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VISHNU SAHASRANAMA MEANING 532 - 543

noreply@blogger.com (Manblunder) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 03:31:56 PST

532. Kṛtajñaḥ कृतज्ञः

Repetitive nāma 82.

In view of the explanation given in nāma 82, this nāma is interpreted here differently. Kṛtajña means grateful by remembering past actions. This nāma says that He distinctly remembers the depth of one’s devotion and helps him during his miseries. The depth of devotion means the depth of devotee’s contemplation about Him. Unless Viṣṇu pervades his entire mind through his yogic practices, He will not come to the rescue of his devotees. Devotee means the one, who always thinks about Him both during happiness and testing times. When the contemplation becomes intent, it transforms into Bliss and finally gives liberation. Hence He is adored as Kṛtajña.

533. Medinīpatiḥ मेदिनीपतिः

Medinī means Mother Earth. This nāma says that Viṣṇu is the Lord of Mother Earth. It can also be explained that Mother Earth is the Consort of Lord Viṣṇu. Puruṣa and Prakṛti enumerated in sāṃkhyayoga are based on this principle. Sāṃkhyayoga says that conjugality between Puruṣa and Prakṛti leads to the creation of a being.

534. Tripadaḥ त्रिपदः

This means three divisions. This could mean all the triads with the help of which the universe is created. For example, iccā, jñāna and kriya śakti-s, known as the Divine Energy of will, wisdom and action. This is generally known as trīśikā or analysis of three.

This could also mean three Veda-s or three letters of OM (a,u,m); dharma, artha and kāma; three guṇa-s sattvic, rajas and tamas, etc. The whole universe is created, sustained and dissolved only by the combination of various triads.

Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa (21.36 – 38) says “In you reside the three mātra-s of time (short, long and medium), O Goddess, all that exists and does not exist, the three worlds, the three Veda-s, the three sciences, the three fires, the three lights, three colours, the three qualities, the three sounds and the three āśrama-s, (house holder, anchorite and sannyās) the three times and the three states of life, the three types of pitṛ-s (Vasu, Rudra and Āditya), day-night and the rest. This trinity of standards in your form Oh! Goddess Sarasvatī.”

535. Tridaśādhyakṣaḥ त्रिदशाध्यक्षः

Tri means three; daśā means three stages of one’s life viz. childhood, adolescent and old age or three stages of mind active, dream and deep sleep. In both physical and mental changes, Brahman merely remains as a witness to the changes unfolding. He does not Himself undergo any changes or modifications as He is beyond changes. Everything else around Him undergoes changes and modifications. Akṣa means the Soul, the unchanging witness without whom, a body cannot exist.

This nāma says that He only remains as a witness to all the changes happening both inside the body and outside the body of a being. Hence He is Tridaśādhyakṣa.

536. Mahāśṛṅgaḥ महाशृङ्गः

Śṛṅga means horn and Mahāśṛṅga means great horn.

Mahānārāyaṇa Upaniṣad (12.10) describes this. It compares OM to a bull. This bull has four horns, three legs, two heads and seven hands. The four horns refer to the four parts of OM and they are a,u,m and bindu (a dot). Therefore, mahāśṛṅga refers only to OM. Three legs refer to the three states of consciousness – active, dream and deep sleep. The two heads refer to two types of prakṛti – parā prakṛti and aparā prakṛti. Seven hands refer to the seven worlds referred in Gayatri mantra or the seven tongues of Agni. The mantra described here in the Upaniṣad is used to invoke god Agni in fire rituals.

This nāma says that He is praṇava, the mystical symbol ॐ, consisting of four sacred letters (अ-कार, उ-कार, म-कार बिन्दु संयुक्तम्).

537. Kṛtāntakṛt कृतान्तकृत्

Kṛtānta means dissolution and kṛt means the one who dissolves or destroys. This nāma refers to the act of annihilation, the fourth act of Brahman. However, He recreates the universe from the deluge, out of compassion (fifth act of Brahman) and re-creates the universe, the first act of Brahman.

What He has created and sustained, He also chooses to dissolve and re-create again. It is all His play.

538. Mahāvarāhaḥ महावराहः

This nāma refers to His incarnation as a boar. He incarnated in the form of a tiny boar by coming out of Brahmā’s nose and He grew huge in size, killed the demons and saved the earth. This is known as Varāha avatar. Varāha is said to give protection while one is travelling.

539. Govindaḥ गोविन्दः

He can be attained only through knowledge that is beyond mind. He is to be attained for the purpose of liberation. Liberation ceases the process of transmigration, which is not only painful, but also time consuming. He alone can give liberation.

This nāma adores Him as Govinda because go subtly refers to the beings and vinda means attaining. Go also could mean Vedas and according to this interpretation, He can be realized through Vedas. Vedas are the essence of Self knowledge and conveyed subtly. Later Upaniṣad-s conveyed the knowledge more directly.

This nāma says that Brahman can be attained only through knowledge. Any type of spiritual practices will be of no help without knowledge of the Self.

540. Suṣeṇaḥ सुषेणः

He has an excellent army. (Literally, suṣeṇa means having good missiles). Either missiles or army, He has them in the form of various gods and goddesses, who protect the universe. God Agni, Yama, etc are certain examples. Each of them is powerful in his or her own way and they in unison sustain the universe on His behalf. For example, when there is fire, water is required to put down the fire. Instead of fire god, if wind god works in unison with fire god, then the fire spreads causing serious devastation. The combination of these energies happens according to one’s karma and karma of certain group of people.

This nāma says that He acts through His various energies to uphold the universe and all such energies are worshipped as a god or goddess.

541. Kanakāṅgadī कनकाङ्गदी

He wears golden bracelet. Subtly this means that His shoulders are very strong to create, sustain and dissolve the universe. Spiritual upliftment not only depends upon knowledge and practice, but also on adequate body strength to withhold the Divine energy.

542. Guhyaḥ गुह्यः

He is mystic and can be known only by the highest knowledge.

All Upaniṣad-s say that He remains concealed in a dark cave near the heart (heart here refers to heart chakra and not the biological heart).

Kaṭha Upaniṣad (I.ii.12) describes this thus: “(Self or Brahman) is difficult to see as He lies deep within hidden by intellect as if He is hidden in a cave. It is beyond the reach of everyone.”

Taittirīya Upaniṣad (II.i.1) says, “nihitam guhāyām निहितम् गुहायाम्”. Nihita means always placed and guhāyām means a secret place. The Upaniṣad says that Brahman is placed in a secretive place in the heart chakra, as if He is placed in a cave.

The point driven home by all the Upaniṣad-s is that the Brahman is deep inside the body and cannot be seen, but can only be realized. For this realization, one needs to have strong Scriptural knowledge. Only then, an aspirant can go past the effects of māyā and realize Him ultimately.

543. Gabhīraḥ गभीरः

Gabhīra means the One which is mystic in nature and cannot be investigated or explored. Brahman cannot be investigated as He is beyond investigation because of His inherent qualities such as omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence, etc. There is no physical form for the Brahman due to the above factors. Hence, it is said that He cannot be seen and can only be realized. He is in the form of Pure Consciousness and can be realized only in thoughtless state of mind.

Viṣṇu Sahasranāma विष्णु सहस्रनाम 527 - 531

noreply@blogger.com (Manblunder) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 04:31:22 PST

527. Nandanaḥ नन्दनः

He gives happiness to those who always contemplate on Him. When the mind is in a happy state, the Divine Bliss follows depending on the intensity of devotion. Mental happiness is a prelude to Bliss and ultimate liberation. Only the Brahman can endow such happiness.

Taittirīya Upaniṣad (II.7) says, “eṣaḥ eva anandayāati एषः एव अनन्दयाति (eṣaḥ refers to the Brahman)”. This means that the Self within gives happiness to all.

528. Nandaḥ नन्दः

Looking at the placement of this nāma, prefix mahā appears to be concealed. If mahā is prefixed, then this nāma becomes “Mahānandaḥ”.

The previous nāma spoke about showering happiness to His devotees. This nāma goes further and says that He offers the eternal Bliss which leads to final liberation. This devotee’s soul merges with Him and he is not reborn.

Chāndogya Upaniṣad (VII.xxiv.1) explains this state of the devotee thus: “He sees nothing else, hears nothing else and knows nothing else.” Again in (VII.xxiii.1), the Upaniṣad says, “yo vai bhūma tatsukhaṁ यो वै भूम तत्सुखं” which means, “That which is Infinite, that is happiness.”

These two nāma-s say that the Brahman first gives happiness to His devotees and depending upon the quality of spiritual pursuit of the devotee, He endows Bliss and final liberation.

529. Satyadharmā सत्यधर्मा

Satyadharma means the law of Truth or eternal Truth. When the word eternal is used, it always refers to the Brahman. He upholds truth through dharma śāstra-s, which are nothing but guidelines to make life worthy of living.

Generally, such Scriptural dictums are applicable only to spiritual aspirants and not to Self-realized persons. It is wrong to bypass Vedic and other rituals as long as one is not Self-realized. The right path to Self realization is action – worship – knowledge and finally realization.

530. Trivikramaḥ त्रिविक्रमः

Vikrama means a step and trivikrama means three steps. This nāma refers to the three steps of Lord Viṣṇu.

Rig Veda refers to His three steps in various hymns and many of these hymns together form the famous Viṣṇu sūkta. These three steps are placed in three places of the universe. The first step in the earth, comprising of matter; the second step in the mid world comprising materialistic energies and the third and the last step is on the heaven, the mental and cosmic energies. His devotees watch this final step called His Supreme Step. This is explained in Rig Veda (I.xxii.20 and 21):

तद्विष्णोः परमं पदं सदा पश्यन्ति सूरयः। दिवीव चक्षुर् आततम्॥

तद्विप्रासो विपन्यवो जागृवाम्सः समिन्धते। विष्णोर्यत्परमं पदम्॥

tadviṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ| divīva cakṣur ātatam||

tadviprāso vipanyavo jāgṛvāmsaḥ samindhate| viṣṇoryatparamaṁ padam||

Subtle meaning: The wise and true seekers realize Him through contemplating within their own selves; they see Him vividly as the eyes range over the sky. By transcendental meditation and pious acts, the vigilant seeker of truth realizes the all-pervading Self within the innermost cavity, the Supreme Abode of Lord Viṣṇu.

This nāma also refers to His incarnation as Vāmana. During this incarnation, He placed three cosmic steps; one on the earth, another on the Satyaloka of Brahma and the third one on the head of the demon Bali. Viṣṇu grew from His dwarfish form to Cosmic form.

Tri in general refers to all the triads such as three worlds; iccā, jñāna and kriya śakti-s; creation, sustenance and destruction, etc and Viṣṇu controls all these triads for upholding the universe (multiple galaxies such as earth’s Milky Way form the universe).

531. Maharṣiḥ kapilācāryaḥ महर्षिः कपिलाचार्यः

Kapila is a great sage and is the founder of Sāṁkhya philosophy. It is believed that Lord Viṣṇu incarnated Himself as Sage Kapila. Maharṣi means great sage and ācārya means teacher. Maharṣi-s are said to have been created Manu. Some texts say they are seven in number and others say ten. Kpila’s name does not find a place in either of these lists. But there are other references to pronounce the greatness of Kapila.

Kṛṣṇa calls Maharṣi Kapila as siddha. Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā (X.26), “among the siddha-s, I am Kapila.” Kṛṣṇa makes distinction between a sage and a siddha. Siddha generally means the perfected ones. Siddha-s are those who have attained supernatural powers and are fully realized ones. Kapila is said to be the chief of Siddha-s.

Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (V.2) says, “tam ṛṣim kapilam तम् ऋषिम् कपिलम्”, where kapilam refers to the Brahman. This also goes to prove that Viṣṇu incarnated as Kapila. It is also said that Viṣṇu incarnated as Kapila to found Sāṁkhya philosophy. Hence this nāma.

Sāṁkhya philosophy is one of the three great divisions of Hindu philosophy ascribed to the sage Kapila, and so called either from discriminating in general, or enumerating twenty-five tattva-s, twenty-three of which are evolved out of Prakṛti, the primordial Essence or First-Producer viz. buddhi, ahaṃkāra, the five tanmātra-s, the five principle elements and mind. The twenty fifth is Puruṣa or Spirit (Soul) who is not a producer and wholly distinct from the twenty-four other, tattva-s and is multitudinous. Each individual Puruṣa by its union with Prakṛti cause a individual being. The object of this philosophy being to effect the final liberation of the Puruṣa or Spirit from the fetters caused by illusionary effects of Prakṛti.

VISHNU SAHASRANAMA 521 - 526

noreply@blogger.com (Manblunder) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:06:08 PST

521. Ajaḥ अजः

Repetitive nāma-s 95 and 204.

Aja also means kāma meaning desire. Brahman is also the cause for desire that is not against Scriptural dictums.

It should also be remembered that Brahman is omnipresent and therefore He is both good and bad. Good thoughts and actions are approved by dharma and evil thoughts and actions are disapproved by dharma śāstra-s. Evil thoughts are more powerful than evil actions and increase one’s karmic account many fold.

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā (VII.11) “aham kāmaḥ अहम् कामः” which means “I am desire”. In the same verse He further adds such desires should not be conflicting with dharma śāstra-s.

To cite an example, a man can desire for two healthy meals a day. This is not in contravention with dharma śāstra-s. If the same man desires to have moon, then it is against the scriptural dictums.

This nāma says such desires originate from Lord Viṣṇu, who acts through His power of māyā.

522. Mahārhaḥ महार्हः

Mahārha means very worthy, valuable and precious. Naturally, Brahman is worthy of worship. This nāma clearly affirms that Lord Viṣṇu is the Brahman.

Worship means that one should always think about Him and contemplate Him and visualize Him. When the difference between the self and the Self is dissolved, He begins to shower His Grace on the worshipper thereby making him to advance spiritually. On the expiry of all his karmas, he becomes liberated.

523. Svābhāvyaḥ स्वाभाव्यः

Svābhāvya means existing spontaneously and existing because of His own nature. This nāma subtly conveys that He is the Brahman. Except Him, none can exist without parentage. In spite of being the Creator, He eternally continues to remain Pure and without changes, the exclusive nature of the Brahman.

524. Jitāmitraḥ जितामित्रः

Jitāmitra means the One, who has conquered His enemies. Enemies are of two kinds. One, the external enemies like evil doers and are referred as demons in epics. Second is the internal enemies presided by mind comprising of desire, attachment, ego, etc.

