vishNu sahasranAmam (7)

From the Bhakti List Archives

• April 15, 1996


----- Message Text -----
Dear All-
I was unable to post the translations of vishNu sahasranAmam for the past
three weeks because I was out of town and got very busy on my return.
I apologize on this account. I've transcribed some more Slokas and will
post them regularly until the end of this month. Then I'll be gone for six
weeks (from May 1 to June 15) to Denmark and India.

namo nArAyaNA

-Srinivasan


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        PB = Translation of srI parAsara bhattar's commentary.
        SA = Translation of srI sankarAchArya's commentary.
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(sl-11)	ajaH sarveSvaraH siddhaH siddhiH sarvAdir acyutaH
	vRshAkapir ameyAtmA sarva-yoga-viniHsRtaH

95   ajaH

	PB:	Remover (of all obstacles). The root 'aja' means 'to push
		away and remove'. Thus, He Himself removes all obstacles to
		their (jIvAs) reaching Him. Vide gItA:
		"Out of sheer pity for them I remain in their mind and
		remove the darkness born of ignorance by the lamp of
		knowledge",
		"I shall free you from all sins".

	SA:	One who has no birth. Sruti says: "na jAto, na janishyate-
		One who is unborn and would never be born".

96   sarveSvaraH

	PB:	He who reaches all (those who seek refuge in Him, whether they
		are qualified or not in order to avoid delay in dispelling
		their uneasiness). Vide rAmAyaNa sloka-
		"vibhIshaNenASu jagAma sangamam- Without any delay rAma met
		vibhIshaNa".

	SA:	The Lord of Lords; the Supreme Master. Vide-
		"eSa sarveSvaraH - He is the Lord of all" (mAn.U. 6)

97   siddhaH

	PB:	He is by His very nature the ultimate goal of His devotees.
		He cannot be reached by any means (sAdhanas). Vide-
		"Wise say that brahman itself is means and the goal".

	SA:	Eternally perfect/established in His own nature.

98   siddhiH

	PB:	Goal (to be reached). He is Himself the fruit to be enjoyed.

	SA:	He who is of the nature of Consciousness in all.
		Or, He whose form excels that of all others,
		Or, He who is the fruit of all endeavors.

99   sarvAdiH

	PB:	The Source of all (goals, high or low, of His devotees". Vide-
		"Those who worship you, the Supreme Purusha, deva, ancient
		and unchanging, attain always their desires in this world and
		in the next".

	SA:	The Primary cause of all elements (The Cause of all causes).

100  acyutaH

	PB:	He who is never separated (from those who have surrendered
		unto Him). Vide-
		"I have never abandoned (my devotees) and because of this
		I am called achyuta".
		"I do not disappear from Him",
		"Never will I abandon him".

	SA:	He who has never lost and will never lose his inherent nature
		and powers.
		"SAsvatam Sivam acyutam- He is eternal, auspicious and
                undecaying"  (nAr.U. 13.1),
		Again it is said: "yasmAn na cyuta-pUrvo'ham acyutas tena
		karmaNA- as I never had a fall (cyuti) I'm acyuta".

101  vRshAkapiH

     PB and SA:	One who showers all the desirable things. Another meaning
		is: 'vRshAH' means dharma; and 'kam' means water. 'apAt
		signifies uplifting. In the varAhAvatAra (Boar incarnation)
		vishNu uplifted the earth from pralaya waters. Thus, He is
		of the nature of dharma (vRshAH) and kapi (Boar). Vide-
		"kapi is the sublime varAha and vRsha is dharma; thefore,
		kAsyapa, the sub-creator called dharma varAha".

102  ameyAtmA

	PB:	One with immeasurable compassion for his bhaktas. Vide-
		"Therefore the Supreme is great",
		"janArdana is, therefore, Great".

	SA:	One whose Greatness is immeasurable.

103  sarvayoga-viniHsRtaH

	PB:	One who is easily attained through the means (yogas)
		outlined in the Sastras and through sAdhanas created by
		one's intelligence. Vide-
		"paramAtmA, the Lord of the Universe, is ever with the
		person who realizes Him my means of comprehension through
		his mind alone, becoming pleased with the enjoyment of His
		glory".

