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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 86 - mahA-gartah.

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champakam • February 21, 2003 


     SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 86 - mahA-gartah.

810. mahA-gartah – a) He Who pushes the great sinners into the great 
pit of samsAra.
		b) The Great Charioteer of mahAbhArata fame.
		c) The One with the Great Chariot (with the garuDa in 
its flag).
		d) He Who resides in the great mountains such as 
SeshAcala.
		e) The Great Pit in which everything in this Universe 
originates, resides, and merges back. 

Om mahA-gartAya namah.

The root from the word garta is derived is gRR – nigaraNe – to 
swallow, to devour, to emit.   The term is used to refer to a ditch, 
and also the seat of a war-chariot.  

a) SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning "pit" for "garta", and equates the 
pit in this nAma to the naraka loka-s such as the raurava, into which 
bhagavAn casts away those who have lost their souls by following the 
path contrary to the path of dharma – evam bAhya-kudRshTi vinisvishTa 
nashTAtmanAm rauravAdi-gartA asmAt iti mahA-gartah.  He quotes the 
gItA Slokam 9.3 in support:

	aSraddadhAnAh purushA dharmasyAsya parantapa      |
	aprApya mAm nivartante mRtyu samsAra vartmani   ||     (gItA 
9.3)

"Men devoid of faith in this dharma, O scorcher of foes, ever remain 
without attaining Me, in the mortal pathway of samsAra".

In his vyAkhyAnam to this Slokam in gItA, bhagavad rAmAnuja indicates 
that the people referred to here are those who have attained the 
fitness to practice the proper dharma of worship, but then deviate 
from the path because of aSraddhA or lack of faith.  He exclaims at 
the end of his vyAkhyAna for this Slokam in his gItA bhAshyam – "aho! 
mahad idam AScaryam!" – "O! How strange it is! (that people just 
ignore their dharma and fall into the pit).

SrI Sa'nkara describes Him as "The great Chasm", because His mAyA is 
very difficult to cross.  He gives the gItA Slokam 7.14 as support:

	daivI hyeshA guNa-mayI mama mAyA duratyayA    | 
	mAmeva ye prapadyante mAyAmetAm taranti te    ||      (7.14)

"For, the divine mAyA of Mine consisting of the three guNa-s is hard 
to overcome;  but those who take refuge in Me (prapadyante) alone 
shall pass beyond the mAyA".

b) SrI Sa'nkara gives an alternate interpretation based on the 
meaning "a chariot" to the term garta.  This meaning is given in the 
nirukatam 3.5:  ratho'pi garta ucyate  | gRNAteh stuti-karmaNah | 
stutatamam yAnam | "A rohatho varuNa mitra gartam".  SrI Sa'nkara's 
vyAkhyAnam for this nAma is:  garta Sabdo ratha paryAyo nairuktair-
uktah, tasmAt mahA-rathah – mahA-gartah. – The Great Charioteer.  His 
skill in this area is famous in His role as the Charioteer of arjuna 
in mahA-bhArata war.

c) Using the same meaning as above for garta, namely ratha or 
chariot, SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation – mahAn 
garto garuDa-dvaja ratho yasya iti mahA-gartah – He Who the Great 
Chariot with the garuDa dvajam is mahA-hradah.

d) SrI satya sandha yatirAja uses the meaning "mountain" for the word 
aga, and looks at the nAma as mahA + aga + a part based on the root 
R – gatau – to go (R – gatua kartari ktah).    His vyAkhyAnam is:  
mahAntSca te agASca SeshAcalAdayah tatra Rcchati iti mahA-gartah – He 
Who goes to (resides) in the High Mountains such as SeshAcala.  

e) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN give another perspective on the nAma – 
He is "The Great Pit" because everything that exists is part of Him, 
and can be found in Him – 

	ihaikastham jagat kRtsnam paSyAdya sa-carAcaram    |
	mama dehe guDAkeSa yaScAnyat drashTum icchasi    ||   (gItA 
11.7)

"Behold here, O arjuna, the whole universe with the mobile and 
immobile things centered in My body, and whatever else you desire to 
see".

This is the last of the nAma-s that SrI BhaTTar interprets in terms 
of the role of bhagavAn in misleading the evil-minded people in his 
Buddha incarnation.  It is more pleasant to enjoy His guNa-s in His 
role of saulabhyam and sauSIlyam towards His devotees, than His role 
as One who punishes those who violate the path of dharma.  However, 
it is important to realize that whatever happens anywhere in any part 
of the Universe at any time, are all His actions, and are carried out 
for the benefit of His creation.  Thus, it is necessary to realize 
that the incarnations such as the Buddha incarnation are taken by Him 
for the purpose of doling out the effects of their karma to those who 
follow the path of adharma.  

In the next few nAma-s, we will see how His guNa-s are displayed in 
His SishTa-paripAlanam role.

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan




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