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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam – Slokam 89 - sahasrArcih.

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champakam • March 28, 2003 


        SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam – Slokam 89 - sahasrArcih.

sahasrArcih sapta-jihvah saptaidhAh sapta-vAhanah      |
a-mUrtir_anagho'cintyo bhaya-kRt bhaya-nASanah     ||

om sahasrArcishe namah
om sapta-jihvAya namah
om saptaidhase namah
om sapta-vAhanAya namah
om a-mUrtaye namah
om an-aghAya namah
om acintyAya namah
om bhaya-kRte namah
om bhaya-nASanAya namah


830. sahasrArcih – a) The Thousand-rayed, Who illumines everything in 
this Universe.
	b) He Whose tirumEni radiates with kAnti that resembles 
infinite number or rays emanating from Him.

Om sahasrArcishe namah.

a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is that He has countless rays 
emanating from Him, in the form of the sun, the moon, etc.   It is 
because He has endowed the sun with countless rays that the sun is 
able to perform the four functions of pAcana (cooking and ripening), 
SoshaNa (drying), pratApana (giving heat), and prakASana 
(illuminating).  SrI BhaTTar quotes from the paushkara samhitA and 
the gItA in support:

	agnIshomAtma sam~jnasya devasya paramAtmanah    |
	sUryA-candramasau viddhi sa AkArau locaneSvarau   ||  (SrI 
paushkara)

"Know that the sun and the moon are the two eye-gods in an embodied 
form of the Supreme Deity ParamAtmA whose name is agnIshomAtman". 

	yad Aditya-gatam tejo jagat bhAsayate'khilam    |
 	yac-candramasi yac-cAganau tad-tejo viddhi mAmakam   ||   
(gItA 15.12)

"That light which is in the sun and illuminates the entire universe, 
that in the moon and that in the fire – understand all that light is 
only Mine".

SrI cinmayAnanda notes that it is not only the sun and the moon that 
get their light from Him, but He is the One who illumines all 
experiences.  

b) SrI Sa'nkara's vyAkhyAnam is:  sahsrANi anantAni arcIshi yasya sah 
sahasrArcih – He who radiates innumerable rays is sahasrArcih.  He 
quotes sa'njaya's words in the gItA in support:

	divi sUrya sahasrasya bhaved yugapad-utthitA     |
	yadi bhAh sadRSI sA syAd bhAsas-tasya mahAtmanah    ||  (gItA 
11.12)

"If a thousand suns were to rise at once in the sky, the resulting 
splendor may be like the splendor of that mighty One".

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi, 
where AzhvAr refers to emperumAn as "oLi maNi vaNNan" – The One with 
the dazzling radiance of a gem – sahasrArcih:  "oLi maNi vaNNanaiyE." 
(tiruvAi. 3.4.7).

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation as "shasrANi 
arcIshi SrI vigrahodgata kAnti-kiraNA yasya iti sahasrArcih – He 
Whose divine tirumEni shines with countless rays of radiance".


SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes the similar nAma-s dIpta-mUrtih (Slokam 
77, nAma 724 ), and sahsrAmSuh (Slokam 51, nAma 484).   

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha comments that the significance of the nAma 
lies in pointing to the immeasurable glory of bhagavAn – it is like 
counting the number of grains of sand in a seashore.  Just as the 
number of rays of light emanating from the sun cannot be quantified, 
so also bhagavAn's glory cannot be quantified.  The only thing we can 
do is to remember that the jyoti of the sun is but a tiny fraction of 
His jyoti.  SrI vAsishTha has given innumerable references from the 
Sruti to the description of bhagavAn's guNa-s as "sahasra" – beyond 
quantification:  sahasra yAjasah, sahasra parNah, sahasra pAt, 
sahasra SIrshA, sahasrAkshah, sahasra posham, sahasra poshiNam, 
sahasra bAhvah, sahasra mRshTih, sahasra bharah, sahasra yAmA, 
sahasra vIram, sahasra SR'ngah, sahasra sthUNam, sahasra ketum, 
sahasra cakshasam, etc. 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan




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