees, and punishes them

g) He Who is desired in their hearts by those who worship Him (rudh – kAme –
to desire).

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 SrI vAsishTha indicates the derivation of the word nyak from the root a'nc–
gatipUjanayoh – to go, to worship. ni is an upasarga or prefix. nIcaiha'ncati iti
nyak – One who bows low; The word rodhah is derived from the root rudh,
which has a couple of different meanings – rudh – kAme – to obey; rudh –
AvaraNe – to oppose. The term nyag-rodah is also used to denote the vaTa
vRksham – the banyan tree. Some vyAkhyAnakartA-s look at the nAma as nyag-
rohah, using a grammar rule that says that the `ha' can be replaced by `gha'.
The different interpretations are the results of the above variations.

a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is:

nyag-bhUtaih – adhah- kRtA'njalibhih, rudhyate – svaprasAdaun mukhyena

vyasthApyate iti nyag- rodhah – He Who is controlled by those who stand
below, bowing to Him with folded hands. SrI BhaTTar stresses the influence
of a'njali on bhagavAn – a'njalih paramAmudrA kshipram deva-prasAdinI
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(vishNu dharmottara 33.105) - The sight of the a'njali (the act of joining
hands in supplication), immediately pleases the Lord at once without delay.

ALavandAr points to this in stotra ratnam 28 (SrI v.v.rAmAnujan):

tvad-anghrim uddiSya kadA'pi kenacit yathA tathA vA'pi sakRt kRto'njalih |

tadaiva mushNAtyaSubhAnyaSeshatah SubhAni pushNAti na jAtu hIyate ||

(stotra. ratna 28)

"If anyone worships Your Feet with folded hands even once at any time under
any pretence, at that very moment all the sins of this person are driven away,
and infinite auspices accumulate for this person".

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers to the instance of His being tied to the mortar by
yaSodA – "kaTTuNNap paNNiaya peru mAyan", as an example of this Supreme
ParamAtman being subservient to yaSodA's affection.

b) In one of his interpretations, SrI vAsishTha uses the same roots, and
comes up with the interpretation that "He is One who controls those below" –
nyag ruNaddhi iti nyag-rodhah.

c) SrI Sa'nkara looks at the nAma as nyag-rohah for the purposes of

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interpretation, and then invokes the grammatical rule "pRshodarAditvAt
hakArasya dhakArAdeSah" which allows for the replacement of ha with gha in
the above, resulting in nyag-rodhah. His vyAkhyAnam is:

nyak arvAk rohati sarveshAm upari vartata iti nyagrodhah - which is generally
translated as "One Who is Primordial, and is above all".

This meaning can be derived by using the root ruh – bIja janmani
prAdurbhAveca – to grow, to increase, to rise, to reach.

SrI satya sandha yatirAja also looks at the nAma as nyag-rohah (similar to SrI
Sa'nkara above), but comes with a different interpretation. He uses the
meaning ruh – to grow, and gives the explanation that the nAma signifies that
"He makes all beings obey Him, and grows or develops all the beings"– sarvANi
bhUtAni nyakRtya rohati vardhata iti.

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In the tamizh translation for SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam by SrI kAmakoTi
kOSasthAnam in 1948, one of the meanings given for the nAma is:
"ellAuyirgaLaiyum kIzhp paDuttit tan mAyaiyAl mUDik kaTTup paDuttukiRAn"
– The nAma signifies that He controls all beings that are below Him, and
envelops them with His mAyA. This interpretation can be derived by using the
meaning "below" for "nyak", and the meaning "obey" for the word rodhah (rudh
kAme – to obey).

d) The term nyagrodhah also refers to the banyan tree, since this tree grows
in the downward direction as much as it grows in the upward direction. (ruh –to
grow) – nIcair-gatau parohair-vardhate; nyag rohati – grows downwards.
Because of this, this tree is very strongly rooted, and is extremely stable. SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri interprets the nAma as referring to this attribute
ofbhagavAn, namely, that He is firmly rooted, and extends in all directions in
the form of the universe.

e) Another interpretation of SrI vAsishTha is – nyagbhih anurudhyate =

prArthyate IpsitAptaya iti nyag-rodhah – "He to Whom those below make a
plea for benefits that they desire".

f) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the interpretation that "He is One who

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 subjugates the enemies of His devotees, and oppresses or punishes them" –
nyak-kRtya ruNaddhi niraye nikshipati sva-bhakta- drohiNa iti nyag-rodhah.

(The root used is rudh – AvaraNe – to oppose, to oppress; nyak-kRtyua -

subjugating).

g) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation: nyagbhih

praNataihrudhyate hRdaya-pradeSe iti nyag-rodhah – He Who is desired in
their hearts by those who worship Him (rudh – kAme – to desire).

udumbarah:

a) He Who has the most auspicious SrI vaikuNTham as His own.

b) He Who is 'above the sky', i.e., superior to all.

c) He Who nourishes the world in the form of food etc.

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d) One Who has the best of sounds – the veda-s, as His form.

e) He Who is praised by the highest and best of sounds - bhajans, nAma-

sa'nkIrtana-s etc.

f) He Who has the superior pItAmbaram as His garment (ud- ambarah).

ut is an upasarga (prefix). ambaram refers to the sky (derived from am –gati

Sabda sambhaktishu – to go, to eat, to sound). ut + ambara = ud-ambara, which
becomes ud-umbara because of a grammatical rule - pRshodarAdi lakshaNam.

a) SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is: sarva-guNaih udgatam ambaram – param

dhAmaasya iti ud-umbarah – He Who has as the Supreme Abode, SrI
vaikuNTham, is udumbarah. This abode is Supreme because it has Lakshmi, and
it rises above all other things by its magnificent qualities (ut).

b) SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is that "He is `above the sky' i..e., He is

superior to all – amabarAt udgatah ud-ambarah.

SrI cinmayAnanda adds that the cause is subtler than the effect, and thus,
the essential principle, nArAyaNa, transcends even the concept of space.

c) SrI Sa'nkara gives an alternate interpretation using the meaning "food" for

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the word "Urk", and gives the explanation for the nAma as "Urk annam, tad-
AtmanA viSvam poshayan udambarah – He Who nourishes the world in the form
of food etc. He gives the support from Sruti – UrgvA annAd yad udumbaram
(tait. brAh. 1.2.7, 1.3.8).

d) SrI vAsishTha uses the root am – Sabde – to sound, and interprets the
nAma ud-umbarah as "One Who has the best of sounds – the veda-s, as His
form" – uccaih sarvata uttamo veda-rUpah Sabdo yasya sa ud-
umbarahsarveSvaro vishNuh.

e) Based on the same root, SrI vAsishTha gives another explanation – He Who
is praised by the highest and best of sounds: bhajans, nAma- sa'nkIrtana-s
etc.,– ut sarvata utkRshTatvena ambyate = Sabdyate = sa'nkIrtyata iti ud-
umbarah.

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f) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation: ut utkRshTam
ambarampItAmbaram yasya sah udumbarah - He Who has the superior
pItAmbaram as His garment is ud-ambarah. Here, he uses the word ambaram
with the meaning "garment".

nyag rodha--udumbarah:
nyag--rodha

Now that we have seen the separate meanings of the two nAma-s nyag- rodah
and udumbarah, let us revisit the interpretation of SrI BhaTTar for this as
one nAma. We note that SrI BhaTTar's explanation for the part nyag-rodah
was that "bhagavAn is One who is subservient to the devotees who stand in
front of Him with their folded hands", and for "udumbarah", the
interpretation was that "He is One Who has the Supreme Abode as His, with
Lakshmi and with all that is magnificent". The reasons for combining the two
into one nAma now stands out at us: "Even though bhagavAn is One Who is
endowed with everything that is Supreme, He is just at the command of His
devotees when they stand in front of Him with folded hands". SrI BhaTTar's
words are: atyucchrita-sevyo'piatyanta-nIcAnAmapi anuvartana- sAdhyah –
Though He is worshipped by the highest of the gods, He is within easy reach

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 of the lowliest of persons (because it is possible to please Him easily). No
language or words can capture this saulabhyaam of emperumAn. This nAma in
SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is perhaps one of the best examples of the
uniqueness of his contribution through his vyAkhyAnam, appropriately titled as
"bhagavad guNa darpaNam", where he repeatedly brings out the two supreme
qualities of bhagavAn – His saulabhyam and His sauSeelyam.

nAma 828. AñTw> aSvattah

a) He Who has established the impermanent gods for performing various

functions.

b) He Who is described as the root of an eternal aSvattha tree of samsAra

etc.

c) He Who eternally rules over the universe that is never the same, and keeps
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constantly changing.

d) He Who pervades the entire universe in the form of the five great
elements.
aSvattAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is based on looking at the nAma as a + Sva +
stha (SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya). Svas means "tomorrow" (Apte's dictionary). a-
Svah then means 'not tomorrow', namely `that which is impermanent'. SrI
BhaTTar interprets this as a reference to the impermanent positions of
brahmA, indra etc. The part sthah refers to His being the niyAmaka or
Controller of the worlds through these gods whose position is transitory – na
Svah – anityam, indrAdityAdi padam yeshAm, teshu niyAmakatayA tishThati
itia-Svat-sthah or aSvatthah using the pRshodarAdi rule, whereby s is
replaced by t– or stha by ttha. SrI BhaTTar gives support from SrI vishNu
purANam:

mUrtim rajo-mayIm brAhmIm ASritya sRjati prajAh |

ASritya paurushIm mUrtim sAttvikIm yah sa pAlayan |

kAlAkhyAm tAmasIm mUrtim ASritya grasate jagat ||

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"Residing within the body of brahmA, composed of rajo guNa, bhagavAn
creates the world. He takes the body of vishNu composed of sattva, and
protects the world. Assuming the body of kAla (Siva) composed of tamo-guNa,
He swallows the Universe".

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi, where AzhvAr

describes this aspect of bhagavAn:

iRukkum iRai iRuttu uNNa ev-vulagukkum tan mUrti

niRuttinAn deiva'ngaLAga ad-deiva-nAyagan tAnE ….

(tiruvAi. 5.2.8)
"The lower deities, whom you are wont to worship for many different worldly
benefits, are like tax-collectors. They have all been established in their
positions by my Lord who is daiva-nAyaka, the Chief of all gods".

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In one of his interpretations, SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the concept of
time (Svas = tomorrow), and gives the interpretation: Svah = kAle, tishThati iti
Svatthah, na Svatthah a_Svatthah, kAla bahir bhUto bhagavAn vishNuh – He
Who is not constrained by time. This is why He is called sanAtana – Eternal,
Permanent. He refers to the kaThopanishad passage:

"Urdhva mUlo'vAk Sakha esho'Svatthah sanAtanah |

tadeva Sukram tad-brahma tadevAmRtam ucyate |"

(kaTho. 2.3.1)
"This eternal pipal tree has its root above and branches downward.

That is effulgent. That is Brahman. That alone is said to be immortal".

b) One of SrI Sa'nkara's interpretations is based on the reference to the

aSvatta tree – aSvattha iva tishThati iti aSvatthah - that has roots hanging
from the tree downwards, as well as roots like traditional trees. Because of
this, it is described in the gItA and in the Upanishads as a tree that has its
roots from above, and branches below.

Urdhva-mUlam adhah SAkham aSvattham prAhur-avyayam |

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 chandAmsi yasya parNAni yas-tam veda sa veda-vit ||

(gItA 15.1)
"They speak of an immutable aSvattha tree with its roots above and its
branches below. Its leaves are the veda-s. He who knows it knows the veda-s".

The reference to the eternal aSvattha tree here is a reference to permanent

cycle of samsAra, which is rooted in Brahman, and which grows in a continuous
flow into the different life forms which themselves perish after some time,
but the flow continues on. It propagates through the knowledge in the forms
of its leaves. This knowledge (veda) consists of both the kAmya karma-s in the
form of religious rites and sacrifices that promote the tree of samsAra, as
well as the knowledge that is needed to fell this tree that grows by desire etc.

The Sruti also gives the description of samsAra in terms of the aSvattha
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tree:- Urdhva-mUlo'vAk Sakha esho'Svatthah sanAtanah | (kaTho. 2.3.1) –

referenced earlier - Urdhva-mUlmavAk Sakham vRksham yo veda samprati
(AraNya.1.11.5)

c) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN uses the meaning "prapa'ncam" or "the

universe" for the word aSvattha, based on the niruktam –

SvastAd- rUpeNa na sthAteti aSvatthah prapa'ncah;

sa asya asti nityam niyamyata iti arthah

He Who eternally rules over the universe that is never the same, and keeps
constantly changing.

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives a different anubhavam. He derives the

meaning starting from the root aS – vyAptau sa'nghAte ca – to pervade, to
accumulate. His interpretation is: aSnuvate – vyApnuvanti viSvam iti aSvAni–
pa'nca mahA bhUtAni, teshu vyApakatvena sthitah aSvatthah – He Who
pervades the entire universe in the form of the five great elements.

cANurAndhra--nishUdanah
nAma 829. ca[UraNØin;Udn> cANurAndhra

a) He Who slew the wrestler by name cANura.

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b) He Who causes utmost misery to those who cause hardship to the good
people of sAttvik disposition.

c) He Who slew cANura, duryodhana and the like.

cANurAndhara-nishUdanAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is that this nAma refers to bhagavAn's
slaying of an asura wrestler by name cANUra, belonging to the andhra race, or
one who is from a low-caste, and who was the enemy of indra and other gods –
tad-virodhinam cANUra-nAmAnam asurAndhra mallam nishUditavAn iti
cANUrAndhra-nishUdanah.

SrI v. n. vedAnta deSikan comments that this cANura is different from the
one that kamsa had deputed for killing kRshNa (it so happensthat this later
was also a wrestler).

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The term andhra in this nAma is translated differently by the different
translated – either that it refers to a race called andhra, or a location called
andhra, or a low-caste called andhra. Some interpreters of SrI Sa'nkara
vyAkhyAnam indicate that the cANura that was sent by kamsa was from the
kingdom of andhra.

b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives his interpretation starting from the basic
roots for the component parts of the nAma.

caN – dAne gatau ca – to give. caNanti = dadati dAna-SilAsAttvika-vRttayah

cANUrAh – Those who are sAttvik by nature and who perform acts of giving to
others are called cANUra-s. Or, cAi – pUjA niSAmanayoh – to worship, to
observe. cAyyante = pUjyante iti cANUrAh, praSasta-hRdayAhsAdhavah –
Those noble people who are worthy of worship because of their noble hearts
are called cANUra- s. Thus, the term cANUra in SrI vAsishTha's
interpretation refers to good people. - andhra – derived from andha –
dRshTyupaghAte dRshyupasamhAre – to be blind, to close their eyes. and
hayati iti andhrah – Those who cheat or deceive are andhra-s. So
cANUrAndhra-s are those who cheat or deceive the good people. - nishUdana
is derived from the root sUd – ksharaNe– to destroy. nishUdana means "One

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 who gives or causes extreme pain through multiple ways" – sarva-prakAreNa
nitarAm bhAdate..

Thus, SrI vAsishTha's interpretation for the nAma cANUrAndhra-

nishUdanah is:

"One Who causes extreme pain and misery to those who trouble the good
andsAttvik minded people".

c) SrI satya sandha yatirAja uses the pATham cANuRAndha nishUdanah, and
interprets the term andha to refer to duryodhana and his associates (andha
means blind; the reference to duryodhana and his associates as andhAh could
be because they were blind to truth and dharma; it could also be because
duryodhana and hisbrothers were sons of dhRtarAshTra). So his
interpretation is that the nAma means "He Who destroyed cANura, and
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duryodhana and his brothers" – cANUraSca andhASca duryodhanAdayah, tAn

nishUdayati iti.

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 Slokam 89
shöaicR> sÝijþ> sÝExa> sÝvahn>,

AmUitRrn"ae=icNTyae Éyk«Ñynazn>. 89.

sahasrArcih saptajihvah saptaidhAh saptavAhanah |
amUrti ranaghO=cintyO bhayakrut bhayanAsanah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 830. shöaicR> sahasrArcih

a) The Thousand-rayed, Who illumines everything in this Universe.

b) He Whose tirumEni radiates with kAnti that resembles infinite number or

rays emanating from Him.

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sahasrArcishe namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is that He has countless rays emanating from
Him, in the form of the sun, the moon, etc. It is because He has endowed the
sun with countless rays that the sun is able to perform the four functions of:

1. pAcana (cooking and ripening),

2. SoshaNa (drying),

3. pratApana (giving heat), and

4. prakASana (illuminating).

SrI BhaTTar quotes from the paushkara samhitA and the gItA insupport:

agnIshomAtma sam~jnasya devasya paramAtmanah |

sUryA-candramasau viddhi sa AkArau locaneSvarau ||

(SrI paushkara)
"Know that the sun and the moon are the two eye-gods in an embodied form of
the Supreme Deity ParamAtmA whose name is agnIshomAtman".

yad Aditya-gatam tejo jagat bhAsayate'khilam |

yac-candramasi yac-cAganau tad-tejo viddhi mAmakam || (gItA 15.12)

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 "That light which is in the sun and illuminates the entire universe, that in the
moon and that in the fire – understand all that light is only Mine".

SrI cinmayAnanda notes that it is not only the sun and the moon that get their
light from Him, but He is the One who illumines all experiences.

b) SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is: sahsrANi anantAni arcIshi yasya

sahsahasrArcih – He who radiates innumerable rays is sahasrArcih. He quotes
sa'njaya's words in the gItA in support:

divi sUrya sahasrasya bhaved yugapad-utthitA |

yadi bhAh sadRSI sA syAd bhAsas-tasya mahAtmanah ||

(gItA 11.12)
"If a thousand suns were to rise at once in the sky, the resulting splendor may
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be like the splendor of that mighty One".

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi, where

AzhvAr refers to emperumAn as "oLi maNi vaNNan" – The One with the
dazzling radiance of a gem–sahasrArcih: "oLi maNi
vaNNanaiyE." (tiruvAi.3.4.7).

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation as "shasrANi arcIshi

SrI vigrahodgata kAnti-kiraNA yasya iti sahasrArcih" – He Whose divine
tirumEni shines with countless rays of radiance.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes the similar nAma-s dIpta-mUrtih (Slokam 77,
nAma 724 ), and sahsrAmSuh (Slokam 51, nAma 484).

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha comments that the significance of the nAma lies in
pointing to the immeasurable glory of bhagavAn – it is like counting the number
of grains of sand in a sea shore. Just as the number of rays of light emanating
from the sun cannot be quantified, so also bhagavAn's glory cannot be
quantified. The only thing we can do is to remember that the jyoti of the sun is
but a tiny fraction of His jyoti. SrI vAsishTha has given innumerable
references from the Sruti to the description of bhagavAn's guNa-s as
"sahasra"– beyond quantification:

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sahasra yAjasah, sahasra parNah, sahasra pAt, sahasra SIrshA,
sahasrAkshah,sahasra posham, sahasra poshiNam, sahasra bAhvah, sahasra
mRshTih, sahasrabharah, sahasra yAmA, sahasra vIram, sahasra SR'ngah,
sahasra sthUNam, sahasraketum, sahasra cakshasam, etc.

sapta--jihvah
nAma 831. sÝijþ> sapta

The seven-tongued.
sapta-jihvAya namah.
sapta refers to the number seven. jihvA means tongue in general, also to the
"tongue of fire". It is in this late sense that the interpreters have explained
the nAma in general. agni or fire is considered to have seven tongues, and
bhagavAn in the form of the sacrificial fire accepts the sacrificial offerings
and takes it to the different gods.

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SrI BhaTTar quotes the paushkara samhitA in support:

tad-vaktra-devatAnAm ca huta-bhuk parameSvarah |

mantra-pUtam yad-AdAya hutam Ajya puras-saram |

brahmANDa bhuvanam sarvam santarpayati sarvadA ||

"The Supreme Lord in the form of huta-bhuk (fire) carries to the gods the
offerings that are sanctified by the mantra-s and made in a sacrifice along
with clarified butter, and thereby always pleases the entire Universes".

a) SrI BhaTTar notes that fire is considered to have seven tongues named:
1. kAli,

2. karAli,

3. manojavA,

4. sulohitA,

5. sudhUmravarNA,

6. sphuli'ngini, and

7. viSvaruci,

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 and they have been allotted the duties of nourishing the gods, receiving the
oblations, and carrying them to the respective gods.

SrI Sa'nkara gives the muNDakopanishad passage in support:

kAlee karAleeca manojavA ca sulohitA yA ca sudhUmravarNA |

sphuli'nginee viSva-rucee ca devI lelAyamAnA iti sapta-jihvAh ||

(muNDa. 1.2.4)
"kAli, karAli, manojavA, sulohitA, sudhUmravarNA, sphuli'ngini, and the
brilliant viSva-ruci are the seven flaming tongues".

One translator translates this as: "The seven quivering tongues of fire are:
The black one, the terrific one, swift as the mind, the very red one, of purple
color, emitting sparks, and all-shaped goddess".
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Other references to the seven tongues of agni found in the Sruti are:

divas-cd-agne mahinA pRthivyA vacyantAm te vahanayah sapta-jihvAh |

(Rg. 3.6.2)

sapta te agne saamidhah sapta-jihvAh |

(tait. sam. 1.5.3)

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that the tongues of fire that accept the
offerings are known differently depending on whether the karma is a sAttvic,
rAjasic, or tAmasic: The seven flames are known as hiraNyA, kanaka, raktA,
kRshNA, suprabhA, atirkatA, and bahu-rUpA in a sAttvic karma, padma-rAgA,
suvarNA, bhadra-lohitA, SvetA, dhUminI, and kAlikA in a rAjasic karma, and
kali,karali, etc., in a tAmasic karma. He also notes that the devatA-s associated
with the seven tongues are the deva-s, pitR-s, gandharva-s, yaksha-s, nAga-s,
piSAca-s, and rAkshasa-s.

b) In addition to the interpretation in terms of the seven tongues of agni, SrI

vAsishTha gives an alternate interpretation, in which he takes the reference
to "seven" as a reference to "many" – sapta iti anekaupalakshaNam aneka-
prakAra jihvam vidhatta iti. In this interpretation, his anubhavam is that just

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as He has several tongues, He has also equipped His creation with several
types of tongues for the different species. He observes that as the offerings
in the homa feed the agni with its seven tongues, the food consumed by the
different species through the tongue, along with the prANa vAyu, is
transmitted to feed the jATharAgni; thus, what the veda talks of (feeding the
fire through the different tongues), is nothing different from what happens in
real life, and so veda is not talking anything but real life happenings – bhavati
lokena samo vedo vedena ca samo lokah.

SrI cinmayAnanda suggests that the "seven tongues of flame" conveys the
idea that the Light of Consciousness in us beams out through seven points in
the face – two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, and the mouth. As intelligent
beings, powers of perception, metaphorically, flame out through each one of
them, illumining the world for us. The one in our heart, SrI nArAyaNa, Who

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totally manifests as the seven distinct tongues-of-flame is classified here in
the language of lyrics as sapta-jihvah.

nAma 832. sÝExa> saptaidhAh

One Who is kindled in the form of fire by the seven kinds of offerings.
saptaidhase namah.
The previous nAma, sapta-jihvah, was interpreted in terms of the different
types of flames, with their individual traits such as differing colors and other
attributes, and also the different devatA- s to whom they carried the
offerings. The current nAma refers to the different types of fuels that are
used to raise these fires, both in the form of the fuels themselves and in the
form of the different types of yAj~na-s.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the root for the current nAma as edh –vRddhau
– to grow, to prosper. The term edhas is used to refer to fuel that kindles the
fire. The nirukti author gives the description – sapta edhAh yasya santi sah
saptaidAh. Apte's dictionary gives the meaning "fuel" to the word edhas (he
gives a reference from the gItA insupport – yathaidhAmsi samiddhognir-
bhasmasAt kurute'rjuna – Bg. 4.37). edhA also means `prosperity, happiness'.

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 a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation uses the meaning "fuel" (based on the
translation of SrI A. Srinivsa Raghavan) for the word edhas, and his
vyAkhyAnam is "One Who shines like fire through the seven kinds of fuels".
SrI BhaTTar proceeds to describe the kinds of 'fuels' that kindle this 'Fire' –
it is the offerings of different kinds in the form of pAka-yaj~na, havir-yaj~na,
soma-samstha, etc., each of which is of seven kinds. SrI Srinivasa Raghavan
describes these further:

1. pAka-yaj~na (based on cooked food): aupAsana, vaiSva-deva, sthAlI-

pAka, ashTakA SrAddha, monthly ceremonies, ISAna bali, and sarpa
bali.

2. havir-yaj~na (oblations in fire): agni-hotra, darSa-pUrNa-mAsa, piNDa-

pitR-yaj~na, paSu-bandha, AgrAyaNa, cAtur-mAsya, and sautrA-maNi.

3. soma-samstha (yAga-s): agni-shToma, atyagni-shToma, uktya, shodaSa,

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vAjapeya, atirAtra, and aptor-yAma.

The sticks of seven forest trees that bear fruit apparently without any
blossoms and that are used in sacrifices are:

1. the palASa tree,

2. the banyan tree,

3. the fig tree,

4. the jack tree,

5. the SamI,

6. aSani-hata, and

7. pushkara-parNa.

Thus, in SrI BhaTTar's interpretation, the nAma refers to "One Who is

kindled in the form of fire by the seven kinds of offerings".

SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is "sapta edhAmsi dIptayo'sya iti saptaidhAh–

agnih" - He that has seven flames. He gives the support from the Sruti– "sapta
te agne samidhah, sapta jivhAh" (tait. sam. 1.5.3) – "O Fire, you have seven
flames, seven tongues".

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SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives the interpretation in terms of the sapta-Rshi-
s – the seven stars of the Ursa Major constellation (marIci, atri, a'ngiras,
pulastya, pulaha, kratu, and vasishTha). His interpretation is that the nAma
signifies that bhagavAn is the Supporter of the seven Rshi-s in the form of
the stars – sapta-RshIn edhayati vardhayati iti saptaidhAh. Thus, the term
edhas is here used in the sense of prosperity and happiness.

sapta--vAhanah
nAma 833. sÝvahn> sapta

a) He Who has seven vehicles in the form of the seven vedic mantra-s
represented by the seven horses of the Sun.

b) He Who supports the Universe in the form of the seven Sun-s.

c) He Who supports the three worlds through the seven vAyu-maNDala-s or

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regions of air.

d) He Who has a vehicle with its horse named sapta.

e) He Who protects the beings through facilities that has provided in units of
seven – seven types of fluids in our system, seven holes in our face as sense
organs, the seven objects of these sense-organs, etc.

f) He Who conducts the seven worlds with prosperity.

sapta-vAhanAya namah.
The word vAhana is derived from the root vah – prApane – to bear along, to
carry, to flow. vAhanam also has a meaning "an animal used in riding, such as a
horse". He who propagates or is carried along through things that are in units
of seven, or who is supported by things that are inunits of seven, is sapta-
vAhanah.

a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as "One Who has as His vehicle the sun
whose chariot has seven horses (of the sun)". These are considered the
presiding deities of the seven veda mantra-s in the context of this nAma:
bhU,bhuvah, suvah, mahah, janah, tapah, and satyam. The chandas associated
with these mantra-s are respectively: gAyatrI, ushnik, anushTup, bRhatI,
pa'ngti,trishTup, jagati. The devatA-s associated with these mantra-s are:

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 agni, vAyu, arka(sun), vAgISa (bRhaspati), vruNa, indra, viSvedeva. These
seven devatA-s lead the sun in his course. Since BhagavAn supports the sun
through these seven devatA-s and the seven mantra-s associated with these
seven meters, He is called sapta-vAhanah. These seven mantra-s are vehicles
that reveal Him, and they are couched in the seven meters referred to above.
We worship Him who is in the center of the sUrya maNDalam through these
veda mantra-s.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujangives reference to SiRiya tirumaDal of tiruma'ngai AzhvAr:

kArAr puravi EzhpUNDa tani Azhi terAr nirai kadirOn manDalattAn.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives reference to SrI vishNu purANam 2.8, where
the sun and its characteristics are described. The reference to the seven
horses that support the sun is given in V.P. 2.8.5:
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hayASca saptac-chandAmsi teshAm nAnAni me SruNu |

gAyatrI sa bRhat-ushNig jagatI trishTubeva ca |

anushTup pa'nctir-ityuktAS-chandAmsi harayo raveh ||

(VP 2.8.5)
"The seven horses of the sun's car are the meters of the veda-s: gAyatrI,
bRhatI, ushNig, jagatI, trishTubh, anushTubh, and pa'nkti".

SrI satya sandha yatirAja also refers to the seven horses of the sun,
andbhagavAn's nAma of sapta-vAhanah signifying that He leads the sun with
the sevenhorses – sapta-vAhanah sapta vAhA aSvA yasya sah sapta-vAhah
sUryas tam nayati iti sapta-vAhanah.

SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is that bhagavAn in the form of the sun has
avAhana or vehicle with seven horses – sapta AsvA vAhanAni asya iti sapta-
vAhanah.

b) SrI SAstri also points to seven suns – Arogah, bhrAjah, paTarah, pata'ngah,
svarNarah, jyotishImAn, vibhAsah. see aruNa praSnam 20

ArogobhrAjah paaTarah pata'ngah |

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svarnaro jyotishImAn vibhAsah |

Of these, Aroga is the sun that we see. We do not see the other six suns,
since three of these sustain the lower part of the meru mountain, and three
shine on the upper part of the meru. BhagavAn is called sapta-vAhanah, since
He supports all parts ofthe Universe through these seven vehicles or the
seven suns.

c) SrI BhaTTar gives an alternate interpretation in terms of His protecting

the Universe through seven regions of prANA Sakti – vital airs – in theforms
of seven vAyu maNDala-s or regions of air.

Prof. A. Srinivasa Raghavan describes these seven regions of air in the three
worlds as Avaha, pravaha, samvaha, udvaha, vivaha, parivaha, and parAvaha.
Since vAyu or air gets its strength from the life- breath of the Lord of the

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World, He is the Supporter of all the worlds in the form of the seven
maNDala-s or regions of air.

d) SrI Sa'nkara also gives an alternate interpretation for which he quotes

support from the Sruti – He Who has a vehicle called sapta – eko'Svo
vahatisapta-nAmA (tait. AraN. 3.11.9; Rg. Sam. 1.164.2) – The horse named
sapta is carrying Him.

e) SrI rAdhA kRshNa SAstri points out that there are several aspects of our
body that are in units of seven. There are seven dhAtu-s – essential
ingredients - associated with the body – rasA sR'ng mAmsa medah asti
majjASuklAni dhAtavah according to the ancient medical science - Chyle,
blood, flesh,fat, bone, marrow, semen. Since bhagavAn supports the body with
these seven essential ingredients, He has the nAma sapta-vAhanah.

Or, there are seven dvAra-s (openings or holes) in our face – the two eyes, the
two nostrils, the two ears, and the mouth. The life energy is exchanged in our
body through these openings, and since He supports the life through these
seven vehicles, He is called sapta- vAhanah.

Or, these seven openings are like the seven tongues through which our life is
sustained, through the senses of feelings, sight, taste, smell, etc. These are

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 the sapta-jivhAh, sapta, edhAh (firewood), sapta-vAhana, etc. SrI SAstri
gives the muNDakopanishad passage in support:

sapta prANAh prabhavanti tasmAt sapArcishah

samidhah sapta homAh (jihvAh) |

sapteme lokA yeshu caranti prANA guhASayA nihitAh sapta sapta ||

(muNDa. 2.1.8)

Slightly different translations of the above are given below, in the interests
of additional clarity.

"From the akshara purusha emerge the seven sense organs, the seven fires,
the sacrificial fuel, and the seven flames, and the seven worlds in which we
move the sense organs that are deposited by the Creator in groups of seven
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and seven".

"From Him emerge the seven sense-organs, the seven flames, the seven kinds
of fuel, the seven oblations, and these seats where move the sense-organs
that sleep in the cavity, having been deposited by God in groups of seven".

"From Him, too, the seven senses in the head, their powers of cognition, their
objects and their knowledge, as also the seven seats of sense traversed by the
life forces centered in the hearts of all creatures. The seven seats are the
nerve centers of the inner principles of the senses, without which the external
senses cannot by themselves function.

The seven sense-organs are the ones located in our head – the two eyes, the
two nostrils, the two ears, and the mouth; the seven flames – the means of
illumination of the objects of these sense- organs; the sapta-samidah – the
seven objects of these sense-organs, since the sense-organs are kindled by
these objects.

f) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshan gives his interpretation in terms of bhagavAn

conducting the seven worlds prosperously: sapta-bhuvanAni vAhayati
prApayatiabhyudayam iti sapta-vAhanah.

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SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives support from SrImad bhAgavatam giving
the interpretation that Lord kRshNa had as His vehicles the following seven,
consisting of four horses, the chariot itself, garuDa, and A'njaneya:

tatra AsvAh Saibya sugrIva megha pushpa balAhakAh

(SrImad bhAgavatam 10.89.49)

syandanam pa'ncamam

the chariot itself

chandomayena garuDena samuhyamAnah cakrAyudho'yagamadASu yato

gajendrah|

(bhAga. 8.3.31)

bikshu rUpam parityajya vAnara rUpam Asthitah |

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pRshThamAropya tau vIrau jagAma kapiku'njarah ||

(rAmAyaNam 4.4.34)

g) SrI cinmayAnanda's anubhavam is that this nAma of bhagavAn signifies that

the sun is drawn by the seven horses, representing the seven days of the week.
He has not given the basis for this interpretation. The nAma has similarities to
vAyu-vAhanah (nAma 333, 860 – Slokam 36, 90 ), which we will deal with in
Slokam 90.

nAma 834. AmUitR> a-mUrtih

a) He Who does not have a body that is the effect of karma similar to ours.

b) He Who is signified by the letter 'a' in praNavam.

a-mUrtaye namah
SrI BhaTTar interprets the next few nAma-s as illustrating that bhagavAn is
very different from the jIva-s over whom He presides, in His Nature. mUrti
refers to form. a-mUrti literally means "One Who has no form".

a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as meaning that He does not have a form
that is like any of our bodies, and it is quite different from the gross bodies

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 of ours that is composed of the five elements - sthUla-bhautika
mUrtivyAvRttah a-mUrtih.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives support from the ISAvAsya Upanishad (8):
sa paryagAt Sukram a-kAyam a-vraNam… - The One with no body (caused by
karma)–a-kAyam.

SrI Sa'nkara defines the term `mUrti" as an object, moving or unmoving, that
has weight and tangibility – mUrtih ghana-rUpam dhAraNa samarthamcarAcara
lakshaNam. Since He is not constrained by any of these limitations, He is
amUrtih – tad-rahita iti a-mUrtih. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri elaborates on
this, and notes that the term `ghana rUpam' here refers to consumable food
which is of two kinds – the moving kind, such as the rat for the cat, and the
non-moving kind such as the rice for the humans. The `mUrti" or form that is
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referred to here is the form that requires sustenance in the form of the
ghana-rUpam that is of the moving or the non-moving kind. Since He is not
constrained by such a form that needs to be supported as noted here, He is
called a-mUrtih.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri remarks that mUrti or form is that which is given to
us for the enjoyment of the benefits of our karma. Since bhagavAn does not
have a form that is the result of karma-s, He is a- mUrtih.

Brahman is like fire that has no fixed shape or form. It can grow as large as it
chooses to, and take whatever form It wants. SrI vAsishTha gives
thefollowing Rg vedic mantra, which describes agni as formless (amUram =
amUrtam):

agnim hotAram pravRNe miyedhe

gRtsam kavim viSam-idam amUram |

(Rg. 3.19.1)

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also gives the interpretation that the nAma
signifies that bhagavAn is represented by the letter 'a' – akAro mUrtihyasya
iti a-mUrtih. In this interpreation, a-mUrtih is: "One Who has the mUrti of

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form represented by the letter "a".

svAmi deSikan quotes from ashTaSlokI in his rahasya traya sAram:

akArArtho vishNuh jagad-udaya-rakshA-pralaya-kRt |

"a-kAram refers to Lord vishNu, in His role as the Creator, Protector, and
Destroyer of the Universe".

SrI vAsishTha nicely brings out the point that bhagavAn is a-mUrtih, by
pointing out the relation between the soul and the body with which it is
associated. Just as the soul is formless, but supports the body that it is
associated with, bhagavAn is the formless Supreme Soul that supports all the
formed entities in this Universe. Here is his composition expressing this
interpretation:

AtmA hi amUrtir-vahate ca mUrtam gAtram yathA nAma tathAbhupaiti |

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vishnUr-hi amUrtih sakalam ca viSvam vahan tathA nAmabhir- ucyate sah ||

an--aghah
nAma 835. An"> an

a) The Sinless.

b) He Who is opposed to sin.

c) He Who is of blemishless character.

d) He Who does not suffer sorrow.

anaghAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 148, Slokam 16.

The root word involved in the nAma is agh – pApa karaNe –to go wrong, to sin.
agho nAsti yasmin so'naghah – He Who does not have any sin is an-aghah. Or,
na aghah – agha Sabda pApa vacanah, tad-virodhI ca anaghah – He Who is
opposed to sin is an-aghah. agha also means duhkham or sorrow – He Who does
not suffer sorrow is an-aghah.

a) BhagavAn takes birth in the midst of us, in the midst of samsAra. Even so,
He is sinless. This is the aspect that SrI BhaTTar stresses in his

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 interpretation for this nAma in Slokam 16 - samsAra madhye janitvA'pi an-
aghah.

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan notes that even though Lord rAma had to go through
enormous hardships as part of this samsAra – "nATTil piRandu paDAdana
paTTu", still He was completely sinless. His birth and His actions are purely
because of His leelA. He is apahatapApmA – completely opposed to faults of
any kind. He is "kuRaivu onRum illAda govindan" (ANDAL – tiruppAvai). In
addition to Himself being sinless, He is the One who removes the sins of
others.

For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar's interpretation deals
with the reason why He is sinless as noted above – it is because He is not
subject to karma, and so He is entirely different from the jIva-s that are
under His control – akarma vaSatvena tan- magna jIva vilakshaNah an-aghah.
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There are several other anubhava-s as to why bhagavAn is an-aghah. SrI

v.v.rAmAnujan notes that His body is made of Suddha sattva material, which is
beyond the processes of aging, decay, death, disease, etc. This is one reason
why He is an-aghah from the aspect of His body.

c) nammAzhvAr refers to emperumAn as "tIdil SIr

tiruvE'nakaTattAn" (tiruvAi. 3.3.5) - One with blemishless character. Here,
His guNa of simplicity in blessing His devotees with the utmost Mercy,
irrespective of their infinite faults, is the aspect that is enjoyed.

SrI v. n. vedAnta deSikan comments that He is without tIdu–anaghan, because

He is standing there in tiruvE'nkaTam patiently, waiting for protection-
seekers, un-mindful of any demerits of these persons, not satisfied till the
last one is redeemed; this simplicity and magnanimous grace are His greatest
virtues that really mark Him out.

SrI Sa'nkara distinguishes between the two instances of the nAma by using
the two different meanings for the words agham – duhkham and pApam. This is
the same approach that SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses as well. The
meaning "sorrow" for the word "agham", in addition to the meaning "sin", is

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supported by the amara koSam – a'nagho duhkha vyasaneshvagham (3.3.27) –
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj.

SrI Sankara's interpretation for this nAma in Slokam 16 was: agham na

vidyateasya iti an-aghah, and he gives the quote from chAndogya Upanishad 8.1
in support – apahatapApmA – He is free from sin.

For the nAma in Slokam 16, SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also uses the
meaning "sin" – na agham yasmin iti an-agho nish-pApah.

d) SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation for the current instance of the nAma is:
agham duhkham pApam ca dvayam asya na vidyata iti an-aghah – One Who is
without sin or sorrow.

SrI bhAradvAj's interpretation for the current instance of the nAma uses
this meaning: na agham duhkham yasmin iti an-aghah.

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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that bhagavAn is devoid of bad deeds,
the sins that result from such deeds, and the sorrow that result from them. It
is the thought of committing sins that is the start of the act of sinning. He is
devoid of such thought to start with. So there is no evil deed. Since there is
no evil deed, there is no consequence of the evil deed also – the duhkham. He
gives several quotes from the Sruti in support:

Suddham apApa viddham

(ISAvAs. 8)
Ever pure, untouched by puNya and pApa.

apahatapApma abhayam rUpam…. tad-Apta kAmam Atma kAmam akAmam

rUpam SokAntaram

(Brhad. upa. 4.3.21)

AtmA apahatapApamA vijaraj

(chAndogya. 8.7.1)
That AtmA which is sinless, ageless, ….
na jarA na mRtyur na Soko n sukRtam na dushkRtam sarve pApmAno'to
nivartante apahatapApmA (chAn. 8.4.1)

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 SrI cinmayAnanda gives reference to a similar message in chAndogya
Upanishad 8.1.5:

esha AtmA apahatapApmA vijaro vimRtyur viSoko

vijighatso'pipAsahsatyakAma satya sa'nkalpah ….

This is the AtmA that is opposed to all thatis defiling, free from old age,
death, sorrow, hunger, and thirst, and has true desire and true will. SrI
cinmayAnanda comments that the peace of virtue or the agitations of the sin
in us cannot affect the Illuminator of all consciousness, and He is free from
sin and uncontaminated (aliptah).

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN refers us to bhIshma's words –

"pavitrANAmpavitram yah" in the introductory part of SrI vishNu sahasra
nAmam – The Purest of the Pure.
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nAma 836. AicNTy> a-cintyah

a) He Who is incomparable to anything known.

b) He Whose power cannot be imagined.

c) He Who cannot be completely comprehended in our minds.

a-cintyAya namah.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the root involved in the nAma as cit –
samj~nAne – to notice, to understand. He Who cannot be described as such
and such, is a-cintyah; Or, He Who cannot be comprehended completely in our
mind is a-cintyah. cintayitum – iyattayA paryavasitum Sakyah cintyah; na cityah
a-cintyah;manaso'pi agocarah.

There are many other ways to enjoy this nAma – He Whose leelA-s are
incomprehensible, He Whose power cannot be imagined, etc.

a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is that the nAma indicates that He is beyond

comparison with anyone or anything. vaLLuvar declares that bhagavAn is
"tanakkuuvamai allAdAn". The Sruti attempts to describe Him - the chAndogya
Upanishad declares that bhagavAn is - "golden-colored, with golden colored

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moustache, eyes resembling the just-blossomed lotus" -

ya eshontarAditye hiraNmayah purushah dRSyate,hiraNmayah smaSruh,

hiraNya keSa apraNakhAt sarva eva suvarNah;

tasya yahtAkapyAsam puNDarIkamevam akshiNI –

He is in the middle of the sun, with golden hue, golden mustache, golden hair,
eyes resembling the just-bloomed lotus, etc. But the Sruti also declares that
He is beyond words and beyond mind – yatovAco nivartante, aprApaya manasA
saha (taitt. upa.).

nammAzhvAr conveys the two ideas together in his tiruvAimozhi pASuram

1.3.2: kaTTuraikkil tAmarai nin kaN pAdam kai ovvASuTTuraitta nan pon un
tirumEni oLi ovvAduoTTuraittu iv-ulagu unnaip pugazhvellAm perumpAlum
paTTuraiyAip puRkenRE kATTumAl param jotI! (tiruvAi. 1.3.2)

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"O Supreme Effulgence! You are to be merely enjoyed. Any attempt at verbal
description of You is futile, especially if one compares You with familiar
objects that are not even remotely comparable to You in any respect. With
beautiful eyes, feet and arms, to all of which lotus is but a poor simile, with a
dazzling stature to which pure unalloyed gold is a poor comparison, You are
often being pictured by the world with words that do You no justice. Any
comparison of You to the worldly things is just a failed attempt to describe
You".

It is like some commoner who has never seen a precious stone, describing that
precious stone as "something resembling a pebble." nammAzhvAr proceeds in
the very next pASuram to declare that even after describing His greatness by
the words "param jyoti – The Supreme Effulgence", if one proceeds to
describe His auspicious qualities – His simplicity, His sauSIlyam and His
saulabhyam, there is no word that we have that can describe these aspects
ofbhagavAn. AzhvAr exclaims: "param jyoti! govindA! PaNbu uraikka
mATTEnE"– "I won't even attempt to describe Your auspicious qualities".
So,bhagavAn is a-cintyah in every sense of the word., especially when it comes
to His auspicious qualities. He is "govindA" – Who can mingle with even cows.

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 nammAzhvAr laments at the unimaginable behavior of this emperumAn who is
sarva lokeSvaran, who subjects Himself to the insult of being called the
"butter thief" – ne'njAl ninaippu aridAl veNNey UN ennum Enac-collE
(tiruviruttam 98).

SrI rAmAnujan refers to a tiruvAimozhi pASuram by nammAzhvAr that nicely

explains the nAma a-cintyah:

mAyan en ne'njil uLLAn maRRum yavarkkum ahdEkAyamum Seevanum tAnE

kAlum eriyum avanESeyan aNiyan yavarkkum Sindaiyum gocaram allantUyan
tuyakkan mayakkan ennudait tOL iNaiyAnE

(tiruvAi. 1.9.6)
The following explanation of the above pASuram is partly drawn from SrImad
tirukkuDanthai ANDavan's bhagavad vishaya sAram, and is my poor attempt at
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capturing my great AcArya's thoughts:

"He is our body, and He is also the soul of our body; He is the soul of the
pa'nca mahA bhUta-s (air, water, etc.)., He is aNiyan – very easily accessible to
His devotees; He is also SEyan – inaccessible to those who do not surrender to
Him; yAvarkkum Sindaikkum gocaran allan – a-cintyan – He is beyond the reach
of the mental capabilities of even the greatest of j~nAni-s; tUyan – Even so,
He decided to bless me by residing in my heart; tUyan - He Who considered
that being with me is the only thing that He longed for in all His life; tuyakkan
– By revealing His guNa-s, He draws us towards Him; mayakkan – He draws us
to Him through the sheer joy of thinking about Him; ennuDait tOL iNaiyAn –
Such a Great One has now decided to take possession of me by sitting on my
shoulders (treating me like garuDa)". He is mAyan – Ascarya bhUtan –
personification of wonders".

Sri Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is: pramAtrAdi sAkshitvena sarva

pramANaagocaratvAt a-cintyah - The simplest way to explain this is that just
as the eye cannot see the eye itself since it is the means of seeing all other
things except itself, so also bhagavAn is the means of perceiving everything
else, and so He cannot be perceived by any means of perception.

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SrI Sa'nkara gives the alternate interpretation: ayam IdRSa iti viSvaprap'nca
vilakshaNatvena cintayitum aSakyatvAd-vA a-cintyah – He Who is different
from this expanded Universe. All that is in the domain of our perception in this
universe is but a tiny fraction of His manifestation, and the full extent of His
vibhUti-s is beyond comprehension. Lord kRshNa declares this in the gItA:

nanto'sti mama divyAnAm vibUtinAm parantapa |

esha tUddeSatah prokto vibhUter-vistaro mayA ||

(gItA10.40)
"There is no limit to My divine manifestations. Here the extent of such
manifestations has been explained in brief by Me."

yad-yad-vibhUtimat-sattvam SrImad-Urjitameva vA |

tat-tadevAvagaccha tvam mama tejo'mSa sambhavam ||

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(gItA 10.41)
"Whatever being is possessed of power, or of splendor, or of energy, know
that as coming from a fragment of My power".

b) In his gItA bhAshyam, for the next Slokam, bhagavad rAmAnuja explains
that this Universe consisting of sentient and non-sentient entities, whether in
effect or causal condition, whether gross or subtle, is supported by bhagavAn
with an infinitesimal fraction of His power, in such a manner that it does not
violate His will in preserving its proper form, existence or various activities.
He quotes bhagavAn parASara from vishNu purANam: yasyAyutAyutAmSAmSe
viSvaSaktir-iyam stithA (V.P. 1.9.53) - On an infinitesimal fraction of His
energy, this universe rests. In other words, His full power is beyond our
comprehension– He is acintyah.

c) SrI cinmayAnanda gives the reference from the gItA, where bhagavAn is
described as a-cintya-rUpan – sarvasya dhAtAram acintya rUpam – gItA 8.9 –
The Creator of all, and One Who cannot be comprehended mentally.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN points out that He is called acintyah because He
cannot be understood through tarka or discussion and analysis, but is revealed

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 only through the Sruti vAkya-s – tarka agocarah Srutyeka gamyah.

bhya--kRt
nAma 837. Éyk«t! bhya

He Who causes fear.

bhaya--nASanah
nAma 838. Éynazn> bhaya

He Who destroys fear.

bhaya-kRte namah.
bhaya-nASanAya namah.
The word bhaya is derived from the root bhI – bhaye – to fear, to be anxious
about. The nAma bhaya-kRt can be viewed as "bhayam karoti iti bhaya-kRt", or
"bhayam kRntati iti bhaya-kRt" – "One Who causes fear", or "One Who
removes fear".
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SrI BhaTTar gives his interpretation for these two nAma-s together. His
explanation is that bhagavAn creates fear in those who violate His commands,
and dispels fear in those who follow them.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives the following supports for the two interpretations:

bhaya abhayam karah kRshNah sarva-lokeSvarah prabhuh

(mahA bhArata)
Lord kRshNa is One Who causes intense fear in those who violate the
commands of the SAstra-s, and removes fear in those who obey the SAstric
injunctions.

sakRdeva prapannAya tavAsmIti ca yAcate |

abahayam sarva bhUtebhyo dadAmyetad vratam mama ||

(rAmAyaNa, yuddha. 18.34)

declared by Lord rAma during vibhIshaNa SaraNAgati on the sea shore -

"To him who even once bows to Me saying that I am Thine,

I grant him shelter and protection from all evils. This is My vow".

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van SaraN surarkkAi, asurarkku vem kURRamumAi tan SaraN nizahR-kIzh
ulagamvaittum vaiyAdum

ten SaraN tiSaikkut tiru viN nagar SErnda pirAn en SaraN en kaNNan
ennaiALuDaiyan en appanE

(tiruvAi. 6.3.8)

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bhaya-nASanAya namah.
(Courtesy: http://thiruarangam.blogspot.com)

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 The simultaneous role of bhayakRt and bhaya-nASanah is reflected both in the
first and second lines of this pASuram: surarkku van SaraNAi – For His
devotees, including the deva-s, He is the surest Protection; asurarukku
vemkURRamumAi – Just as surely, for those with a demonic disposition, He is
the sure Death; tan SaraN nizaR-kIzh ulagam vaittum – Keeping those who
have surrendered to Him under His Feet for protection; vaiyAdum – Those
that have not surrendered to Him are not allowed anywhere close to His Feet.
Such is the Nature of our great kaNNan in tiru viN nagar – Oppiliappan koil.

His guNa as bhaya nASanah is reflected in nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi

pASuram3.10.8 also – ellai il mAyanai kaNNanait tAL paRRi yAn Or duhkam
ilanE – By surrendering tothis mAyak kaNNan's divine feet, I have no more
worry of any sorrow.

SrI Sa'nkara gives the primary interpretation for "bhaya kRt" as One Who
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causes fear to those who follow the wrong path – asan-mArga vartinAm
bhayamkaroti iti bhaya-kRt (kR – karaNe – to do). He gives an alternate
interpretation that brings out His guNa of protecting the bhakta-s –
bhaktAnAmbhayam kRtanti vA bahaya-kRt – He Who dispels fear from the
minds of His devotees (kRt – chedane – to cut).

SrI vAsishTha also gives both the interpretations for the nAma "bhaya-kRt".
In support of the first interpretation, he gives the support from Rgveda:

dyAvA cidasmai pRthivI namante, sushmAcidasya parvatA bhayante |

yah somapA nicito vajra-bAhur-yo vajra-hastah sa janAsa indrah ||

(Rg. 2.12.13)
"Even the Heaven and Earth bow down before Him, before His very breath the
mountains tremble. Known as the soma drinker, armed with thunder, who wields
the bolt, he, o ye men, is indra". We know that indra trembles before
bhagavAn, and so bhagavAn is the bhaya-kRt of them all, to ensure that all the
gods function properly and perform their assigned duties. The
taittirIyaUpanishad declares:

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bhIshAsmAd vAtah pavate,

bhIshodeti sUryah,

bhIshAsmAdagniScendraSca,

mRtyur-dhAvati pa'ncama iti |

"The wind blows out of fear of Him; For fear of Him does the Sun rise; For
fear of Him do agni and indra function. Out of fear of Him, does Death, the
fifth one, run".

SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation for the nAma "bhaya nASanah" stresses the
importance of following the varNASrama dharma-s: varNa ASrama
AcAravatAmbhayam nASayati iti bhaya-nASanah. This can be understood in
different ways:

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1. as a reference to varNASrama dharma – to the practices prescribed
for the four divisions or varNa-s - the brAhamNa-s, kshatriya-s,
vaiSya-s and Sudra-s;

2. as a reference to the practices prescribed for the four varNa- s as well

as for the four ASrama-s (brahmacarya, gArhasthya, vAna prastha, and
sanyAsa), or

3. as a reference to the varNa-s, ASrama-s as well as the AcAra-s or the

codes of conduct for all these groups.

SrI sa'nkara gives support from SrI vishNu purANam of ParASara:

varNa ASrama AcAravatA purhseNa parah pumAn |

vishNur-ArAdhyate panthA nAnyas-tat-tosha-kArakah ||

(VP 3.8.9)
"The supreme vishNu is propitiated by a man who observes the institutions of
varNa, ASrama, and the AcAra-s (purificatory practices). No other path is the
way to please Him".

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 Slokam 90
A[ubR&hTk«z> SwUlae gu[É&iÚguR[ae mhan!,

Ax&t> Svx&t> SvaSy> àaGv<zae v<zvxRn>. 90.

aNur bruhat krusah sthUlO guNabhrunnirguNO mahAn |
adhrutah svadhrutah svAsyah prAgvamsO vamsavardhanah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

The next few nAma-s are interpreted by SrI BhaTTar in terms of the
grandeur of bhagavAn, consisting of His superhuman powers such as becoming
smaller than an atom, etc.

SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya notes that the powers that are being described here
are the ashTa aiSvarya-s (might or power). The ashTa aiSvarya-s are declared
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by the following:

1. aNimA,

2. mahimA,

3. laghimA,

4. garimA,

5. prApatih,

6. prAkAmyam,

7. ISitA,

8. vaSitvam,

cetiaiSvaryashTakam ucyate |

nAma 839. A[u> aNuh

a) He Who has the power of being smaller than anything small that is known to
us.

b) He Who is the cause of the sound that permeates everywhere and is in

everything (aNa - Sabde).

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c) He Who is in the form of the veda-s, or He Who reveals the veda-s, the
SAstra-s etc. (aNa - Sabde).
aNave namah.
This is the first of the ashTa aiSvarya-s mentioned above - aNimA. The word
aNuh is formed from the root aNa - to sound, through the application of the
uNAdi sUtra - aNaSca (1.8), which states that the affix u comes after the
root aNa. The term aNu refers to an atom, and here it is used to refer to
bhagavAn's power of becoming smaller than the smallest object that is known.

a) SrI BhaTTar comments that the nAma signifies His ability to enter into the
infinitesimally small void space known as dahara AkASam in the hearts of
beings, into prakRti, and also into the subtle jIva. aNu here means that He is
extremely subtle. SrI BhaTTar refers us to the taittirIya Upanishad - aNor-

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aNIyAn - He is subtler than whatever we perceive as subtle.

These aISvarya-s or powers are natural to Him. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan points out
that some of these powers are also given to those who have His anugraham or
blessing. He gives the example of hanuman, who had the ability to alternate
between a very large form and a very small form at will in an instant, in dealing
with surasA (sundara kANDam).

SrI Sa'nkara gives the support from muNDAkopanishad - esha aNur_AtmA

cetasAveditavyah - This Self (paramAtman) is inscrutable, and is to be known
through the mind.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that the ability of the eye to see something is
limited by a lower limit and an upper limit with respect to size. BhagavAn is
outside of this limit on either end (we will see this in the next nAma also). He
is beyond all the sensory perceptions. Sri SAstri gives several references to
the Sruti in support:

aNor-aNIyAn

(kaTha. 2.20, tait. AraN. 10.1)

na hi su-j~neyam aNur-esha dharmah (kaTha. 1.21)

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 The truth is very subtle and not easily comprehensible.
yad-aNubhyo'Nu ca

(muNDa. 2.2.2)

That which is subtler than the subtle.

aNIyAn hyatarkayam anU paramANAt

(kaTha. 2.8)
It is subtler than the subtle and beyond realization through reasoning alone.

esha sa AtmA antar-hRdaye aNIyAn vrIher-vA yavAd-vA sarshapAd-vA

SyAmAkAd-vA SyAmAka-taNDulAd-vA.
(chAndog. 3.14.3)

This paramAtman who is residing in my heart is smaller than a grain of rice, a

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barley corn, a mustard seed, the grain a millet, etc.

Sa ya esho aNimA

(chAndog. 6.8.7)
This (sat) is of the nature of being subtle.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives the support from the gItA - sarvasya cAham
hRdisannivishTah - "I am seated in the hearts of all".

b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha notes that it is by His aNutvam that He is present

everywhere, and permeates everything, including the subtle jIva. He also gives
an interpretation based on the root aNa - Sabde - to sound, and indicates that
the nAma suggests that He is in the form of the sound that pervades the
ether everywhere, and is also the cause of the sound that emanates from the
different life-forms etc.

c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives his interpretation based on the meaning
aNati - Sabdayati - makes known, reveals - aNati Sabdayati vedAdi SAstram
itiaNuh - He Who reveals the SAstra-s such as the veda-s etc. We will note
that SrIbhAradvAj does not follow the approach of interpreting this nAma
and the following ones in terms of the ashTa aiSvarya-s, but gives

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interpretations that are not linked to each other.

nAma 840. b&ht! bRhat

The Great.

bRhate namah
This nAma describes His aiSvarya or power called mahimA - of becoming
greater than anything that we know of as great. The reference here is to His
power of vastness, in contrast to the aNutva that we saw referenced in the
previous nAma. The root from which the nAma is derived is bRh- vRddhau - to
grow, to increase. SrI BhaTTar describes His greatness in terms of His
pervasion. Even the vast Transcendental World (parama padam) can be
contained in a corner of His palm. Note that parama padam is tripAd-vibhUti -

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three times as large as the Universe that we are aware of. tiruma'ngai AzhvAr
refers to bhagavAn as "aLattaRku ariyAy" (tirumozhi 3.8.1) - He who cannot be
measured. SrI BhaTTar gives the purusha sUkta - sa bhUmim viSvatovRtvA
atyatishTat daSA'ngulam - He pervaded the Earth in all its entirety and stood
up beyond by daSa-a'ngula. daSa here means endless, and a'ngula means
yojanA. He gives other supports from the Sruti: - mahato mahIyAn (tait.
upa.6.10) - Greater than the great. - varshIyAnSca pRthivyAh - He is greater
than the Earth.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives additional Sruti references:

abjA gojARtajA adrijA Rtam bRhat

(kaTha. 2.2.2)
The water-born, the earth-born, the sacrifice-born, the mountain-born, the
Truth, the Great….

tatah param brahmaparam bRhantam

(SvetASva. 3.7)
After thus praying unto Him and then knowing (through meditation) the
infinitely great Supreme Brahman..

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 Note that this aiSvarya of mahimA is exactly opposite of the aiSvarya we
dealt with in the previous nAma – aNimA. We will see a few more of these pairs
of extremes in the next few nAma-s. It is to be understood that there is
nothing that is beyond His ability.

SrI cinmayAnanda captures the idea as follows: “These two may seem
paradoxical, but the apparent contradiction dissolves into an illuminating
experience for the contemplative mind”. In fact, the upanishad talks of these
two qualities in the same breath–

aNor-aNiyAn mahato mahIyAn AtmA’sya jantor-nihitam guhAyAm

(kaTho. 2.20)
Subtler than the subtle and great than the great… is lodged in the cave of the
heart….
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SrI Sa’nkara vyAkhyAnam is – bRhatvAtbRmhaNantvAt ca bRahma bRhat –

Because of the hugeness and because of the ability to expand at will
indefinitely, He is called bRhat.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj continues his interpretation outside of the

context of the ashTa aiSvarya-s: barhati vardhate pratipadam SobhAyAm iti
bRhat – He Who enhances or increases the beauty of everywhere. Whatever
beauty exists in anything, is because of Him.

SrI satya sandha yatirAja interprets the nAma as: guNaih vRddha – He Who is
enhanced in His guNa-s. or auspicious qualities.

nAma 841. k«z> kRSah

a) He Who is lighter than the light.

b) He Who is thinner than anything thin.

c) He Who reduces or eliminates the difficulties to His devotees.

d) He Who pares down the form for the jIva-s to make it possible for them to
live in comfort.

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e) He Who makes 'light work' of the asura-s (i.e., He Who destroys the asura-
s).
kRSAya namah.
This nAma represents another of the ashTa aiSvarya-s, called laghimA, or the
ability to be lighter than anything that we know is light. The root from which
the nAma is derived is kRS – tanUkaraNe – to become lean or thin. The nAma is
interpreted as referring to the ability to be lean or thin, or to be light,
depending on the interpreter. SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma in terms of
His ability to be lighter than anything light, and Sri Sa'nkara interprets the
nAma as One Who can be thinner than anything thin, to the point of not having
a form.

a) SrI BhaTTar explains that He is lighter than cotton, wind, etc., and so His

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movement is unimpeded on all sides and in all respects – sarvatra
avyAhatagatih. He quotes from mahA bhArata in support – yatra-kAma-gato
vaSI – He can go wherever He chooses.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN's anubhavam is that bhagavAn is so thin that He

can be even inside a rock unobstructed, because of His kRSatvam – leanness or
thinness - SilAsvapi apratihat praveSatvAt kRSah.

b) SrI Sa'nkara vyAkhyAnam is: asthUlam ityAdinA dRSyatva pratishedhAt

kRSah – He Who can become so thin that He is devoid of visibility. One
interpreter has the given the text is "dravyatva pratishedhAt" – because He
does not have a form. A translator translates this as "One Who is of the form
of non-material Spirit". SrI Sa'nkara quotes the bRhadAraNya Upanishad in
support – asthUlam (BU 3.8.8)– He Who is not of a gross body. He might have
chosen this interpretation – asthUlah, because of the next nAma – sthUlah (as
the opposite of the next nAma).

SrI rAdhA kRshNa SAstri summarizes this nAma and the next one, by
observing that the question of whether bhagavAn is One Who is lean or hefty,
can be answered only if He can be seen, to start with. If He is either so huge
that we do not even see Him, or so lean that we cannot see Him, then the

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 question of whether He is lean or huge cannot be answered. That is the Nature
of bhagavAn, whom we cannot see. In fact, the passage that SrI Sa'nkara
quotes from bRhadAraNya Upanishad, referring to bhagavAn as asthUlam, in
the very next word says that bhagavAn is an-aNu also – asthUlam an-aNu. The
pointto be understood is that He can be whatever He chooses to be, whenever
He chooses to be, and He can become anything He wants in the minutest
fraction of time. The Sakti or aiSvarya that is described in the current nAma
specifically, is His ability to become as light as He chooses or as thin as He
chooses, at His Will.

We saw bhagavAn described as aNu, and in the next nAma He was described as
exactly the other extreme, bRhat. In the current nAma we see Him describes
as kRSah, and in the next nAma we will see Him described as its other
extreme, sthUlah.
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SrI cinmayAnanda notes that this is an example of how "the Rshi-s have made
an art of effectively employing terms of contradiction in order to bring the
incomprehensible within the cognition of the students of contemplation". We
have already seen some examples of this in the upanishadic passages in the last
few nAma-s.

c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj's interpreation is: kRSyati tanUkaroti

svajanavipadam iti kRSah – He Who reduces or eliminates the difficulties to
His devotees.

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha also gives an interpretation that is not based on

the ashTa aiSvarya concept. He takes the generic meaning for the root – kRS–
to make lean, and gives the meaning that the nAma refers to bhagavAn
architecting the creatures of the features in various forms by paring them
down as needed for their survival and comfort. SrI vAsishTha equates the
nAma kRSah to the nAma tvasTA in its essential meaning (Slokam 6, nAma 52).

e) SrI satya sandha yatirAja's interpreation is: daityAn karSayati iti kRSah –
He Who makes 'light work' of the asura-s. – He Who destroys the evil asura-s.

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nAma 842. SwUl> sthUlah

a) He Who is immense.

b) He Who grows or enhances enormously the wealth of His devotees.

sthUlAya namah.
The root from which the nAma can be derived is sthUl - paribRhamaNe - to
become big or stout, grow bulky or fat. Note that the previous nAma was
kRSah - One Who can become as lean or thin as He wishes. Now we have the
nAma that describes the aiSvarya of His ability to become as big as He wishes.

a) SrI BhaTTar comments that since bhagavAn has the ability to touch any
object in any world even while standing in one place, He has the nAma sthUlah.
The trivikrama incarnation is an obvious illustration of His aiSvarya called

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prApti, that is reflected in this nAma - sthUlah.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan givesreferences to nammAzhvAr - tAL parappi maN tAviya

ISan (tiruvAi. 3.3.11), and to ANDAL's tiruppAvai - O'ngi ulagaLanDa uttaman.

SrI vAsishTha quotes the mantra from ISAvAsya Upanishad in support:

anejadekam manaso javIyo naiand-deva Apnuvan pUrvamarshat |

tad-dhAvato'nyAnatyeti tishThat tasminnapo mAtariSvA dadhAti ||

(ISA. 4)
"The paramAtman is unmoving; The One without an equal; swifter than the
mind. The gods have not attained It, even though It has reached them.
Remaining stationary, It overtakes others who run ahead of It. By It, vAyu
bears water".

He also quotes the purusha sUkta mantram in support:

sahasra SirshA purushah; sahasrAkshah sahasra pAt |

sa bhUmim viSvato vRtvA atyatishThat daSA'ngulam ||

"He is One with countless heads, countless eyes, and countless feet. He
pervades all space, and it is not possible to measure His extent by our ordinary

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 knowledge of means of measurement".

SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is - sarva AtmakatvAt sthUlah iti uapacaryate -

Because He is the Soul of everything, He is figuratively called sthUlah or
"Huge".

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the explanation - koTi brahmANDa

vigrahatvaAt stUlah - Since bhagavAn is in the form of the infinite
brahmANDa-s or Universes, He is stUlah.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that as a consequence of His aiSvarya or

power of being aNu, bRhat, kRSah, sthUlah, etc., at will, no one can
comprehend Him from one moment to the next. SrI SAstri draws attention to
the similarity of this nAma to the nAma "sthavishTha" (53 and 437, Sloka-s 6
and 47). The similarity arises because 'sthavishThah' is made of the words
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'sthUla' and 'ishTha', giving as one of the meanings "He Who has Willed to be
huge". Among the other interpretations for the nAma sthavishTha are that
bhagavAn manifests Himself in the form of the huge brahmANDa, the huge
constellation of stars and galaxies, etc.

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation - sthUlayati

bRmhayati svajana sampadam iti sthUlah - He Who grows or enhances
enormously the wealth of His devotees, is sthUlah. Note that the `wealth' for
the devotees can be in the form of their enjoyment in performing kainkaryam
to Him and to His devotees in this world, and need not necessarily refer to
material wealth only.

guNa--bhRt
nAma 843. gu[É&t! guNa

a) The Supporter of all that are subject to Him.

b) He Who supports the three guNa-s of sattva, rajas, and tamas.

c) He Who bears (has) infinite kalyANa guNa-s.

guNa-bhRte namah.
guNa refers to attributes such as dayA, dAkshiNya, etc., and also to the three
attributes – sattva, rajas, and tamas. The root from which the part bhRt is

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derived is bhR – dhAraNa poshaNayoh – to hold, to support. The explanation
given by SrI vAsishTha for the nAma is: guNa dayA dAkshiNyAdayahsatva
rajas tama AdayaSca, teshAm bhRt = dhAraka ityarthah – Because of His
quality of Mercy and compassion, He supports the three guNa-s of sattva,
rajas and tamas, that distinguishes between the different beings.

a) SrI BhaTTar expands the meaning of guNa-bhRt to cover everything that is

subject to the three guNa-s. He interprets the nAma as a reference to
bhagavAn’s supreme power of ruling over all by making all things in all their
states subject to Him, and supporting them. By His mere Will (sva-sankalpena),
He supports all of them in their different states. So He is called guNa-bhRt.
Thus this nAma is an expression of His aiSvarya or power of ISitvam –
Lordship. He gives the support from the Upanishad – sarvasya vaSI sarvasya
ISAnah (taitt.Upa. 6.1) – He keeps all under control and rules over them all.

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b) SrI Sa’nkara’s vyAkhyAnam is: sattva rajas tamasAm sRshTi sthiti
layakarmasu adhishThAnatRtvAt guNa-bhRt – Since He supports the guNa-s of
sattva, rajas, and tamas to varying degrees in the different beings as part of
His functions of creation, preservation and destruction, He is guNa-bhRt. SrI
baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives a similar interpretation – guNAn sattvAdIn
bibharti iti guNa-bhRt.

Both SrI vAsishTha and SrI cinmayAnanda comment that He supports the
three guNa-s by assuming the sattva guNa in His process of creation, the rajo
guNa in the process of preservation, and the tamo guNa in the process of
destruction or annihilation – in this sense, He is the ‘Bearer’ of the three
guNa-s.

c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the explanation – guNAn j~nAna

AnandamAdhurya vAtsalyAdIn bibharti iti guNa-bhRt – He Who possesses the
qualities such as perfection in knowledge about the past, present and future of
everything at all times, absolute bliss, the ability to be kind and sweet even to
the enemies, attachment to His devotees like that of a cow to its calf, etc.

SrIsatya sandha yatirAja also gives an interpretation along similar lines –

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 guNAnAnandAdIn bibharti iti guNa-bhRt.

nir--guNah
nAma 844. inguR[> nir

He Who is bereft of the qualities (common to others).

nir-guNAya namah.
The term guNa here refers to the three guNa-s – sattva, rajas, and
tamas,that are characteristic of prakRti. Since He is untouched by these
guNa-s and their influence, He is called nir-guNah. While bhagavAn is the
Supporter of the three guNa-s in prakRti (guNa-bhRt), He himself is beyond
the influence of the guNa-s. The nAma-s guNa-bhRt and nir-guNah are
outwardly contradictory, but in the case of bhagavAn, they are consistent
guNa-s as we see in the interpretation.
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SrI BhaTTar comments that the nAma nir-guNah indicates that while
bhagavAn is in eternal contact with all the jIva-s all the time, He has the
power that He will not be tainted by any of their defects. SrI BhaTTar’s
interpretation is: atatvaSyatayA tat-samsparSe’pi aspRshTa-tad-guNah nir-
gUnah – Even though He is in contact with all, He is not tainted by their
defects, since He is not subject to any one, and is above all of them. This nAma
is interpreted by SrI BhaTTar as representing the aiSvarya called vaSitvam –
The supreme power of holding others in magical submission to His will. He gives
the following supports:

viSvasya mishato vaSI

(taitt. 3.6.1)

He bewitches the entire world with His wide-open eyes.

sattvAdayo na santISe yatra ca prAkRtA guNAh

(vishNu purA. 1.9.44)

sattva and other guNa-s that are in the prakRti have no place in bhagavAn, the
Ruler.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the explanation – prAkRta guNa-

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trayavirahitatvAt nir-guNah.

SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives a similar interpretation– sattvAdi guNa

rahitatvAt nir-guNah.

SrI Sa’nkara’s interpretation is: vastuto guNa abhAvAt nir-guNah. This is

translated as “He Who is devoid of all guNa-s” by followers of the advaita
sampradAyam. SrI Sa’nkara gives support from the upanishad – sAkshI
cetAkevalo nir-guNaSca (SvetAS. 6.11) – He Who is the witness in everyone,
but who is not tainted by the three guNa-s in them.

nAma 845. mhan! mahAn

a) He Who is supreme in everything.

b) He Who is Great beyond comprehension.

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c) He Who is worthy of worship, and worshiped by the likes of indra.
mahate namah.
The root from which the nAma is derived is maha – pUjAyAm – to honor, to
delight, to increase. mahAn means “One who is worthy of worship”.

a) SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma mahAn in terms of His supreme excellence
in everything - parama prakarshAt mahAn. He can plunge into the earth as He
wishes, and emerge out of it as He wants, just as we can enter water and get
out of it at will. In the context of the ashTa aiSvarya-s, SrI BhaTTar explains
the current nAma as signifying the aiSvarya known as prAkAmyam (irresistible
will), the power of achieving whatever He desires.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri describes prAkAmyam as the ability to enter others’

mind at will, make them remember or forget things at will, etc.

Sri BhaTTar gives the following support:

samprayojya viyojyAyam kAmakArakarah prabhuh |

yad-yad-icchet ayam Sauirh tat-tat kuryAt ayatnatah ||

“The powerful Lord, Sauri, acts as He chooses. He unites and separates things

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 as He likes. Whatever He chooses to do, He can accomplish it without any
effort”.

SrI Sa’nkara explains the nAma in terms of the impossibility of constraining

Him to a description even for the sake of discussion – tarkato’pi yato vaktum
na Sakyam, because He is “One to whom sound and other attributes have no
reference, One who is immeasurably subtle, One who is ever pure and all-
pervading, One about whom anything in the nature of an obstacle cannot be
advanced’.

b) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains the nAma as signifying that He is beyond

comprehension and description by words, thoughts or other means. For
instance, the previous six nAma-s described Him first as one extreme, and
then as the other extreme (small, big, thin, huge, full of guNa-s, devoid of
guNa-s). He is unconstrained by form, space, time, etc. So He is referred to
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as mahAn.

SrI cinmayAnanda echoes the same thought – “He is not conditioned by the
five elements, nor by time and space”.

c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj continues his independent style for this set of
nAma-s: mahyate pUjyate brahmAdibhih iti mahAn - He who is worshiped by
the likes of brahmA is mahAn – based on the root maha – pUjAyAm. The
generic meaning is “mahyate = pUjyate iti mahAn” – He Who is worthy of
worship (SrI vAsishTha).

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the interpretation – sarvaih

abhyarcayatvAt mahAn – He is called mahAn becaue He is worshipped by
everyone.

nAma 846. Ax&t> a-dhRtah

a) The Unconstrained.

b) The Unsustained.
a-dhRtAya namah.
The root from which the nAma is derived is dhR – dhAraNe – to hold,to

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support. While SrI BhaTTar explained the previous nAma (mahAn) as a
reference to bhagavAn's superior power to achieve anything, he explains the
current nAma as a reference to His being totally unobstructed or
unconstrained in His ability to achieve anything He wants. Thus, the two nAma-
s together mean "He Who has the power to achieve anything He wants, without
any constraint or limitation". He gives the example of bhagavAn first giving
paramapadam to the sons of the vaidika brAhmin, and then bringing them back
to this world and giving them rebirth because of His will to bring them back to
this earth, even though normally one who goes to paramapadam is never reborn.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan indicates that the aiSvarya called prApti – the ability to
achieve anything, is indicated by this nAma.

SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is that bhagavAn is the Supporter of everything

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else that exists, while He Himself is not supported by anything else –
pRthivyAdInAm dhArakANAmapi dhArkatvAt na kenacitdhriyata iti a-dhRtah.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha rhetorically asks thequestion – yo hi sarvasya dhAtA

sa kena dhRtah syAt? - How can He be supported by anything when He is the
Supporter and Sustainer of everything?

SrI cinmayAnanda gives the example that just as cottonis the support behind
the cloth, gold is the support behind the golden ornaments, and mud is the
support behind the mud pot, so also bhagavAn is the support behind everything
in the universe, and we should meditate on SrIman nArAyaNa as the support
behind us.

sva--dhRtah
nAma 847. Svx&t> sva

nAma 848. SvaSy> svAsyah

prAg--vamSah
nAma 849. àaGv<z> prAg

vamSa--vardhanah.
nAma 850. v<zvxRn> vamSa

SrI BhaTTar interprets nAma-s 847 to 849 as conveying the Supremacy of

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 bhagavAn as follows:

1. sva-dhRtah – He is superior over the baddha-s who may have some of

the same ashTa aiSvarya-s that we saw above, through meditation ,
prayer, etc.

2. svAsyah – He is superior over the mukta-s, who have a status equivalent

to Him in many respects, but who were once clouded by nescience.

3. prAg-vamSah – He is superior over the nitya-s, the eternal souls in SrI

vaikunTham, since He is their origin, source and eternal support.

Then SrI BhaTTar concludes the gist of the three nAma-s with the next one,
vamSa-vardhanah, as referring to bhagavAn being the One who fosters and
grows all the three categories of jIva-s. Because of this thread between the
four nAma-s in SrI BhaTTar's interpretation, we will look at the four nAma-s
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together. First, we will deal with his interpretation for all the four nAma-s,
and then look at the anubhavam of the other vyAkhyAna kartA-s.

sva--dhRtah
nAma 847a. sva
He Who is Self-sustained.
sva-dhRtAya namah.
Following on the previous nAma, sva-dhRtah means "One Who is self-
supporting". SrI BhaTTar comments that the nAma declares that His
Sovereignty does not depend on anything else, and is innate and natural to Him.
This distinguishes the sublime nature of paramAtman from the greatness that
the bound souls (baddha jIva-s) can acquire through meditations, austerities
etc. BhagavAn's sublimity is not dependent on meditation or austerities, but is
natural to Him.

All the other gods, who are all enjoying the effects of their karma-s like the
rest of us, are established and supported by Him so that they can be
considered gods – niRuttinAn daiva'ngaLAga ad-daiva nAyagan tAnE
(tiruvai.5.2.8) – The other gods have been established by Him like tax-
collectors, and will fall from grace if He does not support them. BhagavAn is
poru il taninAyagan (tiruvAi. 5.10.8) – The One and Only, incomparable,

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Supreme Deity – eko ha vai nArAyaNa AsIt.

nAma 848a. svAsyah

a) He Who has a glorious status.
svAsyAya namah
Asya refers to 'status', and is derived from the root As – upaveSane - to sit
(e.g., Asanam). This is the meaning that Sri BhaTTar uses. The word Asyam is
also used to refer to 'face'. We will see later that SrI Sa'nkara uses this
second meaning in his interpretation.

a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for the nAma is "One Who has a glorious
status". The nAma can be looked at as su = SobhanA, SobhanA AsyA yasya
sasvAsyah – One Who has a magnificent or superior status; or, Asanam
AsyA,svayam svasmin AsyA yasya sa svAsyah (SrI vAsishTha) – One Who has

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His own innate natural superior status.

SrI BhaTTar notes that even though in SrI vaikunTham, the mukta-s have
sAmyam with bhagavAn in their status, His status is superior in the sense that
it was never subject to nescience at any time unlike in the case of the mukta-s.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri summarizes this explanation as "One Whose status

is such that it never was, is, or will be, tainted by ignorance etc". Thus, His
status is uniquely superior to that of the mukta jIva-s.

prAg--vamSah
nAma 849a. prAg
He Who is the cause of the eternally free souls.
prAg-vamSAya namah.
prAk means "first, foremost, earliest". vamSa literally means 'race'. SrI
BhaTTar interprets the term 'prAk' to refer to the nitya-s, or the eternally
liberated souls who have been in SrI vaikunTham from the earliest of times.
He interprets the term 'vamSa' as meaning 'support' or 'AdhAra'. Their
existence, their ashTa aiSvarya-s or powers, are all derived from His grace
and will. Thus, SrI BhaTTar gives the explanation for the nAma as "He Who is
the eternal support for the foremost souls – the nitya sUri-s in

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 SrIvaikunTham". In interpreting the term 'prAk' to refer to the nitya-s, SrI
BhaTTar uses the purusha sUkta passage in support: yatra pUrve sAdhyAh
santidevAh – parama padam is the place of vishNu where from time immemorial
the sAdhya devatA-s (the eternally free Angels) live.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that it is customary to name the different

races after someone who is very important and prominent in that race – for
instance, the candra vamSa, the sUrya vamSa, the raghu vamSa, the yadu
vamSa etc. In this sense, bhagavAn is the foremost in prAg-vamSa – the
vamSa of the nitya-s.

vamSa--vardhanah
nAma 850a. vamSa
He Who keeps His progeny growing.
vamSa-vardhanAya namah
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SrI BhaTTar interprets the term vamSa (progeny) in this nAma to refer to
the three types of jIva-s that he has referred to in the previous nAma-s. His
interpretation for the current nAma is that bhagavAn is the cause for ever
increasing the kainkarya rasam (the desire to do eternal service to Him) in the
three types of jIva-s.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr:

marundE na'ngaL bhoga magizhccikku enRu perum dEvar kuzhA'ngaL pidaRRum

pirAn….

(tiruvAi. 9.3.4)
"The deva-s, nitya sUri-s, etc., offer obeisance to the Lord in uncoordinated
words – because they are overwhelmed with their feelings on the thought of
the Lord, and declare that He is the medicine that offers them their bhogam
or enjoyment, the tonic for that enhances their happiness, pleasure of life and
sustaining force".

This is the real growth – vardhanam, the ever-increasing pleasure in

worshipping Him and doing kainkaryam to Him and to His devotees that is to be
sought in life.

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SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also gives an interpretation along the lines of
SrI BhaTTar: vamSam bhaktAnAm vardhayate iti vamSa- vrdhanah – He Who
grows His devotees.

So far, we dealt with SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam for the four nAma-s: sva-
dhRtah, svAsyah, prAg-vamSah, and vamSa-vardhanah. Now we will look at the
anubhavam of the other interpreters.

sva--dhRtah:
nAma 847b. sva
b) He Who is self-supporting (sva referring to Himself).

c) He Who is held in their minds by His devotees (sva referring to sva-

janAh,the devotees).

d) He Who supports the prosperity of His devotees (svam – dhanam).

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SrI Sa'nkara quotes the chAndogya upanishad in support – sa bhagavahkasmin
pratishThita iti, sve mahimni (chAn. 7.24.1) – "Where does that Immensity
abide, Sir?" "It abides in Its own glory."

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that by logic, anything that supports
something is supported by something else. If the question is continually asked,
there comes a point at which we realize that everything else is supported by
One, the Supreme Self.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the meaning sva-janah to the term sva, and
gives the interpretation – svaih sva-janaih dhRtah citte iti sva-dhRtah – He
Who is held in their minds by the devotees.

SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives a different perspective – he interprets the

term svam as referring to dhanam – wealth, and gives the interpretation –
svamdhanam dhRtam yena iti sva-dhRtah – He Who supports and sustains
prosperity and well-being in everything else.

nAma 848b. svAsyah

b) He Who has a countenance that is naturally beautiful.

c) One Who has a beautiful face also because it is the source of the veda-s.

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 We saw earlier that SrI BhaTTar has used the meaning 'status' for the word
Asya - derived from the root As – upaveSane - to sit (e.g., Asanam).

b) The word Asyam is also used to refer to 'face' – asyate

kshipyatenavanItAdih asmin iti Asyam (amara koSa vyAkhyAnam, based on asu
– kshepaNe– to throw). SrI Sa'nkara uses this second meaning.

SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation for thr nAma is: "One Who has a beautiful face"
– su = Sobhanam, padmodara talavat tAmram abhirUpatamam asya Asyamiti
svAsyah – He Whose face is rosy like the inside of the lotus.

SrI kRshNadatta bhAradvAj also gives the same interpretation – Sobhanam

Asyanm vadanamyasya aiti svAsyah.

c) Alternately, SrI Sa'nkara explains that the beauty of the face is also
reflected in the fact that the veda-s emanated from His mouth –
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vedAtmakomahAn SabdarASih tasya mukhAt nirgatah purushArtha

upadeSartham iti svAsyah. He gives support from the Upanishad: asya mahato
bhUtasya niS-Svasitam etat Rg-vedoyajur-vedah sAma-vedah atahrvA'ngirasa
itihAsah purANam vidyA upanishadah SlokAhsUtrANi anuvyAkhyAnAni
vyAkhyAnAni asyaiva etAni sarvANi niS-SvasitAni. (bRhad.Upa. 2.4.10) – The
veda, the upanishads, the purANa-s, the sUtra-s, etc., all arose from His vital
breath.

prAg--vamSah
nAma 849b. prAg
b) He from whom the first race (namely, the universe itself) originated.

c) He from whom, brahmA, the first of all those that were created, originated.

d) He Who moves around majestically, and whose greatness is expressed

clearly or loudly.

prAk means "first, foremost, earliest". vamSa literally means 'race'.

b) SrI Sa'nkara interprets the term 'prAg-vamSah' as referring to the first

race being the universe, after which alone all the other races came into
existence. Since the universe originated from vishNu, He is called prAg-
vamSah– asya vamSah prAgeva, na pAScAtya iti prAg- vamSah.

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c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj interprets the term vamSam as referring to
progeny, and he takes the term prAg to refer to catur-mukha- brahmA, and
gives the explanation that the nAma means "One Who has brahmA as His
progeny –prA'ncati it prAg brahmA; sa vamSah santAno yasya iti prAg-vamSah.

d) SrI vAsishTha derives the meaning from the root a'nc – gati=pUjanayoh– to
go, to worship, and takes the meaning 'to go' for the current context for the
root a'nc. Based on pANini, he derives the meaning: pra + a'ncu + kvin = prA'nc
(pANini 3.2.59) – being in front, directed forwards. Using the root van– Sabde
sambhaktau ca - to sound, to honor, to aid, SrI vAsishTha gives the
explanation for the nAma prAg-vamSah as: prakarsheNa a'ncati = gacchati,
vanati= SabdAyate sambahajate ca – prAg-vamSah – He Who moves around
majestically,and whose greatness is expressed clearly or loudly. (The
explanation in Hindi that is given by a translator is: prakarsha se caltA huA jo

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Sabda yA sambhAgkartA hai uskA nAm prAg-vamSa hai).

vamSa--vardhanah
nAma 850b. vamSa
b) He Who keeps the Universe growing (vRdh – to grow).

c) He Who cuts off the Universe at the appropriate time (vardh – to cut).

Recall that SrI BhaTTar had interpreted the nAma vamSa-vardhanah, as a

summarization of the previous three Nama-s - sva-dhTtah, svAsyah, and prAg-
vamSah, and gave the meaning to vamSa-vardhanah as One Who keeps all the
three kinds of jIva-s growing (vardhana) in their anubhavam of enjoyment
through devotion to Him.

b) SrI Sa'nkara gives the meaning for the nAma as "He Who expands the
universe", based on vRdh – to increase – vamSam prapa'ncam vardhayanvamSa-
vardhanah.

SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives the example of His growing the vamSa of
pANDava-s by protecting parIkshit – parIkshit-samrakshaNena pANDu- kulam
vardhayati iti vamSa0vardhanah.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN quotes the growth of yadu vamSa itself as the

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 example of His being vamSa-vardhanah – vamSam yadoh vardahayatiiti vamSa-
vardhanah yatra shaT pa'ncASat koTayah pradhAna bhUtA babhUvuh - where
there were numerous prominent yAdava-s.

c) An alternate interpretation given by SrI Sa'nkara is based vardh – chedane

- to cut: prapa'ncam chedayan vA vamSa-vardhanah – He Who withdraws the
universe.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa Sastri gives the specific example of Lord kRshNa

destroying the yadu vamSa just before He decided to leave this world for
SrIvaikunTham (SrImad bhAgavatam 11.30).
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 Slokam 91
ÉarÉ&Tkiwtae yaegI yaegIz> svRkamd>,

Aaïm> ïm[> ]am> sup[aeR vayuvahn>. 91.

bhArabhrut kathitO yOgI yOgIsah sarvakAmadah |
Aasramah sramaNah kshAmah suparNO vAyuvAhanah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

bhAra--bhRt
nAma 851. ÉarÉ&t! bhAra

He Who shoulders the burden.

bhAra-bhRte namah.
Both the parts bhAra and bhRt are derived from the same root – bhR –

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dhAraNa poshaNayoh – to hold, to support. bhAra refers to burden.
bhArambibharti iti bhAra-bhRt – He Who shoulders the burden is bhAra-
bhRt.

SrI BhaTTar continues his interpretation in the context of bhagavAn's

relation to the jIva-s. In the viSishTAdvaita tradition, the jIva-s are of three
types – the baddha-s or the bound souls, the mukta-s or the liberated souls,
and the nitya-s or the eternal souls. The baddha jIva-s attain liberation and
become mukta-s and then reside in SrI vaikunTham, performing eternal service
to Him. BhagavAn bears the burden of bringing about this liberation of the
baddha-sto become mukta-s through the realization of their true nature and
the attainment of Himself, and so He is described as bhAra-bhRt in SrI
BhaTar's interpretation.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to the gItA, where bhagavAn Himself declares
that He shoulders this burden of maintaining the welfare and prosperity of His
devotees:

ananyAS-cintayanto mAm ye janAh paryupAsate |

teshAm nityAbhiyuktAnAm yogakshemam vahAmyaham ||

(gItA 9.22)

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 "There are those who, excluding all else, think of Me and worship Me, aspiring
after eternal union with Me. Their prosperity and welfare (yoga and kshema)
are looked after by Me".

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also interprets the nAma as referring to

bhagavAn's role of protecting His devotees – bhAram bhakta rakshAyA
bibhartiiti bhAra-bhRt.

There is another dimension to the anubhavam of this 'burden' of bhagavAn. If

we so much as utter the word 'namah' to Him, He treats it as major 'burden'
of His to make sure that He protects us. SrI v. v. rAmAnujan quotes
nammAzhvAr:

vE'nkaTattu uraivArkku nama ennal Am kaDamai, adu SumandArgaTkE

(tiruvAi.3.3.6)
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"It is our duty to say 'namah' to tiru vE'nnkaTattAn; the rest is His burden to
shoulder".

We are all familiar with the sense of indebtedness that Lord kRshNa carried
until the day He left this world, to draupadi who called out His name for help
during the vastra apaharaNa episode. Even though His nAma itself protected
draupadi at that time, still He continued to feel that He owed a debt to her
that He could never fulfill throughout His incarnation in this world – such is
His feeling of indebtedness to one who surrenders to Him unconditionally.

SrI Sa'nkara interprets the bhAra or the 'weight' that He carries as a

reference to His supporting the Universe on His shoulders in the form of
AdiSesha – anantAdi rUpeNa bhuvo bhAram bibharti iti bhAra- bhRt.

SrI satyasandha tIrtha explains the nAma as a reference to bhagavAn bearing

the Universe in the form of a Tortoise – bhAram bhAra bhUtam brahmANDam
kUrma rUpeNabibharti iti bhAra-bhRt.

SrI cinmayAnanda comments that the "carrying" that is referred to here is

not as a man would carry a load in the traditional sense. The sense to be
enjoyed here is that He is the cause of the Universe, and thus He is the

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bhAra-bhRt.

nAma 852. kiwt> kathitah

He Whose greatness is extolled by all the veda-s, purANa-setc..

kathitAya namah.
The root from which the nAma is derived is kath – vAkya prabandhe – to tell,
to narrate.

SrI BhaTTar's bhAshyam is – "kathitah ukta vakshyamANa guNavattayAsarva

SAstreshu" – He is called kathitah because His fullness of all guNa-s that have
been described so far and that will be described hereafter, is declared in all
the SAstra-s. SrI BhaTTar gives support from the jitante stuti(1.7) –
vacaSam vAcyam uttamam – All the words (Sruti-s, smRti-s etc.), declare the

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greatness of this uttaman

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to tirumazhiSai AzhvAr, who captures the gist
ofthis nAma in his pASuram:

SollinAl toDarcci nee, Solap paDum poruLum nee

SollinAl SolappaDAdutOnRuginRa Sodi nee

SollinAl paDaikka nee paDaikka vandu tOnRinAr

SollinAlSuru'nga nin guNa'ngaL Solla vallarE?