Scripturally speaking, Viṣṇu is known for destroying evil doers by incarnating Himself in various forms.

Spiritually speaking, in order to attain the Brahman one has to purify his mind. When the mind becomes devoid of too many thoughts, detachment begins to unfold making the aspirant fit enough to become Self-realized. However, His Grace is the primary factor in realizing Him.

There are several instances in Bhagavad Gītā, where the self-discipline is emphasised.

In III.37 Kṛṣṇa says that desire, a product of rajo guṇa appears as anger, which is grossly wicked and makes a person to commit sins. In II.60, 61 He says, “Turbulent by nature, the senses of a wise man, who is practicing self-control, forcibly carry his mind. Therefore, having controlled them all and collecting his mind one should meditate on Me…” In II.65 He says that such a man with a calm mind establishes himself firmly in God.”

525. Pramodanaḥ प्रमोदनः

Pramodana means Bliss. He is eternally in the state of Bliss. This is an extension of the previous nāma. Because He has no enemies, both external and internal, He remains in the state of Bliss. The one with multiple thoughts can never reach the state of Bliss.

This nāma says that those who have transformed into jitāmitra-s, become pramodana. When the mind is purified by eliminating bad thoughts, the aspirant reaches the next state, the Bliss, due to His Grace. When anger and desire are dissolved, the aspirant’s mind becomes more purified paving for the state of Bliss.

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā (V.24), “He who is happy within, enjoys the radiant delight of the soul within, the yogī attains the Brahman, who is all Peace.”

526. Ānandaḥ आनन्दः

Ānanda means unstinted happiness, which is also known as Bliss. This nāma originates from the previous nāma.

As per Vedānta, Brahman has three qualities and they are sat, cit and ānanda or saccidānanda. Various Upaniṣad-s explain the state of this Bliss.

Taittirīya Upaniṣad (III.6) says, “Know that Bliss is Brahman, for it is from Bliss that all these beings are born (the entire creation), supported and when perish, these beings disappear into Bliss.”

Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (II.ii.7) says, “yat ānanda-rūpam amṛtan यत् आनन्द-रूपम् अमृतन्”. The Self is full of Bliss and is immortal.”

Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (IV.iii.32) says, “On a particle of this very Bliss, other beings exist.”

Chāndogya Upaniṣad (VII.xxiv.1) says, “That which is Infinite is the source of Bliss. Bliss is only in the Infinite.”

VISHNU SAHASRANAMA 513 - 520

noreply@blogger.com (Manblunder) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 04:05:08 PST

513. Jīvaḥ जीवः

Paramātma is the Supreme Self, the Brahman and jīvātma is also the Self, but is conditioned and bound by the derivatives of Prakṛti. Without the presence of jīvātma, a body cannot function. Though jīvātma remains bound, the Self within remains as Paramātma merely witnessing all the actions of the body.

Kṛṣṇa explains this in Bhagavad Gītā (XIII.2). “Know Myself to be the kṣetrajña (individual soul) and also in all the kṣetra-s (physical bodies). It is the knowledge of kṣetra and kṣetrajña which I consider as wisdom.” Kṣetrajña is not perishable whereas kṣetra is perishable.

This nāma highlights the foregoing.

514. Vinayitāsākṣī विनयितासाक्षी

Vinaya has several meanings. If the meaning is taken as taking away, then it means He does not refrain from being present all the time as a witness to what is happening in the universe. This equally applies to the individual soul, which has been explained in the previous nāma. If the meaning is taken as propriety of conduct, then it means that He remains as the witness to the conduct of the beings. It can also be explained that He takes protects all the beings, one of the primary responsibilities of Lord Viṣṇu.

515. Mukundaḥ मुकुन्दः

The One who offers mukti or liberation is Mukunda.

Liberation happens in stages. The process has to begin by surrendering unto Him. When one always thinks about Him, he enters the state of Bliss and ultimate liberation. Such a person is not reborn. His individual soul merges into the Supreme Soul.

516. Amitavikramaḥ अमितविक्रमः

Repetitive nāma 641.

Amita means infinite. Krama means movement, valour, etc. Brahman is the embodiment of all the activities of universe and the beings derive power for all such actions to sustain themselves only from Him. Everything originates only from Him.

This nāma could also mean the three supreme steps of Viṣṇu during His avatar as Vāmana. These three supreme steps of Vāmana refer to all the triads like, creation, sustenance and death; iccā śakti, jñāna śakti and kriyā śakti; active state, dream state and deep sleep state etc.

517. Ambhonidhiḥ अम्भोनिधिः

Ambhonidhi means ocean. This also refers to celestial waters.

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā (X.24), “and among waters, I am the ocean.”

Vedas say that gods, human, ancestors and demons are the four Ambha-s.

Nāma 323 is with the same meaning “Apāṁnidhiḥ अपांनिधिः”

518. Anantātmā अनन्तात्मा

Ananta means infinite. He is the eternal Self from whom all other souls originate. There is difference between Soul and soul. Both are known as the Self. The Self multiplies as innumerable or infinite number of souls. The difference arises due to the bondage and ignorance that engulfs the Self, making the Self to forget Its original nature. When bondage and ignorance are removed by knowledge, the Self reveals Himself.

This nāma says that He is that Supreme Self, who alone is infinite.

519. Mahodadhiśayaḥ महोदधिशयः

Mahodadhi means a great ocean and śaya means sleeping. Here ocean refers to the innumerable souls as explained in the previous nāma.

This nāma refers to His Nārāyaṇa form, who sleeps on the milk of ocean with His consort Lakṣmī under the hood of great Ādiseśa.

This nāma subtly conveys about the great deluge.

There is a book called mantra mahodadhi, a very ancient book consisting of all mantras.

520. Antakaḥ अन्तकः

Antaka means making and end. This nāma should be read with the previous two nāma-s. Nāma 518 spoke about His Infinity. Previous nāma spoke about deluge and this nāma conveys annihilation (the effect of great deluge), the fifth act of the Brahman. The four acts of the Brahman are creation, sustenance, death (annihilation by means of deluge is conveyed by the present nāma) and re-creation.

VISHNU SAHASRANAMA 501 - 512

noreply@blogger.com (Manblunder) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:40:09 PST

501. Kapīndraḥ कपीन्द्रः

This nāma salutes the monkeys who helped Him in His incarnation as Śrī Rāma to kill Rāvaṇa. This also could refer to His close aid Hanuman.

This Sahasranāma was rendered by Bhīṣma, when he was on his death bed. Lord Kṛṣṇa was also present at that time. It is interesting to note that Bhīṣma could recollect His incarnation as Śrī Rāma. Bhīṣma’s true devotion is exemplified here.

502. Bhūridakṣiṇaḥ भूरिदक्षिणः

Bhūridakṣiṇa means bestowing rich rewards. This nāma can be explained in two ways. As Brahman, He offers the richest rewards of all, the liberation to those who are sincerely devoted to Him. Second, in His incarnations as human beings such as Śrī Rāma and Kṛṣṇa He offered enough wealth to those who performed rituals to uphold dharma.

Offerings should be made with good thoughts. If donations or offerings are made with second thoughts, it adds up to one’s bad karmas.

503. Somapaḥ सोमपः

Somapa means the one who is entitled to drink soma juice offered in yajña-s. Viṣṇu is the Chief of all yajña-s and as such all soma sacrifices reach Him. This nāma discreetly conveys this.

Further reading: Major Vedic rituals are dedicated to Agni and Soma. Soma (Sarcostema Viminalis or Asclepias Acida) is a creeper from which juice is extracted. This juice is non-intoxicant. Generally oblations are made using ghee (clarified butter). But some special oblations are made using soma juice. In both the cases, Vedic mantras are to be recited, without which, Rig Veda says that oblations have no value. There are a number of Vedic verses in praise of Soma. Rig Veda says that Soma is the elixir of life indispensable for both humans and gods. It is also said that original soma creepers are not in existence today and many not-so-good substitutes are currently being used. The fire used in soma rituals is known as āhavanīya.

504. Amṛtapaḥ अमृतपः

Amṛtapa means drinking of nectar. The soma juice referred in the previous nāma is also known as nectar. He drinks soma juice offered in yajña-s as oblations, as He is the presiding Deity of all yajña-s. It is said “yajño vai viṣṇuḥ”, which means Viṣṇu is yajña.

505. Somaḥ सोमः

He is adored as the moon. Many medicinal herbs grow only during moon light. Moon light has many inexplicable properties. The soma creepers referred in nāma 503 grow only in moon light.

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā (XV.13), “Becoming nectarine moon, I nourish all plants.” Kṛṣṇa uses the word rasātmaka, which means ‘consisting of nectar’. This nāma says that He, in the form of moon infuses elixir referred in nāma 503 for sustaining life in the universe.

506. Purujit पुरुजित्

Purujit means conquering many. He is victorious in all the battles against dharma. He conquers the hearts of many, who are sincerely devoted to Him and offer them His Grace and finally the liberation.

In one’s mind there is a persistent battle between dharma and adharma. It is the thought process that decides which becomes victorious. Again thought process is due to the karmic imprints in one’s subconscious mind. If dharma wins, he pursues spiritual path and if adharma wins, he is doomed.

507. Purusattamaḥ पुरुसत्तमः

This nāma subtly conveys that He is present in all the beings as the Soul and also reaffirms His omnipresence. Puru means many sattama means the best or first, etc. He has no parentage and there is no body above Him and hence He is the first or ādi. Without Him, none can exist; hence He is adored as Purusattama. The same meaning is conveyed through one of His most popular names Puruṣottama.

508. Vinayaḥ विनयः

He leads the entire universe by setting examples during His incarnations. Vinaya also means withdrawal. He withdraws His Grace when adharma prevails over dharma causing annihilation.

Generally, He incarnates when there is an urgent necessity to uphold dharma by destroying the evildoers and to protect those who follow the path of dharma.

509. Jayaḥ जयः

He always remains victorious, not just in battles against adharma, but also in conquering the minds of His devotees. Pure devotion leads to His Grace, which is a prerequisite for liberation.

510. Satyasandhaḥ सत्यसन्धः

The resolve of the Brahman comes true all the time. He resolves to create and sustain the universe.

Chāndogya Upaniṣad (VIII.1.v) uses the word satyasaṅkalpa (not satyasandha) to mean ‘commitment to Truth’.

511. Dāśārhaḥ दाशार्हः

It is one of the names of Kṛṣṇa, but pronounced as Daśarna, His clan. He alone is fit to receive any gifts from His devotees as He is perfect in all respects. This explanation subtly conveys the concept of surrender. If a devotee surrenders unto Him, he does not accrue further sins and on the exhaustion of his karma, he is liberated.

512. Sātvatāmpatiḥ सात्वताम्पतिः

Sātvata means an ardent devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. It is also said that there is a tantra by name Sātvata tantra which prescribes methods to worship Viṣṇu in the form of conversation between Lord Śiva and sage Nārada.

This nāma says that He is the Chief for those who follow this tantra.

VISHNU SAHASRANAMA 489 - 500

noreply@blogger.com (Manblunder) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:03:53 PST

489. Bhūtamaheśvaraḥ भूतमहेश्वरः

Bhūta has different meanings. Contextually it can be explained to mean all the living beings in the universe. Lord Viṣṇu is the Chief of all such beings.

This can be further explained as follows. Brahman is the Ultimate and inexplicable and is also known as Self. When the Brahman decides to create the universe, he multiplies Himself as many. When He multiplies out of His own will, He thus becomes an individual soul by means of contraction. As a result of this contraction the Self becomes limited and this state is called individual soul. When one tries to understand that he is a contracted form of the Brahman and begins to realize the Brahman within, the process is called Self-realization. The end of Self-realization is the feeling of oneness with the Brahman.

490. Ādidevaḥ आदिदेवः

Repetitive nāma 334.

This has been explained in detail in nāma 334.

Brahman has not been created by anyone. He has no parentage. He created Himself on His own and from Him, rest of the creations happens. This nāma adores Him by addressing Him as the One, whose origin remains unknown.

491. Mahādevaḥ महादेवः

This nāma is a continuation of the previous nāma. The previous nāma said that His origin remains unknown and this nāma says that He is the Supreme amongst gods. Gods and goddesses are different from the Brahman. Each god or goddess represents different types of divine or natural energies. For example Varuṇa represents water, Agni represents fire, etc. All these energies originate from the Brahman. Hence He is addressed as the Supreme God.

492. Deveśaḥ देवेशः

This nāma endorses the sayings of the previous nāma. Īśa means the Master. He is the Master of all deva-s, i.e. all gods and goddesses.

Bhagavad Gītā explains this further (XI. 37). “O! Mahātma why should they not bow to You? You are the progenitor of Brahmā (the God of creation and is different from Brahman) You are the Greatest of the greats, infinite Lord of celestials, Abode of the universe. You are both existent and non-existent and beyond both. You are the indestructible Brahman.”

493. Devabhṛdguruḥ देवभृद्गुरुः

This nāma reaffirms His Supremacy discussed in the previous nāma. Devabhṛd refers to Indra the chief of all gods and goddesses. Indra worships Viṣṇu as his Guru.

The word Guru has been specifically chosen here to mean Lord Viṣṇu. This confirms the oft repeated saying that there is no difference between the Brahman and one’s guru.

494. Uttaraḥ उत्तरः

Uttara means superior. Since He is the Supreme, He is addressed as Uttara. Uttīrṇa means liberated. He alone can offer liberation by showering His Grace on His sincere devotees. Sincere devotees are those who stay connected with Him, by contemplating on Him all the time. Because He is uttīrṇa, He is addressed as Uttara. Liberation is the ultimate which one can think of and hence it is called supreme.

495. Gopatiḥ गोपतिः

Repetitive nāma 592.

Gopati means chief of cowherds. Contextually cowherds mean all the beings in the universe. This nāma reaffirms His status as the Brahman.

496. Goptā गोप्ता

Repetitive nāma 593.

Goptṛ means the one who protects and cherishes with those who are thus protected. This perfectly fits the explanation of the Brahman. Hence He is addressed as Goptā.

497. Jñānamayaḥ ज्ञानमयः

He is full of knowledge. Taittirīya Upaniṣad (II.1) says, “satyaṁ jñānamanantaṁ brahma सत्यं ज्ञानमनन्तं ब्रह्म”. It says that Brahman is truth, knowledge and infinity. This nāma confirms this.

