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SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 29.

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Krishnamachari, N (Krish) • April 3, 1998 


				SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 29.

subhujo durdharo vAgmI mahendro vasudo vasuh             |
		naikarUpo br*had-rUpah SipivishTah prakASanah          ||

Om subhujAya namah
Om durdharAya namah
Om vAgmine namah
Om mahendrAya namah
Om vasudAya namah
Om vasave namah
Om naikarUpAya namah
Om br*had-rUpaya namah
Om SipivishTAya namah
Om prakASanAya namah

266.  su-bhujah - One with majestic arms.

Om su-bhujAya namah

SobhanA bhujAh asya iti subhujah.  SrI BhaTTar interprets the majesty 
and strength of His arms to always shoulder the burden of those that 
seek refuge in Him.  SrI Sankara extends this to refer to the 
protection of the whole world.  SrI cinmayAnanda refers to the beauty 
of the arms that always protect and bless (abhaya and vara-da).  SrI 
rAdhAkr*hNa SAstri describes the beauty of the arms that are always 
ready with the Ayudha-s for the protection of the devotees lest there 
is any delay when the need arises to use them - pAtu praNata rakshAyAm 
vilambam asahanniva, sadA pa~ncAyudhIm bibhrat sa nah SrIra~nga 
nAyakah.

The writer in dharma cakram points out that the term subhuja refers to 
the  hands of mahAvishNu that carry the Sa~nkha, cakra, gadA and 
padma.  The Sankha reminds us of the Om-kAra or praNava mantra.  The 
cakra both protects those that follow the path of dharma and destroys 
those who follow the path of adharma.  The gadA functions to 
discipline the evil, and the padma shows His sweet disposition towards 
those who seek Him.

267.  dur-dharah - a) The irresistible.
b)  One who is difficult to comprehend
c)  One who is difficult to hold in concentration
d)  One who cannot be supported by anyone or anything else

Om durdharAua namah.

Recall that SrI BhaTTar has interpreted the previous nAma in terms of 
the strength of His arms.  He continues with that thought, and 
interprets the current nAma as indicating that the strength is such 
that it is irresistible like the force of the gushing waters of a 
great ocean against a dam made of playsand.

SrI Sankara gives the interpretation that He is difficult to be held, 
e.g., the yogi-s find it difficult to hold him in their thoughts 
during their meditation.   An alternate interpretation given by him is 
that nothing else can support Him who supported everything else.  SrI 
cinmayAnanda interprets the nAma as one who is difficult to comprehend 
even by the great yogi-s.

The dharma cakram writer points out that we should develop a clean 
mind in order to be able to retain Him in our mind.  For this, 
 recourse to such things as nAma pArAyaNam areof  help.  Once the mind 
becomes clean, thoughts of mahA vishNu occupy our mind, and bad 
thoughts do not occupy our mind.

268.  vAgmI - a) He who has words which are praise-worthy.
 b) He who has powerful words.
c) He from whom the veda-s originated.

Om vAgmine namah.

	veda-s arebut the words of bhagavAn.  He also was powerful in 
persuading arjuna through His words (gItA) in the battlefield when 
arjuna had laid down his arms.  He is vAgmI also because His words are 
sweet and kind - buddhimAn madhurAbhAshI pUrvabhAshI pryam vadah - 
rAma is wise and speaks sweet words; He is the first to speak and also 
speaks kind words - ayodhyA kANdam 1.13.

	A very good summary of the power of His words is quoted in dharma 
cakram from the gItA, reflecting arjuna's state of mind after 
listening to Lord kr*shNa's words -

nashTo mohah smr*tir-labdhA taaaat-prsAdAn mayA acyuta     |
	sthito'smi gata-sandehah karishye vacanam tava 
                         ||   (18-73)

	"acyuta! By your Grace (gItopadeSam) my ignorance has now gone; I 
have regained my memory, and now I am steady and free from doubt and 
am ready to act according to Your instructions"

269.  mahendrah - a) He of great wealth.
b)  The God of Indra and other gods.

Om mahendrAya namah.

	The root from which this nAma is derived is idi - paramaiSvarye - to 
own great wealth.  Since He thus pervades everything in many different 
ways, He is the Lord of everything.  He is also mahendra because He is 
the Lord of Indra, who is the representation of strength, which is one 
of the six qualities of SrIman nArAyaNa.

	SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives a second interpretation based indhI - 
dIptau to shine, to kindle.  Thus He is mahendra since He is the one 
who kindles the light in every being or is the light in all beings.

270.  vasu-dah   -   The Giver of wealth.

