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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 71 - Part 1.

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Narasimhan Krishnamachari • March 19, 2002 


              SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 71 - brahmaNyah.

	brahmaNyo brahma-kRt-brahmA brahma brahma-vivardhanah    |
	brahma-vid brAhmaNo brahmI brahma`jno brAhamNa-priyah     ||

om brahmaNyAya namah
om brahma-kRt-brahmaNe namah
om brahmaNe namah
om brahma-vivardhanAya namah
om brahma-vide namah
om brAhmaNAya namah
om brahmiNe namah
om brahma~jnAya namah
om brAhamNa-priyAya namah

The word brahman or a derived word occurs in this Slokam repeatedly. 
It will be useful to have some basic understanding of this term before
proceeding with the explanation of the nAma-s.

The word brahman is derived from the root brah, which means vastness,
power, growth, etc.  Anything that is big is covered under the term
brahma.   The term can refer to penance, veda-s, brAhmaN-s well-versed
in scripture, wisdom, etc.  - tapo vedASca viprASca, j~nAnam ca brahma
sam~jnitam.  

The word brahman can also denote the Supreme Being, veda, prakRti, and
the Atman (jIva).  The last one is particularly used in the bhagavad
rAmAnuja school, because the jIva in its essential nature is unlimited
in its power, and thus is brahma in nature.  Any limitation it suffers
is temporary, and the limitation is only when the jIva is associated
with a body.   The Atman or self possesses the quality of "infinite
extensiveness" as its true nature, even though it is conditioned by the
limitations of the body when it is associated with a body.  

As a proper noun, the term brahmA refers to the four-faced brahmA, and
of course, the word stands to denote bhagavAn when it comes to the
creation of the four-faced brahmA. 

The different interpreters use one or more of the above meanings for
the term brahman in their vyAkhyAna-s for the following nAma-s.  This
is partly the source of the differences in the different anubhava-s.

667. brahmaNyah - a) He who is beneficial to all the big things both
a-cetana and cetana, namely prakRti and Atman.
	b) He who is beneficial to Brahman, namely the veda, brAhmans
well-versed in scripture, penance, etc.

Om brahmaNyAya namah.

In chapter 5.1 of pANini's ashTAdhyAyI, sUtra-s 4 to 7 deal with the
affix yat, and indicate that the suffix means "good for that" under
certain cases; specifically, sUtra 5.1.7 - khala yava mAsha tila vRsha
brahmaNah ca (yat) - states that the affix ya after brahman denotes
"good for Brahman".  

Since bhagavAn is the cause for the existence and enjoyment of prakRti
and purusha, He is beneficial to them.  Thus, SrI BhaTTar's
interpretation for this nAma is that He is beneficial to the jIva and
to prakRti, and so He is called brahmaNyah. 

The vastness of prakRti, jIva, and paramAtmA (and thus all being
Brahman) is nicely captured by nammAzhvAr in tiruvAumozhi 10.10.10 as
referenced by SrI v.v. rAmAnujan:

	SUzhndu aganRu Azhndu uyarnda muDivil perum pAzhEyO
	SUzhndu adanil peria para nan malarc cOdIyO
	SUzhndu adanil peria SuDar j~nAna inbamEyO
	SUzhndu adanil peria ennavA aRac cUzhndAyE.

"Oh the antarAtmA of the mUla prakRti, which evolves into mahat,
ahamkAra, etc., which pervades all space, and is infinite!
Oh the antarAtmA of the jIvAtmA-s, who encircle, extend over, and are
larger than, the prakRti in extant, whose j~nAna is unlimited, and
whose very nature is characterized by j~nAna, Ananda, and tejas!
Oh the unique possessor of samkalpa j~nAna, which extends beyond the
above, and has its halo even beyond still further, which is pure Bliss
in nature!
My desire to join you is even larger than your samkalpa j~nAna.  But
You have now enveloped me, and I am a drop in your vastness of nectar
ocean.  My long-time ambition is fulfilled".

The first line above refers to the vastness of prakRti, the second
refers to the vastness of the j~nAna of the Atman, and the third line
refers to His vastness.  When the term Brahman refers to the Supreme
Being, it is qualified by both cit and acit, or has both conscious and
unconscious entities as His body; when it refers to prakRti, it is
qualified by only acit or insentiency; and when it refers to Atman, it
is qualified by only cit or consciousness.  

b) SrI Samkara interprets the term brahma in this nAma as referring
collectively to penance, veda-s, brAhmaN-s well-versed in scripture,
and wisdom - tapo vedASca viprASca, j~nAnam ca brahma sam~jnitam, and
gives the interpretation to the nAma that because He is beneficent to
them all, He is called brahmaNyah.  SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives
examples of this: bhagavAn retrieved the veda-s from the asura by name
hayagrIva in His matsya incarnation; He showed the path of penance in
His nara-nArAyaNa incarnation; He gave us the knowledge of the veda-s
through His teaching of the gItA; He takes several incarnations to
protect the brAhmaNa-s (vipra-s) in their times of distress.

As examples of bhagavAn being beneficent to the brAhmaNa-s, SrI kRshNa
datta bhAradvAj gives the example of Lord kRshNa doing pAda pUjA for
all the brAhmaNa-s who came for the rAjasUya yAga performed by
yudhisThira, and SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshan gives the example of Lord
kRshNa retrieving the son of His guru from yama loka.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha observes that He is called brahmaNyah because
He is big, and He makes His devotees big, by giving them all the things
to enjoy, and by supporting them and protecting them. 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan


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