vishNu sahasranAmam (7)
From the Bhakti List Archives
• April 15, 1996
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Dear All-
I was unable to post the translations of vishNu sahasranAmam for the past
three weeks because I was out of town and got very busy on my return.
I apologize on this account. I've transcribed some more Slokas and will
post them regularly until the end of this month. Then I'll be gone for six
weeks (from May 1 to June 15) to Denmark and India.
namo nArAyaNA
-Srinivasan
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PB = Translation of srI parAsara bhattar's commentary.
SA = Translation of srI sankarAchArya's commentary.
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(sl-11) ajaH sarveSvaraH siddhaH siddhiH sarvAdir acyutaH
vRshAkapir ameyAtmA sarva-yoga-viniHsRtaH
95 ajaH
PB: Remover (of all obstacles). The root 'aja' means 'to push
away and remove'. Thus, He Himself removes all obstacles to
their (jIvAs) reaching Him. Vide gItA:
"Out of sheer pity for them I remain in their mind and
remove the darkness born of ignorance by the lamp of
knowledge",
"I shall free you from all sins".
SA: One who has no birth. Sruti says: "na jAto, na janishyate-
One who is unborn and would never be born".
96 sarveSvaraH
PB: He who reaches all (those who seek refuge in Him, whether they
are qualified or not in order to avoid delay in dispelling
their uneasiness). Vide rAmAyaNa sloka-
"vibhIshaNenASu jagAma sangamam- Without any delay rAma met
vibhIshaNa".
SA: The Lord of Lords; the Supreme Master. Vide-
"eSa sarveSvaraH - He is the Lord of all" (mAn.U. 6)
97 siddhaH
PB: He is by His very nature the ultimate goal of His devotees.
He cannot be reached by any means (sAdhanas). Vide-
"Wise say that brahman itself is means and the goal".
SA: Eternally perfect/established in His own nature.
98 siddhiH
PB: Goal (to be reached). He is Himself the fruit to be enjoyed.
SA: He who is of the nature of Consciousness in all.
Or, He whose form excels that of all others,
Or, He who is the fruit of all endeavors.
99 sarvAdiH
PB: The Source of all (goals, high or low, of His devotees". Vide-
"Those who worship you, the Supreme Purusha, deva, ancient
and unchanging, attain always their desires in this world and
in the next".
SA: The Primary cause of all elements (The Cause of all causes).
100 acyutaH
PB: He who is never separated (from those who have surrendered
unto Him). Vide-
"I have never abandoned (my devotees) and because of this
I am called achyuta".
"I do not disappear from Him",
"Never will I abandon him".
SA: He who has never lost and will never lose his inherent nature
and powers.
"SAsvatam Sivam acyutam- He is eternal, auspicious and
undecaying" (nAr.U. 13.1),
Again it is said: "yasmAn na cyuta-pUrvo'ham acyutas tena
karmaNA- as I never had a fall (cyuti) I'm acyuta".
101 vRshAkapiH
PB and SA: One who showers all the desirable things. Another meaning
is: 'vRshAH' means dharma; and 'kam' means water. 'apAt
signifies uplifting. In the varAhAvatAra (Boar incarnation)
vishNu uplifted the earth from pralaya waters. Thus, He is
of the nature of dharma (vRshAH) and kapi (Boar). Vide-
"kapi is the sublime varAha and vRsha is dharma; thefore,
kAsyapa, the sub-creator called dharma varAha".
102 ameyAtmA
PB: One with immeasurable compassion for his bhaktas. Vide-
"Therefore the Supreme is great",
"janArdana is, therefore, Great".
SA: One whose Greatness is immeasurable.
103 sarvayoga-viniHsRtaH
PB: One who is easily attained through the means (yogas)
outlined in the Sastras and through sAdhanas created by
one's intelligence. Vide-
"paramAtmA, the Lord of the Universe, is ever with the
person who realizes Him my means of comprehension through
his mind alone, becoming pleased with the enjoyment of His
glory".
SA: One who stands aside completely from all bondage. Vide-
"asango hi ayam purushaH - this purusha is without any
attachment" (Br.U. 4.3.15).