(tiruccanda. 11)
"You are the Ultimate goal of the veda-s; You are the One declared as the
Supreme Brahman by the veda-s; You are the Supreme Effulgence that cannot
be described through words; You created brahmA so that he can perform the
function of creation using the veda-s as his aid, but even he cannot describe
You through words even roughly".

SrI rAmAnujan also refers us to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi 3.1.10, where

AzhvAr refers to emperumAn as "maRaiyAya nAl-vedattuL ninRa malarc-
cuDarE"– "You Who are the essence of all the four veda-s, that are hidden to
the nAstika-s (maRai), and revealed to Your devotees (veda)".

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 SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is – vedAdibhih ayameka eva paratvena kathita iti
kathitah; sarvair-vedaih kathita iti vA kathitah - He alone is declared as
Supreme by the veda-s etc., and all veda-s extol His virtue, and so He is called
kathitah. He gives several supporting quotes:

sarve vedA yat-padam Amananti

(kaTho. 2.15)

All the veda-s describe His status (as Supreme).

VedaiSca sarvam ahameva vedyah vedAntakRt veda-videva cAham

(bhagavad gItA 15.15)

"Indeed I alone am to be known from all the veda-s. I bring about the fruition
of the rituals of veda-s; I alone am the Knower of all the veda-s".
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vede rAmAyaNe puNye bhArate bharatarshabha |

Adau madhye thathA cAntevishNuh sarvatra gIyate||

(bhavishyat. 132.95)

"vishNu is sung everywhere at the beginning, middle, and end of the veda-s,
the holy rAmAyaNa, and bhArata, O Best of bharata race".

sodhvanah paramApnoti tad-vishNoh paramam padam

(kaTho. 3.9)

"He (who has sound intellect as his charioteer and controlled mind as the
bridle) reaches the end of the road, which is the highest place of vishNu".

Other vyAkhyAna kartA-s give specific instances of His being a kathita, or

One Whose greatness is extolled by great sages.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the example of His fame being sung by the
likes of nArada, vAlmIki, etc. – nArada vAlmIki prabhRtibhih sa'kIrtita yaSo
vistaratvAt kathitah.

SrI satyasandha tIrtha refers to His being praised by the Agama-s – kathitah
sad-AgamaihpratipAditah.

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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha comments that even the veda-s fail in their attempt
to describe Him completely. It is for singing His praise that we have been
provided the ability of speech. Here is SrI vAsishTha's composition
summarizing his interpretation:

vishNur-hi loke kathitah purANah tasyAntam Apnoti na vAg vacobhih |

tasmAtsanAdeva ca vartamAnA vAgasti vaktum prati-jantu nishThA ||

He remarks that just as bhagavAn is kathitah or One Who should be spoken

about and praised,

He is also a darSatah (He Who sees everything, He Who is the Object we

should see in everything we see, He for seeing Whom we are endowed with the
ability to see, etc.,), SravaNah, sparSanah, rUpah, ghrANah, etc.

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nAma 853. yaegI yogI

a) He Who is endowed with super-human powers.

b) He Who is realized through yogic powers.

c) He Who bonds everything together.

d) He Who has total control of His Self.

e) He Who unites the devotees with their wishes– i.e., He Who bestows the
devotees' wishes.
yogine namah.
The root from which the nAma is derived is yuj – yoge – to unite.

a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation –

yujyate anena iti yogah;aghaTitArtha ghaTanam mahA prabhAvah

sa asya atiSayena nitya yogena; sarvam etatsambhAvayati iti yogI –

There is a unique greatness in Him of bringing together a harmonious

combination of things that generally do not go together; this unique greatness
is present in Him in an extreme measure, and is quite natural to Him. So He is
called yogI. The context in which this notion is to be understood is in terms of

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 the asTa aiSvarya-s that we saw in the previous Sloka–the apparently
conflicting characteristics of aNimA and mahimA, kRSa and sthula (laghimA
and prApti), etc. It is not easy for one to have any one of these aiSvarya-s in
full measure. It is not possible to have all the eight aiSvarya-s in full measure
in the same person, except in the case of bhagavAn. Thus, He is a One who has
combined in Him these apparently conflicting aiSvarya-s to co-exist in full
measure simultaneously, and so He is called a yogI in SrI BhaTTar's
anubhavam.

b) SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation – yogah – j~nAnam, tenaivagamyatvAt

yogi – He Who can be attained through j~nAna or knowledge alone. This is an
interpretation that is given along the line of the advaita philosophy. In the
viSishTAdvaita system, bhagavAn is attained only through the bhakti yoga or
prapatti mArga, and j~nAna yoga is an accessory along with karmayoga in
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leading to the bhakti mArga.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains the term yoga as the process by which one
draws his/her mind towards Him when it tries to wander and stray away into
other things. BhagavAn is called yogI since He is attained by the process of
yoga (namely, by control of the mind and the senses).

c) SrI vAsishTha interprets the nAma as signifying that bhagavAn alone has
the ability to keep everything in the universe bound together as one unit, and
so He is called yogi –

yogair-yuktam ca idam SarIram yogi,

sakala'nca viSvamparasparam baddham yogi,

esha ca yoga rUpo guNo bhagavato vishNureva sarvatra vyAptah.

His derivation as – yujyate sambadhyate iti yogi – He Who unites or bonds

everything together, is yogI.

d) SrI Sa'nkara gives the alternate interpretation that He is called yogI

because He has total control of His Self – yogah samAdhih, sa hi
svAtmanisarvadA samAdhatte svAtmAnam tena vA yogi.

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SrI cinmayAnanda takes his definition for the term yoga from the yoga
SAstra-s– yogah citta vRtti nirodhah – yoga is stopping of all though flow. One
who has no thought agitations – who has totally conquered the mind, and lives
in His own Effulgent Self is the greatest yogi, and hence bhagavAn has this
nAma per cinmyAnanda.

e) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation that the nAma
signifies that He unites the devotees with their wishes, in other words, He
bestows the desired wishes for their devotees – yojayati svajanAn tad-
abhIshTenaiti yogI.

We have seen the nAma yogah (nAma 18 – Slokam 3), which is related to the
current nAma. . The write-up for nAma 18 complements the current write-up,
and the reader is referred to the earlier write-up for additional enjoyment of

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this nAma.

nAma 854. yaegIz> yogISah

He Who is the foremost Lord of all yogins.

yogISAya namah.
SrI BhaTTar started the interpretation of the nAma-s from sva-dhRtah
(nAma847) in terms of the relation of bhagavAn to the three types of souls.
He continues that thread in this nAma also. For the current nAma, his
interpretation is that bhagavAn is called yogISah because He is the foremost
Lord of all yogins, and bears the responsibility to bring about the perfection of
yoga in these devotees even as they are in the midst of the bound souls in this
world. Thus, even for the likes of sanaka who are by nature gifted with the
powers of meditation, it is He who has to bring about the perfection of the
yoga so that they attain SrI vaikunTham. He gives the support for this
interpretation from SrI vishNu purANam:

sanandanAdIn apa-kalmashAn munIn cakAra bhUyah ati-pavitram padam |

(vishNupurAnam)

"He conferred the highly pure goal, namely SrI vaikunTham, upon sanaka and

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 other sages who were flawless".

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi pASuram which

conveys the sense of His being the yogISa who is worshipped by the yogi-s:

kalakkam illA nal tava munivar karai kaNDOr tuLakkam illA vAnavar
ellAmtozhuvArgaL.

(tiruvAi. 8.3.10)

"The Seers such as janaka, sanaka, etc., who have clear perception as a result
of their true penance and devotion, the mukta-s who have crossed the ocean of
the enjoyment of His unlimited auspicious qualities through enjoyment and
experience, and the nitya-s who have not had the slightest trace of the fear
of this samsAra - all serve Him with pure delight". The mumukshu-s, the
mukta-s and the nitya-s are all referred to here.
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SrI Sa'nkara gives the meaning "The Supreme amongst yogin-s" to the nAma,
and explains that unlike other yogins who are subject to being obstructedby
impediments to yoga and falling off from their progress, bhagavAn is
unobstructed and free from any impediments, and so He is called the "Lord of
the yogin-s", or Supreme among yogins.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation that He is worshipped

and meditated upon by the karma yogin-s, j~nAna yogins and bhakti yogin-s,
and so He is yogISah. He gives the following gItA verse in support:

yoginAmapi sarveshAm mad-gatenAntarAtmanA |

SraddhAvAn bhajate yo mAm sa me yukta-tamo matah ||

( gItA 6.47)

"He who worships Me with faith, whose innermost self is fixed in Me, I
consider him as the greatest of the yogin-s". The idea conveyed is that He is
the object of worship - the Lord, of the best among yogin- s.

SrI cinmyAnanda describes a yogin as one who is free - completely and fully -
from any involvement while being in the midst of samsAra and its seething

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activities. BhagavAn alone qualifies as the King of yogi-s by this description.

SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives an alternate anubhavam that is different from
the others - yoginAm Sam (=sukham) yasmAt iti yogISah - He through Whom
(by meditating on Whom) the yogi-s attain great delight is yogI-Sah.

SrI vAsishTha uses the meaning "union" for the word yoga, and gives the
interpretation that bhagavAn has this nAma signifying that He keeps
everything bound together - for instance, all the bones in the body are kept
united together so that the body is in one functional piece. While this example
may sound trivial, the whole universe is held together only because of His
power of yoga or union.

nAma 855. svRkamd> sarva kAma--dah

sarva--kAma

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He Who bestows all desires.
sarva-kAma-dAya namah.
sarvAn kAmAn dadAti iti sarva-kAma-dah - He Who bestows all desires is
sarva-kAma-dah.

SrI BhaTTar points out that bhagavAn grants all desires sought by the
devoted yogin, including the powers such as aNimA (one of the previously
discussed ashTasiddhi-s), even though these are impediments to the path for
Salvation. In other words, even if the yogin falls from his ultimate path of
seeking Salvation, and instead seeks lesser benefits, bhagavAn is still the
bestower of whatever benefits the devotee seeks.

SrI BhaTTar notes that even those who have not perfected their yoga and who
slip from this path because of distraction from desire etc., will still get the
benefit of their yogic effort, and will be bestowed with good birth in the next
janma. He quotes the gItA in support:

prApya puNya kRtAm lokAn ushitvA SASvatIh samAh |

SucInAm SrImatAm gehe yoga-bhrashTo'bhijAyate ||

(gItA 6.41)

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 "He who has fallen away from yoga is born again in the house of the pure and
prosperous after having attained to the worlds of doers of good deeds and
living there for many long years".

SrI Sa'nkara quotes the brahma sUtra 3.2.38 in support - phalamata

upapatteh, which declares that the Lord alone is capable of bestowing any
benefits for yoga or effort of any kind. So He alone is sarva- kAma-dah.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives support from SrImad bhAgavatam:

a-kAmah sarva-kAmo vA moksha-kAma udAra-dhIh |

tIvreNa bhakti-yogena yajeta purusham param ||

(bhAga. 2.3.10)
"He who has no desire in anything, or one who is desirous of all benefits, or one
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who is realized enough to be interested in moksha, should worship the parama

purusha with intense devotion".

In other words, He is the Only One whom we should worship, no matter what
our desires are - dharma,artha, kAma or moksha, because He alone is the
Ultimate Bestower of all benefits- sarva-kAma-dah. This concluding message is
given by SrI Suka muni to parIkshit after discussing several alternate routes
such as worshiping the lesser devatA-sfor attaining the lesser benefits.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives reference to the Upanishad:

esha u eva vAmanIresha sarvANi vAmAni nayati |

sarvANi vAmAni nayati ya evam veda ||

(chAndogya. 4.15.3)

"And He alone is vAmani, since He grants all good things to those who take
refuge in Him".

(SrI N. S. ananta ra~ngAcArya explains that vAmanI here refers to

vAmanItvam -sva ASriteshu Sobhana prApakattvam - He Who bestows all
auspiciousness on those Who have taken refuge in Him).

Note the double emphasis on "sarvAni vAmAni nayati". In vedic parlance,

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double emphasis is used to reinforce the strength of the declaration.

SrI SAstri also refers us to the nAma kAma-pra-dah in Slokam 32 (nAma

299), which has a similar meaning.

nAma 856. Aaïm> ASramah

He Who provides an abode of rest for the seekers.

ASramAya namah.
The root from which the nAma is derived is Sramu - tapasi khede ca - to take
pains, to be fatigued. The prefix A sometimes gives the meaning opposite to
that of the verb it follows (e.g., gam - to go, A- gam - to come; dA - to give, A-
dA- to take). Similarly, the word A - Srama gives the meaning - to rest,
opposite of Srama. ASrama refers to a place of rest, a hermitage.

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SrI BhaTTar continues the thread from his interpretation for the previous
nAma, where he pointed out that bhagavAn bestows the lesser benefits for
those who have swerved from the path of yoga after starting on that path.
When they have completed the enjoyment of the meritorious benefits for
their lesser effort, then He gives them `a place of rest' - birth in the houses
of SrIvaishNava-s where true knowledge of the Lord can be had in profusion
and they can become refreshed: tato vivRtya subhiksha para vidyeshu
vaishNava gRheshuteshAm viSrAnti-hetuh ASramah. In other words, this
birth in a good family is to enable those who have been interrupted in their
yoga in their previous birth, to rest and then continue and succeed in the
current birth by being provided the right conditions and environment for the
successful completion of the interrupted yoga. Note the second line of the
gItA Slokam 6.41 that was given asa reference for the previous nAma -
SucInAm SrImatAm gehe yoga-bhrashTahabhijAyate - they are born in the
house of the pure and prosperous (prosperous meaning they are delighting
themselves in pure and exclusive devotion to the Lord).

This "Place of Rest" that is referred to by the nAma ASramah is nothing but
meditation on His Holy Feet, and the association with bhAgavata-s who have

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 nothing but Him in their mind. This is nicely brought out in the pASuram by
nammAzhvar to which SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us:

..... nalam koL nAn-maRai vANargaL vAzh tirumOgUr nalam kazhal avan
aDinizhal taDam anRi yAmE

(tiruvAi. 10.1.2)

Note the reference to the "nAn maRai vEdiyargaL", and to His "aDinizhal".
These are the two things that really give the rest, not only in this birth, but
for all birth to come according to nammAzhvAr. In the vyAkhyAnam, it is
pointed out that the association with the bhAgavata-s is extremely beneficial
because they are "nalam koL vANargaL" - those who are interested in lifting us
up to their levels, and those who are interested in our welfare without any
benefit for them. It is a delight to dwell deep into nammAzhvAr's pASuram-s.
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SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation - ASramavat sarveshAm samsAra

AraNyebhramatAm viSrama sthAnatvAt ASramah - He is called ASramah (The
Hermitage of peace) since He is like an ASramam for those who wander in the
forest of samsAra.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also gives an interpretation similar to those of

SrI Sa'nkara and SrI BhaTTar - bhavATavyAm bhramatAm sarveshAm
bhaktAnAm viSrama dAyitvAt ASramah.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri generalizes the concept of ASramah as all the

different means by which bhagavAn gives rest to those who have been
stressed through the forest of samsAra - including the ASrama-s of vAna
prasthA, sanyAsa, sleep, samAdhi, and finally moksha.

SrI satya sandha tIrtha interprets the nAma as "He Who is the Lord of those
who have no Srama or hardship - na vidyate Sramo yeshAm te a- SramA
muktAh, teshAm ayam svAmi iti ASramah.

SrI raghunAtha tIrtha in his tattva sAra, based on bRhat sahasra, gives the
interpretation - A - samyak, Sramyate - tapyate, gUhyate iti A-Sramah - He
Who completely conceals Himself.

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SrI satya devo vAsishTha interprets the first syllable A'ng as an upasarga
(prefix), and gives the explanation - ASramyante karmAnurUpAm yonim
prApaya yena iti ASramah - He by Whom the jIva-s are made to endure the
birth in this world according to their karma- s, is ASramah; or, He through
meditation on whom the tapasvin-s undergo the rigors of meditation and
penance - is called A-Sramah.

Note that SrI vAsishTha is not using the prefix A to derive the meaning as
opposite of Srama as Sri BhaTTar and Sri Sa'nkara did, but has instead used
the prefix A as a reinforcement of the meaning of the word Srama - One Who
ensures that the jIva-s go through the toils according to their karma-s.

nAma 857. ïm[> SramaNah

a) He Who makes it possible to continue the effort of uncompleted yoga in the

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next birth.

b) He Who torments those who have not exercised their discriminating ability.

c) He Who undertook tapas in the form of nara nArAyaNa for the welfare of
the world.

d) He Who is the source of subsistence for sanyAsin-s.

e) Subject matter of, and known by, hymns of praise.

The root from which this nAma is derived is the same as that for the previous
nAma - Sramu - tapasi khede ca - to take pains, to be fatigued. Sramyate iti
SramaNah - He Who strains or makes one put in the effort is SramaNah.

a) SrI BhaTTar continues his thread from the interpretation for the nAma
853- yogI, and has interpreted the next few nAma-s in terms of bhagavAn's
relation with the practitioners of yoga, and His supportive treatment of them,
even if they do not complete their yoga in one birth. In this spirit, SrI
BhaTTar interprets the current nAma as referring to bhagavAn making it
possible for those that have not completed their yoga in a given birth, to
resume where they left off with minimal effort in their next birth -
"anAyesena" Sramyate iti SramaNah. He quotes support from the gItA:

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 tatra tam buddhi samyogam labhate paurva daihikam |

yatate ca tato bhUyahsamsiddhau kurunandana ||

( gItA 6.43)

"There he regains the disposition of mind which he had in his former body, O
arjuna, and from there he strives much more for success in yoga".

b) SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma as "One Who torments those who are not
capable of discrimination" - avivekinah sarvAn santApayati iti SramaNah.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains this as the situation where, even though
bhagavAn is indicating the right path for attaining Him, there are many among
us who do not want to follow that path, and then He is left with no choice
except to make us undergo the effects of our karma, and as most of us know,
it is a tormenting experience to be born and living in samsAra.
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SrI cinamyAnanda puts the idea more graphically: "One Who prosecutes the
worldly people - who, driven by their hungers and passions, seek sense-
gratifications. By the very nature of the ephemeral sense- objects and the
ever-changing instruments of experience in us, the life of gratifications can
only yield exhausting fatigue and weary disappointments. This is the `Law' and
SrI nArAyaNa is the 'Law- Giver'.

c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj attributes the Sramam to bhagavAn Himself,

in His incarnation as nara nArAyaNa, for the protection of the world -
SrAmayatitapas carati nara nArAyaNa rUpeNa loka sa'ngrahAya iti SramaNah.

d) SrI satya sandha tirtha interprets the nAma as: SramaNAh sannyAsinah
asyadAsattvena santi iti SramaNah - SramaNa refers to sanyAsins, and since
sanyAsin-s exist through dAsatvam to Him, He is called SramaNah.

e) SrI raghunAtha tIrtha in his tattva sAra, gives the interpretation -

Sramanti jAnanti anena iti SramaNam stutih |

stutimAn stuti vishayah SramNah ||

"Subject matter of, and known by, hymns of praise (translation by SrI

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K.SrIpAdha rAo).

nAma 858. ]am> ksAmah

a) One Who is in a diminished form (in the form of dhruva, the Pole Star).

b) He Who helps the yogi to become well-equipped.

c) He Who alone is left behind at the time of pralaya.

d) He Who reduces everything to its un-evolved state at the time of pralaya.

e) He Who remains hidden amongst us, and he in Whom everything is hidden.

f) He Who is the final abode for all (kshAyati).

g) He Who has established the Universe in all its dimensions (kshA + mAne)

h) He Who restrains and controls those of demonic disposition (kshA + mavate)

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i) He Who bore the Earth (in His varAha incarnation)

j) Remover of obstructions in the path of cows (ksham + Ama).

k) He Who endures patiently.

kshAmAya namah.
This nAma was dealt with earlier in Slokam 47 - nAma 444.

The nAma can be derived from the following roots:

kshi - kshaye - to decay,

kshi - himsAyAm - to destroy,

kshi - nivAsa gatyoh - to dwell, and

ksham - sahane - to allow, to be capable of.

In addition, interpretations have been given by looking at the word as ksham

+Ama, kshA + mA, etc., for which details are given below.

a) SrI BhaTTar uses the root kshi - kshaye - to decay, in his interpretation of
nAma 444, and ksham - sahane, for his interpretation of the current instance
of the nAma. Incidentally, this resolves the avoidance of redundancy in

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 interpretation in SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam.

nAma 444 was interpreted by SrI BhaTTar as a reference to bhagavAn's form

as the Pole Star.

Revisiting the write-up for this nAma in Slokam 47, we have: "SrI BhaTTar
explains this nAma by pointing out that bhagavAn stands in the form of dhruva
in a diminished form at the time of the dissolution of the Earth inclusive of
the five elements. All the luminaries up to dhruva disappear, and dhruva alone
remains shining in his place, as stated in vishNu purANa -

"yAvan-mAtre pradeSe tu maitreyAvasthito dhruvah |

kshayamAyAti tAvat-tubhumerAbhUtasamplave ||"

(VP 2.8.92.)
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b) For the interpretation of the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar
uses the root (ksham - sahane - to allow, to be capable of). Continuing on his
interpretations of the nAma-s 855 to 861 in terms of His role as One Who
uplifts and supports those that have not successfully completed the yogic
path, he explains the current nAma as "One who allows those who have slipped
from the path of yoga to fulfill their effort by giving them the necessary
strength to achieve this, if only they show an inclination for this - sva
yogAbhimukhyamAtreNa te yoga-bhrashTA api durgam taritum kshamante
asmAt iti kshAmagh. He quotes the gItA Slokam 6.40 in support:

pArtha naiveha nAmutra vinASas-tasya vidyate |

na hi kalyANa-kRt kaScitdurgatim tAta gacchati ||

(gItA 6.40)

"Neither here (in this world), nor there (in the next), arjuna, is there
destruction for him. For, no on one who does good ever comes to an evil end".

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives the meaning "One Who makes the yogin skilled in
continuing and fulfilling the yoga" - "tiRamai uDaiyavanAgac ceybavan".

c) Sri Sa'nkara bases his interpretation for the instance of the nAma in

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Slokam 47 on kshi - kshye - to decay, and explains that bhagavAn has this
nAma signifying that He alone is left behind after everything disappears
during pralaya - sarva-vikAreshu kshapiteshu svAtmanA avasthita iti kshAmah.

d) For the current instance of the nAma, he gives another variant of the act of
bhagavAn during pralaya - that He reduces all beings to the state in which
they were prior to the current created form - kshAmAh kshINAh sarvAh
prajAhkaroti iti kshAmah.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the example of how bhagavAn gradually

removes the functions of the indirya-s, mind etc., gradually before the final
moment in our own life - the function of kshAma or decay.

SrI kRshNadatta bhAradvAj give another anubhavam of His function of

kshAma or destruction- He eliminates the wicked - kshAmAn = kshInAn karoti

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dur- janAn iti kshAmah.

e) SrI satya devo vAsishTha gives an interpretation using the meaning "hidden"
for "kshaya", and explains the nAma as referring to bhagavAn who remains
hidden amongst us while being present in all of us, or in whom we are all hidden
- ya etasmin viSve antarleenah tishThati sarvam vyApya, yasmin vA idam
viSvam praleeyate.

f) Alternatively, using the root kshi - nivAsagatyoh - to dwell, SrI vAsishTha

gives the alternate interpretation that this nAma of bhagavAn signifies that
He is the ultimate abode for all at the time of pralaya -kshAyati = nivAsayati,
gamayati iti kshAmah.

g) Among the other anubhava-s of SrI vAsishTha are: kshA refers to the
Universe (kshA = pRthivee), and the root mA'ng - mAne Sabde ca means "to
measure, to sound". Using these, his interpretation is that the nAma can refer
to bhagavAn being the One Who has established this Universe as such and
such., has given it the ability to function, and has equipped it with sound etc.-
kshA iti viSva upalakshaNam; evam ca viSvam idam ya iyattayA
nibadhnAti,gatidAnena Sabdavacca karoti it kshAmah.

h) SrI satya sandha tIrtha interprets the nAma as kshA + mA - kshA -

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 narakaAh,tAn mavate - badhnAti iti kshA-mah - He Who binds (restrains,
controls) the demons is kshA-mah. (The root is mav - bandhane himsAyAm ca -
to fasten, to bind, to kill).

i) An alternate interpretation by SrI satya sandha tIrtha is: kshamAyA

ayamdhArako varAhAdi rUpeNa iti kshAmah - He Who bore the Earth (bhU
devi) in His varAha incarnation, is kshAmah.

j) For the instance in Sloka 47, SrI raghunAtha tIrtha gives the
interpretation - ksham gavAm samrodha viSesham Aminoti kRntati iti kshAmah
- Remover of obstructions in the path of the cows (ksham + Ama).

k) For the current instance of the nAma, SrI raghunatha tIrtha's

interpretation is: kshamate sahate iti kshAmah - He Who endures patiently.

nAma 859. sup[R> suparNah

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a) One Who has beautiful wings – in the form of hamsa, garuDa, etc.

b) He Who helps the yogi-s cross the ocean of samsAra.

c) He Who enables everything to move around.

d) He Who is in the form of the veda-s (as the “leaves” of the tree of
samsAra).

e) One Who is decorated with the beautiful green tulasi leaves.

f) One Who has the green color of emerald because of His association with
Lakshmi.

g) One Who is easily pleased by pure devotion.

h) He Who is the Abode of Supreme Happiness (su-par-Nah).

i) He Who rests on the beautiful tender green fig-tree leaf (at the time of
prlaya).

j) He Who pervades the entire Universe completely.

k) He Who has suparNa – garuDa as His vAhana.

suparNAya namah.

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We enjoyed this nAma earlier as part of Slokam 21 (nAma 194). SrI
satyadevo vAsishTha gives two roots from which the different interpretations
can be explained: pAr – tIr – karma samAptau – to finish, to get through or
over; and parN – harita bhAve – to make green. Based on these, the word
parNa means “wing” as well as “leaf”. The different interpretations for the
nAma include: One who has beautiful wings, One Who enables the jIva-s cross
the ocean of samsAra, One who gives everything the ability to move around,
One who makes everything live and thrive (“green”), One who is decorated with
the green tulasi leaves, etc.

SrI BhaTTar interprets the two instances of the nAma as:

a) One Who has beautiful wings” (e.g., in His hamsa incarnation), and
b) One Who helps the yogin-s cross the ocean of samsAra (with “beautiful

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wings” that carry the samsArin-s across the ocean of samsAra) - Sobhana
parNatvAt, samsAra-pAra-nayanAt vA suparNah .

a) While SrI BhaTTar himself has not made a direct reference to the hamsa
incarnation in his interpretation, other interpreters have elaborated on SrI
BhaTTar’s interpretation as a reference to bhagavAn’s hamsa incarnation, or
alternatively as a reference to His being the antaryAmi of garuDa.

SrI M. V. rAmAnujAcArya and SrI P. B. aNNa’ngarAcArya explain the nAma as

a reference to His hamsa incarnation.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan explains the nAma as referring to garuDa, who has
bhagavAn as his antaryAmi. Alternatively, suparNa refers to garuDa, and
bhagavAn is suparNah since He has garuDa as His vAhana. In SrImad-
bhAgavatam we have - siddheSvarANAm kapilah suparNo'ham patatriNAm -
Among the siddha-s, I am Kapila, and among birds I am GaruDa (11.16.15).

In Bhagavad-gItA, we have mRgANAm ca mRgendro'ham vainateyaSca

pakshiNAM - Among beasts, I am the lion, their king, and among birds, I am
GaruDa, the son of VinatA (10.29).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains that the two wings of this form of

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 bhagavAn – suparNah – can be enjoyed as:

a) one wing representing the veda-s that show the path for our conduct; and

b) the other wing representing the sadAcAram practised by our AcArya-s and
elders through their conduct of life following the teachings of the veda-s.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha explains the nAma in terms of the muNDakopanishad

passage quoted below:

In the upanishad-s, we have reference to two beautiful birds sitting on the

same tree - signifying the jIvAtmA and the paramAtmA dwelling in the same
body. One (jIvAtmA) eats the fruits of actions, and the other (paramAtmA)
just gazes on (sAkshI). VishNu is this all-experiencing Principle of
Consciousness.

dvA suparNA sayujA sakhAyA samAnam vRksham parishvajAte |

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tayoranyah pippalam svAdvanti, anaSnan anyo abhicAkaSIti ||

(muNDakopanishad - 3.1).

“A pair of white-winged birds extremely friendly to each other sit on one and
the same tree; one eats the fruits, the other eats not and gazes on".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers to one as the great enjoyer (pErinbam), and
the other as the Great Knower (pEraRivu).

b) SrI BhaTTar’s interpretation for the current instance of the nAma is that
He enables the yogi-s who have fallen from the path of yoga to get back in
track and cross the ocean of samsAra – evam pratyApanna samAdhIn samAdhi-
vipAka-dvArA tamasah pAram nayati iti su-parNah. He gives support from the
maula samhitA and from the gItA:

“sva-pAram bhagavAn nayati”

(maula.)
The Lord leads them to reach the shore

prayatnAd-yatamAnastu yogi samSuddha kilbishah |

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aneka janma samsiddhah tato yAti parAm gatim ||

(gItA 6.45)
“The yogin, striving earnestly, cleansed of all his stains, and perfected through
many births, reaches Me”.

c) SrI vAsishTha also gives another dimension to the anubhavam in terms of

His being “One with the best and beautiful wings” – He is the One Who enables
everything in the Universe – including the Sun, the Moon etc., to move around
because of His “beautiful wings”, in other words, by His Power.

d) Using the meaning “leaf” for the term “parNa”, SrI Sa’nkara explains the
nAma as referring to bhagavAn in the form of veda-s represented by the
“leaves” of the tree of samsAra, as described by Lord kRshNa in the gItA
Slokam 15.1:

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Urdhva mUlam adhah Sakham aSvattham prAhur-avyayam |

chandAmsi yasya parNAni yas-tam veda sa veda-vit ||

(gItA 15.1)
“They speak of an immutable aSvattha tree with its roots above and branches
below. Its leaves are the veda-s. He who knows it knows the veda-s”.

SrI SAstri continues on the above, and explains that He is also suparNah
because He gives protection to the jIva-s in their sojurn in this samsAra by
giving them the shade in the form of the beautiful leaves of this immutable
aSvattha tree while they go through the samsAra to expend their karma-s.

e) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as “One Whose form is
decorated with the green tulasi leaves” – SobhanAni parNAni tulasI dalAni
yan-mUrtau sa su-parNah. For one of the instances of the nAma, SrI vidyA
bhUshaN’s anubhavam is along the same lines: bhagavAn is more pleased
wearing the beautiful green tulasi leaves than when wearing the precious
jewels, and so He is su-parNah – SobhanAni parNAni tulasI patrANyeva na tu
kanaka ratnAni yasmin sa su-parNah..

f) SrI bhAradvAj gives an alternate interpretation as well: He is su-parNah

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 since He has the green emerald color because of His association with SrI
lakshmi Who resides in His vaksha-sthalam - Sobhanah parNo harita bhAvo
yasya SrI lakshmI devI sAnnidhyAt iti su-parNah.

g) SrI bhAradvAj gives a third interpretation using the root pRN – prINane –
to please, to satisfy, and explains the nAma as – Sobhanam parNam prINanam
yasya iti su-parNah – He Who is easily pleased and satisfied by the sincere
offerings of His devotee. One is reminded of the gItA Slokam

patram pushpam phalam toyam yo me bhaktyA prayacchati |

tad-aham bhaktyuoahRtam aSnAmi prayatAtmanah ||

(gItA 15.1)
“Whoever offers Me with true devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or some water,
I accept this offering made with devotion by him who is pure of heart”.
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h) SrI T. S. Raghavendran has given the following in his “SrI vishNu sahasra
nAma sa’ngrahArtha” (this also corresponds closely to the interpretation given
by SrI raghunAtha tIrtha in his tattva sAra for this nAma in Slokam 21): su =
sobhana, para = uttama, Nah = Anandah, tAn santi iti su-par-Nah – He is called
su-par-Nah because He is the Abode of Supreme happiness.

i) SrI satya sandha tIrtha enjoys the nAma as referring to One Who is resting
on the beautiful green tender leaf of a fig-tree at the time of pralaya –
Sobhanam parNam vaTa-patram SayyAtvena yasya sa su-parNah.

j) For the current instance of the nAma, SrI raghnAtha tIrtha gives the
interpretation: “su – samyak bhUmin pUrayati – vyApnoti iti su-parNah – He
Who pervades the earth completely.

vAyu--vAhanah
nAma 860. vayuvahn> vAyu

a) He Who makes the wind flow for the benefit of sustaining life.

b) He Who lifts up the fallen with the swiftness of air with the help of garuDa

c) He Who had "The vAyu - hanumAn" as His vehicle during His rAma
incarnation.

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vAyu-vAhanAya namah
We enjoyed this nAma in Slokam 36 - nAma 333 earlier.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the roots involved in the nAma: vA - gati
gandhanayoh - to go, to blow, etc., and vah - prApaNe - to carry, to flow. He
gives the derivation as: vAyuh vAhyate - pravartyate anena iti vAyu-vAhanah -
He because of Whom the air flows.

a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma in Slokam 36 as a reference to

bhagavAn's act of driving the air (making it move and flow) that is vital for the
survival of all beings.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives refers us to tiruma'ngai AzhvAr's tiru ezhu

kURRirukkai - mEdamum aim- perum bhUtamum neeyE - "You are the Force
behind the five great elements that are constituents of the body that houses

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the jIva-s".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives reference to the bRhadAraNyaka Upanishad,

which describes that bhagavAn is the antaryAmi of vAyu, and makes vAyu flow
etc.

yo vAyau tishThan vAyorantaro yam vAyur na veda yasya vAyuh SarIram yo

vAyurantaro yamayati esha ta AtmA antaryAmi amRtah |

(bRhad. 3.7.11)
"He who dwells in vAyu, who is within the vAyu (Air), whom Air does not know,
whose body is Air, and who controls Air from within, is the Inner Ruler
(antaryAmi), the Immortal".

SrI Sa'nkara explains the first instance of the nAma in Slokam 36 as "He Who
is the Director of the seven vital airs - "vahatah sapta AvahAdIn vAhayati it
vAyuvAhanah" - bhagavAn has this nAma signifying that He is the Controller of
the atmosphere in the seven regions of space.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri describes in detail about these seven regions that
are controlled by seven different sons of kaSyapa and diti, because of the
powers given to them by bhagavAn. They are called the sapta-maruta-s:

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 1. A-vaha,

2. pra-vaha,

3. sam-vaha,

4. ud-vaha,

5. vi- vaha,

6. pari-vaha, and

7. parA-vaha.

The upasarga prior to the term vaha in each case signifies the kind of force
that is exerted by this type of flow, for instance ud-vaha is the force that
lifts up, etc. The seven maruts control seven regions of the Universe. Six of
these regions are listed by many of the authors. These regions are:
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1. the space between earth and the clouds,

2. that between the clouds and the sun,

3. that between the sun and the moon,

4. the moon and the stars,

5. the stars and the planets,

6. and the planets and the sapta-Rshi manDala.

It is said that it is because of the pressure exerted by these regions of air

that the various stellar objects do not collide with each other.

In short, SrI cinmayAnanda summarizes the above in the following words: "The
inconceivable might and power of the winds and their life-sustaining abilities
are all lent to the air by bhagavAn's own munificence and, therefore, He is
called "vAyu-vAhanah".

For the current instance of the nAma, SrI Sa'nkara explains that bhagavAn is
vAyu-vAhanah or "One Who makes the air flow and sustain all beings". In this
instance his anubhavam is that the Air flows because of the fear of bhagavAn
if the air does not comply as directed. As mentioned in the taittirIya
Upanishad: - "bhIshAsmAd- vAtah pavate" (taitt. 2.8) - "The wind blows

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through fear of Him".

Another anubhavam given by SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri is that bhagavAn

redeems His devotees swiftly like air, and so He is vAyu-vAhanah.

SrI vAsishTha comments that at the time of creation, bhagavAn first makes
the air flow, and then gives body to the jIva-s so that they can move around or
breathe and live, and so He is vAyu-vAhanah. This great Power of bhagavAn is
not easily perceived by us. Sri vAsishTha gives several references to the vedic
passages in support:

tad-dhAvato'nyAn-atyeti tishThat-tasmin-apo mAtariSvA dadhAti

(ISAvAsya. 4)

While not moving, It goes faster than those who run after It. By Its Power,
the Air supports all the living beings".

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kasmAd-a'ngAt dIpyate agnir-asya kasmAd-a'ngAt pavate mAtariSvA

(atharva. 10.7.2)

By Whose movement or force the agni glows, and by whose movement the air
flows".
kva prepsan dIpyata Urdhvo agnih, kva prepsan pavate mAtariSvA

(atharva. 10.7.4)
How (by Whose Power) the agni always blazes upward, and by Whose Power the
wind flows".

yatrAgniS-candramAh sUryo vAtas-tishThantyArpitAh |

skambham tam brUhi katamah svideva sah ||

(atharva. 10.7.12)
"That Support on which the earth, firmament and sky are set as their
foundation, in Whom the Fire, Moon, Sun, and Wind have their foundation".
yasmAd vAtA RtudhA pavante yasmAd samudrA adhi viksharanti

(atharva. 13.3.2)

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 He from Whom winds blow pure in ordered seasons, and from Whom the seas
flow forth in ordered directions.

b) For the current instance of the nAma vAyu-vAhanah, SrI BhaTTar gives the
interpretation that bhagavAn lifts up those that have fallen into the ocean of
samsAra, using garuDa, who is noted for his swiftness. vAyu here signifies
garuDa, the king of birds, who is known for his swift movement. SrI
BhaTTar's words are - tAnSca prabala hetubhih patitAnapi, vAyunA -
anupamagatvareNa patagapatinA, vAhayati uttArayati iti vAyu-vAhanah. He
quotes an example from vishNu tattva - the story of King uparicara vasu. This
king was cursed by a great sage to wander in the nether worlds. He was a great
devotee of bhagavAn, and so bhagavAn sent garuDa who lifted him up from the
nether worlds and brought him back to the upper worlds.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that bhagavAn is vAyu-vAhanah or "One

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Who has Air as His vehicle" on account of another incident as well - It is said
that when bhagavAn had to rush to save gajendra, finding that the speed of
garuDa was not fast enough, bhagavAn just used the Air as His vehicle, and
reached gajendra and saved him.

c) Sri ananta kRshNa SAstri takes "vAyu" to refer to "The vAyu" - the son of
vAyu, namely hanumAn, and notes that bhagavAn is vAyu-vAhanah since He had
hanumAn as the "vehicle" in His rAma incarnation during the battle with
rAvaNa.

d) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the following interpretation:

vAti - gandhayate sUcayati SrImad-bhagavad Agamanam iti vAyuh |

tad- vAhanam garutmadAkhyam yasya iti vAyu-vAhanah |

garutmatah sa'ncalane sAma-gItir-udbhavati,

sA ca SrIman nArAyaNasya Agamanam sUcyati |

That which, or one who announces the arrival of bhagavAn is vAyu, based on
"vAti - gandhayate - sUcayati". BhagavAn has garutmAn as His vAhana, who
announces His arrival, and so He is vAyu-vAhana. The movement of garuDa

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produces sAma gAnam, which again announces the arrival of bhagavAn ahead
of His arrival.

e) SrI satya sandha tIrtha looks at the nAma as vAyuvAh + nah: vAyum - svAsa
vAyum vahanti iti vAyu-vAh, jIvAh; tAn nayati iti vayAvAha-nah - Those that
inhale and exhale the prANa vAyu (vAyu) are called vAyu-vAh; One Who leads
them is vAyuvAha-nah.

f) In his alternative interpretation, SrI satya sandha tIrtha looks at the

nAma as vAyuvah + vRtu - vartana - to exist, to happen, to live on; aha -
vyAptau - to pervade. He Who makes vAyu exist, and to pervade is vAyuvah +
ahanah - vAyuvaSca asau ahanaSca iti vAyuvAhanah.

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 Slokam 92
xnuxRrae xnuveRdae d{fae dmiyta=dm>,

Apraijt> svRshae inyNta inymae ym>. 92.

dhanurdharO dhanurvedO daNDo damayitA=damah |
aparAjitah sarvasahO niyantA niyamO yamah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

dhanur--dharah
nAma 861. xnuxRr> dhanur

The wielder of the bow.

dhanur-dharAya namah.
dhanusho dharah dhanur-dharah - One Who has the bow.
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Both SrI Sa'nkara and SrI BhaTTar interpret this nAma as "One Who carries
the bow in His hand".

The word dhanus is derived from the root dhan - to sound, or from the root
dhan - dhAnye - to bear fruit.

a) SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn has this nAma indicating that
He carries His bow by name SAr'nga in order to remove the obstacles in the
path of the devotees performing yoga to attain Him. The reason for Lord rAma
carrying the bow with Him during His vana-vAsam was precisely to remove the
obstacles to the penance performed by the Rshi-s in the forest. This is
kshatriya dharma:

"etad-artham hi loke'smin kshatriyair-dhAryate dhanuh"

It is for this reason that the bow is wielded by the kshatriya-s in this world;

"dhAryate kshatriyaih cApo na Arta Sabdo bhaved-iti" -

The bow is always carried by the kshatriya-s so that there may not be the cry
of distress anywhere.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan nicely translates the nAma into tamizh as "Sar'ngapANi" -
"One Who has SA'rnga in His hand".

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nammAzhvAr personifies all His weapons themselves as being filled with anger
at the very sight of the enemy, and ready to remove the sorrow of the
devotees - kAi Sina Azhi Sa'ngu vAL taNDu Endi em iDar kaDivAnE (tiruvAi.
9.2.6). nammAzhvAr also refers to emperumAn as "kuni Sar'ngan" (tiruvAi.
8.8.1) - One Who has in His hand the Sar'nga bow that is bent as if with
respect.

b) SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is - "SrImAn rAma nAmA mahad-dhanur-

dhArayAmAsa iti dhanur-dharah - He Who carried the great bow in His rAma
incarnation (to protect the sages). The key word to emphasize is "the great
bow".

There are others who have carried the bow, but none is equal to rAma in
wielding the bow.

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Lord kRshNa decalres as such in the gItA - Of those who bear weapons, I am
rAma.

...... rAmah Sastra bhRtAm aham |

(gItA 10.31)
SrI rAdhA kRshNa SAstri refers to rAma's skill in wielding the bow and
arrow - He could even convert a shade of grass as an arrow in chasing
kAkAsura all over the three worlds and making Him surrender at His Feet
ultimately.

c) SrI cinmayAnanda gives an interesting reference to muNDakpanishad,

where the "bow" refers to the praNava:

dhanur-gRhItvaupanishadam mahAstram

Saram hyupAsAniSitam samdhayIta |

Ayamya tad-bhAva gatena cetasA

lakshyam tadevAksharam somya viddhi ||

(muNDa. 2.2.3)

"Having taken the bow (called praNava) well known in the upanishads, one

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 should fix on it an arrow (the Atman) that has been sharpened by constant
meditation. Drawing it with the mind fixed on the Brahman, O good looking
one, know that the Immutable itself is the target".

The next mantra explicitly declares: "praNavo dhanuh, Saro hyAtmA, brahma
tal-lakshyamucyate".

c) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN, an exponent of the gauDIya vaishNava

sampradAyam, gives his interpretation in terms of bhagavAn's kRshNa
incarnation, and refers to His bearing the bow to shoot the fish at His
svayamvaram with lakshaNA - svayamvare matsya vedhanAya dhanusho
dharaNAt dhanur-dharah. The incident of arjuna piercing through the fish in
the svayamvara of draupadi is well-known, but the reference here is to a
similar incident that refers to bhagavAn. This incident could not be traced
through the internet search, and so the original reference to this incident
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could not be located.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives reference to the Rg vedic mantra in support:

aham rudrAya dhanur-Atanomi brahmadvishe hanta vA u |

aham janAya samadam kRNomy-aham dvAyavA pRthivI AvivESa ||

(Rg. 10.125.6)

"I bend the bow for rudra that his arrow may strike and slay the hater of
devotion. I rouse and order battle for the people, and I have penetrated Earth
and Heaven".

dhanur--vedah
nAma 862. xnuveRd> dhanur

a) The Propounder of the science of archery.

b) The Knower of the Science of archery in its completeness (a reference to

Lord rAma).

c) One Who has given the means of self-protection (dhanush) to all His
creation.

d) One Who has propounded meditation on "(praNavam)" as the sure means of

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Self realization.
dhanur-vedAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as an example of His being the
Propounder of all that is known and to be learnt. In this instance, He is the
Propounder of the Science of archery - dhanur-veda. Even the rulers of men
(kings) and gods (indra) get their knowledge of the science from His blessings
alone.

b) SrI Sa'nkara's interpreation is: "sa eva dASarathih dhanur-vedam vetti iti
dhanur-vedah" - "The Son of daSaratha, who alone is the Knower of the
Science of archery (to perfection)". Thus as the term "mahat" was emphasized
in SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation of the previous nAma, the term "eva" should
be stressed here. There are others who knew and know the science of archery,

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but none who compares to rAma.

SrI rAdhA kRshNa SAstri gives examples of Lord rAma's knowledge of the
science of archery. He could direct the arrows as He wished, retrieve them as
He wished, and even change Nature through discharge of the arrows (as His
use of the arrow to warn samudra rAjan for His initial lack of response to His
request).

c) SrI vAsishTha gives the following interpretations:

i) dhanur vindati - labhata iti - He Who has the dhanus.

ii) dhanur-vedayati sva-rakshaNArtham sarvebhya iti dhanur-vedah - He Who

bestows the dhanus to all His creation for their self-protection is dhanur-
vedah. Here SrI vAsishTha gives a generic meaning the term dhanus, and uses
the term as a reference to any means for self- protection from the natural
enemies etc. Thus, he refers to the horn of the cows etc. as their
'dhanush' (gavAdhikAnAm dhanurasti SR'ngam), the nails of the tigers, lions
etc. as their 'dhanush' (simhAdi himsrasya nakhAdirUpam), and the intellect as
the dhanush for human beings (dhanuSca martyasya su-buddhih).

SrI vAsishTha gives support from yajur-veda;

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 avatatya dhanushTvagm sahasrAksha Sateshudhe |

niSIrya SalyAnAm mukhA Sivo nah sumanA bhava ||

(yajur. 16.13).
d) SrI cinmayAnanda continues his anubhavam of the nAma based on the
interpretation of the term dhanush to refer to the "omkAra" (see previous
nAma). He gives the interpretation for the nAma as "One Who propounded the
unfailing technique of meditation on "(praNavam)" for realization of the Self".

SrI raghunAtha tIrtha explains the nAma as

"dhanUmshi vidanti iti dhanur-vedAh astr~jnAh bhRtyAh |

te asya bhaktAnAm dAsAh santi iti dhanur-vedah |"

He Who has His devotees served by those who have knowledge of the science
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of missiles and weaponry.

nAma 863. d{f> daNDah

a) The source of punishment for the wicked.

b) He Who is verily the weapon (power) of yama - the daNDa.

c) He Whom no one else controls (a-daNDah).

d) He Who is the source of restraint for all beings so that they follow dharma.
daNDAya namah.
The root from which this nAma is derived is dam - upaSame - to be tamed.
(dushTAn) daNDayati iti daNDah - The means of punishment for the wicked is
daNDah. daNDam is a term used for a staff. It refers to the staff that is
carried by a sanyAsin, and also is a symbol of the power that one has (like the
daNDam or staff of a king). The sense in which it is used in this nAma is the
latter. Thus, daNDah here refers to the means to administer punishment or
taming.

a) SrI BhaTTar comments that bhagavAn is daNDah because He administers

the rules of dharma through the kings who have the responsibility to punish

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the wicked and bring protection and happiness to the world by following the
dharma as laid down in the vedas.

SrI Sa'nkara gives reference to the gItA, where Lord kRshNa declares that
among those that administer chastisement, He is daNDa:

daNDo damayatAm asmi nItirasmi jigIshatAm |

(gItA 10.38)
"I am the Power of Punishment among those who administer punishment when
the law is transgressed".

nammAzhvAr describes the intensity with which bhagavAn punishes the

wicked, in his tiruvAimozhi pASuram 6.10.4) - reference by SrI v.v.
rAmAnujan:

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AvAennAdu ulagattai alaikkum aSurar vANAL mEl tI vAi vALi mazahi pozhinda
SilaiyA tiru mA magaL kELvA

"He showers His deadly piercing fiery rain-shower of arrows on the life-source
of the wicked asusra-s who by their very nature will torture the people of this
world without the least mercy". Such is the intensity with which bhagavAn
dealt with kara, dhUshaNa etc.

b) SrI rAdhA kRshNa SAstri interprets the nAma as a reference to the

weapon of yama in his role of samhAram. BhagavAn is verily that power of
yama in the form of his weapon, the daNDa - the ultimate of weapons in the
ultimate of punishments.

SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives the explanation - daityAn daNDayati it danDah -
He Who punishes the asura-s.

c) He gives an alternate interpretation using the pATham "a-daNDah" - anya

kartRka SikshaNa rahitah a-daNDah - He Whom no one else controls.

d) SrI satya devo vAsishTha gives the explanation that bhagavAn is called
daNDah because He is the source of restraint (daNDa = damana = niyamana
=restraint) for all beings so that they act according to His rules.

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 nAma 864. dmiyta damayitA

a) The Subduer (of the enemies of His devotees).

b) The Dispeller (of the miseries and sufferings of His devotees).

damayitre namah.
The root from which this nAma is derived is the same as the one for the
previous nAma - dam - upaSame - to be tamed. The difference is that the last
nAma referred to bhagavAn being the Source or the tool of punishment of the
wicked, and the current nAma refers to Him as the One who administers the
punishment. The affix tRn that appears at the end of this nAma refers to
"One who has the habit of" - tAcchIlya, according to pANini sUtra 3.2.125, and
thus the nAma signifies that bhagavAn is in the habit of punishing the wicked.
SrI vAsishTha gives the definition - damayati = upaSamayati tacchIlo
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damayitA.

a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation along the above lines - svayam ca
rAvaNAdIn tAcchIlyena damayitA - He Who destroys the likes of rAvaNa as a
matter of habit. The nirukti author gives the description for the nAma as
"tAccHilyAt rAvaNAdInAm hartA - damayitA svayaam". It is because of this
habit of His that He takes direct incarnations such as the rAma and kRshNa
incarnations to rid the wicked from this world. nammAzhvAr describes this
attribute of bhagavAn in his tiruvAimozhi pASuram 7.5.2 (reference from SrI
v.v. rAmAnujan):

nATTil piRandu paDAdana paTTu maniSarkkA

nATTai naliyum arakkarai nADit taDindiTTu

nATTai aLittu uyyac ceidu naDandamai kETTumE?

(tiruvAi. 7.5.2)

BhagavAn takes birth among us, goes through innumerable sufferings for our
sake in His incarnation (as evidenced by the incarnation of rAma with pirATTi
sItA), and then goes after and seeks the wicked (nADi), and destroys them -
all for the sake of the human beings who have no interest in worshipping Him

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and seeking His Feet. It is this "habit" of His seeking the wicked and punishing
them that is emphasized in the nAma damayitA.

SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation that He is the "Subduer" of the wicked
in the form of yama, the rulers etc. He gives support from the gItA:
........ yamah samyamatAm aham

(gItA 10.29)

(I am yama among the subduers).

SrI satya sandha tIrtha explains the nAma along similar lines - daityAn
damayati iti damayitA - He Who subdues the wicked asura-s.

SrI vAsishTha also echoes a similar thought: BhagavAn has this nAma
signifying that He subdues those who violate the rules of dharma as
established by Him –

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jagati jagadISa kRtAyA jagad-vyavasthAyA

bha'njakam upaSamya sva-vaSe sthApayati.

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation that He "dispels" the
sorrowful or miserable state of His devotees (by retrieving them from the
bondage of samsAra): damayati upaSamayati dainyam sva-janAnAm iti
damayitA. This is along the lines that SrI BhaTTar has interpreted nAma
192 - damanah (Slokam 21). Both the nAma-s have the same root, and in fact
SrI BhaTTar stresses the guNa of bhagavAn as a Subduer in nAma 192 also,
but a different aspect of this guNa of bhagavAn - that of subduing the tApa
or suffering of His devotees. EmperumAn is always acting in the interests of
His devotees - either as a Subduer of the tApa of His devotees (kAnti -
mandAkinIbhih bhava tApam damayati iti damanah (He dispels the sufferings
of samsAra in His devotees through the Ganges-like streams of His luster or
kAnti- interpretation for nAma 192), or as a Subduer of the enemies of His
devotees (the current nAma).

SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as: "One Who punishes the wicked,
destroys the sinners and thus regulates and cultivates life in the universe,

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 making it a garden for the blossoms of spiritual beauties".

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshAn, an exponent of the gauDIya vaishNava

sampradAyam, gives his interpretations for all the nAma-s as far as possible
based on the specific instances of bhagavAn's kRshNa incarnation. For the
current nAma, he gives the anubhavam that the nAma reflects His "subduing"
the seven bulls in His svyamavaram - nAgnajitI svayamvare saptAnAmukshNAm
damanAt damayitA.

nAma 865. Adm> a-damah

a) He Who is not subdued by anyone.

b) He Who is in the form of the good effects of punishment to those who err.

c) He Who is the means of control..

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d) He Who controls everything.

e) He Who bestows all wishes to His devotees.

a-damAya namah.
The root from which the nAma is derived is dam - upaSame - to be tamed, the
same root as for the previous two nAma-s. SrI BhaTTar looks at the nAma as
a-damah - He Who cannot be tamed or subdued, and SrI Sa'nkara and others
treat the nAma as damah.

The nirukti author summarizes SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam thus: kaScit

damayitA na asti yasya asau a-damah smRtah - He is meditated upon as a-
damah because there is no one who can subdue Him in any way.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as:

dAmyati it damo damanah parAbhavitA;

na damo yasya kaScit sah a-damah.

SrI BhaTTar quotes the mahA bhArata in support:

bhasma kuryAt jagat-sarvam manasaiva janArdanah |

na tu kRtsnam jagac-chaktam ki'ncit kartum janArdane || (mahA. udyoga. 67.8)

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"JanArdana by His mere Will can turn into ashes the entire Universe. But all
the Universe combined together can do no harm to Him".

b) SrI Sa'nkara, who treats the nAma as damah, gives the interpretation -
damyeshu daNDa kAryam phalam, tacca sa eva iti damah - He is also the result
of the act of punishment or discipline that is administered. In other words,
whatever is the effect of the punishment administered to one who errs, such
as the good effects that take place because of the punishment, the
corrections that occur in the individual, etc., are also a manifestation of
bhagavAn.

SrI cinmayAnanda captures this sense in his explanation: "That which is

ultimately gained by the worldly punishments - the final experience of
Beatitude in the Self". One should be able to realize through this

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interpretation that what happens to us - good or bad -is all for our benefit,
bestowed by bhagavAn.

c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that the term dama also refers to the
means that are used to control the unruly; the net result of this control is the
control of the senses etc., which is also referred as to dama.

d) SrI vAsishTha derives the meaning for the nAma as "dAmayati iti damah" -
He Who controls. For the previous nAma - damayitA, he interpreted the
function of control as it applies to those who violate dharma. For the current
nAma, he gives the interpretation in terms of bhagavAn being the Controller of
everything such that they follow the prescribed path as their natural behavior
- in other words, He is the Controller of all the planets such that they follow
their prescribed courses; He is the Controller of our indriya-s such that the
eye only sees and does not hear, the ear only hears but not smell, etc.
BhagavAn is present everywhere and pervades everything, and has full control
of everything - He is damah, the Controller. Here is SrI vAsishTha's
composition capturing his interpretation:

damo hi sarvatra virAjamAnah, kriyAsu sarvam sa niyamya yu'ngte |

grahAs-tameva damamatra vishNum namanti sarve paridhau bhramantah ||

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 e) SrI satya sandha tIrtha takes the pATham Ada-mah, and gives the
interpretation that He has the nAma signifying that He is the Bestower of
wealth on all - samyak dadAati iti Adah, teshAm mA - sampat yasmAt iti Ada-
mah.

SrI raghunAtha tIrtha gives a similar interpretation in his tattva sAra, but
looking at the nAma as da+mah - kalpa taru sAkhA iva bhaktAnAm
sarvAbhIshYTam dadAti iti da-mah - He Who confers all the things desired,
to the devotees, like the branches of the heavenly wish-giving tree, kalpa
vRksha.

nAma 866. Apraijt> a-parAjitah

a) He Who is invincible.

b) He Who has no protector above Him, and Who is Resplendent (a-pah +

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rAjitah).

c) He Whose Powers do not perish or diminish over time.

a-parAjitAya namah.
This nAma occurs twice in the stotram (Slokam 76 - nAma 721, and the
current instance).

The root for the nAma is ji -jaye abhibhave ca - to conquer. SrI vAsishTha
gives the explanation - parair-na parA-jIyate, parAbhibhUyate vA sa a-
parAjito vishNuh - He Who cannot be conquered or humiliated in any way by
anyone.

a) Among the different aspects of bhagavAn's invincibility, there are two that
are noteworthy:

1. He cannot be defeated by anyone or anything at any time, anywhere,

under any circumstance.

2. Anyone whom He supports is also equally invincible, as illustrated by the

case of the pANDava-s against the stronger army of kaurava-s.

SrI BhaTTar describes the current instance of the nAma in terms of 1)

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above, and for nAma 721 his anubhavam is based on 2 above. This is how SrI
BhaTTar has avoided the punarukti dosham or the fault of redundancy in his
vyAkhyAnam for the two instances of this nAma.

SrI BhaTTar explains the first interpretation as follows: kvacit, kadAcit,

kutaScit a-pratihatah a-parAjitah - He cannot be obstructed by anyone, at any
time, anywhere or by any means.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj echoes the same idea - na parAjitah kadApi
kenApi iti a- parajitah - He Who cannot be conquered by anyone and through
any means is a-parAjitah.

SrI BhaTTar gives several supports for his interpretations:

From the gItA:

yatra yogeSvarah kRshNo yatra pArtho dhanur-dharah |

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tatra SrIr-vijayo bhUtir-dhruvA nItir-matir-mama ||

(gItA 18.78)
"Where kRshNa, the Lord of the yoga-s is, and where pArtha, the bow-armed
arjuna is, there is prosperity, there is victory, there is wealth, and there is
firm justice - this is my conclusion".

From the Ayurveda caraka samhitA, where again the invincibility of bhagavAn
is declared:

yathA'ham nAbhijAnAmi vAsudeve parAjayam |

mAtuSca pANigrahaNam samudrasya ca SoshaNam |

etena satya-vAkyena sicyatAm agado hyayam ||

"On the veracity of the following statements, may this medicine be pounded
and be effective:- "There is no defeat for vAsudeva"; "I have not witnessed
the marriage of my mother"; "the ocean will never become completely dry".
(These are all absolute true statements)".

In vaitaraNa, the following is used to invoke the efficacy of the poison-

removing mantra:

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 ratnAkara iva akshobhyo himavAniva ca acalah |

jAtavedA iva adhRshyo nArAyaNa iva ajayah ||

"Let this poison-removing mantra be effective just as the ocean is

imperturbable, himAvan is unshakable, fire is unapproachable, and nArAyaNa is
unconquerable".

From SrImad rAmAyaNa:

a-jayyah SASvato dhruvah

(yuddha. 114.15)

"He is Inivincible, eternal and steady"

a-jitah khaDga-dhRk

(yuddha. 120.14)
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"He is unconquered, and is the Wielder of the Sword".

From the mahAbhArata:

dASArham aparAjitam

"KrishNa Who is invincible"

yatah kRshNah tato jayah

(bhA. udyoga. 6.79)

"Where kRshNa is, there victory is certain".

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference from divya prabandham in support: -

"paRpanAbhan uyarvuRa uyarum perum tiRalOn" (tiruVai. 2.7.11). Sri
rAmAnujan explains the term "tiral" as "parAbhibhavana sAmarthyam" - the
skill to subdue and overcome His enemies.

SrI satya sandha tIrtha enjoys the nAma as (a-parah + a-jitah) - He Who has
none superior to Him, and He Who can never be conquered - na vidyate para =
uttamo yasmAt iti a-parah; a-paraSca asau a-jitaSca iti aparAjitah.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives another dimension to the invincibility of bhagavAn,

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with support from the ISAvAsya upanishad - "nainad-devA Apnuvan" - The
deva-s could not overtake It - the overwhelming powers of desires and
passions can never vanquish the Self - the Divine nArAyaNa.

SrI BhaTTar quotes several examples from the mahAbhArata in support of his
second interpretation above as well, where the deva-s themselves have
described over and over again that those who are supported by bhagavAn
cannot be vanquished by anyone.

ekam hanishyasi ripum garjantam tam mahAmRdhe |

na tu tam prArthayasyekam rakshyate sa mahAtmanA ||

yam Ahur-veda-vidusho vArAham a-jitam harim |

nArAyaNam a-cintyam ca tena kRshNena rakshyate ||

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(bhA. udyo.129.40)

indra tells karNa: "In the great fight, I give you the power to kill one
thundering warrior, but this cannot be the one you wish to kill (arjuna), since
he is protected by the Great Lord (kRshNa). KRshNa is none other than the
Invincible Hari, Who had assumed the form of the Wild Boar, and Who is the
Incomparable nArAyaNa, as declared by the vedic scholars".

The same message is given to jayadratha by rudra:

a-jayyAnScApi a-vadhyAnSca vArayishyasi tAn yudhi |

Rte arjunam mahA-bAhum devairapi durAsadam |

yam Ahuh amitam devam Sa'nkha-cakra-gadA-dharam |

pradhAnah so'stra-vidushAm tena kRshNena rakshyate ||

(bhA. vana.260.75)

"In the fight you can ward off the attacks of all invincible and indestructible
warriors except the long-armed arjuna who is unassailable even to the gods,
since he is protected by kRshNa who is the Unknowable Deity Who bears the
conch, discus and mace as arms".

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 BhIshma, droNa, etc., declare that they could have annihilated the pANDava-s
without a trace if only vishNu had not been their Protector, and that just as
certainly as truth rests with a brAhmin, humility is certain in the pious, and
wealth is sure in the skillful, so also victory is certain for nArAyaNa:

dhruvam vai brAhmaNe satyam dhruvA sAdhushu sannatih |

SrIr-dhruvA cApi daksheshu dhruvo nArAyaNe jayah ||

- yasya mantrI ca goptA ca suhRc-caiva janArdanah |

harih trailokya nAthah san kim nu tasya na nirjitam ||

What is there in this world that cannot be conquered by that person who has
bhagavAn Hari as His mentor, protector, and friend?

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives references to divya prabandham in support: - anRu

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aivarai velvitta mAyap pOr tErp pAganAr (tiruvAi. 4.6.1) - He, who, in the form
of the Charioteer, ensured the victory of the pANDava-s.

SrI Sa'nkara avoids redundancy in interpretation by giving the following two

anubhava-s: 1) BhagavAn is unconquered by desire and the rest - na Antarai
ragAdibhih parajita iti aparAjitah (Slokam 76) 2) BhagavAn is invincible by His
foes - Satrubhih na parAjita iti a-parAjitah (the current Slokam)

SrI satya sandha tIrtha enjoys the nAma as (a-parah + a-jitah) - He Who has
none superior to Him, and He Who can never be conquered - na vidyate para =
uttamo yasmAt iti a-parah; a-paraSca asau a-jitaSca iti aparAjitah.

b) One of the interpretations of SrI satya sandha tIrtha is based on looking at

the nAma as a-pah + rAjitah: na vidyaye pah = pAlako yasya sa a-pah; sa cAsau
rAjitaSca iti a-pa-rAjitah - He Who has no protector above Him, and He Who
is resplendent. He is also Unconquered in another sense - no one who is not
single-mindedly devoted to Him will be able to attain Him.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha also derives the interpretation for the nAma
starting from the word para meaning Supreme. One of his interpretations is
same as the first interpretation of SrI BhaTTar. The other interpretation is:
For one to be defeated, there needs to be someone or something other than

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that entity. But since there is nothing else that exists other than the
Supreme Self, there is no possibility of defeat for this One Truth - "para eva
kaScin-nAsti; na dvitIyo na tRtIyah" iti atharva vacanAt, tasmAt parAjitvasya
a-sambhavAt bhagavatah aparAjita iti nAmnA samkIrtanam upapadyate. This
probably follows the advaita philosophy (Non-existence of anything except of
Brahman in truth).

SrI cinmayAnanda gives yet another dimension to the enjoyment of this nAma.
The Supreme Self is aparAjitah since the Self alone remains when everything
else is destroyed.

c) SrI raghunAtha tIrtha looks at the invincible nature of bhagavAn's Power

over time as compared to all others, whose powers are perishable over time –

parAjIyate kAlatah iti parAjitah - naSvarAh vibhUtayah;

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na vidyante naSvarAha vibhUtayah yasya sah a-parAjitah

His vibhUti-s are powers are not transitory, but are eternal, and therefore He
is called a-parAjitah.

sarva--sahah –
nAma 867. svRsh> sarva

a) The Supporter of all the other deities.

b) He Who conquers all His enemies.

c) He Who is competent in all His actions.

d) He Who forgives the aparAdha-s of everyone.

sarva-sahAya namah
The word sah has multiple meanings - 'to bear or support', 'to bear or put up
with', `'to be capable of', 'to be powerful'. sahas also means strength -
sahate anena Satrum iti sahah (amara kOSam). The difference in the different
interpretations results from the use of the different alternate meanings.

SrI BhaTTar and SrI vAsishTha use the meaning "One Who Supports -
bears", SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning 'to be capable of', 'to be powerful, to
conquer', and 'to support', and SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning

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 "One Who puts up with". In addition, SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning 'strength'
for 'sahas' in one of his interpretations.

a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma specifically in the context of bhagavAn's

support to the other gods. Because of His support to the other gods, they
continue to be worshipped by people who have not achieved the full realization
that nArAyaNa is the Supreme Deity to be worshipped. As the Provider of this
support, He is called sarva-sahah - sva-SAsanena sarvam devatAntaramapi
mandAdhikAriNAm ArAdhyatayA sahate - bibharti iti sarva-sahah.

The same concept is given by nammAzhvAr in tiruvAimozhi 5.2.8 (referenced

by SrI v.v. rAmAnujan):

iRukkum iRai iRuttu uNNa ev-vulagukkum tan mUrti niRuttinAn deiva'ngaLAga

ad-deiva nAyagan tAnE ..
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"The other deities have been established like tax-collectors by my daiva

nAyakan - the Chief of all gods; they are all His body".

In one of his interpretations, SrI vAsishTha uses the meaning "support", and
gives a more general interpretation - bhagavAn has this nAma because He
supports and protects everything including the sky, the earth, the movables
and the immovables.

b) c) SrI Sa'nkara gives multiple interpretations:

1) sarvAn SatrUn sahata iti sarva-sahah - He Who conquers all His enemies.

2) sarva karmasu samartha iti sarva-sahah - He Who is competent in all His

actions.

3) pRthivyAdi rUpeNa vA sarva-sahah - He Who supports all in the form of the

earth etc.

d) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation - sarveshAm sva-jana

aparAdhAnAm sahah iti sarva-sahah - He is sarva-sahah because He puts up
with all the aparAdha-s of all His devotees.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri also gives this as his interpretation - The Lord

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forgives the aprAdha-s of His enemies by considering that it is because of
their inherent nature that they perform the aparAdham, and a person of good
conduct and character should forgive and forget, rather than punish and seek
revenge. He refers to SrImad rAmAyaNam (yuddha. 116.49), where sItA
pirATTi instructs hanuman that the servant-maids of rAvaNa should not be
punished for mistreating her while in aSoka vanam: na kaScit na aparAdhyati -
There is no one who does not commit aparAdham (it is in the nature of all
beings).

Using the meaning 'to bear, to put up with' SrI vAsishTha gives an alternate
interpretation along similar lines. Just as the sea does not lose its nature even
though all kinds of other waters mingle with it over time, so also bhagavAn is
untouched by all the things that He has to endure. It is the reflection of this
guNa of bhagavAn' guNa of sarva-sahatvam that is reflected in the ability of

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the jIva to endure all that is happening when it is occupying one body, and
then move to another body at the end of this body's life.

SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN gives the example of Lord kRshNa putting up

with all the insults from the likes of rukmi (brother of rukmiNi), duryodhana,
SiSupAla etc. - sarvANi rukmyava~jnA vadAmsi sahata iti sarva-sahah.

nAma 868. inyNta niyantA

a) He Who directs.

b) One Who has no one above Him to direct and control Him (a- niyantA).
niyantre namah
SrI satya devo vAsishTha derives the word from the root yama - uparame - to
lift up, to show, to offer. ni is an uapasarga (prefix) that denotes, among
other things, command, order, etc. tRc is an affix added to denote agency.
niyantA is One Who controls, directs, governs, restrains, etc.

a) SrI BhaTTar extends the idea from the previous nAma (sarva-sahah)
relating to the worship of the anya devatA-s. Those who worship the other
devatA-s or gods, still are worshiping these gods with the support of

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 bhagavAn. The initial freedom of choice is given to the individual, but once the
choice is made, no matter what the choice is, then bhagavAn supports this
individual in the pursuit of this choice. It is this guNa of bhagavAn that SrI
BhaTTar brings out through the nAma niyantA - tatra tat tat rucIn prarocayan
niyacchati iti niyantA - He directs and guides these individuals after letting
them make the choice according to their tastes. SrI BhaTTar gives the
following quote from the gIta in support:

yo yo yAm yAm tanum bhaktah SraddhayA arcitum icchati |

tasya tasya acalAm SraddhAm tAmeva vidadhAmyaham ||

(gItA 7.21)

"Whichever devotee seeks to worship with faith whatever form, I make that
faith steadfast".
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This same idea is given by nammAzhvAr in his tiruvAimozhi pASuram 1.1.5

(reference from SrI v,.v. rAmAnujan):

avar avar tama tamadu aRivaRi vagai vagai

avar avar iRaiyavar ena aDi aDaivargaL

avar avar irAiyavar kuRaivilar iRaiyavar

avar avar vazhi vazhi aDaiya ninRanarE

(tiruvAi. 1.1.5)
"Each and every individual chooses, in accordance with his nature and
attainments, limited by his intellect, to worship a particular deity of his/her
choice in the hope of securing desired results. These deities are, without
doubt, capable of granting the lesser boons (other than moksha) to their
devotees according to their merits, because the Lord is the inner soul,
controller, and source of their power". The idea that bhagavAn is the niyantA
of all the other gods is to be appreciated here.

SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is the "Regulator of all in
all their functions" -

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sarvAn sveshu sveshu kRtyeshu

vyasthApayati iti niyantA.

SrI vAsishTha points out that everything functions according to the course
laid out by Him as the niyantA of all - including the sun and all the planets, and
even the heart inside all of us - niyacchati = nibhadhnAti sarvam vyavasthita
vartmanA gamanAya iti 'niyantA' vishNuh.

b) SrI cinmayAnanda uses the pATham a-niyantA for this nAma, and gives the
interpretation - One Who has none above Him to control Him" - He is the One
Who has appointed all controllers of the phenomenal forces as the Sun, the
Moon, Air and Waters.

nAma 869. inym> niyamah

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a) He Who controls.

b) He Who ordains.

c) He Who is attained through the yogic path of niyama (and yama).

d) He Who has no Controller or Director above Him (a- niyamah).

e) He Who bestows sacred knowledge about Himself to devotees in full

measure.

f) He Who pervades and surrounds everything (yama - pariveshane - to

surround).
niyamAya namah.
This nAma occurred earlier in Slokam 17 - nAma 163.

The root from which the word is derived is yam-uparame - to check. SrI
vAsishTha also gives another root - yama-pariveshaNe - to surround. The word
niyama means restraint or check, and niyamah is One Who restrains.

a) For nAma 163, SrI BhaTTar brings out the role of bhagavAn in controlling
even the likes of the mighty mahA bali - bali prabhRtayah api niyamyante anena
iti niyamah.

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 The nirukti author captures the significance of the interpretation as -
niymayate jagat yena niyamah sa udIritah - He is called niyamah because the
whole universe is controlled by Him.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan emphasizes the role of bhagavAn as the ASrita-rakshaka -

One Who protects those Who seek refuge in Him, as the guNa that is
portrayed in this nAma. The Lord controlled hiraNyAksha in His incarnation as
vAmana; He killed keSi and protected the cowherds of AyarpADi; He
destroyed the elephant that was deployed by kamsa to kill Him; and there are
many other similar instances in His other incarnations such as the rAma
incarnation etc.

b) For the current instance of the nAma niyamah, SrI BhaTTar enjoys another
aspect of His control - He ordains (prescribes, specifies) the fruits of worship
to each individual according to the nature of their worship of the anya devatA-
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s of their choice: tat-phalam ca - jAti, Ayuh, bhogAdikam niyamyate asmin iti

niyamah. Following on the reference to the gItA Slokam 7.21 for the previous
nAma, SrI BhaTTar takes the idea conveyed by bhagavAn in the very next
Slokam - 7.22 of the gItA to support the interpretation of the current nAma:

sa tayA SraddhayA yuktah tasya ArAdhanam Ihate |

labhate ca tatah kAmAn mayaiva vihitAn hi tAn ||

(gItA 7.22)
"Endowed with that faith, he worships that form (of other devatA-s) and
thence gets the objects of his desire, granted in reality by Me alone".

It is to be noted that:

a) bhagavAn lets the individual choose the deity to be worshiped by him based
on his limitations and knowledge;

b) bhagavAn then supports the individual in this endeavor;

c) bhagavAn bestows the benefits of this worship by empowering the devatA

that the individual worships to bestow the desired powers, depending on the
eligibility of the individual.

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Ideas a) and b) are reflected in the nAma niyantA in SrI BhaTTar's
interpretation, and idea c) is reflected in the current nAma; and these two
interpretations nicely follow the two concurrent Sloka-s, 7.21 and 7.22, in the
gItA. The concept of individual freedom of choice for the jIva as outlined in
the above steps is reflected in SrI bhAshyam by SrI rAmAnuja (vyAkhyAna
for sUtra 2.3.41 - kRta prayatnApekshatu vihita-pratishiddhA
avaiyarthAdibhyah).

The idea that bhagavAn is the One Who ordains the benefits that are
attained by resort to the lesser devatA-s, is reinforced by SrI v.v. rAmAnujan
through a reference to tiruvASiriyam 4 by nammAzhvAr, where AzhvAr notes
that bhagavAn is the One Who created the likes of brahma, Siva etc., along
with their limited powers: daiva nAn-mugak kaDavuLai EnRu, mukkaN ISanODu
dEvu pala nudaliya mAyak kaDavUL (tiruvASiri. 4).

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Note the way SrI BhaTTar has avoided redundancy in interpretation (punar-
ukti dosham) by giving two different aspects of bhagavAn's control for the
two instances of the nAma.

c) SrI Sa'nkara gives two different versions of the nAma-s in Slokam 92: a-
niyamah and a-yamah, or niyamah and yamah. In the version "niyamo yamah",
his interpretation is that bhagavAn has these nAma-s because He can be
attained through the two means of yoga called niyama and yama.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to pata'njali's yoga sUtra for the

definition of the term niyama -

Soca santosha tapah svAdhyAya Isvara praNidhAnAni niyamAh

(sUtra 2.32)
"Purity of the body, mental contentedness, austerity, reciting the veda-s, and
persevering devotion to the Lord are called 'religious observances - niyama".

SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation for the nAma niyamah in Slokam 17 is that He is

the Director of all beings in their respective functions - sveshu sveshu
adhikAreshu prajA niyamati iti niyamah. (see d below for Sri Sa'nkara's

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 interpretation with the pATham a-niyamah).

d) SrI Sa'nkara's explanation for the pATham a-niyamah in the current Sloka
is that bhagavAn is One Who does not have anyone else who controls or directs
Him

niyamah niyatih tasya na vidyata iti a- niyamah |

sarva-niyantuh niyantantara abhAvAt |

Since He is the Controller and Director of everything else, there is no

Controller or Director above Him. Note that He is the niyantA of all (previous
nAma), and so by definition, He is a-niyamah.

e) SrI raghunAtha tIrtha in his tattva sAra gives the explanation - sva-
vishaya j~nAnAni bhaktebhyo niyamayati - prayacchati iti noyamah - He is
called niyamah because He bestows sacred knowledge about Himself to
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devotees in full measure.

f) Using the root yama - pariveshTane - to surround, SrI satya devo vAsishTha
gives the explanation for the nAma as "niyaman SaktyA sakalam viSvam
vyApnoti tasmAt sa niyamayh" - One Who pervades and surrounds everything.

Using the alternate root yam - uparame - to check, SrI vAsishTha gives the
alternate interpretation in terms of all things beings constrained by being
bound to Him, by residing in Him, and by moving only because of Him.

nAma 870. ym> yamah

a) The Controller (of all the deva-s).

b) He Who is attained through the yogic path of yama (and niyama).

c) He Who is beyond yama or mRtyu (a-yamah).

d) One Who has no one to command Him (a-yamah).

e) One Who brings to end all life at the time of pralaya.

f) One Who feeds His devotees with delectable food in the form of
anubhavam of Himself.

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g) One Who knows and prescribes the mandates that bestow virtue (aya+mah).
yamAya namah.
The root from which the word is derived is the same as for the previous
nAma, namely, yam - uparame - to check, or yama - pariveshaNe - to surround.

We had anubhavam of this nAma earlier in Slokam 17 - nAma 164. In fact, the
sequence "niyamo yamah" occurs in Slokam 17, just as it does in the current
Slokam. All the four nAma-s are derived from the same root. The functions
of bhagavAn that SrI BhaTTar chooses to describe for the four nAma-s are,
respectively:

1. One Who control even the likes of mahA bali,

2. One Who corrects all as their antaryAmi,

3. One Who ordains and bestows the fruits of the worship of different

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gods, and

4. One Who controls and directs all the deva-s.

Given that SrI BhaTTar interprets the whole set of nAma-s as but a
reflection of bhagavAn's guNa-s which are infinite, he is able to provide
different anubhavam-s for the different instances of the same or related
nAma-s and provide ever greater enjoyment of His guNa-s in the process.

SrI satydevo vAsishTha has composed a Slokam in which He conveys nicely

that the nAma-s niyantA, niyamah, yamah, a-niyamah, and a- yamah, all refer to
Lord vishNu:

vishNur niyantA niyamo yamo'sau vishNur niyantA a-niyamo a- yamo sah |

prakASate viSvam idam samastam yamair niyAmaiSca kRta vyavastham ||

a) For the specific instance of the nAma in the current Sloka, SrI BhaTTar's
vyAkhyAnam is: tat-tat phala niyAmakAn yamAdIn api yacchati iti yamah - He
is called yamah because He is the One Who controls the likes of yama who are
the bestowers of the respective fruits". He quotes yama's own words from
vishNu purANa in support: prabhavati samyamane mamApi vishNuh (vishNu.
3.7.13) - VishNu controls me also.

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 SrI T. S. Raghavendran refers us to ISAvAsya Upanishad mantra 16, where
there is reference to bhagavan as yamah - the Controller as antaryAmi of all:
pUshan! ekarshe! yama! sUrya! PrAjApatya! ... (mantra 16)

"O pUshaN! The One Seer! O Controller! Prompter! The Indwelling Ruler of all
creatures born of prajApati!."

He also gives reference to the gItA, where arjuna praises bhagavAn as being
the antaryAmi of all including yama etc.:

vAyur-yamo'gnir-varuNah SasA'nkah prajApatis-trvam prapitAmahaSca |.

(gItA 11.39)
"You are the Controller and antaryAmi of yama, agni, varuNa, the Moon, and
brahmA; You are the Grandfather and Great Grandfather of all".
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Lord kRshNa Himself declares that He is yama among subduers: "yamah

samyatAmyaham" - Among those who administer punishments, I am yama.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi pASuram 4.10.8,

where AzhvAr gives an example to show that bhagavAn controls all the others,
including Siva:
pukk-aDimaiyinAl tannaik-kaNDa mArkanDEyan avanai nakka-pirAnum anRu
uyyak-koNDadu nArAyaNan aruLE

(tiruvAi. 4.10.8)
"It is true that Siva granted eternal life to mArkanDeya when the later
surrendered to him. But note that Siva could bestow this eternal life on
mArkhanDeya only because of the Grace of Lord nArAyaNa".

b) SrI Sa'nkara interprets the first instance of niyamah and yamah

respectively as: One Who establishes all the beings in their respective
functions, and, One Who controls all the beings as their antaryAmi. SrI
Sa'nkara gives two versions for the second set of nAma-s: a-niyamah and a-
yamah, or niyamah and yamah. In the later choice, he gives the interpretation
that since bhagavAn is attained through two yogic paths - niyama and yama,
He is called niyamah and yamah - athavA yama niyamau yogA'nge, tad

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gamyatvAt sa eva niyamo yamah.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri recalls the yoga sUtra of pata'njalai for the
definition of 'yama' -

ahimsA satya a-steya brahmacaryA parigrahA yamAh

(sUtra 2.30)
"Not hurting others, veracity, not stealing, continence, and not coveting, are
part of "Forbearance" - yama.".

c) Using the pATham a-yamah (the first choice by SrI Sa'nkara), his
interpretation is that bhagavAn is a-yamah because He has no yama (death) -
na asya vidyate yamah mRtyuh iti a-yamah. BhagavAn is beginningless and
endless, and He is the One Who has created yama and Who controls and
directs him.

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d) Using the root yam - uparame - to check, a-yamah can also be interpreted
as "One Who has no one to command Him at any time under any circumstance,
or One Who has no one similar to Him in any respect - na vidyate yamah =
niyAmakah, sadRSo vA yasya sah yamah. This is one of the interpretations
given by SrI satya sandha tIrtha.

e) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the additional interpretation that bhagavAn

is called yamah because He controls the life of all the beings, and He is yama
in this role - Controller of the lifetime of all beings.

SrI vAsishTha gives a similar interpretation, and refers to bhagavAn being

the 'yama' or One Who terminates all life at the time of pralaya by keeping
them in Himself - yacchati = upasamharati sarvam sargAnte iti yamah.

f) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning "to eat" for the root yama
(yamayati brAhmaNan - He feeds the brAhmaNa-s; yama - pariveshane;
pariveshaNam - bhojanam), and gives the interpretation - yamayati bhojayati
svAdubhih annaih bhaktAn iti yamah - He Who feeds His devotees with
delectable food (e.g., with delightful thoughts of anubhavam about Himself).

g) An alternate interpretation given by SrI satya sandha tIrtha is: ayam =

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 SubhAvaha vidhim, mAti = jAnAti iti a-yamah - He is aya-mah because He
knows and prescribes the mandates that bestow virtues (mA - mAne - to
measure).
SrI BhaTTar concludes this section by reminding us that the previous few
nAma-s (851 onwards) have dealt with bhagavAn's presiding over the rajas and
tamo guNa-s predominant in the worshippers. He will interpret the nAma-s
870 to 880 in terms of bhagavAn's role in presiding over the sattva guNa.
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 Slokam 93
sÅvvan! saiÅvk> sTy> sTyxmRpray[>,

AiÉàay> iàyahaeR=hR> iàyk«t! àIitvxRn>. 93.

sattvavAn sAttvikah satyah satyadharmaparAyaNah |
abhiprAyah priyArhOrhah priyakrut prItivardhanah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

sattva--vAn
nAma 871. sÅvvan! sattva

a) He Who controls the sattva guNa that paves the way for liberation.

b) One Who possesses courage, strength etc.

c) One Who is determined to bestow His blessings on His devotees.

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sattva-vate namah.
The term 'sattva' is generally used to refer to the sAttvic quality. However,
the term has other meanings, and these are used in some of the
interpretations below.

Among the meanings given are:

1. quality of goodness,

2. wealth (dravyam),

3. inherent power,

4. determination (vyavasAyah - niScayah), etc.

Here is a list from a commentary on amara koSam:

dravye prANe bale jantau vyavasAya svabhAvayoh |

guNe vitte sato bhAvo sattvam guNini tu trishu ||

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives detailed derivation of the nAma from the
basics of grammar: starting from the root as - bhuvi - to be, he derives 'sat',
and then by pANini sUtra 5.1.119 - tasya bhAvas-tva- talau - tva is added to
sat in the sense of 'the nature thereof', leading to 'sat-tva'. Next, use of

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 pANini sUtra 5.2.94 - tat-asya- asmin-asti iti matup - the matup prtyaya, in
the sense of 'whose it is' or 'in whom it is', is added to sat-tva, leading to
'sat-tva-mat'; and then va is substituted for ma by sUtra 8.2.9 - ma At
upadhAyAh ca matoh dhah a yavAdhibyah, leading to 'sat-tva-vat', which is the
basis for 'sattva-vAn'. This detail is included here just as one example of the
depth to which SrI vAsishTha delves into the etymological derivation of the
nAma-s, which he does in this elaborate detail for every single nAma. Another
special feature of his vyAkhyAnam is that he gives references from the Sruti-
s to support his interpretation. This is a superb piece of work for those who
understand samskRt grammar.

Starting from this nAma, up to nAma 880, SrI BhaTTar describes the nAma-s
in terms of bhagavAn being the presiding Deity over sattva guNa. SrI BhaTTar
notes that of the three guNa-s, sattva, rajas and tamas, the sattva is the
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guNa that leads to moksha ultimately. sattva guNa has the qualities of lustre,
lightness and bliss, and is the cause of salvation - parama-prakASa lAghava,
sukha-sampadA moksha mUlam sattvam sAkshAt adhishTheyam asya iti sattva-
vAn - BhagavAn is called sattva-vAn because He directly presides over the
sattva guNa which has the qualities of lustre, lightness and bliss, and which
therefore is the cause of Salvation. According to the pANini sUtra "tad asya
asti asmin iti matup" - 5.3.94, the mat pratyaya or affix follows a word in first
case in the sense of "whose it is" or "in whom it is". It is to be noted in passing
that this pratyaya is not used for someone who just possesses the object in
some small measure (like one having a couple of cows etc.), but to one who has
thousands of cows, as an example. Thus, in the current case, the matup
pratyaya refers to One Who is full of sattva quality. Here Sri BhaTTar's
interpretation is that bhagavAn has leadership of the sattva quality in His
devotees.

SrI BhaTTar gives support from the SvetASvatara Upanishad:

mahAn prabhur-vai purushah sattvasya esha pravartakah |

su-nirmalAm imam Santim ISAno jyotir-avyayah || (SvetAS. 3.12)

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"This purusha alone is the Great Giver of moksha. This purusha is the
propagator of sattva. Therefore this immutable light is the ruler (ordainer) of
this pure peace of the form of moksha" - (SrI N. S. ananta ra'ngAcArya's
translation).

SrI BhaTTar also gives support from the varAha purANa:

sattvena mucyate jantuh sattvam nArAyaNAtmakam |

(VP 3.7.13)
"A being is released from bondage because of the quality of sattva in him.
sattva is indeed nArAyaNa Himself."

Recently, asmad AcAryan SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan quoted several

references from svAmi deSikan's stotra ratna vyAkhyAnam for Slokam 12 of
stotra ratnam, where bhagavAn's sattva aspect is emphasized:

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In li'nga purANam, ch. 14, we have:

hiraNyagarbho rajasA tamasA Sa'nkarah svayam |

sattvena sarvago vishNuh sarvAtmA sadasanmayah ||

In ch. 24 of the above, we have:

tvat-kopa sambhavo rudraha tamasA ca samAvRtah |

tvat-prasAdAt jagat-dhAtA rajasA ca pitAmahah ||

tvat-svarUpAt svayam vishNuh sattvena purushottamah ||

In the very next chapter, nandikeSvara declares:

paramAtmAnam ISAnam tamasA rudra rUpiNam |

rajasA sarva-lokAnAm sarga-leelA pravartakam ||

sattvena sarva-bhUtAnAm sthApakam parameSvaram |

sarvAtmAnam mahAtmAnam paramAtmAnam ISvaram ||

te dRshTvA prAha vai brahmA bhagavantam janArdanam ||

In bhagavac-chAstra (pA'ncarAtra) we have:

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 sAttvikaih sevyate vishNuh tAmasaireva Sa'nkarah |

rAjasaih sevyate brahmA sa'nkIrNais-tu sarasvatI ||

SrI raghunAtha tIrtha, based on bRhatI sahasram, gives the interpretation -

satah samIcInasya bhAvah sattvam viSishTa prakRshTa AnandAdi guNa
jAtam, tat asya asti iti sattva-vAn - Possessor of special supreme qualities
such as Bliss.

b) SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning `power, courage', etc. for the term
'sattava' - Saurya, vIryAdikam sattvam asya asti iti sattva-vAn - "One Who
possesses courage, strength, etc., is sattva-vAn". (The term simha-sattva
refers to the 'strength' of the lion).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri elaborates that this quality is associated with the
ability to remain fearless in war, to be unperturbed in situations which might
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otherwise cause one to be disturbed and lose balance, etc.

c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning vyavasAyah - niScayah for
the term sattva, and gives the interpretation - sattvam vyavasAyah - niScayah
bhaktAnugraha sUcako vartate yasmin sah sattva- vAn - Since bhagavAn is
determined to bestow His Blessings on His devotees, He is called sattv-vAn.

nAma 872. saiÅvk> sAttvikah

a) He Who confers the fruits of sattva guNa.

b) One Who is essentially established in sattva guNa.

sAttvikAya namah.
The same root from which the previous nAma was derived is used for the
derivation of this nAma. The taddhita affix ik is added to the word sattva in
the sense of "who deserves that" - "tad-arhati" pANini 5.1.63).

a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation - dharma j~nAna vairAgya aiSvarya

rUpa phala niyamanena ca sattvam arhati iti sAttivikah - He dispenses the
fruits of dharma, knowledge, non-attachment and riches, and so He is called
sAttvikah.

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SrI vAsishTha gives the explanation - tathA ca sarva manushyAdi
vanaspatyAdi vargaSca sattva-yuktah, sattva-arhah, sattva-sambandhI vA -
He bestows the sattva aspect on people, on the plants etc., as they deserve.

Essentially the same idea is echoed in SrI raghunAtha tIrtha's interpretation

in his tattva tIkA - sattva-guNa janyatvAt sAttvam - j~nAnam, tad-vAn
sAttvI, sva-bhaktam sAttvinam karoti iti sAttvikah - Makes His devotees
possessors of sacred divine knowledge.

b) SrI Sa'nkara vyAkhyAnam is - sattve guNe prAdhAnyena sthita iti

sAttvikah -

One Who is essentially established in sattva guNa.

nAma 873. sTy> satyah

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a) One Who is well-disposed towards pious souls.

b) One Who is good in a supreme way.

c) He Who is established in Truth.

d) He Who is Real, and who alone exists ( Sri Sa'nkara).

e) He Who is in the form of prANa, anna, and sUrya.

satyAya namah.
This nAma has been visited earlier in Sloka-s 12 (nAma 107) and 23 (nAma
213). The addition of the taddhita affix (pratyaya) 'yat' to the word 'sat'
leads to the word satya. The pANini sUtra "tatra sAdhuh" (4.4.98) is used -
"The affix yat comes after a word in the locative construction in the sense of
'excellent' in regard thereto" (SrI vAsishTha).