Brahman can be realised only through spiritual knowledge. Realization happens through different stages. First, one has to be ritualistic. For example, the aspirant is involved in performing pūjā-s. Next he gets initiated into japa-s (recitation of mantras). He begins to perform japa-s. Over a period of time, he reduces his pūjā-s and is more involved with his japa-s. At this time, he begins his quest for realization. He begins his search for a spiritual guru (generally different from a guru who initiates him into mantra) and with the help of his guru he begins to pursue his spiritual path. He moves away from his japa-s to concentrate on meditation and internal exploration. At the appointed time and with His Grace, he realizes the Self within. This transformation happens in fraction of a second and without any prior symptoms. The self becomes the Self and he remains in the state of bliss all the time.

498. Purātanaḥ पुरातनः

Purātana means old, ancient, etc. This nāma says that Brahman is old and exists even today. He is beyond time and is infinite. He alone does not have modifications. All other beings undergo modifications and ultimately perish.

499. Śarīrabhūtabhṛt शरीरभूतभृत्

This is an extension of the common saying that everything originates from the Brahman. For a physical body to exist, five basic elements (ākāśa, air, fire, water and earth) are required. Brahman creates these five elements one after another says Taittirīya Upaniṣad (II.1).

Physical body should not be considered as mere body. It is a temple and the Self within is the sanctum sanctorum. Physical body along with mind is a pre-requisite for a soul to unfold its karmic account. Therefore physical body is also the creation of Brahman with the aid of the five elements and their modifications.

500. Bhoktā भोक्ता

Repetitive nāma-s 143 and 888.

Bhokta is the one who enjoys and this is explained in nāma 143.

Bhokta is the one who enjoys the material world through the five sensory organs, which are nothing but the modifications of five elements discussed in the previous nāma. He uses his sensory organs along with antaḥkaraṇa (mind, intellect, consciousness and ego) to enjoy the materialistic world. When the consciousness of the bhokta is turned outwards, he becomes a materialistic person. Instead if he turns his consciousness within to realize the Self with the help of spiritual knowledge, he becomes a spiritual person. For a bhokta (enjoyer), the thought of karta (doer) is also important. Both bhokta and karta become unified to continue the process of life process, the cause of which is always Brahman.

This nāma says that He is the enjoyer. It is to be remembered that Brahman is omnipresent and consists of both good and bad. If He is good all the time, His omnipresence is under jeopardy.

VISHNU SAHASRANAMA 480 - 488

noreply@blogger.com (Manblunder) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:56:54 PST

480. Kṣaram क्षरम्

This nāma is to be read along with the next nāma.

Kṣara means perishable. When an object is subject to decay, it has to undergo modifications. For example, a child is born, grows along with age, only to die ultimately. This nāma says that He prevails even in perishables. This reaffirms His omnipresence.

Kṛṣṇa explains this in Bhagavad Gītā (VIII.4). “All perishable objects are adhibhūta (the all penetrating influence of the Supreme Spirit); the shining puruṣa (Self influenced by māyā) is adhidaiva (divine agent acting on material objects); and in this body I Myself, dwelling as the inner witness, am Adhiyajñā (the subject of sacrifice).

481. Akṣaram अक्षरम्

Akṣara means imperishable and obviously referring to the Brahman. Brahman as puruṣa dwells within, witnessing all the actions of the gross body in conjunction with mind.

Kṛṣṇa explains in Bhagavad Gītā (XV.16) the difference between the body and the soul. “There are two kinds of puruṣa-s; one is the bodies of all beings spoken of as perishable while the Jīvātmā or the embodied soul is Imperishable.”

Jīvātmā-s are nothing but the reflections of Paramātmā, concealed by māyā.

482. Avijñātā अविज्ञाता

Avijñāta means unknown and contextually this can be explained as unable to know. A jīvātma who strives to know the concealed Self within is addressed here as Avijñātā. A jīvātma is not able to realize the Self within with ease as the Self is concealed by māyā, as a result of which one forgets that he himself is the Brahman. Realising the Brahman within is known as Self realisation.

483. Sahasrāṁśuḥ सहस्रांशुः

Sahasrāṁśu means thousand rayed. It refers to the one with infinite rays. Sun gets its light only from Him. From Him alone, the universe derives its light.

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā (XV.12), “The light in the sun that illumines the entire solar world, and that which shines in the moon and that too which shines in the fire, know that to be Mine.”

A number of Upaniṣad-s talk about this Light.

Bṛhadāraṇayaka Upaniṣad (IV.iv.6) says “upon that immortal Light of all lights the gods meditate as longevity.” This means that gods meditate on this Supreme Light for their immortality.

Kaṭha Upaniṣad (II.ii.15) explains this further. “In the presence of Brahman, the sun does not shine, nor do the moon and stars, nor does lightning, let alone this fire. When Brahman shines, everything follows. By Its light, all these are lighted.” This is the famous dīpa ārādhana mantra:

“na tatra sūryo bhāti na candratārakaṃ

nemā vidyuto bhānti kutoyamagniḥ

tameva bhāntamanubhāti sarvaṃ

tasya bhāsā sarvamidaṃ vibhāti|”

Chāndogya Upaniṣad (VIII.iii.4) says, param joytiḥ upasampadyate which means attaining the highest light. The Upaniṣad says “Then, this person, who is the embodiment of happiness, emerging from the body and attaining the highest light, assumes his real nature. This is the Self.”

484. Vidhātā विधाता

Repetitive nāma 44. He is the upholder of the universe. Brahman not only creates but also sustains the universe. Hence is He is referred as Vidhātā.

485. Kṛtalakṣaṇaḥ कृतलक्षणः

Kṛtalakṣaṇa literally means excellent. Contextually it is explained as the One, from whom all the Scriptures originated including Vedas. There is a saying “vedāḥ śāstrāṇi vijñānam etat sarvam Janārdanāt वेदाः शास्त्राणि विज्ञानम् एतत् सर्वम् जनार्दनात्”. He is the embodiment of Pure Consciousness.

The above nāma consists of two words kṛta + lakṣaṇa. Kṛta means well done and lakṣaṇa refers to Vedānta-s. Based upon this interpretation, it is said that from whom, the Vedas and śāstra-s originate.

Because of His six qualities, wealth, dharma, glory, auspiciousness, knowledge and dispassion, He is addressed as Kṛtalakṣaṇa.

486. Gabhastinemiḥ गभस्तिनेमिः

Gabhasti means sun rays and nemi means spokes of a wheel. This means that He resides in the centre of the sun emanating spiritual rays to attain liberation. It can also be explained that the entire solar system revolves around him like the planets in our galaxy revolving around the sun.

487. Sattvasthaḥ सत्त्वस्थः

Sattva is one of the three guṇa-s – sattva, rajas and tamas. He is the embodiment of sattva guṇa. Brahman is full of sattva guṇa and almost devoid of other two guṇa-s. A jīvātma has all the three guṇa-s because of the influence of māyā. Stha means abiding.

488. Siṁhaḥ सिंहः

Repetitive nāma 200.

This nāma has been adequately explained earlier.

Contextually this nāma can be said to be referring to His Narasiṁha avatar. There are two Upaniṣad-s dealing with this avatar. They are Nṛsiṁha Pūrvatāpinī and Nṛsiṁha Uttara Tāpinī Upaniṣad-s. Nṛsiṁha Pūrvatāpinī Upaniṣad reveals one of the great mantra-s known as Mantrarājam (मन्त्रराजम्), literally meaning the king of mantras. The mantra goes like this:

ugraṁ vīraṁ mahāviṣṇuṁ jvalantaṁ sarvatomukham |

nṛsiṁhaṁ bhīṣaṇaṁ bhadraṁ mṛtyumṛtyuṁ namāmyaham ||

उग्रं वीरं महाविष्णुं ज्वलन्तं सर्वतोमुखम्।

नृसिंहं भीषणं भद्रं मृत्युमृत्युं नमाम्यहम्॥

This mantra talks about all the qualities of the Brahman. It is also said in the Upaniṣad that regular recitation of this mantra leads to liberation.

Hence, He is revered here as Siṁhaḥ.

FREE KINDLE EDITIONS

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Viṣṇu Sahasranāma विष्णु सहस्रनाम 470 - 479

noreply@blogger.com (Manblunder) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 03:23:16 PST

470. Vatsaraḥ वत्सरः

He is the Abode of all the beings. He is the upholder of the four puruṣārtha-s viz. dharma (rightful discharge of one’s duty), artha (acquiring material wealth), kāma (desire) and mokṣa (liberation). According to the law of karma, He ensures that everyone pursues all the four in different proportions, which is a continuous process through different births that gets terminated only at the time of liberation.

This nāma says that He is the cause for all these activities by remaining as the subtle Soul (Please refer nāmā-s 478 and 479) in all the beings.

471. Vatsalaḥ वत्सलः

Vatsala means love or affection. He loves all His devotees. He is commonly revered as Bhaktavatsala. This nāma reaffirms His love for those who always think about Him. Devotion does not mean rituals performed in His praise; it is the feeling of ardent love for Him.

472. Vatsī वत्सी

This nāma says that He protects His devotees like a cow protecting its calf. In other words, He takes care of His devotees with motherly affection.

This nāma is a reaffirmation of the previous nāma. Such reaffirmations are necessary to highlight certain qualities of the Brahman and are found in all Upaniṣad-s.

473. Ratnagarbhaḥ रत्नगर्भः

A comparison is drawn between gems and the Self. Gems (possibly referring to pearls) are generally found in the deep sea and in the same way the Self is hidden deep within a physical body. It also means that one has to struggle hard to realize the Self, like finding pearl in deep sea.

474. Dhaneśvaraḥ धनेश्वरः

Dhana means wealth and Iśvara refers to His Supremacy. This nāma says that He is the Lord of wealth, not merely on His own merits and also because of His Consort, Goddess Lakṣmī.

475. Dharmagup धर्मगुप्

The next three nāma-s discuss about dharma or righteousness.

Dharmagup means protector of law. This nāma says that He is the protector of dharma. Law of Dharma is in the form of dharma śāstra-s. He always upholds dharma by destroying evil doers, when they become too powerful to be dealt with by human beings. He eliminates those evil doers through His various incarnations. Lord Viṣṇu is always worshipped as the Lord of Dharma.

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā. “For the protection of virtuous, for the destruction of evil doers and for establishing dharma on a firm footing, I am born from age to age.” (IV.8)

Arjuna says, “(śāsvatadharmagoptā) You are the ultimate refuge of the universe….” (XI.18)

476. Dharmakṛt धर्मकृत्

Though He is the eternal Brahman and is beyond dharma and adharma, He still follows dharma to establish the importance of dharma and to uphold it. This is a typical example where one follows what he preaches.

477. Dharmī धर्मी

He is dharma and dharma originates from Him. Everything originates from Him and dharma is not an exception.

478. Sat सत्

The next two nāma-s discuss about reality and unreality.

Sat means reality, the existence. Brahman is referred as sat-cit-ānanda (reality-consciousness-bliss). From sat alone everything else has originated. This is clearly explained in Chāndogya Upaniṣad (VI.2). The Upaniṣad uses the word sat along with jāyata (emerged). “Before this world was manifest there was only existence, one without a second. On this subject, some maintain that before this world was manifest, there was only non-existence, one without a second. Out of that non-existence, existence emerged.”

Kṛṣṇa says that sat is indestructible and none has power to do so (Bhagavad Gītā II.17).

479. Asat असत्

All manifestations are called asat or unreal. This nāma drives home the point that everything else except the Brahman is unreal. The Self prevails in everyone; but the difference between the Self as the Brahman and the Self as the soul is the former is Pure Consciousness and the latter is covered by māyā and becomes puruṣa or the individual soul. The true form of the Self is veiled by māyā, where the original Self is concealed and wrongly projected as the real. All those that are perishable are asat or unreal.

To put it briefly, Self alone is sat and all His manifestations are asat. They are asat because they are subjected to modification and ultimate death.

LALITA SAHASRANAMA - PALA SRUTI

noreply@blogger.com (Manblunder) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 08:33:37 PST

PHALA ŚRUTI OR UTTARA BHĀG

Thus Hayagrīva completed the recitation of one thousand nāma-s to sage Agasthya. Hayagrīva continues to address Agasthya.

In this Sahasranāma there are exactly one thousand nāma-s. (Shiva Sahasranāma has 1008 nāma-s and Viṣṇu Sahasranāma has 1000 nāma-s with repetition of the same nāma-s.) Lalitā Sahasranāma is most secretive in nature and Lalitāmbikā is very fond of this Sahasranāma. Any mantra is considered as secretive in nature because of the bījākṣara-s involved. It is said that each nama of Lalitā Sahasranāma has hidden bīja-s and therefore, the entire Sahasranāma attains mantra status.

The recitation gives the following benefits:

1. Gives disease- free life, eliminates poverty by providing materialistic wealth.

2. Prevents unnatural and accidental deaths.

3. Gives proficient progeny.

4. Gives liberation, if recited without any specific benefits.

Method of recitation:

After bathing and after completing the prescribed rituals, one has to worship Śrī Cakra. After worshipping Śrī Cakra, one has to do japa-s (mantra recitation) like Pañcadaśī or ṣodaśī. After reciting mantra japa for the prescribed number of times, one has to chant this Sahasranāma. After completing Sahasranāma one has to finally offer flowers to Lalitāmbikā. If one is not initiated into mantra japa-s or Śrī Cakra worship one can recite this Sahasranāma alone.

Further benefits accruing for one time recitation in one’s life:

1. More beneficial than taking baths in holy rivers.

2. More beneficial than installing several Liṅgas in Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)

3. More beneficial than gifting gold in Kurukṣetra (the battle field where Kṛṣṇa told Arjuna, the Bhagavad Gīta) to a number of persons knowing the entire Vedas during solar eclipse.

4. More beneficial than performing Aśvamedha yaga-s on the banks of the holy river Gaṅgā.

5. If anyone of the one thousand nāma-s is recited, he is absolved of his sins.

6. The sins accruing out of non-performance of one’s prescribed duties by the scriptures are also absolved.

7. The one who is initiated into Śrī Vidyā worship, should recite only this Sahasranāma instead of other remedial measures (prāyacitta). It is also said that by resorting to other remedial measures, one accrues further sin.

8. Lalitāmbikā is extremely pleased with the one who recites this Sahasranāma daily and fulfils all his desires. It is also said that one cannot be termed as devotee, if he does not recite this Sahasranāma daily. A devotee cannot be called as devotee unless he has the unqualified love of the deity whom he worships. Lalitāmbikā develops such a love, only if this Sahasranāma is recited fully on a daily basis.