	SA:	One who stands aside completely from all bondage. Vide-
		"asango hi ayam purushaH - this purusha is without any
		attachment" (Br.U. 4.3.15).
		Or, it can mean one who is known through all the Yogas or
		spiritual disciplines taught in the scriptures.
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(sl-12) vasur vasumanAH satyaH samAtmA sammitaH samaH
        amoghaH puNDrIkAksho vRsha-karmA vRshAkRtiH

104  vasuH

	PB:	He who dwells in them with great pleasure (however little
		they are devoted towards Him).

	SA:	One in whom all beings dwell and one who dwells in all beings.
		gItA (10.23) says:
		"vasUnAm pAvakaS c'Asmi - Among vasus I am fire (pAvaka)".

105  vasumanAH

	PB:	He who has a heart which thinks of His devotees as a treasure
		Vide- "Such a great soul is very rare"

	SA:	'Vasu' means riches/wealth and indicates greatness. So it means
		one possessed with a great mind (devoid of vanity, anger,
		ill-will and other blemishes).

106  satyaH

	PB:	He who is well-disposed to his devotees.

	SA:	One whose nature is Truth. Vide-
		"satyam j~nAnam anantam brahma - brahman is Truth, Knowledge
		and Infinite" (Tait.U. 2.1.1),
		"sac ca tyac ca - sat means manifest as effect and tyac,
		unmanifested causal condition. Thus as He is all that exists
		in the manifest and unmanifest conditions He is called satyaH,
		the True" (Tait.U. 2.6.1).

107  samAtmA

	PB:	He who is equally disposed towards all, without thinking if
		they are high or low by virtue of their qualities. Vide gItA:
		"samoham sarvabhUteshu - I am same to all beings".

	SA:	One whose mind is sama, without partiality or anger (and thus
		same towards all). Vide-
		"He is present alike in all beings".

108  sammitaH

	PB:	He who has been well defined to His devotees as to be claimed
		(by devotees like dasaratha,vasudeva etc.) as their own.
		Vide-
		"UnashoDaSavarsho me rAmorAjIvalocanaH - My lotus-eyed rAmA
		is only fifteen years of age".
		"mamAyam tanayo nihaH - He (kRshNA) is my son".

	SA:	This name and the previous one (samAtmA) can be split in two
		ways: 'samAtmA + sammitaH' meaning 'determined by all
		existing entities' or as 'samAtmA + asammitaH' meaning
		'unlimited by any entity'.

109  samaH

	PB:	He who treats all His devotees equally (irrespective of
		old and new, high and low etc.).

	SA:	One free from any change.
		Or, 'samaH' = 'sa + mA' = 'with' + 'lakshmI' (always united
		with mahAlakshmI)

110  amoghaH

	PB:	He who never fails His devotees prayers. Vide-
		"rAmA, Your darSana is always beneficial; praising You never
		fails. Your devotees are certain of Your grace".

	SA:	One whose worship is never futile. Vide Br.U.8.7.1-
		"That one who is satya-samkalpaH, i.e., whose resolution
		always becomes true"

111  puNDrIkAkshaH

	PB:	He is the eye of all the liberated souls in the paramapada
		called the puNDarIka. Vide-
		"Thou art like the broad eye in the Heaven".

	SA:	One who has pervaded (is realized in) the lotus of the heart.
		Or, one who is lotus-eyed.

112  vRsha-karmA

	PB:	One whose action is always righteous in spite of His Supreme
		nature (vRsha = righteous).

	SA:	He whose actions are according to vRsha (dharma).

113  vRshAkRtiH

	PB:	He of dhArmic form. Or He is vRsha-karmA and vRshAkRti
		because He possesses a beautiful form and also does acts
		that are cool and refreshing like a shower of ambrosia (that
		removes sAmsAric ills). Vide-
		"The Supreme refreshes the Universe with His lustre equal to
		that of ten thousand moons".

	SA:	He who takes form for the sake of dharma (vRsha).
		gItA (4.8) says-
		"dharma-samsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi yuge yuge - I body
		Myself forth from age to age in order to preserve dharma".

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S. G. Srinivasan                email : sgsrini@u.washington.edu
Graduate Student
Dept. Of Mater. Sci. & Engg.
Room 204, Roberts Hall, BOX 352120
University Of Washington        Phone : (206)-632-1083 (H)
Seattle, WA 98195-2120                  (206)-685-3851 (W)
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