Om vasudAya namah.

	vasu - dhanam dadAti iti vasu-dah.  One who bestows His wealth to the 
devotees without their asking for it.  He can give the lordship of the 
three worlds to a devotee, or He can also give the lesser riches to 
those who want it.  SrI satyadevo vAsishTha points out that this act 
of bhagavAn giving wealth to everyone is behind the act of anyone 
giving anything to anyone.  For instance, when one does vastra-dAnam, 
or anna-dAnam, or imparts knowledge to another, or any other act of 
giving, it is a demonstration of the guNa of Giver of mahA vishNu.

271.  vasuh - He who is Himself the wealth sought by those who have 
realized the Truth.

Om vasave namah.

This nAma occurred earlier as nAma 105, and will re-occur as nAma 701. 
 Please refer to the previous write-up as well.  vAsudevah sarvam iti 
sa mahAtmA sudurlabhah - Rare indeed is the great soul who has 
realized that the ultimate object to be attained is vAsudeva, and the 
means for attaining this wealth is also vAsudeva (gItA 7.19).

>From the next nAma, SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma-s as illustrations 
of the cosmic form or the viSva-rUpa of the Lord.

272.  naika-rUpah - He of Infinite forms (as seen in viSvarUpa).

Om naikarUpAya namah.

	In gItA we have paSyAmi tvAm sarvatah ananta rUpam - I see You 
everywhere with Your endless forms - 11.16.  SrI cinmayAnanda gives 
the following quote -

	"jalam vishNuh sthalam vishNuh vishNur_AkASam ucyate     |
	 sthAvaram ja~ngamam vishNuh sarvam vishNu-mayam jagat ||

	SrI rAdhAkr*shNa SAstri expressses his anubhavam of this nAma by 
pointing out that this guNa of assuming multiple forms is consistent 
with (almost necessitated by) His role is the Giver of wealth to 
everyone.  For giving wealth to everyone, He needed to be in multiple 
forms and at multiple places at the same time.

273.  br*had-rUpah - He of an immense form.

Om br*had-rUpAya namah.

	br*hat means mahat or big.  SrI T. S. Kr*shNamUrti has translsted 
this as 'mysterious'.  He is of an immense form.  SrI Sankara has 
given the example of the varAha incarnation where He carried the 
submerged Earth with a form which was big enough to ensure that the 
Earth did not submerge again as it was carried.  The trivikrama 
incarnation is another example where His form covered all the three 
worlds and the skies.  SrI cinmayaAnanda gives the purusha sUktam 
passage - atyatishThat daSA~ngulam - He is not only of the total size 
and dimension fot he Universe but He stands beyond it by ten digits. 
The dharma cakram author points out that to "see"  this br*had-rUpam, 
the mortal eyes are not sufficient, and it is thus that we do not just 
see Him but have to experience Him.  The more we see this immensity of 
His Nature and His sarva vyApatitvam, the more we will get out of this 
"small" world or our bodies and our small pleasures.

274.  Sipi-vishTah - He who pervades the rays.

Om Sipi-vishTAya namah.

	The word Sipi  has two meanings - rays and animals.  Thus there are 
two interpretations.  The first is that He is Sipi-vishTa because He 
is in the forms of rays for example the Sun's rays, the rays emanating 
from the fire, etc.  SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is Sipayah - raSmayah, 
tAn sampravishTah - vyAptavAn iti SipivishTah.  He quotes Yaska from 
nirukata to support this - Sipayo raSmayah ucyante, taih AvishTah.  In 
the nirukti which is a summary of SrI BhaTTar's interpreations by an 
unknown author, we have

	Sipayo raSmayah proktAh vyApya teshvapi vartanAt        |
	 SipivishTah samAkhyAtah sUryendy-agnAdi rUpavat     ||

In mahAbhArata we have

	Sipi-vhshTeti yaccAsya pItam romam ca yad-bhavet        |
	 tenApi vishTam yat ki~ncit Sipi-vishTam hi tat-smr*tam    ||  (Santi 
parva 343-41)

	"He has tawny hairs on His body; with that body He has pervaded all 
other things. So He is known as Sipi-vishTa."

	In udyoga parva we have roma kupeshu ca tathA sUryasyeva marIcayah - 
He who enters into the pores of the body like the rays of the sun.

	lingAyatasUrin in his vyAkhyAna for amarakoSa has given the following 
- Sipishu paSushu janeshu vishTo vyApta iti SipivishTah - One who has 
pervaded all animals and humans  is SipivishTah.

275.  prakASanah - a) One who shows Himself to His devotees.
b)  One who illumines everything.

Om prakASanAya namah.

	SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma to mean that BhagavAn shows His 
celestial form to arjuna and others who long to see it.  SrI Sankara's 
interpretation is that He is prakASana because He illumines everything 
- prakASayati iti prakASanah.  The dharam cakram writer points out 
that the illumination He provides is the path that leads to His 
realization.

-dAsan kr*shNamAcAryan