9. If one is not able to recite this daily, he should at least recite it on festive days. Important days are saṁkrānti or viṣu (The sun's path north and south of the equator, the half year, the equinoctial and solstitial points). . The other important and auspicious days to recite this Sahasranāma are eighth lunar day, ninth lunar day, fourteenth lunar day and Fridays.

10. The most important among all is the full moon day. After watching the full moon, one has to recite this Sahasranāma.

11. The star birth days of self, spouse and children are also considered auspicious and one should recite Sahasranāma on these days.

Other benefits:

1. If one is having body temperature, it is said that one has to recite this Sahasranāma by keeping his hand on the head of the affected person. It is said that immediately, his temperature and other ailments will subside. If one is affected with body ailments, recitation of this Sahasranāma will subside his ailment.

2. If this Sahasranāma is recited by touching the sacred ashes and the sacred ashes are applied on the one who is suffering from ailments, his ailments will subside.

3. If one is afflicted with evil influences of planets, one has to keep water, sanctify the water and recite this Sahasranāma by touching the water pot, the evil influences of planets will ward off.

4. Those who do not have progeny, it is said that they should be given butter sanctified with this Sahasranāma, they are bound to beget progeny.

5. Lord Śarabheśvara annihilates the entire enemies of a person who recites this Sahasranāma daily.

6. Pratyaṁgirā Devi destroys those who cause evil inflictions on the one who recites this Sahasranāma daily. Pratyaṁgirā Devi is the consort of Śarabheśvara.

7. The one who frowns upon a person, who recites this Sahasranāma, is blinded by Mārtāṇḍa Bhairava (nāma 785).

8. The one who steals or causes the theft of the wealth of the one who recites this Sahasranāma daily is killed by Kṣetrapāla (nāma 344).

9. If one un-necessarily engages in wordy controversies with the one who recites this Sahasranāma daily, Nakulīśvarī spoils the speech of the person who indulges in such wordy controversies. Nakulīśvarī, who is also worshipped in navāvaraṇa pūja is one of the assistants of Śyāmalā Devi (nāma-s 69, 75).

10. Daṇḍinī Devi (Vārāhī) (nāma-s 70, 76), the chief of Lalitāmbikā army destroys kings’ army on her own (without prayer from the worshipper and without any command from Lalitāmbikā), if the king develops enmity with the one who recites this Sahasranāma daily.

11. Lakṣmī Devi, the Goddess of wealth never leaves that person’s place who recites this Sahasranamam daily for a minimum period of six months.

12. Sarasvatī Devi, the Goddess of speech dances through in his speech, who recites this Sahasranamam thrice daily for a period of one month.

13. If one recites this in the night for fifteen days, the concerned person becomes an attraction to the opposite gender.

14. Those who see the one who has at least recited this Sahasranāma once in his life time, are absolved of their sins.

15. Gifts and offerings should be made to a person who understands the meaning of this Sahasranamam to please Lalitāmbikā. Offering gifts (dāna) to the worthy is considered as one of the important duties of a person. If gifts are offered to a worthless person, it tantamount to accumulating more sins. Choosing the right person to receive the gift is more important than the gift itself.

16. The one who is initiated into Śrī Vidyā, performs Śrī Cakra worship and recites this Sahasranamam are considered as the most revered one. In the original verse, the word Mantrarājaṁ is used to mean Śrī Vidyā. Lakṣmīnarasiṃha mantra is also known as Mantrarājaṁ It is also said that a person cannot recite this Sahasranāma without proper initiation into Śrī Vidyā.

17. If this Sahasranāma is recited without understanding the meaning, it is equivalent to placing a wood stick in an extinguished fire. But, it is also said that one who is not able to understand the meaning of nāma-s can recite the sahasranamam. It should be understood that one who has the capacity of understanding, should make efforts to know the meaning. Those who do not have the required capacity alone are exempted to understand the meaning. He gets the required knowledge to understand the meaning in his next birth.

18. If one performs pūja ritual of Śrī Cakra with one thousand sweet smelling flowers at least once in his life time, the amount of propitious gains he derives cannot be described even by Shiva. This is called archana. One should suffix namaḥ at the end of each nāma. There are fifteen types of flowers that are referred. But, it is also said that any fragrant flowers can be used. One can use basil flowers also, but not the leaves. Best amongst the flowers is saffron.

19. Archana means prefixing each nāma with om - aiṁ - hrīṁ - śrīm and suffixing with namaḥ. For example the first nāma should be recited as follows.

om - aiṁ - hrīṁ - śrīṁ śrī mātre namaḥ

At the commencement of this archana one should make a sankalpa (vow), followed by nyāsa, archana and again should say Om at the end of last nāma om - aiṁ - hrīṁ - śrīṁ Lalitāmbikāyai namaḥ om. Importance is also given to the placement of flowers. They should be placed on the Śrī Cakra in the same way as they blossom. The petals of the followers should be facing upwards.

The one who performs worship in the method described above on all the full moon days, attains the form of Lalitāmbikā. Those who do not consider such people as Her own form, get afflicted with sins.

20. The one who does the above referred pūja on the day of maha navami (the ninth day of dashara, attains liberation. Mahā navami day is the day of Śiva and Śaktī. It is also said that eighth lunar (aṣṭami) day is for Rudra and the ninth lunar day (navami) is for Śaktī. The conjunction of these two days is said to be auspicious time for worshipping Śiva He gets whatever is desired during this birth itself. He lives a long life with his grandchildren. Finally he attains the lotus feet of Lalithambigai (nama 912).

21. The one, who performs such a ritual on all Fridays, has to once offer a feast to the one who is well versed in Śrī Vidyā. If he does so, Lalitāmbikā is extremely pleased with him and offers him whatever is desired. He is said to attain the powers of Lalitāmbikā. The connected procedures are quite elaborate.

22. The one who recites this Sahasranāma without any desires, he is absolved of bondage of saṃsāra and ultimately merges with Her.

23. This Sahasranāma is capable of bestowing both material and spiritual upliftment.

24. It is said that one is initiated into Śrī Vidyā only during his last birth. Such an opportunity arises because, in the earlier births, he should have worshipped many gods and goddesses.

25. If one is initiated into recitation of this Sahasranāma without initiating Śrī Vidyā, both the initiator and the initiated get afflicted. In the same way, if Śrī Vidyā is initiated to those who are devoid of mental purity, again both the initiator and the initiated are affected.

Finally Hayagrīva says that he has shared this secret with sage Agastya only at the orders of Lalitāmbikā. Hayagrīva asks Agastya to recite this Sahasranāma daily and that She would give him whatever is desired.

VISHNU SAHASRANAMA 460 - 469

noreply@blogger.com (Manblunder) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 07:22:51 PST

460. Suhṛt सुहृत्

He is the One who helps a true devotee, without expecting anything in return. He does not need costly ornaments, ornamental flowers, etc. These are of no use to Him, as they have been created only by Him. Everything is created by Him including one’s mind. But He does not purify one’s mind. If one purifies his mind by always contemplating on Him, He further helps the aspirant to turn into a Yogī for final liberation. For this act of liberation He does not expect anything in return from the aspirant.

The same logic applies to human gurus. If a guru initiates a disciple only for monetary purpose, not only the guru accumulates sin but also makes the aspirant to be a sinner. All initiations should be done without expecting anything in return from the disciple. The disciple on his part should always follow the teaching of his guru.

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā (IX.18), “I am the well wisher seeking no return.”

461. Manoharaḥ मनोहरः

He steels the hearts of true devotees because of His Blissful nature. It is a common phenomenon that one with positive outlook and cheerful nature attracts many. In his presence, one forgets all his worries and turns into a positive personality.

Sanatkumāra (son of Brahmā, god of creation) says to sage Nārada thus: “That which is Infinite (referred as bhūmā, meaning the Brahman) is the source of happiness. There is no happiness in the finite. Happiness is only in the infinite. But one must try to understand what the Infinite is.”

462. Jitakrodhaḥ जितक्रोधः

Jita means conquering and krodha means anger; therefore, this nāma says He has overcome His anger.

As already discussed, Brahman is not pious all the time. He becomes furious when evil prevails over virtues, He decides to destroy the evil forces. These evil forces have been referred to as the demons.

He overcomes His anger when evil forces are destroyed and is back in His normal form ever ready to offer liberation to His devotees. A question may arise, if He is in fight with demons, how He can attend to His devotees. The answer is that He is Omnipresent. Based on this, Scriptures say that He has thousand eyes, etc.

463. Vīrabāhuḥ वीरबाहुः

Vīr means valiant and bāhu means the forearm. This nāma is in continuation of the previous nāma. The previous nāma said that He destroys evil forces called demons and this nāma says that He destroys such demons by His mighty arms.

464. Vidāraṇaḥ विदारणः

Vidāraṇa means the One, who crushes. This again is a continuation of the previous nāma. The previous nāma said that He crushes those who act against Vedic dictums through His mighty arms. This nāma explains that He destroys those evil doers by crushing them.

In His incarnation as Narasiṃha, He literally tears Hiraṇyakaśipu.

465. Svāpanaḥ स्वापनः

Svāpana is a type of induced sleep particularly through a sort of mystic weapon and is different from svapna (dream). The mystic weapon referred here is māyā, the illusion, causing ignorance about the Self. As long as the inherent māyā prevails in a person, he continues to be in the sleep of ajñāna (spiritual ignorance). One has to overcome the power of māyā to realize Him within.

466. Svavaśaḥ स्ववशः

He is not under the control of anyone. This means that He is the Supreme called Brahman. Every act in the universe is under His control. He has appointed gods and goddesses, like Varuna, Agni, Yama, etc to look after various functions for sustaining the universe. All such gods and goddesses function under His guidance and control.

467. Vyāpī व्यापी

Vyāpi means pervading. This refers to His omnipresent nature. He remains as the subtest in all the beings. He manifests Himself as the material universe by remaining within the causal body as the Self.

When the Self is embraced by māyā, It becomes the self afflicted with ajñāna and is born as a human being. This process has to be reversed to realize Him. In other words, by practice, one has to get rid off māyā. Māyā conceals the Self and through its illusionary power projects the material world as the Self.

Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (VI.11) explains this. “He is without a second (eko devaḥ एको देवः). He is hidden in every being. He is all pervasive….”

468. Naikātmā नैकात्मा

Naika means numerous. He manifests in the form of material universe, which goes to prove His omnipresence. This nāma confirms the interpretation of the previous nāma.

Though many names and forms in the material universe though appear to be different from each other, the cause of their existence is the Self. Without Him, these shapes and forms are no possible. Without electricity, a light cannot burn. He is the electricity (subtle) and the material universe is the bulb (gross).

Kṛṣṇa explains this in Bhagavad Gītā (X .21). “Arjuna, I am the universal Self seated in the hearts of all beings; so I alone am the beginning and the end of all beings.”

469. Naikakarmakṛt नैककर्मकृत्

He is the One who is in complete control of innumerable activities that are needed to hold the cosmos in place. For example, creation, sustenance, dissolution, concealment and re-creation are said to be His major activities. All the beings are controlled through the “law of karma”, known as the “Law of the Lord”. Law of karma can be explained as ‘what one sows, so he reaps’.

Bhagavad Gītā (III.23) says, “Should I not engage in action, scrupulously at any time, great harm will come to the world.”

VISHNU SAHASRANAMA 452 - 459

noreply@blogger.com (Manblunder) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 04:00:21 PST

452. Vimuktātmā विमुक्तात्मा

Vimukta means one is always free. He is not bound and hence, is omnipresent. Limitation is only due to boundaries. He cannot be limited, hence He is Vimukta. Ātma refers to the Self. All that exist in the universe are only His projections.

If an aspirant desires to attain liberation, he has to stop identifying himself with his body. Physical body is the limiting factor and acts as a deterrent factor to liberation. Kaṭha Upaniṣad (II.ii.1) says, “This body has eleven openings (two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, mouth, navel, organ of procreation, organ of excretion, an orifice at the crown chakra) and is the abode of the Self. An aspirant should use his body only to serve the Self. He then overcomes his innate ignorance and is ultimately freed.”

453. Sarvajñaḥ सर्वज्ञः

Repetitive nāma 815.

Brahman is not only omnipresent but also omniscient. The previous nāma referred to His omnipresent nature and this nāma talks about His omniscient nature. Because He is omnipresent, He is omniscient.

Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (II.iv.6) explains omniscience. It says, “idaṁ sarvaṁ yadayātmā इदं सर्वं यदयात्मा”, which implies “these worlds, these gods, these beings and all this are this Self”.

454. Jñānamuttamam ज्ञानमुत्तमम्

Jñāna means knowledge and uttama means the highest. He is the embodiment of knowledge. This nāma confirms the saying of the previous nāma. As He is aware of all the actions that unfold in the universe, this nāma says that He possesses the necessary highest knowledge.

The Self remains in all the beings as the Soul, witnessing all the actions of a person without partaking in his actions. Actions unfold in a person due to his karma. Though Self knows what is in store for an aspirant’s future, He does not modify the same. This is because of the principle “law of karma is the Law of the Lord”.

455. Suvrataḥ सुव्रतः

Suvrata means a good ruler. He is a good ruler because He always upholds dharma and those who act against dharma are destroyed. In His incarnation as Rāma, He upheld dharma all the time. He ruled Ayodhya by upholding dharma and protecting all its citizens, who entirely depended upon Him.

456. Sumukhaḥ सुमुखः

Sumukha contextually means handsome. His compassion, quest for dharma, knowledge, etc are reflected in His face. There is a saying that one’s mind is reflected in his face.

Gods are portrayed with smiling faces as they are always in a state of Bliss. Gods and goddesses are different from the Brahman. Gods and goddesses preside over different aspects of creation, sustenance and death. Only annihilation, also known as pralaya is under the direct control of the Brahman. The process of creation is reversed during annihilation.

Sumukha also means a beautiful mouth. A mouth is said to be beautiful when one speaks about auspicious and sacred subjects. Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (VI.18) says, “He first created Brahmā (the god of creation and is different from Brahman, who is the Supreme) and presented the Vedas to him.” This explains why He is Sumukha (beautiful mouth).

