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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 80 - Part 9.

From the Bhakti List Archives

Narasimhan Krishnamachari • December 17, 2002 


    SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 80 - dharAdharah.

762. dharAdharah – a) He Who supported the Mountain (govardhana).
		b) He Who supports the earth.

Om dharAdharAya namah.

The word dhara means mountain, and the word dharA refers to earth.  So
the nAma can be viewed as dhara + Adharah, dharA + dharah, dharA +
Adharah, etc.  The different vyAkhyAna kartA-s come up with their
interpretations depending on which combination they choose.

a) SrI bhaTTar gives the interpretation using the word dharam –
mountain. The nirukti description for the nAma is dharam dhRtavAn
dharAdharah – He Who bore the mountain.  The reference here is to Lord
kRshNaÂ’s bearing the govardhana mountain to protect the cows and
cowherds when indra caused trouble to them (dharasya govardhanasya
girer-dharaNAt dharAdharah – SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN).  SrI bhaTTar
gives the following reference to bhagavAnÂ’s thoughts described in
vishNu purANam prior to His lifting the Mountain:

	tad-etad-akhilam goshTham trAtavyam adhunA mayA  |
	imam adrim aham dhairyAt utpATyAÂ’Â’Su SilAdhanam  |
	dhArayishyAmi goshThasya pRthucchatramivAparam   ||

“The cowpen with all the cows and cowherds should be protected by me
now.  I shall by force uproot this mountain with big boulders at once
and hold it over their heads as a big umbrella and save them all (from
this distress)”.  

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives several references to AzhvArs on this
incident:

-	tiru nedum tANDakam 13 – kal eDuttuk kal mAri kAttAi (tiru ma’ngai
AzhvAr)
-	kaDuÂ’nkAl mAri kallE pozhiya Â…. neDuÂ’nkAl kunRam kuDai onRu Endi
niraiyaic ciramattAl naDuÂ’ngA vaNNam kAttAn  (tirumaÂ’ngai AzhvAr,
periya tirumozhi 6.10.8)
-	…. tiRambAmal malai eDuttEnE ennum….(tirmbAmal – flawlessly)
(nammAzhvAr, tiruvAi. 5.6.5)
-	Eleven pASurams of periyAzhvAr tirumozhi (3-5) are all dedicated to
the govardhana incident.

b) SrI Sa’nkara’s interpretation uses the meaning dharA – earth. 
dharAm dhaArayan dharAdharah.  His actual vyAkhyAnam is:  “amSaih
aSeshaih SeshAdyaih a-SeshAm dharAm dhArayan dharah – He Who supports
all the earths through His amSa-s such as Adi-Sesha.   SrI rAdhAkRshNa
SAstri points out the other forms, such as varAha, the eight elephants
of the eight directions, etc.  He quotes the Sruti vAkhyam in support: 
yene me vidhRte ubhe;  vishNunA vidhRte bhUmi;  dAdhartham
pRthivImabhito mayUkahih  |

SrI cinmayAnanda gives a different anubhavam of His being the “ sole
support of the earth”.  He interprets earth here to refer to matter in
general, and observes that bhagavAn is the very essence from which
matter has come to express itself, both its gross and subtle forms.  He
continues:  “Geographically, the earth is supported by water, water by
atmospheric air, and air by space.  If one enquires further and
questions what supports space, we know that space is a concept which we
experience by our intellect.  All experiences of the intellect are
established in Consciousness, and therefore, the ultimate support for
the entire world is the Supreme nArAyaNa”, and so He is dharAdharah.  

The dharma cakram writer explains bhagavAn’s “support of the earth”,
starting from the paÂ’nca bhUta-s in their sUkshma form, and how they
combine together to evolve into their sthUla forms.  His “support of
the earth” is really a part of His support of the pa’nca bhUta-s.  He
is the Creator of everything, and He is the ultimate Abode of
everything, and so He is dharAdharah.  Several are the concepts that
are hidden in this mantra “om dharAdharAya namah”.   Just like all the
other mantra-s (and remember that each nAma is a mantra), this is
another very potent mantra.

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan   


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