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Sri Vishnu sahasranAmam - Part 3.2.

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N Krishnamachari • June 17, 1997 


                        Sri Vishnu SahasranAmam - Part 3.2.

With this, I am going to try to look into the meanings of the names in Sri
Vishnu SahasranAmam.  The main source I will be using is the Bhagavad guNa
darpaNa by Sri Bhattar.  I will be using Sri Sankara's commentary as a
secondary reference.

As I am starting this attempt at learning, I am finding out that just by
reading books, and without the aid of an AcArya, it is impossible to gain 
knowledge.
However, this is all what I can do at this stage.  My request to all of you
is to freely comment on and correct what I am saying because I know that it is
full of errors and misinterpretations.  With that request which goes without
my repeating it for future write-ups as well, I present what I understand for the
first of the 1000 names.

Sri Bhattar interprets the first 122 nAmas in the stotram as describing the
para form of the Lord.  Recall that the para form is the all-perfect,
undiminuted, absolute, manifestation of the Lord.  The description of this form
includes all the nAmas starting from visvam and
including varArohah in slokam 13.  Sri Bhattar views this segment of the
stotram as Bhishma's response to YudhisThira's first two questions:  kim ekam
daivatam loke and kim vApyekam parAyaNam - who is the one deity to be
worshiped, and what is the supreme goal of attainment.

1. visvam - a) One who enters all the worlds, Omnipresent
            b) The Universe
            c) One who is full in all respects - shAdguNya paripUrNa 

The first of the above meanings is derivable from the meaning of the word vis
- to enter, which is considered the root of the word visvam.

                            vesanAt visvamityAhu:

The second meaning is related to the first.

In support of the first two meanings, the following verse from
moksha dharma is quoted:

         vesanAt visvamityAhu: lokAnAm kAsisattama   |
         lokAnsca visvameva iti pravadanti narAdhipa ||

   (They say BhagavAn is visvam because He enters all the worlds.  The worlds
themselves are called visvam because of this).

Thus, the first two meanings of the name visvam can be understood in terms of
the meaning of the root of the word.  

However, while Sri Bhattar has given 
the above references, the primary meaning he has chosen for this name is the 
third one.  He points out that this first name in SahasranAmam appropriately
describes the "all-round fullness and perfection" of BhagavAn at the outset - 
sarvatomukham pUrNatvam.  

The author of Nirukti also
captures Sri Bhattar's thoughts through the following words:

   Nirukti - sarvatra pUrNatvAt svarUpa guNa vibhavai:  - One who is present
everywhere with the perfection and fullness of the guNas which are natural to
Him.

Because of my lack of knowledge of Samskrit, I am unable to understand how 
the interpretation of this third meaning is derived etymologically.  I am
going to seek the help of our Bhakti group members to throw additional light 
on this.

-Dasan Krishnamachari