457. Sūkṣmaḥ सूक्ष्मः

Sūkṣma means subtle. Brahman is always subtle. He does not have a shape or form, though all the shapes and forms originate from Him. From Him originated ākāśa (ether), from ākāśa air, from air fire, from fire water and from water earth originated. His subtlety ultimately manifests as the universe in various shapes and forms and He permeates Himself throughout the universe, thereby making Him omnipresent.

Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (III.i.7) explains this. It says, “sūkṣmācca sūkṣmataram” meaning subtler than the subtlest.

Bhagavad Gītā (XIII.15) says, “because of if Its subtlety, It is incomprehensible.”

458. Sughoṣaḥ सुघोषः

Sughoṣa means having a pleasant sound. It is the auspicious sound of Vedas. Recitation of Vedas is called Veda ghoṣa and su stresses the importance of sound while reciting Vedas.

Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (II.iv.10) says, “Four Vedas, history, mythology, arts, Upaniṣad-s, pithy verses, aphorisms, elucidation and explanations are like the breath of this Infinite Reality.”

459. Sukhadaḥ सुखदः

This can be explained as the giver of Bliss. Brahman alone is capable of giving Bliss to His devotees. Other gods and goddesses are capable of giving material comforts; but they cannot give Bliss.

Chāndogya Upaniṣad (VII.xxiv.1) says, “That which is Infinite (Brahman) is the source of Bliss. There is no Bliss in the Infinite. Bliss is only in the infinite. One must understand what Infinite is.”

VISHNU SAHASRANAMA 444 - 451

noreply@blogger.com (Manblunder) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 04:45:10 PST

445. Yajñaḥ यज्ञः

He is the One, who receives all prayers and oblations, which confirm His Ultimate status and authority. Yajña means sacrifice and every sacrifice is offered to Him.

Taittirīya Saṁhitā (Kṛṣṇa Yajur Veda – I.7.4.8) explains this. It says, “By sacrifice to God Viṣṇu, I attain health, wealth and security. Viṣṇu is yajña.” It is Viṣṇu who presides over all yajña-s. Hence, Veda says that Viṣṇu is yajña (यज्ञो वै विष्णुः yajño vai viṣṇuḥ).

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā (IX.16), “ahaṁ kratuḥ ahaṁ yajñaḥ” which means ‘I am the Vedic ritual, I am the sacrifice.’

Again, Kṛṣṇa says (IX.27), “Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer as oblation to the sacred fire, whatever you bestow as gift, whatever you do by way of penance, offer it all to Me.”

446. Ijyaḥ इज्यः

After having said that He is the One who receives all sacrifices, this nāma says that He is worthy of such sacrifices. This subtly conveys that He is the Brahman. Sacrifices can be offered only to the Brahman, the Supreme.

447. Mahejyaḥ महेज्यः

This again confirms His status as the Brahman. This nāma says that He alone is worshipped by everyone including gods and goddesses. Everyone worships Him, as He alone is capable of offering final liberation. Mah means honour and reverence.

448. Kratuḥ क्रतुः

Kratu has several meanings such as plan, design, intention, power, ability, etc. He is the embodiment of all such qualities.

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā (IX.16), “ahaṁ kratuḥ” which means ‘I am Vedic ritual’. Contextually, kratu means Vedic rituals. He is not only in the form of Vedas and yajna-s, but also every minute details of Vedic rituals. This goes to prove His omnipresence.

449. Sattram सत्त्रम्

Sattra is a part of Soma sacrifice lasting between 13 to 100 days and participated by many Vedic scholars. This explanation is in accordance with sequence of the previous nāma-s. Sattra also means refuge or abode. Brahman is the refuge and abode of all the beings.

This is explained in Bhagavad Gītā (IV.24), which says, “In the practice of seeing Brahman everywhere as a form of sacrifice, Brahman is the ladle, Brahman is the oblation, Brahman is the fire, Brahman is the sacrifice, Brahman constitutes the act of pouring the oblation into the fire and finally the Brahman is the goal to be reached by him (aspirant) who is absorbed in Brahman as the act of such sacrifice.” Thus Kṛṣṇa conclusively establishes the omnipresence of the Brahman.

(Note: the text says “Satram or सत्रम् and not Sattram सत्त्रम्.)

450. Satāmgatiḥ सताम्गतिः

Repetitive nāma 184.

He is the Ultimate and men surrender unto Him to attain liberation. He alone is capable of offering liberation.

The thought of liberation will arise only if one’s karmic account permits the final liberation. Accumulation of karmas depends upon one’s thought process and consequent actions. Evil thoughts are the root cause of all evil actions. Hence it is said that liberation can be attained only through a pure mind.

451. Sarvadarśī सर्वदर्शी

He is able to watch all the actions that unfold in the universe at the same time. Because He is omnipresent, He is able to watch all the actions at the same time.

This nāma can be explained in another way. Since He remains as the Soul in all the beings witnessing the activities of the physical body and at the same time not partaking in any of the actions of the individual concerned, He is worshipped as Sarvadarśī.

VISHNU SAHASRANAMA 435 - 443

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435. Anirviṇṇaḥ अनिर्विण्णः

Repetitive nāma 892

He is not the one who is filled with melancholy and despondency. Brahman is always full of everything. In other words, He does not need anything as everything originates from Him. Hence He is Anirviṇṇaḥ.

436. Sthaviṣṭhaḥ स्थविष्ठः

Repetitive nāma 53

Sthaviṣṭha refers to His Cosmic form, which is beyond normal human comprehension. This is also known as virāt (virāj), meaning supreme. This nāma endorses the saying of the previous nāma. The whole universe is His manifestation and is not different from Him.

Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (II.i.4) describes His cosmic form thus: “His head is the heaven, His eyes the moon and the sun, His ears the directions, His speech the Vedas, His breath the wind, His heart the universe, and for the use of His feet, the earth. He is the inmost Self of all beings.”

Bhagavad Gītā chapter XI elaborately dwells on this.

437. Abhūḥ अभूः

Abhū means unborn. He is not born like other beings and He exists right from the beginning and will continue to exist in the future as well. This nāma subtly conveys that Brahman was not born like other beings and He created Himself.

438. Dharmayūpaḥ धर्मयूपः

Yūpa means a sacrificial post. When animals are offered in yajñā-s, they are tied to post called yūpa. This nāma says that in the same way, all dharma-s are attached to the Brahman. Sacrifice means the sacrifice of materialistic life. Unless one chooses to surrender to Him, realization, which is the ultimate aim of everyone is not possible.

It is also said that all sacrificed animals reach His abode and are born again with His grace.

439. Mahāmakhaḥ महामखः

Mahāmakha means a great sacrifice. If everything is sacrificed to Him, He will offer liberation. Sacrifice is not an act but a thought process. Sacrifice leads to surrender and ultimate liberation.

The closest comparison is mother’s love towards her children. A mother sacrifices all her comfort for the sake of her children and does not expect anything in return from them. In the same way, one has to sacrifice all pleasures and pains to Him, expecting nothing in return. He will bestow liberation on His own accord. Liberation is the ultimate one can attain in this life.

This nāma subtly conveys that surrender is the best way to attain liberation.

440. Nakṣatranemiḥ नक्षत्रनेमिः

Nakṣatranemi is one of the names of Viṣṇu. It also refers to the pole star (Dhruva star), the moon, the stars, etc. Dhruva also means immovable. It is believed that star Dhruva controls the movement of other stars. Nemi means felly of a wheel, indirectly referring to a wheel or cakra.

This nāma says that that the whole universe revolves around Viṣṇu who Himself does not revolve. In other words, Brahman does not move and because of Him, the universe moves. He is like an axle and the universe is like spokes attached to the rim of a wheel.

441. Nakṣatrī नक्षत्री

Nakṣatra as per Vedas is the abode of gods and Yogī-s after death. Taking the previous nāma forward, constellation of stars is divided into two groups. Certain stars are considered as movable and others as immovable. Sun or moon is also called nakṣatra. By addressing Him as Nakṣatra, this nāma confirms His omnipresence.

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā (X.21), “I am the radiant sun among the luminaries and the moon among the stars.”

442. Kṣamaḥ क्षमः

Kṣama means patient. Brahman is embodiment of patience, as He tolerates all the actions that unfold in the earth. Brahman is seated as the Self in all the beings, merely watching their activities as a witness. He witnesses both good and evil acts that take place due to one’s karma. He patiently watches all the evil acts.

Lord Rāma is an embodiment of patience, like Mother Earth, who is known for Her patience.

443. Kṣāmaḥ क्षामः

Repetitive nāma 854

Kṣāma means burning to ashes and contextually it means annihilation of the universe. The previous nāma said that He is embodiment of patience. When evil prevails over virtues, He annihilates the universe and recreates again. This also goes to prove that He upholds dharma. When the entire universe is annihilated, He alone prevails, as He alone is eternal.

444. Samīhanaḥ समीहनः

Samīhana means eager. He is eager to offer liberation to His devotees. In terms of dualism, it can be said that if the aspirant puts one step forward towards Him, He moves two steps forward towards the aspirant to offer liberation.

It can also be said that He is eager to create and sustain the universe. He is also eager to slay the evil doers in order to uphold dharma.

VISHNU SAHASRANAMA 426 - 434

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426. Vistāraḥ विस्तारः

Vistāra means expansion. Universe is nothing but the expansion of the Brahman. This confirms His omnipresence.

427. Sthāvara-sthāṇuḥ स्थावर-स्थाणुः

Both sthāvara and sthāṇu mean immovable. Brahman need not move as He is omnipresent and hence He is adored as Sthāvara. Universe rests in Him firmly and this is indicated by sthāṇu. Universe is not different from the Brahman and hence both are referred as immovable.

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā (II.24), “The Soul is eternal, omnipresent, immovable, constant and everlasting.”

428. Pramāṇam प्रमाणम्

Repetitive nāma 959.

Lord Viṣṇu is the authentic proof for the existence of the universe. The proof is in the form of knowledge. He virtually presides over everything. For example, the purest form of consciousness is the Brahman, who is realized through pure knowledge.

This nāma says that He is the Supreme authority of the universe. He alone has the Absolute and independent Authority.

429. Bījamavyayam बीजमव्ययम्

Bīja means the primary cause of anything and avyaya means imperishable. He is not only the cause, but also imperishable.

This nāma conveys that He is the Creator of the universe. It also says that He is eternal, the unique quality of the Brahman. All the beings originate from Him and ultimately merge into Him. The intervening period is the period of transmigration.

430. Arthaḥ अर्थः

He is the most sought after by men as He alone is capable of offering liberation, because He is Bījamavyaya (previous nāma). He alone is capable of offering liberation, the relief from the pains of transmigration.

431. Anarthaḥ अनर्थः

He needs nothing, as everything originates from Him. It can also be explained that He is not this (neti) not this (neti). That is why Upaniṣad-s explain Him as not this, not this (neti neti). In other words, He is indescribable. He, who is most sought after (previous nāma) is beyond explanation, an exclusive quality of the Brahman.

432. Mahākośaḥ महाकोशः

He is covered by five kośa-s or coverings. The Self within (often referred as the individual soul) is sheathed by five coverings and deep within these coverings, He is seated, constantly witnessing all the activities of the man.

VISHNU SAHASRANAMA 416 - 425

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416. ṛtuḥ ऋतुः

ṛtu means season. Twelve solar months are classified under six ṛtu-s comprising of two months each. Therefore, six ṛtu-s make one solar year. This nāma says that Lord Viṣṇu controls these ṛtu-s. But, this nāma subtly conveys that He is the controller of time (creation, etc).

417. Sudarśanaḥ सुदर्शनः

Sudarśana means easily seen. His good looking form can be comprehended by His true devotees. There are several types of devotees. But the Divine vision is possible only for those who sincerely contemplate Him. Transformation from being ritualistic to spiritualistic is an important milestone in realising Him. He is realized after crossing several stages in spiritual life.

Kṛṣṇa beautifully explains this in Bhagavad Gītā (VIII.14), “I am easily attainable by those who constantly think of Me with focused mind.”

418. Kālaḥ कालः

Kāla means time. This nāma confirms what is said in nāma 415. Time is the subtle aspect of existence. Everything is subjected to time except the Brahman.

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā (X.30), “Among the reckoners, I am time.”

419. Parameṣṭhi परमेष्ठि

Parameṣṭhi means supremacy. Lord Viṣṇu resides in the hearts of all beings, eternally shining. Those who acquire sufficient knowledge to understand this and continuously contemplate Him, realize Him with His Grace. Whatever knowledge one acquires or whatever be the intensity of one’s practice, only become a miniscule in front of His Grace. His Grace is available to all those who are devoted to Him.

Kṛṣṇa advises in Bhagavad Gītā (XVIII.61 & 62) “The Lord abides in the hearts of all beings, causing them to revolve according to their karmas as if attached to machine by His cosmic delusion known as māyā. Take shelter in Him completely, and by His mere Grace, you shall attain Supreme Peace and the Eternal Abode.”

Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (II.vi.3) explains this. It says, “parameṣṭhī brahmaṇaḥ brahma svayaṁbhū परमेष्ठी ब्रह्मणः ब्रह्म स्वयंभू” which means ‘the Illustrious and Self Illuminating Brahman is Self-born.” The Upaniṣad says that Parameṣṭhi and Brahman are the same.

420. Parigrahaḥ परिग्रहः

Parigraha has many meanings. Contextually this can be explained as follows:

If this nāma is taken to mean receiving or accepting, He, as the Brahman majestically seated in the heart of all beings and accept whatever is offered to Him. The subtle meaning conveyed is that He accepts whatever is offered with devotion. He does not need anything except pure and eternal Love for Him. Devotion is not something that is exhibited at certain fixed timings in a day. It has to be perpetual.

He is omnipresent and is surrounded by His devotees. Devotees are those who contemplate His excellent form as described in nāma 417.

421. Ugraḥ उग्रः

Ugra means strong, formidable, terrible, etc. He presides over the entire universe, and naturally, He has to be strong and formidable.

He is “ugraṁ vīraṁ mahāviṣṇum jvalantaṁ sarvatomukham”. This is a part of Nārasiṁha (Nṛsiṁha) Pūrvatāpini Upaniṣad. He is called ugra in this Upaniṣad, because He creates, sustains, destroys, annihilates and recreates. The aspirant prays in this Upaniṣad that he should be liberated while his body is still alive. He is known as jīvanmukta.

422. Saṁvatsaraḥ संवत्सरः

Repetitive nāma 91.

