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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 88 - su-vratah.

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champakam • March 17, 2003 


     SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 88 - su-vratah.

824. su-vratah – a) He Who has taken a good, strong vow.
		b) He Who accepts only the pure food that is offered 
with sincerity by His selfless devotees.  
		c) He Who controlled what He consumed appropriately 
in His nara-nArAyaNa incarnation.
		d) He Who controls everything in this universe and 
keeps them in order.  
		e) He Who observed all the vrata-s rigorously in His 
kRshNa incarnation, even though He was the Supreme Soul. 
 
Om su-vratAya namah.

su is an upasarga (prefix).  vrata means "promise, vow".

a) SrI BhaTTar points to His su-vratam as "dRDha vratam" – strong 
vow.  "yathA katha'ncit pravishThAnAm sarvathA paripAlana dRDha 
vratah su-vratah – He Who has taken a strong vow to protect those who 
come to Him through by one means or another, through whatever means 
it takes, is su-vratah.  He quotes Lord rAma's vratam:

	sakRdeva prapannAya tava asmi iti yAcate    |
	a-bhayam sarva-bhUtebhyo dadAmyetat vratam mama    ||   ( 
rAmA. yuddha. 18.33)

"To him who has sought my protection only once, and begged of me 
saying "I am Thine", to him I give protection from all beings.  This 
is my vow".  

We also have His own assurances to bhagavad rAmAnuja in SaraNAgati 
gadyam about how serious He is in His vratam:

	-anRtam nokta pUrvam me na ca vakshye kadAcana – I have never 
uttered a lie before, nor will my words ever be false.
	- sarva-dharmAn parityajya mAm ekam SaraNam vraja    |
	   aham tvA sarva pApebhyo mokshayishyAmi mA Sucah   ||    
(gItA 18.66)

"Completely relinquishing all dharma-s, seek Me alone for refuge.  I 
will release you from all sins.  Grieve not".

-	rAmo dvir na abhibhAshate – "rAma does not do double-talking".

  SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi 9.10.5, 
which reflects this su-vratam of bhagavAn:

	SaraNam Agum tanaTAL aDaindArgaTkellAm
	maraNam AnAl vaikunTham koDukkum pirAn      (tiruvAi. 9.10.5)

"The Lord grants SrI vaikunTham to whomsoever that has surrendered at 
His feet.  This He does at the time of their death".

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to the following in SrI vacana bhUshaNam 
381:  "en Uraic connAi, en pEraic connAi, en aDiyArai nOkkinAi, 
avargaL viDAiyait tIrttAi, avargaLukku odu'nga nizhal koDuttAi, Â….. 
janma paramparaigaL tORum,  Â…. tAnE avaRRai onRu pattAkki naDattik 
koNDu pOrum"  - If someone says the name of a divya deSam without 
evening thinking about it as a divya deSam, He is willing to give 
credit to this person for having mentioned the name of His divya 
deSam etc.  And then, He keeps accumulating these over several of our 
births, and then multiplies them ten-fold, and then considers these 
as our good deeds, and protects us.

b) SrI Sa'nkara associates the term vratam with consumption of food.  
His vyAkhyAnam is: Sobhanam vratayati bhunkte.  Different translators 
give different meanings for this.  SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry gives the 
interpretation that the nAma signifies that He accepts only the pure 
food that is offered with sincerity by His selfless devotees such as 
Kucela.  

c) The alternate interpretation by SrI Sa'nkara is that He controlled 
what He consumed appropriately – bhojanAt nivartayati iti su-vratah – 
such as in His nara-nArAyaNa incarnation, and this is symbolized by 
this nAma.  

d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha views the term vratam as signifying 
control or restraint – niyamanam, and gives the interpretation that 
the nAma signifies that He controls the world very effectively – 
suvratati niyamayati iti su-vratah.  This is also ascribed to fear of 
Him even by the likes of vAyu, agni., etc., on the consequences of 
transgressing His orders – bhIshAsmAd-vAtah pavate etc.

He gives the following references to the instance of His function of 
vrata or niyamanam from the Sruti:

	yasya vrate prithivI nannamIti yasya vrate Saphavaj-
jarbhurIti    |
	yasya vrate oshadhIr-viSva rUpAh sa nah parjanya mahi Sarma 
yaccha    ||  (Rg. 5.83.5)
                                                         
e) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the explanation that bhagavAn, in 
His kRshNa incarnation, was observing all the vrata-s – rituals 
etc.,  meticulously, and this is what is conveyed by this nAma – 
SobhanAni paramotsava rUpANi janmAshTamI-kArtika-niyamAdIni vratAni 
yasya sa su-vratah.  

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan



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