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SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 64 - Part 2.

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Narasimhan Krishnamachari • December 10, 2000 


         SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 64 - Part 2.

608. SrIvatsa-vakshAh - He who has the SrIvatsa mole on His chest.

Om SrIvatsa vakshase namah.

SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma-s starting from the current one and up
to nAma 619 as praising His sambandham with pirATTi.  The nirukti
description for the current nAma is:

		lakshmI-vallabhya saubhAgya cihnam SrIvatsa nAmakam  | 
		SrIvatsa vakshA asya asti vakshasi iti sa tu smRtah   ||

The SrIvatsa mark is the unique sign of He who is the lakshmI
vallabhan.   

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to SrI vishNu purANam where parASara
narrates to maitreyi what has been communicated to him by vyAsa, on how
vishNu bears the whole world, abiding in His nature, characterized by
ornaments and weapons.  In this description, the SrIvatsa mark is
described as the pradhAna seated in the Eternal:  

	SrIvatsa samsthAna dharam anante ca samASritam  (1.22.67)

The glorious Hari wears the pure soul of the world, undefiled, and void
of qualities, as the kaustubha gem.  The chief principle of things,
(pradhAna) is seated on the Eternal, as the SrI vatsa mark.   Intellect
abides in mAdhava, in the form of His mace. Â….

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers to another passage in SrImad bhAgavatam
(12.11.10) where the SrIvatsa mark is described as the reflection of
the kaustubha gem that bhagavAn wears, representing His Atma-jyoti
(translated as Suddha jIva caitanya by a translator):

     kaustubha vyapadeSena svAtma jyotih bibharti ajah  |
     tat-prabhA vyApinI sAkshAt SrIvatsam urasA prabhuh   ||

Similar to the description in vishNu purANam, this section of SrImad
bhAgavatam gives details of how bhagavAn bears on Him everything that
constitutes everything that exists.

SrI cinmayAnanda refers to the story of bhRgu maharshi's testing who
among the trinity was the superior one, and kicking Lord vishNu on His
chest.  He indicates that the mark of bhRgu's foot is the SrIvatsa mark
on the Lord's chest, since the Lord offered to bear the mark of bhRgu's
foot as an indication of how He values the touch of the feet of His
devotee.  He gives the reference to the story of bhRgu maharshi in
SrImad bhAgavatam (10-89), wherein bhagavAn says that mahAlakshmi will
henceforth reside in His vaksha sthalam because it has now been
purified by the touch of the sage's foot - 

adyAham bhagavan lakshmyA Asam ekAnta bhAjanam   |  
vatsyati urasi me bhUtih bhavat pAda hatAmhasah           ||  
(10.89.12)

SrI cinmayAnanda interprets this to mean that the SrIvatsa mark itself
is the mark of SrI on His chest ("bhagavAn says - He will ever bear the
mark of the sage's foot as SrI on His chest".).

The SrIvatsam mark on bhagavAn's chest is thus the representation of
pradhAna as being supported by Him, as the unique of Him who is the SrI
vallabhan, as the reflection of the kaustubha gem that bhagavAn wears,
and as the symbol of how He values His devotee as reflected by the
incident involving bhRgu maharshi.

609. SrI-vAsah - The Abode of lakshmi.

Om SrI-vAsAya namah.  

SrI BhaTTar gives reference to SrImad rAmAyaNam - yuddha kANDam 114.15
- referring to Lord as nitya SrIh.  He is like the garden consisting of
kalpaka trees, and She is kalpaka valli, who freely roams around as She
pleases in the kalpaka tree garden.  SrI v.v. rAmAnujan quotes
"agalagillEn iRaiyum enRu alarmEl ma'ngai uRai mARban" - tiruvAimozhi
6.10.10. 

SrI Samkara's vyAkhyAnam is "asya vakshasi SrIh anapAyinI vasati iti
SrI-vAsah" - One on whose chest SrIdevi dwells uninterruptedly. 

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj adds - "SobhA soundarya sampannah" as his
explanation for the nAma - He who is always full of eternal luster and
beauty.  SrI cinmAyananda gives a similar interpretation -   SrI vasati
asmin iti SrI-vasah - SrI - all glory and riches, ever dwell in His
bosom of love and beauty.  

The dharma cakram writer refers to different kinds of wealth, which all
can be grouped under the six categories - SrI, kIrti, aiSvarya, j~nAna,
vIrya, and vairAgya.  The term "bhagavAn" refers to One who has all
these six kinds of wealth.  In the case of others, if theys how the
slightest sign of having any one of these in some measure, we talk of
his having been blessed with "lakshmI kaTAksham".  The more one devotes
one's life in the thought and service of bhagavAn, the more these
qualities start demonstrating themselves in the individual.  This
should be the purpose of life correctly lived - Meditation on Him and
association with Him will lead to our acquiring these traits, just as
"poovODu Sernda nArum maNam peRum". 

