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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokma 87 - amRta-vapuh.

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champakam • March 12, 2003 


     SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokma 87 - amRta-vapuh.

820.	amRta-vapuh – a) He of a Nectar-like body.
b) He Who has an immortal form.
c) He Who sows and cuts the lives of this Universe continuously 
irrespective of time.

Om amRta-vapushe namah.

The term amRta was explained for the previous nAma.  The term amRta 
means "undying, non-decaying".  It is also used to refer to nectar, 
or amRtam.  vapuh is derived from vap – bIjasantAne chedane ca – to 
sow, to scatter, to weave, to cut, to shave.   The term vapu is used 
to refer to the body, appearance, etc.  In their interpretation for 
this nAma, SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning "Nectar" for the term amRtam, 
and SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning "undying".  

a) SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is – bhagavAn has a body that is like 
Nectar.  His devotees meditate on His divya ma'ngala vigraham – His 
tirumEni, and never get satiated.  BhagavAn is called ArAvamudan (of 
tirukkuDantai fame).  nammAzhvAr dedicates tiruvAimozhi pASuram 5.8.1 
to 5.8.11 to sing the praise of ArAvamudan –  the Nectar that never 
gives fulfillment of satisfaction, no matter for how long we stand in 
front of Him and worship Him.   He again calls out to His ArA Amudam 
in pASuram-s in 2.5.4 (appozhudukku appozhudu en ArA amudamE), 2.5.5 
(ArA amudamAi al AviyuL kalanda), 10.10.5 (enakku ArA Amudu AnAyE) , 
10.10.6 (enakku ArA amudamAi), etc.  SrI v.v. rAmAnujan remind us of 
emprumAnAr's SrI vaikunTha gadyam, where he describes the experience 
of bhagavAn in SrI vaikunTham – amRta sAgarAntar-nimaghnah 
sarvAvayavah sukhamAsIta.   

b) SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is – mRtam maraNam tad-rahitam vapuh 
asya iti amRta-vapuh – He Who has an immortal form is amRa-vapuh.  
Immortal means "unconditioned by time".  BhagavAn's tirumEni is not 
made of the perishable material that our bodies are made of, but 
instead, its constituent is Suddha-sattva material, that is eternal 
and non-decaying.  SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri's anubhavam is that 
bhagavAn who took incarnations as rAma, kRshNa etc., is giving His 
darSanam to us still in that form, even after the passage of time, 
with that same tirumEni (this is precisely the concept behind the 
arcA rUpam of perumAL in our temples).  

c) One of the interpretations given by SrI satya devo vAsishTha ues 
the meaning "one who sows" for vapuh – va – bIjasantAne chedane ca – 
to sow, to cut.  His interpretation is bhagavAn pravAhanityam idam 
viSvam vapati santanoti tathA sarvam antakAle cchinatti – bhagavAn 
has this nAma signifying that He is the One Who sows the seed of life 
continuously in this Universe, and when the time comes, He is the One 
who cuts it also.  He is the One Who propagates the vistAra dharmA – 
of propagation of each species from other members of the same 
species, with no violation of this rule anywhere.

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan



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