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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 77 - Part 1.

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Narasimhan Krishnamachari • August 19, 2002 


         SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 77- viSva-mUrtih.

	viSva-mUrtir_mahA-mUrtir_dIpta-mUrtir_a-mUrtimAn       |
	aneka-mUrtir-a-vyaktah Sata-mUrtiS-SatAnanah     ||

om viSva-mUrtaye namah.
Om mahA-mUrtaye namah.
Om dIpta-mUrtaye namah.
Om a-mUrti-mate namah.
Om aneka-mUrtaye namah.
Om a-vyaktAya namah.
Om Sata-mUrtaye namah
Om SatAnanAya namah.

722. viSva-mUrtih - a) He Who has the Universe as His body.
	b) He Who has a beautiful Form that finds entry into the mind, eyes,
etc., of His devotees. 
	c) He Who has mAyA Sakti in the form of the Universe.
	d) He Who has a Form that can induce mAyA in everything.

Om viSva-mUrtaye namah.

a) SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as indicating that bhagavAn has the
whole Universe as His body.  He is the Inner Soul who resides in the
hearts of all beings - "ahm AtmA guDAkeSa! Sarva-bhUtAtaya-sthitah" 
(gItA 10.19).    SrI BhaTTar points out that the reason why the strong
ones always do not always win in conflicts with the weak is because
bhagavAn is sitting in the hearts of the weak also, ensuring that
dharma is preserved at all times and under all conditions.  SrI v.v.
rAmAnujan observes that this is why the kauravas, with a might army and
with the support of the likes of bhIshma and droNa, could not defeat
the pANDava-s.   nammAzhvAr sings this "viSva mUrti" form of bhagavAn
in tiruvAimozhi 6.9.7:

	ulagil tiriyum karuma gadiyAi ulagamAi 
	ulagukkE Or uyirumAnAiÂ…..

"You are the karma-s; You are the worlds in which they are performed;
You are the Soul of all beings;Â…" .

SrI Samkara vyAkhyAnam is "viSvam mUrtih asya sarvAtmakatvAt iti
viSva-mUrtih" - He Who has the whole universe as His body or form,
since He is soul of all.  SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri identifies viSva mUrti
with "viSva rUpam" that bhagavAn revealed in duryodhana's palace and
other instances.  He also gives references to the Sruti - "viSvAtmAnam
parAyaNam" ( tait. AraN. 10.13), "Urdhvaretam virUpAksham viSvarUpAya
vai namo namah" (tiat. AraN. 10.14).  

The dharma cakram writer comments that in order to appreciate the
significance of this viSva rUpam of bhagavAn, first one should develop
the mental maturity required for that.  In the case of arjuna, he asked
Lord kRshNa to show him the viSva rUpam, but when bhagavAn showed the
viSva rUpam to him, he was completely bewildered and confused.  This
nAma signifies to us the need for developing our mind so that we can
comprehend the viSva rUpam aspect of bhagavAn.   

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning of the root viS - to
enter, and gives the interpretation - viSati mano nayanAni satAm iti
viSvA; tADRSI kamanIyA mUrtih yasya iti viSva-mUrtih - He Who
has such an attractive Form that It finds entry into the minds, eyes,
etc., of the good people.  

c) d) In addition to the meaning "rUpam" or "Form" for the word mUrtih,
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the additional meaning "mAyArUpA mohikA
Saktih" for "mUrti" from the root murcchA - moha samuchrAyayoh - to
faint, to become senseless, to grow, to prevail, to be a match for. 
Thus he gives the following interpretations to the nAma viSva-mUrtih -
"viSvameva mUrtih AkAro yasya sah viSva-mUrtih", viSvameva mAyA =
vimohikA Sakti yasya sa viSva mUrtih"; "vISvasya mohikA Saktih yasya sa
viSva-mUrtih", which can be approximately translated as: "He Who has
the Form of the Universe", "He Who is the mAyA Sakti in the form of the
Universe", or "He Who can bind the Universe with mAyA".  
Even though every single thing in this universe is but a clear and
vivid expression of bhagavAn's Sakti, most of us do not recognize any
of that, and we look at our own form and conclude and feel proud that
we are in sole control of that.   All this is the result of bhagavAn's
mAyA or leelA.

The common dictionaries do not give this later meaning for the term
"mUrti" (namely, mAyArUpA mohikA Saktih), but Prof. A. A. Ramanathan
has included this interpretation in his collection of amara koSa
vyAkhyAna-s - mUrchyata iti mUrtih.

e) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN links his interpretation for the nAma
"viSva mUrtih" to the previous nAma a-parAjitah.  His anubhavam is that
bhagavAn is a-parAjitah or Unconquerable because He resides in and
controls all the bodies of all the deva-s, gandharva-s, mAnava-s etc. -
deva gandharva mAnavAdi sarva SarIrah. 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan


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