SrI vAsah thus refers to Him who has SrI in the form of lakshmi with
Him always on His vaksha sthalam, as well as One who has all the SrI's
(kIrti-s) in full measure with Him always, undiminished, undiluted, and
uninterrupted.

610. SrI-patih - a) The Consort of lakshmi.
		B) The Master of the Supreme Cosmic Power.

Om SrI-pataye namah.

BhagavAn is the Eternal and suitable Consort of lakshmi in all the
incarnations, and She accompanies Him whatever form He takes in His
incarnation. SrI BhaTTar gives reference to SrIsUktam - asyeSAnA jagato
vishNupatnI - She is the Ruler of this Universe and the Consort of
vishNu, and to sundara kANDam 16.5 - 
 RAghavo'rhati vaidehIm tam ceyam asitekshaNA  -  Only Lord rAma is fit
for sItA, and only sItA is fit for rAghava.  

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives references to divyaprabandham - tiruvin
maNALan (tivuvAimozhi 1.9.1);  tiruvukkum tiruvAgiya SelvanE! (peria
tirumozhi 7.7.1) - He who is the Wealth (Consort) of One who bestows
wealth on all;  kOla malarp pAvaiku anbAgiya en anbEyO! - You who are
LOVE personified to mahAlakshmi, and who is LOVE itself for me
(tiruvAimozhi 10.10.7).

SrI Samkara refers to the incident of the churning of the Milky Ocean,
wherein mahAlakshmi appears from the Ocean, and chooses mahAvishNu as
Her consort, from among all the deva-s who are present - amRta mathane
sarvAn surAn asurAdIn vihAya SrIh enam patitvena varayAmAsa iti
SrI-patih.   SrI Samkara gives an alternate interpretation as well: 
SrI means Supreme Cosmic Power, and bhgavAn is the Master of this
Power, and so He is SrI-patih. 

Thus,  SrI patih refers to Him who is the Consort of mahA lakshmi, the
Master of the Supreme Cosmic Power, and the Master and Bestower of all
that is auspicious.  

611. SrImatAm-varah - a) The Best Among those who possess affluence.
		b) The Best among those who possess knowledge of the veda-s.

Om srImatAm-varAya namah.  

a) SrI BhaTTar refers to the incident of the churning of the Milky
Ocean for the interpretation of this nAma.  Goddess lakshmi chose by
Him among all the deva-s that were assembled, and He is the Object of
her full and loving glances always;  after being seated in His
vaksha-sthalam (chest), she blesses the deva-s such as brahma by her
casual glances or blessings occasionally.  Thus, He is the best among
those who receive lakshmi's kaTAksham.   SrI BhaTTar gives reference to
SrI vishNu purANam (1.9.106-107), describing the above.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan elaborates further by pointing that bhagavAn is the
Only One who is SrImAn of Possessor of all wealths;  the others can be
qualified as SrImAn because they may possess some wealth in some
specific area for some breif period of time.  He gives references to
nacciyAr tirumozhi 10.10 - nAgaNai miSai nam parar Selvar periyar;
nammAzhvAr's tiruvASiriyam 1 - Sivan ayan indiran ivar maudal anaittOr
deivak kuZhA'ngaL kai tozhak kiDanda tAami undit tanip peru nAyakan.

b) SrI Samkara interprets the term "SrI" here as a reference to the
veda-s, and his anubhavam of this nAma is that bhagavAn is the Best
among those who have the knowledge of the veda-s.  He gives reference
to the Sruti - Rcah sAmAni yajUgmshi |  sA hi SrIamRtA satAm (taitt.
BrAhmaNam 1.2.1) - The Rg, yajus, and sAman are the imperishable SrI or
welath of the wise.    SrI Samkara'sd interpretation is:  Rg yajus sAma
lakshaNA SrIh;  yeshAm teshAm sarveshAm SrImatAm virincyAdInAm varah
pradhAna bhUtah SrImatAm varah.  

SrI cinmayAnanda builds on the above, and gives another interpretation:
 varah means blessing;  so the nAma can also mean that He is the
Blessing that is sought by those who are the students of the veda-s.  

The nAma can also be interpreted to mean that He is worshipped as the
Chief Deity by those who have the veda-s as their wealth.

To summarize, the nAma means that bhagavAn is the wealthiest of all
those who possess wealth, He is the One who possesses all the wealth
all the time, His wealth is permanent and ever-existent unlike all the
others whose wealth is only transient and temporary, He is the One
sought by those who are proficient in the veda-s, He is the Chief Diety
that is praised by the veda-s, etc.   

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan 

 




  



 


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