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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 89 - satptaidhAh.

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champakam • April 7, 2003 


    SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 89 - satptaidhAh.

832. saptaidhAh – One Who is kindled in the form of fire by the seven 
kinds of offerings.

Om saptaidhase namah.

The previous nAma, sapta-jihvah, was interpreted in terms of the 
different types of flames, with their individual traits such as 
differing colors and other attributes, and also the different devatA-
s to whom they carried the offerings.  The current nAma refers to the 
different types of fuels that are used to raise these fires, both in 
the form of the fuels themselves and in the form of the different 
types of yAj~na-s.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the root for the current nAma as edh – 
vRddhau – to grow, to prosper.  The term edhas is used to refer to 
fuel that kindles the fire.  The nirukti author gives the 
description – sapta edhAh yasya santi sah saptaidAh.   Apte's 
dictionary gives the meaning "fuel" to the word edhas (he gives a 
reference from the gItA in support – yathaidhAmsi samiddhognir-
bhasmasAt kurute'rjuna – Bg. 4.37).  edhA also means `prosperity, 
happiness'.

a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation uses the meaning "fuel" (based on the 
translation of SrI A. Srinivsa Raghavan) for the word edhas, and his 
vyAkhyAnam is "One Who shines like fire through the seven kinds of 
fuels".  SrI BhaTTar proceeds to describe the kinds of `fuels' that 
kindle this `Fire' – it is the offerings of different kinds in the 
form of pAka-yaj~na, havir-yaj~na, soma-samstha, etc., each of which 
is of seven kinds.  SrI Srinivasa Raghavan describes these further:

-	pAka-yaj~na (based on cooked food):  aupAsana, vaiSva-deva, 
sthAlI-pAka, ashTakA SrAddha, monthly ceremonies, ISAna bali, and 
sarpa bali.
-	havir-yaj~na (oblations in fire): agni-hotra, darSa-pUrNa-
mAsa, piNDa-pitR-yaj~na, paSu-bandha, AgrAyaNa, cAtur-mAsya, and 
sautrA-maNi.
-	soma-samstha (yAga-s): agni-shToma, atyagni-shToma, uktya, 
shodaSa, vAjapeya, atirAtra, and aptor-yAma.   
-	The sticks of seven forest trees that bear fruit apparently 
without any blossoms and that are used in sacrifices.  These are:  
the palASa tree, the banyan tree, the fig tree, the jack tree, the 
SamI, aSani-hata, and pushkara-parNa.  

Thus, in SrI BhaTTar's interpretation, the nAma refers to "One Who is 
kindled in the form of fire by the seven kinds of offerings".

SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is "sapta edhAmsi dIptayo'sya iti 
saptaidhAh – agnih" -  He that has seven flames.   He gives the 
support from the Sruti – `sapta te agne samidhah, sapta jivhAh' 
(tait. sam. 1.5.3) – "O Fire, you have seven flames, seven tongues".  

SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives the interpretation in terms of the 
sapta-Rshi-s – the seven stars of the Ursa Major constellation 
(marIci, atri, a'ngiras, pulastya, pulaha, kratu, and vasishTha).  
His interpretation is that the nAma signifies that bhagavAn is the 
Supporter of the seven Rshi-s in the form of the stars – sapta-RshIn 
edhayati vardhayati iti saptaidhAh.    Thus, the term edhas is here 
used in the sense of prosperity and happiness.

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan




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