All beings abide in Him and He abides in all the beings. This is explained in Iśa Upaniṣad (opening verse) says, “Iśāvāsyamidaṁ sarvaṁ yatkiñca jagatyāṁ” which means, ‘in this world, everything is subject to change and all this is covered by Him.’ Understanding this concept is known as Self realization.

423. Dakṣaḥ दक्षः

Repetitive nāma 917.

Dakṣa means heightening one’s intellectual faculties. It is He, who showers intellectual faculties on His devotee, who becomes perfectly fit for Liberation. That is why nāma 417 said that His Grace is essential factor for Self-realization. When He decides to offer Liberation to His devotee, successive stages quickly unfolds, one after another.

424. Viśrāmaḥ विश्रामः

Viśrāma means calm, tranquillity, etc.

Liberation is attained through mind. When the mind is in a state of turbulence, contemplating on His form is not possible. The mind becomes turbulent if one is associated with worldly life beyond permissible limits. Permissible limit is the limit of association with the materialistic world for normal human existence. When this limit is crossed, the association becomes an addiction. Too many addictions make the mind turbulent.

It is important that the mind reminds calm and tranquil if one is devouring for Him. This nāma says that He is the One, who causes tranquil and calm mind for His emergence.

425. Viśvadakṣiṇaḥ विश्वदक्षिणः

He is the most skilful of all. There is nothing more skilful than Him. This is based on the fact that everything originates from Him, either good or bad. When He is omnipresent, He is naturally the source for both good and bad. This is symbolically said in this nāma that He looks at the universe through His infinite eyes. He skilfully manages between good and bad thereby upholding dharma.

VISHNU SAHASRANAMA 407 - 415

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407. Prāṇaḥ प्राणः

Repetitive nāma-s 66 and 320.

Prāṇa is the causal body. It is only the causal body which leads to the formation of subtle and gross bodies. Prāṇa body along with its four derivatives apāna, vyāna, udāna and samāna are responsible for the creation of a being. Here Viṣṇu is adored as the subtlest cause of creation. Prāṇa is also responsible for carrying out different physiological functions of the body for its sustenance.

408. Prāṇadaḥ प्राणदः

Repetitive nāma-s 65, 321.

Prāṇada means the giver of life as discussed in the previous repetitive nāma-s.

A Yogī’s prāṇa is transformed into prāṇana, which means life. This life sustaining force makes the kuṇḍalinī ascend and makes it possible for the Yogī to stay connected with Him perpetually, leading to his liberation.

Lalitā Sahasranāma 832 is Prāṇadātri. The explanation provided in my book on Lalitā Sahasranāma is given below:

Prāṇa nourishes senses. Without prāṇa, senses and mind cannot function. The previous nāma said that She is the chief of prāṇa (possibly embodiment of prāṇa) and this nāma says that She is the giver of prāṇa. Brahma Sūtra (II.iv5) says, “prāṇa-s must have originated from the Brahman, since speech is preceded by them.”

Muṇḍaka-Upaniṣad (II.i.8) says, tasmāt sapta prāṇaḥ prabhavanti which means ‘from That (Brahman) seven prāṇa-s (prāṇa here means seven organs - two eyes, two nostrils, two ears, and mouth) have come. This Upaniṣad confirms the statement of Kaṭha-Upaniṣad referred in the previous nāma.

Taittirīya-Upaniṣad (I.vii) discusses further on this. It refers to prāṇa, vyāna, upāna, apāna and samāna the five types of prāṇa-s. The Upaniṣad calls these five as prāna-pāṇkta (pāṇkta means fivefold) meaning group of prāṇa-s. This prāna-pāṇkta makes indriya-pāṇkta function (functional senses).

Therefore, it is apparent that without prāṇa, senses cannot function. She gives that ‘vital force’ called prāṇa, without which life is not sustainable.

When She provides prāṇa to the universe, She becomes Parā-Śakti or parā-prakṛti. Prāṇa is subjective energy or vital force which is derived from the Brahman. This nāma again reaffirms Her as the Brahman that permeates and sustains.

409. Praṇavaḥ प्रणवः

Repetitive nāma 957.

Praṇava refers to the sacred syllable OM / ॐ. The sacred mantra consists of A + U + M + bindu (a dot above M) = auṁ / अ + उ + म् = ओं, which is generally written as ॐ. This sacred mantra ॐ is worshipped by all the gods and goddesses. This nāma says that Lord Viṣṇu is in the form of sacred praṇava mantra.

Kṛṣṇa confirms this in Bhagavad Gītā (VII.8), “I am the sacred syllable (OM) of all the Vedas.” Vedas are the breath of Viṣṇu.

410. Pṛthuḥ पृथुः

Pṛthu means expansion. Because of His expansion, the manifestation of the universe takes place. When He uses His Divine Will, the expansion of the Self takes place thereby forming various shapes and forms. He is the cause, and the effect is the universe along with all its existents.

411. Hiraṇyagarbhaḥ हिरण्यगर्भः

Repetitive nāma 70.

Microcosm is the individual soul and Macrocosm is the Brahman. Like microcosm, macrocosm also has four different stages and they are turya or avyakta, Īśvara, hiraṇyagarbha and virāj. The first state of avyakta or turya is beyond the three normal states of human consciousness, active, dream and deep sleep. The second state of Īśvara is the state of God (not the Brahman), where it is associated with māyā. The third state is hiraṇyagarbha, the state of where the constituents of the universe are bound together. If Īśvara is addressed as the cosmic Lord, then hiraṇyagarbha is the Thread-Self or Sūtrātmā, viz. the entire conglomerate of all individual beings into only one entity known as Ekajīva, a step lower than Īśvara. The last one is the virāj who, according to Advaitavedānta, is composed of the waking cosmic Self (viśva) and the waking individual self (vaiśvānara), i.e. it is both the Self and the self in wakefulness. The whole universe is projected through the cosmic energy of hiraṇyagarbha and is endowed with cosmic ego and gets associated with all subtle bodies in the universe collectively.

412. Śatrughnaḥ शत्रुघ्नः

Śatrughna means the destroyer of all inimical forces, working against gods and goddesses. One of the important duties of Viṣṇu is to annihilate the enemies. Enemies or demons mean the sensory afflictions. He can be realized only when the mind becomes free from sensory impressions of the external world. Attachment to the external world leads to multiplicity of thoughts.

413. Vyāptaḥ व्याप्तः

He is the One who pervades the entire universe. This nāma says that He is omnipresent. He being the cause, He pervades all the effects. Without cause, effect is not possible. Without Him, life is not possible.

414. Vāyuḥ वायुः

Vāyu means air and by worshipping Him as air, His omnipresence is subtly conveyed.

Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (III.vii.7) talks about air. “He who inhabits air, but is within it, whom air does not know, whose body is air, and who controls air from within is the Internal Ruler, your own Immortal Self.”

415. Adho'kṣajaḥ अधोऽक्षजः

The One, whose vitality always remains upward. In other words, His vitality is not subjected to changes as in the case of gods and other beings. He being the embodiment of prāṇa, the life sustaining force, He is not subjected to modifications. Brahman alone is beyond modifications, as everything originates from Him and exist in the universe. He is eternal existing as the Self Illuminating Light.

It can also be explained that He can be realized only if one’s sensory organs are turned inwards, thereby disconnecting from the material world.

For further details on Adho'kṣajaḥ please visit Gabriel Pradiipaka (stanza 6).

VISHNU SAHASRANAMA 401 - 406

noreply@blogger.com (Manblunder) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 05:06:40 PDT

401. Vīraḥ वीरः

Repetitive nāma-s 643 and 658.

Vīr means valiant. Viṣṇu is always valiant as He has the primary duty of sustaining the universe and to uphold dharma.

His incarnation Kṛṣṇa is valorous, not only in the battle field, but also as a spiritual guru. Everyone cannot become a spiritual guru. Guru-s are those who have won the battle against their senses and thought constructs. All the time, they are connected to Him consciously. Spiritual lecturers cannot be compared to spiritual guru-s. Guru-s always interact with their disciples directly and not as one among the masses. True spiritual guru-s are extremely rare to find, because they do not expose themselves to the world. Spiritual lecturers are those who by their lectures on various Scriptures prompt people to pursue spiritual path, which alone can lead to liberation.

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā (XVI – 4 & 5), “Hypocrisy, arrogance, pride, anger, sternness and ignorance are the marks of him, who is born with demonic nature. The divine qualities bestow liberation and demonic qualities lead to bondage.”

402. Śaktīmatāṁ-śreṣṭhaḥ शक्तीमतां-श्रेष्ठः

He is most powerful and this citation confirms His status as the Brahman.

There are three types of śakti-s and they are icchā śakti (the energy of will) jñāna śakti Ithe energy of knowledge) and kriyā śakti (the energy of action). Brahman is full of these śakti-s. He is powerful, because He is an embodiment of all these energies or śakti-s, that are required to create, sustain, destruct, annihilate and re-create, the five acts of the Brahman.

403. Dharmaḥ धर्मः

Dharma is a set of prescribed conduct and customary observances. Dharma differs from species to species. What is dharma to a lion is a not dharma for a man. Lion has to depend upon other animals to satiate its hunger. Man is not making his living, only by killing and eating animals. Killing animals is dharma for the lion, whereas it is not dharma for a man. Therefore, dharma is not uniform to all the species. The only thing that is uniform in all the species is the Self, without which, a life cannot exist.

Therefore, dharma is the code of conduct for the gross and subtle bodies of all the beings. Kaṭha Upaniṣad (I.i.21) has used dharma in a different context. It says, “eṣaḥ dharmaḥ aṇuḥ एषः धर्मः अणुः”. This means ‘the nature of this Self is subtle’.

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā (IV.7), “Whenever dharma is on the decline, and adharma dominates, I appear in a bodily forms (incarnations).”

404. Dharma-viduttamaḥ धर्म-विदुत्तमः

Vidu means intelligent. This nāma says that He is aware of the intricacies of dharma, as described in the previous nāma. Scriptures originate from Him, which speak about dharma at length. For example, Bhagavad Gītā is one of the Scriptures that talk about the paths of dharma and a-dharma.

What is dharma and what is adharma is decided by Him and conveyed to ancient sages, who in turn declared to the world in the form of Scriptures.

405. Vaikuṇṭhaḥ वैकुण्ठः

Vaikuṇṭha is the Supreme Abode of Viṣṇu. Religious aspirants believe that He lives there with His Consort Lakṣmī. It is only for the purpose of contemplating on Him, and in reality, He pervades the entire universe.

He created the universe with the five basic elements such as ether, air, fire, water and earth and retaining Vaikuṇṭha for Him. It also means that He removes all the obstacles in the minds of His devotees to attain Him.

406. Puruṣaḥ पुरुषः

Repetitive nāma 14.

A brief note on Puruṣa from Advaita point of view.

Individual soul is also known as puruṣa or ātman. Individual soul is the preternatural existence of the Brahman without attributes or the nirguṇa Brahman. The individual soul is nothing but the manifestation of the Brahman. This explains why we should look within. The Brahman is not elsewhere. He is within us. The pure Brahman or the Brahman without attributes cannot create on His own. There was a necessity for Him to divide Himself into two and His carved out portion exclusively for the purpose of creation and sustenance is the saguṇa Brahman. Whatever we discuss here is only about the saguṇa Brahman as the nirguṇa Brahman is beyond comprehension. It is like a man attempting to explore the sun by trying to enter the core of the sun. Generally the saguṇa Brahman alone is called God. Therefore, God becomes the creative aspect of the universe and not the pure Brahman or nirguṇa Brahman. He is the static energy from whom saguṇa Brahman has originated. Saguṇa Brahman begins to create through His projecting power or illusory power called māyā.

The individual soul becomes active only if it is covered by māyā. The soul gets embodiment only to undergo experience arising out of karmic account embedded in it. The individual soul as such is passive and does not partake in any of the activities of the physical body. It always remains as a witness. The soul does not undergo modifications. The journey of the soul is a tough one. It gets human embodiment only after undergoing several births and deaths in different shapes and forms. The soul can attain liberation only in a human birth, as realisation of the Self can happen only through mind. Though, soul is imperishable and beyond modification, it is subjected to change of field, from lower planes to higher planes. During this process, the soul as such does not undergo any changes, but the plane in which it operates alone changes. All this happens to the soul as it gets itself veiled by the influence of māyā. Due to this influence, it forgets its original nature. Though, it forgets its original nature, still it does not cause any actions in its embodiment, nor gets modified by the actions carried out by karmic influences in conjunction with the impressions in the subconscious mind.

Souls are only the differential manifestations of the Brahman. Typically speaking, a soul is nothing but a tiny spark of the Self-illuminating Brahman. A human is not aware that soul is the cause of his existence. His ignorance about the soul is due to his inherent ego. The ego is inherent in human life as ego alone provides individual identity. Ego induces him to think that he, as a physical body is responsible for all his actions. Though, soul is also not directly responsible for his actions, actions unfold because of the soul within. There may be several bulbs. But electricity is needed to make them burn. In the same way, there are trillions of beings and for their active lives souls need to be present in them. The ultimate realisation of the Brahman happens only in a human mind and the individual soul aids the process of mental evolution though by itself, it does make this happen.

The Supreme Self and the individual souls can be compared to the reflection of sun in water kept in different vessels. Same sun gets reflected in different vessels with water, making one to believe that the reflected sun is different from the real sun in the sky. This belief arises out of ignorance, which is also known māyā. Ultimately, just like water bubbles becoming one with the waters of ocean, the individual souls become one with the Brahman. The soul’s journey from the lowest level of consciousness to the Supreme Consciousness is an incomprehensible process of evolution. It is incomprehensible because, the ‘evolution’ of the soul is beyond the reach of human perception, including the great sages and saints.

Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (II.v.18) says, “On account of His dwelling in all bodies, He is called Puruṣa. There is nothing that is covered by Him, nothing that is not pervaded by Him.”

Puruṣa is the second of twenty seven tattva-s beginning from Brahman, as per Sāṃkhya philosophy.

This nāma says that Viṣṇu is the Puruṣa.

Arjuna addresses Kṛṣṇa (Bhagavad Gītā XI.38), “tvam adidevaḥ puruṣaḥ त्वम् अदिदेवः पुरुषः” which means ‘You are the primal God, the most ancient Person.’

VISHNU SAHASRANAMA MEANING 389 - 400

noreply@blogger.com (Manblunder) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 04:38:20 PDT

389. Parardhiḥ परर्धिः

He is the One who has supreme manifestations. This nāma originates from the word ṛddha ऋद्ध, meaning prosperous, abundant, wealthy. Viṣṇu is an embodiment of all these qualities and hence this nāma.

