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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 85 - jayantah.

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champakam • February 10, 2003 


     SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 85 - jayantah.

804. jayantah – The Conquerer.

Om jayantAya namah.

The root from which the nAma is derived is jI – jaye – to conquer.  
jitavAn iti jayantah.   

a) SrI BhaTTar continues with the elucidation of the point that just 
as the good things that exist in this universe are because of Him, 
the negative things that exist are also caused by Him, with a 
purpose.  Thus, the creation of the mAyA SAstra-s etc., are also part 
of His leelA.  His interpretation here is that this nAma indicates 
that He conquered the advocates of theism among the asura-s by means 
of His false doctrines that the world is an illusion, and that the 
soul is nothing but knowledge – Astikya-vAdinah samvidAtmatva-
prapa'nca mithyAtva-mithyA vAsaih jitavAn iti jayantah.  The reason 
for His doing this should be clearly understood to be because there 
were, among the asura-s who believed in practicing theism just to get 
the powers, that they would then misuse for causing harm to His 
devotees (the case of SukrAcArya, the guru of the asura-s, and 
rAvaNa, who was a great expert in the veda-s, are examples.  The 
reference here is not to the theists who worship Him with the desire 
to attain Him.  In this latter case, bhagavAn only helps them more to 
attain Him the more they wish it. 

b) SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is that the nAma signifies that He 
is the Conquerer of enemies, or is the cause of the victory of the 
deva-s over the asura-s – arIn atiSayena jayati, jaya-hetur-vA 
jayantah.  SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points to His help to the pANDava-s 
to gain victory over the kaurava-s.  

SrI cinmayAnanda points out that it is His jayantah guNa that helps 
us "to conquer our lower impulses, our endless desires for the 
sensuous – and our craving for the cruel pleasures of indulgence", 
because it is the "grace of the mind and intellect, in attunement 
with the Self" that helps us achieve this.

c) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN's anubhavam is more along the lines of 
the enjoyment of kRshNa as a youth – He is jayantah because He always 
won in hand combat as well as verbal combat with His friends – jayati 
sakhAn bAhu-yuddhe vAg-yuddhe vA iti jayantah.

d) SrI vAsishTha captures the spirit of the nAma thus – yo ho sarvadA 
jayati, na kadAcit parAjayam labhata iti jayanatah – He Who is always 
victorious, and can never be defeated under any circumstances by 
anyone at any time, is jayantah.

SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma in terms of bhagavAn being victorious 
over all the beings of the Universe, and keeping everything under His 
control.  Wherever there is His blessing, there victory is guaranteed 
irrespective of the other conditions that surround the situation.   
He summarizes his interpretation in the following words:

	evam hi yo vetti jayantamagRyam vishNum sa sarvam jayatIti 
bodhyam    |
	yasyAsti savye bhagavAn jayantah kim Satravas-tasya narasya 
kuryuh   ||

No amount of powerful weapons or anything else can prevent the 
victory of one who has His support and blessings.  

One is reminded of the words of vedAnta deSika in SrI kAmAsikAshTakam 
(6):

	tvayi rakshati rakshakaih kim ananyaih    
	tvayi cArakshati rakshakaih kim ananyaih    |

"When you are the Protector, where is the need for other protectors, 
and when You have decided not to protect, what is the use of any 
other "protector"?"

Again in abhIti stavam, svAmi deSikan points out that for His 
devotee, there is no fear ever, from anywhere, under any 
circumstance – kadAcana kutaScana kvacana tasya na syAt bhayam 
(abhIti. 5).

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the following references to Sruti where 
the nAma jayantah occurs:

-	jayantam tvam anumade soma (Rg. 1.91.21)
-	devasenAnAm abhibha'njatInAm jayantInAm maruto yantvagram  | 
( Rg. 10.103.8)

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan




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