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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 85 - ratna-nAbhah.

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champakam • February 2, 2003 


   SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 85 - ratna-nAbhah.

799. ratna-nAbhah –a) He with a gem-like navel.
		b) He Who has the navel from which the gem among men –
 brahmA – originated.
		c) He Who destroys the asura-s (aratna-nAbhah).
                d) He Who has ratna in His navel - in the form of 
ratna-s in the oceans.

		
Om ratna-nAbhAya namah.

ratna here represents beauty.  The following derivation is given by 
SrI vAsishTha:  The word ratna is derived from the root ramu - 
krIDAyAm - to play, to rejoice, and the application of the uNAdi 
sUtra 3.14 - ramesta ca, leading to the wrod ratnam which means gem. 
The word nAbhi is derived from the root nah - bandhane - to tie, to 
bind, and the application of the uNAdi sUtra 4.126 - naho bhaSca, 
leading to the word nAbhI.  The siddhAnta kaumudI gives the meaning -
 "a khshatriya" to the word in the masculine gender, and the 
meaning "navel" in the feminine gender.  The kaumudi also points sout 
that sometimes the meaning navel is given in the masculine gender as 
well.  The term nAbhah means "one with the nAbhi", and so the 
meaning "navel" is the one that is relevant here, and the one used by 
all the vyAkhyAna-kartA-s.  He Who has a beautiful navel is ratna-
nAbhah.  

a)  SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam is that He showed off His beautiful navel 
as a sign of His pANDityam or learning, again to convince the asura-s 
of His teachings in the Buddha incarnation – pANDitya viDambana 
mRshTodara vyakta ramya nAbhI ratna-nAbhah.   From many translations 
of the above, it appears that one of the external gesticulations of a 
learned person is to massage the belly (SrI v. n. vedAnta deSikan's 
translation in English, SrI v. v. rAmAnujnan;s translation in tamizh, 
etc.).  SrI vedAnta deSikan's translation is:  "In the form of 
buddha, the imposture like a great scholar required certain external 
gesticulations like massaging the belly, when His navel was displayed 
as a beautiful gem".    

SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is also a reference to the beautiful navel 
of bhagavAn – ratna Sabdena SobhA lakshyate;  ratnavat sundarA nAbhih 
asya iti ratna-nAbhah.

SrI cinmayAnanda describes the significance of the navel as the 
origination point of the thought process in the devotee who performs 
meditation.  He describes the findings of deep thinkers about the 
process of origination of thought.  According to them, all thoughts 
arise in their seed form from the Infinite before manifestation.  
>From this womb (origination), they become manifest, and the 
individual becomes dimly aware of thoughts in their embryo form – 
vague, incomplete, and as yet not fully formed (paSyantee).  In the 
next stage, they get translated into expressions (madhyamA), and in 
their last and full stage of manifestation, they express themselves 
as actions in the outer world (vaikharee).  In this chain of 
processes on how the thoughts become manifest for the thinker, the 
seat of the paSyantee stage is said to be navel region (nAbhI).  When 
one considers the seat of origination of all thoughts of all 
thinkers, this seat is the ratna-nAbhI of bhagavAn, and hence He is 
called ratna-nAbhah.  SrI cinmayAnanda suggests that this may be 
significance of the representation that the Creator, brahmA, 
originates from the lotus from the navel of bhagavAn.   

SrI satya sandha yatirAja gives two explanations, both of which are 
different from the above.  These are based on his taking the nAma as 
ratna-nAbhah or aratna-nAbhah.

b) Taking the nAma as ratna-nAbah, he gives the interpretation - 
ratnam pum-ratnam catur-mukho nAbahu yasya – He Who has the navel 
from which the gem among men – brahmA – originated.

c) Taking the nAma as aratna-nAbhah, his interpretation is:  aratnAn 
arat-daityAn nabhati iti a-ratna-nAbhah – He Who destroys the asura-
s.  He uses the root nabha – himsAyAm abhAvepi – to kill, to hurt,  
in this interpretation. 

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation - ratnam nAbahu 
yasya iti ratna-nAbhah - He Who has ratnam in His navel is ratna-
nAbhah.  He proceeds to interpeet the nAma as indicating that He has 
endowed the oceans with ratnam, which is like ratnam in His navel - 
sa ratna-nAbho bhagavAn vareNyo loke samudre vidadhAti ratnam.   




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