SrI vAsishTha refers us to the Sloka-s in bhagavad gItA (17.26 and 17.27)
for a definition of 'sat' in Lord KRshNa's words:

sad bhAve sAdhu bhAve ca sadityetat prayujyate |

praSaste karmaNi tathA sac-chabdah pArtha ucyate ||

ya~jne tapasi dAne ca sthitih saditi cocyate |

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 karma caiva tadarthIyam sadityevAbhidIyate ||

(gItA 17.26 and 27)

The word 'sat' thus refers to existence, goodness, good acts, devotion to
sacrifice, austerities, and gifts, and any acts for such purposes. One who is
excellent in all these, or One who is excellent to (i.e., supports) those who do
acts along these lines, is satya.

a) For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 12, SrI BhaTTar takes 'sat' to
refer to the 'pious souls', and gives the explanation that the nAma means-
teshu satsu sAdhuh - "One Who is well-disposed towards the pious souls".

b) For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 25, SrI BhaTTar ues the meaning
'good' for the term sat, and interprets the nAma as "One Who is good in a
supreme way", or "One Who is exceptionally good", and gives the example of
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His being good to those who seek His help, such as Manu who sought refuge in
Him - manvAdishu tat-kAla samASriteshu satsu sAdhuh.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi pASuram-s

9.10.6 and 9.10.7:

.......nALum tan meyyarikku meyyanE

(tiruvAi. 9.10.6)

"He is always true to His devotees, and He will never abandon them".

meyyan Agum virumbit tozhuvArkkellAm poiyan Agum puRamE

tozhuvArkkellAm ..

(tiruvAi. 9.10.7)

"To those who are sincerely devoted to Him without looking for any benefits as
a result, He is always true. In other words, to those who desire only
kainkaryam to Him, and do not worship Him just for some small benefit to
them, He always delivers. For those others who may worship Him with desire
for small benefits, He may give them the benefit, but then He will leave them,
and there won't be any bond between Him and them." (extract from SrI v. n.

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vedAnta deSikan).

c) For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as
"He Who is Truth Himself" - sAttvika SAstra-pratipAdyatayA
yathArthavaibhavah satyah - "The Lord is delineated by the sAttvika SAstra-
s, and all the greatness attributed to Him is true, and He stands fully
established in Truth".

He gives reference to mahA bhArata in support:

satye pratisThitah kRshNah satyam asmin pratihThitam |

sattAsatte ca govindah tasmAt satyah satAm matah ||

(udyoga. 69.12)
"Lord kRshNa is rooted in satya, and the Truth (satya) is rooted in Lord

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kRshNa. Existence and non-existence are both established on Lord Govinda.
Hence He is called 'satya' or "Truth".

These are the words of sa'njaya to dhRtarAshtra on why kRshNa is called

vAsudeva, satya, etc.

SrI v.v. rAmnujan notes that bhagavAn's tiru nAmam in the divya kshetram by
name tirumeyyam, is "satya mUrti". He also refers us to periya tirumozhi
5.6.9, where tiruma'ngai AzhvAr declares that bhagavAn truly reveals Himself
to those who seek Him with sincerity.

poi vaNNam manattu agaRRi,

pulan aindum Sela vaittu

mei vaNNan ninRavarkku mein-ninRa vittaganai.

(periya tirumozhi 5.6.9)

"He Who reveals His True Nature to those who sincerely seek Him by
forsaking the pursuit of the impermanent object of this world, and by
desisting from acts of the five senses..".

d) e) SrI Sa'nkara gives several alternate interpretations, some of which are

directed towards a reinforcement of his advaita philosophy. This conclusion is

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 made based on the English elaborations by scholars, of the vyAkhyAna-s in
samskRt that SrI Sa'nkara gives. Among his interpretations are:- He is called
satyah because He is the Real, Not False - avitatha rUpatvAt. He refers to
taitt. upanishad 2.1 - (satyam, j~nAnam, anantam brahma) - in support. - He,
Who alone exists as manifest and unmanifest - sat ca tyat ca abahavat (He is
all that exists in the manifest and unmanifest conditions). - He Who is in the
form of prANa, anna, and sUrya; or He Who is the Origin of prANa, anna and
sUrya - saditi prANAstItyannam yamityasAvAdityah (taitt. AraN. 1.3).

SrI vAsishTha gives additional reference to atharva veda for this

interpretation:

satyenottabhitA bhUmih sUryeNottabhitA ca dyauh |

Rtena AdityAs-tishThanti divi somo adhiSritah ||

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(atharva. 14.1.1)
"Truth (satya) is the Base that bears the earth; by sUrya are the heavens
upheld; By Law the Aditya-s stand secure, and Soma holds his place in heaven".
- He Who is good towards the good - satsu sAdhutvAt.

SrI annatakRshNa SAstri translates this as: "He Who is in the form of virtue
in holy men". - He Who is embodied as the virtue of the truth-speaking, or,
He Who is the Embodiment of Truth since He speaks the Truth, or, He Whose
words always come true, depending on the different translators - satya vacana
dharma rUpatvAt satyah. He gives reference to the Sruti - tasmAt satyam
paramam vadanti (mahAnArayaNa. 221.) - (Therefore, they say that Truth is
Supreme). - satyasya satyam - The Truth of truths. He quotes
bRhadAraNyaka Upanishad (2.1.20) in support - "satyasya satyam iti prANA vai
satyam, teshAm esha satyam" (The prANA-s are true and He is the Truth of
those).

One of SrI satya sandha tIrtha's interpretations is: sadbhAvam yApayati iti
satyah - He Who directs His devotees towards good qualities is satyah.

For the current instance of the nAma, SrI vAsishTha gives the explanation -

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satsu - sAdhusvabhAveshu paramahita kAritvena mahApurusha pUjyah nitya -
paramahitakArI ca ityarthah - He Who is best among those endowed with
sAttvic quality because of His disposition to help others, and Who is
worshipped by the great souls.

SrI T. S. Raghavendran has assembled and presented 34 different

interpretations or pramANa-s for the nAma. We will look at some of these.-
tat-satyam-ityAcakshase (taitt. upa. 3.6) - Therefore Brahman is called "one
of good deeds" (SrI ananta ra'ngAcArya's translation).

He of all auspicious qualities as stated in the following Sloka from Aditya

purANA:

satyeSam satyasankalpam satyam satyavratam harim |

satyacaryam satyayonim satyaSIrsham aham bahaje ||

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(Aditya. 3.5)
SrI madhvAcArya in his bhAgavata tAtparya describes bhagavAn as:

satyam nir-duhkha nitya niratiSaya Ananda anubhava svarUpam (1.1.1)

"He Whose Nature is Truth, One without any trace of sorrow, Eternal, of
Extreme Splendor, Eternally Blissful.".

Another quote from SrI madhvAcArya - satyo hi bhagavAn vishNuh sad-

guNatvAt prakIrtitah - "vishNu is called satya because of His infinite
auspicious attributes.

SrI jayatIrtha in his "karma nirNaya TIkA" gives the interpretation - satyah
- svatantrah - He Who is Independent.

The atharvaNa Upanishad mantra that follows, declares bhagavAn as 'satyah':

satyameva jayati nAnRtam, satyena kathAh vitato devayAnah |

yanAkramanti Rshayo hyAptakAmAh yatra tat-satyasya paramam nidhAnam ||

(athar. Upa. 2.6)

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 chAndogya upanishad mantra 7.16.1:

esha tu ativadati |

yah saytena tivadati |

so'ham bhagavah satyenAvadAnIti |

satyam tveva viji~jnAsitavyam iti |

satyam bhagavo vijij~jnAsa iti ||

aitareya Upanishad mantra 2.1.7:

tat satyam |

sat iti prANah |

ti iti annam |
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yam iti asau Adityam |

tad etat tri-vRt | .. |

ya evam etat satyasya satyattvam veda ||

"That Brahman-vishNu is called satyam. He is sarvottama and hence he is

called sat.

ti - tanu vistAre - vishNu is complete and full by deSa, kAla, and guNa-s. He is
perfectly full and complete, and so is called as 'ti'. Yam - yeti j~nAnam
samuddishTam | He is sarvaj~nA. All these denote one Person: sat, ti, yam".
(translation from SrI Raghavendran's book).

SrI Raghavendran has collected an extensive list of supporting references

from the brahma sUtra-s etc. as well.

The interested reader is referred to his book for details.

nAma 874. sTyxmRpray[> satya dharma--parAyaNah

satya--dharma
a) He Who is pleased with the true dharma practiced by His devotees.

b) He Who is ever devoted to, and established in, Truth and in righteousness.

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c) He Who provides the support to, and Who shows the path for, those who
follow the superior path of dharma.

d) Refuge of devotees such as yadu, turvaSa, etc., who take interest in

discharging virtuous duties.
satya-dharma-parAyaNaya namah.
SrI vAsishTha derives the word parAyaNa from the roots pRR - to refresh,
to fill, and ay - to go. The meaning is "One Who conducts Himself according to
the satya dharma, or Who is the Abode of satya dharma - satyaSca asau
dharmah satya-dharmah saccidAnana lakshaNah, sa eva parah ayanam =
Asrayah svarUpam vA sa satya-dharma- parAyaNah.

a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the term satya-dharma as referring to "the true

dharma as laid down in the SAstra-s, namely the nivRtti dharma that is

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practiced by pious men without any expectation of benefit etc., and
parAyaNam as "parama prINanam" - that which gives the most happiness to
bhagavAn. BhagavAn is "satya-dharma-parAyaNah" because He is most
pleased with the practice of the dharma that is practiced by pious men with no
expectation of any benefit, as laid down in the sAttvika SAstra-s. All actions
by us should be undertaken in the spirit of "SrI bhagavad Aj~nayA SrIman
nArAyaNa prItyartham" - all actions we undertake should be in the spirit that
these are His commands (we only should do what is prescribed in the SAstra-s,
which are His commands), and for His pleasure only.

SrI cinmyAnanda points to the definition for dharma - kartavya, akartavya

vidhreva dharmah - The rules of do's and don'ts (as per the SAstra-s) is
dharma.

b) SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is: "satye yathAbhUtArtha kathane dharma ca,

codanA lakshaNe niyata iti satya-dharma-parAyaNah" - He Who is ever
devoted to, and established in,Truth and in righteousness (i.e., acting according
to scriptural injunctions of do's and don'ts).

c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as:

satyah samIcIno dharma AcAro yeshAm te satya dharmANah |

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 teshAm param paramam ayanam gatih AdhAro vA yah

sa satya-dharma-parAyaNah ||

He Who provides the support to, and Who shows the path for,those who
follow the superior path of dharma, is satya-dharma-parAyaNah.

d) SrI raghunAtha tIrtha gives the derivation -

satsu bhavah satyah, sa ca asau dharmaSca satya-dharmah |

satya-dharmeshu sAttvika- dharmeshu param tAtparyam

yeshAm te satya-dharma-parAh, yadu, turvaSa Adi bhkta-janAh |

teshAm ayanam Asrayah iti satya-dharma-parAyaNah |

"Refuge of devotees such as yadu, turvaSa, etc., who take interest in

discharging virtuous duties".
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He refers us to another related nAma - sat-parAyaNah, in Slokam 75 (nAma

708).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to two other nAma-s that are similar, and
that we have studied earlier:

satya dharma parAkramah - Slokam 31 - 290;

satya dharmA - Slokam 56 (nAma 532).

nAma 875. AiÉàay> abhiprAyah

a) He Who is the object of choice.

b) He to Whom all beings go (praiti) directly (abhi) during pralaya.

c) He Who exclusively directs the activities of all others.

abhiprAyAya namah.
'abhiprAya' as is commonly used, means 'aim, purpose, intention, wish, desire'
etc. SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as: abhiprIyate -
kAmayate svajana hito yena iti abhiprAyah - He Who desires the welfare of
His devotees is "abhiprAyah". He derives the meaning from abhi + prI -

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tarpaNe kAntau ca - to please, to take delight in.

a) SrI BhaTTar enjoys the nAma as a reference to "One Who is the aim or
object of the devotees". His interpretation is: satyadharma nishThena
svacchena nirupAdhika uddeSyatayA abhipretah iti abhiprAyah - He is the
Highest Goal sought after by His devotees who are pure by nature, practice
the sAttvika dharma, and are not seeking lower pleasures.

The niukti author explains - sacchena dharma nishThena yo abhitah preyate

punah - He Who is decidedly the highest goal sought after by His devotees
who are pure at heart...

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan illustrates the spirit of the interpretation with a

reference to AzhvArs' pASuram-s:

vizhumiya munivar vizhu'ngum kOdalin kani

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(periya tirumozhi 2.3.2)

"The delightful fruit with no residual fiber whatsoever, that is relished by the
excellent sages."

vizhumiya amarar munivar vizhu'ngum kannaR-kani

(tiruvAi. 3.6.7)

He is the sugar block for the discerning devas and sages.

b) SrI Sa'nkara gives the explanation - abhipreyate purushArtha ka'nkshibhih

- He Who is sought after by those who seek the four purshArtha-s (dharma,
artha, kAma and moksha).

Alternatively, he gives the interpretation - Abhimukhyena pralaye asmin praiti

jagat iti vA abhiprAyah - He to Whom all beings go (praiti) directly (abhi)
during pralaya, is abhiprAyah. This interpretation is based on 'abhi', used as a
prefix, meaning 'to, towards', and prAya meaning 'going away, departing'.

c) SrI raghunAtha tIrtha interprets the nAma in his tattva sAra as - 'abhi
abhitah prakarsheNa prAyah preraNAdikriyA yasya iti abhiprAyah' - He Who
exclusively directs the activities of all others.

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 nAma 876. iàyahR> priyArhah

a) He Who is rightly the object of love.

b) He Who deserves to be offered our most beloved offerings.

priyArhAya namah.
The roots involved in the nAma are: prI - tarpaNe, kAntau ca - to please, to
take delight in, and arh - pUjAyAm yogyatve ca - to worship, to deserve.

SrI vAsishTha gives two alternate derivations:

priyam arhati iti priayArhah - He Who deserves love.

priyeshu arhah = yogyah, priyArhah - He Who is most fitting among objects of

love.

a) SrI BhaTTar comments that bhagavAn is rightly the object of love from the
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devotees, since He loves and respects the devotees intensely. He is worthy of

love from His devotees because of His attitude towards them - bhagavAn feels
that His devotees are 'benevolent' to Him because they have chosen to seek
Him for their needs. By giving their devotion to Him, bhagvAn feels that His
devotees have benevolently given Him all their belongings:

udArAh sarva evaite j~nAnI tvAtmaiva me matam |

Asthitah sa hi uktAtmA mAmemAnuttamAm gatim ||

(gItA 7.18)
"All these devotees are indeed generous (udArAh), but I deem the man of
knowledge to be My very self; for he, integrated, is devoted to Me alone as the
highest end". BhagavAn considers that by worshipping Him and seeking His
help, they have already contributed everything they have to Him, and so He
considers them benevolent and generous. Such is His respect to His devotees,
and so he is deserving of extreme love from these devotees.

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi 7.5.11:

teLivuRRu vIvinRi ninRavarkku inbak kadi Seyyum teLivuRRa kaNNan....
"bhagavAn kaNNan bestows the constant thought of His Divine Feet to those

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devotees who surrender to Him with unswerving devotion, but even after that,
He feels that He has not done enough to His devotee" (SrI v. n. vedAnta
deSikan). The way that Lord kRshNa felt about His not having done enough to
help draupadi even at time He returned to SrI vaikunTham, comes to mind.

b) SrI San'kara interprets the term 'priya' as a reference to 'things that are
dear to oneself', and explains the nAma as signifying that Lord vishNu
deserves to be offered our most precious and beloved things. He quotes the
vishNu dharmottara in support:

yad-yat ishTa-tamam loke yaccAsya dayitam gRhe |

tat-tat gRNavate deyam tadeva akshayam icchatA ||

(mahA. 13.58.7, V.D. 55.3)

"By those that desire the imperishable (Brahman), the most beloved things in

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the world and the choicest things in the house should be offered to a
meritorious person". (This will become a choice offering to God).

In elaboration of the above, SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers to a mantra

from bRhadAraNyaka Upanishad - "Atmanastu kAmAya sarvam priyam
bhavati", and notes that of all the things that are dear to one, the self is the
dearest. This would support the great concept of Atma-samarpaNam or
prapatti that is dear to SrI vaishNavas in particular.

Another anubhavam is provided by SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj - priyANi

srak-candanAdIni arhati iti priyArhah - He Who deserves to be worshipped
with a wreath or garland of flowers, sandal, etc.

SrI vAsishTha refers to the yajur vedic mantra in support:

priyANAm tvA priyapatim havAmahe |

(yajur. 23.19)

nAma 877. AhR> arhah

The fitting Lord to be worshipped.

arhAya namah.

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 Arhyate - prAptum yujyata iti arhah - He Who is fit to be attained.

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is - "ananya-spRhANAm teshAmapi ayameva

yogya iti arhah" - He is the right Deity to be sought after by devotees who
have no other desire in life (other than moksha).

SrI BhaTTar refers us to Lord kRshNa's words in the gItA:

Asthitah sa hi yuktAtmA mAmeva anuttamAm gatim |

(gItA 7.18)
SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma as referring to "One Who is deserving of
worship" - svAgata Asana, praSamsA, arghya, pAdya, stuti namaskAra Adibhih
pUjA sAdhanaih pUjanIya iti arhah - "He should be worshipped by such things
as words of welcome, offering of a seat, praise, arghya or offering of water,
milk, etc., pAdya or water for washing His Feet, glorification, prostrations,
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etc". One is reminded of the SrI vaishNava ArAdhanam for perumAl in the
form of sAlagrAma in the houses.

SrI vAsishTha very nicely captures the spirit of the nAma in the following
words:

sarvAntargatAn sarvAn bhogAn vihAya,

SreyorthinAm vidushAm sarva prakAraih sAdhanaih,

sopakaraNaih pUjA vidhAnaih,

sarva karmArpaNena nishkAma karmabhiSca sa eva prAptum

yogya iti arthah.

"Giving up interest in all external pleasures, and desiring only the ultimate
bliss, the learned direct all their efforts , spiritual practices, different ways
of worship, and all the resultant benefits from these actions, to that One
bhagavAn - vishNu, and therefore He is arhah - Fit to be worshipped". The
point to note is that He is fit to be sought by those who have no interest in
anything else.

He points out that there are several instances where the term 'arhate' occurs

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in the veda-s, and gives just one example:

imam stomam arhate jAtavedase rathamiva sam mahemA manIshayA |

bhadrA hi nah pramatirasya samsadyagne sakhye mA rishAmA vayam tava ||

(Rg. 1.94.1)

SrI vAsishTha notes that we are all arha-s (fit) in some sense or the other
only because He reflects His arhattvam in all of us in some tiny measure.

SrI raghunAtha tIrtha uses a different pATham from the others by treating
the nAma as "arhapriya-kRt" - He Who bestows affection and blessings on the
devotees who are deserving - arhebhyah -yogyebhyah bhaktebhyah, priyam
karoti - rakshaNAdi karoti iti arhapriya-kRt.

priya--kRt
nAma 878. iàyk«t! priya

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He Who does what is wanted by others.
priya-kRte namah.
SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for the nAma is that bhagavAn does fulfill the
wishes of those who desire other, lesser, pleasures from Him as well (that is,
in addition to bestowing moksha), as long as they are His devotees. He does
not look at their deficiencies, but only considers the fact that they are His
devotees.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to divya prabandham - "un aDiyArkku en Seyvan

enrE irutti nI". This way, He pleases them and thereby converts them over
time to be solely interested in attaining Him – anya parAnapi bhajatah tac-
chandAnuvartanena priyAn karoti iti priya-kRt.

SrI Sa'nkara notes that He is not only worthy of being pleased priyArhah –
(see nAma 876), but He is also One Who pleases His devotees priya-kRt by
fulfilling the desires of those who worship Him by means of hymns, etc. - na
kevalam priyArha eva, kim tu stutyAdibhih bhajatAm priyam karoti it priya-
kRt.

SrI vAsishTha observes that when vedic mantra-s are invoked in offerings,

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 such as the following, bhagavAn is pleased and bestows the desired benefits on
the devotee, and so He is called priya-kRt:

vashaT te vishNavAsa akRNomi tan me jushasva SipivishTa havyam ||

vardhantu tvA sushTutayo giro me yUyam pAta vastibhih sadA nah ||

(Rg. 7.99.7)
(May these my songs of eulogy exalt thee. Preserve us ever more with
blessings).

agne naya supathA rAye asmAn viSvAni deva vayunAni vidvAn |

yuyodhyasmad-juhurANameno bhUyishThAm te nama uktim vidhema ||

(Rg. 1.189.1)
(By goodly paths, lead us to riches. Remove the sins that make us stray and
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wander; We will bring the most ample adoration to you).

tat savitur vareNyam bhargo devasya dImahi |

dhiyo yo nah pracodayAt

(Rg. 3.62.10)
(We meditate on the adorable effulgence of the Lord who creates everything,
so that it may energize our consciousness).

SrI raghunAtha tIrtha uses the nAma as 'arha-priya-kRt', and gives the
interpretation as "One Who bestows protection and affection to the
deserving devotees".

prIti--vardhanah
nAma 879. àIitvxRn> prIti

a) Who increases the joy of His devotees.

b) He Who fulfills the love of His devotees.

prIti-vardhanAya namah.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha notes that the word 'vardhanah' can be derived
from either of the two roots - vRd - vRddhau - to grow, or vardh - pUraNa -
to fill.

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The two different meanings could then be:

a) He Who grows the love of the devotees towards Him, or

b) He Who fulfills the love of the devotee.

a) SrI BhaTTar comments that by manifesting His qualities more and more,
He increases the joy of His devotees, and so He called prIti- vardhanah. He
quotes the gItA in support:

teshAm satata yuktAnAm bhajatAm prIti pUrvakam |

dadAmi buddhi yogam tam yena mAm upayAnti te ||

(gItA 10.10)

"To those who are constantly united with Me and who worship Me with immense
love, I lovingly grant that mental disposition (buddhi yoga) by which they attain

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Me".

tirumazhaippirAn refers to emperumAn as "bhakti uzhavan" - He who

cultivates bhakti in the devotees like a peasant.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan also refers us to bhagavd rAmAnuja's introductory section

for his gItA bhAshya, where he says of bhagavAn kRshNa:

"niratiSaya saundarya sauSIlyAdi guNa gaNa AvishkareNa akrUra

mAlAkArAdIn parama bhAgavatAn kRtvA."

"He Who made akrUra, mAlakAra, and others His most ardent devotees by the
manifestation of His unsurpassed qualities such as beauty and loving
compassion".

This is what the nAma "prIti-vardhanah" refers to.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan also refers us to nAmmAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi pASuram

1.10.10, where AzhvAr recounts that bhagavAn has lodged Himself into
namAzhvAr's heart with the beauty of His lotus eyes, lest AzhvAr may forget
Him accidentally: maRakkum enRu Sen-tAmaraik kaNNoDu maRappaRa ennuLLE
manninAn tannai. (tiruvAi. 1.10.10)

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 SrI cinmayAnanda's explanation is:

1. "The sense of drunken joy that arises in one's bosom when one loves
deeply and truly is called prIti.”

2. "One Who increases the prIti in the devotee's heart is SrI nArAyaNa.
The more He is contemplated upon, the more His glories are
appreciated, the more our prIti in Him increases".

SrI satya sandha tIrtha's explanation for the nAma is: ”prItim bhakteshu
vardhayati prItyA bhaktAn vardhayati iti vA prIti- vardhanah" - He Who
grows the love in the devotees, or He Who grows the devotees through love,
is prIti-vardhanah.

b) Using the root vardh - chedana pUraNayoH - to cut,. to fill, SrI vAsishTha
gives an alternate interpretation also - prItim vardhayati = pUrayati it prIti-
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vardhanah - He Who fulfills the love of the devotees.

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 Slokam 94
ivhaysgitJyaReit> suéichRutÉuiGvÉu>,

rivivRraecn> sUyR> sivta rivlaecn>. 94.

vihAyasagatir jyOtih surucirhutabhugvibhuh |
ravirvirOcanah sUryah savitA ravilOcanah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma-s of this Sloka and the beginning nAma-s of
the next Sloka in terms the different steps that the mukta jIva takes in
reaching Brahman. These steps are described differently in different
upanishad-s. chAndogya Upanishad lists seven steps (chAndogya upanishad
4.15.5, 4.15.6, 5.10.1 and 5.10.2):

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1. arcis - agni,

2. ahaH - day,

3. Sukala paksha,

4. uttrAyana,

5. samvatsara - year,

6. Aditya - ravi,

7. candra - moon,

8. vidyut - lightning.

The kaushItaki Upanishad lists six steps (kaushItaki upanishad 1.21):

1. agni loka,

2. vAyu loka,

3. varuNa loka,

4. Aditya loka,

5. indra loka, and

6. prajApati loka.

The bRhadAraNyaka Upanishad lists the following (bRhadAraNyaka Upanishad

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 8.2.15, 7.10.1):

1. arcis,

2. ahah,

3. Sukla paksha,

4. uttarAyaNa,

5. deva loka,

6. Aditya, and

7. vaidyuta.

The chAndogya Upanishad mantra-s are given below:

tadya ittham viduH; ye ceme'raNye SraddhA tapa itupAsate - te'rcisham

abhisambhavanti, arcisho'haH, ahna ApUryamANa paksham, ApUryamANa

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pakshAt yAn shaDuda'n'neti mAsAnstAn ||

(chAnd. 5.10.1)

"Those who know the nature of the five fires - pancAgni thus, and those who
practice in the forest meditating upon Brahman with faith, will unite with agni.
From agni to the deity of the day and from there to the deity of the bright
half of the month and thereon he comes upon the deity of the half year while
the sun moves towards the north."

mAsebhyah samvatsaram samvatsarAt Adityam,AdityAt candramasam,

candramaso vidyutam | tat-purusho amAnavaH | sa enAn brahma

gamayati esha deva patho brahma pathah etena pratipadyamAnA imam

mAnavam Avartam nAvartante nAvartante ||

(chAn. 5.10.2)

"From that half year he reaches the year - samvatsara. From samvatsara he
comes to the sun. From the sun to the moon, from the moon to vidyut, and
from there that amAnava, super human, takes him to parabrahman. This is
known as the path of the gods or the path to Brahman. Those who go by this

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path never again return to this world of samsAra".

The other upanishadic passages are not given here, but these are discussed in
detail in bhagavad rAmAnuja's SrI bhAshya (sUtra 4.3.1).

Bhagavad rAmAnuja points out that all the paths described in the three
Upanishad-s refer to the same arcirAdi mArga with the same steps, and that
consistency is to obtained by consolidating the details from the different
descriptions, since they all list the same path in the final analysis, but do not
list all the steps.

Thus, we end up with the arcirAdi mArga with the following twelve steps:

1. arcis or agni,

2. ahas or day,

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3. pUrva paksha or Sukla paksha,

4. uttarAyaNa,

5. samvatsara or year,

6. vAyu,

7. Aditya,

8. candra,

9. vaidyuta,

10 varuNa,

11 indra and

12 prajApati.

The sequence of these steps and their relative arrangements is not arbitrary
in any sense, but is based on intense analysis of the different upaniahad-s, and
coming up with a sequence that is consistent between the different
upanishadic declarations. A detailed discussion of the sequencing is given in
bhagavad rAmAnuja SrI bhAshyam - brahma sUtra 4.3.2. These twelve are
the deities that are established by bhagavAn to lead the mukta in his ascent

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 to paramapadam from this world. They are also called AtivAhika-s or 'those
that lead the way'.

The mapping between the different nAma-s by SrI BhaTTar, and the
different steps of arcirAdi mArga as outlined in the upanishads, is given below:

vihAyasa gatiH - The summary statement that He is the One who leads the
mukta jIva to Himself.

1. jyotiH - agni
2. suruciH - deity of the day
3. huta-bhug-vibhuH - deity of the bright half of the month
4. raviH - the deity of the half year while the sun moves towards the north
5. virocanaH - the year, samvatsara
6. sUrya - vAyu
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7. savitA - the sun

8. ravi-locanaH - a reference to the moon, the lightning, and varuNa
9. ananta-huta-bhug-bhoktA - indra loka, and prajApati loka
It is an entirely delightful experience to delve into nammAzhvAr's description
of the ascent of the jIva to SrI vaikunTham in his pASurams, and their
interpretations by our AcArya-s in particular. We get a different dimension
of the function of these AtivAhika-s as the mukta jIva is received and led on
his way to bhagavAn. BhagavAn's deep love for his devotee who is arriving, is
expressed by AzhvAr in his delightful devotional outpouring.

Here, vaidyuta comes first, and announces with joy the arrival of the mukta to
the rest of the AtivAhika-s with his thunder (Suzh viSumbaNi mugil tUriyam
muzhakkina - tiruvAi. 10.9.1). VaruNa fills the sky with water-laden clouds, as
if with golden pots - pUraNa pork-kuDam (10.9.2). The oceans are dancing with
joy with their rising and falling waves constantly - neer aNi kadalgaL ninRu
Arttana. Not just the 12 AtivAhika-s listed above, but everyone in the
AtivAhika lokam come out and stand in line and offer their obeisance to the
arriving mukta, including the usually meditating and silent sages (10.9.3).

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BhagavAn is decorating Himself with tulasi garlands, and is waiting along with
pirATTi to receive His long-lost devotee (10.9.4). The deva-s in all the worlds
on the way of the mukta jIva are setting up delightfully decorated huts for
the temporary stay of the mukta jIva to take rest on the way. VaruNa, indra,
and prajApati are eagerly waiting at the entrance to their regions to welcome
and receive the mukta, with a request to the mukta to bless them by passing
through their regions - emadu iDam puguduga (10.9.5). The likes of sanaka,
nArada, etc., are chanting veda-s with great delight to welcome the mukta
jIva.

A big festive atmosphere is prevalent everywhere on the way. High-sounding

musical instruments are being played all the way along. As the mukta jIva
nears the limits of parama padam, the nitya sUri-s, who are supreme in their
Seshattvam, welcome the mukta to their world (10.9.8). Even the Lord is

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shining brilliantly in anticipation of this special occasion.

The nitya sUri-s are rejoicing that at last a jIva has realized his Permanent
Abode, and is joining them, and consider it their good fortune that this
incident is taking place. They all welcome the mukta by offering pAdya
upacAra (washing his feet) at each house as the mukta passes along (pAda'ngaL
kazhuvinar - 10.9.10). It is thus that bhagavAn and pirATTi look forward to
their long-lost child, and welcome the mukta to SrI vaikunTham.

vihAyasa--gatih
nAma 880. ivhaysgit> vihAyasa

a) He Who is the means for the attainment of paramapadam.

b) He Who travels in the form of the Sun.

c) He Who travels in space through His vehicle garuDa- the King of birds.

d) He Who is attained by tapasvin-s through their tapas (hA - tyAge - to

abandon).
vihAyasa-gataye namah.
SrI vAsishTha derives the nAma starting with vi as an upasarga, the root hA
- gatau - to, to get, to attain; or hA - tyAge - to abandon, and adding the 'asun'

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 pratyaya according to a related uNAdi sUtra. gati means "that which is
attained". That through which one travels is vihAyasa, meaning space.
vihAyasa also can refer to those who sacrifice, or those sAttvik people who
perform tapas etc. Thus, vihAyasa-gatih can mean "One Who travels in space",
or "One Who is attained by those who follow the sAttvik path". The amara
koSa gives the meanings "sky", "bird", Lord's vishNus' Abode, etc., for the
word vihAyasa - viyad vishNupadam vihAyasI.

a) SrI BhaTTar uses the last of these, and gives the interpretation - tathA
nirUDha bhakti parakoTibhih vihAyasam = parama vyoma padameva gamyate
asmAt iti vihAyasa-gatih - He is called vihAyasa-gatih since it is through Him
and because of Him that those devotees who have reached the highest stage
of bhakti attain the supreme abode, namely paramapadam.

He quotes from the vishNu purANa in support:

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bhunktvA ca vipulAn bhogAn tam ante mat-prasadAdajam |

mamAnusmaraNam prApya divyam lokam avApsyasi ||

(V.P. 5.19.26)

"Having enjoyed the worldly pleasures in abundance by My grace, you will

remember Me at the last moment of life, and will attain the divine world of
parama padam".

He also quotes brahma sUtra 4.2.16 in support:

tadokah agra-jvalanam tat-prakASita-dvAro vidyA-sAmarthyAt tac-

cheshagatyanusmRti yogAcca hArdAnugRhItah SatAdhiikayA |

"Because of the efficacy of the bhakti yoga that has been practiced by the
devotee and because of the constant meditation on the path that leads to the
Supreme Abode of the Lord" - the devotee is able to see the opening by which
he has to go when he leaves the body, and when the soul leaves the body
through the mUrdhanya nADi or the sushumnA nADi, it leads him to the
Supreme Abode of the Lord.

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SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to divya prabandham, where AzhvAr refers to
bhagavAn letting His devotee enjoy the pleasures of this world, and then takes
them to His world in the end:

"i'ngu ozhindu bhOgam nee eidip pinnum nam iDaikkE pOduvAi".

(periya tiru. 5.8.5)

nammAzhvAr refers to bhagavAn as "vAneRa vazhi tanda

vATTARRAn" (tiruvAi. 10.6.5), and "maN ulagil vaLam mikka vATTARRAn vandu
inRu viN ulagam taruvAnAi viRaiginRAn" (tiruvAi. 10.6.3).

b) SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning 'abode' for the term 'gati', and gives the
explanation for the nAma as: "One Who has His abode in the firmament -
referring to either Lord vishNu or His form as the Sun" - vihAyasah -
vihAyAsam gatih ASrayah asya iti vihAyasa gatih, vishNu padam, Adityo vA.

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SrI cinmayAnanda refers to the nAma of bhagavan - sUrya nArAyaNa, in this
context. SrI satya devo vAsishTha also gives an interpretation that the nAma
refers to bhagavAn in the form of the Sun - vihAyase antarikshe gatih
gamanam yasya sa vihAyasa-gatih - sUryah.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri takes the term vihAyasa as a reference to the sky,
and observes that bhagavAn is called vihAyasa gatih because He has the sky as
His path - unobstructed, unsupported, vast, limitless - in the form of the Sun.
He comments that bhagavAn manifests in the form of the Sun as one
reflection of His immense love for His creation - priya-kRt, prIti-vardhanah
etc. He will look at the next 10 nAma-s as describing bhagavAn in the forms of
various aspects of the Sun.

c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the dual meaning "sky" and "bird" for the
word vihAyasa, and interprets the nAma as "One Who travels in space by
means of the king of birds - garuDa, as His vAhana - vihAyase - vyomni
vihAyah patinA gatih yasya iti vihAyasa-gatih.

SrI satya sandha tIrtha also gives the explanation in terms of bhagavAn's
garuDa vAhana - vihAyaso - garuDah, tena tena gatih yasya sa vihAyasa-gatih.

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 d) An alternate interpretation provided by SrI vAsishTha uses the meaning
'tapasvin' for the term 'vihAyasa' (see first paragraph for this nAma; hA -
tyAge - to abandon): "He Who is attained by the tapasvin-s through their
tapas" - vihAyasaih tapasvibhih, abhigamyate prApyata iti vihAyasagatih
vishNuh.

nAma 881. Jyaeit> jyotih

a) The Light that leads to SrI vaikunTham.

b) The Light that is self-luminous.

c) The Light that illuminates the Sun, the moon etc.

jyotishe namah.
Starting from this nAma, SrI BhaTTar interprets the next few nAma-s as a
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description of the different steps involved in the arcirAdi mArga, the path
taken by the mukta-s in their way to paramapadam. The root from which the
nAma is derived is dyuta - dIptau - to shine. The uNAdi sUtra - dyuter-isin
AdeSca jah (uNAdi. 2.110) results in the word jyotih starting from the root
duyta. dyotyate asmAt iti jyotih - He by Whom things are illumined, is jyotih.

a) SrI BhaTTar interprets this nAma as the first step in the ascent of the
jIva-s to parama padam. This step is also called arcih.

arcih refers to the first deity that escorts the mukta jIva to the Supreme
Abode. SrI BhaTTar refers to chAndogya Upanishad (5.10.1) and to the
brahma sUtra-s for the above details:

te arcisham abhisambhavanti

(chAn. 5.10.1)

"They unite with agni; from agni to the deity of the day, and from there to the
bright half of the month".

(Sri ananta ra'ngAcArya translates arcih as a reference to agni).

brahma sUtra 4.3.1 - arcirAdinA tat-pratitheh | - "Along the path beginning

with light, this is well-known" -

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The mukta-s (Released souls) are led along the stages beginning with arci
(light), and this is well-known from the upanishadic texts.

brahma sUtra 4.3.4 - AtivAhikAh tal-li'ngAt |

"They are persons deputed to take the meditators to Brahman, because there
is indication of this" - arcih and the other deities are known as AtivAhika
(Escorting Angels) because of the nature of their duty which is to lead the
mukta-s to the Supreme Abode.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives reference to the gItA (Sloka-s 8.24 to 8.27), where
the path taken by the knowers of Brahman to reach Brahman is described.

agni jyotir-ahah Suklah shaNmAsA uttarAyaNam |

tatra prayAtA gacchanti brahma brahmavido janAh ||

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(gItA 8.24)
"Light in the form of fire, the day, the bright fortnight, the six months of the
northern course of the Sun - the knowers of Brahman who take this path go to
Brahman."

By contrast, those who reach svarga (a temporary abode where the jIva enjoys
the benefits of his good karma and then is reborn in this world) take the
dhUmAdi mArga (Slokam 8.25) - smoke etc., and those who are headed for
narakam take the yAmaya mArga according to the SAstra-s.

In divya prabandham also we have the description of the path taken by the
knowers of Brahman. SrI rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr's
tiruvAimozhi 10.9 (SUzh viSumbaNi), where the ten pASuram-s describe in
detail the welcome that is offered to the mukta jIvan on his way to SrI
vaikunTham.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives an interpretation similar to that of SrI

BhaTTar: "dyotate sushumnayA nirgatah tad-bhaktah arcih prApya yasmAt sa
jyotih" - He Who is the guiding light for those devotees whose souls leave the
body through the sushumnA nADi, is jyotih.

b) SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation that the nAma signifies that

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 bhagavAn is "One Who shines of His own accord". He quotes the mahA
nArAyaNa upanishad in support - nArAyaNa paro jyotir-AtmA nArAyanah
parah.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives additional support from bRhadAraNyaka

upanishad - atra ayam purushah svayam jyotih (bRhadA. 4.3.9).

SrI T. S. Krishnamoorthy translates Sri Sa'nkara's commentary as: "One

Who is the light of self-luminous consciousness - He Who reveals Himself
(without external aid), as well as other things - is jyotih".

SrI cinmayAnanda refers us to the gItA: jyotishAmapi tad-jyotih - (gItA

13.18) - The Light of all lights. SrI cinmayAnanda also gives support from
muNDakpanishad:

tameva bhAntam anubhAti sarvam tasya bhAsA sarvam idam vibhAti

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(muNDa. 2.2.10)
"Everything shines following Him alone as He shines. All this shines by His
light".

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as - dyotate dIpyati kAntyA
iti jyotih - He Who enlightens through His kAnti is jyotih.

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha observes that the Sun and Fire are both referred
to as jyoti in the vedic terminology, and since bhagavAn is the One who
illumines these, He is appropriately jyotih:

agnir-jyotir-jyotir-agnih svAhA |

sUryo jyotir-jyotih sUryah svAhA ||

(yajur. 3.9)

su--rucih
nAma 882. suéic> su

a) He of lovely effulgence - The Day time.

b) One Who has the good desire or Will to protect the world.

c) He Who is the cause of all the effulgence in everything.

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d) He Who has intense attachment to His devotees.
su-rucaye enamah.
The root from which the nAma is derived is: ruc - diPtAvabhiprItau - to shine,
to look beautiful, to be pleased with.

SrI vAsishTha gives the derivation: sushThu rocata iti su-rucih - He Who
shines beautifully and well is 'su-rucih'.

a) SrI BhaTTar continues his interpretation as a continuation of the previous

nAma, and interprets the current nAma as a reference to "Day time", which is
the second step in the ascent of the mukta to SrI vaikunTham.

He derives the interpretation as follows: sUryodayAt rocate iti rucih, sA asya

SobhanA iti su-rucih - The rising of the Sun is pleasing because of its
effulgence. Since He is the cause of that beauty, He is called su-rucih.

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SrI BhaTTar quotes the Sruti - arcisho-ahah - (chAndog. 5.10.1) - After agni
to the deity of the day.., where the path to Brahman is described.

SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN gives an interpretation that associates the nAma

su-rucih to the daytime, similar to SrI BhaTTar. His vyAkhyAnam is:
Sobhano rucih = divasah yasmAt sa su-rucih - He by Whose Grace we have a
pleasant day time is su-rucih.

b) SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma as: "One Whose effulgence is beautiful,
auspicious and attractive", or, "One Whose Will is beautiful, auspicious and
attractive".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri uses the meaning 'taste' for the word 'ruci', and
gives the explanation for the nAma as "One who has good desire or taste to
protect the world".

c) SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as a reference to bhagavAn being the

cause of anything that is effulgent.

SrI cinamyAnanda uses the meanings "Glory" or "Desire" for the term 'ruci',
and gives the meanings: "He of auspicious Glory or He of auspicious desire",
both referring to this world being an expression of His Will or Desire.

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 d) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as - SobhanA su-rucih =
abishva'ngaH anurAgaH yasmin bhaktAnAm iti su-rucih - He Who is intensely
attached to His devotees, is su-rucih. He quotes the amara koSa in support -
abhishva'nge spRhAyAm ca gabhastau ca rucih striyAm - 3.3.29, giving the
meaning "abishva'ngaH = intense attachment, affection" to the word ruciH.

nAma 883. hutÉuiGvÉu> huta bhug--vibhuh

huta--bhug
He that is the Bright Fortnight of the Moon.
huta-bhug-vibhave namah.
The term hutam is formed from the root hu - dAnAdanayoH - to offer, to
perform a sacrifice, to eat. 'bhuk' is formed from the root bhuj - pAlana,
abhyavahArayoH - to protect, to consume. One who consumes the offering is
huta-bhuk - hutam bhu'ngte = huta-bhuk. The term vibhuH is defined by SrI
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vAsishTha as: vi is an upasarga or prefix, meaning vividha; the root bhU -

sattAyAm - to be, to exist. vividho bhavati it vibhuH - That which manifests
itself in different ways.

SrI BhaTTar interprets the term hutag-bhuk to refer to the moon - hutam
bhu'njAnah - somah, and the term vibhuH is given the meaning "One who
grows and becomes full - pUrNo bhavati". In other words, the term huta-
bhug-vibhuh is interpreted as a reference to the waxing moon - one that has
consumed (bhuk) the offerings (huta) made to it, and has become full (vibhuh -
pUrNo bhavati).

The nirukti author summarizes Sri BhaTTar's interpretation as follows:

hutam sudhA pariNatam bhu'njAnaS-candramAs-tathA |

vibhuh pUrNo bhavet yasmin sa vai syAt huta-bhug-vibhuh ||

This is the third step in the arcirAdi mArga. Again, reference is made to the
chAndogya Upanishad 5.10.1 in support - arcishaH ahaH ahna ApUryamANa
paksham. "From agni to the deity of the day and from there to the deity of
the bright half of the month... "

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN's vyAkhyAnam for the current group of nAma- s

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continues to parallel that of SrI BhaTTar. He interprets the nAma huta-
bhug-vibhuh as a reference to the waxing period of the moon, the Sukla
paksha, similar to SrI BhaTTar. His explanation is: huta- bhuk = candraH,
vibhuH = pUrNaH, yatra sa huta-bhug-vibhuH Sukla pakshaH.. He because of
Whom His devotees have all their darkness removed just like Sukla paksha is
called 'huta-bhug-vibhuh'. (The translator of SrI vidyA bhUshaN's
vyAkhyAnam in Hindi says - "jinkI kRpA se bhakton kA nitya Sukla paksha hai,
arthAt unke sarva andhakAr dUr ho jAtA hai ").

SrI Sa'nkara treats "huta-bhuk-vibhuh" as containing two nAma-s: huta-bhuk,

and vibhuH. The dvaita AcArya, SrI satya sandha tIrtha, and SrI satya devo
vAsishTha also follow the same system. With this pATham, the nAma huta-
bhuk re-occurs in Slokam 95 in the pATha-s of both above vyAkhyAnaa-kartA-
s (In SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam, the nAma is treated as ananta-huta-bhug-

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bhoktA in Slokam 95, as we will see later).

huta--bhuk
huta
i) He Who is the Consumer of oblations in homa-s etc.

ii) The Protector of the sacrifices.

huta-bhuje namah:
i) The interpretation given by SrI Sa'nkara for the instance of the nAma in
the current Slokam is: "He Who is the Consumer of the oblations". SrI
Sa'nkara's words are: samasta devatoddeSena pravRtteshvapi karmasu hutam
bhu'nkte bhunakti it vA huta-bhuk - "Though offered to different gods in
sacrifices, He is the real Enjoyer, or He protects the offerings"

ii) For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 95, Sri Sa'nkara gives the
interpretation - hutam bhunakti it buta-bhuk - He Who protects the sacrifice.

SrI vAsishTha explains that hutam refers to the offerings in the fire during
homa etc., accompanied by the associated mantra-s: hutamiti agnau
prakshiptam sa-mantram. He refers us to the seven tongues of fire that we
have described earlier, under the nAma sapta-jihvaH: sapta te agne samidhaH
sapta jihvAH (yajur. 17.79). He further adds that its is this 'huta-bhuk' guNa

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 of bhagavAn that is reflected in, and is responsible for, our being able to
consume the offerings in the form of food to our body. Associated with the
prANa vAyu that we inhale and the fire that is in our body, this food or
offering gets 'consumed'.

vibhuh
i) He Who is present everywhere, or He Who is the Lord of all the worlds.

ii) He because of Whom all the beings of this universe become distinguished.

iii) He Who manifest Himself in different forms.

vibhave namah:
SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is: sarvatra vartamAnatvAt trayANam lokAnAm
vibhutvAt vA vibhuH - Because He is everywhere, or because He is the Lord of
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all the three worlds, He is called vibhuH.

SrI cinmayAnanda translates the nAma as "All-Pervading" - Lord nArAyaNa,

the Self, is unconditioned by time or space, for He is Eternal, the
Omnipresent. He is All-pervading as He is unlimited by any conditionings.

ii) SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives the interpretation - viSishTA bhavanti asmAt
it vibhuh - Since beings become distinguished and distinct because of Him, the
Lord is called vibhuh.

iii) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets the nAma as: vividho bhavati iti vibhuh
- He Who manifests Himself in many forms is vibhuH.

nAma 884. riv> raviH

a) The Sun in his uttarAyaNa or Summer solstice.

b) He Who is responsible for the ability of all cetana-s and acetana-s to make
sound.

c) He Who is praised by His devotees.

ravaye namaH.
a) SrI BhaTTar uses the root ru - Sabde - to sound, and interprets the nAma

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as as rUyate - praSasyati iti ravih - One Who is praised. In his mapping of the
nAma-s of this Sloka with the different steps in the arcirAdi mArga, SrI
BhaTTar interprets the nAma as "One Who is praised as the uttarAyaNa, or
the Summer solstice" - the period in which the Sun begins his movement
towards the north. uttarAyaNa is the fourth step in the arcirAdi mArga (see
the detailed introduction at the beginning this Slokam).

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives an interpretation similar to that of SrI

BhaTTar. He derives the nAma from the root ru - gatireshaNayoH - to go, to
hurt, and gives the explanation for the nAma as -

ravate gacchati uttarAyaNena yasmAt sa raviH;

yad-anukampayA uttarAyeNa yAti iti arthaH.

The translator in hindi gives the meaning as - JinkI kRpA se sUrya

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uttarAyaNa mem gaman kartA hai | - He by Whose Grace the sun is able to
traverse the uttarAyaNa mArga, is raviH.

SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma as a reference to the Sun - Aditya AtmA -
The driving force behind the sun. 'rasAn Adatta iti raviH' - The Sun has the
name ravi because he absorbs all the rasas or fluids from all objects. SrI
Sa'nkara quotes the vishNu dharmottara 1.30.16 in support of his
interpretation - rasAnAm ca tathA AdAnAt ravih iti abhidhIyata.

SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry refers to bhagavad gItA 10.21 - AdityAnAm aham
vishNuH jyotishAm ravir-amSumAn | - "Of Aditya-s I am vishNu, of luminous
bodies I am the radiant Sun".

b) SrI vAsishTha derives the nAma from the root ru - Sabde - to cry, to yell,
to sound as bees; The application of the uNAdi sUtra 4.139 - "aca iH" leads to
the word raviH - the Sun. SrI vAsisTha indicates that the affix 'i' adds the
sense of "one who does", "one who causes others to do" - kartari karaNe vA.
So in his interpretation, the term raviH means "One who causes sound", or
"One who enables others to make sound", and indicates that it is because of
Him that the beings are able to create sound, and so He is called raviH.

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 c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as - rUyate stUyate bhakta
janaih iti raviH - He Who is praised by His devotees is raviH.

nAma 885. ivraecn> virocanaH

a) The Illuminant (the year).

b) He of various splendors - such as Sun, moon, day, night, etc.

c) He Who shines in the minds of His devotees in various special ways.

d) He Who gave special sight (divya cakshus) to arjuna, sa'njaya etc. (vi-
locanaH).
virocanAya namaH.
The root from which the nAma is derived is 'ruc' - dIptAvabhiprItau - to
shine, to look beautiful, to be pleased with. vi- is an upasarga or prefix. The
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pratyaya which leads to the word rocana from ruc, (the pratyaya yuc, which
becomes ana), has the sense of "one who has a habit of", according to SrI
vAsishTha, who gives pANini sUtra 3.2.149 - anudAttettah ca halAdeh - in
support. Thus, virocate tacchIlo virocanaH - He Who has the habit of, or for
whom it is part of His nature, to shine and to look beautiful. He Who is
naturally shining, and Who enlightens this Universe, is virocanaH.

a) SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as "dvAbhyAm ayana-gatibhyAm samvatsaro

rathena virocayati iti virocanaH" - He is the year that illuminates the Sun
when he rides his chariot through the two ayana-s or the two periods of six
months each (the uttarAyaNa and the dakshiNAyana - the summer solstice
and the winter solstice). This is the fifth step in the arcirAdi mArga (see the
detailed introduction at the beginning of this Sloka).

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN continues to parallel the interpretation of SrI

BhaTTar - virocayati samvatsareNa gacchantam svopAsam abhiprautam
dIpra'nca karoti it virocanaH - He Who makes the Sun shine as he travels
through the samvatsara or through the year.

b) SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma as "vividham rocata iti vi-rocanaH" - He of

various splendors. One translator gives the example of His shining in forms

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such as the Sun, the moon, etc.; another refers to His shining as the day,
night, twilight, etc.; SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points to His providing various
types of rays to assist in the growth of the plants etc.

c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj points to His shining in special ways in the
minds of His devotees - viSesheNa rocate bhaktebhya iti virocanaH. He
quotes the yajur vedic mantra - namo rucAya brAhmaye (yajur.31.20). SrI
cinmayAnanda notes: "Whatever form the devotee chooses to contemplate
upon Him, the Lord manifests in that very Form for the sake and joy of the
devotee".

SrI vAsishTha refers us to a few mantra-s where the nAma virocana occurs in
the Sruti:

tasyA virocanaH prAhlAdir-vatsa AsId-ayaspAtram pAtram |

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(atharva. 9.10.2)

Sriye sudRSIruparasya yAh svar-virocamAnaH kakubhAmacodate |

(Rg. 5.44.2)
ayam punAta ushaso virocayat

(Rg. 9.86.21)
d) SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives an alternate pATham -vi-locanah - One Who
gave the special sight to arjuna, to sa'njaya etc. - divyam locanam pArthasya
yasmAt sa vi-locanaH. He supports his interpretation with a reference to the
gItA - divyam dadAmi te cakshuH (gItA 11.8).

nAma 886. sUyR> sUryah

a) The source of movement in the form of wind.

b) He Who brings forth everything, or He Who brings forth wealth.

c) One who generates SrI or brilliance in sUrya or agni (sacred fire).

d) He because of Whom we get enlightenment.

sUryAya namah.

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 SrI vAsishTha derives the nAma from the root sR - gatau - to go, or sU -
preraNe - to excite, to impel. The pANini sUtra 3.1.114 - rAja sUya sUrya ..
leads to the word sUryah by the addition of the kvip pratyaya. The meaning is
"That which moves", or "That which impels all beings to action" - sarati
gacchati iti sUryah, or suvati karmaNi prerayati lokAn iti sUryah.

SrI cinmayAnanda notes:- "The term etymologically means the One Source
from which all things have been borne out, or out of which they have been
delivered. The Lord as the First Cause is the Womb of the Universe". The
term is commonly used to refer to the Sun, because on the surface of the
world it is the Sun that nurtures and nourishes all living creatures.

a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the root sR with the meaning 'to move'. He notes
that the kRt affix (kvip in the present case) has got wide application, and the
meaning of the affix is not restricted. Thus, the word sUrya can be
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interpreted in a way suitable to the context, and he interprets the term in

association with 'vAyu', since the wind always moves out of Him - vAyuh sadA
sarati yasmAt iti sUryah. In other words, he maps the nAma sUrya to the
sixth step in the arcirAdi mArga.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN also gives the same interpretation - vAyum sarati
svopAsakam nItvA iti sUryah.

SrI rAdhA kRshNa SAstri explains the nAma as a reference to One Who
streaks through the skies like a snake (sarati). This can closely relate to the
interpretation of the nAma as a reference to the wind. vAyu is placed next to
samvatsara in the arcirAdi mArga based on the kaushItakI Upanishad - sa
vAyu lokam (kaushItakI upa. 1.3) - "He (the jIva) goes to the vAyu loka".

b) & c) Sri Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is -

sUte sarvam iti sUryah |

sUte Sriyam iti vA sUryah |

One translator translates this to mean "He Who brings forth everything, or
He Who brings forth wealth, is sUryah". Another translator gives the

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following as the interpretation - "One who generates SrI or brilliance in sUrya
or agni (sacred fire) is sUryah".

d) In addition to some of the above interpretations, SrI satya sandha tIrtha

gives one another interpretation - sUri gamyatvAt sUryah - He because of
Whom we get enlightenment is suryah.

Somewhat related to this interpretation, SrI raghunAtha tIrtha gives the

following explanation - sUribhih j~nAnibhih prApyate iti sUryah - He Who is
attained by the enlightened Sages.

nAma 887. sivta savitA

a) He Who produces or brings forth the crops etc., in the form of the Sun.

b) He Who brings forth everything in the Universe (including the sun etc.).

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savitre namah.
sUte iti savitA.

This nAma occurs again as nAma 969 (Slokam 104).

SrI vAsishTha derives the nAma from the root sU - prANi garbha vimocane -
to bring forth, to produce.

SrI BhaTTar gives the vyAkhyAnam - sUrya dvArA vRshTi sasyAdikam sUte iti
savitA - BhagavAn produces, through the sun as the medium, rain and the
crops, and so He is called savitA or Aditya.

This is the seventh step in the arcirAdi mArga.

For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 104, SrI BhaTTar gives the
interpretation that bhagavAn's nAma here signifies that He is the Creator of
everything (including the sun) - sarveshAm sAkshAt janayitA savitA.

SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation - sarvasya jagatah prasavitA savitA - He

Who brings forth or creates all the Universes. He gives support for the
interpretation from vishNu dharmottara:

rasAnAm ca tathAdAnAt raviH iti abhidhIyate |

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 prajAnAm tu prasavanAt savitA iti nigadyate ||

(vishNu dharmottara 1.30.15).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives references to Sruti:

devo varuNah prajApatiH savitA

(chAndogya. 1.12.5)
"He who shines brilliantly, He who brings rain, He who is the Protector of
people, the Lord SavitA";

savanAt savitA - (maitrAyaNi 5.7).

SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry gives an interesting alternate pATham that has the
same meaning - "sa pitA - He, The Father of All".

SrI vAsishTha gives the explanation - sUrya dvArA vRshTi sasyAdikam

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utpAdya jagat janayati iti savitA - He Who creates grains etc. through rain by
means of the sun and generates and sustains life, is savitA.

ravi--locanaH
nAma 888. rivlaecn> ravi

a) He Who illuminates (through the rays of the sun).

b) He that has the Sun for His eye.

c) He from Whose eyes the Sun was born.

d) He Who is fond of praise.

ravi-locanAya namaH.
raviNA - tat prakASena, locayati - darSayati iti ravi-locanaH - That which
reveals everything to us through its lustre. The root from which 'locana' is
derived is 'loc - darSane - to see'. ravi refers to the Sun.

a) SrI BhaTTar ues this nAma to cover the eighth, ninth and tenth steps of
arcirAdi mArga - the Moon, indra (lightning), and varuNa. All these shine by
means of the sun's rays, and so they are together covered by this nAma in SrI
BhaTTar's interpretation - ravi raSmi sa'nkrAntyAdi mukhena candra-vidyud-
varuNAn locayati iti ravi- locanaH.

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The chAndogya Upanishad mantra quoted at the beginning of this Sloka -
"AdityAt candramasam, candramaso vidyutam", and the kaushItakI Upanishad
passage - sa varuNa lokam (1.3), are invoked in support of the interpretation.

b) SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is - raviH locanam = cakshuH asya iti ravi-

locanaH - He Who has the Sun as His eye is ravi-locanaH. SrI Sa'nkara quotes
the muNDakopanishad passage in support- agnir-mUrdhA cakshushI candra
sUryau (Mundako. 2.1.4) - "He Who has fire for the crown of His head, and
Who has candra and sUrya as His eyes".

c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj interprets the nAma as "One from Whose
eyes arose sUrya" - raviH bhAskaraH locanAd-yasya iti ravi-locanaH. He
refers us to purusha sUkta - cakshoh sUryo ajAyata (Rg. Veda 10.90.13).

SrI satya devo vAsishTha gives multiple explanations:

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1. raviNA locayati sarvasm iti raiv-locanaH - He Who enlightens
everything through the Sun;

2. He Whose eyes are the Sun, and through which we see - locyate anena
iti locanaH, raviH locanam = cakshuH yasya sa ravi-locanaH.

d) SrI raghunAtha tIrtha seems to derive his interpretation based on the

root ru - Sabde - to sound, for the word raviH, and gives the meaning 'praise'
for the word 'raviH'. His interpretation for the term locanaH is "One Who is
pleased", probably based on the root loc - to shine. His interpretation for the
nAma is: raviH stutiH; locanIyatvAt locanam priyam; raviH stutiH, locanam -
priyam yasya sah ravi-locanaH - He Who is fond of praise, is ravi-locanaH.

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 Slokam 95
AnNthutÉuGÉae´a suodae nEkdae=¢j>,

AinivR{[> sdam;IR laekixóan mÑ‚t>. 95.

anantahutabhug bhoktA sukhadO naikadO=grajah |
anirviNNah sadAmarshI lOkadhishThAna madbhutah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

ananta--huta
nAma 889. AnNthutÉuGÉae´a ananta bhug--bhoktA
huta--bhug
a) He Who is indra and brahmA of immeasurable greatness.

b) He Who is endless, and Who consumes the offerings through fire.

ananta-huta-bhug-bhoktre namah.
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a) SrI BhaTTar interprets this nAma as representing the last two steps (the
eleventh and twelfth) in the arcirAdi mArga. indra and brahmA escort the
jIva in the final two steps in the ascent of the jIva to parama padam through
the arcirAdi mArga (sa indra lokam, sa prajApati lokam - kaushItakI. ).. SrI
BhaTTar interprets the term huta-bhuk as a reference to indra, since he is
the consumer of the offerings through fire in the sacrifices - sapta tantushu
hutam bhu'nkte iti indro huta-bhuk. He maps the term 'bhoktA' in this nAma
to 'brahmA' - prajAh bhunakti - pAlayati iti prajApatih bhoktA. Since brahmA
sustains and protects the process of creation - birth etc., he is called bhoktA
(prajA means propagation, production, birth). Since both indra and brahmA,
who are endowed with immense greatness (ananta), are under bhagavAn's
control, He is called ananta- huta-bhug-bhoktA.

SrI bala deva vidyA bhUshaN, who has given the same anubhavam as SrI
BhaTTar for the past few nAma-s (i.e., in terms of bhagavAn leading the mukta
jIva-s in their path to SrI vaikunTham after they leave their body in this
world), treats 'ananta-huta-bhug-bhoktA' as consisting of two nAma-s -
'anantah' and 'huta-bhug-bhoktA', and gives an interpretation similar to that
of SrI BhaTTar for the term 'huta-bhug-bhoktA' -

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huta-bhugbhih amRta pariNAma rUpam hutam

bhu'njAnaih vidyuta paryanta Agatena amAnavena purusheNa sahitaih

varuNa indra prajApatibhih sva-pada gAminam bhaktam bhunakti pAlayati it

huta-bhug-bhoktA

"He is the Protector of the devotee who have been escorted by the amAnava
purusha-s through the indra lokam, etc., and who are on their final stages of
reaching His Abode, escorted by varuNa, indra, and prajApati".

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj treats 'ananta-huta-bhug-bhoktA' as one

nAma, but interprets it as consisting of two parts - na antah yasya iti anantah
- One for Whom there is no end, is anantah; and, huta- bhujA pAvakena
bhu'nkte iti huta-bhug-bhoktA - He Who consumes (the offerings of oblations
in sacrifices) through fire is huta-bhug- bhoktA; anantaSca asau huta-bhug-

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bhoktA iti ananta-huta-bhug-bhoktA - He Who is endless,and Who consumes
the offerings through fire, is ananta-huta-bhug-bhoktA.

Now we will look at the different interpretations by other vyAkhyAna kartA-s

who have interpreted 'ananta-huta-bhug-bhoktA' as consisting of three nAma-
s - anantah, huta-bhuk, and bhoktA.

SrI Sa'nkara is the leading vyAkhyAna kArtA who takes this approach. (The
nAma 'anantah' occurs as nAma 665 (Slokam 70) in SrI BhaTTar's
interpretation, and the nAma bhoktA has been studied as nAma-s 145 and 502
in SrI BhaTTar's interpretation).

i) anantah - The Infinite.

anantAya namah.
'anta' means 'end'; ananta means "One Who is not limited", "One Who is
endless", etc. - na antam yasya sa anantah. The reader is referred to the
detailed write-up for this in Slokam 70 (nAma 665). In addition to the
interpretations given for the instance of this nAma in Slokam 70, SrI Sa'nkara
gives an alternate interpretation here - Because He is in the form of
AdiSesha, He is called ananta - Sesha rUpo vA.

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 huta--bhuk
ii) huta
a) The Protector of the sacrifice.

b) The Consumer of the offerings in a sacrifice.

huta-buje namaH.
We encountered the nAma huta-bhuk earlier in Slokam 94 in Sa'nkara pATham
(SrI BhaTTar takes the nAma as huta-bhug-vibhuh in Slokam 94).

SrI vAsishTha gives the root hu - dAnAdanayoH - to offer, to perform a

sacrifice, to eat; and the root bhuj - pAlanAbhyavahArayoH - to protect, or
anavane - to eat, to consume, for deriving the nAma.

a) For the current instance of the nAma in SrI Sa'nkara's pATham, the
interpretation given is - hutam bhunakti iti huta-bhuk - He Who protects the
sacrifice.
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SrI rAdhA kRshNa SAstri notes that this protection refers to the successful
completion of the sacrifice by His blessing, even when there may be
inadvertent deficiencies in the performance of the sacrifice -

yasya smRtyA ca nAmoktyA taop yAga kriyAdishu |

nyUnam sampUrnatAm yAti satyo vande tam acyutam ||

b) For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 94 in SrI Sa'nkara's pATham, he

gives the explanation - hutam bhu'ngte iti huta-bhuk - He Who consumes the
offerings in the sacrifice.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri elaborates on this further: When offerings are

made to different devatA-s in a sacrifice, agni (fire) again receives it first,
and then passes it on to sUrya, who then takes it to the respective deities.
All the deities ultimately offer these to bhagavAn, Who is the ultimate
receiver of all the offerings.

iii) bhoktA
a) The Enjoyer of all offerings made by devotees with love.

b) Enjoyer of offerings made in all sacrifices.

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c) Enjoyer of offerings made to the pitR-s etc.

d) He Who consumes (destroys) everything over time through different forms

- as agni, sUrya, kAla etc.

e) He Who protects everything (bhuj - pAlane - to protect).

bhoktre namaH.
The root for 'bhoktA' is the same as for the term 'bhuk', namely, bhuj - to
protect, to eat. We have studied the nAma 'bhoktA' previously in Sloka 16
(nAma 145) and Sloka 53 (nAma 502). Two derivations for the term 'bhoktA'
are - bhunakti iti bhoktA - The Protector, and bhunkte iti bhoktA - The
Enjoyer.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha nicely expresses this as 'rakshako bhakshaNaSca'.

BhagavAn creates, protects, and then swallows at the time of pralaya.

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a) For nAma 145, SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is the
Enjoyer of things offered by His devotees with love, like nectar. He refers us
to Lord kRshNa's words in the gItA:

patram pushpam phalam toyam yo me bhaktyA prayacchati |

tadaham bahktyupahRtam aSnAmi prayatAtmanah ||

(gItA 9.26)
"If a devotee offers to Me a mere leaf, flower, fruit, or water with sincere
devotion and love, I accept it as invaluable treasure."

b) Alternatively, SrI BhaTTar explains that bhagavAn is bhoktA since He is

the Ultimate recipient and Enjoyer for all the sacrificial offerings irrespective
of the deity to whom the offering is made.

SrI BhaTTar refers us to Sloka 5.29 of the gItA, where Lord kRshNa
declares:

bhoktAram yaj~na tapasAm sarva-loka-maheSvaram |

suhRdam sarva-bhUtAnAm j~nAtvA mAm SantimRcchati ||

(gItA 5.29)

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 "Knowing Me as the Enjoyer of all sacrifice and austerities, as the Supreme
Lord of all the worlds, as the Friend of every being, one attains peace".

We also have bhagavAn's declaration in Sloka 9.24 of the gItA.

aham hi sarva yaj~nAnAm bhoktA ca prabhureva ca |

na tu mAm abhijAnanti tattvena atah cyavanti te ||

(gItA 9.24)
"For, I am the only enjoyer and the only Lord of all sacrifices. They (The
ordinary people) do not recognize Me in My true nature, and hence they fall".

c) For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 53 (nAma 502), SrI BhaTTar
extends this guNa of bhokta of bhagavAn to include not only the offerings to
the gods (havya), but also to the kavya, the offering to our pitR-s or the
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deceased ancestors - havya kavya bhujo vishNoH udak-pUrve mahodadhau

(mahAbhArata SAnti parva 348.3) - "bhagavAn is stationed in the north-east
ocean and consumes the havya and kavya that are offered with sincerity".

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives several references to support the above

interpretations:

Seigaip-payan uNbEnum yAnE ennum

(tiruvAi. 5.6.4)

ahamannam_ahamannam_ahamannam ahamannAdo_'hamannAdo_'hamannAdah

(taitti. Upa.)

"I am the food or the object of enjoyment for My devotees, and

I am the Enjoyer or consumer of the offerings of My devotees as well".

vArik-koNDu ennai vizhu'nguvan kANil enRu..

ennil munnam pArittu tAn ennai muRRap paruginAn

(nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi 9.6.10)

AzhvAr and bhagavAn are competing with each other to enjoy each other, and

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bhagavAn succeeds in the competition!

avA aRac-cUzh ariyai

(tiruvAimozhi pASuram 10.10.11)

"He who mingles with His devotees intimately and to His heart's content."

The obvious examples of kaNNan accepting with great delight the handful of
puffed rice from kucela, and His accepting the food offered by vidura over
that offered by duryodhana are well-known.

The dharma cakram writer explains the function of bhagavAn as bhoktA in a

way that applies to our day-to-day life, using Sri Sa'nkara vyAkhyAnam for
Sloka 13.22 from the gItA. BhagavAn is in all of us - as the observer, as the
guide, as the Enjoyer, etc.

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upadrashTA anumantA ca bhartA bhoktA maheSvaraH |

paramAtmA iti cApyukto dehe'smin purushaH paraH ||

(gItA 13.22)
"Close Observer, Giver of sanction, Sustainer, Experiencer, the pre- eminent
Lord, Supreme Self - thus is styled the Supreme Spirit in the human body".

For those who spend their time in worldly pursuits, He is just the observer.
For those who observe the path of dharma, He is the bhartA or Protector and
Supporter in times of need - as in the case of pANDava-s. For those who
offer to bhagavAn the worldly gains that they get, such as the fame etc. that
come to them, He is the bhoktA or Enjoyer, i.e, He accepts these as
offerings, and He bestows on them His anubhavam instead.

The more we dedicate our actions and the benefits of these actions to Him,
and thus make Him the bhoktA, the more He reveals to us what true happiness
is, and the more we are relieved of undesirable attributes such as ahamkAram,
mamakAram, etc.

The significance of this nAma thus is for us to realize that we should dedicate
all our actions and their effects to bhagavAn as the bhoktA, and we should

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 instead enjoy Him and attain eternal bliss.

d) SrI satya devo vAsishTha uses the meaning bhuj - to eat, and interprets the
nAma 'bhoktA' as One Who consumes or swallows everything in the form of
kAla or time - kAla rUpo hi bhgavAn kAlakRameNa sarvam bhu'nkte. He also
links the term 'ananta' to 'bhoktA' by pointing out that bhagavAn consumes all
things over time in different forms - agni, sUrya, kAla or yama, etc.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to the kaThopanishad mantra:

yasya brahmaSca kshtram ca ubhe bhavata odanaH |

(kaTho. 2.25)
"He for whom brahma and kshatra (the movables and immovables) both become
food".
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SrI vAsishTha notes that just as the ocean is the source of the rain that
results in the small rivers, and the rivers merge back into the ocean, so also
bhagavAn is the Origin of everything, He is the Support for everything
(bhoktA), and He is also the end of everything (One Who consumes everything
in the end - bhoktA) - utpAdayitA, rakshitA, bhakshitA ca bhavati.

e) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN uses the meaning "to protect" for the root
'bhuj', and interprets the nAma as "One Who protects the good" - bhunakti
pAlayati SishTAn iti bhoktA.

sukha--dah
nAma 890. suod> sukha

a) The Giver of Bliss to His devotees.

b) The Remover of happiness for the wicked.

c) The Remover of tiny pleasures from His devotees (dyati - cuts) so that
they can seek the Higher Bliss.

d) The Remover of unhappiness for His devotees (a- sukha-dah; dyati - cuts).

e) He Who is the source of water for all beings (sukham = udakam = water).

f) He Who has given a beautiful body to the jIva-s.

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sukha-dAya namah.
We studied this nAma in Slokam 49 (nAma 460). The reader is referred to the
write-up for nAma 460 as well.

a) For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 49, SrI BhaTTar's interpretation
was that this nAma indicated bhagavAn's guNa of bestowing bliss on those who
followed the sadArAca. It should be remembered that the 'sukha' that is
bestowed by bhagavAn, in addition to including the ordinary pleasures of life,
specifically refers to the pErinbam or the Supreme Bliss of moksha, which He
alone can bestow among all the deities.

For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar continues on the
interpretation of the immediately preeceding nAma-s describing the ascent of
the jIva to parama padam, and interprets the current nAma as follows:

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amAnava mukhena spRshTvA sa-vAsanam samsAramutsAyam,

svApti sukham dadAti iti sukha-dah.

"Once the jIva reaches the final step, bhagavAn removes the last traces of
contact of the jIva with this world along with the latent impressions, and
confers Bliss on the jIva, and so He is called sukha-dah. The touch by the
amAnava purusha removes all traces of association of the jIva with samsAra,
and thus purified, the jIva is led to paramAtmA."

SrI BhaTTar gives support from the Upanishad:

tat purushah amAnavah sa enAn brahma gamayati |

esha devayAnah panthA iti ||

(chAndogya. 5.10.2)

"From there (through the moon, vidyut etc.), the amAnava, the super- human,
takes him to parabrahman. This is known as the path of the gods."

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN's interpretation is along the same lines -

tato mAnavena sva-pArshadena AnItAya vidhvasta-li'nga dehAya

sva- bhaktAya sva-pArshada tanu lAbha rUpam sukham dadAti it sukha-dah.

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 b) SrI Sa'nkara gives two alternate interpretations for the nAma 'sukha-dah':

i) He Who bestows happiness on the righteous ones - sukahm dadAti; or

ii) He Who deprives the wicked of their happiness - sukham dyati.

c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives another anubhavam for the nAma: sukha-
dah = sukham dyati - bhagavAn even takes away the 'sukham' of His devotees,
namely the ordinary pleasures of life, in order to help the devotees lose their
attachment to the materialistic pleasures, and instead seek the higher Bliss of
attaining Him.

d) SrI Sa'nkara also uses an alternate pATham - a-sukha-dah, and gives the
interpretation that bhagavAn removes the misery of His devotees - asukham
dyati, and so He is called a-sukha-dah.

e) SrI vAsishTha notes that sukham means 'udakam' or 'water' as specified in

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nighanTu (1.12) - probably based on the root khanu - avadhAraNe - to dig. So

he interprets the nAma as referring to bhagavAn being the Giver of water in
the form of wells, rivers, ponds, etc., for the survival of all the beings.

f) Alternately, SrI vAsishTha interprets the term su-kha as a reference to

this body - a well-dug moat, and since bhagavAn has given this body to the
jIva-s, He is su-kha-dah - suvyavasthita khAtam ca idam SarIram jIvebhyo
dadAti iti su-kha-dah. The Lord has beautifully mixed flesh and bones with
fluids and made a beautiful piece of creation called the 'body', and so He is
'su-kha-dah'.

naika--daH
nAma 891. nEkd> naika

a) The Giver of many things (Literally, The Giver of Not just one thing).

b) He Who is not `born' just once, but many times (naika-jaH).

naika-dAya namaH.
a) The nAma can be looked at as na-eka-daH. SrI BhaTTar continues his
interpretation based on the reception accorded to the mukta jIva who is
arriving at SrI vaikunTham. He explains the nAma as follows: ekam dadati iti

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eka-dAH; tad-viruddAh naika-dAH - Those who give only one thing are called
'ekada-s'; unlike these, naikada-s are those that give not just one thing, but
many things. The context in which SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma is in
terms of the reception accorded to the mukta jIva as he ascends to parama
padam. BhagavAn has thousands of celestials as His attendants, who are well-
versed in the art of giving to the mukta-s, and who bestow countless garlands,
clothes, etc., as the jIva arrives. He quotes the kaushItakI Upanishad (1.4) in
support:

tam pa'nca-SatAni apsarasaH upadhAvanti Satam mAlA-hastAh

Satam a'njana-hastAH .tam brahmAla'nkArena ala'nkurvanti.

"Five hundred apasara-s (divine damsels) rush forth to receive the mukta. A
hundred of them have garlands in their hands, and another hundred have

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scented ointments etc., in their hands to decorate him..They decorate him with
the adornments of the Brahman itself".

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN's interpretation is also that He is the Giver of

many things - "na ekam vastu dadAti, api tu sva-paryantAni sarvANi vastUni
dadAti" - He gives everything, including Himself.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also gives a similar interpretation, namely, that
bhagavAn's nAma 'naika-dah' refers to His being the Bestower of all the four
purushArtha-s - dharma, artha, kAma and moksha -

bhaktebhyo na ekAn arthAn bahUn eva kAmAn catur-varga

antarvartino dadAti iti naika-dah.

b) SrI Sa'nkara uses the pATham 'naika-jah' - One Who is not born just once,
but has many births for protecting dharma - dharma guptaye asakRt
jAyamAnatvAt naika-jah. Note that the birth referred to here is to His
incarnations out of His own free Will, and not the births because of karma
that the jIva-s take. Lord kRshNa declares:

paritrANAya sAdhUnAm vinASAaya ca dushkRtAm |

dharma samsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi yuge yuge || (gItA 4.8)

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 "For the protection of the good and also for the destruction of the wicked, for
the establishment of dharma, I am born from age to age".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to Lord kRshNa's words in the previous

Slokam of gItA:

yadA yadA hi dharmasya glAnir-bhavati bhArata |

abhyutthAnam adharmasya tad-AtmAnam sRjAmyaham ||

(gItA 4.7)
"Whenever there is a decline of Dharma, and an uprising of adharma, O
arjuna!, then I incarnate Myself".

SrI satya sandha tIrtha uses the pATham, naikajah, but gives an entirely
different interpretation - he looks at the nAma as consisting of the upasarga
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'ni', and the word ka-ja. He interprets the word ka-ja as 'born from water',
namely lotus etc. ke jAyanti iti kajAni kamalAni. He then interprets 'ni-kajA
as a reference to SrI mahA lakshmi, and gives the meaning to naikajah as "The
Lord of SrI mahA Lakshmi". Alternatively, he interprets 'nikajam' as a
reference to the gardens or forests containing lotuses, tulasi flowers etc.,
and then gives the interpretation that bhagavAn's nAma symbolizes that He is
ever present in these places - nitarAm kajAni yasmin tad-vanam ni-kajam,
tatra bahvo nai-kaja iti - He Who is present where there are lots of lotus
flowers, tulasi flowers etc. He quotes:

tulasI kAnanam yatra yatra padma vanAni ca |

vasanti vaishNavA yatra tatra sannihito hariH ||

"Hari is present in the tulasi gardens, in the forests where there are lotus
flowers, and in places where vaishNava-s live".

As his last interpretation, he gives the explanation of His being born many
times through His incarnations.

SrI raghunAtha tIrtha, another AcArya of the dvaita sampradAya, uses yet
another pATham - aneka-dah, but the meaning he gives is the same as the ones
who use the pATham naika-daH - anekAni bahUni dadAti iti aneka-daH.anekAni

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bahUni dadAti iti aneka-daH.

agra--jaH
nAma 892. A¢j> agra

He Who manifests in front of the mukta-s.

agra-jAya namaH.
agra means first. agra-jaH means One Who is born first, or existed before
everything - agre jAyata iti agra-jaH. SrI vAsishTha refers us to the
purusha sUkta mantra - "pUrvo yo devebhyo jAtaH; namo rucAya
brAhmaye" (yajur. 31.20).

SrI BhaTTar uses the word agra in the sense of 'in front', and ja in the sense
of "One who came forward". He continues the interpretation of the current
nAma along the lines of the mukta jIva's arrival at SrI vaikunTham. He

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explains the nAma as referring to bhagavAn coming forward, or manifest
Himself, along with SrI or mahA Lakshmi, to welcome the mukta jIva on his
arrival at SrI vaikunTham. His words are:

"evam prAptAnAm muktAnAm agre saha sarveSvaryA SriyA yathA -parya'nka

vidyam parama bhogyo jAyate iti agrajah "

This is described in the kaushItaki Upanishad:

" sa Agacchati amitaujasam parya'nkam" iti prabhRti |

upaSrIrupabRmhaNam tasmin brahmAste, tamitthamvit pAdenaiva agre

Arohati, tam brahma Aha "ko'si" iti" iti prabhRti ca | sA yA

brahmaNi citiH yA vyashTiH tAm citim jAyati, tAm vyashTi vyaSnute

iti" ityevamantA hi parya'nka vidyA |

(kaushI. 1.5, 1.6)

"The mukta comes near the dazzlingly lustrous couch. The Supreme Brahman is
seated on it with Lakshmi beside Him and the celestial attendants around Him.
The mukta who has meditated on the Lord thus, now realizes Him in this
manner, and climbs on the couch. The Supreme Brahman enquires about the

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 mukta. Then the mukta acquires the knowledge that the Supreme Brahman
has. He also enjoys the Bliss that is that of Brahman".

SrI Sa'nkara gives the explanation - agre jAyata iti agra-jaH - "The First-
Born". Other interpreters give interpretations that all refer to His having
existed before anything else existed. SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj refers us
to SrImad bhAgavatam, which describes that brahmA was able to see Lord
SrIman nAraYaNa and His loka-s prior to starting his creation, through
intense tapas:

tasmai sva-lokam bhagavAn sabhAjitaH

sandarSayAmAsa param na yat-param |

vyapeta samkleSa vimoha sAdhvasam

sva-dRshTavadbhiH abhishTutam ||
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(bhAga. 2.9.9)

"Thus worshipped, Lord vishNu revealed to brahmA His Abode, SrI

vaikunTham, that is blemishless, above which there is nothing superior, and
which is the object of meditation and praise by the learned Atma-j~nAni-s".

SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as: "The One Who was First-Born".
Naturally, everything came from Him alone. That from which everything comes,
in which everything exists, and into which everything finally merges, is agra-
jaH.

nir--viNNah
nAma 893. AinivR{[> a-nir

a) He Who is not despondent that the jIva-s are not resorting to Him for
redemption.

b) He Who is relieved of worry after having liberated a jIva who becomes a

mukta.

c) He Who is not depressed because He has nothing to wish for.

d) He Who is not tired of fulfilling the wishes of His devotees.

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a-nir-viNNAya namaH.
We studied this nAma earlier in Slokam 47 - nAma 436.

SrI satya devo vAsishTha gives two roots for deriving the nAma: vid -
sattAyAm - to happen, to be; and vid - vicAraNe - to discuss, to consider. ni-
is an upasarga or preposition that is used in many senses, including 'a
collection'. nirviNNa means 'despondency, depression'. a-nirviNNah refers to
"One Who does not have any concerns". SrI vAsishTha gives the
interpretation - nirvedam kshobham kleSam Alasyam vA na prApnoti sa a-
nirviNNo vishNuH - He Who does not become despondent, indifferent,
depressed, lazy, etc., is a-nirviNNah; or, yo na kadAcidapi nir-vedam =
khinnatAm (viraktatAm) prApnoti sa a-nir-viNNah - He Who does not attain
depression, despair, frustration etc., on any account is a-nir-viNNah. The

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different vyAkhyAna-kartA-s give different anubhavam-s of why He is
without concerns or worries.

a) For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 47, SrI BhaTTar explains that
bhagavAn engages in His act of creation, and gives bodies to the jIva-s, and
gives them the benefit of all pleasures, hoping that they will turn to Him for
redemption. But the jIva-s continue to revel in material pleasures, and His wish
is not fulfilled. But He does not become despondent over this unsuccessful
outcome, and goes on with His next cycle of creation. This is how the cycle of
creation and destruction go on repeatedly, and He never gives up or becomes
dispirited in the process. a-nirviNNaH = an-alasaH - He Who does not become
indolent, lazy, frustrated, giving up, etc.

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr - SOmbAdu ip-palluruvai ellAm

paDarvitta vittA - periya tiruvantAdi 18. tirumazhiSai AzhvAr also refers to
bhagavAn as "bhakti uzhavan" in his nAnmugan tiruvantAdi 23 - BhagavAn tries
to inculcate bhakti even in those who have gone away from Him, without giving
up, even as a farmer keeps cultivating his land no matter whether he get
results out of first effort or not.

b) For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation

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 that bhagavAn 'ceases to be concerned - because he is relieved', and so He is
a-nirviNNah - devoid of concern. This interpretation is a continuation of his
interpretations of the previous nAma-s starting with vihAyasa-gatih (nAma
880), describing the path taken by the released soul - mukta jIva, to SrI
vaikunTham. SrI BhaTTar explains that bhagavAn is at last relieved that His
devotee - the mukta, has arrived safely at SrI vaikunTham, and has been
united with Him. Until this time, this jIva as an object of compassion for
bhagavAn, who keeps worrying about whether this jIva will use his life to
become free of his karma-s and move towards Him. Now that this jIva has
become a mukta - a released soul, bhagavAn does not have worries about this
jIva any more.

SrI BhaTTar give the example of how relieved Lord rAma was, once He
crowned vibhIshaNa as King of la'nkA. He had given His word to vibhIshaNa
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to crown him as the king of SrI la'nkA, and until the time of coronation of
vibhIshaNa, Lord rAma felt that He had a word that He still had to fulfill.
After the coronation, He felt relieved as One who had fulfilled His duty at last
- kRtakRtyas-tadA rAmo vi- jvaraH pramumoda ha - (bAla kANDam 1.85).

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan comments that in the very first pASuram of tiruvAimozhi,
the term "tuyar aRu SuDar aDi", was enjoyed by emperumAnAr as "tuyar aRum
SuDar aDi" - the Lotus Feet that became free of tuyar or sorrow, because He
had blessed AzhvAr with "mayarvaRa madi nalam" - the intense j~nAna and
bhakti that are free from any flaws or deficiency.

c) Sri Sa'nkara explains that bhagavAn is 'not depressed - a- nirviNNaH',

because He has nothing to be depressed about, since He has all His desires
fulfilled, and He has nothing more to attain - avApta sarva kAmatvAt,
aprApta hetyabhAvAt, nirvedaH asya na vidyata iti a-nirviNNaH.

SrI cinmAyananda refers us to the gItA Slokam 3.22:

na me pArtha asti kartavyam trishu lokeshu ki'ncana |

nAnavAptam avAptavyam varta eva ca karmaNi ||

(gItA 3.22)

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"For Me, arjuna, there is nothing in all the three worlds which ought to be
done, nor is there anything not acquired that ought to be acquired. Yet I go on
working".

d) SrI ananta kRshNa SAstri gives another view - BhagavAn never gets tired
of fulfilling the desires of His devotees, and so also He is a- nirviNNah - One
Who does not get exhausted, negligent, lazy, etc., in fulfilling His devotees'
desires.

The same explanation is given by SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj - na nirvindati

kadApi svajana kAmanApramaparA pUrtishu iti a-nirviNNaH.

SrI vAsishTha and SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri both note that nirviNNa -
virakti - frustration, despondency, etc., are characteristics of those who keep
changing constantly, or for those who can't get enough of what they want, or

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not satisfied with what they get. All of these happen because of the effects
of pUrva-janma karmA. None of these is an issue for bhagavAn - He has no
birth and no karma, He is never- changing, He has everything He wants, and can
get anything He wants at His will. So He is beyond being dissatisfied,
frustrated etc. He is full of Bliss, brahmAnanda svarUpan. BhagavAn's
creations are changing constantly, and are suffering from their karma-s, and
so they undergo nirviNNa, but He Himself is beyond all these, and so He is a-
nirviNNaH.

sadA--marshI
nAma 894. sdam;IR sadA

a) He Who is ever patient (sadA _ marshI).

b) He Who is patient towards the mistakes of good people (sat +A+marshI).

c) He Who is extremely impatient with the wicked people (sadA + AmarshI).

sadA-marshiNe namah.
The root from which the nAma is derived is mRsha - titikshAyAm - to suffer,
to allow, to pardon.

SrI BhaTTar continues his description of the arrival of the mukta jIva in SrI
vaikunTham. He enjoys the nAma in terms of bhagavAn's trait of helping the

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 mukta jIva in performing kainkaryam to Him once he is in SrI vaikunTham. The
'patience' aspect comes in since bhagavAn patiently accepts, with pleasure, all
kainkaryam offered to Him by the mukta. Whatever kainkaryam the mukta
wishes to perform to bhagavAn out of his intense love and bhakti to the Lord,
He will accept it with a sweet disposition, even if it is not a kainkaryam that He
needs.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi pASuram 10.8.10:

uRREn ugandu paNi Seidu una pAdam peRREn, EdE innam vENDuvadu entAi ..

"Oh Lord! It was given to me to enjoy Your Lotus feet. The kainkaryam (in this
case, the singing of tiruvAimozhi by AzhvAr) was performed with an ardor
that led to the enjoyment of Your Lotus feet. This enjoyment of Divine feet is
what I would request for all time".
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b) SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as - sataH sAdhUn Abhimukhyena

mRshyate kshamata iti sadA-marshI - He Who always forgives, especially if
the good men commit any aparAdham unintentionally. SrI Sa'nkara looks at
the nAma as sat + A + marshI, 'sat' referring to the 'good people'. (SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri). The prefix A is used in some instances to signify "from
all sides" (SrI vAman Apte's dictionary).

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj echoes the same thoughts - sataH sAdhUn A
samantAt masrshitum Seelam yasya iti sad-A-marshI.

SrI SAstri refers us to SrImad rAmAyaNam in support:

katha'ncit upakAreNa kRtena ekena tushyati |

na smarati aparakArANAm Satamapi AtmavattayA ||

(ayodhyA. 1.11)
"Lord rAma is intensely pleased with even a single act, even minor, that is
performed towards Him; On the contrary, He does not even keep it in His mind
even if a hundred acts are committed that are unhelpful to Him, out of His
sheer nature".

SrI satya devo vAsishTha gives support from the Rg veda, illustrating the

282
extreme patience of bhagavAn:

nAkshas-tapyate bhUri bhAraH

(Rg. 1.164.13)

"The axle of the wheel that supports all the living creatures never becomes
over-heated, and is never broken".

c) SrI satya sandha tIrtha derives the exact opposite meaning for the term
sadAmarshI, based on looking at the nAma as "sadA + AmarshaH" (instead of
sadA + marshaH) - sadA AmarshaH kopo daityeshu asya asti iti sadAmarshI -
He Who is extremely impatient with the evil people, the demons. In samskRt,
the prefix A is sometimes used to give the opposite meaning of the verb it is
associated with (e.g., gam - to go, Agama - to come). So also, marshI - One
who is patient, A- marshI - One who is angry or impatient. SrI Apte gives the

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meaning "anger" to the word "AmarshaH" in his dictionary.

nAma 895. laekixóanm! lokAdhishThAnam

The Support of all the worlds.

lokAdhishThAnAya namaH.
The root word for the nAma is sthA - gati nivRttau - to stand, to be. adhi is a
prefix, which means 'principal, chief, supreme' in the current context. 'loka'
refers to the worlds. He Who is the Principal Support for all the worlds is
"loka adhi-sThAnam" - lokasya adhishThAnam lokAdhishThAnam.

In continuation of his anubhavam of the previous nAma-s in terms of the mukta

jIva's arrival at SrI vaikunTham, SrI BhaTTar specifically refers to bhagavAn
being the Support of the world that the mukta jIva enjoys, namely the world
of bhagavAn's nitya vibhUti.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN echoes similar thoughts - lokAnAm svAntikam

AgatAnAm svajanAnAm nityam ASryatvAt lokAdhishThAnam - He is the final
resting place and Abode for those who have reached the end of their journey
and reached Him.

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 SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to tiruvAimozhi: ...

SAi koNDa immaiyum SAdittu vAnavar nATTaiyum nI kaNDu koL enRu vIDum
tarum ninRu ninRE.

(tiruvAi. 3.9.9).
"He gives all mundane prosperity. Then He takes us to vaikunTham, and tells us:

"This is your house. Take it". We then become owners of vaikunTham.".

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives several supports from the Sruti:

tasminnAthasthur-bhuvanAni viSvA

(Rg. 1.164.13)

Rco akshare parame vyoman yasmin devA adhi viSve nisheduH

(Rg. 1.164.39)
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yasminnidam sam ca vicaiti sarvam

(tait. AraN. 10.1.1)

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives additional support:

yasmin viSvAni bhuvanAni tasthuH

(yajur. 17.30)
SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation - tam anAdhAram adhishThAya trayo
lokAH tishThanti lokAdhisThAnam - The three worlds rest in Him as Support,
even though He Himself needs no support.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that He is the Support for the world in the
forms of His kUrma and varAha incarnations, and in the form of AdiSesha.

nAma 896. AÑ‚t> adbhutah

a) He Who is extremely wonderful.

b) He Who makes appearances occasionally amongst us.

c) He because of Whom grains, food etc. exist (Adyam = grains).

adbhutAya namaH.

