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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokma 87 - parjanyah.

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champakam • March 6, 2003 


     SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokma 87 - parjanyah.

815. parjanyah – a) He Who bestoes His blessings on the devotees like 
the rain-cloud.
		b) He from whom a superior birth is attained.  
		c) He Who protects.

Om parjanyAya namah.

a) SrI BhaTTar derives the nAma from the root aja – ardane -  to 
dispel.  He explains the nAma in terms of His removing (dispelling), 
like a rain-cloud,  the three kinds of tApa-s – the tApa-traya-s – 
AdhyAtmika, the Adhi-daivika, and the Adhi-bhautika types.   These 
three are:  the pain cause by one's own mind etc., the pain caused by 
fate or gods, and the pain caused by animals, other people, etc.   
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan adds that it is by bestowing the knowledge about 
Him that He relieves us from the tApa-traya-s.  BhagavAn is 
frequently referred as the rain-cloud by AzhvArs for showering His 
blessings on His devotees:

-	tiruma'ngai AzhvAr's tiru neDum tANDakam (30) – minnu mA 
mazhai tavazhum mega-vaNNA!; 
-	tiruma'ngai – periya tirumozhi 7.9.9: karu mA mugil uruvA! 
Kanal uruvA! Punal uruvA! – You who are like the rain cloud for some, 
like the fire for some, and like the comforting water for many!

SvAmi deSikan refers to bhagavAn's guNa of removing the tApa-traya-s 
of the devotees who are immersed in devotion to Him in his SaraNAgati 
dIpikA: 

tApa-trayeNa vihatim na bhajqanti santah 
samsAra gharma janitena samAdhimantah   ||   (SaraNAgati dIpikA 23)

"Those j~nAni-s who are immersed in bhakti yoga towards You do not 
suffer from the tApa-traya-s that are caused by the heat of samsAra".

SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is also in terms of His removing the 
three types of tApa-s – parjanyavat AdhyAtmikAdi tApa-trayam Samayati 
iti – "He extinguishes the three kinds of burning miseries concerning 
the body and the rest, even as the rain-charged cloud cools the earth 
by its downpour".

SrI Sa'nkara's alternate interpretation is that this nAma signifies 
that He showers all desired objects on His devotees like rain – 
sarvAn kAmAn abhivarshati iti parjanyah.

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj looks at the nAma as pari-janyah, which is 
treated same as parjanyah by dropping the –i in pari.  His 
interpretation is "parita AsInA janAh parijanAh;  tebhyo hita-tamah 
iti pari-janyah; ikAra-lope parjanyah –  pari-jana-s are those that 
are around Him – those that worship Him;  He Who bestows welfare on 
them is pari-janyah, which is same as parjanyah in SrI bhAradvAj's 
interpretation.

SrI vAsishTha derives the nAma starting from the root pRsh – secane – 
to sprinkle, and the application of the uNAdi sutra "parjanyah" 
(3.103), with the meaning "cloud".  That which wets or drenches is 
parjanya – parshati – si'ncati iti parjanyah.  SrI bala deva vidyA 
bhUshaN gives a similar interpretation:  tasyAm cinta-bhUmau varshati 
nija-rUpa amRtam iti parjanyah – He Who showers His actual Self in 
the thoughts of His devotees is parjanyah. 

b) SrI satyasandha yatirAja gives the interpretation – param janyam 
yasmAt parjanyah – He from whom a superior birth is attained.  

c) SrI vAsishTha gives at least six different ways of deriving the 
nAma, starting from different roots.  One of these is pR – pAlana 
pUranayoh – to protect, to fill, to bring out;  with the addition of 
the anya pratyaya, this becomes parjanyah, which means "One Who 
protects".  

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan



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