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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 89 - an-aghah.

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champakam • April 23, 2003 


    SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 89 - an-aghah.

835. an-aghah – a) The Sinless.
		b) He Who is opposed to sin.
		c)  He Who is of blemishless character.
		d) He Who does not suffer sorrow.


Om anaghAya namah.

This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 148, Slokam 16.

The root word involved in the nAma is agh – pApa karaNe –to go wrong, 
to sin.  agho nAsti yasmin so'naghah – He Who does not have any sin 
is an-aghah.  Or, na aghah – agha Sabda pApa vacanah, tad-virodhI ca 
anaghah – He Who is opposed to sin is an-aghah.  agha also means 
duhkham or sorrow –He Who does not suffer sorrow is an-aghah.

a) BhagavAn takes birth in the midst of us, in the midst of samsAra.  
Even so, He is sinless.  This is the aspect that SrI BhaTTar stresses 
in his interpretation for this nAma in Slokam 16 - samsAra madhye 
janitvA'pi an-aghah.   SrI v.v. rAmAnujan notes that even though Lord 
rAma had to go through enormous hardships as part of this samsAra –
 "nATTil piRandu paDAdana paTTu", still He was completely sinless.  
His birth and His actions are purely because of His leelA.   He is 
apahatapApmA – completely opposed to faults of any kind.  He 
is "kuRaivu onRum illAda govindan" (ANDAL – tiruppAvai).  In addition 
to Himself being sinless, He is the One who removes the sins of 
others.  

For the current instance of the nAma, SrI BhaTTar's interpretation 
deals with the reason why He is sinless as noted above – it is 
because He is not subject to karma, and so He is entirely different 
from the jIva-s that are under His control – akarma vaSatvena tan-
magna jIva vilakshaNah an-aghah.    

There are several other anubhava-s as to why bhagavAn is an-aghah.   
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan notes that His body is made of Suddha sattva 
material, which is beyond the processes of aging, decay, death, 
disease, etc.   This is one reason why He is an-aghah from the aspect 
of His body.  

c) nammAzhvAr refers to emperumAn as "tIdil SIr tiruvE'nakaTattAn" 
(tiruvAi. 3.3.5) One with blemishless character.  Here, His guNa of 
simplicity in blessing His devotees with the utmost Mercy, 
irrespective of their infinite faults, is the aspect that is 
enjoyed.   SrI v. n. vedAnta  deSikan comments that He is without 
tIdu –anaghan, because He is standing there in tiruvE'nkaTam 
patiently, waiting for protection-seekers, un-mindful of any demerits 
of these persons, not satisfied till the last one is redeemed;  this 
simplicity and magnanimous grace are His greatest virtues that really 
mark Him out.

SrI Sa'nkara distinguishes between the two instances of the nAma by 
using the two different meanings for the words agham – duhkham and 
pApam.  This is the same approach that SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj 
uses as well.  The meaning "sorrow" for the word "agham", in addition 
to the meaning "sin", is supported by the amara koSam – a'nagho 
duhkha vyasaneshvagham (3.3.27)  – SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj.  

SrI Sankara's interpretation for this nAma in Slokam 16 was: agham na 
vidyate asya iti an-aghah, and he gives the quote from chAndogya 
Upanishad 8.1 in support – apahatapApmA – He is free from sin.  For 
the nAma in Slokam 16, SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also uses the 
meaning "sin" – na agham yasmin iti an-agho nish-pApah.

d) SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation for the current instance of the nAma 
is: agham duhkham pApam ca dvayam asya na vidyata iti an-aghah – One 
Who is without sin or sorrow.  SrI bhAradvAj's interpretation for the 
current instance of the nAma uses this meaning:  na agham duhkham 
yasmin iti an-aghah.   

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri comments that bhagavAn is devoid of bad deeds, 
the sins that result from such deeds, and the sorrow that result from 
them.  It is the thought of committing sins that is the start of the 
act of sinning.  He is devoid of such thought to start with.  So 
there is no evil deed.  Since there is no evil deed, there is no 
consequence of the evil deed also – the duhkham.  He gives several 
quotes from the Sruti in support:

-	Suddham apApa viddham – ISAvAs. 8 -  Ever pure, untouched by 
puNya and pApa.
-	apahatapApma abhayam rUpamÂ…. tad-Apta kAmam Atma kAmam akAmam 
rUpam SokAntaram  – Brhad. upa. 4.3.21)
-	AtmA apahatapApamA vijaraj  - chAndogya. 8.7.1 – That AtmA 
which is sinless, ageless, Â….
-	na jarA na mRtyur na Soko n sukRtam na dushkRtam sarve 
pApmAno'to nivartante apahatapApmA .. (chAn. 8.4.1)

SrI cinmayAnanda gives reference to a similar message in chAndogya 
Upanishad 8.1.5 – esha AtmA apahatapApmA vijaro vimRtyur viSoko 
vijighatso'pipAsah satyakAma satya sa'nkalpah …. – This is the AtmA 
that is opposed to all that is defiling, free from old age, death, 
sorrow, hunger, and thirst, and has true desire and true will.  SrI 
cinmayAnanda comments that the peace of virtue or the agitations of 
the sin in us cannot affect the Illuminator of all consciousness, and 
He is free from sin and uncontaminated (aliptah).

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN refers us to bhIshma's words – "pavitrANAm 
pavitram yah" in the introductory part of SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam – 
The Purest of the Pure.  

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan





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