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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the nAma using the root bhU - to be, and
the uNAdi sUtra 5.1 (adi bhuvo dutac). 'ad' is an indeclinable meaning
'occasionally' or 'sudden'. The term 'adbhuta' also means 'AScarya' -
wonderful.

a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma in terms of His being "Insatiable" - He is

always delightful to enjoy, no matter how much we have enjoyed Him. He is a
source of wonder always, as if unseen before - sarvadA sarvaiH sarvathA
anubhave'pi apUrvavat ati- vismayanIyaH.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN captures the spirit of the interpretation through
the following words - "vicitraiH pratikshaNam nItanaiH guNa rUpa caritaiH
taiH teshAm vismaya karaNAt adbhutaH" - He makes His devotees - the
mukta-s enjoy Him every second in great wonder and amazement, by

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expressing His guNa, rUpa, etc. through numerous acts that give pleasure to
them.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives support from divya prabandham:

paNDu ivaraik kaNDu aRivadu evvUril yAm

(periya tirumozhi 8.1.9)

"Where did I see Him earlier? In what divya kshetram?

Or, have I not seen Him before anywhere?"

innAr enRu aRiyEn; annE! AzhiyoDum pon Ar Sa'ngam uDaiya

aDigaLai innAr enRu aRiyEn

(periya tirumozhi 10.10.9)

"My mother! I am unable to identify Him Who has the divine cakra in His hand,
and also the golden hued bow by name Sar'ngam. I just can't define Him."

aRpudan nArAyaNan, ari, vAmanan

niRpadu mEvi iruppadu en ne'njagam..........

(tiruvAi. 8.6.10)
"Lord nArAyaNa who delights in performing wonderful acts"

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 adbhuta cEshTitangaLai uDaiya en appan.

What are His 'adbhuta cEshTita'ngaL' - His wonderful acts? He helps not only
His devotees but also His enemies. He takes incarnations and assumes all kinds
of forms including that of a boar, a tortoise, or anything at all, to make sure
He helps His devotees, and He gives us delight beyond measure when He get to
enjoy Him. He comes as a dwarf vAmana, and then rises to all the three
worlds; and while He stands spreading over all the worlds thus, He at the same
time is occupying a seat in my heart. Such is the nature of His adbhuta
ceshTita'ngaL.
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adbhutAya namaH.
SrI Sa'nkara gives support from the Upanishad and from bhagavad gItA:

kaThopanishad: (kaTho. 2.7)

SravaNAyApi bahubhir-yo na labhyaH SRNvanto'pi bahavo yam na vidyuH |

AScaryo vaktA kuSalo'sya labdhA AScaryo j~nAtA kuSalAnuSishTaH ||

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"The Supreme Self is such that He is not gained by many for the mere hearing,
and not known by many even while hearing. Rare is an expounder of Him, and
rare is an able attainer, and rare is he who knows Him under the instruction of
an adept teacher".

SrI cinmayAnanada summarizes the message as: "He, and the teacher who
teaches of Him, and even the student who grasps Him are all 'wonders'".

Bhagavad gItA:

AScaryavat paSyati kaScidenam AScaryavat vadati tathaiva cAnyaH |

AScaryavac-cainam anyaH SRNoti SrutvApyenam vada ca caiva kaScit ||

(gItA 2.29)
"One looks upon this self as a wonder; likewise, another speaks of It as a

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wonder; still another hears of It as a wonder; and even after hearing of It,
one knows It not".

The message of both passages is identical.

b) SrI vAsishTha gives the meaning: ad = kadAcit bhavati iti adbhutam - He

Who occasionally appears, is adbhutam. sannapi a- bhUtam iva iti arthah -
Being present, He is not present at the same time. While bhagavAn exists
amongst us all the while, we are oblivious to this fact, and more or less live in a
state where He does not exist for us. This is signified by the nAma
'adbhutaH'.

c) SrI raghunAtha tIrtha explains the nAma as "Adyam = bhogyam annAdikam

bhavati asmAt iti adbhutam" - "He because of whom grains and food exist for
sustaining life, is adbhutaH". (The term Adyam refers to grains, food etc.).

(TO BE CONTINUED IN VOLUME V)

dAsan KRshNamAcAryan

287
Volume V
 Our Sincere thanks to the following for their invaluable contributions to
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2
 CONTENTS
SlOkam 96 1

SlOkam 97 16

SlOkam 98 37

SlOkam 99 58

SlOkam 100 71

SlOkam 101 94

SlOkam 102 115

SlOkam 103 144

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SlOkam 104 161

SlOkam 105 181

SlOkam 106 202

SlOkam 107 221

vanamalee slOkam 253

phala Sruti 255

nigamanam 256

3
 sadagopan.org

4
 . ïI>.

. ïImte ramanujay nm>.

. ïImte ingmaNt mhadeizkay nm>.

ïImte ïI r¼ramanuj mhadeizkay nm>

SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam

(Volume V)

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5
 sadagopan.org

6
 Slokam 96
snaTsnatntm> kipl> kiprVyy>,

SviStd> SviStk«TSviSt SviStÉukœ SviStdi][>. 96.

sanAtsanAtanatamah kapilah kapiravyayah |
svastidah svastikrut svasti svastibhuk svastidakshiNah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 897. snat! sanAt

a) The Object of enjoyment.

b) He Who is in the form of Time.

c) He Who is Eternal, Immutable, and always of the same beautiful Form.

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sanAte namaH.
Two distinct derivations have been used to interpret the nAma. SrI kRshNa
datta bhAradvAj uses the root san - dAne - to give, to worship, and gives the
definition - sanoti - dadAti svadarSanam bhaktebhya iti sanAt - He Who gives
His darSanam to His devotees is sanAt. This is the sense in which Sri
BhaTTar seems to interpret the nAma.

SrI vAsishTha interprets the nAma as meaning 'SaSvat, nitya' - permanent,

eternal. The amara koSa lists the word 'sanA' as an indeclinable meaning
'perpetually, ever', and gives the definition - 'sanA nitye'. The word
'sanAtana' is derived from the word sanA.

a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is: teshAm sambhajanAt sanAt - Because He

confers perfect enjoyment on all the mukta-s equally, He is called sanAt.

b) SrI Sa'nkara gives the meaning 'ancient', 'of long duration', to the word
sanAt - sanAt iti nipAtah cirArtha vacanaH - An indeclinable indicating a great
length of time. One of the manifestations of bhagavAn is as Time. He quotes
vishNu purANa in support:

parasya brahmaNo rUpam purushaH prathamam dvija |

1
 vyaktAvyakte tathaivAnye rUpe kAlas-tathAparam || (VP 1.2.15)

"The first form of para brahman is purusha. The next two are vykata and
avyakta. Another is Time". Just as He is without beginning and without end,
Time is also without beginning and without end.

c) SrI vAsishTha gives the description - sanAt nityaH avikAraH ekarasaH

ityarthaH - He Who is Eternal, Immutable, and always of the same beautiful
Form. He gives references to the Sruti in support:

sanAt yuvAnamase havAmahe

Rg. 2.16.1
sanAdeva sahase jAta ugraH

Rg. 4.20.6
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A yo mahaH SuraH sanAt anIDaH

Rg. 10.55.6.
d) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the interpretation - sanam tad- datttam
rasa gandhAdi atti iti sanAt - He Who gladly accepts the offerings from His
devotees (one of the meanings given by SrI Apte for the word 'san' is 'to
receive graciously').

sanAtana--tamaH
nAma 898. snatntm> sanAtana

The Most Ancient.

sanAtana-tamAya namaH.
SanA is an indeclinable meaning 'nitya' etc., as noted in the previous nAma. The
word 'sanAtana' is derived by application of the pANini sUtra 4.3.23 (SrI
vAsishTha), that says that addition of the pratyaya here to a word having the
sense of time (sanA), leads to the sense of 'belonging to'. Thus, the term
'sanA-tana' has the meaning 'belonging to the eternity or ancient times'. With
the addition of the 'tamap' pratyaya, the meaning for 'sanAtana-tama' is "The
Most ancient". He was present before anything else was present, and He is
present when everything else is destroyed during the pralaya. So He is

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sanAtana-tamaH.

SrI BhaTTar comments that even though He is ancient (purANa), He is always

new, and is always more enjoyable and fresh, as though He is new and not seen
before. In bhagavAn's case, He is 'purA api navaH purANaH'. This is what is
exciting (tama) about His ancient nature - Ageless but new. SrI BhaTTar uses
the term 'tana' in the nAma to refer to rUpam or form (tanu - SarIram). He
remarks: sadA-tanatve'pi tadA-tanatvavat nitya nUtana bhogyaH - Even
though He has always had a body (sadA tanatvam), He looks like One who is
just new (tadA-tanattvam - One who has just been endowed with a new body),
and is enjoyed as though He is new, and this is why He is sanA-tana- tamaH.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN's interpretation supports that of SrI BhaTTar -

sanAtanAnAm muktAnAm ayam atiSayena sanAtana-tamah |

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sanAtanve'pi teshAn tadA-tanatvavat pratIya itayarthaH.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's pASuram, which graphically

captures this thought of bhagavAn being ever new for our enjoyment, no
matter how many yuga-s pass.

ep-poruLum tAnAi maragatak kunRam okkum

ap-pozhudait tAmaraip-pUk-kaN pAdam kai kamalam

ep-pozhudum nAl ti'ngaL ANDu Uzhi Uzhi torum

ap-pozhudaikkappozhudu en ArA amudamE.

(tiruvAi. 2.5.4)
"I am sorry I have to repeat what I have said before. It is because the
experience I have is refreshingly new every moment, even if I enjoy it for
days, years, ages, and millennia, without my being satiated. The infinite
variety, unlike tiring uniform monotony, makes every moment a fresh bliss; it is
an experience that is new always. Do not think that my new experience is
because I am discovering something new every moment because of my growing
intellect. The Lord has given me flawless intellect at the very outset. The
experience of the Lord's company is on an entirely different plane. He Who is

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 the inner soul of all, having all things as His aspects, looks like a greenish cool
hill of beauty, with eyes, feet, hands, all like lotus flowers that have freshly
blossomed at this very moment. He is nectar that is sweeter and sweeter
every moment, insatiable and unceasingly enjoyable". (translation from v.n.
vedAnta deSikan).

AzhvAr again refers to this ever-new experience of bhagavAn in pASuram

2.6.1:

...............ennuL manni vaigum vaigal tOrum amudAya vAnERE .....

(tiruvAi. 2.6.1)
"O My Lord, You who are the Chief of all gods, is like nectar with which one
never gets satiated with every new day that we live through".

SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is that "He is the Most Ancient", since He is

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the cause of all, and older than brahmA and others who are very ancient -
sarva kAraNatvAt, viri'ncyAdInAmapi sanAtanAnAm atiSayena sanAtanatvAt
sanAtana-tamaH.

SrI vAsishTha gives support from the Sruti:

sanAtanam-enam-Ahur-utAdyaH syAt-punAr-Navah |

aho-rAtre prajAyete anyo anyasya rUpayoH ||

(atharva. 10.8.23)

"Being ancient, He appears new every moment, even as the day and night
reappear fresh repeatedly, one assuming the form of the other".

nAma 899. kipl> kapilaH

He Who is of beautiful complexion.

kapilAya namaH.
We studied the nAma kapilAcArya earlier (535 - Slokam 57). SrI Sa'nkara
and Sri BhaTTar have both interpreted the instance of the nAma in Slokam 57
as a reference to bhagavAn's incarnation as kapila, who propounded the

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sAnkhya system of philosophy. (SrI BhaTTar has interpreted the nAma-s
from 529 to 538 in terms of bhagavAn's incarnation as kapila, an
amSAvatAra). Both SrI Sa'nkara and SrI BhaTTar interpret the current
instance of the nAma using its generic meaning - "One Who has a beautiful
complexion". Thus the punarukti dosham (fault of redundancy) is avoided.

The roots from which the nAma can be derived are: kam - kAntau - kAntir-
icchA - to desire, or, kabR - varNe - to color. Through the application of the
uNAdi sUtra 1.55 - kameH paSca, the ma of 'kam' or bR of 'kabR' is changed
to pa, and the affix ilac is added, leading to kapilaH - 'One who is tawny
(reddish) in color'.

The reader is referred to the write-up for nAma 535 (Slokam 57) for SrI
BhaTTar's interpretation of the nAma 'kapilAcAryah' in terms of bhagavAn's

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incarnation as Sage kapila, an amSAvatAra. SrI Sa'nkara gives the following
supports for the interpretation:

Rshim prasUtam kapilam mahAntam

(SvetAsvatara upa. 5.2)

aSvatthaH sarva vRkshANAm dava-RshINAm ca nAradaH |

gandharvANAm citra-rathaH siddhAnAm kapilo muniH ||

(gItA 10.26)

"Of trees, I am the aSvattha. Of celestial seers, I am nArada. Of the

gandharva-s, I am citraratha. Of the perfected, I am kapila". (Lord kRshNa's
words).

For the current instance of the nAma kapilaH, SrI BhaTTar gives his
interpretation in the generic sense of the term 'kapilaH' - "One Who is of
beautiful complexion". He enjoys the nAma in terms of bhagavAn's beautiful
bluish complexion, with mahA lakshmi represented by 'sparkling streaks of
lightning - madhyastha nIla toyada vidyul- lekhojjvala varNaH kapilaH - He is
of radiant form in the self- luminous SrI vaikunTham, very much like a blue
cloud in the midst of sparkling streaks of lightning.

5
 SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as "One Who is tawny in color". He enjoys
the nAma as representing the form of bhagavAn in the form the fire inside
the ocean that keeps the ocean from overflowing - the baDavAnala fire - the
subterranean fire in the ocean, which is called kapila. His interpretation is -
baDavAnalasya kapilo varNa iti tad- rUpI kapilaH.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri describes kapila as referring to a color that is

golden with a black tinge.

SrI vAsishTha uses the meaning 'Sun' for the word kapi - tawny in color -
pi'ngala varNaH (Recall the interpretation of 'kapyAsam puNDarIkAksham' by
SrI bhagavad rAmAnuja - kam pibati iti kapiH). SrI vAsishTha gives the
interpretation -kapim = sUryam lAti - Adatte, sarvasya jagataH pravartanAya
iti kapi-laH - He Who brings the Sun for the sustenance of everything in this
world is kapi-laH.
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SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning 'monkey' for the term 'kapi',
and gives the interpretation - kapIn sugRiva hanumat AdIn lAti sevAyAm iti
kapi-laH - He Who got sugrIva, hanuman etc., in the line of service for Him.

kapir--avyayaH
nAma 900. kiprVyy> kapir

He Who enjoys the never-diminishing Bliss.

kapaye-avyayAya namaH.
Some interpreters treat this as two nAma-s: kapiH and avyayaH or apyayH.

In SrI BhaTTar's pATham, the nAma is kapir-avyayaH. avyayaH means

'undiminished'. The word 'kam' is used with the meaning 'sukham' by SrI
BhaTTar. In this interpretation, the term kapiH is explained as "kam pibati,
pAti vA kapiH - He Who experiences Bliss, or He Who protects the Bliss of
His experience for others. He derives the word kapiH as: kam +pA = ka-piH,
using the uNAdi sUtra - 'sarva dhAtubhya in' (4.117) to derive 'pi' from 'pA -
to protect or to drink'). He explains the nAma as -

a) svayamapi tad-anubhava sukha nirvRtim pAti pibati vA kapir- avyayaH - He

protects (pAti) the pleasure of enjoyment of His Bliss for the mukta-s without

6
decrease (avayaya), or,

b) He experiences (pibati) the pleasure of the enjoyment of His Bliss by the

mukta-s without decrease (avyaya), and so He is called kapir-avyayaH.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj treats 'kapir-avyayaH' as one nAma, but

interprets it as a combination of two guNa-s - kapiH and avyayaH. He explains
'kapiH' as - kaam -jalamapi pibati sva-janaiH sa-prema upahRtam iti kapiH -
He Who accepts an offering from His devotee, even it be only water, as long as
it is offered with love and affection. He explains 'avyayaH' as "sadaiva
avyayo = nir-vikAra iti avyayaH" - He Who is Eternal and unchanging, is a-
vyayaH. He Who is both kapiH and avyayaH is kapir-avayayaH.

kapiH
i) He Who is in the form of the Sun.

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ii) He Who protected the Earth from the great waters in His varAha
incarnation.

iii) He Who accepts even water gladly as an offering when offered with
devotion.
kapaye namaH.
i) SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as - kam - jalam raSmibhiH piban kapiH,
sUryaH. He Who 'drinks' (dries up) the water through His rays in the form of
the Sun, is kapiH.

ii) Alternatively, Sri Sa'nakra gives the explanation that the term kapiH can
refer to His varAha incarnation:

kAt - toyAt bhUmim apAt iti kapiH - varAhaH - He Who protected the Earth
from the great waters

(SrI Sa'nkara and SrI BhaTTar both interpret the term kapiH as it occurs in
Slokam 11 - nAma 102 - vRshA-kapiH, as a reference to varAha). They give the
support from mahA bhArata:

kapir varAhaH SreshThaSca dharmaSca vRsha ucyate |

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 tasmAd vRshAkapim prAha kASyapO mAm prajApatiH ||

(SAnti parva 330.24)

"..The word kapi refers to "The Great Boar varAha..".

(pA means to protect and ka means water, and so kapi refers to varAha
incarnation where He protected the Earth from the waters).

SrI vAsishTha gives several alternate roots from which the word 'kapiH' can
be derived:

i) kai - Sabde - to sound;

ii) kRR - vikshepe - to pour out, to scatter; or

iii) kan - dIpti kAnti gatishu - to shine.

Among the interpretations he gives are:

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1. Because bhagavAn enjoys ('drinks') the praise that is in form of Sabda,

He is called ka-piH stavaH Sabda rUpaH tam pibati iti kapiH;

2. kam - jalam, pAti = pibati; He that 'drinks' water, referring to sUrya.

Since bhagavAn is the antaryAmi for sUrya, He has this nAma.

iii) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN interprets the nAma kapiH as: tad- sevA
rUpam kam pibati iti ka-piH - He Who accepts water etc., when offered as a
devotional offering by His devotees. Recall the Slokam

patram pushpam phalam toyam yo me bhaktyA prayacchati |

tad-aham bhaktyupahRtam aSnAti prayatAtmanaH ||

(gItA 9.26)
"Whosoever offers to Me with true devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or some
water, I accept this offering made with devotion ny him who is pure of heart".

a-vyayaH:
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the interpretation - na vyeti teshAm
samAjAt iti a-vyayah - He Who never moves away from His devotees, and Who
is always with His devotees.

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apyayaH
The term apyayaH is made of a preposition (upasarga - api), and the verb ay -
to go.

The preposition is used in the sense of 'placing near or over, taking towards,
reaching or going up to, proximity, nearness', etc.

SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as - pralaye asmin apiyanti jaganti iti
apyayaH - The resting Place for the Universes during its dissolution.

SrI vAsishTha gives the interpretation - apiyanti iti apyayaH - leeyante asmin
bhUtAni pralaya kAle, ataH apyayaH iti ucyate - He in whom all beings merge
at the time of pralaya, is apyayaH. We have 'tena devAn apiyanti' in taittirIya
Upanishad - brahmAnanda mImAmsA - "Through these they reach the deva-s'.

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With this nAma, we have reached the end of the commentary on the first 900
nAma-s of SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam. Just an observation, though this might
not be significant - While the numbering of the nAma- s differed widely
between the systems of SrI Sa'nkara and SrI BhaTTar starting around nAma
69, they are beginning to coincide starting with nAma 901.

svasti--daH
nAma 901. SviStd> svasti

The Giver of Auspiciousness.

svasti-dAya namaH.
The word svasti is formed from the root 'as - bhuvi - to be', with the addition
of 'su' - an upasarga, as described by the uNAdi sUtra 4.180 - sAvaseH, and
is an indeclinable that denotes blessing. SrI vAsishTha explains the word as
'su + asti' = svasti. svastim dadAti iti svasti-daH - kalyANa-daH - The
Bestower of auspiciousness.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the root asa - gati dIptyAdAneshu - to go,
to shine, to accept, and gives the derivation - SobhanA astiH = gatiH arthAt
j~nAnam gamanam prAptiH, svastiH, tAm dadAti bhaktebhya iti svasti-daH -
He Who bestows the path for the attainment of true knowledge to the

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 devotees.

SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as "evam mahan-ma'ngalam dadAti iti svasti-
daH" - "In this way He gives supreme auspiciousness to all". SrI v.v. rAmAnujan
explains that the Supreme Auspiciousness that is being referred to is brahma
j~nAnam that leads ultimately to the Bliss of SrI vaikunTham, that He alone
can give. This is in line with the interpretation and derivation given by SrI
bhAradvAj above. SrI rAmAnujan refers us to AzhvAr's pASuram-s:

1. nammAzhvAr refers to bhagavAn as "uyar vinaiyE tarum oN SuDark

kaRRai" (tiruvAi. 1.7.4) - The Beam of Light that gives the supreme
knowledge that leads to the moksha Anandam.

2. PeriAzhvAr says: "pirama guru Agi vandu, pOdil kamala an- ne'njam
pugundu, en SennittiDaril pAda ilaccinai vaittAr" (periAzhvAr tiru.
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5.2.8) - "BhagavAn came as the guru Who performed brahmopadeSam

to me, entered the seat of true knowledge in me - my mind, and set His
Feet there, and this removed all the flaws, deficiencies and ignorance
in my mind".

SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is: bhaktAnAm svasti ma'ngalam dadAti it

svasti-daH - The Conferrer of blessings on His devotees.

SrI vAsishTha gives an alternate explanation - Atma dhAraNAya - arthAt

jIvanAya jIvana upayogini sAdhanAni dadAti sa, svasti-daH - He Who gives the
necessities for the jIva-s to sustain themselves.

svasti--kRt
nAma 902. SviStk«t! svasti

The Doer of good to the devotees.

svasti-kRte namaH.
BhagavAn gives auspicious things to us (svastidaH), and then He gives us the
attitude that enables us to enjoy this auspiciousness. In SrI BhaTTar's
interpretation, after giving the brahma j~nAnam (svasti- daH), He then makes
Himself available to the mukta-s to enjoy Him and His qualities (svasti-kRt).

In SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation, bhagavAn gives auspicious things to the

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devotees (svasti-daH), and He also does things that are good to the devotees
(svasti-kRt).

SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry adds another interpretation - He Who makes His
devotees do good things is svasti-kRt.

SrI cinmayAnanda uses an approach that has been used by SrI Sa'nkara in
many nAma-s that end with kRt, and gives an alternate interpretation using the
root kRt - chedane - to cut, and explains the nAma as One Who robs an
individual of all bliss when that individual follows a path that is not according
to dharma.

nAma 903. SviSt svasti

He Who is Auspiciousness.

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svastine namaH.
SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as - svayameva mahan-ma'ngalam - svasti - He
Who is Himself the incarnation of auspiciousness. The SrI vishNu sahasra
nAma satsangam, New Delhi, in the translation for SrI BhaTTar's bhAshyam,
gives the following additional explanation: "All the jIva-s tend to live with lot
of attachment and desires towards worldly pleasures. Since this is not real
enjoyment, the Lord blesses the devotees for directing their desire towards
Him, and makes them enjoy Him". Thus, He is the true ma'ngalam for His
devotees..

SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation - ma'ngla svarUpam AtmIyam

paramAnanda lakshaNam svasti - He Whose nature is Supreme Bliss or
Auspiciousness.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives several supports on this.

en amudinaik kaNDa kaNgaL maRRonRinaik kANAvE - amalanAdipirAn - My

eyes that have seen my Sweet Nectar, will never move away from Him and see
anything else again (tiruppANAzhvAr).

yatra na anyat paSyati, na anyat vijAnAti, na anyat SruNoti, tad bhUmA -

sanat kumara - That which is auspicious or Bliss is that from which the eyes

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 can't turn away, the mind does not move away, and the ears can't divert. This
object of Supreme Bliss is all- absorbing, and the best that there can ever be.

AzhvArs' anubhavam of this all-engrossing beautiful Blissful and auspicious

form of bhagavAn are too numerous to list. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri reminds
us that bhagavAn is "pavitrANAm pavitram" - The Purest of the pure,
"ma'ngLAnAm ca ma'ngaLam" -The Most Auspicious among the auspicious, and
"ma'ngaLam param" - The Supreme Bliss.

SrI cinmayAnanda comments that He is of the Nature of sat-cit-Ananda, and

thus there is no cause for inauspicious in Him.

SrI satya sandha tIrtha interprets the nAma as - su atyantam asti iti sakala
deSa kAleshu vartata iti svasti - He Who always exists in the past, present
and the future, is svasti.
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svasti--bhuk
nAma 904. SviStÉuk! svasti

a) The Protector of all that is auspicious.

b) The Enjoyer of Bliss.

c) He Who enables His devotees to enjoy bliss.

svasti-bhuje namaH.
The root bhuj - pAlanAbhyavahArayoH, has multiple meanings: to protect, to
eat, to consume, to enjoy, to rule, to govern.

a) SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning 'to protect', for the root bhuj, and gives the
interpretation - sarvam etat svasti bhunakti - pAlayati iti svasti-bhuk. One
translator of SrI BhaTTar's commentary elaborates on this: "The Lord
protects everything auspicious, and protects the devotees. The pleasure of
experiencing the Lord in the mind, the extreme satisfaction that the devotees
get on that account, and the services that the devotees are induced to
perform thereby, are all preserved and protected by the Lord".

The nirukti author summarizes the above thoughts through the following:

"pAlanAt ma'ngalasya iva svasti-bhuk ca iti gamyate" - He is sung by the name

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svasti-bhuk because He protects all that is auspicious.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN echoes the same thoughts in his interpretation -
svasti - kalyANam bhunakti - pAlayati samrtRRUNAm iti svasti-bhuk.

b) c) SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning bhuj - to enjoy, and interprets the nAma
as -

tadeva bhu'nkta iti svasti-bhuk |

BhaktAnAm ma'ngalam svasti bhunakti iti vA svasti-bhuk | -

"The Enjoyer of Bliss", or "He Who enables His devotees to enjoy blessings".

The alternate interpretation given by SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN echoes

interpretation (b) above - svayam svasti bhu'nkte anubhavati iti svasti-bhuk.

d) SrI satya sandha tirtha interprets the nAma as - svasti sukham bhojayati it

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svasti-bhuk - One Who feeds (bestows) sukham or happiness on His devotees,
is svasti-bhuk.

svasti--dakshiNaH
nAma 905. SviStdi][> svasti

He Who gives auspicious things as dakshiNA to His devotees.

svasti-dakshiNAya namH.
The root from which the term dakshiNA can be derived is daksh - vRddhau - to
grow.

SrI BhaTTar uses the term 'dakshiNA' in the sense of 'fee' or 'gift' that is
offered to the officiating priests in religious ceremonies etc. He interprets
the current nAma as "One Who offers 'svasti' or auspiciousness as dakshiNA".
The ceremony and the priests who receive the dakshiNA are to be identified.
Here is SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam: BhagavAn is performing an eternal, never-
ending sacrifice, called dIrgha satram, in which the 'officiating priests' are
the nitya-s and the mukta-s (the eternal souls and the liberated souls). The
purpose of this yAga of bhagavAn is to offer Himself to be enjoyed by His
devotees. BhagavAn gives Himself to His devotees, the nityas and the mukta-s,
as an offering in this 'sacrifice'. In addition, He gives them auspicious things

13
 such as a celestial body that is made of Suddha sattva material that never
decays or ages, and other powers such as Sakti, j~nAnam, etc. So bhagavAn is
like the yajamAna or master of the sacrifice who offers dakshiNA or fee to
the priests who are officiating in it. Hence the nAma svasti-dakshiNaH. SrI
BhaTTar's words are: anyAdapi sva-paricaraNa anuguNam divya- SarIra
SaktyAdi svasti svAtma dAna dIrgha satre Rtvigbhyo deyA dakshiNA asya iti
svasti-dakshiNaH.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives an interpretation that is along similar lines:

"sva-nityam dhAmAdikam kalyANa rUpatvAt svasti iti ucyate |

sA dakshiNA sva-bhakti-satra Rtvigbhyo deyam asya iti svasti-dakshiNaH".

In this interpretation, SrI vaikunTham and other aspects of SrI vaikumTham

are referred to as 'svasti' because of their eternal and auspicious nature.
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BhagavAn offers these to the officiating Rtvik-s in His bhakti ya~jna as

dakshiNA or fees, and so He is called svasti-dakshINaH.

Another interpretation along similar lines, given in the title "bhagavd guNa
darpaNa" published by the SrI vishNu sahasra nAma satsangam in New Delhi,
is that bhagavAn bestows auspicious things to those who perform sacrifices, as
the 'fee', and hence He is svasti- dakshiNaH.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives a similar interpretation - svastibhiH

ASIrbhiH dakshayati vardhayati svajanAn iti svasti- dakshiNaH.

SrI Sa'nkara gives three alternate interpretations:

i) svastirUpeNa dakshate vardhate - He Who grows through His

auspiciousness, that is, He Who feels great by bestowing auspiciousness on
His devotees;

ii) svasti dAtum samartha iti vA svasti-dakshiNaH - He Who is capable of

bestowing auspiciousness (dakshiNa also means 'able, dexterous, skillful');

iii) dakshiNa Sabda Asu-kAriNi vartate; SIghram svasti dAtum ayameva

samartha iti svasti-dakshiNaH - Using the meaning "One who is capable of
achieving things fast" for the term 'dakshiNa", bhagavAn is called svasti-

14
dakshiNaH because He alone is capable of bestowing auspiciousness on His
devotees fast or readily.

SrI Sa'nkara gives the following in support:

smarAdeva devasya siddhyanti sarva siddhayaH ||

smRte sakala kalyANa bhAjanam yatra jAyate |

purushas-tam-ajam nityam vrajAmi SaraNam harim ||

smaraNAdeva kRshNasya pApa sa'nghAta pa'njaram |

SatadhA bhedam AyAti girir vajrahato yathA ||

"I always take refuge in Hari, the Supreme Person, the Unborn, Eternal, Who,
by just being remembered, becomes the source of all auspiciousness. By the
mere remembrance of kRshNa, the body of accumulated sins are destroyed

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just as a mountain gets destroyed (broken into many pieces) by indra's
thunderbolt".

SrI cinmayAnanda nicely captures the spirit of the above: "The term indicates
that SrI nArAyaNa will quickly and efficiently reach His sincere seekers to
give them the experience of auspiciousness which is the Lord's very nature".

SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as - svastim dakshate vardhayati iti svasti-
dakshiNaH - varada-hasto ma'ngala hasta iti - He Who grows auspiciousness
by bestowing the desired boons and other auspicious things to His devotees, as
signified by His varada-hasta or ma'ngala hasta, is svasti-dakshiNaH.

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 Slokam 97
AraEÔ> k…{flI c³I iv³MyUijRtzasn>,

zBdaitg> zBdsh> izizr> zvRrIkr>. 97.

araudrah kuNDalI cakrIi vikramyUrjitasAsanah |
sabdAtigah sabdasahah sisirah sarvarIkarah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 906. AraEÔ> araudrah

He Who is not driven to anger easily.

a-raudrAya namaH.
The root from which the nAma is derived is rudir - aSru vimocane - to cry, to
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weep, to roar. rudra means 'one who causes others to shed tear' - rodayati iti
rudraH. 'raudra' means 'rudra-like, violent, irascible, wrathful' (SrI Apte's
dictionary). Since bhagavAn is not a raudra, He is called a-raudraH.

SrI BhaTTar notes that bhagavAn is gentle, agreeable, and cool by nature, and
is not irate, even though He is sarveSvaran - parama aiSvarye'pi guNa
SItalimnA a-raudraH. Hence He is called a-raudraH. Note the dhyAna Slokam
starting with "SantAkAram bhujaga Sayanam padmanAbham sureSam,
viSvAdhAram..".

Note also that the first trait praised here is His SAnta AkAram - His Peaceful
form with a countenance that radiates kindness and warmth. Sri kRshNa
datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as "parama SAnta saumya sundara
AkAraH".

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan points out that even though bhagavAn is radiating
extreme tejas, it does not deflect His devotees even a bit.

SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is - avApta sarva kAmatvena rAga dveshAdeH

abhAvAt iti a-raudraH - Because bhagavAn is avApta-sarva- kAman, He is
beyond desire, anger, or any action that can cause either of these. Desire
leads to action to attain the desired object, and when it is not attained, it

16
leads to anger; or, when the desired object is attained, more of the same is
desired, or some other object is desired, and so the cycle goes on. BhagavAn
has no desire, hatred, etc., and so He is called a-raudraH.

SrI raghunAtha tIrtha gives an essentially similar interpretation - rudati

anena iti rudram = duHkham, taj-janakatvena tat-sambandhitvAt raudram =
kAma krodhAdi duHkha sAdhanam, tat asya nAsti iti a- raudraH - He is called
a-raudraH because He has no association with sorrow that arises out of
desire, anger, etc.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN notes that bhagavAn is the exact opposite of
raudram - Ananda pURnAtvAt a-raudraH prasanna mUrtiH - He is the
embodiment of Perfect Bliss.

nAma 907. k…{flI kuNDalI

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He Who is bedecked with beautiful ear-rings.
kuNDaline namaH.
The term kuNDalam refers to the ear-ring, or the decoration worn for the ear
(karNikA tAla patram syAt kuNDalam karma veshTanam) (amara. 2.103).

SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as "yathocita nitya divya bhUshNaH

kuNDalee" - He Who is appropriately bedecked with celestial ornaments
befitting His body and His status.

Thus, SrI BhaTTar takes the kuNDala as one representation of all infinite
auspicious ornaments. Literally, "One Who is adorned with beautiful ear-rings,
the kUNDala-s, is kuNDalee", since bhagavAn is adorned with makara
kuNDalam, or ear-rings that are shaped like fish.

In his SaraNAgati gadyam, Bhagavd rAmAnuja describes bhagavAn as

"niratiSaya aujvalya kirITa makuTa cUDAvatamsa makara kuNDala graiveyaka
hAra keyUra kaTaka SrIvatsa kaustubha muktAdAmodara pItAmbara
kA'ncIguNa nUpurAdi aparimita divya bhUshaNa!" - One Who is adorned with
wonderfully splendorous Crown bearing the central diadem of lustrous stone,
other head ornaments, ear ornaments, necklaces and other ornaments for the

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 neck, garlands, shoulder-bracelets, bracelets in the hands, SrI vatsa and
kaustubha, pearl garlands, waist ornaments, lace clothes, gold waist band, leg
ornaments and other precious and innumerable other jewels.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's description of His makara

kuNDalam in tiruvAimozhi pASuram-s 7.3.10 and 8.8.1:

1. makara neDum kuzhaik kAdan mAyan (7.3.10) - This mAyan has

beautiful, long ear pendants that are shaped in the form of fish.

2. ilagu vilagu makara kuNDalattan (8.8.1)- He Who has shining fish-shaped

ear ornaments that are dangling back and forth beautifully while shining
lustrously.

3. makaram SEr kuzhai iru pADu ila'ngi ADa - (tiruneDum tANDakam 21 -

tiruma'ngai AzhvAr) - With the shining fish-shaped ear pendants
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dangling from both ears.

The term kuNDalee also refers to a 'serpent' - kuNDalAkAram vapuH asya iti
kuNDalee - that which has a coiling body (amara koSa vyAkhyAnam). SrI
Sa'nkara uses this definition for the word 'kuNDala', and gives the meaning to
the nAma as "Sesha rUpa bhAk kuNDalee" - One Who is in the form of the
serpent Sesha. He gives an alternate interpretation that uses the meaning
'ear-ornament' for the word 'kuNDala':

Since bhagavAn has ear-rings that are bright like the Sun, or since He has
fish-shaped ear pendants representing sAmkhya and yoga SAstra-s, He is
called kuNDalee.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the support for this interpretation from
SrImad bhAgavatam:

bibharti sA'nkhyam yogam ca devo makara kuNDale |

maulim padam pArameshThyam sarvalokAbhaya'nkaram ||

(bhAga. 12.11.12)
"The Supreme Deity wears the sA'nkhya and yoga as His two makara kuNDala-
s and the whole brahma lokam as His crown".

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SrI vAsishTha indicates the roots for the nAma as kuDi - dAhe - to burn, or
kuDi -rakshaNe - to protect. He uses the uNAdi sUtra 1.104 - kalas-tRpaSca,
to add the affix kala (ala) to kuND, that results in 'kuNDala'. He gives the
derivation: kuNDalam dAho rakshaNam vA, sa asya asti iti kuNDalI - That
which has the property or guNa of burning or destruction (dAhaH - dahanam),
or protection (rakshNam) is kuNDala;

SrI vAsishTha suggests that this refers to the sun, fire etc.; since bhagavAn
is their Creator, He is kuNDalee.

The explanation can also be given that since bhagavAn is the One who has the
guNa of destruction as well as protection, (and creation), He has the guNa of
'kuNDala' - (destruction and protection), and so He is kuNDalee.

SrI satya sandha tIrtha explains the nAma as - makarakuNDalvAn kuNDalee,

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and SrI raghunAtha tIrtha gives the interpretation - kuNDalam dahanam
SatrUNAm asmAt bhavati it kuNDalee - He Who destroys His enemies, is
kuNDalee.

nAma 908. c³I cakrI

One with the Discus in His arm.

cakriNe namaH.
The nAma occurs also in Slokam 107 (nAma 995). (nAma 417 - sudarSanaH, is
related).

SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as - "tAdRSa divyAyudhaH cakrI" - He Who

has divine weapons also of like nature (in the context of the previous nAma -
kuNDalee).

SrI BhaTTar elaborates further on the grand enhancement of bhagavAn's

beauty with the divine weapons (nAma 905), and also the reflection of His
rakshakattvam - His nature of protecting His devotees, when he comments on
the same nAma in Slokam 107 - nAma 995:

"nitya sudarSanaH | svabhRtyasura pratibhaTa rakshaH asura SONita

kalmAshita jvAlA'ncitam cakramapi tathiva iti cakrI"

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 BhagavAn is ever armed with the Discus known as sudarSana. The cakra is
smeared with the blood of the asura-s who are the sworn enemies of the gods
that are His devout servants. The cakra is also adorned with the flames of
fire that are shooting out of it.

"BhagavAn is called cakrI because He has it as one of His weapons".

Note that SrI BhaTTar avoids the punarukti dosham by interpreting the nAma
cakrI in the current instance as a mark of His divine ornament, and in Slokam
107 (nAma 995), he interprets the same nAma - cakrI, as One Who bears this
weapon to destroy His enemies - as a reflection of His rakshakattvam.
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cakriNe namaH.
namperumAL (Courtesy: Sri Murali BhaTTar)

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NammAzhvAr praises and enjoys the guNa of bhagavAn as the Protector
(rakshakattvam) - 'kAkkum iyalvinan' - One Whose nature is protection -
(tiruvAimozhi 2.2.9).

We have bhagavad rAmAnuja describing the divine Ayudha-s of bhagavAn in

his SaraNAgati gadyam:

"svAnurUpa acintya Sakti Sa'nkha cakra gadA'si Sar'ngAdi asan'khyeya nitya

niravadya niratiSaya kalyANa divyAyudha!"

"You, My Lord, bear the various weapons of par- excellent powers, and worthy
of You alone, such as the Conch, the Discus, the Mace, the Sword, the Bow, and
such other innumerable auspicious divine weapons exceeding all others in power
and force".

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives several references to divya prabandham: -

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nammAzhvAr describes His always bearing the cakra in readiness to help His
devotees -

eppOdum kai kazhalA nEmiyAn nam mEl vinai kaDivAn (periya tiruvantAdi 87).

The cakra in His hand serves multiple purposes: It is an adornment for Him; it
is also there ever ready to destroy anyone who hurts His devotees.

Azhiyum Sa'ngum SumappAr (tiruvAi. 8.3.3) - He Who carries the Discus and
the Conch in His hands.

kUrAr Azhi veN Sa'ngu Endik koDiyEn pAl vArAy (tiruvAi. 6.9.1)

nAngu tOLan kuni SAr'ngan oN Sa'ngu gadai vAL AzhiyAn (tiruvAi. 8.8.1) - He
with four arms, with the beautiful weapons (SA'rnga or the bow, Sa'nkha - the
Conch, gadA - the mace, khaDga - the sword, and cakra - the Discus).

PadmanAbhan kaiyil Azhi pOl minni valam puri pOl ninRu adirndu - tiruppAvai.

taDavarait tOL cakrapANi - (PeriAzhvAr tirumozhi 5.4.4) - The broad-

shouldered One bearing the cakra in His hand.

In his upanyAsam on SrI vishNu shasra nAmam, SrI velukkuDi kRshNan points
out that the cakra is a distinguishing mark of emperumAn, and refers us to

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 nammAzhvAr - (Seru oN Sakkaram Sa'ngu aDaiyALam tirundak kaNDE)
(tiruvAi. 6.1.7).

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives several additional references:

1. sudarSanam cakram asahya tejaH (SrImad bhAga. 8.20.30) - The

sudarSana Discus with its intense brilliance.

2. Sa'nkha cakra dharo hariH (rAmAyaNam 1.45.22) - Lord vishNu who

bears the Conch and the Discus)

3. namaste carka hastAya (VishNu purANam 5.30.22) - Obeisance to

Lord with the Discus in His hand.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that bhagavAn used this cakra of His
during the protection of gajendra, and during His kRshNa incarnation more
than once.
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SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is: "samasta loka rakshaNArtham manas-

tattvAtmakam sudarSanAkhyam cakram dhatta iti cakrI" - He holds in His
hand the cakra called sudarSana, which represents the principle of manas or
mind, for the purpose of protecting all the worlds.

SrI Sa'nkara gives support from vishNu purANa:

cala svarUpam atyantam javenAntaritAnilam |

cakra svarUpam ca mano dhatte vishNu kare sthitam || (VP 1.22.70)

"vishNu holds in His hand the cakra which represents the mind that is
unsteady, and which is swifter than the wind". The sudarSana cakra in His
hand is always rotating and ready to be discharged at anyone who causes
obstacles to His devotee, and so it is equated to being 'unsteady' in this
translation.

An alternate interpretation given by SrI Sa'nkara for the instance of this

nAma under Slokam 107 is that bhagavAn is the Wielder of the cakra of
samsAra for everyone, and so He is cakrI in this sense as well - samsAra
cakram asya A~jnayA parivartata iti vA.

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The word 'cakra' also means 'army' - (varUthinI balam sainyam cakram.. amara
koSa 2.8.78); cakate hanti parabalam iti cakram (amarakoSa vyAkhyAnam).

SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN uses this meaning and gives the following
interpretation for the nAma: cakram aparimitam sainyam asya asti iti cakrI -
He Who has an unlimited army at His disposal is cakrI.

nAma 909. iv³mI vikramI

a) He Who has prowess.

b) He with the characteristic stride (in His tri- vikrama incarnation).

c) He Who has no difference in His different incarnations.

d) He Who has a distinguishing role - that of protection.

vikramiNe namaH.

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We had this nAma in Slokam 9 (nAma 76). The word 'vikrama' means 'valor',
as well as 'a pace, stride' (SrI Apte's dictionary).

a) For nAma 76, SrI BhaTTar uses the first meaning above, and comments that
bhagavAn is called vikramI because it is His nature to dispel any possibility of
anything going against His desire or will - icchA pratihantR prasakti paripanthi
svabhAvam (asya iti) vikramI.

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan explains that bhagavAn has the 'viSesha

kramam' that He will eliminate any obstruction to His Will, and so He is called
vi-kramI.

SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan refers us to Lord rAma's declaration to sugrIva, that

He will eliminate any foe with the tip of His finger, if only He so wishes:

piSAcAn dAnavAn yakshAn pRthivyAm caiva rAkshasAn |

a'ngulya mAtreNa tAn hanyAm icchan harigaNeSvara ||

"O King of vAnara-s! If only I so desire, I can eliminate any of the beings, be it
a piSAca (devilish being), asura, yaksha, or rAkshasa, with the tip of My
finger".

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 SrI v.v. rAmAnujan notes that the whole of tiruvAimozhi 5.10 speaks of
bhagavAn's vikramam. Some examples are given below:

piRandavARum vaLarndavARum periya bhAratam kai Seidu,

aivarkkut tira'ngaL kATTi iTTuc ceidu pOna mAya'ngaLum.. (5.10.1)

"How You were born, what all You suffered, what miracles You wrought, how
You grew up with mischief-s, how you killed Your foes sportively, how You
contrived to conduct a battle showing Your deftness in support of pANDava-s,
the many episodes that You enacted that pass one's understanding.."

vaduvai vArtaiyuL ERu pAindadum mAya mAvinai vAi piLandadum . (5.10.2)

"To win nappinnai in marriage, You jumped on the seven bulls and slew them.
As a boy, You slew bakAsura by splitting open his mouth.
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peyyum pUm kuzhal pEy mulai uNDa pILLait teRRamum pErndu Or

SADiRac ceyya pAdam onRAl Seida nin Siruc cevagamum .. (5.10.3)

"You beautifully got rid of pUtaNA who tried to trick You by decorating
herself like a well-meaning mother, by sucking the life out of her poisoned
breast; Your one red foot achieved a small feat by destroying the SakaTAsura
who took the form of a wheel in a toy cart, by a mere kick at the wheel".

b) For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar gives the
interpretation - gAmbhIryAnukUla vilAsaH vikramI - He whose actions are
fascinating and befitting His heroic nature.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to periAzhvAr's emotional recollection of

bhagavAn's vikramam:- unnuDaiya vikkiramam onRu ozhiyAmal ellAm ennuDaiya
ne'njagam pAl Suvar vashi ezhudikkoNDEn (periAzhvAr tiru. 5.4.6) - "My Lord!
Just like the pictures that are drawn on a wall and that are very clearly visible
to the eye, I have written all Your heroic leelA-s in my mind without leaving out
anything".

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan SrI ra'ngarAmAnuja mahAdeSikan explains

the nAma as a reference to the 'vikrama gati' - the walk that is consistent

24
with His valor and heroism. He refers us to ANDAL, who describes His
majestic walk or vikrama (stride) resembling that of a lion that is just coming
out of its cave and surveying its surroundings with its authoritative majesty:

mArI malai muzha'ngil mannik kiDantu uRa'ngum

SIriya Si'ngam aRivuRRut tI vizhittu

vEri mayir po'nga eppADum pOrndu udaRi

mUri nimirndu muzha'ngip puRappaTTu

pOdarumA pOlE nI pUvai pU vaNNA!

(tiruppAvai 23)
SrI vAsishTha indicates the derivation of the nAma from the root kram -
pAda vikshepe - to walk, to step. viSishTaH krama iti vikramaH; sa asya asti iti

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vikramI, or, vishTam kramaNam asya asti iti vikramI - He Who has the
distinguishing stride is vikramI.

SrI vAsishTha gives reference to the Rg vedic mantra-s, which describe the
tri-vikrama incarnation:

idam vishNur vicakrame tredhA nidadhe padam |

sa-mUdhAmasya pAgm sure ||

(Rg. 1.22.17)
yasyorushu trishu vikramaNeshu adhikshiyanti bhuvanAni viSvA

(Rg. 1.154.2)
He within whose three wide-extended paces all living creatures have their
habitation - referring to His trivikrama incarnation.

SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning 'pAda vikshepa - stride', as well as bhagavAn's
prowess, in his interpretation: vikramaH pAda vikshepaH Sauryam vA, dvayam
ca aSeshapurushebhyo vilakshaNam asya asti iti vikramI - He Who is endowed
with the unique movement of His Feet, or Who is endowed with prowess;
these two being so unique to Him as compared to all other beings, He is called
vikramI".

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 In his SaraNAgati gadyam, bhagavad rAmAnua lists a series of bhagavAn's
kalyANa guNa-s, including Sauryam - vikramam, which are all used by Him for
the benefit of His devotees.

"svAbhhAvika anavatikAtiSaya j~nAna bala aiSvarya vIrya Sakti

tejas sauSIlya vAtsalya mArdava Arjava sauhArda sAmya kAruNya

mAdhurya gAmbhIrya audArya cAturya sthairya dhairya saurya parAkrama

sataya kAma satya sankalap kRtitva kRta~jnatAdi asankhyeya kalyANa

guna gaNaugha mahArNava! "

"You are the Ocean unto which flow rivers of limitless excellent virtues, all
natural to You, and useful for the protection of the devotees. These include:

1. All knowledge,
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2. mighty Rulership of the worlds,

3. Untiring virility,
4. Power to act without any outside help;
5. Kind disposition,
6. Affectionate tenderness,
7. Gentleness,
8. Truthfulness in speech, mind and body,
9. Friendliness,
10. Feeling of equality,
11. Mercifulness,
12. Sweetness,
13. Nobility,
14. Generosity,
15. Quickeness to respond to the miseries of the devotees,
16. Firmness in resolve to protect the devotees,
17. Undaunted courage to bring succour to them,

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18. Courage to fight for the devotees,
19. Ability to fight the enemies within their own camp;
20. Having Your Will ever fulfilled,
21. Having Your commands ever irresistible,
Your deeds fully executed,
Always remembering with gratitude even a little worship done to You.".
SrI velukkuDi kRshNan enjoys the nAma in terms of bhagavAn's act of
bestowing His blessings on His devotees without any limit or restraint.
BhagavAn bestows His blessings on His devotees without their asking, without
any limit, without even thinking that He is bestowing these blessings on the
devotee, and without putting any limits or questioning His actions in this
respect. He is like an ocean in this respect - the ocean is very deep,

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immeasurable in its depth or breadth, and contains treasures that cannot be
measured. So also, bhagavAn's desire to bestow His blessings on His devotees
is immeasurable and unrestrained (vikrama).

c) SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives another anubhavam - he interprets the term
'krama' as 'tAratamya' or 'stepwise differences'. The prefix vi- gives a
negative sense, and so vi-kramaH is "One Who does not have differences
(between His various incarnations)": kramaH tAratamyam asya asti iti kramI;
na kramI vi-kramI sva avatAreshu tAratamya rahita iti vi-kramI.

SvAmi deSikan describes the avatAra rahasyam of emperumAn in his

SaraNAgati dIpikA (Slokam 17), emphasizing that in all of bhagavAn's
incarnations, He has all the qualities that are unique to Him as the Supreme
Deity in full perfection, and they are in no way diminished just by His
assuming the form of a human or a boar etc.

d) SrI raghunAtha tIrtha gives yet another interpretation - he interprets

'krama' as 'occupation' or 'function', and gives the meaning "He Who has a
distinguishing occupation or function is vikramI" - viSishTaH kramaH
vyApAraH vikramaH. As the Lord of all, It is bhagavAn's role to constantly
look after His creation, which is His unique concern.

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 Urjita--SAsanaH
nAma 910. ^ijRtzasn> Urjita

He of inviolable commands.
Urjita-SAsanAya namaH.
SrI vAsishTha derives the term Urjita from the root Urj - bala prANanayoH
- to strengthen, to live, and gives the meaning 'balavat' or 'endowed with
strength' to the word "Urjita". He derives the word SasanaH from the root
"SAs - anuSishTau - to teach, to inform, to govern, to correct, to advise. Thus
`Urjita-SAsanaH" would mean "One Who governs with forceful effectiveness"
- balavat anuSAsanam = A~jnAnuvartanam yasya sa UrjitaSAsanaH vishNuH
anatikramaNIya niyamaH - He Whose order cannot be transgressed or
violated.

SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is - viri'nci purandarAdi alanghyA~jnaH Urjita-

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SAsanaH - He Whose commands cannot be disobeyed even by brahmA, indra,

and others.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives an essentially similar explanation - vidhi

rudrAdi ala'nghya A~jnatvAt Urjita-SAsanaH.

In his tiruvASiriyam-3, nammAzhvAr refers to emperumAn as 'ANai mei peRa

naDAya daivam' - The Lord Whose commands are fulfilled without obstruction
(reference by SrI v.v. rAmAnujan).

SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan refers us to tirumazhiSai AzhvAr - poru kaDal nIr

vaNNan ugaikkumEl, et-tEvar vAlATTum? (nAnmugan tiruvantAdi 38) - Not a
single one among all the deities can as much as lift a finger against bhagavAn's
Will.

The taittirIya upanishad declares:

bHiSAsmAd vAtaH pavate;

bhIshodeti sUryaH;

bhIsAdagniScendraSca;

mRtyur-dhAvti pa'ncama iti

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"The wind blows out of fear of Him. For fear of Him does the Sun rise. For
fear of Him do agni and indra function. Out of fear of Him, does death, the
fifth one, run".

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives support from bRhadAraNyaka Upanishad:

etasya vA aksharasya praSAsane gArgi

sUrya candramasau vidhRtau tishThataH |

etasya vA aksharasya praSAsane gArgi

gArgi dyAvAprthivyau vidhRte tishThataH |

"yA~jnavalkya said: O gArgi under the mighty rule of this immutable Brahman,
the Sun and the moon are held in their positions. Under the mighty rule of this
Brahman, heaven and earth in their positions..."

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SrI Sa'nkara gives another dimension to the anubhavam of the power of His
commands - in the form of Sruti and smrti-s - "Sruti smRti lakshaNam Urjitam
SAsanam asya iti Urjita-SAsanaH - He of powerful commands in the form of
Sruti and smRti. SrI Sa'nkara gives the following support:

Sruti smRtI mamaivA~jne yaste ulla'nghya vartate |

A~jnAc-cchedI mama dveshI mad-bhakto'pi na vaishNavaH ||

The Lord has said: "The Sruti and smRti are My commands. He who overrides
them is a violator of Law and My enemy. Such a person, though he may profess
to be My devotee, is not a true VaishNava (worshipper of vishNu)".

SrI cinmayAnanda asserts the inviolability of bhagavAn's Laws - "It permits no

exceptions, accepts no excuses, admits no circumstantial conditions".

nAma 911. zBdaitg> SabdAtigaH

He Who is beyond words.

SabdAtigAya namaH.
SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as "Sabdam atigacchati = vAcam atikramya
vartate iti `SabdAtigaH".

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 SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that His Glory is such that even the thousand-
tongued AdiSesha, or the veda-s with all their innumerable branches, or even
Goddess sarasvati herself, will be unable to describe them through words -
ananta jihvena anantena, ananta SAkhaiH AmnAyaiH sAkshAt sarsvatyA ca
durudAraha mahimA SabdAtigaH.

He is One of ananta kalyANa guNa-s - full of infinite auspicious qualities. We

note the thousand guNa-s that are extolled by SrI BhIshma in our SrI vishNu
sahasra nAma stotram, are just a small collection of examples of His kalyAna
guNa- s. AzhvArs sing this aspect of bhagavAn over and over again.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives the following examples:

tan muDivu onRu illAda taN tuzhAi mAlaiyanai Sol muDivu kANEn nAn
Solluvadu en? SollIrE?
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(nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi 2.5.8)

"His Power, beauty, quality, splendor, feats, etc., have no end. The tulasi
garland around His neck is proof of His overlordship. How can I describe in
words what I have enjoyed? If any of you think you can describe His
greatness, try it".

tE nIr kamalak kaNgaLum vandu en Sindai niraindavA! tU nIrk kaDaluL

tuyilvAnE endAi Solla mATTEnE!

(tiruvAi. 8.5.4)
"You have filled my mind with Your captivating, honey-exuding, watery, kindly
lotus eyes. I recall with glee Your lying in sleep in the middle of the Milky
Ocean. Oh My Lord! It is not enough that I have the mental experience; I will
not be able to put in all in words here".

The Sruti itself declares about Him: "yato vAco nivartante; aprApya manasA
saha" (taittirIya upanishad 2.3) - "Words turn back without being able to
describe Him; The mind also cannot reach Him".

SrI Sa'nkara also explains the nAma as One Who transcends speech, because
He is not of a species that can be described by words - Sabda pravRtti

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hetunAm jAtyAdInAm asambhavAt Sabdena vaktum aSakyatvAt SabdAtigaH.
He refers us to the taittirIya upanishad passage 2.3 quoted above, and also to
the following from vishNu purANam - na Sabda gocaro yasya yogi dhyeyam
param padam (VP 1.17.22) - "His Supreme Abode transcends speech, and is
meditated upon by yogin-s".

SrI cinmayAnanda explains that the veda-s only 'point to the Truth', but
cannot explain, or even define the truth. The Infinite and Eternal Truth is
beyond even the veda-s, beyond all that can be gained even through the
highest faculties of the finite equipments (mind and intellect).

SrI BhaTTar describes nAma-s 912 to 945 that follow, in terms of the
gajendra episode (gajendra mokshaNam).

Sabda--sahaH
nAma 912. zBdsh> Sabda

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He Who shoulders the burden of the words of cry of distress.
Sabda-sahAya namaH.
The word Sabda is derived from the root Sap - AkroSe - to curse, to wear, to
blame, and the use of the uNAdi sUtra 4.97 - SASapibhyAm dadanau - The
affix dan comes after the root roots Sap - to curse, with the meaning Sabda -
noise. The term saha is derived from the root sah - marshaNe - to forebear.

SrI BhaTTar relates the nAma to the cry of help from gajendra; since
bhagavAn bears the responsibility of protecting even animals which may
incoherently cry for help, He is called Sabda-sahaH - aspashTa SabdAnAm
tiraScAmapi Arta-Sabdam ati-bhAramiva sahate iti Sabda- sahaH. Arta
refers to one who is in distress or pain. BhAratvena sahati iti sahaH - He
treats the cry for help from the Arta just like carrying a major responsibility
or load. When bhagavAn heard the cry of gajendra for help, the cry of
"AdimUlam", it immediately evoked a sense or urgency on the part of bhagavAn
to help the wounded animal, and He left SrI vaikunTham in a very great hurry
to help gajendra. BhagavAn noted that that the elephant had a flower in its
hand, and He pondered over its devotion, and this was enough for Him to

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 consider it a major responsibility of His to immediately rush to protect the
elephant. 'Sabdam' can refer to both good and bad words.

SrI vAsishTha takes the word here to refer to 'abusive words', and explains
that the nAma signifies that bhagavAn puts up with even abusive words from
His enemies, because He is full of patience - kshamA vibhUshA sakalasya
loke, sarvam kshamAvAn sahate kshmAyAm.

So his interpretation is that it is bhagavAn's kshamA or patience that is really

spoken of through His nAma 'Sabda-sahaH'. Note that Lord rAma is
described as kshamayA pRthivI samaH - "In patience, Lord rAma is like
Mother Earth".

SrI vAsishTha notes that this same guNa transfers to those who are
worshippers of Lord vishNu - they are kshamA-vAn-s, those endowed with a
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predominance of sAttvic tendency.

SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives the example of bhagavAn putting up with the
insults of Sage bhRgu - bhRgvAdi bhakta kRta tarjana rUpa Sabdam sahata iti
Sabda-sahaH.

SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as - sarve vedAH tAtparyeNa tameva

vadanti iti Sabda-sahaH - He Whom alone all the veda-s proclaim, with single
focus.

SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as "One Who allows Himself to be

invoked by the vedic declarations".

nAma 913. izizr> SiSiraH

He Who rushed to render help.

SiSirAya namaH.
SrI vAsishTha indicates the root for the nAma as SaSa - pluta gatau - to leap,
to jump. The word 'SiSiraH' is formed by using the uNAdi sUtra 1.53, which
states that the word is formed by adding the kirac affix to the root SaSa - to
go by leaps. SaSati = Seeghram utplutya gacchati iti SiSiraH.

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a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma in terms of bhagavAn rushing to the
scene where gajendra needed help - Arta Sabda SravaNAntaram ati- tvarayA
gataH SiSiraH. SrI BhaTTar quotes the following passage in support, to
indicate the speed with which He arrived at the scene where gajendra needed
help: "SrutvA cakra gadAdharaH, sAnnidhyam kalpayAmAsa tasmin sarasi" -
"Immediately on hearing the painful cry of the elephant gajendra, the Lord,
armed with His Discus and Mace, flew (on the back of garuDa) and stood on
the bank of the pond". Commentators enjoy this incident by pointing out that
bhagavAn left without even informing pirATTi, and, when He found that
garuDa was not fast enough for His desired speed, He carried garuDa in His
hand, and jumped at the scene instantly.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to the following divya prabandham passages in

support:

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"Anaiyin tuyaram tIrap puL Urndu SenRu Azhi toTTAn" (tirumozhi 2.3.9) -"He
Who came on garuDa and relieved the misery of the suffering elephant
gajendra by releasing the carkrAyudha against the crocodile".

"nArAyaNA! O! maNi vaNNa! NAgaNaiyAi! VArAi en iDarai nIkkAi - ena

veguNDu tIrAda SIRRattAl SenRu iraNDu kUrAga ErA adanai iDar
kaDindAn" (SiRiya tirumaDal) - "When gajendra cried for help - O nArAyaNa!
MaNi vaNNa! ananta Sayana! Please remove my misery, bhagavAn became very
angry at the crocodile, hurried to the scene, split the crocodile into two, and
relieved gajendra from his agony".

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also gives an interpretation similar to that of Sri
BhaTTar - SaSati-drutam gacchati svajanAnAm avanAya iti SiSiraH - He Who
rushes to the protection of His devotees is 'SiSiraH'.

b) The word SiSirah also means 'the cool season'. SrI Sa'nkara uses this
meaning, and interprets the nAma as signifying that bhagavAn cools down the
tApa-traya-s of His devotees (physical, mental and supernatural) - tApa
trayAbhitaptAnAm viSrama sthAnatvAt SiSiraH. The three tApa-s are called
AdhyAtmika, Adhibhautika, and Adhidaivika.

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 SrI cinmayAnanda notes that bhagavAn has this nAma indicating that He is
the cool resting place for those tortured by the heat of samsAra.

SrI vAsishTha uses both the above meanings for 'SiSira', namely 'one who
leaps', and 'the cool season', and gives the interpretation that bhagavAn's
nAma 'SiSiraH' signifies that He is One who supports all the beings by the
methodic and regular changing of seasons etc.

SrI bala deva vidyA bhUshaN explains the nAma as - dRshTa mAtraH teshAm
santApam nivartayati iti SiSiraH - By His very darSanam, all the sorrows of
the devotees are washed away, as signified by the nAma SiSiraH.

SarvarI--karaH
nAma 914. zvRrIkr> SarvarI

a) He Who had the destructive weapons in His hands.

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b) The Maker of 'night' - in the form of samsAra.

c) The maker of night - the time for rest.

d) He Who is in the form of the cool rays of the moon in the nights.

e) He Who causes destruction of His enemies.

SarvarI-karAya namaH.
a) SrI BhaTTar indicates the derivation of the word 'SarvarI' from the root
SR - himsAyAm - to tear to pieces, to hurt, to kill, and the application of the
uNAdi sUtra 2.122 that results in addition of the affix shvarac to the root SR
(SR + shvarac = SarvarI). SrI BhaTTar interprets the word 'karaH' as "One
with the weapons in His hands" (kara - hand). Some of the other interpreters
use the meaning "He Who does" for the word 'karaH', based on the root - kR -
karaNe - to do.

SrI BhaTTar continues his interpretation in terms of the gajendra moksham

incident - himsA para vidAriNI pa'ncAyudhI kare asya iti SarvarI-karaH - He
Who had the five destructive weapons in His hands, when He came to help
gajendra. BhagavAn has the five weapons - Sa'nkha, cakra, gadA (the mace),
Sar'nga (the bow), and nandaka (the sword) in His hands, ready to destroy the

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enemies who are a source of harm to others.

b) One of the meanings for the word SarvarI is 'night' - SRNAyAm loka
ckashUmshi iti SarvarI (amara koSa vyAkhyAnam) - That which shuts out the
vision of the beings. SrI Sa'nkara uses this meaning, and gives the
interpretation that the nAma signifies that bhagavAn is "The Maker of Night".
To those bound in samsAra, the knowledge of the Atman is dark as night, and
to those who are illumined, samsAra is undesirable and dark as night. As
bhagavAn is the cause of both of these, He is called SarvarI-karaH. SrI
Sa'nkara quotes support from the gItA for this interpretation:

yA niSA sarva bhUtAnAm tasyAm jAgarti samyamI |

yasyAm jAgrati bhUtAni sA niSA paSyato muneH ||

(gItA 2.69)

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"What is night for all beings (i.e., lacking in knowledge of the self), in it the
controlled one is awake; when all beings are awake (i.e., involved in the
enjoyment of sense objects), that is the night to the sage who sees". (That
understanding which has the self for its object, is obscure like night to most.
But he who has subdued the senses and is serene, is awake in respect of the
self).

c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that the daytime reflects rajo guNa or
activity, and the nighttime reflects tamo guNa or inactivity. In this nighttime,
the feeling of "I", "mine" etc., are not dominant in our lives. This alternation
of day and night is a great help from nature for our lives in this world. The
'night' allows us to rest, and forget all the worldly worries. The j~nAnI
enjoys the calm of the night even while he is awake. But the aj~nAnI is given
the chance to rest by bhagavAn blessing him with the 'night' time to rest. So
bhagavAn is "SarvarI-karaH" by giving the time of rest - the night for all of
us.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also gives a similar interpretation - SarvarI niSA
loka-viSrAma dAyinI | tasyAH karaH sampAdakaH iti SarvarI-karaH - He
Who gives the night which is a time of rest for all the beings.

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 d) A different anubhavam is given by SrI satya sandha tIrtha using the
meaning 'rays' for the term 'karaH', and the meaning 'night' for the word
'SarvarI' - SarvAyAm = rAtrau, karAH = kiraNA yasya candrArgata rUpeNa
iti SarvarI-karaH - He Who is in the form of the cool rays of the moon in the
night.

e) SrI raghunAtha tIrtha uses the meaning 'doer' for the word 'karaH', but
gives yet another anubhavam: SarvarI = himsA, tAm karoti iti SarvarI-karaH
- He Who causes destruction of His enemies.
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 Slokam 98
A³Ur> pezlae d]ae di][> ]im[a< vr>,

ivÖÄmae vItÉy> pu{yïv[kItRn>. 98.

akrUrah pesalO dakshO dakshiNah kshamiNaam varah |
vidvattamO vItabhayah puNyasravaNakIrtanah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 915. A³Ur> a-krUraH

He Who was not cruel (while rescuing gajendra).

a-krUrAya namaH.
SrI vAsishTha indicates that the root from which the nAma is derived is kRt -

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chedane - to cut, to divide. Application of the uNAdi sUtra 2.21- kRtecchaH
krU ca - The affix rak comes after the root kRt -to cut, and in one case, the
verb is itself replaced by krU, leading to krUraH - wicked, cruel. na krUraH
a-krUraH - He Who is not cruel, is a-krUraH.

The best example of His disposition to be 'not cruel' is His treatment of

rAvaNa during the battle with him. When rAvaNa was all but defeated, and
could have been finished with one more arrow, rAgahvan just told rAvaNa to go
back to his home, rest and recuperate, and then come back refreshed the next
day to continue the battle. Given the nature of the sin that rAvaNa had
committed, the strength of the enemy, and the deceitful means that he
employed in the battle, none but the kindest at heart would give 'time to
recuperate' for the enemy.

In the context of the gajendra episode, bhagavAn was first kind enough to
draw the elephant and the crocodile both from the waters to the shore safely,
but did not kill the crocodile right away, even though He had His weapons in
His hands - gajaparijigIrshayA karasthairapi AyudhaiH grAhamapi jhaTiti a-
kRttavAn akrUraH.

It is only when the crocodile refused to let go of gajendra even after being

37
 brought to the shore alive, that bhagavAn killed it. SrI kRshhNan comments
that when He did ultimately kill the crocodile, He did not kill it with cruelty,
but killed it instantly by splitting it into two, so that it did not suffer for a
prolonged time in the process. SrI BhaTTar gives the following support:

grAhagrstam gajendram ca tam grAham ca jalASayAt |

ujjahAra aprameyAtmA tarasA madhusUdanaH ||

"MadhusUdana, the Lord of inscrutable nature, quickly took out not only the
elephant which had been seized by the crocodile, but lifted the crocodile also
from the waters of the pond".

Sri Sa'nkara first establishes a link between the mental state of cruelty and
the desire of the mind, and the anger associated with unfulfilled desires.
Then he notes that since bhagavAn is avApta samasta kAman - One Who has all
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His desires fulfilled, there is no room for anger in the mind, and no room for
cruelty

avApta samasta kAmatvAt kAma abhAvAdeva kopa abhAvaH, tasmAt krauryam

asya na asti it a-krUraH.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that in the hiraNyakaSipu episode, because

the anger that bhagavAn had while slaying hiraNyakaSipu was 'made up' anger
and not natural, the moment the Lord saw prahlAda, His disposition
immediately changed to one of love from anger. Thus, by nature, bhagavAn is
a-krUraH.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN adds another incident to illustrate that

bhagavAn is, by nature, forgiving. He relates the durvAsa episode in the
forest-life of pANDava-s, where the sage harassed the pANDava- s on behalf
of duryodhana by demanding feast for a large battalion of his disciples after
draupadi had washed her 'akshaya-pAtra' for the day. In spite of this
harassment to His dear devotees, Lord kRshNa did not harm him because, by
His nature, He is akrUra - pANDava kleSa kArakam durvAsasam na kRtavAn iti
a-krUraH.

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nAma 916. pezl> peSalaH

a) He Who is charming.

b) One Who is supremely soft.

peSalAya namaH.
SrI vAsishTha indicates the root for the nAma as piS - avayave, dIpanAyAm
ca - to form, to kindle, to light, and the application of the uNAdi sUtra 1.106 -
that adds the affix kala (ala) after the root.

a) SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as One Who was charming at the time of
gajendra moksha, even with all His ornaments in chaotic condition because of
the hurry in which He left SrI vaikunTham to help gajendra - sambhramAt
ayathAyatha srag-bhUshAmbara ramaNIyaH - peSalaH.

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This association between the gajendra rakshaNam and bhagavAn's especially
beautiful form at that time is beautifully reflected by nammAzhvAr in his
tiruvAimozhi pASuram 3.5.1 (reference by SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan):

moim-mAm pUmpozhil poigai mudalic ciRaippaTTu ninRa kaimmAvukku aruL

Seida kAr mugil vaNNan ..

(tiruvAi. 3.5.1)

"To the elephant gajendra, that got into the trap of a crocodile while plucking
a flower in the lotus-pond, our Lord kRshNa, with His dark hue reminiscent of
the cloud, flew in a great haste displaying His condescending simplicity and
grace".

What is the connection between bhagavAn protecting gajendra, and His

charming appearance (peSalaH)? SrI kRshNan has a few anubhavam-s on this.
BhagavAn's beautiful appearance is a result of His feeling of happiness at
having protected His devotee who was in distress. Or, His ornaments, dress
etc., were very disorganized since He was in a hurry, and this itself was
beautiful on Him - since the ornaments get their beauty by being associated
with Him, and not the other way.

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 SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is that this nAma of bhagavAn indicates that He
is handsome - peSalaH, because His deeds, mind, words, and body are all
beautiful - karmaNA, manasA, vAcA, vapushA ca SobhanatvAt peSalaH.
b) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that the nAma indicates "One with a
soft heart, like a flower". He is One who is full of kindness and compassion,
and this reflects in all His thoughts, words and deeds.

SrI cimayAnanda comments: "In His Infinite kindness and Mercy, His Heart-
divine is ever flowing out in love and tenderness towards His devotees when
they call out for help ardently and lift themselves from their body-
consciousness and egocentric life of sense-pursuits".

SrI vAsishTha uses the meaning 'piS - avayave - to form', and interprets the
nAma as signifying that bhagavAn is One Who has formed or separated every
major form in His creation (such as our human body) into its several parts -
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pimSati - avayavam karoti it peSalaH. He also gives examples of the nakshatra

maNDalam being separated into individual stars, time being separated into its
subdivisions, etc.

SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives an alternate interpretation by looking at the

nAma as pa + Isa + la: ISam = rudram, lAti = bhaktatvena gRhNAti, iti ISA-
laH; pAti iti paH; paSca asau ISalaSca iti peSalaH - He Who has rudra who is
devoted to Him, and He Who protects him, is pESalaH.

nAma 917. d]> dakshaH

a) He Who removes evil elements very quickly (daksh – SIghrArthe).

b1) He Who came to the rescue of gajendra very fast (daksh – SIghrArthe).

b2) He Who had the Sakti – power, to arrive very fast at the scene of
gajendra’s suffering

c) He Who grows into, or manifests Himself as, the Universe (daksh – to grow).

d) He Who is deft in His creation, sustenance and destruction (daksha –

dexterous).

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e) He Who destroys His enemies (daksh – himsanayoH).
dakshAya namaH.
We studied this nAma earlier in Slokam 45 (nAma 424).

SrI vAsishTha derives the nAma from the root daksh – vRddhau SIghrArthe
ca – to grow, to go in speed. The amara koSa vyAkhyAnam is “kAryam SIghram
karoti iti dakshaH”. The different meanings for the word 'daksha' are given
by SrI vAsishTha – pravRddhaH, SaktaH, SIghrakArI ca – One Who is grown.

SrI Sa’nkara uses this meaning and interprets the nAma as “One Who has
manifested Himself in the form of the Universe” – see below), One Who is
skilled, and One Who is fast. The root daksh has also another meaning – gati
himsanayoSca – to go, to hurt. The different interpretations are based on
these different meanings for the word 'daksha'.

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a) SrI BhaTTar explains nAma 424 in terms of the kalki incarnation, and how
bhagavAn will get rid of the evil elements very quickly in this incarnation
(dasyu-vadhe dakshate – SIghra-kArI iti dakshaH).

One of SrI Sa’nkara’s interpretations for the instance of the nAma in Slokam
45 is - sarva karmANi kshipram karoti vA dakshaH - He Who performs all
actions fast. The term 'sankalapa mAtreNa' is used extensively in describing
this guNa of bhagavAn – All He has to do is to 'will', and the action will be
done.

b) For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation
– kshipram AgantA dakshaH. This has been interpreted (translated) as “One
Who came swiftly when called for by gajendra” by most translators, based on
'daksh – SIghra-kArI'.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN also gives his interpretation in terms of

bhagavAn’s speed in responding when He is meditated upon – smRta mAtraH
tvarayA gatavAn iti dakshaH. SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also echoes the
idea of the speed with which bhagavAn rushes to the protection of His
devotee – dakshate = SighratAm kurute svajana avane iti dakshaH.

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 Given that SrI BhaTTar’s bhAshyam for nAma 913 – SiSiraH, has already been
interpreted as referring to bhagavAn’s speed in arriving at the scene where
gajendra had called for help in pain, the above interpretation is redundant, and
thus, is not the best interpretation for this instance in the writer’s opinion. It
is to be noted that this is not punar-ukti dosham (fault of repetition) in the
strict sense of the term, since different words (nAma-s) have been used by
Sage vyAsa.

This point is made by SrI Sa’nkara in his vyAkhyAnam for the next nAma,
dakshiNaH, where he interprets the nAma 'dakshiNaH' as having the same
meaning as the current nAma – dakshaH. While the redundancy is thus not a
case of punar-ukti dosham in the strict sense of the term, a better
interpretation is provided by SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan, that removes
this redundancy. He 'translates' SrI BhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam for the current
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nAma as “One Who is skilled and has the power to arrive very fast”, based on
'daksha – sAmarthya SAli' or 'Sakti-SAli’. This point is discussed in detail
near the end of the write-up for the current nAma.

c) For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 45, using the meaning 'daksh – to
grow', SrI Sa’nkara gives another interpretation – jagad-rUpeNa
vardhamAnatvAt dakshaH - He Who grows into, or manifests Himself as, the
Universe.

d) For the current instance of the nAma, SrI Sa’nkara explains that since the
Supreme Being has the three qualities – immensity, strength, and quickness in
execution, He is called dakshaH –

pravRddhaH SaktaH SighrakArI ca dakshaH |

trayam caitat parasmin niyatiam iti dakshaH.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains that He is deft in creation, and this is

indicated by this nAma.

SrI cinmayAnanda explains: “One Who undertakes creation, sustenance, and

destruction of the whole Cosmos with ease and efficiency, diligence, and
promptitude”.

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e) One of the alternate interpretations of SrI satya sandha tIrtha is:
SatrUNAm hantA dakshaH – He Who destroys His enemies. This uses the
meaning – daksh – himsanayoH – to hurt.

This nAma provides a very good example of the difficulties in translating and
interpreting the samskRt vyAkhyAnam of the great vyAkhyAna-kartA-s into
other languages, and the possible errors that might be introduced in the
process. The nAma-s 'SiSiraH' and 'dakshaH' occur almost adjacent to each
other (nAma-s 913 and 917 respectively).

SrI BhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam in samskRt for the two nAma-s are:

1. SiSiraH – Arta-Sabda SravaNantaram ati-tvarayA gataH SiSiraH

(SASa – pluta gatau; sAnnidhyam kalpayAmAsa tasmin saarasi).

2. akshaH – kshipram AgantA dakshaH.

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As explained under nAma 913, and based on SrI BhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam, it
seems clear that SrI BhaTTar had in mind the speed with which bhagavAn
came to help gajendra. For nAma 917 – dakshaH, SrI BhaTTar refers to
bhagavAn’s 'speedy arrival' (kshipram AgantA) again. The translators (two in
English and two in tamizh) have translated both the above vyAkhyAna-s as
referring to “One Who was very fast in coming to the help of gajendra)”. A
couple of those who have elaborated on SrI BahTTar’s vyAkhyAnam even go to
the extent of pointing out that'two nAma-s refer to the same incident' - and
thus the same guNaAnubhavam. Thus they have essentially attributed
redundancy in Sage vyAsa’s narration, even though this is not punar-ukti
dosham in the strict definition of this term, since different nAma-s are
involved in describing the same incident. (See SrI Sa’nkara’s commentary for
the next nAma, where he makes this point).

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan explains SrI BhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam for the

current nAma that eliminates this repetition, and thus, is a more elegant
explanation of SrI BhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam for this nAma. For the nAma
SiSiraH, SrImad ANDavan gives the explanation of SrI BhaTTar’s
vyAkhyAnam as a reference to “One Who came fast to the scene where

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 gajendra had been seized by the crocodile”. But for the nAma
'dakshaH' (nAma 917), SrImad ANDavan explains SrI BhaTTar’s words
“kshipram AgatA dakshaH”, as “One Who has the sAmarthyam as evidenced by
His arriving at the scene very fast. (sAmarthyam = power, force, capacity,
ability, strength – SrI Apte’s dictionary). Note that one of the meanings for
the word 'daksha' is 'dexterous, skilled'.

Also, recall SrI vAsishTha’s words giving the different meanings for the word
'daksha' – SaktaH, Sighra-kArI ca – One Who has the power (SaktaH), or One
Who achieves things fast (Sighra-kArI).

Thus, SrImad ANDavan explains SrI BhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam for

'SiSiraH' (nAma 913) in terms of bhagavAn being “SIghra-kArI”, and for
“dakshaH” (nAma 917) in terms of bhagavAn being a “Sakti-SAli”. Thus the
redundancy in the interpretation of SrI BhaTTar’s vyAkhyAnam does not exist
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any more.

One could argue, mistakenly, that there is still redundancy in the

interpretation of the nAma 425 (dakshaH), and the nAma SiSiraH (nAma 913),
since both refer to His speed. But there is no redundancy in fact, since, for
nAma 425, SrI BhaTTar refers to bhagavAn’s speed in getting rid of the evil
people in His kalki incarnation, and for nAma 913, he is referring to BhagavAn’s
speed in responding to the cry for help from a devotee. These are subtle
points that may be of interest to some readers.

SrI Sa’nkara avoids the punarukti dosham by giving interpretations that are
distinctly different from each other, and thus there is no confusion in
translating these:

1. SiSiraH – (based on “The cool season”) - tApa-traya abhitaptAnAm

viSrama sthAnatvAt SiSiraH – He Who removes the torments arising
from physical, mental and supernatural causes.

2. dakshaH - pravRddaH, SaktaH, SIghra-kArI ca – He Who is endowed

with the qualities of immensity, strength, and quick execution.

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nAma 918. di][> dakshiNaH

a) He Who is pleasing and amiable.

b) He Who pervades everywhere.

c) He Who destroys everything (at the time of pralaya).

d) He Who is very liberal, charitable, and kind.

dakshiNAya namaH.
The root from which the nAma is derived is the same as for the previous nAma
- daksh - vRddhau, SIghrArthe - to grow or act quickly. The application of the
uNAdi sUtra 2.50 - dru dakshibhyAm inan, results in addition of the affix inan
to the root daksh, leading to the word dakshiNa. The siddhAnta kaumudI
gives the following meanings for the word dakshiNaH - dakshate vardhate

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SIghrakArI bhavati vA sa dakshiNaH; saralo vAmabhAgaH
paratantro'nuvartanam (right, honest, courteous, submissive). As explained
above, the term 'dakshiNa' has the same meaning as the term 'daksha' -
"dexterous, skillful, one who arrives fast, one who accomplishes things fast",
etc., but additionally, it means 'pleasing, amiable, courteous, civil', etc. (SrI
Apte's dictionary). Thus, the word 'dakshiNa' means 'One who is fast, One
who destroys, One who is courteous, One who grows His devotees, One who is
compassionate', etc.

a) SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning 'courteous and compassionate' for the word
'dakshiNa', and comments that even though bhagavAn responded immediately
to the cry for help from gajendra, He still expressed regret to gajendra that
He was not nearer to the site of the incident, and consoled gajendra with kind
words. SrI BhaTTar's words are: thathA Agatya, 'dhin'g mAm, dUragato'ham
tvAm', iti sAntvanaiH, gajendrasya anukUlaH dakshiNaH - "Though He came as
soon as gajendra called for His help, He still expressed regret that He was not
near at the time of danger, and consoled gajendra with kind words - "Fie upon
Me that I was far away from you". SrI BhaTTar gives support from vishNu
dharma:

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 prItimAn puNDArIkAkshaH SaraNAgata vatsalaH |

bhajantam gajarAjAnam madhuram madhu-sUdanaH ||

(vishNu dharma 69.83)

"The Lotus-eyed Slayer of madhu, Who is kind and affectionate to those who
have surrendered to Him, showed His love to gajendra, who worshipped Him".

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan explains the nAma as referring to His

dAkshiNyam - politeness, civility, courtesy. For sarveSvaran to express regret
to a mere animal, is a clear expression of His guNa of sauSIlyam.

SrI kRshNan graphically describes that bhagavAn knelt at the feet of the
elephant, checked for the injuries, took out His uttarIyam - the vastram at
the top of His divya tirumEni, blew at it to get some heat, and then applied the
heat to the elephant's leg to give comfort to the elephant's wound. In
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addition, He expressed regret for not having come earlier. This nAma thus
illustrates that bhagavAn is SaraNAgata-vatsalan - One Who is dearly
attached to those who surrender to Him.

The word 'sAntvanam' that has been used by SrI BhaTTar in his vyAkhyAnam
means 'consolation, pacification'. SrI kRshNan refers to another instance
where bhagavAn felt 'regret at having been late' - in helping the devotee who
surrendered to Him and expressed words of consolation - 'sAntvanam'. This
was in the case of vibhIshaNa SaraNAgati. 'vacasA sAntvayitvainam
locanAbhyAm pibanniva' - yuddha kANDam 19.7 - "Lord rAma uttered words
of consolation to vibhIshaNa, and blessed him with His kaTAksham, as if He
drank vibhIshaNa through His eyes".

b) c) SrI Sa'nkara comments that the meaning for the previous nAma and the
current one are same, and notes that there is no punarukti by Sage vyAsa
because different words have been used to describe this guNa of bhagavAn -
dakashiNa SabdasyApi daksha eva arthaH; Sabda bhedAt na paunaruktyam.
However, he proceeds then to give an alternate interpretation based on the
root daksh - gati himsanayoH - to go or to kill - athavA, gacchati hinasti iti vA
dakshaH - He Who goes or He Who kills is dakshiNaH. This is translated by

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SrI T. S. Krishnamoorthy as "One Who pervades everywhere", or as "One Who
destroys everything" (e.g., at the time of pralaya - the function of samhAra).

Using the meaning 'to kill' or 'destroy' for the root daksh, SrI baladeva vidyA
bhUshaN gives the example of Lord kRshNa destroying or preventing the rise
of duryodhana - damSati duryodhana udyamam iti dakshiNaH.

d) SrI cinmayAnanda interprets the nAma in terms of dAkshiNya (liberal-

hearted) - the opposite of selfishness and attachment to wealth that one
possesses. He sums up the meaning of the nAma as "One Who has Infinite
Kindness and Charity towards all good people and One Who is thus ever ready
to liberally give away His endless Benevolence". He gives the example of the
offering of 'dakshiNA' to the priests after a ritual as their fee - this should
be given in a spirit of large-hearted, liberal charity. Recall the nAma svasti-

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dakshiNaH (nAma 905 in Slokam 96), which is interpreted along these lines.

SrI vAsishTha comments that bhagavAn is One Who arrives fast if one calls to
Him for help, and is pleasant once He arrives - kshipram Agacchati AhUta,
Agatya ca santushTo mukta-hastam dadAti iti udAraH sa dakshiNa ucyate.

e) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning - daksh -vardhate - to grow,
and interprets the nAma as - dakshayati vardhayati svajanAn iti dakshNaH -
He Who grows His devotees is dakshiNaH.

f) An alternate interpretation by SrI bhAradvAj is - ata eva viSvara'nge

udAratamo nAyakaH - BhagavAn is the most compassionate Lord of all. The
amara describes 'dakshiNa' as 'sarala, udArau ca' - honest, sincere, generous,
compassionate. (amara. 3.1.8).

kshamiNAm--varaH
nAma 919. ]im[a< vr> kshamiNAm

a) The foremost in bearing the burden of protection of His devotees.

b) The foremost among those who bear the burden of the Universes.
kshamiNAm-varAya namaH.
The root of interest for the nAma is ksham - sahane - to allow, to suffer.
vara is derived from vRN - varaNe - to choose. 'kshamiNAm varaH' refers to

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 "One Who is superior among those who are endowed with patience or
endurance"...

SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as "sahana SilAyAm, kshmAvatAm madhye

varaH = SreshTha ityarthaH", which has the above meaning. SrI Apte has
listed the meanings 'able, competent' for the word 'kshama' in addition to
'forbearance, patience'. The interpretations below use both these meanings.
The nAma has been translated as "One Who is the best among those who have
endurance", by most of the translators of SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam.
However, the significance of SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam does not seem to be
expressed well enough with this translation.

Sri BhaTTar's words are - tad-darSanena dhRtAtmA; abhavat tatra deveSaH

- It was only after seeing gajendra safe that He felt relieved; The Lord of all
gods stood as though revived (after seeing gajendra safe). This signifies that
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bhagavAn was throbbing with anxiety on behalf of His devotee and patiently
putting up with this anxiety for the short duration between gajendra's call and
His protecting gajendra. His desire to protect His devotee is so extreme and
intense, that normally for Him to patiently wait till He comes to the scene of
the incident was unimaginable. It is this extreme concern of bhagavAn - the
intensity with which He is committed to the protection of His devotees, that is
to be enjoyed here. It is the seriousness with which He takes His commitment
to protect His devotee, and His anxiety at the smallest delay in protecting the
devotee, that is enjoyed by Sri BhaTTar through this nAma - "BhagavAn is the
Foremost in bearing the burden of protection of His devotee - kshamiNAm
varaH".

SrI kRshNan emphasizes this point, and refers to another incident where the
Lord was throbbing with anxiety for the welfare of His devotee - when sugrIva
suddenly rushed to rAvaNa and fought a duel with him, and brought the ten
crowns of his ten heads. Lord rAma tells sugrIva after his return that He was
very concerned about sugrIva's safety during that time, and added that for
Him, sugrIva's safety was more important than even lakshmaNa or sItA
pirATTi's welfare. Such is the intensity with which He bears the

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responsibility for the protection of His devotee.

Of course, other anubhavam-s are possible for the nAma in the context of
gajendra moksham, and some of these are given by some of the interpreters of
SrI BhaTTar's bhAshyam. The most common among these is that bhagavAn
did not lose His composure once He arrived at the scene of gajendra being
caught by the crocodile (SrI M.V.Ramanujacharya's explanation -
"gajendraniak kaNDa piRagu, tam manattaip padaikkAmal niRuttinavar").

SrI v. n. vedAnta deSikan comments that this guNa of bhagavAn was evident
only after He saw that the elephant was safe (until that time, His concern for
the safety of His devotee was extreme.

b) SrI Sa'nkara gives multiple interpretations:

kshamavatAm yoginAm iti kshamiNAm varaH.

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He Who is the foremost among yogin-s who have forbearance

pRthivyAdInAm bhAra dhArakANAm SreshTha iti kshamiNAm varaH.

He Who is foremost among those that bear all burdens such as that of the
Earth etc.

kshamiNaH SaktAH, ayam tu sarva SaktimatvAt sakalAH kriyAH kartum

kshamata iti vA kashmainAm varaH.

He Who is the foremost among the strongest (here the word kshamiNaH is
interpreted to means "One Who is endowed with power")

He gives support from SrImad rAmAyaNam - kshamayA pRthivi samaH (1.1.18)

- Lord rAma's ability to endure is described as equal to that of Mother Earth.

SrI cinmayAnanda's anubhavam is that bhagavAn has this nAma indicating that
He is the most patient when it comes to tolerating and forgiving the sins of
the jIvas. His words are: "He exhibits supreme patience with the evil-minded,
the tyrant, the foul and the fiendish. hiraNyAksha, hiraNyakaSipu, rAvaNa,
and others of this type were given many fair opportunities to realize for
themselves the folly of their baser attitudes and their immoral ways of life.

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 It is only when no other method of treatment could cure them that the Lord
destroyed them in His Infinite kindness" (they all reached parama padam as a
result of having His darSanam!).

Another dimension of bhagavAn's forbearance is His willingness to forgive the

sins of His devotees also

kshamitum soDhum bhakta aparAdhAn Seelam yeshAm te kshamiNaH;

teshAm varaH uttama iti kshamiNAm varaH

(SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj)

One is reminded of the extent of sufferings that He subjected Himself to,
during His rAma incarnation. The whole rAmAyaNa is a demonstration of His
being kshamiNAm varaH, along with pirATTi, who is in all respects equal to
Him. The incident of Sage bhRgu kicking bhagavAn in His vaksha sthalam, and
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the composed reaction of bhagavAn to this incident, is another example of His

most superior kshamA or endurance and forbearance.

SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN gives another example from Lord kRshNa's

incarnation: - the magnanimity with which bhagavAn forgave Sage durvAsa for
his ignoble act of harassing the pANDava-s on behalf of duryodhana during the
vana vAsam of the pANDava-s. The kAkAsura incident, and sItA pirATTis'
kind act of laying the evil asura such that his head was facing Lord rAma's
Feet so that Lord rAma will forgive the asura, and bhagavAn's forgiving the
asrua by just punishing him very mildly instead of killing him as he justly
deserved, is an example that shows both bhagavAn and pirATTi rival each
other in their kshamA, or willingness to forgive and put up with aparAdha-s of
their children. nammAzhvAr repeatedly reminds us that none in all the
Universes - not even the catur-mukha brahmA who is gifted with superior
knowledge by bhagavAn Himself, will be able to describe bhagavAn's kalyANa
guNa-s and do justice to even one of His guNa-s. We are seeing that His guNa
as 'kshamiNAm varaH' is just one example of the inability to describe the
guNa - we just have to feel His guNa-s and enjoy them.

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 vidvat--tamaH
nAma 920. ivÖÄm> vidvat

The Best among those who know what to do.

vidvat-tamAya namaH.
SrI vAsishTha gives the following derivation for the nAma - vidanti iti
vidvAmso j~nAninaH teshu atiSayena SreshThaH sarvaj~natvAt iti vidvat-
tamo vishNuH - He Who is the best among those endowed with knowledge -
the All-Knowing. He from Whom all knowledge originated, He Who gave the
veda-s to the world, etc., is vidvat-tamaH.

SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma in terms of the gajendra moksham incident,
and points out that the nAma reminds us that bhagavAn knew exactly how to
administer treatment to gajendra as soon as He arrived at the scene - tac-
cikitsAyAm vidvat-tamaH - BhagavAn gently touched the elephant, and started

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speaking to the elephant comfortingly. Extreme devotion to bhagavAn is what
caused gajendra to go to the pond to pluck the lotus flower for offering to
Him in the first instance. Nothing was more important to gajendra than the
darSanam of bhagavAn, and all his ailments were cured right away. (The beauty
of the vyAkhyAnam of SrI BhaTTar, illustrating the extreme concern of
bhagavAn to His devotees at every step, can only be felt, and cannot be
described adequately through words. The current interpretation is one such
example).

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan explains the nAma with the comment that
bhagavAn is the 'greatest Doctor there ever was and is, - the way He
administered the most appropriate cikitasA or treatment to gajendra, (who
had suffered for a thousand years in the clutch of the crocodile)'. BhagavAn
knew precisely what would give gajendra the greatest comfort, and so He is
called vidvat-tamaH in SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam.

SrI BhaTTar gives support from vishNu dharma:

evamuktvA kuruSreshTha! gajendram madhusUdanaH |

sparsayAmAsa hastena.. . . . . (vishNu dharma 69.89)

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 The Bliss of the touch by bhagavAn's hands eliminates all misery, and is like
the herbs that can cure any ailment. His divine hands were the medicine for
gajendra, and the heat from His beautiful red lips were the comfort that
gajendra would do anything to have.

SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan gives another analogous example, where pirATTi

administers the cikitsA that is the most appropriate for the occasion. When
rAma came back full of bleeding wounds after victoriously eliminating the
rAkshasa khara and his army of 14,000 rAkshasa-s in janasthAnam, sItA
pirATTi administered the best treatment for the occasion - she gave Him a
very fond embrace. As Lakshmi, she is the embodiments of all cures, and thus,
Her embrace was the best cure for rAma's wounds.

tam dRshTvA Satru-hantAram maharshINAm sukhAvaham |

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babhUva hRshTA vaidehI bhartAram parishasvaje ||

"sItA pirATTi was extremely happy to see Lord rAma who had eliminated the
rAkashas-s that were causing immense harm to the sages, and thus had
fulfilled the cause of ensuring the safety of these sages".

SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN also interprets the nAma based on the gajendra
episode - atha gajendra uddhArakatAm sUcayan Aha - svaika SaraNyasya
gajendrasya vipad vinASe ati-nipuNatvAt vidvat-tamaH - He Who handled the
surrender of gajendra in the most skillful manner.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri generalizes SrI BhaTTar's explanation - bhagavAn

is One Who knows how to remedy the bhakta's problems.

SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is that bhagavAn has this nAma because He

alone, and no one else, always possesses the knowledge of everything -
nirastAtiSayam j~nAnam sarvadA sarva gocaram asya iti asti, na itareshAm iti
vidvat-tamaH. All the rest possess but a tiny fraction of His knowledge.

SrI vAsishTha comments that bhagavAn is All-Knowing - One Who knows

everything there is to know ever since creation started, and prior to that, and
for all future to come, and so He is vidvat-tamaH. This cannot be said of

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anyone else. This is how the veda-s praise Him.

vIta--bhayaH
nAma 921. vItÉy> vIta

a) He because of Whom fear is dispelled.

b) He Who is devoid of fear.

vIta-bhayAya namaH.
SrI vAsishTha derives the meanings "One Who has no fear" - vi = vishesheNa,
itam = gatam, bhayam = bhItiH yasya it vIta-bayaH - One Who is totally devoid
of fear.

SrI BhaTTar, whose special emphasis is the guNanubhavam of bhagavAn as

One Whose sole purpose in everything He does is to help His devotees, gives
the anubhavam that He has this nAma since He drives away the fear in His

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devotees - vItam bhayam yasmAt sa vIta-bhayaH.

The fomer interpretation is given by SrI Sa'nkara and others who follow his
vyAkhyAnam, and the later interpretation is given by SrI BhaTTar and those
that follow his lead.

a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is: tat-samAgama tumula upalambhAt vItam

bhayam gajendrasya iti vIta-bhayaH - Seeing the ardent zeal of the Lord in
coming to his help, the fear of gajendra vanished. Thus, bhagavAn has this
nAma since He is "One Who dispelled the fear of gajendra through His
arrival".

SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan's anubhavam is that gajendra was afraid that the
lotus flower that he was carrying for offering to the Lord might become old
and lose its freshness, and this fear was gone as soon as gajendra noticed
that bhagavAn had arrived.

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan comments that gajendra had called for help from
nArAyaNa, and was afraid that bhagavAn's guna of ASrita rakshaNam might
be questioned by some if He did not come right away, and it was this fear that
was removed as soon as bhagavAn arrived.

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 SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN echoes the same thoughts as above - vItam =
vinashTam gajendrasya grAhAt bhayam yena sa vIta-bhayaH - He Who
relieved gajendra of the fear of being gripped by the crocodile, is vIta-
bhayaH.

b) SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation - vItam = vigatam, bhayam

sAmsArikam samsAra lakshaNam vA asya iti vIta-bhayaH, sarveSvaratvAt
nitya muktatvAt ca - He Who has no fear pertaining to, or accompanying, the
transmigratory life; in addition, since He is the Lord of all, and ever free, He
is without fear of any kind as well.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that the worst of all fears is the fear of
samsAra, or being born in this world; since bhagavAn is beyond this, He is
Fearless, and beyond fear - vIta-bhayaH.
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SrI satya sandha tIrtha also gives the explanation along the same lines -
bhaya SUnyaH vIta bhayaH - One Who is without fear.

Another dvaita AcArya, SrI raghunAtha tIrtha, gives the alternate

interpretation that is supported by SrI BhaTTar - bhaktebhyo vItam =
vigatam bhayam yasmAt saH vIta-bhayaH.

nAma 922. pu{yïv[kItRn> puNya SravaNa--kIrtanaH

puNya--SravaNa
He Whose nAma SrvaNam and kIrtanam are purifying.
puNya-SravaNa-kIrtanAya namaH.
The nAma can be understood in terms of its three component words: puNya,
SravaNa, and kIrtana. puNya here refers to 'that which purifies' - pavate,
pUyate vA anena iti puNyam. SravaNa refers to hearing from others, and
kIrtana refers to our own chanting. The nAma says that bhagavAn's glory is
such that by hearing it from others, or by singing His glory ourselves, we will
be purified. puNyam = pavitrIkraraNam, nAmnAm SravaNam kIrtanam ca yasya
sa puNya- SravaNa-kIrtanaH vishNuH.

One by hearing whose names, and by chanting whose names, we get purified, is
called 'puNya-SravaNa- kIrtanaH' - yasya vishNor-nAm nAm anyataH

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SravaNam, tathA sva-mukhata uccArya kIrtanam, ityubhayatA pavitrIkaraNam
bhavati, sa etan-nAmnAm abhidhIyate.

SrI BhaTTar continues his interpretation of the nAma as it relates to

gajendra moksham, and explains the nAma as: "He by hearing whose gajendra
moksham episode, or by narrating it ourselves, we get purified". This is one
example of the purifying power of singing His glory or hearing His glory.

SrI BhaTTar refers us to a Sloka from vishNu dharma in support:

Srutena hi kuru-SreshTha! SmRtena kathitena vA |

gajendra moksheNaiva sadyaH pApAt vimucyate ||

(vishNu dharma 69.79)

"O the best of kuru-s! A person is immediately rid of his sins if he hears,

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thinks or talks about the story of the rescue of gajendra by the Lord".

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan points out that bhagavAn is puNya SravaNa

kIrtanaH also because He has thee kIrtanA (fame) that is worthy of being
heard (SravaNa), and that will remove all our sins. He reminds us that this is
the reason why we do the anusandhAnam of the following Slokam on gajendra
moksham every morning as we get up:

grAham graste gajendre sarabhasam tArkshaym Aruhya dhAvan

vyAghUrNan mAlya bhUshA vasan parikaro megha gambhIra ghoshaH |

vibhrANo rathA'ngam Saram asim abhayam Sa'nkha cApau ca

kheTau hastaiH kaumodakIm api avatu harirasAvamhasAm samhater_naH ||

The Slokam is found in devanAgari lipi in prakRtam SrImad Azhagiya Si'ngar's

Ahnika grantham. The Slokam reminds us how bhagavAn rushed to the scene of
gajendra's suffering, climbing on to garuDa's back in a big hurry, with
disheveled ornaments because of the hurry, with the roaring sound of His
arrival clearly noticeable, and with all His weapons ready for the protection of
the devotee. The anusansdhAnam (thinking with the meaning in our mind) of
this act of bhagavAn will protect all those who meditate on it, chant it, or

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 hear it from others.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN echoes the same anubhavam - pApahAri-

gajendra-sambandhi-SravaNAditvAt puNya-SravaNa-kIrtanaH.

SrI Sa'nkara gives the following interpretation- puNyam puNyakaram

SravaNam kIrtanam ca asya iti puNya-SravaNa-kIrtanaH - He, whose names,
heard and recited, lead to religious merit.

Both SrI Sa'nkara and SrI vAsishTha give reference to the phala Sruti
Slokam which conveys the same message that is conveyed by this nAma:

ya idam SruNuyAn-nityam yaScApi pariklIrtayet |

nASubham prApnuyAt ki'ncit somutreha ca mAnavaH ||

"Nothing inauspicious or unwelcome will accrue either in this world or in the

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world beyond, to anyone who hears the vishNu sahasra nAma stotra daily, or
who recites it daily".

SrI cinmayAnanda comments that "kIrtana should not be just interpreted to

mean mechanical repetition, but the serious student should reflect upon the
glories of the Lord. We must learn to get ourselves committed to the life of
God-centered activities. It is not to be a mere noisy chanting of hymns, a
mere muttering of mantra- s. We must teach ourselves to allow Him to express
through us. Our physical activities, mental feelings, and intellectual thoughts
must all shine forth the awareness of His Divine Presence that is in us at every
moment, everywhere. The life of such a devotee will itself become, in its
dynamic beauty, love and devoted tenderness, a constant worship (poojA), a
continuous (akhaNDa) hymn chanted (kIrtanA) in praise of the Lord-of-the-
heart". The message should be self-explanatory.

SrI vAsishTha summarizes the meaning of this nAma through the following
composition of his own:

yasyAsti nAmnAm SravaNam pavitram, sa'nkIrtanam cApyamalam hi tasya |

so'nanta nAmA bhagavAn hi vishNuH, sva-nAmabhir viSvamidam punAti ||

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"Lord vishNu, whose nAma-s are purifying to those who hear them or chant
them - this Lord vishNu with His infinite nAma-s (representing His infinite
kalyANa guNa-s), purifies this whole Universe through His nAma-s".

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57
 Slokam 99
%Äar[ae Ê:k«itha pu{yae Ê>Svßnazn>,

vIrha r][> sNtae jIvn> pyRviSwt>. 99.

uttAraNO dushkrutihA puNyO dussvapnanAsanah |
vIrahA rakshaNah santO jIvanah paryavasthitah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 923. %Äar[> uttAraNaH

He Who lifts up.

uttAraNAya namaH.
'ut' is an upasarga, meaning 'intensity'. 'tAraNa' is derived from the root tR
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- plavana santaraNayoH - to cross over, to swim. uttArayati iti uttAraNaH -

He Who helps in crossing over, is uttAraNaH.

SrI BhaTTar continues the interpretation in terms of the gajendra episode -

the nAma refers to bhagavAn lifting up the elephant and the crocodile both
from the waters - tau sarasaH uttAritavAn. It is to be noted that SrI
BhaTTar uses the word 'tau' - He lifted both of them from the lake. In a
sense, bhagavAn protected both the elephant and the crocodile - by relieving
gajendra from the clutches of the crocodile, and by relieving the crocodile
from its curse.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the same interpretation also - sarovarAt
gajendram uttArayAmAsa iti uttAraNaH.

Most other interpreters interpret the nAma as a reference to bhagavAn

lifting the samsAri-s from the ocean of samsAra.

SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is: samsAra sAgarAt uttArayati iti uttAraNah.

SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as: "One Who lifts us out of the ocean-
of-change. By identifying through our body-mind-intellect with the changing
whirls of matter around us, we assume to ourselves the changes which provide
us the horrible sorrow of mortal finitude. On lifting ourselves from the giddy

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changes in these whirls of finite matter, when we fix it upon Him, the one
Consciousness that illumines all changes in all living creatures, we get uplifted
into a state of Immortality - changeless, blissful, supremely satisfying. Hence
SrI nArAyaNa is called the Up-lifter, the Savior".

SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as: bhavArtisantaptAnAm bhavac- charaNa

AgatAnAm uttitIrshUNAm uttAraNo nAviko nAveva ityarthaH - He Who, like
a person rowing a boat to help cross a river, helps the samsAri who is tortured
by the heat of samsAra, and who surrenders to bhagavAn seeking help in
crossing over the ocean of samsAra.

SrI satya sandha tIrtha explains the nAma in terms of the praNava mantra
that lifts up the spirits of the sanyAsin-s etc. - utkRshTaH tAraH praNavo
yeshAm ta uttArAHsannyAsinaH teshAm NaH sukham yasmAt sa uttAraNaH.

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dushkRti--hA
nAma 924. Ê:k«itha dushkRti

a) He Who slays the evil-doers.

b) He Who destroys the sins of those who surrender to Him.

dushkRti-ghne namaH.
a) dushkRtinam hanti iti dushkRti-hA - He Who destroys the evil-doers is
dushkRti-hA.

SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma in terms of bhagavAn killing the crocodile that
seized the leg of the devotee gajendra who was involved in bhagavad
kainkaryam, and threatened his life. SrI BhaTTar continues the support from
vishNu dharma (69) - sthalastham dArayAmAsa grAham cakreNa mAdhavaH -
mAdhava slew the crocodile with His discuss when the crocodile was on the
land.

Note the following Sloka, which describes the guNa of bhagavAn praised in
this nAma:

paritrAnAya sAdhUnAm vinASAya ca dushkRtAm |

dharma samsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi yuge yuge ||

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 "I take incarnations in every yuga, for the protection of the good, the
destruction of the evil, and the establishment of dharma".

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN also interprets the nAma in terms of the
gajendra episode: dushkRtim grAham hatavAn iti dushhkRti-hA - He Who
destroyed the crocodile that committed apacAram towards a bhAgavata.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives references to divya prabandham where this guNa of
bhagavAn is extolled:

ANDAL sings this guNa of bhagavAn in tiruppAvai: pollA arakkanaik kiLLik

kaLaindAnai - He Who got rid of the ferocious demon as if by weeding him out.

vEzham mUvAmai nalgi mudalai tuNittAn (periya tirumozhi 6.8.3) - BhagavAn

came on garuDa who is the incarnation of the veda- s, destroyed the crocodile
and removed the pain and suffering of gajendra.
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SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan explains that for bhagavAn, the worst among those
who are sinners are those who commit apacAram to His devotees. This is what
makes Him angry the most, and this is where His guNa of dushkRti-hA is in full
force. We see this in His incarnations as Lord rAma and Lord nRsimha. Lord
ra'nganAtha also displayed His anger when the priest committed apacAram
against tiruppANAzhvAr. This nAma should remind us that bhAgavata
apacAram is the worst of all sins, and should be avoided at all costs.

b) SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as - dushkRtiH pApa sam~jnitAH hanti iti
dushkRti-hA - He Who destroys the sins, or alternatively, "ye pApakAriNaH
tAn hanti it vA" - He Who destroys those who commit sinful deeds.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri reminds us that it is not just bhagavAn who redeems
us from our sins, but His nAma is just as effective.

In helping draupadi against act of duryodhana, Lord kRshNa assured rukmiNi

that before He could go and help draupadi, His nAma already protected her
when she cried out His name when in need of help. In addition to getting rid of
those extreme sinners who cannot be corrected any other way, bhagavAn is
also the One Who corrects and redirects those who are inadvertent sinners.

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SrI cinmayAnanda's anubhavam is that when bad actions (dush-kRti-s) are
undertaken by anyone, prompted by sensuous desires, they leave impressions
(vAsanA-s), and these always have a tendency to make them repeat similar
actions. When one turns the mind towards nArAyaNa, the Self, one is emptied
of these existing vAsanA-s, and so the Lord is indicated as the "Destroyer of
the sins".

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as - dushkRtiH hanti

prapannAnAm iti dushkRti-hA - "One Who destroys the sin of the prapanna-s -
those who have sought refuge under Him.

nAma 925. pu{y> puNyaH

The Purifier.
puNyAya namaH.

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Please refer to the write-up for this nAma in Slokam 73 (nAma 692).

dus_svapna--nASanaH
nAma 926. Ê>Svßnazn> dus_svapna

The Remover of evil dreams.

dus-svapna-nASanAya namaH.
'dus' is an upasarga. 'svapna' is derived from the root svap - Sayane - to
sleep; the word 'svapna' means 'dream'. 'nASana' is derived from the root
naS - adarSane - to be lost, to perish. dushTaH svapno dus-svapnaH; dus-
svapnasya nASano dus-svapna-nASanaH - He Who removes bad or inauspicious
dreams.

SrI BhaTTar continues his interpretation in terms of the gajendra moksham -

"Those who hear the story of gajendra mosham will be relieved of inauspicious
dreams".

It should be noticed that SrI BhaTTar has been giving support from the
vishNu dharma for his interpretations of all the nAma-s based on gajendra
moksham. This extends to the current nAma as well. SrI BhaTTar's
interpretation for the current nAma is found in the phala Sruti of this episode

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 as described in vishNu dharma:

ye mAm tvAm ca saraScaiva grAhasya ca vimoskaNam |

ye smarishyanti manujAH prayatAH sthirabuddhayaH |

dus-svapno naSyate teshAm su-svapnaSca bhavishyati ||

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the same interpretation, and gives the
reference quoted above as well.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj quotes support from SrImad bhAgavtam, where
it is declared that meditation on Lord kRshNa and the gajendra moksham will
relieve the devotee from bad dreams:

etan mahArAja taverito mayA kRshNAnubhAvo gajarAja mokshaNam |

svargyam yaSasyam kali kalmashApaham dus-svapna nASanam kuru varya

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SRNvatAm || (8.4.14)

"O parIkshit mahArajan! I (Sage Suka) have narrated to you this great
mahimA of Lord kRshNa that is called gajendra moksham, by hearing which all
sins accrued in the kali yaga will be destroyed, bad dreams will be eliminated,
and one can attain the svarga loka and all fame".

SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as the "Dispeller of bad dreams that
forewarn of upcoming dangers, when He is meditated upon, praised and
worshipped".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that since bhagavAn ensures that His
devotees are not exposed to dangers, they do not get bad dreams forewarning
them of the dangers also. He also comments that the habit of constant
meditation of bhagavAn's nAma-s will ensure that in the long run, there is no
room for bad dreams.

SrI cinmayAnanda interprets that the worst dream is that of being re-born.
He notes that when one is ever centered in nArAyaNa-smaraNa, then his sub-
conscious mind is not loaded with half-digested thoughts and unexpressed
intentions, repressed desires and suppressed motives, immoral passions and

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covetous inclinations, and he has no fearful dreams in his sleep. Over time he
enters nArAyaNa-consciousness, and there is no room for bad dreams.

SrI vAsishTha gives references to vedic passages where prayer is made for
the removal of bad dreams:

jAgrad dush-svapnyam svane dush-svapnyam |

(atharva. 16.6.9)

punarehi vRshAkape suvitA kalpayAvahai |

ya esha svapnanamSano'stameshi pathA punar-viSvasmAd-indra uttaraH ||

(Rg. 10.86.21)

vIra--hA
nAma 927. vIrha vIra

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He Who destroyed the powerful bonds that tied gajendra to death.
vIra-ghne namaH.
We studied this nAma previously in Sloka-s 18 and 79 (nAma-s 168 and 747).

Please refer to the write-up for nAma 747 in Slokam 79.

nAma 928. r][> rakshaNaH

The Savior.
rakshaNAya namaH.
The nAma is derived from the root raksha - pAlane - to protect. rakshati =
pAlayati sakalam viSvam iti rakshaNaH.

SrI BhaTTar relates the nAma to the protection of gajendra by bhagavAn -

tam sparSana parirambhaNa sAntvanAdibhiH rakshitavAn - BhagavAn saved
the elephant by touching it, embracing it, and speaking words of consolation to
the elephant.

SrI BhaTTar and SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN quote vishNu dharma in
support:

evamuktvA maharaja gajendram madhusUdanaH |

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 sparSayAmAsa hastena gajam gandharvameva ca ||

SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma as "One Who has the function of protection
of all the three worlds" - sattvam guNam adhishThAya jagat-trayam rakshan
iti rakshaNaH - He who, assuming the sattva guNa, protects all the three
worlds.

In tiruvAimozhi, nammAzhvAr stresses that it is Lord vishNu's nature to

protect (kAkkum iyalvinan - pASuram 2.2.9). In fact, AzhvAr points out that
in addition to protection, Lord vishNu performs the functions of destruction
and creation through rudra and brahmA respectively by being their antaryAmi-
s, and these functions are also directed in effect, towards protection of the
jIva-s. The destruction is for the purpose of giving new bodies to the jIva-s
instead of continuing with the aged and worn-out bodies, and the creation is to
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give indriya-s etc. to the jIva-s so that they can strive to attain Him in the
new birth. Thus rakshaNam is the motivation for all His acts.

SrI cinmyAnanda reminds us that protection is the reason that bhagavAn

keeps taking incarnations:

paritrANAya sAdhUnAm visASAya ca dushkRtAm |

dharma samsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi yuge yuge ||

(gItA 4.8)

"For the protection of the good, the destruction of the wicked, and the
establishment of righteousness, I take different incarnations in each yuga".

Note that 'protection' comes first in the reasons for His incarnations. In fact,
destruction of the wicked is only for the protection of the good.

SrI vAsishTha gives reference to a vedic mantra that prays for this
protection:

rakshA No agne tava rakshaNebhI rArakshANaH sumukha prINAnaH |

pratishphuTa viruja vIDvaho jahi raksho mahi cid vAvRdhAnam ||

(Rg. 4.3.14)

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nAma 929. sNt> santaH

a) He Who makes those who have sought refuge in Him prosper.

b) He Who exists for His devotees.

c) He Who bestows the desired benefits on His devotees.

d) He Who manifests Himself in the form of holy men.

e) He Who is present everywhere and permeates everything.

f) He Who is worshipped.

g) He Who expands the world in a controlled way.

santAya namaH.
sam - is an upasarga (preposition). The root for the nAma is tanu - vistAre -

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to spread. The word also means 'to bestow, to lengthen' etc. (SrI Apte's
dictionary).

a) SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as "ASritAn santanoti (samyak tanoti) iti
santaH" - He Who makes those who have sought refuge in Him prosper, and
feel joy by thoughts on Him.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the same interpretation - evam gajendram
SaraNAgatam santanoti iti santaH.

SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan explains the significance of the nAma as illustrating

the guNa of bhagavAn in growing the confidence in us (santanoti) that He will
protect us without fail. The very sight of bhagavAn during His procession
around our streets is for giving us this confidence at the sight of Him.

b) SrI BhaTTar gives two other alternate interpretations: 'teshAm asti iti
santaH' - He Who exists for His devotees is santaH.

SrI kRshNan refers us to the Slokam in jitante stotram:

na te rUpam na cAkAro nAyudhAni na cAspadam |

tathA'pi purushAkAro bhaktAnAm prakASase ||

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 "Neither Your divya Atma svarUpam, nor Your divya ma'ngaLa vigraham, nor
for that matter Your weapons, or Your own SrI vaikunTham, are for Your
benefit (they are all for Your devotees' benefit, and thus You are not
independent, but You are the possession of Your devotees). Even so, You
shine as the Supreme Being".

c) Or, tebhyaH ishTam dattavAn iti santaH - He Who bestows the desired
benefits on His devotees is santaH.

d) SrI Sa'nkara gives the following interpretation:'san-mAraga-vartinaH

santaH, tad-rUpeNa vidyA vinaya vRddhaye sa eva vartata iti santaH' - Those
who follow the right path (of dharma) are holy men. Since bhagavAn manifests
Himself in the form of the holy men for the increase of knowledge and
modesty, He is called santaH.
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e) SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives the derivation for the nAma as 'sampUrvAt
tanoteH DaH vyAptaH' - He who is present everywhere and permeates
everything. This is consistent with the meaning tanu - vistAre - to spread.

f) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the root san- sambhaktau - to worship,
and gives the interpretation - sanyate ArAdhyate sma iti santaH - He Who is
worshipped, is santaH.

g) SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as "samyak tanoti vistArayati jagat iti
santaH" - He Who appropriately (in a controlled way?) expands the world, is
santaH.

nAma 930. jIvn> jIvanaH

The Life-Giver.
jIvanAya namaH.
The root from which the nAma is derived is "jIv - prANa dhAraNe - to live".

SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as "jIvayati = prANayati jIvana upayoga

sAdhanaiH iti jIvanaH" - He Who sustains life by giving all the means for all
the created beings to live.

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nammAzhvAr describes bhagavAn as "One Whose nature it is to protect" -
kAkkum iyalvinan kaNNa perumAn (tiruvAi. 2.2.9).

All acts of bhagavAn are directed towards protection of the jIva-s. His
swallowing the whole Universe with all beings at the time of pralaya, is only for
the purpose of protecting them and giving them new bodies in the next cycle
of creation. When a being meets with 'death', it is only a means of removing
the old, aged body, and giving the jIva a new body. Thus, bhagavAn is Life-
giver in is acts of creation, protection and destruction.

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is - sva-hastena hananAt grAham api

gandharvatvena jIvayan - jIvanaH - Even though bhagavAn slew the crocodile
for its apacAram, He restored the crocodile to its former form as a
gandharva, and so He is jIvanaH - the Life-Giver. SrI BhaTTar gives support

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from SrI vishNu purANam:

sa hi devala Sapena hUhUH gandharava-sattamaH |

grAhavatmam agamat kRshNAt vadham prApya divam gataH ||

(VP 69)

"The foremost among gandharva-s, Hoohoo by name, had become a crocodile by

the curse of Sage devala. Later, when the crocodile met its death at the hands
of kRshNa, he went back to svarga". Even though all we superficially note is
that bhagavAn slew the crocodile, in fact He restored his life as a gandharva.
Whatever bhagavAn does, including the slaying of the rAkshasa-s in His
different incarnations, is truly for the benefit of the rAkshasa-s who are
killed by Him.

SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN's interpretation is along the same lines as that of

SrI BhaTTar - grAhamapi gandharvatbvena jIvati iti jIvanaH.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to tiruviruttam of nammAzhvAr, where bhagavAn

is referred to as "uyir aLippAn" - "Life Giver" (pASuram 1).

SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is - "sarvAH prajAH prANa rUpeNa jIvayati iti

jIvanaH" - He Who sustains all life forms by giving them vital airs (prANa), is

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 jIvanaH.

SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as "One Who is the Life-spark in all
living creatures". He gives support from the gItA:

gAmAviSya ca bhUtAni dhArayAmyaham ojasA |

pushNAmi caushadhIH sarvAH somo bhUtvA rasAtmakaH ||

(gItA 15.13)
"Permeating the earth I support all beings by My energy; and having become
the juicy Moon I nourish all herbs".

nAma 931. pyRviSwt> paryavasthitaH

He Who stands beside.

paryavasthitAya namaH.
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SrI vAsishTha indicates the base root for the nAma as sthA - gati nivRttau -
to stand, to wait, to be at hand, etc. pari is a prefix which means 'round, round
about' etc.

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is - vAtsalyAt gajendram pari = paritaH,

avasthitaH iti paryavasthitaH - Out of His vAtsalyam (affection) to gajendra,
He stood closely around gajendra. He refers us to the Sloka from vishNu
dharma, that praises bhagavAn's attachment and affection to His devotees:

prItimAn puNDarIkAksaH SaraNAgata vatsalaH

(vishNu dharma.)

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr who points to this guNa of

bhagavAn in his tiruvAimozhi - avA aRac cUzh ari (10.10.1) - nArAyaNa, who
mingles with a yearning with His devotees, and also in pASuram 8.3.6 - tiru nIla
maNiyAr mEniyODu en manam Suzha varuvArE - BhagavAn, with His cool
bluish gem-like hue, comes to His devotees and completely occupies their mind.
In the whole of tiruvAimozhi 1.9, AzhvAr describes how bhagavAn enjoys His
devotee and pervades him and floods him gradually, and how all the indriya-s
of the devotee are ultimately permeated by Him without interruption, and

68
dedicated to His thought permanently.

SrI kRshNan's anubhavam is that bhagavAn went round and round gajendra, to
find out all the places where he might have suffered injury in his encounter
with the crocodile, so that He can comfort the elephant as needed, and so He
is called paryavasthitaH.

SrI bala deva vidyA bhUshaN also explains the nAma in terms of bhagavAn
being around gajendra with vAtsalyam - vAtsalya bhareNa gajendrasya
paritaH sthitatvAt paryavasthitaH.

While the above anubhavam of SrI BhaTTar, supported by nammAzhvAr's

pASuram-s, points to bhagavAn vAtsalyam to His devotees, SrI kRshNa datta
bhAradvAj enjoys another aspect of bhagavAn's guNa - His extreme concern
to His devotee, and His ever being ready to protect the devotee from any

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harm. His vyAkhyAnam is - parito bhaktam avasthitaH tasya rakshAyai iti
paryavasthitaH. He gives support from SrImad bhAgavatam (1.12.9, 10), that
describes the moving episode of how bhagavAn protected parIkshit in his
mother's womb by surrounding the yet-to-be-born child from the brahmAstra
of aSvatthAma:

kshatajAksham gadApANim AtmanaH sarvato diSam |

paribhramantam ulkAbhAm bhrAmayantam gadAm muhuH ||

(bhAga. 1.12.9)

astra tejaH sva-gadayA nIhAramiva gopatiH |

vidhamantam sannikarshe paryaikshata ka ityasau ||

(bhAga. 1.12.10)

"BhagavAn, with angry red eyes, bore the gadA in His hand, and was moving
around like a wind in all directions around the yet-to-be-born child, whirling
the gadA in His hand that was shining like a burning firewood, and destroying
the tejas of the brahmAstram with His gadA like the Sun that removes the
dew. The child wondered aloud who this purusha was, who had suddenly
appeared by his side".

69
 SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is that bhagavAn pervades everything in this
Universe, and hence is called paryavasthitaH - partiaH sarvato viSvam vyApya
avasthita iti paryavasthitaH.

SrI rAdhAkRshna SAstri refers us to the following from nArAyaNa sUktam -

antarbahiSca tat-sarvam vyApya nArAyaNaH sthitaH - BhagavAn is
permeating all things inside and out.

The act of permeation of bhagavAn as our antaryAmi in all of us, is a result of

His concern for the jIva-s, to ensure that He is always with the jIva to help
him in whatever he undertakes.

SrI vAsishTha gives the same interpretation as SrI Sa'nkara - paritaH =

sarvata UrdhvAt adhaH, tiryak ca avasthitaH - sarva-vyApaka iti
paryavasthitaH.
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 Slokam 100
AnNtêpae=nNtïIijRtmNyuÉRyaph>,

cturïae gÉIraTma ividzae Vyaidzae idz>. 100.

anantarUpO=nantasrIr jitamanyurbhayApahah |
caturasrO gabhIrAtmA vidisO vyAdisO disah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

ananta--rUpaH
nAma 932. AnNtêp> ananta

a) He of infinite Forms.

b)He of unending (never decaying) form.

c)He of indescribable form – extending infinitely in all directions.

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ananta-rUpAya namaH.
The nAma is explained as :

a) One Whohas infinite forms – e.g., through His different incarnations and
manifestations;

b) He Who has a form that is indescribable, and extends in all directions, e.g.,
His viSva rUpam;

c) He Who has form that will never decay, age, or in any way undergo any
change of any kind. We will see the detailed vyAkhyAna-s below.

a) anantAni rUpANi yasya saHanata-rUpaH – He Who has infinite forms is

ananta-rUpaH. The familiar Slokam that comes to mind is the one that
declares the purpose of bhagavAn'sincarnations, ad declared by Him:

paritrANAya sAdhUnAm vinASAya cadushkRtAm |

dharma-samsthApanArthAyasambhavAmi yuge yuge ||

"I take incarnations as needed,in every yuga, for the purpose of the protection
of the good, the destruction of the evil, and the sustenance of dharma". Even
though three reasons are given here, the primary reason for all His

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 incarnations is the one stated first – the protection of His devotees; the other
two are incidental to the first one. The form in which He appeared at the
scene of gajendra moksham was one such form.

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is –IdRSi sadyaH sampAdyAni anantAni rUpANi

asya iti ananta-rUpaH – He Who assumes innumerable forms, of His own
volition, straight away as occasion arises and as necessity demands.

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives nammAzhvAr's pASuram-s that sing this guNa of

bhagavAn:

eLivarum iyalvinan nilai varambu ilapala piRappAi

oLivarum muzhu nalam mudal ila kEDu ila vIDAm

teLitarum nilaimai adu ozhivilan muzhuvadum iRaiyOn

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aLivarum aruLinODu agattanan purattanan amarndE.

(tiruvAi. 1.3.2)

"BhagavAn takes several incarnations that are characterized by simplicity as

needed by the circumstance. He does not care what form He has to take in
order to help His devotees. In these incarnations, He is full of all His
auspicious kalyANa guNa-s,gives the moksha anubhavam to His devotee, and is
easy to attain for His devotee in these forms, and at the same difficult to
attain for the foes of His devotees".

He does not mind taking the form of a Boar, a Fish, a half-man and half-lion
form, etc., in order to fulfill the purpose of His incarnation.

pala palavE AbharaNam pErum palapalavE pala palavE SOdi vaDivu paNbu
eNNilpala pala kaNDu uNDu kETTuRRu mOndu inbampala palavE j~nAmum
pAmbaNai mElArkkEyO.

(tiruvAi.2.5.6)

"The Lord who lies on AdiSesha in the Milky Ocean, has countless variety in
every respect – jewelry adorning Him; names – some being related to valor,
some related to qualities; forms of divine effulgence, yet different roles such

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as para, vyUhas, etc.; He can be enjoyed in several modes – through
singing,through contemplation, through seeing, hearing, etc. He Who lies on
anantan is ananta in the aspects of His rUpa etc. as well".

SrI kRshNan interprets the nAma as referring to bhagavAn's forms in the

para, vyUha, vibhava, arcA and antaryAmi forms, each of which consists of
multiple forms (e.g., in vibhava, the many incarnations suchas rAma, kRshNa
etc., the numerous arcA forms, the countless antaryAmi forms, etc.). All these
forms are taken by bhagavAn for the sole purpose of protecting His devotees.

SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is – anantAni rUpANi asya viSva prapa'nca

rUpeNa sthitasya iti ananta-rUpaH – Endless are His forms, since He shines as
the whole universe.

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj adds another dimension to the anubhavam of

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the nAma – anantam SASvatam rUpam asya iti ananta-rUpaH – He has
countless forms that are also ever-lasting and permanent. Many of the forms
that He has are there eternally, and those that He takes (such as the vibhava
incarnations) are also there for us to enjoy forever.

SrI satya sandha tIrtha also uses the word ananta in the sense of ever-
lasting,permanent - a-nASAni rUpANi yasya sa ananta-rUpaH (nASa – that
which decays or is destroyed; a-nASa – that which never decays or gets
destroyed).

c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri adds another dimension to the interpretation–

BhagavAn has a form that is endless in all dimensions– which sounds like a
reference to His viSva rUpam. He gives reference to kaivalya upanishad –
acintyamavyaktam ananta rUpam (6) – that which cannot be clearly
comprehended, cannot be clearly defined, and is infinite in all dimensions.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha refers us to the Rg vedic mantra in support:

viSvataS-cakshuruta viSvato-mukhoviSvato-bAhuruta viSvatas- pAt|

sam-bAhubhyAmdhamati sampatatrair-dvyAvA bhUmI janayan devaekaH ||

(R.10.81.3); (yajur.17.19)

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 "He Who has eyes on all sides round about Him, mouths on all sides, arms and
feet on all sides; He, the One God, producing earth and heaven, keeping them
together, with His arms as wings..".

ananta--SrIH
nAma 933. AnNtïI> ananta

a) He of infinite wealth, glory, power, etc..

b) He of wealth, glory, power etc., that will never diminish.

ananta-Sriye namaH.
a) SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan explains the nAma as: anantAH SriyaH
yasyasaH ananta-SrIH – He Who has unending and infinite wealth is ananta-
SrIH. What does He do with all this wealth? Just so that He can give
everything that His devotees want, including the attainment of Himself, to the
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devotees. SrImad ANDavan notes that in the current instance of gajendra

episode, the crocodile got SApavimocanam by being restored to his gandharva
form, and was thus given svargam by bhagavAn. Gajendra was given SrI
vaikunTham by bhagavAn. This possession of infinite wealth to give away, is
reflected by the nAma ananta-SrIH.

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is – tebhyodeyAH sva-prApati-paryantAH anatAH

Sriyo'pi asya iti ananta-SrIH – He who has all wealth to give to His devotees,
at His command, including giving the enjoyment of Himself in full to His
devotees. In the case of gajendra, bhagavAn gave him a divine body and sent
him to SrI vaikunTham.

SrI BhaTTar gives support from vishNu dharma 69:

tato divya vapor-bhUtvA hasti-rATparamam padam jagAma |

(vishNudharma 69)

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan comments that both His vibhUti-s – the leelA vibhUti in
this world, and the nitya vibhUti in SrI vaikunTham, are purely for the benefit
of His devotees. He refers us to nAcciyArtirumozhi (10.10), where ANDAL
refers to emperumAn as "Selvar periyar"– One Who is full of wealth and Who

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is mahA purushan. PeriyAzhvAr(2.8.8) refers to perumAL as "SelvattinAl vaLar
piLLai" –One, who, as child kRshNa, was growing amidst abundant wealth.

SrI kRshNan refers us to tiruma'ngaiAzhvAr's pASuram in periya tirumozhi

(7.7.1) – "tiruvukkum tiruvAgiya SelvA! deivattukkuaraSA!" – "He Who is the
Wealth for even Lakshmi – the Goddess of all wealth! He Who is the Lord of all
the deva-s!".

SrI kRshNan also refers us to ALavandAr's stotra ratnam (Slokam12):

kaH SrIH SriyaH paramasattvasamASrayaH kaH kaH puNDarIka

nayanaHpurushottamaH kaH |

kasyaayautAyuta Sata eka kalAmSaka amSe viSvam vicitra citacit

pravibhAgavRttam ||

"Who is the Deity that is the SrI for SrI (Lakshmi devi) Herself? Who is the

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Deity that is the embodiment of sattva guNa? Who is the Deity that is the
Supreme Purusha of all purusha-s? Who is the One who is endowed with
beautiful lotus-like eyes? Who is the One Deity by whose tiny fragment of
Power this whole Universe consisting of the countless forms of cetana and
acetana forms are created, protected,and destroyed? (It is none other than
the Supreme Deity, SrIman nArAyaNa)".

SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning "Sakti"for the word SrI, and gives the
interpretation– anantA a-parimitA SrIH = parA SaktiH asya iti ananta-SrIH –
He of infinite power and glory, because He possesses countless superior Sakti-
s. He quotes the Sruti in support – parA asya SaktiH vividhaiScaSrUyate (Sve.
upa. 6.8) – His supreme Sakti is declared to be various.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that bhagavAn's infinite Sakti is the

driving force for all of us in whatever we achieve during our lives.

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning 'indestructible' - a-

vinASinI, for the word ananta, and gives the interpretationas "anantA = a-
vinASinI SrIH SobhA sampat yasya iti ananta-SrIH" – He who has eternal
beauty and wealth, is ananta-SrIH.

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 SrI satya sandha tIrtha also interprets the nAma along the same lines– anantA
= nASa-rahitA SrIH avarUpa SrIH yasya sa ananta-SrIH –He Whose wealth is
by nature eternal.

SrI cinmayAnanda refers to the three 'powers' that the Lord expresses in
this universe:

1. icchA Sakti (desire-power),

2. kriyA Sakti (action-power), and

3. j~nAna-Sakti (Knowledge-power).

He adds: "These are expressions of His Glory at our physical (kriyA sakti),
mental (icchA Sakti), and intellectual (j~nAna Sakti) levels. These three
manifestations of His 'powers', and their continuous interplay, together weave
the fabric of the total dynamic expressions of life in this world. The self, SrI
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nArAyaNa, is the one springboard for all these vibrant aspects of life".

jita--manyuH
nAma 934. ijtmNyu> jita

He Who has conquered His anger.

jita-manyave namaH.
The word manyu is formed from the root man – j~nAne – to know, to think.
Application of the uNAdi sUtra 3.20 results in the addition of the affix yuc to
the root, giving the word 'manyuH', meaning 'distress, sacrifice, or anger'. The
word 'jita' is derived fromthe root 'ji – jaye, abhibhave ca – to conquer'. The
nAma 'jita-manyuH' thus means "One Who has conquered anger".

SrI BhaTTar continues his interpretation of the current series of nAma-s in

relation ot the gajendra moksham incident. He explains the nAma as indicating
that bhagavAn controlled His anger at the crocodile even after seeing that the
crocodile was not letting go of His devotee's leg. Here was a SaraNAgata in
the form of gajendra, and this 'creature' in the lake (SrI BhaTTar's words –
jala-kITam – the worm in the water) was causing pain and misery to His
devotee, but still He controlled His anger, and proceeded with calm to take the
action needed for relieving the pain of gajendra.

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Perhaps the best example of His control over anger is the incident where sage
bRghu kicked Him on His chest, and in response, bhagavAn calmly comforted
the sage's foot (and, of course, in the process killed the ahamkAra of the
sage).

Lord kRshNa describes how anger develops in us, and the consequences of not
controlling anger:

dhyAyato vishyAn pumsaHsa'ngas-teshUpajAyate |

sa'ngAtsa'njAyate kAmaH kAmAt krodho'bhijAyate ||

(gItA 2.62)

"To a man thinking about sense-objects, there arises attachment to them;

from attachment arises desire, and from desire arises anger".

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krodhAt bhavati sammohaH sammohAtsmRti-vibhramaH |

smRt-bhramSAtbuddhi-nASo buddhi-nASAt praNaSyati ||

(gItA 2.63)

"From anger, there comes delusion; from delusion, the loss of memory; from
loss of memory, the destruction of the ability to discriminate; and with the
destruction of discrimination, he is lost (that is, he gets deeper and deeper
into actions that sink him into the ocean of samsAra)".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that there are times when bhagavAn forces
Himself to become angry, especially if the offense is such that the subject
needs to be punished; but in these cases, He gets His anger under control as
soon as the object of anger is achieved. One such case is when samudra rAjan
did not respond to His 'request' for assistance during the crossing of the
ocean to SrI la'nkA.

SrI SAstri points to another nAma that has a similar interpretation – jita-
krodhaH (Slokam 49, nAma 463), and distinguishes between three terms–
manyu, kopam, and krodham. manyu is the state where one feels anger at the
mental level, but this has not found externally visible expression. Kopam is the

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 state when the anger is visible through facial indications such as reddish eyes.
krodham is the state when this feeling finds expression through harsh words,
banging on things, and other actions indicating the state of anger. BhagavAn
has all these states of anger under full control, and 'becomes' angry only when
needed, but still fully under His control. SrI SAstri points to two incidents in
SrImad rAmAyaNam where sage vAlmIki describes Lord rAma 'getting' angry.

vinamya dhanur-bhImam tUNyoScoddhRtyasAyakAn |

krodhamAhArayat tIvram vadhArtham sarva-rakshasAm || (3.24.33)

"SrI rAma bent His bow, and set the arrows to them, and, for the purpose of
the destruction of the rAkshasa-s, got Himself angry". In other words, He has
His anger under control, and brings it out only when He wants, as needed.

The second instance is when hanuman was bleeding from the arrows of rAvaNa
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while hanuman was carrying Lord rAma on his shoulders. Then Lord rAma again
'got angry'. When He Himself undergoes personal suffering in any of His
incarnations, such as the rAma incarnation, He is in complete control of His
anger. But when His devotee suffers, He deliberately and knowingly 'invites'
anger to Himself – in other words, under full control of Himself, He decides to
be angry. This is because He cannot tolerate His devotee's suffering.

Interestingly, SrI BhaTTar interpretsthe nAma 'jita-krodhaH' in Slokam 49

as "BhagavAn conquering the anger in others", instead of "One Who has
conquered anger in Himself"; in other words, when He deceived the asura-s and
cheated them without giving them the amRta in His mohini incarnation, instead
of getting angry, they were confounded and confused by His mohini form, and
thus He overcame the anger in them towards the deva-s.

The reader is referred to the write-up for nAma 463, since much of this
information is covered there.

SrI kRshNan comments that it would have been quite understandable if

BhagavAn had indeed become angry and put additional curse on the crocodile
since it had committed bhAgavata apacAram by hurting gajendra. But instead,
He was willing to give credit as it were, for the crocodile to have put its head

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at a bhAgavata's feet, and sent it to svarga lokam instead. SrI kRshNan gives
two other instances where bhagavAn gets anger completely under control once
the object of anger has been achieved. After Lord rAma killed rAvaNa, He
asked vibhhIshaNa to proceed to perform the final rites for his brother.
When vibhIshaNa hesitated because of the feeling of enmity, Lord rAma
pointed out to him that enmity between Him and rAvaNa ended the moment
rAvaNa was dead, and rAvaNa was after all a great warrior who was
undefeated until that time.

maraNa antAni variANi nirvRttam naHprayojanam |

kriyatAm asya samskAromamApyesha yathA tava ||

"Enmity (between rAvana and Me) was only until rAvaNa's death. Now he is as
related to Me as he is to you. The object of our effort is accomplished. Now

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please proceed to do the final rites for your brother".

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan also refers to the above Slokam in support of

the interpretation of this nAma in his sahasra nAma bhAshya upanyAsam.

Again, when rAvaNa hit hanuman in the forehead, and hanuman was bleeding,
rAma reached the peak of anger (kopasya vAsAM EyivAn – yuddha.59.147). He
attacked rAvaNa fiercely, and in a few moments, he found that rAvaNa was
completely paralyzed by the attack. At that point, instead of continuing the
attack on rAvaNa, rAma calmly told him: "I find you are completely tired and
de-stabilized, and so I will not kill you now. I will permit you to go back to your
palace, take rest and recuperate, and then come back, and then you can see My
true Might".

tasmAt pariSrAnta iva vyavasya na tvAmSarair-mRtyu vaSam nayAmi|

yuddha. 59.153

gacchAnujAnAmi raNArditas-tvampraviSya rAtri'ncara-rAja la'nkAm|

AsvAsya niryAhi rathI ca dhanvI tadA balamdrakshyasi me rathasthaH ||

yuddha. 59.154

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 SrI vAsishTha comments that anger arises towards one who is stronger or
more powerful than oneself, and in the case of bhagavAn, there is no cause for
anger, since there is no one who is superior to Him in any respect.

nAma 935. Éyaph> bayApahaH

He Who destroys the fear (of samsAra) in the mind of the devotee.
bhayApahAya namaH.
bhaya means fear. The verb apahan means 'to kill, to destroy'. bhaya-apahaH
means "One Who destroys fear". Both SrI BhaTTar and SrIvAsishTha refer
to the pANini sUtra 3.2.49 –ASishi hanaH, which declares that the affix Da is
added to the root han – to kill, with a sense of benediction ("May He remove
our fear").
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The ending 'ha' means 'to kill, to destroy' (from the verb han – to kill). Tha
pANini sUtra 3.2.50 – ape kleSa tamasoH states that the affix Da comes after
the verb han – to kill, when it is compounded with the preposition ap, and when
the object incomposition with it is the word kleSa – pain, or tamas –darkness.
The above sUtra leads to the words kleSApahaH – remover of pain, and
tamopahaH – remover of darkness. The current nAma bhayApahaH falls in a
similar category – remover of fear.

We studied the nAma bhaya-nASanaH (nAma 838 – Slokam 89), that has a
similar meaning. SrI BhaTTar explains the current nAma as – asmadAd
InAmapi sva-vAtsalyena tAdRSa anAthatva bhayam vadhyAt iti
ASamsanArhaH – By virtue of His love for His devotees, He can be relied upon
to dispel our fear that we have no Protector. He can be relied on to protect us
also just as He protected gajendra, and we can pray to Him for removing our
fear. SrI BhaTTar quotes – bhayemahati magnAnSca trAti nityam
janAradanaH –"JanArdana always protects those who are drowned in the great
fear (of samsAra)".

It is the trust that we can have in bhagavAn that He will surely protect us
without fail if we surrender to Him (mahA viSvAsam) that is emphasized in

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this nAma. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives examples from divya prabandham where
AzhvArs capture this guNa through the use of the word "namban" – One Who
can be trusted.

"nambanai naraSi'nganai"

(peiyAzhvAr tirumozhi 4.4.9)

"Lord nRsimha who can be trusted (to protect us)."

nambanE! …..Azhi mun Endi kamba-mA-kari kOL viDuttAnE!

(periyAzhvAr.5.1.9)

'He the Most Trustworthy One when it came to rakshaNam of the devotees!
He came with His cakra in His hand and relieved the pain and distress of the
great elephant gajendra."

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SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAanam is – bhayam samsAra-jam pumsAm apa-ghnan
bahayApahaH – He Who destroys the fear of repeated cycle of birth and
death in this world in the case of His devotees. (SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam
for the nAma 'bhaya-nASanaH' – Slokam 89, was that bhagavAn removes the
fear of those who follow the path of dharma. In other words, these followers
of dharma do not have any feeling of fear for anything, because bhagavAn
gives them the mental maturity to accept whatever comes as a natural result
of karma, and so they do not have any sorrow or fear of anything).

Sri rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that fear is the state that occurs as a
result of anticipation of some problem, and its effect and intensity is even
more severe and longer lasting than the problem itself. Those who trust in the
Lord do not have this fear, and when any problem does arise, they accept it. A
true devotee is one who sees pain and pleasure without any difference – that
is, he neither rejoices when something good happens, nor suffers when
something bad happens. This is revealed to us in several places in the gItA
(sukhaduhkha same kRtva .. 2.38; duhkeshvanudvigna manAHsukheshu vigata
spRhaH…2.56; etc.).

SrI kRshNan's anubhavam for the nAma is that bhagavAn not only removed

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 the fear of gajendra, but also that of the crocodile, which got the fear of the
curse removed on seeing bhagavAn.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the pATham 'byAvahaH', which has a similar
meaning (avahan – to strike away, to fend off.)

catur--aSraH
nAma 936. cturï> catur

a) One Who is skilled in all aspects.

b) One Who is fair to everybody.

c) One from whom wishes are asked for.

d) One Who pervades in all four directions.

e) One Who nourishes and feeds everything in all four directions

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f) One Who is worshipped by the knowledgeable people.

caturaSrAya namaH.
The term 'catur' refers to the number 4, and 'aSra' or 'aSri' means 'corner'.
catruasraH refers to the geometrical shape known as the square. The term has
been used by some vyAkhyAna kartA-s as a reference to "One Who is fair-
minded, or fair to everyone". SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as "One
Who deals squarely with all". The term catura also means "One Who is skilled"
– a reference to one's 'sAmarthya'. So He Who is skilled in all aspects is catr-
aSraH.

a) SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning "One Who is skilled in all aspects" as the
meaning for the nAma "catur-aSraH". SrImad ANDavan explains that
bhagavAn has this nAma indicating that He does whatever is appropriate in the
benefit of the devotee under any and all circumstances. In the current
context of gajendra moksham, He relieved the crocodile from it curse, He
fulfilled the desire of gajendra to perform flower kainkaryam to Him, and He
demonstrated to all of us that He will definitely protect those who surrender
to Him, all with His one act of responding to gajendra's call the way He did.
He could have taken care of the crocodile from SrI vaikunTham itself, but He

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did not do that. When gajendra screamed out for help, He rushed to the scene
even with all His ornaments not properly positioned – garjate gajAya jagAma.
And, He invited upon Himself great anger against the meager 'water-creature'
– kshudra jalakITAya cukrodha; all because of His extreme concern for His
devotee. Thus, all His actions are appropriate and consistent with His real
nature – 'kAkkumiyalvinan' according to nammAzhvAr – One Whose real nature
is that of protection.

Using the meaning 'cAturya', or skill for the word 'catur', SrI VeLukkuDi
kRshNan gives an example of bhagavAn's cAturyam from SrImad rAmAyaNam.
During vAli vadham, when vAli lies wounded by rAma's arrow, first he starts
accusing rAma of unfairly hitting him while hiding behind a tree. vAli and rAma
exchange some words, and at the end, just before dying, vAli praises rAma for
His righteousness. It is not easy to mortally wound someone, and then have him

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praise the one who is causing your death. This is clearly possible only for One
who is a caturasraH – skilled in all respects.

b) SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is – nyAya sama vetaH catur-aSraH – He Who

is just to everyone by distributing the fruits of their karma etc.

SrI ananta kRshna SAstry gives an elaborate list of examples and explanations
for the term catura (four) in the nAma:

1. dharma, artha, kAma and moksha; bhagavAn distributes these to the

deserving according to their karma-s.

2. The sacrificial fire is of four kinds – AhavanIya, gArhapatya, dakshiNa,

(the sources I have only refer to 'agni-traya, or three agni-s; so it is
unclear what the four fires are that are being referred to here).

3. He nourishes with food the four kinds of creatures – born of womb,

born of egg, born of sweat, and those that come out of earth.

4. He protects four kinds of people – the distressed, those desirous of

knowing Him, the desirers of wealth, and the wise ones.

5. He is known by the Siras of the four veda-s (i.e., by theUpanishad-s).

6. His command is obeyed in all four corners of the world.

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 c) SrI vAsishTha derives the nAma fromthe root cad – yAcane – to ask, and
the application of the uNAdi sUtra cater-uran (5.58), which states that the
affix uran comes after the root cat, giving the word 'catur'.

SrI vAsishTha gives the meaning "One who asks for something", or "One from
whom something is asked", to the term 'catur' – catati catyate vA iti – catur.

d) e) Alternately, SrI vAsishTha derives the meaning based on the root aS –

vyAptau sa'nghAte ca – to pervade, to accumulate; or aS –bhojane – to eat. The
meanings derived from these are: "catasro diSo aSnute caturaSraH" - One
Who pervades in all four directions, or "catasRshu dikshu sthitAnAm
prANinAm bhojanasya dAtA iti vishNuH" – One Who nourishes and feeds
everything in all four directions.

f) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as – caturaiH SrIyate

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=sevyate iti catur-aSraH – He Who is worshipped by those who have the

knowledge to understand His greatness.

nAma 937. gÉIraTma gabhIrAtmA

He of deep and profound nature.

gabhIrAtmane namaH.
SrI vAsishTha indicates the derivation of the nAma based on the uNAdi sUtra
4.35 – gabhIra gambhIrau – The affix Iran comes after the root gam – gatau-
to go, and the 'm' gets changed to 'bh', leading to the word gabhIra. This has
the same meaning as gambhIra, which means 'deep' (amara koSa has 'nimnam,
gabhIram, gambhIram…' as equivalent words). The term 'AtmA' here refers to
'sva-rUpa' or inherent nature.

SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as "One who has a deep and profound
nature",that is beyond the understanding of even the likes of brahmA and
others – anyeshAm catur-mukha-mukhAnAm apradhRshya gAmbhIryaH
gabhIrAtmA.

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan explains the nAma as One Who is of such

depth* (like an ocean) that nothing and no one can disturb or perturb Him in

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anyway.

SrI kRshNan adds that Siva who was fortunate enough to have borne the
SrIpAda tirtham of bhagavAn (in the form of ga'ngA) in his head, or brahmA
who is the best among those who have been endowed with knowledge (brahma
vidAm varaH), are not able to see His true nature eventhough they have been
performing penance for this for a long, long time. He refers us to toNDaraDip
poDi AzhvAr:

peN ulAm SaDaiyinAnum piramanum unnaikkANbAn eN ilA Uzhi Uzhi tavam

SeidAr veLgi niRpa …..

(tirumAlai 44)

nammAzhvAr points out that brahmA can know things that he created, but
cannot have full knowledge of all things that existed long before he was

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created. Thus, his knowledge of the One who created all the things including
brahmA, is not totally within his comprehension:

Surar aRi arul nilai tiruvAi.1.1.8

uNarndu uNarndu uNarilum iRai nilai uNarvaduaridu uyirgAL

(tiruvAi.1.3.6)

In fact, bhagavAn is One whose greatness is such that even He cannot know it

tanakkum tan tanmai aRivaRiyAn.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives several supports from divya prabandham:

kaTkariya piraman Sivan indiran enRuivarkkum kaTkariakaNNanai….

(tiruvAi. 7.7.1)

"We humans cannot see, with our physical eyes, the likes of brahmA, Siva,and
indra. Exactly in the same manner, they also cannot see my Lord kRshNa".

tirumAl! nAnmugan, Se'n-caDaiyAn enRuivargaL en perumAntanmiyai yAr

aRigiRpAr? pESi en?….

(tiruvAi. 8.3.9)

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 "Oh Lord who is always associated with SrI or Lakshmi! The likes of brahma
and Siva are incapable of fathoming Your true greatness. Where is the need to
even discuss this limitation of theirs?

ArE aRivAr – anaittu ulagum uNDuumizhnda pEr AzhiyAn tan perumaiyai?

KAr SeRinda kaNDattAn eN-kaNNAn kANAn avan vaittapaNDait-tAnattin pati.

(nAnmugan tiruvan. 73)

"Who can comprehend the greatness of emperumAn who is like the deep
ocean,and who swallowed all the Universes at the time of pralaya, and then spit
them out at the time of creation? No one! The eight- eyed brahmA (four-
faced), and Siva who has the blue neck (because he swallowed the poison), do
not even know the greatness of the surest means to reach Him – the carama
Sloka.
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Sage vAlmIki describes Lord rAma as "samudra iva gAmbhIrye" - "deep as the
Ocean"; bhagavAn conceals His greatness such that even the deva-s can't
easily recognize His greatness without deep devotion.

SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is – AtmA= svarUpam cittam vA gabhIram

paricchettuma-Sakyam asya iti gabhIrAtmA – He Whose true form or mind is
unfathomable.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri elaborates that His mind is such that He never gets
disturbed easily, and does not easily reveal what is in His mind, as He considers
pros and cons of everything deeply.

SrI cinmayAnanda describes the unfathomable nature of bhagavAn through

the following words: "One Who, in His Real Nature, is too deep to be fathomed
by the frail instrument of our mind. Depth here indicates profoundness – the
Supreme Essence pervading the Universe is unfathomably profound in its
significance and glory."

SrI vAsishTha gives interpretations based on the root gam – gatau- to go:
gacchati gamyate = prApyate anena – He because of Whom everything is
attained, or, 'gacchanti = prApnuvanti, dhyAyanti prArthayante vA

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sagabhIraH' - He Who is the object of attainment, meditation or worship, is
gabhIraH. He is also gabhIraH since He makes everything move – gacchati =
gamana-SilaH; He makes even the sthAvara-s such as plants, trees etc. move
through death or decay.

nAma 938. ividz> vidiSah

a) One Whose nature, forms, and qualities are spread out in all directions.

b) One Who can be reached from all directions.

c) He Who bestows all benefits on His devotees.

d) He Who pervades everywhere, and is in everything, in all directions.

e) He Who is the cause of happiness for the knowers (of Brahman) – based on
vid – to know.

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f) He Who has revealed all SAstra-s in elaborate detail.
vidiSAya namaH.
This nAma and the next two nAma-s all have root diS in them in one form or
another (vidiSaH, vyAdiSaH, diSaH). The root has different meanings –
direction, order or command, dAnam or bestowing, etc. The different
interpreters use different permutations of these meanings in their
interpretations for the three nAma-s.

SrI vAsishTha indicates the root for the nAma as diS – atisarjane – to grant,
to allow (atisarjanam = dAnam). He takes vi - as an upasarga,meaning 'vividah' –
of different types.

a) SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is: "teshAmvinaya gadgada stutigirAm asyadUre

vividhA diSAH deSAH iti vidiSaH" – He Who is far above everything, and
beyond the reach of words. BhagavAn is One Whose nature, forms, and
qualities are immeasurable, as if they are spread out in space in all directions.
Even when the deva-s seek Him by praising Him in moving words, still His
kalyANa guNa-s are far beyond their reach.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives references from divya prabandham in support:

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 nAt tazhumba nAnmuganum IsanumAimuRaiyAl Etta

(periya tirumozhi 1.7.8)

While the four-headed brahmA and Siva praise Him till their tongues gets
scars, (He does not reveal Himself to them; instead, He becomes pratyaksham
to devotees like prahlAda etc.).

Sivanum piramanum kANAdu aru mAl eydi aDi parava aruLai IndaammAnE

(tiruvAi. 10.7.6)

Siva and brahmA are not in a position to comprehend the Lord in full, but still
they pay homage to Him in humility and devotion, and the Lord does protect
them in times of need; (but without any prayer, He shows grace to the whole
universe at the time of pralaya by protecting all the jIva-s in His stomach).
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dAmOdaran uruvAgiya Sivarkkum tiSai mugarkkum AmO taram aRiyaemmAnai

(tiruvAi. 2.7.12)

All the different Siva-s and brahmA-sthatare created in the different yuga-s
are but bodies of dAmOdaran, and they are incapable of realizing the full
greatness of emperumAn.

However, emperumAn whose greatness is far beyond the reach of the likes of
brahmA and Siva, comes readily and willingly to help gajendra just at the mere
cry of distress from him.

b) SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan explains that the nAma signifies that

bhagavAn can be reached by calling Him from far and wide – vividhAH
diSAdeSAH yasya sa vidiSaH.

c) SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as "One Who bestows diverse fruits on
deserving persons based on their diverse karma-s" - vividhAni phalAni
adhikAribhyo viSesheNa diSati iti vidiSah (based on diS – atisarjane – to
grant).

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj's interpretation is also along the same lines –
viSesheNa diSati = dadAtibhaktebhyaH abhIshTam iti vi-diSaH – He Who

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bestows the desired objects to His devotees.

SrI cinmayAnanada echoes the same interpretation: "One Who is unique in His
giving". He is divinely liberal, magnificently benevolent in fulfilling the earnest
desires of all His true devotees.

d) SrI vAsishTha comments that the nAma also signifies that bhagavAn
pervades everything, everywhere, in all directions, and there is no place where
He is not present.

e) SrI satya sandha tIrtha looks at the nAma as vidi-SaH, and derives the
meaning based on vid – to know, and Sam – sukham: vidiSi = j~nAniniSam =
sukham yasmAt sa vidi-SaH – He Who is the cause of happiness in those who
are knowledgeable (about Brahman).

f) SrI raghunAtha tIrtha explains the nAma as "vi = atiSayena, diSati =

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upadiSati iti vidiSaH" – He Who shows in a special way (referring to bhagavAn
showing the procedures for performance of sacrifices etc. very clearly - vi =
atiSayena ya~jna kriyA prakArAn diSati = upadiSatiiti vidiSaH). The
explanation can equally apply to His revelation of all the SAstra-s and the
codes of conduct.

nAma 939. Vyaidz> vyAdiSaH

a) He Who appoints the different gods in their respective positions.

b) He Who bestows different benefits on devotees based on their karma-s.

c)He Who gives directions to the different gods as appropriate.

vyAdiSAya namaH.
'vyAdiS' means 'to distribute, to divide among, to appoint, dispatch to any
place or duty, direct, order, command' (Monier-Williams). The word AdeSa
means "command, instruction". The explanation of the nAma can be derived
based on either of the above.

a) SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as "One Who establishes the likes of
brahmA and rudra in their respective functions" – teshAm abhimatam tat-tat-

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 padam atisRjati iti vyAdiSaH (teshAm here refers back to nAma 937, where
SrI BhaTTar refers to brahmA and rudra).

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi 5.2.8, where AzhvAr

refers to bhagavAn being the One who establishes the deva-s in their
respective positions:

iRukkum iRai iRuttu uNNa ev-ulagukkumtan mUrti niRuttinAn daiva'ngaLAga ad-

daiva nAyagan tAnE …

(tiruvAi. 5.2.8)

"In order to accommodate the people with different tastes for worship,
bhagavAn formed the anya devatA-s from His body, and established them in
their various positions so that offerings can be made to them, which ultimately
reach Him. So it is none other than bhagavAn who established the lower
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deities in their various positions, so that they can collect offerings from their
respective devotees, and pass them on to Him".

b) SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan explains the nAma as "viSesheNa AdiSati iti

vyAdiSaH" – He Who bestows the benefits to the different deities etc., as
they deserve, according to their karma-s.

SrI kRshNan uses a different version for Sri BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam than the
ones found in the available publications, but the interpretation is enjoyable as
an illustration of one more of bhagavAn's guNa-s: tat tat abhimata deSam
sRjati iti vyAdiSaH – He Who bestows whatever is desired by the devotees.
He explains that in the case of gajendra moksham episode, gajendra got what
he wanted, namely the opportunity to offer the lotus flower at the Feet of
emperumAn; the crocodile got its curse removed; BhagavAn Himself had the
chance to demonstrate once more that for Him, the protection of His devotee
is the most important thing He is concerned about; all of us get our sins
removed by thinking of and listening to this episode. Thus, with one act, He has
given His blessings in one form or the other to everyone.

Sri kRshNan gives bhagavAn's vAmana incarnation as another example: To

start with, bhagavAn Himself was satisfied that He fulfilled indra's wish;

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indra was satisfied that he got his wish fulfilled; mahAbali was happy that he
got the chance to give dAnam to mahA vishNu Himself; everyone in all the
worlds got the blessings of His Holy Feet; The AzhvAr-s are happy that they
got to sing the praise the Holy Feet that accomplished so much for the
devotees; and the SAstra-s themselves were happy that bhagavAn proved
their declaration that all the worlds belong to Him.

SrI satya devo vAsishTha uses the root diS – atisarjane – to grant, to allow
(atisarjanam = dAnam), and explains the nAma as "vividham AsamantAt diSati =
dadAti iti vyAdiSaH – He Who bestows diverse benefits on devotees from all
directions is vidiSaH.

c) SrI Sa'nkara vyAkhyAnam is –"vividhAm A~jnAm SakrAdInAm

kurvanvyAdiSaH" – He Who gives to indra and other deities directions,

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according to their varied functions.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj derives the nAma as: "viSesheNa AdiSati =
A~jnApayatiiti vyAdiSaH" – He Who commands in s special way (because
everyone and everything is under His command, and there is no exception, it is
'command in a special way).

SrI bala deva vidyA bhUshaN explains the nAma as – "vividhAn

adhikArAntasya AdiSati = A`jnApayati adhikAriNi tasmin evam eva ucitamiti
bhAvaH" – He gives orders or commands to the different deva-s as deemed
appropriate.

SrI cinmayAnanada explains the nAma as "One Who is unique in His

commanding Power. One Who orders even the phenomenal powers, the deities
and the gods".

SrI satya sandha tIrtha explains the nAma as "viSesheNa AdiSati =

A`jnApayatiiti vidiSaH" – One Who has unique and special commanding power.

nAma 940. idz> diSaH

He Who commands.
diSAya namaH.

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 SrI Bhattar uses the meaning 'command' for the word diSa in explaining this
nAma. In addition to establishing the likes of brahmA and rudra in their
positions, bhagavAn also commands and controls them in their proper functions.
This is unlike His treatment of devotees such as gajendra, who are treated
with a much closer intimacy - na tAn gajendravat antara'ngI karoti, kim tu
Aj~nApayatiiti diSaH.

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan explains that prapanna-s such as gajendra are

the object of His love, whereas the karma-vaSya-s (those who are subject to
the effects of their karma-s) such as brahmA, rudra etc. are the objects of
His command.

SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as "diSati = Aj~nApayati veda mukhenaviSva

nibandhanena ca, evam kartavyam evam na iti diSaH" – He Who ordains through
the veda-s the ways in which things should be done, and ways in which things
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should not be done.

Sri Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is – samastAnAm karmaNAm phalAni diSan

vedAtmanAdiSaH. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri interprets the nAma as signifying
that bhagavAn shows, in the form of the veda-s, what is good and to be
followed, and what is bad and to be avoided. (This would use the meaning diS –
to direct, to show).

SrI T.S.Krishnamoorthy translates SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam as: "One Who,

in the form of the veda-s, bestows on different beings the fruits of all their
ritualistic actions". This translation probably uses the meaning diS – atisarjane
– to grant, to allow (atisarjanam = dAnam).

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as – diSati = dadAti

karmaphalam iti diSaH – He Who gives the fruits of karma to the jIva-s.

SrI cinamyAnanada captures the same sense in his explanation: "One Who
advises and gives knowledge. Lord nArAyaNa, in the form of the Sruti texts,
gives to man the knowledge of the Self".

SrI raghunAtha tirtha explains the nAma as 'diSyate = bhaktaiH pRcchyateiti

diSaH' – He Who is sought after or enquired into by the devotees, is diSaH.

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In the beginning of nAma 938, it was pointed out that the nAma-s vidiSaH,
vyAdiSaH, and diSah had similar roots. It is interesting to look at how some of
the well-known vyAkhyAna-kartA-s have approached the interpretation of the
three nAma-s while avoiding repetition in interpretation.

SrI BhaTTar avoids redundancy in the three nAma-s (vidiSaH, vyAdiSaH,

anddiSaH) by giving the following interpretations: vidiSaH – He Whose nature,
forms and qualities are spread out beyond description in all directions or
everywhere (diSaH – direction?). vyAdiSaH – He Who has established the
different gods in their different posts (vyAdiS – to appoint). diSaH – He Who
commands (diS – to command).

SrI Sa'nkara has given the followinginterpretations:

vidiSaH – One Who distributes different fruits of action to persons according

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to their karma (diSati = dadAti; diS = dAnam). vyAdiSaH – He Who gives
directions to indra and othersaccording to their various functions. diSaH – He
Who bestows fruits for the variousritualistic actions specified in the veda-s.

SrI satya sandha tIrtha: vidiSaH – He Who bestows sukham orhappiness to

brahma j~nAni- s (vid – to know, a reference to j~nAni-s). vyAdiSaH – He Who
gives commands in a unique and special way (i.e.,everything is under His
command). diSaH – He Who transfer knowledge of dharma through analogy –
dharma j~nAna atideSanAt diSaH. (vid – atisarjane– to grant, to allow).

SrI satya devo vAsishTha:

1. vidiSaH – He Who pervades everything and everywhere in all directions.

2. vyAdiSaH – He Who bestows fruits in various forms from al ldirections.

3. diSaH – He Who gives instructions on do's and don't's in theform of

vedic injunctions.

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 Slokam 101
AnaidÉURÉuRvae lúmI> suvIrae éicra¼d>,

jnnae jnjNmaid> ÉImae ÉImpra³m>. 101.

anAdir bhUrbhuvO lakshmIh suvIrO rucirAngadah |
jananO janajanmAdih bhImO bhImaparAkramah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 941. Anaid> anAdiH

a) He Who is not realized by many because of their ignorance etc.

b) He Who has no beginning.

anAdaye namaH.
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SrI vAsishTha derives the nAma from the root dA – dAne – to give, and gives
the interpretation "na AdIyate iti anAdiH" – He Who is not easily attained.
The word Adi means 'beginning'. One interpretation for the nAma is "He Who
is beginningless".

a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as – taiH anyaparaiH na svAmitvena

AdIyate iti anAdiH – He Who is not realized by the likes of brahmA and rudra
as their Lord.

SrI SrImushNam ANDavan explains the nAma as "na dIyate iti AnadiH" – He
Who does not give Himself to the non- devotees. SrI BhaTTar comments: evam
tiryakshvapi bahkteshuvivaSaH; brahmAdishu phalgu phalameva prayacchati –
He gives Himself to the complete control of animals such as gajendra, but
when it comes to the likes of brahmA and rudra, He gives them only meager
fruits. He does not bestow the same level of benefits on the likes of brahmA
and rudra as He does on His dear devotees. He gives Himself freely to the
likes of gajendra, who have surrendered to Him. But He does not give the likes
of brahmA and rudra the same benefits, namely the ability to realize Him and
reach Him, as He bestows on devotees such as gajendra, and so He is anAdiH.

SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan comments that even though brahmA and rudra obey

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the Lord, it is not necessarily out of love, but more out of fear (because of
bhIti rather than prIti). BhagavAn is bound by prIti, and not by bhIti, and so
the likes of gajendra can attain Him easily, whereas the likes of brahmA and
rudra don't stand a chance. BhagavAn is not realized as the Supreme Deity by
the likes of brahmA and rudra; they rush to Him only when they are in danger,
and need His help. At other times, they long after other benefits, such as
their positions, rather than devoting their efforts to attaining Him. Thus,
bhagavAn is called anAdiH also because He is not realized by many as the
Supreme Deity.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri expresses the thought as "One Who is not accepted
by those who are driven by pride and haughtiness (Serukku)".

SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as: "na AdIyate iti anAdiH" – He Who is not

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'given' to us though our mind, indirya-s etc. na AdIyate = gRhyate sa-
manaskaiH j~nAnendriyaiH karmendriyaiSca itianAdiH. The meaning is that He
is not accessible to us through the means of the mind and indirya-s.

b) SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning 'beginning' for the word 'Adi', and gives the
interpretation – AdiH = kAraNam asya na vidyata itianAdiH, sarva kAraNatvAt
– He Who is beginningless, because He is the cause of everything.

An alternate interpretation by SrI vAsishTha is – na AdIyate = svIkriyate

svodbhavAya ki'ncit aparam nimitta kAraNam anena so anAdiH – He Who does
not need any other cause for His being, is anAdiH – in other words, One Who
existed before anything else existed.

bhUr--bhuvaH
nAma 942. ÉUÉuRv> bhUr

a) He Who is the abode of those who really live (by realizing their relation to
the Lord).

b) He Who supports that which supports all (namely, the earth).

c) He Who exists in Himself (with no other support).

d) He Who is the Source of all knowledge.

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 bhuvo-bhuve namaH.
SrI vAsishTha derives the nAma from the root bhU – sattAyAm – to be, to
live. Based on the declension of the noun bhU, the first part, bhU, is
interpreted as 'AdhAra - support', and the second part, bhuvaH, is taken as
the 6th case – the genitive case, giving the meaning for 'bhuvaH = of the
support". SrI vAsishTha's explanation is: prathamo bhU Sabda AdhAra
vAcakaH prathamAnto, dvitIyaSca shashThyantaH pRthivI vAcakaH. In other
words, bhagavAn bhuvaH bhUH – The Support of all supports. The different
interpretations can be viewed on the basis of this meaning.

a) SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as: "bhavati iti bhUH – svadAsya j~nAnena
AtmalAbhavAn; tasya bhuvaH, svayameva bhUH = padam iti bhUr-bhuvaH" – A
person who has the correct knowledge that he is the servant of the Lord and
that the Lord is the Master, is one who is bhU – one who really lives. For that
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person, bhagavAn is an Abode or the Support - (bhU), and so He is referred to

as bhUr-bhuvaH.

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan explains that bhagavAn is bhUmi (support) for

those who have the dAsya j~nAna, namely the knowledge and realization that
they are always His dAsa-s, as their bhUmi. In other words, He is the Support
for those that are followers of bhakti yoga, prapatti yoga, etc.

b) SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma as "bhuvo'pi bhUH" – He Who supports the
Earth, which itself supports everything else.

SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as "bhavanti asyAm iti bhUH – pRthivI;
tasyA bhUH – AdhAraH" – He is the Support of the earth, and so He is bhUr-
bhuvaH. He is also the Creator as well as the Sustainer of everything -
bhuvayor bhAvayitA = utpAdako mUlAdhAraH sa bhUr-bhuvaucyate.

c) SrI vAsishTha gives the alternate interpretation – svayam svasmin bhavati

it bhUr-bhuvaH – He Who exists in Himself is bhUr-bhuvaH. In other words,
there is nothing else which is the cause for His existence, or for His creation.

d) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvaj gives the interpretation – bhuvaH –

prapa'ncasya, bhUH – udgamaH (creation, sustenance etc.), bhuvo bhUH. He

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gives the alternate interpretation – bhuva itij~nAnam, tasya bhUH = udbhava
iti bhuvo bhUH – He Who is the source or Origin of knowledge. He refers to
the gItA Slokam 15.15 in support:

sarvasya cAham hRdi sannivishTo

mattaH smRtir-j~nAnam apohanam ca |

(gItA 15.15)

"I am seated in the hearts of all.

From Me are memory, knowledge, and their removal as well".

nAma 943. lúmI> lakshmIH

The Wealth.

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lakshmyai namaH.
SrI BhaTTar comments that bhagavAn has this nAma signifying that He alone
is all the wealth for His devotees – teshAm lakshmIH – sarvA sampat ca. He
gives examples from the rAmAyaNa and the mahAbhArata:

bhavad-gatam ca me rAjyam jIvitam ca sukhAni ca

(yuddha. 19.6)

(vibhIshaNa says to Lord rAma): "My kingdom, my life and my happiness are all
centered in You".

kRshNASrayAH kRshNa balAH kRshNa nAthASca pANDavAH |

kRshNaH parAyaNam teshAm jyotishAmiva candramA ||

(droNa. 183.24)

"For the pANDava-s, SrI kRshNa is the sole support. kRshNa is their strength,
and kRshNa is their protector. SrI kRshNa is their sole Lord, even as the moon
is to the stars".

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers to nammAzhvAr's pASuram in support:

… SElEy kaNNiyarum perum Selvamum nan makkaLum mElAt tAi tandaiyarum

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 avarE iniAvArE. (tiruvAi. 5.1.8)

"Beautiful damsels that one loves here, money and affluence, offspring on
which one dotes, much-praised mother and father are, hereafter, for me none
except my Lord. He is ALL to me".

SrI kRshnan explains the nAma as "One Who has all the wealth for giving away
to the devotees, One Who is endowed with limitless wealth; One Who has
lakshmi Herself as His Consort". In addition, He is Himself the wealth for the
devotees who seek Him and nothing else. SrI kRshNan gives additional support
from SrImad rAmAyaNam:

na deva lokAkramaNam na amaratvam aham vRNe |

aiSvaryam vA vilokAnAm rAmaye na tvayA vinA || (lakshmaNa)

"There is no lordship, no eternal life, no great victory in this world, no wealth

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of any kind that I wish in this world; all I wish for is for You, My Lord rAma".

sneho me paramo rAjan tvayi nityam pratishThitaH |

bhaktiSca niyatA vIrA bhAvo nAnyatra gacchati || (hanuman)

"My mind does not seek anything except eternal and constant devotion to You;
all I wish for eternal service-minded dedication to You".

en amudinaik kaNDa kaNgaL maRRu onRinaik kANAvE || (tiruppANAzhvAr)

"My eyes that have seen my sweet Nectar, the Lord of SrIra'ngam, will never
see anything else ever again".

ic-cuvai taviRa yAn pOi ac-cuvai perinum vENDEn ara'nga mA nagar uLAnE

(toNDaraDippoDi)

"When I have this taste of enjoying You right here and now, My Lord
ra'nganAtha! I will not trade this even for the taste of the after - life in SrI
vaikunTham".

SrI Sa'nkara gives a few combinations of the three words bhUH, bhuvaH, and
lakshmIH, and gives interpretations for these combinations. We saw the

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interpretation for one of these combinations - bhUr-bhuvaH in the previous
nAma. Now he proceeds to give two other combinations: bhuvo-lakshmIH, and
bhUr-bhuvo- lakshmIH

1. bhuvo lakshmIH: SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning "SobhA" – splendor,

for the word lakshmI, and gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is not
only the Support for the earth (previous nAma), but He is also the
splendor of the earth – na kevalam asau bhUH bhuvaH, lakshmIH SobhA
ca iti bhuvolakshmIH. (bhuvaH – of the earth, lakshmIH – splendor).

2. bhUr-bhuvo-lakshmIH - "One Who is in the form of the beauty

(lakshmIH) of this earth (bhUH), and of the firmament (bhuvaH) –
bhUmi antarikshayoH SobhA itibhUr-bhuvo-lakshmIH. In other words,
He is One Who illumines the earth and the firmament.

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An alternate interpretation he gives for the nAma taken as bhUr-bhuvo-
lakshmIH is "He Who is in the form of this earth (BhUH), the firmament
(bhuvaH), and Atma vidyA – the science of Atman (lakshmIH)". Here Sri
Sa'nkara gives the meaning "Atma vidyA" or the science of Atman to the word
'lakshmIH', based on vishNu purANam 1.9.118, where Lakshmi is praised as
Atma vidyA – Atma vidyA ca devitvam. The idea is that Lakshmi and bhagavAn
are the Ones who give Atma vidyA or the knowledge of the Self to the seeker.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that the nAma is of feminine gender, and
denotes that bhagavAn is One Who is always associated with Goddess Lakshmi,
and in fact She never leaves Him ever, and is always residing in His vaksha
sthalam. When bhagavAn takes incarnations, She always accompanies Him; for
instance, when He took incarnation as rAma, She took incarnation as SitA, and
when He took incarnation as kRshNa, She came as rukmiNi. Thus, She is
inseparable from Him, and it is this duality together that we should worship.
We have the well-known pASuram of nammAzhvAr:

agalakillEn iRaiyum enRu alarmEl ma'ngai uRai mArbA! nigar il pugazhAi ulagam
mUnRuuDaiyAi, ennai AlvAnE!…

(tiruvAi. 6.6.10)

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 "O! Lord of tiruvE'nkaTam! You rule over me, and You in fact own all the things
in all the three worlds. Your kIrti (fame) is beyond compare to anything. Our
Mother, alarmEl ma'ngai (mahA lakshmi), resides in Your vaksha sthalam
(Divine chest), declaring that She is ever inseparable from You, and will never
ever leave Her rightful place with You".

The nAma thus signifies that bhagavAn is ever associated with the qualities of
beauty, fame, splendor, wealth, and in fact the fullness of all auspicious
qualities, that are signified by Goddess lakshmi.

SrI cinmayAnanda captures the idea that bhagavAn is the Sole source of all
that is good and beautiful in this universe through the following words: "If
Self were not, then all would have been inert, unborn, dead. As the One Life
everywhere, as Pure Existence, all the glories of this dynamic Universe are in
Him and from Him alone".
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SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj derives his interpretation starting from the root
laksha – darSanA'nkanayoH – to notice, to define, to regard; or alternatively,
the root laksh – Alocane – to perceive, to observe. His interpretations are:

1. lakshayati = darSayati niratiSaya vAtsalyam iti lakshmIH – He Who

shows vAtsalyam (affection) that is beyond description, to His devotee.

2. lakshayati a'nkam Aropayati bhakta putrAn itilakshmIH, jaganmAtA –

Refers to jagan mAtA, mahA lakshmi, Who ensures that Her children
who are devoted to the divyadampati, are safely on His lap. (In previous
nAma-s, we have described how a jIva who becomes a mukta jIva
ultimately reaches SrIvaikunTham, and how, finally, the jIva climbs the
snake bed of bhagavAn and pirATTi, and is affectionately seated on the
lap of emperumAn). Since bhagavAn and piraTTi are inseparable in all
respects, the nAma lakshmIH, which normally refers to our Mother, is
also a reference to Him simultaneously.

Using the meaning laksh – Alocane, the alternate interpretation is – lakshayati

= Alocayati sva-janAnAm vipat-sarita uddhArasya upAyAn iti lakshmIH – He
Who shows the means to the devotee on how to overcome the obstacles

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encountered in samsAra which is full of impediments to reaching Him.

SrI satya sandha tIrtha uses the same root – laksh – darSanA'nkayoH – to
regard, and gives the interpretation: lakshayatipuNyakRto, lakshayate
puNyakRtbhiH iti vA lakshmIH. BhagavAn is called lakshmIH since He regards
those who are endowed with good virtues as His treasure, or because He is
regarded as the Supreme Lord by the virtuous.

SrI vAsishTha uses the same root in his interpretation as well, and explains
the nAma as – lakshayati = darSayati iti lakshmIH – He Who makes those who
are endowed with lakshmI – wealth, beauty, etc., shine distinguishably. In fact,
He, in the form of lakshmI, is present everywhere and pervades everything,
and makes all things known. He gives the example of the Sun, which is visible
from a vast distance away, because he has endowed the Sun with the SobhA or

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splendor.

nAma 944. suvIr> suvIraH

a) He Who possesses great valor.

b) He Who has auspicious movements.

c) He Who is accessible to us through different paths.

d) One Who, in His kRshna incarnation, was associated with various other
auspicious vIra-s.
suvIrAya namaH.
Interpretations have been given based on the words vIra – One Who is
valorous, and also based on the root Ir – gatau – to go. In the latter
interpretation, su - and vi - are treated as upasarga-s orprepositions (su -
meaning 'good', and vi – meaning vividha – various, per SrI satya devo
vAsishTha).

The related nAma – vIraH, has been described in Sloka-s 43 (nAma402), and
70 (nAma 664). The reader is referred to the detailed write-ups under both
these nAma-s in addition to the current write-up.

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 a) SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning 'valorous' for the term 'vIra', and explains
the nAma as "One Who is valorous in defending His devotees from their
downfall, and retrieving those who have had a downfall – teshAm vinipAta
pratIkAraH.

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan explains the nAma as "SobhanaH vIraH yaH

saH su-vIraH" – He Who is a highly desirable vIra is su-vIra.

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to tiruvAimozhi 3.2.3, where nammAzhvAr praises

the valor of Lord kRshNa in conducting the mahA bhArata war without even
participating directly as a warrior in the war.

kollA mAk-kOl kolai Seidu bhAratap-pOr ellAc-cEnaiyum iru nilattu aLitta

endAi! (tiruvAi. 3.2.3)

BhagavAn uses the stick that He used for directing the horses of the chariot,
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and though this stick itself could not kill, He still used it so skillfully that
arjuna was able to finish the task that He wanted to get fulfilled, and reduced
the bhU-bhAram or the load on the earth by destroying the fighters of both
sides.

SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as SobhanA = saralA, vividhA ca IraH =

gatiH yasya, sa suvIraH – He Who has beautiful, elegant, gait that is displayed
in various forms. Even though SrI vAsishTha does not refer to the different
gati-s of bhagavAn such as the gaja gati, simha gati, vyAghra gati, sarpa gati
etc., one is immediately reminded of these beautiful gati-s that one is given to
enjoy during our temple processions of emperumAn from temple chambers to
the outside and back. SrI vAsishTha gives the example of bhagavAn
manifesting Himself beautifully in various forms such as dakshiNAyana,
uttarAyaNa, etc.

SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan distinguishes between three types of vIra-s: vIra,

SUra, parAkrama. VIra is one who does not get disturbed by the might of the
opposition; Sura is one who gets inside the army of the opposition and destroys
the opposition without a trace; parAkrama is the quality wherein there is no
harm or injury to the fighter in the process of fighting. SrI kRshNan

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comments that through this nAma, bhagavAn's vIra, Saurya and parAkrama
are all described. If one were to ask why this great term 'su-vIra' needs to be
invoked in the context of His killing this small creature in the form of a
crocodile, SrI kRshNan notes that whether it is a small creature like the
crocodile or a big creature like rAvaNa, for bhagavAn what counts is that it is
an enemy of His devotee. Once this is established, He displays His guNa of
being a su-vIra in defending His devotee, no matter how insignificant this
creature is.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as – Shobano vIraHparakramI

iti su-vIraH.

b) SrI Sa'nkara uses the root Ir – to go, in his interpretation – SobhaNa

vividhA IrAH = gatayo yasya sa suvIraH – He Who has various auspicious

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movements.

SrI ananta kRshna SAstry elaborates that the different movements referred
to here are His occupying the hearts of the yogin-s, His being in the Sun's
disc, in the Milky Ocean, etc.

SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as: "One Who moves through various
ways which are all divinely glorious; Or, One Who exhibits in all His
incarnations the inimitable splendor of valor in His actions and achievements".

c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri uses the same root Ir, and explains that
bhagavAn has this nAma signifying that He is accessible to us through
different means (e.g., bhakti, prapatti).

d) SrI bala deva vidyA bhUsahN interprets the nAma as One, Who, in His
kRshna incarnation, was associated with many vIra-s alongside Him is su-vIraH
– tataH samAgateshu sakhishu suvIraH SobhanAH SrIdAmasubhadrAdayaH
svatulyA vIrA yasya sa su-vIraH.

Given that bhIshma had already described bhagavAn's guNa of vIrya through
two references to this guNa earlier (in Sloka-s 43 and 70), the question arises
as to why He is now describing another guNa - 'su-vIraH'. One way to
appreciate this subtlety is to realize that the nAma vIra was interpreted as a

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 reference to His parAkrama in His encounters with His enemies in general. As
we saw in the study of the nAma vIra-hA (nAma-s 168, 747, 927), vIra-s
(those endowed with valor or the skill to defeat opponents) are of two kinds:
good and bad. BhagavAn's nAma of vIra that we studied in Sloka-s 43 and 70
refer to His guNa of vIra in containing the bad vIra-s who use their vIrya in
committing extensive atrocities and a-dharma in general, by curtailing these
evil vIra-s in their root. Thus, bhagavAn destroys the 'vIra-s' who win at any
cost, either by using fallacious arguments in their disputations in philosophical
discussions, or by using their strength for wrong and a-dharmic causes (such as
'vIra-s' like rAvaNa in committing atrocities against the followers of the
righteous path). The nAma su-vIrah that we are studying currently, is a special
class of this quality of emperumAn, and describes the use of this guNa by Him
in ensuring that His devotees who encounterany obstacle will in the end come
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out of it auspiciously, with His help and support. In other words, the current
nAma describes His guNa of ensuring auspiciousness to His devotees under all
circumstances.

nAma 945. éicra¼d> rucirA'ngadaH

a) He Who bestows His lovely form for His devotees to enjoy.

b) He Who gives a beautiful body to those who are devoted (e.g., to the hunch-
backed woman).

c) He Who is adorned with beautiful shoulder ornaments (a'ngada-s).

d) He Who has given elegant means for all creatures to move about.
rucirA'ngadAya namaH.
a) The meaning of the nAma can be easily comprehended if we look at the
nAma in terms of the individual words comprising the nAma: rucira-anga-daH.
SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as 'ruciram = ati-manoharam, anubhava
bhogyam a'ngam dadAti iti ricirA'ngadaH' – He Who bestows His lovely form
to His devotees which is fit to be enjoyed very much. SrI BhaTTar quotes
from the jitante stotram in support (this has been referenced in nAma 923 as

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well)

na te rUpam na cAkAro nAyudhAni na cAspadam |

tathA'pi purushAkAro bhaktAnAm prakASase ||

"Neither Your divya Atma svarUpam, nor Your divya ma'ngaLa vigraham, nor
for that matter Your weapons, or Your own SrI vaikunTham, are for Your
benefit (they are all for Your devotees' benefit, and thus You are not
independent, but You are the possession of Your devotees). Even so, You shine
as the Supreme Being".

BhagavAn has a divya ma'ngaLa vigraham (tirumEni) that is absolutely

delectable to His devotees. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's
tiruvAimozhi, where AzhvAr describes bhagavAn's tirumEni in more than one
pASuram:

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Sev-vAi undi veN paL SUDark kuzhai tammODu evvAic cuDarum tammil mun
vaLAik koLLa Sev-vAi muruvalODu enadu uLLattu irunda avvAi anRi yAn aRiyEn
maRRaruLE.