Or, it can mean one who is known through all the Yogas or
spiritual disciplines taught in the scriptures.
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(sl-12) vasur vasumanAH satyaH samAtmA sammitaH samaH
amoghaH puNDrIkAksho vRsha-karmA vRshAkRtiH
104 vasuH
PB: He who dwells in them with great pleasure (however little
they are devoted towards Him).
SA: One in whom all beings dwell and one who dwells in all beings.
gItA (10.23) says:
"vasUnAm pAvakaS c'Asmi - Among vasus I am fire (pAvaka)".
105 vasumanAH
PB: He who has a heart which thinks of His devotees as a treasure
Vide- "Such a great soul is very rare"
SA: 'Vasu' means riches/wealth and indicates greatness. So it means
one possessed with a great mind (devoid of vanity, anger,
ill-will and other blemishes).
106 satyaH
PB: He who is well-disposed to his devotees.
SA: One whose nature is Truth. Vide-
"satyam j~nAnam anantam brahma - brahman is Truth, Knowledge
and Infinite" (Tait.U. 2.1.1),
"sac ca tyac ca - sat means manifest as effect and tyac,
unmanifested causal condition. Thus as He is all that exists
in the manifest and unmanifest conditions He is called satyaH,
the True" (Tait.U. 2.6.1).
107 samAtmA
PB: He who is equally disposed towards all, without thinking if
they are high or low by virtue of their qualities. Vide gItA:
"samoham sarvabhUteshu - I am same to all beings".
SA: One whose mind is sama, without partiality or anger (and thus
same towards all). Vide-
"He is present alike in all beings".
108 sammitaH
PB: He who has been well defined to His devotees as to be claimed
(by devotees like dasaratha,vasudeva etc.) as their own.
Vide-
"UnashoDaSavarsho me rAmorAjIvalocanaH - My lotus-eyed rAmA
is only fifteen years of age".
"mamAyam tanayo nihaH - He (kRshNA) is my son".
SA: This name and the previous one (samAtmA) can be split in two
ways: 'samAtmA + sammitaH' meaning 'determined by all
existing entities' or as 'samAtmA + asammitaH' meaning
'unlimited by any entity'.
109 samaH
PB: He who treats all His devotees equally (irrespective of
old and new, high and low etc.).
SA: One free from any change.
Or, 'samaH' = 'sa + mA' = 'with' + 'lakshmI' (always united
with mahAlakshmI)
110 amoghaH
PB: He who never fails His devotees prayers. Vide-
"rAmA, Your darSana is always beneficial; praising You never
fails. Your devotees are certain of Your grace".
SA: One whose worship is never futile. Vide Br.U.8.7.1-
"That one who is satya-samkalpaH, i.e., whose resolution
always becomes true"
111 puNDrIkAkshaH
PB: He is the eye of all the liberated souls in the paramapada
called the puNDarIka. Vide-
"Thou art like the broad eye in the Heaven".
SA: One who has pervaded (is realized in) the lotus of the heart.
Or, one who is lotus-eyed.
112 vRsha-karmA
PB: One whose action is always righteous in spite of His Supreme
nature (vRsha = righteous).
SA: He whose actions are according to vRsha (dharma).
113 vRshAkRtiH
PB: He of dhArmic form. Or He is vRsha-karmA and vRshAkRti
because He possesses a beautiful form and also does acts
that are cool and refreshing like a shower of ambrosia (that
removes sAmsAric ills). Vide-
"The Supreme refreshes the Universe with His lustre equal to
that of ten thousand moons".
SA: He who takes form for the sake of dharma (vRsha).
gItA (4.8) says-
"dharma-samsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi yuge yuge - I body
Myself forth from age to age in order to preserve dharma".
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S. G. Srinivasan email : sgsrini@u.washington.edu
Graduate Student
Dept. Of Mater. Sci. & Engg.
Room 204, Roberts Hall, BOX 352120
University Of Washington Phone : (206)-632-1083 (H)
Seattle, WA 98195-2120 (206)-685-3851 (W)
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