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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 76 - Part 2.

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Narasimhan Krishnamachari • July 26, 2002 


    SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 76 - vAsu-devah, sarvAsu-nilayah,
                                           an-alah. 

714. vAsu-devah.

Om vAsu-devAya namah.

This nAma has been covered under nAma 700.  

715. sarvAsu-nilayah - The Abode and support of all souls.

Om sarvAsu-nilayAya namah.

The word sarvAsu-nilayah consists of three parts: sarva, asu, and
nilayah.  asu is derived from the root as - bhuvi - to be (asti);  asti
iti asuh (SrI vAsishTha).  The word asu is also used to refer to life,
breath, etc.  nilaya means abode, derived from the root lee - SleshaNe
- to stick, to lie on. 

The interpretations for the nAma cover the following: a) BhagavAn is
the necessary and essential support for His true devotees who cannot
live without Him; b) He is the support and vital life-force for all
beings; c) He is the final resting place for all souls at the time of
pralaya.  The sum total of all this is that all the beings dwell in Him
and have Him as their support during their existence in this world and
during their laya in Him during pralaya.  

SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that bhagavAn has this nAma
indicating that He is the indispensable support for His devotees -
sarva prANa Alambanam sarvAsunilayah.   Alambanam means abode or
support.   SrI BhaTTar gives support from mahA bhArata, uttara kANDam
(28.22), which describes how kRshNa's arrival at hastinApuram was
greeted by the people there with the joy that one would feel if the sun
appears all of a sudden in a place that has been dark for a long time,
or when breeze arrives in a region where there has been no wind for a
long time:

	a-sUryamiva sUryeNa nivAtamiva vAyunA   |
	kRshNena samupetena jahRshe bhAratam puram   ||  

SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya's anubhavam is that everyone is so captivated by
Him that their very life depends on Him, and this why He is called
sarvAsu-nilayah - "ellArum tammiDattilEyE prANanai vaittirukkum
paDiyAga manOharamAi iruppavar".  

SrI Samkara interprets asu as prANa, the life-energy, the
indestructible jIva, and explains the meaning of the nAma as "He Who is
the abode of all life-energies, being the indestructible jIva Himself"
- sarva eva asavah prANA jIvAtmake yasmin avyaye nilIyante sa
sarvAsu-nilayah.  

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri suggests the explanation for the nAma as "He Who
is the final resting place for all jIva-s" -   "ellA uyirgaLum oDu'ngum
iDam".  Just as the indriya-s act as if they are independent of the
jIva in the waking state, but lose this so-called independence in the
sleeping state, the jIva merges into Him at the time of pralaya, and so
He is the nilaya or the final resting place for all the asu-s or
jIva-s.  

716. an-alah -  a) He Who is never satisfied that He has done enough
for His devotees.
		b) He Who cannot tolerate the offense committed to His devotees.
		c) He Who is unlimited (in His Glories)  (alam - paryApti - end).
		d) One Who has no end (alam - paryApti - end)
		e) One Who has no opposition (alam - opposition)
		f) He Who rejuvenates His devotees who intensely long for Him (an -
prANane ).

Om analAya namah.

The word is an-alah.  alah is derived from the root al - bhUshaNa
paryApti vAraNeshu - to adorn, to be content, to prevent.  

a) SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning al - paryApti - to be satisfied, and
gives the interpretation to the nAma an-alah as "He Who is not
satisfied";  in spite of all that He does for His devotees, He feels
that He has does nothing to His devotee - "na ki'ncit kRtam eshAm mayA
iti avitRptah".    SrI BhaTTar quotes the incident from mahA bhArata,
indicating His feeling of being permanently in debt to draupadi who
cried out for His help.  As Lord kRshNa for departing to SrI vaikunTham
after the purpose of His kRshNa incarnation was completed, He says
relating to this incident: RNam  pravRddhamiva me hRdayAt nApasarpati
(udyoga. 28.22) - "(That cry of help uttered by draupadi even from a
distance calling me "govinda", even though I was far away in dvArakA) -
that cry is never away from My mind, like debt that has increased over
time with interest accumulated on it".   SrI v.v. rAmAnujan describes
that even though He protected her when she cried out for help, and in
addition He helped the pANDava-s by changing the day into night,
violating His promise not to take to arms during the war, etc., still,
as He was departing for SrIvaikunTham, His heart was heavy that He did
not do enough to draupadi, His devotee, and He felt He was in debt to
her still.  nammAzhvAr describes this guNa of bhagavAn in peria
tiruvanTAdi 53 - "un aDiyArkku en Seivan enRE irutti nee" - "Your
preoccupation is in contemplating on what You can do to help your
devotee always".

b) SrI BhaTTar gives the alternative interpretation that the nAma
an-alah in the context of His not being able to put up with apacAram to
His devotees.  SrI BhaTTar quotes the following words of bhagavAn:

	dvau tu me vadha kAle'smin na kshantavyo katha'ncana   |
	ya~jna vighna-karam hanyAm pANDavAnAm ca dur-hRdam   ||   (bhA. sabhA.
68.26)

"At the time of destruction two persons will not at all be forgiven by
Me.  I will kill Him who obstructs the conduct of this sacrifice, and
also him who is ill-disposed to the pANDava-s".

SrI rAmAnujan also refers us to the incident where Lord kRshNa refused
to take the offering in duryodhana's house because of duryodhana's
attitude of hatred towards the pANDava-s.  

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives another dimension to His not being
"satisfied" - He is not satisfied with just the materialistic offering
during His worship, but will be satisfied only when it is offered with
bhakti or devotion.  Bhakti is the only requirement for satisfying Him,
and not any accompanying materialistic offerings.

c) SrI Samkara uses the meaning "limit" for alam - paryApati, and gives
the interpretation that this nAma signifies that bhagavAn is unlimited
in His energies and powers - alam paryAptih Sakti sampadAm na asya
vidyata iti an-alah.   SrI cinmayAnanda quotes the gItA in support:
nAnto'smi mama divyAnAm vibhUtInAm paramtapa | (gItA 12.5) - "Of My
Divine Glories, there is no end". 

d) e) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives interpretations using the meanings
"paryApti - tRpti vacana" for the term alam, which leads to the
meanings "One who is not satisfied", or "One Who does not have an end";
 He also gives alternate interpretations using the meaning vAraNa -
resistance or opposition for the word "alam", which leads to the
interpretation "He Who has no one to oppose Him" for the nAma an-alah. 
 He gives several Sruti references: na tvadanyah kavitaro na medhayA
dhIro varuNa svadhAvAn (atharva. 5.11.4); na dvitIyo na tRtIyah
(atharva. 13.4.16); aham indro na parAjigye (Rg. 10.48.5); sarvam
tadindra te vase (Rg. 8.93.4; atahrva. 20.112.1; yajur. 33.35). 

f) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj takes a different approach from others,
and gives his interpretation starting with the root an - prANane - to
live, to breathe.  Using the uNAdi sUtra "vRshAdibhayaScit - (1.106)" -
he derives the word analah, and gives the interpretation "Anayati
samujjIvayati tapah: kRSAn sva-janAn sva-darSanena iti analah - He Who
rejuvenates His devotees who are engaged in intense tapas on Him, by
giving His darSanam to them.  

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan   


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