(tiruvAi. 8.7.7)

"I am truly enchanted by the reddish lips, the beautiful navel, the shining row
of teeth, the lustrous ear ornaments, all competing with one another in
encircling me and enslaving me. But the most successful of them all is the
blossoming smile in the red lips, through which the Lord communicates His
message with me while in my heart. Nothing else can equal this grace".

kaNgaL Sivandu periyavAi, vAyum Sivandu kanindu, uLLE veN pal ilagu SuDar
ilagu vilagu makara kuNDalattan koNDal vaNNan SuDar muDiyan nAngu tOLan
kuni SAr'ngan oN Sa'ngau gadai vAL AzhiyAn oruvan aDiyEn uLLAnE.

(tiruvAi. 8.8.1)

"The one, unique, Lord shines as my soul's soul in me. I see Him in me! With
large, beautiful, red eyes, with His mouth and lips resembling beautiful deep
red fruits, with the rows of beautiful teeth showing ever so slightly with
beautiful luster, with the fish- shaped ear ornaments, the cloud-hued One,

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 with shining crown, with four long arms, with the five overpoweringly beautiful
weapons (Sa'nkha, cakra, gadA, Sar'nga, and khadga) – with all these, He
stands inside me".

In these four lines, AzhvAr beautifully captures the beauty of His Form, but
also the fact that this lovely form is there only for devotees like AzhvAr to
enjoy.

Innumerable indeed are the places where our AzhvAr-s and AcArya-s have
delved deep into this anubhavam of bhagavAn's tirumEni - tiruppANAzhvAr's
amalanAdIpirAn, bhagavad rAmAnuja's gadya trayam, svAmi deSikan's
bhagavad dhyAna sopAnam and SrI devanAyaka pa'ncAsat, among others. For
the sake of brevity, details are not included here.

SrI kRshnan gives the instance of gajendra moksham, and notes that for a
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devotee such as gajendra, bhagavAn gave His divine tirumEni (by embracing
him all around). He also refers us to tiruvAimozhi 1.9, all the ten pASuram-s of
which describe how bhagavAn gives the enjoyment of Himself to AzhvAr in
gradual steps at a time (instead of giving this anubhavam all at once in one
dose), just so that AzhvAr is not overwhelmed by this divine experience.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives an interpretation similar that of

SrIBhaTTar: ruciram a'ngam tebhyo dadAti iti tad vidheyastAn Ali'ngatavAn
iti arthaH – He gives His divine embrace to those devotees who are deserving.
Recall that SrI rAma blessed hanuman with His divine embrace, declaring that
this was the best gift that He could ever give to anyone.

b) SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry gives a different interpretation, based on the

same meaning for the words constituting the nAma – He Who bestows
beautiful or auspicious bodies on His devotees.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the example of bhagavAn giving a beautiful

form to a hunch-backed woman in kamsa's palace by removing the
disfigurement that she had in her form.

c) SrI Sa'nkara looks at the nAma as rucire = kalyANe a'ngade yasya iti
rucirA'ngadaH – One Who is adorned with two beautiful shoulder ornaments

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(refer to the nAma kanakA'ngadI – nAma 545).

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives a similar explanation – rucirANidarSanIya-

tamAni bAhu-bhUshaNAni catvAri a'ngadAni yasya iti rucirA'ngadaH – He Who
is adorned with four shoulder ornaments that are a delight to look at and
enjoy.

d) SrI satya devo vAsishTha derives an interpretation based on the root a'ng –
gatau – to go, and explains the nAma as: sundara gati yuktamSarIram, sundram
gamanam vA yo dadAti sa rucirA'ngadaH - One Who has given a body equipped
with the means for all creatures to move around

nAma 946. jnn> jananaH

The Creator.

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jananAya namaH.
The root for the nAma is jan – prAdurbhAve – to be born. SrI vAsishTha
explains the nAma as "janayati iti jananaH, sarvasya jagato jananaH, svayam
ajo'pi" - One Who creates everything else, but Who Himself is not born. SrI T.
S. Krishnamoorthy explains that the application of pANini sUtra 3.3.113 leads
to the word jananaH from the root jan – "The suffix lyuT(ana) is added to a
verbal root to form verbal nouns, denoting either the action itself, or the
instrument, or the place where the action takes place. … Here,jananaH, in
masculine is derived in the sense of agency – kartari."

From this nAma onwards, till almost the end (till nAma 992), SrI BhaTTar
interprets the nAma-s as conveying the purpose for which bhagavAn
undertakes all His actions. – atha sarva bhagavad vyApArANAmprayojanam.
We will see that everything that bhagavAn undertakes is for the sole benefit
of the jIva-s, without exception.

First, we start with His act of creation. SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam is – tad-
anubhava kshama karaNa yuktAn anyAnapi janayati iti jananaH – He creates us
and other beings also, gifted with the indirya-s etc., for enjoying Him. SrI
kRshnan quotes the following in support:

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 vicitrA deha sampattiH ISvarAya niveditum |

pUrvameva kRtA brahman hasta pAdAdi samyuta ||

"Brahman creates us fully endowed with the means of karma such as hands,
legs, etc., just so we can dedicate these in the service of the Lord".

Out of His compassion, bhagavAn gives the jIva-s a body, with all the indriya-s,
and a form that is based on their karma-s, so that they can better themselves
in that birth and move towards Him. He also gives us the free will to use our
capabilities to either move towards Him, or misuse all our faculties and divert
them to other causes. If we misuse the opportunity, of course, we are reborn
to have another chance again, according to our accumulated karma-s. (Lest
some readers get confused and think that brahmA is the one who creates,
nammAzhvAr repeatedly reminds us that it is bhagavAn who is the true
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Creator, who creates the mahat, the pa'nca mahA bhUta-s, the brahmANDa
etc., and then creates brahmA inside this brahmANDa, and gives him the
knowledge to continue the process of creation inside the brahmANDa, and
gives Him the power to do this by being his antaryAmi. So it is bhagavAn who is
the true Creator).

SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as: "Lord SrI nArAyaNa is the great
Father of all living beings, as all the universe comes from Him alone. He alone
was before all creation; from Him alone everything has arisen; in Him
everything exists, is nurtured and nourished by His Glory. Thus, as the very
progenitor of the universe, SrI nArAyaNa, the Self, is the only jagad-Isvara
(Lord of the Universe)." SrI cinmayAnanda refers us to the gItA:

pitAsi lokasya carAcarasya tvamasya pUjyaSca gurur-garIyAn |

na tvat-samo'styabhyadhikaH kuto'nyo loka-tyaye'pyapratima- prabhAva ||

(11.43)

"You are the Father of this world, of all that moves and that does not move.
You are its teacher and the One most worthy of reverence. There is none equal
to You. How then could there be in all the three worlds another greater than

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You, O Being of matchless greatness?".

SrI satya sandha tIrtha's alternate anubhavam is: janam nayati iti jananaH –
He Who leads all beings isjana-naH.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as – janayati mudam sva-
janAnAm hRdayeshu iti jananaH - He Who generates delight in the hearts of
His devotees is jananaH.

jana--janmAdiH
nAma 947. jnjNmaid> jana

a) He Who is the root cause of all beings.

b) He Who is the ultimate goal of all beings.

jana-janmAdaye namaH.
The nAma can be understood by looking at its component words: jana-janma-

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AdiH. Most interpreters explain the nAma as "He Who is the Cause of all living
beings". As we see below, the word Adi is interpreted as "root' or "cause" in
this interpretation.

a) SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as "janAnAm janmana AdiH" - One Who is
the cause of all living things. He looks at the nAma as: jAyante iti janAH;
janma = jananam; AdiH = 'dadAteH' – He Who gives, He Who is the root cause
– mUla kAraNam.

b) SrI BhaTTar gives this interpretation as well, but in addition adds that He
is also the 'prayojanam', or the ultimate goal for the living beings that are
blessed with birth with a body – teshAmjanAnAm janmana AdiH = nimittam
(root cause), prayojanam (benefit or fruit of the birth) iti jana-janmAdiH. In
fact, in the context ofthe theme of SrI BhaTTar's interpretation, his
emphasis is on the 'prayojanam', or "root purpose" of being this birth. He gives
several supports that declare that the prime purpose of this birth that we are
given by bhagavAn, is to attain Him through expiation of our karma-s.

adya me saphalam janma (vishNu dharma 5.17.3)

"This day my birth has become fruitful, and my night has given place to an

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 auspicious dawn, because I am going to see Lord kRshNa" – words of akrUra on
the prospects of having the darSanam of Lord kRshNa.

janmanya viphalA saikA ya govindASrayA kriyA

The only act that is not fruitless in this life is that which has something to do
with kRshNa.

sujanma dehamatyantam tadevASesha jantushu |

yadeva pulakotbhAsi vishNu nAmani kIrtite ||

"Amongst all beings, the body of that person is of good birth which shines with
hair standing on their ends out of joy when the name of kRshNa is
pronounced".

SrI Sa'nkara also gives a similar interpretation – janasya janimataHjanma

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udbhavaH, tasya AdiH, mUla kAraNam iti jana-janmAdiH – The primary Cause
of beings.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj's interpretation is along the same lines as well –
janAnAm = prANinAm janmanaH AdiH iti jana-janmAdiH.

nAma 948. ÉIm> bhImaH

He Who is frightful to those who do not follow dharma.

bhImAya namaH.
We studied this nAma in Slokam 39 (nAma 359). Please refer to the write-up
for nAma 359 also. As indicated there, the root from which the nAma is
derived is bhI – bhaye – to fear. In the larger scheme of things in creation
etc., bhagavAn is called bhImaH because He is the Supreme Controller of all.
In the case of His devotees, the extent of His control is related to their
devotion, to the point that He lets Himself be controlled by devotees who are
dedicated to Him. But in the case of those who do not whole heartedly devote
themselves to Him, they still obey Him because of fear of the consequences of
not obeying Him. This aspect is covered under nAma 359, where reference is
given to the veda-s, which declare that even the five great elements (vAyu,

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agni, etc.,) obey Him out of sheer fear, signified by His nAma bHImaH. SrI
kRshNa datta bhAradvAj quotes SrImad bhAgavatam in support:

vAyvambarAgny-ap-kshitayas-trilokA brahmAdayo ye vayamudvijantaH |

harAma yasmai balim antako'sau bibheti yasmAd-araNam tatonaH ||

(SrImad bhAga. 6.9.21)

"The five great elements, the three world that are constituted from these,
and all of us fear that great destroyer, who himself fears the great Supreme
Brahman. Let that Supreme Being protect us".

For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar stresses another aspect
of His being frightful – by His punishing the Jiva-s who refuse to follow the
proper and prescribed path of dharma in their lifetime. He pushes them into
another janma, or into naraka etc., even though this is done for the ultimate

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benefit of the jIva, so that the jIva can correct himself and have another
opportunity in another birth. SrI BhaTTar notes that bhagavAn chooses this
treatment only when a being does not wish to resort to the Grace that He
naturally shows – mahA anugraha vimukhAnAm bhImaH. He gives support for
this interpretation from the gItA:

tAn aham dvishataH krUrAn samsAreshu narAdhamAn |

kshipAmyajastram aSubhAn AsurIshveva yonishu ||

(gItA 16.19)

"I throw those who hate Me repeatedly into the samsAra, and into none other
than demonic wombs, for they are cruel, unholy, and the worst of men".

SrI kRshNan refers us to nammAzhvAr pASuram 9.9.7 in tiruvAimozhi:

meyyanAgum virumbit tozhuvArkkellAm poyynAgum puRamE tozhuvArkkellAm

(tiruvAi. 9.9.7)

"To those who are truly devoted to Him, and who worship Him without any
other benefit in mind than Himself – those who do not bargain with Him for
benefit, He is easy to realize. To those who worship Him with some benefit in

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 mind, He bestows this benefit, and then moves away from them; He is not
accessible to them and is not attainable by them".

SrI Sa'nkara gives the meaning – bhaya hetutvAt bhImaH – He Who is the
cause of fear, and gives the mantra from kaThopanishad in support – "mahad-
bhayam vajramudyatam" (2.3.2) – "He is a great fear like an uplifted
thunderbolt (to those who attempt to defy Him)".

SrI Sa'nkara has given an alternate pATham in Slokam 39 for this nAma – a-
bhImaH, and has given the interpretation - "One Who causes no fear to those
who follow the righteous path".

SrI rAdhAkRshNaSAstri gives the following support for the nAma a-bhImaH:
- bhIshNam abhIshaNam (nRsimhottara. 6.1) – He Who is frightful and at the
same time not frightful. It is well-known that in His nRsimha incarnation,
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bhagavAn was simultaneously a cause of intense terror to hiraNya kaSipu, and

at the same time, He was a great delight for prahlAda.

Alternate interpretations are provided by SrI satya sandha tIrtha: - bhRtA

mAH pramANAni tena vyAsAdi rUpeNa iti bhImaH – In His incarnation as veda
vyAsa He established the authorities in the form of veda-s, and so He is called
bhImaH. - bhiyam bhakta bhayam minAti hinasti iti bhImaH – BhagavAn is
called bhImaH because He destroys the fear of His devotees and saves them.

Recall that through the current set of nAma-s, SrI BhaTTar is describing the
prayojanam or reason for bhagavAn's vyApara-s or actions. His being bhImaH
or the cause of fear to the non-devotees etc., and His meting out punishment
to them for their a-dharmic deeds, is to maintain order, to protect His
devotees, and to help the non-conforming jIva-s so that they can correct
themselves and attain Him over time.

bhIma--parAkramaH
nAma 949. ÉImpra³m> bhIma

He Who has terrific powers.

bhIma-parAkramAya namaH.
This nAma praises bhagavAn's parAkrama.

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SrI BhaTTar explains that bhagavAn has terrific powers that strike terror in
the hearts of the likes of hiraNya, rAvaNa, etc. This is a benefit to the
devotees, since it keeps the evil souls under restraint. It is also of benefit to
the evil souls themselves, because it keeps them under control, like keeping a
mad person fettered so that he does not hurt himself.

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr, who describes this guNa

of bhagavAn as "amarkku iDar keDa, asurarukku iDar Sei kaDu vinai
na'njE" (tiruvAi. 9.2.10) – BhagavAn is like virulent poison for which there is no
cure, when it comes to dealing with asura-s who cause harm to the deva-s.

SrI kRshNan notes that the previous nAma – bhIma, dealt with jIva-s who
were not following the path of dharma in their code of conduct, whereas the
current nAma deals with those who go one step further and are bent upon

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doing harm to the world.

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam for the current nAma is – anyeshvapi jagad-ahita-

niratreshu hiraNyAdishubhIma-paraAkramaH – In the case of others such as
hiraNya who are bent upon causing harm to the word, He becomes One of
terrific valor, and controls them.

SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma as – bhaya hetuH parAkramaH asya iti bhIma
parAkramaH – His prowess is such that it will strike terror in the heart of the
enemy. He explains the nAma as a reference to bhagavAn causing fear in the
hearts of the asura-s during His incarnations.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that even the fact that bhagavAn induces
fear in the hearts of His enemies, turns out to be for their good in another
sense as well – by constantly worrying about bhagavAn's parAkramam, they
keep Him in their minds always, and this ends up purifying them over time. He
gives Slokam 7.1.30 from SrImad bhAgavatam in support. However, all the
Sloka-s of the referenced chapter are relevant, since the topic of the chapter
itself is how bhagavAn uses His parAkrama for the elimination of the vil and
the preservation of the good.

These Sloka-s declare that bhagavAn's punishment to the asura-s is purely for

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 the removal of their sins and for their ultimately attaining Him. In an
exchange between dharmaputra and sage nArada, the former asks the later
how it is that some extreme haters of SrIman nArAyana end up attaining Him
in the end of their life. In response, nArada responds: "People end up thinking
constantly about bhagavAn either through intense attachment (as in the case
of gopi-s), or through intense enmity (as in the case of SiSupAla), or through
extreme fear (as in the case of kamsa), orthrough being related to Him in one
of His incarnations (as in the case of the people of vRshNi vamSa), or through
pure devotion (as in the case of the likes of myself)".

gopyaH kAmAt bhayAt kamsaH dveshAt caidyAdayo nRpAH |

sambandhAt vRshNayaH snehAt yUyam bhaktyA vayam vibho ||

SrI satya sandha tIrtha explains the nAma as – bhImasya, draupadI-pate

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rudrasya vA parAkramo yasmAd sa bhIma-parAkramaH – He Who is the source

of the parAkrama of the likes of bhIma, rudra etc.

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 Slokam 102
Aaxarinlyae xata pu:phas> àjagr>,

^XvRg> sTpwacar> àa[d> à[v> p[>. 102.

AadhAranilayO dhAtA pushpahAsah prajAgarah |
Urdhvagah satpathAcArah prANadah praNavah paNah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

AdhAra--nilayaH
nAma 950. Aaxarinly> AdhAra

The Abode of those who support the world through their righteous actions.
AdhAra-nilayAya namaH.
'A' is a prefix meaning 'from all sides, in all resepcts". dhAra is derived from

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the root dhR- dhAraNe - to support. nilaya is derived from the root 'lee -
SleshaNe - to stick, to lie on', with the prefix ni-.

SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as - jagad AdhArANAm api dhAraka iti
AdHara-nilayaH - He is the Support of all those that are considered the
support of the world. This means that He is the support of all the deva-s such
as brahmA, rudra, indra, the Sun and all the planets and their moons, the
pa'nca mahA bhUta-s, etc. He is also present in every living being as their
antaryAmi, supporting them in every act of these beings.

SrI BhaTTar specifically gives the example of the likes of prahlAda,

vibhIshaNa,the pANDava-s, etc., whose righteous conduct in life is an example
for us, and thus serve as the support for the world to follow. BhagavAn is the
abode for such pious men, and so He is called AdhAra-nilayaH - dhArmikatayA
jagad-AdhArAH prahlAda-vibhIshaNa-pANDavAdayaH, teshAm nilayaH
AhdAra-nilayaH.

SrI BhaTTar quotes a Sloka from vishNu smRti in support:

varNASrama Acara-parAH santaHSAstraika tatparAH |

tvAm dhare! dhArayishyanti teshu tvad bhAram Ahitam ||

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 "O! Mother Earth! Those who strictly adhere to the rules of conduct
stipulated for different castes and stages of life, and also scrupulously follow
the dictates of the SAstra-s, are your support. On them your burden rests".

Note the emphasis here on the adherence to the dharma-s of the varNa- s
(castes) and the Asrama-s (stages in life, such as brahmacarya, gRhasta, etc.).
These are the ones because of whom this earth keeps going; these are the
ones who are supported by bhagavAn in their righteous observances and
conduct - AdhAra-nilayaH.

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan explains the nAma in two ways: AdhAra

bhUtAH sAttvikAH, teshAmnilayaH; or AdhAra bhUtaH nilayAH yasya sa
AdhAra-nilayaH.

The first one corresponds to the interpretation discussed above. The second
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interpretation means that bhagavAn has, as His abode, those that support the
earth through their dhArmic life (AdhArAH). This is a unique concept of the
viSishTAdvaita sampradAyam, which is elaborated on by SrI veLukkuDi
kRshnan. He explains this with nammAzhvAr's periya tiruvantAdi pASuram 75:

puviyum iru viSumbum nin agattanee en

Seviyin vazhi pugundu en uLLAi avivinRi

yAn periyan nee periyai enpadanai yAr aRivAr?

Un parugu nEmiyAi! ULLu

"It is true that You support everything including all the worlds, the skies, etc.
But now You reside inside me by entering inside me through my ears, and thus
I am supporting You inside me. Now You tell me whether You are supporting
me or I am supporting You - whether You are the bigger One or I am the
bigger one. You tell me, emperumAn with the cakra that drinks the blood of
Your enemies".

The above pASuram of AzhvAr supports the alternate interpretation that

bhagavAn has as His residence (nilayam) the hearts and minds of those who
support the varNa and ASrama dharma-s (AdhAra-s), and so He has the nAma

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AdhAra-nilayaH.

SrI kRshNan also quotes thegiTA Slokam 7.18 as additional support:

udArAH sarva evaite j~nAnItvAtmaiva me matam |

AsthitaH sa hi yuktAtmA mAmeva anuttamAm gatim ||

(gItA 7.18)

"All these are indeed generous, but I deem the man of knowledge to be My own
very self; for he, integrated, is devoted to Me alone as the highest end".

The declaration by Lord kRshNa that the j~nAnI is His own self, once again
supports the second interpretation above.

SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma in terms of bhagavAn's support of the pa'nca
bhUta-s etc. - pRthivyAdInAm pa'nca bhUtAnAm AdhAratvAt AdhAra-

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nilayaH.

SrI vAsishTha gives numerous examples from the Sruti in support:

yatrAdhi sUra udito vibhAtikasmai devAya havishA vidhema |

(yajur. 32.7)

yataH sUrya udetyastam yatraca gacchati |

tadeva manye'ham jyeshTham tadu nAtyeti ki'ncana ||

(atharva. 10.8.16)

"I hold that Supreme because of which the Sun rises, sets, and rests.

Nothing surpasses the Will of this Supreme".

na te vishNo jAyamAno na jAto deva mahimnaH paramantamApa |

udastabhnA nAkamRshvam bRhantam dAdhartha

prAcIm kakubham pRthivyAH ||

(Rg. 7.99.2)

"None who is born or being born, Lord vishNu, has reached the utmost limit of
Thy grandeur. The vast high vault of heaven hast Thou supported, and fixed

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 earth's eastern pinnacle securely".

yasyorushu trishuvikramaNeshu adhikshiyanti bhuvanAni viSvA

(Rg. 1.154.2)
"He within whose three wide-extended paces all living creatures have their
habitation".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri chooses to interpret the nAma as "One Who is

resident -nilayaH, in the pa'nca bhUta-s". Even though the five elements, by
themselves, perform different functions within our body (e.g., agni converts
the food that we consume into forms such as blood; water carries this into
the different parts of the body; earth supports all the beings of this world;
etc.), bhagavAn, by being present in these elements, ensures that there is
mutual coordination such that all beings function as a unit, in a healthy way.
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Sri SAstri quotes the gItA Slokam 15.13-14 to illustrate this point:

gAm AviSya ca bhUtAnidhArayAmaham ojasA |

pushNAmi caushadhIH sarvAH somo bhUtvA rasAtmakaH ||

(15.13)

"And entering the earth I uphold all beings by My strength.

I nourish all herbs, becoming the juicy soma".

aham vaiSvAnaro bhUtvA prANInAmdeham ASritaH |

prANApAna samAyuktaH pacAmyannam catur-vidham ||

(15.13)

"Becoming the digestive fire, I function within the bodies of all living beings.
In union with inward and outward breaths, I digest the four kinds of food -
chewed (like rice etc.), sucked (like mango fruit etc.), licked (like medicinal
power mixed with honey), and drunk (like water)".

SrI SAstri also gives support from the bRhadAranyaka Upanishad:

yaH sarveshu bhUteshu tishThansarvebhyo bhUtebhyo'ntaro yam sarvANi

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bhUtAni na vidur-yasya sarvANi bhUtAni SarIram yaH sarvANi

bhUtAnyantaro yamayatyesha ta AtmAntaryAmyamRtaH ityAdhi-bhUtam

athAdhyAtmam ||

(bRha. 3.7.19)

"He who dwells in all beings, who is within all beings, whom all beings do not
know, whose body is all beings, and who controls all beings from within, is your
Internal Ruler - the Self, the Immortal".

SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives an explanation based on the dhArA or the
downpour of rain caused by indra in gokulam:

"A - samantAt dhArA = devendra-kRta vRshTi dhArA yeshAm ta A-dhArA

gopAlAH, teshAm govardhana dhAraNena nilayaASraya iti A-dhAra-nilayaH" -

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He Who protected the gopAla-s or cowherds from the intense downpour of
rain caused by devendra, through the govardhana dhAraNam.

nAma 951. xata dhAtA

a) One Who created the Universe (dhA - to produce, or dhA - to lay upon).

b) He Who supports and sustains (dhA - dhAraN poshaNayoSca).

c) He Who has no support other than Himself (a-dhAtA).

d) He Who 'drinks' everything during pralaya (dheT - pAne - to drink).

e) One Who is the antaryAmi of the four-faced brahmA.

dhAtre namaH.
We studied this nAma in Slokam 5 (nAma 43).

SrI vAsishTha gives the root for the nAma as 'dhA - dhAraNa poshaNoyoH
dAne ca'- to put, to grant, to produce, to bear.

a) SrI BhaTTar derives the interpretation for the instance of the nAma in
Slokam 5 based on the root dhA - to put, place, lay, put in, lay on or upon (SrI
Apte's dictionary), and gives the meaning "The Creator" for the nAma.

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 The detailed explanation is provided under nAma43 (Slokam 5).

b) For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar gives the
interpretation- svayam ca dharmAcAryakeNa dhAtA - He is called dhAtA
because He practices dharma rigorously, and is thus the best Preceptor of
dharma.

SrI M.V.rAmAnujAcArya explains SrI BhaTTar's interpretation based on the

root "dhA - dhArana poshaNayoH" - to support, to sustain", and explains SrI
BhaTTar's interpretation as referring to bhagavAn being the Sustainer and
Supporter of the earth through strict adherence to dharma in all His
incarnations. Thus, He sets Himself as a model for us to follow. SrI BhaTTar
gives support from the gItA:

na me pArtha asti kartavyamtrishu lokeshu ki'ncana |

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nAnavAptam avAptavyam varta eva ca karmaNi ||

(gItA 3.22)

"For Me, arjuna! There is nothing in all the three worlds which ought to be
done, nor is there anything that has not been acquired, and ought to be
acquired. Yet I go on working" (to set an example to others, as explained
further in Sloka 3.23 of the gItA).

Different interpreters give their different anubhavam-s of the unending

dimension of His guNa of protecting and nurturing all His creation.

SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya explainsthe nAma as - He Who supports the world

through His teachings (in the forms of veda-s, gItA etc.)., and through His own
code of conduct (during His incarnations).

SrI kRshnan illustrates this by referring us to Lord rAma's incarnation, which

is an outstanding example of the adherence to dharma in all its intricacies.

For the earlier occurrence of this nAma, SrI vAsishTha gives the
interpretation that bhagavAn supports (bears) the earth in the form of
ananta.

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This is the same interpretation that Sri Sa'nkara gives as well -
anantAdirUpeNa viSvam bibharti iti dhAtA.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation - dadhAti poshayati

svajanAn itidhAtA - He Who protects and supports His devotees.

c) Sri Sa'nkara uses the pAThama-dhAtA in the current instance for his
primary interpretation, and gives the interpretation as - "svAtmanA dhRtasya
asya anyo dhAtA na asti iti a-dhAtA" - One for Whom there is no other
support except Himself .

SrI vAsishTha also gives this pATham as an alternative, and gives the same
interpretation.

d) As an alternative, if the pATham 'dhAtA' is used, SrI Sa'nkara gives the

interpretation based on the root dheT - pAne - to drink, and the explanation

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is -samhAra samaye sarvAH prajA dhayati = pibati iti dhAtA - He Who drinks
all beings during the time of pralaya.

SrI vAsishTha gives this interpretation as one of his alternate

interpretations also - dhayati = pibati viSvam iti dhAtA.

SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives the interpretation - dhAtA = dhAraNa

poshaNakartA.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaNexplains the nAma in Slokam 5 as - utpatti vinASa

virahAdanAdi nidhanaH kAraNatve viri'ncyAdibhyo viSesham Aha dhAtA iti -
He Who creates all beings, protects them, and destroys them at the
appropriate time (in the forms of brahmA, vishNu and rudra respectively).

e) The term dhAtA is also used to refer to the four-faced brahmA.

SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya uses this meaning, and explains the nAma 43 as -

"nAnmugak kadavuLai SarIramAgak koNDavar" - "One Who has brahmA as
part of His body". We all know that our body is at our self's disposal, and its
sole purpose is to serve our soul. So also, brahmA, as part of bhagavAn's body,
is there solely to serve emperumAn.

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 pushpa--hAsaH
nAma 952. pu:phas> pushpa

He Who is like the bloom of a flower.

pushpa-hAsAya namaH.
The roots involved in the nAma are: pushpa - vikasane - to open, to blow, and
has - hasane - to smile, to excel, to bloom etc. The nAma signifies the
tenderness and pleasing nature of bhagavAn towards His devotees.

SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as - "evam nishpAdita svAnubhava- SaktInAm

sAyamiva pushpasya hAso bhogyataullAsaH asya iti pushpa- hAsaH" - In the
case of those who are blessed with the ability to enjoy Him, He manifests His
enjoyable nature gently like a flower that blossoms in the evening. So He is
called pushpa-hAsaH.
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SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan explains SrI BhaTTar's bhAshyam as a

reference to bhagavAn' Sakti-s or powers that are enjoyable for the devotee
(svAnubhava SaktInAm), since they blossom forth towards the devotees as
needed for protecting them (since He has Sakti-s or parAkrama-s that are
worthy of enjoyment by the devotee - bhogya bhUta Sakti-s).

SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan describes the nAma in terms ofbhagavAn's whole

tirumEni as an illustration of His flower-like tenderness. This tenderness is
particularly reserved for His dear devotees - thus illustrating His avatAra
pryojanam that is the current topic of SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam. He draws
the parallel between the interface of bhagavAn and His devotees on the one
hand, and His flower-like tendernesson the other. For His devotees, having
His divine Feet at their head is like having the soft flower in their head. His
Lotus Feet are soft to touch just as the flowers are soft to touch.
BhagavAn's whole tirumEni is soft to touch, just as the flowers are. The
flowers blossom on seeing the Sun, and bhagavAn is delighted when He sees
His devotees, who are like the Sun to Him. In other words, His devotees enjoy
Him like a beautiful tender flower. SrI kRshNan refers us to periya tirumizhi-
8.1.5, where tiruma'ngai AzhvAr enjoys bhagavAn's tirumEni as pushpa-hASan:

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aDit-talamum tAmaraiyE am-kaigaLum pa'nkayamE enginrALAl

kuDit-talamum poR-pUNum en ne'njattuL agalAdu enginrALAl

vaDit-taDam kaN malar avaLO varia Agattu uL iruppAL enginrALAl

kaDik-kamalam kaL ugakkum kaNNa purattu ammAnaik kaNDAL kolO.

(periya.tiru. 8.1.5)

"His Feet are soft like lotus flowers. His Hands, with which He picks us up
when He surrender at His Feet, are equally soft like lotus flowers. Then He
embraces us with affection, and the divine beauty of His tiru-muDi and His
divine ornaments that we get to enjoy at that time, is something that will
never leave our thoughts ever. We pray for the blessings of the One with
broad eyes (SrI devi) Who is seated on the lotus flower in His broad vaksha

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sthalam (His chest), so that we are united with Him for ever. This emperumAn
is waiting for us in the divya kshetram by name tiruk-kaNNa puram, which is
itself the place full of fragrant lotus flowers dripping sweet honey".

Another pASuram that SrI kRshNan refers us to is from nammAzhvAr's

tiruvAimozhi (3.1.2), where AzhvAr describes bhagavAn's eyes, feet, hands,
etc., for all of which the tender, fragrant, and beautiful lotus flowers are but
a very poor comparison (since they have nowhere near the beauty compared to
emperumAn's beauty) - kaTTuriakkil tAmarai nin kaN pAdamkai ovvA.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives a similar interpretation - pushpamiva

mRduH svajana manoharI hAso yasya sa pushpa-hAsaH - He Who has a sweet
and enchanting smile that delights the hearts of His devotees.

SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as referring to bhagavAn blossoming into

the form of the Universe - mukulAtmanA sthitAnAm pushpANAm hAsavat
prapa'nca rUpeNa vikAsaH asya asti iti pushpa-hAsaH - As the buds of flowers
blossom forth, He has blossomed forth in the form of the Universe.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri's anubhavam is that bhagavAn makes His devotees

blossom with delight at His thought, and He also blossoms in their heart and
gives fragrance to their thought, and so He is called pushpa-hAsaH.

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 SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as

"yo sadA prasanna-mukaH Soka- rahistaSca bhavati,

tasmin nishpApe Soka-moha-rahite svayam bhagavAn virAjate -

sa vishNuH pushpa-hAsaH"

"He Who is always of a very pleasing disposition, who is beyond any sorrow,
untainted by any defects, devoid of any desire or want, this is the significance
of this nAma".

He points out that, just as it is the dharma (nature) of the flower to blossom
beautifully, so also it is the nature of bhagavAnto have a sweet and smiling
countenance.

pra--jAgaraH
nAma 953. àjagr> pra
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He Who is awake day and night, for the protection of the devotees.
pra-jAgarAya namaH.
SrI vAsishTha indicates the root for the nAma as "jAgR - nidrAkshaye" - to
awake. pra- is a upasarga. prakarsheNa jAgarti iti pra-jAgaraH - He Who is
awake in a special and unique way. The uniqueness is that He is always awake,
and always thinking of ways to help the jIva- s attain Him.

SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma along the above lines - rAtrim divam pra-
jAgartiiti pr-jAgaraH - He Who is awake day and night, to protect His
devotees, like a farmer intent on protecting his crops. He gives a mantra from
kaThopanishad in support:

ya eshu supteshu jAgarti kAmamkAmam purusho nirmimANaH

(kaTho.5.8)

"This purusha (the supreme) keeps awake while others (the individual souls) are
asleep, creating through his eternal will power. (That is the effulgent and that
is Brahman)".

SrI kRshNan explains this as bhagavAn keeping wide awake while we are all

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fast asleep, bestowing all our desires and requests that are infinite and never-
ending.

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan points out an obvious demonstration of His

being awake, in the form of His looking after us, while we are fast asleep. We
all go to bed with the full hope that we will wake up alive the next morning.
And He, as pra-jAgaraH, is there to wake us up safe and sound, fully
rejuvenated, the next morning.

SrI Sa'nkara also interprets the nAma as One Who is ever awake, as part of
His nature - nitya prabuddha svarUpatvAt jAgarti it pra- jAgaraH. This is
interpreted by some as indicating that bhagavAn is not affected by nescience,
and thus He is not affected by sleep that is a result of tamo guna etc.

SrI raghunAtha tIrtha gives yet another anubhavam - He Who liberates the

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accomplished devotees from sleep - prakasheNa bhaktAn jAgarayati nidra-
rahitAnmuktAn karoti iti pra-jAgaraH.

SrI satya sandha tIrtha looks at the nAma as praja + aga + ra. In this
interpretation, praja = He Who creates; aga = He Who resides in the hills of
ve'nkaTAcala, ra = ramati = He Who enjoys the company of devotees by being
in ven'kaTAcala. (prakarsheNa janayati lokAn it prajA;ageshu ve'nkaTAdi
parvateshu ramata iti aga-raH, prajaSca asau agaraScaiti prajAgaraH).

This guNa is also reflected in the world through the pa'naca bhUta-s for which
He is the antaryAmi, and ensures that they are all functioning in the interest
of the jIva-s constantly - vAyu, agni, water,AkASa, etc. never sleep. So also,
the Sun never sleeps, the AtmA never sleeps, and the prANa never sleeps.

Urdhva--gaH
nAma 954. ^XvRg> Urdhva

a) He Who rises high.

b) He Who leads His devotees to SrI vaikunTham, the highest goal of the
jIva-s.

c) He Who is above everyone else in all respects.

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 Urdhva-gAya namaH.
a) The term Urdhva means 'above'. Urdhva-gaH means "One Who rises high".
SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as a continuation of his explanation of the
previous nAma - He Who sleeplessly protects His creation. He devotes Himself
to this task of rakshNam even without sleep, because He aims high in whatever
He does, and so He is "Urdhva-gaH". SrI BhaTTar's words are: svabhAva-
tu'ngaH - He Who, by nature, rises high in everything.

His aiming high in everything is sung by nammAzhvAr through the phrase

"karuttin kaN periyan" (tiruvAi. 10.8.8) - "He Who is great when it comes to
paying attention to His goal". nammAzhvAr also identifies His paramount goal
"kAkkum iyalvinan" (tiruvAi. 2.2.9) - He Whose Nature it is to protect. It is
this paramount goal of His that is being sung in this nAma.
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SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan explains the nAma as "uyarvaRa uyar nalam

uDaiyavan yavan avan" (tiruvAi. 1.1.1) - "He Who possesses auspicious qualities
that cannot at all be excelled".

SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAmaas - sarveshAm upari tishThan Urdhva-gaH-

He Who stands above all.

b) SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry gives an alternate interpretation that the

nAma signifies that Lord vishNu is the One Who takes us to SrI vaikunTham.

c) SrI vAsishTha interprets the nAma as - sarveshAm Urdhva sthiti

SAlitvAt, sarvataH SreshThatvAt vA Urdhva-gaH - "He who is above everyone
in all aspects". He notes that even in real life, the place of knowledge, namely
the brain, is above all other organs in the body, reflecting an aspect of this
guNa of bhagavAn.

sat--pathAcAraH
nAma 955. sTpwacar> sat

a) One Who leads His devotees in the right path.

b) He Who follows the path of dharma in His incarnations.

sat-paThAcArAya namaH.

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patha means path. sat refers to 'righteous'. The word AcAra is derived from
the root car - gatau - to walk. 'AcAra' means 'conduct, behavior'.

a) Sri BhaTTar interprets the nAma as "One Who leads His devotees in the
right path" - sat-pathe =svAbhAvika dAsya mArge, AcaraNam = teshAm
pravartanam asya iti sat-pathAcAraH - He Who induces (leads) the devotee in
the right path of kainkaryam (servitude) to Him, which is the true nature of
the devotee. Recall that in this segment, Sri BhaTTar is interpreting the
nAma-s in terms of the benefits to the devotees from His guNa-s (avtAra
prayojanam). Since it is in the interest of the jIva-s to recognize and follow
the relationship of Sesha-SeshIbhAva (the Master-servant relationship
between the Supreme Being and the jIva), bhagavAn facilitates this, and leads
the devotee in this path. SrI BhaTTar refers us to the words of advice given
by Lord kRshNa to arjuna:

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a-nityam a-sukham lokam imamprApya bhajasva mAm |

(gItA 9.33)

"You are now in the transitory and unhappy world. To get over it, worship Me".

SrI satya sandha tIrtha also gives an interpretation similar to that of SrI
BhaTTar - sat-pathe = san-mArge Acarayati yogyAniti sat- pathAcAraH.

b) Sri Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as -

satAm panthAnaH karmANi sat-pathAH |

tAn Acarati esha iti sat-pathAcAraH

He Who follows the path which good men have chalked out in His incarnations,
is sat-pathAcAraH.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to Slokam 3.22 in the gItA, where

bhagavAn tells us that He follows the path followed by the great ones in His
incarnations, just to set an example for others to follow:

na me partha asti kartavyamtrishu lokeshu ki'ncana |

nAnavAptam avAptavyam varta eva ca karmaNi || (gItA 3.22)

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 "For Me, arjuna, there is nothing in all the three worlds that ought to be done,
nor is there anything un-acquired that ought to be acquired. Yet I go on
working (to set an example to others)".

SrI vAsishTha interprets the nAma as: sat-pathe AcAro yasya sa sat-
pathAcAraH - He Whose conduct or behavior is along the righteous path, is
sat-pathAcAraH.

prANa--daH
nAma 956. àa[d> prANa

The Life-giver.
prANa-dAya namaH.
This nAma is one of two nAma-s that is repeated four times in SrI BhaTTar's
pATham (the other nAma is nivRttAtmA). The other instances for the current
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nAma are: 66, 323, 409 - Sloka-s 8, 35, 44.

The root from which the word prANa is derived is aN - prANane - to

breathe,to live, to move. pra - is an upasarga, meaning 'in a special way'. The
word 'prANa' can be translated as 'vAyu' or air - prANyate =jIvyate anena iti
prANaH = vAyuH. The ending stem -da of the nAma can be interpreted in
several ways:

1. dadAti - gives (dadAti itidaH) - do - avakhaNDane - to cut (dyati) -

kAlAtmanA avakhaNDayati - prANomRtyuH prANastakmA (atharva.
11.4.11)

2. dai - Sodhane - to purify. prANAnAn dApayati Sodhayati SudhyantivA.

3. dA - lavane - to cut; prANAn dAti lunAti it prANa-daH (kAlaH sarvasya

IsvaraH - atharva.19.53.8)

In essence, it is because of Him that beings breathe, and it is because of Him

that they cease breathing. Here is the beautiful composition of SrIvAsishTha
summarizing the various interpretations that are possible for the nAma
prANa-daH:

prANAn dadAti, kimu vA dyati,dAti kim vA

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prANan viSodhayati, dApayati iti kim vA |

sarvatra sarva vidhinA sa hi vishNur-eko

yaHprANado'sti kathitaH SrutibhiH purANaH ||

"He is the Giver of prANa, the Taker of prANa, the Purifier of prANa,
Enlightener of prANa, and is present everywhere and in everything in the form
of prANa. The Supreme Deity, Lord vishNu, is sung thus as prANa-daH in the
Sruti-s".

Other references to the Sruti that are provided by SrI vAsishTha are:

prAna-dA apAna-dA vyAna-dAvarco-dA varivo-dAH |

anyAns-te asmAt-tapantu hetayaH pAvako asmabhyam Sivo bhava ||

(yajur. 17.15)

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yaH prANa-daH prAnadavAnbabhUva yasmai lokAH dhRtavantaH ksharanti|
(atharva. 4.35.5)

prANo mRtyuH takmA prANam devAupAsate |

prANo ha satyavAdinam uttamo loka Adadhat ||

(atharva.11.4.11)

Another independent line of interpretation given by SrI vAsishTha is based on

the root prA - pUraNe - to fill. In this interpretation, he gives the derivation
- prANaH = pUrNaH, pURNasya dAtA prANa-daH - He Who gives fullness to
everything. He gives real-life examples, such as our finding that the minerals
are distributed uniformly through our bodies, we find the milk oozing out from
any part of the tree that is cut, etc. And he also gives the beings all kinds of
comforts to live with. So He is One Who bestows fullness - prANa-daH.

Several interpretations of the nAma are possible. One interpretation is:

PrANam = jIvanam dadAti iti prANa-daH - He Who sustains life through vAyu
or air is prANa-daH. PrANa is one of the five airs that enable the functions
of the body (the others being apAna,vyAna, etc.).

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 SrI BhaTTar's interpretations for the four instances of the nAma are given
below:

nAma 66: asya aiSvaryasyaprathamam vishayam - prANam dadAti - Giver of

life (strength and vitality) that enables the devotees to perform eternal
kai'nkaryam to Him. SrI BhaTTar gives the example of bhagavAn giving this
energy and will to the nitya sUris- to serve Him uninterruptedly - sUribhyaH
sadA-darSana-rUpa-svAnubhava paricaraNa-anukUla bala-daH. The nitya sUri-
s not only get the ability to serve Him, but also the benefit of performing
kai'nkaryam to Him eternally, being with Him constantly, and enjoying Him
permanently. This is the first example of the foremost action of bhagavAn,
signifying His lordship over all.

1. ya Atma-dAH bala-dAH (taitt.yajur. 4.1.8) - He gives the Self and He

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bestows strength.

2. SadaivaHprANa AviSati (bR. Upa. 3.5.20) - The vital airs enter the body of
a created being, along with theSupreme Divinity.

BhagavAn is pRANa-daH also in the sense that He is the prANa or life for His
true devotees, and He gives Himself for them to enjoy. SrI kRshNa datta
bhAradvAj captures this thought with his interpretation - prANAn = jIvanam
dadAti bhaktebhyaH AtmAna darSayitvA iti prANa-daH.

nAma 323. Sri BhaTTar interprets the sequence of eleven nAma-s starting
from nAma 323 as a description of the kUrmAvatAra. In this context, SrI
BhaTTar interprets the term prANa to refer to strength, and the nAma
prANa-daH as One Who gave the strength to the deva-s during the episode
describing the churning of the Milky Ocean. So bhagavAn is called prANa-daH
- The Giver of strength. The amara koSa givesseveral meanings for the word
prANa - vital breath, strength, prowess, life etc. - SaktiH parAkrama prANau.
(amara koSa 2.8.102), and one of the meanings for the word prANa is seen to
be strength.

SrI T. S. Raghavendran gives the following Sloka in support of the above

interpretation:

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marutAm bala dAnAd-hi samudramethane bhRSam |

prANadaSca samuddishTaH kUrmarUpatayA hi saH ||

In a sense, bhagavAn not only gave strength to the deva-s for the purpose of
churning the ocean, but He Himself gave His strength to the whole effort by
serving as the support for the huge mountain that was used as the axle for
churning the ocean, in the form of a kUrma (His kUrma incarnation). He is
meditated upon as ananta-bala Saktan (omananta-bala-Saktaye namaH) - One
Who is endowed with unlimited strength and power.

nAma 409: Giver of life to all. SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is "prasiddhAnapi

prANAn dadAti iti prANa-daH". Sri SrInivAsa Raghavan translates this as
"One Who bestows the well-known life itself to all", but SrI Satya Murthy
Ayyangar chooses to translate it as "The Imparter of liveliness (instead of the

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Imparter of life)". SrI BhaTTar gives the example of the state of the trees,
shrubs, flowers etc. in ayodhyA when SrI rAma was separated from sItA
through the abduction by rAvaNa. Even they withered because of sadness
over this event:

api vRkshAH parimlAnAHsa-pushpA'nkura korakAH |

(ayodhyA. 59.4)

pariSushka palASAni vanAnupavanAni ca |

(ayodhyA. 59.5)

"Even the trees with their flowers, buds, and sprouts withered. All that
remained in the forests and gardens were only dry leaves".

On the other hand, when rAma returned from exile to ayodhyA later with sitA,
fruits and flowers appeared in plenty even out of season (described by SrImad
vAlmIki in SrImad rAmAyaNam).

nAma 956: SrI BhaTTar gives another example of His giving 'life' to the
devotees: He confers redemption on those souls that have been poisoned by
the indulgence in material pleasures - Atam ujjIvanam dadAtiiti prANa-daH -

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 He gives a new life to these souls.

The nirukti author describes this through the following words:

kAntAdi vishaya AsaktyA nashTaAtmabhyaH kRpA vaSAt |

sad-Atma ujjIvanam yo'sau dadAti prANa-daH tu atyam ||

"BhagavAn is called prANa-daH because He instills life in the jIva-s whose

souls are getting lost because they have been poisoned by the sensuous
pleasures".

SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAna-s for the different instances of the nAma are:

Slokam 8: prANAn dadAticeshTayati iti prANa-daH - He Who bestows vital

airs. kohyevAnyAt kaH prANyAt (taitt. 2.7) - (But for this), Who then could
live, and who could breathe? Alternate interpretation by Sri Sa'nkara: prANAn
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kAlAtmanA dyatikhaNDayati, prANAn dAyati (dApayati) Sodhayati vA,

prANAn dAti lunAti iti vA prANa-daH - He Who takes away the life in the
form of death, or purifies or destroys the prANa-s (breaths).

Slokam 35: surANAm asurANAm ca yathAsa'nkhyam prANam dadAti dyati

vA iti prANa-daH - He Who gives life (energy) to the gods, and destroys (kills)
the life of the demoniac beings (asura-s).

Slokam 44: He Who gives life to all beings at the time of creation, or He
Who withdraws all life at the time of pralaya -

sRshTyA dausarva-prANinAm antaryAmitayA

prANAn dadAti iti prANa-daH |

dyati khaNDayati prANinAm prANAn

pralaya kAla iti vA prANa-daH.

Slokam 102 (current): mRtAn parIkshit-prabhRtIn jIvayan prANa-daH -

He Who revived the life of parIkshit and others. (Recall that SrI KrshNa also
revived the son of the guru with whom He formally performed gurukula vAsam,
by retrieving the son from yama lokam).

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It is obvious how both SrI BhaTTar and Sri Sa'nkara have explained the
nAma-s such that there is no punarukti dosham.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives another dimension to the anubhavam of the

nAma - in His rAma incarnation, He declares that He will even give His life in
order to protect those who have surrendered to Him:

apyaham jIvitam jahyAm tvAm vAsIte sa-lakshmaNAm |

na tu pratij~nAm samSrutya brAhmaNebhyo viSeshataH ||

(rAmAyaNa AraNya. 10.19)

(Adressing sItA pirATTi):

"I won't mind sacrificing My own life, or even those of You and lakshmaNa;
but I will not swerve from the word I give especially to the brAhmaNa-s".

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Other interpretations, given in SrI T. S. Raghavendran's book, are:

1. prANAn indiryANi dadAti itprANa-daH - He who gives indirya-s to all

and makes them function,

2. prANAn indiryANi dyati khaNDayati iti prANa-daH - He Who removes

the attachment to indriya-s for the sAttvic souls.

3. PrakrsheNa aNam sukha virruddha duHkham dyati khaNDayati iti

prANa-daH - He Who removes the grief that is opposed to happiness.
(NaH = sukham, tad-viruddhatvAt a-NaH = SokhaH, prakrsheNa tama
dyati = khaNDayati iti prANa-daH).

nAma 957. à[v> praNavaH

He Who guides the devotee to surrender to Him with love.

praNavAya namaH.
nAma 410 – praNamaH, is related. 'praNavaH' is an alternate pATham for
nAma 410. The interpretation for the pATham 'praNamaH' is covered under
nAma 410 (Slokam 44). The interpretations for the nAma 'praNavaH' are
covered here.

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 SrI vAsishTha indicates the derivation of the nAma from the root Nu – stutau
– to praise, to commend. pra- is a prefix, meaning 'in a special way'. praNauti
iti praNavaH, praNamayati iti vA – He Who is praised or worshipped is
'praNavaH'. Just as the root bhU becomes bhav, the root Nu becomes Nav
(pANini sUtra 3.3.57 – Rdorap). Pra + Nav = praNav. In interpretations below
that contain 'na' in the root, the na become 'Na' by the application of the
pANini sUtra 8.4.14 – upasargAt a-samAse'pi NopadeSasya, leading to the
change of the 'na' to 'Na'.

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam for the nAma is: praNavena IdRSa sambandham
udbhodhya, "mAm namaskuru" iti sva-caraNaravindayoH tAn praNamayati -
"By means of the sacred 'praNava' mantra, bhagavAn reveals to His devotees
the true relationship between Him and them, and makes them understand the
need for surrendering to Him".
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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri quotes the yoga sUtra – tasya vAcakaH praNavaH
(1.27) – "The praNava mantra is a manifestation in words of paramAtmA".
This mantra reveals Him to us, when we understand the meaning of the mantra.
Again, when we understand the deeper meaning of the mantra, it will lead us to
worship Him.

praNava refers to the mantra represented by the three letters – a, u, and m –

"aum" or "OM". This syllable, which is considered a mantra that is the essence
of all veda-s, is considered as a manifestation of bhagavAn Himself in sound
form. Detailed vyAkhyAna for this mantra has been expounded by the great
AcArya-s, and this should be learnt from the AcArya-s. The mantra reminds
us, the jIva-s, of the eternal and inseparable relationship of the jIvAtmA to
the paramAtmA in a Sesha-SeshI relationship.

SrI V. N. Vedanta deSikan has translated SrI M. V. Ramanujacharya's

interpretation for the nAma thus: "BhagavAn informs the souls – if they can
understand – of the perennial bond of relationship existing between Himself
and the individual soul, as imbedded in the secret import of the praNava
mantra. The key is that "we should try and understand" this eternal

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relationship between us and Him, and the true nature of our selves, and
surrender to Him.

In the last chapter of the gItA, almost near the end, bhagavAn summarizes
His instructions to arjuna:

man-manA bhava mad-bhakto mad-yAjI mAm namas-kuru |

mAmeva eshyasi satyam te pratijAne priyo'si me || (18.65)

"Focus your mind on Me; Be My devotee; Be My worshipper; Prostrate before

Me. You shall come to Me alone. I promise you, truly, for you are dear to Me".

It is enlightening to read bhagavad rAmAnuja's explanation of the meaning of

the Slokam, so that we truly understand the nature of this obeisance that
bhagavAn instructs us to offer to Him.

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mad-bhaktaH bhava – "atyartham mama priyaH atyarthamatpriyatvena ca
niratiSaya priyAm smRti santatim kurushva ityarthaH".

This is translated by SrI AdidevAnanda as: "Focus your mind on Me; Be My

devotee. Be one to whom I am incomparably dear. Since I am the object of
superabundant love, meditate on Me, i.e., practice the succession of memory of
unsurpassed love of Me. Such is the meaning".

Note the use of word 'priyam' thrice in this one sentence of vyAkhyAnam by
SrI rAmAnuja. This priyam is the basis of the relationship between Him and
us. It is because of His intense love and compassion to us that we should bow
to Him, and surrender to Him, and He assures us that He will redeem us as a
result.

mad-yAjI bhava – "tatrApi mad-bhakta iti anushajyate |

yajanam pUjanam atyartha priya mad-ArAdhano bhava |

ArAdhanam hi paripUrNa Sesha vRttiH".

Translation: "Be My worshipper (yAjI). Here also, the expression 'Be My

devotee' is applicable. Yaj~na is worship. Worship Me as One exceedingly
dear to you. Worship (ArAdhana) is complete subservience to the Lord".

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 Note again the emphasis on 'atyartha priyam'. This is the basis of the
ArAdhana that bhagavAn is advising us to practice.

The complete subservience is based on our utmost love to Him, and not based
on any other factor such as fear etc.

mAm namas-kuru – namo namanam mayi atimAtra-prahvI bhAvam atyartha-

priyam kuru ityarthaH |

Translation: "Prostrate before Me". Prostration means 'bowing down'. The

meaning is 'Bow down humbly before Me with great love'.

Once again, note the emphasis by bhagavad rAmAnuja on 'atyartha priyam

kuru' – perform this act with great love.

For those who thus surrender to Him, bhagavAn says: "mAm eva eshyasi,
satyam te pratijAne" – "I make this solemn promise to you. You shall attain Me
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as a result". These are not mere empty words, because bhagavAn continues:
"priyo'si me" – "You are dear to Me". Thus, bhagavAn is not just advising us to
worship Him with love as the basis, but He is bound to us by the same love,
even more intensely than we can ever command. Elsewhere bhagavAn has
already declared: "He in whom there is great love to Me, I hold him also as
exceedingly dear to Me. I Myself will enable him to attain Me". (gItA 7.17).

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan points out that the spirit of the gItA Slokam
above is best understood if we look at the phrases as "man-manA eva bhava",
"mad-bhata eva bhava", "mad-yAjI eva bhava", " mAm eva namas-kuru", "mAm
eva eshyasi" – Meditate on Me alone, Worship Me alone, Prostrate only to Me;
You will definitely attain Me without any doubt.

SrI BhaTTar also gives support from the atharva Siras: pRaNAn sarvAn
paramAtmani praNamayati, etasmAt praNavaH | - "The mantra is called
praNava mantra, because it makes all souls to obey, and pay respects to, the
paramAtmA" (as indicated in the earlier translation, this is considered the
greatest privilege by those who understand the significance of the mantra).

SrI Sa'nkara interprets the current instance of the nAma as a reference to

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bhagavAn through the sound of the syllable "OM". Since bhagavAn is
represented by this syllable in word form, this syllable is none other than
bhagavAn – praNavo nAma paramAtmano vAcaka om-kAraH tad-
abhedhopacAreNa ayam praNavaH.

For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 44, Sri Sa'nkara gives the
interpretation –

praNauiti iti praNavaH – He Who is praised. He gives the sanatkumAra

vacanam "praNamantIha yam vedAH tasmAt praNava ucyate" – "The veda-s
pay obeisance to Him, He is named praNava".

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as "prakarsheNa nUyate –

stUyate sadbhiH iti praNavaH" – He Who is praised uniquely by the devoted.

SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives the interpretation for the nAma as –

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prakarshena nayati iti praNavaH – Lord vishNu is called praNavaH because He
regulates or puts the world in orderly form in a splendid way.

SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN gives the interpretation – nitya nUtanatvAt

praNavaH (prakesheNa nUtanatvAt praNavaH (pra + nava= praNava).

SrI Raghavendran has included some additional interpretation and support:

praNamanti iha yam vedAH tasmAt praNavaH ucyate – sanatkumAra – vishNu is
called praNavaH because all veda-s bow down to Him.

raso'ham apsu kaunteya pabhAsmi SaSi SurayayoH |

praNavaH sarva bhUteshu SabdaH khe paurusham nRshu ||

(gItA 7.8)

(Lord kRshNa declares to arjuna): "O arjuna! I am the taste in the waters, the
light in the Sun and the Moon, and the praNava (OmkAra) in all the veda-s,
sound in the ether, and manhood in all men".

SrI vAsishTha gives support from kaThopanishad:

sarve vedA yat-padam Amananti tapAmsi sarvANi ca yad vadanti |

yad-icchanto brahmacaryam caranti tat-te padam

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 sa'ngraheNa bravImi yom iti etat ||
(kaTho. 2.15)

"I shall briefly teach you that abode of which all the veda-s speak, of which
the AraNyaka-s and the Upanishad-s mention, desiring which brahmacarya is
observed. That is OM".

The Upanishad continues on:

etad-dhyevAksharam brahma stad-dhyevAksharam param |

etad-dhyevAksharam j~nAtvA yo yadi-icchati tasya tat || (2.16)

etad-Alambanam SreshTham etad-Alambanam param |

etad-Alambanam j~nAtvA bloke mahIyate || (2.17)

"This letter is indeed Brahman. This very letter is the Supreme. Meditating
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upon this letter one gets whatever one wants. This is the best support. This
is the highest support. He who knows this is glorified in the world of
Brahman".

SrI vAsishTha gives several other references to the Sruti, where the
significance of the praNava mantra is revealed to us:

viSve devAsa iha mAdayanta OM pratishTha |

(yajur. 3.13)

OM krato smara | klive smara | kRtam smara |

(yajur. 40.15)

OM kham brahma |

(yajur. 40.17)
Rco akshare parame vyoman asmin devA adhi viSve nisheduH |

(Rg. 1.164.9)

The significance of the praNava mantra is the meditation on the mantra with
its meaning in mind, which, at a high level, reveals to us the permanent and
eternal relationship between us and the paramAtmA, Lord vishNu.

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nAma 958. p[> paNaH

a) He Who trades His role as Master with His devotees, and becomes
subservient to them.

b) He Who accepts offerings as the antaryAmi of the different deva-s, and

bestows benefits.

c) He is constantly active, creating 'forms and names'.

d) He Who bestows benefits according to karma.

e) He Who manages the activities of the Universe.

f) He Who is the object of praise (paN – stutau – to praise).

g) He Who assigns and controls the duties of the different gods.

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paNAya namaH.
SrI vAsishTha indicates the root for the nAma as 'paNa – vyavahAre – to
bargain, to bet or stake at play', or 'paNa – stutau – to praise'. Most
interpreters have used the first meaning, and SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj
and SrI satya sandha tIrtha have used the second meaning.

vyavaharati, vyavahArayati vA viSvam, saH paNaH – He Who transacts the

activites of the world, or He because of whom the people of the world
transact their activites, is paNaH. (The term ApaNa means a market or a shop
– a place where transactions are conducted). Different interpreters give
different anubhavam-s of His 'transactions' or dealings with us.

a) SrI BhaTTar draws from the Sesha-SeshI bhAvam, or the Lord-servant

relationship that exists between Him and us. While this is the natural
relationship between bhagavAn and us, sometimes He chooses to reverse this
relationship, and behaves as if He is the servant of the devotee. This is the
'transaction', namely the reversal of the role, that Sri BhaTTar enjoys
through this nAma – evam teshAm svAmya-dAsya vyatihAreNa vyavaharati iti
paNaH – He behaves as though there is a transaction whereby there has been
an interchange of the role of the Master-servant relationship between Him

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 and us (vyatihAreNa means 'interchangeably, reciprocally'). He acts as if they
are the masters and He is their servant.

SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan notes that this is what is reflected in tirumazhiSai

AzhvAr being called 'tirumazhiSaip pirAN', and Lord ArAvamudhan of
tirukkuDantai being called "ArAvamudha AzhvAr".

Lord kRshNa declares that He considers His true devotees as His AtmA – an
example of the reversed role.

udArAH sarva evaite j~nAnI tvAtmaiva me matam |

AsthitaH sa hi yuktAtmA mAmevAnuttamAm gatim ||

(gItA 7.18)

"….I deem the man of knowledge to be My very self; for he, integrated, is
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devoted to Me alone as the highest end".

Bhagavad rAmAnuja's vyAkhyAnam is: "ayam mayA vinA Atma dhAraNa

asambhAvanayA mAm eva anuttamam prApyam AsthitaH, ataH tena vinA mama
api AtmadhAraNam na sambhavati, tato mama api AtmA hi saH" – This person
(the j~naNi who is solely devoted to Him) considers Him to be the highest, and
finds it impossible to support himself without Me; so also, I find it impossible
to be without him. Thus, verily, He is My self".

b) There is another aspect to the 'transaction' that bhagavAn has put in place.
This is in the form of our offerings to the different gods through yaj~na etc.
SrI vAsishTha gives examples from the Sruti where this 'transaction' aspect
is captured:

yo agnishomA havishA saparyAt daivadrIcA manasA yo ghRtena |

tasya vratam rakshatam pAtamamhaso viSe janAya mahi Sarmayacchatam ||

(Rg. 1.93.8)

"Whosoever honors agni and soma with devout heart, through oil and poured
oblation, for him, they (agni, soma etc.) in turn protect his sacrifice, preserve
him from distress, and grant to the sacrificer great felicity".

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agniH pUrvebhiH RshbhiH Idyo nUtanairuta |

sa devAm eha vakshati ||

(Rg. 1.1.2)
"Worthy is agni to be praised by the living as by ancient seers; he shall bring
hither word the gods".

agne naya supathA rAye |

(Rg. 1.189.1)
"agni, god who knows every sacred duty, by goodly paths lead us to riches".

In the spirit in which SrI vAsishTha has interpreted the nAma, namely, that
offerings are made to the deva-s, and the deva-s in return, bestow goods on
the people, the following Slokam from the gItA lends support to this thought:

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DevAn bhAvayatAnena te devA bhAvayantu vaH |

parasparam bhAvayantaH SreyaH param avApsyatha ||

(gItA 3.11)

ishTAn bhogAn hi vo devA dAsyante yaj~na bhAvitAH |

tair-dattAn apradAyaibhyo yo bhu'ngte stena eva saH || (3.12)

"By this (i.e., through sacrifices), please the gods, and the gods will support
you. Thus nourishing one another, may you obtain the highest good".

(Note that these deva-s are the bodies of the Lord, and He is their antaryAmi.
The offerings to these gods ultimately reach Him only).

"The gods, pleased by the sacrifice, will bestow on you the enjoyments you
desire. He who enjoys the bounty of the gods without giving them anything in
return, is but a thief".

c) SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as one referring to the 'transaction'

aspect of bhagavAn creating the different life-forms (according to their
karma?). He quotes a mantra from the upanishad in support:

sarvANi rUpANi vicitya dhIraH;

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 nAmAni kRtvA'bhivadan yadAste |

(taitt. 3.12)
"He, the Wise, keeps creating various forms and giving a name to each".

d) SrI Sa'nkara's alternate interpretation is:

puNyANi sarvANi karmANi paNam sa'ngRhya adhikAribhyaH

tat-phalam prayacchati iti lakshaNayA paNaH

"He who awards, to those that are entitled, the fruits of their good karma-s,
that they have accumulated".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that as a merchant gives merchandise

that is commensurate with the amount that is paid to him, bhagavAn measures
out the phalanx commensurate with the karma; thus, the price for happiness is
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following the path of dharma, and the price for suffering is one's having
followed the a-dharmic path.

e) SrI cinmayAnanda explains this guNa of bhagavAn in terms of the

functioning of everything in the universe: "PaNaH – The Supreme Manager of
the Universe. By giving the exact reward for all actions, Lord both orders and
justly manages all activities of each individual and directly supervises the
interactions between individuals and things constituting this scientifically
precise universe".

f) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the root paN – stutau – to praise, and
explains the nAma as "paNyate stUyate sattva guNavadbhiH itipaNaH” – He
Who is worshipped by those who are endowed with a predominance of the
sattva guNa.

This is also one of the interpretations provided by SrI satya sandha tIrtha –
paNyate janaiH stUyate iti paNaH.

g) SrI raghunAtha tIrtha gives yet another dimension to His 'transactions' –

paNayati devAn vyahAreshu pravartayati itipaNaH – He is called paNaH
because He assigns the respective dutiesto be performed by the different the

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gods, and controls them in these functions.

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 Slokam 103
àma[< àa[inly> àa[x&Tàa[jIvn>,

tÅv< tÅvivdekaTma jNmm&Tyujraitg>. 103.

pramANam prANanilayah prANadhrut prANajIvanah |

tattvam tattvavidekAtmA janmamrutyujarAtigah ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

nAma 959. àma[m! pramANam

The valid authority.

pramANAya namaH.
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We discussed this nAma earlier in Slokam 46 (nAma 429).

SrI vAsishTha indicates the root for the nAma as mA'ng – mAne – to measure,
to limit, to compare with, to form, to show, etc. pra- is an uapsarga. The term
'pramANam' is used to refer to 'proof, valid knowledge, authority', etc. –
prakRshTam mAnam pramANam – Superior knowledge,Valid authority.

SrI BhaTTar explains nAma 429 as "atha kArta yugAnAm hita a-

hitayoHpramANam" – BhagavAn is the authority for determining what is good
and what is bad for the people who live in the kRta yuga. PramANam is used
here in the sense of 'vyavasthApanam – setting the standard, establishing'.
The context in which SrI BhaTTar interprets the sequence of nAma-s 422 to
436, is in terms the kalki incarnation,which will be taken by bhagavAn when a-
dharma will become so wide that He decides to eliminate everything and start
again with creation in the kRta yuga. When the cycle of yuga-s starts with the
kRta yuga after this current yuga (the kali yuga), bhagavAn sets the standard
for action – the right and the wrong. SrI BhaTTar notes that perception and
other means of knowledge are considered authoritative by being activated by
this power of His, and people in this world are supposed to follow only this
mode of His action.

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For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar explains that bhagavAn
has this nAma since He reveals the secrets and mystic truths of the veda-s
without doubt or error – evam nis-samSaya viparyaya veda rahasya paramArtha
pratyAyakatvAt paramANam.

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan explains that since bhagavAn reveals the

paramArtha – the Supreme Truth, to us without any samSayam or viparyayam
(beyond anydoubt and without any distortion in truth etc.)., bhagavAn is the
true pramANam – the true proof. He is not only the goal to be achieved –
prameyam, but He is also the means to achieve the goal.

SrI satya sandha tIrtha interprets the nAma as – prakRshTam mAnamvedAdi

pramANam yasmin iti pramANam – He Who has given the veda-s etc. as the
highest authority, is pramANam.

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SrI vAsishTha uses the generic meaning 'measure' for the root 'mAn', and
gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has this nAma signifying that prior to
creation itself, He has decided and established the nature of the Universe,
including the extent, the nature of the guNa-s that dominate our conduct, the
different kinds of beings, etc. –

yAvat-pramANakam, yAdRg-guNam, yAdRg-AkRtimacca jagan-nirmitsati, tat-

pramANam tAn guNAn tA'nca AkRtim jagad-ArambhAt pUrvameva tan-
nirmAtiparimitayata eva tat-pramANam abhidIyate |

SrI vAsishTha gives several instances from the Sruti to support his
interpretation:

anaDvAn indraH sa paSubhyo vicashTe trA'nchako vimimIteadhvanaH

(atharva. 4.11.2)

nava prANAn navabhiH sam mimIte dIrghAyutvAya SataSaradAya |

(atharva. 5.28.1)

dhAmAni veda bhuvanAni viSvA |

(yajur. 32.10)

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 sa bhUmim sarvato vRtvA atyatishThad-daSA'ngulam |

(Rg.10.90.1)

etAvan asya mahimA ato jyAyAg'mSca pUrushaH |

(yajur. 31.3)

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives another etymological derivation –

prakrsheNa mimIte Sabdayati, Avishkaroti j~nAnam brahmAdibhya iti
pramANam – He Who clearly reveals or makes known, the true nature of
Brahman etc. (mA'ng = mAne, Sabde ca).

Alternatively, SrI bhAradvAj explains the nAma as – prakrsheNa mAnyate

brahmAdibhiH iti praMANam – He Who is worshipped by the likes of brahmA
(mAna – pUjAyAm).
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One of the alternate interpretations given by SrI satya sandhatIrtha is:

prakRshTam mAnam SarIrAdi parimANam tri-vikramAdi rUpeNayasya iti vA
pramANam – He Who had unusual dimensions for His form in His tri-vikrama
incarnation ( mAne – to measure).

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN explains the nAma as "One Who always speaks
the truth". satya bhAshitvAt pramANam. He gives the following in support:
"pramANam nitya-maryAdA satya vAdipramAtRshu".

In the amara koSa vyAkhyAnam by Prof. A. A.Ramanathan, he gives the

following: "iyattA hetu SAstreshu pramANamsatyavAdinI|", showing the
equivalence of the words pramANam and "satya vAdinI".

prANa--nilayaH
nAma 960. àa[inly> prANa

He Who is the Abode for all beings.

prANa-nilayAya namaH.
SrI BhaTTar defines prAnA as "prANanti iti prANAH, anye'pi jIvAH –Those
that live, namely the jIva-s. nilayam means abode.

SrI vAsishTha uses the word 'nilaya' as 'AdhAra' or support. SrI BhaTTar
gives the analogy of the birds going to their nest at the end of the day for

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rest. Similarly the jIva-s have Him as their abode. SrImad SrImushNam
ANDavan reminds us: "vaikunTham puguvadu maNNavarvidiyE" (tiruvAi. 10.9.9)
– vaikuNTham is our ultimate final Abode.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN uses the same analogy, and explains the nAma in
terms of bhagavAn's incarnation as kRshNa – "He in Whom the gopi-s sought
support as a result of the intense love of devotion to Him, just as the birds
seek shelter in their nest" – prANanti tat- snehAmRtena sambandhavateti
prANAH tat-preyasIjanAH te nileeyante asmin SakuntA iva nIDe iti prANa-
nilayaH.

SrI Sa'nkara uses the term prANa to collectively represent the five types of
vAyu-s that help the body function: prANa that sustains life in the form of
the inhaled breath, apAna that denotes the exhaled breath that expels

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impurities outside of the system, vyAna that sustains the movements of the
systems in the body, udAna that supports the movements of the karmendriya-s
etc., and samAna that aids the expelling of the waste in the form of stools.
Since bhagavAn is the Support of all these functions, and since they all merge
into Him ultimately, He is called prANa-nilayaH.

The term 'nilIna' – merging with, merging into, has been used by both SrI
Sa'nkara and by SrI vAsishTha in one of their interpretations for this nAma:
prANIti iti prANo jIvaH pare pumsi nilIyata iti prANa-nilayaH – The Supreme
Person in whom the prANa or jIva merges (SrI Sa'nkara), and prANA nilIyante
yasmin sa prANa-nilayaH – He in Whom the jIva-s merge (SrI vAsishTha).

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha comments that bhagavAn has this nAma also because
He makes provision for the living of all living beings in whichever form it is
appropriate for them. For example, He provides the means for the sustenance
and survival of the trees, the beings in the water and in the land, the humans,
etc. – in other words, He makes the provisions for the different jIva-s to live
or have an abode – sa sarveshAm shtAvara ja'ngamAnAm ca yatha yogay
sAdhana pradAnena vAsayita'taH sa prANa-nilayaH ucyate.

SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as: "He in Whom all prANa-s stand

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 established. He Who is the very substratum – vital foundation – for all
'activities' manifested in a living organism". This seems to summarize Sri
Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam in terms of prAnA, apAna, etc., described above.

prANa--dhRt
nAma 961. àa[x&t! prANa

He Who sustains the beings.

prANa-dhRte namaH.
prANa means life. The word dhRt is derived from the root dhR – dhAraNe – to
hold, to support, to bear.

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is "tAn mAtR-vat dhArayati ca iti prANa-dhRt" –

He Who nourishes the living beings like a mother.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr, who praises bhagavAn as "Our

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mother, Our father, Our soul" – the three that always work for our welfare
and benefit, in the present, in the past and in the future:

pOginRa kAla'ngaL, pOya kAla'ngaL, pOgu kAla'ngaL,

tAi tandai uyirAginRAi! unnai nAn aDaindEn viDuvEnO….

(tiruvAi.2.6.10)

The pATham 'prANa-bhRt' is used by Sri Sa'nkara, SrI vAsishTha etc. The
root in this case is bhR – dhAraNa poshaNayoH – to hold, to support. Sri
Sa'nkara's interpretation is – poshayan anna rUpeNa prANAn prANa-bhRt –
He Who nourishes the beings by means of food, or in the form of food.

Sri vAsishTha gives the interpretation – sarvatra vyAptaH sarveshAm

prANinAm prANAn bibharti = poshayati, dhArayati vA saH prANa-bhRt – He
Who pervades everything, and nourishes and supports everything is prANa-
bhRt.

SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as: "He Who rules over all prANa-s – SrI
Hari is the One Who causes everyone to eat, digest, feel energized, act,
achieve the fruits thereof, grow old and die. In all these activities, the great
One, Commanding, Factor, Divine, SrI nArAyana, the Self, presides in silent

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detachment, and by His presence He initiates and maintains all these activities
in all living creatures upon the earth's surface".

SrI satya sandha tIrtha gives the following interpretation – prANAn indriyANi
bibharti iti prANa-bhRt – He Who nourishes and supports the indriya-s and
life.

prANa--jIvanaH
nAma 962. àa[jIvn> prANa

He Who nourishes the beings.

prANa-jIvanAya namaH.
The root involved in the nAma is jIv – prANa dhAraNe – to live, to support life.
jIvayati iti jIvanaH; prANAnAm jIvanaH prANa jIvanaH – He Who supports
life.

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SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as: "tAn anna pAnIyAdivat jIvayati iti prANa-
jIvanaH" – He Who supports life even as food and drink do.

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan comments that even the food and the water
etc., have their power to sustain life only because He has given them this
power.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to a pASuram from nammAzhvAr, where AzhvAr

declares that for devotees like him, bhagavAn is verily the food that is eaten,
the drink that is consumed, etc. In other words, they will not live without Him:
uNNum SORu parugu nIr tinnum veRRilaiyum ellAmkaNNan, emperumAn…
(tiruvAi. 6.7.1) - "emperumAn kaNNan is the food that we consume, the water
that we drink, and the betel leaves that we chew after food". He is the
tArakam (sustenance), poshakam (nurturing), and bhogyam (enjoyment) for His
devotee.

SrI kRshNan comments that bhagavAn offers Himself as the food for the
true devotees, and they cannot live without Him, and so He is their life or
jIvanam. So He is prANa-jIvanaH. SrI kRshnan notes that this same idea is
conveyed by the phrase "vAsudevaH sarvam" in the gItA.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives an interpretation that has the same spirit:

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 "prANAn jIvAn bhajana parAyaNAn jIvyati sva-darSana dAnenaiti prANa-
jIvanaH – He Who rejuvenates His devotees who sing His praise, by revealing
Himself to them".

SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is: "prANino jIvayan prANAkhyaiH

pavanaiHprANa-jIvanaH" – He Who makes the beings live by means of prANa
or vital air. He gives the following Sruti in support:

na prANena na apAnena martyo jIvati kaScana |

itarena tu jIvanti yasmin etAvupASritau ||

(kaTho. 5.5)

"A man, whosoever he may be, does not live by prANa or apana, but by
something else on which both of these depend". In other words, bhagavAn is
the Supporter of prANa by which the life is supported.
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SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that life is not the vital air, or the body, or
the mind, by itself. It is a mysterious togetherness of all of these that causes
life, and this is made possible by bhagavAn alone, and nothing else. So He is
the true Support of life, or the Giver of life to every living being.

SrI satya sandha tIrtha's interpretation is: prANena mukhya prANena

jIvayati janAn iti prANa jIvanaH – He Who sustains life through the vital airs.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN explains the nAma as: "prANAH te jIvanamasya
iti prANa-jIvanaH" - He Who has His devotees as His prANa or life. This idea
of how bhagavAn treats those who are dear to Him as His own AtmA, has been
described before, most recently under nAma950, Slokam 102 (gItA 7.18).

SrI vAsishTha gives several supporting mantra-s from the Sruti:

yo asya sarva janmana ISe sarvasya ceshTataH |

atandro brahmaNA dhIraH prANo mA nu tishTatu ||

(atharva.11.4.24)

"I pray to prANa, alert and resolute, Who is the Lord of all and who is
responsible for the activities of all in this universe of various beings that move

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and work".

prANAya namo yasya sarva idam vaSe |

(atharva. 11.4.1)

"Homage to prANa under whose control everything in this universe exists".

prANam Ahur mAtariSvAnam vAto ha prANa ucyate |

prANe ha bhUtam bhavyam ca prANe sarvam pratishTitam ||

(atharva. 11.4.15)

"The name prANa is bestowed on mAtariSvan, also known as the wind (air). On
this prANa depend the past, the future and everything in the present".

There are different dimensions to supporting the life forms, starting from
giving a body to the jIva-s, giving them the vital airs for survival, the food to

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eat, the water to drink, the mind to think, the indriya-s to act with, etc., all
functioning in a coordinated and highly regulated way, till death parts the body
and the soul. Between the nAma-s prANa-daH, prANa-dhRt or prANa-bhRt,
and prANa-jIvanaH, one can see that all these supports happen because of
Him, and thus He is the sole Creator, Protector, and Destroyer in the end.

nAma 963. tÅvm! tattvam

He Who is the Essence.

tattvAya namaH.
SrI vAsishTha derives the word tat from the root tanu - vistAre - to extend,
to spread, to go. The application of the uNAdi sUtra 1.132 leads to the
addition the affix adi to the root tan: tan + adi = tad. The application of the
pANini sUtra 5.1.119 - tasya bhAvaH tvatalau - (The affixes tva and tal come
after a word in the sixth sense in construction, in the sense of "the nature
thereof"), leads to the word tat-tvam. (e.g., aSvasya bhAvaH aSvat-tvam, go-
tvam etc.). tanyata iti tat, sthAvara ja'ngamAtmakam jagat,tasya sAra
bhUtam vastu tat-tvam ityarthaH - This universe is denoted by the term 'tat',
which consists of movable and immovable things spread all over; the essence of

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 basis of all this is tat-tvam.

SrI vAsishTha gives the following from the atharva veda in support:

yo vidyAt sUtram yasminnotAHprajA imAH |

sUtram sUtrasya yo vidyAt sa vidyAt brAhmaNam mahat ||

(atharva. 10.8.37)

"One who knows the drawn-out string whereon all these creatures are strung,
one who knows the thread's thread, knows the Great Brahman".

That without the support or existence of which a given thing cannot function,
can be considered to be its tattvam, its essence or support. Thus, for a
machinery, the oil or lubricant is something without which it cannot function
for a prolonged time, and so it can be considered one of its tattva-s.
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Everything in this universe that functions will not exist without Him, and so He
is the tattva behind all that exist.

SrI BhaTTar interprets the term 'tattvam' as 'sArAmSa' - and this is

translated as 'essence', or 'the principle of the universe' by the translators.
SrI BhaTTar clarifies the interpretation through an example: "dadhi
dugdhayoriva dadhisAraH cit acitoH vyApti prayojanAbhyAm sArAmSaHtat-
tvam" - Like butter which is the essence of milk and curd, bhagavAn, by His
pervasion and usefulness in the sentient and non-sentient things, is the
essence of all things. Butter gives texture,taste, the energy content, etc., to
milk and curd. So also, bhagavAn is the essence of all things, by being the
cause of their existence, the source of their sustenance etc.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives the analogous reference from nammAzhvAr:

iRandadum nIyE.. kaRanda pAl neyyE! Neyyin in SuvaiyE! KaDalinuL amudE!

amudil piRanda in SuvaiyE! Suvaiyadu payanE! pinnai tOL maNanda pErALA!

(tiruvAi. 8.1.7)

"Oh my Lord! You are the ghee present latent in fresh milk. You are the
covetable taste of the ghee. You are the nectar from the ocean; no, the taste

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of the nectar; no, no, You are the pleasure that one derives from enjoying the
nectar...".

SrI BhaTTar gives the following support for his interpretation:

paramArtham aSeshasya jagataHprabhavApyayam |

SaraNyam SaraNam gacchan govindam nAvasIdati ||

"Govinda is the true entity and He is the cause of creation, destruction, as well
as protection. If a person seeks refuge in Him, he will never be in grief".

ekato vA jagat kRtsnam ekato vAjanArdanaH |

sArato jagataH kRtsnAt atirikto janArdanaH ||

"Place the entire Universe in one pan of a balance, and bhagavAn janArdana in
another, and you will find that janArdana is superior to the whole Universe

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because of His intrinsic greatness".

ANDAL refers to Him as "tattuvan" in naAcciyAr tirumozhi 5.6:

iLam kuyilE! en tattuvanaivarak kUviRRiyAgil talaiyallAl kaimmARu ilEnE.

(nAcci. tiru.5.6)

ANDAL is asking the bird to goand tell the Lord - the tattuvan, of her
condition, and ask Him to come to her right away without delay. She tells the
bird she will forever be indebted to it if it can do this help for her. tattuvan
here refers to His being the sole reason for her existence - the essence of
her life.

Another pASuram in which nammAzhvAr describes bhagavAn being the

essence of everything that exists, is in tiruvAimozhi pASuram 6.9.7:

ulagil tiriyum karuma gatiyAiulagamAi ulagukkE Or uyirum AnAi ..

(tiruvAi. 6.9.7)

"You are the karma-s; the worlds in which they are performed, the Soul of all
the beings".

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan refers us to the following from the gItA in

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 support of His being the tattvam behind everything:

yad-yad vibhUtimat sattvamSrImad-Urjitameva vA |

tat-tad-evAvagaccha tvam mama tejo'mSa sambhavaH ||

(gItA 10.41)

"Whatever being is possessed of power, or splendor, or energy, know that as

coming from a fragment of My power".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives another view of the term 'tattvam' - that
which leads to existence, and that which does not cease to exist when the
being that came into existence disappears, is the true origin or source - the
tattva. The other sources that disappear over time, are not the true cause.
He comments that 'tat' is the word-form of Brahman that is the true cause of
everything. tat-tvam is the nature of this 'tat', as has been explained in the
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first paragraph.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj refers us to the nArAyaNa Upanishad - tattvam

nArAyaNaH paraH - nArAyaNa is the Supreme Reality.

SrI Sa'nkara interprets the term 'tattva' as synonymous with 'brahman'

"tattvam, amRtam, paramArthaH, satattvam iti ete ekArtha vAcinaH |

paramArtha sato brahmaNo vAcakaH SabdaH tattvam |

”The words tattva, amRta, satya, pramArtha, and satattva are synonyms, and
mean the Supreme Brahman.

tattva--vit
nAma 964. tÅvivt! tattva

The Knower of Truth.

tattva-vide namaH.
The term 'tattvam' has been explained above. The root vid - to know, is the
second part of the nAma. tattvam tat-svarUpamvetti iti tattva-vit - "He Who
knows the true nature of Himself".

SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as "AtmanaH tattvam vetti iti tattva- vit" -

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"One Who knows the truth about Himself", or One Who knows the truth about
the tattva. The truth that bhagavAn is the Supreme Deity and the Lord of
all, is something that is not easily understood even by the likes of brahmA,
rudra and indra, as repeatedly pointed out by nammAzhvAr:

Surar aRivu aru nilai

(tiruvAi. 1.1.8)

He is of such nature that even the deva-s cannot understand His tattvam.

uNarnduuNarndu uNarilum uyar nilai uNarvadu aridu uyigAL!

(tiruvAi. 1.3.6)

It is just not easy, even with intense contemplation, to understand the true
nature of the Supreme Deity.

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SrI BhaTTar refers to Slokam 10.15 in the gItA, in which arjuna declares that
bhagavAn knows Himself by His own Self:

svayameva AtmanAtmAnam vetthatvam purushottama |

bhUta bhAvana bhUteSa devadeva jagatpate ||

(gItA10.15)

"O Supreme Person, O Creator of beings, O Lord of all beings, O God of all
gods, O Ruler of the Universe, You Yourself know Yourself by Yourself".

SrI BhaTTar also refers to the Sruti vAkyam - "tvameva tvAm vettha" - You
alone are aware of Yourself".

SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan refers us to tArA's description of bhagavAn as 'a-

prameyan' (SrImad rAmAyaNam) - He Who is beyond the reach of our
intellect (pramA means 'buddhi'). It is not just the ordinary mortals like us
who can't fully comprehend Him through our intellect, but even the SAstra-s
return back declaring that He is beyond description. The taittirIya upanishad
declares: yato vAco nivatante, aprApaya manasA saha (Anandavalli) - Words,
alongwith the mind, turn back without being to fully comprehend the Bliss of
Brahman, which is infinite. The deva-s are unable to fully know Him, as we

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 have seen through nammAzhvAr's words above. Even He is unable to fully
realize His own greatness.

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan refers to AzhvAr's words: "tanakkum tan

tanmai aRiya aRiyAnai" - He whose greatness is such that even He cannot know
it fully. AlavandAr declares in his stotra ratnam: "yasyAste mahimAnam
Atmana iva tat- vallbho'piprabhuH" - Neither bhagavAn's greatness nor
pirATTi's greatness can be known either by Him or by Her, because there is
no limit to it, and so even they cannot measure something that has no limit.
The idea is that of all those who can know Him, He knows Himself the most.

SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma as "tattvam svarUpam yathAvat vetti iti
tattva-vit" - "He Who knows the Truth as it is". BhagavAn alone knows the
functions of creation, preservation, destruction, giving the benefits to the
jIva-s according to their karma-s, taking the jIva to Him ultimately at the
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appropriate time, etc., and no one else does.

nAma 965. @kaTma ekAtmA

The one unique and Superior Soul.

ekAtmane namaH.
eka means 'one', and 'AtmA' refers to 'soul'.

SrI BhaTTar explains that bhagavAn is the One and only Supreme Soul who
controls all the other souls, and so He is ekAtmA - sarvasya cit acit vargasya
ayam ekaeva SeshI bhoktA abhimAnau ca iti ekAtmA - He is ekAtmA because
He is the Sole Master, Enjoyer, and Well-wisher of all sentient and non-
sentient objects.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's pASuram, where bhagavAn is

called 'Or uyirEyO!' - which is 'translated' by SrI V. N. Vedanta deSikan as
'ekAtmA' in his tamizh translation. He obviously chose this word for the
tamizh translation because 'ekAtmA' summarizes AzhvAr's thoughts the
best, eventhough it is not a tamizh word. The pASuram of interest is:

AruyirEyO! AgaliDa muzhudumpaDaittu iDandu uNDu umizhndu

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aLandaPEruyirEyO!

Periya nIr paDaittu a'ngu uRaindu adu kaDaindu aDaittu uDaitta SIruyirEyO!
maniSarkku dEvar pOla devarkkum devAvO! Or uyirEyO!
Ulaga'ngaTkellAm unnai nAn e'ngu vandu uRugO!

(tiruvAi.8.1.5)

"The vast universe was created, once dug out from deep waters (varAha
incarnation), swallowed (pralaya), spat out (creation after pralaya), scaled with
feet (trivikrama incarnation), all by You, out of grace. You made the seas,
churned them, bridged the ocean, and broke a part of it later. You are my dear
life. You are the Lord of all the deva- s, and You are far above the deva-s just
as the deva-s are far above the humans. Your are the Supreme Soul above all
the other souls, the Creator, Protector and Destroyer of the universe. How

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am I to reach You? Pray tell me."

SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan quotes the following Sruti vAkya in support of SrI
BhaTTar's interpretation of the nAma - nityo nityAnAm cetanaS- cetanAnAm
eko bahUnAm yo vidadAti kAmAn - He Who is the Most Eternal above all the
nitya-s, the Supreme above all the cetana-s, the One Who constitutes the
many, and the One Who bestows all the wishes of all the other beings.

SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is ekaSca asau AtmA ca iti ekAtmA - The one
Self. He gives the following in support:

AtmA vA idameka agra AsIt | nAnyat ki'ncana mishat |

sa IkshatalokAnnu sRjA iti |

(Aita. 1.1.)

"In the beginning all this was this Atman alone. There was nothing else that
winked. He willed "Let me create the worlds".

He also gives the li'nga purANa in support:

yaccApnoti yad-Adatte yaccAttivishayAniha |

yaccAsya santato bhAvas-tasmAd Atmeti gIyate || (li'nga. 70.96)

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 "That which pervades, that which receives, that which enjoys the objects, and
that which exists always, is called the Atman".

SrI satya devo vAsishTha explains the nAma as: "eva'nca sa vishNureva
sarvasya sthAvara ja'ngama rUpasya viSvasya ekaAtmA sarvatra vyAptatvAt
ekAtmA" - Lord vishNu, who pervades everything in this Universe of sentient
and non-sentient objects, is called ekAtmA.

SrI satya sandha tIrtha explains the nAma as "eka AtmA = mukhya svAmI =
The Supreme Deity.

nAma 966. jNmm&Tyujraitg> janma mRtu--jarAtigaH

janma--mRtu
He Who is beyond birth, death and old age.
janma-mRtyu-jarAtigAya namaH.
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1. janma = birth;

2. mRtyu = death,

3. jara = old age;

4. atigaH = He Who is beyond.

The meaning for the nAma is thus derived easily. Just for the sake of
completeness, the respective roots are:

1. jani - pradurbhAve

2. mR'ng - prANa-tyAge

3. jRsh - vayohAnau

4. gam - gacchati - to go with ati- as prefix meaning over step, go beyond

(atigacchcatiiti atigaH).

janma mRtyu jarA atigacchati it janam- mRtyu-jarAtigaH.

SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as One Who is beyond birth, death, aging etc..
His vyAkhyAnam is - tathApi tad-ubhaya vidharmAtmA - He Who, while being
the Inner Soul or antaryAmi of all the sentient and non-sentient objects, is
not affected by their attributes (such as rajas,tamas, puNya, pApa etc.). The
ordinary souls accumulate the effects of the puNya-s and pApa-s that they

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accrue while they are embodied. Unlike these souls, bhagavAn is not touched
by any of these effects of puNya-s and pApa-s even though He is the
antaryAmi of all these objects. In addition, when He assumes a body out of
His own free will, He is not born like the rest of us, and is not subject to aging,
death etc. like the rest of us.

It is important to understand the difference between the body and the soul in
order to understand the meaning of this nAma. Ordinary souls (jIva-s) also are
beyond birth, death and decay. But they get a body based on their previous
karma-s, to enable them to enjoy the effects of these karma-s. This body is
subject to birth, death and decay. The jIva-s go through repeated births and
deaths, with the associated new bodies, until they exhaust all their karma-s,
and ultimately realize the paramAtman and are relieved of this cycle of birth
and death. BhagavAn is not subject to this cycle, since He is not touched by

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the effects of karma ever. Lord kRshNa declares in the gItA:

na mAm karmaNi limpanti na mekarma phale spRhA |

iti mAm yo'bhijAnAti karmabhir na sa badhyate ||

(gItA 4.14)

"Works do not contaminate Me. In Me there is no desire for fruits of actions.

He who understands Me thus is not bound by actions".

Even though He has all the sentient and non-sentient beings as His body
according to the viSishTAdvaita philosophy, SrI BhaTTar explains that
BhagavAn is still not touched by the dharma-s (namely, sins, good deeds, the
resulting birth, death etc,), of these sentient and non-sentient beings, but
instead, it is the souls of these beings that get the effects of these karma-s.
The bodies of all the sentient and non-sentient beings are part of His body in
the sense that they are all subservient to Him and are fully under His control.
So are the souls of all these beings - they are His body, and are subservient to
Him. He is the antaryAmi of these souls, and is a witness and the Energizer of
these souls; however He is not touched by their karma-s, and so He is never
born, and so there is no question of aging, death etc. There is no such thing as

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 karma for Him, since all His actions are all selfless, and are devoted to the
benefit of all the beings that exist. None of His actions is for His benefit.

