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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 89 - sapta-vAhanah.

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champakam • April 14, 2003 


    SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 89 - sapta-vAhanah.

833. sapta-vAhanah – a) He Who has seven vehicles in the form of the 
seven vedic mantra-s represented by the seven horses of the Sun.
		b) He Who supports the Universe in the form of the 
seven Sun-s.
		c) He Who supports the three worlds through the seven 
vAyu-maNDala-s or regions of air.
		d) He Who has a vehicle with its horse named sapta.
		e) He Who protects the beings through facilities that 
has provided in units of seven – seven types of fluids in our system, 
seven holes in our face as sense organs, the seven objects of these 
sense-organs, etc.
		f) He Who conducts the seven worlds with prosperity.
	
Om sapta-vAhanAya namah.

The word vAhana is derived from the root vah – prApane – to bear 
along, to carry, to flow.    vAhanam also has a meaning "an animal 
used in riding, such as a horse".   He who propagates or is carried 
along through things that are in units of seven, or who is supported 
by things that are in units of seven, is sapta-vAhanah.  

a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma as "One Who has as His vehicle the 
sun whose chariot has seven horses (of the sun)".   These are 
considered the presiding deities of the seven veda mantra-s in the 
context of this nAma: bhU, bhuvah, suvah, mahah, janah, tapah, and 
satyam.  The chandas associated with these mantra-s are 
respectively:   gAyatrI, ushnik, anushTup, bRhatI, pa'ngti, trishTup, 
jagati.  The devatA-s associated with these mantra-s are:  agni, 
vAyu, arka(sun), vAgISa (bRhaspati), vruNa, indra, viSvedeva).  These 
seven devatA-s lead the sun in his course.  Since BhagavAn supports 
the sun through these seven devatA-s and the seven mantra-s 
associated with these seven meters, He is called sapta-vAhanah.  
These seven mantra-s are vehicles that reveal Him, and they are 
couched in the seven meters referred to above.  We worship Him who is 
in the center of the sUrya maNDalam through these veda mantra-s.    
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives reference to SiRiya tirumaDal of tiruma'ngai 
AzhvAr:  kArAr puravi Ezh pUNDa tani Azhi terAr nirai kadirOn 
manDalattAn.   

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives reference to SrI vishNu purANam 2.8, 
where the sun and its characteristics are described.  The reference 
to the seven horses that support the sun is given in V.P. 2.8.5:

	hayASca saptac-chandAmsi teshAm nAnAni me SruNu    |
	gAyatrI sa bRhat-ushNig jagatI trishTubeva ca    |
	anushTup pa'nctir-ityuktAS-chandAmsi harayo raveh   ||   (VP 
2.8.5)

"The seven horses of the sun's car are the meters of the veda-s: 
gAyatrI, bRhatI, ushNig, jagatI, trishTubh, anushTubh, and pa'nkti". 
SrI satya sandha yatirAja also refers to the seven horses of the sun, 
and bhagavAn's nAma of sapta-vAhanah signifying that He leads the sun 
with the seven horses – sapta-vAhanah sapta vAhA aSvA yasya sah sapta-
vAhah sUryas tam nayati iti sapta-vAhanah. 

SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is that bhagavAn in the form of the sun 
has a vAhana or vehicle with seven horses – sapta AsvA vAhanAni asya 
iti sapta-vAhanah.  

b) SrI SAstri also points to seven suns – Arogah, bhrAjah, paTarah, 
pata'ngah, svarNarah, jyotishImAn, vibhAsah (see aruNa praSnam 20 – 
(Arogo bhrAjah paaTarah pata'ngah   | svarnaro jyotishImAn vibhAsah 
|).  Of these, Aroga is the sun that we see.  We do not see the other 
six suns, since three of these sustain the lower part of the meru 
mountain, and three shine on the upper part of the meru.  BhagavAn is 
called sapta-vAhanah, since He supports all parts of the Universe 
through these seven vehicles or the seven suns.   

c) SrI BhaTTar gives an alternate interpretation in terms of His 
protecting the Universe through seven regions of prANA Sakti – vital 
airs – in the forms of seven vAyu maNDala-s or regions of air.  Prof. 
A. Srinivasa Raghavan describes these seven regions of air in the 
three worlds as Avaha, pravaha, samvaha, udvaha, vivaha, parivaha, 
and parAvaha.  Sinve vAyu or air gets its strength from the life-
breath of the Lord of the World, He is the Supporter of all the 
worlds in the form of the seven maNDala-s or regions of air. 
	
