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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 74 - Part 1.

From the Bhakti List Archives

Narasimhan Krishnamachari • May 30, 2002 


      SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 74 - mano-javah.

	manojavas_tIrtha-karo vasuretA vasu-pradah    |
	vasu-rado vAsudevo vasur_vasu-manA havih       ||

om manojavAya namah
om tIrtha-karAya namah
om vasu-retase namah
om vasu-pradAya namah
om vasu-pradAya namah
om vAsu-devAya namah
om vasave namah
om vasu-manase namah
om havishse namah.

695. mano-javah - He Who is swift as thought.

Om mano-javase namah.

The word javah is derived from the root ju'ng - gatau - to go.  The
amara koSam commentator observes that the series of words related to
javah all indicate movement with speed - etAni sa-vega-gati nAmAni. 
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the definition - manaso java iva javo
yasya iti majo-javah - He Who has speed like that of the speed of the
mind.  

a) SrI BhaTTar comments that He is called mano-javah because He is
faster than thought itself in implementing all the acts described in
previous nAma-s in purifying a devotee.  SrI BhaTTar gives supports
from the gItA and the vishNu dharma:

	kshipram bhavati dharmAtmA SaSvat SAntim nigacchati    |
	kaunteya pratijAnIhi na me bhaktah praNaSyati   ||  (gItA 9.31)

"The devotee who is solely dedicated to Me quickly becomes righteous
and obtains everlasting peace.  Affirm, on my behalf, arujuna, that My
devotee never perishes".  

	sapta-janma-kRtam pApam svalpam vA yadi vA bahu    |
	vishNor-Alaya vinyAsa prArambhAdeva naSyati    ||  (vishNu dharma
83.20)

"The sins committed in seven births, be they many or a few, are all
destroyed the moment a man begins to place his foot in the temple of
vishNu".

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to gajendra moksham, where bhagavAn was
not willing to depend solely on the speed of garuDa, and hurried out
without even worrying about His appearance.  nammAzhvAr also describes
His extreme speed in removing the sins of His devotees:

	kaDivAr tIya vinaigaL noDiyAm aruLavaikkaN
	koDiyA aDu puL uyartta vaDivAr madhavanArE    (tiruvAi. 1.6.10)

Especially because of mahA lakshmi's proximity, it takes Him less than
the time it takes us for producing the sound of a noDi (the sound
produced by two fingers), to remove all our sins from beginningless
time.

SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya svAmi notes that this nAma signifies that He
fulfils His devotees' wishes with the speed of mind.  (He can fulfill
whatever He decides by His mere samkalpam - samkalpa mAtreNa).    SrI
baladeva vidyAbhUshaN comments that He has this nAma because He removes
the obstacles of samsAra extremely fast for those who surrender to Him.

b) SrI Samkara observes that bhagavAn has the speed like that of the
mind in that He is everywhere at the same time - manaso javah, vega iva
vego'sya sarva-gatatvAt iti mano-javah.  

The ISAvAsya Upanishad mantra 4 describes His speed:

	anejadekam manaso javIyo nainad-devA Apnuvan pUrvam arshat    |
	tad-dhAvato'nyAn atyeti tishThat-tasminn-apo mAtariSvA dadhAti   || 
(ISA.  4)

"Although fixed in His abode, God is swifter than the mind and can
overcome all others running. Â…Â…".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri's comments for this nAma can be summarized as
follows:  Time, place, or things (kAla, deSa, vastu) can obstruct one's
speed.  But in bhagavAn's case, none of these come as impediments;  He
is everywhere already (deSa) ; He is not limited by past, present, or
future (kAla); He is the Controller of everything, and so nothing can
obstruct Him (vastu).  SveTASvatara Upanishad (3-19) declares - 

a-pANI pAdo javano grahItA paSyati a-cakshuh sa SRNoti a-karNah   |
sa vetti vedyam na ca tasya asti vettA tam Ahuh agryam purhsham
mahAntam   ||

"Without use of His hands and feet, He moves and grasps; He sees
without use of His eyes, hears without need for His ears.  He knows
whatever is to be known, and of Him there is no knower.  They speak of
Him as the first, the purusha, the Great". 

The dharma cakram writer points out that the more we think of Him, the
more our mind get these attributes of being unconstrained by deSa,
kAla, and vastu, and the more we become closer to Him.    He quotes
rAmakRshNa paramahamsa, who says that the more we proceed towards the
east, the farther we get away from the west.  The more we get closer to
Him, the farther away we move from the worldly attachments, and the
faster He can grasp us towards Him like a powerful magnet. 

-To be continued.

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan  


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