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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 72 - Part 5.

From the Bhakti List Archives

Narasimhan Krishnamachari • April 23, 2002 


           SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 72 - mahA-kratuh. 

680. mahA-kratuh - a) He Who is worshiped by the great yAga-s.
	b) He Who can be easily worshiped.
c) He Who can be worshiped in many ways 
d) He Who is the Great Sacrifice (that gives the best results)
e) He Who performed the great sacrifice called the pA'ncarAtra kratu.

Om mahA-kratave namah.

The word "kratuh" occurred as nAma 449 in Slokam 48, and the meaning of
the term was explained there.  Briefly recapitulating, the term
"kratuh" refers to a particular type of sacrifice, or can also refer to
bhagavAn since He is the object of the yAga-s.  SrI satyadevo vAsishTha
also gives the explanation "karoti iti kratuh, kriyate vA kratuh" - One
who performs is a kratuh, or that which is performed is kratuh.

The term "mahA" is used in the sense of "great",  "many", "great
because of its ease", etc., in the different interpretations.

a) SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya gives the interpretation "He Who is the object
of worship of the great yAga-s".   "mahA" is interpreted here with the
meaning "great".

b) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that He is mahA-kratuh because
"He is the Great Lord Who has the easiest means of worship" - mahat
sarva sukaram ArAdhanam asya iti mahA-kratuh.  Based on the supporting
references he has quoted in his interpretion, I feel that he is using
the term "mahA" or "great" here in two ways:  1) to mean "easy or
simple for the devotee, and thus "great from the point of view of the
devotee",  2) to refer to the multitude of easy ways that are available
to worship Him.   

He gives reference to vishNu dharma (90.69), and to gItA (9.27), where
he emphasizes the ease of worship:

	yo na vittair na vibhavaih na vAsobhir na bhUshNaih    |
 	toshyate hRdayenaiva kas-tam ISam na toshayet    ||   (vishNu dharma
90.69)

"Who will not endeavor to please that God Who is pleased by just
sincerity of heart alone, but not by wealth or riches clothes or
ornaments?"

	yat karoshi yad-aSnAsi yaj-juhoshi dadAsi yat   |
	yat-tapasyasi kaunteya tat-kurushva madarpaNam   ||  (gItA 9.27)

"Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice,
whatever you give, whatever you practice as austerity, O kaunteya, do
it as an offering to Me".

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshan also associates the ease of His worship with
this nAma, and explains that He is mahA-kratuh because He has such
great (easy) ways of worship such as being offered the tulasi leaves,
in order to obtain the greatest of blessings.

c) In his commentary, SrI BhaTTar also says that "He is to be worshiped
by all acts which have been prescribed by the Agama SAstra-s, and by
offering to Him, these acts become sanctified and sweet" - samarpaNa
samskAra svAdu-kRtaih Agama SAstra kArita sarva vyApAraih ArAdhyatvAt"
- from which it may be inferred that the term 'mahA" may refer to the
many ways of offering worship.   

d) SrI Samkara's interpretation is that He is mahA-kratuh because He is
Himself the Great Sacrifice - mahAnSca asau kratuSca iti mahA-kratuh.  
A kratuh is a sacrifice that is performed for specific benefits, and
thus it is a sacrifice that yields specific benefits.   We note that
bhagavAn declares that He is kratuh Himself, in gItA 9.16: 

aham kratur-aham ya~jnah svadhAham aham aushadham     |
	mantro'ham ahmevAjyam aham-agnir-aham hutam     ||             (gItA
9.16)

"I am the kratu; I am the sacrifice; I am the offering to the manes; I
am the herb; I am the mantra; I am myself the clarified butter; I am
the fire; I am the oblation".    This Slokam is explained in greater
detail under the nAma mahA-havih (nAma 683). 

e) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation - mahAn kratuh
pa'ncarAtro yaysa it mahA-kratuh.  SrI Ramachandra Rao in his AgAma
kOSa vol. IV, quotes from the Satapata brAhmaNa which says that purusha
nArAyaNa performed the great pA'ncarAtra kratu or sacrifice, and
attained superiority over all beings and became all beings Himself:

"purusho ha vai nArAyaNo'kAmayata atitishTheyam  |  sarvANi bhUtAni
ahameva idam sarvam iti  |  sa etam purushamedham pA'ncarAtram ya~jna
kratum apaSyat tam Aharat tena ajAyata teneshTam   |  atyatishTat
sarvANi bhUtAnIdam sarvam abhavat  || "  (13.6.1)

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

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