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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 79 - Part 3.

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Narasimhan Krishnamachari • November 30, 2002 


    SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 79 - candanA'ngadI.

746. candanA’ngadI – He Who is adorned with delightful armlets.
	b) He Who is besmeared with pleasing sandal.
	c) He Who provides us all with the means and ways to be happy.
	d) He Who has aÂ’ngada as His pleasing devotee.

Om candanAÂ’ngadine namah.

The word candana is derived from the root cand - AhlAde dIptau ca – to
be glad, to shine.  That which causes pleasure is candana – candyate
anena, candayati vA yat, tat candanam iti (SrI satyadevo vAsishTha) –
That through which happiness is attained, or that which is instrumental
in bringing happiness, is candana.  The word aÂ’ngada is derived as -
a’ngam dayate, dAyati, dyati vA.  The relevant roots are:  de’ng –
pAlane – to protect, to cherish (dayate);  or daip – Sodhane to purify,
to be purified (dAyati);  or do - avakhanDane – to cut, to divide, to
move (dyati).  The term is used for the ornament worn on the upper part
of the arm (keyUram).  The armlets are ornaments of defense worn on the
upper arm to protect the shoulders from enemy swords.  Thus we get the
meaning “He Who is adorned with delightful armlets” for the nAma.   

a) SrI bhaTTar notes that bhagavAnÂ’s Body is itself an infinitely
beautiful jewel, and objects like the aÂ’ngadI get their pleasing
appearance when they get attached to His Body, and so He is called
candanAÂ’ngadI.   So it is not that beautiful jewels decorate His Body,
but His beautiful Body decorates the jewels that are placed on His
Body, and make them beautiful.   The aÂ’ngada or keyUra is only one
example of the kinds of jewels that get their pleasing appearance by
association with Him.  nammAzhvAr describes in tiruvAimozhi 2.5.6 –
pala palavE AbharaNam pErum pala palavE – Countless are the jewels that
are on Him.  The beauty of bhagavAn as every part of His body competes
and complements the beauty of all the other parts, is captured by
nammAzhvAr in tiruvAimozhi pASuram 8.8.1, starting with “kaNgaL Sivandu
periyavAi, vAyum Sivandu kanindu,Â….makara kuNDalattanÂ… oruvan aDiyEn
uLLAnE”.  The reader is encouraged to delve deep into the meaning of
this pASuram to get the true anubhavam.  bhagavad rAmAnuja pours out
his anubhavam of bhagavAnÂ’s beautifully decorated tirumEni in his SrI
vaikunTha gadyam:  “ati manohara kirITa cUDAvatamsaka makara kuNDala
graiveyaka hAra keyUra kaTaka SrIvatsa kaustubha muktAdAma udara
bandhana pItAmbara kAÂ’ncIguNa nUpurAdibhih atyanta sukha sparSaih divya
gandhaih bhUshitam.  

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to tiruvAimozhi 10.1.8, where nammAzhvAr
describes the Jewel that is perumAL:  “tayarathan peRRa marakata maNit
taDattinaiyE”.  Marakata maNi has the characteristic that it will
remove the fear from poisonous creatures, because they wonÂ’t even
approach anywhere close to its location.  Similarly, enemies wonÂ’t even
get close to where Lord rAma is.  The word taDam refers to a cool
reservoir of water, which is liked and desired by everyone. 

b) SrI ananta kRshNa SAstri ues the meaning “sandal” to the term
candana, and gives the interpretation that He has this nAma because He
is adorned with pleasing sandal on His body.  

c) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha uses the meaning “pleasing” to the term
candana as we indicated earlier, and the root  aÂ’ng - to go, and
interprets the nAma candanA’ngadI as referring to “He Who gives the
means or ways for all of us to be happy” – (AhlAdalarIm gatim yo
dadAti).  

d) SrI satyasandha yatirAja gives an interpretation where he links the
nAma to a’ngada, the son of vAli.  He gives the meaning “pleasing” or
“devout” to the term candana, and interprets the nAma as referring to
“One Who has a’ngada as a pleasing devotee”.   

The dharma cakram writer sees the nAma as revealing to us the guNa of
bhagavAn whereby we derive mental peace by the very meditation on the
Form of bhagavAn.

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan


	

 




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