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SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 56 - Part 2.

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Narasimhan Krishnamachari • July 27, 1999 


		SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 56 - Part 2.

529. Anandah - He Who is Bliss.

om AnandAya namah.

SrI BhaTTar interprets the next few nAma-s in terms of bhagavAn's
kapila incarnation (The nAma kapilAcAryah is embedded in the next
Slokam).  He is called Anandah because He is endowed with a Bliss that
is beyond description or imagination (vA'ng manasa dur-graho mahA
Anandah asya asti iti Anandah).   SrI BhaTTar reminds us of the
discussion of the nature of His Bliss in Anandavalli in taittirIya
upanishad.   SrI v.v. rAmAnujan explains that the choice of the
attribute of Anandah  to describe kapila is because kapila was devoid
of all attachments.  The Sruti is "Srotriyasya ca a-kAmahatasya" -
where the reference is to one who has overcome kAma or desire (kAmahata
refers to one who is afflicted with kAma, and a-kAmahata is one who has
overcome kAma).  brahmAnandam is Bliss or Joy that is beyond
description and imagination.  kapila was a brahmin who had overcome all
desire, and the Bliss of such a one is the state of brhamAnandam. 

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives references to the Sruti referring to
bhagvAn being Ananda-svarUpan - AnandarUpam amRtam yad vibhAti
(muNDaka. 2.2.7); Ananda AtmA (taitt.2.5); Anando brahma (taitt. 3.6).

530. nandanah - The Bliss-Giver.

om nandanAya namah.

nandayati iti nandanah.  BhagavAn gives this brahmAnandam  (described
in the previous nAma) to the liberated souls (mukta-s) when He confers
moksham to them, and as a result He Himself rejoices.  The previous
nAma signified that He is the embodiment of Bliss, and the current nAma
indicates that He gives this happiness to the mukta-s.  This happiness
is in no way different from the happiness that He Himself enjoys.  SrI
rAdhAkRshNa SAstri points out that the mukta-s derive this Bliss by His
mere nearness to them, just as the mere presence of a child near them
makes the parents happy. 

531. nandah - He Who is full of things that are Blissful.

om nandAya namah.

He has with Himself, in full, the enjoyable materials, the instruments
for enjoyment, the modes of enjoyment, the people who enjoy, etc., at
all times.  SrI v.v. rAmAnujan elaborates on this further by pointing
out that since BhagavAn is unattached to anything, and does not have
any need or desire, He has everything that is needed for Absolute
Bliss.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha interprets the nAma as - nandanti samardhante
asmin viSvarUpe purusha iti nando vishNuh - BhagavAn vishNu is called
nandah because all jIva-s derive their final happiness in Him Who is
the pUrNa purusha.  

SrI Sa'nkara also gives an alternate nAma - anandah - instead of
nandah, and gives the meaning that BhagavAn is devoid of all worldly
pleasures which result from sense-contacts.

532. satya-dharmA - a) He Who performs His dharma truthfully.
		b) He Who protects those who have surrendered to Him without
exception.
		c) He Who truly all the kalyANa guNa-s in perfection

om satya-dharmaNe namah.

SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that BhagavAn is called
satya-dharmA because He is noted for His uprightness towards His
devotees right from the time they begin to approach Him up to the time
of their attainment of Him (a).  His dharma is well-known to be
sAdhu-paritrANam and SaraNAgata -paritrANam.  SrI P. B. aNNa'ngarAcArya
svAmi and SrI M. V. rAmAnujAcArya svAmi interpret the nAma as
expressing the guNa of bhagavAn that He protects those who have
surrendered to Him without exception (b).  

BhagavAn's own words to Bhagavad rAmAnuja in SaraNAgati gadyam explain
the dharma of bhagavAn:

anRtam nokta pUrvam me na ca vakshye kadAcana  | 
rAmo dvir-nAbhibhAshate  || 

sakRdeva prapannAya tavAsmIti ca yAcate   |
abhayam sarva-bhUtebhyo dadAmyetad vratam mama   ||

sarvadharmAn parityajya mAm ekam SaraNam vraja   |
aham tvA sarva-pApebhyo mokshayishyAmi mA Sucah  || 

He is true to what He has declared as His dharma, and so He is called
satya-dharmA.

SrI Sa'nkara interprets the term dharmA to refer to guNa-s such as
j~nAna, and SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri elaborates further and explains the
nAma as indicating that bhagavAn is the Abode in Perfection for the six
guNa-s - j~nAna, bala, aiSvarya, vIrya, Sakti and tejas ©.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives the interpretation that BhagavAn has all the
true dharma-s such as kindness, charity, etc., to perfection, and so He
is satya-dharmA.  He also gives the alternate interpretation that
bhagavAn is the embodiment of yoga, and supports it with the upanishad
declaration "aym hi paramo dharmah yad-yogena Atma-darSanam" -  "That
alone is Supreme Dharma which is to experience the Self through yoga". 


533. tri-vikramah - a) He Who pervades the three veda-s.
		b) He Who measured the three worlds with three strides.
		c) He Who pervades all the three worlds completely.
		d) He Who has transcended the waking, sleep, and deep-sleep states.

om tri-vikramAya namah.

SrI BhaTTar interprets "tri" here as referring to the three veda-s (Rk,
sAma, and yajur veda-s).  The terms trayI and tri are used to the three
veda-s, and tri-vikramah has been interpreted as referring to His
pervading the three veda-s, viz. He is the object of the three veda-s
(a).  SrI BhaTTar gives reference to the following:

	trirityevam trayo vedAh kIrtitAh muni-sattamaih   |
	kramate tAn tathA sarvAn tri-vikrama iti smRtah    ||

SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning "veda" for the word "loka" in this
reference, whereas SrI Sa'kara uses the meaning "world" for this same
word in his interpretation b) which follows.

b) SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation in terms of the trivikrama
incarnation - trayo vikramAs-trishu lokeshu krAntA yasya sah
tri-vikramah (b).  He gives supporting quotes from Sruti - "trINi padA
vicakrame (tait. brA. 2.4.6); and from harivamSa (279.50) -
"trirityevam Â…" which we saw in the previous interpretation.

c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives the third interpretation in addition to
the first two viz. that bhagavAn is tri-vikramah in the sense of
pervading everything in all the three worlds.

d) SrI cinmayAnanda uses the same harivamSa reference and interprets
the word loka to mean the three "fields of experience - the waking,
dream, and deep-sleep conditions", and gives the meaning that bhagavAn
is One Who has trancended these three states and reached the Infinite
Consciousness, ie., He is the paramAtman.  Thus, this nAma illustrates
that the spiritual seeker has to just to take the three steps viz.
cross the waking, dream, and deep-sleep states, to realize the centre
of self in himself.

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan
	

	

  

  



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