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Re: Digest Number 626/ Reply on "nAmAs of Slokam 74:VishnuSahasranAmaA

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Visu9 • June 5, 2002 


Shri RAmAnujasya CaraNou Sharanam PraPadhyE

NamaskAram Shri krshNamAcAryan DAsan AvarkaLE.

This is concerning your remark on my commentary to SlokA No. 74 of 
VishnuSahasranAmA. May I thank you for your invitation to continue making 
contributions to the list?

I do not have any direct reference to the interpretation I gave as another 
possible one of SlokA No. 74. I derived it from the way the word Vasu and its 
causal from VAsu are used. You have pointed out to the methodology of a 
commentator in your recent and last write-up concerning the interpretation of 
the word "REthA" as a cause of Rashmi. I used the same methodology. The 
commentator says that REthA is the causal form of Rathi or Rashmi. Both mean 
energy. Thus VasuRethA is the cause of the energy, which is Vasu. Who is 
vasu? 

Let us take a look at the causal form which is VAsu. There is reasonable 
evidence that VAsu is the earth. The Earth is VasundhaRa, VasumAthi. 
VAsavaDhattha is the name of a famous character in ???? (CilappadhikAram???). 
It means the daughter of the earth, who is SItha. So the Earth is the cause 
of Vasu, from which we conclude that Vasu is the moon via SankarA (Song 82 of 
SoundharyaLahari). 

You referred to a group of deities: The 8 vashus in your recent post, who are 
the gate keepers at the 8 directions. Does not that word use Vash as in 
shudhha (clean), shukra (Friday), shouchi (pure)? The word VasudhEva uses "s" 
as in SIta, Sama (equal), Sundaram (inner beauty)?? The word "Vash" as used 
in the deities meaning gives rise to the Thamiz words: Vashyam (Vacam: 
control; attraction;). Also VAshal: VAcal: Gate. Causal form again. 


The question does arise as to an independent meaning of Vasu. Recently there 
was another write-up about the formation of words like DAshaRaTHa, JAnakI 
etc. and the writer asked a question about such formation, if it is peculiar 
to SamsKruth. (I am sorry, I can't go to the reference without losing these 
notes. Please excuse me.). I would like to say a few words on that. But let 
me wait and see your comments on the other names of SlOka 74, as well as what 
others write in answer to the above inquiry of our colleague at this site. 

If I come across more support for this line of thinking, I will let you know. 
I would like to request members to post their findings here, even though it 
may not quite comply with the rules or alternately to write to me at the 
simple e-mail address of mine. I will be grateful. I am requesting paired 
words: (Vasu, VAsu), (DashaRaTHa, DashaRaTHi) etc. Especially in verb form. A 
very nice pair is': (Cududhal: to heat, to point, CUdudhal: To heat as a 
transitive verb: to make a mark by heat, to imprint a mark, an 
identification, a trademark, a logo etc, and many other meanings like put on, 
wear etc.). Please see words like CUdikKoduththa NAcciyAr, the trade-mark 
name of Shri AandAL!!); CUdAMaNi: God has no trademark or logo or He has many 
logos! No one can claim Him as His/Her  own. Sorry no patent infringement! 
Case dismissed for lack of jurisdiction of human courts!



Vandhanam.

May He endow us with Grace. 

Visu

[ These are interesting speculations, but I must admit they
  do not appear to me to be based on solid grammatical or logical
  foundation. They rather appear to be random associations because
  of phonetic similarity. Tamil words such as cUDudal have no
  etymological realtion to do with CUDAmaNi despite similarity in 
  sound. May I request a little bit more scholastic rigor in the 
  presentation of these ideas? Thanks -- Moderator ]


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