d) SrI Sa'nkara also gives an alternate interpretation for which he 
quotes support from the Sruti – He Who has a vehicle called sapta – 
eko'Svo vahati sapta-nAmA (tait. AraN. 3.11.9; Rg. Sam. 1.164.2) – 
The horse named sapta is carrying Him.  

e) SrI rAdhA kRshNa SAstri points out that there are several aspects 
of our body that are in units of seven.   There are seven dhAtu-s – 
essential ingredients - associated with the body – rasA sR'ng mAmsa 
medah asti majjA SuklAni dhAtavah according to the ancient medical 
science - Chyle, blood, flesh, fat, bone, marrow, semen.   Since 
bhagavAn supports the body with these seven essential ingredients, He 
has the nAma sapta-vAhanah.

Or, there are seven dvAra-s (openings or holes) in our face – the two 
eyes, the two nostrils, the two ears, and the mouth.  The life energy 
is exchanged in our body through these openings, and since He 
supports the life through these seven vehicles, He is called sapta-
vAhanah.

Or, these seven openings are like the seven tongues through which our 
life is sustained , through the senses of feelings, sight, taste, 
smell, etc.  These are the sapta-jivhAh, sapta, edhAh (firewood), 
sapta-vAhana, etc.  SrI SAstri gives the muNDakopanishad passage in 
support:

	sapta prANAh prabhavanti tasmAt sapArcishah samidhah sapta 
homAh (jihvAh)    |
	sapteme lokA yeshu caranti prANA guhASayA nihitAh sapta 
sapta   ||   (muNDa. 2.1.8)

Slightly different translations of the above are given below, in the 
interests of additional clarity.

"Form the akshara purusha emerge the seven sense organs, the seven 
fires, the sacrificial fuel, and the seven flames, and the seven 
worlds in which we move the sense organs that are deposited by the 
Creator in groups of seven and seven".

"From Him emerge the seven sense-organs, the seven flames, the seven 
kinds of fuel, the seven oblations, and these seats where move the 
sense-organs that sleep in the cavity, having been deposited by God 
in groups of seven".

"From Him, too, the seven senses in the head, their powers of 
cognition, their objects and their knowledge, as also the seven seats 
of sense traversed by the life forces centered in the hearts of all 
creatures.   (The seven seats are the nerve centers of the inner 
principles of the senses, without which the external senses cannot by 
themselves function).

The seven sense-organs are the ones located in our head – the two 
eyes, the two nostrils, the two ears, and the mouth; the seven 
flames – the means of illumination of the objects of these sense-
organs;  the sapta-samidah – the seven objects of these sense-organs, 
since the sense-organs are kindled by these objects. 

f) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshan gives his interpretation in terms of 
bhagavAn conducting the seven worlds prosperously:  sapta-bhuvanAni 
vAhayati prApayati abhyudayam iti sapta-vAhanah.  

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives support from  SrImad bhAgavatam 
giving the interpretation that Lord kRshNa had as His vehicles the 
following seven, consisting of four horses, the chariot itself, 
garuDa, and A'njaneya:

   - tatra AsvAh Saibya sugrIva megha pushpa balAhakAh   (   (SrImad 
bhAgavatam 10.89.49)
   - syandanam pa'ncamam – the chariot itself
   - chandomayena garuDena samuhyamAnah cakrAyudho'yagamadASu yato 
gajendrah   |  (bhAga. 8.3.31)
   - bikshu rUpam parityajya vAnara rUpam Asthitah   |
      pRshThamAropya tau vIrau jagAma kapiku'njarah   ||  ( rAmAyaNam 
4.4.34)

g) SrI cinmayAnanda's anubhavam is that this nAma of bhagavAn 
signifies that the sun is drawn by the seven horses, representing the 
seven days of the week.  He has not given the basis for this 
interpretation.  

The nAma has similarities to vAyu-vAhanah (nAma  333, 860 – Slokam  
36, 90 ), which we will deal with in Slokam 90.

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan



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