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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 80 - Part 8.

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Narasimhan Krishnamachari • December 16, 2002 


        SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 80 - satya-medhAh.

761. satya-medhAh – a) He of true thoughts – honest, straightforward.
		b) He of true knowledge – with foresight and minuteness.
		c) He of true knowledge – of the Vedas and their numerous branches.

Om satya-medhase namah.

a) SrI bhaTTarÂ’s vyAkhyAnam is that bhagavAn is satya-medhAh because He
is sincere in whatever He says, and it is not just for pretence – medhA
satyA asya, na naTana mAtram iti satya-medhAh.    SrI v. v. rAmAnujan
describes this guNa of bhagavAn as Arjavam – straightforwardness.   SrI
bhaTTar quotes the instance where bhagavAn addresses His gopa friends,
after they see Him perform the govardhana episode and wonder aloud
whether He is really one of them:

	yadi voÂ’sti mayi prItih SlAghyoÂ’ham bhavatAm yadi    |
	tad-Atam-buddhi sadRSI buddhir-vah kriyatAma mayi    ||  (vishNu
purANam 5.13.11)

nAham devo na gandharvo na yaksho na ca dAnavah    |
	aham vo bAndhavo jAtah na vaS-cintyam atoÂ’nyatA   ||    (V.P. 5.13.12)

“If you have real love for me and think that I am worthy of praise from
you, then you must think of me as you think of yourselves (i.e., you
must think of me as a gopa, as you all are).  I am neither a god, nor a
gandharva, neither a yaksha (a demi-god), nor a dAnava (demon).  I am a
born relative to you all.  You must not think of me any other way”.

Similarly, rAma declares:  “AtmAnam mAnusham manye rAmam
daSarathAtmajam” – I consider myself as a human being, and the son of
daSaratha.  

b) SrI Sa’nkara vyAkhyAnam is that He is of unfailing intelligence –
satyA avitathA medhA yasya iti satya medhAh.  SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri
comments that true knowledge (satya medhA) consists of the ability to
foresee things and to see the inner aspects of things (nuN aRivu), so
that there are no obstructions caused because of unanticipated or
overlooked aspects of things during execution of any action.  If oneÂ’s
knowledge is useful in times of need with these attributes, then any
action undertaken by this person will be bound to succeed.  Since
bhagavAn is One Who is equipped with such knowledge, He is called
satya-medhAh.

c) SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry gives the interpretation that because
bhagavAn has the true knowledge of the veda-s and their numerous
branches, He has the nAma satya-medhAh.

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives yet another anubhavam for the nAma –
because bhagavAn has the unfailing knowledge that keeps all the
multifarious creations right from the beginning of the kalpa to the end
with their proper perspectives, He is called satya-medhAh.  

The dharma cakram writer observes that because bhagavAn unfailingly
bestows true knowledge on those who follow the path of dharma, and
thereby gives them a mind that is directed towards realization of Him,
therefore He is called satya-medhAh.  So the lesson for us from this
nAma is that we should follow the unfailing path of dharma so that we
will bestowed with true knowledge.

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

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