SrI veLukkuDi kRshnan delves in some length on some of the above points in
his sahasra nAma upanyAsam for this nAma.

SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is: "jAyate, asti, vardhate, vipariNamate,

apakshIyate,naSyati, iti shaD-bhAva vikArAn atItya gacchati iti janma-
mRtyu-jarAtigaH- He Who transcends the six kinds of changes, namely
conception, birth, growth, maturity, decay and death.

SrI vAsishTha refers us to a Rg-vedic mantra that conveys the sense of this
nAma:

akAmo dhIro amRtaH svayambhUrasena tRpto na kutaScanonaH |

tameva vidvAn na vibhAya mRtyor-AtmAnam dhIrm ajaram yuvAnam ||

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(Rg. 10.8.44)

"Desireless, firm, immortal, self-existent, contented with the essence, lacking

nothing, free from fear of death is he who knows that Soul courageous,
youthful and undecaying".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the following upanishadic mantra in support:

sa vA esha mahAn aja AtmAajaraH amaraH amRtaH abhayaH brahma

abhayamvai brahma abhayam hi vai brahma bhavati ya evam veda

(bRhadAraNya.4.4.25)

"That infinite birthless undecaying, indestructible immortal, and fearless self

(ParamAtman) is the Supreme Brahman. The Supreme Brahman is devoid of
fear. He who knows that Supreme Brahman thus becomes indeed the fearless
parabrahman".

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 Slokam 104
ÉUÉuRv>SvStéStar> sivta àiptamh>,

y}ae y}pityRJva y}a¼ae y}vahn>. 104.

bhUrbhuvah svastarustArah savitA prapitAmahah |
yaj~nO yaj~napatir yajvA yaj~nAngo yaj~navAhanah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

bhUr--bhuvas
nAma 967. ÉUÉuRv>SvSté> bhUr svas--taruH
bhuvas--svas
He Who is the tree for the beings of the three worlds - earth, sky and heaven
(svarga loka)..
bhUr-bhuvas-svas-tarave namaH.

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The term bhU here refers to this world; bhuvaH refers to the middle world,
the antariksha or sky, and sva refers to the heavenly world (svargaloka). The
term 'taru' means 'tree'. Since He is the protection for all the beings of all
the three worlds, and since He bestows all the fruits to the beings of all these
worlds, He is called the tree for the beings of the three worlds.

SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as "bhUr-bhuvas-svar-upalakshitaiH pakshi

pathikairiva prANibhiH upajIvyamAnac-chAya patralapArijAtaH bhUr-bhuvas-
svas-taruH"- He is like the pArijAta, the celestial tree, for all the beings living
in the worlds beginning with earth, sky and heaven, even as a tree is a welcome
resort for the birds and the travelers by virtue of its green foliage and cool
shade.

SrI Apte gives the following meanings for the terms bhU-loka, bhuvar-loka and
svar-loka:

1. bhU-loka - the world in which we live, as opposed to antariksha or

svarga.

2. bhuvar-loka - the second of the three vyAhRti-s; the space immediately

above the earth.

3. svar-loka: paradise, the paradise of indra, and the temporary abode of

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 the virtuous after death, the space above the sun or between the sun
and the polar star, the third of the three vyAhRti-s.

SrI VeLukkuDi kRshNan notes that in this nAma only three out of the
fourteen worlds, namely the bhU, bhUva and svar-loka-s, are mentioned, and
the protection aspect described in this nAma refers to the naimittika pralaya,
when the three worlds referred to by the terms bhU, Bhuva, and svar-loka-s
get submerged in the waters during the pralaya, and bhagavAn protects all the
beings of these three worlds by swallowing them and keeping them in His
stomach. However, He is also the Protector for all the beings in all the
fourteen worlds. So the nAma can be understood to mean that bhagavAn is the
Protective tree for all the beings of all the fourteen worlds.

SrI BhaTTar gives the following support:

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samASritAt brahma taroH anantAt |

nis-samSayaH pakva phala prapAtaH ||

(VP 1.17.91)

"If a person resorts to the eternal Tree of Brahman, there is no doubt that
the ripe fruit (of release from the bondage of samsAra and the attainment of
moksha) will certainly fall in his hands."

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi pASuram 2.8.5,

where AzhvAr refers to the same concept:

OvAt tuyarp piRavi uTpaDa maRRu ivvevvaiyum

mUvAt tani mudalAi mU ulagum kAvalOn..

(tiruvAi. 2.8.5)

"Single-handedly, bhagavAn protects all the beings of the three worlds, who
are full of sufferings etc. He is the Sole cause for all the beings, and after
creating them, He takes responsibility for protecting them, and does not back
down under any circumstance".

Specifically to be noted in this nAma is the emphasis on the protection aspect

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of bhagavAn (taru - one that provides the cool shade and protection from the
torture of the heat of samsAra). In his tiruvAimozhi, nammAzhvAr
emphasizes that even though bhagavAn is responsible for all three functions -
creation, protection and destruction, protection is His primary concern
(kAkkumiyalvinan kaNNa perumAn -tiruvAi. 2.2.9). This protection aspect of
bhagavAn is to be specially enjoyed in this nAma.

SrI veLukkuDi kRshnan gives a quote from SrImad rAmAyaNa where rAma is
described by tArA as a tree of protection, hope and refuge for all:

nivAsa vRkshaH sAdhUnAm ApannAnAm parA gatiH |

ArtAnAm samSrayaScaiva yaSaSca eka bhAjanam | |

(kishkindA. 15.19)

"(rAma) is the protective tree for the sAdhu-s or the virtuous people; He is

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the safe Abode for the suffering; He is the Protector for those who have no
other protection; He is the One who is worthy of praise".

SrI Sa'nkara uses the root 'tR - plavana taraNayoH - to cross over, to swim',
in his primary interpretation for the nAma, and gives the meaning "One Who
helps in crossing over the three worlds - bhU loka, bhuvarloka and svar loka".
His vyAkhyAnam is:

"bhUr-bhuvaHsvaH samAkhyAni trINi vyAhRti

rUpANi SukrANi trayI sArANi bahvRcA AhuH |

tair-homAdinAjagat-trayam tarati plavate

vA iti bhUr-bhuvas-svas-taruH".

He bases his interpretation on the following Rg vedic mantra, which also occurs
in the taittirIya Upanishad:

bhUr-bhuva-suvariti etAs-tisro vyAhRtayaH | ..

bhUriti vA ayam lokaH | bhuvarityantariksham | suvarityasaulokaH | ...

bhUriti vA agniH |bhuva iti vAyuH | suvarityAdityaH | .. bhUriti vA RcaH |

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 bhuva iti sAmAni | suvariti yajUgmshi | .. bhUriti vai prANaH |

bhuva ityapAnaH | suvariti vyAnaH |"

"BhagavAn created the three worlds; then He created agni in this world, vAyu
in the sky, and sUrya in the heaven. From these came the three veda-s: Rg
veda from agni, yajur veda from vAyu, and sAma veda from the Sun. Out of
these again came the three vyAhRti-s or sounds: bhUH from agni, bhuvaH from
vAyu, and svaH from the Sun. By performing homa using these three vyAhRti-
s, one crosses the three worlds".

Based on this, Sri Sa'nkara's interpretation for the nAma as 'One Who helps
those who perform homa using these vyAhRti-s to crossover the three worlds
that are the origin of these three vyAhRti-s".

An alternate interpretation given by SrI Sa'nkara is:

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bhUr-bhuvaH svarAkhyamloka trayam vRkshavat vyApya tishThati iti bhUr-

bhuvaH-sars-taruH

Lord vishNu has this nAma signifying that He is spread out in the three worlds
bhUH, bhuvaH and svaH like a tree.

SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as:

”bhUH iti bhU lokaH, buvaH iti antariksham,svaH iti dyu-lokaH, ete trayo
lokAH trayaH skandhA iva yamASritya tishThanti, sa eteshAm AdhAro mUla-
bhUtaH parameSvaraH tarur-ivasthito bhUr-bhuvas-svas-taruH - "

He Who serves as the tree under which all the beings of this world, the sky
and the heaven seek refuge, is bhUr-bhuvas-svas-taru".

nAma 968. tar> tAraH

Savior

He Who is a ferry to cross the ocean of samsAra.

tArAya namaH.
We saw this nAma in Slokam 37 earlier (nAma340). The root from which the

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nAma is derived is tRR – plavanasantaraNayoH – to cross over, to swim. He who
helps the jIva-s that are deeply immersed in the ocean of samsAra, to cross
this ocean.

For nAma 340, SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation "Savior" - sarva samsAra
bhayAt tArayati iti tAraH - One Who protects us from the ocean of samsAra.
He gives a quote from the atharva Siras in support:

garbha janma jarA maraNa samsAra sAgaramahA bhayAt tArayatiiti |

tasmAt tAraH |

"He makes all cross over the great fears of the ocean of samsAra comprising
conception, birth, old age, and death. Therefore, He is called tAraH".

Note that bhagavAn Himself is beyond all these fears, since He is never born
(a-jAyamAnaH), He is beyond aging (a-jaraH), and beyond death (a-maraH).

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SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruma'ngai AzhvAr's periya tirumozhi,
where the guNa of bhagavAn signified by the nAma tAraH is praised:

nandA naragattu azhundA vagai nALumentAi!

tonDar Anavarkku in aruL SeivAi …

(periya tiru. 11.8.10)

"You Who help Your devotees by making sure they do not get submerged in the
hell-like experience of samsAra".

Because samsAra is compared to an ocean, and bhagavAn helps cross this, He is

traditionally compared to a ferry. SrI kRshNan refers us to ANDAL's
reference to Him as the ferry to cross all miseries: nALumtunbak kaDal pukku
vaikuntan enRu Or tONi peRAdu uzhalginREn (nAcci.tiru. 5.4). SrI kRshNan
also refers us to the divya dESam by name tiru nAvAi (literally meaning "The
Blessed Ship"), where Lord mukundan gives moksham to the devotees who
worship Him.

Drawing from an example from SrI KRshNan, all that a measly worm has to do
to cross from one peak to another peak in its lifetime, is to climb on a lion that

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 jumps from the first peak to the second peak, and in the process, the worm
has achieved the otherwise impossible feat. Similarly, all that the jIva has to
do is to surrender to Lord nRsimha, the man-lion incarnation, and He will make
sure that the jIva crosses the insurmountable obstacle of crossing the ocean
of samsAra. He is like a boat that carries one from one shore to the other
shore. All that the individual has to do is to get into the boat, and leave the
navigation to the boatman.

SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is also that bhagavAn has this nAma signifying
that He helps us cross the ocean of samsAra – samsArasAgaramtArayan
tAraH. His alternate interpretation is "tAraH praNavovA" – The word tAra
refers to the praNava mantra, since meditating on the praNava mantra uplifts
one from the ocean of samsAra.

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan also points to the significance of the praNava

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mantra as the uplifter from samsAra.

SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as "One Who helps us cross over; the
Eternal Boat-man, to whom, if the devotee can surrender in unswervingfaith
and true devotion, He will surely row them across theOcean of samsAra. That
One is tAraH. Through exclusive, devoted meditation, alert with
understanding, the individuality in each of us wakes up to the higher plane, and
there, in that Be-attitude to experience the Self – the Eternal Brahman – SrI
Hari".

The dharma cakram writer notes that we should take a hold of bhagavAn
instead of being taken hold of by nature. We should dedicate ourselves to His
service in everything we do. The rAma nAma is called 'tAraka mantra', because
it protects those who meditate on this tAraka nAma. Just as hanumAn was
able to cross the ocean by chanting Lord rAma's name, we will be able to cross
the ocean of samsAra by meditating on His name. He quotes the common saying
in tamizh:

"rAman irukkum iDattil kAman illai; kAman irukkum iDatitil rAmanillai"

(Where there is rAma, there is no desire in material things; where is desire in

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material things, there is no dedication to rAma").

The more intensely we resort to the tAraka mantra, the faster we will be
relieved from the bondage of samsAra.

nAma 969. sivta savitA

He Who produces.
savitre namaH.
SrI vAsishTha indicates the root for the nAma as sU – prANi garbhavimocane
– to produce, to bring forth. sUte sarvam jagat iti savitA; sarvasyautpAdaka
ityarthaH – He Who creates everything in the universe is savitA.

We studied this nAma in Slokam 94 (nAma 887), with the same generic
meaning, but interpreted by SrI BhaTTar as a reference to bhagavAn in the

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formof the Sun (the producer of rain, crops etc)., since the context there was
the description of the arcirAdi mArga, of which Sun is the seventh step. The
current interpretation refers to bhagavAn as the Creator of everything –
sarveshAm sAkshAt janayitA savitA.

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan refers us to the upanishad mantra –

"so'kAmayata| bahu syAm prajAyeyeti |" – (taittirIya. Ananda. 6) – He willed :
May I become many. May I be born.

SrI kRshNan stresses the importance of the word 'sAkshAt' in SrI BhaTTar's
vyAkhyAnam. When it is stated that bhagavAn is the Creator of everything in
all the worlds, some may have a doubt that the four- faced brahmA is the true
creator. SrI kRshNan points out that there are two aspects to sRshTi – a-
dvAraka sRshTi, and sa-dvAraka sRshTi.

In the first category, bhagavAn first creates the 24 tattva-s (prakRti, mahAn,
aha'nkAra, the five tanmAtra-s or subtle elements (Sabda, sparSa, rUpa, rasa,
and gandha - sound, touch, sight, taste, smell), the pa'nca bhUta-s (ether, air,
agni or light, water, earth), the five karmendriya-s (hand, leg, tongue, anus, and
the organ of reproduction), the five j~nAnendriya-s (ear, eye, mouth, nose, and
skin), and manas. After this, He creates the first being, the catur-mukha

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 brahmA, and endows him with the knowledge for proceeding further with
creation. He becomes the antaryAmi of brahmA, and guides him in the creation
after this point. All the a-dvArakasRshTi is performed by bhagavAn through
the medium of catur- mukha brahmA. If it were not for the knowledge and
power given to brahmA by bhagavAn, the subsequent stage of sa-dvAraka
sRshTi through brahmA would not have happened. So the true Creator is
bhagavAn – sAkshAt janayitA. The creation that takes place through brahmA
is the sa-dvAraka sRshTi by bhagavAn – in other words, the process of
creation continued by Him through the medium of brahmA.

nammAzhvAr, in many of his tiruvAimozhi pASurams, repeatedly reminds us

that bhagavAn is the true Creator, Protector and Destroyer. One among these
is pASuram 1.5.3, where AzhvAr refers to bhagavAn's action of creating
brahmA and delegating the further responsibility to Him for subsequent
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creation: nI yOnigaLaip paDai enRu niRai nAnmuganaippaDaittavan.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN uses the pAThamsa-pitA, and interprets the
word 'sa-pitA' as two nAma-s: sa, and pitA. This interpretation might have
been chosen because of the next nAma (pra-pitAmahaH, meaning "Great
Grandfather". But for the nAma pita, he essentially the same interpretation as
SrI BhaTTar has given for the nAma 'savitA', namely, The Father of all, or the
Creator of all –"teshAm janakatvAt pitA". We already noted earlier that SrI
ananta kRshNaSAstry also has used the same pATham, and his interpretation
is also same.

nAma 970. àiptamh> pra pitA--mahaH

pra--pitA
The Great-grandfather.
prapitAmahAya namaH.
SrI vAsishTha starts the derivation of the nAma from the root pA –rakshaNe
– to protect. The word pitR (father) is derived by application of the uNAdi
sUtra 2.95. pitAmaha refers to father's father (pANini 4.2.36). 'pra' is added
to pitAmaha in the sense of 'gone', or 'previous' (pANini. 2.2.18), leading to
the nAma 'pra- pitAmahaH'– Great grand-father – pitAmahInAmapi pitA pra-

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pitAmahaH.

The four-faced brahmA is called pitAmaha or grand-father because he

created the prajApati-s, the first beings, who then created all the other
prajA-s – all the other beings. amarakoSa vyAkhyAnam gives the definition for
pitAmaha as "agnishvAttAdipitRRNAm pitA pitAmahaH (the term agnishvAtta
is given the meaning 'tasted by the funeral fire' by Monier-Williams; thus, the
amarakOSa description refers to brahmA as the father of all our forefathers
who are dead and gone from time immemorial). Since bhagavAn is the Father
of this catur- mukha brahmA, He is called "pitAmahasya pita orprapitAmahaH".

SrI satya sandha tIrtha explains the nAma as: "loka pitRRNAMmarIcyAdInAm
pitA pitAmahaH catur-mukhaH, tasya pitRtvAt "pra- pitAmahaH", which
conveys the same idea as conveyed above.

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In several places in tiruvAimozhi, nammAzhvAr refers to bhagavAn being the
Creator of catur-mukha brahmA first, and then entrusting brahmA to be the
creator of the rest of the beings such as the prajApati-s etc. For instance, in
tiruvAimozhi pASuram 1.5.3, AzhvAr says:

mA yOnigaLAi naDai kaRRa vAnOr palarummunivarum

nIyOnigaLaip paDai enRu niRai nAnmuganaip paDaittavan…. (1.5.3)

BhagavAn created brahmA, endowed him with adequate knowledge, and

assigned the function of subsequent creation to him so that he could then
create all the deva-s , Rshi-s etc, with their superior knowledge and powers.

Sri Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is: "pitAmahasya brahmaNo'pi pitA iti pra-

pitAmahaH" – He is called prapitAmahaH because He is the Creator of
brahmA, who himself is known as the grandfather of all.

Just to give a feel for how some vyAkhyAnakartA-s look for hidden meanings
in their interpretations, the following is by SrI raghunAtha tIrtha: prapIn
tAmayati hanti ca iti prapi-tAma-haH – prapIn = mithyA j~nAnAdi rUpa
pApavataH asurAn tAmayati hanti ca iti prapi- tAma-haH – He Who kills the
sinful demons having false knowledge and throws them in darkness.

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 nAma 971. y}> yaj~naH

He Who is the Sacrifice.

yaj~nAya namaH.
We studied this nAma in Slokam 48 (nAma 446). The nAma is derived from the
root yaj – deva pUjA sa'ngati karaNayajana dAneshu – to sacrifice, to make an
oblation to, to give, to associate with.

Several interpretations are possible:

yajanam yaj~naH; ya ijyate sayaj~naH;

yajanti yatra iti yaj~naH;

ijyate anena iti yaj~naH sAdhanam

(offering, He Who is worshipped, the means or objects used in the offerings,

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are all called yaj~naH).

A Slokam from the gItA captures the above thought:

brahmArpaNam brahma haviH brahmAgnaubrahmaNA hutam |

brahmaivatena gantavyam brahma karma samAdhinA ||

(gItA 4.24)

"Brahman is the instrument to offer with; Brahman is the oblation; By Brahman

is the oblation offered into the fire of Brahman; Brahman alone is to be
reached by him who meditates on Him in his works".

For the instance of this nAma in Slokam 48, SrI BhaTTar comments that
bhagavAn is the object of all yaj~na-s, the Bestower of benefits of the
yaj~na-s, the aids for the performance of the yaj~na, etc., and so He is called
yaj~naH –

"yaj~na, tat sAdhana,tat-phalA vadhitvena pratipAditaH | ato yaj~naH |".

SrI BhaTTar gives the following from vishNu purANa in support, where the
ijyA or sacrifice is described as the basis for all the sustenance of all the
three worlds:

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tataSca ijyA Ahutir-dvArA poshitAstehavir-bhujaH |

vRshTeHkAraNatAm yAnti bhUtAnAm sthitaye punaH ||

(VP 2.8.101)

"The gods, who are the receivers of the oblations, being nourished by the
offerings in the fire, cause the rains to fall for the support of the created
brings".

SrI v.v.rAmAnujan refers us to the gItA, where Lord kRshNa declares that He
is the basis of everything that constitutes the yaj~na:

aham kratur_aham yaj~naH svadhAham ahamaushadham |

mantro'hamahameva Ajyam aham agniH aham hutam ||

(gItA 9.16)

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"I am the kratu – the jyotisThoma and other vedic sacrifices. I alone am the
Great sacrifice. I am the offering to the manes. I am the herb. I am the
mantra. I am Myself the clarified butter. I am thefire, and I am the oblation".

Again, in Slokam 8.24, Lord kRshNa declares:

aham hi sarva yaj~nAnAm bhoktA caprabhureva ca |

na tu mAmabijAnanti tattvena ataS-cyavanti te ||

(gItA 9.24)

"I am the only enjoyer and the only Lord of all sacrifices. They do not
recognize Me in My true nature, and hence they fall".

SrI BhaTTar also refers us to the SrutivAkya - yaj~no vai vishNuH –yaj~na is
vishNu Himself.

For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar explains that bhagavAn
serves the function of the yaj~na for those who do not have the means to
perform proper yaj~na-s, but who just do His nAma japa instead– svArAdhana
dharma samRddhi riktAnAm tad-arthinAm svyameva yaj~naH– To those
devotees who wish to attain Him, and therefore want to perform ArAdhanA

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 (worship) of the Lord, but have no physical and material wherewithal, the Lord
Himself stands as the japa yaj~na, namely, He is pleased with the japa which
itself is a yaj~na.

SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan notes that some previous nAma-s (sapta-jihvaH,

saptaidhAH etc.) have dealt with the subject of yaj~na also, but these were
directly related to bhagavAn being the support for those who are capable of
performing yaj~na in the prescribed way. However, the current series of
nAma-s deal with bhagavAn's support for those who do not have the means to
perform yaj~na-s in the prescribed manner.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN's interpretationis along similar lines –

"aki'ncanAnAm tat-tad-ArAdhana upakaraNatvAt yaj~naH" – Since He serves
as the means for those who are otherwise not in a position to worship Him, He
is called yaj~naH.
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SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as "evamca yajyate sa'ngamyatedIyate ca

yasmA iti nAnArtho yaj~na SabdaH" – He Who is worshipped, to Whom all the
benefits of all karma-s are dedicated, etc., is known as yaj~naH. SrI
vAsishTha further explains that all our actions are ultimately performed for
our Atma-prIti, and since bhagavAn is the antaryAmi of our AtmA, they are
ultimately performed for His pleasure.

Several versions of Sri Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam are given: ya~jnasvarUpatvAt

ya~jnaH; yaj~nAtmanA yaj~naH; sa'ngantA yaj~naH; etc., all of which explain
the nAma as "One Who is of the form of yaj~na or sacrifice".

For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 48, Sri Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is:

"sarva yaj~na svarUpatvAt yaj~naH |

sarveshAm devAnAm tushTikArako yaj~na AkAreNa pravarta iti vA |"

"All sacrifices are His form, or because He exists as sacrifice in order to

please all the gods".

One of the meanings for the root yaj that we have seen above is yaj –sa'ngati –
to associate with. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri uses this meaning and explains the

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nAma as "One who associates the karma-s of the jIva-s with their effects".

For the instance of the nAma in Slokam 48, SrI baladeva vidyAbvhUshaN
refers to bhagavAn's birth to ruci and AkUti as yaj~na – rucipatnyAm
AkUtyAm yaj~na nAmA AvirbhUtatvAt yaj~naH.

In Slokam 48, SrI raghunAtha tIrtha uses the pATham in which he treates
"yaj~na ijyaH" as one nAma, and explains the nAma as One who is worshipped in
sacrifices – "yaj~ne ijyaH stutyaH pUjyaH itiyaj~na-ijyaH".

SrI cinmayAnanda defines the term yaj~na as "work undertaken with a pure
spirit of total dedication in complete cooperation with others, and for the well-
being of all creatures and for the welfare of the world". He then comments
that whenever there is such a cooperative endeavor with total selflessness,
there is SrIman nArAyaNa in action through His creatures, and this is why He

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is called yaj~naH.

yaj~na--patiH
nAma 972. y}pit> yaj~na

The Lord of yaj~na.

yaj~na-pataye namaH.
The term yaj~na has been discussed above. SrI vAsishTha indicates the root
"pA – rakshaNe - to protect, to rule", for the derivation of the word patiH.
The term 'pati' also means "Lord, Master". The interpretations are based on
either of these two meanings.

SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as "sva-yaj~na-phala-pradaH yaj~na-patiH" –

He Who gives the fruit of sacrifices done to please Him.

Lord kRshNa declares in the gItA:

aham hi sarva-yaj~nAnAm bhoktA caprabhureva ca | (gItA 9.24)

"I am the only enjoyer and the only Lord of all sacrifices".

Sri Sa'nkara gives the above as support, and his interpretation includes both
protection aspect as well as the aspect that bhagavAn is the Lord of all
yaj~na-s: yaj~nAnAm pAtA svAmI vA yaj~na-patiH – The Lord of the

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 sacrifices or the Protector of them.
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yaj~na-pataye namaH.
ThiruvalavEnthai

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SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as "svayam yaj~na rUpo yajanIyoyaj~na
sAdhanam ca bhagavAn yaj~nam pAtiityato yaj~na-patiH" – BhagavAn is
Himself in the form of sacrifice, He is the One Who is worshipped through
yaj~na-s, and He is the means for the performance of the yaj~na, and so He is
the Protector of the yaj~na-s, and so He is called yaj~na-patiH.

SrI cinmayAnanda continues with his broader definition of yaj~na as given in

the previous nAma, and explains the current nAma as indicating that bhagavAn
is the Enjoyer in all self-dedicated, co-operative endeavors, and so He is called
yaj~na-patiH. He points out that in chapter 3 of the gItA, the term yaj~na is
used in this sense. In particular, for the Sloka 3.9 below, his interpretations
emphasizes this point:

ya~jnArthAt karmaNo'nyatra lok' yam karma-bandhanaH|

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tad-arthamkarma kaunteya mukta-sa'ngaH samAcara ||

(gItA3.9)

"The world is bound by action other than performed for "the sake of
sacrifice"; do thou, therefore, O son of kunti, perform action for the sake of
ya~jna alone, free from all attachments".

He offers the additional explanation:"ya~jna here means only "any self-

sacrificing work undertaken in a spirit of Self-dedication, for the blessing of
all"… The following stanza salso will become more and more clear only when we
understand ya~jna as "any social, communal, national, or personal activity into
which the individual is ready to pour himself forth entirely in a spirit of
service and dedication".

nAma 973. yJva yajvA

He Who performs the sacrifice.

yajvane namaH.
SrI vAsishTha points to the pANini sUtra3.2.103, which explains the word
yajvA as indicating a past signification – One who has sacrificed. However, he
notes that in the case of bhagavAn there is no limitation of time, and so the

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 meaning should apply to the past, present, and future – in other words- "viSva
nirmANa rUpeNa tad- artha sAdhana sampAdana rUpeNa ca yaj~nenaishTavAn
yajate, yakshyati iti vA sa yajvA vishNuH" - One Who has sacrificed, One Who
is sacrificing, and One Who will continue to sacrifice for the purpose of
creating the Universe, and creating all the supporting materials for the
existence and enjoyment of all the creatures, is Lord vishNu.

SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as signifying that bhagavAn Himself performs
sacrifice on behalf of those who are unable to perform their rites, and gives
the support from mahAbhArata in Lord kRshNa's own words:

teshAm tu pavanAya aham nityamevayudhisThira! |

ubhesandhye anutishThAmi hi askannam tad-vratam mama ||

"O yudhishThira! For the purification of those who are unable to observe the
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daily rites, I am Myself doing the yaj~na at both dawn and dusk every day. I
never fail in carrying out this vow of Mine".

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan points out that the reference here is to the
paramaikAntin-s who are unable to perform their nitya karma-s because of
some inevitable disabilities. Thus, this does not absolve physically capable
people from performing their nitya karma-s regularly.

SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN interprets the nAma along lines similar to SrI
BhaTTar – aSaktam aki'ncanam AviSya tat-tad-ArAdhanam nivartayan
svyameva yajvA.

The term yajvA has the same meaning as the word yajamAna – one who
performs the sacrifice. Sri Sa'nkara explains the nAma as –
yajamAnAtmanAtishThan yajvA, where he interpets the term a yajmAna as the
"Lord" of the yaj~na, which is also true. He supports this interpretation with a
reference to the gItA:

aham hi sarva yaj~nAnAm bhoktA caprabhureva ca | (gItA 9.24)

"I am the only enjoyer and the only Lord of all the sacrifices".
SrI cinmayAnanda reminds us of the definition of yaj~na as given by him for

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nAma 971, and notes that the current nAma stresses that bhagavAn is "One
who performs yaj~na according to the strict prescriptions laid down in the
Vedas – the One Who maintains in all His divine actions the true yaj~na spirit"
– in other words, He undertakes all His actions for the benefit of the
creatures of this world.

One of the meanings of the root yaja is 'to give (yaja – deva pUjAsa'ngati
karaNa yajana dAneshu – to sacrifice, to make an oblation, to give, to associate
with). SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses this meaning (yaja – dAne – to give),
and interprets the nAma as – yajate dattevarAn bhaktebhya iti yajvA – He
Who bestows His blessings on the devotees is yajvA.

nAma 974. y}a¼> yaj~nA'ngaH

a) He for Whom the yaj~na performed by the devotees is an anga or accessory

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to attain Him.

b) He Who has the divya avayava-s that are worthy of worship.

c) He Whose divya avayava-s in His mahA varAha incarnation represent the

different aspects of a yaj~na or sacrifice;

d) He Who makes it possible for us to attain the different means needed for a
sacrifice;

e) Who receives the offerings of a sacrifice;

f) Who is attained through the sacrifice, etc.

yaj~nAngAya namaH.
SrI vAsishTha discusses the nAma in terms of the two parts of the nAma
yaj~na and angaH. The derivation of the word yaj~na has been discussed
before (to sacrifice). The term anga is derived from the root ang to go. anga
also means a part or accessory. SrI BhaTTar's interpretation uses this
meaning.

a) SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan explains the nAma as - yaj~nam angam asya

iti yaj~nAngaH He Who is attained by the yaj~na-s (performed by those who

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 are capable). The yaj~na-s such as bhagavad ArAdhanA etc., performed by the
devotees are an upAyam or means in the form of an offering to Him, and He is
the One Who is the angI or the final goal. SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is
samarthAn anushThitamapi yaj~nAntaram asya SeshabhUtam iti yaj~nAngaH.
He Who has the sacrifices of others as an accessory to what He is doing. The
sacrifices performed by those who are capable of performing them, are all
subservient to Him, namely, a means or an accessory to attain Him.

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning parts for the term anga, and
comments that this nAma of bhagavAn signifies that He is One Who is
endowed with the divya avayava-s from His Lotus Feet to His divine Head that
are worthy of worship yaj~nAni pUjanIyAni angAni caraNAdi mastakAntAni
yasya iti yaj~nAngaH.

c) Sri Sankara interprets the nAma as - yaj~nA angAni yasya iti varAha
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mUrtiH yaj~nAngaH - One Whose different parts of the body- incarnate as

varAha mUrti are associated with the different aspects of a yaj~na. He gives
the passages from hari vamSa in support (hari vamSa 3.34-3.41), wherein the
different parts of His body are associated with the different aspects of a
yaj~na.

1. His Feet are equated to the veda-s,

2. knowledge to His face,

3. fire to His tongue,

4. darbha grass to His hair,

5. the day and night to His eyes,

6. the sacrificial ladle to His mouth,

7. the great chants of sAmaveda to His talk,

8. virtue and truth to His body, etc.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to a similar description of the varAha

rUpa in SrImad bhAgavatam 3.13.34-39, where the divine form of varAha
bhagavAn is compared to the different aspects of a yaj~na (e.g., His body is

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itself veda; the hairs of His body are like darbha-s; His eyes are havis or ghee;
etc.)

d) SrI vAsishTha notes that broadly, the term yaj~na can refer to all
materials associated with a sacrifice:

ijyate yaH, ijyate yena, ijyate yasmai, ijyate yatra vA iti yajanIyaH, yajana
sAdhanam havirAdi, yajan sampradAm uddeSo, yajan sthalAdikam ca sarvam
yaj~na Sabdena gRhItama bhavati.

He for whom the sacrifice is done, he by whom the sacrifice is done, that for
which it is performed, the place where the sacrifice is performed, in other
words, the Lord who is worshipped through the sacrifice, the place of worship,
the havis (ghee) etc. that are used in the sacrifice, etc. can all be indicated by
the term yaj~na.

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The term yaj~nAngaH then can mean One Who makes it possible to attain all
the above that are needed for the sacrifice, or One Who receives the
offerings through the sacrifice (svayam yajanOyo yaj~narUpaH san yaj~na
rUpANi havirAdIni yaj~na sthalam gatvA prApnoti iti yaj~nAngaH), Or One
Who is attained through yaj~na (yaj~ne anganam = gatiH yasya, sa yaj~nAngaH,
or yaj~naiH = yajana karmabhiH angaH = prAptiH yasya sa yaj~nAngaH), etc.

Alternatively, SrI vAsishTha notes that the term anga can be taken to mean
part, and since bhagavAn is the antaryAmi for all the aspects that are needed
in a sacrifice, including the brahmA, the hotA, the adhvaryu, the havis, etc., He
is also known as yaj~nAngaH.

yaj~na--vAhanaH
nAma 975. y}vahn> yaj~na

He Who helps others complete their sacrifices.

yaj~na-vAhanAya namaH.
The root from which the word vAhanaH is derived is vaha-prApaNe to bear
along, to carry, to flow.

SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as teshAm bhakti SraddhA adhikAra

dAnena yaj~nam vAhayati iti yaj~na-vAhanaH. He Who ensures the successful

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 completion of a yaj~na undertaken by the kartA, by investing the kartA with
the necessary power, faith and means to perform the yaj~na.

Thus, bhagavAn is the One Who bestows the benefits to those who are able to
perform the yaj~na themselves (yaj~na-patiH), He is the One who performs
the yaj~na for those who are unable to perform it themselves (yajvA), He is
the One Who is to be attained by the yaj~nas that are performed
(yaj~nAngaH), and He is the One Who gives the ability (Sakti), the interest
(SraddhA) and the authority (adhikAra) to undertake the yaj~na-s.

SrI Sankara's interpretation is phalahetu bhUtAn yaj~nAn vAhayati iti

yaj~na-vAhanaH - He Who ensures the successful fruition of the yaj~na-s
that are undertaken with good benefits in mind.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning vehicle for the term vAhana,
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and interprets the nAma as yaj~nam = pUjanIyam vAhanam = vainateyo yasya

iti yaj~na-vAhanaH - He Who has for His vAhana or vehicle, garuDa who is
worthy of worship.

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 Slokam 105
y}É&*}k«*}I y}ÉuGy}saxn>,

y}aNtk«*}guýmÚmÚad @v c. 105.

yaj~nabhrut yaj~nakrut yaj~nI yaj~nabhuk yaj~nasAdhanah |

yaj~nAntakrut yaj~naguhya mannamannAda eva ca ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

yaj~na--bhRt
nAma 976. y}É&t! yaj~na

He Who brings about the completion of the sacrifice (even when there are
imperfections in its performance).
yaj~na-bhRte namaH.

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The root from which the word bhRt is derived is bhR - poshaNa dhAraNayoH -
to hold, to support. yaj~nam bibharti = pushNAti, dhArayati iti yaj~na-bhRt -
He Who supports the sacrifice and brings it to successful completion is called
yaj~na-bhRt.

Sri BhaTTar notes that even if there are deficiencies in the actual
performance of a yaj~na, the final offering of pUrNa Ahuti while thinking of
Him, results in the rectification of all these deficiencies and the successful
completion of the yaj~na- vikalpam api yaj~nam sva-smaraNa pUrNAhutibhyAm
pushNAti iti yaj~na-bhRt.

SrI BhaTTar gives the following support from the Sruti:

pramAdAt kurvatAm karma pracyavatyadhvareshu yat |

smaraNAdeva tad-vishNoH sampUrNam syAd-iti SrutiH ||

If there is a mistake in the performance of sacrifices due to negligence or

oversight, the sacrifice will become imperfect. If the person thinks of vishNu
for the removal of these deficiencies, they are removed and the sacrifice
becomes perfect. This is what the Sruti declares.

SrI vELukkuDi kRshNan notes that the term bhRt suggests that bhagavAn

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 bears the bhAram (burden) of completing the yaj~na successfully when the
performer is unable to bear this burden for successful completion by himself.
All the yajamAna has to do is to shift the burden for forgiving all the
deficiencies at the end to bhagavAn by doing a pUrNAhuti. This is the final
Ahuti that is offered, with divine thoughts at the Lotus feet of Lord kRshNa,
asking for forgiveness for all the known and unknown, intended and unintended
deficiencies in the performance of the yaj~na in order to ensure that the
yaj~na as a whole becomes completed (pUrNam). The faults inherent in the
performer of the yaj~na, the faults in the procedures, the faults used in the
materials used in the offering, (deficiencies in mantra, tantra, vidhi, viparyAsa
etc.), are all forgiven by bhagavAn when the final Ahuti is made with His Divine
feet in mind. Among the mantra-s that are meditated upon at the time of
pUrNAhuti are:
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prAyaScittAnyaseshAni tapaH karmAnyAtmakAni vai |

yAni teshAm aSeshANAm SrI kRshNAnusmaraNam param ||

upAcArApadeSena kRtAn aharar mayA |

apacArAn imAn sarvAn kshamasva purushottama ||

pUrNAhutim uttamAm juhoti ; karmam vai pUrNAhutiH ;

AvirgIrbhiH yatatona Unam tena uktim vidhema

SrI Sankara reflects the same meaning in his interpretation yaj~nam bibharti
pAti iti yaj~na-bhRt.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that there are four chief priests at any yAga,
called Rtvija-s, and they ensure that all steps of the yAga are performed
correctly without any deficiency. These priests are called hotR, udgAtR,
advaryu, and Brahman. At grand ceremonies, sixteen priests are enumerated.

SrI cinmayAnanda continues his earlier interpretation of the term yaj~na, and
gives his interpretation for the current nAma as: One Who helps us conclude
successfully all our good, dedicated, selfless acts of service to others.

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 yaj~na--kRt
nAma 977. y}k«t! yaj~na

He Who created the sacrifice.

yaj~na-kRte namaH.
Both SrI Sankara and SrI BhaTTar give the interpretation that Lord vishNu
has this nAma because He created yaj~na as a means for the well-being of the
universe.

SrI BhaTTars interpretation is: jagad- hitAya yaj~namAdI sRjati iti yaj~na-
kRt - He first created the sacrifice for the well-being of the Universe.

The following Sloka-s in the gItA explain in detail, in the words of Lord
kRshNa, the idea that bhagavAn created yaj~na as a means of establishing a
connection between the deva-s and the human beings:

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saha-yaj~nAH prajA sRshTvA purovAca prajApatiH |

anena prasavishyadhvam esha vostvishTa kAma-dhuk ||

(gItA 3.10)

In the beginning, the Lord of all beings, creating man along with the sacrifice,
said: By this shall you prosper; this shall be the cow of plenty granting all your
wants.

devAn bhAvayatAnena te devA bhAvayantu vaH |

parasparam bhAvayantaH SreyaH param avApsyatha ||

(gItA 3.11)
By this (yaj~na), please the gods, and the gods will support you. Thus
nourishing one another, may you obtain the highest good.

ishTAn bhogAn hi vo devA dAsyante yaj~na bhAvitAH |

(gItA 3.12)

The gods, pleased by the sacrifice, will bestow on you the enjoyments you
desire.

In his explanation for the nAma vashaTkAraH, SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri

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 elaborates on this connection and inter-dependence between the deva-s and
the manushya-s as follows: The deva-s depend on the manushya-s for their
havir-bhAgam through the yaj~na-s, and the people depend on the deva-s for
their sustenance through rain etc.

Thus, bhagavAn has set up the yaj~na as the bridge between the deva-s and
the people, and thereby the interdependence between the deva-s and the
manushya- s.

Therefore, He is called yaj~na-kRt.

The term yaj~na-kRt has also been interpreted as One Who is the performer
of yaj~na-s. SrI cinmayAnandas translation for the nAma is: One Who
performs yaj~na. He notes that the Lord issued forth creation as an act of
yaj~na a pure and selfless act of service to the jIva-s.
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SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation: yaj~nAn makhAn

svayamapi karoti avatAra vigrahe iti yaj~na-kRt - He Who performs yaj~na-s
Himself during His incarnations.

As has been noted in several previous nAma-s, Sri Sankara gives an alternate
interpretation for the term kRt as One Who destroys - kRntati: jagadAdau
yaj~nam karoti, tadante yaj~nam kRntati iti vA yaj~na-kRt - He Who created
the sacrifices at the beginning, or He Who destroyed them at the end of the
universe.

nAma 978. y}I yaj~nI

He for Whose sake the yaj~na-s are done.

yaj~nine namaH.
SrI vAsishTha notes that the word yaj~nI is derived from the word yaj~na by
the addition of the ini pratyaya that has the same sense as the matup pratyaya
(one indicating possession) – yaj~naH asya asti iti yaj~nI – He for Whom the
sacrifices are performed.

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is – sarva yaj~nAnam SeshI yaj~nI – He Who is

the Lord or Master of all the yaj~na-s. It is for His propitiation that all

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yaj~na-s are performed.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to the gItA Sloka 9.24 in support:

aham hi sarva yaj~nAnAm bhoktA ca prabhureva ca |

na tu mAm abhijAnanti tattvenAtaS-cyavanti te ||

(gItA 9.24)

"For, I am the only Enjoyer and the only Lord of all sacrifices. They do not
recognize Me in My true nature, and hence they fall".

SrI rAmAnujan also refers us to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi: Seigaip payan

uNbEnum yAnE ennum…. (tiruvAi. 5.6.4) - "Fruits of acts anyone does are but
Mine".

SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan explains that this Lordship of bhagavAn expresses

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itself in His ensuring that His devotee attains Him even when any offering to
Him is flawed and deficient. He illustrates this point by taking five of
toNDaraDipoDi AzhVAr's pASurams from tirumAlai, starting with pASuram
25: (kuLittu mUnRanalai Ombum….).

AzhvAr tells the Lord that he has not performed the karma-s ordained for his
varNa, he has not followed the j~nAna yoga or the bhakti yoga, he has not
spent any time singing the name of the Lord, he has not done anything even
remotely similar to the offering of a flower like gajendra, he has not even
offered the relatively small service like the squirrels or the monkeys to Lord
rAma, but the only thing he knows is to cry for the help from the Lord. The
Lord accepts this as sufficient yaj~na, and takes AzhvAr to His Feet.

This example is an excellent illustration of why BhagavAn is called the Lord of

all yaj~na-s. BhagavAn takes the offering of a flower by gajendra, the offering
of a few specks of sand by the squirrels, the service offered by the monkeys,
or the sheer cry for help from Him, as a sufficient offering to Him, in order to
bless His devotee.

(One should remember that it is just sheer naicyAnusandhAnam that leads

AzhvAr to declare that he has no devotion of any kind, and has done nothing to

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 sing the name of the Lord).

Sri Sa'nkara's interpretation is: "yaj~nAnAm tat-samAradhAnAtmanAm SeshI

iti yaj~nI" – He Who is the Principal (SeshI) of the yaj~na, that is performed
for His own adoration.

yaj~na--bhuk
nAma 979. y}Éuk! yaj~na

The Enjoyer or the Protector of the sacrifice.

yaj~na-bhuje namaH.
yaj~nam bhu'nkte, bhunakti iti vA yaj~na-bhuk. The root used is bhuj – pAlana
abhyavahArayoH – to protect, to eat, to consume, to enjoy. Thus, both the
meanings (He is the Enjoyer, and He is the Protector) are given. Both SrI
Sa'nkara and SrI BhaTTar give both the definitions.
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SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj emphasizes the meaning bhu'nkte = aSnAti =

consumes, and gives the following interpretation: "ijyante dIyante samarpyante
svajanaiH iti yaj~nAH, arthAt nAnA-vidhA rucirAH padArthAH | tAn bhu'nkte
aSnAti iti yaj~na-bhuk" – He Who accepts and enjoys the different kinds of
offerings that are offered with devotion by the devotees is ya~jna-bhuk. He
gives support from the gItA:

patram pushpam phalam toyam yo me bhaktyA prayacchati |

tad-aham bhaktyupahRtam aSnAmi prayatAtmanaH ||

(gItA 9.26)

"Whoever offers Me with true devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or some water,
I accept this offering made with devotion by him with pure heart".

It is worth recalling from the write-up for the previous nAma that yaj~na is
anything offered with sincerity, and that bhagavAn is ever ready to accept
even the simplest offering as long as it is made with love, as we saw from the
pASuram-s of toNDaraDippoDi AzhvAr, as elaborated by SrI veLukkuDi
kRshNan. The gItA Slokam quoted here confirms the same point.

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan refers to the gItA Slokam 9.24: "aham hi

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sarva yaj~nAnAm bhoktA ca prabhureva ca" – (I am the enjoyer and also the
Lord of all the sacrifices".).

For the current nAma, SrI kRshNan points out that the protection aspect of
yaj~na-s by bhagavAn is very well illustrated in His rAma incarnation, where
He protects the yAga by sage viSvAmitra. Anyone who came in the way of the
yaj~na was finished off by Lord rAma. This is a vivid and visible case of
protection of the yaj~na by bhagavAn. For all the yaj~na-s performed,
bhagavAn is the means, the end, the One Who is worshipped, the One Who is
the Object of worship, and is also the One Who ensures the successful
completion of the yaj~na by protecting it from all obstacles. This is the
significance of the interpretation that "He is the Protector of yaj~na-s".

SrI cinmayAnanda makes another important point: "All that is offered into the

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sacred Fire during a yaj~na, though with an invocation to any of the deities, in
tender devotion and with joy, goes to Him alone, The One receiver of all that is
offered".

yaj~na--sAdhanaH
nAma 980. y}saxn> yaj~na

a) He Who is an accessory for the sacrifices.

b) He Who is attained through yaj~na-s as a means (or sAdhana).

yaj~na-sAdhanAya namaH.
The word sAdhana is derived from the root sAdh – samsiddhau – to finish, to
accomplish. SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation – te asya j~nAna-dvArA
siddhyupAyA iti yaj~na-sAdhanaH – The sacrifices become the means for
attainment of the respective fruits only because of the knowledge about Him.
The emphasis is made that it is the knowledge about bhagavAn, about the
relationship between us and bhagavAn – the Sesha-SeshI bhAvam or the
servant-Master relationship, and above all, the love with which the offerings
are made to Him, that are essential for the attainment of the fruits. It is not
so much the substance of what is offered that is important, but the dedication
behind it that is important, as has been emphasized repeatedly earlier.

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 SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN's interpretation is along similar lines – j~nAna
dAnena yaj~na upakAritvAt yaj~na-sAdhanaH – Because He gives the know-
how for the performance of the yaj~na, and thus assisting in the conduct of
the yaj~na, bhagavAn is called yaj~na-sAdhanaH.

SrI veLukkuDi kRshnan starts with the definition of the term yaj~na as
"prApti upAyAH yaj~nam" - any means to attain Him is termed yaj~na. Thus,
the term does not just refer to the yaj~na performed in a homa kuNDam, but
covers any means of worshipping Him, including the nitya tiru ArAdhanam
performed for Him. The term sAdhanam refers to upAyam or means to attain
Him. SrI kRshnan points out that this nitya ArAdhanam should be performed
with SraddhA, and full dedication to Him, and then bhagavAn accepts this as
means or uapAyam to attain Him, and so He is called yaj~na-sAdhanaH.

SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as – yaj~naH sAdhyate anena, yaj~nam

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sAdhayati vA yaj~na-sAdhanaH – He through whom the yaj~na gets

accomplished, or He Who fulfils the yaj~na, is yaj~na-sAdhanaH.

SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma as – yaj~nAH sAdhanam tat-prAptau iti

yaj~na-sAdhanaH – He is yaj~na-sAdhanaH because the yaj~na-s are a
sAdhana or a means to attain Him.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj notes that He is called yaj~na-sAdhanaH

because He enables the devotee to perform the yaj~na, and He is also yaj~na
sAdhanaH because He is attained through the yaj~na-s –

"yaj~naH pUjA ArAdhanam vA |

tam bhaktAnAm sAdhayati iti yaj~na- sAdhanaH |

tathA yaj~naH pUjA sAdhanam prAptaye yasya iti yaj~na- sAdhanaH".

Sri cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as: "One Who fulfils all ya~jna- s. It is by
His Grace alone that all noble endeavors, undertaken in an honest and true
sincerity, gain spectacular success". Notice again that SrI cinmayAnanada
interprets the term yaj~na in a broad sense as "any effort undertaken for the
public good, in a sense of selfless undertaking".

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SrI satya sandha tIrtha uses the meaning "means" for the term sAdhana, and
explains the nAma as "yaj~nasya sAdhanam sruk sruvAdikam mantrAdikam vA
yasmAt iti yaj~na-sAdhanaH" – He is called yaj~na sAdhanaH since it is He who
is the cause for the means such as the ladle, the mantra-s, etc. used during
the yaj~na. The terms sruk and sruva refer to two different types of ladles
used in the yaj~na (sruva refers to the smaller ladle, and sruk refers to the
larger ladle in which the ghee is poured using the smaller ladle – Monier-
Williams dictionary). Lord kRshNa declares in the gItA that He is the means
for all the aspects associated with a yaj~na:

brahmArpaNam brahma haviH brahmAgnau brahmaNA hutam |

brahmaiva tena gantavyam brahma karma samAdhinA ||

(gItA 4.24)

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"Brahman is the instrument to offer with; Brahman is the oblation. By Brahman
is the oblation offered into the fire of Brahman; Brahman alone is to be
reached by him who meditates on Him in his works".

Bhagavad rAmAnuja explains the term 'brahmArpaNam' as a reference to the

means for offering in a yaj~na, such as a ladle –

arpyate anena iti arpaNam srugAdi, tad brahma kAryatvAt brahma, brahma
yasya havishaH arpaNam tad-brahmArpaNam.. -

"That by which an offering is given, such as a ladle, is an arpaNa. It is called

Brahman because it is an effect of Brahman, Brahman being the material cause
of the Universe. BrahmArpaNam is the oblation, of which the instrument is
Brahman…".

This is the same idea that has been reflected by SrI satya sandha tIrtha in
his interpretation given above.

As if to illustrate that the devotees of the Lord can enjoy Him in His infinite
dimensions through their thoughts, Sri raghunAtha tIrtha gives another
interpretation – yaj~na SabdaH Subha-vAcI, tam sAdhayati iti yaj~na-
sAdhanaH – "The term yaj~na refers to auspiciousness, and since bhagavAn

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 gives auspicious results, He is called yaj~na-sAdhanaH".

yaj~nAnta--kRt
nAma 981. y}aNtk«t! yaj~nAnta

He Who produces the fruit of the sacrifices.

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.
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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

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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

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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

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 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
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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.

yaj~na--guhyam
nAma 982. y}guým! yaj~na

He Who is the secret of the sacrifice.

yaj~na-guhyAya namaH.
The word guhyam is derived from the root guh – samvaraNe – to cover, to keep
secret. Guhyam means 'rahasyam' or secret. Different interpreters have given

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their diverse anubhavam of how bhagavAn is the hidden secret behind yaj~na-
s.

Sri BhaTTar comments that bhagavAn is the 'secret' behind the sacrifice,
because not everyone understands that He is the ultimate object of the
sacrifice, and that even though bhagavAn is not in need of any offering, He
still feels satisfied as if He has been long expecting the offerings, and enjoys
them. Only those who are wise and knowledgeable about the injunctions, the
means and the fruits of the sacrifices, realize this secret about Him; others
do not realize this secret. SrI BhaTTar quotes the following from the
mahAbhArata in support:

sarve vedAh sarva vedyAH sa-SastrAH

sarve yaj~nAH sarva ijyaSca kRshNaH |

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viduH kRshNam brAhmaNAs-tattvato ye

teshAm rAjan sarva-yaj~nAH samAptAH ||

"All the veda-s and all that has to be learnt, all the SAstra-s and all the
sacrifices, and all worship – all are SrI kRshNa. Those who know kRshNa
correctly this way, may be considered to have completed all the sacrifices
successfully".

jyotIgmshi SukrANi ca yAni loke

trayo lokAH loka-pAlas-trayI ca |

trayo'gnayaSca AhutayaSca pa'nca

sarve devA devakIputra eva ||

"All the shining luminaries in the universe, the three worlds, the three
guardians of the world, the three fires, and the five offerings in those holy
fires, and all the gods, are all SrI kRshNa, the Son of devaki".

The above references bring out another subtle secret that is elaborated by
SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan: Even though the offering in a given yaj~na
may be for some of the other deities, the real Deity Who ultimately receives

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 all the offerings is BhagavAn and no one else. BhagavAn is the antaryAmi of all
these other deities, and while He feels satisfied with the offering, He also
ensures that these other deities are satisfied, and thus it is no one other than
BhagavAn Who is the ultimate object of all yaj~na-s. Not everyone who
performs yaj~na-s understands this, and thus bhagavAn is the secret behind
the yaj~na-s in this sense as well – yaj~na-guhyam.

Sri VeLukkuDi kRshNan brings out another dimension to the anubhavam of this
nAma: Accepting the relatively meager offering in the yaj~na with great
delight, BhagavAn can give to the performer of the yaj~na, the benefit even up
to moksham; in other words, there is no limit to the return that He can bestow
on the performer of the yaj~na in return for the relatively trivial offering
that bhagavAn does not even need. This is a great secret that is not easily
understood by most people. He keeps the means of yaj~na as a great secret
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that is understood only by a few who know the yaj~na SAstra properly, and so
He is yaj~na-guhyam.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that there are two aspects to any sacrifice –
the material aspects, and the thoughts behind the performance of the karma.
We dealt with this discussion under nAma 981 (gItA 4.33). Lord kRshna
declares that the thought behind the actions is more important than the act
itself. When this thought itself is dedicated to bhagavAn, in other words,
when the thought behind the yaj~na or offering is not one that aims at
receiving some benefit for the performer of the yaj~na, this is the best form
of yaj~na. This is the secret behind the performance of yaj~na-s in their
ultimate true sense. When such thought is the basis for the offering, this is a
manifestation of Brahman Himself, and so there is no difference between
Brahman and the yaj~na or the offering, and so He is called the 'secret of the
sacrifice' or the 'yaj~na-guhyam'. This seems to be the meaning for Sri
Sa'nakara's interpretation for the nAma – yaj~nAnAm guhyam j~nAna-yaj~naH
phalAbhisandhi-rahito vA yaj~naH; tad-abheda upacArAt Brahma yaj~na-
guhyam – "The secret of sacrifices is 'knowledge-sacrifice'. Yaj~na may also
mean any deed performed without desire for the fruit; Brahman, as identified

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with such deeds, is called yaj~na-guhyam".

SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as "The most profound truth to be

realized in all yaj~na-s". He elaborates: "The Self is the most noble truth to
be sought through 'offering' all the dravya (objects) into the
'consciousness' (fire) in the 'body' (kuNDa). This kind of subjective yaj~na is
called in the gItA as Knowledge-sacrifice ("j~nAna-yaj~na)". This is also called
in the veda-s as Brahma yaj~na".

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN reinforces the true spirit behind the
performance of sacrifices – It is for bhagavAn's pleasure alone, and not for
any material benefits for the performer, that the yaj~na is to be undertaken,
and so He is the secret behind the yaj~na-s – tena yaj~nena tasyaiva mukhya
uddeSyatvAt yaj~na-guhyam.

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nAma 983. AÚm! annam

The object of enjoyment.

annAya namaH.
The root from which the nAma is derived is ad – bhakshaNe – to eat. atti =
bhakshati iti annam – He who consumes or enjoys is 'annam'. Alternatively,
adyaH iti annam – That which is consumed or eaten, is annam.

SrI vAsishTha gives another alternate derivation using the root ana –
prANane – to breathe, to live: anIti iti annam, yadvA anyate = prANyate yena
tad annam – He Who makes the beings live, or He because of Whom the beings
exist. This can refer to the vital air that is necessary for the beings to
survive and live.

SrI vAsishTha points out that the word 'annam' is used in the Sruti to refer
to any offering in a yaj~na – that which can be offered as havis, including
ghRtam (ghee) etc:

SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as "bhoktR-SaktibhiH bhujyate iti annam" –

He Who is enjoyed, or is the Object of enjoyment by those who have been
blessed by Him with the power to enjoy Him. In fact, for the true devotee,

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 everything except bhagavAn is not an object of enjoyment, and He is
everything for them.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refer us to nammAzhvAr:

uNNum SORu parugu nIr tinnum veRRilai ellAm kaNNan * emperumAn enRenRE
kaNgaL nIl malgi maNNiNuL avan SIr vaLam mikkavan Ur vinavi tiNNam en iLa
mAn pugumUr tirukkOLUrE.

(tiruvAi. 6.7.1)

"To His devotee, all is kRshNa. Food - eaten to satisfy the appetite, water –
drunk to quench the thirst, and betel leaves – consumed after the food, are all
kRshNa only in their case. Saying His name, speaking of His qualities, and
thinking of Him, His devotee will feel the hunger and the thirst and all other
needs satisfied. They will not eat any other food since kRshNa-consciousness
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is enough food for them. Reciting His name and enquiring everyone on the way
"Am I on the right path to tirukkOLUr? How far is it hence?” the devotee will
proceed without any other need for sustenance. The very thought of His place
serves as nourishment for the devotee".

SrI rAmAnujan also refers us the gItA in support:

bahUnAm janmanAm ante j~nAnavAn mAm prapadyate |

vAsudevas-sarvam iti sa mahAtmA sudurlabhaH ||

(gItA 7.19)

"At the end of many births, the man of knowledge finds refuge in Me, realizing
that "vAsudeva is all" (annam). It is very hard to find such a great-souled
person".

The well-known Sruti vAkya from taittirIya Upanishad:

aham annam aham annam aham annam |

aham annAdo'ham annAdo'ham annAdaH |

bhagavAn is annam because He allows Himself to be enjoyed by those who are

qualified and endowed with the knowledge to enjoy Him. He in turn enjoys

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those who thus enjoy Him, and so He is also called annAdaH – Enjoyer (next
nAma).

SrI vELukkuDi kRshNan refers us to the pASurams of nammAzhvAr where

AzhvAr refers to both the aspects of bhagavAn being annam and annAdaH. In
the ten pASurams of tiruvAimozhi 5-10, AzhvAr repeatedly refers to both
these aspects. We will deal with the references for the nAma annAdaH under
the next nAma.

The whole of divya prabandham is nothing but bhagavAn being enjoyed as

annam by the different AzhvArs. SrI kRshNan profusely keeps quoting from
different AzhvArs. Couple of examples are given below:

pAlAzhi nee kiDakkum paNbai yAm kETTEyum kAl Azhum ne'nju azhiyum kaN
Suzhalum * neelAzhic cOdiyAi! AzhiyAi! tol vinai empAl kaDiyum neediyAi! niR-

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cArndu ninRu.

(nammAzhvAr periya tiruvantAdi 34).

"Oh Lord! You have the brilliance of the dark Ocean, and You are the First
Cause of all the universes. It is Your nature to remove the blemishes in the
likes of me. When I think of You and the beauty of Your reclining in the Milky
Ocean, the experience is so profound that my legs are not able to support me
any more, my mind is not able to comprehend Your beauty, and my eyes
experience the same profoundness".

ERaDarttadum EnamAi nilam kINDadum mun rAmanAi mARaDarttadum maN

aLandadum Sollip pADi…

(perumAL tiru. Of kulaSekhara. 2.3)

"When I sing Your glory – Your great feat of destroying the seven mighty
bulls, Your lifting the whole Earth in Your varAha incarnation, Your destroying
the evil rAvana in your rAma incarnation, tears of joy well into my eyes and
overflow like a river…..".

Sri Sa'nkara explains the nAma as 'adyate iti annam' = That which is consumed
by all beings is annam. Since He is the sustaining power present in all the food

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 consumed by all beings, He is called annam.

SrI cinmayAnanda includes all the sense-objects that satisfy the needs of the
sense-organs under scope of annam represented by Him, and explains the
nAma as "One Who has Himself become the sense- objects which are the
'food' consumed by the sense-organs".

Using the definition atti = bhakshati iti annam – he Who eats, both Sri
Sa'nkara and SrI cinmyananda give the alternate interpretation that He is
called annam – One Who eats - atti bhUtAni iti annam – He Who consumes
everything at the time of pralaya.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the root ana – prANane – to breathe, to
live, and gives the explanation – anyante uapjIvyante bhaktAH yena sva-
darSana-dAna dvArA iti annaH – BhagavAn sustains the bhakta-s by giving
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them His darSanam, and so He is the Sustainer – annam. The application of

the uNAdi sUtra 3.10 adds the affix na after the root an, giving the word
annam – food.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN extends the topic of yaj~nam that has been the
subject of the previous nAma-s to the current one as well, and explains the
nAma as indicating that at the successful conclusion of the yaj~na by the
devotee, when the devotee reaches the ultimate objectives of SrI
vaikunTham, bhagavAn presents Himself to the devotee in the forms of the
most enjoyable objects in SrI vaikunTham through His sa'nkalpa Sakti, and so
He becomes the ultimate annam for the devotee – yaj~na labhye parama vyomni
yad-divya-rasa- gandhAdikamadanIyam bhogyam.

nAma 984. AÚad> annAdaH

The Enjoyer of those who enjoy Him.

annAdAya namaH.
The word annam can be derived from the roots ad - bhaksahNe, or ana -
prANane, as indicated in the previous nAma, and one of the meanings is food.
To this word, the stem - Ada is added, to get the word annAdaH. This stem

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itself (Ada) is again derived from the same root ad - bhakshaNe - to eat,
literally giving the meaning "The eater of food". In the current context, the
meaning is that BhagavAn is the Enjoyer of those who enjoy Him. The previous
nAma indicated that He is One who is enjoyed by His devotees as annam, and
the current nAma indicates that He in turn enjoys the devotees who enjoy Him
- annam atti iti annAdaH.

SrI BhaTTar's words in interpretation are: tAnSca tathA bhu'nkte iti

annAdaH - He is annAdaH since He also enjoys them in the same way as they
enjoy Him. He proceeds to explain the significance of the next two words in
the Slokam - eva and ca, which are not nAma-s of bhagavAn per se. He explains

that the significance of the word eva is that there is no one else like Him - ko

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anya IdRSaH? iti eva-kAraH. The significance of the word ca is that all that
has been described thus far are present perfectly in this one Deity, namely
Lord vishNu - 'ca' SabdaH sarvamuktam ekatra asmin samuccinoti |.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN echoes the same interpretation for the words
eva and ca -

na hyetAdRk anyo'sti iti bodhayitum eva-kAraH |

nikhila bhhogya samuccAya ca-kAraH

This mutual love of the devotees to BhagavAn (He being annam), and for
bhagavAn to His devotees (He being annAdaH), is nicely described by
nammAzhvAr in his tiruvAimozhi pASuram 9.7.9, almost like a mutual
competition of who enjoys whom most, and is referenced by both SrI
v.v.rAmAnujan and by SrI vELukkuDi kRshNan:

vArik koNDu unnai vizhu'nguvan kANil enRu ArvuRRa ennai ozhiya ennil munnam
pArittu,

tAn ennai muRRap paruginAn kAr okkum kATkarai appan kaDiyanE.

(tiruvAi. 9.7.9)

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 AzhvAr says that he had been just waiting to see bhagavAn, and as soon as He
would see Him, his plan was to just swallow Him completely with nothing left
for anybody else. But even before that could happen, bhagavAn planned more
skillfully, and displayed His extreme sauSIlyam to AzhvAr. This made AzhvAr
melt down completely, and bhagavAn just drank him totally in this 'dravya'
form. AzhvAr exclaims that this tirukkATkaraiappan is an extremely hard nut
to crack, and One with whom no one can compete in this kind of game, or in
anything else for that matter. AzhvAr wanted to make Him annam, but
bhagavAn instead became the annAdan in this case.

SrI Sa'nkara gives the meaning - annam atti iti annAdaH - "The Eater of food"
to the nAma, and explains that the nAma signifies that bhagavAn is the eater
of the whole world as food. SrI Sa'nkara proceeds to explain the next two
words eva and ca as follows:
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sarvam jagat annAdi rUpeNa bhoktR-bhogyAtmakam eva iti darSayitum eva-

kAraH

"The particle eva is used to show that the entire universe of becoming enjoyer
and enjoyed, is traceable to the Lord.

ca SabdaH sarva nAmnAm ekasmin parasmin pumsi samuccitya vRttim

darSayitum

The adjunct ca is used to indicate that all names ultimately indicate a single
Superior person. Another translation found for Sri Sa'nkara's words is: The
word ca is used to show that all the names given in the text can be applied to
the one ParamAtman.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that everything in this world can be

classified in two categories: food, and the eater of food. Through the nAmas
annam and annAdaH for bhagavAn almost near the conclusion of the stotra,
SrI bhIshma indicates to dharmaputra that vAsudeva who is seated in front of
them is the One that has been described all along through all the nAma-s
starting with viSvam, all the way up to the current nAma. In the next Sloka,
he states explicitly that Lord vishNu who has been praised in all the previous

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Sloka-s, is none other devakI-nandana kRshNa Who is seated in front of them.

The concluding section of bhRgu valli in the taittirIya upanishad summarizes

that bhagavAn pervades food as well as the eater of food, and so He is both
of the form of annam and annAdaH - aham annam annamadantamAdmi.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj explains the nAma as - annam - svajanopahRtam

modakAni atti iti annAdaH - BhagavAn is called annAdaH because He gladly

accepts the offerings from His devotees.

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 Slokam 106
AaTmyaein> Svy<jatae vEoan> samgayn>,

devkInNdn> öòa i]tIz> papnazn>. 106.

Aatmayonih svayamjAatO vaikhAnah sAmagAyanah |
devakIinandanah srashTaa kshitIsah pApanAsanah ||
[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

Atma--yoniH
nAma 985. AaTmyaein> Atma

He mixes with His devotees very easily.

Atma-yonaye namaH.
The root from which the word yoni is derived is yu – miSraNe amiSraNe ca – to
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join, to separate. The affix ni is added by application of the uNAdi sUtra 4.51,
leading to the word yoni – womb. One explanation for the nAma is AtmA =
svayameva, svasya yoniH = kAraNam – He Who is the Cause for Himself.

SrI BhaTTar uses the root yu – 'to unite, to mix', and interprets the nAma as
- "dughdeneva sitAvalayam AtmanA bhoktAram miSrayati iti Atma-yoniH" -
One Who mixes others with Himself easily like milk with sugar. In other words,
it is bhagavAn's sauSIlyam that is emphasized by SrI BhaTTar through this
nAma.

As has been pointed out in many previous nAma-s, Sri BhaTTar's main emphasis
in his sahasra nAma vyAkhyAnam is to bring out the two guNa-s of bhagavAn
that are of utmost significance and importance to the devotees – namely
bhagavAn's sauSIlyam and saulabhyam. The interpretation of the current
nAma is a vivid example where SrI BhaTTar uses his skills in interpretation to
emphasize bhagavAn's guNa of sauSIlyam – or His ability to mix with His
devotees with the greatest ease, and let them enjoy Him easily and
completely, as long as they are sincerely devoted to Him.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN echoes the same thoughts as Sri BhaTTar in his
interpretation – AtmAnam svam yauti bhaktaH sahavAsa bhoge iti Atma-yoniH

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– He Who mixes the bhakta-s with Himself indistinguishably for the purpose
of their enjoyment of Him. He quotes the ananda maya vidyA from Ananda valli
of taittirIya upanishad –

"yo veda nihitam guhAyAm parame vyoman |

So'Snute sarvAn kAnmAn saha |

brahmaNA vipaSciteti |"

"He who knows Brahman hidden in the cavity of the heart,

enjoys in the supreme abode all the auspicious qualities of Brahman

along with the all-knowing Brahman".

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi pASuram 2.3.1 in

support of SrI BhaTTar's interpretation:

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Unil vAzh uyirE nallai pO unnaip peRRu vAnuLAr perumAn maduSUdan en
ammAn

tAnum yAnum ellAm tannuLLE kalandu ozhindOm tEnum pAlum neyyum

kannalum amudum ottE.

(tiruvAi. 2.3.1)

"O my mind! Even though you are present in this physical body of flesh and the
like - all filthy, you have served me right in the direction of deliverance. What
I have enjoyed is what nityasUri-s enjoy in SrI vaikunTham. BhagavAn has
subdued me even when I was in a mood to leave Him, and has made me a happy
servant of His, and he has become one with me. It is like honey mixing with
honey, milk with milk, sugar with sugar, ghee with ghee, and nectar with
nectar."

It is worth noting that while SrI BhaTTar says that bhagavAn mixes with His
devotee like sugar and milk (see his vyAkhyAnam above), AzhvAr says
bhagavAn has mixed with Him like milk with milk itself (honey with honey, milk
with milk, ghee with ghee, etc.), a level more intimate than the mixing of milk
and sugar.

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 SrI Sa'nkara brings out an aspect of bhagavAn's function of creation through
this nAma – Atmaiva yoniH – upAdAna kAraNam na anyat iti Atma- yoniH –
Because He alone is the material cause of the universe, and no other,
therefore He is called Atma-yoniH.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also gives the interpretation that since
bhagavAn has no cause other than Himself, He is called Atma-yoniH –
svambhUtvAt Atma-yoniH. He gives support from the Upanishad: sa viSva-kRd
viSva-vid Atma-yoniH (SvetASvatara. 6.16)

While SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the meaning svayam-bhU to the
word Atma-yoniH in the upnaishadic passage above, SrI N. S.
Anantara'ngAcArya translates the term as "indweller in the jIvAtman" in his
book titled "Selections from the Upanishads", and this translation is based on
the vyAkhyAna of SrI ra'nga rAmAnuja muni.
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svayam--jAtaH
nAma 986. Svy<jat> svayam

He Who is self-born.
svayam-jAtAya namaH.
svayam jAyate ajanishTa iti vA svayam-jAtaH

He Who is self-born, or is not created by anyone else is svayam-jAtaH.

SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam is that bhagavAn has this nAma signifying that He
takes His incarnations as and when necessary, without waiting for those in
difficulty to come and pray to Him to take His incarnation - prArthanA
nirapekshatayA jAtaH svayam-jAtaH. In other words, He takes the incarnation
out of His concern for the protection of the good, the destruction of the evil,
and the preservation of dharma (paritrANAya sAdhUnAm, vinASAya ca
dushkRtAm, dharma samsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi) - He Himself takes
birth out of His own will. His main concern is the protection of the jIva-s
that are His children; it is His Nature to be concerned and to protect (kAkkum
iyalvinan kaNNa perumAn - nammAzhvAr in tiruvAimozhi 2.2.9), and so He
takes incarnations for this purpose as and when necessary, out of His own

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sa'nkalpam.

Repeated reference has been made to the unique approach of SrI BhaTTar in
interpreting the nAmas by emphasizing that all that BhagavAn does is for the
benefit of His devotees. Even though the outward meaning for the nAma is
"One Who is born by Himself", SrI BhaTTar takes the opportunity to point
out that "He is born by Himself as and when necessary to remove the
sufferings of His devotees", rather than to just say that "Bhagavan has no
other Creator". The current nAma is one other instance of SrI BhaTTar's
unique anubhavam in his interpretation of the nAma-s.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan quotes the tiruviruttam pASuram in support:

uyir aLippAn enninRa yOniyumAip piRandAi ! imaiyOr talaivA |

(tiruviuttam 1)

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"You Who took birth voluntarily in order to liberate us from the burden of
samsAra".

SrI vELukkuDi kRshNan gives a quote from the gItA in support, and notes
that bhagavAn gets entangled in the miseries of this world just to release us
from the same miseries:

na me pArtha asti kartavyam trishu lokeshu ki'ncana |

nAnavAptam avAptavyam varta eva ca karmaNi ||

(gItA 3.22)

"For me, arjuna, there is nothing in all the three worlds which ought to be
done, nor is there anything un-acquired that ought to be acquired. Yet I go on
working".

SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan points out that it is for removing the bondage of
several other women that sItA pirATTi voluntarily lived for ten months in the
prison of the ten-headed rAvaNa, and it is for removing our bondage that Lord
kRshNa voluntarily chose to be born in the prison of kamsa. For the Divine
Couple, all these voluntary sufferings are for the purpose of relieving our

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 sufferings.

In his vyAkhyAnam for the above gItA Sloka, bhagavad rAmAnuja explains
that bhagavAn still continues to work for the protection of the world, even
though there is nothing for Him personally to be achieved by working

"karmaNA avAptavyam na ki'ncid api asti,

athApi loka rakshAyai karmaNi eva varte".

SrI Sa'nkara had explained the previous nAma (Atma-yoniH) as signifying that
bhagavAn is the Material cause of the Universe. He continues this thread in
the current nAma, and explains the nAma svayam- jAtaH as signifying that
bhagavAn is also the Instrumental cause - nimitta kAraNam api sa eva iti
darSayitum svayam-jAta iti. The terms 'Material cause' and 'Instrumental
cause' can be briefly explained by reference to the making of a pot by a
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potter, using the mud, the wheel, the water etc. In this example, the mud is
the upAdAna kAraNa or the material cause. The nimitta kAraNa or the
Instrumental cause is the pot maker. The other supplementary materials such
as the wheel, the water etc. are called the sahakAri kAraNa-s. SrI Sa'nkara's
interpretation for the previous and the current nAma-s are that bhagavAn is
both the Instrumental Cause and the Material Cause in the process of
creation. He gives support from the brahma sUtra (prakRtiSca pratij~nA
dRshTAnta anuparodhAt (1.4.23)) that declares that bhagavAn is not just the
Instrumental cause but also the Material cause. In other words, He performs
the function of creation with no other help or external means but from
Himself, by Himself. This is nicely captured by nammAzhvAr in his
tiruvAimozhi pASuram 1.5.4 (tAn Or uruvE tani vittAi tannil mUvar
mudalAya.).

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains the nAma as 'One Who appeared by

Himself', and gives the reference from taittirIya upanishad in support: tad-
AtmAnam svayam akuruta - That Brahman created Itself by Itself
(Anandavalli in taittirIya upanishad). If it be said that devaki 'gave birth' to
kRshNa, SrI Suka explains that bhagavAn just appeared from her womb just

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as the moon appears in the sky -devakyAm deva rUpiNyAm vishNuH sarva
guhASayaH AvirAsIt yathA prAcyAm diSi induriva pushkalaH (SrImad
bhAgavatam 10.3.8). Lord kRshNa chose to enter devaki's womb for some
time, and then chose to come out when He chose to come out; the connection
between devaki and kRshNa is just the same connection as between the east
direction and the moon from which it appears.

nAma 987. vEoan> vaikhAnaH

He Who uproots (the evils of the world).

vaikhAnAya namaH.
The root from which the nAma is derived is khana - avadhAraNe - to dig. vi-
is an upasarga, and the sense in which it is used here is to denote intensity

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(viSesheNa). The sense in which He 'digs' is interpreted differently by
different interpreters.

Sri BhaTTar uses the root khana with the meaning 'uproot', and explains the
nAma as One Who uproots the miseries of His devotees - janitvA, bhava

duHkha vikhananAt vaikhAnaH - Having taken His birth or incarnation out of

His own will, then BhagavAn proceeds to uproot the sorrows of the world, in
particular the sorrow of repeated birth and death.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN follows a similar interpretation -

janitvAca sva-bhakta duHkha vikhananAt vaikhAnaH

Taking birth voluntarily, He destroys the sorrows of His devotees.

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavaan refers us to the first pASuram of

nammAzhvAr's tiruviruttam, where AzhvAr points out that bhagavAn takes
His births for the purpose of removing our bondage to this samsAra:

poi ninRa j~nAnamum pollA ozhukkum, azhukku uDambum in ninRa nIrmai ini
yAm uRavAmai

uyir aLippAn en-ninRa yOniyumAip piRandAi!

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 imaiyOr talaivA mei-ninRu kETTu aruLAi,

aDiyEn Seyyum viNNappamE.

"O Lord of the deva-s! You take Your births amongst us out of Your own free
will in order to protect us, who live with false and incomplete knowledge, bad
conduct, and an impure body and mind, and are stuck deep in the ocean of
samsAra. You alone can redeem us from this deep misery. Please bless us and
heed my plea and save us".

Sri Sa'nkara uses the meaning 'dig' for the root khana, and uses the instance
of bhagavAn's varAha incarnation to illustrate the significance of the nAma -

dharaNIm viSeshena khanitvA pAtAla vAsinam

hiraNyAksham vArAha rUpam AsthAya jaghAna

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iti purANe prasiddham

It is well-known in the purANa-s that He, in the form of a boar, dug up the
earth, and killed hiraNyAksha, an asura who lived in the netherworld.

Sri cinmayAnanda gives an interesting interpretation for the above purANic

incident - hiranya is gold, and aksha is eye, and the term 'hiraNyAksha'
symbolizes our eye towards materialistic pleasures. BhagavAn has to dig and
reach inside our ego to rid us of this desire for materialistic pleasures, and in
this sense He is vaikhAnaH.

*One of the interpretations given by SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the

meaning 'disturbance' for the term 'khana'. Using the meaning 'devoid of' for
the upasarga vi-, he interprets the term vikhAna as a reference to the mukta-
s who are completely liberated, and then explains the term vaikhAna as the
Lord of vikhAna-s or the mukta-s - vikhAnAH khanana rahitAH muktAH,
tatsambandhI vaikhAnaH.

SrI raghunAtha tIrtha takes the word 'khana' as meaning 'to dig, to
completely undo', and interprets the nAma as - viSesheNa Satrum avadArayati

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iti vikhAnaH, vikhAna eva vaikhAnaH - He who cuts into pieces and destroys
the enemy.

Using the meaning 'dig' for the root khana, SrI vAsishTha gives another
interpretation, and attributes the existence of oceans etc., as the work of the
Lord - He has specially provided for these as examples of His specially digging
out these resources of water in nature, which no one else can do - tasya ca
viSishThaH khAno samudrasya _ nahIdRk khananam kenacit tad-anyena
kartum Sakyam |

sAma--gAyanaH
nAma 988. samgayn> sAma

a) He before Whom the sAma hymns are sung.

b) He Who sings the sAma gAna Himself.

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c) He Who is the final resort for those who sing the sAma gAna.
sAma-gayanAya namaH.
The word sAma is derived from the root so – antaHkarmaNi – to destroy, to
bring to an end. By application of the uNAdi sUtra 4.152 (sAtibhyAm manin
maniNau), the word sAma is obtained, meaning 'that which is appeasing'. The
word also refers to the sAma veda. The word gAyana means 'singer' (derived
from the root gai – Sabde – to sing, and the pANini sUtra 3.1.153 – NyuT ca).
sAma-gAyana means one who sings the sAma, and sAma-gAyaNaH means One
Who has the singers of sAma hymns.

a) SrI BhaTTar uses the above interpretation and explains the nAma as "One
Who has the mukta-s or the Released souls singing the sAma hymns in praise
of Him once they have attained Him" – sva-prApti madhu pAnena "hAvu hAvu
hAvu" iti sAmAni gAyamAno muktaH asya asti iti sAma-gAyanaH. He gives the
quote from taittirIya Upanishad – "etat sAma gayannAste" – (The released soul
or mukta) will be singing this sAma chant….

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj refers us to a passage in SrImad bhAgavatam

where the description is given about bhagavAn being worshipped through the

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 sAma gAna chanting:

yam brahmA rudrendra varuNa marutaH stunvanti divyaiH stavaiH vedaiH

sA'nga pada kramopanishadaiH gAyanti yam sAmagAH |

dhyAnAvasthita tad-gatena manasA paSyanti yam yoginaH yasyAntam na viduH

surAsura gaNA devAya tasmai namaH || (12.13.1)

"Our obeisance to Him who is worshipped by the likes of brahmA, rudra, indra,
and marut-s through the best of praises, through veda-s chanted
systematically with their a'nga-s and karma-s, whose praise is sung by those
who sing the sAma gAna, who is seen through the concentrated meditation of
the yogi-s, and whose infinite nature is beyond realization by the deva-s and
asura-s, and Who is ever resplendent".

Among the four veda-s, sAma veda is given special emphasis by Lord kRshNa:
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vedAnAm sAma vedo'smi devAnAmasmi vAsavaH |

indriyANAm manaScAsmi bhUtAnAm asmi cetanA ||

(gItA 10.22)

"Of the veda-s I am sAma veda. Of gods, I am indra. Of sense-organs I am the

manas. Of living beings, I am consciousness".

b) Sri Sa'nkara attributes the singing of the sAman to kaNNan Himself, and
interprets the nAma as "One Who sings the sAma gAnam" – sAmAni gAyanti iti
sAma-gAyanaH.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that the brahma j~nAni sings the sAma
gAnam in the excitement of his realization, and Lord kRshNa in His incarnation
sang in the flute the peaceful and all-quieting sAma gAnam, and hence He is
sAma-gAyanaH.

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives the interpretation for the nAma by looking
at the nAma as sAma + ga+ ayanaH. Those who sing the sAma veda are called
sAma-gAH. SAmagAnAm ayanam = ASrayaH paramo lakshayaH sAmagAyanaH –
He Who is the final goal of those who sing the sAma is sAmagAyanaH.

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SrI raghunAtha tIrtha explains the nAma as:
"yaj~na vinASakAn rAkshasAn syati hinasti

iti sAma gIyante asmin iti gAyanaH |

sAmAni stotra viSeshAH gIyante asmin

iti sAma-gAyanaH |"

"Extolled by special hymns of praises for His acts of killing the demons who
ruin the performance of the sacrifice".

devakI--nandanaH
nAma 989. devkInNdn> devakI

The Source of joy to devaki.

devakI-nandanAya namaH.

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Recall that the whole vishNu sahasra nAma has been revealed to yudhishThira
by bhIshma in the presence of kRshNa. SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for the
nAma is that through this nAma, bhIshma is clarifying to yudhisThira that the
nAma-s that have been revealed all along are not about some Deity who is
beyond reach, but they describe none other than devakI-nandana who is
seated just next to him, and who has taken incarnation as the kinsman of
yudhishThira. SrI BhaTTar refers us to a Sloka from mahAbhArata:

sa esha pRthudhIrgAkshaH sambandhI te janArdanaH |

esha bhUtam bhavishyacca bhavacca bharatarshabha ||

"O! Best of Bharata-s! JanArdana, the broad and long-eyed Lord is your
kinsman. He is all things in the past, the present and the future".

SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is also along the same lines. He gives another
support from the mahAbhArata:

jyotIgmshi SukrANi ca yAni loke trayo lokA loka-pAlAS-trayI ca |

trayo agnayaSca AhutayaSca pa'nca sarve devA devakI-putra eva ||

(mahAbhArata 13, app. 1, 156-7)

"All the luminaries of the world, the three worlds themselves, the protectors

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 of the worlds by guarding the quarters, the three veda-s, the three sacred
fires, the five oblations are all but the Son of devaki (kRshNa)".

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the reference from SrImad bhAgavatam,
describing the incarnation of ParamAtmA as the Son of devaki:

devakyAm devarUpiNyAm devakI-nandanaH SrI kRshNaH |

AvirAsIt yathA prAcyAm diSir-induriva pushkalaH ||

(bhAga. 10.3.8)
"Lord kRshNa, the Joy of devaki, appeared as the child of the divine devaki
just like the moon appearing from the eastern direction".

While the nAma devakI-nandana immediately reminds us of Lord kRshNa who

was 'born' to devaki, a couple of interpreters have taken a different approach
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to interpreting the nAma that does not refer to this incident of Lord
kRshNa's incarnation. A couple of these interpretations are included below as
an example:

SrI raghunAtha tIrtha's interpretation is:

devAnAm kam sukham asya asti iti devakI somaH |

tena devakinA somena nandate iti devakI-nandanaH |

"The term devaki refers to soma juice because it gives pleasure to the deva-s;
The Lord is called devakI-nandanaH because He is delighted by the offering of
soma juice". Or,

devena pAshANena kriyate sUyate iti devakI |

devakyA somena nandate iti devakI-nandanaH |

"soma juice is extracted by the use of stones and so it is called devakI; One
Who is delighted by the offering of soma juice extracted through the use of
stones, is devakI-nandanaH".

Sri satyadevo vAsishTha also avoids any reference to Lord kRshNa in this
nAma, and explains the nAma as a reference to sUrya. We will not go into the
details of how he gets this interpretation, but will only note that for some

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reason, he also chose to not use the obvious interpretation that suggests itself
for this nAma, namely that the Supreme Deity Lord vishNu is none other than
kRshNa who was seated in the midst of the bhIshma and yudhishThira.

One can only speculate on why they chose to take this approach. One reason
could be that kRshNa chose to leave devaki within a few moments after He was
born to devaki, and so He was not a source of delight for devaki at least for a
few years after He was born. A few interpreters observe that another name
of yaSodA was devaki, and so He was a devakI-nandana (for instance, SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri and SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN both make this
observation).

Bhagavad rAmAnuja mentions in his SrI Bhashya, in the explanation of the

mahA vAkya 'tat tvam asi', that "when a direct meaning of an expression is

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sufficient, it is illegitimate to seek an indirect implied meaning – (SrI
AdidevAnanda's words in his Introduction to the translation of bhagavad
rAmAnuja's gitA bhAshyam). The 'indirect implied meanings' have been
included here for those with academic interest, and may kindly be ignored by
the bhAgavata-s of this group.

nAma 990. öòa srashTA

The Creator.
srashTre namaH..
We studied this nAma earlier (Slokam 63 - nAma 595). Please refer to the
write-up for nAma 595 also.

sRjati iti sRashTA – vishNuH – He Who creates. As has been explained in

several places before, brahmA creates the things inside the brahmANDa,
after bhagavAn creates the things outside brahmANDa, and the brahmANDa
itself with brahmA inside the brahmANDa, and gives the power, the knowledge
and the responsibility to brahmA for the rest of the creation. It is because
bhagavAn is the antaryAmi in brahmA that brahmA is able to proceed with this
function at this point. Thus bhagavAn is the True Creator, as He is the

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 Destroyer and the Protector of all beings.

SrI BhaTTar reemphasizes through the interpretation for this nAma that SrI
BhIshma once more tells yudhishThira that devakI-nandana, SrI kRshNa, is
none other than para-vAsudeva who is responsible for creation. One can see
bhagavAn's saulabhyam and sauSIlyam reflected through these series of
nAma-s. Even though the reference to His function of creation can be taken to
illustrate His parattvam, the fact that the same para-vAsudeva has made
Himself accessible to all the people in the audience (where bhIshma is
instructing yudhisThira on the greatness of bhagavAn's nAma-s reflecting His
kalyANa guNa-s) shows simultaneously His saulabhyam.

SrI Sa'nkara bhAshyam is: "srashTA sarva lokasya" – BhagavAn is called

srashTA because He is the Creator of all the worlds.
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SrI cinmayAnanda comments: "Even the creator (meaning catur-mukha

brahmA) can perform his job only by drawing his abilities and capacities from
the Infinite Self, SrI nArAyaNa". In other words, brahmA creates only
because bhagavAn is the antaryAmi of brahmA.

nAma 991. i]tIz> kshtISaH

The Lord of the Earth.

kshitISAya namaH.
The root from which the nAma is derived is khsi – nivAsagatyoH – to dwell. The
application of the pANini sUtra 3.3.94 – striyAm ktin, leads to the word
khsitiH – the Earth; tasyA ISaH kshitISaH – The Lord of the Earth.

SrI BhaTTar notes that bhagavAn is the Lord of all the worlds, not just the
Earth, as revealed in the following reference:

yo anantarUpo akhila viSvarUpo garbhe'pi lokAn vapushA bibharti ||

"He is of infinite forms and is in the form of the entire universe. He bears by
His body all the worlds in His womb".

However, in this nAma, bhagavAn is particularly singled out as the Lord of the

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Earth. Different anubhavam-s are given for this. SrI BhaTTar points out that
there is generally more suffering in the Earth than in the other worlds such as
the deva loka-s etc., and so bhagavAn takes incarnations more often here, to
help relieve the sufferings of the beings here. So He is particularly addressed
as the Lord of the Earth – kshitISaH - sarva ISatve'pi Arti-bhUyishThatvAt
bhUyishTham bhUmeH ISaH iti kshitISaH.

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kshitISAya namaH.
SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan refers us to the tiruvAimozhi pASuram 3.3.4, where
nammAzhvAr points out that even though bhagavAn is the Lord of the deva-s,
He is more attached to AzhvAr in this world more, because AzhvAr is in a
more helpless situation than the deva-s:

ESan vAnavarkku enban enRAl adu tESamO tiruvE'nkaTattAnukku nISanEn

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 niRaivu onRum ilEn en kaN pASam vaitta param SuDar SOdikkE.

(tiruvAi. 3.3.4)

"We can declare that tiruvE'nkaTattAn is the Lord of nityasUri-s etc. But this
in no way adds to His glory. His true glory is in His mingling with the lowliest of
the lowly people like me, being accessible to all the downtrodden etc. This, it is
His saulabhyam that adds to His glory, and not the Lordship over the
nityasUri-s. He has shown a doting love to me, endearing me that way".

It is this love of bhagavAn towards the suffering and downtrodden beings of

the Earth that makes them dear to Him, and so He is called the Lord of the
Earth in this nAma.. bhagavAn is "ISan" for all the other worlds, but His
"pASam" or love is with the Earth.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN also interprets the nAma as "Lord of the Earth",
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the Lordship being reflected in His being concerned with the removal of the
suffering of the beings of the world and their protection – kshiter-bhAram
apanIyatAm pAlayana kshitISaH.

SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as a reference to the rAma incarnation –

The Lord of the earth, the son of daSaratha – kshiteH bhUmeH ISaH
daSarathAtmajaH.

SrI cinmayAnanda interprets the nAma as "The Consort of Mother Earth" –

kshiti referring to Mother Earth or bhUmi pirATTi.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha's interpretation is: Kshiyanti = nivasanti, gacchanti

vA nASam bhUtAni yasyAm sA kshitiH = bhUH, tasyA ISaH kshitISaH – That
in which all beings ultimately mingle after their life here, is kshitiH, or earth.
The Lord of kshiti is kshitISaH.

pApa--nASanaH
nAma 992. papnazn> pApa

The Destroyer of sins.

pApa-nASanAya namaH.
pApam nASayati iti pApa-nASanaH.

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It is very interesting to look at the derivation of the word pApa – it is derived
from the root pA – rakshaNe – to protect. The addition of the affix paH leads
to the word pApaH – that from which one should protect oneself is pApa, or
sin. SrI vAsishTha gives the derivation for the word pApa as "pAti asmAt
AtmAnam iti pApaH – That from which one should protect oneself is pApaH or
sin.

SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma by reminding us of the great value of

meditating on bhagavAn's leelA-s. By meditating on the nectar-like stories of
His stealing the butter and curd, by reminding ourselves of His rAsa-krIDA-s
with the gopi-s, etc., the sins in our minds are removed. In fact, this is one of
the ways that bhagavAn annihilates the internal flaws in the minds of SrI
vaishNava-s – those who meditate on Him with single-minded devotion. SrI
BhaTTar's words are:

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atha dadhi-navanItastainya rAsa krIDAdi kathAmRtena pareshAm pApa-
nASanaH | avatAre'pi vaishNavAnAm bAhyAbhyantara Satru-nASanaH |

Even during His incarnations, He annihilates the enemies, both internal and
external, of SrIvaishNava-s (the devotees of vishNu inseparably associated
with SrI or mahA lakshmi). He annihilates the internal enemies when they
meditate on His kalyANa guNa-s, and he annihilates the external enemies
through the divine weapons that he carries for their protection (which is the
substance of the next and last Sloka).

