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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam- Slokam 86 - su-varNa-binduh.

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champakam • February 14, 2003 


 SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam – Slokma 86 - su-varNa-binduh.

suvarNa-binduh akshobhyah sarva-vAg-ISvara_ISvarah    |
mahA-hrado mahA-garto mahA-bhUto mahA-nidhih    ||

om suvarNa-bindave namah
om akshobhyAya namah
om sarvAg-ISvara-ISvarAya namah
om mahA-hradAya namah
om mahA-gartAya namah
om mahA-bhUtAya namah
om mahA-nidhaye namah

806. suvarNa-binduh – a) He Who concealed the truth of the vedic path 
from the asura-s with sweet words.
		b) He Who has a beautiful form with golden-colored 
beautiful limbs.
		c) He Who is in the form of the auspicious praNava 
mantra.
		d) He Who has a beautiful form, and Who has 
beautifully divided the creatures of the universe into their various 
parts.
		e) The Knower of the veda-s consisting of auspicious 
letters.
		f) He Who has the beautiful golden-colored sandalwood 
marks on His forehead, cheeks, etc.

Om suvarNa-bindave namah.

su is an upasarga; varNa is derived from the root vR – varaNe – to 
choose; varNa refers to color, letter, etc.   The word bindu is 
derived from the root bind – avayave – to split, to divide, or vid – 
j~nAne – to know.  Because of a generally accepted rule of non-
distinction between ba and va by grammarians (ba-va-yor-abhedena), 
vindu and bindu have the same meaning.  SrI BhaTTar ues the root  
bidi – apalApe – to conceal, in his interpretation.  The word bindu 
also refers to the decorative mark applied between the eyebrows, the 
anusvAra, the marks on the body of a deer, etc.  The different 
interpretations below are a result of these variations.

a) SrI BhaTTar uses the root bidi – apalApe – to conceal, and the 
meaning "letters" to the word varNa, he continues his interpretation 
in terms of bhagavAn's Buddha incarnation, specifically taken to 
deceive the evil-minded people and thereby punish them for their 
karma-s.  Here, the interpretation is that bhagavAn successfully 
used "sweet" words to conceal the truth of the vedic path from the 
asura-s, and to create a distrust in the vedic practices among those 
asura-s who believed in using vedic rites in order to get powers, and 
then using these powers to harm the deva-s.    The cases of 
SukrAcArya, indrajit, rAvaNa, etc., who got powers by performing 
vedic rites, and then used those powers to harm His devotees, are 
examples.

b) Sri Sa'nkara uses the meaning avayavah – limbs, for the word 
bindu, and gives the interpretation to the nAma as "One having limbs 
radiant like gold" – bindavah avayavAh su-varNa sadRSA asya iti su-
varNa-binduh.  We came across the beauty of His form and limbs in the 
nAma-s suvarNa-varNah, hemA'ngah, varA'ngah, and candanA'ngadI 
(Slokam 79, nAma-s 743 – 746).  Please refer to these write-ups for a 
detailed account of His tirumEni to be enjoyed from the different 
interpreters' perspectives.

SrI vAsishTha gives the above as one of his two interpretations:  su 
= Sobhanam; varaNIyam = dRSyam rUpam yasya sa su-varNah; su-varNA 
bindavah avayavAh yasya sa su-varNa-binduh.  One Who has a beautiful 
complexion and beautiful limbs is su-varNa-binduh.  

SrI rAdhARshNa SAstri adds another dimension to the anubhavam of His 
golden tirumEni.  He refers to bhagavAn rising with a golden form 
from the agni-kuNDam in ya~jna-s performed by several devotees.  We 
know of kA'nci pEraruLALan who took his arcA mUrti incarnation from 
the agni kuNDam when brahmA performed his penance in this kshetram. 

c) An alternate interpretation by SrI Sa'nkara is based on the 
meaning "aksharam" for "varNa", and "anusvAra" for "bindu", thus 
giving the meaning "One Who in the form of the auspicious praNava" – 
Sobhano varNah aksharam binduSa yasmin mantre tan-mantrAtmA vA su-
varNa-binduh.   SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives references to the Sruti 
in support:  omiti brahma (taitt. 1.81); tat-te padam sa'ngraheNa 
bravImyomityetat (kaTha. 1.2.15).  
  
d) Based on the root bind – avayave – to divide, to split, and using 
the uNAdi sUtra bindur-icchuh (uNAdi. 3.2.169), SrI vAsishTha 
interprets the word binduh as referring to "one who divides" – 
bindati – avayavAn karoti, or "one who performs the kriyA of avayava 
or division.  In this interpretation, SrI vAsishTha gives the 
meaning "One Who Himself is of beautiful form (su-varNa), and Who has 
divided (binduh) the creatures beautifully into their different 
parts, while operating as the Undivided One in all of them"  – as in 
the case of a tree, into its branches, leaves, etc., or the different 
planets of the solar system – yathAyam sUryastathAyam samastah 
prapa'ncah parasparam avayava-avayava vibhAvam Apannah, patra-phala-
pushpa-SakhAdIni vRkshasyeva). 

e) SrI satya sandha yatirAja uses the meaning "letter" for the word 
bindu, and interprets the term suvarNa as a reference to the veda-s.  
He uses the root vid – j~nAne, and gives the interpretation that 
bhagavAn has this nAma signifying that He is the "Knower of the veda-
s" – SobhanA varNA yasmin sa su-varNo vedah; tasya binduh – j~nAtA su-
varNa-binduh.

f) Using the meaning "a decorative mark on the forehead" for bindu, 
SrI bala deva vidyA bhUshaN gives the interpretation – su-varNo 
lalATastho binduh asya iti – He Who has golden mark of decoration on 
His forehead, or He Who a decorative mark on His golden forehead.  
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj also gives a similar interpretation – 
suvarNamiva pItAbhA bindavah candana-bindavo yasya cibuka kapola 
mastake sa su-varna binduh – He Who has the decoration with the 
golden-colored sandalwood on His cheeks etc.

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan




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