Bhagavad Gītā talks about His supreme forms in chapter XI. The supremacy of the Brahman cannot be seen, but has to be realized only through mind. Seeing is an act that has boundaries and objects seen are perishable, whereas the Lord is beyond boundaries and eternal.

390. Paramaspaṣṭaḥ परमस्पष्टः

Parama means conspicuous and spaṣṭa means clearly perceived, distinctly visible, etc. He is clearly visible to those who seek Him through their minds.

Brahman can be realized only in an un-afflicted mind. Mind will always have too many thoughts at a time. These thoughts will not be formed if one disassociates himself from the end results of all his actions. In other words, if one chooses to surrender unto Him, the concept of doership would be lost paving way to realise His omnipresence. He prevails everywhere.

391. Tuṣṭaḥ तुष्टः

Tuṣṭa means contended. He is the One, who does not expect anything from His devotees except their unsullied devotion.

Brahman does not expect anything from those who pursue spiritual paths, as He is beyond needs and always remains contended. What He expects is purity of mind and perpetual thought about Him. From dualistic point of view, if spiritual person puts one step towards the Brahman, He moves towards the devotee by two steps.

It can also be explained that as He always remain contended, He always remains in the state of Bliss. He can be realized only if the mind of an aspirant remains in the state of bliss.

392. Puṣṭaḥ पुष्टः

He is full, an exclusive quality of the Brahman.

The well known invocation explains this quality.

पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते।

पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते॥

pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṁ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate |

pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate ||

Brahman is full; this Brahman with names and forms is also full. The fullness comes from that fullness. If the fullness of the fullness is accepted, what is left behind is only fullness.

This can be explained as follows: The invisible Brahman, who is omnipresent, is the cause for all that we see as names, forms and shapes. The latter is also known as the effect. In other words, from the cause emerges the effect, both being Brahman. Cause is pūrṇam and since the effect originates from the cause, which is pūrṇam, the effect is also pūrṇam. When both and effect are pūrṇam, naturally pūrṇam prevails everywhere. This is the omnipresence of the Brahman.

393. Śubhekṣaṇaḥ शुभेक्षणः

Śubhekṣaṇa refers to the One who has auspicious eyes. His mere look alone is capable of conferring auspiciousness. Because of His look, those who desire for material prosperity get the same; but they continue to transmigrate. Those who seek liberation, attain liberation. But as long as attachment to material world persists, liberation cannot be attained.

394. Rāmaḥ रामः

Rāma means pleasing, pleasant, etc and in the pleasing and pleasant nature of the Brahman, Yogī-s reside. Brahman is full of bliss and the great Yogī-s by focussing their minds on Him experience His blissfulness. When they are enjoying His Bliss, they do not need anything. They continue to stay in a rapturous state, unmindful of the needs of their bodies.

One can begin to enjoy His Bliss, if one firmly decides to pursue spiritual path.

395. Virāmaḥ विरामः

Virāma means cessation. Brahman is the Abode of all the individual souls. When the individual souls cease to transmigrate, they merge with Him, not to be born again. Transmigration ceases only if one surrenders unto Him, dissolving the thought of doership.

396. Virajaḥ विरजः

Viraja means, free from passion. When the Yogī-s who perpetually stay connected with Him become free from passions, as discussed in the previous nāma. He is the greatest source of happiness and if one is able to establish connection with Him and consciously stay with Him all the time, obviously the Yogī will not have any earthly passions.

This can be compared to a situation where one is unwilling to come out of an air-conditioned place in peak summer. The hot weather outside is bondage arising due to attachment to the material world and the air-conditioned place is His bliss.

397. Mārgaḥ मार्गः

Repetitive nāma 365.

Mārga means path and contextually it means the path to liberation. One can traverse through the path of liberation only if he attains enough spiritual knowledge.

Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (VI.15) explains this. It says, “ayanāya anyaḥ panthāḥ na vidyate अयनाय अन्यः पन्थाः न विद्यते”, meaning there is no other way to go. The Scripture subtly conveys that acquiring knowledge is the only path to attain liberation and there is no other way.

Story about a young man: In a holy city, an international conference was arranged to discuss about Self-realisation. Many leading spiritual gurus were invited to participate. The conference was held in a posh hotel. A poor young boy who was living adjacent to the hotel was standing outside the hotel, to have a glimpse of spiritual gurus, who alighted from several plush cars. The boy was not allowed to stand anywhere near the hotel. The boy was arguing with the security. The boy said to the security, “God is everywhere and why should these people discuss about Him by spending so much of money. He is within you and He is within me. When we are looking at the world, we have to look through the eyes of God. Then there is no question of duality. It is as simple as that. These men are not realized souls and I am wasting my time here trying to have a glimpse of these men.” By saying this he walked away. Not only the security, but the organizer, a leading spiritual guru, who was standing at the entrance to welcome the guests were awestruck. What subsequently happened is another story.

398. Neyaḥ नेयः

Neya means to be governed or to be brought to a state. He leads the spiritual seekers to realize Him through the path of liberation as discussed in the previous nāma. There are several states before realizing Him and He helps His true seekers to pass through these different states to attain perfection.

He can be realised through proper meditation. Meditation is a process wherein the impressions of material world is removed gradually, paving way for His realisation. When all the though processes are muted, one’s consciousness becomes pure. This leads to focusing on Him and as a result of which He pervades the mind. Ultimately, the yogī realizes the Brahman in his mind. This is the spiritual path or mārga.

399. Nayaḥ नयः

Naya means leading. Not all the spiritual seekers attain liberation. He leads only those seekers who sincerely make all-out efforts to realize Him.

It can also be said that He leads the entire universe according to the Law of Karma.

400. Anayaḥ अनयः

He does not have a leader. He is the Supreme and beyond Him there is nobody. This refers to the purest state of one’s consciousness, where He is realised as Bliss.

VISHNU SAHASRANAMA MEANING 381-388

noreply@blogger.com (Manblunder) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 05:47:57 PDT

381. Vikartā विकर्ता

The previous nāma kartā spoke about His doership. This nāma speaks about His creative abilities. The subtle meaning conveyed through this nāma is that He creates multitudes of creatures, out of His own Self. Everything is created out of Him. Without Him being present, none can exist.

382. Gahanaḥ गहनः

Repetitive nāma 544.

Gahana means imperishable and impenetrable. Though everyone knows that He is the Absolute, yet it is difficult to know Him. He can be realised within, only through knowledge and meditation.

Normal human consciousness is prone to multifarious afflictions due to innumerable thought processes. When one begins to think about Him always, other thought processes become weak and cease to exist over a period of time, when His thought alone pervades his mind. When thoughts about Him become intent, He is realised as the Self.

383. Guhaḥ गुहः

He conceals His true nature through the effects of māyā.

Kaṭha Upaniṣad (II.i.12) says, “Of the size of the thumb, He resides in the body…..When a spiritual aspirant knows Him, He does not want to conceal Himself.” This means that He conceals Himself to those, who do not make any efforts to realize Him. Such men are engrossed in materialistic world, acting through their sensory organs. In spirituality, sensory organs should be mortified, because they cause lasting impressions in the mind. Unless mind is devoid of too many extraneous impressions, He cannot be realized.

Kṛṣṇa says (Bhagavad Gītā VII. 24 & 25), “The ignorant men think that I have assumed an ordinary form and fail to understand Me as the Supreme Spirit…Because of the supreme power of my māyā, I stand veiled.”

384. Vyavasāyaḥ व्यवसायः

Vyavasāya has several meanings. Contextually, determination, having a resolute mind, intellect incarnate, etc, are applicable to this nāma.

Kṛṣṇa explains this in Bhagavad Gītā (II. 40 & 41). “In karma yoga, there is only a single pointed determination (to realize the Self). But the reasoning of those who have irresolute mind is endless and ramified.”

Determination is the effect of a resolute mind. Instead of determining to realize the Self, the mind wanders in the materialistic world, gets afflicted with sensory and bodily pleasures. When the mind gets addicted to worldly pleasures, it is difficult to tame the mind.

One has to be knowledgeable to realize Him, as He is the embodiment of knowledge. This is based on the fact that only two objects of the same type can merge together to make a single entity. For example, river merges with an ocean and because of this merger, the element water remains the same ever after the merger. If fire and water are united, fire is extinguished by water. When one wants to merge with Him, then he has to become knowledgeable.

385. Vyavasthānaḥ व्यवस्थानः

He is the cause for the framework of universal laws. The cosmos functions on certain foundational principles, laid down by Him. If the laws are violated, He does not hesitate to annihilate the violators, to restore normalcy.

He is like the foundation of a building, without which, the building cannot exist.

386. Saṁsthānaḥ संस्थानः

He is the abode to all the beings at the time of annihilation. This nāma is one of the well known names of Viṣṇu.

Please refer nāma also.

387. Sthānadaḥ स्थानदः

It is derived from the words sthāna (place) + dā (to give) forming an attributive compound (masculine gender), which means ‘one who assigns a place’.

He assigns different positions to different beings based on the law of karma. What one sows, so he reaps is the basis for law of karma. Karmas are accumulated only by one’s own actions, either good or bad. Karmas stop accumulating only if one surrenders to Him.

388. Dhruvaḥ ध्रुवः

He is fixed (no changes happens in Him) like the polar star. Changelessness is the unique quality of the Brahman.

Kaṭha Upaniṣad (II.ii.13) explains this as “nityo'nityānāṁ नित्योऽनित्यानां” which means ‘He who is permanent among the impermanent.’

VISHNU SAHASRANAMA 367 - 380

noreply@blogger.com (Manblunder) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 07:16:27 PDT

367. Dāmodaraḥ दामोदरः

Dāmodara literally means, the One who has a rope around his waist. As the story of Lord Kṛṣṇa clearly shows, when His foster-mother Yaśodā was unable to tie Him by a rope, the name dāmodara implies that the Lord can never get bound by anything.

Dama means subduing. He can be attained only if the mind is subdued. The more one thinks of Him, he becomes very close to the state of realizing Him. He should be pervading one’s mind all the time.

368. Sahaḥ सहः

Saha means extremely mighty. It also means enduring. Both these interpretations are applicable to Viṣṇu. By being mighty, He annihilates sinners. He endures sinners, only up to a point. Sinners are those who are afflicted with extensive amount of bad karmas. There cannot be a situation, where sinners are absent. This is based on the fact that everyone at some point of time thinks badly about others. Such bad thoughts transform as bad karmas and get embedded in his subtle body, which transmigrates. When the time is ripe for bad karmas to manifest, sins are committed. He has to endure sinners also, as the world is governed by law of karma.

369. Mahīdharaḥ महीधरः

Mahī means the earth and dhara means sustaining. He sustains the universe. This nāma refers to the second act of the Brahman, sustenance.

Further reading: Bhīṣma renders this Sahasranāma, lying on the bed of arrows, awaiting his death. Though, he was on the side of Kurus, he knew that Kṛṣṇa is an incarnation of Lord Viṣṇu. When Bhīṣma rendered this Sahasranāma, Kṛṣṇa was also present. Bhīṣma was in a hurry to merge with Kṛṣṇa. Since he rendered this Sahasranāma extemporaneously, at the instance of Kṛṣṇa, only the greatness of the Lord repeatedly came to his mind. Since, Bhīṣma could see for himself, the grandeur of the Lord, he repeatedly praised His greatness. His mind was totally engrossed in the form of Kṛṣṇa and refused to use his knowledge. He was in the state of bliss. All practices are needed till the time, one realizes Him. When He is realized, there is nothing more he needs to do.

370. Mahābhāgaḥ महाभागः

Mahā is derived from mahat or greatness, generally used to mean the Buddhi or great Tattva or principle. Mahā means greatness, abundance, etc. Bhāga means good fortune in this Vedic context. Therefore, mahābhāga refers to the One who is highly Fortunate. This nāma also says that Viṣṇu has a great part of any oblations or yajña-s, as He is yajña itself. Veda says, “yajño vai viṣṇuḥ”.

371. Vegavān वेगवान्

Vega means momentum and speed and vān derives from “vat”, which implies the notion of “possessed of, having, etc.”. This nāma says that He always moves with speed and momentum. This can be interpreted in several ways. He moves fast to help His devotees and grant them boons, to annihilate sinners, to offer liberation to His seeking devotees.

But, Īśa Upaniṣad (4) says, “Brahman is one without a second. It never moves, yet It goes faster than the mind. It is always ahead; the sense organs can never catch up with it.”

When elephant Gajendra was caught by an alligator, Viṣṇu rushed to offer liberation to the elephant, even ignoring His vehicle, the mystic bird Garuḍa. He moved at the highest speed possible to save the elephant and to offer him liberation. Viṣṇu is known for His compassion.

372. Amitāśanaḥ अमिताशनः

This refers to the One, who absorbs. Brahman has five acts, creation, sustenance, destruction (death), annihilation (this is also known as absorption, concealment - tirodhāna) and re-creation. The next few nāma-s discuss about these five acts.

When the Brahman annihilates the universe, He absorbs the universe unto Himself and again re-creates, out of compassion for the beings. Secondly, beings have to exist in order to experience their karmas. Law of karma is law of the Lord.

Absorption can be interpreted with relation to mind. Absorption happens in the mind when the Self is experienced. The state of absorption can be noticed when one experiences joyful, loving, happy and peaceful states, lasting from a few seconds to several minutes. The state of absorption happens only during the intent state of proper meditation when one’s consciousness becomes totally purified.

373. Udbhavaḥ उद्भवः

Repetitive nāma 790.

Udbhava means the source of origin. The source of origin of the universe is the Brahman. Lord Viṣṇu is adored here as the source of origin of the universe. Everything originates from Him, everything is sustained by Him and everything is absorbed into Him at the time of annihilation.

Kṛṣṇa confirms this in Bhagavad Gītā (X.8), “I am the source of all creation and everything in the world moves because of Me.”

374. Kṣobhaṇaḥ क्षोभणः

Kṣobhaṇa means pulsation and contextually, this can be explained as the Divine pulsation, causing creation. Without His initial pulsation that takes place within His own Self, creation is not possible. This Divine pulsation leads to Puruṣa and Prakṛti and their union leads to rest of the creation. This vibration is like a banyan seed, which gives rise to a huge banyan tree. But for the seed, the tree is not possible and but for this Divine vibration, creation is not possible.