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan explains that ordinary thieves only steal

material objects, but bhagavAn steals the feelings of stealth itself from the
minds of the devotees – the Stealer of the thought of stealth itself-
cauryasya cauryam jagati prasiddham – He is well- known as the Stealer of the
very thought of stealth itself from those who meditate on His leelA-s of
stealing butter, curd etc.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi pASuram 3.6.2,

where AzhvAr refers to bhagavAn by the nama "pApanASan":

mUvarAgiya mUrtiyai mudal mUvarkkum mudalvan tannai SAvamuLLana

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 nIkkuvAnai taDam kDal kiDantAn tannai dEva dEvanai ten ila'nkai eri ezhac
ceRRa villiyai pAva nASanai pa'ngayat taDam kaNNanaip paravuminO.

(tiruvAi. 3.6.2)

"I beseech all of you people to devote yourselves to the Lotus-eyed Lord who
is the Chief among the tri-mUrti-s, the antaryAmi of rudra and brahmA, and
their Creator. He is the One Who removes the curses of rudra, brahmA and
other gods whenever they get into trouble. He is the One Who is reclining in
the Milk Ocean, and the same One Who tortured the evil-minded ravAna and
his SrI la'nkA to retrieve sItA pirATTi. He is the Lotus-eyed Lord Who
removes all our sins by the mere contemplation on Him".

Similar thoughts are expressed by periyAzhvAr:

emmanA! en kula daivamE! ennuDai nAyakanE! nin uLEnAip peRRa nanmai
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ivvulaginil yAr peRuvAr? namman pOlE vIzhttu amukkum nATTil uLLa pAvam
ellAm SummenAdE kai viTTo ODit tURugaL pAindanavE.

(periAzhvAr tiru. 5.4.3)

"My Lord! How can I ever describe the great benefit that I have received
because of Your Grace? All the sins that normally push me down mercilessly to
the ground like demons and ghosts, have left me quietly like prisoners that
escape without making any noise and hide in the bushes".

SrI vELukkuDi kRshNan refers us to the gItA Slokam 4.9:

janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvataH |

tyaktvA deham punar-janma naiti mAmeti so'rjuna ||

(gItA 4.9)

"He who thus knows in truth My divine birth and actions does not get rebirth
after this body; he will come to Me, O arjuna".

SrI kRishNan svAmi adds that if we meditate on His birth, we won't be born
again; if we meditate on His drinking His mother's milk in His birth, we won't
have to be born to drink a mother's milk; if we enjoy His leelA of stealing

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butter and curd, our sins will be stolen away by Him; if we meditate on His
being bound by ropes by yaSodA, we won't be bound again in samsAra; such is
the greatness of the thoughts about Him and His leelA-s.

SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is: "kIrtitaH pUjito dhyAyataH smRtaH

pAparASim nASayan pApa-nASanaH" – He Who destroys the sins of those who
adore Him, meditate on Him, and remember and sing hymns of praise on Him.
He gives support from a work titled vRddhaSAtAtapa:

pakshopavAsAd yat-pApam purushasya praNaSyati |

prANAyAma Satenaiva tat-pApam naSyate nRNAm ||

prANAya sahasreNa yat-pApam naSyate nRNAm |

kshaNa-mAtreNa tat-pApam harer-dhyAnAt praNaSyati ||

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"Whatever sins are removed by fasting for a fortnight, are destroyed by
performing a hundred prANAyAma-s. Whatever sins are destroyed by a
thousand prANAyAma-s, are removed in a fraction of a second by meditating
on Hari".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives an explanation for how the thought of

bhagavAn's leelA-s is able to wash away one's sins. These thoughts of
bhagavAn's leelA-s have the effect of keeping Him always on our thoughts, and
this is what causes one's mind to be purified. This is what bhIshma tells
yudhishThira at the beginning of the stotra:

tasya loka pradhAnasya jagannAthasya bhUpate |

vishNor-nAma sahasram me SruNu pApa bhayApaham ||

"O king, hear from me the thousand names of vishNu, the Lord of the
Universe, the highest in the worlds; these remove all sins and fear".

The next stanza clarifies that the nAma-s are but representations of
bhagavAna's guNa-s – yAni nAmi gauNAni vikhyAtAni mahAtmanaH, and thus,
meditation on the names of vishNu, or the guNa- s of vishNu, leads to the
removal of sins in the mind of one who meditates on vishNu.

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 SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives support from SrImad bhAgavatam:

nAma sa'nkIrtanam yasya sarva pApa praNASanam |

praNAmo duHkha SamanaH tam namAmi harim param ||

(bhAga. 12.13.23)

"My prostrations to Lord SrI Hari Whose nAma sa'nkIrtanam leads to the
eradication of all sins, and by worshipping Whom all sorrows are weakened".

This is the last Slokam of SrImad bhAgavatam, and can be considered the
summarizing Slokam of SrImad bhAgavtam by SrI sUta muNi.

SrI cinmayAnanda summarizes the purport of the nAma in the following words:
"Meditating upon Whom all vAsanA-s (sins) are liquidated. When an individual,
surrendering in love to Him, acts and fulfills his duties, all his existing vAsanA-
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s are destroyed, and no new ones are created. This is the very root in the
theory of karma yoga in the veda-s. Through meditation upon the Self, all sins
are dissolved and totally removed".

In one of his alternate interpretations, SrI satya sandha tIrtha looks at the
nAma as pApanAH + aSnAti – pApam nayati iti pApanAH daityAH, tAn aSnAti
iti pApaNASanaH. The asura-s are called pApanAH because they lead in
committing sins, and bhagavAn 'eats away' or destroys these asura-s, and so
He is called pApanASanaH.

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN also includes the above thought in one of his
alternative interpretations – pavitraiH caritaiH SrotRRNAm nikhila karmya
rUpam pApam vivartayan, asurAnAmapi nihatAn Atma vidyAm nivartya muktim
tebhyo yacchat pApanASanaH – He is called pApa nASanaH because He
removes the sins of those who hear the stories of His leelA-s; He is calo called
pApa nASanaH because He destroys the asura-s, and in the process, even for
them He removes their sins by redeeming the knowledge about the Self and
gets them to moksha.

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 Slokam 107
zŒÉ&ÚNdkI c³I za¼RxNva gdaxr>,

rwa¼pai[r]ae_y> svRàhr[ayux>. 107.

. ïI svRàhr[ayux Aae< nm #it.

sankhabhrunnandakI cakrI sArngadhanvA gadAdharah |
rathAngapANi rakshObhyah sarvapraharaNaayudhah ||
|| srI sarvapraharaNaayudha Om nama iti ||

[ PLEASE ADD PRANAVAM BEFORE EACH NAAMA ]

Sa'nkha--bhRt.
nAma 993. zŒ É&t! Sa'nkha

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In this last Sloka of the stotra before phala-Sruti, bhagavAn's celestial
weapons are described. There are several aspects in which the Ayudha-s or
weapons in bhagavAn's hands are enjoyed by the devotees.

Sa'nkha-bhRte namaH
1) 2) These weapons are enjoyed by His devotees as divine ornaments, while at
the same time they are objects of terror for His enemies.

Even though bhagavAn has many weapons that decorate Him (for instance, the
shoDaSAyudha stotram by svAmi deSikan describing 16 weapons in the hands
of Lord sudarSana), the pa'nca Ayhudha-s are the ones that receive mention in
this Sloka. The pa'nca Ayudha-s or the five weapons are also sung in the
pa'ncAyudha stotram.

3) In addition to the aspect that the weapons in bhagavAn's hands are

worshipped as decorations for Him (which is how most devotees view the
weapons), and the aspect that He carries them for the protection of His
devotees and the destruction of their enemies, there is another aspect that is
to be enjoyed. This is the perspective of the special devotee such as
nammAzhvAr, who becomes extremely concerned about the safety of His Lord
because of his intense love towards His Lord. We already know that

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 periAzhvAr sang ma'ngaLASAsaam to the Lord and prayed for a 'long life' for
His Lord (paLLANDu). Similarly, nammAzhvAr gets concerned that His Lord
has been left to carry all these huge weapons in His hands, with nobody coming
forward to help Him by carrying them for Him. SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us
to tiruvAimozhi pASuram 8.3.3:

ALum AL Ar, Azhiyum Sa'ngum SumappAr tAm vALum villum koNDu pin SelvAr
maRRillai

tALum tOLum kaikaLai Arat tozhak kANEn nALum nALum nADuvan aDiyEn
j~nalattE.

The pASuram is one where AzhvAr is in deep bhagavad anubhavam, to the point
that he is worried and concerned that there is no to one to help His Lord carry
these heavy weapons, and instead they only keep calling on Him to bestow on
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them worldly things, instead of realizing that He is the only true object to
wish for.

4) There is a fourth aspect to the Ayudha-s that Lord vishNu holds on His
tirumEni, that is described in SrI vishNu purANam. Here, the Ayudha-s that
Lord Hari holds in His divine body are described as representing the various
tattva-s that ultimately are involved in the creation of the Universe and its
beings. SrI kRshNan describes these in detail in his sahasra nAma upanyAsam.
Briefly, the following is a summary:

1. cakram – symbolizes the constant movement of manas - vAyu vegam

mano vegam

2. Sa'nkham – tAmasa aha'nkAram, from which the pa'nca bhUta-s have

appeared; (pRthivi, ap, vAyu, tejas, AkASam). e.g., Sabdam, one of the
tan-mAtras which is the first stage before AkASa appears, is the
sound emanating from the conch.

3. gadhA - – buddhi – unlike manas which is ca'ncalam, buddhi is the

stabilizing factor.

4. SAr'nga – sAttvika – the five karma indriya-s and the five j~nAna
indriya-s. SAr'nga is the controlling force for the indriya- s.

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 5. nandakI – the sword represents brahma vidyA; the sheath for the knife
is the controlling force that controls avidyA.

The Sloka-s from SrI vishNu purANam from chapter 1.22 that describe the
above are:

pradhAnam buddhirapyAste gadA rUpena mAdhave || (68)

bhUtAdim indriyAdiSca dvidhAha'nkAram ISvaraH |

bibharti Sa'nkha rUpeNa SAr'nga rUpeNa ca sthitam || (69)

bala svarUpam atyanta javenAntarivAnilam |

cakra svarUpaSca mano dhatte vishNuH kare sthitam || (70)

bibharti yac-cAsi ratnam acyuto'tyanta nirmalam |

vidyomayantu tad-j~nAnam avidyA koSa samsthitam | (73)

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"Intellect abides in Madhava in the form of His mace. The Lord supports
egotism (aha'nkAra) in its two-fold division, into elements and organs of sense,
in the emblems of His conch-shell and His bow. In His hand vishNu holds, in the
form of His discus, the mind, whose thoughts fly swifter than the winds."

"The bright sword of acyuta is holy wisdom, concealed at some seasons in the
scabbard of ignorance".

Thus Lord vishNu embodies the shapeless elements of the world as His
weapons and His ornaments, for the salvation of mankind.

5) Yet another aspect to the pa'cAyudha-s is that these are asAdhAraNa

lakshaNa-s for bhagavAn (the symbols that are unique to Him, and to no other
god), as noted by SrI v.v. rAmAnujan.

MandodharI, rAvaNa's wife, describes rAma as "tamasaH paramo dhAtA

Sa'nkha cakra gadA dharaH".

Arjuna requests bhagavAn to display His 'usual form', with crown and with
mace and discus in hand, after he sees bhagavAn's viSva rUpam and becomes
frightened.

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 kirITinam gadinam cakra hastam icchAmi tvAm drashTum aham tathiva |

tenaiva rUpeNa catur-bhujena sahasra bAho bhava viSvamUrte ||

(gItA 11.46)

"I wish to see You as before, with crown and with mace and discus in hand.
Assume again that four-armed shape, O Thou thousand-armed, of Universal
Form!".

Another reference to the pa'ncAyudha-s is given by SrI kRshNa datta

bhAradvAj, from SrImad bhAgavatam:

sarvAtmanIdam bhuvanam nirIkshya sarve'surAH kaSmalam Apura'nga |

sudarSanam cakram asahya tejo dhanuSca SAr'ngam stanayitnughosham ||

parjanya ghosho jalajaH pA'ncajanyaH kaumodakI vishNu gadA tarasvinI |

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vidyAdhadro'siH Sata-candra yuktaH tUNottamau akshayasAyakau ca ||

"O King! Finding the whole world as the body of SrI Hari, the asura- s became
concerned and sad. At the same time, the sudarSana cakra with incomparable
tejas, the bow called SAr'nga that made the sound of the thunder, the conch
by name pA'ncajanya that made the sound of the clouds about to shower, the
gadA with enormous power, the sword that represents vidyA and that has a
hundred sharp edges were prostrating to Lord Hari….".

Now we will look at the specific nAma Sa'nkha-bhRrt.

SrI vAsishTha indicates the root for the word "Sa'nkha" as Sama – upaSame –
to grow calm, to put an end to, to stop. (This is also the root for the word
SA'ntiH). The application of the uNAdi sUtra 1,102 (SameH khaH) leads to the
addition of the affix kha to the root Sama, leading to the word Sa'nkha – the
conch-shell. The word 'bhRt' is derived from the root bhR – dhAraNa
poshaNayoH – to hold, to support. Sa'nkham bibharti iti, Sa'nkham pushNAti
iti vA Sa'nkha- bhRt – He Who holds the conch, He Who supports the conch,
He Who nourishes the conch, etc. The last interpretation is the one that SrI
BhaTTar emphasizes, and the one that ANDAL relishes, as we will see.

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Sa'nkha-bhRte namaH

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 SrI BhaTTar, who has described the previous 991 nAma-s by emphasizing
bhagavAn's saulabhyam and sauSIlyam, finishes the last eight nAma-s by
reminding us that this same bhagavAn is none other than the Supreme Lord of
all the Universes – in other words, he describes the last eight nAma-s as
indicative of bhagavAn's supreme overlordship – "parama aiSvarya cihna divya
AyudhadvAt". At the same time, he directs his interpretation to aspects of
these Ayudha-s in His hands that evoke the sense of bhakti rasam in His
devotees. Thus, his interpretation for the nAma Sa'nkha-bhRt is that
bhagavAn is supporting or nourishing the Sa'nkha through the adharAmRtam
from His mouth (bhR – dhAraNa poshNayoH – to support, to nourish). This is
the anubhavam that ANDAL has about the Sa'nklham in bhagavAn's hands.

ANDAL devotes a full tiruvAimozhi in praise of bhagavAn's divine conch, and

enviously describes how His conch is blessed to be always with Him (unlike
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cakrattAzhvAn who has to go wherever there is need – such as the gajendra

moksham incident, to take care of the enemy, and then return). The conch is
resting either in His hand, or when it feels the need for some nourishment, it
just goes to His mouth and enjoys the droplets of His adharAmRtam, and then
returns back to His hand for rest. One sentence that summarizes ANDAL's
description of His pA'ncajanyam –

"uNbadu Sollil ulagaLandAn vAyamudam, kaN paDai koLLil kaDal vaNNan kait-
talattE"

(nAcciyAr tiru. 7.7).

SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam for the nAma is: pA'ncajanyAkhyam

bhUtAnaha'nkArAtmakam Sa'nkham bibhrat Sa'nkha-bhRt – The Bearer of
the conch shell, called the pA'ncajanya, which stands for the tAmasa ahmkAra,
from which the five elements are born. The inner significance of this
interpretation is seen in the detailed explanation that is given in SrI vishNu
purANam that has been described earlier.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that the name pA'ncajanyam itself signifies
that the divine conch is the representation of the tattva called ahamkAra that

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is the origin of the pa'ncabhUta-s. Of course, there is also the vRttAntam
about bhagavAn slaying the asura by name pa'ncajana, who was in the form of a
conch, and this conch also became a decoration for bhagavAn, and is known as
pA'ncajanyam.

SrI SAstri notes that the sound that emanates from His pA'ncjanyam has the
effect of removing the internal enemy in the form of ignorance in the minds of
the devotees, as well as the powerful external enemies. Thus, in both senses
the conch is a weapon that He bears for the protection of the devotee and the
annihilation of the enemy of the devotee.

SrI vAsishTha refers us to hymns from the Rg-veda that are directed to the
praise of the glory of the Sa'nkha. There are ten mantra-s in Rg veda 4.10
that all praise the glory of the Sa'nkha. Even though Ralph T. Griffith, the

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European translator of these mantra-s into English, describes these mantra-s
as referring to those 'accompanying the investiture of a person with a
protective amulet of shell', SrI vAsishTha refers to them in the context of
bhagavAn's nAma of Sa'nkha- bhRt, as a reference to the glory of bhagavAn's
Sa'nkha.

nAma 994. nNdkI nandakI

He Who has nandakI, the sword.

nandakine namaH.
The root for the nAma is nand – samRddhau – to be pleased, to thrive. Both
SrI BhaTTar and SrI vAsishTha refer to the pANini sUtra 3.1.150 – Asishi ca,
whereby the affix vun is added to the verb when benediction is intended. This
leads to the word nandakaH, with the meaning 'may he be happy'. nandakI then
refers to One Who is inseparably associated with the sword that is prayed for
with the prayer: "May He keep me happy" m j. SrI BhaTTar interprets the
nAma as a reference to the divine sword that the Lord possesses, to whom the
Lord makes the prayer to give Him joy in His victories.

SrI vAsishTha on the other hand interprets the nAma as "One Who has beings

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 for whom He wishes happiness always, and whom He can bless as "may he be
happy always" – ASamsanArham priyam vastu nityam asya asti iti 'nandakI'.
Thus, he does not even refer to the divine weapon in his interpretation.

Sri Sa'nkara explains the nAma as One Who carries the sword called nandaka,
representing knowledge –"vidyA-mayo nadakAkhyaH asiH asya asti iti nadakI".
This follows the description of the divine weapons given in SrI vishNu
purANam that we discussed in the previous nAma. SrI baladeva vidyA
bhUshaN gives the same interpretation – vi~jnAnAtmako nandako asiH asya
asti iti nandakI.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives the following explanation: "The Lord's sword is called
nandaka. Therefore, this term indicates One Who holds and wields the nandaka
sword. The word nanda-kam means "that which brings bliss". The SAstra-s sing
that this divine sword in the sacred hands of Lord Hari represents the
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Knowledge-Spiritual (vidyA- tattva) with which a seeker can destroy his

ignorance of the Self in him".

nAma 995. c³I cakrI

He Who has the cakra, the Discus.

cakriNe namaH.
We have studied this nAma earlier in Sloka 97 (nAma 908). Please refer to
that write-up as well.

Cakra refers to the Discus, and He who has the Discus as one of His weapons is
cakrI. The cakra in bhagavAn's hand is called the sudraSana cakra. As noted
earlier, it serves as the adornment for bhagavAn, as well as a weapon against
the enemies of His devotees. SrI BhaTTar notes that the cakra in His hands is
always smeared with the blood of the rAkshasa-s who are the sworn enemies
of the gods who are His devotees. It is also adorned by the flames of fire that
are shooting out of it. periAzhvAr refers to Him as taDavarai tOL
cakkarapANi (periAzh. 5.4.4) – "One with the broad shoulders bearing the
cakra (and the SAr'nga bow)".

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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha takes a more generic meaning for the term cakra as
something going round and round or happening again and again in circles, and
gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has the nAma cakrI because He has
established this world with events that happen again and again in circles – such
as the appearance of the sun, the moon, the planets, etc.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives references to SrImad bhAgavatam and

SrI vishNu purANam:

1. sudarSanam cakram asahya tejaH – "The sudrSana cakra with tejas

that cannot be confronted" – SrImad bhAga. 8.20.30.

2. namaste cakra hastAya (SrI VishNu purA. 5.30.22)

SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as "One Who carries the Discus called
sudarSana. sudarSana means "that which gives the auspicious vision. The

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SAstra-s attribute to this Discus-Divine the representation of the human
mind".

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN captures the thought as: "tejas-tattvam

sudarSana cakram asya asti iti cakrI" – He Who bears the sudarSana cakra
that represents the tattva of tejas.

SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan's anubhavam is that bhIshma has introduced

'nandakI' between Sa'nkha and cakra just so bhagavAn's beauty with Sa'nkha
and cakra does not get the dosham of dRshTi from those who are not His
devotees.

Other names for cakra noted by SrI kRshNan are: hetirAjan, rathA'nga, and
sudarSana. rathA'ngapANi is the nAma we will discuss after a couple of nAma-
s.

nAma 996. za¼RxNva SAr'nga dhanvA

He Who has the bow named SAr'nga.

SAr'nga-dhanvane namaH.
SAr'ngam dhanuH asya iti SAr'nga-dhanvA – He Who has the bow by name

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 SAr'nga.

The word SAr'nga can be derived from the root SRR – himsAyAm – to tear to
pieces, to hurt, to kill.

The word dhanush is derived from the root dhan – Sabde – to sound.

SrI BhaTTar describes the greatness of the SAr'nga bow as one that is
capable of destroying not only the evil forces, but even the names and status
of the enemies, by a mere twang (the sound caused by the vibration of the
chord of the bow) echoing in a powerful and fiery manner. Added to this is the
power of the sharp arrows issuing out of the bow. Note SrI BhaTTar's
anubhavam that the SAr'nga dhanus destroys its enemies in two ways: by the
sound that emanates when its chord is plucked, and the shower of arrows
issuing from it – jyAgosha Sara-varsha nASita. The sound emanating from the
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string of the bow rejuvenates the ASrita-s and shatters the will of the
enemies.

SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan reminds us of ANDAL's pASuram singing the

glory of the SAr'nga dhanus, in her pASuram – Azhi pOl minni, valam puri pOl
ninRu adirndu tAzhAdE SAr'ngam udaitta Sara mazhai pOl vAzh ulaginil
peidiDAi. (tiruppAvai 4) – an appeal to the Rain-god to shower rain like the
shower of arrows that shoot out from SAr'nga, the divine bow in the Lord's
hands. Note that instead of comparing the shower of arrows to the rain,
ANDAL compares the rain to the shower of arrows, meaning that the rain can
only try to match the shower of arrows shooting out from the SAr'nga bow.
For ANDAL, the profuse and ceaseless shower of arrows from His bow is the
known (upamAna), and the shower of rain becomes only the upameyam.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj refers to the great sound of the bow as
described in SrImad bhAgavatam – "dhanuSca SAr'ngam
stanayitnughosham" (8.20.30) - The SAr'nga bow that makes the sound that
resembles thunder.

Sri Sa'nkara's explanation is: indriyAdi aha'nkAra Atmakam SAr'ngam nAma

dhanuH asya asti iti SAr'nga-dhanvA – He has the bow called SAr'nga,

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representing the senses and egotism (aha'nkAra).

SrI cinmayAnanda explains the nAma as: " "One Who aims His unerring Bow
called SAr'nga". He continues: "This bow of nArAyaNa is glorified in our texts
as representing the Ego, as the apex of all the sense organs, aha'nkAra-tattva.
In this concluding stanza, the instruments of Blessing in Sree nArAyaNa's
hands are remembered with reverence and devotion."

SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN explains the nAma as – kriyA tattvam SAr'ngam

dhanuH asya iti SAr'nga-dhanvA - He Who bears the bow by name SAr'nga
that represents the kriyA tattvam.

gadA--dharaH
nAma 997. gdaxr> gadA

He Who bears the Mace.

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gadA-dharAya namaH.
gada – vyaktAyAm vAci – to speak. gadati – Sabdam karoti iti gadA – that which
generates sound is gadA. dhara is derived from dhR'nj – dhAraNe – to hold, to
bear, to support. gadAyAH dharaH gadA-dharaH – He Who holds or bears the
mace. BhagavAn's Mace is called kaumodakI. SrI BhaTTar describes the
kaumodakI as the 'queen of maces, that gives Him pleasure and that emits
flames all around like the fire at the final dissolution of all the worlds".

SrI vAsishTha compares the sound that emanates from the kaumodakI to the
sound that one hears from the thunders.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri relates the incident of the destruction of kANDa

vanam by arjuna with the help of kRshNa. At that time, the kaumodakI was
given as a gift by varuNa to kRshNa, according to a description in mahA
bhArata. He also gives another derivation for the nAma: kumudaH is One Who
rejoices in the company of Bhumi devi. kumodakaH is One Who makes the
earth happy. KaumodakI is that which belongs to Him – kumodakasya idam.

The vishNu purANa description given at the beginning of this Sloka attributes
the buddhi tattva with the gadA, and SrI Sa'nkara gives his interpretation
according to the vishNu purANam – buddhi- tattvAtmikAm kaumodakI nAma

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 gadAm vahan gadA-dharaH – The Bearer of the club called kaumodakI
representing the principle of intellect.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives reference to SrImad bhAgavatam:

kaumodakI vishNu gadA tarasvinI (8.20.31) - vishNu's gadA that has enormous
strength.

rathA'nga--pANiH
nAma 998. rwa¼pai[> rathA'nga

He Who is armed with the wheel in His hand.

rathA'nga-pANaye namaH.
rathA'ngam, cakram pANau yasya iti rathA'nga-pANiH.- He Who has the
discus in His hand. SrI vAsishTha gives the following derivation: The word
ratha is derived from the root ramu – krIDAyAm – to play, to sport; by the
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application of the uNAdi sUtra 2.2, the affix kthan is added, leading to the
word ratha – chariot (ramate = krIDati yasmin yena vA rathaH). The word
a'nga is derived from the root agi – to go. rathah a'ngati yena tad rathA'ngam
– That which makes the chariot go is rathA'ngam or wheel.

In one interpretation for this nAma, the reference is to the wheel or discus in
His hand. We studied the nAma cakrI (nAma 995), and one might feel that
there is redundancy between the two nAma-s. SrI BhaTTar points out that in
nAma 995, bhagavAn being the Possessor of the Ayudham or weapon was
described, whereas in the current nAma His readiness for action (having the
cakra ready in His hand for release) is described, and thus there is no
repetition. It is His readiness for action at all times that is enjoyed in the
current nAma. In periya tiruvantAdi-87 this readiness is described by
nammAzhvAr as "eppozhudum kai kazhalA nEmiyAn" – He Who has the discus
that never leaves His hand.

Another interpretation given for the nAma is a reference to the incident

where bhagavAn jumped from the chariot and rushed towards bhIshma during
the mahA bhArata war with the wheel of the chariot in His hand, just to make
the promise of His devotee bhIshma come true, even when it involved His

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breaking His own promise not to take to weapons during the war. SrImad
SrImushNam ANDavan reminds us of this incident in explanation of this nAma.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to bhIshma's own description of this

incident:

sva-nigamam apahAya mat-pratij~nAm

Rtam adhikartum avapluto rathasthaH |

dhRta ratha caraNah abhyayAt calatguH

haririva hantum ibham gatottarIyaH ||

(bhAga. 1.9.37)

"Giving up His promise not to take arms in the battle, and just to fulfill my
promise that I will make Him take arms, He who had ascended the chariot

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jumped down and rushed towards me with the haste that made the earth
shake, like a lion that was rushing to kill an elephant".

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN also gives the interpretation in terms of

bhagavAn bearing the wheel of the chariot in order to fulfill the vow of His
devotee – bhakta pratij~nA pratipAlakatAm ati-SlAghyatvAt punarAha
rathA'ngapANiriti bhIshmam prati pradarSitam etat.

nAma 999. A]ae_y> akshobhyaH

He Who is unshakable.
akshobhyAya namaH.
We studied this nAma earlier in Slokam 86 – nAma 807. Please refer to that
write-up for additional insights on bhagavAn's akshobhyatvam.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the following derivation for the nAma: The
nAma is derived from the root kshubh kshobh – sa'ncalane – to be agitated or
disturbed. The application of pANini sUtra 3.1.124 – R- halor-Nyat, results in
the word kshobhyah, giving the sense of SakyArthe arhArte vA - 'one who is
capable of', and 'or one who is fit to be'.. Thus, khshobhyah means 'one who
can be agitated, perturbed, shaken', and akshobhyaH means "One who cannot

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 be shaken' - na kshobhayitum = sa'ncalayitum Sakyah akshobhyah.

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is – prapanna abhaya dAna dArDhyAt sva-

mahimnA'pi akshobhyaH – He Who cannot be shaken from the firm vow that
He has taken to protect those who have surrendered to Him; this vow of His
cannot be shaken even by His own Great Self". One is reminded of the words
of bhagavAn found in SaraNagati gadyam of bhagavad rAmAnuja:

anRtam nokta pUrvam me na ca vakshye kadAcana

I have never uttered an untruth before, and will never utter one ever.

rAmo dvir-nAbhibhAshate

rAma never talks with two tongues

sakRdeva prapannAya tavAsmI ca yAcate |

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abhayam sarva bhUtebhyo dadAmyetad vratam mama ||

(yuddha. 18.33)

"It is My vow to protect unconditionally from every living being, anyone that
surrenders to Me even once, or seeks my protection saying "I am your
servant"".

sarva dharmAn parityajya mAm ekam SaraNam vraja |

aham tvAsarva pApebhyo mokshayishyAmi mA Sucah ||

(gItA 18.66)

"Completely relinquishing all Dharma-s, seek Me alone for refuge. I will release
you from all sins. Grieve not".

SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan points to the incident where sItA tries to persuade
rAma not to bear arms while in the forest, but to follow the path of penance
instead. Lord rAma's response is that He had given His word to the Rshi-s in
the forest that they will be protected from the rAkshasa-s at all costs, and
that He won't swerve from His word even if it involves losing sItA and
lakshmaNa:

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apyaham jIvitam jahyAm tvAm vA sIte sa-lakshmaNam |

na tu pratij~nAm samSrutya brAhmaNebhyo viSeshatah ||

(AraNya. 10.19)

"O sItA! I would rather give up My life, or even you and lakshmaNa, than break
My promise, especially that which has been made to brAhmins".

Lord rAma reinforces His commitment to protect anyone who approaches Him
with sincerity, during vibhIshaNa SaraNAgati:

mitra bhAvena samprAptam na tyajeyam katha'ncana |

dosho yadyapi tasya syAt satAm etat agarhitam ||

(yuddha. 18.3)

"I will not forsake anyone who has approached Me with a feeling of true love,

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even if this person has any faults. This is the conduct that will be considered
blemish-less by elders".

The write-ups for the nAma satya-sandhah (Slokam 54), acyutah etc., give
ample support to His akshobhyatvam.

SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is – ata eva aSakya-kshobhaNa iti akshobhyaH –

'thus equipped with the various weapons, He is said to be unassailable'.

In other words, SrI Sa'nkara associates the unassailability with the previous
nAma-s describing His weapons.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri's anubhavam is that bhIshma is describing the Lord

whom He saw for 10 days in the battlefield through these last few nAma-s
(rathA'nga pANiH - the previous nAma, and akshobhyah – the current nAma).

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives essentially the same interpretation – tyakta
Sastro'pi kshobhayitum gharshitum a- SakyatvAt akshobhyah.

Another anubhavam of His being unshakable, is given by SrI cinmayAnanda

through the following words: "One Who cannot be exasperated by anyone, by
any act or acts, however blasphemous they may be; One Whose peace and calm

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 cannot be stormed out by any happening in his outer world; Ever-peaceful. The
term suggests Infinite patience, love and kindness towards man and his
frailties".

sarva--praharaNAyudhaH
nAma 1000. svRàhr[ayux> sarva

He Who has all weapons that act against evil.

sarva-praharaNAyudhAya namaH.
praharaNam means 'striking, beating, attacking, hurting' etc. sarvANi
praharaNAni AyudhAni yasya iti sarva-praharaNAyudah. – He Who has all kinds
of destructive weapons to punish the evil.

In this Slokam, starting from nAma 993, and up to nAma 999, bhIshma has
explicitly referred to the following Ayudha-s of bhagavAn – Sa'nkha – the
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divine conch, nandaka – the divine sword, cakra – the divine discus, Sar'nga –
the divine bow, and gadA – bhagavAn's mace. These are the five weapons that
are prominently sung in the pa'ncAyudha stotram. Then we have the
shoDaSAyudha stotram that describes the 16 weapons that cakkarattAzhvAn
himself has. This in no way is the limit of His weapons. He has limitless number
of weapons that can strike at the enemy. This is the message conveyed in this
nAma. The difference in the anubhavam of the different vyAkhyAna-kartA-s
is on why He is carrying these weapons.

SrI bhaTTar explains that the nAma signifies that bhagavAn possesses
countless Ayudha-s that are very powerful in removing all the obstacles
encountered by the prapanna-s (those who have unconditionally surrendered to
Him), are befitting His greatness, possess the great power to destroy the
enemies of His devotees, serve as both ornaments and armaments to Him, and
which have taken a vow as it were, to protect His devotees always, in all places,
and through all means. Just as He has infinite Sakti, He has infinite Ayudha- s.
These weapons are not to be looked upon simply as mere tools of machinery in
the mundane physical sense. Each of these weapons possesses infinite power.
(SrI bhaTTar's words are – sva-nishThAnAm sarva anishTa unmUlayitRRNi ……
sadA, sarvatra, savathA, sarva-prakAra samASrita….). These weapons help Him

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discharge His responsibility as the Supreme Lord of the Universe, to root out
all the miseries of His devotees".

The yAga that is mentioned by SrI BhaTTar in his vyAkhyAnam – dIrgha satra
yAga, could also be enjoyed as referring to bhagavAn's long and never-ending
yAga or undertaking of the 'protection of the people, and all His creation'.
This aspect – namely, that whatever bhagavAn does, including the carrying of
weapons, is solely for the protection of His devotees, has been the emphasis
throughout SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam for all the nAma-s. We will enjoy more
of this commitment of bhagavAn to protection of all of His creation in a
subsequent write-up.

The words sarva and praharaNa are adjectives to the word 'Ayudhah'. 'sarva'
signifies that in addition to the Ayudha-s that have been mentioned explicitly,

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He has many more such Ayudha-s not mentioned here, which are all aspects of
His indescribable splendor.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan's anubhavam is that bhagavAn, who can destroy all His
enemies through His mere Will, still carries the weapons just to cause terror
in the hearts and minds of the wicked people.

SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma as 'etAnyeva AyudhAni asya iti na niyamyate,
api tu sarvANyeva praharaNAni AyudhAni asya iti sarva- praharaNAyudhah –
He has all of kinds of destructive weapons, and it cannot be categorically
declared that He possesses only such and such weapons. SrI Sa'nkara
comments that even though finger-nails are not considered Ayudham by any
standards, in His case, He uses them as Ayudham as well, as He showed in the
case of hiraNya-kaSipu – Ayudhatvena aprasiddhAnyapi karajAdIni asya asya
AyudhAni bhavanti iti. SrI Sa'nkara further comments that this final nAma
declaring that "He is One Who possesses all kinds of weapons with which He
can strike", is chosen to show His satya-sa'nkalpam and His Lordship over all.
He refers us to the bRhadAraNyaka upoanishad – "esha sarveSvaraH" (BU
4.4.22).

It may be recalled from discussions of several previous nAma-s that a major

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 distinguishing feature between SrI Sa'nkara's and SrI BhaTTar's
commentaries is that the former emphasizes Lord vishNu's paratvam
(Supremacy), whereas the latter stresses His saulabhyam and sauSIlyam, and
above all, His supreme concern for the welfare of His devotee. The respective
vyAkhyAna-s for this final nAma by the two vyAkhyAna-kartA-s reflects this
aspect of their approach to the commentary very distinctly – SrI Sa'nkara
concludes that the final nAma reinforces Lord's sarveSvaratvam – Lordship
over all, whereas SrI bhaTTar concludes that the nAma signifies bhagavAn's
ever- readiness to go for the protection of His devotees with all His weapons.

While SrI Sa'nkara mentioned bhagavAn's use of even His fingernails as

Ayudham, SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri goes one step further – The Lord used
grass as a weapon (kAkAsura), the sucking of the breast milk from a demoness
(pUtanA) as a weapon, etc.
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SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan notes that bhagavAn used the darbha grass in the
case of SukrAcArya who tried to interfere in bhagavAn's scheme to get three
feet of land from vAmana. The point to enjoy is that just as He uses anything
as a weapon to destroy the wicked, He will use anything to protect His devotee
as well – He is satya-sa'nkalpan; by His mere Will, He can accomplish anything
He wishes.

A legitimate question that can be raised, is: "Why does the Lord even need any
weapons at all to destroy His devotees' enemies, when He can achieve this by
His mere sa'nkalpam? For instance, Lord rAma Himself tells sugrIvan:

piSAcAn dAnavAn yakshAn pRthivyAm caiva rAkshasAn |

a'ngulyagreNa tAn hanyAm icchan harigaNeSvara ||

(yuddha. 6.18.22)

"O King of the army of monkeys! It is quite possible for Me to destroy all the
ghosts, the asura-s, the yaksha-s, and all these rAkshasa-s with the tip of My
finger, if I so desire".

Then why is it that He carries all these weapons? On reason given is that He

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carries them so that they will induce terror in the hearts of the enemies of
His devotees, and at least in some cases, they will desist from harming His
devotees, without His having to punish them.

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan refers us to ANDAL's tiruppAvai (25): "ka'njan vayiRRil

nerppenna ninRa neDumAlE!" – He struck fear deep down in the bowels of
kamsan by His very thought. Another anubhavam is that when dealing with
those who show enmity to Him alone, He uses His sa'nkalpa Sakti to punish
them, but if anyone ill- treats His devotee, then bhagavAn becomes angry, and
instead of destroying them through His sa'nkalpa Sakti alone, He resorts to
His weapons to punish them (tiruvAi. 4.8.1).

Another aspect of His many divya Ayudha-s is that they are nitya-sUri- s who
worry about His protection out of their love and attachment to Him, even

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though He does not need any protection Himself. But it is their love of Him
that makes them be always on the lookout for His protection, and so they all
reside in His tirumEni, always watching out for any unforeseen enemies. Recall
periyAzhvAr singing pallANDu for Him, for His divine weapons, etc., all because
of his concern for the welfare of emperumAn, driven by His deep love to Him.

This nAma formally concludes the write-up on the 1000 nAma-s of Lord vishNu.
We still have the phala Sruti Sloka-s to cover. In addition, a member of the
list who has been giving me great encouragement and support in all my works
(including sahasra nAma, tAtparya ratnAvaLi, etc.), raised a very interesting
question: Is there any special significance that the enumeration of the most
prominent nAma-s chosen by bhIshma based on the nAma-s most commonly
sung by the Rshi-s etc. (Rshibhih parigItAni), ends with a description of
bhagavAn's weapons? We will cover this in a separate write-up devoted for
this subject.

ïI svRàhr[ayux Aae< nm #it

sarva-praharaNAyudha om nama iti |

Slokam 107 that we concluded in our last posting, has different versions in

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 different books. The version we used in our last posting is the version used by
some; there are some who include the words 'sarva-praharaNAyudha om nama
iti' as part of Slokam 107, at the end of the Sloka that we had in our last
posting. There are some versions that just include the nAma 'sarva-
praharaNAyudhaH' once more at the end as part of Slokam 107, followed by
the words 'om nama iti' as the next sentence.

This is then followed by phala Sruti. Not all commentators have included
vyAkhyAna beyond what we covered in our previous posting. Some proceed
further, and give interpretation for the words 'sarva- praharaNAyudha om
nama iti', followed by interpretation for the phala Sruti Sloka-s; others give
vyAkhyAnam for "sarva-praharaNAyudha om nama it", but do not include a
commentary for the phala Sruti Sloka-s.

SrI satya devo vAsishTha, SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj, SrI M. V.

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rAmAnujAcArya, NS SrI cinmayAnanda, are among those who end their

commentaries WITH Slokam 107 as we had in the preceding posting.

SrI BhaTTar, SrI Sa'nkara, SrI v.v. rAmAnujan, are among those who continue
their vyAkhyAna-s further, even though they do not all cover everything
beyond this point.

sarva-praharaNAyudha om nama iti

I came to know about a 'Critical edition' of mahA bhArata by the Bhandarkar

Oriental Research Institute. Following is a brief description of the 'Critical
Edition' provided to me by Dr. Bob Evans of the University of Chicago:

"The project took decades. Some of the greatest Sanskrit scholars of India
and the West worked on the project at different times. What I recall from
Professor van Buitenen at the University of Chicago (from Sanskrit classes
nearly 30 years ago), is that the goal was to try to reconstruct Vyasa's orginal
text by comparing the oldest dated manuscripts from all over India. As
manuscripts were copied and recopied over thousands of years, variations
crept in. Some were mistakes made by the copiers, others were corrections
based on the learning of the copier, etc. etc. In some cases, there were stories

240
that exist only in one region and not in other regions. The differences were
culled out (and fully documented in notes). In a nutshell, the editors attempted
to recover the "original" text before the variations crept in over time. In the
West, this approach has been used to "recover" the "original" texts of the
Bible. In India, this approach has been used to edit the Ramayana (project
completed) and the Bhagavata Purana (project in progress at Tirupati)".

The editing of this manuscript for mahabhArata extended over several years
(the cover page of the Critical Edition that I have lists the starting date as
August 1925, and the effort was on-going as of at least April, 1961). The
reason for my bringing up this information is that this Critical Edition does not
have the words "sarva- praharaNAyudha om nama iti" in its text. This may
partly explain why certain vyAkhyAna-kartA-s have omitted this line from
their commentaries. However, it is worth noting that Adi Sa'nkara, the first

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one known to have written a vyAkhyAnam for SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam, has
included these words in his vyAkhyAnam, and has commented on the phrase.
Others have included his vyAkhyAnam when they have included the
vyAkhyAnam for this line in their publications.

I am unable to find a vyAkhyAnam for this line by SrI BhaTTar in three texts
that I have. asmad AcAryan, SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan, does not include
this in his upanyAsam on SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam, and continues directly to
the phala Sruti after Slokam 107. However, Prof. A. Srinivasa Raghavan, in his
English translation of SrI BhaTTar's 'bhagavad guNa darpaNam', has added an
explanation in English for the line 'sarva-praharaNAyudha om nama iti', which
esentiallay echoes SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam. The same is the case with the
English translation for SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam by SrI vishNu sahasra
nAma satsa'ngam, New Delhi.

SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam for this line is:

"dvir-vacanam samAptim dyotayati |

OmkAraSca ma'ngalArthaH |"

The repetition "sarva- praharaNAyudhah" marks the end of the work. The

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 syllable "OM" is used for auspiciousness. He gives support from the bRhan-
nAradIya purANam (51.10):

Om-kAraScAtha SabdaSca dvAvetau brahmaNah purA |

kaNTham bhitvA viniryAtau tasmAn-mA'ngaLikAvubhau ||

"As the words OM and atha proceeded from the throat of brahmA at the
beginning, they are auspicious".

He further comments that by the word namaH, the author of the stotra
offers obeisance to Lord vishNu. He gives support from the Sruti:

bhUyishThAm te nama uktim vidhema |

(ISA. 18)

"We offer Thee many words of salutation with the word namaH".
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SrI Sa'nkara notes that it is the practice followed by elders to offer

salutation to bhagavAn at the beginning of an act as well as the end of the act.
(ante'pi namaskArasya SishTaiH AcaraNAt).

He concludes his vyAkhyAnam of the tenth hundred with the following Sloka-s
pointing out the greatness attained by prostrating to Lord kRshNa:

eko'pi kRshNe sukRtah praNAmo daSASvamedhAvabRthena tulyah |

daSASvamedhI punareti janma kRshNa praNAmI na apunar-bhavAya ||

"Even one salutation, offered with sincerity to Lord kRshNa, is equivalent to

ten aSva-medha yAga-s properly performed. He who has performed the
aSvamedha yAha can still take another birth, but he who salutes kRshNa is
never re-born."

atasI pushpa sa'nkASam pIta-vASasam acyutam |

ye namasyanti govindam na teshAm vidyate bhayam ||

"There is no fear for those who bow down before Govinda, whose color
resembles that of the atasI flower, who is clad in yellow pItAmbaram, and who
never lets His devotees fall."

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loka-trayAdhipatim a-pratima-prabhAvam

Ishat praNamya SirasA prabhavishNum ISam |

janmAntara pralaya kalpa sahasra jAtam

Asu praNASam upayAti narasya pApam ||

"The non-righteous acts committed by a man in his past births, over a thousand
kalpa-s and pralaya-s, are immediately destroyed by slightly bowing down his
head before the Supreme Lord, vishNu, of incomparable excellence, and the
Master of the three worlds."

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan notes that in the gItA, it is declared that the syllable
'OM' is the representation of Brahman in sound form ? ' omityekAkasharam
brahma' (gItA 8.13). Lord kRshNa declares again ?

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tasmAt OM iti udAhRtya yaj~na dAna tapaH kriyAH |

pravartante vidAnoktAH satatam brahma vAdinAm ||

(gItA 17.24)

"Therefore, the sacrificial acts performed as specified in the veda- s, gifts

and austerity by the expounders of the veda-s, or such acts by those belonging
to the first three stations, are always and at all times begun after pronouncing
the syllable OM at the beginning".

The same practice applies to the completion of an act as well, according to the
practice of elders.

SrI satya sandha tIrtha uses a version of Sloka 107 that contains a repetition
of the nAma saeva-praharaNAyudaH, followed by the words 'om nama iti', as
follows:

Sa'nkha-bhRn_nandakI cakrI SAr'nga-dhanvA gadA-dharaH |

rathA'nga-pANr_akshobhyaH sarva-praharaNAyudhaH

sarva- praharaNAyudhaH ||

om nama iti ||

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 This pATham retains the recurrence of the nAma sarva-praharaNAyudhaH
twice in sequence, followed by the words 'om nama iti', as a separate phrase
following this version of Slokam 107. SrI satya sandha tIrtha also points to
the common practice that the last word(s) are repeated at the end, to signify
conclusion of the work ? adhyAyAnte dvir-uktiH syAt vede vA vaidike'pi vA |

SrI veLLukuDi kRshNan includes comments for the phrase 'sarva

praharaNAyudha om nama iti', and his vyAkhyAnam also echoes the spirit of
SrI Sa'nkara bhAshyam. He gives the example of the brahma sUtra, where the
last word(s) at the end of each of the four adhyAya-s are repeated, to signify
the end of the adhyAya:

1. etena sarve vyAkhyAtA vyAkhyAtAh | (at end of chapter 1 )

2.
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vaiSeshyAttu tad-vAdas-tad-vAdah ? (at end of 2nd adhyAya )

3.
evam muktiphalAniyamas-tadavasthAvadhRtes-tadasthAvadhRteh - (at
end of 3rd adhyAya )

4.
anAvRtti SabdAt anAvRtti-SabdAt | - (at end of 4th adhyAya.)

This is the form of the sUtra that is used by both Adi Sa'nkara and bhagavad
rAmAnuja in their bhAshya-s for the brahma sUtra, confirming that this is the
form in which bAdarAyaNa himself has given the sUtra to us (with the words
repeated at the end to indicate conclusion).

Thus, in conclusion of the write-up on the phrase 'sarva- praharaNAyudha om

nama iti', we note that this phrase is not found in the Critical Edition of mahA
bhArata. SrI Sa'nkara has commented on this line, and many subsequent
commentators have followed his commentary. As expected, his commentary
follows the vedic tradition of indicating the conclusion of the work by
repetition of the last nAma, followed the 'OM' and 'namaH' Sabda-s.

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Slokam 107 - Additional Comments.
As I started on the write-up for Slokam 107, I received the following
feedback from a devotee: "In texts that are organized and ordered (i.e. texts
that are not randomly organized), the final portions are often reserved for
summary or conclusive statements. Do any of the commentators explain why
the final Sloka of nAmas is reserved for the Lord's weapons? Or, are the
nAmas randomly organized, so that the final verse of nAmas has no more
special significance that the other nAmas?"

The current write-up is an effort to address this comment. The answer to the
question of whether the nAma- are a random collection, or whether there is
any organization to the nAma-s, is answered easily. I have reproduced one
paragraph from the Introduction that I wrote for the current series several

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years back: "In his commentary on Sri vishNu sahasra nAmam, SrI BhaTTar
has beautifully traced a thread of connectivity in the sequence of the 1000
nAma-s as they occur in the stotram. He has identified an organization and
structure in the composition that refers to the guNas of the Lord in the five
manifestations in which He has revealed Himself to us, as described in the
pA'ncarAtra Agamas. These manifestations are: para, vyuha, vibhava, arcA, and
antaryAmi. Thus, for instance, SrI BhaTTar has noted that the first 122
nAma-s in the stotram describe the qualities of the Lord in his para vAsudeva
form. The next set of nAma-s describe the vyuha forms etc. Thus the nAma-s
as they occur in the stotram are not just a random collection of nAma- s, but
have a beautiful thread of organization and structure to them. SrI BhaTTar
has identified 44 such manifestations of BhagavAn in his exposition. Sri
Srinivasachariar, in his editorial introduction to SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam
published by LIFCO, (1967), describes this beautifully as an arrangement of
the petals of a rose 44 layers deep, or a step of stairs with 44 steps leading to
the enjoyment of the Supreme. I will not go into the enumeration of these 44
forms at this stage, but will identify these as we go along. The enumeration
and the corresponding Slokas can be found in the LIFCO publication".

245
 It is the unique contribution of SrI BhaTTar's commentary that he has
identified this connectivity or organization in the sequence of the nAma-s. No
other commentator has identified this thread of connectivity in the sequence
of nAma-s. This connectivity and organization have been pointed out through
the series of subsequent postings after the above Introduction was written.
Having thus answered the question of organization, and noted that there is
definite organization and structure to the sequence in which the nAma-s have
been strung together by bhIshma, we now look at the question of significance
of the reference to bhagavAn's Ayudham-s in the final Slokam 107. In other
words, why, of all the possible endings for the stotram, did bhIshma choose to
sing the praise of emperumAn with His divine weapons to conclude the
stotram?

Perhaps the best reason for including a description of bhagavAn with His
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weapons as the concluding Slokam, can be best appreciated by understanding

why He bears the weapons to start with. In the viSisTAdvaita tradition, two
anubhavam-s are given for His bearing the weapons. One is that they are part
of His adornments. The second, and the one that is relevant in the current
context, is that He is carrying them for the protection of His devotees against
the asura-s etc. After singing His guNa-s of saulabhyam and sauSIlyam
through 992 nAma-s, SrI bhIshma perhaps sees it fit to point out that all
these guNa-s of bhagavAn are purely for the benefit of His devotees, and that
He stands ready, carrying His most ferocious weapons, ever ready to protect
His devotees at all costs. Protection of the devotees is the primary and only
concern of bhagavAn. Everything He does, including His functions of Creation,
is for the protection of the jIva-s. It is this aspect of bhagavAn's
commitment to Protection of His devotees that is signified in this concluding
Slokam of the stotram, and that is revealed to us by presenting Him with His
ferocious weapons. The devotees themselves enjoy these weapons as
adornments on His divine tirumEni, and at the same time, these weapons are
the objects of terror in the hearts of the most ferocious enemies of the
devotees (hiraNyakaSipu, rAvaNa, SiSupAla, etc.).

246
In his vyAkhyAnam for the nAma akshobhyaah, SrI BhaTTar describes the
vratam of bhagavAn in protecting His devotees – to the point that He won't
even mind forsaking His dear brother lakshmaNa, or separating from sItA
pirATTi. His vyAkhyAnam, taken from the write-up for the nAma akshobhyah,
is – prapanna abhaya dAna dArDhyAt sva-mahimnA'pi akshobhyaH – He Who
cannot be shaken from the firm vow that He has taken to protect those who
have surrendered to Him; this vow of His cannot be shaken even by His own
Great Self". One is reminded of the words of bhagavAn found in SaraNagati
gadyam of bhagavad rAmAnuja: anRtam nokta pUrvam me na ca vakshye
kadAcana - I have never uttered an untruth before, and will never utter one
ever. rAmo dvir-nAbhibhAshate – rAma never talks with two tongues sakRdeva
prapannAya tavAsmI ca yAcate | abhayam sarva bhUtebhyo dadAmyetad
vratam mama || (yuddha. 18.33) "It is My vow to protect unconditionally from

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every living being, anyone that surrenders to Me even once, or seeks my
protection saying "I am your servant"". sarva dharmAn parityajya mAm ekam
SaraNam vraja | aham tvAsarva pApebhyo mokshayishyAmi mA Sucah || (gItA
18.66) "Completely relinquishing all Dharma-s, seek Me alone for refuge. I will
release you from all sins. Grieve not".

SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan points to the incident where sItA tries to persuade
rAma not to bear arms while in the forest, but to follow the path of penance
instead. Lord rAma's response is that He had given His word to the Rshi-s in
the forest that they will be protected from the rAkshasa-s at all costs, and
that He won't swerve from His word even if it involves losing sItA and
lakshmaNa:

apyaham jIvitam jahyAm tvAm vA sIte sa-lakshmaNam |

na tu pratij~nAm samSrutya brAhmaNebhyo viSeshatah ||

(AraNya. 10.19)

"O sItA! I would rather give up My life, or even you and lakshmaNa, than break
My promise, especially that which has been made to brAhmins".

Lord rAma reinforces His commitment to protect anyone who approaches Him

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 with sincerity, during vibhIshaNa SaraNAgati:

mitra bhAvena samprAptam na tyajeyam katha'ncana |

dosho yadyapi tasya syAt satAm etat agarhitam || (yuddha. 18.3)

"I will not forsake anyone who has approached Me with a feeling of true love,
even if this person has any faults. This is the conduct that will be considered
blemish-less by elders".

That is the level of commitment of bhagavAn to the Protection of His

devotees.

BhagavAn's supreme commitment to the Protection of His devotees is sung by

nammAzhvAr and other pUrvAcArya-s over and over again. BhagavAn is in fact
the One responsible for Creation, Protection and the Destruction of all things.
But Protection is the driving force for His functions of Creation and
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Destruction as well. His fundamental nature is one of protection. He performs

creation and destruction only as acts that are directed towards protection.

kAkkum iyalvinan kaNNa perumAn SErkkai Seidu tan undi uLLE vAitta tiSai-
mugan indiran vAnavar AkkinAn deiva ulagugaLE.

(tiruvAimozhi 2.2.9)

This pASuram states that kaNNa pirAn has, as His nature, the function of
protection. Because this is His nature, He protects all the jIva- s in His
stomach at the time of pralaya, but it is really protection. This 'destruction'
again, is a prelude to creation that is in the welfare of the jIva-s, by giving
them another opportunity to attain Him by giving them a body and all the
comforts to enjoy, and is thus really protection in truth. BhagavAn is the One
who creates brahmA first from the brahmANDam that emanates from His
navel, and then gives him the power to create all other things, and thus He is
the true Creator through brahmA also. Similarly, brahmA creates rudra, and
bhagavAn remains as the antaryAmi of rudra, and enables him to perform the
function of 'destruction', the function that He has entrusted to rudra. It is
bhagavAn's nature to protect the jIva-s. This is what He considers more
important than the functions of destruction and creation. These other two

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functions are done only to facilitate the protection of the jIva-s, so that
ultimately the jIva-s will attain moksham, and join Him in SrI vaikunTham for
ever. The Supreme Deity (perumAn) takes incarnations for the primary
purpose of protection, because this is His very nature (kAkkum iyalvinan). Note
Lord kRshNa's declaration – paritrANAya sAdhUnAm, vinASAya ca dushkRtAm
– For the protection of the good, and the destruction of the evil. Protection is
mentioned first, and destruction only follows as the next function in
importance. Like removing the weeds so that the intended grains can grow,
destruction of the evil is only for the protection of the good.

The first set of words in AzhvAr's pASuram – kAkkum iyalvinan, refers to the
function of protection, which is His nature. SErkkai Seidu – The second set of
words, refers to the function of destruction. This is subservient to the
function of protection. It is for the purpose of protecting the jIva-s from

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being destroyed during the pralaya, that He saves everything in His stomach at
the time of pralaya, even ensuring that they do not bump into each other and
suffer any damage. AkkinAn – The third function in this sequence, namely
creation, is dependent on the previous step, that of samhAram, which again
was meant for protection.

In order of importance, protection is the most important. By saying "kAkkum

iyalvinan AkkinAn", AzhvAr emphasizes that the main purpose is protection,
and creation is only a means of protection – giving a body to the jIva-s so that
they can expend their karma-s and attain Him. By saying "SErkkai Seidu
AkkinAn", AzhvAr clarifies that Serikkai Seidal or destruction is again a
prelude to "Akkal" or creation. svAmi deSikan captures the gist of this
pASuram as "rakshNAya avatIrNam" – BhagavAn takes incarnations solely for
the purpose of protection. The destruction of rAvaNa, hiraNyakaSipu etc.,
really result in their attaining moksham – the ultimate protection, even though
we only see them as 'killing of rAvaNa or hiraNyakaSipu'. We have the well-
known Slokam from the jitante stotram that declares that everything that
bhagavAn possesses including His divine weapons, is for the benefit of His
devotees: na te rUpam na cAkAro nAyudhAni na cAspadam | tathA'pi

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 purushAkAro bhaktAnAm prakASase || (jitante. 1.5)

"Neither Your divya Atma svarUpam, nor Your divya ma'ngaLa vigraham, nor
for that matter Your weapons, or Your own SrI vaikunTham, are for Your
benefit (they are all for Your devotees' benefit, and thus You are not
independent, but You are the possession of Your devotees). Even so, You shine
as the Supreme Being".

Having thus understood that the concluding Slokam of the vishNu sahasra
nAma stotram emphasizes the concern of Protection that bhagavAn has for
His devotees by mentioning His divine form with His weapons, a very logical
question that can arise in some people's minds is: "Obviously emperumAn can
destroy His devotees' enemies merely by His Will power. Why does He have to
carry weapons to destroy these sinners?"
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To understand this, let us look at nammAzhvAr's pASuram (tiruvAi. 4.8.1):

ERu ALum iRaiyOnum, tiSai muganum, tirumagaLum kURu ALum tani uDamban,
kulam kulamA asurargaLai neeRu Agum paDiyAga nirumittu, paDai toTTa
mARALan kavarAda maNimAmai kuRai ilamE.

Many of bhagavAn's kalyANa guNa-s are to be enjoyed in this pASuram;

however, let us look at the following in the current context: - kulam kulamA
aSurargaLai neeRu Agum paDiyAga nirumittu, paDai toTTa mARALan – He is
also the One who made the decision through His mere Will that the wicked
asura-s who were enemies of His devotees will be destroyed without trace, by
numbers upon numbers, and Who used His weapons to destroy them.

The key words to note are 'nirumittu' (having decided in His mind), and paDaai
toTTa (He Who then used His weapons to destroy them). So bhagavAn has
made up in His mind that the asura-s will be destroyed without trace. But how
does He accomplish this – not just by His sa'nkalpam alone, but though the use
of His weapons. Here is the anubhavam by our pUrvAcArya-s:

nirumittu – sankalpittu: emperumAn is also One Who could have destroyed the
asura-s, who were enemies of His devotees, through a minute fraction of His
Infinite Will power. But instead of destroying them thus with His Will power

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alone, bhagavAn chooses to use His weapons to kill them. He would have
destroyed them through His Will power alone if they were showing enmity only
towards Him; but instead, they were showing enmity towards His devotees, and
this is something that He could not tolerate. So He became angry, and used
His weapons to destroy them. Through his choice of words, AzhvAr shows that
bhagavAn will not tolerate any offense to His devotees – He will not tolerate
bhAgavata apacAram.

kulam kulamA asurargaLai nIrAgum paDiyAga nirumittu paDai toTTa – refers

to His veeryam - one His six primary guNa-s.

mARu ALan – He Who considers the enemies of His devotees as His own
enemies; He Who literally exchanges His position with that of the devotee, and
destroys their enemies. Note Lord kRshNa's refusal to eat in duryodhana's

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place, just because the later was an enemy of the pANDava-s; in other words,
He considered the enemy of the pANDava-s as His own enemy –

dvishad-annam no bhoktavyam dvishantam naiva bhojayet |

pANDavAn dvishase rAjan mama prANA hi pANDavAH ||

Thus, bhagavAn's weapons are a sign of His ardent desire to protect His
devotees. By singing bhagavAn's Form with His weapons in the last Slokam,
bhIshma wants to brings out this guNa of bhagavAn, namely His commitment
to protect His devotees against all forces opposed to His devotees.

SrI BhaTTar reflects the intensity of bhagavAn's commitment of protection

of His devotees through His superb choice of words: 'at all times, in all places,
by all means, etc'. In fact, SrI BhaTTar extends this commitment to protect
the devotees, not only to bhagavAn, but to the divine weapons as well – who are
all nitya-sUri- s who have taken the forms of His divine weapons. Let us look at
his commentary: - SrI BhaTTar gives his summary at the conclusion of the last
nAma sarva-praharaNAyudah – He Who has all the weapons that act against
evil. He elaborates this further, and the translation of this explanation is: "He
has also numberless other divine weapons befitting Him which are powerful
enough to uproot completely the distress of His devotees who are rooted in

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 Him – weapons that have taken a vow as it were, in a long sacrifice to protect
at all times at all places by all means, and in all ways those who have resorted
to Him; which have unlimited power, which are like ornaments to Him and which
help Him to discharge His duties as the Supreme Lord of the Universe". As we
will see below, bhagavAn's main function in His leelA is the protection of the
jIva-s. All His kalyANa guNa-s, and everything He possesses, are for the
benefit of the devotee. Just as there is no limit to bhagavAn's kalyANa guNa-
s, there is no limit to the enjoyment of His kalyANa guNa-s as well. And there
is no limit to the extent to which He will go in ensuring protection of His
devotees. It is hoped that the significance of the concluding stotram of SrI
vishNu sahasra nAmam, with a reference to bhagavAn's form bearing His
ferocious weapons, is thus understood in terms of His most important guNa –
Protection of His devotees at all costs, under all circumstances, in all places, at
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all times, to quote SrI BhaTTar.

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 vanamalee Slokam
vnmalI gdI za¼IR z
zŒŒI c³I c nNdkI,

ïIman! naray[ae iv:[uvaRsudevae=iÉr]tu.

. ïIvasudevae=iÉr]tu Aae< nm #it.

vanamAlI gadI sArngI sankhI chakrI ca nandakI |
srImAn nArAyaNO vishhNur vAsudevO=bhirakshatu ||
|| srI vAsudevO=bhirakshatu Om nama iti ||

This Slokam is not found in the Critical Edition we referred to in the posting
on 'sarva praharaNAyudhaH'. However, many people chant this as a result of

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their traditional training. SrI BhaTTar has not included it in his vishNu
sahasra nAma bhAshyam. However, Prof. Srinivasa Raghavan has added the
meaning in English, after noting that it is not found in the mahAbhArata and is
not commented by SrI BhaTTar. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri also makes the
same comment, and has given the meaning in tamizh. The meaning in English is
given below:

"SrIman nArAyaNa is adorned by the garland by name vanamAlA, and is armed

with the Mace, SAr'nga – the bow, the Conch, the Discus and the sword by
name nandaka. He is vishNu (all-pervasive), and vAsudeva (Who resides in all
and in Whom all reside). May that vAsudeva protect us all".

After I posted the above brief write-up for the above Sloka, I received the
comment that this Slokam is considered to contain the essence of SrI vishNu
gAyatrI, by an author by name Nallan Chakravarti Raghunathacharyulu in his
telugu translation of SrI BhaTTar’s bhAshyam published by Mudra Offset
Printers, Vijayawada (2002 edition). The comment was also made that 'this
interpretation is consistent with the traditional way of concluding invocations
on many deities with the gAyatrI mantra for the deity, and so this Sloka can
be interpreted to be a fitting conclusion for the vishNu sahasra nAma stotra'.

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 However, it is to be noted that the Sloka is not part of SrI vishNU
sahasranAma as found in the Critical Edition referred to earlier. It is also to
be noted that SrI Sa’nkara, SrI BhaTTar, SrI raghunAtha tIrtha, and the
other vyAkhyAna kartA-s whose works have been used as reference through
this write-up, have not commented on this Sloka, which is consistent with the
view that this Slokam is not part of the SrI vishNu sahasra nAma stotram as
found in the mahAbhArata. On the other hand, there is nothing wrong in
chanting any Sloka on SrIman nArAyaNa with faith, including chanting the
Sloka with the faith that it is the essence of the gAyatrI – chanting His
nAma-s with devotion and faith will confer all the benefits to be described in
the rest of this phala Sruti write-up.
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 SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam – phala Sruti
#tId< kItRnIySy ke;vSy mhaTmn>,

naça< shö< idVyanamze;e[ àkIitRtm!. 1

iti idam kIrtanIyasya keSavasya mahAtmanah |
nAmnAm sahasram divyAnAm asesheNa prakIrtitam || (1)

The above is addressed by bhIshma to yudhisThira at the end of the 107

Sloka-s containing the 1000 nAma-s of bhagavAn. The meaning is: "Thus, the
thousand divine names of bhagavAn keSava, the Supreme Being, Who is worthy
of being praised, have been sung in their entirety".

SrI BhaTTar comments that the word 'kIrtanIyasya' has been chosen to
indicate that bhagavAn richly deserves the praise, and that by using this word,

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bhIshma is telling yudhishThira that he should begin the recitation of the
names right away. The reason for the same is given by the choice of the name
keSava (the Creator of brahmA and Siva – see the interpretation for the nAma
keSava – nAma-s 23 and 654), and mahAtmanah (He is the Supreme Being).
The word 'divyAnAm' (divine) applied to the nAma-s signifies that the nAma-s
are worthy of being sung in this world as well as in SrI vaikunTham. The word
'aSesheNa' is used to denote that nothing that is significant or important has
been left out by bhIshma in his communication to yudhisThira, and everything
that needs to be known has been taught.

SrI Sa'nkara explains the word 'aSesheNa' to mean 'a-nyUna, an- atirikta' –
neither less, nor more, but exactly thousand nAma-s. The implication is that
the choice of the thousand names by bhIshma are significant, and are not
randomly chosen. SrI Sa'nkara also refers us back to one of the initial six
questions – kim japan mucyate jantuh (see Introduction for detailed meanings),
and points out that these 1000 divine nAma-s are the ones that are the object
of 'japa' referred to therein. He points out that 'japa' consists of three kinds
- ucca, upAmSu, and mAnasa – loud, whisper, or in the mind (trividha japo
lakshyate – uccaA, upAmSu, mAnasa lakshaNah trividho japah). The words
prakIrtitam in the current Sloka answers that all three means – chanting

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 loudly, through a low tone, or by contemplating in the mind, can be used in
singing His praise (kIrtana).

This Slokam emphasizes that these nAma-s are divine, and are sung in SrI
vaikunTham by the nitya sUri-s themselves. They are specifically selected as
sung by the Rshi-s (Rshibhih parigItAni – see the Introductory section). This
stotram is unlike any other stotram that we know of. It was first revealed in
Lord kRshNa's presence.

y #d< ïu[uyaiÆTy< yíaip pirkItRyet!,

nazuÉ< àaßuyat! ikiNct! sae=muÇeh c manv>. 2

ya idam SRNuyAt nityam yaScApi parikIrtayet |
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nA'Subham prApnuyAt ki'ncit so'mutreha ca mAnavaH || (2)

In this Sloka, the qualifications for reciting the stotra, and the result from
recitation are declared in general terms. "Nothing inauspicious or unwelcome
will accrue to that man in this world or in the world beyond, when one hears
this daily or recites it".

SrI BhaTTar comments that he, who according to his qualification and ability,
hears it or meditates on it in his mind, will encounter nothing inauspicious in
this world, or hereafter. Note that the benefit is attained by chanting, as well
as by listening.

By the term 'hereafter (amutre ca)', lesser worlds than SrI vaikunTham, such
as svargam, brahma lokam etc. are meant. SrI Sa'nkara points the case of
yayAti and his father nahusha, both of whom ended up suffering after
reaching brahma lokam and indra lokam respectively, because they committed
sins against brAhmaNa-s after reaching these higher worlds. Such inauspicious
instances won't happen to those who chant or hear this divine stotram – yayAti
nahushAdivat aSubha prApti abhAvam.

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 vedaNtgae äaü[>Syat! ]iÇyae ivjyI Évet!,

vEZyae xn sm&x> SyaCDuÔ> suomvaßuyat!. 3

vedAnta-go brAhmaNah syAt kshatriyo vijayI bhavet |
vaiSyo dhana samRddhah syAt SudraH sukham avApnuyAt || (3)

The next few Sloka-s declare the benefits attained by chanting the hymn,
hearing it chanted etc. SrI BhaTTar has categorized the benefits as follows:

The current Slokam declares the benefits attained by people of the four
varNa-s, when they chant the stotram without necessarily directing their
chanting for any specific benefit, and do so without necessarily following any
special discipline etc.

The next Slokam (Slokam 4 in this sequence) declares the benefits attained by

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those who chant the stotram with specific benefits in mind.

Sloka-s 5 to 8 declare the benefits attained by those who chant the hymns
following discipline such as getting up early in the morning, taking a bath etc.,
before chanting.

The organization along the above lines will be clearer as we see the meanings
of the Sloka-s, in particular, Slokam 5 etc.

Thus, there is benefit that is bestowed by the recitation of the hymn,

whether it is done by those with intense devotion or is chanted without
necessarily following any specific discipline, whether specific benefits are
sought by the person chanting the hymn or not, etc. (Note: Based on Slokam 2
of this sequence, whatever benefit is described for chanting the hymn, equally
applies for listening to the hymn being chanted).

The current Sloka declares that by reciting this hymn or hearing it being
chanted, (without necessarily following any specific rules etc., and without
specifically seeking any benefit), still certain benefits are attained by people
belonging to the four varNa-s. Thus, a brAhmaNa reaches the knowledge of
the vedAnta-s, in other words, the knowledge of the self and its relation to

257
 the Supreme Self. If he is a kshatriya, he will be victorious in war. A vaiSya
(businessman) will attain immense wealth, and a SUdra will be bestowed with
great happiness.

SrI Sa'nkara gives an elaborate explanation for the words 'vedAnta-go

brAhmaNah syAt', and using the meaning "The brAhmaNa will get
KNOWLEDGE of the vedAnta-s, he proceeds to argue that sage vyAsa is
declaring through this Slokam that simply reciting the hymn is not the means
to salvation (japa karmaNA sAkshAt mukti Sa'nkAyAm, karmaNAm sAkshAt
mukti hetutvam nAsti, api tu j~nAnenaiva moksha iti darSayitum `vedAntago
brAhmaNah syAt' ityuktam), but the knowledge obtained by the recitation is
the path to salvation. We won't go into elaborate details of SrI Sa'nkara's
argument on this point in the vyAkyAnam for this Slokam; however, this is one
instance of how the vyAkhyAna-kartA-s orient their vyAkhyAna-s so that they
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can establish their philosophy, and argue that important works such as this one
by veda vyAsa can be 'shown' to support their system of philosophy.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan explains that the knowledge that is attained by chanting
the hymn is the realization of the eternal relationship between the soul and
the Supreme Soul as servant and Master (not the realization that everything is
imaginary and non- existent, except Brahman, as SrI Sa'nkara defines true
knowledge).

One commentator adds that this Slokam – by referring to the benefits

attained by all the four varNa-s, implies that there is no constraint in anyone
chanting the hymns. Some AcArya-s have asked the women among their
followers to refrain from chanting the hymn either in part or in full. The
instructions vary from being allowed to chant only the 107 Sloka-s starting
from "viSvam vishNuh" up to "Sa'nkhabRn- nandakI", not chanting anything,
chanting the stotra in its entirety, etc. To my knowledge, there is no
restriction listening to the hymn, which is as powerful in conferring benefits as
chanting the hymn. In all cases, one's own AcAryan's instructions should be
rigorously followed.

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 xmaRwIR àaßuyaÏmRmwaRwIR cawRmaßuyat!,

kamanvaßuyat! kamI àjwIR caßuyat! àja>. 4

dharmArthI prApnuyAddharmamarthArthI cArthamApnuyAt |
kAmAnavApnuyAt kAmI prajarthI cApnuyAt prajAh || (4)

In this Slokam, it is declared that those who desire righteousness (dharma),

will be blessed with that; those who desire wealth will be blessed with wealth;
those who are after the pleasures of life, will be bestowed with all pleasures
of life; those who desire progeny will be blessed with children.

Éi´man! y> sdaeTway zuicStÌt mans>,

shö< vasudevSy naçamett! àkItRyet!. 5

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bhaktimAn yah sadotthAya Sucis-tad-gata mAnasaH |
sahasram vAasudevasya nAmnAmetat prakIrtayet || (5)

SrI BhaTTar groups the four Sloka-s, 5 to 8, as a statement of the benefits

accruing to a devotee (bhakta) who recites the nAma-s as a japa (chanting)
in accordance with the rules laid down for the same. SrI BhaTTar's words are:
"atha niyama viSeshavat japa rUpa sa'nkIrtane bhaktasya sarva samRddhim
Aha".

From the previous two Sloka-s, it is noted that the act of chanting – either
aloud or in a whisper or in the mind, or just listening to others chanting the
stotram, leads to benefits, either explicitly desired and sought, or those
consistent with the varNa dharma-s of the one who chants or listens to the
stotram. Now vyAsa points out that if a person gets up early in the morning,
purifies himself with a bath and the observance of the rites and rituals
consistent with his dharma as laid down in the SAstra-s (according to his
varNa and ASrama), and recites the thousand nAma-s of vAsudeva with his
mind firmly fixed on Him, he will be bestowed with salvation itself (anuttamam
Sreyah prApnoti – Slokam 6).

SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is: "bhaktimAn ityAdinA bhaktimatah Suceh

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 satatam udyuktasyaikAgra cittasya SraddhAlorviSishTAdhikAriNah phala
viSesham darSayati"

The special benefits accruing to one who is devout, pure, ever persevering with
one-pointed attentive meditation, and with faith, are revealed next.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that the benefis stated next are those that
accrue to one who has single-minded devotion to vAsudeva, meditates on him
constantly, is pure in thought, word and deed, and chants the thousand nAma-s
of vAsudeva as laid down in this Slokam.

In order to reinforce the thoughts embedded in this Slokam, let us look at the
individual meanings of a few words in the Slokam:

1. bhaktimAn – A devotee. Specifically, it refers to the devotee of

vAsudeva (vAsudevasya nAmnAm). Single-minded devotion is of
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importance here, as noted in the above.

2. anya devatA worship – resort to other devatA-s, is to be avoided. -

3. sadA utthAya – always getting up early in the morning. Sucih – Purifies

himself. The purity referred to is both external and internal. The
external purity involves taking a bath etc. The other aspects of
purification involved here are the strict observance of nitya karma-s as
laid down in the SAstra-s for the devotee – the varNASrama dharma-s.

Our AcArya-s repeatedly emphasize that any activity undertaken without

observing the nitya karma-s will end up as wasted effort. tad-gata-mAnasaH –
The mind of the devotee should be concentrated on bhagavAn vAsudeva. This
is a re-emphasis on the single-minded devotion to vAsudeva that was
mentioned under 'bhaktimAn'. prakIrtayet – kIrtana specifically refers to
chanting, recitation. The specific benefits that such a devotee will attain are
specified in the next three Sloka-s:

yz àaßaeit ivpulm! }ait àaxaNymev c,

Acla< iïymaßaeit ïey> àaßaeTynuÄmm!. 6

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 n Éy< Kvictaßaeit vIy¡ tejí ivNdit,

ÉvTyraegae *uitman! blêpgu[aiNvt>. 7

raegataeR muCyte raegaÓÏae muCyet bNxnat!,

ÉyaNmuCyet ÉItStu muCyetapÚ Aapd>. 8

yaSah prApnoti vipulam j~nAti prAdhAnyameva ca |
acalAm SriyamApnoti Sreyah prApnotyanuttamam || (6)
na bhayam kvacitApnoti vIryam tejaSca vindati |
bhavatyarogo dyutimAn balarUpaguNanvitah || (7)
rogArto mucyate rogAdbaddho mucyeta bandhanAt |
bhayAnmucyeta bhItastu mucyetApanna ApadaH || (8)

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SrI BhaTTar has given his interpretation for the above Sloka-s in two short
sentences

"anuttamam Sreyah – muktih |

anye abhyudaya viSeshAh ||"

'"anuttamam Sreyah in Slokam 6 means 'salvation'; all the other fruits

mentioned are fruits of success in this world".

Prof. Srinivasa Raghavan has given the following translation for the above
Sloka-s:

"He becomes endowed with great reputation and becomes the foremost among
his kith and kin. He acquires wealth that never diminishes in this world, and he
also gets unexcelled prosperity in the next (namely, salvation). There is no fear
for him from any quarters. He acquires valor and power. He is never unwell, and
always shines. He becomes endowed with strength, a healthy body, and noble
qualities. He who is suffering from any disease will get over it. He who is in
bondage will be relieved of it. He who is affected by fear will become free
from it, and he who is in difficulties will become rid of them".

SrI Sa'nkara also does not comment on the above Sloka-s. The idea is that

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 both SrI BhaTTar and SrI Sa'nkara consider that the meaning is self-
explanatory.

The most important benefit is the one that SrI BhaTTar has commented on -
anuttamam Sreyah – moksham.

The other benefits can all be understood as aid to this most important, and in
fact the only phalan that such a devotee will aspire for.

1. Thus, for instance, being rid of fear in this world can be understood as
the full confidence that bhagavAn will definitely redeem us from the
ocean of samsAra at the end of our current birth in this world, - mahA
viSvAsam

2. acalAm Sriyam – undiminished wealth in this world

3. the opportunity and blessing to be involved in kai'nkaryam to Him always

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– the ka'inkarya SrI;

4. rogArto mucyate rogAt – the devotee will be rid of the greatest of

diseases, namely attachment to the worldly and materialistic objects of
this life, and, above all, the attachment to this body and to all the
things associated with the body;

5. bhayAn mucyeta bhItah – the devotee will be rid of the greatest of all
fears – the fear of repeated births, the fear of samsAra;

6. yaSah prApnoti – the devotee will be known for his single-minded

devotion to vAsudeva, as his greatest accomplishment;

7. dyutimAn, tejaSca vindati – the tejas of such a devotee will be self-

revealing, as we can feel in the presence of our AcArya-s.

Next, it is stated that if a person is exclusively devoted to SrI kRshNa and his
only desire is to attain Him, all his difficulties will automatically vanish even
though he does not pray to the Lord for any relief from them.

ÊgaR{yittrTyazu pué;> pué;aeÄmm!,

StuvÚamshöe[ inTy< Éi´ smiNvt>. 9

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 durgANyatitaratyASu purushah purushottamam |
stuvannAmasahasreNa nityam bhakti samanvitah || (9)

"That person, who, with devotion, praises the Supreme Being (purushottaman)
reciting his thousand nAma-s daily, surmounts all difficulties very easily.

SrI BhaTTar comments that the next two Sloka-s speak of the attainment of
the Lord by such devotees.

vasudevaïyae mTyaeR vasudev pray[>,

svRpapivzuÏaTma yait äü snatnm!. 10

n vasudevÉ´anamzuÉ< iv*te Kvict!,

jNmm&TyujraVyaixÉy< vaPyupjayte. 11

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vAsudevASrayo martyo vAsudeva parAyaNaH |
sarvapApaviSuddhAtmA yAti brahma sanAtanam || (10)
na vAsudevabhatAnAmaSubham vidyate kvacit |
janmamRtyujarAvyAdhibhayam vApyupajAyate || (11)

"That man, who has taken resort to vAsudeva with the thought that vAsudeva
is the highest goal to be reached, becomes cleansed of all sins and his mind
becomes pure. He finally attains the Eternal Brahman."

"Nothing inauspicious ever occurs to the devotees of vAsudeva. Nor do they

have any fear from birth or death or old age or disease".

#m< StvmxIyan> ïÏaÉi´smiNvt>,

yuJyetaTmsuo]aiNt> ïIx&itSm&itkIitRiÉ>. 12
imam stavamadhIyAnah SraddhAbhaktisamanvitah |
yujyetAtmasukhakshAntih SrIdhRtismRtikIrtibhih || (12)

"The person who chants this hymn with zeal and devotion, is blessed with
happiness of the self, forbearance, riches, firmness of mind, excellent
memory, and great fame".

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 SrI BhaTTar comments – niyamavato bhaktasya anusha'ngiNIm abhyudaya
siddhim Aha – For the devotee who recites the names in accordance with
scriptural injunctions, there is attainment of prosperity of all kinds that come
as a matter of course". He explains the term SraddhA as sa-gaurava tvarA –
Eagerness associated with respect. He also comments that bhakti is a result of
highly meritorious acts - bhagavati bhaktih mahatah su-kRtasya phalam. Thus a
true devotee should chant the stotram with sincere devotion and interest, and
should accompany the chanting with other meritorious acts as part of his way
of life. SrI BhaTTar further adds: govinda bhaktyabhyadhikam SreyaSca
anyat na vidyate – There is no act superior to devotion to Lord govinda.

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam for Sloka-s 5 to 8 was "atha niyama viSeshavat

japa rUpa sa'nkIrtane bhaktasya sarva samRddhim Aha". For the current
Sloka, his interpretation is "niymavatah bhaktasya anusha'ngiNIm abhyudaya
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siddhim Aha". Thus the interpretations in both cases describe the benefit for
a 'bhakta' or devotee who follows 'niyama' or rules as laid down in the
scriptures. Slokam 5 refers to the bhakta who follows niyama and does
prakItanA (praising, extolling, lauding) of bhagavAn through the stotram,
whereas the current Slokam refers to the bhakta with niyama who is
'adhIyAnah' (a student, or one who goes over the stotra either as a student or
as a teacher).

SrI v. v. rAmAnujan has used the term anusandhAnam (which means inquiry,
investigation, scrutiny etc.), in the context of this Slokam. Thus, the
difference between the two, if one were to look for a difference, is that the
first discusses the benefits attained by the bhakta who chants the stotram,
and the second about the benefits attained by the bhakta who propagates or
delves deep into the meanings etc.

One translator of SrI Sa'nkara bhAshyam has grouped the Sloka-s from 5
(bhaktimAn…) to 12 (imam stavam…) into one group, and has ascribed SrI
Sa'nkara's short commentary as follows, for all these Sloka-s as one group –
" bhaktimAn ityAdinA bhatimatah Suceh satatamudyuktasyaikAgra cittasya
SraddhAlorvivishTa adhikAriNah phala viSesham darSayati" – "In the verses

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beginning with bhaktimAn etc., the stated results are promised to one who is
devout, pure, ever- persevering with one-pointed attentive meditation, with
faith".

SrI Sa'nkara further explains:

"SraddhA Astikya buddhih |

bhaktih bhajanam tAtparyam |

Atmanah sukam Atma-sukham |

tena ca kshAnyatibhiSca ucyate |"

This is translated as: "Faith means belief in God; bhakti refers to worship;
Atma sukham means spiritual bliss – by this term, other qualities such as
patience, forgiveness etc. are also meant".

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n ³aexae n c maTsyRm! n laeÉae nazuÉa mit>,

ÉviNt k«t pu{ya[a< É´ana< puézaeÄme. 13

na krodho na ca mAtsaryam na lobho nAsubhA matih |
bhavanti kRta puNyANAm bhaktAnAm purushottame || (13)

"Neither anger nor jealousy, neither greed nor evil thoughts haunt the minds
of those people who are devotees of purushottama (The Supreme Being) and
who have acquired merit by virtuous deeds".

SrI BhaTTar comments that as a matter of natural course, these defects by

themselves keep away from the devotees. SrI Sa'nkara emphasizes the point
that in the Slokam, krdha, lobha and aSubhAmatih occur without a 'ca',
whereas mAtsarya occurs with a 'ca'. He explains that this means that not only
krodha, lobha and aSubhA mati anger, lust and evil thoughts) are absent in
these devotees, but also jealousy is absent.

*aE> scNÔakRn]Ça o< idzae ÉUmRhaedix>,

vasudevSy vIyeR[ ivx&tain mhaTmn>. 14

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 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
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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

266
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.

ssurasurgNxv¡ sy]aergra]sm!,

jgÖze vtRted< k«Z[Sy scracrm!. 15

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

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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.

#iNÔyai[ mnae buiÏ> sÅv< tejae bl< x&it>,

vasudevaTmkaNya÷> ]eÇ< ]eÇ} @v c. 16

indriyANi mano buddhih sattvam tejo balam dhRtiH |
vAsudevAtmakAnyAhuH 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.

267
 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.

svaRgmanamacar> àwm< pirkiLpt>,

Aacaràwmae xmaeR xmRSy àÉurCyut>. 17

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sarvAgamAnAmAcArah prathamam parikalpyate |

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

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

\;y> iptrae deva> mhaÉUtain xatv>,

j¼maj¼m< ced< jgÚaray[aeÑvm!. 18

Rshayah pitaro devAh mahAbhUtAni dhAtavah |
ja'ngamAja'ngamam ca idam jagat nArAyaNodbhavam || (18)

"All the Sages, the departed ancestors, the different gods, the great
elements, their effects, the moving and the non-moving objects that comprise
the Universe, all have their origin on nArAyaNa".

This Slokam and the next one declare that everything that exists, has existed
and will ever exist have as their origin and support bhagavAn SrIman
nArAyaNa.

SrI bhaTTar notes that anything and anyone that is under the influence and
control of dharmam has bhagavAn as their origin: dharmAnubandhinAmapi tad-

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udbhavatvam Aha.

SrI bhaTTar provides word-by-word explanation:

1. Rshayah || manvAdayah, tasya smartArah, anushThAtAraSca (Manu and

others; the writers of smRti-s as well as those who practice them);

2. pitarah, devAh || avAntara || ArAdhyAh || The Manes and the gods

who are the subsidiary divinities that are to be worshiped.

3. mahA bhUtAni || viyadAdIni || The five great elements (air, water,

fire, earth and ether)

4. dhAtavah - tat-kAryANi, tvak carmAdIni etAni karma phala bhoga

uapakaraNAni || skin etc., that are provided as the means of enjoyment
of the fruits of karma

5. ja'ngama aja'ngamam ca idam jagat || This world of beings both moving

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and non-moving, that enjoy the fruits of karma-s.

6. nArAyaNa udbhavam || all originated from nArAyaNa.

yaegae }an< twa sa<Oy< iv*a> izLpaidkmR c,

veda> zôai[ iv}anmetTsv¡ jnadRnat!. 19

yogo j~nAnam tathA sA'nkhyam vidyAh SilpAdikarma ca |
vedAh SastrANi vij~nAnam etat sarvam janArdanAt || (19)

"The knowledge of yoga, sA'nkhya, other branches of learning, arts, works,

Vedas and SAstra-s - a knowledge of all these springs from bhagavAn
janArdana".

The Critical Edition has the pATham "SilpAni", and SrI bhaTTar has used the
pATham "SilpAdi". Also, SrI bhaTTar seems to have used the pATham yoga
j~nAnam instead of 'yogo j~nAnam'. The former would mean 'knowledge of
yoga' sprung from janArdana, and the later would mean 'yoga and j~nAna'
originated from janArdana.

The previous Slokam declared that bhagavAn is the source and origin of all
cetana-s and acetana-s (sentient and insentient beings). This Slokam declares

269
 that bhagavAn is the Source of all knowledge as well. Again, SrI bhaTTar gives
word-by-word meanings.

1. yoga j~nAnam || yogasya j~nAnam; j~nAnam || SAstram. yogo dvi-

vidhah samAdhi yogah, karma yogaSca | j~nAnam = SAstra-s; yoga is of
two kinds bhakti yoga and karma yoga. So yoga j~nAnam means the
knowledge of the SAstra-s related to bhakti yogam and karma yogam.

2. sA'nkhyam || sa'nkhyayA tattvAnAm avadhAraNam sA'nkhyam || The

science by which the nature of the Realities is arrived at by means of
sankhyA or intellect.

3. vidyAh || vyAkaraNAdi a'nga vidyAh, dhanur, Ayur, gAndharva

prabhRtIni dRshTArthAni upa-vidyAh - The subsidiary branches of
knowledge such as grammar, archery, medicine, music, dancing etc.
(veda-s are considered the foremost among sciences, as we see below).
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4. Silpa Adi || Sculptures, architecture, etc.

5. karma || sarvatra anushTheyam karma - Observance of duties in all

places.

6. vedAh || pradhAna vidyAh - The foremost among all sciences.

7. SAstrANi || smRti, itihAsa purANAni|| smRti, itihAsa-s and purANa-

s.

8. sarvam etat vij~nAnam || all these SAstra-s

9. janArdanAt (udbhavanti) || All these sciences are born of janArdana.

The greatness of BhagavAn as revealed by His possession of all things and

beings in both the nitya vibhUti (SrI vaikuNTham) and the leelA vibhUti (all
the other Universes), is sung in the next Slokam.

@kae iv:[umRhÑUt< p&wKÉUtaNynekz>,

ÇINlaekan! VyaPy ÉUtaTma Éu“e ivñÉugVyy>. 20

eko vishNur_mahad-bhUtam pRthak-bhUtAnyanekaSah |
trIn-lokAn vyApya bhUtAtmA bhu'nkte viSva-bhuk avyayah || (20)

270
"vishNu is the unique and unparalleled Deity in that He pervades the many,
various, and different objects of the three Universes, and the three worlds of
souls.

Remaining as the Inner Soul of everything, He protects and enjoys the

Universe, and yet remains untouched by their foibles and defects".

Again SrI bhaTTar provides word-by-word meanings and interpretation.

1. ekah - svayam ekah san, Being the Supreme Deity above all else

2. vyApya || teshAm niyama SeshitvAdibhih AtmA bhavan || By pervading,

by being the Inner Soul of, Controller of, and Master of

3. anekaSah pRthak bhUtAni - asa'nkhyeyatayA rUpa-prakAra- pariNAma-

prayojana bhedena pRthak ca sthitAni mahAnti bhUtAni - The great
Elements that are of countless forms, manners, mutations, and utility

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which are distinct and different from one another.

4. trIn lokAn ca || baddha mukta nityAn cetanAn || and of the three

worlds of souls, namely, the bound souls, Released souls, and Eternal
angels.

5. viSva-bhuk || sarvathA paripAlakah; and by being the Sole Protector of

everything in all the Universes

6. tathA'pi || Even so,

7. avyayah || tad-doshaih aparAmRshTah, punaSca para vibhUtyA || being

untouched by the faults of any of the souls whose AtmA He is.

8. mahad-bhUtam || avA'ng-manasa gocaraSca bhavan || His greatness is

beyond description through words, imagination by the mind, etc.

9. bhu'nkte || leelA bhoga rasam anubhavati || and He enjoys the pleasure

of Divine Sport and Divine Bliss.

SrI Sa'nkara has not commented on this Slokam. However, SrI T. S.

Krishnamoorthy, who has provided a translation for Sa'nkara bhAshyam,
provides the following translation:

"vishNu, the one great Being, pervades innumerable individual beings and the

271
 three worlds; and being the undecaying Self and enjoyer of all, He experiences
everything (and also protects)". He has essentially echoed the translation
provided by SrI R. Anantakrishna Sastry.

An interpretation that is more reflective of the advaitic philosophy is given by

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri, a rough translation of which follows:

"Lord vishNu who permeates everywhere, became mahat, the basis for all the
three worlds. Then He became many, took different forms, and filled all the
worlds with these forms; He is the soul of all things that appeared thus. He is
enjoying these worlds without being distinct from them in the slightest way.
He ultimately contains everything within Himself. (He is the One who performs
creation, protection, and destruction)".
Conclusion
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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.

#m< Stv< Égvtae iv:[aeVyaRsen kIitRtm!,

pQe* #½et! pué;> ïey> àaÝu< suoain c. 21

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

272
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".

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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.

273
 ivñeñrmj< dev< jgt> àÉvaPyym!,

ÉjiNt ye pu:kra]< ne te yaiNt praÉvm!. 22

. ne te yaiNt praÉvm! Aae< nm #it.

viSveSvaram ajam devam jagatah prabhavApyayam |
bhajanti ye pushkarAksham ne te yAnti parAbhavam || (22)
|| ne te yAnti parAbhavam oM nama iti ||

"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
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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).

274
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

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(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"

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 "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."
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|| SrI kRshNArpaNamastu||
Dedicated in all humility to Lord kRshNa.

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