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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 75 - Part 1.

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Narasimhan Krishnamachari • June 27, 2002 


SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 75.

	sad-gatih sad-kRtih sattA sad-bhUtih sat-parAyaNam    |
	SUra-seno yadu-SreshThah san-nivAsah su-yAmunah   ||

Om sad-gataye namah
Om sat-kRtaye namah
Om sattAyai namah
Om sad-bhUtaye namah
Om sat-parAyaNAya namah
Om SUra-senAya namah
Om yadu-SreshThAya namah
Om san-nivAsAya namah
Om su-yAmunAya namah.

704. sad-gatih - a) He Who who provides the right path for the good.
		b) He Who is Himself the right path for the good.
		c) He Who has superior intellect.
		d) He Who is attainable by the good.

sat refers to that which is good, or those who are good.  gatih means
path.  SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the derivation as - satAm
sAttvika-sajjanAnAm gatih iti sad-gatih.  We have seen the nAma
"muktAnAm paramA gatih" (nAma 12, Slokam 2)  earlier, which conveys
that He is the Supreme Goal for all the Released souls. The current
nAma describes His showing the right path for those who seek the Truth.
 The inner significance of the nAma sad-gatih is that He removes the
shackles of samsAra and liberates His devotees and shows them the right
path

a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation for the current nAma as "One
Who provides the right path for the good or virtuous".   The "right
path" is that which leads to eternal peace and tranquility.  SrI
BhaTTar gives the example of how even at time of birth of Lord kRshNa,
the virtuous people saw all signs of tranquility all around them.  He
gives support from vishNu purANam, 5.3, which elaborately describes the
tranquility and auspicious signs at the time of birth of child kRshNa
to devaki. One of the Sloka-s from the reference is: 

	santah santosham adhikam praSamam canDa mArutah     | 
	prasAdam nimagnA yAtA jAyamAne janArdane   ||   (vishNu purA. 5.3.4)

"The virtuous experienced new delight, the strong winds subsided, and
the river glided tranquilly, as janArdana was about to be born".

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives additional examples.  As soon as Lord kRshNa
was born to devaki, He unfettered vasudeva from the shackles that held
him in prison;  Even as a child,  and He ridded the asura-s from
amongst the gopi-s and gopa-s in nandagopa's place.  SrI rAmAnujan
observes that in addition to His being sad-gatih (the path for the
good), He is also asad-gatih - The Redeemer of the bad also, like
SiSupAla.  So He is the gati for asat-s also.  nammAzhvAr refers to Him
in his tiruvAimozhi pASuram 7.2.7 as "paRRilAr paRRa ninRAn" - He Who
is the Refuge for even those such as kAkAsuran.                        
                                                                       
                        

b) SrI Samkara gives the significance of the nAma as "He Who is the
Goal or Refuge for the good".  He quotes from taittirIya Upanishad,
which says that "If a person knows that Brahman exists, then the wise
call him good" - asti brahmeti ced veda, santamenam tato viduh (taitt.
2.6).  

c) SrI Samkara also gives an additional interpretation using the
meaning "intellect" for the term "gati".  Thus the nAma can also mean
"He Who has a superior intellect".- sati gatih, buddhih samutkRshTA
asya iti vA sad-gatih.

d) SrI baladeva vidyAbhUshaN uses the meaning "accessible or
attainable" to the term "gatih", and gives the interpretation that He
is accessible to the good, such as bhIshma - satAm bhIshmAdInAm
prApyatvAt sad-gatih.    
-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan


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