Kashmiri Śaivaism calls this Divine pulsation or throb as spanda.

375. Devaḥ देवः

Here, Deva refers to the Brahman. It is said “devatīti Devaḥ”, which means that the One who shines and consequently reveals is known as Deva.

The interpretation that Deva here refers to the Brahman is based on the saying of Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (VI.11), “eko devaḥ” which means that He is one without a second, who is always Self effulgent and because this effulgence all other things become visible. Deva is the one who manifests in the form all beings. How is He? The Upaniṣad further says, “sarvabhūtāntarātmā” meaning the innermost of all the beings, the Soul.

376. Śrīgarbhaḥ श्रीगर्भः

He is the source of all the glories and splendor of the universe. Śrī is used to mean the splendor of the universe and garbha means the origin or cause.” (Hence, garbhodaka is the “causal” waters where Lord Viṣṇu rests as Nārāyaṇa).

377. Parameśvaraḥ परमेश्वरः

He is the Highest Reality or the Supreme Lord. Without Him being present in all the beings, there is no existence at all.

Kṛṣṇa confirms this in Bhagavad Gītā (XIII.27). He says, “Samaṁ sarveṣu bhūteṣu tiṣṭhantaṁ parameśvaram| Vinaśyatsvavinaśyantaṁ yaḥ paśyati sa paśyati || - समं सर्वेषु भूतेषु तिष्ठन्तं परमेश्वरम्। विनश्यत्स्वविनश्यन्तं यः पश्यति स पश्यति॥” meaning “He sees who sees That which is imperishable in these who are perishable (He refers specifically here to all the warriors about to fight in the battle), viz. (who sees) the Supreme Lord equally present in all the beings”

378. Karaṇam करणम्

Karaṇa means causing or means of causing. This nāma refers to antaḥkaraṇa, the inner psychic instruments comprising of mind, intellect, consciousness and ego. Antaḥkaraṇa refers to the subtle body.

By remaining in the form of mind, intellect, consciousness and ego, He controls the gross body. If He controls the inner psychic body, who controls the external body or the gross body? This question is answered in the next nāma.

379. Kāraṇam कारणम्

Kāraṇa means cause. Kāraṇa also means body. He is the cause of the body, the gross body. The previous nāma said that He is the cause of the subtle body and this nāma says that He is also the cause for the gross body.

Viṣṇu is both instrumental and material cause of creation.

380. Kartā कर्ता

Kartā (masculine gender) derives from kartṛ. That term means the one who causes actions, viz. the doer.

It also means the Creator of the universe. As a doer, He causes all actions, but does not partake in the actions. He only witnesses all the actions. He makes a singer to sing and in this context He is instrumental in making the singer to sing; but He does not partake in the act of singing. He only induces actions according to the law of karma, but never becomes part of any actions. He merely witnesses all the actions that unfold in His presence.

Kṛṣṇa explains this in Bhagavad Gītā (III.22-24): “Pārtha (Arjuna)! There is no work for me to do in all the three worlds, nor, there is anything that I have to acquire. Yet, I am engaged in discharging my duties. In case I do not perform my duties consciously, all men would follow me. In case I do not discharge my duties properly, the universe will be annihilated. Further, I become the cause for such annihilation and become the destroyer of humanity.”

DETAILED STUDY OF SHIVA SUTRA – I.12

noreply@blogger.com (Manblunder) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 22:03:16 PDT

Vismayo yogabhūmikāḥ विस्मयो योगभूमिकाः (sūtra I.12)

Vismaya means amazement that is capable of holding one’s total attention; yoga here means union with the Supreme Self; bhūmikā here refers to the different stages of union withe the Supreme Self, referring to the different states of Yogī’s consciousness while attaining the Supreme Consciousness.

When the Yogī moves towards turya, he is totally bewildered and is delighted in the experience of the manifestation of various objects as an expansion of his entire group of his senses. The intensity of his bewilderment increases progressively though he remains calm and smiling, aspires for higher states of consciousness and the resultant bliss.

When a yogi transcends normal stages of consciousness and moves towards turya, he begins to feel the bliss and becomes bewildered by its effect. This can be compared to a person from a hot terrain making his journey to a hill resort. When he moves towards the hill, he could feel the change in weather conditions from hot to cold. When a person progresses spiritually, he has to make a beginning to transcend the three known levels of consciousness to the next higher level of consciousness, the turya stage. He can realize Śiva only in the highest level of consciousness, which means that his concentration should be totally focused on Śiva and Śiva alone. If any other thoughts impregnate his mind, he will not be able to realize the Absolute. When he makes significant progress, the level of bliss that he enjoys also becomes strong and pulls him further towards Śiva. When he begins to taste the bliss, he gets engrossed in the stage of supreme happiness or ānanda that is full of surprises. He is surprised because, he has not experienced that kind of ānanda earlier.

It is also said that the experience of the Yogī with the psychic centres of his body – from mūlādhāra to ājñā cakra-s, is in no way a comparison to his consciousness when he experiences the Supreme consciousness of Śiva. Once the Yogī experiences the Supreme Consciousness of Śiva, his different experiences in his psychic centres are incomparable to that state.

Gabriel Pradīpaka in his Svātantryasūtram (I.16) describes this state of Yogī as, “na paramārthātpṛthak kiñcidapyasti”, which means there is nothing, apart from the Highest Reality. The Yogī only aspires for this highest state.

Spanda-Kārikā (I.11) also explains this state of the Yogī. “How can this transmigratory life be his, who beholds that the Essential Nature beholds the entire universe?”

VISHNU SAHASRANAMA 355 - 366

noreply@blogger.com (Manblunder) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 04:03:54 PDT

355. Atulaḥ अतुलः

Atula means unparalleled. Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (IV.19) says, “na tasya pratimā asti yasya nāma mahad yaśāḥ न तस्य प्रतिमा अस्ति यस्य नाम महद् यशाः” This means that there is no way of describing Him and He is what He is. Brahman can be described with all superlative degrees, still there will be mistakes in fully describing Him, says this Upaniṣad. He cannot be perceived, but can only be realized.

Arjuna addresses Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad Gītā (XI.43), “O Lord of incomparable might, in all the three worlds there is none even equal to you, how then any better?”

356. Śarabhaḥ शरभः

Śarabha means stronger than lions and elephants. The nāma is used to describe the omnipotence of the Brahman.

Cara (not Śara) also refers to all perishables, the gross bodies and bha means Light. Brahman resides within, eternally shining. It is due to the inherent ignorance, we fail to realize Him. Instead of realising Him within, ignorant men waste their precious time seeking Him elsewhere.

357. Bhīmaḥ भीमः

Bhīma means formidable. The universe operates on different energies of the Divine. All these energies operate in an organised manner, fearing His wrath. Taittirīya Upaniṣad (II.8) says, “The wind blows out of fear for him. The sun also shines out of fear. Out of fear for Him, Agni, Indra, Yama and others rush to carry out their duties.”

Brahman is a perfect disciplinarian, as He is embodiment of virtues. He does not hesitate to eliminate sinners, through His incarnations. Though it is not necessary for Him to incarnate, it is only to declare to the world that He cannot tolerate sinners.

358. Samayajñaḥ समयज्ञः

Samayajña means the knower of the right time. This nāma is explained in two ways. First, being the Brahman, He knows the right time to create the universe and annihilate it. As long as the balance between virtues and sins is maintained, He continues to sustain the universe. When sins predominate over virtues, He annihilates the universe to create again.

The other interpretation is that He knows all the six types of philosophical systems. This means all these six philosophical systems originate from Him. The six philosophical systems are Nyāya, Vaiśeṣika, Sāṅkhya, Yoga, Mīmāṁsā and Vedānta. Indian philosophical systems are generally known as darśana. Darśana is of two types – orthodox (āstika) and non-orthodox (nāstika). The above six philosophical systems fall under āstika system.

359. Havirhariḥ हविर्हरिः

Havir refers to havis, (normally cooked rice) offered in oblations. Viṣṇu presides over all yajña-s (in this context, fire rituals). Hari is one of the many names for Viṣṇu.

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā (IX.24) “अहं हि सर्वयज्ञां भोक्ता प्रभुरेव च ahaṁ hi sarvayajñāṁ bhoktā prabhureva ca”, which means ‘I am the Lord and the enjoyer of all sacrifices.’

This nāma says that Hari presides over all sacrifices and oblations of havis offered in fire rituals, ultimately reach Him.

360. Sarvalakṣaṇa lakṣaṇyaḥ सर्वलक्षण लक्षण्यः

Here, lakṣaṇa refers to Vedānta-s. He can be realized only through Vedānta-s. Brahman can be realized only through self exploration. It is not the type of philosophy that counts, but the sincerity of the aspirant that alone counts to realize Him.

There are several instances in the Scriptures where the Brahman is not realized by the scholars, but by those who have deep love for Him.

361. Lakṣmīvān लक्ष्मीवान्

He is the Consort of Goddess Lakṣmī. Śrī also means Lakṣmī. Nāma-s 22, 178 and 220 Śrīmān convey the same meaning. Lakṣmī also means prosperity, happiness, good fortune and success. Viṣṇu is the one who gives all these to His devotees. Devotees are those, who constantly meditate on Him.

These nāma-s convey that Viṣṇu is the Lord of wealth, both material and spiritual wealth.

362. Samitiñjayaḥ समितिञ्जयः

Samiti means war and jaya means victory. He is victorious in His war against sinners. He defeats sinners in order to uphold virtues.

Samitiñjaya is another name of Lord Viṣṇu.

363. Vikṣaraḥ विक्षरः

Vikṣara means flowing out. All auspicious things flow out from Him. He is auspicious not only on His own merit, but also as the consort of Goddess Lakṣmī, who is an embodiment of auspiciousness.

Kṣara means perishable. Vi is used here to mean the opposite; therefore vikṣara means imperishable, the exclusive quality of the Brahman.

Kṛṣṇa explains this in Bhagavad Gītā (VIII.20). “Far beyond even this Unmanifest, there is yet another unmanifest Existence, that Supreme Divine Person, who doe not perish even though all beings perish.”

364. Rohitaḥ रोहितः

Rohita means fish and hence this nāma refers to His matsya avatāra. He resurrected the earth from the great deluge, assuming the form of a fish.

365. Mārgaḥ मार्गः

Repetitive nāma 397.

Mārga means seeking. He is sought after, because He is the Supreme and offers liberation. It also means the path, the path to attain liberation. He is the goal and the path is spiritual practice. Spiritual practice culminates in Bliss, where He is realized. Realization and liberation have to happen in one’s mind.

Kṛṣṇa explains this. “Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to Me, worship Me and make obeisance to Me; thus connecting your self with Me and entirely depending on Me, you shall attain liberation.” (Bhagavad Gītā IX.34)

366. Hetuḥ हेतुः

Hetu means cause. Since He is the cause of the universe, He is addressed as Hetu. He is both instrumental and material cause of the universe. The latter is not possible without the former.

DETAILED STUDY OF SHIVA SUTRA I.11

noreply@blogger.com (Manblunder) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 10:11:34 PDT

Tritayabhoktā vīreśaḥ त्रितयभोक्ता वीरेशः (sūtra I.11)

Tritaya means triad; bhoktā refers to the one who enjoys (bhoktṛ - enjoyer); vīreśa is the one who is a master (iśa) of his senses (vīra).

Tritaya or triad refers to the three states of consciousness, jāgrat, svapna and suṣupti discussed in sūtra-s I. 8, 9 and 10. Enjoyer in this context refers to the one who has entered the state of turya, where all dualities are obliterated. It is the state of witnessing “I”-consciousness, the state of Supreme Bliss. This Supreme Bliss unfolds as he unites with the group of powers as discussed in sūtra I.6. In this state the Yogī has already conquered his senses; otherwise, he cannot remain in his I-consciousness as a Witness. He is called vīreśa.

Vīreśa is the one who realizes that he is both bhogya and bhoktā. Bhogya means the object of enjoyment and bhoktā means the enjoyer of bhogya, the object of enjoyment. He continues to remain in the state of bliss in the three states of consciousness jāgrat, svapna and suṣupti and continues to dwell in his I-consciousness. Because of this happening, he masters his senses and his senses make him conscious of his own Self in return. This state of the Yogī is explained as Manthāna Bhairava (the Bhairava who churns or stirs the entire universe). Manthāna Bhairava is the one who has combined all objects, subjects and cognition into “I” consciousness. In other words, he churns his objective experiences together. He has the absolute freedom of churning and bringing forth his objective experiences. Apart from his “I” consciousness, nothing prevails in him.

The one who is simultaneously aware of both subject and object of experience in the three levels of consciousness is not affected by them, as he has already conquered his senses. The subjective and objective experiences do not affect him as he experiences both at the same time. For example, one admires the beauty of a mountain. Here, mountain is the object and the act admiration is the subject. A normal person is able to enjoy the beauty of the mountain that causes impressions in his mind. In other words, the admiration arises because of the impressions caused in his mind through his senses, in this case, his eyes. He is associated only with the object of admiration, but fails to understand the experiencer within. But a Yogī, the one who has conquered his senses, establishes a link between the subject and the object during his experience, thereby knowing both the object and the subject simultaneously. An enlightened Yogī continues to know the experiencer in the three lower levels of consciousness. For him, the link between the object and the subject is established by circumventing the mind, as the mind causes impressions.

An aspirant uses his senses to gain objective and subjective knowledge and in this process he uses his mind, as result of which, there are many impressions left in his mind. But, in the case of a Yogī, he always remains in the state of turya, even in the other three levels of mundane consciousness and as a result his experience in the fourth state of consciousness becomes the power of the divine, eliminating all the sensory differences. In other words, his senses are muted and get focused only on “I” consciousness. He becomes the master of his senses and hence he is called vīresha. Vīra means hero, because now his senses turned into gods always revealing the Self in all that they perceive. They are not any more binding forces carrying the yogī towards sense pleasures as in the case of the common people.

Because he has conquered his senses and dissolved the dualities into in all the three states and still retains a physical body alive, he is called jīvanmukta. He continues to live till the remnants of karmic account are completely experienced. He now enters the state of turyātīta, the state of consciousness beyond the Fourth or Turya, where Consciousness as svātantrya or Absolute Freedom alone prevails (there is no objectivity or subjectivity any more there).

Spanda-Kārikā (I.17) explains this further. It says that the consciousness of the Self prevails in a fully awakened Yogī even in all the mundane states of his consciousness jāgrat, svapna and suṣupti, without any break.