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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam – Slokm 87 - kumudah.

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champakam • February 28, 2003 


    SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam – Slokm 87 - kumudah. 

kumudah kundarah kundah parjanyah pavano'nilah      |	
amRtaSo'mRta-vapuh sarva~jnah sarvato-mukhah        ||

om kumudAya namah
om kundarAya namah
om kundAya namah
om parjanyAya namah
om pavanAya namah
om anilAya namah
om amRtASAya namah
om amRta-vapushe namah
om sarva~jnAya namah
om sarvat-mikhAya namah

813. kumudah – a) He Who is on this earth with delight by enjoying 
the association with His devotees.
		b) One Who gladdens the earth by ridding it of the 
evil-doers.
		c) One Who bestows the auspicious world of parama 
padam.
		d) One Who delights in the sky, in the form of the 
sun.
		e) He Who wears a garland made of blue lilies.  

Om kumudAya namah.

The nAma consists of two or three parts, depending on the 
interpretation. One way to look at the nAma is as ku + mudah.  The 
first part is derived from the root kai – Sabde – to sound.  kauti 
dhvanati iti kuh – that which is full of sound.  The amara koSam 
gives the meaning "world"  to the word kuh – kuh pRthivI prthvI…   
mudah is derived from the root muda – harshe – to rejoice, to be 
glad.  modata iti mudah – One who rejoices, or modayati iti mudah – 
One Who makes others rejoice.  Another way to look at the nAma is ku 
+ mu + dah (see c below).

a) SrI BhaTTar interprets the nAma in terms of ku + mudah.  His 
vyAkhyAnam is kau – prakRti maNDale – (even) in this world of 
prakRti; mudah – (taih saha) modate – (In the company of His 
devotees) He rejoices.  So He is known as kumudah.  

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan wonders aloud how difficult it must be for 
bhagavAn to have to be part of us just to enjoy our company.   By 
coming into this world, Lord rAma had to undergo lots of miseries –
 "nATTil piRandu paDAdana paTTu" is how He had to live – such is life 
in this world, that it will make even the parama purushaN undergo 
enormous suffering and misery.  Lord rAma Himself describes His 
miseries – rAjyAt bhramSah vane vAsah sItA nashTah hato dvijah –"I 
was driven away from My kindgdom, I have to live in the forest, I 
have lost sItA, and now this great brAhmin (jatAyu) has been 
slain".   And yet, He chooses to live amongst us just for the company 
of, and association with, the likes of bharadvAja, atri, agastya, 
etc.  

SrI cinmayAnanda "One Who gladdens the earth", or "One Who is 
gladdened by the earth".  He explains that bhagavAn's delight is a 
sheer expression of His Omnipotence – the very fact that He has 
created this dynamic, complex, cosmos that is so scientifically 
precise, is a matter of delight, since it is the fulfillment of His 
Omnipotence.

 b) SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is – kum dharaNim bhAra avataraNam 
kurvan modayati iti ku-mudah – He Who frees the earth from its 
burdens and gives joy to the beings of the earth.  SrI ananta kRshNa 
SAstry observes that this lightening of the burden is through the 
elimination of the wicked people (dushTa nigraham).  SrI rAdhAkRshNa 
SAstri gives the example of His taking many incarnations for the same 
purpose – to destroy the wicked people and protect His devotees.

Here is one more instance of seeing the difference in the approaches 
of SrI Sa'nkara and SrI BhaTTar in their general approach to their 
interpretations.  SrI Sa'nkara explains the nAma as His giving joy to 
the earth by freeing it of its burdens, and SrI BhaTTar explains the 
nAma as His rejoicing and deriving pleasure by the company of His 
devotees.  We should keep in mind that both the interpretations are 
valid anubhava-s of bhagavAn.  Just the difference in approach is 
that one emphasizes His Power, and the other emphasizes His 
saulabhayam and sauSIlyam.  
                        
c) SrI M. V. rAmAnujAcArya gives an additional interpretation: He Who 
bestows the world of mukti, or parama padam – ku = bhUmi, mu = mukti; 
dah = Giver or Bestower.

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the meaning "sky" to "ku" (based on 
kai – Sabde), and gives the interpretation to the term "kumudah" 
as "One Who delights in the sky, in the form of the sun" – Sabdavat 
AkASe modayati iti kumudah; SabdASraye khe modata iti kumudah 
sUryah.  

e) The word kumuda is also used to refer to the blue lily or to 
lotus.  He Who wears a garland made of these is kumudah – utpala 
dhAro kumudah (SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN).

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan



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