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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 83 - samAvartah.

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Narasimhan Krishnamachari • January 1, 2003 


      SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam – Slokam 83 - samAvartah.

samAvarto nivRttAtmA dur-jayo dur-atikramah    |
dur-labho dur-gamo durgo durAvAso durAri-hA    ||

om samAvartAya namah
om nivRttAtmane namah
om dur-jayAya namah
om dur-atikramAya namah
om dur-labhAya namah
om dur-gamAya namah
om dur-gAya namah
om dur-AvAsAya namah
om durrArighne namah

779. samAvartah – a) He Who takes incarnations again and again for the
benefit of His devotees.
		b) He Who performs His function of creation again and again in
cycles.
		c) He Whose true thoughts are always revolving around what He can do
to help His devotees.

om samAvartAya namah.

sam is an upasarga here, and can mean “well”,  “from all sides”, etc. 
The term Avarta means “turning around, revolving”.  The root from which
the word Avarta is derived is vRt – vartane – to exist, to happen, to
live on, to occupy etc.  The amara koSa vyAkhyAnam is Avartate
carkravad bhrAmyati iti Avartah – That which rotates around like a
wheel.  

a) SrI bhaTTarÂ’s interpretation is that bhagavAn has this nAma because
He takes incarnations again and again repeatedly as needed, for the
benefit of His devotees, even though He is birthless.   nammAzhvAr
refers to Him as piRappu il pal piRavi perumAn in tiruvAimozhi 2.9.5
(SrI v.v. rAmAnujan).  

b) SrI SaÂ’nkara gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has the nAma
samAvartah because He skillfully turns the wheel of worldly life –
samsAra cakrasya samyag-Avartaka iti samAvartah.  SrI kRshNa datta
bhAradvAj gives the same interpretation - samyag Avartayati samsAra
cakram iti samAvartah.   SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN expresses the same
idea – Because bhagavAn repeatedly continues His creation in cycles, He
is called samAvartah – samyak tAn Avartayati punah punah sRjati iti
samAvartah. 

c) Another alternate interpretation by SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj is
that bhagavAn is called samAvartah because His true thoughts are
constantly revolving around what He can do to protect His devotees –
samIcInah AvartanaS-cintanam svajana avanamayam yasya iti samAvartah.

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan


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