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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 87 - pavanah.

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champakam • March 8, 2003 


   SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 87 - pavanah.

816. pavanah – a) He Who is the forrn of the wind.
b) He Who moves to His devotees to remove their distress.
c) He Who purifies in the form of wind, agni, water, etc.
d) He Who protects the protectors – the kings (pA + avanah).

Om pavanAya namah.

We saw this nAma earlier in Slokam 32 (nAma 292).   

SrI BhaTTar indicates the root for the nAma as pavi – to go.  The 
amara koSa vyAkhyAnam indicates the derivation from the root pU'ng – 
pavane; pavata iti pavanah; punIte vA; The meanings are thus:  that 
which goes, that which blows, that which purifies, etc.

a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for nAma 292 was that He has the nAma 
signifying that He moves about in the form of the wind, with just a 
fraction of His power.   nammAzhvAr conveys this in his tiruvAimozhi 
pASuram 5.7.3 – kANginRa ik-kARRellAm yAnE ennum….  The ten pASurams 
in tiruvAimozhi 5.7 sum up the truth that bhagavAn is everything 
without exception.

SrI cinmyAnanda conveys the same thoughts in the following 
words:  "He Who manifests as the life-giving atmosphere around the 
world and sustains the existence everywhere".  

In Slokam 32, SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation for the nAma is that He 
is the Purifier in the form of the wind.  He has given the reference 
to gItA Slokam 10.31 as support:

		pavanah pavatAm asmi rAmah Sastra-bhRtAmyaham   |

"Of moving things, I am the wind.  Of those who bear weapons, I am 
rAma".


b) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation for the current instance of this nAma 
is that  bhagavAn goes Himself (pavi – to go) to His devotees to 
remove their distress  -  pavate iti pavanah.  This is expressed by 
tiruma'ngai AzhvAr in periya tirumozhi 1.10.9:  vandAi; en manam 
pugunDAi; manni ninRAi – You came of Your own free will, entered my 
mind, and have decided to stay there.  nammAzhvAr conveys the same 
thought in his tiruvAimozhi 5.7.7 – vandaruLi en ne'njiDam koNDa 
vAnavar kozhundE!  … aDiyEnai agaRRElE – Oh Lord! You have been kind 
enough to come and take a place in my heart.  Only, now please do not 
ever leave me. 

 c) SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation for the current instance of the 
nAma is that He purifies anyone who merely remembers Him – smRti-
mAtreNa punAti iti pavanah.  

In the context of bhagavAn being the Great Purifier, SrI rAdhAkRshNa 
Satri comments in his vyAkhyAnam for the Slokam "pavitrANAm pavitram 
yah..", that acts such as taking a bath in the holy waters, visiting 
divya kshetra-s, etc., are ways of our ridding ourselves of sins, 
when we undertake these acts with the faith and belief that bhagavAn 
is present in these rivers and divya kshetra-s.  Thinking of Him, 
worshipping His divya ma'ngaLa vigraha-s, singing His praise, 
performing pUja for Him, meditating on Him, prostrating, etc., are 
all ways to remove our sins through His purifying power.  

SrI cinmayAnanda uses the version "pAvanah" in Slokam 87, and gives 
the translation for the nAma as "One Who ever purifies".  He comments 
that "The impurities of a personality are gathered when the mind and 
intellect, in a natural impulse of animal voluptuousness, rush 
towards the sense-objects with ego-centric passion".  The 
purification by His power occurs when we peacefully let our minds 
settle in contemplation of the divine nature and eternal glory of SrI 
nArAyaNa.  

c) SrI vAsishTha also uses the version "pAvanah", but indicates that 
the interpretation is the same whether the nAma is taken as pavanah 
or pAvanah.  He gives the meaning "He Who purifies", for the nAma.  
He points out that bhagavAn purifies in many ways:  in the form of 
the wind by blowing, fire by burning, water by washing, earth by 
consuming, etc.   So His purifying power is manifest all over.  He 
gives the reference to Rg vedic hymn:  punAti dhIro bhuvanAni mAyayA –
 Rg. 1.160.3, and also to niruktam 5.6:  vAyuh pavitram sa mA punAtu 
agnih pavitram sa mA punAtu.  He also has summarized his vyAkhyAnam 
in the form of the following Sloka:

		sa pAvano vishNur-amartyakarmA punAti viSvam vividha-
prabhedaih   |
		sa eva sUrya sa hi vAsti vAyau jale sthale vA pavitA 
sa eva   ||

d) In one of his interpretations, SrI satya sandha yatirAja uses the 
version "pAvanah", and looks at the nAma as pA + avanah – He Who 
protects the protectors or kings.  His vyAkhyAnam is:  pAnti iti pA 
rAjAnah; teshAm avanam yasmAt iti pAvanah.  

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan




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